#but with the amount of people away and off and especially with holidays coming up

[qsmprambling]

If cookie access is going to be a big concern with holidays and such coming up, maybe it's worth flagging it with the admins. Maybe add some kind of banker to the bakery that only eggs can access and parents can give cookies to? Or just make it easy and have it that everyone's cookies are worth 1 point.

[tkwrites]

Back to You - Matthew Tkachuk x Jessie (ofc)

gif from @drysaladandketchup

Title: Back To You

Author: Tory / @tkwrites 

Relationship: Matthew Tkachuck  x Jessie (ofc)

Warnings: Swearing, lots of flirting. Slow burn. Smut at the end: fingering (f receiving), oral (f and m receiving).

Summary: Jessie and Matthew meet at a New Years Eve party and form an instant connection. When a fire rips them apart, can fate bring them back together? 

Word Count: 12,700

Comments: This is my entry for @wyattjohnston‘s winter fic exchange written for @luvsherleafs

This is by far the longest piece I’ve written for Tumblr. I had a really clear vision of where I wanted it to go, and I eventually got it there. In the end, I’m so proud of how it turned out. I hope you enjoy, and would love to know what you think.

Many, many thanks to Mari @eyesthatroll and Bre @fallinallincurls for looking this over and assuring me it wasn’t garbage when I was in the trenches of writing. 

Me and you  We were a strange situation  And kissing you  Felt like Christmas Vacation  An exciting place to escape  Sometimes I wish that I could've stayed Cause you were my favorite Holiday  -Christmas Vacation by LØLØ

Back to You

Matthew couldn't tear his eyes away from her and knew he wasn't the only one. 

With dark hair cascading down her back in a long, shiny waterfall, big eyes and a plump little mouth that looked just made for kissing, she was the kind of classic girl next door people wrote into movies and books for the hero to find his way back to.

He especially liked what she was wearing. Bare legs weren’t really something he would advise at two hours to January in Ottawa, but at least it wasn’t a mini skirt like most women were tugging at constantly. Her shorts had a gold stripe on the sides that caught the flashing lights, as if they might have once been extravagant tuxedo pants tailored explicitly to show off her curvy legs. Her dark shirt had flecks of something metallic in the fabric - a wrapped and tied number like he’d never seen before. 

Laughter was all over her face as she danced with the people around her. Slamming her foot (clad in gold oxfords) down with the beat before circling her hips in time with the music. 

“Do you need a towel, man?” 

“What?” Matthew asked, pulling his eyes away to look at his brother.

“I asked if you needed a towel,” Brady repeated, failing to keep the teasing smile off his face, “for the drool.”    

Matthew flipped him off, and Brady laughed. 

“Go talk to her,” he encouraged, pushing Matthew off the bar stool. “I’m sick of watching you sit here and stare at her. Go do something about it.”  

He hesitated. It hadn't been that long since he’d broken up with Heidi.

“Go,” Brady repeated, shoving him across the walkway onto the dance floor. “Move on.”

Although he wasn't sure if he was ready to meet someone new, Matthew knew Brady was right. He’d be kicking himself come morning if he let a woman this good looking go without at least shooting his shot. 

As he weaved through the crowd of dancers, his competitive drive growled in his chest, pleased. He’d be damned if he let someone else get to her first.

“Your admirer is coming this way,” Roger said, nodding to someone over Jessie’s shoulder. 

She glanced over. A tallish guy with curly hair was walking right at her, a determined intensity all over his handsome face. Her gaze swung back to Roge, eyes wide. 

“Just letting you know so you can prepare,” he said with a wink. “I told you those shorts would bring all the boys.” 

Although she'd made them for the occasion, she didn't think they would pull the amount of attention they were getting. Her clothes often garnered a lot of lingering glances, though they usually came from other women. 

Someone tapped on her shoulder and she turned.

The same guy was standing in front of her. He was much taller up close, had light eyes, and his hair looked like it might be blonde. It was hard to tell under the dim dancefloor lights. 

He flashed her a charismatic smile. The gap between his front teeth only added to his charm. 

“Can I buy you a drink?” he asked, leaning in and yelling to be heard over the music. 

Jessie wasn’t generally the type to accept drinks from random strangers, but this guy was hot, had nice style, and of all the dudes that had stared at her that evening, was the first one to do something about it. 

“Sure,” she yelled back. 

“Wanna go to the bar?”

After she nodded and they started walking through the mass of dancers, she glanced over her shoulder. Roge lifted his phone out of his pocket and shook it at her. His flashlight turned on. 

She sent him a text about going to the bar and his flashlight, made sure the ringer was turned on, and slipped her phone back into her shorts pocket. Another good thing about making her own clothes: she could make the pockets as big as she needed.

Matthew couldn’t keep the smug smile off his face at the glares and disappointed looks that followed them to the bar.

“What'll you have?” the bartender asked as they came to a stop in the corner of the club. It was a bit quieter. 

“A mojito, please” she said, before gathering her hair into a fist behind her and running her hand down the length of it. 

Momentarily distracted by her actions and the flash of dark red, the bartender had to ask him again what he wanted. 

“Beer would be great,” he said, flashing a bright smile, “whatever light you recommend.” Glancing back at the girl, he ran a hand through his hair to make sure it wasn’t doing something stupid, and said, “I'm Matthew, by the way. “

“Jessie. Are you from around here?”

“No, but my brother lives here. You?”

“My family is from here, but I'm usually in the states.” she said, watching the bartender muddle the mint in her drink. He didn’t seem to be doing anything funny with it. 

“Yeah? Which one?”

“New York. Well, technically New Jersey, but I study in New York.”

“What do you study?” Matthew asked, lifting his beer bottle to his lips. 

“Fashion.”

“I should have guessed,” he said. 

“You should have?”

“Yeah. You have great style.”

The smile that spread over her face made him want to kiss her. 

“What do you do, Matthew?” she asked, as she brought the black straw in her drink to her mouth. She caught it between her tongue and teeth before her lips wrapped around it. 

His train of thought ran off the rails with visions of her mouth wrapping around other things.

Thankfully, autopilot kicked in and saved him from looking like a total creep, “I play hockey.” 

“Seriously?”

He nodded. “I'm based in Florida.”

“Why the hell are you in Ottawa for New Years,” she asked, aghast, “when you could be somewhere warm?”

“We played here yesterday, so my family are all staying with my brother. Why are you here?”

“My dad grew up here, and wanted us to experience the joys of the frozen tundra at Christmastime,” she said with a long sweep of her hand, as if gesturing to the whole country. 

He laughed again, and held her eye contact. It was so intense, she was the one to break it. 

“Anyway,” she flipped her free hand, “what do you do for fun?” 

“I honestly don’t have that much free time, but I always enjoy a good libation,” he said, holding up his bottle. 

A wide smile spread over his face when she clinked her glass against it as she said, “amen.” 

“And I like to hang out with people and I play a lot of other sports.” 

“I will never understand why athletes always want to play other sports. It’s not like I sew upholstery when I’m not making clothes.” 

He laughed, loud and genuine, and Jessie felt her heart flutter a little. 

“It can be hard to turn off the competitive drive, so it helps to have somewhere to channel it. So did you make these clothes?” he asked, nodding at her outfit. 

“Yeah. I found this gold fabric,” her fingers ran down the stripe on her left hip, “and fell in love with the idea of tuxedo shorts for New Years. I play around with a lot of menswear styles.” 

“I like them,” he said. If he, by some miracle, got nominated for another award, maybe he would get a gold striped tux made. 

“We have to wear suits to all of our games, so I’m always looking for something new and interesting,” he said. 

The conversation lulled for a moment, and he continued, “what do you do for fun?” 

“I also enjoy a good libation,” she clinked her glass against his again, “and I like to play tennis and I love movies.” 

The rest of the night was spent in that little corner of the bar, talking and laughing - Matthew was funny. Quick with a movie quote and a sarcastic comment in her ear. She told him about coming to the club with her cousins, only one of whom she really knew, and he told her about coming with his family. A younger, married brother, and a sister still in college. 

He refreshed their drinks and marveled at finding a woman who could keep up with his banter, genuinely laughed at his jokes and seemed interested in him as a person rather than as Matthew Tkachuk. 

They talked about hockey, she knew some as her dad was Canadian, but not a lot, then about fashion. 

She admitted one of the reasons she’d said yes to his drink had been his pants. 

“Listen, more American men need to understand how many more girls they’d get if they just wore the right pants!” 

He cocked an eyebrow. 

“Your pants are fitted properly so I can see your ass and your thighs, and it makes you about a thousand times more attractive.” 

A cocky smile spread over his face, “Oh, yeah?” he asked, leaning into her space. 

She gulped, “yeah. If more men wore pants like yours, they wouldn’t be single.” 

He stayed in her space, and her eyes darted to his lips. He licked them, just to see what she would do at the flash of his tongue. 

Her eyes darted back to his and her cheeks pinked. He smiled. 

The music changed to a slower, more house-style song he recognised. Jessie bumped her shoulders to the beat. 

“Do you want to dance?” Matthew asked.  

“Sure.” 

They moved to the floor, and he watched, entranced as she swung her hips in rhythm.

When she turned around, pressing flush against him, his right hand immediately grasped her hip, as if that might provide some kind of grounding from the fluttering feeling in his chest. 

It wasn’t like this had never happened - girls grinding up on him. It happened quite a lot, actually. Sometimes without any kind of consent. But this? Jessie? He couldn't get enough. She was pretty and they had the kind of instant chemistry you couldn't fake. 

He found himself thinking about her beyond that night. A first since Heidi. 

For her part, Jessie couldn't stand not touching him any longer. The chemistry between them was so palpable, she was surprised other club goers weren’t getting caught in it. Feeling him move against her made desire rumble to life in her belly, growling to be released. 

They danced that way for - Matthew lost track of how many songs. She felt amazing pressed up against him. He was so in tune with how they moved together, the dancing felt like foreplay. 

When the countdown to midnight began, she turned to face him. They were still so close - she could feel his body heat seeping through his clothing and into hers, see the way his button down was just starting to cling to his skin. 

Matthew looked down at her, not hiding any of his interest. She looked back with so much hope and lust in her eyes, his stomach twisted. 

“Three, two, one!” the crowd cheered. 

He leaned down, then paused, “okay?” 

Rising onto her toes, she closed the gap between them in answer. 

All of their flirting was leading up to this moment, and Jessie wasn’t disappointed at all. It was as if everything around them faded into soft focus and the din of the crowd melted away. It was better than she could have imagined. His tongue brushed along hers, and heat flooded her stomach. 

Matthew angled closer when her fingers slid into his hair. His hand splayed over her lower back. He wished he didn’t have this beer bottle so he could have both hands on her.

It went on and on for what felt like ages - a promise of things to come. 

Someone cat called from nearby, and Jessie broke away, pursing her lips to hide how flustered she felt. At least he was as breathless as she was, his chest expanding to the confines of his shirt with every inhale. 

They stared at each other for a moment longer, not quite engaged with the crowd, which was growing increasingly restless with the New Year in full swing.

She was debating between kissing him again, or asking if he wanted to leave all together when the lights went out, plunging them into total darkness. 

The suddenness of it made her laugh. She thought it must be some kind of prank until all at once, a mono tone alarm started to scream. Lights began to strobe - harsh, bright flashes that instantly made spots appear in her vision. 

The word “fire” was popping up in the crowd.

Just as he was starting to register what was happening, murky water cascaded from the ceiling. 

The club was dissolving into chaos. Matthew snapped out of his reverie, and looked around for Taryn. 

“I have to find my sister,” he told her.

As Jessie's face was illuminated by the flashing lights, she looked stricken and worried. 

“I’ll call you, though!” he promised.

“But -” she watched him run off, knowing she hadn't given him her number. She didn't even know his last name. 

“Jessie!” Roger yelled from somewhere to her left. Her eyes roved for him, and landed when he shouted again, waving his cell phone flashlight in his own face.

She ran to him, and they followed the swarming crowd outside. 

To her complete surprise, smoke was pouring out of the building and the fire department was pulling up. She had been certain someone had pulled the alarm as a prank. 

“Fuck it’s cold out here,” she said, wrapping her arms around herself, as if that would do any good. Her coat was inside, a pair of wool tights tucked in one of the pockets. She'd planned to put them on in the bathroom before they left. 

“We should call it,” Lacey said. “Catch the next train. If we hurry we won't have to wait for another one.”

“But my coat’s in there,” Jessie complained. She hadn't made it, but she may as well have, she’d altered it so much. It was the best thing in her wardrobe. 

“We’ll come back tomorrow,” Roger assured, “but Lacey’s right, we should get out of here. We’re soaked and it’s below freezing.”

It wasn't just the coat. She didn’t want to lose Matthew. She hoped she might run into him in the parking lot, but had yet to see him.   

Roger and Lacey were right. Her wet clothing was already starting to freeze - stiffening and biting into her skin. Glancing around the crowd once more, she hoped she might see him, but there were too many people moving in too many different directions. 

As Roger pulled her away, she hoped against hope the universe would bring them back together. It had been so long since she'd felt a spark like she had with him.

“Who was that girl you were kissing at midnight?” Taryn asked, her tone suggestive as she waggled her eyebrows at her oldest brother. 

“Her name is Jessie,” he said, looking around for Brady. He finally spotted him with Emma and some of the Sens guys across the parking lot. 

“Seemed pretty serious.”

Matthew rolled his eyes. “We got on, that’s all.” 

“I’ve seen you look like that before, and that was not just getting on with someone,” Taryn argued. “I hope you got her number.” 

“I did,” he assured, then stopped dead in their pursuit through the crowd. 

Taryn ran into his back. “Matthew!” she complained. 

He was too busy digging his phone out of his pocket to apologize or move out of the way. Thankfully, it wasn’t ruined. As he opened his recent contacts, though, he found his fear confirmed. 

Taryn pushed on his back, “Matthew, move! I wanna get inside.” 

The older brother in him took control, wrapping his arm around Taryn's shoulder to lead them to Brady and finally into the car to go home. 

As they settled into the SUV, heat blasting to melt the ice that had formed in their hair and on their cheeks, Emma punched Matthew in the arm. “That was some New Year's kiss, Matty.” 

The disappointment of reality bit into him, and he snapped, “I don’t want to talk about it.” 

“Whoa,” Brady said in warning. 

Matthew leaned forward, putting his head in his hands. The possibility of her was still buzzing on his skin. 

The future was being ripped out of his grasp. How could so much hope be dashed so quickly? So completely? He'd been making plans in his head. Immediately, where they were going to spend the night if she was willing. Beyond that, how he would see her whenever he was in New York, and beyond that? Hopefully something that ended up with them together. 

“Oh no,” Taryn whispered, her hands coming up to cover her mouth. “You didn’t get her number did you?” 

He shook his head. 

“Oh, Matthew,” Taryn said, laying a hand on his back, “I’m sorry.” 

The rest of the night, he lay in Brady’s guest bedroom, Taryn in the bed next to his, and tried to relax. It wasn’t working. He could still feel the phantom of her grinding up against him, and if he thought about it too much, he got hard. 

Opening Instagram, he typed “Jessie” into the search. There were pages and pages of results. He scrolled through, hoping he might see her face. When the photos started to blur together, he clicked off the app. 

Feeling hopeless, he pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes. Jessie’s face was etched on the inside of his eyelids. He saw her smiling, heard her laugh ringing in his ears, felt her lips so perfectly fitted between his own. They should have been tangled up in bed together. The actuality of his loneliness was a slap in the face every time he turned over. 

It was after four when he finally fell asleep.

He woke sometime around 10am when Taryn sat by his feet. 

“Mom wants to know why you’re still in bed,” she said when he sat up, rubbing his hands over his face. “I told her you were hungover.” 

“Thanks,” he said dryly.  

“Listen, I heard you last night.” 

His hands dropped and he gave her a suspicious look. “And what did you hear last night?” 

She took a deep breath. “I heard you crying.” 

A groan fell out of his mouth as his head tipped back. He didn’t even try to deny it. It hadn’t lasted long, the crying, but he hadn’t been able to stop it for a few minutes. He was sure Taryn heard his sniffling. 

“Is this about that girl?” 

“Listen, Taryn, I don’t want to -” 

She cut in, “Matthew, I saw the way you looked after you kissed her. It’s the same way Brady looks at Emma.”

Shit. He was in deeper than he thought. And they hadn’t even slept together yet. He didn’t even know her last name. If he knew her last name, he’d be able to find her. 

Letting his hands fall in his lap, he slouched over, and let the reality of what happened wash over him again. He would get over it eventually, but now? It felt too close to push aside. 

Taryn’s hand came to rest on his knee, “I was thinking, what if she left something at the club? I mean, people must have left coats and things with the fire alarm. We could at least try. See if you can leave your number for her, or something.” 

A spark of hope flickered to life in his chest. “Yeah, that’s a really good idea.” 

Jessie wasn’t too surprised to see the tent in front of the club when they pulled up. The post on their Instagram page said they would be available for people to pick up their belongings all day. Two women were sitting there, bundled up to the hilt. As she got closer, she saw the propane heaters. At least that was something. 

“How can we help you, darlin?” 

“Yeah, I was here last night, and I hoped I could get my coat that I left with the coat check?” 

One of the women stood, “what does it look like?” 

“It’s a black wool trench, and it has sort of wavy lapels,” she demonstrated on herself. “There’s a pair of gray wool tights in the left pocket.” 

She walked over to a rack behind their table.

The Club had seen better days, that was for sure. Some of the glass had been blown out from the heat, and there were charred bricks on the front from where the flames had licked out the windows. 

“Is it condemned?” 

“No, but it’ll take us a while to remodel, especially with the winter,” the other woman said, giving her a smile. 

“Did they find out what caused it?” 

“Not yet, but we’re pretty sure it was some faulty wiring.” 

“Here we go. Is this it?” The other woman, the one with pink hair, turned the coat around. 

Jessie smiled, relieved, “Yes.”

As she reached for the coat, she debated about the next part. What was the harm really? She knew she would be kicking herself all the way home if she didn’t. 

“I know this is a little strange, but I met someone last night, but we were separated before we could exchange numbers, and I wondered if he’d come by?” 

“I’m not sure. We’ve seen quite a few people today.”

“His name was Matthew, and he had curly hair, light eyes, and he was tall.” 

They looked at each other, each shaking their head. “I don’t think we’ve seen anyone like that today.”

She wasn’t sure what she would have done if they had. 

“Do you want to leave a note for him, or something?” 

She chewed on her lip, petting the smoke soaked coat draped over her arm. If he happened to come by, it might work. But what if he didn’t? Or what if some other guy with curly hair came by, and they gave him her note? 

She shouldn’t have even asked. It was fruitless. What did she expect? That he would just walk out of the building: here I am! 

“No,” she said, defeated. “I was just hoping.”

“Well, love has a way of coming back when you least expect it.” 

It felt like such a throw-away thing to say. “Yeah, I hope so,” Jessie said, turning back to her parents' car, parked in the lot.  

Matthew walked up to the women sitting in front of the club. He knew he was used to the Florida warmth by now, and just despised the cold on principle, but sitting out here? In this? They were nuts. 

“Hi, honey,” the older, motherly looking one greeted, “did you leave something here last night?” 

Yeah, my future, he thought. 

“No, I was hoping,” he reached up to scratch the back of his neck nervously. “I mean, I met someone here last night and I was -” 

“Are you Matthew?” the other woman interrupted. 

His eyes shot to hers. “Yeah,” he said, breathless with anticipation. 

“Oh no,” the women looked at each other. One had her hand over her mouth. 

“Someone was just here looking for you.” 

Hope started hammering in his chest. 

“Pretty little thing, lovely red hair.” 

“Yeah,” his heart was running so fast he felt like he might be sick. 

“I’m so sorry honey, we asked her if she wanted to leave a note or something, but she decided not to.” 

Now he really was going to throw up. 

They had been so close. So close to meeting again. Why hadn’t she left a note? Why didn’t he just get her number last night? 

Because he’d planned on asking her for it in the morning. 

“Well, thanks anyway,” he said, hand falling limply at his side. 

“Good luck. I hope she finds her way back to you.” 

“Thanks,” he said, turning back to the car. Taryn was watching with rapt anticipation. He shook his head and her expression fell. 

**Nine Months Later**

For the first time since moving, the bright Florida sunshine didn't make Jessie smile as she got out of bed. That September morning, she woke up to an anxious fluttering in her chest, trying to tell herself it was going to be a day like any other. She would go to the shop and sew that new sculptural blazer for the window. She'd help Raul with his clients and do the same things she’d been doing every other work day for the past three months. 

It didn’t matter that some of the Florida professional hockey team were coming in for suits for the new season. She’d already checked, and there wasn’t a Matthew on the books. 

Even if he did show up, he had probably moved on. It was just her romantic streak that kept him alive in her memory. 

After a few miserable, sulky hours on New Year's Day, Roger had finally suggested she look him up. 

“I don’t know his last name, Roge.” 

“Didn’t you say he plays hockey in Florida?” he’d asked, pulling out his phone. He found a roster for her to look through - all men in blue, none of them Matthew. There wasn’t even a Matthew on the team. 

“I think it’s hopeless,” she said. 

“Hold on, there’s another one.”

“Another what?” 

“Another team.” 

“Here, I think this is him?” he turned the phone around and Matthew was staring at her, a smug little smile on his face. 

Her breath caught in her throat. His eyes were blue. And his hair was a dark blonde, with almost a gingery tone to it. 

“Matthew Tkachuk?” she asked, trying to pronounce all the letters. It came out a bit of a garbled mess. 

“Look him up on Insta.” 

So she had. She found him easily. He was verified with over 150 thousand followers. 

She messaged him, hoping. 

Hey this is Jessie from last night before the fire stole our thunder. 

He’d never even seen her message. She had checked every day for a while, then every couple of weeks until she'd all but forgotten about it, moving on with her life. 

Pulling out her phone now, she scrolled down to the thread. The date was still staring at her, no read notifications in sight. 

Matthew wasn't even all that great. That’s what she told herself every time she went on another failed date with some guy so boring she wanted to just drop off the chair and fall asleep on the bar floor. If she let herself believe he really was as charming and interested and built just for her as he’d seemed, she would never go on another set up or app date again. It had been the alcohol and the rush of the new year that had painted him in such rosy light. It was likely he was just another boring dude like all the rest. 

The pink lace she put on under her clothes before going to work was for her, and she wasn’t hoping anyone would get to see it. 

She absorbed herself with structuring the new women’s blazer all morning until the appointment at 2. 

Matthew wasn’t entirely certain why he’d agreed to go with Benny that afternoon. He already had a suit guy in St. Louis. He didn’t need another one. But Sam was persuasive, a few other guys were going, and Matthew was always looking for something new. When you have to wear the same item of clothing over and over again, might as well make it something interesting. 

Walking into the little shop, he could see why Sam liked it. There were racks and racks of interesting fabrics. Subtle and bold patterns and solid colors he never would have considered for a suit before. 

As the other guys got to browsing, Matthew wandered over to the wall of photos. In every one, a short, dark haired man was posing with various people in beautiful suits. Sam was up there as were Barky and Bob. He didn’t know they came here too. Apparently, this was the place to be. 

Something rustled in the back, and he turned. Nothing was there, but a glass cabinet that housed a display of cufflinks. 

“Matthew?” 

His head shot up. 

A pretty young woman who wasn't in any of the photos was standing in the doorway behind the display case, holding up the heavy velvet curtain. He could see a row of sewing machines under her arm. She had on a blue skirt and a green blouse. A fabric flower was attached to her wrist, a porcupine of pins sticking out of it. 

His breath locked in his chest. She was here. In Florida. She was in front of him. The girl from the New Years Eve party he couldn’t quite convince himself to let go of for half a season and the whole summer. 

Her hair was shorter than it had been - ending at her collar bone - and a dark auburn red. He supposed it had probably always been that color. She had creamy pale skin with a dusting of freckles across her nose, and shit, had her eyes always been that green? 

He’d never seen her out of that harsh club lighting, he realized. Of course she would be prettier in the daylight. 

The murmuring behind him hushed into silence, and his mind went completely blank, as if he’d never had a thought in his life. 

“Hey,” he heard himself say. The shock of seeing her was so intense, he couldn’t remember her name. He’d just been thinking about her last week after another failed third date.

Sam shot him a questioning look.  

He was in shock. He was overwhelmed. He was… he was… he was acting like an idiot. 

His heart thundered in his ears. She was looking at him like she was trying to figure out if he remembered who she was. 

“Jessie,” she said hesitantly, pointing to her chest. “From New Years?”

Didn’t he remember? His face was branded into her memory. The dream of him - of them - roared to life in her chest unbidden. Her body reacted instantly, as if no time had passed. 

Right. Jessie, Jessie, Jessie, he thought.

Cool. He needed to play this cool. “Oh, hey,” he said. “How’ve you been?” 

As soon as it was out of his mouth, he knew it was the wrong thing to say. Hope fell right off her face. He saw the moment it happened, and it sliced through him like a knife to the gut. 

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. 

She wasn’t some old acquaintance he hadn’t seen in a while. She was the girl he kept coming back to. The one he thought about after failed dates or that relationship that started at the beginning of the summer only to fizzle out six weeks later. She was his, it might have been, girl.

The man walked in then, forcing her into the shop. “Ah, I see you have met Jessica. She just graduated from FIT in New York,” he bragged, “and is helping us expand into womens suiting. She’s also a marvelous tailor, so she’ll be helping with the suits as well. Jessica, these are the clients I was telling you about. From the ice hockey team. Good clients. They like interesting things.” 

She painted a smile on her face that almost looked convincing. “I can’t wait to help.” 

“You,” Raul said, “I don't know you.”

“Matthew,” he said, holding a hand out to the older Italian man. “Sam said you make the best suits on the eastern seaboard.”

Raul pulled out the leather bound book that served as his ledger, and flipped to the section Jessie had been looking at that morning, simply marked, Hockey.

“Last name?” he asked. 

He spelled it out, then pronounced it, “Tkachuk. The T is silent.” 

Raul nodded, noting the silent letter next to his name. 

“Jessica and I will take your measurements,” he said, gesturing him over to the plinth near the mirrors surrounded by dark wood. 

Jessie picked up a notebook and followed Raul. Matthew had definitely recognised her, he’d been shocked by her appearance, even. Then he treated her like…like a one night stand or an acquaintance he wasn’t quite sure he wanted to reunite with. It hurt more than it should have to have the things she was telling herself come true. 

She had hoped Raul would let her help the other clients, but luck seemed to be against her. At least he hadn’t handed her the tape. She didn’t know what she would have done if  her hands brushed against Matthew’s body. She already felt on edge just being in the same room as him. 

“Very important to get the thigh measurement with these hockey players,” Raul was saying as he threaded a measuring tape around Matthews upper thigh. “Big legs.” 

“It’s from all the skating,” Matthew said, almost out of habit. 

Jessie was doing a very good job of not looking at him. She had a little notebook in her hands and she kept her eyes trained on it as she wrote down every body part and corresponding number Raul called out. Upper thigh, lower thigh, calf, hip to knee, knee to ankle. Matthew had been measured like this before, so he just stood still and let the man do his work. 

“So, Jessie, right?” Josh asked, leaning onto one of the mirrors, nearby where she was standing, not quite in Matthew’s peripheral vision. 

She hummed in agreement. Raul was still calling out numbers to her, and she couldn’t divide her focus that well. 

“What brought you all the way down to Florida from New York?” 

Matthew clenched his jaw to keep from telling Josh off. As much as he wanted it, he didn’t have any claim over Jessie.

“Um,” she said, still jotting numbers. She spared a glance at him. He had long, unruly, dark hair, dark eyes, and a goofy smile. She smiled back, “can you give me just a minute to finish up here?” she asked, pointing at Matthew’s stomach with the cap of her pen. 

Josh blushed, “yeah, of course.” 

She went back to her notebook, face impassive once more. 

Josh stayed where he was. 

“So Chucky, what do you think about the schedule this year?” 

Matthew shrugged, then snapped himself back into place at Rauls reprimand. “Sorry,” he mumbled. 

Jessie gagged internally. hoping that wasn’t really his nickname. Chucky was either a possessed doll, or a possessed rat mascot, neither of which she liked to think about for very long. 

They continued to talk about something with their team. When she and Raul finished, she handed the notebook off to him, which he would transcribe into the ledger. He still didn’t trust her to do it the way he liked. 

Matthew didn’t move off the plinth, but she turned to the other man, “sorry, what was your question?” 

She sounded so polite, so formal. Sure, they’d only met that one night, but she hadn’t been guarded like this at that club in Ottawa. He supposed that was probably his fault. God, why was he such an idiot?

“I wondered what brought you to Florida. It’s a long way from New York.” 

“Oh, the heat,” she said. “I was so tired of the north-east cold.”

“And you know Raul…”

“He and one of my mentors are great friends, and he got us in touch. I have some family down here, and wanted to live somewhere warm for a change. Raul wanted to expand into some womenswear, and tailoring happens to be one of my specialties.” She said it without much emotion. Just stating the facts. “We met, I made him and myself a suit to audition, and here we are.” 

Matthew opened his mouth to say something about how he was glad she was here, but she walked away before he could force the words out. 

Josh gave him a look that said something like, women, right? 

Matthew walked away before he said something stupid.

“While I update the rest of your measurements, Jessica can help you with fabrics. She’s excellent with color. Jessica, why don’t you get the samples and help them pick out what they need.” 

She nodded, went into the back and came out with five big binders. She set them on the table, and flipped some of them open. 

She helped Reino pick out a dark teal, a blue and a few subtle plaids before moving on to someone else. 

Matthew was the last at the table. 

“What are you looking for?” she asked, trying to keep her voice and demeanor level. No need to let him know how her heart still pounded just looking at him when it was so obvious he didn’t care about her. 

“I'm always looking for something interesting,” he said. “What would you suggest?” 

Her eyes darted up to his face. His eyes were so blue - much more intense in person. He had the kind of eyes poets say hold summer skies and glacial lakes. It was the first time she really saw them, and they took her breath away. 

“Well,” she forced herself back to work, “you could pull off almost anything with your coloring. How adventurous are you?” 

“I’m willing to try anything once,” he said, trying to sound flirtatious. It just came off desperate. 

She chewed on the inside of her lip. “How many suits are you looking for?” 

“Eight,” he said. 

He didn’t need eight suits. But if it kept him at this table for longer, he would buy as many as she would sell him. 

“All for here?” 

“For here?”

“To be worn here, in Florida? The others have mentioned needing some for travel.”

“Oh, I’ll need three or four for travel, three at least for the cold.” 

They talked through colors. She opened a binder she hadn’t given anyone else. None of the other guys were as handsome, or seemed as adventurous with their style as Matthew. 

“If you’re brave enough, I think this lilac would look really good on you,” she said, pulling the pastel fabric sample off the board and holding it up. He was more bronze than he had been when they’d met, but it would still look good when his summer tan faded. 

“Okay,” he said. He trusted her style. He’d never worn lilac, but if she thought it would look good, he’d give it a shot.

Jessie got the feeling he was just agreeing with her to get this whole thing over with. Still, she couldn’t help pulling the best fabrics for him, even an expensive light blue linen blend that would make him look like Brad Pitt in Santorini. He didn't balk when she mentioned the price. He didn't even seem to notice. 

“Chucky, how did you know Jessie?” Bennet said as they walked down the block to the public parking they’d all met at. 

“A party,” he said, trying to sound non-committal. 

People got into their cars, but before Matthew could leave, Benny came up to his driver's window. “You wanna tell us what’s going on?” 

“You’re never this quiet,” Reino said from his place on Benny’s left. 

Matthew sighed and got out of the car. This was going to take a while. Sam had always been a bit of a brother to him and he knew he wouldn’t let him go without an explanation. 

“Jessie and I met last New Years Eve,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the hood of his car. 

“Okay, and what did you do? Hookup and never call her again?” 

“No!” He sounded too defensive, even to his own ears. 

Reino raised an eyebrow, “so what happened?” 

His hands raked into his hair so he didn't have to look at them as he told the story. “We met at this club in Ottawa, and we had this amazing connection. I've never felt anything like it before. Like, boom: Instant chemistry.” It felt even worse to say it out loud. 

Both guys just waited. 

“But the club caught fire.” 

“Wait, what?” Benny asked. “Really?”

“I know, man,” Matthew said, throwing his hands up, “and I thought I had her number, so I left her to find Taryn, but I didn’t, and I couldn't find her after. I didn’t think I was ever going to see her again, and then, all of a sudden she was here,” he gestured in the direction of the shop, “and I just…” 

“Fucked it?” Benny asked. 

“Yeah.” 

“So go back and talk to her,” Reino said, like it was the easiest thing in the world. 

He scoffed. “What would I say? ‘Hey, sorry I completely forgot your name and treated you like our connection didn't matter, but I actually haven’t been able to stop thinking about you for the past nine months?’” 

“Better than not saying anything,” Benny said. 

Matthew shook his head, “I can’t go back in there.” 

“Why not?” 

“You didn’t see her face. There’s no way she wants to talk to me.” 

A few weeks later, Jessie was piecing Matthew’s jacket from the blue linen in the back of the shop. The fabric was so light and delicate, she couldn’t even have music going while working with it. One wrong move and there would be pulled threads all over the place. She knew Raul would disapprove, but she gave herself twice the seam allowance to make sure she could finish the inside raw edges. Otherwise the fabric would start to pull apart - eventually, quite literally, fraying at the seams. 

“Uh, hello?” someone asked. 

She jumped and dropped the scissors. She let them clatter to the floor with a curse. She’d been so focused on the task at hand, she hadn’t heard the bell ring. 

“One second,” she called, before securing her pattern with an extra pin, picking up the scissors and coming out to the sales floor. 

“Hi, sorry about that. I got kind of in the zone. What can I do for you?” 

It was one of the hockey guys. The one with strawberry hair. She couldn’t help but glance around him to see if he’d brought anyone with him. 

She shouldn’t even be looking for Matthew, especially considering he'd ignored all of her phone calls about his suiting. All the same, seeing him again had awoken her longing in a way she couldn’t quite tamp down. 

“Raul said I had some suits he wanted me to try on,” he said. 

She asked his name, then went to the back to retrieve the garment bag. She remembered this one. She’d convinced him an oxblood red wouldn’t look too harsh with his coloring, and she was hoping he would like the results. 

Giving him a pair of pants, she left him in the changing room while she cut extra threads on the inside of the jacket.

Immediately, she could see the pants were a smidge too loose. They talked about his preferred fit, and he avoided looking at her as she pinned the inner thigh. All men reacted this way, but to Jessie, this was all about the garment. As far as she was concerned, he was a mannequin under these clothes. 

Finally, the questions that had been ruminating in her mind got the best of her. “So, did Matthew get traded or something?” 

“Chucky?” he asked, surprised.  

“I guess so.” 

“No,” he was laughing as he said it, “he has seven more years on his contract.”

“Oh.” 

“Why?” 

“I’ve just called him a few times about measurements, or fittings, and he’s never called back or come in.”

“Really? He told me he was here yesterday.” 

Of course he was coming in on her day off. Why had she even told him that in the message?

She stood up, and moved onto the jacket after asking him if he ever planned to wear it with a sweater. He wasn’t sure. Or if she should shorten the sleeves. He liked them a little longer. 

“Chucky told us what happened in Ottawa,” he said. 

Jessie felt her shoulders tense, but kept working. “Yeah?” she asked, not daring to look up. All this still felt too close to the surface, and she didn’t want this man she barely knew to know how much it had hurt when Matthew brushed her aside. 

“Yeah, he said he looked for you after the fire.” 

“I tried to stay, but my cousins and I were soaking wet and it was below freezing so we had to catch the train.” 

“He said he went back the next day and you’d been there, but didn’t leave a note.” 

That made Jessie gasp. Audibly. She blushed and tried to brush it off, “I was worried it might go to the wrong person,” she said, “plus I messaged him on Instagram and he never responded.” 

He hummed, debating the best way to approach this. He wanted to do some digging without letting on that’s what he was doing. “He said you guys had quite the connection.” 

Was she really going to go into this with one of his teammates? She hadn’t talked to anyone about it but Roger. Words bubbled up into her mouth so fast, she guessed she was. 

“Yeah, we did.” God, why did she have to sound so moony?

“Do you think there’s still something there?” 

“He made it pretty obvious there’s not.” 

“I don’t think he meant to do that. He was pretty shocked to see you.”

“I was shocked to see him too, but I didn’t just brush him aside.” 

“Listen, Jessie - it’s Jessie, right?”

She nodded.

“Matthew can be pretty thick. He gets so in his head, sometimes he doesn’t really think things through, but he told us what happened, and how much he liked you, and he said he fucked it and you wouldn’t want to see him again.”

She hummed, and got him a new suit to try on. She’d been right. The oxblood did look killer on him, like he could be in a GQ shoot. He looked impressed. 

“Would you want to see him again?” Sam asked. 

“If he came in here himself?”

He nodded. 

“I’d at least give him a chance.” 

Even though she would usually just move on, she’d never felt anything like the instant connection she and Matthew shared on New Years. It was the kind of thing she thought only existed in books and rom coms. Experiencing it in real life made it into something she couldn’t just walk away from.  

They talked about where they were from and made comfortable small talk for the duration of the fitting. She told him how relieved she was when Raul trusted her enough to run the shop by herself one day a week. 

“Listen, I’ll tell Chucky to come by next Wednesday. We’re leaving for the opening roadie that day, but I’ll try to get his head out of his ass before then.” 

She giggled. 

He could see why Matthew liked her, and could see how their personalities would match up well. She was kind and easy to talk to - quiet at first, but got louder as she got comfortable, and Chucky was just loud all the time. He could tell they both valued relationships more than things. 

The next week, after their final practice before the season opening road trip, Benny cornered Matthew in his stall. “You need to go see Jessie.”

“She doesn't want to talk to me, man.”

“The way she asked me about you last week would say otherwise.”

He scoffed. 

“I told her you still like her -”

“You what?!”

“She brought you up first, and you weren't doing shit, so don’t tell me I'm ruining your plans or some bull. She said she's called you a bunch of times, but you only show up when she's not there.”

“It's just easier,” Matthew mumbled. It wasn't his fault she told him when she'd be gone.

Benny rolled his eyes. “Dude, wake up. She still likes you.” 

Matthew looked at him, skeptical, “she told you that?” 

“Yes, but she didn’t need to. The first thing she asked me was if you’d been traded. We weren’t even talking about you.”

 A ridiculous amount of hope lit up his face.

“I knew it! You still like her too!”

What’s not to like? Matthew thought.

“She runs the shop on Wednesdays. Just go talk to her.”

“How do you know?”

“Because I went there last Wednesday, dumbass. She told me.” 

Matthew hesitated, still unconvinced. 

“Go. Now. I’ll drive you myself if I have to. I’m sick and tired of you moping around when there’s such an easy solution to your problem.”

“Okay, okay. I’m going,” Matthew said, holding his hands up in defeat. 

“And check your instagram. She said she sent you a message.” 

Usually when she walked onto the sales floor after the doorbell dinged, Jessie would have to search for someone among the racks of fabric samples and ready to be tailored suits. This time, a man was standing at the counter, watching her with the same determined intensity he’d shown the first time they met.

He was here. Finally. Four of his suits had been sitting in the storage room for more than a week, further proof that he was avoiding her. 

“Hi Matthew,” she greeted hesitantly. 

“Hey Jessie.”

They looked at each other in awkward silence for a moment. 

“Can I help you with something?” 

“Yeah, Raul told me some of the suits were ready?”

“They are.”

“I just came to pick those up.” 

“Oh,” the tiny spark of hope fizzled out again. Sam must not have made it through to him. 

She looked instantly downcast. 

To hell with it. He couldn't make any more of an ass of himself. “And I wanted to see you,” he blurted.

“You wanted to see…me?” she repeated, pulling a pen from her ponytail to start fiddling with it. He didn’t know why, but it struck him as such an endearing gesture. 

“Yeah,” he said, heart falling. Was Sam setting him up? He was a prankster, but not to this level, usually. Not when it was this important. 

“Why would you want to see me?” she asked, feeling that guard go up. Every time she got her hopes up about Matthew, he tore them down.

Thoughts raced through his mind. He could lie so easily, but where would that get him? It was time to just own up and blurt it out. Her reaction be damned. “Because I really like you.”

She looked surprised. Way more surprised than he’d expected. “I thought you didn’t remember.”

“How could I forget?” he asked. “I thought you must hate me since I forgot your name and acted like such an ass that first day.”

Shaking her head, Jessie wondered how on earth they got into this situation. “I mean, I was disappointed, but then, you backed it up by never coming to the shop when I was working, I thought you must be trying to avoid me.”

“I was.”

One of her eyebrows shot up.

“Not like that,” he floundered. “Like, I couldn’t stand to see you and remember how well we got on, and how much I like you, and how pretty you are when I knew I'd blown my chance and you hated me.”

She let out a laugh. “That makes no sense. What did I ever do to make you think I hated you? I called you every time something was finished, or we needed a new measurement. I gave you the best fabric selections.”

Had that been because she liked him? “I don’t know, it did in my brain. I guess I was so embarrassed I forgot your name when I like you so much, I was telling myself you must be angry with me.”

Jessie rolled her eyes. “You know, Matthew, for someone so smart, you can be pretty dumb.” 

“You think I’m smart?” He’d been called many things in his life, but smart was rarely one of them. 

“Yes. I think you’re very smart, except when it comes to romance, I guess.” 

He chuffed a laugh, grabbing the back of his neck. “I really fucked this one up, didn’t I?” 

“I don’t know,” she said, trying to be cool and hoping against hope that this last shot would land on target. If it didn’t, she was kicking him out and scrubbing him from all her memories. “I think you might still have a chance.” 

His eyes snapped to hers. “Yeah?” 

She nodded. 

Heart pounding, but trying to keep that flirty, cool skin on, he walked around the counter to remove the barrier between them. 

Knowing he still liked her brought all those feelings from the club rushing back. She’d never felt like that with anyone else. If only he knew how many times she’d replayed that night. How many times she remembered how he felt and how no one had ever kissed her like that, or swept her off her feet so quickly.

“Play your cards right,” she said, feeling breathless with the nearness of him. “And I think you might get another chance at bat.”

As he leaned in closer, her pupils dilated, and her eyes darted to his mouth. He licked his lips just to see her force her eyes back to his like last time. Her blush was even more adorable in the daylight.

“If I swing, what are my odds of getting a home run?” 

She laughed. It didn’t break the spell. It turned out that palpable chemistry was still between them, just waiting to be ignited. Their eye contact was hot and glued together.

“Maybe not today,” she said, “but I think it’s a safe bet that you’ll get on base.” 

Time moved in slow motion as he leaned in further, looking at her mouth, then her neck, then her cleavage, barely visible through the two undone buttons of her starched, white shirt, before snapping back to hers as she stopped him with a hand pressed tightly to his chest.  

“We can’t do this here. There are cameras on the floor,” she said. 

His head dropped forward in defeat. “I have to leave for Vegas in two hours,” he said, feeling more than a bit desperate. “I really don’t want to wait until I’m back.” 

“I don’t want to either, but I’m telling you, if Raul catches me making out with a client, I’m going to be out on my ass.” 

“So what do we do?”

She thought for a moment before an idea struck her. “Follow me.” 

She made a big show of walking into the back, digging his new lilac suit out of the garment bag and hanging it in the private dressing room. “You go in there. When I come back and ask you how it’s fitting, you need to tell me something needs to be adjusted and invite me in, okay?” 

“Right. Yeah, okay.” 

She put out the sign that said she would return soon and locked the front door. It wasn’t that unusual to lock up when they were helping a high profile client, anyway. Plus, Wednesdays were always the slowest day of the week, hence why she was allowed to man the shop alone. She just hoped Raul wouldn’t have any reason to review the tapes. 

Her whole chest felt like it was full of helium as she walked back to him. Were they really about to do this? 

“Everything going okay in there?” she asked. 

“Something’s wrong with this suit jacket,” he said. “Can you come take a look?” 

Upon entering, she found Matthew with his shirt already off.

Sweet Jesus, she was not prepared for that. For his sculpted body, and his chest hair, that tapered into a thin trail running down the center of his abs before it dipped enticingly into the waistband of his pants. 

“That’s not fair,” she said. 

“What’s not fair?” he reached for her and drew her to him, hands splaying over her waist.

“You’re already half naked,” she said, eyes wandering down his chest again. 

“You could be too,” he teased, playfully pulling at the shirt tucked into her waistband. He didn’t actually pull any of the fabric loose, which she appreciated. He was letting her set the pace.

“Damn, Jessie. You’re the only woman I know who can make a pant suit look sexy.” 

She laughed, and pulled the whole shirt over her head, leaving her in a white camisole, a black lace bra peeking out from underneath it. 

“Do you always wear black lingerie to work?” he asked, voice gone husky as he ran a finger under one of the straps. 

“Only when I think you might come in.” 

His eyes snapped to hers, thrilled but questioning. 

“Sam told me he was going to try to get you to come by today.”

“So this really is for me?” he felt dizzy with the prospect.

“No. It’s for me. I put it on this morning, thinking that at the very least if you came in and you were an ass again, you wouldn’t get the satisfaction of seeing how hot I look in my bra,” she said, before stripping off the camisole so he could see exactly how hot she looked in her bra. 

Seeing her, in black suit pants, a gold belt buckle flashing at her waist, and her sheer, floral lace bra that plunged between her breasts, the breath was sucked out of his lungs. 

His ongoing ache for her intensified, pressing insistently against the confines of his jeans. 

He stepped toward her when she once again stopped his progress with a hand to the chest. “I really like you, Matthew,” she said, swooning a little at the happiness that lit up his face, “but I was serious. I don't want to have sex.” 

“Can you define that a little more?” 

“What do you mean?” 

“Like you don't want oral sex, or…” 

She wouldn't have guessed oral sex would even be on the table. She practically had to beg past boyfriends for it. 

“I mean I don't want to have penetrative sex. The first time with someone new is hard enough. I don't want to make it more complicated by taking a bed out of the equation.” 

“I get that. Plus, it'll give me something to look forward to when I get back,” he said with a grin and a cheeky wink. 

God, maybe they really were made for each other. 

As his left hand slipped to the back of her neck, the other spread over her rib cage, thumb brushing against the soft lace that cupped her breast. 

She sucked in a breath, letting her hand ghost up his torso over the ridges and valleys, until her fingers hooked over his shoulder. The other slid around to his back.

It felt like it had been a million years since they’d last done this. Not the touching, not the skin to skin, which felt like…it felt like heaven, but the longing. 

Jessie was looking at him with that same hope and lust in her eyes. It made his stomach twist with that same wanting to fulfill them both. 

It was so long coming, he wanted to savor every movement, every breath, every glance. Her eyes were so green. Somehow even more green up close. 

Finally, when their lips met, she sighed, melting against him. 

This was all together more intense and less hurried than their first kiss had been. It was a slow burn, a thorough seduction, a fulfillment of everything Matthew had been dreaming of that night they lost each other. 

When he pulled away, their heavy breaths crashed together. 

Fingertips sliding up her back, he tried to memorize the feel of her. Her skin was so soft. 

Jessie was growing impatient. Any other moment, she would love this slow seduction. Most of the time she felt like men moved too fast. Today though, she had so much sexual frustration built up for him that the weight of desire was already heavy between her legs. 

Taking matters into her own hands, she leaned in and trailed her mouth along his jaw before nipping the soft spot behind it, just under his ear. He shuddered when she soothed it with her tongue. 

“I’ve been dreaming of this for so long,” she confessed, barely above a whisper.

That snapped him into action. Taking her waist, he pulled her flush to him, and crushed his mouth to hers. 

There was the passion she’d been looking for. 

As they surged together, she felt so restless and turned on, she tried to hook a knee over his hip in an attempt to slot him between her legs. 

Groaning against her, his hand slid over her rear and down her leg to keep it elevated and wrapped around him. 

Kissing her was so much better than he remembered. How was that possible? She was so good in his dreams. In reality, she was living - flesh and bone and wanting - and he couldn’t get enough. 

Moving to her neck, he sucked her pulse point. He felt her tremble against him, but her hand still came up to pull him back to her mouth. “Nothing visible, okay? I have to go back to work.” 

He nodded and caught her lips. It might be too late for that one, but he wouldn’t do it again. 

Her desire was a wildfire, consuming every part of her. It wanted to consume him, too. 

When she tucked two of her fingers behind the button of his jeans, a moan fell into her mouth. 

“Okay?”

“Yeah.” 

She tore the zipper down, and palmed him through his boxers. His hips jumped into her hand as a moan ripped from his throat.

His fingers fumbled to her belt buckle and paused. 

“Please,” she whimpered. 

He was clumsy with desperation and the distraction of her kissing and biting his neck, but he finally got it open and her pants undone. 

The weight of the buckle sunk the waistband to the floor with a heavy clink, and Jessie stepped out of it, kicking off her shoes at the same time. Sinking her hand into his pants, she shoved them down his muscular legs. 

He nearly fell over in his attempt to get out of his shoes so he could free himself from the shackle of the fabric around his ankles. 

Jessie giggled, and moved with him as he stepped away. He finally got his first look at her in her underwear. Made of some fabric he couldn’t name, they were also black and cut high on her hip. He could see it was a thong in the mirrored wall behind her. 

His jaw grew heavy with longing, but managed to make his mouth work enough to tell her, “you’re so beautiful, Jessie.”

“Thank you. I think you’re really handsome.” she said, running a hand down his chest. And he was - he could be a living sculpture in the Greek wing of the Louvre with his curly hair and sculpted body. 

Sliding his hands over her hips, he pulled her to him once more. He hesitated for a moment, and Jessie took charge, too impatient to wait. “Matthew?” 

“Hmm?” 

“I really appreciate you getting my consent, I really, really do, but you can just move forward. I’ll tell you if I don’t like something.” 

“Okay.” 

She captured his mouth again and the fire roared to life between them, stoked hotter by so much skin touching skin. 

Sneaking his fingers into the waistband of her panties, he pushed them down, trusting that she would stop him if she wanted to.

She didn’t want him to. 

His fingers traced back up her leg and when he stroked her, she broke from the kiss to let her head lull forward onto his shoulder. Her panting breaths were the stuff of his dreams. She was already so wet, and he wanted nothing more than to bring her pleasure. 

“Oh,” she moaned when he explored more, running a couple of rough fingers from her entrance to her throbbing bundle of nerves. She rocked into his hand, and he took the hint, caressing her over and over again until she was trembling and moaning. 

“Matthew,” her voice was wrecked: desperate and thick with longing. 

“What do you need?” 

“Your fingers,” she begged, “inside me.” 

He obeyed, following the rhythm she set. Pressing the pad of his thumb to her clit, a wicked, self satisfied smile took over his face as her head tipped back, and her breath hitched. 

“Oh,” she moaned, “just like that.” Her hands slid to his arms, clinging to his biceps. 

He wanted to eat her pleasure for breakfast - sustain himself with it on long, lonely nights. He knew he would dream of her voice and all her little sounds through the whole ten days away, anxious to come back to the very actual reality of her. He kept having to remind himself this wasn’t a dream.

He rutted against her thigh in an attempt to pacify some of his own lust. 

Body shaking, she cried out. 

Matthew continued to stroke and leaned in, kissing her right through her orgasm.

Feeling her core pulse around him again and again, the release was so long coming, it seemed to go on forever.

As her breathing finally slowed, he eased his fingers from her. 

“Oh my god,” she said, still clutching him to stay upright. “I’m so pissed we had to wait nine months for this.” 

Laughter barked out of his mouth.

When she could make her hands work, Jessie pulled his hard, hot length from his boxers, and stroked a few times. 

His mouth fell open, and he panted, “it’s bullshit, right?”

“Such bullshit,” she agreed, devouring the pleasure that washed over his face.

“Wait,” he said, grasping her wrist. “I want this to last.” 

“You already got me off,” she said. “What do you need to wait for?” 

“I'm not going until you've come at least twice. What's the point of women being able to have multiple orgasms if I can't give them to you?”

That was some flawed logic, but she allowed him to pull her hand away. She wasn’t going to say no.

“Can I taste you?” 

“If you want,” she said hesitantly, as if he might be pulling some kind of prank. She'd never had a man offer to go down on her first.

“I do want,” he said, guiding her to lean against the mirrored wall and sinking to his knees. “I've been wondering how you taste since we met.”

Maybe that oral fixation all the girls talked about online was actually true.

“Can you put your leg up here?” he asked, sliding a gentle hand to the back of her knee, and lifting so the joint bent around his palm. He guided her foot to the stool. 

When he looked up at her, his blue eyes shining with excitement, she retraced their steps to get there. Not even ten minutes before would she have expected to end up with Matthew Tkachuk eating her out in the back dressing room. 

“That feels okay?” he confirmed, palm stroking back up her thigh.

God, he was even making sure she was comfortable. Her whole body fluttered in anticipation. “Yeah,” she breathed. 

Every other time a man had given her oral, they were fast and sloppy, obviously trying to get it over with as soon as possible. With Matthew, he seemed to be dragging it out for his own pleasure, tasting and teasing like he just couldn’t get enough. He was driving her crazy - winding her tighter and tighter. 

“Matthew,” she moaned. It was better than any of his dreams. Better than any fantasy. “More. Please. More.” 

She felt his lips briefly curve into a smile against her before he really got to work. Licking with the whole flat of his tongue, then flicking with the tip, he was suddenly everywhere. 

Her hand scrambled for purchase on the wall behind her. Met only with the slick mirror, her fingers fumbled into his hair, searching for anything to hold on to. 

He groaned into her, almost as if in pain.

“O-okay?” she asked, voice shaking as she attempted to loosen her grip.

When she felt his response but couldn't hear it, it took all her willpower to push him away. She was not going to hurt him, especially when he had been so insistent on her consent. She could feel his hard breathing rushing over her and it set her skin to trembling. 

“Okay?” she asked again. 

“Good,” he assured, eyes flicking up to meet hers. “I'll let you know if you pull too hard,” he said with a wink before diving back in. 

Her head thunked back against the mirror. He really was made for her, that was the only explanation. 

 God, she was perfect. She tasted like paradise, like water in the desert, like his favorite meal after a long period of fasting. She satiated his every craving. 

His competitive drive growled into a higher gear, demanding to please her until she whimpered and begged. He licked and sucked and spelled his own name with his tongue, gauging where she liked to be touched most. 

“Matthew,” she moaned. “Oh my god, Matthew.”

Pleasure began to tingle low in her pelvis. It loosened her hips and turned her legs to putty. She'd never had a man take this much interest, let alone put so much effort into her pleasure. She moaned something unintelligible, even to her own ears.

He slipped a finger into her, and she cried out. Her hand tightened in his hair when he added another. 

A whimper on every exhale, she panted, trying to keep some semblance of control. It shattered when he gently kneaded her g spot. 

Pleasure thundered low in her belly, and she was forced over the cliff, glad to know Matthew would be there to catch her fall. Her vision turned hazy as she crashed. Time and space exploded into nothing more than shadowy constructs. She heard herself shout as if listening from another room.

When she came back to herself, Matthew was still languidly tasting her folds, one of his forearms braced over her hips to keep her upright. 

Pushing him away from her core, she tried to catch her breath. 

As he sat back, he wiped his face with his free hand. The satisfaction of pleasing her rumbled contentedly in his chest. 

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but I think I fucking love you.” 

He laughed, a look of delighted surprise on his face.

The reality of what she'd just said hit her and Jessie covered her face with her hands, “oh my god. I can't believe I just said that out loud.”

“That might be the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me during sex.” 

Relief sunk into her bones. Soul mates. They had to be soul mates. 

A few moments later, she finally found her feet and pushed away from the mirror.

“Alright,” she said, reaching for him and wrapping her fingers around his erection. He stumbled toward her, anxious to feel more. 

She smoothed the precome leaking from the tip onto the shaft with her thumb. “I think it's my turn to taste now.” 

Matthew wasn't entirely sure what he'd expected her to do, but lowering to her knees in front of him right away hadn't been at the top of the list. He expected her to jerk him off for a minute, maybe kiss and tease him a little. Not that he was complaining. If she was willing, he'd gladly accept. 

“Do you like more suction or more mouth?” she asked before licking the underside of his shaft. 

Oh God.

“I dont - I don't care.” He wasn't sure he was even going to last long enough for it to make a difference. He felt so close to the surface already. 

“You don't care?” she repeated, sitting back on her haunches to look up at him. 

With her mouth off of him, he could explain his reasoning a little better. 

“Frankly, I've been dreaming about this for so long, I could almost bust just from seeing you on your knees.” 

She was flattered and also a little relieved she wasn't the only one. 

“Okay,” she said as she reached up to pump him a few times. “Something we'll figure out later.”

The fact that she was thinking about the future, too, made him weak. 

Her lips wrapped around his tip, tongue caressing, and he was right there. 

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck. 

“Jessie,” he moaned, “god that feels good.”

Was it the best blow job ever? Objectively no, but it was Jessie, so it felt more important than any that came before it. He felt like he was fifteen again, getting his first head, amazed by everything and having no restraint. 

“I'm - I'm gonna come,” he moaned, trying to pull back so as not to come in her mouth. 

Jessie would rather have it in her mouth than all over her, so she gripped the backs of his thighs to keep him in place. 

“Oh, fuck.” How could she possibly be this perfect? 

She sucked and caressed and he exploded with a long low groan. 

She kept licking, albeit more gently, until he pulled back, sensitivity making it too much to bear.

“Holy shit,” he said. The room felt muggy and he felt content in a way he'd been longing for since they'd lost each other. 

“Yeah,” she agreed. 

He helped her to her feet, and pulled her against him, wanting to feel her close. 

A while later, her phone, which had fallen out of one of her pants pockets, buzzed and the time flashed. 

“Shit! I have to go,” he said, scrambling for his clothes. “I still have stuff to pack!” 

“When’s your flight?”

“In an hour, but I have to drive home and then to the airport.”

They rushed to get their clothes back on. He hated seeing her bra disappear under the camisole again. 

As soon as he was dressed, he grabbed her jaw and kissed her. Her hands floated from tucking her shirt to cup his face. 

He'd just had her, but the wanting roared back to life as soon as she touched him, as if his body was trying to remind him what was possible between them. Like he could ever forget. 

“This was so amazing. I promise I'll take you on a real date when I'm back, and I'll call you while I’m gone,” he said. “I'm sorry I have to dash out of here.”

He kissed her again, hard and purposefully, before rushing out of the dressing room. 

“Wait!” she chased him onto the sales floor still tucking her shirt, “my number. You need my number.” 

“Oh my god,” he slapped a palm to his forehead. “I can't believe I almost left without it again!”

She giggled, “you're not getting away from me this time.”

They exchanged numbers and Matthew raced home. 

He rushed to pack the last of his things, grateful for the example his dad set, in always having a base bag packed the day before a road trip just in case something came up. 

He was the last one on the plane, a first for him.

“Chucky just got fucked!” someone yelled. 

Matthew felt his cheeks get hot. His hair was probably wild from Jessie's hands, and he could feel the love bite on his neck, a sure sign it would soon be a full blown mark. 

Reino met his eyes and raised a brow. Jessie? he mouthed. 

Matthew nodded. 

He wiped the back of his hand over his brow in mock relief. 

“Oh thank God,” Bennett exclaimed from across the aisle. “I thought I was going to have to lock you two in a room until you got together.”

Matthew laughed. 

When he got settled, he sent Jessie a text. Just on the plane, but I'm missing you already. I'm back on the 14th, so pencil me in for that date. 

I have you in for the weekend. We have a lot of time to make up for. 

Fanciction Masterlist

[hungharrington]

Your last ask’s tag shfjfkdk BYEEEE. Giving Steve a handjob in the theatre, (bonus points if it’s a super fancy one byeeeee)

ALSO giving him a handy whilst staying at your parents’ house for the holidays because you both know you are way too loud to do anything else discreetly. He’s such a good boyfriend, and he really is acting like the model son in law, but you just want to ruin him ❤️😮‍💨 kissing his face, cooing at him, lifting your top and bouncing your boobs around his face, just doing the most so that he’ll whine

you 🤝 me  obsessed with giving steve a handy in places you absolutely shouldn’t hehe

at your parents house oh my god yes - and look, steve’s known to be respectable enough around town, with his parents name and all that, he really shouldn’t be too worried but it’s undeniable how sweet it is that he is worried :) he just wants this weekend away with your parents to go well, okay? he’s been forbidden to date a girl once before and while you’re certainly worth the scraped hands from sneaking in windows, steve’s not sure his knees can handle it— so, yeah, he wants this weekend to go as swimmingly as it can. you, however, are feeling devious. you’re not outright with it, you know better than to do that especially around your parents but you certainly are pulling out the stops that you know drive steve mad — like those sweet short summer dresses he drools over every time, but forgoing a bra of any sort this time. it’s a lethal combination and you know it. best of all, is the like unspoken ban on sex between the two of you; even if your parents were trusting enough to put you in the same room, it’s only because they share a wall with it, meaning unless you figure out how to bounce on his cock without wrecking your vocal chords, sex is out the window

steve knows this- so really, he should be anticipating a little bit of tomfoolery from you — but it doesn’t cross his mind when you come and meet him out by pool. in fact, nothing crosses his mind at all when he see you in the sundress, rucked up in your hands, showing off a dangerous amount of thigh as you wind around the pool loungers to his. you smile down at him, shirtless and stretched out to soak up some sun. “budge up,” you say, knees leaning into the cushion and steve obeys without a word, scooching over so you get sit beside him— there’s not quite enough room for two people so you end pressed against him, head leaning against his shoulder as your hand comes to rest on his chest. steve curls his arm around you with a content hum, keeping a generous distance from anything too touchy — his hand firmly on your shoulder. 

“what are you up to, hm?” he asks, pushing his sunglasses up atop his head. your fingers start to stroke lightly, soft touches along his chest as you think about your reply. “just missed you,” you say, pressing a quick kiss to his shoulder. your hand on his chest shifts a bit, swirling little patterns down across his tummy, which tenses for a moment beneath you. “miss touching you,” you murmur, pressing another kiss to his skin, adoring the way steve’s sucks in careful breath. his hand on your shoulder gives a light squeeze and he smiles, leaning over to brush his lips against your temple, “me too, honey,” he assures, voice low, “but we can’t—“ he swallows a bit as your hand wanders about, fingertips teasing along his v-line tantalisingly, just enough to get him interested. “your- your parents.” he reminds you, voice a bit shakier this time— his eyes are glued to your hand, muscles rippling under the skin wherever it scratches over. 

“just be quiet then,” you counter, a teasing smile toying on your lips. “and be quick.” this time, when your hand travels back down, you follow his v-line all the way down to his cock, which twitches the moment your hand nears it. steve is protesting in an instant, a little ‘wait, wait, wait’ but it dies off when you palm against his cock and shit, the couple days apart must be getting to him because just one touch is enough to have his head dropping back, giving a raspy exhale, “fuck, honey.” his hardness grows beneath your touches quickly, cock pushing up against the fabric of his shorts but he’s still got that niggling worry in the back of his mind, “baby,” he pants a bit, his hips shifting about under your touch. he doesn’t try pull your hand away, just fixes you with a pleading look, “your- your parents could…” but his sentence trails off when your hand snakes up to tug on the front of your dress, letting your tits peak out and steve full on groans, lust clouding his gaze as he sinks his teeth into his bottom lip. your spit in your hand and resume, slinking your hand back down his body, this time you sneak your hand into his shorts, fingers curling around his hot, leaking cock and steve stammers out another breathy moan— bringing his fist up to his mouth to try quieten himself. 

you pump his cock, starting slow, purposefully ignoring the head of it and instead starting to press more kisses into his shoulder and along his collar. steve’s breaths come a little heavier, coming out with a hint of a whine to them. you pull him out of his shorts, hidden behind your own body and greedily stare; his tip so pink and the vein down the side you always want to drag your tongue along. “missed this cock,” you hum sweetly, beginning to twist your hand, stroking him faster. steve’s tummy clenches, hips chasing your hand instinctively and when you finally thumb over his sensitive tip, steve whimpers loudly. “and your noises,” you say, almost teasingly, nosing along his collarbones and dragging your tits against his chest. “but you’re being too loud, stevie,” you pout, purposefully rubbing along his slit repeatedly in that way you know makes steve fall apart— he whines, jagged sweet little noises that accompany every harsh breath of his. “baby,” he whimpers again, pleading. “please, please, please,” 

you pick up the pace, the slick sound of your hand on his cock getting louder and louder as you try bring him to the edge. steve lets out another soft moan, his volume climbing in his desperation. “christ, fuck, honey, y’gotta- ah, y-you feel so good,” and his eyes switch between clenched tight and staring hungrily at your tits. “c’mon, baby, gotta be quiet,” you insist in a rasp, “you can be good and quiet right? or else i’ll have to…” you change your pace, slowing til you’re barely  stroking him and steve is hips buck up against you in an instant. “no!” he cries, too loud, then lowers his voice, brown eyes finding yours as he begins to plea. “no, please, i- fuck, i’ll be quiet and— oh my god, uh,” and his voice breaks off into another whine that he smothers into his fist as you work his cock faster again. steve tilts his head back, baring his throat, mouth open as another whiney warbles out, mixing with his whispered curses, “fuck, fuck, ah, fuck,” and it’s not until you speak with a tone of faux-innocence, nodding down to his cock and coo at him, “y'gonna let him cum? :( he just wants to cum, baby” and steve just falls apart, hot cum spurting from his tip and you just keep stroking him, teasing out those pathetic whimpery noises as he writhes in pleasure, all hot and bothered- he’s so noisy too, little, “thank you, ah, fuck, thank you” slipped between his moans as he fucks your hand through his orgasm, coated in his own cum. you actually consider stroking him through to another one, with his cum as lube, when there’s a faint call through the house for lunch and you just grin, releasing his cock and licking up what’s on your hand. steve’s chest is heaving, eyes still cinched shut as he tries to reel himself in — already thinking of ways to get revenge on you for making him sit through a lunch with you parents with his cum-stained shorts, especially considering you seem to enjoy his blushing face far too much 

[invye]

So @kacievvbbbb asking about modern AU headcanons had me revisiting my 'modernised' MiShanks AU I thought up a couple months ago.

I call it 'modernised' because it is more of a medium modern AU, where I keep much of the base OP lore and history, but shrink the 'active' world down to just a few islands. The overall tech level and societal developments are much closer to what we have now and I do away with most of the political plot. I haven't yet decided if Devil Fruits still exist, but if they do, they are much more rare and are kind of a thing of legend most people don't believe in. Only very select few people would know about them and the curse associated with them.

So lets get into it, I've got plenty of thoughts on Mihawk, Shanks and how their relationship plays together in a more modern world. (And because Rosinante is also one of my favourites, and I can't seem to not smush them all together, there is a CoraMiShanks bit at the end too.)

- Mihawk -

Basic weaponry is a bit more in line with modern expectations in this AU, but that will never ever stop Mihawk from being a swords guy. Mihawk is the authority on fencing, especially in historical context. He's basically got a PHD in swords, identifying them, maintaining them, using them. He's filthy rich, not just because he won every fencing tournament there is, but also because he straight up inherited that half maintained castle outside of town along with stupid amounts of money from an uncle everyone thought already died decades before Mihawk received his testament.

These days Mihawk only competes in the highest level tournament once a year to defend the title (his 'rivalry' with Shanks makes the news every time) and otherwise spends his time at home, reading, drinking, occasionally taking small sailing trips with his beloved Hitsugibune, and of course training his swordsmanship. Everyone thinks he's just living it up big in Kuraigana castle, but the people in town know that he just wants to raise his kids in peace.

Where did the kids come from? No one knows. They're definitely not his though. Anyway, turns out that Mihawk is really good with kids, so it takes barely a couple years for the whole town to load off their kids with him during holidays and days off school. (Look, Zeff runs a busy kitchen, and as much as Sanji tries to help, he's still too young for the holiday rush. Garp has to leave on Marine assignments at the most random times, and his bum of a son has vanished to who knows where years ago, and the grandkids are friends with Zoro and Sanji anyway and can do with burning out their energy running around the woods behind the castle. Bellemère has to leave on those assignments with Garp most of the time, so Nami joins the fray while Nojiko mostly plays with Perona. Mihawk usually leaves the teen girls be on their own, especially since Robin showed up a while ago to join them [she seems to stay on her own, and Mihawk keeps an eye on her in case she needs additional help, but Crocodile seems to have that sorted already]. Usopp's mom is still sick, and she's grateful to know her son is out there having fun with his friends while she tries the next medicine with horrible side effects.)

The kids love Mihawk. Mihawk loves the kids too and to much of his dismay, the kids know it. He is a figure of authority to them, but also a person of trust, who they can approach with problems and worries when their usual parental figure is unavailable or out of reach. Given that Mihawk is pretty much always around, he begrudgingly accepts his new job as free childcare provider for the town (Garp tried to pay once. They all realised very quickly they get much farther by paying in favours, food, or doing little odd jobs because that old castle always needs something done).

Mihawk promised to teach Ace and Sabo to sail this summer, and with Luffy insisting to bounce around them, he already plans on doing more swimming and child fishing than actual sailing.

- Shanks -

Shanks is still a pirate, but it's all on a much smaller scale. He's still got the 'Red Emperor' epithet, but his reputation is much more Robin Hood of the seas. The Red Force gets into small tussles with other pirates more often than the Marines, and really, as long as they have food and alcohol on board they are all perfectly fine just sailing and enjoying their freedom. No one ever knows where the Red Force is at any given time, but they are known to show up when natural disasters strike, not to plunder the remains, but to help the people rebuild long before the Marines get around to offer their help (once the Marines show up on the horizon the Red Force clears out, a couple shots are exchanged, none of them ever hit). Garp tried to yell them into joining the Marines more than once, really Shanks could even stay captain and keep his ship and crew, he just needs to fly the Marine flag, but they all simply laugh and wave as they go off again to who knows where.

However, there is one week every year, where everyone knows exactly where the Red Force will be. Shanks won't ever miss his chance to duel Mihawk in the grand fencing tournament a couple islands over from Mihawk's home. As opposed to Mihawk, who has his fixed position as defending champion, Shanks fights his way through the other contenders every year. He leans into the pirate reputation, taunting opponents, refusing protective gear, tiptoe-ing the line to breaking the rules. The people love to hate him, it's a spectacle every time. The grand finale inevitably is a duel between Mihawk and Shanks, even after Shanks lost his arm (he sat out for a year and people thought that was the end. They were very relieved when Shanks made his over the top entrance again the year after).

They have long abandoned the actual fencing rules and equipment during the finale. People clap and scream when Mihawk steps on stage carrying Yoru, the black blade just as legendary as his own reputation. Shanks never fails to grin and deliver a witty one liner (the people's boo is part of the performance) and then they lunge. Watching that fight is exhilarating. No protective gear, real blades, and two absolute masters going at each other with a force that would leave less competent fighters with the gravest of wounds. It's every bit as real as it is a performance. Everyone knows Mihawk will win before they even start, and the people can recognise a small collection of moves that they build in every time, the more flashy and wide swipes that could easily be punished but never are. It's not simply about Mihawk winning and Shanks losing, it's about witnessing a piece of history being brought back to life right in front of their eyes.

The fencing tournament has always been held within the context of the summer solstice, and with Mihawk and Shanks putting on their show its become a part of a bigger festival that focusses on celebrating history and old rites, the origins of which aren't always known anymore. Every year after the finale they throw a huge feast, traditional food all over, as historically accurate to a long past pirate era as it can get (Mihawk makes sure of it, that history PHD has to be good for something), dressing up accordingly is very much encouraged. Shanks and Mihawk keep carrying their blades and play up their daring villain and chivalrous hero act and no one thinks twice about drinking with the Red Hair Pirates (they have amazing stories to tell). Usually Mihawk ends up in the middle of a group of kids and answers all kinds of history questions, all professor like, but in his full on historical get up. Shanks catches a glimpse of him and sighs dreamily and all the people he's jokingly been flirting with and threatening to kidnap as part of his role know that they're talking to a very much taken man. They enjoy his company anyway and talk to him about what it is like to raise a kid out at sea as they watch Perona and Uta tease Zoro in the distance.

What people don't know, is that the Red Force winters. Pretty much everyone aside from a volunteer skeleton crew leaves the ship for home during the winter months.

No one in town mentions to outsiders that the Red Emperor stays with the Strongest Swordsman up in Kuraigana castle. Why would they? They're great with the kids. And Uta singing with Brook during the Baratie winter solstice celebration sells out the house every time (the townsfolk get a cheeky 50% off that day, it's a community event after all [except for Mihawk. His filthy rich ass can pay double and wouldn't notice {he does pay double. He does notice. He does not care}]).

- Rosinante & Law -

Because I can't help myself and I love thinking about Rosinante together with MiShanks, this story's active events that would make up a proper fic make it a CoraMiShanks story, which starts with Cora-san and Law arriving in town. (Rosinante is genuinely a situational mute in this one, and Law's illness is a bit less horrifying, and potentially cured/managed with medicine.) They're on assignment from Doflamingo who heard that there's a spot that has gone unfilled in the island's underworld and wants to take full advantage of the opportunity to weasel into Crocodile's operations.

Little does Doffy know that: a) Corazón accepted the assignment so he could get away from him; b) Corazón insisted on taking Law because he's still working on getting Law's illness cured; [c) {depending on if Devil Fruits exist} Corazón may have secretly taken the Ope Ope no Mi on his way out;] d) Dracule Mihawk personally checks out every newcomer in town and seems to know much more than he reasonably should; e) Dracule Mihawk loves kids and bonds with Rosinante in a single meeting that included him pulling Law out of a lake; f) gods damned Dracule Mihawk directly protects Crocodile's operations in a infuriating 'someone will do it so I pick the smallest evil' mindset and Crocodile is so damn smug about it; g) fucking Dracule Mihawk decides to keep Rosinante and Law under his protection; h) and WHERE DID THE FUCKING RED EMPEROR COME FROM???

Doffy is seething at his plans foiled. Crocodile laughs at him, tells him to go pound sand and uses the opportunity to poach a couple of Doffy's operatives. Doffy has no choice but to retreat and plot his vengeance for later.

[hard-core-super-star]

i think i love you still [K.Bishop]

pairing: kate bishop x reader

summary: you've spent four years trying to understand the complicated mess of thoughts that make up kate bishop. after dealing with the pain of her absence, and the more significant pain of her return, you finally get it right.

warnings: none; light angst with happy ending; childhood best friends to idiots in love who are too stubborn to admit it; my writing style changing ever other paragraph

wordcount: 2.8k

a/n: this very loosely follows the events of hawkeye up until the day before the christmas party. it's also heavily inspired by babyblue by xana. you don't have to listen to it for the fic but it's an incredible song and i can't recommend it enough. enjoy! <3

* * * * * * *

People say absence makes the heart grow fonder but you call absolute bullshit on that.

Although to be fair, the problem isn’t the saying. The problem is Kate Bishop.

You’re definitely not the first person to think that, and you certainly won’t be the last considering the kind of person Kate is, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be upset about it. Especially considering the years that have passed.

You’ve always given her the benefit of the doubt, not because you think she deserves it but because you would have driven yourself crazy from the amount of unanswered questions Kate left behind. Or more specifically, from the fact that she left you behind with no explanation.

Kate deciding to leave you and Bishop Security behind to go to university outside of the city wasn’t surprising. What was surprising was her refusing to tell you about her decision until the day she had to leave, making sure to tell you how unambitious she thought you were for taking the job her mom offered you as her secretary.

You still didn’t know what hurt more, her disappearing from your life or the insults she hurled your way before she left. Kate Bishop has many flaws and being an overachiever is definitely near the top of the list. Hence the amount of effort she put into shoving you out of her life.

It should have made working with her mom incredibly uncomfortable but Eleanor seemed to understand your pain better than you could have imagined. Being left behind by the young archer wasn’t an experience that was unique to just you and yet it didn’t make you miss her any less. You're usually good at ignoring the pain her absence left inside you but tonight is different. You look around the bustling party, the smallest of frowns on your face.

This was definitely the worst part of your job. You didn’t mind the long meetings, the stacks of reports you had to look through every day or even the miscellaneous tasks that Eleanor assigns you because you’re the only one who won’t complain about having to bring her another cup of coffee every few hours.

All of that was nothing compared to having to go to stupid galas with even stupider people. You’ll never understand why your boss insists on you accompanying her to every Bishop Security gala considering the lack of something to do. You have a sneaking suspicion it’s her way of trying to get you to interact with more people to hopefully find a way to get over Kate but you’ve never questioned her about it.

You catch sight of your boss while scanning the room for something to take your mind off a certain purple archer and she calls you over to her. You force a smile onto your face as you approach her. “Is everything okay?”

“You don’t have to sound so formal, y/n,” Eleanor says with a small smile. “We’re out of the office.”

“Right. My question still stands though.”

She affectionately rolls her eyes at your insistence. “Yes, everything is fine. I just wanted you to hear the news from me. Kate is home for the holidays…and she’s coming tonight.”

You force yourself not to react even though your first instinct is to run as far away as possible from the party. You try to be calm but your voice comes out a tad harsher than intended. “And I’m supposed to be interested in that information because?”

“Because she’s been looking your way since I called you over.”

Your eyebrows raise in surprise and even though you really shouldn't do it, you lift your head up and scan the room for Kate Bishop. You don’t have to search for long. Even with the years gone by, your eyes are immediately drawn to her tall, suit-clad frame. She meets your eyes from across the room and you swear everyone else disappears until only the two of you remain. You notice the clench in her jaw even from this distance and you hate yourself for finding it extremely attractive.

Some things never change.

“You should go talk to her.”

You tear your gaze away from Kate to stare incredulously at Eleanor for even suggesting that. “I’d rather get fired than spend five minutes with her.”

“Then you’re lucky we’re not at work,” she says with a playful glare. “Come on, y/n, how long has it been since you’ve seen her?”

She already knows the answer. She was the one you called to pick you up from Grand Central Station after Kate left you behind to chase after…whatever it is she was hoping to find out there. You’re not sure if you’re hoping she found it or not.

“That doesn’t matter. She’s visited New York how many times since she started college?” You let the question hang in the air for a few seconds to avoid sounding as bitter as you feel. “And how many times did she come to see me?”

The older Bishop woman raises her hands in mock surrender. “Alright, alright, I get it. I won’t push. Just think about it?”

She walks away from you with a small smile, probably going off to find Jack to tell him all about yet another failed attempt at getting you and Kate back on speaking terms again.

When you turn back, Kate’s gone and you do your best to ignore the ache her absence leaves inside you.

You decide to go back to your apartment a few minutes later which means you successfully miss the drama that unfolds. What you don’t miss is the news report recounting the events or the text from Eleanor telling you you don’t have to go to the office for the next few days. You find it strange but you’re not about to say no to some much-needed time off.

That does mean you miss Kate’s surprising return to Bishop Security which leaves you completely unprepared when she shows up at your door with a ridiculous request and an even more ridiculous outfit.

“I need you to take care of my dog for a few hours.”

That’s the first thing she says when you open your door. No greeting. No apology. No explanation as to why she has the audacity to ask you for a favor after avoiding you like the plague for almost four full years.

Unfortunately for you, your anger is momentarily forgotten at the sight of the adorable golden retriever standing happily at the brunette’s side. “Since when do you have a dog?”

“Since last night,” she replies with a shrug. “I saw him outside of the party yesterday and my heart wouldn’t let me leave him behind.”

You have no doubt that she was trying to be cute with that reply but all it does is make you remember all the reasons why you should slam the door in her face. She seems to read your mind just from the shift in your facial expressions because she ‘accidentally’ lets go of the dog’s leash and lets him run straight into your apartment.

“Listen, I can explain, and I will, just not right now. But I promise you it’s important.”

Of course.

You were kidding yourself if you thought Kate had actually changed. It’s always been this way with her. There’s always something to chase that’s infinitely more important than you. So important, in fact, that she can’t even stop for five seconds to explain what the hell is going on.

“You haven’t changed a bit, Kate.” There’s a flash of something in her eyes, maybe it’s regret or maybe it’s disappointment, but it’s gone just as fast as it came. She opens her mouth to say something but you interrupt her before she can dig herself into a deeper hole. Yet another habit that you’re sure she hasn’t learned to break. “It’s fine, just go.”

She hesitates for a second before giving you a small nod and walking away. You watch her go just like all the other times before. Except this time there’s an excitable dog waiting inside your apartment. You try not to think about how badly you wish the furry companion by your side was Kate instead as you go about your day.

To no one’s surprise, you don’t hear from the archer for the rest of the day. You would be disappointed if you weren’t so used to it. At least this time, Kate’s broken promises only result in you having to take care of the golden retriever, who you’ve affectionately started calling Lucky, and nothing else…or so you think.

It’s not until late morning the next day that your door receives another urgent knock. Lucky immediately reacts, jumping down from the couch and running over to the door, his tail wagging rapidly as if he can tell his new owner is waiting on the other side. You chuckle despite yourself before following after him. “I don’t think you’re getting this dog back, Kate.”

The smile on your face disappears once you take in her appearance. Her face is littered with small cuts and you can see the outline of a bruise forming on the side of her jaw. Your eyebrows furrow the longer you look at her but the answer is given to you by the purple costume she’s wearing. Even without a bow in her hand, it’s obvious what her outfit represents and you can literally feel your heart sink into the depths of your stomach.

“y/n-”

“No. Save it.” There’s a mix of concern and frustration in your tone but you don’t have nearly enough time to figure out which feeling is stronger. “Just take your dog and go.”

“I can’t,” she says, tinges of desperation painting her voice. “I owe you an explanation.”

You scoff. “Oh, you owe me much more than that. You have no idea what the last four years have been like for me.”

The brunette takes a step forward, clearly asking a silent question. “Then tell me what I’m missing. Help me make it right.”

“I’m not a stupid Avengers mission, Kate!” You hate the way your voice breaks under the weight of your repressed emotions. “If you're looking for someone to save, you're in the wrong place. I don't need you. Not anymore.”

You're ready for that to be the end of the conversation and you reach out to grab hold of Lucky’s leash. You're about to hand the leash over to Kate when her next words stop you in your tracks.

“What if I need you?”

You stare at her with wide eyes almost not believing what you've just heard. Four years of silence and absence. That's what it took to hear those words you've desperately longed for.

But it's not enough.

“You're a little too late.”

She wants to fight back against your words. You know her well enough to recognize that spark of determination in her eyes. Despite what you've just said, a part of you hopes that's what she's going to do. That this time she’ll fight for you.

Instead, all you get is a mumbled apology as she snatches Lucky’s leash and walks away again. You shouldn't have expected anything different…but you did. You expected whatever mess she seems to be in to be more than enough motivation to fix what happened between the two of you.

Kate Bishop is many things but predictable isn’t one of them.

The next few days go by far too slowly for your liking. Eleanor denies your request to go back to work (multiple times) and without a place to travel to for the holidays, you’re stuck in the one place you’d rather not be. You don’t think there’s a single corner of New York that won’t remind you of the one person you don’t want to spend any more time thinking about.

It’s not until the day before the Christmas party, a party you helped arrange even though it’s definitely not a part of your job description, that you run into the purple archer once again. Or more specifically, she runs into you.

You’re on your way out of your apartment despite the heavy rain that falls outside. You open your door expecting to be met with an empty hall only to find a soaking-wet Kate Bishop standing on your doorstep, looking like the world’s largest golden retriever. You do your best to ignore the way your heart skips a beat just from the mere sight of her. It takes a few seconds for you to get over your shock but you manage to find your voice. “Kate? What are you doing here?”

“I’m sorry, I know I’m the last person you want to see right now.”

You briefly consider slamming the door shut in her face but decide against it. For the moment. “That didn’t answer the question, Bishop.”

“I just…” She sighs. “I had to see you again.”

“So you decided to walk here in the pouring rain?” You’re stuck between wanting to call her an idiot and wanting to admit how cute she looks. Yeah, you’re still a sucker for her puppy dog eyes.

“I know I don’t deserve another chance after everything I’ve done but please. I can’t keep this inside any longer. I need to talk to you.”

A long moment of silence goes by before you make up your mind. You might be signing yourself up for more disappointment but you have too many unanswered questions to let her walk away again.

“Come in before you catch a cold,” you say as you open the door wider for her.

She wastes no time in complying and you’re almost certain the shakiness of her hands has less to do with the rain and more to do with her nerves. You take a deep breath to calm your racing heart before shutting the door and following after her.

She stands awkwardly in the middle of your living room, her eyes scanning every picture frame and random poster that adorns your walls. You can tell the realization she comes to by the subtle slouch of her shoulders. There’s not a single thing in your living room that carries the memory of her. No pictures, no posters, no trace of the role she played in your life at some point.

“Let me get you a towel or something.” You start to walk away but a hand on your wrist stops you. You let her turn you around, not putting up any sort of fight as she pulls you in closer to her.

You wait for her to say something but all she does is stare into your y/e/c eyes, her grip on your wrist tightening ever so slightly. You can practically see every thought that flickers through her mind and you want nothing more than to spend the rest of the day deciphering the walking contradiction of feelings that make up who she is.

“y/n…” Her voice trails off as her blue eyes travel down your face. You’ve never seen that look before but you’re almost certain you know what it means. And it makes your head spin. “I shouldn’t have walked away. Not the first time, not the last time. But I…I’m so afraid of hurting you. Again. I thought dealing with my feelings would be easier if I was away from you but I was wrong. All it did was make you a stranger and you have no idea how much I regret that. How badly I want to make things right between us because I…I love you. I always have. And I can't go another second without you knowing that.”

You’re stuck between who you’ve been and who you want to be.

You’ve spent the better part of four years cursing Kate for leaving you, regretting the love you couldn’t help but foster for her, wishing she had never stepped foot into your life. But now…with her standing in front of you, looking at you with sincere eyes strong enough to make any other girl weak in the knees, you accept the truth you’ve been pushing away for so long.

You don’t blame Kate for leaving. You don’t regret the years you spent by her side. You don’t wish you never met her. You don’t hate her.

You love her.

It’s been that way since the day you met her and no amount of stupid mistakes or misunderstandings can ever change that. Hell, not even both of your stubborn personalities could change it.

“Say something,” she whispers. “Please.”

She leans in toward you. It’s a small move but you pick up on it immediately. Your breath catches in your throat before you do the only thing you can think of.

You close your eyes and take a leap, trusting Kate to catch you.

And she does. For the first time, you embrace the uncertainty that makes up your strained relationship and she doesn’t leave you hanging. She meets you halfway and the feeling of her lips against yours holds a promise you know she’ll fight tooth and nail to keep. She's not leaving.

This time, and every time from here on out, she's staying. And that's all that matters.

[acersthings]

Heartless

Miguel O'Hara x Spider!Woman Reader

Summary: An ex comes running back in need of help. But, old memories still haunt you.

Warnings: Angst, swearing, Miguel is a whole warning himself, death, grief, kinda short (may be a part two??)

Three years ago, you would've said yes to anything he asked you. Three years ago, you would've done anything for him. Three years ago, you would've disrupted any canon event just to be with him.

But now, you could give two flying fucks.

"All I am asking is for you to stop and think about what this could do and how it can affect us," Miguel pleaded, running his hands through his hair in frustration.

It had been a quiet night on your Earth, allowing you to swing around the city with no danger or worry. One night to yourself. That was until Miguel's cat claws ripped a breach right behind you.

"I stopped thinking about us a long time ago, Miguel," you scoffed, perching on a water tower that overviewed the whole city. "I can't help you."

"Why not?"

"You know why."

Miguel wasn't one to give up but right now, he was feeling hopeless. He knew arguing with you was not a fun path to take.

"Y/n, if not for me, do it for Peter."

You flinched hearing the name you swore to never bring up again. Especially out of his mouth. Your body grew tense at the sound of those two syllables. You've learned that one word could do so much damage to a person.

You jumped off the tower and stood face to face with Miguel. Well, more of face-to-chest. You watched as he straightened his back and followed your every step with his half-lidded stare.

"Don't ever say his name again, asshole. Now, I don't know if the message isn't getting through that thick head of yours, but I am not helping you. Go find another Spider," you pointed at him. You hadn't been this close to him since that night. You didn't like it.

"You are the only one I want, Y/n. Your powers and strength are exactly what I need to stop this anomaly. Whether you like it or not, you are my only hope," he placed his hands on his waist, shaking his head in despair.

"Yeah, well guess what, Miguel?" You flicked out your wrist to get ready to swing away to the nearest building. He interrupted you by applying a good amount of pressure to your wrist, but not enough to leave bruising.

He grasped your wrist and pulled you closer to him. So close that you could sense his heart beating twice the normal pace.

"You're the only one I need."

His talon trailed up to the edge of your mask, lifting it up ever so slightly. Your breath hitched as felt his talon curve up your neck. As much as you hated to admit it, you missed his touch. His touch made you become the person you were years ago. It gave you hope.

You stopped him before he could take off the mask, denying the feelings, and used your watch to open a breach behind him.

"Leave, Miguel. That's your last warning."

Miguel dropped his head in defeat and began walking towards the breach. Before he left, he turned his head ever so slightly.

"I know you blame me for what happened to Peter. But, please try to look past that and remember that I know what happens when you try to mess with fate. I didn't want that happening to you. I'm sorry, Y/n."

He disappeared and left you with the everlasting memory you've always wanted to burn.

Three Years Ago, Earth Y/E/N, Christmas Eve

You always loved Christmas time. The food, the weather, the holiday, the movies, the people. This Christmas was spent swinging around the city with your boyfriend, Miguel, and your brother, Peter Parker.

The three of you ended up on the rooftop of your old apartment, laughing at old stories of you and your brother as kids.

"I love this time with you guys," Peter confessed, smiling at his best friends.

"Don't get too emotional on us now, we still have to watch 'It's A Wonderful Life' and we all know you start crying like a baby," you patted his shoulder and laughed.

"That is not true! Miguel, back me up here," Peter laughed, looking over at a dissociated Miguel.

"Miguel? Love?" You rested a hand on his arm as he focused back on reality.

"Oh, yeah, cariño. Mhm."

You knew something was up. He was never like this, only when thinking about Gabriella. You and Peter shared a knowing look and shrugged, knowing not to bother Miguel when he was in deep thought.

The three of you sat on the roof in comfortable silence until a boom was heard down the street.

"Time to do our jobs," Peter sighed, pulling down his mask.

You followed, pulling down your mask. Peter took off while you were stopped by a harsh grip on your waist.

"Miguel? We have to go, Peter already left." You tried shaking out of his grip on your waist, but you had no luck. His talons were digging dip into your sides.

"I think Peter has this one covered," his tone was sad. Depressed, even.

"Okay, what is the matter? You've been in a different world ever since I woke up this morning. Can we please go help Peter and then we can talk?" You begged, placing a comforting hand on Miguel's cheek.

"No, Y/n, please. You need to listen to me."

"No, Miguel. You listen to me. We go help Peter and then we can talk about whatever is on your mind. I promise," you planted a kiss on his pouted lips.

Miguel's pleading eyes finally fell as he nodded slowly. "Okay."

You swung off not realizing Miguel stayed where he stood. Miguel murmured silent Spanish curses as he looked down at his watch.

CANON EVENT DETECTED

CANON EVENT APPROACHING

"Mac! My man, how has the Raft been treating you?" You greeted, landing next to Peter at the sight of the bombing. Peter smiled at you as he taught you most of his one-liners. He was proud to be your brother.

The green arachnid-suited man grinned evilly as he turned around and saw you two.

"Ah, the Spiders who finally got caught in their own webs."

As if on cue, Peter and your's spider sense started going off like no other. It wasn't until you heard a mechanical laugh in the distance. Peter jumped out of the way and so did you.

The Goblin flew past you, making sure to make his dramatic entrance.

"Wow, now this is a Christmas dinner," Peter remarked, "The Goblin and the Scorpion, is there a return receipt for this gift?"

Peter nudged you with his shoulder and whispered, "Like always, Spider-Sis?"

You smiled under your mask, "Like always."

The two of you shared a look and went after the according enemy. Goblin vs Peter. You vs Scorpion.

"Come on, Mac. Had to ruin Christmas for me?" You webbed his poisoned tail to the back of his suit, making him go around in circles.

"Oh trust me," he grabbed one of the webs and pulled you close, "it is about to get a lot worse."

You shook off his threat and began fighting him like you always did. Avoid his poison and then you'll be good.

You had finally knocked him and webbed him up until you realized Peter was still fighting the Goblin. You ran over and webbed onto the Goblin's back, distracting him from Peter. You began throwing all your might into your punches.

The Goblin laughed and shoved you off, pinning your body behind debris that was horribly heavy.

"You are going to want to watch this," the Goblin sneered at you and went to fight Peter again. Before doing so, he made sure to break your web slingers.

You were confused by what he meant so you tried getting out from under the debris. You struggled until you saw Miguel jump into the building. You motioned for him to come down and help you but he wouldn't.

He shook his head at you slowly.

You looked over to Peter, seeing him slowly lose his battle. The Goblin was beating him up badly. You looked up to Miguel.

"Help him!" You screamed.

Miguel looked away.

"Miguel!"

Nothing.

You looked back at Peter. You felt hopeless. His mask had been ripped in half, there were slash marks on his chest, and he had been slowly losing effort.

Looking up at Miguel, you sobbed and screamed.

Nothing.

All of a sudden, everything stopped. The world moved in slow motion. All the air got sucked out of you.

The Goblin had stabbed Peter with the glider.

No.

No. No.

No. No. NO.

It was all a blur. You don't remember how you got out of the debris but you did. You knew you were running but it felt slow. Your breathing and heartbeat were the most prominent sounds.

Before you could get close to the murderer, Miguel stopped you by taking care of him. He ripped out his talons and fangs. He got rid of the Goblin. Like he should've done ten minutes earlier.

"Peter." You sobbed, falling to your knees next to his lifeless body.

You ripped off your mask and threw it to the side. You didn't care. You were completely numb. The last thing you cared about was someone seeing who you were.

"No. No. No. Pete, this isn't funny. You can wake up now," you placed your hand on his cold and pale face. Your other hand went down to his stab wounds, covering your hand with blood.

Your body took control and screamed for you. A scream of agony. Pain. Grief. Betrayal. Anger.

You felt a hand on your shoulder and instantly shot up, "D-Don't you fucking touch me!"

Miguel stood back and watched as you stared at him with dead eyes.

"Y/n, I-"

"Why didn't you do anything, you bastard? You stood there and fucking watched my brother and your best friend get killed! Why?"

Miguel took a step towards you and tried to reach for you. You took a step back, contradicting his move.

"Why?!" You gritted through your teeth.

Miguel wanted to comfort you and tell you everything but he couldn't. He watched as tears traveled down your cheeks. He saw so many emotions swirling in your eyes. He saw Peter's blood on your hands when it really was on his hands.

"I can't tell you."

You felt your heart shatter even more when you heard his words. Your chest began heaving as your breathing grew rapidly.

"I fucking hate you."

Miguel's whole body broke down when you said those words.

"No, please, I-"

"You either tell me why my brother is dead or I'm gone. You will never see me again."

Miguel sighed as his eyes became blurred with tears.

"It was a canon event." He whispered, looking down ashamed.

"What?" You spoke, not hearing what he said clearly.

"It was a canon event," Miguel snapped, his voice breaking as tears began to flow, "It was supposed to happen and it can't be changed, okay? How do you think I feel when I realized I couldn't do anything to save him? Just like I couldn't save Gabriella! I tried changing it and it didn't work."

He didn't realize how close he had gotten to you. He could finally see the damage he had done. The color had been drained from your face. Your eyes didn't shine anymore. Your love for him was gone. And the way you were looking at him, it scared him.

You looked up at him with pure hatred in your eyes.

"How long have you known? And don't you dare lie to me."

Your clenched fist twitched in anticipation as you waited to hear the answer that would change everything you knew about Miguel.

It would change how you viewed Miguel.

"I've known since the day I met the two of you."

[fluffy-lee-boa]

Squealing Santa 2k23

Of Buddies and Bros (a barbieverse tickle fic)

Fandom: Barbie (2023)

Characters: Ken and Allan

A/N: Hello @sweettallahassee! It is I, your secret santa >:3 I was so excited to get this assignment- The world could definitely use some more Barbie t fics. Especially ones with Allan. I really hope you like it! I saw the words “cheer-up tickles” and was possessed to write way more than I anticipated haha. Happy Holidays!

This was super fun, and I can’t wait to participate again, since this was my first time and now I think I’ve really got a handle on things. Thank you so much to @squealing-santa !!!

.　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

It had been a good amount of time since Stereotypical Barbie had left Barbie Land altogether, with Allan having become Ken’s closest confidant and friend from there on out. It was a pretty surprising change, and one that took some getting used to, as Allan had been used to being number 3 in a world of couples. But now? Well, it was practically his job to stick by Stereotypical Ken, and help him along his journey in self-discovery. Help him find some sort of identity outside of “Beach” and Barbie.

Unfortunately, Ken was very much still attached to both Beach and Barbie, to the point that it was a real hindrance on any progress being made in that department.

Allan knew it must have been hard for the guy, so he wasn’t annoyed or frustrated. More concerned, really. I mean, even with all the changes that had come to Barbie Land, every Ken still had their Barbie. Every Ken… except for his Ken.

His Ken? Ok, that was a weird thought. Better to just ignore it and move on. Narrations could be tricky sometimes, and he of all people knew that.

But either way! He was here to help. Be a buddy, whatever that meant.

It had been another perfect, beautifully sunny day, one in which Allan had been trying and failing to get Ken out of bed. Ken had begun staying in Stereotypical Barbie’s old place, as it was vacant, and already had quite a lot of Mojo Dojo Casa House decor, including the “manly” fur coat that Ken had draped over himself as a makeshift blanket as he grumbled about being woken up.

“Ken, come on.” Allan sighed, tugging at the end of the coat lightly but firmly, “We already told Pilot Barbie we’d be ready for your skydiving lesson at noon, we can’t miss that, or it’ll throw off our whole schedule. Remember? We even had a quick stop at the beach to try surfing again…!”

Allan had been meticulously planning their days filled to the brim with activities that might lead to Ken finding his true passion. Usually Ken was pretty gung-ho about the whole thing, but today seemed to be an off day. It was probably because yesterday he’d tried acting, and instead of impressing Director Barbie with his stunning talent, he’d ended up really crying for about an hour and they weren’t able to get any good footage out of it.

So here they were, at a stalemate in Barbie’s old bedroom.

Allan considered his option, his mind cycling through possibilities. He could simply rip the fur off of him to force him up, but that sounded harsh, and Ken needed a gentle touch right now.

Wait a minute.

Gentle… touch.

That gave him an idea!

So after a second more of contemplating if the possibility of revenge was worth it, Allan made his first move. He was just lucky enough that Ken’s leg happened to be sticking out from the bed, giving him the perfect opportunity to put his plan into motion. He pushed aside any hesitation and lurched forward, putting the other’s foot in what was essentially a headlock and sitting at the end of the bed.

“Wha- HEY-!” Ken was instantly sitting up, the coat having fallen away to reveal a particularly pink set of pajamas that would have matched with Barbie perfectly had she still been around.

“Sorry, but you wouldn’t get out of bed, so…” Allan shrugged, trying to suppress a smile as he utilized a persuasive skill Barbie Land had only picked up on when they last interacted with the real world- Tickling.

It wasn’t entirely new to them, of course, but the concept of a tickle *fight* was something so novel that it had been on Allan’s mind ever since Barbie had left, and this was as good an excuse as any to start one.

“AH- AhAhAllan! You can’t-!”

“Can’t what, help my buddy cheer up?” Allan teased as he scribbled away at the little divots in between his toes, though before he could say anything further, there was a flurry of movement that was too fast for him to catch in the moment.

When Allan next opened his eyes, he found that Ken was now firmly rested on top of him, holding both his arms above his head in one hand. Curse his stereotypically large and admirable muscles- there was no escaping such a grasp.

“No… I was gonna say you can’t expect me not to fight back,” Ken replied after he’d caught his breath with a more confident smirk this time, his free hand hovering over Allan’s unfortunately unbuttoned beach top menacingly.

“Whoa! Ken, heyyy, we can talk this out!” Allan babbled the moment he realized the predicament he was in, sinking into the softness of the bed below them with a nervous, borderline awkward laugh, “I was just- trying to get you up! And you’re up now! We can go!”

“Mmm. I don’t think that’s gonna work for me,” Ken’s hand was getting dangerously close to his ribs, which made Allan start squirming without him having even touched him yet.

“In fact… You were right, buddy. This is cheering me up already,” Ken added smugly, before his gently clawed his hands back and forth over his lower ribs like he was trying to feel every gap and ridge in his rib cage.

Allan immediately burst into frantic giggles that resembled a bird of paradise making alarm calls- they were by no means graceful or dignified, but there was no arguing it, they were adorable. There was even an interspersing of snorts and yelps that kept things fresh whenever Ken wandered a little lower down to vibrate his fingertips across his barely-visible abs. Speaking of which…

“WAIT NONONONO-!”

Ken’s eyebrows raised when Allan’s protests spiked, and he realized he must be getting close to a goldmine. He kept that same goofy smile, the one he always had when he was proud of himself for figuring something out. If Allan could focus on it, he’d probably melt, but he was too busy being reduced to breathless laughter as he begged for what seemed to be his life.

But what spot exactly might be causing such a reaction?

Well, as Ken was already quite pleased with his deduction skills, he was sure he’d figured it out. So he let his hand drift farther down, lightly tracing a line with the spider-like movement of his fingers to his upper belly. Aaaand Bingo.

“KEHEN!” Allan barked, attempting to fold in on himself like a beach chair.

Ken knew this spot must be the absolute worst for him, so he was careful not to take things too far. He kept his tickles light, and almost teasing, using his perfectly manicured nails to swirls little hearts and star shapes around his belly button, “Yeah, bro?”

Allan simply shook his head, eyes squeezed shut as he dug his heels into the bed as if to dispel some of the nerves. His open-mouthed laughter hadn’t let up much despite the change of pace, and his cheeks were now a bright shade of red. So Ken, being the kind and generous person he was, decided he’d had enough.

He slowed his movement to a stop, letting go of Allan’s wrists so he could prop himself up on his elbows above him with an affectionate smile. He rested his chin on the other’s chest, which made Allan tense up with the lightest of giggles at the way his stubble scratched at his topmost ribs.

“Feeheel any behehetter?” Allan managed to ask, looking down at him with a softer smile.

Ken thought about it for a moment before he hummed, his voice smooth and deep despite the strenuous battle, “Yeah. Definitely.”

Ken moved to stand up, hands on his hips as he looked out over Barbieland from their vantage point at the end of the block. To his surprise, Allan’s giddy laughter had caught the attention of quite a few neighbors, who gave him looks that came across as almost… relieved. Truth be told, everyone had been worried for Ken for some time now, but seeing, or more hearing, him be so carefree and mischievous, it was nice to see he hadn’t changed much.

Allan had to take a few more minutes to fully recover, though eventually he sat up with a deep breath, rolling his shoulders with a smile, “Gee. Remind me not to mess with you again.”

“Or- I dunno- maybe more often…?” Ken replied, his voice bordering on shy for once, “I wasn’t lying. It really did cheer me up, broski.”

And with that, Allan knew that he didn’t have anything to worry about after all. Ken was gonna be alright, even without Barbie, and even if the journey was longer than they anticipated. They would walk down that road together, wherever it was gonna take them. That’s what buddies are for.

[mazeinthemiroh]

for skz or think decorating for Halloween would be the highlight of there year tbh. Like carving the pumpkins, putting up spider webs and buying masses amounts of candy would make them feel so giddy. Especially watching u hand out candy to the little kids dressed as ballerinas or pirates 🥹

stray kids on halloween

genre: headcanons; fluff, crack, general

warnings: cursing probably, not proofread

a/n: sorry, this should've come out in halloween night but DIDN'T. because tumblr decided not to post it when i queued it. anywaysss sincerest apologies. hope you can still enjoy this guys 😭

bangchan

wants a pretty chill halloween tbh

see cosy autumn traditions hcs to get some idea

he is open-minded when it comes to this holiday. he's fine jsut sitting back, staying at home and doing a movie marathon

but if you are a major halloween fanatic he can't help but indulge your obsession

because he freaking loves you, duh

once he finds out you're obsessed he wants to do everything. decorations, pumpkins, fancy-dress, the whole sha-bang

just to see that smile in your face <3333

minho

his fave holiday

other holidays, he really can't be bothered. but when halloween turns it's head around the corner, he's suddenly very alert

wants to dress up as a cat

would defo rock a chat noir outfit just saying

wants to look sexy for you 😘

let's you do his make-up

will not say know to couples costumes either, although he might protest at first

highkey wants to dress up his cats for halloween :(

changbin

defo loves halloween parties

would even ask you if you wanted to host one with him because he's down for that, and he's a good host!!

buys

buys LOTS of candy and makes sure everyone has their share

feeds you lots :] all the time!

very good with the kids who knock on the door for trick or treating

he just loves seeing them and compliments them in their outfits etc

overall, such a good vibe

hyunjin

locks the doors, closes the curtains, wraps himself in a blanket

he gets scared around this time of year ngl

people walking around at night banging on people's doors for sweets and shit MIND YOUR BUSINESS

likes the whole aesthetic of halloween and the creativity in some people's outfits but that's about it-

would much prefer stay indoors with you

but will do something artsy :)

likes carving pumpkins, it's quite satisfying for him, and he spends time putting intricate patterns in them

jisung

he's a scared-cat

but thinks halloween is fun so he's kind of a mixed bag

if you make him watch horror movies he's clinging to you the whole time

the type to jumo with his whole body and throw popcorn everywhere in the process

refers to stay in than go out on halloween

but if you both end up at a party, he wants to be the hottest person there and he's not settling for any less

not that he has any competition

felix

he thrives in the season

it's baking season for him!!

he spends the majority of his time in that kitchen

wants to make his own candies for the kids :D

candy apples!!!

cookies with spooky decorations on them!!!

i think his fave cookie design is a spiders web and he managed to perfect it over time so it looks really good

can't way to share his treats with the world and give everyone cavities 🥰

seungmin

unbothered

wants to eat all the candy for himself

would rather just go trick or treating with you instead of give candy to some random kids

because... more candy

so your adult-asses rock up to people's houses asking for sweets with your half-hearted costumes

i fully see seungmin wearing a white sheet and calling himself a ghost

you guys laugh most of the night - so it's more fun than he thought it would be

jeongin

halloween is like a 2nd april fools with him

he think he can get away with trickster shit just because it's 'the day'

the calender has allowed him to be this way and he's living for it

can and will prank them members and yourself

but let's you join in on all the fun

once the novelty wears off though, he gets kind of bored

if halloween is not about doing evil shit in a cape then what is it?

[danikamariewrites]

Birthday Celebration

Ruhn x Reader

A/n: this is for @callmeblaire Happy Birthday bestie! I hope you have a great day ❤️

Warnings: none

Ruhn made sure to wake up before you to go get your favorite pastries for breakfast and coffee

When Ruhn comes back he wakes you up with a bunch of kisses on your face

“Good morning sweetheart, happy birthday.” He’d say against your lips as you wrap your arms around his neck

You two have breakfast in bed while Ruhn tells you the plan for your special day

“First I’m taking you to get your nails done, then we’re going to do some shopping, then tonight we’ll go to dinner.” “Sounds perfect baby.” And you give him a chaste kiss

You made sure to dress in a cute outfit and lay out your dress and shoes for dinner

At the salon you got a sparkly midnight blue color on your nails and Ruhn even joined you for a pedicure

After you walk around the shopping district Ruhn takes you to all your favorite stores

You pick out new sneakers, a few new outfits, and Ruhn even surprised you with a very expensive purse that he picked out himself

It was custom with your initials. You thought there was a mistake bc there was a D in the last name spot but you shrugged it off

Then he took you to the bookstore where he let you pick out 3 shopping baskets worth of books

You thought it was weird you only got text messages from your friends and family and no phone call

Especially from Bryce

Shes always so excited for a holiday or someone’s birthday, she loves celebrating

You don’t question it though, you’re sure Ruhn has something planned for later

What gave it away was his nerves and the lack of Flynn, Dec, Ithan, and Tharion around the house

When you got back they were still gone

“Why don’t you go get ready for dinner sweetheart. I just have to run out really quick but I’ll be back.” He kisses your temple and you nod, “Ok baby. Hurry back.”

You took a quick shower and did your hair and makeup

Before you got dressed Ruhn came back and he looked a little nervous but excited

You but your dress and shoes on and he wore nice dress pants and a button up with the sleeves rolled up to show off his tattooed forearms. Ruhn even left a few buttons undone to show off his muscular chest

The restaurant Ruhn was taking you to is the fancy restaurant you guys went on your first date

On your first date you didn’t know what to expect with the frat boy, party prince

Ruhn tried his absolute hardest to impress you that night but you ended up leaving the restaurant before appetizers and went to bar trivia. You two absolutely dominated and had way more fun there than the stuffy restaurant

Getting to the restaurant Ruhn opened the door for you and pushed in your chair when you sat down

Ruhn held your hand for a majority of the meal

He still seemed nervous though

Oh gods, is he going to break up with you? No, he wouldn’t put all this effort in, it was something else

After the plates were cleared Ruhn cleared his throat, “Y/n, we’ve been together for a very long time now. Since we were thirty.” He was smiling like an idiot now and you were smiling back

“I remember our first date here. Gods, I was nervous and all I wanted was for you to like me a fraction of the amount that I liked you. I was crazy about you then and I’m crazy about you now.”

You’re tearing up at this point bc you knew what was coming now. Why he was so nervous all day. Why he was on edge and dressed so nice

Ruhn stood from the table and got down on one knee, pulling your chair out to face him

He took a black velvet box, opening to reveal a beautiful, glittering princess cut engagement ring

“Yes Ruhn! Yes a thousand times yes!” Ruhn started crying as he slipped the ring on your finger

You started crying and flung yourself at him. Ruhn picked you up and spun you as people in the restaurant clapped

When you got home all your friends and family were there to congratulate you and to surprise you

At the end of the party and everyone left, and after Bryce hugged you for the thousandth time telling you “I’m so happy to have a sister.”

Ruhn carried you up to his bedroom bridal style, “my fiancé,” you whispered rubbing your nose against his. “My beautiful fiancé. Happy birthday sweetheart.”

[parisawr]

Fish Out of Water

John Dory x King Trollex

Word Count: 4.1k

Part 1/?

(don’t have a ship name for them yet so uh…)

King Trollex wasn’t sure if he’d ever get used to the amount of holidays that the Pop Trolls have. It’s as if there’s at least one happening every week, and each and every time, every single troll is invited. Now normally, Trollex really didn’t mind. In fact, he loved all the little -togethers he and the other trolls had. He’d attend what events that he could, write a little apology letter to Poppy if he couldn’t, and have a great time just mingling and meeting up with all the new trolls he’d meet. Unfortunately, it was around this time that he’d actually have to get some work done. Many leaders of the trolls were contemplating sending diplomats from their own kingdoms into others, himself included.

So when sparkle-covered letters began to rain down from above, King Trollex frowned. He wasn’t sure if he’d be able to attend this one, especially with his growing responsibilities. But, if this little event was short enough, he’s sure that he could attend. And it would provide the added benefit of getting a break from work. As the letters float down, Trollex quickly snatches a lone one and opens it. The letter detailed the introduction of a new holiday, called Meet Someone New Day. The idea was simple enough. Every troll in the Troll Kingdom would meet up in Pop Village, receive a randomly colored piece of confetti, and then meet up with the troll that has a card of the same color.

It was a neat idea really, a little event that helped all the trolls come together and mingle with their newfound neighbors. And honestly, Trollex was all for it! While he definitely met a whole lot of cool new trolls (including a hot pink one who had an amazing DJ setup; he’d have to talk details with her about that), there were many, many more that had yet to meet, and was frankly excited to see.

He continued reading through the letter, noticed that the festival would start mid evening tomorrow, and decided that he could come up with a sort of gift between that time frame. His parents always said that he should make his first impression his best. He was also a prankster. And so after carefully tucking the letter away, he quickly swam off to see just what he could come up with.

As he made his way back to his anemone, he offered various iterations of greetings towards the trolls he passed by. All of them seemed equally as thrilled he was, excitedly chatting amongst one another or zipping around seemingly trying to get stuff done. It was good to see that his people were just as excited as he was. He’d definitely preferred it if he and his people became more familiar with the other trolls.

Once he touched home base, he quickly got to work, sifting through whatever available materials he had whilst simultaneously running potential gift ideas through his head. He didnt wanna go too big with his gift, or with the prank. Too extreme a gift and the person will think you’re weird, and too extreme a prank and they could end up hating you, or worse, injured.

As he continues to sift through his seemingly never ending stash of art supplies, he comes across an old bracelet making kit. He pauses for a moment, taking a moment to feel over the old, faded title. It brings back fond memories, back with his parents and him when they made the very hair-tie that he uses today. The thought makes him let out a content smile, and he closes his eyes as he relives those old memories. Not even a second later, though, his eyes snap open as if a lightbulb had lit up in his head.

He’ll make a set of matching electric shock friendship bracelets! It’s a simple, well thought-out gift that can signify the start of the friendship that comes with a fun prank without getting overly personal or terribly injuring the other troll. It was perfect!

He quickly gets to work, and within minutes he’s got a pair of two, beautiful rainbow colored bracelets that have the extra benefit of glowing in the dark, thanks to the natural bioluminescence of the beads used. He ponders for a moment to determine whether or not the design was too simple, but quickly brushes the thought out of his mind, made content with the idea that simple was just the way to go sometimes.

He slips one of them on, testing the shock, and finds that it’s just enough to make you jump without making you hurt due to the voltage. He carefully places the other in a simple little jewelry box and sets it down on the same table he made it with. It’s not much now, but it’ll probably mean so much more when he and his mystery troll get to know one another. He places the gift on the table, and readies himself for bed.

—

When the next day comes, he’s all but jittery from excitement. The second he wakes up, he gets himself ready, grabs his gift, and practically bursts from his anemone. He says his hello’s and good morning’s to his fellow trolls as he zips around. When it’s time for them to make their way to Pop Village, he rallies his citizens together.

As he looks them over, he sees that a smile is practically splattered in everyone’s face. Some of them even have their own gifts in hand, and that silences the lingering thoughts that had him somewhat convinced that giving a gift to a troll you’ve never met was too much.

—

The journey to Pop Village is a long one, but is by no means boring. The entire journey is filled with an air of excitement as the trolls giddily talk amongst themselves, all of them sharing in their joy and the thought of meeting someone new, and potentially making a new friend.

When they do arrive, the place is already bustling with trolls of all kinds, all of them talking enthusiastically with one another. His trolls have already dispersed amongst the rest, and so he begins making his way through the crowd. There was still some time left to kill, and so he used what little time he had left to find DJ Suki about her setup.

After a few minutes of wandering, saying his greetings to the various troll leaders as he did so, and offering whatever other trolls who looked his way a small greeting, he finally found the DJ, belatedly speaking with who Trollex assumed were a few of her friends. Her gaze meets his for a moment, leaves, then swiftly returns to him as she stops speaking mid sentence. Her gaping mouth shifts into a toothy smile as she does a light jog towards him and gives him a hug.

“King Trollex, hey! Great to see you again, man! These are my friends, Pixie and Vega!” She starts excitedly. She gestures towards each troll as she says their names. Pixie is covered head to toe in bright, golden glitter. They offer him a smile and waves excitedly at him, which he returns with his own smile and wave, which holds an equal amount of enthusiasm. Vega is a dark, purplish blue troll with wavy white hair. She offers him a small nod of her head, and he does the same.

The four of them quickly engage in conversation once introductions are over, enthusiastically talking to each other about whatever they think to talk about. Pixie is way into standup comedy, and even cracks some of her jokes throughout their talk that manage to make the king snicker. Vega is, like Suki, a DJ, and the three of them bond over their shared interest in it.

Everything is going pretty smoothly when his eyes decide to slip past Suki for just a second and land on a group of Trolls huddled up in a group. Now normally, he’d just adjust his vision back to his buddies, but this group in particular caught his eye given that Queen Poppy and her new found sister were amongst them. He hadn’t found the chance to have a proper talk with her since he’d arrived.

Not only that but it seems that there was a whole crowd murmuring excitedly to five other trolls that were with them. He recognized Branch, but not the other four. Suki must’ve caught him looking, and he shook his arm to gain his attention. He blinks, just a bit startled by the sudden touch and quickly brings his attention back to her. “You were zonin’ out there for a second, dude. You good?” She asks him, with just a hint of concern in her voice.

He spares a glance at the group again, and Suki notices. She looks over to see what he’s looking at, and giggles a bit when she notices the group below. “Oh, those guys! Well, you know Poppy and her sis.” She starts, gesturing towards the two girls who were currently gleefully talking to each other about something. She then gestures to Branch and the rest of the trolls surrounding him. Now that he was actually taking a moment to get a good look at them, Trollex notices how similar they all look. “And you also know Branch, but the rest of those guys? That’s Brozone!” She finishes excitedly.

He gives her a ‘really?’ look, and she looks back over at him confused before making an ‘oh’ face. “Right! You probably aren’t really familiar with any of our celebrities given the whole ‘living in the ocean’ thing.” She corrects herself. “Brozone was one of the most popular boy bands back in the day. But then they had, like, a HUGE falling out and we haven’t seen any of them in years. Until now!”

She starts from the left moving to the right listing them all off. Branch, whomst he already knew, Floyd, whose hair was oddly white at the roots before fading into a hot pink, Clay, whose choice of clothing was a bit austere compared to the rest of them, Bruce, who was, for some reason, wearing a tropical jacket despite them being deep in the forest, and finally John Dory who was apparently the former leader.

He’s about to ask how they broke up before trumpets loudly sound off from somewhere. Troll’s conversations stop as they hear the excited voice of Poppy ring out, accompanied by the enthusiastic thrumming of a cow bell. Trollex looks over and sees Poppy standing on a large toadstool, standing alongside her sister and her father. His face becomes puzzled as he tries to come up with some sort of explanation as to how she got up there so quickly, especially since she was standing alongside her boyfriend just a few moments ago.

“Hey, hi, and hello everyone! I’m so glad that you guys could all make it!” She exclaims, and gesturing her arms out towards the crowd. “I hope you guys are excited, because YOU are about to meet someone new in… 3,2, and…. 1!” She practically screams out the word, and the second she does, confetti comes flying down on the crowd in a rainbow colored cloud.

People let out ‘ooos’ and ‘ahhhs’ as they watch the confetti fall, and King Trollex does too. The second one of the pieces of confetti get close enough, he leaps up to catch it. It’s a vibrant purple, and he quickly scans the crowd to see if any troll got the same color as him. Of course, the momentary search ended up fruitless since the confetti was still falling and the trolls in the area were just as vibrant as the confetti itself.

He turns to look back at his group, and notices that they’ve all gotten their own pieces of confetti too. He waves them goodbye, wishes them good luck, and starts to walk off, beginning the search for the troll with the same colored paper as him.

—

Finding the troll that had the same colored confetti piece as him ended up being just as difficult as he thought it’d be. But it doesn’t curb the King’s spirit. In fact, it actually encourages him moreso to find this mystery troll. It’s almost like a little game for him, whether he’ll find them or if they find him. He spends a few minutes walking around, comparing confetti pieces with other trolls whose colors are similar to his, but luck doesn’t seem to be on his side

He’s about to saunter off somewhere else when he hears someone call after him. At first, he’s a bit confused as to whether or not that troll was calling after him specifically, since there were many, many other trolls around him still searching for their own buddy. Still though, he turns around and sees none other than John Dory running towards him whilst enthusiastically waving his hand. Pinched in between his fingers is a piece of confetti that is a nice, vibrant purple. The same color as his. King Trollex smiles, quickly takes a glance at his own piece of confetti just to be sure, and the second that he is, he begins his approach. Albeit, much more slowly.

In a matter of seconds, the trolls are face to face, stopping just a few inches away from one another. John Dory skids to a stop at Trollex’s feet, keeling over in order to catch his breath. “Wooh, boy! Sorry about that just…” he stops his sentence for a moment, taking in a deep breath. “Just give me a second.” And so the king does, muttering an ‘it’s cool’ as he waits for the former leader of Brozone to right himself.

It takes a hot minute, but once John catches his breath, he looks up at the king with bright blue eyes. “What’s good, man? You probably don’t know who I am, but—“ John Dory starts, but is interrupted when the techno troll in front of him laughs. JD gives him a puzzled look, but the king merely offers him a smile. “I know who you are, dude! Friend of mine told me a little bit about you before all this started. You’re John Dory, right? From Brozone?” Trollex inquires, raising one side of his unibrow.

John Dory stares at him, mouth agape for just a few moments, but he quickly collects himself, now seemingly beaming with a sort of pride. “Oh! I-I… I mean yeah! That’s me!” He exclaims, his face now twisted into a large, toothy smile. “John Dory, from Brozone, yes!” King Trollex laughs a bit at the troll’s enthusiasm, watching as John Dory pumps his fist in a kind of celebration. Based on the very limited information that Suki offered him, BroZone broke apart years ago. This John Dory guy probably wasn’t expecting anyone, especially a techno troll, to recognize him. If he even knew what a techno troll was.

“I’m just a bit surprised that you, uh, recognized me.” John Dory continues, nervously scratching the back of his head. “Poppy filled me in on the whole different trolls thing, so…” The end of his sentence trails off, and king Trollex nods his head in understanding. John Dory then quickly shakes his head. “But whatever, y’know? Let’s get to talkin’, yeah?” He claps his hands together. “You a walk n’ talk kind of guy or…?” John Dory asks, having already begun to move by the time he finishes asking the question. King Trollex follows him, nodding his head.

“Yeah, man! I’ll let you lead the way. I’ve really only been in Pop Village and the places surrounding it, so you can be my guide.” Trollex comments, and JD smirks. “Well, looks like you’re in luck. I happen to be a master survivalist. I know this place like I know the back of my hand.” He boasts proudly, gesturing to himself using his thumb. Trollex considers the self appointed title for a moment, taking in JD’s attire, before nodding his head. It would explain the mountain goggles, and the thick fur jacket.

John Dory then stops and sputters for a moment before quickly turning around to look at Trollex, a disappointed expression on his face. “I totally forgot to ask you, dude, but uh, what’s your name?” He inquires, slapping his face as he realizes he didn’t do the one thing you’re supposed to do when you meet somebody new. However, Trollex just laughs. “It’s cool, dude! I’m Trollex, King Trollex of the Techno Trolls.” He admits casually, and he can see John Dory visibly stiffen, glancing up at him with wide eyes as if he was a deer in headlights.

There’s a pregnant pause that lasts for about 5 seconds as John Dory comes to the realization that he was casually chatting up foreign royalty as if he would a friend, and is mentally slapping himself in the face for it. King Trollex has to hold back another giggle as JD’s mouth rapidly opens and closes as if trying to find the right words to say, failing each time. He eventually settles for a quick bow before standing up straight.

“I-I apologize your… uh… excellency. I had no idea that—“ He stutters as he begins to mutter an apology, and is promptly silenced when King Trollex holds his palm up to his face as if to say stop. John Dory looks up, confused, and is surprised to see the king laughing as if he’s heard the funniest joke. In fact, he’s laughing so hard that he has to put a hand on John’s shoulder to keep himself from keeling over.

As his laughter dies down, he pats JD’s shoulder reassuringly and takes in a deep breath. He looks at him sympathetically, trying to contain his lingering snickers as he reassures him. “Dude, it’s cool! No need to get all into the formalities, alright?” He squeezes him reassuringly on his shoulder to emphasize his point. John Dory swiftly glances at the hand before staring back up at the King, a subtle blush on his cheek. Trollex notices, and snickers again. “And there’s no need to be embarrassed either. Today is all about getting to know somebody new, and while I may be a king, today, I’m just any other troll looking to make a new friend.”

He offers JD one last slap on the shoulder before drifting off, which snaps the other troll out of his stunned silence. He hears the little pitter patter of JD’s feet as catches up with him, the other troll letting out a subtle sigh of relief. “Okay, good! Cool. For a second there, I was worried that you’d get all mad at me n’ stuff, but you’re actually pretty chill.” John Dory admits, his usually confident voice laced with just a hint of nervousness. King Trollex looks over at him and shrugs. “It's cool! You didn’t even know who I was, and if it helps any, when it’s just me and you, you can just call me Trollex, alright?” He reassures.

John Dory pauses, and then smiles before clapping his hands together with a laugh. “Okay, yeah! That works! Now, let’s get exploring!” He states excitedly, a pep in his step as he practically hops along the dirt path in front of them. “We can talk all about Brozone while we’re out here too, help you keep up with all the recent drama.”

—

The next couple of hours end up being the most fun that king Trollex has had in a while. He and John Dory basically go explore a sizable portion of the rest of the village. The whole place was practically bustling with life as trolls of all kinds were out hanging on the streets, mingling with one another.

John Dory talked about Bro Zone and nature most of the time. He told the techno troll all about how he and the rest of Brozone were brothers, and about the tours and the interviews and the photoshoots. He even surprised Trollex by popping out an old polaroid, the image showing him pictured with the rest of his siblings in various dynamic poses. When JD points who he was, Trollex lets out a breathy laugh.

“What? No way, let me take a look at this.” He jokes, gently taking the picture out of John’s hands, glancing over it. He looked so… different. Like, completely different from what he looked like now. In fact, Trollex wasn’t even sure he’d believe that the troll in the picture was John Dory if it weren’t for the fact that a), he had the picture on him, and b), the fact that he still had those same goggles in the photo on even now.

Trollex himself tells John all about home, down in the ocean. He talks about all the stories, their music, their home, their traditions and pretty much anything else about his people that he can come up with. Throughout it all, John seems pretty focused on what he’s saying, asking questions when he could and laughing at a few of the stories Trollex had to tell.

By the end of the day, the two were talking with one another as if they’d been besties for life, laughing and joking with one another as they made their way back to the main center of Pop Village, where Poppy currently stood on top of the same giant toadstool from before.

As soon as she’s sure that all the trolls are gathered together, she smiles brightly and begins her announcement. “Now THAT was fun now, wasn’t it you guys?” She asks the crowd, and she’s met with a chorus of cheers and agreement. “Great! Before you guys all go, I just wanted to thank you all for coming out tonight, and I hope that you all made a new best friend!”

If Trollex hadn’t known Poppy for as long as he had, he’d think that the festivities had ended. But fortunately, he does know Poppy, and by extension, knows that most of her little events end up with some kinda party. And as he watches her enthusiastically scream something before near deafening music starts playing, he knows that that’s his que to go.

If he could stay, he would, really! But duty calls, and his people know the way back home, so he turns around, ready to see himself out.

“Woah, where you going bud? Party just started!” He hears JD call out, and he turns around. The other troll is looking at him confused, an eyebrow raised. Trollex just offers him a sympathetic smile in response. “Yeah, I know. But, I’ve got some important things to work on. Y’know, kingly duties and whatever.” He admits. John Dory smacks himself in the face again as he’s reminded of the fact that he was talking to royalty. “Right dude, yeah, pshhh, sorry!” He screams back, which is the only way he can respond over the cacophony of music and voices. “See you later, then!”

King Trollex nods, and turns around again so that he can leave, but stops dead in his tracks as he remembers information lost crucial. The bracelet! He had completely forgotten about the bracelet. He swiftly turms around, and lets out a sigh of relief seeing that John Dory hadn’t moved too far away. Carefully, he maneuvers through the crowd and once he reaches John, taps him in the back.

The troll turns around, and is surprised when he’s met with the face of the techno troll. However, he quickly drops his surprised expression and exchanges it for one of toothy grins. “Well, looks whose back already? Guess you couldn’t stand being without me for too long, eh?” He jokes, and the king lets out a mock laugh. “Yeah, sure.” He responds sarcastically, before pulling out the gift box from behind his back. John Dory eyes with wide eyes, clearly excited.

“I just wanted to give this to you before I left. I meant to give it to you while we were talking earlier today, but I just got distracted.” He exclaims, nervously scratching the back of his head. He hands the gift off to John Dory, and watches proudly as the man opens it and smiles in delight.

“A bracelet! Haha, dude you shouldn’t have!” John Dory exclaims, examining the way the bracelet glowed in the dark before offering up his hand in the shape of a fist. King Trollex happily returns the gesture and fust bumps him. He waves goodbye, and John Dory does the same. The king can barely control his excitement as he watches John Dory slip the thing on, and he quickly disappears into the crowd so that he couldn’t be seen.

It takes everything in the king's powers to not burst out laughing when he hears the John Dory yelp.

AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/52544056

[sl33paholics]

Darling Dearest

Okuyasu x bimbo black!fem reader

Dating Okuyasu headcanons

Warning(s): None. Only fluff and wholesome shit (for once lol)(possible mentions of lewd here and there)

Song: Attachment (she wanna love) by Kanii

You two are like two peas in a pot. You two were sealed to be with each other based on your first introduction

Brain cells? Ermm, you two may lack some intellect but you both aren't that dumb (maybe)

How could someone as gorgeous as yourself be willing to date a boy like him? Okuyasu puts himself down a lot. Saying how much he's hideous, a burden, and other things. But you cup his cheeks and tell him he's the most handsome and reliable person you've ever met, making him cry each time

It was no doubt he was head over heels for you when you spoke to him, the euphoric feeling of being on cloud 9 whenever you two are alone in the classroom or any private area of the building

Absolutely loves when you call him pet names! "How you doin' sugar?" "You alright, honey?" "Want me to give you a massage, sweetpea?" he can't get enough of it, immediately melting at those words

Small dates here and there. You guys walking around the park and dining at an Italian restaurant, events like this never failed to leave you unsatisfied.

Before you two started dating, he'd always go to his boys, Koichi and Josuke, for advice. What accessories to get you. Do you like dark or lighter colors? Should he buy you magazines or your favorite sweets? When should he make his first move on you? The questions went on and on and on and on, oh you could just imagine the annoyed feeling those two had, but it paid off.

In Summer, you didn't believe he was ripped, as a matter of fact, the thought never came to your mind until you were invited to go to the beach with the boys (and Yukako too) let's just say you were all over him once you saw those muscles, poor Okuyasu was drowning in your affection while the other 3 went on playing on the other side of the shore.

Speaking of summer, Okuyasu tries his best to not act on his urges. You look stunning in your swimwear and the poor boy always looks away from your direction when you're standing in front of him. Getting a boner in a big public area? He'd rather fight the horny rather than go down as a boy who got hard around the girl at the beach.

Around the Fall season, Okuyasu most definitely showed up at your house 2 days before to invite you to the school festival once he heard that you weren't going. Pleading for you to come with him and have a good time on the weekends. Who would want to miss out on the light snacks and sweets there? Especially the plays and dances!

Within a matter of time, you guys made it official.

It was around Winter, and Josuke was holding a Christmas party at his place. Almost everyone was there, it was exciting to see some new faces there as well. A party not too small or big, just the right amount of people to be around with.

Here's a funny moment, while listening to some holiday jingles, you were handed a beer bottle. Only to look up and see a giant with a stern look on his face honestly scaring you for a second. "Take it, I'm sure being around teenagers must be a hassle" just for you to laugh at his face. Josuke pulled him to the side to tell him that you weren't an adult, you were his classmate and he was (secretly) hooking you up with the giddy guy in the corner of the room. Second-hand embarrassment appeared on Jotaro's face and quickly apologized to you, hoping that you didn't take it the wrong way and made you uncomfortable.

Present opening time! Giving and receiving the best of presents from everyone.

When everyone else was busy opening and gifting, you and Okuyasu were in a room together after Koichi said he'll "be right back" with something it's been more than 10 minutes but hey, who's counting? (Okuyasu is counting)

It was time. He turned to face you and vice versa handing you over a small box with a note over first.

— You always mention how you always wanted a new hairpin but I didn't know what kind of color to pick so I hope you enjoy this :)

A goofy smile appeared on your face when opening the box. "This is very adorable, Oku, thank you!" you said, without a thought you turned the paper around you see more writing

— I love your smile, laughter, your humor. Your (e/c) eyes and the way you carry yourself. We're almost alike in every way! And that's what I love about you. You don't judge me and are always here when I need comfort. To keep it sweet and simple, I want to be your boyfriend, (Y/N). I hope you accept my feelings for you.

You look up to see Okuyasu shaking and trembling in his spot, you could've sworn you saw his eyes shine up with tears. You became flustered and got closer to the boy, wrapping both of your arms around him. "I'd love to be your girlfriend, Okuyasu~" you said teasingly before pecking his cheek.

Tears. Nothing but tears and a sobbing mess after you said yes, Okuyasu felt like the happiest man in the world. After avenging his brother, defeating Kira, and taking care of his father, he can finally have peace with the girl who is finally his! He hugged you tightly and didn't want to let go, saying how much he admires you and so on.

Little did you two know that the door was cracked open a bit, a camera zooming in before a click sound was made. Josuke was quietly snickering while Koichi was trying his best to not laugh, quickly and quietly telling Josuke that they should leave before they get chased around for their trolling. The two are going to tease Okuyasu about this for the rest of their lives.

[mishapocalyse]

hii!!🧸🎀 oooh i hav a Christmas request my fwiend!! n ohkey i know iz sofft n vry silleee n very dumm but what about sumthin where female reader iz shy n doesn like 2 say much n she only bakes stuff 4 people she likes n she decides 2 bake gingerbread cookies espesh 4 soldier boy🥺🍪🎄thmku bby!!⭐

Christmas Cookies//Baked With The Hope You'd Notice

Description: You were the shy girl that had taken in the Boys and let them set up shop within your home. When Soldier Boy had joined the team, you decide to make cookies for him.

The man with a sweet tooth.

Pairings: Soldier Boy x Shy! Reader

Warnings: Soldier Boy is his own warning; None

Note: Sweet tooth Christmas--*eats up* thank you.

Slaving away in the kitchen, you had taken the time to yourself to bake cookies. It was a hobby of yours, especially around the holiday's.

Wearing a Christmas sweater and a pair of sweatpants with the normal fuzzy socks and slippers, you pushed the pans of cookies into the oven. While you turned to seat yourself at the kitchen table to continue reading the latest book you had buried yourself into.

It was not often you would be baking the amount of cookies you were at this time. However, Butcher and the Boys had just been amazing to you. Super helpful in keeping you safe as well as as around the house. Chores were easier with them around.

And you also had your eyes on Soldier Boy.

He had been aloof, as you were too shy to really make a move and tell the man how you felt. So in spite of your issues, you used your feelings into baking a batch of cookies for them all.

The oven and timer both simultaneously dinged, alerting you to get up to check them. Closing your book, you hurried back to the oven, oven mitts ready on your hand. The scent of cinnamon and gingerbread filling the house.

---

"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas~"

The music filled your home while you lit a few candles, switching on the tree. You bent down to start the fireplace, lighting it up. You heard heavy boots walk into the living rom and then come to a halt.

You turned to see Soldier Boy standing there, his face calm. As he glanced around the room, the rest of the others coming in to stop, all amazed at how you had decorated.

Standing up from the fireplace you wiped your hands on the apron, and smiled softly.

"Oi, you have outdone yourself, lass." Butcher exclaimed, shrugging off his boots by the front door.

"Did you cook, Y/N?" Hughie asked.

You sheepishly rubbed the back of your neck and nod, motioning over to the dining table.

"Holy shit, Y/N you did not have to do this." Hughie added, taking off his coat.

Your eyes met Soldier Boy's eyes as everyone had begun to sit down around the table. You smile and began to move upstairs.

"Aren't you eating?" MM looked at you as you shook your head, urging them to eat.

---

"Have yourself a Merry little Christmas~"

Soldier Boy was seated in the recliner when you had gone back downstairs for a midnight snack.

"You're up late, sweetheart." You practically jumped ten feet into the air when you heard his voice.

"I'm getting a snack. Sorry." You mumbled.

"What was that?" He asked, leaning forward.

You had to hide your face. Although you had seen men without their shirts on before, Soldier Boy was an exception. You were embarrassed, much so that you didn't even notice that he had moved from the recliner and was now leaning against the wall right next to you.

"What did you say? I didn't quite hear you." He bent down.

"I-I'm getting a snack." Your face flushed, as he hummed.

"Same here. Smelled something sweet but couldn't find it." He said, as you followed behind him.

He pressed his back into the counter while watching you stand onto a chair and pulled something from on top of the fridge. You turned back to him, shoving a bag into his arms.

"What the hell?" He murmured, inspecting the cookies in his hands.

"These for me?" You nodded, playing with a strand of string hanging off of your sweater.

"Well can't eat them all by myself. Mind grabbing us some milk and share these with me?" He offers.

You nod again, turning away to gather the milk and cups. You heard him unraveling the bag, and him grabbing a paper plate from the bottom drawer. Turning back to him you had noticed that Soldier Boy had put some of his cookies on a plate, the other hand tugged on your sweater as he pulled you back into the living room.

The fireplace still burned bright, and the Christmas music still played. He plopped into the recliner and pulled you into his arms, earning a soft squeal from you.

He chuckled.

"That's cute." Your face reddened, while he crunched on some the cookies.

"And these are fucking great, sweetheart." He laughed.

You shushed him. "People are asleep." You placed your hands onto his mouth, trying to hush him up.

He mumbled something but was muffled under hands. When you removed them he repeated himself.

"Don't worry, sweetheart. I don't think they'll see much." He laughed, taking a sip of the glass of milk. Soldier Boy then proceeded to shove a whole cookie into his mouth, hearing you laugh for the first time around him.

He smiled, watching your eyes light up when you bit into your own cookie.

O Holy Night began to play on the playlist from earlier, which gave you a sliver of confidence, leaning your head on his shoulder. Soldier Boy glanced down at you, noticing your eyes grow heavy. Soon enough, he heard the soft breathing of you sleeping on him. He couldn't help himself but to remove the glass from your hands, placing everything on the table next to the recliner, pulling the blanket from the back of the chair to cover you both.

You buried your face into his neck, as he tucked his chin onto your head.

[bangtanintotheroom]

Where is Everybody?

Hello there! So, this post here is gonna be a doozy, but I need to get some things off my chest and hopefully, I can get some answers at the end of the day.

For the last few months, I’ve noticed a significant downtick in interactions on here. And it’s not just for my blog, quite a few of my moots seem to going through the same issue as well.

On top of that, the ever-present issue of liking over reblogging seems to have just gotten worse.

The main question I want to ask is why?

I know the holidays are a busy time for many people, but compared to last year when I joined, it almost feels like a ghost town. I ask if people want to see teasers or graphics I made and out of the significant amount of followers, I only get a handful interacting, many of them my moots (ily guys so much and appreciate you mwah 💋)

I was letting it slide until I saw the amount of notes Offsite Services has been getting. Mind you, it’s a drabble collection based off of Fanservice, which judging by notes, is one of my most infamous works. Here’s a comparison:

Fanservice: 1,877 notes

Offsite Services: 180 notes with Up Close and Personal having 242 notes while “Bear” with Me only has 111 notes

You see what I mean? Offsite Services only has just under 10% of Fanservice’s notes. And they’re in the same series!

It’s bothering me because so many people for months have been asking for updates for this series. Now that I started it back up, it’s practically radio silence and it’s highly discouraging. It definitely cemented my decision to work on whatever speaks to me at the moment and not try to rush things out, only for it to get little recognition.

And to get back to the likes/reblogs issue, lately, it’s seemed like it’s worsened these last couple of months. I know there’s a lot of users who shifted here from Twitter thanks to the madness that’s been going on, but you need to understand something:

Likes do not spread our work around.

Works can get buried within tags, especially if they don’t have a large amount of notes, which makes it harder to get recognition. By reblogging, it introduces our fics to a wider audience, even if you only have a handful of followers. Believe me, it helps!

And feedback is always helpful as well! You don’t even have to write a full essay, something along the lines of ‘thank you for writing this!’ or ‘wiofwoihih this was SO GOOD’ is highly appreciated.

Also, my ask box is always open, for anons and non-anons. If you want to talk about something or just say hi or discuss a fic or WIP, don’t be shy! I might not respond right away, but that’s because I’m busy or at work. I only won’t respond if it’s a request (REQUESTS ARE CLOSED INDEFINITELY)  or someone demanding I update a fic (which hasn’t happened yet, thank God).

I don’t want to drag this on much longer, so I want to just cap this off by asking again why there’s less people interacting lately. These are the answers I came up with:

1. BTS’ hiatus (which doesn’t make sense to me because now would be the best time to catch up on fan content but 🤷🏾‍♀️)

2. Taking a break from Tumblr

3. Not enough time to read

Again, these are only my theories, but I won’t know for sure unless you guys tell me. If you know the reason why and would like to tell me, feel free to come to my ask box. All I ask is that you don’t be rude or extremely defensive; whatever reason you might have is valid and I’m not trying to start any fights. I just want some clarity to help ease this question that’s been bothering me for the last couple of months.

Thank you so much if you read all of this, I appreciate it greatly. I hope everyone has a steady 2023 and I wish you all the best. 💕

- AJ 💜

[truebluehue]

Fall Surprises

╒══════════════════════════════════════╕

It was unexpected. The random cornucopia filled with fake pumpkins and squash. Jake never thought that any of the scientists would decorate for holidays, especially an earth one. So he shrugged it off as a newbie with homesickness. But then more popped up. A vase of fake sunflowers and chrysanthemum, a different cornucopia this time filled with fake pine cones, cinnamon and more squash. So of course he has to ask Augustine about it.

“So,” Jake starts as he wheels to the link pod, Augustine calibrating his unit to run as smoothly as possible. Ever since his run in with the Navi, Jake’s been building some trust to get Augustine back in. Once he delivered the news, Augustine was excited to finally get a chance to see the Omaticaya. “Who’s leaving all the decorations around?” Jake asks, already moving to open the pod, ready to feel the freedom only Pandora could give.

“Tech engineer. She started it one year as a joke and it's been stuck since.” Augustine gestures to him, no longer offering to help.  “The part that always remains the same is that no one can catch her. We know who it is but she’s never caught. Y/n is actually the one who keeps these things going. Now let’s get moving. The Omaticaya are always on the move.” And that was the end of that.

It took another week, a bunch more flowers, and the new addition of tiny turkeys in random places before he finally got to put a face to the mysterious decorator. Jake’s used to waking up early, thanks to the military, so he’s glad he did when he made his way to Augustine earlier than usual. She’s swearing up a storm about his link pod being faulty thanks to a broken fuse. He must have come at the tail end of the lash out as Augustine lights a cigarette. “Fuse blown huh?” Jake says with a smirk and then he looks down, seeing a pair of legs under his usual link pod.

You shake your head, head swimming already at the amount of things that could go wrong. Damn pod’s electroencephalogram was completely fried, don't know how Grace even kept this thing running. “Sorry Augustine. Gotta look for the part in the big warehouse. Hopefully it's been cataloged but I doubt it.” You call out as you stand up and look at Jake. “You must be the hot shot who got in with the Omaticaya. Name’s Y/n.” You hold out your hand.

Well I’ll be damned. Jake has seen his fair share of breathtaking people back on earth, but you. You were dropped dead gorgeous. Jake lets an easy smile fall onto his face, might as well shoot his shot. “Nice to finally put a face to the person decorating. Name’s Jake, hot stuff.” Jake shakes your hand, not at all surprised by the quite firm grip on his hand.

You let out a chuckle. “How can you be so sure?” You drop his hand. “I’ll go see about the part. Grace. Jake.” And with that you walk away, already typing away on a tablet. Hot stuff, huh? You smile, planning away.

Jake was tired. The Colonel in one ear. Grace and the Omaticaya in one. Half of his brain wanted his legs back, the other wanting to roam on a significantly taller set of legs. Power or freedom. The never ending battle. Jake sighs as he enters his room, ready to at least get a couple hours of sleep. Though he doubts it. Ever since he came to Pandora he feels as if he left one war and jumped into another. From defending governmental assets, dealing with the aftermath of being deemed useless by the government, to grieving for his brother's death by under-dealing with a militarized Bill Nye wet dream. Hooah, am I right.

Jake gets ready for bed, the earlier difficulties of changing made easier by time. He goes to wash his face when he’s stopped. Now I would remember leaving that taped up. Pulling the note down, Jake is quick to open and read.  Mouth agape he opens his bathroom door, a machine printed Flor de Mayo flower on his counter. “Well I’ll be damned.” 

So a marine, huh?

Wasn’t sure if I had any flowers from there so I made this one from scratch. I’ll be ready at 7 on Friday.

Hot Stuff There were oil spots on the bottom corner and it was crinkled, but Jake held it like it was a winning lottery ticket. Jake touches the pink and white paint of the flower. Wasn’t expecting to be the one asked on a date. But he’s sure as hell gonna take it. Who woulda thought I liked flowers.

╚═════════════════════════════════v═══╝

Flor de mayo is the national Venezuelan flower. Men deserve flowers.

Hope you enjoyed. :)

[writingseaslugs]

Pomefiore: Halloween with Them

Aight here is some Pomefiore which I thought was super cute while I was writing it, so I hope you guys enjoy! Also, if you guys don't know what "boystyle" is, think of Lolita in a more prince-like fashion. Ciel from Black Butler vibes.

Disclaimer: All characters in this series are aged up. For more information about my version of this world and the type of reader you can expect, please do a quick read of THIS post.

Heartslabyul | Savanaclaw | Octavinelle | Scarabia | Pomefiore (You’re Here) | Ignihyde | Diasomnia

Halloween with Them

Theme: Costume Prep

Pomefiore took Halloween as a very serious holiday, but not for the scare factor. The extravagant costumes and make-up were a great way to test your skills. Whether it be glamorous looks or hideous monsters, Pomefiore took the make-up aspect very seriously.

It came as no surprise that they needed models as well. Sure, they could be practicing on one another all day, but the amount of make-up remover and latex could be devastating on the skin, especially excessive exposure. So dragging other students were needed.

Then the students who took costume design also needed models to show off their work on the night of the school’s party. This meant everyone at Pomefiore was taking a page out of the Sea Witch’s book and finding poor, unfortunate souls to glam up in preparation.

Vil Schoenheit

“Alright, so you’re going to be doing my make-up why?” You asked as you sat down at Vil’s bedroom vanity. You knew that over a thousand people would kill to be in your shoes right now. So far, though, you were just here because Vil told you to be there. It wasn’t really a choice on your end, as it was stated more as a command. Still, you didn’t exactly hate it and were happy to be there. Just more or less confused as to why it was you.

“I need to figure out your look for the Night Raven College’s party, of course. Now come here; we need to prep your face before.” Vil said, going over and grabbing some cleaning wipes. You were no stranger to spa days with Vil, so you just closed your eyes and sighed, letting him move your face around and make sure any hair that might even come into your face was clipped back.

You weren’t expecting him to get a pair of tweezers while your eyes were closed to pluck some eyebrow hairs. You yelped in surprise, your eyes widening as Vil gave you an unimpressed look, “You know better than to move while I’m working on you. We need to clean up your eyebrows for this.” He said, leaning back in with the tweezers. You inched away, not feeling the want to have the hairs on your face to be plucked out.

“Can’t we do the glue stick thingie?” You whined, but knowing Vil, he wouldn’t relent.

“Absolutely not. Those are for special effects looks, which we aren’t going for. I refuse to ruin your skin that I’ve worked so hard to be presentable.” You gasped at his words and put a hand over your heart.

“Pardon?” You asked dramatically, wanting to get a rise out of him. Vil just frowned and grabbed your chin, and dragged you closer to him by force. You squeaked, your face right in front of his own as he began tweezing away.

“We both know you needed better skincare products when we met.” He said, and you groaned. It was true, though, living in Ramshackle hadn’t been a luxury. Even the water wreaked havoc on your hair and skin. Vil kinda was a saving grace. After he was satisfied with your eyebrows, he took a moment to look at your face. That was when he smirked, dragged your face closer to him, and kissed your forehead.

“You’re a very cute-looking potato today.” He said, and you wanted to just crawl into a hole, “Now come on, we have a lot of work to do if we’re going to be matching on Halloween.”

“M-matching outfits?” You asked in shock, “When was this decided?”

“The moment you decided to become involved with me, obviously. Don’t act so surprised.” Vil said, but he secretly loved the shocked look on your face. It was the whole reason he waited until now to inform you. You just groaned, knowing you’d never have a moment of peace while seeing this man.

Rook Hunt

“Mon amour, you look breathtaking.” Rook said, coming into the room as you were in the middle of getting dressed in the outfit he had specifically picked out for you. You couldn’t help the little squeal that came out of you, still half naked, as you scrambled to put on the outfit, “Ah, no need to be shy. It’s not like I haven’t seen it before.” Rook said with that smile plastered on his face.

“Oh my sevens, Rook, can you not?” You whined as he walked over and began helping you button up the top of your clothes. You felt like a small Victorian child being helped, not only because of Rook assisting in dressing you but because the costume he had so lovingly chosen for you was a boystyle outfit that made you feel like you were set back in the Victorian era. “By the way…how many outfits do you plan on having me try on.” From the Lolita dress, he had thrown you in earlier, you were wondering why he actually had you in here.

“I simply couldn’t decide on just one outfit for you, so I had several made, of course. I want to see which one you love the most.” Rook said, leaning closer to you after he finished buttoning the shirt, “You look exquis in this outfit.” He cooed happily.

“Rook, you said that about the last two costumes.” You reminded him, and he laughed happily before picking you up into his arms. You could only grasp onto his shoulders and yelp at suddenly being lifted into the air. He did a little spin, laughing the entire time as though he was having the time of his life. For all you knew, he probably was. You couldn’t help but join him with a small chuckle.

“It’s because it is all true; they all look ravissant! I could stare at your beauty all day.” Rook said before pausing, “In fact, I might begin doing that.” He said, and you knew he was being dead serious.

“Absolutely not. I adore you, Rook, but I need privacy sometimes.” You said, and the pout that spread on his face was short-lived before it was replaced by a dazzling smile.

“Then half the time?” He tried to compromise, and you knew this was a battle you wouldn’t be winning.

“Fine, but no more walking in on me showering. That is me time.” You warned, and he nodded, “Now come on, how many more outfits do I have to try on? I still have homework to do.” You said as Rook put you down and ruffled your hair, careful of the small top hat on you.

“Only fifteen more to go.” He said with absolute confidence.

“Fifteen?!”

Epel Felmier

“I’m staying here, and I’m not leaving until Halloween is over,” Epel said, crashing onto your bed. You had been in the middle of doing your homework and hadn’t even heard the front door open, and now Epel was looking defeated as he stared at the ceiling.

“What happened this time? Make-up or new costume?” You asked, and Epel scowled, sitting up and tossing his legs off the side of your bed so he could face you better.

“They put me in a dress? A dress of all things. What do they take me for?” Epel’s accent was slowly making its way out, and you absolutely loved the sound of it. He did look adorable while pouting as well, but you’d rather die than say that to him. You knew how he felt about his masculinity, and even though he fed a little more into the toxic side of it, you would respect his decisions.

“Was it at least a tactical dress?” You asked, trying to make light of the situation. Epel raised his eyebrow as he pondered over your words.

“Tactical?” Epel echoed, and you nodded your head.

“Ya, like, did it have pockets?” You said, and Epel shrugged, but a small smile appeared on his face.

“No, it didn’t.” He said, “At least I didn’t see any, not that I was payin’ attention.” He shrugged it off. He was still reeling from the fact that they basically forced him into one. It was a bunch of the taller upperclassmen who wanted to make him look as adorable as possible. It made his stomach churn just thinking about it. He ran out of there the moment they looked away and left the dress outside the room.

“Then clearly they have horrible taste.” You said with a sigh, looking between your homework and Epel. As you closed your textbook, the choice was obvious, and you stood up, “Well, let’s go.” You said, motioning for Epel to follow you. Epel stood up but looked confused as to what you wanted.

“What are we doing?” He asked, and you smirked.

“We’re gonna do something stupid, probably. You in or what?” You could see his eyes flashing for a moment as he thought over his choices. Vil would no doubt get mad at him if he was caught, but then again, he wanted to do something reckless and get the adrenaline pumping.

“Let’s do this.”

[castleaudios]

You gave me feelings about Rose, so take Rose questions lol 1. So Rose has an "pretty substantial amount of alcohol" at home - is she a regular drinker, or is she the type that likes collecting that sort of thing? (Which would be adorable, given her dragon companion - each having their own hoard). 2. If she does drink, has she ever had a "I can't unsee that" moment as a telepath, and so had to dive into that collection? lol (I'm afraid to ask if it started off as a coping mechanism cause of her parents). 3. How does the Bureau handle situations like Rose's - where powers are misused for personal gains, or magic users are taken advantage of by people in positions of power (like parents, or I imagine, bosses or loan sharks and the like, if you want to go further routes)? 4. Did you plan to make Rose secretly a tease all along? Did you realize what it would do to us poor simps? lol (We love it, please keep going) 5. Does Rose have a bit of a found family with the members of the Bureau that helped her? 6. Does Rose like hugs, because there are now about a few dozen people (minimum) that would love to give her one. lol

Yay!! I'm so happy our girl Rosie is getting some love after her audio

1- Rose like collecting various kinds of alcohol, especially if it comes in a fancy bottle!

2- She's had a few "I wish I didn't see that" moments, which have led to a few extra glasses of whatever cocktail she's feeling at the end of the night, but the collection of bottles didn't start off as a coping mechanism. After Rose got away from her family, she was left incredibly isolated without a good understanding of how to set boundaries for her own powers. She was set up with a bartending job at a small pub where she learned how to be around people without getting overwhelmed- she also just so happened to be a great bartender, despite her forgetfulness at times.

3- Every case is handled differently by the Bureau, most often with the offenders being sent to prison and having their access to BoM resources revoked.

4- Oh Rosebud was always gonna be a tease, rest assured

5- Yes, she does :) She often receives cards from them at the Holidays and he friends with many on social media. Sometimes Bureau officials will stop into the library just to check on her and catch up. Many of them are aware of the Open Wielder and Abby, though they haven't jumped to conclusions... yet.

6- Rosie loves hugs, she just hates admitting it. Good thing Abby and dear are very good at forcing her to admit it!