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antarax · 3 years

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𝐇𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬

It's late at night when Damian makes a stop by your house with the intention to confess his feelings for you.

Damian Wayne x Black!Reader, gender neutral.

Words: 2,105

AN: Happy Valentine’s to all the beautiful black people in the fandom!! I dedicate this one to all of us, who rarely get any works that include us or are actually vague enough to. Hope you enjoy it 💞

It was a quiet, cold night in Gotham. Neon city lights blurred into your room as the muffled sounds of the videogame on the old TV kept you company, the blue hue of the fluorescent lights washing over your bedroom even through half-pulled curtains.

The day had been a slow and uneventful one. For you, at least, after the hope of receiving someone's valentine had been completely blown off, the same energy manifesting itself in you as the night also dragged itself along.

You almost jumped out of your skin at the sound of your window opening, having had no expectations of anything more for the day –that, and the fact that it was well into the night already. You saw Damian standing outside with his hand on the window sill, a bag in the other, Robin uniform dirty and tattered as his cape fluttered violently with the breeze.

He seemed stuck in his place, as if he had been the one surprised, frowning like he hadn't expected you in your own room.

The slight semblance of a smile grew on your face, "Well, come in," you said, pausing the game.

It wasn't uncommon for Damian to stop by your building after a busy night, the moon shining beautifully in the sky and the clouds a beautiful swirl of the light as he came through your window expertly quiet. But, even then with the known comfortability and trust you two had managed to reach in your relationship, it also wasn't uncommon to feel like remnants of the younger, more insecure Damian still clung to him slightly.

Slightly as in heavily.

You watched him as he moved into the small space and set down the bag on the floor, taking off his gloves and mask with the rough delicacy you associated with him.

He stood as if he was tightly wound up, like perhaps he could breathe wrong, or whatever new, unspoken rule he'd created for himself plagued his mind now.

It was a little funny.

"I'm not going to eat you, you know?"

Damian rolled his eyes, "I'm aware."

"Doesn't look like it," You muttered, glancing down at the controller in your hands, "What's in the bag anyways?"

"I— Things."

You raised a brow.

"Food, sweets. Drinks."

"Really?"

"Yes," Damian replied, sitting down and sagging against the wall underneath the windowsill, chest rising and falling slowly as he exhaled deeply. Damian grabbed the bag again, putting it down next to you, "They're yours."

You set aside the controller and rummaged through the bag, the thoughts racing in your head. Damian knew you well and you him, your friendship spanning over a few years now. There had been a lot you'd trusted him with. Secrets, worries, embarrassing shit you'd done that still haunted you and Damian had been no different. He let you in on his bigger secret, how he carried the mantle of Robin every night. Some of his deepest remorses were ones that you had knowledge of; although never diving too deep in the murky waters of Damian’s life, you still valued the clear trust he had in you.

And along all these moments, every opportunity you've had to know each other, slowly and softly peeling aside the layers covering the people you were, a warm intimacy rooted itself in your growing friendship. A comfortable sort of intimacy.

Every once in a while you stopped by the manor on the quiet days where it was only Alfred and the animals. You helped Alfred in the kitchen whenever he was practicing for a new recipe or baking a dessert for the family later in the day. You spent hours with Damian in his room, where his cat Alfred would always curl up next to you on his bed as he worked on his art, walking around the manor or playing around with Titus and Batcow in the manor's backyard –which, really, was just an enormous open field that they were too humble to call so– and sometimes you'd even earn an invitation to dinner.

As for you, Damian tended to visit at night more so than day, but there were moments where he would show up on a sunny afternoon when everyone else wasn't home, slumping down on your couch for an hour or two before going back to his own things. Sometimes he'd drop by books he'd seen at the library, a small trinket he'd bought at the store and various other paraphernalia that, somehow, you always ended up loving.

Damian knew your taste well, and there was no doubt he'd spend countless amounts of time pondering over each of his gifts before they ever reached your hands. All things that while anyone else might have brushed over you appreciated immensely.

"You know," you began as you leaned back into the foot of your bed, ripping off pieces from a napkin you'd taken out of the bag, buying time. Hesitating, "I actually— sort of, was hoping for a valentine this year."

You gazed at Damian's eyes, your interest boring into them, digging as deep as you were allowed. They looked nervous, hilariously so. Almost like he'd been caught. But caught... doing what, exactly?

Perhaps caught in the middle of staring back at you as he'd tend to do; how he'd tend to do and assumed you didn't notice.

Or maybe caught when he would discreetly drop off something in your room or your locker after having seen it at the store or the cafeteria and knowing immediately you'd like it, always behind the guise of simple complacency. Caught, in his true intentions, what truly made him do all these otherwise insignificant things that were much too small even for somebody as detail-driven as Damian.

Olive-colored eyes still shifted uncomfortably in front of you as the sole giveaway of the true nervousness Damian was drowning in, refusing to show anything more of himself, even when it mattered.

Especially when it mattered. It was frustrating.

"You were?"

"Yeah," You shifted in your spot, "I was."

No one could ever, ever know something about Damian that he didn't share. It's just not something you could do. Not when it came to him. Anybody who knew anything at all about who Damian Wayne is, at his core in existence, knows it only because he's allowed them to.

And he'd allowed you to know this too, and yet now he was hesitating.

"You wished to have... a valentine. Anyone?"

"Anyone."

"You could have, easily, if you wanted it," Damian rolled his eyes.

"I could?" You smiled, and the twinkle in your eyes was nothing short of mischievous.

"Yes."

"Reeeally. How?"

Damian slouched against the wall, "Well, you'd simply have to ask," he said it as if it had been an obvious fact, "I'm sure anyone at the academy would've said yes."

Your smile widened as you raised your brows, "Oh?"

Damian frowned, "You are making fun of me."

"What do you mean? How."

Damian crossed his arms as you laughed.

"You think I'm making fun of you," you protested, "I'm not."

"TT."

"There's something you want to say, isn't there? Just spit it out, Damian."

Damian's eyes lingered all over the room. His hands had started to sweat a while ago and by then, his heart had sped up so much he was sure it was making some attempt at breaking through and out of his chest.

Originally, his plan had been to drop by and bring you a gift, but then he'd gotten nervous and internally malfunctioned, because he'd bought a double of everything so that you wouldn't assume it had been a gift and instead just him coming by to hang out like he always did.

He had planned to come by, tell you he'd... harbored a few unwanted feelings towards you and hoped you would have been tired enough that you wouldn't have realized it, but clearly, his plan had flipped over backwards and blown up in his face.

Damian took as deep a breath as possible with his collar putting him in a choke hold, as if trying to push out his words while simultaneously wanting to keep them buried the deepest he could.

"I— hm," He stared intently at the floor, for the first time in a while feeling like the small child who would trip over his own emotions again, but he was resolved to tell you, "I like you. I suppose."

It hadn't been surprising to Damian. More that it was hard to accept. He'd mulled over it for a long, long time. In fact, the reason he'd visited you tonight, made up his mind to tell you so, had been his ridiculously embarrassing performance.

Being surprised by petty thieves and thrown out of the loop by measly codes, none of which happen, ever, not to him at least. Damian was far above such childish mistakes, at least so he thought until he started taking a closer look at his own thoughts and realized your eyes had gone from brown to 'beautiful pools of honey', your skin a beautiful, shining shade of brown.

He was an artist, after all. He'd spent afternoons studying his environment, the shapes and colors, how everything fit in together; you were no stranger to his thoughts.

Which of course, you wouldn't know. If you had, you would have taken the jump much earlier. You would have never acted based off of assumption alone, but having the confirmation, well.

By now you had to contain your smile because surely, surely, your cheeks would be sore afterwards.

"Wow," you raised your brows in obvious mocking, "Really?"

Damian scrunched up his face in disgust, like he'd witnessed the most foul thing yet, crossing his arms tighter but refusing to meet your gaze as he turned to the wall.

"You know, Damian."

"Yes?"

"The valentine I was hoping for this year… was yours. You could've easily made a card and thrown some glitter over it and that would be the end of that."

"A card, with glitter?" Damian snapped his head at you, seeming almost bored as he spoke in a deadpan voice, "Is that how lowly you think of me?"

At this you did laugh, almost too loudly for one in the morning, that you had to push both your hands against your mouth.

Damian frowned, "Please do know that if I were to ever make something so miserable, it must be because I've been replaced. Which would not happen. Ever."

You stood, shuffling over to Damian and sitting down next to him.

He looked pretty underneath the moonlight coming through the window, the curls over his forehead looking soft and shiny.

Damian looked right into your eyes, for the first time that night not looking away, he was trapped now. Not truly, he could leave, but did he want to? Not at all.

Softly, Damian touched your hand, something perhaps akin to fear in his eyes as if he still expected rejection.

"Damian?"

"Hm?"

"I'm going to kiss you."

"Oh."

"Unless you don’t want me to."

"Please do. I mean—"

It was a shy and quick kiss, but so, so exciting as Damian's grip tightened around your hand and you leaned into him.

When you leaned away, it was with a mischievous glint in your eyes.

"Please do—"

Damian frowned again, clearly not amused. After a few seconds though, your laugh died out. Truth is, your stomach was churning. Because, while you were very much happy and excited, you were also incredibly nervous.

Both of you were stitching your thoughts back together, seconds of silence passing by. You were still holding Damian's hand.

He closed his eyes, frown deepening considerably and quickly before he spoke, vile spilling out of his mouth, "A card? With some glitter thrown over it?"

He looked downright furious, disgusted even.

"Seriously?"

"It's not that big of a deal," You chuckled, "Get over it."

"Hm."

Damian looked out the window, and you followed, the moon standing beautifully in the middle of the sky.

Damian sighed, "I have to go."

"Oh... okay."

He didn't move. Neither of you did.

Damian gave you a quick kiss again, looking absolutely scandalized when he pulled back. You stared at each other in complete disbelief before he stood up and started putting his gloves on again.

He pressed his hands onto the windowsill and took a deep breath.

Damian looked at you, tenderly, "Goodnight, Y/N."

"Goodnight, Damian." You smiled.

Damian gave you a small smile, "Hm."

You watched as he jumped off, grappling to the nearest building and laughed when you saw him standing still before disappearing into the night.

#DC #DC Comics #Batman #Damian Wayne #Damian Wayne x Reader #Damian Wayne x Black!reader #escritos

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misstrashchan · 4 years

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The Man With Two Souls, Pt. 2

Okay, so this ended up being a fucking long part 2 to my previous meta post. There was a lot I wanted to get down, and if it doesn't make sense or you don't agree with it, that's fine, I'd just be happy if you read it. Now I can rest until the finale comes and beats me up.

So, there's a few more Salem and Adam parallels to start off with like

(8) Having the same reaction to hearing someone mention Blake and Oz and the possibility of them getting the upper hand against them

(9) Chronologically after this happens (we see Adam destroy the throne room in Volume 6 episode 2, but we see him lose his mask at the end of the Adam trailer) deciding to go after Blake on his own while Salem creates the winged Beringel grimm and plans to go to Atlas herself, presumably to go after Oscar/Ozpin so he doesn't get in the way of her plans (as well as Ruby since she clearly needs her as well)

"If you want something done right, you do it yourself" - Volume 6 Chapter 13

(10) Adam and Salem telling Blake and Oz about how they're going to destroy them and those around them

"The ability to derive strength from hope is undoubtedly mankind's greatest attribute. Which is why I will focus all of my effort to snuff it out. How does it feel? Knowing that all your time and effort has been for nothing. That your guardians have failed you. That everything you've built will be torn down before your very eyes."

"So you send your guardians, your huntsman and huntresses. And when they fail and you turn to your smaller soul, know that you send her to the same pitiful demise. This is the beginning of the end, Ozpin. And I can't wait to watch you burn." - Salem, Volume 3 Chapter 12

"What you want is impossible! But I understand. Because all I want is you, Blake. And as I set out and deliver the justice mankind so greatly deserves, I will make it my mission to destroy everything you love. Starting with her." - Adam, Volume 3 Chapter 11

(11) Salem and Adam's perception of Oz and Blake affecting their perspective of themselves... and the audience.

Okay, this one's honestly kind of weird. For so, so long there were a lot of people who bought into the idea that Ozpin was secretly evil or somehow worse than Salem, or that he'd done something terrible and unforgivable to Salem. I fully admit, I was one of those people. I mean, I didn't think he was evil, but the way Salem talked to him at the end of volume 3, listening to the song Divide, I thought, he must have done something bad to Salem, right? How could she hate him so much otherwise?

And the worst thing he did... was leave her. When he couldn't go along with being a genocidal dictator of the whole world alongside Salem, and didn't want their children to be a part of that either.

And as for Adam, he tells Blake that she hurt him more than anybody because she left him.

"All sorts of people hurt me in all sorts of different ways. But no one hurt me quite like you, Blake. You didn't leave scars. You just left me alone." - Adam, Volume 6 Chapter 12

And Salem would also have been hurt from Ozma trying to leave her. Especially when you think about her backstory, how she was kept isolated in a tower, and instead of finding freedom in the outside world, found it in Ozma. And then he died, and she was alone again. And then the Gods destroyed humanity, and Salem is left alone one again for god knows how long.

"Once again, Salem was alone." - Volume 6 Chapter 3

And weirdly, similar to Ozpin there were people who bought into Adam's false perception of Blake too. That Blake is somehow the one who hurt Adam more than he hurt her (which is, completely insane).

And Salem and Adam want Oz and Blake to feel that way. To be paralyzed with self hatred and doubt, to be stuck in the past, and feel as if everything is their fault. That Salem and Adam are their responsibility, at first to save them, and then to stop them.

You see it with Adam's gaslighting, trying to paint her as an unfaithful coward. And I mean, just listen to the song Divide. The whole song is Salem trying to make out Ozpin to be the villain, that she's killing people but the real murderer is him for trying to give people hope, even if it was hope based on a desperate lie.

"It was you who ended their lives! Made them to dig their own graves! With your dark, sick, cruel design, convinced them their world could be saved." - Divide

And there were a lot of people convinced by Salem's song Divide that Ozpin was far worse than he really was, to the point it was surprising that he hadn't wronged Salem in some way like most people were expecting.

And Adam tries to make Blake believe that she's a coward, that she's selfish and weak, that running away from her problems is all she knows how to do.

And for a long while, Blake believed he was right. That she was toxic to the people around her, that she made things worse for them. And there were some people in the fandom who thought that she really was this toxic person.

It's actually kind of scary, but Salem and Adam managed to manipulate not only Blake and Oz's perception of themselves, but also the audience as well in how they saw them.

I don't doubt for a moment this is going to extend to Oscar as well if she meets him, that she'll likely try to convince him that he's just Ozpin and that he, Oscar, doesn't matter, and he'll fail and make the same mistakes as their past lives. Which undoubtedly parts of the fandom are going to take Salem's false perception of Oscar to heart as well and believe her.

Which brings me to move on from Blake's parallels with her first "soul" and Ozpin, to her second "soul" and Oscar.

Now Blake alluding to the Man with Two Souls is metaphorical, while in Oscar's case it's very literal, and it's no coincidence she's the one who first introduces us to the concept to us with the book she's reading during the Shining Beacon.

"...It's about a man with two souls. Each fighting for control over his body"

(It's important to note that the conflict between the two souls is not one of Good vs Evil)

Blake's conflict of her two metaphorical souls fighting for control, is the false perception Adam had of Blake and who she used to be with him, her past that she can't escape, and the struggle for her smaller, more honest soul, trying to define herself and decide who she wants to be. And for Oscar, he's struggling to define himself and decide who he wants to be, because of the merge with Ozpin, and that his past will become Oscar's too.

Both of them want to do the right thing and rise to their challenges, but it seems like such an impossible task to them that they're afraid to meet it.

"I'm... scared. I'm more scared than I've ever been. Than I ever thought was possible. I always knew I wanted to be more than a farmhand. But this? Who would ask for this?" - Oscar, Volume 5 Chapter 5

"I joined the Academy because I knew that Huntsman and Huntresses were regarded as the most noble warriors in the world. Always fighting for good. But I never really thought past that. When I leave the Academy what will I... How can I undo so many years of hate?" - Blake, Volume 2, Chapter 10

But the person who sees Blake's "other soul" the person she's truly capable of being, who she really is, even when she can't herself, is Yang.

"I'm sure you'll figure something out. You're not one to back down from a challenge Blake." - Yang, Volume 2 Chapter 10

And the one who sees Oscar and who he's capable of being even when he can't himself, is Ruby.

"Hey Oscar? I know this isn't going to be easy. But the fact that you're trying says a lot about you. You're braver than you think." - Ruby, Volume 5 Chapter 5

Blake and Oscar are also the first people we see Yang and Ruby open up to about their past trauma. The difference between the two being that in the Burning the Candle scene Yang is more willing to be vulnerable around Blake, to let her guard down and open up to her about her abandonment issues and how they've affected her.

Because as a more emotionally mature character she understands she needs to do that in order to properly relate to Blake so she can offer her support. She gets frustrated however when Blake still refuses her support, and so she has to give her a push to accept it.

Ruby, however, isn't as emotionally mature as Yang, and doesn't find it easy to let down her guard and talk about her emotions. Her mentality being described as "I don't have time for my emotions, I've got to make sure everybody else is okay" - RWBY Rewind: Ruby Rose Rewinds With Us

She feels like she constantly needs to be a pillar of strength and support for everyone around her as a leader. She has a hard time opening up about her own feelings and being vulnerable around others. For her, it seems much more natural to internalize those feelings rather than face them head on. As a leader, she feels she isn't supposed to show fear or doubt. If she admits how she's hurting or how scared she is, she'd be afraid of those around her losing faith.

Ironically, it's Ozpin's words of advice to her that enforce this mentality

"But if you aren't constantly performing at your best, what reason do you give others to follow you?"

So even though only a minute ago Oscar saw that Ruby was clearly upset over something (being reminded of Penny's death)

Ruby then goes on to act like nothing's wrong when she then attempts to reassure Oscar. And it feels like a performance, and though Ruby genuinely does want to reassure him, it comes across as insincere to him. He's frustrated because Ruby isn't being honest about how she's feeling, and is only concerned with his feelings.

So in the Dojo scene we have Oscar start to push Ruby past that flawed mentality that Ozpin enforced, to be more honest about how she's feeling, to talk about how the Fall of Beacon and the loss of Phyrra and Penny affected her, how she's afraid of Salem killing people she cares about, and that she'd kill anyone regardless.

And with both Ruby and Yang opening up about their past experiences they can relate to Blake and Oscar's own fears, doubts and insecurities. Blake's need for answers and Oscar's fear of the fight with Salem, and Yang's need for answers and Ruby's fear of the fight with Salem.

"I told you! I'm not telling you to stop! I haven't. To this day I still want to know what happened to my mother and why she left me. But I will never let that search control me. We're going to find the answers we're looking for Blake. But if we destroy ourselves in the process what good are we?" - Yang, Volume 2 Chapter 6

"I am scared! But not just for me. What happened at Beacon shows that Salem doesn't care if you're standing against her or not. She'll kill anybody. And that, scares me most of all. Phyrra... Penny... I'd be lying if I said it didn't hurt. That I didn't think about them every day since I lost them. That I didn't wish I had spent more time with them. If it had been me instead, I know they would have kept fighting too. No matter how dangerous it was. So that's what I choose to do. To keep moving forward." - Ruby, Volume 5 Chapter 5

And by demonstrating their own resolve, as well as their belief in the kind of people Blake and Oscar are capable of being that inspires them to be that person.

"I'm. Not. Running."

"You. Will." - Blake and Adam, Volume 3 Chapter 11

"She made a choice. To put others before herself. And so do I."

"Then you've chosen death." - Oscar and Hazel, Volume 5 Chapter 12

There's also Blake expressing her doubt in Yang during volume 3 after she attacked Mecury, causing Yang to question her own judgement.

She compares it to how Adam used to attack people, and of course she knows Yang wouldn't do something like that without good reason, but she can't but feel like the situation is very familiar. And Blake knows Yang isn't Adam, and makes it clear that she's decided to trust Yang.

"I want to trust you. I will trust you." - Volume 3 Chapter 8

But despite that, Blake's words do still weigh on her mind even when she's alone, where Qrow comes to talk to her about what happened and reassure her, and then they end up talking about her mum.

And then with Ruby in volume 7, Oscar expresses his doubt in Ruby in her decision to lie and hide the truth from Ironwood, comparing it to how Ozpin did the same to them, which, similar to Yang, causes Ruby to question her own judgement. And obviously he knows Ruby isn't Ozpin, that she probably had a good reason for lying. But again, the situation just feels so familiar.

But ultimately he decides to put his trust in Ruby, even before Ironwood.

"I do believe in you. But not only you." - Volume 7 Chapter 7

And by episode 9 they're both on the same page in deciding to choose the truth over fear. (if only James could have stayed on that page too)

Similarly to Yang, we see Ruby alone in episode 4 of volume 7, and you can tell Oscar's words are still weighing on her mind, as Qrow comes over to talk to her and she asks him if she is like Ozpin, and he reassures her that she's not, and then they end up talking about her mother.

Okay, so I'm going to go out on a limb here, and you can call me out on my bullshit if you like, but I'm making a prediction (like, 12 hours from the finale, but hey, it might happen later in the series for all I know)

If we're going full in on the parallels here, remember how Yang lost an arm trying to protect Blake from Adam, and afterwards Blake ends up leaving Yang like Raven, believing she'd be better off without her?

And how Salem is on her way to Atlas after hearing Ozpin had reincarnated, the foreshadowing for Ruby losing an eye and them bringing up her trauma around Summer in Chapter 11?

On top of her wanting Ruby alive?

I'm gonna guess Ruby loses an eye trying to protect Oscar, and then afterwards either Oscar or Ruby tries to sacrifice and give themselves up to Salem, except it ends up being a hollow sacrifice like Summer's

"I didn't have a choice I did what I had to do I made a sacrifice but forced a bigger sacrifice on you!" - Red like Roses Part 2

Because Salem would end up taking both of them either way. I actually can't imagine a scenario where she doesn't, because she needs both of them. But one of them has a worse fate, a "bigger sacrifice" in store for them when they reach Evernight (which I'm still thinking is Ruby)

#rwby #ozpin #oscar pine #yang xiao long #ruby rose #salem #blake belladona #adam taurus #trash meta #thank FUCK I can finally sleep #thanks to anyone who read this to the end #I don't think I'm any good at this but it feels good to just waffle sometimes

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kassandra-lorelei · 5 years

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Can you do a n/cc AU meeting fic where they're in public and cc comes up to Niles and is like, "quick, act like you know me" (maybe she even surprisingly kisses/hugs him or something) because she is trying to get away from /avoid someone and they click and start hanging out together but both are afraid to say they're more than friends, but something happens that finally gets one of them to admit that they want to be more than friends

Here we are, my friend! I hope you enjoy it!

@missbabcocks1 @holomoriarty

Niles didn’t think he’d ever experienced anything quite like Central Park in the mid-to-latter days of summer. The sun practically illuminated the leaves on the trees, making everything look so spectacularly green for one final splendid display before they began their shift into fiery oranges and reds to prepare for autumn. Groups of tourists came and went, chatting happily in a myriad of languages and carrying (and wearing) assorted souvenirs, most probably delighted to have come on a trip before their summer holidays ended. The spot on the bench he’d found had a wonderful view of Turtle Pond, and the waves bobbed up and down pleasantly in a motion which could only relax a person the longer they looked at it.

It was peaceful, and the perfect place to come and get some fresh air on the days that Mr. and Mrs. Sheffield allowed him to have off. Well, the days off were probably more the idea of the latter, rather than the former, but still – the fact that he got them was the important part. Just because it had been a few years since they’d come to America (and Maxwell and Sara now had little Miss Maggie and Master Brighton to look after) and everybody was more settled into a routine, it didn’t mean that he had to be taken complete advantage of.

He might have been a butler, but he was still human as well.

That was why he was intending to finish enjoying his walk before he even thought of turning around and heading back to the mansion. As such, after a few more minutes of resting his feet and taking in the scenery, he got up from the bench and began to head off back in the direction of the main pathway.

A walk through The Ramble probably wouldn’t go ami-

Before he could even finish his thought, he was suddenly pulled back to the present moment by a young woman with blonde hair leaping at him out of nowhere and kissing him directly on the lips, before pulling him into a tight hug.

What the-?! Where had all of this suddenly come from?! He was almost completely certain that he had never met this woman before in his life (judging from the very brief glance he’d gotten as she’d pulled him in for the kiss, just before she’d hugged him) and he was more than completely certain that he had just been minding his own business and not…advertising anything!

But just as he was about to pull away and ask what the hell she thought she was doing, she held him fast.

“I am begging you, do not let go just yet. I’m trying to ditch that jackass who’s been following behind me all the way along 5th Avenue,” she explained hurriedly. “I told him I had a boyfriend who was waiting here for me, and you looked like you were by yourself.”

If it hadn’t been true and if the notion to be anything other than confused had been at the forefront of his mind, Niles would’ve been a little bit insulted by that comment. But as the shock of the moment quickly wore off and he thought to look over the mystery woman’s shoulder, he began to realise what she was talking about. A short way behind them, looking both immovable and rather angry, was a tall man in a smart suit with dark hair.

Even from where he was stood, Niles also thought he had an atmosphere about him that suggested he was both unfamiliar with, and frustrated by, rejection from women. And the idea that he had been following this woman for such a long way turned Niles’ stomach over, making it churn unpleasantly.

That certainly made her reaction of running straight to him understandable. Anybody other than that unwanted follower (who was still glaring at them from where he was stood) would look like a safe prospect in comparison.

Luckily for her, Niles couldn’t possibly think of doing anything other than helping.

He would have made this known out loud as well, had it not been for his sudden companion shifting her head slightly to keep on whispering.

“Has he gone?”

Niles eyed the man again, before turning his head in towards the woman so that he could whisper back, at the same time having to make sure that he didn’t accidentally inhale a mouthful of her hair.

“No,” he answered, suddenly feeling a tightness in his stomach that spoke of growing concern. “You think he should have, by now?”

He couldn’t see it, but the disgust in the woman’s voice suggested that she would have also screwed up her face, “Ugh, I was hoping this would be enough and that creep would get the message…!”

He didn’t know why, exactly, but those words sparked something off in Niles’ mind. It could’ve been the fact that she was clearly in need of more help than her original plan had been able to provide, but he couldn’t say for sure.

Not that it mattered, really. The fact that he was still there to help and a notion to continue her plan was already forming in his mind was enough.

“Leave it to me,” he told her. “I have an idea…”

He had to release her from their hold to put the plan into motion, but he kept one arm around her back to make what was going to happen next look convincing.

He was also sort of hoping that it would provide some form of comfort, considering what she’d just been through, and it gave him ample opportunity to take a better look at the person he’d just agreed to help out. She was almost exactly the same height as he was, with her hair loose about her shoulders over a light blouse and the strap of her bag, which was perched on her shoulder. She also had a strong jaw, carefully applied red lipstick, and a large pair of glasses perched on the bridge of her long nose.

Through them, Niles also quickly noted that she had the most stunning pair of blue eyes…

But he couldn’t let himself become too absorbed. They had other matters to attend to, and that specifically involved getting rid of the man who still apparently had yet to take no for an answer.

He looked the man up and down with obvious disdain, before calling out to him.

“Can I help you at all, sir?” he asked loudly, and quite sarcastically. “Perhaps I could get you some binoculars for a better look at us? Or maybe you would prefer a camera to preserve the moment?”

He’d hoped that that might have shamed the man into moving on, but it didn’t appear to have any effect. If anything, it seemed to encourage the other man to come closer.

“…You’re her boyfriend?” he asked, pointing at the woman as he did.

Niles didn’t like or appreciate the gesture, and he frowned. The words left a lot to be desired, too – it made it sound like this woman’s word wasn’t good enough for her apparent stalker, and he needed a man’s proof before he took anything seriously.

The butler stood his ground quite firmly when replying, “You believe that it’s any of your business to know that?”

That just appeared to further frustrate the other man, who pursed his lips so hard they nearly disappeared.

“I like catching up with old friends, and your…girlfriend here is an old friend.”

Niles didn’t know if that was true and, to be quite frank, he didn’t care. What mattered was that the woman had told him to leave her alone, and he hadn’t.

“Really?” the butler quirked an eyebrow sharply. “Well, if the two of you are so close, then how come you appear to be following behind her like the sort of man that women try desperately to get away from?”

That seemed to strike a chord with the other man because his face immediately formed a scowl.

“I was not following!” he snapped. “I just so happened to see her, so I hurried over to say hello. If I’d realised that was a crime, I would’ve stopped myself!”

And there it was, Niles thought to himself. The angry exaggeration of a man who couldn’t handle the fact that he was wrong. He’d come across plenty of them in his time (Mr. Sheffield had a lot of friends from old families with even older money who acted the same way), and that gave him the experience necessary to know what to do in this situation.

The most important thing was to stand his ground, and to not back down and let the man have his way or decide that it didn’t involve him.

He couldn’t leave a young woman who’d come to him for help alone like that. If anything, the man’s attitude was making him even more determined to drive him off.

“Perhaps you can stop yourself now,” he said, keeping calm but adding a hint of suggestion to his tone. “Turn around and go back the way you came, and then we’ll have nothing more to say about this.”

That was when the other man scoffed.

“Are you threatening me?” he took a step towards them with his arms outstretched, as though he were daring Niles to do something about the fight that he’d heard in his voice. “Don’t you know who I am?”

Again, Niles made sure to hold his ground.

“Am I supposed to know every spoiled brat in a suit that passes by?” he asked, remaining casual as he did. “I’ve found that at a certain stage, you all tend to blend into one…”

He thought he heard a quiet snort coming from the woman at that, and felt a little bit of pride bubble up in his chest.

But he couldn’t turn fully to share in any kind of triumph – all his insult had done to the man was…well, insult him. And that only served to keep him angry.

“Did you just call me a brat?” the question was accompanied by another step towards them.

“Is there a name that you’d prefer?” Niles retorted sternly. “The police probably have one for whatever you were doing, following my girlfriend for all this time and all this way…”

It was, in truth, a last-ditch attempt. But if this man was anything like the friends that Maxwell Sheffield was better off without, he might listen to something that could potentially damage his reputation. In this case, that could come very handily in the form of a police complaint…

And if the man’s sudden stiffness was anything to go by, his theory had paid off, “You’re gonna call the police over this?”

Niles’ mouth formed a hard line, “If you keep refusing to leave us both be.”

What happened next could only be compared to the standoffs depicted in old Westerns. All three stood there, Niles and the woman who’d asked him for help staring down the man who clearly had less-than-honourable intentions.

And, after it became clear that the pressure wasn’t going to go away, the man finally cracked.

“Fine. Whatever,” he huffed, straightening out his jacket and turning away. “I have better things to do with my time, anyway…”

After sticking them both with one last glare, he marched away, heading back in the direction of the main pathway and out of sight.

It was a few more seconds before it became clear that he truly had gone, and Niles and the woman finally released each other, the latter sighing loudly in relief.

“Oh, praise the Lord, he’s finally beat it!” she exclaimed. She then paused to wipe her face with one hand, and ran a hand through her hair, before looking at Niles again at last. “…I suppose I should say thank you, for helping me out just then.”

The butler shook his head, “It wasn’t any trouble, Miss; I can assure you of that.”

He was, in truth, just happy to be able to help. It was a small miracle that he had been there at just the right moment to be able to do something, really. If she had come across somebody else who wasn’t quite so willing to play along, he couldn’t guess what might’ve happened! He shuddered to even think…!

But the woman didn’t look completely satisfied with what he’d said.

“Yeah well, whether it was any trouble or not, I feel like I owe you something,” she sounded on the brink of insisting, pausing to think for a moment before she spoke again. “How about we call this whole thing even over a cup of coffee? My treat.”

That…actually sounded like a rather good idea. If she really did insist on thanking him somehow, he’d rather not put her out of her way by making the action too extravagant. It would also mean that he got to escort her back out onto the main path – he could check that the other man wasn’t hiding somewhere, and simply waiting for him to leave before trying it on with her again.

Besides, the woman was rapidly becoming rather pleasant, in his mind. And if her reaction to his hurled insult earlier was anything to go by, they shared a sense of humour, too.

And he wouldn’t mind looking at her eyes again, either…

“I think I can agree to that,” he smiled, giving a slight bow. “Alright then, Miss. You’re on.”

“You don’t have to call me that the whole time, you know,” she told him in return, starting to smile back just before she held out a hand for him to shake. “Just call me C.C.. C.C. Babcock.”

“C.C.,” Niles sounded it out as he straightened up, taking her proffered hand. “That’s a rather unusual name.”

That made her roll her eyes, before she let go of his hand and started to walk, “Ugh, believe me when I say that if you don’t like that, you’ll find the long version to be a whole lot worse.”

“Now, I never said that I didn’t like it. And I’m sure any that longer version can’t possibly be that bad,” the butler replied, falling in to walk right alongside her back up the path.

“You’d be surprised,” C.C. said, before glancing at him thoughtfully out of the corner of her eye. “Although, maybe you wouldn’t be…you haven’t exactly been busting a gut to tell me what your name is…”

Niles chuckled. He hadn’t been meaning to avoid telling her what his name was – it was just that in his profession, people rarely tended to ask. Whenever the family had guests over, or Mr. Sheffield had a party for his company’s backers, most would just click their fingers and expect him to come running – they didn’t bother trying to learn his name, even if somebody told them what it was.

After a while, it just became a habit not to tell anybody. Not that C.C. needed to know that.

“Let’s just say I have plenty of experience in keeping it a secret,” he explained carefully. “I’m Niles. Niles Brightmore.”

And he was the man least like James Bond in the entire world, he thought to himself, whilst trying not to cringe externally as well as in. He couldn’t have sounded less suave just then if he’d tried!

Not that his companion seemed to notice.

“Brightmore, huh?” C.C. raised an eyebrow, starting to smirk. “Rather unusual name…”

Niles picked up on what she was doing immediately, and he felt a pleasing warmth spreading in his chest. It was even strong enough to replace the previous feeling of embarrassment that he’d been feeling.

They really did have the same sense of humour…

He immediately matched her countenance, “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that you were teasing me…”

She looked amused in return, “So what if I am?”

In his mind, Niles knew exactly what, and he offered his arm to her to prove it as they walked along.

“Well, if you are, then I’d have to say that this could be the start of a beautiful friendship…”

……………………………………………..

As the days turned into weeks, Niles became more and more convinced that he wanted it to be more than just a beautiful friendship.

Their coffee together had been a resounding success (the man who’d been following C.C. had turned out to be somebody she’d known from school, and Niles had made her laugh by putting him down some more), and they’d ended up agreeing to meet again. Since that second time, they’d spent practically every day together after work. They grabbed coffee and caught up with the day’s events; they joked and laughed; sometimes they’d even see a movie or go for a walk through Central Park.

And all of it rapidly drew him to the same conclusion: C.C. Babcock was, without a doubt, the most enchanting woman he had ever met. He’d been more than right when he’d thought that they’d had the same sense of humour (they were practically of the same mind, in that regard), and that had eventually led to them forming their own way of communicating via wordplay and bantering. To the outside world, they’d appear to be insulting each other, but they both knew it was only meant in jest, and Niles felt that it only strengthened the bond between them.

He’d never met anybody he’d felt so strongly about, or so close to whenever he was with them. They listened to each other (he’d managed to talk her out of dyeing her hair brown, and she’d – quite rightly, actually – stopped him from growing what would probably have turned out to be a disaster of a moustache), and they had fun together like he’d never imagined was possible!

So much fun, he began wondering what it would be like if…well, if they tried having some…more. He hadn’t been able to help thinking (on, embarrassingly, more than one occasion) about what it would be like to hold her in his arms, hearing her sigh his name in absolute pleasure, and knowing that his hands wandering and exploring over her body were the cause…

But every time he imagined trying to ask her out properly, the words caught in his throat because they knew he’d hit a snag the minute they were out.

C.C. Babcock was not only the woman he was finding himself falling completely head over heels for. She was also a daughter of one of the richest families in New York, an heiress and a socialite in her own right, and several thousand times out of his league.

He wouldn’t have even thought about the possibility in England, with the surname “Babcock” being so common there. But she’d been nothing but straightforward when the time came to discuss who she was – why wouldn’t she be? It was simply who she was, with no complications or awkward parts about it. But Niles, much to his own shame, hadn’t been able to be as honest. He’d avoided telling her what he did for a living, leaving it at the fact that he lived in the city and worked for a Broadway producer (alluding a little to helping around the office, but changing the subject before she could probe further).

He cringed internally whenever he thought about the possibility of her finding out more. He knew what would happen the minute she did – there was no other way anything like that could play out! The gorgeous young women of high society didn’t mix with “the help”, and as much as he wished he could be more than just a butler for her (he’d even considered asking Mr. Sheffield for a raise so he could start saving for an apartment and looking for a better job elsewhere), he knew that the chances of that happening were a long shot.

Just like his chances at being more than friends with her, really.

That was why he’d chosen to keep silent on the issue. He was too much of a coward to tell her what he did, knowing that it couldn’t go anywhere if he didn’t even have a home of his own for it to go to, and he didn’t want to lose her entirely.

He knew that he’d rather be friends with her, than nothing at all.

And seeing her every day kept a smile on his face, just as it was doing right then. He’d just seen her walking through the door of the coffee shop that had become one of their regular meetup points, and he waved her over to the table that he’d saved for them both.

She went and ordered her coffee, and as soon as it was brought over, she launched excitedly into telling him about her day.

“I want to start with the fact that I have some good news.”

Niles took on a look of delighted surprise, “Oh! Has the zoo finally agreed to release you into the wild, at long last?”

C.C. shot him an unamused look – the kind he knew came with a zinger of her own attached.

“You’re a fine one to be making animal jokes, considering I sat down, looked up and wondered if I’d agreed to go for coffee with an orangutan,” she retorted, before bringing her coffee cup up to her lips to take a sip. “Now, do you wanna hear what I have to say, or not?”

The butler replied with an apologetic smile, “Sorry. I absolutely do – please, go ahead.”

“Thank you,” C.C. drank a little from her cup, and then settled it back on the table. “At long last, I finally have a job interview scheduled.”

“A job interview? For a real job?”

If the situation hadn’t been quite so important, and if she clearly hadn’t been so happy about the fact that this was happening at long last, Niles might have considered adding “Other than just scaring the crows in a farmer’s fields?”. But he didn’t – he wasn’t about to spoil their afternoon together by pushing something too far, and he was so happy for her in return that he didn’t to even risk sounding like he wasn’t.

He wanted to be supportive of everything she did, and her getting a job was certainly something to be proud of. She’d already told him that she wanted to work and earn her way in the world rather than simply be a socialite who relied solely on her family’s wealth, so the fact that she had finally gotten the opportunity to prove what she could do was marvellous.

She was whip-smart, driven, and he’d never met a sharper wit in his life – by all rights, employers should have been lining up to ask her to work for them!

She grinned as she answered his question, “Pays real money, and everything.”

“That’s wonderful news!” he nearly cried aloud, only the presence of others in the coffee shop stopping him from being as loud as he was glad. “What’s the job?”

C.C. looked rather pleased with herself as well, “It’s a secretarial position for a Broadway producer.”

Niles felt his smile falter at the corners, and his insides tightened up upon hearing the words.

Only the other week, Mr. Sheffield had been saying that he was thinking of hiring a secretary to work around the office.

It…it couldn’t be that…that she was going to be…

No, it had to just be a coincidence – lots of Broadway producers all over the city were probably looking for staff all at once! There were probably small companies just starting out that nobody had even heard of who could be looking to hire as well! There was hardly a chance that, out of all of them, she could possibly have found any ad that Mr. Sheffield might have placed in a newspaper, before running into any of the other ads for the other (probably more attractive-sounding) companies!

He wasn’t accidentally going to run into her. She wasn’t going to find out exactly what he did for a living. The city was too big and the chances that everything overlapped were too small.

“Brilliant,” he said, trying to settle his stomach’s sudden unease and hide his sudden tense reaction by taking a sip of his drink. “When…when’s your interview?”

“Next Monday, at ten o’clock,” she seemed ready and raring to go already, even though that was still a few days away yet. “So you can bet your life I’ll be getting there at least a little early.”

Keeping his cup in his hand to prepare for another sip, Niles nodded, “Smart move.”

“Yep. I’m gonna present myself perfectly, and that includes being punctual,” C.C. declared happily. “Maxwell B. Sheffield isn’t gonna know what’s hit him!”

Niles almost inhaled his coffee so quickly that it choked him.

Oh, God.

No, no, no…it couldn’t be happening – it couldn’t be that she was going to end up at the mansion! It couldn’t be that they’d see each other every day, or that she’d find out exactly what he did and that he’d twisted the truth (lied, he admitted to himself guiltily) for his own personal gain!

He knew he’d just be kidding himself if he tried to think that, perhaps, she wouldn’t get the position. The only thing he could think to stop it was either to convince her she was worth a better position than that of a secretary, or to scare her away from the mansion with a prank, somehow.

But she was so happy about it, and he had already seemed to be so happy about it, that he couldn’t suddenly turn one-hundred-and-eighty degrees and suddenly present the idea that it was a bad idea. It would probably hurt her, as would pranking her to get her away from the house. And, knowing his luck, it would go doubly wrong and he’d be revealed as the perpetrator, effectively ending their friendship for good when he wasn’t able to explain why he had tried to sabotage her chances at getting a job.

He had no other choice but to come up with a third plan – one that she couldn’t possibly find out about – and keep on encouraging her in the meantime.

He swallowed his too-large mouthful of coffee and tried not to make his chuckle uncertain, “No, he certainly isn’t!”

“Hey, you know what’ll be really fun?” C.C.’s eyes were shining, and she gestured between them. “We could end up bumping into each other at work! You know, seeing as you work for a Broadway producer, and if I nail this interview, I could be working for a Broadway producer…”

Niles felt his smile wobbling again, and he forced it back up onto his face, “Yes…that would be fun, wouldn’t it?”

He was actually thinking about how it could, in fact, be the least fun thing he’d ever experienced. The minute she knew in just what capacity he worked for a Broadway producer and that he’d been lying to her for all of that time, this whole thing would be over. And it was going to be over sooner than he could bear to even think because they couldn’t avoid seeing each other if-

That was when the notion struck him. Avoidance.

As a servant, he knew how to keep himself out of sight and out of mind fairly easily. The mansion was large enough and he knew it well enough that he could be somewhere else at any given moment, away from people that either didn’t want to see him or that he didn’t want to see. And, if push really did come to shove, he could always spend most of the company’s working hours out, running errands.

It would be tough, he had to admit. But he would do it, and in the meantime, he would slowly pretend to be changing his mind on the matter. And, when the time was right, he’d subtly suggest to C.C. that perhaps she was wasted in a secretarial role.

He’d most likely start that off whenever Maxwell made his next big mistake, which couldn’t give the whole thing more than six months, at the most.

That was settled, then. He knew what he had to do, and he’d get started that Monday. But, for the time being, he intended to spend a fun afternoon with C.C..

……………………………………………………

The day came far sooner than Niles was mentally prepared for, but on Monday morning he made sure to have finished with all of his chores by the time nine thirty had rolled around. He spent most of the rest of the time before the next hour struck pacing, letting his stomach tie itself into knots and only starting out of it when he heard the doorbell go.

It was time, and it was his cue to hide upstairs. He didn’t respond at all to Mr. Sheffield shouting for him to answer the door, and he waited as the producer had to come from his office (muttering in annoyance all the way) and answer the door himself.

Niles couldn’t see them from where he was, but he could hear everything.

Maxwell sounded a lot more cheerful than he had done on the way to the door, “Hello there! You must be Miss C.C. Babcock, is that correct?”

Niles could almost see C.C. beaming brightly, probably wearing the smart suit and heels that he’d helped her to pick out, as she answered.

“Why yes, it is…”

“Come on in, it’s very nice to meet you – I am Maxwell Sheffield, I own this company. Well, this entire house, in fact,” the producer joked lightly. “I can only apologise for springing an introduction on you without giving you time to sit and relax and prepare; my wife is out with our children and I haven’t seen our butler for most of the morning…”

“You have a butler?” the interest in C.C.’s voice was tangible, and Niles felt himself wincing at it.

Yes, they had a butler. A butler who was lying to her and hating himself for every part of it, even if he knew he had no other choice…

“Indeed we do. It’s a pity that he doesn’t appear to be about – he must have gone to run some errands, or something,” Maxwell said nonchalantly. Both he and the butler knew that he was used to Niles being out when he wanted something from him. “Oh, well. If all goes just as well as it appears on your resumé, I’m sure you’ll get to meet him, soon enough.”

“Hopefully!” came the cheerful reply, followed by the sound of heels clicking across the floor and fading in the direction of the office.

Niles stayed well out of sight until he heard the office door close and then used the opportunity to go downstairs and head out via the front door. He knew that he had to be out for as long as the interview took and then a little bit after, to let C.C. get some distance away from the house.

It was going to be good practice, for a new routine that kept him out of her sight during work hours.

………………………………………………

It was a routine that turned out to be very much needed. Just as Niles had suspected, C.C. got the job – she told him about it later that day, when they met up for their usual coffee and afternoon chat. Apparently, Mr. Sheffield hadn’t seen another candidate who had her qualifications, or her determination to succeed. It had made her the ideal choice, and he’d called her almost as soon as she’d gotten home to let her know that she was in and that she was to start straight away.

Niles had, once again, pretended to be completely overjoyed for her. And, over the course of her first week or so, he’d feigned his excitement as he chatted with her about how she was finding the company, what she thought of “her” boss, and if she liked the work that he had her doing.

She was delighted with every aspect of it, and Niles noted that she hadn’t once mentioned the family butler that she still had yet to meet.

He’d managed well so far, he thought – he’d kept himself to himself, never cleaned in the same room where company work might be taking place, and delivered lunches to the office either when C.C. was busy using the restroom, or left it in the fridge for them to find under the guise of having to “run errands” or “pick something up” outside of the mansion.

At this stage, and after what had been the most careful nine days of his life, he’d made it to the Friday afternoon of a long weekend. C.C. wouldn’t be due in until Tuesday, and he could relax for a little while. Of course, he’d see her for their usual meetings, but the pressure would be off him around the mansion.

It was very close to five right then – she’d most likely be packing her things up for the day, and he felt quite protected in the kitchen, out of sight and finishing the last of his chores for the minute by cleaning down the counters.

The only door he expected to hear was the faint sound of the front door slamming.

The one he got was the whoosh of the dining room door swinging open, causing his head to snap up.

His eyes met the sight of a very angry Mr. Sheffield, stood there with a look in his eyes like he’d just spotted the target of his wrath.

“Niles, I need to see you in the office, right now,” the producer’s tone was commanding, and he thrust a finger in the direction of the dining room door, indicating that the butler should go through.

Niles stiffened. It might have been close to five, but it wasn’t yet – he hadn’t heard C.C. leaving, and there was a good chance that she was still in the office. If he even tried to head in the direction of the office, he’d run into her straight away!

He had to stall. There was no other way – if he could keep his employer in the kitchen for long enough, C.C. would have to leave and then the way would be clear.

“Right now, sir? I…can’t it be dealt with out here?” he gestured to the rest of the surfaces around the room. “I am in the middle of-”

“My office. Right now. No more questions or excuses.”

The producer’s next action left no room for any arguing, either – he marched out the door again, obviously expecting his butler to follow.

And in that very moment, Niles thought he saw his life flash before his eyes.

It was over. He couldn’t linger and keep on hiding in the kitchen any longer because he’d run the risk of getting in trouble with Maxwell if he did. And he knew that even if he didn’t see C.C. in the office, she’d probably spot him on the way there as she headed for the front door.

She was going to find out and they wouldn’t be friends anymore; there was nothing more he could do about it.

All he could do was make his sullen and very sorry way towards the office, walking straight through the open door. He hadn’t done that without checking first in a long time, but now it didn’t matter anymore.

Not when he could see her staring at him out of the corner of his eye upon his entrance into the room.

Maxwell was back at his desk, waiting with the same scowl on his face that he’d had before.

“Ah, there you are, at last,” he picked up something from his desk and showed it to Niles. It was a handheld mirror – one that had belonged to the producer’s mother, as far as the butler could remember – and it was cracked straight across the glass. “Can you explain to me how I found this, broken in the bathroom?”

Niles couldn’t even think of answering Maxwell’s question right then (not that he knew the answer, anyway). He could feel C.C.’s eyes boring into the back of his head, probably silently demanding an explanation that she would get in a moment, and he could feel himself burning beetroot red with the shame that he felt.

He hung his head, mumbling, “I’m sorry…”

He couldn’t see Maxwell’s face because his eyes were glued to the floor, but Niles did hear the producer give a frustrated sigh.

“I’m sure you are, but saying sorry isn’t going to fix this mirror, Niles!”

The butler then felt his stomach clench. That was another cue – the one that told him it was time to come clean.

“I wasn’t talking to you, sir.”

He then looked over his shoulder at where (surprisingly) C.C. was still stood. The expression on her face was unreadable in return.

And that hurt Niles more than words could say. As they’d gotten to know one another, he’d always been able to gauge what she was thinking about or feeling. But the fact that he suddenly couldn’t…

He didn’t like to know what that meant.

And speaking of not knowing things, that was when Maxwell rounded the corner of his desk, coming to stand between them with his hands on his hips.

“Hang on a minute…! How do you two know each other?” he asked confusedly, looking from one of them to the other, as though he were watching a tennis match. “I don’t think I’ve ever even seen the two of you in the same room together!”

Niles didn’t reply, and let his eyes return to the floor. He didn’t know how much of an aura he was giving off, but he knew that if it was as strong as his feelings on the matter were, then it would be obvious to everyone present how much he wanted the ground to swallow him whole.

It certainly became obvious enough to Maxwell. The look of confusion still on his features morphed into one of slight embarrassment the longer they all stood there in silence, and his arms fell away from his hips to dangle uselessly at his sides.

He shifted on the spot, before clearing his throat, “Right. I, um…I’ll leave you two to…talk things over. I-If either of you, well, need anything, just…y-you know where to find me…”

He then gave them both one last, brief glance each, and edged his way between them to hurry for the exit.

About the only favour he’d done by the end of it was closing the door behind him. Niles thought that at least that way, the entire household didn’t have to witness his humiliation.

His humiliation, and his heartbreak. He could feel it starting to crack in his chest, as C.C. took a few meaningful steps towards him.

“Is there something you wanna tell me?” she asked, folding her arms across her chest and cocking her head a little bit to one side. “Like why you didn’t think to mention that you’re Maxwell Sheffield’s butler?”

The pressure of holding it in was too much. He’d kept it all inside for too long to no avail and only failure as the end result, and now it wanted to burst outwards. It had to burst outwards.

And it did.

“Because I’m a coward,” he admitted at long last, closing his eyes painfully. “A coward who got embarrassed by what he does, and then got afraid that you might not want to see him anymore, if you found out.”

He slowly opened his eyes again, feeling the urge to continue and explain, and letting everything spill out before C.C. could step in and tell him that they were done.

He didn’t want it to end yet. Not without getting to tell her how he felt first.

“I…like you. Very much, C.C.. I think I like you more every time I see you, and get to spend time with you,” he said, feeling more miserable and pathetic with every word. “But I am nowhere near your league! Even if I could hope that you feel the same way, I couldn’t possibly hope to keep you in the life that you’re used to! I’m a butler; I cook and clean and serve other people, and I live my entire life out of one room upstairs in this very house!”

He wandered over to the desk and let himself lean against it, feeling that it was the best he could manage without physically curling up on the floor, and wiped ineffectively at his eyes before he finished what he wanted to say.

“I can’t afford anything else, and I couldn’t ask you to even think of giving me a chance when I can’t even afford my own home…”

From the angle he was staring at, he could only see her heels slowly make their way across the floor to stand in front of him again.

What would she say? What was there to be said? The only thing he could think that she might do was cancel their coffee meeting (for that day, as well as forever), and then try to avoid him whenever she could at work. Not that she’d have to try very hard – he wouldn’t make it difficult or awkward for her, and he’d mostly stay out of the way whenever the company was open for its business hours.

Not that what C.C. said next was anything like what he’d thought or expected.

“Why is that a problem? There’s plenty of room in mine for us both.”

Her words forced him to look up again, his breath catching in his throat. His heart began to pound harder than it had before, and his head felt like it was spinning as his thoughts were racing.

Had she really just said that? That she wanted to be with him as well? It sounded like she had – but it couldn’t be! Not after what he’d done, and…and…well, everything!

“…What?” his mind scraped around for the words that it had dropped upon hearing her speak. “You really want to…but…I lied to you!”

C.C. huffed out an incredulous laugh.

“Yeah, but you weren’t very good at it! I might not have seen you until now, but I’ve heard Mr. Sheffield yelling at you for over a week!” she cried out. “How many British people called Niles who work for Broadway producers could there possibly be in this town?”

Well, that just made Niles feel like an idiot. He’d imagined that she hadn’t had a clue it was him in the house. But when she put it the way that she did, it only made sense that she’d worked it out so quickly.

“Oh…I suppose I wasn’t being as subtle as I thought I was,” he sighed. “I really am sorry.”

C.C. shook her head softly.

“Don’t worry too much about it. I was kind of holding back on you, too, not letting you know that I knew it was you,” she took in a breath, apparently readying herself before finishing what she wanted to say. “I was…terrified by what my family and a lot of my high society friends would think of me dating a servant.”

Niles felt his heart leap into his mouth, and he thought every part of him might have frozen. He was certainly listening more intently than he ever had before, to anything that had ever been said to him by anybody.

He knew her family would take umbrage at the idea of a butler being anywhere near her (and not carrying a tray of something she’d asked for), but her words suggested that there was still more to come.

“But I’ve gotten to know you, and all your little habits and foibles, and I’ve realised something very important,” she took his hands and held them. “I don’t give a flying rat’s ass what they think.”

Niles felt the fear gripping his heart suddenly let go and the corners of his mouth started to pull upwards, “You don’t?”

“Not one little bit,” C.C. smiled at him in return. “And spending all this time sorting out my own feelings for myself has made things easier.”

“How much easier?” Niles asked, his curiosity growing.

Her smile became a grin, “Let me show you…”

With that said, she closed the gap between them in the most wonderful kiss.

It was nothing like the kiss she’d given him when they’d first met. It wasn’t born out of desperation, or a need to demonstrate anything to anybody else. It was the kind that didn’t take long for either of them to melt into, and Niles felt his hands travelling from C.C.’s to curl around her waist and her back, settling like they belonged there, and he welcomed C.C.’s own arms snaking around his neck. She pulled him close and traced her tongue lightly over his lips, which Niles was delighted to be able to take as a challenge as he opened his mouth and let it slip inside. Her responding moan sounded like music, and for a while they simply explored each other, both clearly relieved to have everything out in the open at last.

They only pulled away when they needed air but continued to hold each other close.

“Oh…” Niles eventually breathed, before letting a grin emerge. He even wiggled his eyebrows for added effect. “I think I caught the gist, but can you run it by me again to be sure?”

C.C. laughed, “Alright, but you’d better not make me explain it again…”

She leaned in again, and Niles captured her lips in his once more. That time, it wasn’t as long or as intense as before, and C.C. cupped his cheek in her hand as they pulled away.

“Getting it a little better?” she purred.

“Absolutely,” he replied, relaxing and resting his forehead against hers. “I don’t think we’re going to have any misunderstandings in the future.”

She chuckled deep in her chest, “Can you imagine what would’ve happened, if you’d opened the door and that had been when you’d met me for the first time?”

“Oh, misunderstandings aplenty,” Niles said casually. “The first one probably would’ve happened when I opened the door, saw you and immediately forgot how to speak.”

“Smooth talker,” C.C. smirked in return, caressing one finger down his chest and starting to trace patterns on his tie. “So, my new boyfriend’s a butler, huh?”

Said butler thought his heart might burst in his chest, hearing her say that.

He tried not to let his voice shake as he responded, “Yes…and my new girlfriend probably still thinks it’s rather pathetic.”

“Oh, resoundingly,” C.C. confirmed teasingly, before poking him lightly in the chest. “But I’m not gonna hold it against you.”

That was when Niles sense an opportunity, and he smirked, “Are there other things that you’d rather hold against me?”

She pretended to look him up and down, before matching his countenance.

“Perhaps,” she mused aloud, her voice just the right side of tantalising. “If you play your cards right.”

Niles let his eyebrows raise a little, “Another thing you that you should know about me, then; I am an excellent hand at card games.”

The hand that had poked him in the chest started caressing instead, “Well then, I might just have to get a little demonstration of how good your hand can be…”

“Oh, you’ll get more than that, my dear,” he growled, leaning in and kissing her cheek – very close to her ear. “How does tonight strike you?”

C.C.’s breath noticeably hitched, “Pick me up at eight?”

Niles grinned, and kissed her there again, “You, Miss Babcock, have got yourself a deal.”

She kissed his cheek as well, before untangling herself from his arms, “Then I’ll see you tonight, my Butler Boy…”

After picking up her bag from the green loveseat and blowing a kiss at him from over her shoulder, she left the office. It wasn’t long after that that Niles heard the front door opening and closing, and Maxwell soon hurried back into the room, saying something that the butler simply wasn’t listening to.

The producer was probably demanding to know what the hell was going on, but Niles couldn’t hear a word of it to confirm the theory. Not that he had time to be thinking about something like that.

He was too busy planning his first proper date with C.C. in his head, and thinking about how a pair of stunning blue eyes looked better than Central Park in mid-to-late summer.

#anon asks #the nanny #niles and cc #niles the butler #cc babcock #otp: butler bitch #otp: always been bitter together

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istgimamess · 6 years

Text

Label: sm entertainment

Stage name: bella (because you're beautiful~)

Debut year: 2015 (3 yrs active)

Debut concept: aggressive bubblegum synth, dance heavy, vocal heavy, bright, pop!

Number of members: 4

Group name: strawberry jam (sj)

Fandom name: jammers

Position: main vocal, visual, dance line

Male bestie: Jongin (EXO)

How you meet: you are a hard worker, always putting your best foot forward, giving it your all; putting all your effort into anything you do! Which is such a great quality, you're told! Lord knows, you've benefited from that personality trait thousands of times, mostly in your career and personal relationships! However, alot of the time, it tends to have a negative effect! Mainly on your health! You put so much effort into whatever you're working on at the moment: new choreography, new music etc. that you tend to neglect your personal health! This lands you in the hospital alot; its not ideal, but you can't complain, your doctor is probably your favorite! Which is where you end up meeting (*cough*...fighting with) Jongin! You had a really important public appearance coming up, a couple of variety shows and another comeback all scheduled within a weeks time; and you knew your health wasn't at its prime, so you were basically in mental panic mode! You were hoping to get in and out of your check up as fast as possible, because you had things to do! Long story short, that wasn't happening! You ended up sticking your head in to the doctors office, to confront the patient before you! Which happened to be Jongin! "Hi! Yeah, sorry! Could you, I don't know, hurry up!? I've aged quite drastically since being here.." "He's my doctor and I was here first!" "Yeah, well he likes me better!" After a few more minutes of back and forth, a kindergarten-like tantrum and some overdramatic whining on both of your parts, you were left by your very flustered doctor to "..Work things out!.." You quickly end up bonding over your mutual lack of priority when it comes to your health, your whiney childlike mannerisms when you're sick or hungry and a love for the theater! He ends up becoming one of your best friends and you're almost always together! You're both quite determined and hardworking, both tending to over work yourselves and this is usually the cause for most of your fights: scolding eachother for not prioritizing your health! He ends up worrying about your health more than he does his, and vice versa! But you're constantly supporting eachother in anything you pursue! "Jongin, I heard Bella from Strawberry Jam is your best friend, is that true!?" "Yeah, she's my best friend!" "Cool! I also heard she is the biggest EXO supporter, is that right!?" "Yes, she is! I made a joke the other day about her leaving music to work for EXO and help us promote our new album!" "Really!? What did she say!?" "It was so funny, she took the album and walked over to the street corner and just stood there like this...(^ gif ^)..I couldn't stop laughing!" Your friendship is really goals!

Female bestie: Jennie (Blackpink)

How you meet: you love singing and you love theatrics but sometimes you feel like dancing and choreography, in general, can be very confusing and frustrating! So you decided to take some dance classes on the side, for some extra practice! That's how you meet Jennie, through a friend of a friend! One day after class, you accidently trip over her bag and take her down in a mess of legs, elbows and sweat! "Oh my god- I'm so sorry!...Ouch! Sorry! Yikes- are you okay!?" "Yes, of course! I'm clearly living the dream!" "Oh, well...glad I could help you do that then..." you stared at eachother for a few beats of silence, still sprawled out on the floor, and then busted out laughing! You ended up attached at the hip! It's an inside joke that you were split at birth and that you're actually twins; that's how similar your personalities are and your sense of humor! You're both really sarcastic and it's 100x worse when you're together! The fans love it! And despite how goofy and silly you both are when you're together, everyone can tell you both care about eachother immensely! You're always supporting eachother and you're always both genuinely happy for eachothers successes! She calls herself your "only fan!" And she lives up to that name! "Jennie! Did you hear yet!? Strawberry Jams song 'Pink' has hit the Billboard charts!" "..(^ gif ^)..What!? Seriously!?! I have to call Bella!!..." Such a cute friendship!

Group bestie: NCT OT18

How you meet: this probably, most definitely was the weirdest encounter you've ever had! You love to skateboard; you wouldn't say you're that great at it, I mean, you're no Tony hawk! But it is a hobby of yours! And when you have a stressful, busy day, full of dance practices and studio visits- you like to sneak out in the middle of the night, when the streets are empty, go down to the local park and skate to de-stress a bit! It's kind of like your secret rendezvous self-care session! Not even your group members know about it! The park, Seoul in general, is usually dead with no soul in sight at this time of night! Which is why you're so startled when one second you're minding your own business, practicing an inward heel flip and the next second you're surrounded by a bunch of guys who look like they've just stepped straight out of an Avril Lavigne MV! It startles you so much you trip backwards over your board and land flat on your back! You say about every curse word in every language you know, on the way down! "Oh my god! I told you we would scare her!" "If anybody scared her, it was you with that stupid pedo face!" "That's so rude! Taeyong, tell him that was rude!" "I mean..I did tell you to shave this morning.." "Yeah, you kind of look like an asian yeti.." "Or a pedophile, definitely a pedophile.." "Seriously?! Is this attack necessary!?? I mean-" "Umm, so sorry, pedi-yeti and friends..could you possibly, I don't know...help me up!?" They ended up hauling you up and bombarding you with questions left and right! Questions about your skateboard, questions about your skating technique etc etc. The more they asked, the more you answered and the more you answered, the more they asked! It was pretty much down hill from there! But it's all good, they quickly became some of your biggest supporters and closest friends! They always cheer for you the loudest at award shows! And sometimes, Taeyong or Ten, will send you little videos and clips (with the funniest captions) they filmed, on the down low, of the rest of the members singing and dancing to your music, unaware the were being filmed! "..[Bella, your music is hurting innocent bystanders! RIP Jeno]..(^ gif ^).." They're such a mess and it's the cutest!

Boyfriend: Taehyung (BTS)

Ship name(s): tella, bae couple, baehyung

How you meet: the way you 'officially' meet is kind of funny! And the time and location is a bit obscure! Anytime someone asks him when and where you met, he says Italy in June! You say it was definitely paris, late July! Both of you would be right and wrong! You love traveling and any time you have the opportunity, you jump on it! This is no secret! You first noticed him in Paris, he first noticed you in Italy, you both noticed eachother in Chicago! By the time you ended up back in the Incheon International Airport - you were 98.7% positive you had picked up a stalker abroad! "Are you following me!?" "I was going to ask you the same thing!" "Well I asked you first, so answer!" "I don't take demands from potential stalkers!" Some threats to call the police and a couple defensive hand gestures later, you eventually both settled on fate being the reason you've bumped into eachother over and over again! As cheesy as it might sound! You quickly bond over your artistic and creative sides, and a strong love for traveling and then there is no going back! He's one of your biggest supporters and you both often credit eachother as being an inspiration and muse! You eventually, after realizing how important and serious your relationship was becoming, went public! You figured your close friends and family would be the most supportive, and they were, but in actuality it was the fans that became your biggest supporters! "Tae-oppa!! Over here!! Taehyung-oppa!! You and Bella-unnie are the cutest couple ever!! I will always support you!!" "...(^ gif ^)..." It's so heartwarming!

Biggest fan: your biggest fan is probably Junhoe from IKON! He's always covering your songs, he even covers the songs you cover! He says it's only because he wants to prove he can harmonize with you, always calling you out in interviews hoping to get the chance to meet you and collaborate! "Bella from Strawberry Jam is my favorite! She has the best voice, even better than me! And she has good taste in music, I would love to collaborate with her if given the chance!" He's always showing support for your comebacks as well and even your solo projects; watching every drama and CF you do and streaming your music, constantly singing along with you at the top of his lungs! He's a dedicated and loyal fan and he's pretty loud and proud about it! So much, that it's even a running joke in his group that he would leave the rest of the members for even just a chance to perform with you! Well, it's a joke to them! Him, not so much! "Junhoe! I heard that you're a huge fan of Bella from Strawberry Jam, is that true!?" "Yes! She is my favorite singer!" "Oh really!? I heard that you would leave IKON without a second thought, if she ever wanted to perform with you!" "Yes, I would! In a heartbeat!" "What the-...you answered that so fast! You would really leave us, huh!?" "Yep!.." "...(^ gif ^)..." It's pretty funny!

Scandal: it's really no secret you have been trying to break out into the acting industry for a while, and make that cross over from idol to actress - auditioning and taking acting classes and workshops in your spare time! It's also no secret that you're good long time friends with Jaebum from GOT7! You've know eachother since before your debut and he's one of your closest friends, almost family! He's always helping you practice and reading scripts with you to help prepare you for auditions, giving you advice and direction on characters! So it's really not shocking when dispatch comes out with photographs of you two, on multiple days, coming out of your apartment and/or restaurants! What is a bit shocking is the headlines that are attached to those photos! "Strawberry Jams Bella and GOT7s Jaebum! Are they together!?" "Does GOT7s Jaebum have a sweet tooth for Strawberry Jam!? New couple alert!" It's ridiculous! "Are they serious!? A sweet tooth!? Who is writing this mush!?" "What I don't understand is how they got us mixed up!? I mean, I'm clearly the more desirable one in this relationship.." "Are you trying to make me throw up, or does that just come naturally when looking at your face?" "I'm a masterpiece and you are blessed to be in my presence.." What a dork!

Other activities: it's no secret you live for the dramatics, and the theatre is almost like your second home! So when SM suggested you audition for a couple of upcoming dramas, you jumped on the opportunity! And it was the best thing you could've possibly done! You ended up, not only booking a role, but booking a lead! You got to act along Seo Kang Joon (^ gif ^) who is the sweetest and most talented! You made new life long friends, won a couple of awards and gained a whole new following! Sure, they made you dye your hair a darker shade a red and teased you a bit on set about your sense of humor, but it was totally worth it! "It was so fun! And the hair color choice is actually kind of growing on me!" "Oh really!? Quickly, say that again into the camera! In 10 years when you're bald, I want proof that you were once satisfied..." "JB, I will literally push you off of this rooftop..." You didn't, but you were close to it!

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

@suchqt here is your idol ship~ thanks so much for the request and I hope you like it! 😅 Let me know what you think!

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panda-noosh · 6 years

Note

Ahh that angst one was great! (Sorry! I just love angst a lot XD???) But uhh, i wanted to request how the paladins would react to a s/o that's been abused, and neglected by their birth mother to the point of becoming numb physically/emotionally that they're not used to being with somebody, and that they reject the paladin's love towards them for the longest time until they crack and admit they like them, but, is scared of feeling, then being abused? Thanks somuch!

Here you go! x

Shiro:

Shiro would understand your situation, and he would never force you into doing something you weren’t ready to do, or weren’t comfortable doing.

Which is why it takes so long for you and him to actually get together.

You go through these stages where it’s as if the entire world is against you. You go silent and refuse to talk to people, and it really affects Shiro a lot because he really wants to talk to you, but he doesn’t want to push you.

So he just stays quiet.

And then there are days whenever you’re so emotionally not there that you barely even look at him once throughout the entire day.

I think the only reason you would crack would be because you see how you ignoring Shiro affects him and it makes you feel bad, so you feel as if you just have to tell him.

You inform him that you have something to tell him, and then you’re standing in front of him with tears in your eyes, trying to bite back sobs as you try to get the words out.

And Shiro tells you that you don’t need to tell him anything you don’t want to, but you force the words out anyway because he deserves to know. He won’t look at me differently.

So you tell him about your feelings, how you like him so much but there’s this nagging voice in the back of your brain that isn’t letting you open up to anyone because you’re scared of getting hurt again.

And Shiro just pulls you into him and lets you sob into his chest because he can’t think of anything else to do. The words you’ve just spoken are like a dagger being pierced through his chest, and holding you is the only way he can think of showing you that he will be there for you through it all, and he won’t let anybody hurt you ever again.

Keith:

At first, your separation from him would annoy him a little bit?

He likes you. There’s no denying that fact - not even for himself. He can’t even lie to himself about that.

But he just feels like you led him on for a little bit. Making him like you so much to only then pull away from him as if you’ve just realised he’s a bad person or something.

This leads to him being mildly hostile towards you for a little bit. He feels like he’s getting you back for ignoring him.

His hostility would upset you. Of course it would. You didn’t even realise you were drawing away from him in the way you were - you were separating yourself from all of the Paladins, but none of them seemed as affected by it as Keith.

You try to grasp onto a friendship with Keith as much as possible, but he just gets so annoyed and frustrated, because he can never be 100% sure if you’re going to stick around or not, and he’s done with being abandoned by people who he thinks are going to stay around.

Whenever you find out that this is how he feels, it breaks your heart. He’s almost in the very same boat as you.

Which is the main driving force that makes you approach him and tell him of your feelings.

And it’s so difficult, and the two of you have tears in your eyes, and it’s dark outside because you and Keith are both night owls even though you know it’s bad for you.

Nobody else is awake, and you two are just sitting against the wall of the training room, side-by-side, crying into nothingness as the words you just spoke kind of filter through the air.

Keith doesn’t say anything. Nothing but “I’m sorry,” and those two words are enough.

Lance:

I don’t even think he would notice anything odd until a bit later on.

He would eventually notice, but by the time he does, the damage is already done. You’ve already made up your mind - you’re not going to fall for him. You refuse. It’s too dangerous, considering what your past has brought to you before.

He would get really confused whenever he confesses his feelings for you and you just kind of - blank.

Because you don’t want to tell him you don’t feel the same way, but you also don’t want to tell him you like him back. Both are risks and only one of them is truth.

You end up just turning around and walking away, and Lance thinks that’s it for him. There’s no going back. You don’t like him in the same way he likes you, and you’ve just made that incredibly clear to him.

So for days, you two just don’t speak. You ignore each other completely, and Lance gets very caged and hostile with everyone else because he’s been put in this bad mood at the rejection.

He’s been rejected plenty of times before, but it’s never affected him in the way your rejection did. He’s never liked anyone in the way he likes you, which is why his heart currently feels like it’s going to jump out of his chest and break into a million pieces.

Seeing Lance in this state is what drives you to tell him the honest truth - you care about him, and seeing him look so sad and be so different because you’re too afraid to open up to him makes you feel guilty.

So you tell him everything. You corner him in the training room and inform him of the situation with your parents, how you’re too scared to be treated like that again.

And Lance just kind of - stares. Because he thinks he should have known. He feels guilty himself for ever making you feel like you were supposed to tell him something so serious, that he was obliged to know somehow.

He’ll hug you then, whispering his apology into your ear, so soft and caring that it’s difficult not to admit to yourself that you’re falling in love with him.

Hunk:

As soon as you started to separate yourself from Hunk, he’d leave you be.

There would be no questions asked, no trying to win you back. As soon as you started to look even mildly uncomfortable around him, he would back off and let you have your privacy.

Of course, he’s confused. He doesn’t know why you suddenly feel the need to distance yourself from him, or why you suddenly don’t want to be around him, or why you’re suddenly locking yourself away instead of facing him and talking to him like old times.

But as I said, he doesn’t ask questions. He doesn’t see it as his place to ask questions.

So he gets on with life as usual, which makes it very difficult for you to find the time or the reason to tell him the truth; you’ve separated yourself from him because you can feel yourself falling in love with him, and that is a risk that you don’t want to take.

You want to tell him the truth. You miss him so much - your best friend. The man who had protected you with his own life on multiple occasions. It hurts being away from him for so long, but you genuinely feel like you can’t risk letting yourself fall for him - not after everything you’ve been through.

But the loneliness gets the better of you eventually, and you can’t stop yourself.

It’s really early morning - 4-5am. Hunk is bound to be asleep, and part of you is hoping that he is so you can use that as your excuse to sneak out and not turn back.

You walk into his room, creak open the door, and he bolts upright almost instantly.

“Y/N? What are you doing awake?”

And that would be it. You’d be caught up in the loop that is Hunk Garrett, and in no time, you’re sitting in his arms, sobbing into his chest, telling him everything that happened to you and how you’re sorry and how it was never his fault that you isolated yourself.

Hunk wouldn’t even speak. He’d just hold you tightly until you fall asleep against him, mid sentence, too tired to even continue speaking.

Pidge:

She would try so hard to pretend like you isolating yourself wasn’t affecting her in every way possible, but it really was.

You and her have kind of a playful relationship - insulting each other, teasing one another, but it’s always been in good fun and Pidge enjoys pretending that you two hate each other.

But everybody knows that you two are basically best friends - that sometimes, the two of you feel even stronger about each other than just best friends.

But Pidge wants to keep up the charade she’s been playing from the moment she met you, which is why she pretends she doesn’t even notice whenever you’ve isolated yourself from the group, whenever you’ve clearly been going through pain.

It makes her feel like shit. It really does. She doesn’t want to ignore you, it just kind of happens.

Even though, to the outside world, it looks like she hasn’t even noticed your disappearance, she’s been keeping a tentative eye on you whenever she thinks nobody is watching.

She makes sure you’ve eaten, makes sure you’re in bed at a reasonable time and waking up and eating breakfast. If she finds out that you’ve skipped a meal, she’ll start to get really worried and ask one of the other Paladins if they can go and give you some food, just so she’s sure you’re eating.

She thinks you haven’t picked up on the fact that she’s the one making sure you’re healthy, but you have, and it warms your heart.

And is the main driving force behind why you tell her your feelings.

You don’t want to open up to anyone. It feels wrong, like you’re ripping off a bandage that hasn’t even done it’s job of healing an open wound just yet. You feel like you’re reopening the past that you tried so hard to shove away.

But Pidge listens to you as you tell her, and your voice is calm and you’re messing with your hands beneath the table, not crying but not necessarily neutral either.

You almost look awkward, as if talking about your childhood embarrasses you.

Pidge doesn’t want you to feel embarrassed, because you have absolutely nothing to be embarrassed about, and she tells you this.

She tells you this with the utmost sincerity her fragile voice can muster, and that’s when you realise that there’s a reason you fell for Pidge, and that’s also when you realise that there’s absolutely no reason for you to feel like you can’t open up to her.

#voltron headcanons #request

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