#don´t seem impossible for him to be invited to such parties

[heeseungwifey]

"It's so romantic in Paris, won't even try to compare it..." [Sunghoon x Kazuha]

Chapter 2: I dare you to tell me the truth

pairing - iceskater!Sunghoon x Ballerina!Kazuha (read the disclaimer!)

warnings: smut (following chapters), very awful writing from a non-English native (sorry!) I'll add more warnings as I finish the following chapters.

summary - Kazuha and Chaewon need to relax from the many hours they have spent training for the show, is there any better way than going clubbing?

Destiny works for the poor Kazuha who, like Cinderella, was only looking for a fun night until she meets (again) a prince-like ice skater, who's not going to lose her princess but rather take her to his hotel room.

disclaimer: I don´t ship anyone in this fic irl, I just thought they would look good together and everyone has such an elegant essence.

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I can't enjoy the moment. Here I am, the place where all my dreams have taken place since I started doing ballet. Everyone's getting ready at the Palais Garnier backstage with all the ruffles and feathers, the tension and excitement. I'm not part of it, just sitting on a chair in the corner waiting for coffee and listening to Debussy.

"I just got invited to a party, you should come"- Chaewon says to me removing my headphones so I could hear her. She sits right in front of me with a smile.

"Are you for real thinking about partying? I think I could get killed if I, the replacement ballerina, gets in worse condition than the protagonist" - To me, it's impossible to strive from my only role in this whole show.

"I thought you would be interested since the ice skaters boys are going... Jake told me himself"- Chaewon is giving me a side eye and I can tell what her intentions are. I'm also quite interested in seeing Sunghoon again so at least I can thank him for keeping me entertained during the flight.

"...where is it? ...the party?" - I’ll admit that I have no shame, especially in front of Chaewon, we know each other too well to pretend. If there's anything I've learned from her it's that being a good girl doesn't get you what you want, you need a plan to get it. And that's what I'm gonna do.

"That's my girl!"- Chaewon jumps and gives a high five, giving me all the information about the party.

---- We arrive at a very fancy building with neon lights outside and well-dressed people waiting in line to go to the club. Suddenly we see Jake walking towards us, the biggest smile once he sees Chaewon and gives her a tight hug. From where Jake comes, there's a group of boys I easily recognise as the ones who were on the plane with us. Sunghoon it's not with them and my heart shrinks.

"Hello, Kazuha right...? Chaewon told me your name to get you on the list. You two can go in for free, I have some connections" Jake holds a sly smirk as he looks at Chaewon, who seems to be swung by his confidence.

"C'mon let's go in, I can't wait another day to shake my ass!!" Chaewon holds my arm tightly as we walk inside the club, the techno music and the smell of alcohol becoming instantly present, making me dizzy. I see Jake pass in front of us and go to the VIP section where a group of boys is being greeted by a couple of B-girls trying really hard to impress them. Right as a make a disgusted face, I meet eyes with Sunghoon, who's sitting right next to the two girls in the VIP.

"Oh fuck" I say to Chaewon who's already dancing with a drink in her hand as she sees me trying to not be seen by Sunghoon.

"Zuha why did you come here? Wasn't it that you wanted to see him? You need to clear your head so you understand your feelings girl" Chaewon follows her motivational speech by ordering a gin tonic for me.

"I really don't know if this is a good idea, I feel like I'm gonna make a fool of myself" I sip the drink and it's awful, I decided to chug on it so I finish it faster. "okay I'm going to that table and I'm gonna ask him for his phone number, no chicken out" I say to Chaewon, who rapidly follows as I want fast towards the VIP section.

"Excusez-moi mademoiselle, vous ne pouvez pas entrer ici" A bodyguard stops me as I'm about to arrive at their table, surprised I hadn't even realised there were bodyguards in the first place.

"C'est bon monsieur, ce sont nos copines, laissez-les passer" I look up and see Sunghoon speaking in a perfect French accent to the bodyguard, not understanding what he says but it seems to work as the big man allows us to go in.

"Merci!" Chaewon and I say in unison, walking up the stairs and standing in front of a group of men, the only ones I knew were Jake and Sunghoon.

"Hello girls nice to meet you, Chaewon and Kazuha right...? these boys won't stop saying your names in their dreams, it's getting really annoying" A boy with a beautiful smile and big deer eyes says to us. "My name is Heeseung"

"Hello girls, my name is Jay, do you want to sit here with us?" says the other boy with tan skin and a marked jawline. Wow, this friend group is really something, I'm getting incredibly shy by how beautiful they all are.

"Do you want to go get a drink Chae?" Jake and Chaewon are for sure fucking tonight, they're so flirty and touchy with each other that it's even uncomfortable to watch.

"Hey I'm leaving with Jake for a bit, if I don't come in an hour don't worry, I might have found something fun to do tonight" Chaewon whispers in my ear and now I realise the one that's truly fucked it's me, with a man that makes me incredibly nervous and his friends who are trying really hard to flirt with the b-girls.

"do you want to go out to smoke?" Sunghoon says to me close to my ear, giving me goosebumps and making me freeze. The smell of his perfume is so strong I know I will always remember it and the dangly chain is reflecting the lights of the club.

"yeah, sure" I go out of the VIP section and into a crowd that's jumping, scared I could get hit. When Sunghoon looks at me and sees how scared I am he holds me close to him, pushing people to move so we can walk out. When we get out, we're just standing there, in the cold.

"didn't you tell me you were going to smoke?"

"I never said I smoke"

"Then why did you tell me to come out to smoke?"

" I didn't think of a better option to get you alone tonight" he looks at me and realisation hits me, he wanted to meet me alone "Why did you say yes to coming out to smoke if you also don't smoke?"

"Maybe I was also looking forward to getting you alone" I confess and we make eye contact, sparks flying as the lighting from the street shows our rosy cheeks. Now that we're outside of the club I can appreciate his looks, broad shoulders and fluffy white hair, wearing a black shirt with his sleeves rolled up and dark jeans. A sight for sore eyes.

"You didn't say goodbye when you left. Not even a farewell, asshole" We're sitting on the curb of the street, the chilly weather creating a fog of our breaths. "I couldn't stop thinking about you if I'm being honest. Since I got here all I have done is look at every crowd hoping to see your face" I know he's drunk and this is embarrassing honesty but I can't help myself to be touched by his words.

"He's not even my boss, just a dancing partner I got feelings for and he doesn't reciprocate. I know I sound lame, I tell myself often how ridiculous it is that I let others dictate how I feel and behave. I guess I'm just too soft for all of this". I sincere myself to him so at least he thinks I'm self-aware.

"Is he dating that chick, Sakura? He sure seemed quite bored sitting next to her on the plane" he's looking straight onto the street recalling back the memories of what he saw on the plane "And by the way, he seems really old like he's almost gonna start going bald and shit, maybe he'll get a 30-year-old dude crisis and then date you"

Sunghoon knocks my shoulder with his in an attempt to make me laugh but now I'm crying. I am indeed really soft for all of this.

"Hey, hey don't cry. We're in Paris, let's go for a walk and have fun, c'mon!" Sunghoon grabs my arms and gets me up from the curb, holding my wrist and running towards the city centre.

"do you want to do shots? let's play truth or dare. Maybe we get to know each other better this way" Sunghoon and I are now in a bar, there are a few groups of people but it's not too noisy. Perfect for a chat.

"Okay, but the dares can't be too embarrassing and I have an image to maintain" Sunghoon touches his hair as he smiles at his joke.

"Okay, you start, truth or dare?" I ask Sunghoon.

"Truth"

"Okay, uhm, have you ever had a girlfriend before?"

"yes, it lasted for a few months. It was years ago, we were practically children"

"Okay, I choose truth" I say as I take a sip from my drink. I did expect him to have had a girlfriend before but I'm quite curious to know more.

"When was the last time you had sex?" he looks into my eyes.

"A couple of months ago, with a dude I met at a bar, nothing serious" I take a sip again while I try not to make eye contact with him. His thick eyebrows furrowed at my answer.

"Okay, well now I choose dare. Be fair"

"I dare you to drink the whole drink in one gulp" I say, thinking I'm gonna win but instead he chugs the entire glass in a matter of seconds.

"Are you crazy?! damn, you're gonna have a crazy ride back to the hotel"

As I'm laughing at him I see his face change while he's looking directly onto the entrance. I turn around and meet eyes with Sakura and Minhyun, holding hands.

"what the fuck?! For real?!" I yell while looking at Sunghoon, who seems very serious all of a sudden.

"it's your turn now, right? You have to choose dare, don't you?" he's not paying attention to the couple anymore, just looking at me straight in the eye across the table.

"yes, yes I have to. But to be honest I much prefer to leave immediately, before they come to talk to me..." I say as I'm trying to get up from my chair but Sunghoon suddenly holds my wrist and makes me sit on his lap.

"I dare you to kiss me right now" From this distance I can smell his cologne, strong and captivating still and his lips, juicy and soft I really need to try them once.

"you're drunk, I don't think I'll be okay..." I say

"Don't you want to kiss me as much as I want to kiss you?" Sunghoon's eyes are fixed on my mouth, looking at them like a starved man. "I swear I'm not drunk, I'm taking this as a leap of confidence. Kazuha just... please..."

I grab the back of his head and push him onto mine, lips touching abruptly, holding each other's faces and deepening the kiss with our tongues. I have never been this hungry for a man's affection in my life but now I think this has been catastrophic, I'll never have a kiss like this in my life.

"they're looking at us Kazuha, I..." kiss "Think it's..." kiss "Better if we..." kiss "Leave for my hotel room" he stops me and holds my face in his hands and we get to see the aftermath of our make-out session, swollen lips and flushed cheeks.

Minhyun and Sakura both look in our direction with shocked faces after seeing the spectacle we just did in the middle of a bar. When we pass their table I can hear Sakura say my name, but Sunghoon has me by the hand and we're leaving fast.

Leaving fast to his hotel room. I need to be happy like a woman just for a night, even if it means this could hurt in the future.

[marinetteplztakeabreak]

I need to share soft sign language buddies ninogami headcanon because they’re taking over my brain always:

(This got so long, so youre welcome if youre also starved for ninogami content)

Nino’s mom is Deaf , so he grew up signing as much as speaking. When he was younger he always signed as he talked.

It turned out he’s also Hard of Hearing, so sign language is way easier for him to understand most of the time.

However, though he’s great at making friends, he’s very awkward when it comes to talking about himself. So never comes up in conversation.

It’s not a self-deprication issue. It’s just a “thinking of things to say is hard and I’d rather have someone else do the talking” thing. He’d rather talk about anyone except himself.

Additionally! He’s great at helping other people, but he’s terrible at asking for help. He does not EVER want to be like “hey i cant understand what you’re saying, my ears dont work great,” its his worst nightmare

And it doesnt help that there have been a few cases of people being rude about it when he doesnt hear them after they repeat themselves. And possibly worse, there have been even more cases of people giving over-the-top apologies instead of just,, telling him what they said. So it’s not worth the trouble in his mind

with his few close friends who still dont know, it feels like its too late and it’d be awkward to bring it up, so he just… doesnt. He’s procrastinating on telling them he cant hear them

He stopped signing as much as he talked in middle school because strangers would always be like “woah thats so cool, how do you know sign language” and he’d just panic because he was an awkward tween, and he didnt know if he was comfortable telling them he was HoH, but ALSO just saying his mom was Deaf and not mentioning himself felt like directly lying by hiding information, so he just took the “lazy” way out and signed less in public.

Sometimes fighting the anxiety was not worth it so he just let it win in that case.

Nino is so nice and energetic and loves people, but he is way more introverted and anxious than his friends think.

But when they start to get closer, Kagami who is ever-observant, notices him signing a little bit, (not ever to her, not ever on purpose, but he’d sometimes sign a word he needed to remember while speaking or sign along to emphasize something)

and she luckily for his anxiety, she doesnt know how to have a normal conversation either.

Her (platonic as well as romantic) love language is studying and research, and Nino seems very cool and she likes him, even if she is awful at holding a conversation with him or doing anything to show it.

She thinks he’s so cool and such an amazing talented kind friend. She has so much love for him that she doesnt know what to do with it. So she channels that energy into learning to sign through the internet and whatever tools she can find

And then after a while of this, she’s like “oh no, he’s gonna think that’s so creepy, I cant tell him I know sign language or he’ll be so uncomfortable”

So, like a whole idiot, she hides that she’s learning sign language from anyone. Because OBVIOUSLY if word got back to Nino, he’d assume it was because of him and that she was a weirdo he shouldn’t be friends with

But also Kagami accidentally falls in love with sign language because she has undiagnosed autism. She always assumed that communicating was just going to be impossible no matter what, but as she gets proficient in sign language she’s like,,, oh,,, OH,, this is very nice

Even just signing while she talks makes it so much easier to keep words and sentances straight, but she only does it when she’s alone with her mother, who is literally blind and would never know.

They become closer friends in late high school, and by that time a lot of Nino’s anxiety has worn off and he’s become completely comfortable letting teachers know when he needs to hear somthing, and middle school feels like a distant dream

At some point, Nino invites Kagami to his house a few times, and he signs with his mom. Nino is like “I can interpret for you,” and Kagami is like “wow thanks, I’m so lucky, because I obviously do not know any sign language, why would I have learned it, and also for the record it is brand new information to me that you can sign,” and Nino is like “cool? Its not a secret but im glad i told you if you somehow didnt already know,” and Kagami is like, “yep :)”

But then eventually as they become really close, they are texting one night, (Kagami can still barely get out of her house, so they need to communicate remotely. And both of then HATE phone calls bc its so hard to understand whats happening, but neither of them have admitted this to anyone)

Nino admits that he likes using sign language better than talking, and he wishes he could use it with his friends, but he’d feel so guilty asking them to learn an entire language just to make him slightly more comfortable. He can talk and hear OKAY so he shouldnt put the pressure on them.

and Kagami is like “you could always ask, worst case scenerio they say no, and i dont think thats an unreasonable demand” and nino is like “it is though,” and kagami’s like “ok so haha funny story, please dont hate me” and nino is like, “…what.” And kagami confesses everything and nino is like “why… why would i hate you for that?” And Kagami is like “oh wait youre right im stupid,”

And then Nino’s also like “hey if YOURE more comfortable signing too, then why dont YOU ask your friends to sign for you. Do you see what i mean? It’s hard to ask-” and kagami is like, “as your friend i will prove it is not.”

So then Kagami ends up confronting Adrien and Marinette the next day and is like “Hi. This is a sign language dictionary. Learn from it.” And they’re both like “what?” And she’s like “oh wait sorry. Backing up. I’m autistic. I decided like three years ago. Forgot to tell you. And I need you to learn to sign a little bit so you can understand if i sign something at you. If you want, of course. Please :D.” And theyre like “ok sure yeah i can do that.”

(Theyve already learned and accepted that shes extremely direct in asking for things)

So then she texts nino and is like “i did it. Youre welcome.”

But anyway both of them are uncomfortable in crowds and parties: Nino cant hear anyone and Kagami tends to get sensory overload, so they start signing mostly in those situations, and then it starts to sink in that they’re allowed to sign whenever and that the other really IS also comfortable with it.

(Both of them are much more willing to make sacrifices for others than to try something new and intimidating for themself, so this is the perfect situation to trick them into getting out of their comfort zone, ironically by trying to be more comfortable in the long run)

so they will just sit together and hang out and have long conversations while just chilling somewhere in a park or at cafes or whatever. Both of them become chattier than they’ve ever been because talking and understanding is so much easier, and its addicting

And their close friends all become proficient enough in sign language to have simple conversations.

But also Nino and Kagami start sitting together automatically even in group hangouts, and they start hanging out more with just the two of them, and soon neither of them feel bad about asking to hang out in quieter places, because they can justify it knowing that it will also help the other one, and together that makes both of them also more comfortable asking for little accomodations from other friends, if only to prove to the other that they can do it too.

And Kagami has the lesser-known autism side effect where she makes WAY TOO MUCH eye contact. She’s aware of it but that doesnt make it go away. Normally she feels so awkward about it, and overthinks her gaze because she doesnt want to scare people away. But when signing, you literally HAVE to be watching the other person constantly, so she has an excuse to just be herself, and its so relieving

(and also its kind of fun to look at Nino anyway because he can get so animated and his smile is really nice and oh no she is in love a little bit)

And Nino always struggles because he emotionally ALWAYS needs to be the nice polite one. His anxiety sometimes gets the better of him and he’s constantly worried about sending the wrong signals to his friends and coming off as rude somehow. But with Kagami, he can literally just ask?? And she will tell him her honest opinion without making it weird. And its so comfy and so good and he really loves hearing her unfiltered opinions on so many things because she sees the world in such a unique way and she gets so passionate about such little things and then oh no, he is fallen for her before he can realize it

And they also learn that they’re both artists, they both love to just observe the world because even if they;re awkward, people are actually pretty great most of the time, and its fun to observe them and try to capture the world, and they just sit together and sketch, or they watch each other sketch, and the thing is, both of them draw ONLY FOR THEMSELVES, its not a ‘skill,’ and they don;t want it to be, its just private art for relaxation. Somehow, though, its okay if they share their art with each other. They can just sit in comfortable silence for hours while one of them sketches something and the other watches patiently

And they start to get more comfortable with one of their heads resting on the other’s shoulder as they watch them doodle, and sitting so close their legs press together, and soon enough their hands start brushing against each other’s as they walk next to each other and then all of a sudden they’re casually holding hands whenever they’re not signing because it’s nice

They try to share headphones so Nino can share some of his favorite songs and his compositions with Kagami. But try as she might, Kagami can not handle the sensory of only having one earbud in. Nino knows her tells by that point, and he’s not about to let her suffer for a stupid reason, but she REALLY does want to hear his music. They somehow end up with Kagami putting a pair of headphones around her neck and turning up the volume a little bit so she can hear, while Nino rests his head on her shoulder so he can hear just enough to know where she is in the song

And then he has to sit up and scootch away just enough to see her hands so they can talk about it, and they both pretend not to notice how nice it was to snuggle as they sign. Its fine, though, because now they get the excuse to just look at each other again and sign overdramatically with exaggerated facial expressions, and no one else around can overhear their conversation, and Nino likes to go a little over the top when signing onomatopoeia and acting out particular parts of the song rhythm that he likes, and Kagami laughs, and they both mentally save the image of each other in this moment the same way that they look at reference images for artwork, memorizing the lines of each movement and the things that make each smile unique,

and Nino also shows up at every single one of her fencing tournaments, and he sits as close as he can and signs encouraging messages to her from the crowd whenever she’s not actively competing, (that her blind mom can never catch, which is somewhat of a bonus to Kagami, because every element of their friendship that her mother cant interact with makes this more personal and special and HERS). Every little sign she sends back at him, even a simple thank you, always feels so good and rebellious and free because shes supposed to be focusing on fencing but shes deciding to care more about friendship. And even if she’s expected to leave immediately afterword, she’ll find every excuse possible to find him and give him a hug, which he’ll always accept even though she jokingly warns him shes sweaty and gross

And eventually they are special best friends and it brings them instant joy to see each other and theyre able to interact for no reason other than that they want to and like each other

(And then they kiss)

[ladykatakuri]

First Dance and First Kiss

Commander Fox x F Reader

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: Mention of assault, mention of bullying, body awareness

It is a Fluffy piece mostly !

This is my One Shot for Commander Fox and though he might seem too OOC for some, I still hope that you can enjoy it ❤

Summary: You sigh and stand up to face the commander. “I don't have a lover and even if any of the guys here were willing to take me out dancing, I would still want you to do it.” As he relaxes his posture you pat his arm. “You are one of those good guys Fox and I trust you. You never judge me and well…. I like you. It is just this once, after that I will never ask you to do something for me again, I promise.” The smile you show him does not reach your eyes which he notices. But before he can even respond, you walk out of his office.

“You want me to do what exactly?” Fox had to ask, he had to be sure that he heard you right.

“I want you to go dance with me tonight. Did something happen to your ears commander? I thought you had a perfect hearing, at least that is what you claimed after the last health check up.” You look up at the commander currently standing in front of you, hands planted in each side, his helmet slightly tilted to the side as if he was trying to hear you even better than he already did.

“I….. I don't dance.” It comes out with a grumble, almost impossible to hear, yet the way he stands there in front of you makes it all too clear what he is saying. “Why ask me in the first place! Ask your lover or friend or whatever. I'm certain there are enough people around to take you out for this kind of thing.”

You sigh and stand up to face the commander. “I don't have a lover and even if any of the guys here were willing to take me out dancing, I would still want you to do it.” As he relaxes his posture you pat his arm. “You are one of those good guys Fox and I trust you. You never judge me and well…. I like you. It is just this once, after that I will never ask you to do something for me again, I promise.” The smile you show him does not reach your eyes which he notices. But before he can even respond, you walk out of his office.

Puzzled by your request, he takes off his helmet and sits down behind his desk. His ever present caf at hand, Fox scratches the back of his neck when one of his fellow guard members steps in.

“Sir, I have some reports here for you to look over and a request from one of the senators for a guard during a trip.” Stone stops in his tracks when he sees his commander staring at his caf. “Everything alright sir?”

“Stone, yes, sorry. I was just … thinking. You have something for me?” Reaching out to Stone, he looks up at a grinning commander staring at him. “What ? “

Stone can not help but grin. There was only one person that would have his commanding officer so puzzled and she had just left his office. “What did she do this time sir? I know Y/N was just here. That girl always seems to confuse you somehow.”

Knowing that Stone was one of the very few that actually knew you very well, Fox decides to have a small chat with him. Standing up he waves at the chair in front of his desk. “Take a seat, Stone.” Closing the door to his office he turns around to take a seat as well.

“You know Y/N pretty well, right?” He grabs his caf and takes a big sip. Thank the maker for caf, without it he would not make it through these days on Coruscant, especially not when he is faced with an alluring person such as you who comes with the strangest requests sometimes.

“We go back some time sir. Met her at Dex's Diner and we hit it off right off the bat, Have been good friends ever since.” Stone knows all too well that you have a thing for his commander and you finally seem to have decided to do something about it, with a lot of encouragement from Stone of course. But, whatever it is you asked his commander, it has left him completely confused and Stone would make sure to enjoy this for as long as he could without having to suffer the wrath of said commander.

Fox seems to think things over for a minute before he speaks up again. “She…. She asked me to take her out dancing tonight.” A slight heat creeps up on his cheeks as he looks at Stone.

“So? What's the problem? You don't want to go out with her or you have other plans?” Stone can not help but chuckle as he watches his commander not only have a tinge of dark coming up on his cheeks , but even fidget with his cup of caf. It is so unlike Fox to be this nervous. He has had others ask him out on dates before and none of them ever made him even the slightest bit nervous. Yet here he was, fidgety and asking him, Stone, about you!

“No plans Stone, just…. I don`t know. She is a great person and, how can I put this? Different…. Why would she suddenly ask me to take her out dancing? I don`t dance!” Confused and bewildered, Fox throws his hands up as he looks at the commander in front of him. “She asked me for things in the past, and sometimes … Well sometimes she would just ask things I did not even understand. I mean, seriously, what in Makers name did she need a box of Jawa dolls for? Or why did she want me to escort a Gungan to a brothel?”

Stone gasps and then can not help but grab for his sides as he wheezes. The thought of his commanding officer escorting a Gungan to a brothel is just too much for his sanity. “She -wheeze- asked you to -wheeze- escort….?”

Fox stops him by holding up a hand. “I seriously don't want to talk about that.”

For a moment it seems as if Stone is unable to gather his wits again, but then he deeply inhales and calms down. “Sir, I know that she can come up with the weirdest things sometimes. But, how well do you really know her yourself?” He looks at Fox, who scratches his chin and reaches for his caf.

“I know she is kind, actually, one of the sweetest people you can meet here on Coruscant. She helped senators Amidala and Chuchi once with relief goods on Ryloth. She also tried to petition for clone rights once and she seems to be involved with some orphanage.”

To Stone`s surprise, it seems as though Fox knows more of your activities than he ever led on in the past. He must have been keeping tabs on you without any of his brothers knowing it. “That is just part of her story though. When I met her at Dex`s, she was just back from the hospital. She was attacked by some hoodlums that tried to assault her.”

That bit of information has Fox perk up, ready to ask questions and the glint in his eyes told Stone enough. Holding up his hand this time, he stops Fox from asking anything. “Please, let me continue.”

Reluctantly, Fox nods at the request and remains silent, holding in the questions that arose with that last bit of information.

“I got to spend some time with her while I was waiting for my order and well, we hit it off. Before we knew it, we would spend time together watching cheesy holo vids or having lunch or dinner at Dex`s, or if i could convince her, she would join me for a night at 79`s. She also opened up to me on her past and…. Sir, you know she has issues with how she perceives herself?”

This question has Fox raising his eyebrows. “Issues? How she perceives herself? Why would she have issues like that?”

Stone chuckles at that answer, clearly his commanding officer has a thing for Y/N and he is happy to hear and see this. “She grew up with people bullying her because of how she looks. Full body, stretch marks that she tried to hide all the time, scars from fights and accidents and when she was old enough, she decided to cover up some of those marks with tattoos. That only set her apart more from the people around her. No matter how beautiful she was, inside and out, I would like to add, she was bullied for it. Those who did not bully, would take advantage of her kind heart and when they no longer needed her, discarded her. When she made enough credits with the odd jobs here and there, she left for Coruscant and tried to make a living here. She managed to make some friends here who recognise her as the good and kind person she is and the beauty that is her own, but we both know that judgement is everywhere, no matter who you are and where you come from.”

Stone stops telling the story for as far as he believes he can tell it without compromising your trust in him. Your greatest secrets, he will not divulge, no matter who asks him. He will explain to his commander why you had asked him to take you out dancing and then, hopefully, you will both have the happy ending to this story that you both so deserve. You because of the amazing person you are, the commander because this man protects his family at the cost of his own health and sanity. Two peas in a pod the two of you are and you deserve every bit of happiness you can get.

“She asked you to take her out dancing because a friend of hers is getting married. The party she was invited to is at a nightclub in the city. She will have some friends there but also people who look down on her. For once I convinced her to ask someone to take her on a date and enjoy herself. We both know why she asked you though, right commander?”

Looking at the wide grin on Stone`s face, Fox can feel a burning sensation creeping up on his cheeks and quickly grabs his caf to take a sip. From what Stone has told him and the hints that he has given him, he finally realised that you felt the same as he does. And now, you were giving him the chance to show you that the feelings are indeed mutual.

Fox smiles and quickly types a message on his comm. “Guess I should look up some tips on how not to look like a complete di`kut on the dancefloor.”

That night changes everything for you and Fox.

When he came over to your apartment to pick you up for your date, he was both surprised and the most happy person in the galaxy. You wore the perfect dress for the evening, black with red trimming and to honor him and thank him, a small, red fox brooch just above your heart. The dress was showing just enough of your cleavage and loose enough on other places to cover for what you considered to be the less attractive places of your body. A little bit of makeup and the perfume you wore was intoxicating, as if you were covered in pheromones that wreaked havoc on his senses.

“You look amazing.” Fox had no words to truly describe how beautiful you looked, standing in your door while the neon lights were reflected in your eyes.

A blush creeps up on your cheeks as you smile at the man standing in front of you. For a moment you don't know what to answer until you have a better look at him.

“Y...You look handsome.” Dressed in civilian clothing, Fox looked like a dream. Black pants and jacket with his always favorite colour red for a dress shirt. He looked every bit the part of a casually clothed sophisticated man. That combined with his handsome features and mesmerizing brown eyes had you stumble out the compliment.

“ What the kriff am I saying?! “ You slap your own forehead as you think about what you just said. But then, you did tell the truth, Fox is handsome and he looks amazing dressed as he is.

With a deep chuckle Fox looks at you. “Thank you for the compliment.” He holds out his arm for you to grab hold of and escorts you to the taxi that he came with to pick you up.

“So, commander, what made you change your mind? As I recall you said you don`t dance?” You grin as you turn your head to Fox. Sitting in the back of the taxi, on your way to the party with a handsome man at your side, you finally calmed down enough to get some of your spirit back.

“I just realized, I had a good reason to accept the gracious invite you made.” The soft smile and the gleam in his eyes has you wonder what he could mean by that. But before you could reply, the taxi stops in front of the nightclub where your friend celebrates her upcoming marriage. You take a deep breath as you take the hand that reaches out for you and step out of the taxi and make your way to a night of celebration and insecurities.

As you step into the warm, dimly lit club the first thing you hear is the music playing and the murmuring voices of people spread across the place. A sudden clear voice calls out your name and you see your beloved friend approach. A cloud of green lace and silk topped by a wild bush of black curls storms towards you and before you can even stutter out a hello, you are tightly embraced. “I am so glad you came! I know you hate these kinds of things, but I am so happy and you look so good! And who is your handsome boyfriend?”

Not even allowing you to answer any of the rapidly fired questions she turns around towards Fox and holds out her hand. “I am Keera. You two look amazing together! Thank you for coming with her, she deserves to be happy and have some fun.” With a bright smile, the whirlwind named Keera does not even allow Fox to answer and already walks off to the next person she sees entering the club.

You look at Fox, to say you blush would be the understatement of the year. “I… I am sorry Fox. Keera can be, well she can be a lot to handle when you first meet her. And this is her while sober, so imagine her drinking and you are in for a hurricane.” You sheepishly laugh while you scratch the back of your head.

Fox just laughs and looks at the woman that just left the two of you behind. Spread across the club, people are staring at the two of you and some quickly begin to mumble behind their hands when they notice him looking their way.

The music that begins to play is a slow melody and you begin to softly hum along with it. The song is old but has always been a favorite of yours and some of your friends and Keera has always claimed it as her wedding song.

“So, how about it? You did ask me to take you out dancing this evening didn't you?” Fox, standing in front of you. holds out his hand and waits for you to take it so he can guide you to the dancefloor.

Taking his hand you look him in the eyes. “ Will you tell me what the realization was and why you just had to accept my gracious invite then?” His mentioning in the taxi on the way to the nightclub still had you wondering so you took the chance to ask him.

“I might, or I will just show you.” Fox, knowing this only ignites your curiosity, guides you to the dancefloor and wraps one arm around you while he holds your hand with the other, tugging your entwined hands against his chest. Slowly he begins to sway with you in his arms.

As the two of you sway around on the floor, completely in your own world at that moment, people notice the two of you and every now and then you pick up a few mumbled words. “Cute….” “Clone trooper.” “Couple…”

The only thing you do truly notice however, is your dear friend, standing at the edge of the dancefloor together with some of your other trusted friends. She waves at you as you pass by in the warm embrace of Fox and when she notices you looking at her she forms a heart with her hands as she grins. A blush creeps up again on your cheeks when you turn your look at the man holding you.

“She is perceptive, your friend.” His lips softly brush your ear as he whispers.

Surprised you look up at him. “You…?”

Without even batting an eye Fox tilts his head and gently kisses you. It is a short moment where your lips meet and you both sigh and relax in eachothers arms. “Stone will have a field day telling us he knew.” He chuckles when he sees the look on your face go from shock to surprise and then a sweet mix of happiness and comfort.

Grinning, you put your hand in his neck and push his face towards yours. “I don't care what people say Fox. Let them talk.” Once more your lips meet for a sweet kiss as you both sway in place on a melody that already had stopped playing.

“Guess we will have many more days and nights to move on together runi .” The use of the pet name has you sigh as you rest your head against his shoulder, nuzzling his neck. You will find out what it exactly means another time, for now you will just enjoy being here with the man you admired and had a crush on for a long, long time.

@loth-wolffe@chaoticvampirejedi@hellothere-generalangsty@uponrightful@hellothere501stlover@catbustours@nahoney22@moonstrider9904@reluctant-mandalore@cyroku@kin-rokku@zinzinina@naboosunsets-blog

[ladymatt]

First Lines Of Your Last 20 Fics!

Rules: List the first lines of your last 20 stories (if you have less than 20, just list them all!). See if there are any patterns. Choose your favorite opening line. Then tag 10 of your favorite authors!

Tagged by the witty and wonderful @lorenzobane ❤️ TY, sweetheart! All of the humble offerings below are about Malec (of course), and I make no apology for wanting to write endlessly about them! I’M IN LOVE WITH THEIR LOVE, OK?

1) Protect You Above All Else - (T, Supportive Husbands, 3 Times Plus 1) 

Alec is just making sure he’s mixed Magnus’ martini to his very stringent specifications when the man himself, looking entirely too put together to be feeling the supposed exhaustion Izzy’s text just warned him about, makes an entrance that has Alec eye-rolling in the fondest of ways.

2) There’s Something Magical About Christmas! - (T, Family/HP Theme)

Surely it couldn’t be time to rise and face the day already, Magnus thinks, burrowing deeper into the furry warmth of his husband’s comfy chest, stubbornly refusing to let the light stealing through the curtains rob him of his contented bliss.

3) Service With A Sunshine Smile - (G, Prompt Ficlet, Grocery Store AU)

“Alec, are you even listening?” Izzy whines, spoiling the intense eye-fucking that’s simmering between him and the sharply-dressed employee on checkout one every time they pass.

4) A Lesson In Love - (G, Prompt Ficlet, University Lecturers AU)

The customary curses that seem to follow every one of Magnus’ futile trips to the dean’s office filter through the open door connecting their offices, and Alec buries an affectionate smile as he walks through it.

5) Hidden Truths - (G, Prompt Ficlet, Mystery AU)

With the evening fire crackling in the grate and the gramaphone playing jazz 45s, Alec feels transported to another time altogether as he mirrors the relaxed and recumbent form of his live-in landlord across the hearth in his armchair’s twin.

6) Fighting The Good Fight - (G, Prompt Ficlet, Angel/Demon AU)

Satisfaction warms the heart of the angel, Integrity, as he surveys the crowded youth club he runs in Brooklyn.

7) Whiskey Rocks And A Little White Lie - (G, Prompt Ficlet, Exes AU) 

It had taken three of his closest friends’ stimulating company and six whiskey doubles to reach this fragile state of near-acceptance over his break-up with Alec, but no distraction amongst the bar’s lively clientele made his pulse so much as flutter, let alone thump with the force of a thousand drums the way Alec’s smile could.

8) Wake Up Call - (G, Prompt Ficlet, Roomates AU) *My Fave Intro*

Surfacing from a sleep that should’ve lasted at least another week, Magnus’ mouth feels like a tide of alcohol has left only sand in its wake and his head’s still swimming with regret over the senseless fight with his best friend that triggered his headlong dash into anything offering oblivion from Alexander Gideon Lightwood.

9) A Love That Knows No Bounds - (G, Prompt Ficlet, Malec As Dads AU)

Arriving late at the gallery hosting Clary and Maia’s joint exhibition of art and marine photography, Alec weaves his way through the crowd to make his apologies to the forgiving duo, congratulating them both on the evident success of the ‘Nature’s Canvas’ collection before locating the expected family and friends, three of which are nowhere to be seen.

10) Interest Detected - (G, Prompt Ficlet, Film Noir/Detective AU)

“So you’ll take the case?” said the snake in the suit, aka the torment of Alec’s otherwise perfect life.

11) All Hail, Alexander The Grrreat! - (M, Prompt Ficlet, Role-Play Sex AU)

His husband’s formidable powers of application when learning a new skill had always been a source of pride for Magnus, but when paired with Alec’s insatiable, hitherto untapped predilection for role-play sex, he bore witness to more showstopping performances than Menzel could ever give on Broadway! 

12) Impossible Just Means Try Again - (G, Prompt Ficlet, Neighbours AU)

They have no right, Magnus thinks as bodies and boxes make their way into his late friend’s beloved home, every clumsy accident and cheery apology grating on his fractured nerves. 

13) To Us, You’re Still Here - (G, Prompt Ficlet, Widower Alec AU)

“You hate it,” Magnus states with amused certainty.

14) A Worthy Prize - (G, Prompt Ficlet, Game Show AU)

Acute nerves at standing in the line-up for the nation’s most popular game show, The Inquizitor, has left Alec’s skin glazed with sweat and triggered a plethora of childhood tics that serve to make him look even more anxious than he feels.

15) Unbridled Panic - (G, Prompt Ficlet, Film Set AU)

“OK, I might have forgotten to tell you I’m very afraid of horses.”

16) For One Day Every Year - (M, Canon Verse/Christmas Two-Parter)

Their first Christmas together fast approaching, Magnus was indulging in all things yule-related with a level of excited enthusiasm that he couldn’t recall ever having experienced before.

17) Consumed With Love At Christmas - (E, Family Christmas Party)

Alec Lightwood loved his family and friends with his whole heart, he really did, and inviting all of them over for a Christmas edition of their usual games night had even been his idea, but watching the way his hot tease of a boyfriend was making virtual love to that tangerine from all the way over here at the other end of the couch made him wish they were trapped at the North Pole with no means of return for years to come because all Alec wanted, for Christmas and the next few hours at least, was Magnus’ hungry mouth on him.

18) Lightwood Came To Win! - (M, Halloween Party At Pandemonium AU)

Although blissfully unaware of how the revolving multi-coloured lights of the packed out venue rendered his silky white outfit virtually transparent (except for a few face-saving ruffles and the odd gigantic bobble), Alec Lightwood still felt like a giant fool.

19) Musical Monday - (M, Sharing New Experiences/Competitive Shits AU)

There’s very little that Alec won’t do to put a smile on his boyfriend’s beautiful face, but donning a loincloth the size of a handkerchief while playing a harp, is not one of them, no matter what is dangled in front of him as a reward.

20) Made All The Difference - (G, Introspective Alec/Idiots In Love)

In the short time that Alec had known Magnus, his whole life had changed in ways he could never have thought possible. 

Patterns: I think the very obvious answer here is ‘my intros are lengthy’ - but in my defence, at least with the ficlets and their word limit, I was trying to set as much of the scene as possible! 😂 

Tagging (should you want to): @unending-happiness @poemsfromthealley  @sassyweethang  @intangibel  @sfjessii  @lynne-monstr  @sugarandspace  @cuubism  @bidnezz  @brightasstars

[satonthelotuspier]

My Soulmate’s Regret Part 3

Yep it’s been a while since I wrote for this AU. This is pretty much setting up for the finale, or at least the run to the finale, of the xicheng arc.

You can find part 1 here and part 2 here.

CW for blood, minor injury, possessive behaviour.

He was at a convenience store buying cheap instant noodles to take back to the station, when Jiang Cheng got the oddest feeling he was being watched.

He wasn’t a man to ignore his instincts, cops who did that more often that not ended up dead, so he carefully wandered through the aisles of the small shop, scanning for anyone who looked like they might be not quite what they seemed, fully utilising the mirrors and angles to his best advantage and disguising his regard.

Despite his extremely careful supermarket sweep, nobody seemed out of place. There was a mother with her young son shopping for that night’s dinner ingredients, two men in business suits, both with company ID badges on show, looking for a quick lunch to take back to the office, and a gaggle of high school girls shopping for cute candy. They kept throwing him looks, and giggling amongst themselves, but a quick once over showed them to likely be what they seemed, school bags, uniforms, all of them huddled close so they knew each other well, no possibility of one being a new member of the clique.

He shoved a hand in his jacket pocket and made his way to the till, blocking out their excited tittering as he joined the queue behind the mother and son, and waited for his turn to pay.

Despite the fact he’d visually cleared everyone here he couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched, and it wasn’t just by the young girls. At least he was pretty sure it wasn’t.

All he could do was keep his guard up, however.

His phone buzzed in his pocket; signalling the arrival of a text; he took it out and checked the message, expecting it to be Wei Wuxian, asking Jiang Cheng to grab him some lunch as well, but it was Lan Xichen.

A-Cheng should have dinner with me tonight.

Can’t. A-Cheng is busy.

Too busy to see your husband? What plans do you have?

Ex-husband. I’m having dinner with my boss and his brother.

Our marriage certificate is still valid, A-Cheng. Like it or not, I am still your husband.

Having this argument at least twice a week helped neither of them, of course. And technically Lan Xichen was correct. He really should get around to fighting for the divorce. He was a very busy man, however, and it wasn’t like either of them were in a hurry to marry again.

Not that Lan Xichen would give Jiang Cheng the chance, of course.

Does that mean you’re having dinner with Nie Mingjue and Nie Huaisang?

That had been a slip up, it was only going to cause Lan Xichen to try to be controlling. But no point lying now, he’d already said it.

Yes.

Invite me.

He almost dropped his phone at the shock of that text. Was Lan Xichen insane?

He was just about to reply something of the kind when he realised it would be his turn to be served very shortly, and put his phone away to wait.

Once outside the store, however, he pulled it out of his pocket again, and hit dial as he wandered back in the direction of the station.

“No, I won’t be inviting you. Because it’s not my dinner party, and because how do you think it would look for my boss, a policeman, to be having dinner with you, a suspected crime lord.” He didn’t even give Lan Xichen a chance to greet him, he just leapt straight into the attack.

“Suspected, Sweeting. And your soulmate.” Why was Lan Xichen so damn unflappable about this kind of thing? “I do not like the idea of you having dinner with Nie Huaisang, A-Cheng.”

Not this again.

“I’m not having an affair with Huaisang-xiong, Xichen.”

“I know. That’s why he’s still alive.” It was always so matter of fact with Lan Xichen.

It was impossible for their little bickering sessions to develop into something more satisfying for Jiang Cheng, where he got to argue and yell and get everything off of his chest, because trying to argue with Lan Xichen was a losing battle. The man never lost his temper, always spoke calmly and evenly, and let Jiang Cheng’s jibes and comments roll off of his back, except where he had a calm response to make to refute them, like this time.

“Tomorrow then?” Lan Xichen suggested. “I’ll pick you up from the garage near the station at about six.” Lan Xichen hung up without waiting for his answer. It never mattered much what his response was, after all.

He pushed his mobile back into his jeans pocket and went to the department kitchen to boil water for his makeshift lunch, cursing the fate that had made Lan Xichen his soulmate.

*******

The meal the previous evening with the Nie brothers had been uneventful, and he had arrived home around ten, to fall straight into bed.

His workload that day was relatively light. He had some reports to read through on feelers he had put out, further into the Wen clan’s dealings.

It was what had gotten him kidnapped the previous month, but he wasn’t going to stop, especially now he had a solid suspicion the Wens were planning to move against his husband.

It wasn’t clan politics, he didn’t give a fuck about that, let them screw each other over into the ground, but he cared about his soulmate’s safety. As much as he hated Lan Xichen, he did still love him.

Of course he wouldn’t act on anything that could be considered a conflict of interest, Lao-Nie trusted him enough to manage his workload ethically; and he wouldn’t pass information on to Lan Xichen; it was a matter of professional pride with him that he always separated his private life and his professional role, much as some people mocked, thought he didn’t, thought he was a sleeper for Lan Xichen. Thought leaving his husband was a front and not the most difficult, heart-wrenching decision he had ever made in his life.

Unfortunately that wasn’t helped by the fact Lan Xichen made it impossible to leave him. He refused to agree to a divorce. He still inserted himself into almost every aspect of Jiang Cheng’s private life. And heaven help him but they still fucked regularly.

He forced his mind back onto the folders of paperwork in front of him; he wasn’t getting paid to psychoanalyse his own relationships.

He spent an hour in the gym and training room to finish off his day, then grabbed a quick shower, before changing into something a little more dressy than his usual jeans, t-shirt and jacket. He didn’t know whether they’d be eating out or eating back at the Lan mansion, and if the latter, Lan Qiren, Lan Xichen’s uncle, may very well join them.

He had always gotten on very well with his soulmate’s uncle, and he deserved the respect of Jiang Cheng making an effort with his appearance.

It was a little after six by the time he was ready to leave, and he was in a rush to ensure Lan Xichen wasn’t waiting for him too long, so he ran for the underground garage Lan Xichen had mentioned in their telephone call yesterday. He had occasionally picked Jiang Cheng up from the street, especially when Jiang Cheng hadn’t been expecting him, but he also knew it was better for Jiang Cheng to not be seen too often getting into the car of his suspected mafia don estranged husband.

He rushed to the level which Lan Xichen normally parked on, but a quick scan showed no familiar dark saloon. The hairs at the back of his neck stuck up with the sudden realisation it was actually much quieter generally than it should have been at this time of the evening, in fact, it was scarily deserted.

He scanned again, aiming to back towards one of the walls while he reached for his police issue weapon.

He pulled it out, and could have thrown it away in frustration to notice it didn’t have a magazine in it. Which was bullshit, because he knew for a fact it had had one when he locked it away at the station to go into the gym. Someone had had access to his locker.

Fuck.

He wasn’t entirely surprised to see figures dressed in dark clothes moving out of the shadows between cars and making their way towards him, all carrying an assortment of weapons.

“Just like he said. Lan Xichen’s bitch on a platter.”

The comment, whether it had been meant to rile him up or not, told him that he had been given up by someone, and that the reason they came for him specifically was because of his relationship to the Lans.

He didn’t consider himself a stupid man; at least not professionally. And he knew that without a gun, he was as good as defenceless against so many, so he did the most sensible thing possible, and took to his heels.

Luckily he was quick, and he knew this particular garage quite well; let them catch his university track team ass.

He ran, and weaved, and switched levels.

He managed to put a bit of distance between him and his pursuers, apparently they hadn’t expected him to scamper. He took the opportunity to hide himself behind a car and pull his phone out.

He dialled Wei Wuxian; if the thugs were interested in him as Lan Xichen’s ‘bitch’ and not as Jiang Cheng, organised crime cop, then Wei Wuxian might be targetted too. And who could he trust at the station?

While his phone rang he checked his messages. Someone had been into his phone too, and replied to a text message from Lan Xichen telling Jiang Cheng he was going to be late.

This all stunk of careful organisation.

Wei Wuxian answered, and began chirping something at Jiang Cheng, but he cut him off immediately, and there must have been something in Jiang Cheng’s tone that notified Wei Wuxian the other was deadly serious.

“Wei Wuxian, where are you?”

“I’m just about to leave the station, Jiang Cheng, why?”

“Go back inside, don’t leave. Go and find Lao-Nie in his office, and get him to call Wangji for you. Do not leave with anyone other than your husband. Do not leave Lao-Nie’s side unless it’s with Wangji, and hand over your phone and weapon for him to take a look at. I’ll explain later.” I hope.

“OK, I’m going back now, but Jiang Cheng, are you OK, where are you? Shall I send you backup?” He wasn’t stupid enough to fall for that; if he told Wei Wuxian where he was the stupid fool would be just as likely to tear over here to help rather than keep himself safe like Jiang Cheng had told him to. Wanted him to.

He hung up, and stared at the phone. There was a good chance they had something tracking him through his mobile. It was relatively easy to do for anyone with a little tech savvy, and these guys had been too organised not to have access to that kind of tech. But he also wanted to preserve it as evidence.

In the end he knew he had to leave it behind, however, and take the chance it would be destroyed, otherwise he had no hope of avoiding capture. He dropped it down a nearby grate, and was just about to take off again when he realised he’d waited too long, and a few of the faster running thugs had caught up with him and located his hiding place.

He had better chance against a few than them all, so he didn’t give them chance to wait for backup, and came out fighting.

His Sanda training against their hand weapons wasn’t the fairest fight, but it was the only chance he had, and he was a stubborn fucker and wouldn’t go down without leaving his own mark.

He acquitted himself reasonably well, and did end up flooring three of them, but took a shallow knife slash across the ribs for his trouble. He ran again. This time, knowing his brother was safe, he didn’t stop. He daren’t go back to the station, or to a local hospital because they’d have to report his knife wound. And while he had a perfectly valid reason he didn’t want anyone but Nie Mingjue to know where he was yet, considering there was definitely someone on the inside willing to give Jiang Cheng up to an enemy. The only place he knew of which was a safe haven for him was the Lan mansion. Lan Xichen would be able to arrange a doctor to tend his wounds, and he could safely contact Nie Mingjue.

*******

It took him a little while to make it there. He had to keep out of public view as much as possible, as it was impossible to hide the blood on his clothes. The guards on the gate seemed to be on high alert, and as soon as he made himself known to them they ushered him into the compound and up to the house.

They must have called ahead because Lan Xichen met them halfway up the drive, accompanied by Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian.

“Jiang Cheng!” Wei Wuxian exclaimed, and moved forward.

Lan Xichen was faster, however.

He had paused at first sight of Jiang Cheng, had actually looked like he blanched a little, then stepped forward and swept Jiang Cheng up into a princess carry.

“Please call Xiao-yisheng, Wangji” he said shortly.

Jiang Cheng didn’t really feel like complaining about being carried at the moment, and let Wei Wuxian and Lan Xichen fuss around him.

“It looks much worse than it is, I think. I’m pretty sure it’s only a shallow cut,” he said, as Lan Xichen placed him down on the couch in his bedroom.

Lan Xichen didn’t answer; and Jiang Cheng glanced up. His mouth was set in a tight line of rage. Jiang Cheng reached out and took his hand.

“I’m alright, Xichen.” His voice was soft, soothing.

Lan Xichen was probably going to be out for blood after this, and there likely wasn’t much he could do to mitigate it. He had to just hope that Nie Mingjue and he could get to the bottom of what had happened and get them off the streets before Lan Xichen fathomed it and took matters into his own hands.

His words of comfort caused the other to shake his rage off, and kneel down next to Jiang Cheng. He clutched both of Jiang Cheng’s hands between his, and lifted them to his mouth, to place soothing kisses on them.

Jiang Cheng was of course uncomfortable under the tender regard.

He didn’t try to break free though; the comfort was for Lan Xichen, not himself, as ironic as that was. Lan Xichen was a control freak, and that he had allowed his husband to remain free of that control, and he had then been wounded, would hurt him, would gnaw at him and make him question whether he had been wrong to allow Jiang Cheng that freedom.

When the time came to leave, Jiang Cheng was expecting to have to fight him on the subject all over again.

But he would; he wasn’t some pretty bird to be kept in a cage, and taken out at Lan Xichen’s fancy.

That was for another time though.

He allowed Lan Xichen to help him out of his slashed shirt, and Wei Wuxian joined them.

“I let Lao-Nie know you were here and safe. You need to speak to him and tell him what happened, Jiang Cheng.”

“I’ll do it now.”

Lan Xichen held him down, “No, you won’t, A-Cheng. You may call Lao-Nie after Xiao-yisheng has tended to that wound, and examined you.”

He wanted to argue, he really did, but there was little point at the moment.

******

That was why it was a while later before Jiang Cheng was given the handset of one of the household extensions and allowed to telephone his boss.

He would have ideally preferred to do it on a line that didn’t belong to the Lans, but at least he knew the line would be secure from outside influence. And there was nothing else he could do; his phone was who knew where and Wei Wuxian’s had been handed over as evidence.

There was a part of Jiang Cheng that trusted Lan Xichen to not invade his privacy to that extent. And he knew he’d likely have to give his husband some of the basic information of what had happened; he just hadn’t judged how much was sensible yet.

Lan Xichen had left him with Wei Wuxian, and, once the door had closed behind him, Jiang Cheng dialled.

Xiao-yisheng had cleaned and placed a few stitches into the wound on his chest under a local anaesthetic. A wider examination had proved, as he claimed, that he was perfectly fine beyond that one cut.

Nie Mingjue answered in short order and Jiang Cheng put the phone on speaker, allowing both he and Wei Wuxian to be part of the discussion. He quickly related what had happened, and asked Nie Mingjue to try and retrieve his phone from the drain.

“I should be fine to come back into the station tomorrow to give you my official statement…”

“Are you insane, Jiang Cheng?” Nie Mingjue asked. “Two attempts like this in the space of a month – one possibly aided from within the department. There was a reason you judged it wasn’t safe to return here, or to a hospital, when you got away from those thugs. Don’t start being a simpleton now. You need to sit back for a while, let the heat simmer, maybe go into protective custody. At least you need to stay by Lan Xichen’s side; only a fucking idiot would try to go through your soulmate to get to you.”

Jiang Cheng bit his lip in frustration. A part of him accepted the sense in Nie Mingjue’s words, but he wasn’t someone who was happy taking a passive role. And he was eager to make progress on this investigation; he didn’t want to give Lan Xichen any chance to get to the answer before they did. His husband was cold, clinical, and obsessively methodical in his business life; how else was it that, despite what the police knew went on under their very noses, they were still no nearer to having anything at all on the Lans than they had ever been.

But with this, with Jiang Cheng’s safety, and revenge for hurting him, he didn’t trust Lan Xichen to be so dispassionate; and the last thing he wanted was for the idiot to get hurt. And it had been obvious from what the thugs had said that Lan Xichen had been the ultimate target, with Jiang Cheng merely just a potential tool.

Perhaps it was best for him to be beside Lan Xichen for now, if only to offer him the same protection he was trying to foist on Jiang Cheng.

[redridinnghood]

Plush Dog

John B. & JJ & Reader

On the Ferry was a Girl. The old army Backpack on her Back seemed so giant like it would swallow her whole, but out of it picked the Head of a plush Dog.  The Ship berths and she can feel how she gets Nervous. She excited from the Ferry, fast making her way to the cut. To be precise the House of Big John and his son John B. She knocked on the Door as a Beautiful girl opened the Door looking kind of tired. Guess the pogues were Partying again. (Y/N) didn´t wait until the girl invited her in, she simply walked inside. The Girl called out to her asking her how she could be so rude. As two very familiar Heads turned around looking like they just saw a ghost. The brunet muttered “That’s impossible” while the blonde just placed the freshly rolled blunt down like he would say I guess I had enough. “So you don´t want to greet me?” (Y/N) said warm smiling at her Boys.

A few years ago Big John was standing in the Doorway a small girl maybe around six  holding his Hand. John B. and JJ stopped playing and looked up at her. The blue dress she wore was covered in mud, underneath piking out you could see her bruised and scratched limbs. Big (Y/EC) were staring at them they red and puffy from crying. The Boys got up from the place on the ground where they just sat Playing with some Toy cars. Scared the little Girl tried to hide behind Big John. John B. and JJ being faster standing right in front of her she gasped. “What is your Name?” John B asked. “How old are you?” asked the other Boy. They started questioning her really fast and she started to panic. Big John sensing her Discomfort he looked at the Boys. “Hey Boys calm down you are scaring her.” He said calmly letting go of the girls Hand he strolled to the Couch plopping Down. The Boys following him and sitting Down again on the Floor. “ Jody who works in the Youth welfare office called me and asked me if I could take her in foster care. So I picked her up.” He said slowly so John and even JJ would understand that she would stay here. “I-I… I.. No na-ame” A quite stuttering Voice said. John B and JJ were shocked even for eight year olds they understood it wasn´t normal. Big John got up showing the Girl around the house always followed by the two Boys. Stopping at a room with Toys splattered around the Room. She guessed it was the Boys Room. “This is John B.s Room but until I have everything figured out you will share a Room with him.” “ YAAAY Sleepover” The boys screamed out in Joy. At the sudden emotional outburst (Y/N) stepped back a bit scared. He walked into the room Taking a few of his sons old clothes out. “Jody wanted to bring you tomorrow new close until then this should work out. You should take a bath or are you hungry would you want to eat first?” he asked. Her big Eyes staring at him. Never in her life she had something like a choice. “Hungwy” She tested looking at them if she didn´t gave the Wrong answer. “ Okay I will make some Nuggets and fries. You can go and watch a cartoon with the Boys.” They smiled. So she smiled to still warry. Each grabbed one of her Hands leading her over to the Couch and turning on the TV. As Loney toons played the boys settled down on next to her. Trapping her in the middle but it was oddly comfortable for her. The Human contact was new to her, they weren´t hurting her. She admired the Boys One had Wooden Brown hair with brighter Streaks and His eyes seemed to glow in Dark Caramel tone, Freckles complimenting his smiling features .The other one with Golden hair and Eyes in a shining in a blue she couldn´t even describe. A loud sound of the TV startled her making her back against the Couch. Interpreting her movements JJ took her hand and John b. rubbed circles on her back soothing her. They kept contact as they carried on watching TV. A short news break came onto screen. The Boys huffed annoyed. “and now or correspondent (Y/N)..” the man on TV said and the girl tilted her Head. “You like that Name?” One asked. Carefully she nodded. “ Should we call we call you (Y/N) from now on?” the other one asked. Again she nodded again something about the Name felt so right. John B ran into the Kitchen telling his Dad about how they found a Name for her.

Immediately John B. got up from the Couch crashing into her JJ following suit. She embraced them into a bone Crushing Hug She waited Five years for that moment. And she couldn´t be Happier. “It´s so good to see you my Boys” (Y/N) stated.

[darlinrogue]

Happy New Years Ya Animals

Kenny and Adam

Starter for @ofgrief​

The invitation to the New Year’s Eve Party, sent-out in a mass email, said to ‘dress-up.’ So, Adam wore a hat. A wide-brim, black felt cowboy hat that was so good looking JR complimented him on it. “That’s a sharp looking head cover ya go there, cowboy.” Adam considered Ross a connoisseur of black hats so that was high praise. Enough to put a pep in the Hangman’s step for like, five whole minutes. Prior to Christmas, Adam and his hat had no intentions of attending the shindig. His plan was to drink whiskey at home, with his dogs.  Then, the rumor mill churned-out that Kenny Omega and Don Callis had RSVP’d the invite. 

And that just shot all sorts of holes in Adam’s plans. 

Like, that if he did go to the party he had no plans of going to, he’d go casual. At best a t-shirt. Kenny alone explained the rest of Adam’s ensemble. A white blazer, embroidered with gold filigree across the yoke and white pipping on the sleeves. A wine-red button-down and his best pair of jeans, accented by a stallion belt buckle. Boots he bothered to shine and the silver bolo tie his Mom got him for Christmas. He even blow dried his hair and used some gel to tease it back. Then, in his harried, finger shaking state, he left the hotel twenty minutes early and drove himself. Sitting at the stoplight he contemplated the passing pedestrians and realized he’d have to drive himself back. So, no alcohol on the night Adam’s brain twisted as leading to ruin. A night with impossible expectations dredged-up by his wildest fantasies, and thus, laced-in inevitable disappointment. 

It was a new and fascinating form of self-sabotage, but also meant he had an excuse to leave early, before the ball dropped: For the bottle of whiskey on his nightstand. 

Adam had slunk into the party by a side door. Hands in his pockets and nerves begging for a stop by the door. He was early and without a crowd to hide himself in. Adam avoided small talk by helping the staff set-up. Big strong country boy, he was good for lugging around a table for two. Adam befriended a nice waitress who laughed at his dumb horse joke and thanked him for helping carrying the food trays. Over the next hour, dozens, maybe hundreds, maybe thousands filtered-in. Adam found a table and made an island of it, sipping on his regrettably non-alcoholic beverage. A sprite with muddled-raspberries and mint. His eyes alternated between the crowd and his watch. Silvers and Reynolds showed-up on time, bothered to make chat with the ‘lonesome cowboy.’ Chatting that turned into wise cracks, laughter, and shared stories. For almost ten minutes Adam almost forgot that the whole reason he was here had no-showed.

No alcohol, shockingly, needed. 

Kenny arrived an hour and change late. Like a moth to the flame, Kenny drew Adam’s attention. The entire room vibrated with energy upon his arrival; placid to agitated. Adam licked his lips. Kenny wore a black, silk suit jacket printed with red camellia blossoms, petals thin as lace. A crew neck shirt and hell, even halfway decent dress shoes. Even in the dim hall he wore those dark aviators, his curls arranged and styled. A smarmy grin played on his lips as he shadowed Don Callis. Even as he continued his conversation, Adam kept an eye on Kenny. Watched him converse with Chris. Laugh-up a storm with some executives in the crowd. The duo seemed unaware of how their presence soured the air. Yet, as soon as Kenny appeared, he faded like smoke, replaced by the charisma of Callis as he spun a long, egocentric story. Adam alone saw Kenny slip the crowd and escape out a side door.

Adam bid farewell to Silvers and Reynolds, then left his little sanctuary table. He nudged his way through warm bodies into the cool night. The weather app promised earlier this morning the night would plummet to a balmy six-two and Jacksonville delivered. A clear night with a slight bite, but comfortable nonetheless. Kenny lingered on a patio across the platform. He turned and sat down on a couch, arm spread over the back. Adam wasn’t sure Kenny was aware of him as he approached. Until, Adam stood at the foot of the steps, hands in his pockets and heart in his throat. A soft ‘hey’ too weak to be confident, breached the background noises of the distant party and city. 

“Mind if I join you?”

[reality-imagined]

Getaway Car - Peter Parker

Young Adult!Peter Parker x Agent!Reader

Based on Getaway Car by Taylor Swift, I suggest listening to it before to get in to the ~tone~ of what’s going on. Also, Endgame never happened, goodbye.

Word Count:  8.5k 

Rating: T+ 

Warnings: Violence, Use of guns, Hints of murder?, Maybe slowburn?, romance 

Synopsis: Peter (who is 23 now) is struggling to find his footing in the team now that he’s older and he’s tired of being the kid damn it. Peter decides his next mission is going to change how his team views him, but things never work out just how he plans, does it? 

I’ve been sitting on this since I first heard the song, and I’ve been itching to post it! xx 

Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to the Marvel characters, themes, or plots mentioned nor do I claim any of their work as my own. All rights reserved to Marvel and Disney.

It had taken some time for the other members of the team to start taking Peter seriously, and even though they regarded him with a little more respect, they couldn’t help but still see the youth around his eyes. A facial feature they often used to fuel their jokes. Peter understood that it came from a good place, a place of caring and inclusion, but it didn’t reduce the sting any less. They praised him like a child when he achieved even the smallest task, making him feel (childlike). But even worse, any mistake he made was highlighted and turned into a lengthy lecture by each member - scolding him to be diligent and be more “mature.” They often blamed his age and lack of experience, completely missing the fact that these lectures did not assist Peter in his training at all. Only infuriated him, particularly when another member made a similar mistake, but was only brushed off by the others as “bad luck.”

Nonetheless, he worked overtime, harder, and more diligently to try to get the team to see him as more than just the youngest Avenger. He took on all the missions he could, small or large, to add more experience to his resume. Maybe, just maybe, if he could catch up with the team on experience they would finally remove the “rookie” title from his name. He couldn’t remember the last time he actually took a weekend to enjoy things other 23 year olds enjoyed. At this point, Ned and MJ quit offering invites out, knowing Peter would relay that he had a “classified” mission to go on and wouldn’t be able to make - but next time, definitely.  The best way to keep up with their friend, they found, was to check the headlines and new stations - Spider-Man saves the day once again! Peter wished the team would revere him as the media did. 

So, when a file came across his spot at the team table for a solo mission, Peter didn’t even have to open the file before he agreed. A solo mission. If he could knock this out of the park, in record time, then this would be the moment they finally regarded him as a full-on member of team. This would be his ticket to the big leagues and meetings that only involved Steve, Natasha, Tony, Thor and Banner. He would finally be an Avenger not only to the world, but to the other Avengers as well. 

He stayed up the entire night, memorizing the file and the target. It wasn’t a simple mission to say the least, but it wasn’t impossible. Despite his lack of recon experience, he figured a quick conversation with Nat would help him in this area and he’d set course to Vienna by the end of the week. 

Ned’s birthday dinner would just have to be rescheduled. 

_

Y/n couldn’t exactly remember what invited her into her line of work, whether it was the influence of her family or a set of specific skills she had somehow stumbled upon. Either way, her job was her life and there was rarely a mission she declined. She worked for many people, a lone ranger who swayed elegantly back and forth across the line of good and bad. Sure, the number of tasks on the ‘bad’ side outnumbered the opposite tremendously, but she did experience being the good guy every now and then. She found that those jobs, where she saved the day, tended be more difficult anyway. Y/n by no means regarded herself as a hero or vigilante, just a girl trying to make a living and hopefully cash out on a beach somewhere with a mojito in hand by the age of thirty-five. 

She ignored the hype of the superhero’s that everyone seemed to talk about nowadays - the Avengers? Really, were they going to release a Christmas album this year? She scoffed at the idea of being a part of a team like that, and she was surprised when she first heard of Black Widow’s involvement. Y/n had once looked up to the lethal red-head, but now having seen her join the band of ironically-clad heroes, decided that she was quite opposite of Natasha Romanoff and should probably rely only on herself for motivation. She would never be good like them, even if she wanted to. 

It didn’t take long for the news of a new-age, extra deadly nuclear weapon on the market to reach her ears. And not long after that, power ridden billionaires and dirty country leaders alike requesting her services. The highest bidder bought her out of course, and she pictured that sunny beach being closer in her future than she had originally planned. Even though she was only 23 and still had a bit of baby fat in her cheeks, she knew exactly how to infiltrate this particular wealth-monger and had a new persona and ID ready for her flight to Vienna in only a couple of hours. 

She didn’t think this mission would take her all that long and she could practically taste the mint mojito on her tongue. 

_

Establishing his identity as a possible buyer to the evil guy holding the future of the world in his expensive briefcase took a lot longer than Peter had expected. He wasn’t used to being so exposed on the field, even if his mask was his only missing accessory. The thought that someone would recognize him, even with the possibility of that being in the negative percentage range, still had him on edge any time he met with another individual who got him closer and closer to his target. 

Peter was thankful that the extra missions and time spent training with Steve and Bucky, shaved off the extra teenage weight he had. It didn’t take long for his face to thin, his jawline to sharpen, and his body to become more lean. He had finally lost that awkward, teenage lank to his features and he blended in easily with the people around him. Peter managed to get his last contact to trust him enough to snag an invitation to an event held by his target. It was a lavish event in a ballroom nearly the size of the compound back home. People were dressed elegantly and Peter straightened out the lapel of his suit jacket once again, an expensive number that he happily charged to the team’s mission expenses. 

Peter surveyed the area as discreetly as possible, missing the functions that his mask, which was tucked safely away into his jacket, gave him when it came to surveillance. He wondered briefly if Tony could mock up some glasses for him next time. By the look of the crowd, chatting idly to each other, he figured that the target had yet to arrive. He wished he was more skilled in the social aspect of recon, his socially awkward tendencies once again coming up to bit him on the ass. Making way to the bar, he politely- and clumsily- excused himself as he nudged people from his path. Suddenly becoming anxious at the thought that his falling demeanor would give away his intentions. 

-

Y/n stirred the drink in front of her gently, a small, polite smile on her face as she looked over the crowd. She already knew her target wasn’t here just yet. She had spent the evening in his lavish penthouse the day before and new of his schedule for the day. She had played dumb and innocent when he said he had meetings to go to before he would meet her at the party. The bug she placed on the lapel of his jacket as she passionately kissed him goodbye let her know that the last meeting with a buyer fell through and that the device she was after would be in attendance with him tonight. So, she donned a sparkly, gold number that was eye catching but allowed her to blend in with the people around her and sat herself at the bar as soon as she arrived. Smilingly gratefully the people that he had previously showed her off to, only to keep up the appearance. Inwardly grimacing and keeping the best smile she could. If she had to spend one more moment with the man and this twisted entourage, she would blow her cover and his head. 

She was about to stand, the sleek watch on her wrist letting her know that her target was approaching the ballroom. The sight of a man, likely around her own age, stumbling up the bar, halted her movements. He dropped down on the stool with tense shoulders and a bead of sweat on his temple. His eyes scanned his surroundings before shooting his head to the bar tender who asked what he would like. The man visibly faltered and Y/n could instantly tell that he was new to the game that she herself, was currently playing as well. 

“He’ll have an old fashion.” her voice spoke without her mind’s permission. The bartender replied a quiet ‘yes ma’am’ and began preparing a drink that matched the one she still stirred with a little red straw. The man before her stared at her with wide, startled eyes, body tense and almost ready to spring from his seat and run. “Camille.” She smiled, her fake name falling from her lips as elegantly as if it were her own, a gentle hand rising for him to shake. He stared down at her hand, before he seemed to snap out of reverie and quickly grasp her hand in an awkward shake. 

_

He didn’t know what to do. He hadn’t expected someone to talk to him while he was here. She was beautiful, gorgeous even, and he only wished the confidence that exuded from her was contagious. By the look in her eye, he could tell she was picking up on his nervousness. It was at this point, mid-thought, he realized her hand was still in front of him, so he quickly grasped it. Flinching at his own awkward movements and released her hand from his jerky grasp as quickly as he held it. 

She raised a manicured eyebrow at him, and he quickly realized he never gave her his own name. “Pe, I mean, Paul.” He tried not to show the mistake on his face and only inwardly grimace at his own stutter. He had picked out a cool undercover name before setting out on this mission, but found that he stuttered just has he had moments ago during his first task. Meaning that he was stuck with Paul. 

“Paul.” She replied slowly, nodding with a small smile playing at his lips. He only hoped that she wasn’t all that perceptive and this was just her confident personality. Otherwise, his cover was blown and he’d have to hightail it back to the compound with his tail between his legs. “What brings you here Paul?” She smiled down at her drink before looking up at him. Social awkwardness once again kicking in as her beauty was getting the best of him. His imaginative James Bond ego quivering and failing him as he sat staring at her. He hadn’t even noticed the bartender place his drink in front of him. An old fashion? What a suave drink to order, he’d never had one and would’ve never thought of it. He felt that the drink was her own version of a vodka martini, shaken not stirred. 

-

She hadn’t intended to play with him like she was, a cat toying at the mouse. She couldn’t help it. His cover was increasingly crumbling and he had a handsome face behind the worried eyebrows and sheen of sweat on his forehead. His fake name wasn’t all that bad, but by the grimace and his stutter she knew that it wasn’t the one he had planned. She briefly considered calling him out and asking him with his other name was supposed to be. But that would end her little game and that wouldn’t be fun. Besides, her target had already walked in and was in a deep conversation across the room. She could toy with the handsome man in front of her for a few moments longer. 

It took him an alarmingly long time to reply to her questions and she couldn’t help but wonder how in the world he had gotten this far with his lack of experience. “I uhm, work.” he managed before taking a deep gulp of the drink she had ordered him. She let out a giggled as she witnessed him trying not to cough of the tart taste. She nodded, taking a sip of her own drink and sparing a glance at her target. 

He noticed and followed her gaze, his eyes comically widening as he landed on the man she was surveying. Ah ha, so they were after the same person. Her competitiveness tried to rear its ugly head, but she kept calm. A smile spreading on her lips as he looked back at her, eyes not as wide but still holding alarm. She wished she could tell him that he was being so transparent. He was lucky to have stumbled upon her, had any other informant witnessed what she was - they’d have ended him before he could have even sat down. Competition in this line of work always ended with the opponent last’s breath and had the curve of his jaw not enticed her, then this scenario would’ve played out differently. It wasn’t her place to advise him, however. He wasn’t a friend, colleague, or even a blimp on her professional radar. There was no telling who he worked for or the nature of his visit and the last thing she needed was to get caught up in the mess of an undercover whatever he was. Agent, would not have been a word she used to describe him. 

-

His mind whirred with the realization that she was gazing at his target, with calculated eyes. She gave off vibes that were similar to other agents he had been around, but she couldn’t possibly be undercover? A girl who looked like that? She couldn’t have been any older than him, but her face was hardened with the life of operations, he realized. Not like Natasha’s or any of his other members, though. There was an innocence, but also edge, that held her posture. Maybe she was undercover and she was that good. He didn’t know what to do or say, the alcohol from his drink pooling in his stomach. Instantly regretting never taking Thor up on his offer of Asgaurdian liquor to build up his tolerance. Her glass was empty and by the way the bartender quickly retrieved the glass and replaced it with another indicated that it wasn’t her first drink of the night. 

He had no idea how to proceed, her eyes were watching him and he felt that his every move was being scrutinized. He felt vulnerable, despite the technologically advanced suit that clung to his skin beneath the expensive tuxedo. He thought briefly about pulling out his phone and dialing for backup. After weeks of working towards this event, everything he had achieved began crumbling down before this beautiful girl with an agenda of her own. 

No, he wasn’t going to let a pretty face ruin his chances of earning the respect of his team. He wasn’t about to call the team to come rescue his ass because he knew he’d never hear the end of it. He was going to see this through, even it meant having to take out the girl who was still smiling at him. That thought made the alcohol in his stomach churn harder. 

-

She was running out of time. She wanted him to make the first move, curiosity getting the best of her and momentarily causing her to lose focus of her task. But he was taking too long and her target was talking to a buyer that she knew would seal the deal and she needed to start planning her tactic on how to get her target and the briefcase alone. His eyebrows furrowed and she could tell he was gathering he thoughts to speak, but a window of opportunity opened, just as her target walked into view just beyond ‘Paul’s’ head. 

Y/n tried not to sound to rushed, but she knew her, “If you’ll excuse me” was too harsh and she could feel his eyes on her retreating figure. She put emphasizes on her hips, whether it was for the man at the bar or the man she was approaching - she wasn’t quite sure, but secretly hoped that it had grabbed both of their attention. 

“Have you had a nice evening?” She spoke in a smooth voice that sounded nothing like her natural one. Placing a gentle hand on the upper arm of the man she had been seducing for the past few weeks. He smirked down at her, attempting to sultry in nature, but she found nothing about this man attractive. Not like the man who she had spoken to at the bar. She inwardly chided herself for getting distracted so easily. 

She only gave him enough attention to leave him wanting more, suggesting about wanting to see him ‘in private’ for a moment, voice full of seduction as her hand sliding down his arm to his own. This would be her moment to grab the briefcase and make a fast getaway. She briefly hoped that ‘Paul’ wouldn’t get in to too much trouble for not accomplishing his mission. The man agreed, pulling her towards a nearby door. She looked over her shoulder, curious to see If he was still there. And he was, now standing, watching with wide eyes. she couldn’t help it, as she pulled the door closed - she sent him a wink and cheeky smile. 

‘Camille’ - 1 

‘Paul’ - 0

-

No, no no no no. NO. Oh God, no. I really fucked up. No! SHIT.

Peter quit attempting to mask his anxiousness as the girl and the briefcase disappeared behind a door guarded by two men nearly twice his size. How could he just let himself get distracted? Let the mission get away from him like that? What was he thinking? His inner voice sounded eerily like Steve’s as he chided himself for being so naive. He tried mapping out a scenario to get into the room. Maybe there was a window? He was about to sprint to a bathroom to don his mask. Maybe Karen could scope out the scene and give him some advice. But before he could even move an inch, chaos broke out. 

The door his eyes somehow were still trained on busts open, guns being pulled out from random places and random people. Shots ringing out in different directions. Party goers who were just bystanders ducking and screaming. He watched as she elegantly avoided attacks, brief case clutched in her hand as she used it to defend herself and seek an exit. He tried not to focus too much on the blood that stained her gold dress. He could tell that she was struggling to get out of the sea of chaos, her eyes jotting around the room wildly as she fought gracefully and skillfully that wound have Natasha praising her movements. 

Peter found himself jumping across the bar to a near window - busting it out with elbow and easily jumping to ground beneath him. He tried to think too much about his plans suddenly altered to aiding the beautiful girl in the gold dress.

-

Just make it to the door, just make it to the door. Y/n’s voce sang in her head and she weaved and battled her way through the chaos. She wished she had packed more than the small hand gun clasped in her other hand. It had been useful for injuring her target enough to retrieve the briefcase but now, she wished she had more heavy artillery. It took longer than she had wished for her to reach the door, hoping that backup had not yet been called her path to the car would be easy and quick. 

She found the opposite as she kicked open the doors. The lavish driveway before her was nearly filled with more agents, all after the silver briefcase in her hand. She surveyed the scenarios, trying to find the quickest way out but fell short as more attackers came trudging her way, bullets starting to fire out in her direction. She was so focused on her next move she hadn’t yet noticed the sleek black Audi revving up towards her. Not until it was stopped in front of her.

Y/n’s hand rose the gun up to aim at the driver, deciding that taking the car was her best option at the point but she faltered as she realized who was staring down the barrel. His hand was raised in surrender as he opened the door across from him, other hand steadily on the wheel, bot flinching at the sound of bullets ricocheting off the exterior of his car. Everything in her past and all the training she had received told her this was a bad idea, that she could not possibly trust this man she had only meet moments ago at the bar. But as agents started to descend upon them at a faster rate, her options were limited and all it took was his sincere, “I’ve got you.” to get her to drop into the car. 

Her door was barely shut before he revved the engine and speed off, dust and debris flying up being the wheels, a rapid sound of bullets dinging as they drove away. It was then she noticed that the car was somehow bulletproof and her stomach fell at the idea that maybe Paul was more high level than she had thought. She clutched the briefcase to the side opposite of him just in case, hand on the door, ready to open it and roll out. A sudden outburst of laughter cause her to stop, looking over at him with concern. 

His face was lit up with a smile and his eyes crinkled as he let out his chuckle, “Well that’s not how I planned this day to go. What about you?” He looked over at her, smile still on his face. She didn’t know how to react; she had never see someone look so… so beautiful and naturally happy. His laugh was contagious and she found herself breaking out into a smile of its own volition. 

“Not exactly.” She replied in a small voice. She knew she needed to ask about his next play, next move, what he thought was about to happen. But she didn’t want to. Not yet, at least. For the first time in her life she was enjoying a wholesome moment, where, despite the circumstance, she felt connected to another human being for once in her very short life. 

-

Peter knew he needed to tell her that he was going to have to take that briefcase, that the world depended on it. But he couldn’t say anything just yet. He liked the way she smiled at him, how her eyes seemed to light up when they met his own. Despite his many infield successes, for the first time he felt that he had done something right. He had made his own decision for once, not based on what he thought the team would praise him for, but what he wanted to do. Peter didn’t regret his decision one bit, at least not in this moment. 

Camille’s silence gave him hope that she was trying to hold onto to this moment as well. He wasn’t sure of the destination, or what would happen next. All he knew was that he was going to continuing driving as far as he could, as long as she stayed right there in his passenger seat. 

“We need to get rid of this car.” She spoke quietly, looking out her passenger window. We, he thought looking between her and the road quickly. “They’ll try to track us down. I wasn’t able to… extinguish the target. He’s going to come after us.” She added, looking over at him. Hesitancy filled her eyes but he didn’t hesitate to agree. Even though Peter knew that this was going to end in one way, he decided that the right decision could wait just a little bit longer. 

“I know a buyer that will cash out enough for both of us to profit.” Peter spoke, not sure where this idea had come from but just fleeting enough to decide that it was his best option. She didn’t reply instantly; he had broken the veil that she had put over situation. Forgetting about what brought her into the car and the cold metal of the briefcase seeping through her dress on to her skin. 

“We can talk logistics later. Let’s… figure out how to lose our tail.” 

He nodded in agreement and while they sat in silence, their minds are screaming.

-

A night, turned into two days, and two days morphed into a week. 

She had never had a partner before, romantically or professionally. Yet, she adjusted to Paul’s presence rapidly and tried not to let that scare her too much. In the past, very little scared her. But the way her heart thumped when he smiled at her, frightened Y/n. It was all unrealistic, meeting him at a bar where they were both undercover - after the same prize. But she somehow found comfort in knowing that maybe his past was just as murky as her own. She began to trust him; feelings began to bloom in the most unlikely of circumstances. She felt free, untethered to her past. It was liberating, beautiful, and terrifying. 

They were at a gas station, filling up the car that Paul had hotwired only hours before - their 3rd car in their trek to no-where. She was grabbing snacks, finding out that he had a rather childish palette and also discovering that maybe she had grown to be too uptight for her age. Somehow, the scared look on the cashier’s face didn’t alert her. Y/n never noticed them reaching for the telephone, a picture of her face plastered on the television behind the counter. WANTED in big red letters. She didn’t notice until it was too late - until he was busting in the door, yelling for her. 

Instincts kicked in, she reached across the counter - grabbing the collar of the poor workingman and bashed his head in to the hard surface between them. Anger getting the best of her before she gathered as much of the junk food in her arms, dashing out behind Paul who looked shocked at her actions. She tried not to think about that too much. Sirens were getting closer and she could see the lights getting brighter. It felt as if it was taking him twice as long to get the engine started. Sparks flying for the stripped wires underneath the steering wheel as he desperately tried to get the car moving. She heard the bell of the station’s door ring - the telltale sound of a shotgun being loaded. 

“go go GO.” she screamed, in time with the sound of the engine bursting to life. His foot immediately in the gas, dust flying up behind them as he maneuvered the car unto the road again. Siren closer than ever - blue and red lighting up the darkened interior of the car. The shotgun rang, but missed. 

-

He was running from the police now. He was an Avenger, and he was running from the police. His moral compass was begging for him to stop this, but something in his heart told him to keep going. See how this played out, it would be worth it. He tried to remind himself of that. He managed to lose the police, and with directions from Camille, they found a new car and decided it would be best to turn in for the night. The sound of the shower was the only thing that filled the room as he sat at the edge of the bed. Phone in one hand, heart in the other, starting at his hazy reflection in the severely outdated boxed TV. 

He could call his team right now, and they would fix everything. It would be simple and quick, painless even. He had almost convinced himself to do it. The pros outweighed the cons and this would be the right thing to do. But the sound of the shower brought him back to the moment, his thoughts flooding with the idea of her. Her. The girl who had consumed his conscious for the past 9 days. The girl who he knew nothing about, but felt everything for. He could see the life and the world in her eyes. The girl who had him rethinking his choices, who he was as a person. He had gone against every single one of his morals, but had never felt more free.

He acted as if he wasn’t lying to himself. 

-

Her phone rang out a gentle tune just as she was about to get in the dingy motel shower. Hopes that the warm water would give her clarity on her next move. She couldn’t think straight in his presence. Never once had she formulated a plan that wouldn’t only benefit herself, but she found all her ideas ensured his safety - even if it meant risking her own. 

She didn’t say hello, only answers the blocked number and placed the phone to her ear. Eyes locked on her reflection in the mirror. The voice on the other end caused her pulse to ring in her ears. 

“I will find you.” The voice of her vengeful target hissed, “You’ve forgotten the power I have. The length of my reach. You will never be safe. I will get my property.”

She couldn’t think of a reply, the idea of letting Paul know was her first thought - but she immediately pushed that idea away as quickly as it came.

“Then make a deal.” She replied quietly, hoping the shower masked the sound of her voice. She knew she was in no place to bargain, but it wasn’t in her nature to turn over easily. 

A harsh laugh echoed through the receiver, “You will give me my property and I will consider letting you live.”

“You forget that you have no idea who I really am. The reach that I have. I could end you, no matter who you’ve poisoned with your money. Did you think I was like those other girls you like to parade on your arm? Oh, baby, I am the best and worst thing you’ll ever have. I could end you in seconds.” She hissed, letting all the pent-up emotions she had kept to herself unleash. “I’ve kept this going because I like this little jet-set Bonnie and Clyde thing that’s going on right now. It’s entertaining… but I get bored real easy. And the last thing you want me to do is get bored.”

He didn’t reply instantly. Sat there in silence, mind probably going wild trying to worm his way out of this one while she stood there confidently. Reflection smirking back at her as she waited for him to catch her bait. She couldn’t live up to any of those threats, but what he doesn’t know will make her rich. After a few more beats, a quiet and defeated, “What do you want?” came through. 

She smiled wickedly at her own success. “I want 1.2 million wired to an account in the Caribbean’s and 250k in cash at the drop off. You and I both know that I’m cutting you a deal.”  

And she was, really. The highest bidder, and the reason she was even in this mess, had offered 2.3 billion for the retrieval of the item. The small device had that much power and a small part of her, the part that she referred to as still being human, felt that maybe she should to turn over to the good guys. She imaged that those Avengers guys would know what to do with it.

But 1.4 million was more than enough for her to sit her ass on beach for a couple of years. She had a fleeting thought of asking him to join her. 

There was silence, as he thought over her demands. Neither of them wanted to budge, but he was the desperate one now. 

“I will send you a location and you will be there within 24 hours.” came the hoarse words from the other side of the line. She had ruined this man with only a few minutes of her time. It made her feel powerful.

“One last thing.” she tried to keep her voice from wavering, “My partner walks free.” 

-

“I didn’t call you to get a lecture. I called you get help.” Peter spoke quietly, standing outside the motel door. Eyes zeroed in on the slight crack he’d left open in the door to see when she came out of the shower. His heart was pounding and was regretting his choices in the past 4 minutes. 

“This is really bad kid.”

“Yeah, Steve. I know. But I- I don’t have an excuse, okay? I did what I did and now I need you to help me.” Peter was all but pleading, irritation growing in his veins. Why wouldn’t he just agree to help already? It wasn’t like Captain America was one to leave a friend in need. I mean look at what he did for Bucky all those years ago. He could easily help Peter out with this, why was Steve hesitating? 

“Who is she? Who does she work for?”

“None of that matters. Just know we’re leaving in the morning and I’ll tell you where- “

“You know I’m going to have to bring her in Peter. She’s a felon and-”

“And so am I as of 9 days ago.” Peter hissed back, defenses coming up to protect a girl he barely knew. He should’ve called Tony, he chided, listening closer into the room to make sure he hadn’t heard the shower turn off. He thought his enhanced ears could hear her talking, but it had only taken one night for him to realize she liked to softly hum in the shower. He couldn’t control his wide smile when he came across that little quirk. 

“You’re a kid and you make mist- “

“You’re lecturing again.” Peter deadpanned. 

Steve sighed, thumb and pointer finger pinching the bridge of his nose tight as he tried to sort this out in his mind. Thankfully no one knew exactly who Peter was, so if he made this quick and low-radar, then there would be little to no knowledge of Peter’s position as an accomplice. When Peter explained that he was with the girl who Steve had seen on the news, Steve suddenly felt his age kick in as his heart began beating out of his chest. What was the kid thinking? Of course, media and information systems didn’t know much about her, and even with recruiting Nat to get intel, still very little came up. But, there was just enough out there to know that she dealt the same services that Romanoff had once dealt herself. 

“Send me your location tomorrow. Nat and I will be on standby.” 

Peter felt the weight of the world on his shoulder fall off, his shoulder visibly slumping with relief. The shower turned off only seconds later. 

“Steve - one last thing.”

“Yeah, kid?”

“You’ve gotta let her go.” 

-

The gradual light coming through the cheap curtains woke her up first. The dusty room congesting her nose and making eyes itch. She turned over, noting that Peter was facing her - but still fast asleep. She had grown used to sharing a bed with him, she almost found… comfort in the heat that his body created under blankets. Keeping her usually cold feet warm for once. She peered at him, the sunlight behind him making his brown hair glow lighter. She wondered how crystal his eyes would look in sunlight. Not that she didn’t find his happy eyes already one of his best features. His face was relaxed and there was a small snore that resounded as his chest expanded with his breath. 

She used to find that annoying with the other men she had been with, but with him, she found it endearing and grounding as she tried to fall asleep herself. She was wrecked. Her world turned upside in a way she had never anticipated. She had no family, or friends. She didn’t have personal connections that kept her in one place. But his presence made her want to be still for once. To enjoy moments like the sunset or a good movie on TV, commercials and all. She was finding contentment in the simple things, things that often bored or disinterested her, and it scared her. 

His phone buzzed crossed the room and his eyes opened immediately with sound. She noticed that he had an ability to react before her, see things she couldn’t quite, and even pick out some noises she had never noticed. He heard sirens several moments before her hears could even try to pick up a sound. She figured that’s why whoever worked for chose him, despite his lack of experience, for the job. Y/n didn’t try to play off that she wasn’t looking at him, opting to give him a small smile and continue to study his face. She couldn’t read his emotions, but she could tell he was in deep thought, despite having only woken moments before. A small crease between his eyebrows. 

It wasn’t until she noticed him subtly shifting closer to her that she pinned where exactly his thought might be. For the first time, she felt nervous about someone kissing her. Heart thumping as he neared, his eyes darting across her face to try and detect any hesitation. There was none on her features and she wasn’t opposed to the idea, but all these feelings she had felt, and tried to push away. She wasn’t sure what a kiss would mean to them. Y/n made no effort to stop him, even moving closer as well, hoping that he would take the move. Because for the first time in her life, she let someone else make the decision. 

His nose nudged against hers gently, her eyes falling shut at the soft caress. She felt his thumb at her chin, tilting her head up slightly before placing his lips against her own. It was soft, and sweet, and gentle. A kiss she had never experienced before, one that made her chest feel hallow and full at all at once. That made her hands tremble and body calm. He continued to kiss her like she was fragile, and even thought she was the farthest thing from it, Y/n enjoyed being treated that way, cared for that way. Her hands came up to his neck, pulling her body closer to his, legs intertwining. Neither of them had the intention of going further, this felt more intimate than any other experience either of them had ever had. 

-

Camille pulled away from him with a gasp, his eyes opened to find hers still closed, taking in the moment. Something about the way she looked that morning, peaceful, controlled, had all those emotions he had been pushing away come back into reality. He was nervous she would reject him, which he had experience more than enough of in his lifetime. But she didn’t falter as he moved closer and it gave him all the confidence in the world. Neither of them spoke, even after she opened her eyes to look back them. Voices trapped somewhere between their heart and mouth, unsure what to say, but wanting to say everything all at once.

His phone went off again, jolting him back to reality. Back to the realization that more existed outside of this dingy motel room and this moment with her. The weight of it on his shoulders once again, he only hoped she didn’t noticed the change in him. He gently rubbed his thumb across her bottom lip, before forcing himself to move away. She didn’t say anything, only moved to get up as well. The air in the room felt still, calm but at the same time a tinge of something that could build up to tension. Peter felt content in himself and with her, but everything beyond that door, that is what made him anxious and unsure. 

Little is spoken between them as they gather their things, Peter saying that they need to get a move on. She follows along, neither agreeing or protesting. He wondered vaguely about her lack of communication. The past few days she had spoken up about his decisions, particularly those she disagreed on, but always let him know her thoughts. The radio silence worried him slightly, but he tried to push that way. There were much bigger things for him to worry about.

- 

Y/n received the drop-off location about the same time that Peter got up to answer his own phone. It was a nicer hotel that had amenities like a bar and indoor pool. She rolled her eyes, of course the target would choose a location with a high rate of witnesses. She had wanted as little fallout as she could get, this was going to be a little more difficult that she had anticipated. Peter’s voice saying that they should probably get going brought her back into the room. Her thoughts still clouded her brain, strategies, exit points, things she often had a few days to prepare for, swimming around her head. She complied, not saying anything. Only stuffing her few things into duffel bag, they stole from a gas station a few days back and followed him out of the door. 

The had been on the road for 5 hours now, when she decided to speak up. “I think I found a good hotel for us to stop at?” She flashed him her phone briefly, just enough for him to glance at before looking back at the road. One hand firmly on the wheel, the other on the gear shift. She briefly thought back to first time their stolen ride wasn’t an automatic and Peter became flustered behind the wheel, hands shifting sporadically everywhere, eyes darting about because it had been 10 minutes since they broke in and they still hadn’t drove away. She had been able to control her laughter just enough to direct him in out to get the car moving without flooding the engine, and proceeded to give him tips as he tore out of the parking lot. Peter was still red faced for 3 hours after. He looked almost proficient driving now, shifting gears smoothly and precise. Her eyes trailed over him, shamelessly checking him out before turning back to her phone.

Peter pretended not to notice, but a small smirk graced his lips despite it. She pretended not to notice.

“That looks a bit expensive.” He muttered. 

She tried to stay nonchalant, if she showed a desperation to stay there - it might tip him off. “I think we deserve a nice bed and a bath in a hotel that’s actually clean for a night, don’t you?” She turned on her charm, as guilty as it made her feel. Never once had she manipulated him in the time they spent together since the Gala. It made her heart break to see him react like she wanted him to as she trailed her nails lightly up the forearm resting on the console between them. 

He audibly gulped, “Y-yeah. I guess you’re right.” 

She had to look out her window to hid the frown that fell on her lips. For once she felt guilty in doing her job, for once she felt dirty. He deserved more than coy smiles and deceit. He was making her soft, and she couldn’t tell if she hated it or loved it.

-

They made it to the drop site with 2 hours to spare, it was earlier than Y/n had expected but she became grateful at seeing just how busy this hotel was. She needed to strategize and it didn’t help that the lady at the front desk told them they’d have to wait another hour before their room was ready.

“Please enjoy our bar. One complimentary drink on us for your wait.” 

Y/n could practically feel the anxiety radiating off Peter as they sat themselves at the bar. The irony of it didn’t go unnoticed to her. Even more so when Peter passed the drink voucher to the bartender and ordered an old fashioned. She smiled at him and laughed lightly, looking at her with an emotion that made her stomach flutter. She went to say something, but her phone vibrated in her jacket pocket. She excused herself to the bathroom, pausing for a moment to take him in. The way his curly hair framed his face, particularly that one curl that always stayed in his face. The way his brows scrunched as he concentrated on the TV across from them. The way his mouth looked as he took a drink of the old fashion. She wanted to remember him like this, not the face of disappointment and betrayal that he would have by the end of this. 

She was hoping, praying, everything and above, that this would be last time she would see him. Before she could stop herself, she gently grabbed his chin after he set the drink down, turning his face to hers. She had caught off-guard, his eyebrows furrowing with concern as he noticed the inevitable look on her face. She tried to hide it, but she knew she was failing. She gave him a small smile in attempt to soothe his thoughts. She pulled him close, placing a gentle kiss on his lips, then his cheek before pulling away. 

��Don’t wait for me.” She whispered, before getting up to leave. 

He laughed lightly, slightly confused but called after her that he’ll find her when the room is ready. She didn’t reply, but kept walking. Tears in her eyes and throat and chest constricted as she kept a sob locked down. 

-

Peter watches her walk away, noting that he steps look heavier than usual. Concern enters his mind but doesn’t have time to linger as his phone goes off on the bar infant of him. It’s Steve, saying their arrival is less than 5 minutes. He’s grateful that she’s not here, meaning he sneak out with the briefcase that holds the device. He hoped he would be able to see her one more time before he had to leave, but he doubted that would happen. He was lost in his thoughts of her when gun fire deafened his heightened hearing. He reached for his ears before jumping into action. People in the lobby were scattering. 

Gun fire was going off from two ends of the hotel. Peter recognized the uniforms of some, others looked like civilians carrying military grade weapons. It was a set up. Peter panicked, calling out for Camille and attempting to go in her direction. A firm hand stopped him,

“Where’s the device?” Steve’s voice was firm, but there was a relief sound to it. The kid had made it out unscathed and even though shit was hitting the fan, Peter wasn’t in the crosshairs. Peter spun to wear the briefcase had been tucked at his feet at the bar, but faltered when he realized it was gone. He paled, trying to retrace everything. His eyes fell on Steve when he realized… “Where’d she go?” The relief in Steve’s was gone, his face was hard and he was now in mission mode. Peter fumbled but couldn’t make words. How could she? Why would she? Is the reason that-? Steve didn’t wait for an answer, pushing Peter of the way so he could set off on tearing the place apart to find her. Peter knew he wouldn’t though. 

Chaos was erupting around him, but all he could do was sit back down at the bar. Defeated, hopeless, lost. He reached for the old fashion and downed in one go. 

Another hand on placed itself on his shoulder and Peter spun around to get ready to argue with Steve, but stopped in place.

“You’ve got a lot of explaining to do, Paul.” the mask of the Iron Man suit lifting away to reveal a tired and irritated Tony. 

“How’d you- Did Steve?”

Tony started fiddling with a blueprint of the hotel, heat signature popping up and showing a crowded room on the 8th floor. “Your girlfriend called.” Was all he said before jetting off in the direction of 803, what was to be his and Camille’s bedroom. 

-

It happened all too fast. Before Y/n knew it, guns were going off and she was fighting 10 men on her own. She took down the target in one movement, leaving him bleeding on the floor and his men scattering for revenge. What she wasn’t aware of was the onslaught of S.H.I.E.L.D. tactical teams barging in on the place. She had called Stark Industries, at their last gas station stop. Leaving a voicemail with a very concerned lady that detailed what was about to down, telling them that no matter what - her accomplice had nothing to do with anything and he knew nothing. 

Y/n knew not to trust the target, and knew that she couldn’t return this device to him. She kind of liked this stupid planet she lived on, and didn’t want to see it’s destruction in her time. She only hoped that the Avengers would go easy on Paul. She had to leave him there to get away herself. And that left knots in her stomach but traitors like them never win. She managed to grab the money bag and, just as an explosion happened at the hotel door, shoot out the window of the room. Escaping just as Tony and Steve, equally surprised to see the other’s presence, enter the room to see the men she had taken out. 

-

It took Peter a moment for his brain to catch up with his body as he darted after Tony. His stealth suit coming in handy underneath his clothes. It didn’t take him long to catch up, but he was frozen in place as soon as he arrived. The room was trashed, bodies lying across the floor. Tony and Steve stood beside the bed, the briefcase Peter recognized that was supposed to have the device between them, opened. They looked at him, waiting for his move. 

Peter stepped up to the bed to find the device still safely tucked away, a note taped to it. 

“I’m sorry” scrawled in quick but neat letters. 

Tony nor Steve spoke as Steve gathered the suitcase, closing it, and then putting it their own protection case. They left, Tony gently patting Peter as he stood there, staring at the note in his hand. 

[michealanddavidprojects]

Il tuo cantante 2/ ?

Hello again!! I’m really happy to know you guys liked the first part 🖤. I think I will post it on my ao3 account too. So here is part two, I hope you all enjoy your reading, and sorry again for any misspellings.

Chapter 2 - Out

Aro was there. Right in front of him, on the first row, watching his movements with those hungry red eyes. It hadn't been hard to notice him there, not really, that pale face, his cute nose, his too dark hair, but tonight it was short a nice modern cut or perhaps it was his black suit or just because Peter had memorized every detail of that face. It felt so good being watched so closely by the other, he could feel every hair on his body standing in attention hyper aware of that gaze upon him, he had the feeling that if he looked too much at Aro he would end up succumbing to those red eyes and doing whatever the other wanted him to. What in the fucking hell was he thinking? Aro was a vampire, a fucking vampire and he hated them with all his heart. He really hated them . The Volturi were bloodthirsty creatures, they had huge parties for the only purpose of killing humans and Peter wanted nothing to do with him. Even though said bloodthirsty creature was the main star of Peter´s most indecent dreams, curiously said dreams usually involved the vampire's mouth around his throat, burying his teeth in his flesh and he just let himself go, throwing his arms around Aro´s neck, entwining his fingers in his black hair and letting himself be driven by the sensation of Aro's firm arms around his body, the sensation of cold lips his on him hot skin causing him to whimper. Peter shuddered, blaming the air conditioner of the theatre and not his reverie with the vampire.

Hypnotize the security guard at the door of the young magician's dressing room had been easy, he turned the doorknob and stepped in, the young man's scent all over the place filling his senses, making him feel dizzy and more of that sweet poison be produced in his mouth. Aro walked around the room looking for his human soon realizing he was in the bathroom changing, he sat on the black leather sofa and crossed his legs as if he had been kindly invited and had not just invaded the dressing room. Peter came out of the bathroom sometime later, wearing tight pants and a loose button-down all-black shirt, he was prettier without the wig he presented himself and didn't seem surprised to see him sitting there like they were old friends.

"Out," Peter said, leaning against the make-up counter the white lights around him. Their images reflected on mirror behind Peter.

"I don't think I introduced myself ...." Aro started with a cheerful smile, the young magician clicked his tongue and crossed his arms in front of his chest, showing a little more of skin, the vampire's eyes leaving his face for a few seconds to travel to that path of skin. Peter would never admit that he was just leaning against the make-up counter because his legs were too weak to walk, that his heart was in his mouth and everything in his body screamed to him to go to Aro and curl up in him, kiss his red lips and ask for things Peter didn't have the heart to say out loud that would most likely kill him.

He would deny to the end that those red eyes were making goose bumps rise in his flesh in a pleasurable way, that his hands trembled with desire to touch that very pale cheek, that he wanted to see the other's fangs up close, to be able to touch and even feel them while they were kissing, but Peter would never give voice to those mad thoughts and feelings.

- I know who you are and that's why I said: Out of here - Aro smiled, a loopsided smile getting up from the couch, staring at Peter intently, gluing him on place – Don´t get any closer , or I'll attack you ! - Peter said loudly, taking the first thing that was within reach which happened to be a can of hair spray, the vampire laughed softly reaching for him taking the hairspray can from his hands gently holding his clammy hands between his cold ones.

"Don't be silly, tesoro" the bastard said with a smug smile. Peter lowered his eyes for a few seconds to watch his lips hearing a low chuckle. "My eyes are up here, Peter."

“How do you know my name, bastard ?” Peter gasped almost without strength

Aro felt dizzy as he took Peter's hands, his daydreams coming in clear, vivid flashes making the vampire shiver all over his body and those whispers invading his mind again. Do you see ? I´m yours. He wouldn't need much to get at Peter´s heart, although he denied it Peter always had feelings for him. It was right there underneath of that pose and denial. But Peter hid his true feelings because of his hatred for everything the vampire was. For the little the vampire had seen he didn’t blamed peter from hating his species. Aro pressed his forehead to Peter's, feeling him practically melt in his arms.

"What are you doing to me ? You are hypnotizing me " The magician asked his voice above a whisper eyes locked with Aro´s. Aro could feel that Peter was making excuses for two reasons: Aro would never hypnotize anyone to kiss him. That was just disgusting to think about. Everything in him was made to be seductive.

“Am I ?”

“Of course you are…I would never want to kiss something dead like you…” The vampire chuckled again and whispered on his lips :

“Poveretto” Then with that Aro kissed him, one hand on the base of his back and the other on his neck. Aro's mouth was cold, it was expected, Peter didn't expect the soft texture and his touch on his waist was so gentle barely there. in his fantasies with Aro the vampire held him more firmly, really held him to himself, flushing their bodies together. Not that barely there touch. The vampire seemed to want to devour him with that kiss and the kiss was making his legs weaker and his body extra sensitive, he would not mind if the vampire took him in his arms and fled them to some luxurious hotel room. To Peter´s sadness it had been a short kiss which ended with a bite on his lower lip, when Peter opened his eyes and noticed the position he was in, his body against Aro's their faces close, the magician gathered the rest of his strength and punched the vampire´s shoulder who seemed very amused by the action.

"You …" the magician said, fake anger in his voice trying to pull his body out of that hug and failing, his body would not obey him and he knew the other was not hypnotizing him. Peter did not want to leave the vampires’ arms. The vampire took his hand kissing the back of it.

“Did you liked the kiss ?”

"Of course not ... Why woul- ?" He was interrupted by the vampire's mouth on his again, this time he was sitting on Aro's lap, on one of his knees, somehow they had ended up on the couch it impossible not to moan when cold fingers touched Peter´s hip under his shirt, it was almost a ghostly touch, it was barely there touch again and it frustrated him, frustrating him spending so much time dreaming about that touch and not having it completely, gently Aro's mouth went down his jaw tracing his skin with open mouthed kisses, down his throat, on his Adam pome, grazing his teeth, drawing imaginary circles on his sides . When Aro's cold lips touched his jugular it was, when the magician seemed to realize what was actually happening Peter froze. His parents were killed by someone like Aro, and here he is, forgetting about it and having pleasure in the arms of a damned man, who killed for sport without even thinking twice about the lives he was taking and his parents had been one of those lives. Obviously Aro wasn't responsible for their death but he was no better than Jerry. Aro killed without thinking. Luxury suits and seductive red eyes would not make him forget that, not even the memory of those hands on his skin, nor those touches that seemed to burn and his body seeming to beg for more. Peter slid off Aro's lap and took a little breath. He needed a bottle of cheap whiskey. Damn it ! He needed to go to Scotland to drink a whole barrel.

"You fucking pervert, get out of here or I'll stick a stake in your heart..." The ragged breath, the swollen lips and the messy hair made did not made his words sound like a real threat. Aro blinked “Out”. The vampire approached him again and kissed him lightly and said before disappearing :

“See you soon, tesoro”

[hollandsmushroom]

Oof okay from that prompt list 42, 44, 35. Smut pls. Maybe like friends to lovers?

42. “Holy fuck,”, 44. “Not here, there are people everywhere,”, 35. “Please baby, its all I want,”

Side note I love your blog so much!!

Warnings: Smut and unprotected sex

Let me know what you think!

Request something or use this Prompt List

If you don’t like it ask again and I would be more than happy to re-write it for you!

You sat on the couch in the living room of Ashton’s house, a party roaring around you, Cal had told you to come, you being his best friend you obliged, though it had been begrudgingly. Cal was heading to the party early to help Ashton set up so he had yet to see the outfit you had picked out. You had caught sight of him as soon as you had walked into the party but decided not to talk to him seeing as he seemed to be chatting up a girl, just seeing that sent a pang of jealousy through your heart that tried your best to ignore for the sake of your friendship and your heart. You had spent so much time of your friendship trying to suppress the feelings that your heart carried for Cal, but much to your dismay they remained there, and as prominent as ever. 

Deciding you had had just about enough of the whole ‘watching the man you have feelings for chat up another girl’ thing you pushed yourself off of the couch to get yourself a much needed drink, maybe many to drown out your attachment to a man you believed you couldn’t have. The kitchen was packed but you managed to squeeze your way through the crowd and reach the alcohol, a relatively handsome man stood by the table of liquor, he seemed to be serving as a sort of bartender, which if you were being honest the party really needed because everyone was reaching levels of sloppy drunkeness. You approached the table, surveying your options and deciding on some strongly flavored vodka that you could drink lots of without having to deal with the taste of alcohol. Just as you were about to down the shot the substitute bartender spoke.

“What’s a lady like you doing drinking alone?” he inquired

‘I am drinking alone because the man I am head over heels for invited me here but when I arrived he was too busy trying to get into another girls pants to notice my presence, that answers you questions of why am I drinking and why am I alone,’ you thought to yourself be thinking it better to not say that you came up with a also very true reason.

“I wanted a drink and I came alone,” you explained before taking a large drink of the almost sickeningly sweet liquor. 

“I can’t fix the fact that you came here alone but I can fix you leaving alone,” the man suggested cockily, his words and the taste in your mouth almost made you gag but before you could you heard a very familiar voice behind you.

“Holy fuck,” you spun around, meeting the eyes of Calum who seemed to be devouring your appearance in the skin tight black dress whole.

“Oh, hey Cal,” you nonchalantly spoke

“Hey Y/n,” his eyes had left you and were trained on the man that had moments before been hitting on you. 

“Cal,” you waved a hand in front of his face, “You okay?” 

He shook his head, snapping out of his admittedly very jealous haze, if only you could see just how much he wanted too make you his, maybe tonight he would show you.

“Yeah, yeah, I am fine, wanna go sit and chat?” he offered, gesturing towards the patio, which was slightly less crowded, with his thumb.

“Sure,” with that you left the confused bartender and exited the house through the wide open sliding glass doors. The both of you sat on facing adirondack chairs. 

You took a long sip of your drink, looking at Cal before licking your lips and speaking.

“So, Cal, what did ya wanna talk about?”

“Are you gonna go home with that guy,” Cal gestured behind him in the direction of the faux bartender. You were taken aback to say the least.

“I was thinking about it, I mean he was cute, why?”

“What if I can convince you not to,” Cal reached out a hand and ran it up your thigh sending shivers down your spine.

“Aren’t you gonna go home with the girl you were talking to earlier,” Cal tucked his chin indignantly back into his neck at you suggestion as though it were so preposterous.

“Why would I go home with her when I have all I want in front of me,” your heart skipped a beat at his words before coming back to earth with the realization that this was probably some drunken ramblings of your best friend.

“You’re just saying that cause you’re drunk and horny and that other girl ran of to some one else,” you spat, pushing Cals hand off of your leg and standing up, as you were about to walk away you felt a light grasp on your wrist causing you to turn back and face Cal.

“No, no I am not, I am not even drunk. I saw you talking to that guy and I heard him suggest you go home with him and I realized that I can’t watch you leave with someone else or without me  another night, because this,” he gestured between the two of you, “Please baby, its all I want,” This time you could have sworn his words caused heart palpitations.

“You’re not just saying that?” you questioned 

“No, I am not, I want this to happen,” he spoke sincerely

“Prove it,” you jested, a cheeky grin spread across his cheeks as he pulled you onto his lap, your legs being placed on either side of him so you were straddling his thighs.

“Happily,” he spoke before pressing his lips to yours in a heated kiss, his hands running up and down your thighs as the passion you poured into each other increased. Soon you felt his hands slip under your dress and start towards your crotch causing you to pull back from his lips and look around at the still in full swing party that was taking place around you, before looking back into his brown orbs.

“Not here, there are people everywhere,” 

“As you wish,” he spoke starting to make moves to get up, “But you have to walk in front of me to ya know, save me some embarrassment,” 

“Anything for you, Cal,” and the two of you began walking, Cal had his hands on your waist as he walked pressed up against your but, you could feel his hard on through his pants. The two of you made it to the guest room of Ashton’s house, and as soon as the door closed behind the two of you, Cals lips were back against yours, your back pressed up against the door, his hands roaming your body before settling on your butt,  giving it a quick squeeze.

“Jump,” he demanded and you complied, jumping up and wrapping your legs around his waist, his lips left yours as they moved down to roam your neck and your cleavage, sucking marks as he went. He was quick to find your sweet spot and begin to start harshly sucking on the sensitive flesh, you threw your head back in pleasure, a moan ripping from your throat.

“I need to be inside you,” he mumbled into the skin of your neck, pushing the both of you off of the wall and making his way to the bed, laying you down on it as he shimmied his pants off, you rid yourself of your panties and he hiked up your skirt to above your naval, leaving the both of you nude from the waist down.

“Fuck, do you have a condom?” he cried exasperatedly 

“Baby, I am on the pill, go for it,” you offered and boy did he comply. After the words that assured him he didn’t need a condom left your mouth he was quick to line him self at your entrance, looking up into your eyes asking for one last assurance of permission.

“Go ahead, Cal,” you granted him, a grin on your cheeks, and with that he was in you, ramming his hips into yours as he reached a hand to your clit to increase you pleasure, with in moments the both of you were moaning messes. The pace of his thrusts and the movement of his fingers made it impossible to not almost immediately feel the building of your orgasm in the pit of your stomach.

“Cal, I am so fucking close,” you cried, dragging your nails down his back and wrapping your legs around his waist.

“Oh fuck, so am I, Y/n,” he cried in response, the pace of his hips increasing as he felt your walls clench around him. 

“Cal, Oh fuck Cal, I am cumming,” you moaned out as your back arched and you released around him, the feeling of the pulse in your walls caused him to fall into his orgasm, the pace of his hips stuttering as he came down from his high. 

He rolled off of you and landed on the bed beside you, the both of you catching your breath before you broke the silence, rolling over to face him.

“You meant what you said earlier, right, that you have feelings for me, in a romantic capacity,” you asked, still nervous to hear the answer. He reached out and brushed some hair from your face.

“I meant it from the bottom of my heart,” he grinned, you returned the smile before sitting up and pulling down your dress as Cal shimmied his boxers and pants back on. You were searching the room for your underpants when Cal interrupted you.

“Looking for these?” he asked, holding out your panties

“Yes! Thank you!” you exclaimed, reaching out for them, only to have them snatched away from reach.

“I think I will keep them as a souvenir,” Cal spoke shoving them in his pocket before grabbing your hand and walking out to the party.

Taglist

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[booklovingturtle]

Jurdan’s First Time

This will have some angst bc my biggest weakness is angsty Jurdan. Of course, baby Cardan being in love with Jude but it’s from her pov. It doesn’t rely on much that happened in TWK except Chapter 15 and a few other events that are referenced. It’s a little on the long side bc I couldn’t help myself.

It was almost 3am when I got the idea for this fic and unfortunately, I had to go to bed semi-early (as in before 5am) so I couldn’t write it. Literally, the first thing that I did was go to my computer and write it the next day.

Jude had barely finished strapping hidden weapons to her body when one of Cardan’s guards arrived at her door.

Jude had barely finished strapping hidden weapons to her body when one of Cardan’s guards arrived at her door.

“The King is in need of you,” he said gruffly.

“What exactly does he need?” she demanded though she doubted the guard had any idea.

“He did not say. I’m to escort you to his chambers immediately.”

Jude rolled her eyes. Her command stated that he could never deny her an audience, not the other way around. Still, as his seneschal, it was expected of her to bend to some of his demands. 

With that in mind accompanied by a weary sigh, Jude followed the guard to Eldred’s old suite. The corridors that led from her room to his were empty as every soul in the palace scurried to prepare for Locke’s newest idea. The two guards posted at the entrance of his hallway eyed her. 

Jude’s attire was one from the human world graciously sent to her from Vivi. Apparently, she had seen it in a mall and deemed it perfect for her younger sister. Jude wasn’t sure what to make of the outfit at first so it sat in her armoire, mostly buried under other dark strips of clothing. At least until Locke announced that the court would celebrate the goddess of chess for the first time. The Festival of Caïssa, he exclaimed while explaining the idea to Cardan, presented the perfect chance for Jude to don the black jumpsuit. 

“Jumpsuit” was what Vivi had called it in the note that was attached to satin box it laid in.  The pants hugged her legs and were made of a shimmering, charcoal fabric but the rest was cut from onyx cloth. The neckline plunged in a v-shape that reached her navel. Her hips were hugged by a silver black belt. The back of the jumpsuit was covered thanks to the cape that draped over her arms with a slit down the center to act as sleeves. A silver black circlet rested on top of the soft waves of her hair like a mock crown, matching the belt.

Locke had sent everyone invitations covered in the checked pattern of a chess board with the name of the piece they were to dress as. Jude had opened it expecting to see pawn or some other minor piece in scarlet ink. Instead, she found, “Only one title suits our Queen of Mirth living under the darkness of deceit”. Jude threw the invitation in the burning hearth but dressed as he asked. A dark queen.

The ball had yet to start so it was no surprise the guards in front of his room were giving her the same confused look like the ones posted farther back. No one knew her role was to play the queen who opposed Cardan's white King.

After one solid knock at his door, Cardan swung open the entrance to his room. There was a mischievous grin on his face but his eyes didn’t seem as jovial. One look at Jude and he called out to the guards behind her.

“No one is to get past the foyer. I don’t care who they are or what happened. Keep them in the Tower if you must but I do not want to see anyone’s face until I open this door,” Cardan left no room to question and slammed the door behind Jude.

The king had yet to dress for the party. However, it was obvious by the state of his room that he was in the process of picking another ridiculous costume for himself. The room that served as his closet had the doors wide open with clothes spilling out. At his desk was a scattering of what looked like drawings of different ideas.

“Cardan, I was in the middle of getting ready for ‘The Festival of Caïssa’,” she mocked Locke’s embellished voice. “What do you want?” Jude kept her words from showing the annoyance she felt at being summoned but her eyes were narrowed. 

He didn’t answer. The look he had worn in front of the guards was replaced by a ravenous one. His ebony eyes ran down the length of her body. Cardan was standing a few feet away from her but the way he was staring at her made Jude feel like there wasn’t enough space between them.

She became very aware of the fact that they were alone. In his bedroom. A flurry of memories filled her thoughts. Cardan's attentive fingers, his playful lips, the way he made her come apart beneath him.

A flush burned her skin and she knew he could see it work its way from her cheeks all the way to her exposed chest. Jude’s breath caught in her throat when he brought those wandering eyes to hers. Cardan wasn't even trying to hide the undiluted desire he felt and she hated him for it.

“I wanted your help to toy with Locke...but that doesn’t seem even half as important as the problem I seem to be having right now,” his voice had dropped and the darkness in it ran a shiver down her spine.

“Why would you want to do that? I thought Locke was your beloved Master of Stupid Parties.” Jude tried to sound normal, crossing her arms to hide as much of her exposed skin as possible.

“Only as long his parties keep me entertained. I was sure that Locke had made you a pawn but now I see that he has crowned you. Pity for him we won’t be attending his ball.”

“You won’t?”

“I believe I said we, Jude, dear.” Cardan stepped close enough that Jude had to look up at him to meet his gaze.

“Oh? We won’t? Why is that?” All of Jude’s focus was on keeping her desire at bay so she couldn’t think of anything clever to respond with. 

Cardan cocked an eyebrow. “I think that we’ll be a little too busy in here.”

Jude didn’t have time to respond because suddenly his hands were on her waist and his mouth was on hers. This kiss was different from the ones they had shared before. The first time they’d kissed it was about winning. Jude had kissed him to punish him. To make him feel like she did every day of her life as a human in his world. The second, third, and every kiss that they shared during their brief encounter had been full of lust but laced with guilt. This was nothing like that. This was all tentative hands and careful but meaningful pecks. She didn’t push him away so his hands held her more firmly. Cardan kissed her so hard that she could taste the passion with every brush of his lips.

Lightning exploded in her veins making it impossible to cower all the indecent thoughts she’d been hiding. Cardan’s hands moved from her waist to the inside of her open jumpsuit. His fingers curled around her hips. In response, her back arched and a moan escaped her.

Any semblance of nervousness snapped between them. Jude felt like she had when they had forced her to eat the fae fruit. Her body was moving but her mind was somewhere else. Nothing she did right now would have any consequences simply because it was what she wanted to do. It was dangerous, heady feelings but it didn’t stop her from leaning into his touch. 

His hair curled beneath her fingers when she pulled slightly. She felt Cardan’s groan vibrate against the exposed part of her chest. His hands traveled up her body to tease her. Every gentle tug left her panting enough that she struggled to get enough air in her lungs. He moved from her mouth to leave open-mouthed kisses against her neck.

“How does it come off?” Cardan said against her skin

Jude shifted so she could unhook the belt from behind her as well as the buttons at her neck. The fabric fell below her waist and he moved to replace his hands with his tongue and lips. She undid the weapons belt strapped to her waist. It fell with a loud thunk. Cardan seemed unfazed by the daggers tosses beside them while his attention was focused on driving her mad. Jude bit her lip and fought against her voice.

“They can’t hear you,” Cardan lifted his eyes to hers. His pupils swallowed his dark eyes and even he had a blush working its way to his high cheekbones. “I don’t want you to hold back. I don’t plan on it.”

“Is that so?” Jude’s temper flared. Deciding to test his boastful remark. She undid the first few buttons of his navy doublet to reveal some of his bare chest. Pushing him backward, she ignored the chuckle of surprise that bubbled from him. His knees hit the bed and with one final shove, Cardan went down, Jude straddling him.

She had no idea what to do so she let her hands wander on their own. They started at his chest, feeling the grooves of his lean muscles and scratching lightly here and there. Cardan hissed beneath her, head going back. She kissed the sharp corner of his jaw. When her hands reached the top of his trousers, Jude wasted no time to slip under his belt. Cardan jerked beneath her and gasped against her shoulder.

“I don’t want you to hold back,” she whispered in his ear and pulled gently with her teeth. Taking her time, Jude followed the path her hands had traced with her mouth. Cardan was writhing beneath her but still wasn’t as loud as he had promised.

“I believe you said that you wouldn’t hold back,” Jude said a little forceful. The demanding tone was apparently all Cardan needed to groan her name. She had finally reached her hands when he yanked her back up to meet him. “Patience, Jude.” Cardan moved with a speed only a fae could possess. She was flipped beneath him and he was tugging at the jumpsuit to reveal her bottom. “We go as far as you say.”

Jude thought about the way he made her feel last time. How it felt for him to touch her in ways no one ever has. She could only imagine what it would feel like if they went farther.

“I have no desire to stop if you don’t,” she spoke quietly. She hated how small she felt laying beneath him. Right now, she felt every bit the weak human she was as she asked him to keep going.

Cardan watched her bit her lip, the only sign of nerves she would be willing to show. He looked ready to argue but Jude caught his lips with hers. She opened herself up to allow him to fall between her legs. Her hands were back in his hair, trying to pull him impossibly closer. Cardan inhaled sharply at the slow rocking of her hips. 

“I need to hear you say that you want this. That you want me,” he spoke so quietly that Jude almost thought she imagined it.

Meeting his intense gaze with her own nervous one was too difficult so she didn’t. Instead, she focused on his black curls. 

“I want you, Cardan.”

She felt hind shudder above her. Cardan gave her a searing kiss. Finally, he used his hands to ease some of the building tension in Jude’s body.

Cardan brought her the very edge of insanity. Building her up, then pulling back just before she was ready. First with his fingers and then with his lips. When the moment finally came, Jude couldn’t stop the way her body tensed in anticipation. Cardan saw the fear in her eyes and froze. She nodded, asking him to keep going. Slowly, Cardan eliminated all the space between them. Jude’s gasp turned into a moan. Cardan’s own breath came out shaky as he moved. Words left Jude as she dug her nails into his back. Cardan was careful with every move he made but the trembling his arms alerted her to the effort he was putting in.

“You said that you didn’t plan on holding back,” she said huskily. “So don’t.” His muscles were tense but he obeyed her. It became impossible to think about anything other than him as Cardan set a steady pace. His head was buried in the crook of her neck and she could feel the way he whispered her name. He said it almost like a prayer. He was asking her for something but as her body heated up, it became impaired to hear anything over the sound of her heartbeat. Jude cried out his name as pleasure consumed her. 

Later, when Jude was trying not to think about this, she would remember the way he'd said her name or he’d clung to her in the final moments. It didn’t matter how many stars cluttered the sky or how the light of dusk kaleidoscoped in the sky, nothing could ever be as beautiful as Cardan was in their final moments. All the cruelty left his face, leaving it vulnerable and impossible to ignore the glow in his eyes.

She laid beneath him, trying desperately to still the erratic pounding of her heart and even out her breaths. Cardan had moved his weight off of her and was balancing on his elbows but stayed hovering above her.

He surprised her again by kissing her deeply. One hand was still tangled in the knot of her hair.

“I can’t do this, Jude.” He spoke against her lips. “I can’t pretend that this didn’t happen.”

She felt like she was drunk. Drunk off of him and the aftershock of what they’d done.

“Please, Jude,” a begging tone slipped into his voice.

Jude couldn’t think. Not while he was still touching her. Not as she became aware of how exposed both of them were. She sat up, grateful that he didn’t fight her. Cardan was watching her with a stricken look on his face as she brought the blanket up to cover herself.

“What do you want from me, Cardan?”

He knelt before her, completely unfazed by his own nakedness. “I-I thought that I could-that we could be together and that I could let you go if that’s what you wanted. I thought that I just had to get you out of my system for good. But after what just happened, Jude, what we just did-”

“No,” Jude interrupted him. “Don’t do this. Don’t say that.”

Tears burned her eyes. Jude felt stupid for letting this happen. For leading him on like that. She had suspected for some time now that Cardan’s feelings for her were more than just carnal yet she still allowed this happen. As for her feelings. Well, Jude refuses to entertain that idea of them running deeper than release.

It should be so easy for her to say no. To lie. But as she heard him call out to her one last time, realized that she didn’t even have it in her to lie. She turned away before he could see a tear slide down her cheek. Mustering all the pride she could, Jude left his quarters and ignored the knowing stares of his guards.

[fly-pow-bye]

DuckTales 2017 – “Friendship Hates Magic!”

Story by: Francisco Angones, Madison Bateman, Colleen Evanson, Christian Magalhaes, Bob Snow, Rachel Vine

Written by: Rachel Vine

Storyboard by: Stephanie Gonzaga, Victoria Harris, Vaughn Tada, Brandon Warren

Directed by: Matthew Humphreys

No ponies here, headless or otherwise.

While we've seen a conclusion of at least one part of the Della plot, one other little thing from the season finale hasn't really been elaborated on outside of the occasional mention of Magica De Spell. Specifically: while we know whatever happened to Della Duck, and have a clue on whatever happened to Donald Duck, we never really found out whatever happened to Lena since she became Webby's shadow. Needless to say, it's a long story.

This is the episode where that plot continues. I will say this: Lena plots don't have good track records with me. I liked Jaw$, and The Shadow War was great, too, which was pretty much a foregone conclusion since it was the season finale. However, there's also Terror of the Terra-Firmians and The Other Bin of Scrooge McDuck, two episodes I almost gave a Disgusted Donald to. Granted, neither are because of Lena in particular, but still. Which column will this episode fall in? We're about to find out.

Our episode begins with Webby going to the library, because she loves the smell of thinking in the morning. Gotta get that reference out of the way. Oh, and Lena is here now, as an invisible, unhearable shadow being. While nobody else can see or hear her, the audience sees her as this black and green version of herself. Lena says that she's fine with her current situation, though it's quite clear from the tone of her voice that it's more in comparison to any alternative.

Webby doesn't want to do that even if she could hear Lena, so she's continuing her impossible mission to find a book at the library that can teach her about the shadow realm. Yami Yugi is nowhere to be seen, but we do get Mrs. Quackfaster. I guess Scrooge isn't paying her enough so she has to double as the amount of libraries she works at to get that sweet retirement at Birdaydos. Er, Bird-baaaaaay-dos. She tells her that she can't offer the particular book she's looking for.

It's because this new character already checked it out. Webby is shocked, because this book is only in Ancient Syriac, but this "odd girl" happens to know a lot of ancient languages. She introduces herself as Violet Sabrewing, and, after bonding over knowing conversational Akkadian, she offers to stay at her place, possibly overnight. In other words, and eventually Webby's: a sleepover.

Webby, of course, accepts, but Lena does not.  It's almost as if she's read Disney Now's description of this episode, which refers to her as this "suspicious new friend". Then again, it may be because of the way Webby's last sleepovers ended. She wouldn't be the only one to remind her of this.

As Mrs. Beakley gives us the excuse for why we're not going to see Scrooge or the boys in this episode, they're busy in the office for Bin-ventory Day, Webby barges in and tells her grandmother she's having a friend come over for a sleepover. Mrs. Beakley is proud that her granddaughter wants to do another sleepover after the last two ended with money sharks and unicorn fights in the other bin. Gotta love those casual previous episode references that could still work as fantastic off-screen adventures to those who don't know.

Lena is excited that Mrs. Beakley could talk her out of this, and tries to jinx Webby again by saying "cancel the sleepover." Needless to say, that jinx doesn't work out like the library one, as Webby has a different idea.

Instead, Webby decides to have the most normal sleepover ever, as she tries to hide everything that is supernatural in the house, and try to just be normal. Mrs. Beakley attempts to say that the best way to make a good impression on her new friend is to be herself

Mrs. Beakley: ...barring from that summer undercover in Paraguay.

Webby brushing aside what is most likely the origin story for one of her parents, hey, we were all thinking it, she tells her Granny that she's not like her, because she needs friends. After Webby walks away, she tells her to name one person she doesn't get along with.

Enter Launchpad McQuack, inept pilot and ruiner of any plan to make this the first DuckTales episode with only female characters. To disprove Webby's accusation, she decides to invite him for a "sup", and spends a little more time than she wants explaining what she meant. Lena episodes sure seem to love the B-plots that, for the most part, never really seem to converge with the A-plot. This will be another one that fits with the "for the most part".

Going back to the other planned meeting, Webby is all done storing magic rocks in the attic, and her new friend has arrived for the normal slumber party for normal people. She tells Duckworth to get the door, and then realizes that ghost butlers don't help out at slumber parties. Surprisingly, that's not one of the Bailey School Kids books.

After slicing Duckworth's ghostly form in half, him not appreciating it in the slightest, she opens the door to Violet and her totally normal pie. As Webby shows her awkwardness with this whole situation, Lena is not amused, saying she isn't buying it. See, I didn't pull that out of nowhere, Lena hates this girl. I mean, maybe it's a bit convenient that this girl happens to have the same shadow realm-related interests as Webby.

Violet is then brought to Webby's room, and Violet looks around to see all the places that clearly used to have mysterious objects in them. She just says it looks clean, but I can imagine she did not miss that.

Meanwhile, Launchpad tries, and struggles, to drink pea soup from a straw. Mrs. Beakley tries her best to deal with this.

One section she was focused on was this section about Tulpas, an actual concept in the world of mysticism. This whole concept sort of reminded her of that one time all the shadows came alive and...

Webby: Who wants Baggle?!

Violet actually does want Baggle, but wants this obvious distraction some other time. Webby responds that it's just her way to get to know each other a bit more, and suggests asking some ice-breakers. Violet's first icebreaker:

Violet: What do you know about Magica De Spell and the Shadow War?

Lena, feeling completely vindicated, tries to tell Webby that she said the "M" word! I wouldn't say she forgot that nobody can hear her; she's like those people who yell at the characters while watching TV. Heh, nerds. Webby has a different "M" word in mind: makeovers! Violet is clearly not buying this at all, but goes along with the makeovers anyway.

Violet ends up leaving her backpack behind, fully opened, and Lena notices something that definitely shouldn't be in there if she was an ordinary girl who just happened to really like shadow people: Magica's amulet! She runs off to try to warn Webby, and...okay, maybe she still thinks she can hear her, even though she never once acknowledged her existence. She does end up at least finding Webby, except she's now a zombie, complete with one of her eyes falling out.

That fake-out turns out to be Violet and Webby's idea for a make-up session. Webby praises her best friend's make-up, saying that she looks just like the demon named Rakshasa. She's definitely a great friend, I don't know a lot of people who would take kindly to being told "you look like a demon!" Webby should know what Rakshasa looks like, because she met him in a previous adventure, and she has proof...that is definitely not in the attic. Oops.

Webby relents and lets her into the attic, as this cover was completely blown. She was obviously interested in these things, so she doesn't mind that Webby happened to have some magic rocks. They never really explain what those magic rocks are, and I'd like to think I am a little beyond the obvious joke there. She also notices some ectoplasmic energies from that friendship bracelet.

The scene switches from their point of view to Lena's in a neat way, where Lena still thinks she can alter anything here. Sadly for her, Lena is also intangible. Thankfully for her, Webby distracts her from that bracelet, and offers that game of Baggle again. Violet agrees on one condition: they need to use Demogorgan runes. I don't want to reveal that I'm just looking up every one of these words on Wikipedia, so I'll be quiet.

Meanwhile, Launchpad tries, and struggles, to color a coloring book, and then eventually tries to get Mrs. Beakley to get into Darkwing Duck. Mrs. Beakley tries her best to deal with this.

...okay, maybe I shouldn't just brush this off for this running gag, since this scene has quite a bit of lore to get into Jim Starling's eventual big role in The Duck Knight Returns...but maybe I'll wait for that one.

Back to this game of runes, it just so happens that book has the right chant to make those dice-like runes glow green. Lena tries what might be her 50th attempt to actually affect anything as a intangible shadow person. She's shocked to find that it actually worked this time!

She then tries to rearrange the runes to spell out a message. Unfortunately, since these people are nerds, they think it's the writing on the runes that have any meaning, and not how this layout is shaped like the words "don't trust her." Not getting anywhere with these mysterious messages about rat messages, Violet tries another shadow spirit summoning trick: humming this melody. It works...but only Lena can see these white spirits ominously creeping out from the dark. She has to think of something.

She tries to manipulate a white sheet in a form of a ghost. This actually works, because of ghost cliches that even Lena is aware of, but it doesn't solve the "they can't hear me" problem. Violet decides to use a weapon against the one evil spirit they can see, and it turns out this weapon happens to be Magica's amulet. One side effect is that this amulet allowed her to actually see and hear Lena for a second, which is enough to clue Webby in on what is really happening. However, that is only the second most of her worries.

The main side effect is that it finally gets Webby to realize that maybe this girl may not be what she seems. Just like Lena wanted her to, she starts to question their future friendship, and asks everything she knows.

It’s here that we finally get her backstory, or at least her claimed backstory. She was just an ordinary Muggle, having no interest in magic or anything else of the sort. Then, everything changed when the Shadow War happened, and. Oh, and she just stumbled across Magica's cane, which turned back into the amulet. That's pretty much it. We don't know if she's completely telling the truth...

...but Webby buys it completely, to the disappointment of Lena, and they start to do a seance. You see these shadow beings that look like the shadow of Magica De Spell. This, of course, gets Lena to attempt to grab them again.

I hate to spoil this, but I will say that this seance does lead to Lena being able to drag Webby and Violet into the shadow realm. No, not that one, thankfully. We get a big reunion, but this hug doesn't get to last long, as Webby and Violet finally get to see those white shadow ghosts.

That was spoiler enough, so I'll run through this: a big chase scene happens here, and it all leads to a good conclusion to this episode. Even the "tulpas" from the earlier scene comes up, as that turns out to be a little bit closer than one might guess from the opening of the scene. Here's a hint: they don't just stay in this Magica-like form.

In a sort of fake-out transition from that mayhem, we see what is the conclusion to the Launchpad trying to get Mrs. Beakley into Darkwing Duck plot. Turns out, they both got really excited over a cliffhanger ending. Unfortunately, in this universe, that was how Darkwing Duck ended, with a Woody's Roundup-esque cliffhanger. I usually don't talk about future episodes, but this will be given more detail in The Duck Knight Returns.

What were those shadow beings? Will Lena ever learn to trust Webby's new friend? Should Lena ever learn to trust Webby's new friend? Most importantly, while we got the reunion, will it last? At least some of those questions will be answered by watching the episode. It was a treat to see one of those answers in the end, something I thought I wouldn't see until the end of this season.

How does it stack up?

This episode didn't give me anything to dislike, and a lot to like. The biggest challenge this episode had was introducing this new character. I'll say this, without spoiling anything: while she doesn't have any Earth-shattering twists like Lena did, yet, she has potential.

I kind of skipped over the Launchpad bits, I can admit they're all pretty funny. Obviously, it wasn't going to be something as big as the A-plot, but just something minor and maybe even a little bit cute.

In the end, it's definitely in the Jaw$ column.

Next, I actually find a way to talk about The Powerpuff Girls...and not those ones!

← Raiders of the Doomsday Vault! 🦆 The Dangerous Chemistry of Gandra Dee! →

[kz-i-co]

Babysitter: Part II

» Summary: Your parents have to leave for a buiness trip for the weekend and you invite Taehyung over

» Pairing: Kim Taehyung/ Reader

» Genre: Smut X2

» Word: 3.3k

» COMPLETED SERIES: Part 1 ╫ Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8

» m.list ╫ bts masterlist

-

As you woke up you noticed you weren’t in your bed. You saw that Taehyung was sleeping right next to you. You blushed just thinking about last night. The time that you spent together was special.

You felt him stretch next to you sending him awake. “Morning.” He yawned but then he snapped to reality.

“I slept here?” He panicked. “Did your parents come home?”

“I don’t know.” You said getting up.

You noticed the cable box said 8 o'clock. You made your way to the kitchen when you noticed your mother starting to cook. “Mom?”

“Hey dear.” Your mother continued cooking. “What time did you get home last night?”

“Around one.” Your mother looked past you as she saw Taehyung sneak up from behind.

“Excuse me ma'am.” He bowed. “I’m so sorry that I fell asleep before you got home.”

“Don’t be son….I wouldn’t want you to drive home so late anyway.” She gently caressed his cheek in respect.

“I guess I’ll be heading home then.” He said.

“Nonsense, stay for breakfast.”

-

After breakfast Taehyung left, he was sweet but didn’t give you much attention, probably because your mother was around. Or at least you hoped. You guys didn’t really get the privacy to talk about last night. You hoped things weren’t going to be awkward now.

-

It’s been one week since you seen Taehyung. Your parents only been out once and you haven’t been out since that night. Your friends had pressured you into going to more parties but you denied, that was an awful experience for you, but at least something came out of it.

You were in your room reading when your mother barged in suddenly.

“Sweetie, something has come up and I need you to watch the kids all weekend.” Your mother said.

“Why?” You asked confused.

“Your father and I have a business trip.” She said it like it was a nuisance.

“Do you mind watching the kids?”

“No I guess not.”

“Please don’t throw any parties or let your friends over….I’m sorry I don’t like them.”

“Okay fine….no fun…got it.” You said sarcastically.

“You can invite Tae over only, if you need help.” Your mother started leaving your room. “We’ll be back Monday morning.”

Funny enough that you can’t throw a party but invite the guy you had sex with while your brother and sister were just sleeping upstairs. Ironic.

It was kind of obvious that your mom approves of Taehyung but you bet she would never expect this.

-

“Okay please don’t burn the house down.” Your father said dead serious.

“I won’t.”

“And remember what I said….nobody over except Tae.” You heart beats when you hear his name.

“Tae can come over?” Dara showed behind you. “Can we have a sleep over?”

“It’s up to your sister….shes in charge.”

Your sister pouted. “No worries Dar….” You winked at her sending her smiling off.

-

“Are you gonna call him?” Your sister has not stopped bugged you about calling Tae for the past hour.

“Yeah it’s already 5, we have to go to bed in like three hours.” Your brother argued.

“Okay calm down.” You grabbed his number from the fridge dialing it in your phone.

Why did you feel so nervous?

“Hello?” He asked on the other side of the line.

“T-Tae? This is (Y/N).” You said nervously.

“Hey.” He said causally.

“My parents are gone for the weekend.” You just realized how that sounds making you stumble over your words. “I- I was wonderi- I mean the kids were wondering if you wanted to sleep over or if you don-”

“I loved to.” You heart fluttered. “I’ll be right over.”

-

You weren’t the best cook so you decided to call for a pizza instead. When you heard the knock on the door, you made sure to grab your wallet and head to the door.

It was earlier then usual from the fact that you only called 15 minutes ago.

When you opened the door you were met with the boy who stole your heart one week ago. You thought you were nervous before, you had no idea what was coming.

“Are you paying for my company?” He smirked as he saw your wallet in your hand. Your stomach exploded with butterflies.

“Wha- oh no I ordered pizza.” You bit your lip.

Taehyung started to brush past you but stopped, leaning into your ear. “Please don’t bite your lip or I won’t be able to control myself.” He whispered and headed towards the living room.

“Fuck.” You whispered to yourself. You were already feeling flustered and he just got here.

-

After you all ate, you were sitting on the couch amused as you watched your little sister tackle Taehyung on the floor. The sight of seeing him around children was sexy.

‘Okay okay clean thoughts.’

“I think it’s getting close to bed time.”

You watched as you saw Dara sit up and groaned. “I don’t want to.”

“It’s 9:30, I already let you stay way past your bed time.”

“Fine.” She got up. “Can Tae read me a bed time story?”

You looked at Tae for permission but your sister was already dragging him towards the stairs.

“Dara you need to ask.”

“It’s fine, I like a lady in charge.” He winked at you.

This boy was going to be the death of you.

You followed upstairs to send your brother to bed, but as soon as you entered his room he was already past out with his video games running. You quietly turned everything off and closed the door.

You passed Dara’s room as you saw Tae acting out some mythical story making her laugh. He was so good around kids.

You went to your room changing into something more comfortable. You figured maybe you and Tae would watch another movie.

“So this is your room?” You jumped from his voice behind you. You saw Tae looking around your room while leaning on the door.

“Your sister falls asleep fast.” He smiled.

He took a few steps walking into your room. “What do we do now?”

You blushed, biting your lip as soon as he looked at you. “I thought I told you not to do that?” At this point he was walking closer to you until he was right in front of you.

“Are you going to punish me?” You asked giving him a slight pout.

“I don’t believe in that.” Your eyes soften. “But…” He smirked.

You gave him your full attention. “I have a better idea.” Before you can even process what he said he smashed his lips with yours. You missed this, one week without his presence was too long.

You responded by wrapping your arms around his neck as soon as he deepened the kiss. He was already pulling your hips towards his as he leaned into you, you couldn’t help but moan, from his tongue exploring every corner of your mouth. He almost seemed desperate, like he missed your touch as well.

The next thing you know Taehyung was slowly moving you towards your bed. When your back hit the sheets he was on top of you moving his lips to your neck, not missing any detail. You could feel the tingles spread throughout your body as he left wet kisses down your neck.

Your breathing became heavier as his hand slid up your shirt, the sensation gave you chills. You could feel the dampness in your shorts as soon as you felt his member poking your thigh through his jeans. You loved how much of an impact you had on him as much as he had on you.

The cold air hit you as he sat up, you groaned from the sudden loss of his warm hands caressing you. You watched as he licked his lips while looking into your eyes. Just then he reached for your shorts waist line, dragging them off until they hit the floor. Your heart was beating rapidly from the sweet tender kisses up your thighs. He didn’t miss a spot as he made his way towards the area you wanted him most. You tilted your head back as his tongue licked up your core.

“Oh fuck-” You moaned from the new feeling. This was your first time that anyone has ever pleasured you like this.

“You gotta be quiet babe.” He whispered.

He continued to move his tongue swiftly through your folds, the pleasure was unbelievable that you just wanted to scream. You scrunched up the sheets under trying to refrain yourself, but Taehyung was making it impossible. You had a feeling his tongue could do incredible things by the way he kissed you but never this.

You were trying not to lift you hips as you could almost feel your climax take hold. “Are you getting close?” He asked.

“Yeah.” You moaned.

You gave him a questioningly look as he suddenly stopped and got up from his position. He laughed at your reaction as he started to strip off his clothes, from his shirt down to his pants. He knew what he was doing by the teasing look he was giving you. “Take off your shirt.” You did as he made his way towards you.

You smiled when he hovered over you, kissing up your chest all the way up to your neck once again. He stopped to look you in the eyes when you wrapped your legs around his waist. He licked his lips again. Damn you hated when he did that but loved it at the same time.

He looked down as he grabbed a hold of his length, slowly sliding into you. You bit your lip trying not to moan from the tight feeling. He started to thrust into you at a steady pace while he kissed you passionately.

You couldn’t contain your moans any longer, you let a few slip out as he rapid the speed hitting your g spot. “I can’t wait to get you alone, then I can really hear you.”

Just his voice was setting you towards your high, you weren’t sure how much longer you can hold back. “Tae….I’m going to cum.”

He took that by kissing you so you wouldn’t make anymore noise. You felt him smile against your lips as you tried to moan when you orgasm came flooding through. He was still moving quickly as you were numb under him. He stopped kissing you but he kept his face aligned with yours gently. He closed his eyes tightly as he let go, filling the tight space with his cum. “You drive me crazy.” He whispered.

You giggled as you watch him lay to the bed next to you. “Your welcome.”

He was leaning over you once more pecking kisses over your cheeks to your nose. Taehyung was something special, he could go from sexy to adorable in the matter of seconds.

“(Y/N)….” He had your attention. “Do you know how beautiful you are?” You blushed from his compliment.

“Do you know how rude you are?”

“What?” He asked confused.

“You can’t be licking your lips all the time or winking at me….its rude.”

“I cant help it.” He smiled.

“You’re a tease.”

“You’re face is a tease.” You laughed at his childish behavior. He slouched to your side once again pulling you into him.

You felt sleepy as his arms were wrapped around you. You cuddled into him more when the sleep took hold.

-

You woke up feeling peaceful when you saw the sunshine peeking through your curtains. You felt Taehyung’s arm wrapped around you. You turned around and noticed he was still sleeping. He’s so cute when he’s sleeping.

You blushed from the idea of waking up to him by your side every morning. It made you feel butterflies in your stomach, but you can’t get carried away nothing was official between you two.

The child in you had you gently poking his face to try to wake him. You giggled watching his face scrunch up. “Tae.” You whispered as you kissed below his ear.

He cutely groaned as he fluttered his eyes open. “What?” He yawned closing his eyes again.

“Wakey wakey.” He opened his eyes again and smiled at your cuteness.

“(Y/N)!!!” You heard Dara yelling as she barged into your room.

“Oh fuck!” You panicked.

You pulled your sheets over your chest as soon as Dara entered, from the fact that you and Tae were still naked underneath.

“Dara! Remember you have to knock before you enter someone else’s room.”

“Sorry I forgot.”

Dara gasped as soon as she noticed Taehyung. “I didn’t know you were having a sleepover together….how come I wasn’t invited?” Your sister pouted.

“Tonight we will make a bed in the living room for all of us okay…now please go wake your brother.” You rushed.

“Okay…” She left.

You jumped out of the bed with the sheet wrapped around you as you closed the door locking it.

“Okay we have 5 minutes.”

Tae smirked when he saw you. “Stop staring and get dressed.” You laughed.

-

The day was full of exhausting activities your siblings put you through. A walk in the park, a trip to the ice cream shop, back to the house watching movies. Your brother wanted to sleep over his best friends house tonight so Dara was the only one to take care of.

It was 7 o'clock and the only movies Dara let you watch was kid movies, so you and Tae were quite bored. Dara was sprawled out on the love seat facing the TV, while you and Tae where on the couch farther back. You slid over to be right next to Tae.

You rested your head on his shoulder as some song the characters were singing was irritating you. You felt Tae place his hand over your knee. Luckily you were wearing leggings unless his touch would affect you. “I thought you were a good boy.” You whispered as he moved his hand further up your leg.

You saw Dara move so you quickly moved Tae’s hand off of you. But she was still hypnotize by the movie as you can see, for all you know she could be sleeping, you couldn’t see her face.

About 10 minutes have passed you wondered how long this dumb movie was. You couldn’t stay focused any longer. Tae’s fingers were tapping against his thigh. You couldn’t help but stare as your eyes wandered to a more inappropriate area. You couldn’t help but noticed the slight bulge in his sweat pants. Was he turned on?

“My eye are up here.” He laughed. You just tapped his chest playfully.

“I was looking at your annoying tapping.”

“Sure.” He smirked. “And to answer your question I’m very turned on right now.” He confessed.

“You’re the rude one, wearing that shirt.” He continued.

“I’m wearing a tank top.” You laughed.

“I can see your bra.” He whispered in your ear. You loved when he did that, it sent chills crawling down your neck.

You looked down and noticed your bra was hanging out. Honestly that wasn’t on purpose. You had this thing forever it’s probably just grown to be too small on you.

“Sorry.” You giggled pulling your shirt up.

Just then your sister got up sleepily, almost like she was sleep walking. “I’m going to bed.” She said and made her way upstairs.

“I’m changing this crap.” You got the remote finding something else on Netflix.

When you sat back down you tried not to pay attention to Taehyung’s tapping once again. Probably something to do with his dirty mind.

You slapped your hand over his to stop his taping. “You bored?”

“No.” He said casually, but you knew he was.

You reached your hand over to where his bulge was still visible. “Your still showing.” You smirked as you starting rubbing the sensitive area. You love seeing him squirm under your touch.

“Do you need help with this?” For some reason Tae has made you more confident, only when its the two of you.

He arched his eyebrows as soon as you got down on your knees in front of him. “Have you ever done this before?” He said nervously. “Because you don’t have to.”

His sweet side showing, he actually cares about your feelings, doesn’t want you to feel pressured in anyway. Not like most guys.

“I owe you from last night.” You started tugging on his pants, only to have his length exposed. You wrapped your hands around his shaft. He was harder then you thought, he was weak when it came to you. Just thinking about it made you blush.

You started to pump his length slowly to tease him. The sexual desire was stirring up inside you. You went in circling your tongue around the tip, while your hands continued pumping.

You watched him lean his head back on the couch moaning quietly. “You sure you haven’t done this.”

You nodded as you took him into your mouth to as low as you can go, while you pumped the rest.

You felt yourself getting wet as you heard him moan. When you brought your head back up you noticed the tip was throbbing. He wasn’t going to last much longer. You wanted the thrill of him releasing in your mouth.

“You like ladies in control?” You teased. He felt his part twitching in your mouth.

“Fuck.” He placed his hand on the back your head to make you move faster. He couldn’t control himself much longer as you felt the salty substances fill your mouth.

You swallowed his liquids as you leaned in to lick him clean. He was still a wreck, breathing heavy as his orgasm was slowly passing.

“You good?” You giggled as you still were licking up the mess.

He looked at you tiredly when you finally pulled his pants back up. “Can I ask you something?”

He got on the ground with you, getting under the covers of the bed you made in the living room.

“Go ahead.” You smiled.

“The sex has been great with you and all, but I was wondering if you wanted to actually go out…like a date?” He looked nervous. How cute.

“Of course.” You tried not to make it seem like you were overly excited.

He smiled and leaned in for a deep kiss. “Ewww. Wash your mouth out.” He pretended to be disgusted but then he laughed.

You hit his shoulder but then pulled his shirt into you making him kiss you again. This time he didn’t pull away. The way he kissed you made you feel like you were in a fairy tale.

-

“Wake up.” You felt a tiny body throw them self between you and Tae waking you up immediately.

“Dara.” You groaned in pain. “Why are you so annoying?”

“Hey sunshine.” Tae smiled at the pain in the ass.

“Mommy and daddy are here.” Dara said looking at you. What? Your mother said that they’d be back Monday morning not Sunday.

You got up to look out the window, you saw your parents grabbing their bags from the trunk of their car. “Why are they early?”

“Maybe something came up.” Tae said hugging you from behind.

“Hey…..I want a hug.” Dara pouted.

“Of course sunshine.” Are you really competing on who gets Taehyung with your sister? Little brat.

You quickly grabbed the blankets from the floor, tossing them in the linen closet before your parents would enter.

Just as your parents entered Dara ran to them, giving each a hug. “Wheres Sungmin?” Your mother asked.

“He asked if he can sleep over Suho’s last night.” Your mothers eyes brightened up when she saw Taehyung greet her.

“Surprised to see you here.” Your mother greeted.

“We had a sleep over.” Dara cheered.

“Really?” You both nodded.

“(Y/N) let Tae sleep in her bed with her.” Dara pouted like she was jealous and your mother and father stared at you both confused.

Oh fuck! We’re busted.

[ryukoishida]

Arslan Senki Fandom Day [Encounter] | In which top idol!Gieve and folk-rock musician!Isfan collaborate.

Written for Arslan Senki Fandom Day 2017 – [Encounter]

Title: Primadonna and the Piano Man [Part I] Author: ryukoishida Character(s)/Pairing(s): Isfan/Gieve Summary: This is the story of how one of the nation’s top idol Gieve and bestselling folk-rock musician Isfan meet (and eventually fall in love). [Idol/Musician!AU] Rating: T Warning: N/A A/N: Yes, I’m writing that self-indulgent AU that nobody cares for again. Sue me. Also this got too long so I’m splitting it into two parts. Sorry.

---

Sing When You’re in Love Series:

i. We Sing We Dance We Steal Hearts ii. We Sing We Dance We Fall in Love iii. Untitled iv. This Storm, It’s Coming v. I’m Yours (and so are they) vi. Primadonna and the Piano Man [Prequel] [Part I | Part II]

---

“It’s impossible.”

“But Isfan—”

“There’s no way in hell—”

The agitated fingers on the fretboard dance in an even more erratic rhythm, his right hand strumming harder in a frail attempt to drown out his well-meaning manager’s desperate plead. The chords reverberate raucously within one of the soundproof practice rooms in the core building of Ecbatana Entertainment Productions.

“Will you put away your guitar and just listen to me for one moment, please?” Lucian, hair swept back into a half-ponytail and streaked with silver-grey, frowns disapprovingly, the lines around his eyes deepening as he leans against the wall with a rumbling sigh.

Isfan is usually one of the more easygoing artists to deal with in the company, but being the manager of this particular singer-songwriter — infamous in the music industry for being exceedingly serious and painstakingly methodical when it comes to his compositions and lyrics-writing, as well as being a little too opinionated about the idol culture, among other controversies — for the last few years, Lucian has seen him at his worst.

Trying to convince him to collaborate with one of the nation’s top idol, as Lucian soon discovers, turns out to be even more of a challenge than he’s initially anticipated.

“According to Farangis, he’s the one who personally wants to invite you for this collaboration,” Lucian’s mouth curves up in amusement as he continues, “apparently, he likes, and I quote, ‘the impossible way he can tug at my heartstrings while playing the piano with such a straight face and singing about a haunted ship and dead lovers’.”

Isfan snorts in reply. So, that man has done his homework after all, but it doesn’t change the fact that he’s an arrogant, flippant man with over-the-top make-up and even stranger hairstyle that seems to change every time he appears for an event or talk show (not that Isfan had been paying any particular attention) who dares to call himself a musician, when all he seems to be capable of doing is dancing to mainstream pop and singing such cliché, sickly saccharine love songs the lyrics of which may as well have been written by a sixth-grader bearing their first crush.

If there’s one thing he detests the most in the world, it’s crudely-crafted, shallow combinations of words that disguised themselves as lyrics.      

“Have you ever seen him perform?” Lucian can practically see the weaving pathways in his protégé’s brain busily working out this disaster of an idea.

“How long have you known me, Lucian?” he asks, quirking up an eyebrow, the answer clear as day.

“You haven’t,” Lucian announces with quiet triumph, “then maybe you shouldn’t judge him so harshly. I’ve seen footage of his performances when he was still with his previous idol unit and I’ve got to say, that boy’s got charisma and one hell of a voice.”

Isfan’s responding hum is brisk and non-committed.

Lucian was the one who discovered him in a local bar and restaurant when he had been working part-time, performing mellower versions of top 40 hits on a tiny stage in a dimmed corner for patrons who hardly paid attention to him or his music, to support his last year of college. When the music producer approached him, business card and genuine smile intact, Isfan was still suspicious of the stranger’s intent until he recognized the face and voice of the famous rock musician who had been most active about two decades ago, and Isfan only knew of him because his elder brother Shapur was a huge fan and would constantly play Lucian’s CDs in the car and at home.

It has been five years since then, and Isfan has learned very early on to trust Lucian. Not only was Lucian a talented musician back in his prime years, but he’s also a capable manager who understand his charge's needs and tries his hardest to accommodate Isfan’s wishes whenever possible. Of course, there had also been times when they had their disagreements, but these were rare and far in between, and during the few instances that happened, Lucian had made the right calls.

Isfan would trust his career and future in Lucian’s hands, but this collaboration will surely end in nothing but a catastrophe — a catastrophe Isfan would rather avoid at all costs.  

Attempting his best to put on an optimistic air, Lucian starts again, “I’ve already arranged everything with his manager; all we need is for you two to find some time to get together during the next few weeks to work on the single.”

“I’m too busy,” Isfan immediately replies with a hint of a smug grin.

“I cleared out your schedule,” Lucian smiles back pleasantly, knowing exactly how the singer-songwriting will counter.  

“But I need the time to work on my new materials,” Isfan protests.

“And how are those new songs coming along?” Lucian asks pointedly.

“…”

He doesn’t mention the scrawled-out melodies on crumpled pieces of paper or the many deleted or discarded samples on his laptop. Lucian probably already knows and is just saving Isfan from embarrassing himself.  

“That’s what I figure. Look, you know I always respect your talent and artistic freedom,” Lucian says.

“Then you understand that it takes time to craft something that’s better than the previous album,” Isfan mumbles, fingers mindlessly plucking the strings in a nameless melody.

“I understand perfectly,” Lucian reassures him with a grim expression, “but don’t forget that the music industry is still business to the higher-ups. They only care about the results and profits, and at the rate you’re going right now, you’re not giving them anything. It has been more than six months since you’ve released any new content; the fans may be patient enough to wait for you, but the company is less forgiving.”

That’s one thing Isfan dislikes being a contracted artist at a major label; everything is about money, money, money. It’s not that he doesn’t understand their side, but it doesn’t stop him from feeling the frustration and unease roiling in his chest that can only be assuaged by banging loudly on a drum-set. Percussion is not his strength, but it sure feels satisfying.

“Even…” Isfan glances up at his manager, fingers slowing down the strumming, “even if I were to work on a collaboration, does it have to be him?”

Seeing a crack gradually opening up, Lucian quickly takes advantage, “You might not see it now, but perhaps he’s the spark of inspiration you need to get you moving forward.”

“You think?” Isfan sounds doubtful.

“It’ll be beneficial for both parties,” Lucian nods with a relieved smile, “I’m sure of it.”

-

Isfan isn’t sure of anything anymore.

He pauses before the door of the studio, sharp topaz eyes glancing through the glass only to spot an unfamiliar figure inside: the young man donned in a knitted sweater half a size too big for his frame and skinny jeans that accentuates the length of his legs is sitting on the plastic chair and plucking the strings of his acoustic guitar delicately, dark purple hair the shade of twilight bunched up with hairclips to keep forelocks from blocking his sight, a pair of plastic, black-rimmed glasses sitting on the bridge of his nose and making his eyes impossibly green, and he’s solely focused on the scattered sheets on the music stand.

Isfan checks the room number again to make sure he’s at the right place.

He is.

His grip on the strap of his guitar case tightens a degree, and then he knocks on the door two times. Without waiting for an invitation to come in, he turns the knob and lets himself into the studio with confident steps, a challenging glint in his eyes, and firm line to his lips.

The man with the obnoxious purple hair looks up, eyes widening in surprise as if he hasn’t expected any guests even though they have arranged this meeting just two days prior.

“Damn, those MVs didn’t do you any justice. At all.”

“Excuse me?”

This is clearly a mistake, Isfan thinks as he walks up to the man who still has a guitar in his lap. Isfan’s height easily towers over the other man’s, but he seems nonchalant about the intimidating aura Isfan’s body language is emitting.  

“It’s a compliment,” he explains with a flirtatious grin as he pulls himself up after placing his guitar on a nearby stand, and with how close they’re standing, he has to crane his neck a little to stare at Isfan straight in the eyes, sea-green irises bold and unafraid. “I’m Gieve. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I hope we’ll be able to work well together.”

The folk-rock musician is ready to either throw a punch at the idol’s incredibly pretty face and risk getting yelled at by Lucian, or pull him in and kiss that insufferable smirk away. He chooses to do neither; instead, inhaling deeply in an attempt to calm himself down, he pulls a chair over, folds himself into the seat elegantly, and begins to take out his instrument and some notes he’s made beforehand — lyrics ideas and snippets of melodies he’d been working on that might act as starting points for this collaboration.

He’s a professional, Isfan reminds himself like a chant, he’s a professional and he’ll act like one, and he will not let this damn idol get the better of him with his terrible flowery rhetoric or his dazzling smile that has successfully slain thousands of fanboys and fangirls all over the country.

“Isfan,” he coldly introduces himself and presses his lips tightly together without another word.

“Oh, a little shy, are we?” Gieve takes his seat and picks up his guitar once more, fingers idly caressing the strings as a gentle series of notes begin to form and flow like a small creek drifting smoothly over pebbles warmed by the sun in the depth of summer.

Isfan is about to open his mouth to snap a retort, but he’s genuinely surprised by the strange complexity of the chords and notes weaving together into this seemingly light and buoyant tune, so much so that his fingers are trembling slightly as they crave to touch the cool, ivory keys of a piano to play the harmony to accompany the sweet melody of the guitar.

“You wrote that?” Isfan asks when Gieve stops abruptly, breaking the brunet’s trance.

“Still tinkering with it.”

“It’s… it’s good,” he’s staring at the music stand when he says it, his eyes not quite meeting Gieve’s.

“That was really difficult for you to admit, wasn’t it?” Gieve grins knowingly, and the expression only grows more imminent when he sees Isfan’s cheeks staining red at being found out. He stands up once more and stalks towards Isfan, almost like a predator, the sharp gleam in his eyes merciless, though a small smile still curves along his lips as he closes the gap between them. “What? You think I got to this point in my career just by looking pretty and knowing how to dance and sing? Don’t look down on idol culture, Isfan. A lot of us worked hard since we were teenagers, and less than half of us would even make it past the eliminations to get a chance to perform on stage. So, if you think I’m just going to let you push me around while we’re working on this project because you think you’re more musically superior to me or whatever, you better think again.”  

Their faces are mere inches away from each other’s, and Isfan can feel Gieve’s frenzied, heated breaths against his cheek, his sea-green eyes brightened from agitation. Isfan gulps, gaze unable to rip away from the idol’s intense stare, and when he finally realizes they’ve remained in this awkward position for way too long, he shoves the idol away by the shoulders, causing Gieve to stumble a few steps back into a safe distance.

“Did you only invite me for the collab just so you can give me a lecture?” Isfan mutters darkly, “If so, then well-fucking-done. Shall I see myself out now that you’re finished?”

He begins to stuff his guitar back into the case, but a hand wrapped firmly around his forearm makes him freeze.

“Calm down,” Gieve laughs and let go of Isfan’s arm when the brunet sends him a glare, his previous irritation seeming to have dissipated without a trace, his smile once more bright and harmless if a little too cunning. “I didn’t know what I was expecting, but given the theatrical lyrics you write, I should have guessed that you’re as melodramatic as they come.”

It looks like Isfan is about to protest again but Gieve is quicker, “Look, the reason why I want to collaborate with you is because I truly admire your music and tenacity to strive for perfection. I’ll be frank with you: I’m sick of always doing dance pop and being assumed that I can only do one genre of music; I want to do something new, something unexpected and exciting that would make the fans happy. What about you?”

Gieve settles back on his chair, cradling his guitar and strumming a chord with practiced hand.

“What do you mean?”

The idol’s gaze is unsettling, yet Isfan is unable to look away.

“What do you want out of this collaboration?”

He thinks back to the past six months when he tried to write and rewrite so many melodies, none of them to his satisfaction, each seeming to be missing a piece, lacking the passion, the energy, and the soul of his previous works. He’d locked himself in the studio for hours on end; he’d travelled to the countryside to get inspiration and peace; he’d even attempted to write after he’d gotten himself drunk just enough to be tipsy and his emotions were allowed to burst forth onto blank pages without his usual constraint.

None of those had worked.

He sits up straight and clears his throat.

“I want to move forward with my music; I want to transform what I’ve achieved before and turn it into something different but still irrevocably me…” Isfan has never imagined that telling Gieve, of all people, would feel like this — as if he’s sharing this insurmountable pressure and frustration that he’d been unable to disclose to anyone else because he’d always been able to handle this on his own.

But this is a collaboration; he has a partner this time, and it looks like Gieve is just as ambitious and driven as he is in this regard.  

“So, it seems like we have a similar goal,” Gieve’s smile grows wider, almost scheming.

“It would seem so, yes,” Isfan is still wary of the other man’s intention but he’s willing to hear him out for now.

“I don’t know about you, but for me, it’s go big or go home. So why don’t we aim for our song to reach the number one spot in the Pars Top 40 chart?”

[chibinekochan]

The RFA Thinks you like someone else

But the twist is you like them

I know its shocking

I never said its a good twist

gender neutral

Check my other stuff in my Masterlist

Zen

Well he is flirting but when he sees that you get so well along with Jaehee

He somehow gets the idea that you like her her more then just as friend

You just seem so close and she is really a great person too

So somehow it makes sense to him that you fell for her

He is certain you are dating when you go to Jaehee on a few evenings

You just go to watch DVD´s -with Zen in it-

Turns out you and Jaehee are both huge musical fans so you become close friends

So Zen is happy for you to be with Jaehee but he is sad since its not him – Zen in a nutshell-

He does not talk to you over his assumption so its a bit strange that he starts pulling his flirty attitude back.

Zen would never hit on you when you are with someone else

You get quite sad that he moves back from you but you think you might did something wrong or he just sees you as a friend after all

So you ask Jaehee about whats up with that

She tells you you defiantly made him not mad but maybe he figured that being to close to you is not good for his carrier after all

That makes sense to you but it also breaks your heart since you really fallen for Zen

Jaehee actual became such a close friend at this point she knows you would never hurt Zen

You genuine care for him so she decides to ask Zen what he really feels for you.

In worst case Jaehee will be their for you in best case Zen might has feelings for you too.

So she calls Zen and strait out asks him

He try's to avoid a direct answer but then admits that he has feelings but he knows that you like Jaehee so he not wants to get in between of that

After Jaehee wonders how he came to that conclusion she tells him that there is nothing but friendship between you two.

In fact they became friends because they both like Zen just in different ways

Well now Zen feels like an idiot you are not a couple with Jaehee and he really wonders why his mind got so wild about this

And wait what Jaehee means with likening him in different ways ?

Now he has to stop being an idiot and just ask you

So he calls you and tells you that he was quite cold to you lately and that he is sorry he did not mean to hurt you -Jaehee basically yelled at him for that-

Of course you forgive him and push it to some stress but he admits it was because h thought that you had feelings for Jaehee

It makes you laugh since its impossible to fall in love with someone else

Good wait someone else does that mean – Yes Zen

So you fell for him , he fell for you and everything works out

Yoosung

Since he has no clue about love , I mean he had a crush before but he never had a date

So he has no real insight in peoples hearts

He is very nervous when he figures that he has all those feeling for you it takes him a bit to sort his feelings out

At the time he knows that he has a deep crush on you he notices that you became quite close with 707

He thinks you like him more I mean 707 has so much fun with you

You always seem to joke with him and laugh you never prank Yoosung but that's probably because you are so nice to everyone

To him you are so awesome and perfect -He gets sidetracked to easy-

It looks like you are flirting with 707 to him and he is no one to steal someone away so he keeps his feelings to him

Its clear  that Yoosung is unexperienced and shy so he never really flirted that much with you

He was very nice to you of course but at this rate it would go no where

You wanted to take action and decided to invite him to a gaming session

If Yoosung liked you it could turn in a date but if he doesn´t it would not be too awkward

Plus being with Yoosung sounded like fun anyways

So he came over but since he felt like he should be not alone with you and he wanted to help you to get closer to seven he brought seven along with him

707 thought he was just playing wing man for Yoosung and that is why he agreed on this

To him it was clear that you liked each other you both just did not notice it yet

You thought he brought Seven along because he was more comfortable that way and you figured it might had been better to go to have a coffee instead

Still you have fun with both of them so its not that bad you feel like you getting closer with Yoosung too

Its quite strange how he avoids being alone with you , maybe he is embarrassed or maybe he does not like you at all?

The truth of course is that he is trying to bring you closer with 707 but you not really want to be alone with him

Its all quite wired for everyone at some point seven takes pity on you two and takes a opportunity while Yoosung is making you snacks.

He first asks you what you think about Yoosung and it is as he thought you like Yoosung a lot

Then he pretends to help Yoosung and drops some hints at him but Yoosung does not get it

So he changes plans and tells him that you like Yoosung

Yoosungs thinks as a friend and lowkey tells seven that he thinks you  have a crush on seven

He laughs so hard at that and tells him you are only friends you mostly just joke around and if not you end up talking about Yoosung

But of course he should not just believe Seven and just go and ask you what you think

Then he makes a cheap excuse up and leaves the two of you alone to figure it out

What you then do since its quite obvious to you what Seven does and you half hate him and half thank him

So you gather your courage and tell Yoosung what you feel about him

After the surprise on Yoosungs end -insert embarrassed Yoosung reactions here-

He confesses that he feels the same way and you both agree on having a real date next time

Jaehee

You started working at Jumins place since the payment was great and you could work with Jaehee

She might hates the work under Jumin but the payment is great and you are a hard worker but also not take sh** from Jumin

So its not really surprising that you get good along with the other coworkers and Jumin actual appreciates your honesty

Jaehee would never dare to speak up to Jumin as directly as you do you are able to tell Jumin off without offending him

Its like magic, she is impressed

Slowly but surely her feelings for you deepen you have a lot in common after all

You are also a Zen fan but you not have any deeper feelings for him so you can understand her position quite well

You also actual like taking care of the cat you like cars a lot and somehow you get along really well with Elizabeth

She is really thankful you take her but then she notices that you are actual quite close with Jumin

Could it be that you are interested in him?

I mean why would you to Jaehee he is a Robot but somehow Jumin seems to be more loose around you

Maybe you could see something in Jumin that other people didn´t

Jaehee had no idea you only made him smile with the countless pictures of his cat that you took for him

You had no feelings for Jumin but you really had fallen for Jaehee

Jaehee was of course a very slow going person and you respect that so you not pursue her

At some point its kind of frustrating Jaehee after all there is finally a person she feels like opening up to and maybe even someone she could get even closer too

Your friendship is really important to her she not wants to ruin it and she realizes she maybe took to long

Maybe you just never had deeper feelings for her what was okay even when it hurts her

She gives you all the support she can regardless

Your happiness is what matters most to her and even when she can not understand how you fell for Jumin if that is how you feel its fully fine for her

But then one evening it was after a business party you had to both dress really nice and you looked really great

Jumin was extra nice to you too you pretty much talked the whole evening just with Jumin and  it frustrated Jaehee so much she ended drinking too much

Later when she was home she logged in the messenger and let her frustration out on Zen

Zen tried to make her calm down but she really was upset over it.

You saw the whole think the next morning and called her wondering why she thinks you are liking Jumin.

Jaehee had a hangover and regrets saying those thinks you not want rumors and explain to her that Jumin was only talking about his cat the entire time

You have no feelings for Jumin whatsoever and on a whim you tell Jaehee you actual like her and that you know that she needs time

Jaehee is relived and happy and also really grateful she is happy that you understand her so well

Jumin

Everyone sees him as a cold person you somehow don´t you think he is funny person and you love his cat.

You defend him and you tell everyone that he is a nice person he thinks you are just really kind.

You are a very open and warm parson to him so he does not think you could like him more

It seems a bit strange to him that he thinks on you a lot and he always wants to call all the time.

He wants to know everything about you and then it hits him a bit later -like a week or two-

He really likes you in a romantic way

But then he sees that you talk to Yoosung -of all people- you are looking close to him

You help him with his gaming addiction and he reminds you of your younger brother – even when you might never had one- or maybe he wakes parental feelings in you who knows

You think that Yoosung needs someone to guide him the right path and since no one else seems to care you do it.

Jumin thinks Yoosung is younger then you are but maybe he is your type

He had that happen to him before so he just closes himself away from you

Jumins calls get more rare and he does not try to make jokes everyone thinks he is broken again

They already thought so after he started to open up to you so now he is either more broken or fixed again.

You think somethings bad happened so you not mention it too much even when it makes you sad

Maybe you imaged him making advances towards you, maybe you bored him in the end.

You not wanted to get hurt since you thought he maybe would be a bit brutal when he would not feel the same way

So you not told him what you feel and he not told you anything

He was extremely cold to you it quite hurt even the other told him he is mean

You just brushed it off and continued to help Yoosung with his studys

Even he noticed how the whole thing affected you but he could not really do much

He even asked Zen for advice for that only made thinks worth for you since now even Zen thought that Yoosung had feelings for you

His denying only made seven troll Yoosung hard for having a secret crush on you what kinda made you defend the poor boy

That only feeded Jumins thoughts of you being actual a couple with Yoosung a true mess

A while later  Jaehee needed some extra helpers for one of Jumins projects

So you agreed on helping you could use some extra cash

Jaehee actual never thought the rumor about you and Yoosung was true it was so clear that you where only helping him and you did

She also thought that it was the same for Jumin

You liked working with Jaehee you said how good it feel to be with an actual adult for a change

The rumors kind of affected you it was quite annoying and then you also where still puzzled why Jumin was so cold to you

Jaehee asked you if you actual like Jumin she never knew why you do but she felt that you have a interest in him

You don´t want to lie and admit you do have a crush on Jumin but he has no interest in you since he is so cold

Its a bit odd to her that you like Jumin but she is not judging you

She is a really nice person so she decides to call Jumin out on being so mean to you

He says he is not mean he just keeps his distance from you

After a bit back and forth he drops that you are dating Yoosung

-and Jaehee almost smacks her head against the wall-

She tells him no you are not liking Yoosung in a romantic way

its just something that everyone makes fun about since Yoosung asked for advice for you

Jaehee thought it was obvious to him too but apparently it was not

So then the one having a crush on someone but was not able to say anything was you ?

Who do you like then ?

Jaehee tells Jumin to just ask you if he really wants to know

So he excuses himself right away and does just that after telling you how sorry he is you agree to talk with him during a dinner

You not even need to tell Jumin that its him he figures it out now where he is actual seeing you

707

Yeah with him it can go either way

So you think he maybe likes you sometimes but then when you actual get close to him he pushes you away

So you are confused and you not want to push something when you don´t know what Luciel wants

You not tell him what you feel and maybe does not really know either

He knows you like him but he has no idea how much and he thinks its best for you to stay out of his life

So he is secretly a bit happy when you get along with the others they would be all much better with you then him

All you do is distract him anyways

He even tells you you should date someone you have no interest it looks like

But after a while it brothers him a bit when he sees you getting closer to Zen

Its good for you to find someone else and Zen is handsome and he is a good guy

So Zen is much better for you then he ever would be

You help the others so much it makes him happy

He is mostly nice to you but he keeps his distance and when you need help with something he is always their but he does not want to be involved with you more then that

He even trys to get Zen more involved with you since you look like you really like Zen

Zen is a honest guy and Seven is sure he developed some feelings for you too

He pretty much sets you up with  Zen to prepare the Party just so you could spend more time with him

It hurts him more then he likes to admit he images all kinds of thinks but he is telling himself its for the best

He is happy in the chat like ever even if you point out that you sense something he brushes it up with jokes

Zen of course likes helping you but he knows that you are not into him at all

He sets on being your big brother and as such he protects you from the stupidness of seven

Who is hurting you with his back and forth attitude

You try hard to not let it get to you but it does

Why do you have to fall for someone who is not into you at all ?

It sometimes just hurts and it hurts Zen that you are hurt

You work hard for the party regardless and your efforts really pay off

Its quite a great Party even when 707 had some urgent matters to handle

-aka he not wanted to see you with Zen-

In his head you two where already a couple and it was good even when it really hurt

He was sure he would get over it at least when you are happy then he could be happy about that

But the next day all just complaint how 707 was not their you sounded really upset too

After all he promised he would come and you worked so hard even when you where most understanding since you really thought it was a imported matter

But still you really had hoped to see him you thought that maybe then you could figure him out.

You where actual more sad anything what surprised Seven

After all you had Zen so you should be happy

You where of course grateful for Zens help but that was all you really wanted to see Seven

He had no idea why since again you could be with someone else then him after all you where so close with Zen

You where jokingly asking him if he is jealous he was a bit too strongly denying that

He was the one that made you work with Zen in the first place

You knew seven had so much other thinks to do Zen was nice but you rather had spend time with Seven

Zen is a good friend but nothing else after all.

You got quite angry at 707

Then he realizes how wrong he was you not like Zen in a romantic way

It is surprising to him relived about it so now he has to face the truth that he is actual really liking you

You notice how he is not as much pushing you back for some reason and so you decide its time take action

So you invite him over and he actual comes and finally thinks are moving foreward

it will take some time but eventualy he tells you how he feels

[redheadedgumdrop]

Last Show

The end of tour was always a weird thing for Oliver. There was a mix of feelings, and emotions, and the high of playing live for thousands of people was still bursting through every pore, excitement rushing through his skin and his bones and his muscles. He both wanted it to be over, get home, sleep for a whole week, and keep touring forever. And it was always confusing, but never quite like this. Ollie distinctively remembered inviting Ellie over for their show, hoping she would come over but knowing the chances of that happening were small. Yet he was not ready for the disappointment he felt at knowing she had gone to the show, watch it from the floor, and then just… left. He hadn´t got to see her, she didn´t go backstage and she definitely did not go out partying with them.

Oliver had tried to party the night away, and not think too much, and not wonder if maybe Ellie had changed her mind about everything and just didn´t like him in the least. It hadn´t worked.  Not even an hour after going out to some club somewhere, and Lizzie had cornered him by the bar as he got another drink, called him a weenie, said he looked pathetic, bumming everyone out, making it impossible for them to enjoy themselves. But then she had stolen a pen from behind the bar and a napkin, messily scrawled something on it, and slapped his chest with her mum’s hotel and room number. Her groan was even louder at the smile he gave her, illuminating his whole face and brightening the room and the night and especially his mood, and Ollie hugged her, ignoring her muttering about stupid, sappy drunk boys. Somehow, not sure how, he had gotten a ride to her hotel, managing to magically avoid both awaiting fans and paparazzo. It had taken them a while to get there, but it had been enough to give him time to imagine what would happen, the most perfect cinematic scene his mind could come up with. The breeze would be blowing, her hair would be shining, and she would smile up at him, wide and happy, and run into his arms, and he would spin her around and around and around, and then he would kiss her. Oliver was sure he had said all that out loud in a wild stride of words without stopping or breathing, explaining his plan to the driver. “I’m gonna go! And I’m gonna kiss her and it’s gonna be amazing!” and the man had laughed, and wished him good luck as he parked, and everything seemed bright and sunny and absolutely happy.

Used to travelling, moving and maneuvering around a hotel was second nature to him, and Ollie quickly figured out the layout and where he was supposed to go to get to her floor. He tried not to look too suspicious, or run to the lift, but he wasn´t sure if he succeeded or not, but didn´t mind one bit. Pacing and shuffling on his feet all through the short elevator ride, Ollie’s self-control only lasted until the doors dinged open and he practically ran all the way to the last room on the hallway, number 309, and knocked once. And twice. And three times. And then four and more, as he started to tap the rhythm to Teeth against the wood of the door. He was about to start singing the chorus when the door opened up and he almost knocked a man in the face with his closed fist.

“Whoa!” Oliver exclaimed, shocked, staring at the redhead man in front of him, “You’re not Ellie.”

“Clearly,” The wrong redhead replied, his glare dissipating when realized Ollie was drunk and not an asshole. “There’s no Ellie here. Just a Clara.”

“Hey!” A female voice called from deeper in the room, “Don´t tell him my name! What if he’s a psycho?!”

The man laughed, tying his bathrobe tighter around his waist, as he turned to stare at Ollie, sizing him up. “He doesn´t look like a psycho, baby.”

“No psycho ever does! If they did, no one would ever trust them!” The woman argued, and she sounded closer now but not even a little bit like Ellie, but her argument was perfectly reasonable enough.

“She’s right, it’s not smart to give her name away,” Oliver nodded, and the other man laughed even more.

“Alright, are you a psychopath?”

He felt his cheeks burnt up red, not sure why, but he shook his head, “No, no, no. Just a little drunk”

“He’s just drunk, babe,” The other man called back into the room. “A drunk man in love we can relate with!”

The woman sighed, and Ollie could imagine she would be rolling her eyes, but a few seconds later, she was standing next to her partner, hair in a ponytail and a bathrobe on and a frown on her face. Ollie felt himself blush even more under her gaze, like a scolded child, and almost missed the spark of recognition that ignited her expression. “Aren´t you that guy from that band?”

“I….”

“Very polite, Clar.”

“Oh, shut up, Josh. You know, the guy, from the band your sister likes? Second of something! Or maybe Second at something? Some dumb shit like that.”

Josh snorted, patting her shoulder and pulling her closer. “Excuse my wife, buddie. She gets cranky at night, but she’s usually a sweetheart. Anyway. Which room are you looking for? This girl might have just lied to you.”

“Josh, love, look at him,” Clara exclaimed confidently, and the two of them turned to stare at Oliver. “No one would give the wrong number to those arms. Even a lesbian would just point him to a friend. Did this Ellie girl write it down?”

Ollie nodded, handing her the napkin he had clutched between his fingers, his mind offering the dreadful idea that maybe Lizzie had just lied at him to get rid of him. That maybe Ellie wasn´t even there at all. “Room 309. See?”

“Eh…” Clara trailed off, moving the napkin in all sorts of ways, closers to her face and against the light. “I think that’s actually a 5? Look.”

She handed the napkin to her husband, and he nodded eagerly, “Definitely looks like my 5. Try that one instead! 509.”

“Really?” Ollie was confused, accepting the napkin back, but his grin was huge and bright. “Thanks! Thank you much!” Turning around on his heels, he waved at the couple as he started running towards the lift. “Good night and sorry to interrupt!”

“Good luck!” Josh and Clara yelled back at him as he got into the lift.

The alcohol buzz was little less hazy now, the edges of upcoming sobriety reclaiming his mind slowly, little by little. Ollie tapped his stomach in random patterns as the elevator went up two floors, anxiety crawling up his legs. Maybe she was asleep. Maybe she thought he was a terrible drummer and didn´t want to see him again. Maybe she had left the state, or maybe she had someone over. Maybe-

The door opened up before he could realize he had walked all the way up there or knocked. And there she stood in all her redhead glory, face bright and freckled, feet bare and legs barer, and black hoodie grazing her thighs. Oliver gaped, surprised that it was really her, that she was really there, that she had really opened up the door, and then he registered the reflective logo on the chest.

“You’re wearing our merch,” He stated, eyes wide. “I have that hoodie.”

The right redhead blushed, fumbling on her feet and looking at the floor, “Yeah… Jem gave it to me earlier.”

“You met Jem earlier.” Ollie wasn´t entirely sure how he felt about that.

“I… panicked a little. Earlier. Jem went to the parking lot, not sure why, and he talked me down. I see why you love him, he’s sweet. He convinced me to stay, watch from the pit if I didn´t feel comfortable there. I’m glad he did. You’re amazing. I mean, you all are, I’m impressed, but you… are definitely something.”

Her words made him blush, feeling sheepish, and it took him a moment to realize that she was rambling because she was nervous, because he was feeling the same kind of nerves. He wasn´t sure where his drunken spur bravado had gone, but now that he was standing in front of her it was harder to be confident. Or charming. Or dashing. The fact that she had left had upset his confidence and his reaction to her, and now he was left feeling awkward and out of place, careful of not tipping the balance even further.

“I think we were amazing too,” Oliver agreed, though, smiling at her. “I’m glad you watched the show. I’m happy you did. I’m also glad it was a great show as well, because we’ve had a couple of flukes during tour when we had awful audiences.”

Ellie looked up at him curiously, “Awful audiences? Were they all on their phones or threw rotten food at you?”

“Ah, that has never happened, but they just… refused to interact! They sit down and do nothing, not even hum a little. It’s unnerving and it fucks with the whole vibe of the show.”

“That doesn´t sound pleasant,” The redhead nodding absentmindedly, catching her lower lip between her teeth.

“It is not. But tonight was great. And you look great. Hi,” Ollie grinned, a little flustered.

The redhead blushed and looked at the floor, but a smile curled up her face and her teeth released her lip. And a mischievous gleam lit up her eyes as she asked him, “Do you want to… come in?”

“Yes.”

Absolutely. He wanted to do more than just that, too; he wanted to touch her face, trace her lips and her nose with his fingers, he wanted to hold her neck in his hand, follow her arms from her shoulders to her wrists and then her hands, he wanted to count her freckles and pull her closer, and definitely see what she was wearing underneath the band hoodie. But as she stepped back from the threshold, opening the door all the way to let him in, Ollie realized he couldn´t. Because that was her room, and he really liked her, and locking themselves there would only give him bad ideas and wonderfully inappropriate images, and he had not gone there just for sex. He didn´t want her to think that at all.

“Wait, no.”

“…. You don´t want to?” She sounded confused, and he was tempted to hold her face between his hands and kiss her nose and her forehead and her cheeks and then her lips.

“No, I do. But I shouldn´t. I don´t want you to think I’m only here for sex or your boobs or anything like that.”

A smirk spread on her face, and she raised her eyebrows at him, tauntingly, “I wasn´t thinking about sex.”

Oliver blushed, again, but figured there was no point in lying. “I was, a little. But I’m not here for that!”

“Well…. I was, a little, too,” Ellie laughed, leaning down to poke his left bicep with her finger. “You looked good on stage.”

“You look good right here, doll.”

“But you still don´t want to come in,” She asked, opening her eyes wide and ignoring her blush as she stepped closer to the threshold. Closer to him.

“Wouldn´t be smart, love. I just wanted to see you.”

“Seeing me naked is definitely a form of seeing me,” She laughed, tapping his bicep again with her index finger.

And while she had a point, it wasn´t what he was going for. “And I would love that. But… we have time. I just want to be here with you.”

Arching her eyebrows at him, Ellie groaned, making him laugh with her words: “Are you a fan of blue balls?”

“No! And if Jem were here, he would go on a rant about how that is not a medical term and it was invented by men to demand sex from women. But he’s not….. So we’re here now.”

“It’s still annoying,” She pouted.

It was hard to remain sure of his decision when she looked at him like that, even harder not to reach down and kiss her, crash her against his chest and not let her go until they both needed air. “I’m sorry, doll. I just want to be with you. For now. We can have sex later, I want to.”

Ellie didn´t reply right away, looking him up and down for a moment as if she was pondering her options, weighing in on what she should or shouldn´t do. “I ordered room service before you showed up, I thought it was them when you knocked. Onion rings and Caesar salad and chocolate mousse. Are you hungry?”

His smile seemed to reach his ears and cover his whole face. Telling her he was only hungry for her, for getting to know everything he could about her, for her presence close to him, was out of the question, the kind of corny things she’d scoff at and rolled her eyes at with some biting remark. So instead, Oliver nodded. “We got some snacks right after the show, but not much else. Only alcohol.”

“You went out?”

The redhead cocked her head to the side, brows furrowed, but before she could continue, a young man in a hotel uniform got off the lift and started rolling the room service tray towards them. Ellie jumped a little and run inside, fumbling through her purse over the bed, leaning down a little with her back to him. It seemed like a jerk move, but Ollie couldn´t help to stare at her legs and the exact spot they disappeared under the fabric, wasting a moment in imagining what would it feel like to run his fingers up her thighs and how her skin would react and if she would moan or move against him or be more confident and demanding. She turned around before he could continue his fantasy, her wallet in hand as the hotel worker reached her door.

“Thank you!” Ellie replied to whatever the boy had said, Ollie couldn´t be sure, and she handed him a generous tip when he finished setting things up on the table by the door. “Can we keep the tray or you have to bring it with you?”

“The tray? Yes, absolutely! I’ll leave it here, then, miss,” The boy smiled, thankful for the tip. He wished them a good night and Ellie waved as he walked out and down the hallway, and then she turned to him, smile still in place.

“Not to get scolded about it, but why are you here if you went out?”

He could tell her about how bummed he had been when she wasn´t there or how much Lizzie had said he was depressing everyone, but he wasn´t sure how she would take that yet, seeing as she had left before seeing him at the show, so he went with half the truth. “Liz gave me your hotel room.”

“Oh. She did? That’s…. Wow.”

“Is it okay…?” The drummer trailed off, but she gave him a wide smile and nodded.

“It’s weird, but I did want to see you. Especially after you came to see me in New York. But alas,“ Ellie shrugged, sheepish smile on her lips, “seems like we’ll stay as unresolved as then, sir.”

Ollie chuckled, cheeks blushing and butterflies on his stomach. “I swear it’s not on purpose, doll.”

“Oh, it absolutely is,” Ellie laughed, sticking her tongue out at him, “but I’ll deal. I’m getting good at waiting.”

“I’m sorry, doll. Are you sure it’s okay?”

Biting her lower lip again, she nodded, and raised her hand up in between them, pink finger out. “Definitely, pinky promise,” She teased, daring him with her eyes. Ollie raised his hand as well, lacing his own pinky with hers, shaking their hands up and down twice to seal the promise, but didn´t let go of her after, linking their fingers together as she smiled at it. Before he could see it coming, though, Ellie pulled from their hands, using his chest as leverage as she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him. It was fast and it surprised him, her crystalline laugh bringing him back as she pulled away. “So, not walking in, then,” the redhead nodded, more to herself than for him, and she let go of his hand. Pensive, Ellie turned around and looked inside, searching for something but he couldn´t be sure of what. A moment or two later, she walked back inside and came back to the door with an armful of pillows and blankets. “We can have a picnic on the floor, and that way you’re not coming in. The room in front is empty so we wouldn´t be bothering anyone. Are you up for it?”

Oliver smiled at her, because he would be up to anything she asked, and he took a blanket from her hands, throwing it on the floor, half inside the room and half on the hallway. “Of course, doll, let’s set it up.”

They set the pillows on the floor, hers against the opened door and his against the arch of the door, and she let him set the tray of food in between them as she went to grab two water bottles, some cans of iced coffee and sodas, two paper straws and some napkins, placing them on the floor by the tray. Ollie sat down, careful to stay outside the room, trying to respect his boundaries, and he leaned his back against the frame, watching her as she sat down in front of him, her back against the opened door, legs crossed. She was closed enough to touch, the curve of her bum grazing his foot, and he knew if he leaned down, he could pull her close and kiss her.

When she finished setting everything up, Ellie smiled up at him, a delighted expression on her face, like a little kid, as she handed him one of the forks. “Here, dig in.”

“Were you going to eat all this on your own?” Ollie asked, grinning, as he looked at the giant plate of onion rings and the enormous salad, and she grinned right back at him.

“Anxiety. I couldn´t think what to get. Would probably not even have finished half of this all on my own, to be honest,” she admitted, grabbing a ring with her fingers and biting on it.

He was enchanted by her movements, his eyes following her fingers and her wrists and her parted lips and the way her jaw tensed and relaxed as she chewed. Ellie had become a mythical sort of entity for him, making her way into his lyrics and his songs and his mind and his thoughts without him even realizing, and talking to her the past week had made her even more of a perfect idea. Seeing her in New York hadn´t helped, but he hadn´t have time to watch her and study her back then, too little time to enjoy her company. Now, though… There she was, sitting with her legs crossed, the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, hair in a ponytail, bare knees moving up and down softly, as if she was dancing. It was even better than what he had imagined, golden freckles and red lips, and he stared until he realized he was doing it, blushing and lowering his gaze to the salad, forcing himself to take a bite, do anything that would avoid her noticing he was behaving like a lovesick puppy.

“How do you feel?” Ellie wondered, an onion ring against her lips, her head cocked to the side.

“Happy,” He replied before thinking it over, surprising himself at how easy it came out. For a moment, Oliver worried she would scoff and belittle his reply, but the redhead just laughed.

“I mean, after a show. Are you tired? On a high? Exhilarated?”

Oliver left his fork on the plate and hugged his bended knee closer to his chest, thinking his answer over. “All three of them. I’m usually all three of them, plus exhausted, mentally and physically. I’m all of that now, but not just for the show,” He admitted, winking at her, loving the way her cheeks tinged bright and red.

“So do I exhaust you mentally?” Ellie teased, eyes wide, pretending to be offended.

“What? No!” Sometimes he wondered how did he always manage to say the wrong thing around her, even if she took it as a joke. “That’s not it at all, that’s not-“

“Ollie. Relax.” Leaning forward, she placed a hand on his knee, squeezing gently once, and tapping absentmindedly as she kept talking. “I’m just teasing you. I know you meant the corny stuff. You can´t help yourself, it’s sad, really.”

The drummer snorted, unable to stop himself, and he smacked her hand once, covering with his after. “It’s not sad,” He protested, his eyes focused on the contrast of his own tanned skin against her pale freckled one. Scraping the back of her palms softly, he dragged his fingers down her knuckles and her nails, pulling her fingers up so he could lace them with his, smiling at their hands. It felt so natural, so comfortable, her hand in his, his thumb brushing her palm, and it always surprised him a little when she let him.

“I missed you,” Oliver admitted, gazing up at her without moving his head, unsure of how she would react.

Instead of pushing him away, Ellie smiled, more to herself than anyone else, and nodded, squeezing his fingers. “I missed you too. I didn´t really…. realize I did until we started talking again, though.”

“What would you have told me if I had picked up when you called me in June?” With her hand in his, it was easy to feel bold and confident, and asked her anything he was curious about.

The redhead chuckled, a soft, pure sound that rang in his head like good wine. “I don´t know, I remember I didn´t really think that much? I had heard all the drama and some very mean comments and then I spent a long time talking myself out of and into calling you. I didn´t know if you even remembered me at all and I didn´t want to feel the shame of re-introducing myself to you on the phone…”

“Elle, of course I remember you. I would n-“

Tugging from their entwined hands, Ellie leaned down closer to him to place her free hand against his face, her index fingers effectively silencing his mouth. “I know now. I had no fucking clue then.”

“But I-“

She pressed her finger more firmly against his lips, grabbing his jaw with her thumb and middle finger. “You asked me something, dude. I know you kept some fuzzy photo of us, for whatever reason. And I kept your shirt. For whatever reason, too. But then I was just anxious about calling and I didn´t think more than that. But if you had picked up, I would have… probably asked you how you were. If you needed help, or… anything. If I could help with something.”

“And if I’d said I needed you?” Oliver asked against her finger, and she looked at him, eyes gleaming with something he couldn´t place.

“If you had told me you needed me, then…. I would have been there for you, in any way you would have needed me.”

He stared at her in silence for a moment, hyperconscious of the points of contact of their skin. Her index on his lip and the rest of her fingers on his jaw and neck, her other hand in his, still against his knee, her long hair brushing his trouser clad leg. She smelled of winter and flowers and strawberries and smoke and a tad of beer and spilled soda; she smelled like her perfume and she smelled like a show spent on the floor, the closed bodies and the smoking and the food and the drinks. She was so close now that he could see the specks of blue and green and dark gold in her eyes.

“Never hated Isabel more than I do now, doll.”

“Why?” She seemed unsettled by his sudden statement, curious.

“Because if she hadn´t leaked my number, I would have been able to talk to you. Maybe see you.”

To his surprise, the redhead laughed and tap his nose with her index finger before moving away from his lips to cup his chin. “We’re here now, though, right? Maybe you wouldn´t have wanted me there then.”

“Oh, love. I definitely would have wanted you with me. I went to your show because I missed you and you made me feel less…. frazzled and used.”

“I really, really want to kiss you again right now,” Ellie confessed, and before he could tell her to do it, to please go ahead and get closer and kiss him, she patted his chin once and then moved back, sitting with her back against the door again. “But we said no funny business.”

“No funny business,” He repeated, not because he agreed, but because he needed to form those words himself to understand what she meant. “Is snogging funny business?”

“Well…” She grinned, mischievously, batting her eyelashes innocently at him, “not really. But definitely when it’s done well and with expertise. Your hands on my ass didn´t count as Funny Business the other day, though.”

“Maybe I suck!” He laughed, leaving forward as he tugged their hands to make her move towards him, having to use her hand against his crossed leg for leverage.

“I know you’re not! You weren´t terrible like five days ago, it’s probably for all the fame and the pretty girls throwing themselves at you. Pretty boys too, probably!” Ellie laughed as well.

“Alright, but maybe I got worse. There’s only one way to be sure.”

“Maybe I’ll let you kiss me later, but you should eat now. And drink some coffee. You just got off a huge tour, dear, you need sustenance.”

“I need at least one little, tiny kiss?” He insisted, and he watched he roll her eyes, sigh a little, and then move her legs so she was kneeling towards him, her free hand on his shoulder, still holding his other hand in hers. Before he could blush or get excited, Ellie leaned down, close enough to breath her in, and kissed his nose.

Pulling back quickly and letting go of his hand now, the redhead sat back down on her heels, laughing at his expression. “There’s your kiss.”

Oliver pouted, “That’s not fair.”

“Should have been more specific, then,” Ellie shrugged, still laughing, as she handed him a can of iced coffee. “Drink, and maybe I tell you a secret.”

“What a secret?” Ollie asked, but he grabbed the can and opened it after cleaning the edge with his sleeve.

“If I tell you, then it stops being a secret, right?”

Sighing, Oliver drank half the can in one go and grabbed his fork and the salad, “Alright, I’m eating. Tell me your secret.”

Ellie waited a moment, scrunching her nose up at him and sticking her tongue out as he started finishing the salad, smiling at him, and Ollie wondered if she was gathering herself up, or maybe coming up with a good enough secret she hadn´t have when she offered to tell him one. As he took the third bite, though, she spoke, her voice soft and low, as if she was trying to avoid being loud and disrupting something.

“… I watched the show last night.”

He could have choke, and he almost spat chicken and lettuce and dressing all over the blanket, but managed to regain his composure before any of that happened, swallowing hard before he could breathe out: “You watched?”

“Yeap,” Ellie nodded, motioning for him to keep eating as she continued her tale. And he was sure he would be more than happy to hear her talk about anything for hours, but this involved him in some way, so he liked it even more. “I wasn´t sure how would I feel so I made up a lie about a business meeting to give me an out if I needed it. So I dropped Sophie off at your hotel earlier, but hours later she called because she had forgotten her camera and something a friend asked you guys to sign, so I had to go to the stadium. I almost went in with her. Everyone seemed to be having a good time and the opening act was good and I was very close to go in. But then I thought about you and how it would be and what if you hated that I was there, but also what if you didn´t. What if I listened to your song and it was weird, because I knew it was about me? What if I liked it but also what if I didn´t? What if I couldn´t hide it or pretend or be calm and collected? I was… I felt overwhelmed and a little panicked, and I walked out but since I wasn´t in my right state of mind, I still have no clue where I was. A security guy found me and since I still had my lanyard to get in and out of the stadium, he asked me if I wanted to go to the VIP spot, which I didn´t. But I asked if it was possible to get to the pit? So he showed me the side entrance and told me to find him when I wanted to leave. Andy, that’s his name, you should get him a bonus.”

“I’ll buy him a car, anything he wants,” Oliver assured, making her chuckle.

“That’s probably good too. So I watched from the floor yesterday too. You guys were amazing, and so… electric and magnetic. I loved the show. It’s hard not to fall in love with your stage personas, and it’s even harder not to let yourself be drown in the music and the atmosphere and the exhilaration of the show.”

Taking his iced coffee and drinking a swig, Ollie asked her, “Did you?”

“Did I what?”

“Fell in love.”

The redhead grinned, despite her face burning hot and red, and he knew right away he wasn´t going to like the answer, even if it was a lie. At least, he really hoped it was. “Oh, yes. Definitely. Malcolm is just enchanting. I was going to ask you for his number, that’s why I let you stay.”

Oliver gasped, offended at her words and dropping his fork against the now empty plate, “That’s not true!”

“You don´t think Malcolm is enchanting? He’s so good and talented, and he’s adorable with his guitar and forgetting his lyrics for that one song!” She laughed.

And he knew she was teasing him, but he wasn´t sure, and he didn´t like not being sure. “That’s not what I meant and you know it. I’m not here just so you can have his number.”

Wide smile still on her lips, Ellie stuck her tongue out at him. “Of course not. But he is definitely adorable.”

“I know he is, but that’s not-“

“Oliver. Babe. Dearest. The guys are great, but you’re the one I couldn´t get my eyes off of. You were so…. Man, you’re so hot when you’re drumming. Even from afar. It’s like you’re banging to your heart’s content and you’re giving it your all and it’s hard to think straight while you’re up there. Which is why I panicked today too. Because I loved seeing you on stage. And it still feels wrong with Lizzie. And I wasn´t sure how I would react, or how she would react, or how you would react. And I…. spiraled a little, locked myself in the car and all.”

Blushing at her words, Ollie cleared his throat, looking to the floor, flustered but delighted. “I… So you’re saying it was hard not to fall a little bit in love with me…?”

She scrunched her nose up, probably regretting her choice of words, but after a second she shrugged and dared him with her eyes on his. “The you on stage. He’s hypnotic and seductive and a little bewitching.”

“You like me,” He grinned as wide as he could, and she blushed even more, but didn´t argue right away.

“Your stage persona. How could I not?”

“You like me,“ Ollie insisted.

Rolling her eyes, the redhead bit her lower lip, trying not to smile back. “Okay, yes. I like you. You’re pretty.”

“I like you too, doll. A lot. All of you. I also really like your ass in your strappy little contraction from the other day. Especially like you wearing our merch.”

“Funny you’d say that,” Ellie snorted, thrilled, “because that’s exactly what Jem said you would think.”

It was hard not to laugh as well, because Jem knew him too much, and he had a preternatural gift to orchestrate everything, and Oliver wouldn´t put it past him that Jem would have planned it all down. But when she reached for the last onion ring with her right hand, and his eyes followed her movement, he noticed something he hadn´t before, a delicate ring precisely on her ring finger. Suddenly, it wasn´t that hard not to laugh as his eyes latched to her hand, because she had a ring, and it was on that finger, and he remembered Lizzie mentioning something he had brushed away before about her mum being married… but maybe it was the truth.  Oliver hated the feeling that overcame him, helplessness and worry and anxiety mixed with insecurity and curiosity. Because if she was, then…. she had not say a single thing. And what if it wasn´t open and it wasn´t okay with the other person what they were doing? What if he was being the mistress? Ollie knew how much it hurt to be cheated on, and he’d hated to be in that position, but he’d hate it even more if it was with her.

“I heard the strangest thing once…” Oliver trailed off, his eyes still focused on her hand, but he saw her shift a little and look at him, curiously.

“About Jem?” She wondered.

“No. About you.”

Ellie frowned, cocking her head to the side as her eyes bore holes in his face, and he felt his cheeks warm and furious pink. “Oh, boy. What was it?”

“That you’re married,” He blurted out, finally looking at her, on time to catch her raging blush and the confusion in her expression.

“Oh. That…” The redhead sighed, curling her lips to the side. “I’m not really married? Sawyer’s just….. my husband.”

Shaking his head, utterly confused, Oliver frowned back at her, because that made no sense, and he was sure even if he was cold sober, it would still sound off. “I know I drank some earlier, so maybe I’m still little drunk, but right now it sounded exactly as you saying someone’s your husband? But you’re not married? How does that work? Are marriage laws completely different in this weird country?”

“Well…. No?”

Ellie didn´t sound so sure, and the fact he wasn´t getting an honest, direct answer only worked to fuel his anxiety and his fears. What if she was married? What if he was helping her cheat? What if she didn´t like him and was just trying to get even with someone else? What if he was just someone to pass the time while her husband was away at sea, or touring with some bigger, more famous band, or shooting a billion dollars’ movie on the moon, or curing cancer? She must have sense his inner turmoil, or maybe he was transparent, because she kneeled again, and crawled on her knees closer to him until she was between his bended knee and his crossed leg. “It’s not easy to explain.”

“Is it true, then, you’re married? Is it open? What is it what we were doing when I went to New York?” Ollie blurted out, unable to hold her gaze.

“I’m not married. Sawyer’s just…”

“They’re one of your most favourite people in the world, I remember the name, you mentioned them before.”

“Yes, he is. We’re friends, he’s my… He’s my Jem. He’s my work husband, but saying that feels disingenuous because he’s so much more than that. And we have rings, but… It’s not an actual marriage.”

“Is this cheating, then?”

“He’s my Jem. Are you cheating on him by being here with me?” Ellie asked, tapping his forehead once, twice, when he avoided her eyes again, but then she didn´t wait for his answer. “Sawyer is not my boyfriend. He’s one of my best friends and I love him, and we work together all the time so… husband.”

“That makes even less sense, Elle!” Oliver protested, loudly, regretting his volume as soon as he used it, and blushing even more at that.

“I’m trying to explain,” she insisted, sounding a little defeated, which he liked even less. “Sawyer and I are not a couple. We just play one on stage more times than not. And he’s my friend. And he loves me and I love him. You have nothing to worry about and I’m not cheating. I’m not a cheater. I know how much it destroys someone if they’re cheated. And I also try not to lie or hide the truth.”

“But you said he’s your husband.”

Ellie sighed again, trying to find a way to explain that he would accept, but it seemed hard to put it into words. “I like you. Whatever I have with Sawyer, he’s my friend, and he chose the picture I sent you, the wet one? So that should be enough to understand.”

“… He chose that picture?”

“Well, he helped me, I was feeling anxious. I’m not going to tell you that Sawyer means nothing because that’s a lie. But…” She frowned, more at herself, it seemed, than at him, and stopped herself from talking, as if words failed her. Oliver was about to interrupt her silence, tell her he understood, that he had maybe overreacted a smidge, and that she had every right to do everything she wanted, of course, and he shouldn´t have made her feel like she had to explain herself, but he went silent as she placed her hands on his shoulders. Before he could ask or process it, though, Ellie leaned all the way down, and kissed him.

It was an instant wildfire burning between them, her fingers closing tight on his shoulders as his hands went to her hips. He wanted to pull her closer, so close he could feel her heart beating against his skin, but their position was awkward and they were in the hallway, and tearing her clothes off seemed like the kind of funny businesses she had closed off earlier. But then she parted his lips with her tongue, deepening the kiss, making him moan into her mouth, chase after as she moved to get closer, her right knee going over his left one that he had quickly stretched when he felt her get closer, and she was straddling his leg now, her knee brushing hard against his crotch and the growing bulge there. And it was hard to think and it was hard to breath, and he couldn´t help himself as he slid one of his hands under her hoodie, scraping the skin of her thigh all the way up to her ass, squeezing it with his fingers over the lacy fabric of her brief, drinking her whimper in with all of her. Ellie let go of his shoulder in favour of the nape of his neck, clutching his hair tightly on her fist as he moved his hand from her ass to her hip, sliding his thumb under the satin ribbon keeping her pants in place, tempted to pull until they broke or got untied.

But before he could decide on what to do, and as fast as the kiss had started, it ended, and Ellie pulled away, breathless, lips swollen and red, and cheeks flushed. She looked like sex, hot and needy and so, so ready, and he wanted to kiss her again, but she was probably right, because if he started kissing her again, then when would he stop? Reluctantly, he unhooked his thumb from the string of her pants and took his hand from under her hoodie as she sat down on his leg.

“You’re right,” Ollie admitted when his own breathing calmed down. “That definitely counts as funny business.”

That reply made her laugh, and she leaned towards him to kiss his nose. “Told you. But I’ve been thinking about doing that for a while now. Since the airport, really.”

“Me too, so much. I’d say I’ve missed it since it last happened, especially when you sneaked your pants in my pocket, but that sounds wrong,” He chuckled, because why the hell not? Because she was sitting with his leg between hers and she was wearing his band’s hoodie and only a thin, flimsy piece of lace under it. Because he wanted her, and he wanted her to know.

“You’re cute,” Ellie smiled, brushing the small curls at the back of his neck with her fingertips, and sliding her hands to his shoulders after. “We always did have great chemistry.”

“And kissing is a great exercise, so maybe we should be doing it a bit more.”

The redhead grinned at him at his words as he fisted the hoodie around her hips, dragging her that little bit closer up his thigh, her knee pressing against his bulge a smidge too much, making him hiss and close his eyes and focus on the sensation. She shouldn´t be able to make him feel like that with just a brush or just a kiss, yet here he was… harder than he had been in ages, and desperate for something he knew he wouldn´t be getting.

“Maybe you should get a cold shower,” Ellie teased, her tongue out between her lips, and she leaned closer again to kiss his forehead. It was a feathery touch, barely there, but her lips hovered against his face and she kissed him again, smiling to herself. It seemed a waste to focus on her words when her breath fanned out over his face, her hair fell in waterfalls between them, and her lips, wet and warm and so very red, pressed against his right cheek, right under his eye. Once, twice, and then she kissed the other side. Soft and sensual, it was driving him wild, and Ollie didn´t dare speak or move or even think too much. His whole attention was latched onto her fingers on his shoulders, and her hot lips on his face, kissing gently his cheeks, his forehead again, his nose, his eyebrows, his chin, the curve of his jaw… Even breathing seemed like too much, too distracting, too out of place. She seemed so fixated on her ministrations, so concentrated on what she was doing, Ollie wondered what was going on through her mind. And he would have asked her were it not for the spell that had befallen them and enthrall them.

She kissed his lower lip once, and the curve of his archer’s bow, and then she took his upper lip in between hers, and Oliver couldn´t help himself this time and crashed her closer to his chest, chasing her mouth to kiss her properly again. He felt her giggle into his mouth and she let him kiss her, biting his lip gingerly.

“Definitely a cold shower,” Ellie giggled against his lips when they pulled away.

“Are you going to help me?” He tried, already knowing the answer he would get, smiling wide as she shook her head.

“That would defeat the purpose. Go, take a shower, and I’ll clean this up, and then we can sit here again.”

“I don´t want to. I want to stay with you, not be naked in your shower without you.”

She blushed wildly, sheepish smile on her lips. “What about your current… situation?” Ellie teased, licking her lips, her eyes sliding to his crotch and then back at him, and now it was him the one who blushed.

“I’ll worry about my dick, love. I’m not going to jerk off in your bathroom unless you’re there with me watching, so this is what we have to work with,” He laughed, kissing her nose. “No funny business.”

“No funny business,” She repeated, more to herself, it seemed, as if she was trying to convince herself that was the best course of action. Or at least, that’s what he hoped for, because it was exactly what he was thinking now. “Let’s clean this up?”

Oliver shook his head, fingers clutching at her hips, holding her tighter. “Not yet, stay a little more. I like having you here.”

Giggling again, Ellie nodded, “Alright, then, Princess, but this position is a little awkward, hold on.” Kneeling on the floor, holding his shoulders, she tapped his left thigh so he would move it in between hers, so she was straddling his legs now. She sat down on his lap, her legs crossing around his hips, closer than she was before, and it was either innocent or absolutely teasing but his dick was now fully against her body, and he saw the way she smirked and bit down on her lip.

“You, my love, are a tease. A pretty, dirty, beautiful little tease.”

“Ah, but, sir, I’m not even moving!” She pouted a little, innocently, looking up at him through her eyelashes as she rolled her hips, making him hiss and slap her ass once, trying to ignore her soft moan.

“Behave, babydoll. No funny business.”

Her nose scrunched up, half frown and half pout and full adorable. “That was a dumb decision.”

“Come on, babydoll, we can keep it pure,” He laughed.

“Then stop calling me babydoll, tease,” Ellie protested, but she kept her hips still and she passed her arms around his neck. “Do that, and maybe we can work it out.”

“Alright, no teasing in any way. Can I hold your waist, though?”

Nodding, Ellie sighed, leaning her forehead against his, and he hugged her around her middle. “Have I told you already you’re cute?”

“Yes, but I like hearing you say it.”

“Well, too bad, that’s all you’re going to hear from me for now,” she chuckled, tightening her arms around his neck as he started rubbing her waist up and down, gently.

“That’s enough for now, doll. This is enough. I’ve missed you.”

“You told me already.”

“Yes, but not to your face. Not with you in my arms and on my lap, so it feels different. You don´t have to say anything in return, doll. I just wanted you to k-“

“I missed you too. I told you before. Like ten minutes ago,” Ellie laughed.

Sticking his tongue out at her, Ollie kissed her lips once, quick, surprising her. “Tell me something about you you haven´t told me before,” He asked, the same thing she had asked a week ago when he started telling her everything and anything she wanted to know.

“I… have no clue what that would be. I can be totally honest if you ask me, but I always find it hard to just… talk about myself? So if you’re more specific…” The redhead trailed off, shrugging a little, a small smile tugging at her lips.

“Alright. Then tell me what do you like about yourself.”

Ellie rolled her eyes, “That is not even a little bit easier, Princess.”

“Come on, now. I know it’s hard for you to talk about things you like, but I also know you’re amazing, so you must have something to say.”

“Does saying my tits count as cheating?”

Ollie snorted, surprised, and trying very hard not to look at them. “While they are, indeed, impressive, brilliant breasts, that does sound like cheating, love.”

“Brilliant, huh?”

“Definitely. Dazzling and perfect,” He admitted, his ears tinging pink under her gaze. “Very distracting, like every little thing about you.”

“Okay, then what about my lack of gag reflex?”

Chortling, he slapped her hip once, bringing her attention back. “Do you want me to tell you something I like about you, or myself, first?”

“Yes, please. Not about me, tell me your favourite thing about yourself.”

She was smiling, her forehead against his, looking into her eyes and it was easy to smile back and fall into her spell, comply and do whatever she wanted him to. “I like… I like that I’m kind, and that I always try to choose that. Sunny and sweet, as you said it before,” Ollie chuckled, and he opened his mouth to go on, until he realized what she had done. “Hey!” He protested, offended. “No flipping it on me!”

Ellie was cackling now, like a mad woman, and he couldn´t remain offended at that. “I love hearing you talk.”

“It’s not fair, what if I like hearing you?!”

“Alright… that’s fair. I’m sorry. I don´t feel comfortable talking about myself.” The redhead accepted, puffing her cheeks out. “I like… that I have a great memory? I used to like that I trusted people and that I thought the best of everyone, but clearly that hasn´t been me for a while.”

“Do you think the worst of me?” Oliver asked, curiously, eagerly, not sure yet if he wanted the answer or not. Ellie looked at him, pondering her reply, sizing him up, and then she shook her head.

“I don´t. I don´t think so.”

“Do you trust me?”

This time, she didn´t have to think. “I do. Which doesn´t really seem smart. But… I do.”

“So you trust and think the best of some people, at least. You should still like that about yourself.”

“Jeeze,” Ellie sighed, a soft chuckle following suit. “You would get along great with Sawyer.”

“You’ll have to introduce us, then,” He stated, and he still wasn´t sure how he felt about Sawyer. “What’s your favourite thing about him?”

“About Sawyer?” She asked, and she seemed much more present and willing to gush now, and Ollie wondered if it was wrong to feel jealous, if he had any right, and even if he was jealous, which he couldn´t be sure. He buried his fingers on her hips, grasping at her body and the fabric of her hoodie, drumming softly, trying to get his mind off of anything other than her presence there. “I’m not sure I have one favourite thing. He’s… He’s sweet and caring and loving, and he’s seen the worst of me and he still wants me around, and he’s so so talented and so easy to work with. He’s easy to love and easy to be with, he makes things simple and he makes everything make sense. He… actually…”

Her expression changed, a frown coming over her features, and she bit her lower lip, deep in thought. Ollie gave her a moment or two to gather herself, but when she sighed and muttered a little huh but nothing more, he felt anxious and curious. Tugging a little at her hips, he called her attention. “What? What is it?”

“I just realized something,” Ellie shrugged, focusing on him, but she didn´t continue and he was tempted to stick his tongue out, tickle her, kiss her, anything to get a different reaction.

As she kept silent, Ollie knocked her nose with his, softly, “What is it?” His curiosity was getting the best of him, and slowly sinking into anxiety and he didn´t want to get to that.

“Nothing, really. You and Sawyer, you’re… You guys are a lot alike, now that I think about it. It’s weird,” Ellie admitted finally, a soft smile on her lips.

“Does that mean I’m also one of your favourite people too, then?” He dared, only his fingers tapping on her hips betraying his nerves.

“Currently? You are on definitely up there.” It wasn´t a reply he expected, and Ollie looked at her, confused, eyes wide, which made her laugh. “You asked me, don´t act so surprised.”

“I didn´t know you would agree! I thought you would laugh in my face.”

“Well…. Technically, I did,” The redhead chuckled, brushing his nose with hers.