#courtney writes

[chasingmidnights]

Bad Liar

Title: Bad Liar 

Pairing: Ari Levinson x reader 

Summary: Ari is a regular at the coffee shop that you work at and you can’t help but have a crush on the older gentleman. 

Warnings: 18+ only, minors DNI!! I don’t think there’s too much to look out for in this one. Just maybe some angst, mild cursing, and Ari Levinson. (Yes he’s a warning especially when he doesn’t realize what he’s doing to you, or does he?) I apologize if I missed anything but you are responsible for what you read. 

Wordcount: 877

It was mid-morning and you found yourself glancing up at the clock, it was almost nine and he still had not shown up yet. A small sigh left your lips as you finished up the order you were currently working on, a feeling of disappointment washed over. You wondered what could be keeping him this morning, he was usually here by now. You turned around and called the customer’s name to hand it to them. The bell above the door chimed again and when you turned to greet the next customer, you swore you felt your whole body short circuit. There he was, Ari Levinson; the man you have been harboring a huge crush for. When you finally snapped out of your daydream, you accidentally bumped into one of your coworkers. Your coworker, who had a tray full of freshly baked goodies that were now ruined as the tray fell to the floor. You frantically started to help her clean up the mess before she snapped at you. 

“No, I’ve got this. You go and help the next customer.” 

“I’m sorry.” You mumbled before getting up to do what she said. 

To you, Ari was a dreamboat. He had gorgeous blue eyes that you could just stare into all of the time and simply get lost in them. Somehow, just somehow, you knew that his long brown hair was one of the softest things that God has ever made. You also thought that about his thick, full beard and wondered- no stop thinking like that. You took a deep breath as you walked up to the counter to take Ari’s order, even though you knew it by heart. You could recite his order in your sleep. When you finally made eye contact with the beautiful man, your heart skipped a beat and butterflies instantly formed in your stomach. 

“Everything alright, sweetheart? You seem to be a bit flustered.” Ari’s voice was so smooth and deep, you could listen to him talk all damn day. 

“Oh, yeah, everything’s fine. Just a bit clumsy today I suppose. Do you want your usual?” How you actually managed to talk was beyond you, especially with how dry your mouth was. 

You could feel your knees going a bit weak as a smirk formed on his perfect lips as he tilted his head. 

“You know my usual sweetheart?” He then arched a brow as he eyed you up and down. 

Your cheeks started to heat up and you could feel yourself starting to feel even more flustered. “Of course. An Americano with an extra shot of espresso.” 

“Very good, sweetheart.” Ari’s smirk twitched up slightly as he stared at you. 

“Right! I’ll be right back.” You quickly turned around and started on his order. 

When he finally left, you felt like you could breathe and let out the breath that you had been holding. You were a grown woman and yet, here you were acting like a teenager over their first crush. Surely there was something wrong with you. You groaned as you went about your shift. 

A few days later and you were out running some errands when you spotted Ari across the street. You nearly ran into a sign when you did a double take to make sure if it was him or not. When you recovered from your near trip, a heavy sigh fell from your lips and you started to relax, realizing that it was not him. After you put yourself back together and fixed your hair, you continued about your day. However, throughout the day, your mind kept wandering back to Ari. Everywhere you looked you thought you saw him but it was always just your mind playing tricks on you and it was cruel. You found yourself wondering if he had a girlfriend and couldn’t help but feel a bit jealous, which was absolutely ridiculous. You shook your head to get rid of the thoughts that kept flooding through your mind. 

During the week, the only thing that was on your mind was him, Ari Levinson. You wanted so desperately to make the thoughts in your mind a reality. You wanted to know what it would feel like to curl up next to him in your king size bed. Every day you do your best not to think about him but he’s always taking up a fraction of your mind. When Ari would come into the coffee shop, you would spasm and short circuit, sometimes you would even forget to breathe. Your coworkers ragged on you all of the time and tried to encourage you to talk to him or to ask him out. One day you were talking to one of your coworkers about him and you had not realized that he was behind you. A clear of the throat caused you to turn around and when you did, you were mortified. 

“Not talking about me, are you sweetheart?” His eyes gleamed as he smiled at you. 

“N-no, of course not Ari.” You managed to stutter out. 

Once again, you could feel your cheeks beginning to heat up as he eyed you up and down. 

“You know, you’re a bad liar.” Ari smirked. 

A squeak escaped you and you couldn’t believe that you’d been caught.

[microsuedemouse]

In Eden

➤ In his final moments, Nicholas D. Wolfwood wished with everything he had for another chance. A different life. A better world.

➤ This is none of those things. Against all odds, though, he's still alive, and to squander that would be a disservice to the woman who saved him. So he'll try. He'll put his friends behind him and forge something new.

➤ After all, he can never go back.

Nicholas D. Wolfwood/Milly Thompson | 8 011 words | Rated T+ | Fix-It, Angst with a Happy Ending, Reunions, (Ambiguously) Catholic Guilt

“I did not wanna die this way!”

The last thing Nicholas D. Wolfwood expects is to wake up. So when he does, he assumes these are the final desperate attempts of his dying mind to grasp at something better. To claw its way out of this uncaring existence and into a kinder plane. He wished so hard for a second chance – a more loving reality – that the chemical misfires of his brain, steadily running out of blood, are now producing hallucinations of exactly that. Except that he isn’t waking up in the Eden he’d dreamed of.

Keep reading on AO3 →

hhhhokay so. this has been in my drafts since shortly after I finished watching the show, which was apparently... February? whoogh. I was never sure if I got the pacing/length just right, so I was never quite ready to call it finished. but recently @llamahearted posted another wonderful Millywood drawing and it reminded me that I still wanted to clean this up and post it!

listen, Vashwood is fantastic, but Millywood just hits alllll the right notes for me. I adore them so much, and I wish they could've had the happy ending they deserved. so I'm out here writing fix-it fic in which What If They Actually Didn't Die, once again. Nicholas's tragedy is really good, and its impact on Vash's story is really important, but also... what if.

also, I made up a bit of my own lore for the Chapel of the Gung-Ho-Guns, because the manga lore is so so silly. it's really only implied/mentioned in the fic itself, but I just wanted to pad out a few spots.

spoilery bit about the final lines of the fic below:

I was divided on revealing Goodwin's first name to be Eden, because I really liked the symbolism/symmetry of that, and of the idea of Nicholas never having learned that about her. but I'm also very in love with the idea of Nicholas and Milly having a daughter and naming her Eden. so I waffled a lot.

and then I remembered it's fanfic and I can do whatever I want. if I decide to write another fic where they do have a daughter named Eden, no one's gonna arrest me for using the same general idea two slightly different ways. also, you don't even actually meet the baby in this fic, so. who cares. it's FINE.

[lavernecourtney]

March 18, 2023

6:32PM

I don’t want to write. I could make up many excuses; excuses like, the computer chair is too uncomfortable, the printer is connected to the laptop and I don’t want to bother removing it and taking the laptop to my sofa, the desk is too small and uncomfortable, and so forth. Millions of ways to say ‘this isn’t important enough to write about.’ I can write to a friend to save a friendship, but never to myself to save myself, truly this must be passive suicide or self-harm. I’d rather just ignore what I feel from what I see all the time. For years.

‘It’s the accumulation of many years, repressed,’ I think to myself as I well up with tears while I walk my dog. Proving to myself that it must be real because I feel it, but I’m scared it won’t be when I talk about it, then I won’t talk about it. It’s as if I see and feel ghosts around me, only to be told that they aren’t real and they aren’t there. But my sadness is a ghost felt by those around me and I am the one who says it isn’t real and it isn’t there. I am too much of a coward to face it; I might just be too fearful to find out what really haunts me.

I think I just might not belong. Years of therapy and a healed inner child, I found her just about to be wounded again, in her 20s. Maybe in her late teens. Do you know what it’s like to be watching kids having fun from inside the window? And if you join them you’ll ruin it and you go home; not telling your parents because deeply you feel that it’s your fault and there’s something wrong with you, not them? In that way, you want to protect them from your parents, you wouldn’t want to worry them. It’s really just you who’s the matter, and you can’t do anything about it. You don’t belong. And you don’t want your parents to hear this from you because it will break their heart how much you hurt yourself over people you want to win over because you’ll never win them over. It’s a pattern all over the years, of different groups of people that come across your life. It’s not that you don’t belong at all, to be fair to whoever reads this; it’s just a kind of love you seek for in the people who can’t give it to you (either in whole or in part) and you feel so drained, thirsty, hungry, but you understand their limitations because they’re not perfect, so it’s okay to be hungry, it’s okay to be haunted, it’s okay not to tell anyone, it’s okay for them not to worry about you, because you don’t want to hurt them over what you want that you can’t have.

Les Miserables’ Jan Valjean stole fresh bread from a bakery to feed his sister’s starving children, and was then imprisoned for 19 years. It’s like that, when you see how the love you want so much be given to other people because they deem they deserve it more. Maybe because of status, of privilege, of beauty, of energy. You think to yourself, you’re beautiful, you’re tall, you’re intelligent, you’re kind, and you’re talented. But they don’t like you, therefore, they can’t love you. You can’t have everything. So; is it a sin to want what you can’t have, when you shouldn’t want it in the first place, you shouldn’t have to earn food to live as much as you shouldn’t have to earn love to breathe. And it kills me every time I’m told to try harder, it’s a sin against myself to fight for what should be given for free, unconditionally. Love, whether in the form of fresh bread or another, is not a privilege, but a right. Living an honest life surrounded by love is the most human you can be; and I feel like a ghost.

And when a sliver of love comes your way when you have been hungry for the longest time, you will never feel full, because it’s just a sliver of it. And that’s what you eat for the week, and you go home to your dog, hungry for more. What is this love you talk of, the love of expression, the love of giving, the love of belonging? What is the unconditional love that you preach of when it is given to me like a dog under the table, slivers of pieces?

There’s no way what I’m saying is real now. There’s no way someone as human as me could be as a ghost and a dog as me. There’s no way what’s happening to me is real, because it is rather too painful to hear and feel that it ignites fear now that my words have haunted you as well. This is how it stops being real, I told you I don’t want to face it. I don’t want to talk about it. The moment you can’t bear the pain in the 800 words I have shared with you in the years it has been haunting me, you stop and say, “try harder.”

[changanomaly]

i wanna be famous

[quotefeeling]

I feel myself shutting down, closing off, like I should tell people, ‘No, we don’t use this heart anymore. It’s too fragile.’

Courtney C. Stevens

[thoughtkick]

I feel myself shutting down, closing off, like I should tell people, ‘No, we don’t use this heart anymore. It’s too fragile.’

Courtney C. Stevens

[thehopefulquotes]

I feel myself shutting down, closing off, like I should tell people, ‘No, we don’t use this heart anymore. It’s too fragile.’

Courtney C. Stevens

[perfectquote]

I feel myself shutting down, closing off, like I should tell people, ‘No, we don’t use this heart anymore. It’s too fragile.

Courtney C. Stevens; The Lies About Truth

[resqectable]

I feel myself shutting down, closing off, like I should tell people, ‘No, we don’t use this heart anymore. It’s too fragile.

Courtney C. Stevens; The Lies About Truth

[stay-close]

I feel myself shutting down, closing off, like I should tell people, ‘No, we don’t use this heart anymore. It’s too fragile.

Courtney C. Stevens; The Lies About Truth

[silly-writes]

What if reader was an old childhood friend of some of the competitors (ie Courtney, gwen, bridgette, Heather, duncan, Izzy, cody, etc) with said character(s) having strong feelings for before reader moved away just to come back into their life during one season with reader initially unaware of these returning feelings in said camper.

Bonus: What if reader/camper did get together in that one season, only for next season to have a love triangle form involving another character. The camper is aware of said triangle forming though reader might be oblivious due to now having eyes only for first camper. What'd this be like for different people?

Compretitors with returning feelings for childhood best friend reader!

u guys r really feeding me with these prompts I can't even lie this one was a little tricky with all these moving parts! Sorry if some of these are a little angsty and don't really have happy (per say) conclusions, but I'm just doing what I think best fits the character! I only write pure fluff if that what im given. I hope you enjoy anyways anon!

Courtney

Courtney is beyond stricken when she sees you.

What are the odds you both would have signed up for the same shitty reality tv show?

Well, high as Courtney would tell you. You always were very similar even back when you were inseparable as children.

You knew Courtney was always very fond of you before you moved away, so the reunion is very sweet, and heartfelt.

The two of you attempt to spend a lot of time catching up on what you missed out on after you had moved, but on the show there isn't much time for it.

Courtney can't help but think about how absolutely heartbroken she was when you moved away.

I would think with Courtney's determined attitude (plus based on what she says to Gwen during their friendship) she has made too many friends.

So when you moved away, especially since she was little, it sort of felt like the end of the world to her.

I imagine you being around is wildly distracting for her. Despite her returning romantic feelings.

You were the only person who ever had that type of close vulnerable relationship with her, she would do anything to please you, receive attention from you, or keep you in the game.

All of it leads to some very undesirable slip ups from her, which with you is how I imagine she goes home on the island.

She watched you as she got pulled away, she's not going to leave it unsaid this time, she remembers what that feels like, she remembers how isolating and awful it feels.

"I'm going to miss you ______!" She called out to you from the end of the doc of shame.

You waved wildly "I'm going to win this for you Courtney!" You call back.

"No- I mean! I'm going to miss you because I'm in love with you!"

You stand there stunned as she boards the boat and calls out one final thing "You had bet your butt you'll win this for me! I just confessed my love to you on live television!"

You try to call back that you feel the same, but Chris does what Chris does best and gets in the way of a good time. Even if the boat hadn't driven her off before you got the chance to confess back, the motor is loud enough to where she probably couldn't hear you anyways.

By action, you two have fully discussed your feelings, and how everything should go now that you're into each other but still competitors.

You both agree that your first real official date should be after the show is over, so while things aren't technically official by next season, you two are undoubtedly interested in each other and therefore not getting involved with anyone else.

You stick true to that, but Courtney can see Duncan keeps looking at you, and she's not stupid, she would know that punks gazes in and out.

She doesn't bring it up to you, she knows you're generally very dense about those kinds of things.

But eventually, she can't take it anymore and her jealousy starts driving her mad.

She declares that you two are official, and that you very much are dating, which causes some tension between the two of you during action since you both agreed it just wasn't a good idea.

After some fighting, fighting, and more fighting eventually it's you this time taking the walk of shame to the lame-ousine.

Courtney fights her way to you.

"I'm sorry, I didn't expect it to play out this way!" She says sorrowfully.

But you did, you know just how Courtney is, you know how she gets, and while you didn't fully understand why she did what she did you could've guessed that some kind of fight was inevitable. Plus you know how she gets during competitions.

"Hey don't sweat it," you smile "now that I'm not technically on the show, I don't have as much of a problem doing this-" you say and bring her in for a short and sweet kiss.

After years of waiting for this moment, Coutney can't help but freeze up.

You pull away, and head towards the lame-ousine as she calls "I'll win this for you!"

"You had better win this for me! I just kissed you on live television!" You say smiling as you duck into the back seat.

Gwen

Gwen feels nothing but nervous when reuniting with you.

She was happy to see you sure, but her anxiety held her back in how she displayed that happiness.

She's mainly worried that too much time has passed since the two of you knew each other, and that the two of you won't have anything to talk about anymore.

Eventually the two of you slump back together and things go back to the way that they were before you had moved away.

Another reason she was desperately trying to avoid you at first is because of the huge massive crush she used to have on you.

And dang it of course you had to get cuter as you got older!

Just as she realizes that those feelings for you are slipping out of hiding, is also when she realizes that it's already too late.

Once again the two of you are glued at the hip, just like how it used to be.

You, being who you are and were, are wildly oblivious to these feelings because of course you are.

Gwen isn't one to wear her heart on her sleeve, and even though you two are close she is less so with you, she's been burned before, she's not letting that happen again.

The two of you are sitting next to each other at the talent show when it happens.

Heather goes up on stage and says "Originally I was going to dance for you, but instead I want to celebrate team spirit with a collaboration" She holds up a dark notebook with an evil look plastered on her face.

Gwen seems to recognize it and instantly freezes up "Gwen? Are you okay?" You asked, knowing immediately something was off.

"She wouldn't," she says, and then braces herself.

"So with words by Gwen, performance by me, enjoy."

She cleared her throat before beginning "Okay so I've been trying to ignore them. But they're just so cute! I know it's been forever since we've seen each other and in that time they have gotten so hot! Out of all my childhood friends, of course it had to be them."

Gwen dashes away from the bleachers, and Heather seems satisfied.

Of course you run after Gwen to comfort her.

She lamented on and on about how you must think she's such a creep now, and was acting like a total school girl, still writing in a diary.

But of course you didn't feel like that at all, this was Gwen you were talking about here. The cool, collected, funny quiet girl, and you were obsessed with her.

You two start getting a little more romantic after that, and Heather seeing her plan to drive a wedge between the two of you did not work realizes she has to get her hands messy and plays a little bit more of a direct role in getting you eliminated.

It's a sorrowful goodbye until you see her again in action.

Bridgette

Reuniting with Bridgette is nothing but vibes.

She's beyond stoked to see you again, and even more stoked to ride the wave with you again.

I imagine the two of you met at the beach, and it was love at first sight for her.

You two click all over again like no time has gone past, and she fills you in on every little thing you've missed.

Things are super cut and dry with Bridgette, no mess, nothing but chillness.

She makes her feelings pretty clear, with some hints and stuff.

She learned her lesson the first time, letting you leave without having ever told you how she really felt hurt in ways she wasn't ready to feel again.

But if you don't pick up on it she'll just flat out tell you.

"I'm not doing this cause you're my team mate, I'm doing it cause I like you. You dork."

"I like you too Bridge, you know that."

"Not like that-!" She exclaimed, splashing you playfully, rocking the canoe as she did "-like like like you."

You stare at her in disbelief for a moment.

"what?!" you exclaim.

"Do you not feel the same?" She frowned.

"No I do... I just wasn't expecting-" she cuts you off tackling you rocking the whole boat as she does.

The rest is history and you two are pretty much inseparable from that point onward.

Up until World Tour, where Alejandro starts becoming a plane wide problem.

He tries targeting you at first, but youre so in love with Bridgette he can't get any headway.

But Bridgette being stuck on an opposing team leaves her exposed to his manipulation, he lies about you and makes her question her loyalty.

After she gets stuck to a pole, you find her, but when she explains what happened you just feel so hurt and betrayed that you leave her in the dust (or well, snow).

After a world tour it takes a lot of apologizing and healing to get over what happened between the two of you but you're both determined to make it work so you both put your strongest foot forward and work at it.

Heather

Heather is absolutely stunned when she sees you.

You greet her excitedly when she hits you with a "hello? Earth to nerd, I don't know you!"

That's enough to keep you away from her for a while.

She 100% is only pretending not to know who you are, but what choice did she have? She couldn't risk her feelings for you returning and ruining her chances at winning.

Close tender friendships like you used to have were bad for her image now, she had an impression to keep in this competition and she'd be dead in the ground before she let you or anyone else come in the way of that.

Her tenderness for you starts to show through and through though, you know her like the back of your hand, still, even after all these years.

You'd recognize those glances anywhere, and you knew it meant more than just being a strong team mate when she would point out all the ways in which you did well in the challenges. She was trying to keep you in the game.

The two of you never have any heart to hearts, nothing like that anyways.

She never reveals that she does remember you, not even as you watch her fade into the horizon on the boat of losers.

World tour she's more determined than ever, you've never seen her so deranged to win.

I'd imagine the love triangle would have more to do with her and Alejandro then you and anyone else.

She becomes torn between the two of you, and the inherit struggle in trying to pick over someone who actually matched her wit, and her childhood best friend and longest crush.

She makes her decision when she inevitably votes you out.

"Heather... you voted for me?" You asked, heart breaking, eyes already feeling wet.

She scoffs, "Don't take it so personally."

You sniffle a little bit, and then shake your head "I should've known better than to fall for your two faced snake self twice." You spit.

And with that you're gone.

She's not stupid, she's not forgetful either, and you knew that she knew just what "twice" really meant.

But she'd dug her grave now, she would just have to hope it could hold a million bucks.

Duncan

The meeting with him is very awkward I'd imagine.

He'd likely pretend not to know you until he can get a moment alone with you.

I would imagine he's largely embarrassed of your relationship due to the fact that he met you before his Juvie days, and you were one of the only people who had known him before he became nothing more than a delinquent.

So yeah, he's hell bent on making sure people don't find out about you two knowing each other.

But we all know deep down Duncan is a totally sweetie, even if it is deep, deep, deep down. His affection for you is bound to show one way or another.

Ever the observant one I'm sure it was Courtney who noticed first, marveling at how strange it was that you two of all people had romantic feelings for each other.

She urged the two of you together, subtly, attempting to be your sort of wingman, unbeknownst to even you.

Eventually Duncan works towards getting her voted out because of this, he's so obsessed with keeping his bad boy persona he'd do just about anything in this competition to keep it up. Even risk losing a million big ones.

You knew something was fishy about Courtney getting voted, but you couldn't put your finger on what. At least not until you heard him in the confessionals.

"I had to get that Courtney chick voted out, she was getting too close. I hate people who get to close,"

"Duncan!" you exclaim.

You can hear him mutter curses from the outhouse.

"Forget it! You know I can't believe I was actually starting to like you again!"

After that it's a nonstop battle for Duncan to win back your affections.

I would imagine the love triangle would consist of you, Duncan, and of course, Courtney.

She would start falling for you based on the way you shamelessly defended her despite your feelings for Duncan.

Only problem for you was those feelings hadn't exactly gone away since last season, and you were still very much into him.

You three fight a lot, and are the reason all three of you end up going home.

Which leaves nothing but time to work out your messy feelings for Duncan, and his for you.

But maybe time is really all the two of you need.

Izzy

Izzy is a bit of a wild card (obviously).

I feel like reuniting with her is just super duper chaotic, and very overwhelming at first.

She wants to fill you in on every little detail in her life within the same second she sees you again.

But you remember how to rein her in, she really hasn't changed much from the chaotic messy kid she was. (save for being a criminal now (whoops!)).

You being in the challenge with her would keep her much more rallied and motivated towards an understandable goal.

She can feel those intimate feelings creeping back, but she isn't shy with it.

I imagine she probably would've confessed to you once before, when you first moved, only neither of you wanted to try out long distance and thought it might only ruin what a good friendship you had. So through your move you decided to just stay friends.

You don't get long to sit and wonder about if those feelings still linger for her as they do for you when she abruptly asks

"So hey, are you interested in dating during the competition?" she asked, sitting beside you, anything but shy.

"What?"

Izzy was nothing if not explorative, she collected new experiences like pokemon cards, and she wanted to live fully every part of life.

"It might be a little bit messy. But I think maybe it could work, if all that was keeping you was distance the first time... well... I'm here now."

She stares at you with an expectant kind of rare almost nervous look, and though the confession is anything but picturesque, with her, it's perfect.

I think the love triangle would come in with her next season with maybe Alejandro falling for you.

Hard to say whether his attempts at flirting are due to advancing in the game, or genuine attraction. Either way you have trouble picking up on it, especially when things are going so well with Izzy.

I wouldn't say Izzy isn't a jealous person, I just think she could fall either way, depending on the person, depending on the day, the humidity in the air, basically on nothing at all. She's nothing if not erratic.

With Alejandro, she might be inclined to threaten him with her license to kill depending on her mood, and depending on what he tries to pull with you.

Cody

The reunion with Cody is one that is very heartfelt, and he instantly lights up upon seeing you.

You can see that he's fairly committed to his "too cool for school" schtick, so having any genuine connection with him might be a little tricky.

He's one person I feel like would have definitely tried to keep in contact with, it wasn't anything like every day phone calls, but the two of you had definitely spent at least some time sending letters back and forth.

So when you too meet there isn't a lot of catching up to do, only some.

He's overall very excited to see you back, and you know him enough to know that, even if he's refusing to show it.

You can feel those creeping feelings sneak up on you until the hit you smack in the face during one of the challenges.

"Cody!" you exclaimed during one of the challenges as he hit the ground hard.

"I'm fine," he lied, his voice strangled, the wind having been knocked out of him wholly.

You helped him up, and picked up a piece of paper that had tumbled out of his pocket and went bouncing a few feet.

At first you mistake it for trash, but with the way that even injured and put out Cody grabs for it, you figure it must be something good.

You were due for a little bit of teasing when you decided to open it, only to realize that it was a letter from you.

It's an old one, a really old one, perhaps even the first one you'd ever sent.

"Uhhh... how'd that get in there!?" He exclaims, swiping it out of your hands which are too stunned to fight against it.

Realization dawns on you just as quickly, there is only one reason he'd would've kept that with him after all those years.

"Oh my god Cody, you like me!"

The rest is history, and you two start dating among the challenges.

The conflict would come with Sierra I would think, who's hell bent on breaking you two apart.

All of her attempts fall flat unfortunately for her, and you two stand as one of the more healthy and strong relationships within the show.

[chasingmidnights]

Title: A First Time for Everything

Pairing: sugar daddy!Carter Baizen x reader 

Bingo Selections: Cafe AU; first time; sugar daddy 

Summary: Carter is a regular at the cafe that you work at. One day, he offers you an opportunity that you have a hard time saying no to.

A/N: This is my first entry for the bingo slumber-party event that’s going on (@the-slumberparty)! I hope you enjoy it! Please note, nothing is beta read and I do not claim to be any kind of professional writer. All my mistakes are my own. Also, the gold glitter divider that you see was by @firefly-graphics.

Warnings: 18+ only, minors DNI!! Warnings would include: some angst, mild self-degradation; mild cursing; mentions of sugar daddy-sugar baby relationship; Carter Baizen (yes, he’s a warning!); mentions class/society differences; mild inappropriate thoughts; and I believe that’s everything. I apologize if I miss anything but you are responsible for what you read. 

Wordcount: 3,596

The morning rush had been non-stop since you flicked on the open sign. Usually you could handle the craziness along with the rude, snooty customers but when two of your coworkers called at the last minute, it put you in a sour mood. Also, normally, you wouldn’t mind the handsome stranger taking up a spot at the counter for over an hour but with how busy the cafe had been this morning, it was kind of getting annoying. You were about to ask him to leave when the espresso machine started screeching at you and spewing steam. 

“Dammit!” You muttered under your breath as you turned your attention to the machine instead of the man. 

Just as you left, the brunette man looked up from his paper and smirked. He picked up his coffee mug and took a small drink of his coffee. A chuckle escaped him as he watched you manhandle the espresso machine. 

“Something funny sir?” You snapped as you tried to get the espresso machine to work. 

Before he could comment, another customer walked up and interrupted. “Excuse me, miss? I think my coffee was made wrong. There’s supposed to be three shots of espresso and I can tell there’s only one.” 

You groaned quietly as the customer complained about their order. When you turned to face the upset woman, you were surprised when the older gentleman spoke up. 

“That’s impossible.” You raised a brow as you watched the interaction. “Impossible because I’ve watched her make every order since I’ve gotten here. While making each order, she counts everything. It doesn’t matter whether it's pumps of syrup or spoonfuls of matcha powder, she counts it. She doesn’t think anyone notices but I do. So, there is no way possible that there is only one shot of espresso in your order. And, as you can tell, the espresso machine is currently out of order.” 

Your jaw dropped as you listened to the man defend you to this rude lady. A disgruntled scoff came from the woman before she picked up her cup and retreated. It took a few moments for you to comprehend what just happened, you didn’t think anyone paid that much attention to you. Let alone someone who was so attractive. You blinked a few times before you walked over to the brunette. 

“Ya know, you didn’t have to do that.” You felt your cheeks starting to heat up as he made eye contact with you. 

“Don’t worry about it sweetheart. Some of these high society, Upper East Siders need to be knocked down a few notches. I enjoy doing it.” He then took a sip of his coffee. 

“Well, thank you.” You tucked a piece of fallen hair behind your ear. You then introduce yourself properly and tell him your name.

“Oh, I know who you are sweetheart.” He gave a quick wink and just then his phone dinged. You swore that you both sighed in annoyance at the interruption of your conversation. Surely you just imagined his sigh. 

“Sorry about that.” He said as he tucked his phone back into his pocket. “Looks like I’ve gotta head off. But here, take this,” He paused as he pulled out what looked like a business card. You looked down at the elegant, white card with crisp black lettering. “Call me, I would love to discuss a few things with you.” 

Your face scrunched up in immediate confusion as you looked back up at the brunette. What on earth could he possibly want to discuss with you? 

“Who do I ask for if I decide to call? There’s no name, it just says Baizen Industries.” 

He smirked as he put a twenty dollar bill in the tip jar. “Ask for Carter Baizen.” 

You watched as he effortlessly left the cafe, leaving you with butterflies in your stomach and your mind swirling with questions. Did that really just happen? 

“Wow, I can’t believe this! No fuckin’ way! Carter Baizen wants you to call him?!” 

You had just told your best friend and roommate, Zoey, about what happened today as the two of you sat down for dinner. “Okay, how do you know who this person is and I don’t?” 

“Because you, my darling, are completely oblivious to what’s happening in the world.” She teased and you playfully rolled your eyes at her, even though it was true. You watched as she reached for her laptop and set aside her plate. She quickly typed on her keyboard and pulled up Baizen Industries on the internet. “This is what you’re dealing with.” She then turned her laptop towards you. 

You couldn’t help but feel a little odd about looking Carter up but you were curious. From what you gathered from the website page, he was a rising titan in the oil industry and dealt with many areas within the oil industry. You still had a hard time believing that a man of his status wanted anything to do with you. You lived in Brooklyn whereas he lived on the Upper East Side and probably vacationed in Martha’s Vineyard. Wait, no, he was an oil guy, that didn’t sound right. You let out a heavy sigh as you continued to search the website page. 

“Hey, no, don’t do that.” Zoey said as she pulled the laptop away and closed it. 

You instantly let out a huff and started to pick at your food. “Do what?” 

Zoey narrowed her gaze at you before she softened it. “You’re a total catch! Don’t let stupid society and its so-called rules get to you! If you want to call him, you should! Who knows, it could be the best damn thing to ever happen to you!” 

You playfully shook your head and rolled your eyes. “Can I at least have a couple of days to think about it?” You gave Zoey your best puppy dog eyes and pout. 

The two of you stare at each other for a moment before Zoey breaks first. 

“Alright, fine! But if you don’t, then I’m gonna do it for you!” Zoey smirked, but you knew she wasn’t teasing. 

A few days passed and you still had not called Carter. You had formed a pro-con list in your mind about this whole situation, which you still could not wrap your mind around. Surely it was some kind of trick? The cafe was buzzing and as you went to use the espresso machine, you were surprised that it didn’t combust on you. You started to examine the machine and wondered who fixed it, you wanted to thank that person. Heck, you could kiss that person right now. 

“You’re welcome.” 

Carter. 

You slowly turned to face the man who was now in his usual seat at the counter. “You fixed it?” 

Carter ticked his head after he took a drink of his coffee. “Well, had it replaced. You know, you never called.” 

A smile spread across your face. “Yeah, I was doing some thinking. I was gonna call you tonight.” 

“How about you meet me for dinner tonight instead?” 

How was he such a smooth talker? Just his little smirk alone was making you go weak at the knees. 

“Eight o’clock, The Artemis.” Carter said, it was almost more of an order more than anything. 

A part of you was impressed and made you want to say yes immediately. “What if I don’t show up?” 

Carter then stood up, placing a ridiculous large tip on the counter. “You will sweetheart.” 

“How are you so sure?” You asked before he left. 

You could see the twinkle in his eyes as he stared at you. 

“Your curiosity.” 

Later that night, you found yourself staring at your reflection in the floor length mirror that you had in your room. Zoey had loaned you an elegant, yet simple black dress which hugged your curves and accentuated your best features perfectly. Zoey also helped with your hair and makeup, keeping it all very simple and classic. Eight o’clock was approaching and your stomach was in knots. You couldn’t help but second guess your decision on everything. From you actually deciding to go to this dinner, to the outfit, to- 

“Will you come out all ready?! You look gorgeous!” Zoey called out from behind your closed door. “Besides, you’re gonna be late!” 

You took a deep breath before you finally left your bedroom. “Are you sure about this?” 

“Yes! He’d be stupid to not be interested in you. You’re a goddess and you’re completely worth it!” Zoey encouraged you before she wrapped you into a hug. 

You didn’t know what you would do without Zoey, she was always the best hype girl and knew exactly what to say to get you out of your thoughts. Just then, a knock came from the apartment door and the two of you separated. Confusion washed over you both as another knock sounded from the door. You went to answer the door to find an older man standing there in a black suit. 

“Can we help you?” You asked, arching a brow as you did. 

“Did Carter send a car?” Zoey whispered in awe. 

“Yes ma’am, Mr. Baizen sent a car for you. He didn’t think it was right for you to have to take a cab.” The man confirmed.

You and Zoey looked at each other and you did your best to conceal your excitement. “Alright, let me just grab a few things and then I’m ready.” 

When you got to the restaurant, the car slowly came to a stop. Your heart started to race as you waited for the driver to open the door, you couldn’t help but wonder if you were about to make a huge fool out of yourself. As the driver opened the door and offered you a hand to help you out of the car, you took a deep breath before you accepted his hand and climbed out of the vehicle. You gave the driver a small smile as you straightened up and adjusted your dress. 

“Thank you, sir.” 

“It’s no problem, miss. I’ll be back as soon as your dinner with Mr. Baizen is over.” The gentleman informed you, before he briskly walked back over to the driver side of the car. 

After a moment, you turned to face the restaurant. The Artemis was a high end, five-star restaurant and a place you could never afford on your own. The building itself was exquisite, brick with greenhouse windows that were floor to ceiling. In reality, it was just a little hole in the wall joint that looked like it belonged in a fairytale. When you walked inside, your jaw dropped at how beautiful it was. There was greenery everywhere along with fairlights all over the place, it gave the place a very intimate setting. It was surprisingly spacious for being such a small restaurant, tables evenly spread throughout and in the far back corner was a small bar. As you took in every detail of the restaurant, you noticed how quiet the place was, with very few other customers that mingled around. Then you spotted Carter. 

Butterflies started to flutter like crazy in your stomach. He was wearing an all black suit which matched well against his sun-kissed skin. His hair was neatly combed back but still had a little fluffiness in the front. You could tell that it had been a few days since he had last shaved last but you actually didn’t mind the stubble. A thought popped into your head and you instantly shook it away, you shouldn’t have those kinds of thoughts. You barely know the man. Carter stood up when you reached the table and he pulled the chair out for you. 

“Wow, you look absolutely beautiful.” Carter complimented as you sat down. 

“Thank you. Are you sure about this place?” You asked as you looked around again. 

Carter glanced around as well but shortly after a smile formed on his face. “Don’t worry about it sweetheart, tonight is all about you. Order whatever you like.” 

Just then, a waiter walked over and offered some champagne before he started to fill our glasses. “I hope you enjoy it, it’s one of our bests.” 

The waiter gave a slight nod before he walked away. You took a sip of the champagne and you couldn’t agree more with him. 

“Do you like it?” Carter asked as he smiled from across the table. 

Your eyes lit up as you set the slim flute down. “Very much.” 

“Good, only the best for you.” Carter smiled as he raised his glass a little bit towards you before he took a sip of his own champagne. 

A comfortable silence washed over the both of you as you looked over the menus. Everything sounded delicious and you did your best to control your facial features at each price next to each meal. You know he said not to worry and to order whatever you like but you still couldn’t help looking at the more inexpensive options. When the wait returned, you were still looking at the menu and had not made a decision. 

“If I may, tonight I would recommend the Chef’s choice. It’s a fantastic option, if I do say so myself.” The waiter suggested with a smile.

“Sounds perfect.” Carter agreed and before you could protest, your menu was being taken away from you and the waiter was walking away from the table. 

You couldn’t help but glance around the restaurant, a wave of nervousness suddenly washed over you. As you looked around, Carter found himself staring at you, anyone else that he would’ve asked here tonight probably would be taking every last advantage of him right now. But you were different, he could tell. When your eyes landed on Carter again, you felt your cheeks begin to heat up. To help calm your nerves, you reached for your champagne glass and took a rather large sip. Carter let out a small chuckle before he took a sip from his own glass. After a brief moment of silence, you finally decided to speak up again and ask the question you had been dying to know the answer too. 

“So, why did you ask me here tonight?” 

A smirk curled up onto the corner of his lips. “Is it so hard to believe that I find you attractive and just want to get to know you better?” 

“Yes.” You deadpanned.

“And why is that?” Carter sat back in his chair as he crossed his arms. 

“Because I’m mid-class Brooklyn and you’re high-society, Upper East Side. Oh, not to mention one of the world’s top oil guys right now.” You leaned back a little bit when the waiter brought out the first course. You smiled up at the waiter and thanked him. 

Carter uncrossed his arms as he placed his napkin on his lap. “Believe it or not, I’m actually not that shallow.” 

“Then why? You said that you had a few things you wanted to discuss with me?” You arched a brow before you took a few bites of the first course. 

Whatever you just ate was absolutely delicious and simply melted in your mouth. You ate a few more bites before the conversation continued. 

“I’m gonna be completely transparent here with you then because there’s obviously no tricking you. I asked you here tonight because I think you’d be perfect for my needs.” Carter started to explain, he then took a sip of his champagne. 

‘For his needs,’? You thought and your mind started to wonder what he meant by that. Did he think you were some sort of call girl?

“For your needs?” You inquired, causing you to put down your fork.

“Yes. Let’s just say, I have a few functions that are coming up and I need someone at my side. I think you’d be perfect. You see, I’m trying to rebrand as being a family man, and well some of these companies that I work with aren’t too thrilled that I don’t have a woman by my side.” Carter answered before he wiped his mouth with his napkin. 

“You keep saying that but you don’t even know me. I’m not some ditzy, floozy or arm candy that can be shown off.” You felt yourself getting a bit upset, you should’ve known that this was going to happen. 

“Of course not but I do know that you’re behind on some loans and that one day you would like to open and own your own cafe.” Carter pointed out and you wanted nothing more than for the earth to swallow you whole right now. 

“I see you’ve done your homework.” You mumbled as you bowed your head and looked down at your lap. 

“Of course, I had to know who I was going to get myself involved with, sweetheart. This is why I wanted to have dinner and talk. I think we could really help each other out, if you’re open to it.” 

All you could do was stare at him when you lifted your head back up. A mixture of shock and disbelief on your face. Was this really happening? Just then, your main course arrived and your first course was being taken away. When you felt like you had somewhat comprehended what was being offered, you finally spoke up. 

“Let me get this straight, and please correct me if I’m wrong. If I were to say yes, would this be some kind of sugar daddy-sugar baby relationship?” 

Carter chuckled as a smirk returned to his perfect, plump lips. “Well, I was thinking more along the lines of me being a benefactor, but if that’s the way that you wanna phrase it, then yes.” 

You took a deep breath before you decided to take a few bites of food. A million thoughts roamed in your mind as you ate. After a few moments, you took a long drink of your champagne before wiping your mouth with your napkin. 

“If I were to say yes, how would this work? Like, would there be some kind of NDA or some kind of contract that I would have to sign?” You watched as Carter straightened up and arched a brow. 

“Well, if you say yes, then yes, I would write up a contract. I would let you go over it and only if you agreed to the terms then we would both sign it. Look, I understand that you probably have a thousand questions and are probably rightfully skeptical of me, but we’re not gonna figure this out in one night. So, how about tonight, we treat this as if it were a normal date and you can have a few days to think about this?” Carter tilted his head as he waited for you to answer. 

You studied Carter for a moment as you thought about what he just said. After a moment, you took a deep breath and tried to relax. “Alright, let’s do that, treat it like an actual date.” 

“Gladly.” Carter beamed at you from across the table and you could see the twinkle in his eyes. 

By the time you got home, Zoey was already asleep on the couch and you couldn’t help but smile. You walked over to her and covered her up with a blanket and shut the T.V. off. You didn’t bother to wake her up, you could tell her everything later the next day. As you got ready for bed, you couldn’t stop thinking about Carter or the fact that he was pretty much offering to be your sugar daddy. 

Almost a week passed before Carter popped back into the cafe. You were a bit surprised to see him as you came out of the back, you had started to wonder if he had changed his mind. A small smile crept onto your lips as you watched him for a few moments before going over to talk to him. 

“You know, I tried to call but was told that you weren’t available.” You said as casually as possible. 

Carter swallowed his coffee before answering. “Yeah, sorry about that sweetheart. We had an emergency at one of our Texas plants and had to take care of a few things. Hope you didn’t miss me too much, sweetheart.” 

There are those damn butterflies. 

“Maybe a little bit.” 

You watched as a small smile formed on Carter’s lips. “So, have you thought about my offer?” 

Just then a loud crash came from the back of the cafe. You groaned as the sound of dishes shattering ruined your moment with Carter. 

“I have thought about it. And well, there’s a first time for everything, right?” 

“Can I take that as a yes then?” It was adorable the way Carter perked up. 

“Yes.” You smiled back at him. 

“Great! I’ll get a contract written up and set up a time for us to meet.” 

Another loud crash came from the back as Carter was standing up from his seat. Carter placed yet another ridiculous tip on the counter before he turned to leave. You watched as he left the cafe, getting a little hypnotized by the sway of his hips. A groan escaped you once more as you heard your name being called for from the back. As you made your way to the back, you couldn’t help but wonder what the future was about to hold now that it seems you have gotten yourself a sugar daddy.

[microsuedemouse]

in what fucking universe would that make more sense, Microsoft Word?

[mynephewmarriedajaguar]

was rewatching them play let’s get talking (because it’s my comfort video) and come ON courtney! she was slipping!

“no, we’re-” *motions at shayne* girl who are you trying to fool lmao

[surqrised]

I feel myself shutting down, closing off, like I should tell people, ‘No, we don’t use this heart anymore. It’s too fragile.

Courtney C. Stevens; The Lies About Truth

[operationcaked]

aged up designs that i made a bit ago :))