#essentially a hold my beer situation

[thecandlesticksfromlesmis]

happy almost barricade day. this year, I’ve challenged myself to not making anything ahead of time and instead make an entire video tomorrow that has something to do with barricade day. this was absolutely an idea I had months ago and not an idea created from the desperation of realizing tomorrow is June 5th 🙂

[1d1195]

Dolcezza I

You know me and my need for love at first sight.

This is where I’ll keep her: Dolcezza

Warnings: mostly fluff, mentions of stalking

~5.5k words

Definitely multi-part. This part is mostly from the MC perspective. The very end peeks into Harry's brain and the second part will likely pick up more onto his POV.

Hope you enjoy!

“You really don’t need to trouble yourself,” she promised.

Harry turned pausing by the shelf pressed against the wall. “D’you really want me t’leave?” He asked with a frown. “M’sorry. I jus’... really want t’help you, kitten,” he explained. “S’like I need to. S’almost... compulsive... but I’ll leave if y’want me to.”

“No, I’m totally fine, thank you,” she said into her phone.

“Are you sure?” Eleanor asked. “I can send Louis over.”

“No, no, that’s so unnecessary, El. Really. I’ll be fine.”

She could hear her best friend sigh heavily into the speaker. Eleanor was nearly a thousand miles away. She got a new job and while the benefits and everything about it were great, and would make Eleanor wildly successful, she was sadly away from her platonic soulmate. It was extremely hard to let her go. Worse, Louis would be joining her just as soon as he nailed down a new job out there.

But Louis was around for now, which was a great relief for Eleanor. Her best friend was a lot of things, but aware of how scary her situation wasn’t one of them. Louis knew he was essentially filling as best friend for the time being and he was expected to drop everything to get to her aid if Eleanor said so.

But that would only last so long.

Eleanor didn’t want to think about that right now.

She was carrying a box from her car toward the building. Her shoulder pressing her phone to her ear as best she could. Beside the building was a small little alley where her entry way to her new place resided. As much as it killed her to pay for it, she got a whole moving company to bring her furniture in already so at the rest was pretty standard. Her family, God love them, didn’t even think that she might need some help. If anything, she would have had to bribe them into helping her. Even if it was just for the furniture. If Eleanor was in town she would have helped with the boxes and other stray things she had heaped in her car.

Even with Eleanor’s presence closer, she felt alone. Eleanor had Louis and she would never fault her for that. Louis was everything she would want in a best-friend-in-law. But there was always this element of not fully having Eleanor—not like when they were in college and sharing a dorm room. It was different now. Not bad, but different. Her family was great but a little self-centered at times. Part of the problem, she dropped everything to help them whenever they asked but they rarely returned the favor. She did it all, so why would she need help?

Fortunately, moving allowed her to downsize quite a bit so her mid-sized SUV was able to hold almost all of her boxes in one trip from her storage unit to the new place. Maybe, this even helped her explain away her family’s lack of help.

But her brother was either busy working at the college dispatch center most of the weekend or playing beer pong at a frat party. Her sister was so wrapped up in her high school love life or maybe just being the princess her mom and dad made her out to be by never making her do anything of importance. Her parents were probably waiting on her hand and foot without even realizing. If not, they were probably creating some sort of computer-virus havoc on their home computer that for some reason her sister wouldn’t be able to fix. Or maybe they finally started fixing the kitchen up as they said they would for the last year waiting for their oldest to come home and fix all the little things they broke in the process.

If she thought about it too long, she would get annoyed. Her brother and sister were more than capable of helping and they just didn’t. It drove her nuts. So, at the end of it, she couldn’t bother her family for help. Because it barely felt like they could help themselves.

She was lucky because the alleyway wasn’t creepy. Not even at night. The whole street was a dream come true really. Part of her thought that despite the circumstance, this was actually a much-needed move. It was almost lucky that she found such an amazing place. Her own parking space right out front of the building, a coffee shop—a mere stone’s throw from said parking space—almost everything she needed was within walking distance. It was perfect.

Of course, the best and most wonderful selling point of all was by far that her new apartment was right above an Italian restaurant. It smelled like fresh pasta, garlic, and just the most comforting of scents. It reminded her of Sunday’s making meatballs with her dad and watching sports with her brother and sister.

When her coworker Mitch told her about the place, she thought it was too good to be true. But Mitch knew someone who worked at the restaurant. The owner, Antonio, was looking for a tenant after he informed Mitch’s friend that he was outgrowing the space. It was a generous size. But it was meant for a place to stay and keep watch over the restaurant—max two people and that was pushing it. The little place could not support Antonio, his wife, their first born, and another little one on the way. Four people was too big for this place.

But it was perfect for a girl who loved garlic bread and spaghetti who needed a new place and wouldn’t mind the smell of olive oil all hours of the day.

“How did you find this place?” Eleanor asked, her third-degree questioning tone was present in her voice.

“A friend of a coworker,” Eleanor already knew this.

“Mitch?” She clarified.

“Yes, Mom, Mitch,” she rolled her eyes.

“I don’t know how you can be so blasé about all this. It’s serious!” She reminded her. “I’m not even there to protect you.”

She didn’t need to be protected. She had a restraining order. The police in the area were well aware of the situation and she was almost always at home or traveling one day a week to work. If she ran errands, it was always in public spaces. She only ever worked out at a public female-only gym. Plus, she had given Louis her location. All of it was nearly a non-issue. “I don’t even know how I got a stalker,” she muttered grumpily. The whole thing was an inconvenience. If it wasn’t for Eleanor, she probably wouldn’t have even gotten the restraining order.

“You’re too nice,” Eleanor reminded her.

She sighed, tired of the story. It had been almost a year since the creepy sensation of the guy following her had started. Eleanor had approached him on more than one occasion to get rid of him. But the whole thing seemed like a bigger deal than it needed to be. The guy was basically harmless; if not just a little bit more on the creepy side. He couldn’t take the hint that she wasn’t interested and had a hard time letting go. He kept a huge distance from her—she wasn’t even sure she knew the color of his eyes from how far away he followed her. If he was around, she hardly noticed. “Well, I’m moving to a whole new place now so it should be fine now.”

“You didn’t tell anyone else about your address change?”

“Nope, just HR,” she promised. “As far as everyone knows I’m still living in that crummy apartment.”

“Well, maybe this is a blessing that you’re out of there anyway,” Eleanor sighed, relief in her voice. “How do you like this place?”

She smiled dropping the box in the middle of the room before she closed the door and descended the staircase back to her car to grab more boxes. “El, it’s literally perfect. It’s like the apartment of my dreams.”

“How come no one at the restaurant wanted it?”

“When you come visit, we can go and ask all the questions—”

As she entered the alleyway from her apartment entrance she was pushed to the ground. The rattling of glass bottles clinked, clattered, and broke on the pavement. She already felt the bruise forming on her tailbone from landing so hard on the ground. In the process she dropped her phone, and she could hear Eleanor shouting from the speaker. “Ouch,” she muttered.

“Don’t move!” She turned to the sound of the guy in the alleyway with her—he was hurrying to his feet having also toppled to the cold, hard ground. He was wearing all black. Short sleeves even though it was a chillier fall day—showing off an array of tattoos that lined his muscular arms. His black pants had fingerprints and handprints of flour on them. There was something dark colored—probably tomato sauce—dried on the half apron around his hips. He clearly worked in the restaurant. The bag of bottles he was previously carrying ripped open and was broken on the ground. “M’so sorry, Principessa,” his voice was smooth and warm. “Antonio told me y’were moving in today. Should’ve been more careful,” he frowned grabbing her wrists without a thought and hauling her to her feet to get her off the cold ground and away from any broken glass. “M’so sorry,” he repeated making sure she was steadily on her feet. He turned her hands over inspecting them so delicately. Like she was the glass that had broken at their feet. “Are y’alright, Principessa?”

The silence coming from Eleanor on her phone was nearly deafening. She blinked a few times as she gazed at the most beautiful man she had ever seen in her life. His hair was the color of melted milk chocolate and looked like it had been sculpted of the very substance into the most unfairly beautiful curls any man should have been allowed to have. His cheeks were smooth except for the stubble lining his incredibly sharp jawline. His lower lip was chapped, and she realized how close she was to face to notice such a thing. Probably from the way he was biting it with the worry that he had hurt her. But they were still very rosy—like pink wine and much like the rest of him, very, very pretty.

He picked up her phone out of the debris. Wiping it on his apron then brought it to his ear. “Hello?”

“Oh, God,” she whispered to herself, trying to process the last two minutes. Eleanor was going to lose her mind.

“Uh... m’Harry... She’s fine—I think... Are y’okay, Principessa?” His gaze turned back to her.

It felt like her heart stopped as her eyes connected with the beautiful green ones looking back at her. It was unfair someone like Harry was that pretty.

She nodded, holding her hand out for her phone. He returned it to her immediately and she cleared her throat. “I’m fine, El. Promise.”

“Principessa?!” She gasped. “Oh. My. God.”

“I’ll call you later,” she whispered feeling her face warm as Harry inspected the mess.

“M’sorry, Principessa,” he repeated for a fourth time. If he called her Principessa again though, she might fall right back on her sore tailbone. “Wasn’t expecting you t’come out the door,” he frowned. “Did y’get cut at all?” He asked, scanning her quickly from head to toe. She was dressed for moving on a cool fall day. A chunky sweatshirt, a pair of joggers, and trainers. Her hair was pulled tight to keep out of her face.

She was the furthest thing from looking like the princess that he kept calling her. “Oh...no... I’m alright,” she promised. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think—”

“Don’t apologize, kitten, s’entirely my fault.”

She shook her head rapidly trying to get some neural networks firing. “Really, I’m okay,” she smiled gently. “I should have watched—”

“M’serious, s’my fault,” he interrupted again.

“Harry, what’s the hold—” Antonio entered the alleyway but stopped his train of thought looking at the pair of them. “Oh, hi, tesorino,” he had called her that a lot since he spoke and met with her. “See you’ve met Harry,” he looked at the broken bag and the glass. “Did he hurt you?” He asked.

“No!” Harry glared at him, a frown adorning his pretty lips and a matching pinch between his brows. Harry looked adorable when he was angry. “I didn’t Principessa, did I?” He turned back to her looking apologetic again.

“No, I’m sincerely fine,” she promised shoving her phone into the pocket of her joggers. “I should have watched where I was—”

“No, no, tesorino,” Antonio shook his head. “It’s Harry’s fault. M’sure.” What kind of reality was this? Antonio reminded her of Louis or a much older brother—maybe even a young dad, but not like her dad. She imagined Louis saying the same kind of taunting thing to Eleanor or even herself. It was surreal. A cute guy bumped into her when she was starting fresh. It was like fate—a new start and a new guy. “I’ll get you a broom, Harry. Make sure she’s alright.”

“Yes sir,” he nodded firmly. Antonio disappeared back to the restaurant to get the broom.

“I’m really fine,” she promised.

Harry was smiling now, he bent down to get the big pieces of glass that shattered and carefully placed them on the broken plastic bag. “M’glad, Principessa,” he hummed quietly.

“Uh...” she smiled awkwardly and stepped to the side. “I should get out of the way...” she trailed off and started for the street to gather more of her stuff.

“Here,” Antonio reappeared with a broom and a new bag, passing it off to Harry. “Tesorino, are you sure you’re alright?” Antonio had an Italian accent. It made her smile and even if she was hurt, she was sure that she wouldn’t—couldn’t feel any pain because it was so comfortable being around an Italian restaurant where people worried about her.

“I’m really, truly fine,” she promised.

Harry was quick to pick up all the glass and took a few steps around the area to catch any of the broken pieces. It seemed this wasn’t the first time this had happened. It was like she was glued to her spot watching Harry take the collected glass down the alleyway to one of the dumpsters. “Do you need help moving your stuff upstairs?” Antonio asked.

“Oh no, that’s alright, I’m fine—”

“Harry, help her with her stuff,” he ordered, ignoring her brush-off. “Her car is out front.”

Harry handed the broom back to his boss and hurried to the front of the building. “Hey!” She frowned and looked at Antonio. “I don’t need help—”

“Tesorino, please. S’no big deal. Harry would be happy to help.” Harry was already coming back with what she knew was a heavy box labeled ‘kitchen’ and heading for the stairs. Truthfully, she was dreading carrying that one, so she was grateful Harry was literally doing the heavy lifting for her but didn’t want him to feel like he had to. “He helped us move our stuff out already and into our new home,” he shrugged. “Come down for some lasagna for dinner,” he said heading back toward the front.

The entire interaction had left her so completely confused. Harry was beautiful and clearly a cook of some sort in the kitchen of the restaurant. Currently, he was up in her new apartment putting her box in the kitchen. Right as she came to the door to head after him, he bumped into her again, reappearing from the door so quickly, she almost fell right back to the ground. This time, Harry caught her around the waist. “M’sorry, Principessa. I don’t know why I keep getting in y’way,” he frowned.

He released her waist just as quickly as he caught her before heading back for her car. The warmth of his arm around her body lingered as she followed him. “You don’t have to help.”

“S’no problem, kitten,” he shrugged grabbing a box labeled ‘bedroom’ that she knew had an array of random things including an assortment of old CDs, a few pictures, and everything from her nightstand—including a box of condoms. Just the knowledge of knowing he was carrying them was enough to make her face warm. She frowned, hurrying to grab a box herself. “Y’don’t have any friends t’help you?” He asked over his shoulder as he made himself at home coming to stop in front of the second door in the little hall at the top of the steps. Beside her apartment was a second office for the restaurant. Antonio assured her that he was the only person who used it and at this point in time, it was mostly storage. Either way, she didn’t mind. The place was a steal and beyond helpful for her new start. Especially with Eleanor breathing down her neck worrying about her.

“I don’t like to bother people with something I can do myself,” she explained quietly while pushing the door out of the way for Harry to enter—but he waited for her to go first. A silent direction in his eyes as he stood still with the box in his hands. After an awkward pause, she went in first.

Unfortunately, she was compelled to fill the silence with more explanation. “My best friend got a new job—so she’s unavailable. She offered her boyfriend but he’s working. My other friends... no one wants to help move. You know?” She explained. But it was hard to hide the catch in her throat while she spoke. No one wanted to help her.

It was weird to have a conversation with Harry like that. It was a little personal, nothing crazy. But apparently, it divulged enough. “S’unfair, Principessa,” his voice was so gentle. “M’sure you’d help if they asked—or even if they didn’t ask.”

How on earth could some stranger possibly know that about her without so much as speaking for more than ten full minutes? There was a jolt of sadness that washed through her. But she pushed it aside and frowned at the stranger who seemed to read right through her without so much as a second glance. “They would help if I asked,” she murmured. But it felt like sand in her mouth as she said it because she knew it was a lie.

Harry didn’t harp on it though. He glanced around the empty space. “Are y’new to the city?” He asked.

“No... not really,” she shrugged. “I used to live just a couple towns over.”

“Ah,” he nodded. “D’you have a lot more?” He asked.

She shook her head. “No, not really. You... you grabbed the heavy kitchen one. So, it should be easy from here on out.”

“Great,” he smiled. “I’ll get Niall, we’ll be done in half an hour.” Harry left her breathless for more than one reason. He hurried back down and stopped outside of the restaurant. She was practically running to catch up.

Dolcezza was written in cursive script above the big window showcasing the beautiful restaurant. Most Italian restaurants always seemed so darkly lit. This one looked so warm and cozy and on the brighter side. It reminded her of her grandparents’ house.

Harry pulled the door open. “Niall!” He shouted. Without waiting for whoever Niall was, Harry turned to her car to grab the next box.

Niall was a little less than half a foot shorter than Harry. His eyes were the color of the sky in the middle of June, and he had an adorable smile. “What’re you doing?” He asked Harry as he walked by with a box. “Hey tesorino,” he winked at her.

“Grab a box,” Harry nodded his head toward the open car and continued for her apartment once more.

What the heck!?

She stumbled to get a box herself and hurried to follow the two guys moving her stuff into her new place. But she had to give credit where credit was due. Harry was right. Thirty minutes, and everything in her car was now in the apartment. Niall headed back to the restaurant without a word, but Harry stayed behind. “D’you need help with anything, kitten?” He asked sweetly.

She couldn’t possibly imagine him helping her more than he already had. “N-no, thank you. That was...really helpful. I can take it from here.”

“Jus’ come grab me from downstairs if y’do think of something, kitten. Antonio won’t mind,” he promised. He smiled at her once more and looked around. His gaze stopped on the tall bookshelf. He walked toward it and looked at each side. He pulled a little bag of screws that were taped to the side and put it in plain view. “Make sure y’anchor that bookshelf before putting books on it. Don’t want it falling on you,” he mentioned kindly. She frowned. In her old place, her bookshelf was recessed into the wall. Having built the new shelf so the movers could take it the other day, she truly hadn’t thought about it. She only taped the little bag to the inside of the shelf so she knew what it belonged to when she created a junk drawer in the kitchen.

“Er... right,” she nodded—unconfidently.

Harry looked her over again, sizing her up, as if he knew she didn’t know how to do that and was too proud to ask. “I’ll come back up before dinner t’do it. D’you have a screw gun and such?”

“I can Google how to do it if I need to,” she assured him knowing that if he didn’t say anything, she wouldn’t do it. “I doubt I can put holes in the wall like that.”

Harry snorted. “Don’t worry, Principessa, I’ll tell Antonio. He won’t argue.”

“It’s really—”

“M’offering myself, kitten. S’nothing t’worry ‘bout. M’happy t’help. S’no trouble at all.”

It was jarring. That was the only way to describe it. It was as if Harry could read her thoughts and see on her face that she didn’t want to trouble someone on her behalf. “Antonio s’not kidding ‘bout lasagna either, Principessa. He’ll want y’down between five-thirty and six. Come down t’eat or he’ll make me come up here t’get you.”

*

“Who was that?” Eleanor asked in greeting as she answered the phone.

“Hi Eleanor, the move has been going well. I’m about to start unpacking boxes and arranging everything. How has your day been?” She answered with an eye roll.

“Shut up, tell me about the guy, principessa,” her voice was nearly hysterical. Her tone was almost mocking with the nickname Harry had bestowed upon her. It made her stomach flip to hear even Eleanor say it.

Sighing, she put her head on the counter of her new kitchen. She eyed the heavy box Harry had put there on the floor. “His name is Harry. He works at the restaurant,” she explained. “Antonio had him help me with all the boxes and stuff, his friend Niall too.”

“I don’t care about that. What does he look like?!” The pause was telling. She knew it. “Wow,” Eleanor sighed. “He is so hot, you’re speechless.”

Rolling her eyes again, she was glad Eleanor couldn’t see her cheeks burning red at the correct assumption. “He’s cute,” she managed.

“Oh puh-lease,” she gasped. “What a cute little story you’ll be able to tell your grandchildren.”

“Can you relax? I talked to him for twenty minutes and mostly about moving.”

“Mostly?!”

“Sweet Jesus,” she sighed pinching the bridge of her nose and closing her eyes trying to think of the fastest way to get rid of her friend from making her crazy. “He correctly identified that I have shitty friends who wouldn’t help me move even if I had asked. He also got his friend Niall to help with the boxes in my car. And when I came back from the storage unit with a second load, they ran out in the middle of a lunch rush to help anyway.”

“You could sell movie rights,” Eleanor sighed dreamily.

She rolled her eyes. “His boss made him help.”

“His boss made him call you principessa too?”

“He called me kitten too.”

“Oh, you’re so going to marry him.”

“I have to unpack my house now.”

“What does he smell like?”

“You are insane.”

There was a knock on her door.

“Wonder who that is,” Eleanor practically sang. She glanced at the stove clock. It wasn’t even five o’clock. Not time to head down for lasagna. After the crazy afternoon she had, she wanted to make sure she didn’t give a reason to the funny cooks and owner downstairs that were helping her a reason to waste their time with her. She truly planned to head down for lasagna as they asked. But part of her thought Harry was joking about the bookshelf.

With the phone still against her ear, she pulled the door out of the way and found Harry. He was not joking. There was a screw gun at his side. “Hi Principessa,” he grinned so brightly it made a dimple in both cheeks appear. “M’gonna anchor y’bookshelf and then take y’down t’get lasagna,” he maneuvered right by her without so much as an okay.

“You really don’t need to trouble yourself,” she promised.

Harry turned pausing by the shelf pressed against the wall. “D’you really want me t’leave?” He asked with a frown. “M’sorry. I jus’... really want t’help you, kitten,” he explained. “S’like I need to. S’almost... compulsive... but I’ll leave if y’want me to.”

“Don’t you dare let him leave,” Eleanor said to her ear, her voice was practically a sigh. She and Harry stood feet apart gazing at one another.

But it felt so bad getting help from Harry. “Well...er... if you’re really sure it’s not a bother,” she murmured.

“Not at all, Principessa,” he smiled. “Promise,” he nodded. “S’jus’ a couple minutes and then I’ll bring y’down.”

“Eleanor, I gotta go.”

“I can’t wait to give my maid of honor speech at your wedding.”

She hung up on her friend. Harry was quick. He was shifting the bookshelf away from the wall. He snagged the little package of screws taped to the side. “Can I help?” She asked tossing her phone on the couch.

“I think m’alright, principessa. Thank you,” he said kindly, like he wasn’t doing her a favor by doing this. It was quiet while he worked. At one point he did drop one of the little screws and she was quick to grab it and place it in his hand for him. “Thanks, kitten,” he hummed quietly. His expression was so concentrated as he fixed up the shelf.

It wasn’t much, honestly. She knew that. It was just a bookshelf. But it was somehow so much more. Her heart felt so out of place. Her throat felt tight with emotion bubbling to the surface. No one had ever done anything like this before. A near stranger at that. Probably because it was so much more. It was a worry about her safety which people nearly forgot—unless they were Eleanor and by extension Louis.

She turned away briefly and busied herself with pulling throw pillows from the box labeled living room. Harry hummed quietly to himself. It was soothing. For a moment she forgot about who she was and that she had moved because she had a stalker. If she was a little more vulnerable feeling, she might have cried. It wasn’t the time, but she felt like she had known Harry her whole life. But she had barely spoken more than a hundred and fifty words to him. It was feeling extremely domestic in her new place even though hardly anything was unpacked.

The whole place was one wide open room kitchen and living area. There was a little space she designated for a table for sitting at and along the front wall by the window she planned on putting her desk. There was so much she needed to do. There were three doors along the back wall of the apartment. A bathroom, a bedroom, and a little alcove where a washer and dryer resided. She was lucky the owner lived here previously as she was certain there wouldn’t be a washer and dryer otherwise and that may have deterred her from taking the place. The idea of lugging her laundry up and down the stairs to a laundromat was not something she wanted to do in her late twenties.

“Oh crap,” she frowned. Realizing her state of being at the thought of walking up and down the steps all day.

Harry paused and turned to her. “Y’okay, principessa?” He frowned as well. His eyes looked her over with worry.

“Yeah...no, I just... I have to change before I head down there,” she sighed.

Harry smiled and turned back to his task. He gave a one-shouldered shrug. “Oh, y’could go like that, I think y’look beautiful,” he said sweetly.

Her heart rate took off rapidly. She could feel her cheeks warming but she knew her hair was pulled back and little pieces had frizzed and fallen from the elastic. She knew she was sweaty and there was simply no way she looked beautiful.

She snorted awkwardly. “Uh...thank you,” she cleared her throat. “But I would feel better if I changed.”

“I’ll wait outside, then,” he promised. “Jus’ finishing this last bit,” he murmured his attention focused on securing the screws perfectly.

“I’ll be quick,” she promised.

“Take y’time, principessa. M’in no rush,” he stood after finishing the final bit. He stepped back outside the apartment. God, he was nice. It had to be the fastest time she had ever gotten ready for anything. Changing out of comfy clothes and into jeans and a blouse that she would wear to her team meetings, so it didn’t look like she was wearing pajamas to work. She slipped on a pair of the first presentable ankle boots she could find a pair of in the box of shoes that was still unpacked. After she found a clip to pull her hair back in a more presentable fashion.

“Oh, wow,” Harry smiled dreamily as she stepped into the hall and locked her door. “Didn’t know y’could get any more beautiful. In less than five minutes too. M’gonna faint when y’have more than a minute,” he smiled and headed down the stairs as if he hadn’t just stolen her heart.

She was a little surprised he went down the stairs first, but she was grateful because maybe he wouldn’t be able to tell she was shaky and gripping the railing to keep her upright after Harry’s sweet compliment. But she realized it was merely so he could open the door carefully and make sure she wouldn’t bump into someone in the alleyway. Once he decided the alleyway was cleared, he gestured for her to exit first. “Thank you,” she said sincerely.

“For what, kitten?” He smiled as he closed the door behind him.

“Being helpful and nice. I... I’m not really used to that,” she admitted.

The grin on his face was kind. He shoved his freehand in his pocket and shrugged. “Happy t’help y’principessa,” he winked and headed for Dolcezza, surely to open the door for her first.

“Why did he name it Dolcezza?” She asked following behind him.

Harry smiled and glanced over his shoulder to wink at the pretty girl. “It means sweetness. Antonio met his wife when he was studying business, called her la mia dolcezza. He always wanted t’own a restaurant but never knew what t’name it. He knew the second he met her,” he shrugged. “S’a cute story.”

“Very sweet,” she smiled as she walked by Harry to enter the warm and homey restaurant. She was correct in her assumption that he would hold the door open for her. He chuckled at her joke.

There was something about the girl he literally bumped into and proceeded to fall for instantly physically and emotionally. He wasn’t lying when he said it was compulsive to help her. The warmth he felt inspecting her hands for injury and the worry he felt when she didn’t seem sure of anchoring her bookshelf. The thought that she was just above the restaurant that he nearly lived at more than his own place was comforting. A tug on his heart he didn’t know where it came from but couldn’t help it. Harry had never felt such an emotion like this for someone he had just met. It was like he had known her his whole life and he hadn’t spent more than an hour in total speaking to her. But he wanted to spend forever talking to her now that he had a glimpse of someone so beautiful and gentle.

It took every bit of inner strength for Harry to refrain from telling her he would name every child, every restaurant, anything he could name, he would dedicate to her.

--

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[little-pondhead]

[inspired roughly by this post. My brain snails started going nuts so I thought it'd be easier to post this separately :)]

…

It was a lovely day in Gotham. Well, as lovely as it could be. The sun was up, peeking through the overhead cloud cover and making the buildings gleam in the rare sunlight. The air was fresher than usual, and faucets ran clear of strange and unusual toxins.

Somewhere in the Upper East Side, in a little neighborhood tucked away from the rest of the city, marched around the new boss of the area. She was a young girl, just barely in high school. But despite it being the middle of a work day, she wandered around her chosen streets, content to do whatever she wanted. Above her, a pair of siblings watched on and discussed the unique situation.

"So let me get this straight: that fourteen-year-old goth girl is a crime boss?"

Mia smiled at Leon, her older brother, and his dumbfounded expression as they rested on her balcony. "She's fifteen, actually. Her birthday just passed. We all got together and threw a block party for her!"

"You know how insane that sounds, right?" Leon turned to her, a bit miffed that she dared to say those words to his face. "She's a kid. Why do you all listen to her?"

Mia shrugged and sipped her beer. "She does good work. Holds her own pretty well, and the kid has connections. Good ones, too. That can be the difference between life and death in Gotham."

Leon rubbed his forehead in frustration. "I just don't get it. How did she end up in this line of work? Do child labor laws even apply here?? Why aren't the Bats doing anything?"

"Don't think about it too much, dipshit." Mia crushed her now-empty beer can in her hand and tucked it into a paper garbage bag hanging off of a hook on the balcony rail. A familiar set of green arrows was printed on the side.

"And now you're recycling?!" Leon realized. "When did you start doing that, Mia??"

The woman shrugged and got up, stretching. "Probably around the time Brambles absolutely reamed out Mrs. Zalinski for littering at the park."

"Wait, who's Brambles?" Leon scrambled upright and followed his sister inside.

Mia laughed. "Brambles is our fifteen-year-old crime boss!"

...

"I can't believe you got a cool name right off the bat," Danny grumbled, flopping onto Sam's bed face-first. Sam smirked and shoved him off with her foot. Danny just squawked and let himself ragdoll to the ground.

"It's your fault for not having a better gimmick." She said to his prone body. "Besides, it could've been worse."

"I think Inviso-Bill is the worst possible nickname for anyone." Danny groaned. "But you got something cool immediately. Who even thought up 'Brambles'? That's such a unique name!"

"Well the kids call you Grim; that's pretty cool."

Danny flopped over, twisting himself much farther than any human was supposed to just so he could glare at her face. "They only call me that cause one of the is obsessed with Harry Potter." He grumbled, pouting.

Sam just rolled her eyes and went back to sorting through piles of papers scattered all across her duvet. Since moving to Gotham several months ago, Sam had taken it upon herself to turn the experience into something useful rather than just moping all the time, as she originally wanted to. That 'something useful' had landed her as the newest crime boss in Gotham, with about a third of the Upper East Side as her current territory.

So many problems had popped up in the last year, and the group had decided that taking it on alone would never work. The GIW had been trying to close Amity's borders, Danny's parents had a scientific breakthrough, tensions in the Realms were high, etc. There was a lot on their plate! Sam's solution was to create a foothold in Gotham City. She would lay the foundations for Jazz to work in Arkham and forge a safer environment for the residents of Amity Park to sneak off to if the GIW went too far. She was essentially weaving a cushion for everyone to fall back on.

Danny, using the power of duplication, was splitting his focus between foiling his parent's plans and resolving issues with his rouges to create a united front. He was the main distraction, and Sam's own heavy hitter when she needed help establishing dominance.

Tucker planned to gather intel with the help of Technus and Jazz. They were trying to gather as much evidence as possible so they'd be in the clear when the whistle blew. The GIW would crash and burn, legally speaking. They were the bugs of the operation, spreading themselves thin and hoarding information like it was candy.

Dani was their wild card, their jester. She was keeping the JLD's attention focused solely on her and all the supernatural hijinks she was stirring up. When the time was right, she'd point them in the direction needed and let them loose. After winding them up so much, the hope was that the Justice League Dark would descend upon the GIW like hellfire.

But those were their future plans. Right now, Sam was in possession of specific files from Arkham Asylum and the GCPD. She was looking for anything to give her an edge in the upcoming meeting with a few other crime bosses. Some annual thing they host to renew Goonion contracts, see who's still alive, and examine how much the territory lines have changed. Stuff like that. Red Hood was supposed to be there, and she knew she needed an ironclad defense against him and his nosy colony of Bats.

Danny untwisted himself all of a sudden, making a weird face. "Sorry, got to go." He apologized. "Vlad just showed up to my house."

Sam waved him off. "Go, I'll be fine for today. Just be on time for the meeting on Friday. And I want you, not a double."

"You got it!" Danny did finger guns at her and promptly melted into a pile of green goo. Right on her bedroom floor!

Sam sighed and got up to throw a towel over the puddle. The ectoplasm would evaporate eventually, returning to the original Danny little by little. But for now, this would keep anyone from asking about it until it was all gone.

Sometimes she really hated living in student dorms. People always felt the need to burst into her room for no reason.

Who even made dorm rooms for high schoolers in the first place??

...

Jason couldn't help but stare at the new recruit.

Well, 'new recruit' wasn't exactly accurate. 'Potential to be the most headache-inducing supervillain' was more like it. Standing at a solid 5'10" with platform boots, Brambles, the newest crime lord who had taken over half of the Upper East Side in under four months, was almost tall enough to look him in the eye straight on. Which she tried to do anyways, tilting her chin up oh-so-slightly (in that stupid way aristocrats do when they want to look down at you) and glaring at him with open hostility.

Brambles was young, way too young to be in this line of business. At the start of the annual underground crime meeting (yes, they couldn't come up with a better name), she had announced that she was fifteen, went by she/her, and would snap the dick off of anyone who looked at her funny. Most everyone laughed at her, thinking it was an empty threat. Brambles proved it wasn't by sucker-punching a younger lieutenant who tried to get handsy with her five minutes into the meeting.

When the lieutenant's boss protested and threatened a gang war, Brambles had snapped her fingers and summoned what could only be a fucking pit demon from the depths of hell to threaten the man back. The creature looked like a teenager, just like Brambles, at first. But it was...off. The longer you looked, the worse it got.

It wore a draping black cloak that covered most of its body, with the ends turning to mist when it reached the floor. It had a pale, young face and white hair. Its eyes glowed just like Brambles', except they were a toxic green that made Jason's heart skip a beat in fear. The creature was snarling, with a fucking muzzle on it to keep its sharp teeth away from wandering fingers.

With a nod from Brambles, the creature bounded forward and knocked the guy to the floor, its arm elbow-deep into the guy's chest. The dude looked terrified, and a little sick "Would you rather lose a lieutenant or your life?" She had snarled, sounding almost a bit demonic herself. The other boss had backed down without another word, writing off his subordinate as dead and gone.

Instead of killing the guy, however, Brambles simply banished her little guard dog to a corner of the warehouse to play with its new toy in peace.

"Is she allowed to do that?" Someone whispered.

"They weren't unionized, so the Goonion won't say anything." Another answered.

It was the most awkward meeting in the history of the criminal underworld. No one even died since they were all focused on the newcomer.

Jason could feel a headache forming as the meeting came to an end. Brambles was still sitting in her chair. The creature had grown bored of its toy and was leaning against her, sprawled out lazily and barely flicking an ear at the onlookers in acknowledgment. A few people were idling around her, mostly women, trying to talk some big game and get on the kid's good side. Brambles was humoring them, taking tight control of the conversation when they got too prying.

Jason sighed. He knew he'd have to go over and have a talk with the kid, even if it was just for Bruce's files. He hauled himself upwards and stalked over. "Pardon me, ladies and gents, but I'm going to borrow the kiddo here for a moment."

The creature hissed at him, tensed at his approach. Brambles kept a tight grip on the back of its muzzle, keeping it grounded. The other criminals scattered like flies. They were the only two (three?) left in the warehouse within minutes.

Bramble rose to glare at him. "What." She spat. "If you're here to convince me not to get involved with anything, I will set Grim on your ass after lighting it on fire."

The creature, Grim, growled in agreement. The sound echoed strangely like he was hearing it from underwater.

"Relax, I'm not here to do any of that." Jason raised his hands in surrender, immediately abandoning that possible line of thought. "I'm just here to talk business. You're young, and while you don't want to admit it, inexperienced."

"Stop the fancy words, Red Hood." Brambles' eyes glowed again, and she released her hold on Grim's muzzle. "If you want to make a deal, say it to my face. If you're here to dig for information, either ask me or hit the road. I prefer honesty over flower talk, so tell me what you want before I take over your area, too."

Jason bristled. His vision was tinted green as he snapped, "What the fuck is your problem, kid?! I just wanted to make sure you were safe and not being forced to do this. I was even going to offer my support and protection if it was too much! I know you aren't going to stop, but that doesn't mean I want a kid to die just because they got into something they shouldn't and they think their fancy guard dog will always be there to protect them!"

Brambles' eyes stopped glowing, and her stare softened a bit. Grim went deadly still, just floating there, staring at Jason. His heart beat like crazy in his chest. What was he saying? It was all true, but he could've been nicer about it. Dick would've found a way to be nicer.

-krrrk- "Ibis, reporting in. I think you can trust him, guys. Even if he's a Bat, his connections and experience would be useful in our plans. Ibis out." -krrrk-

Jason flinched from the sudden noise, looking around to find the source. It sounded like it had come from everywhere, even inside his own helmet. Brambles immediately switched out her hostile look for an annoyed one, tapping an earpiece he hadn't noticed before.

"Ibis, you really have to stop opening up our comm lines to the public." She snapped, but there was no real heat to it. "And I thought I told you to stop eavesdropping!"

-krrrk- "Sorry, can't help it. I'm everywhere now! You shouldn't have given me this power." -krrrk-

Grim hissed.

-krrrk- "Don't hiss at me, young man! You were the one who suggested this!" -krrrk-

"I'm sorry, time out!" Jason made a T with his hands. The green from his vision had completely disappeared now. "What the FUCK is going on now?"

Brambles sighed, rubbing her temples. "You know what? Fine. We'll trust you. My name is Sam. Nice to meet you, Jason Todd."

Jason stepped back, immediately reaching for his gun. Grim darted forward and promptly flew through him, stealing all his weapons in one go. "I'm Danny!" Grim-Danny?-chirped in a human voice, giving him a shit-eating smile. "Sorry for the act, Mr. Hood. And sorry about the name drop, I'm the one that told them."

-krrrk- "I'm Tucker! There are more of us, but they're busy. I have literally so many questions for you, Mr. Hood." -krrrk-

"Now that introductions are over-Danny don't eat his smoke bombs, you're not gonna look like Dorathea-we'd like your help."

Jason squinted at them. "You understand this is all suspicious as fuck, right? And how did a pit demon find out who I am?"

-krrrk- "Yeah, we know. But lives are on the line here, and I think you'd really be a help!" -krrrk-

Brambles-Sam-sighed and pulled out a flash drive. "I was going to use this as leverage, but I guess it'll have to be useful in other ways." She tossed it to Jason, who numbly caught it. "Look over it if you want. If you don't, then just burn it. Do not try to plug it into the Batcomputer. Don't try to send it to the Batcomputer, either. A virus will target that specific IP address as soon as it makes contact. Any other computer is fine."

"Look it over, and we can go from there," Danny added, spinning in midair while chomping on one of Jason's knives. (His good one, too!) "And I'm not a pit demon, but I am dead. That's how I knew about you. Whatever brought you back to life gave the Realms a real headache for a while. It wasn't hard to look you up in the records."

"This is so much information. Lives are on the line? And two, three kids are dealing with it? By becoming crime bosses?"

-krrrk- "Technically, Sam's the only crime boss here. And that was kind of an accident. She was supposed to create a safe foothold in Gotham in case we needed to evacuate our town. But we all got cool nicknames out of it! And you're the only adult we've told this stuff to!" -krrrk-

"I'm what?"

"The only adult." Sam's unwavering gaze seemed to pierce his soul. "There are quite literally no other adults that can help, Red Hood. None that we trust, not really. Any adult intervention needs to be planned carefully so it doesn't backfire on us. We're trusting you here, Jason. Not only are you like us, which technically puts you in danger too, but you have power and connections to support a whole town of people the government wants to eradicate."

Jason looked at the little green flash drive in his hand. He didn't want to ask. "And this...?"

"A fruit basket," Sam said simply. "Originally, it was supposed to be blackmail. But instead, this is a present to show our goodwill and faith. To show you our skills. That drive contains information on other gangs, upcoming rogue attacks, chemical breakdowns of Joker Venom and Fear Gas, unfinished antidote formulas, etc. Tucker and his team scoured the underbelly of Gotham and gathered dirt on every single prominent figurehead. Including Bruce Wayne, should you choose to use it."

"I would never-"

"But you've thought about it." Danny cut in and scratched his neck. Jason's hands shook. "It's not a bad thing. It's just the nature of the dead. Wanting to right the wrongs left over from their time with the living. Even if you walk and breathe now, that doesn't mean desire disappears."

"The point is, we need help. Even if I'm loathe to admit it." Sam rolled her eyes, and suddenly, Jason didn't see a potential supervillain in the making. He saw a teenager trying her best, shouldering the responsibility of hundreds of people, both in Gotham and her hometown. Danny looked the same, no matter how other-worldly he was. What battles were they facing? Why weren't there any adults to turn to? What kind of lives were they leading if they immediately trusted a known crime lord with their lives upon the first meeting?

"I'll think about it." Jason finally said. Danny trilled in excitement, and some tension bled out of Sam's shoulders. "If the situation is bad enough, however, I'm calling in someone else for help."

Danny shrugged. "As long as it ain't Batman! I don't think he'll appreciate us smuggling a town of liminals into his city."

Sam poked Danny's shoulder, prompting him to look at her. "Let's go, before you break his brain with more info-dumping. Bye Red Hood!"

"Uh, yeah. Goodbye!" Jason stuttered. He watched the two kids walk towards the exit door, before shimmering out of sight before they even touched the handle.

What the fuck.

[phonkscribes]

Heyo- the power went out at my place after a storm. it got me thinking- what would the dmc boys do during a power outage with their s/o? Thank you (:

This is such a sweet and funny idea, thank you for sending the request and I'm sorry that I'm only just NOW getting to it. I'm going to include Credo because I love him.

Black Clouds Provoke Isolation.

The DMC boys during a power outage with their S/O.

Dante

He is accustomed to not having the power work at the Devil May Cry, but he understands that it's probably not something his S/O would be all that acquainted with. First he'll look up and curse quietly to himself, clicking his tongue and turning his head away as he sits in the darkness. As soon as his S/O comes in and starts to worry about it, he's there to calm them down and tell them that it's not a big deal and that this sort of thing happens all the time. Much to their dismay, Dante... power is important, without power the fridge can't keep the pizza and beers cold. His motivation arises at the risk of these important assets being lost.

If his S/O is afraid of the dark or has an issue with it, he'll drape himself over them like a blanket.

"Alright lets get you to the couch", and then he guides(drags) them to the couch to hunker down until the power comes back on.

Dante would poke fun of them for that, if it weren't for his own apprehension to wandering around in the dark. He gets it, since a lot of bad things tend to happen to him in the dark. That's probably what's going on in the mind of his S/O so the least he can do is be there and comforting for them where he didn't have anyone to comfort himself during those times.

"Hey... it'll be okay, we've been through worse before haven't we?", he'll say in a melancholic sort of way.

When the lights do eventually come back on, he has this big smile on his face and looks down to his S/O. He'd chuckle and give them a quick nudge.

"It came back on! See? What'd I tell you?", and after making sure that his partner's alright, he's going off to check if the pizza and beers are still good. A little celebratory snack wouldn't hurt, and he's thinking that a bit of pizza and a cold drink might cheer them up.

Vergil

Like his brother, he doesn't quite care for the dark when the power goes out, but that's because he's grown used to a lack of light in his life. The darkness is something he's come to embrace, something he can move freely through and about without concern. Of course, this changes somewhat with his S/O by his side. He moves to find them first throughout the power outage, making sure that they're alright. However, he's a bit lost as to what to do in this situation since it's never happened to him enough times before where he's become familiar with what course of action to take. He's spent more time in Hell than in the human world, and will rely on his S/O to take charge, which is something he dislikes.

Vergil would ask them if there's anything that he can do to help, like light some candles or check on the appliances or anything like that. He'd also grow a bit frustrated with them when they don't turn on when he tries to use them or if there isn't anything else he can do to try and help. The Darkslayer tries not to pout and fold his arms in the corner as everything else essentially gets handled for him or by someone else. However, he isn't totally useless here. If there is something he can do, it is also to provide comfort for his S/O in the case that they're not as fond of the dark as he is.

If this gets in the way of them trying to take action, he'll guide them through the house and ask them what they need. Once everything is squared away, his focus is directed onto his partner. What do they need right now? What can he provide for them? Comforting others may not be his strong suit, but he will everything he can for their sake. If this is just holding onto them and pressing their head into his shoulder, he will do it. He won't admit it, but he's glad that their able to vulnerable with him, allowing him to be the rock that they can lean on in their time of need. Besides, he quite enjoys these small moments of reprieve and being close to his S/O.

V

The first one to start is Griffon, commenting about how the lights have gone off and how it's suddenly gotten a bit colder. V acknowledges this from his familiar and starts to get up from his spot on the couch to go and locate his S/O to inform them of the problem if they weren't previously aware already. If they're already getting to it, he's sitting back and watching them, admiring the way that they're handling the situation. He'll leave them after a moment to go and find if he can do something to assist them, such as bringing them a flashlight or even a few candles to light around the house so that things are easier to see. He's not all too bothered by a lack of power, tolerant at best, but he does get cold after idling for a while.

When all that can be done is done, he's curled up on the couch with a spot made available for his partner. V waits for them to come and join him, as he'd like for them to share their warmth with him. Sitting together, he'll start to read from his book of poems as Shadow drapes herself across the two of them. It is a perfect way to relax during an event that they don't have much control over, especially if he notices that his S/O is a bit uncomfortable with the lack of power. V would be too, if it weren't for having his partner at his side.

The comfort of not being alone through this gives him the strength he needs to get through it, and he hopes that he can shed that same strength to his S/O. Griffon complains about the mushy romantic spiel that V sings, flocking off to go and check if the power's back on. While the mouthy bird is out of the picture, he returns his attention to being assuring that all will be okay, as it is not the end... yet. Of course, it's within his nature to be a little teasing to them, and he enjoys watching the way they react to his words. When the power does return, he won't be releasing them from his grasp any time soon. V quite likes snuggling with his S/O and he'd like to be with them for a little longer before they eventually do get up to leave.

Nero

He's a little irritated when the power goes out, and ends up cursing the storm for the lack of lights in the house. Nero looks to his S/O and asks if they're okay before he even starts to do anything else, making sure they're all good first and then going to start the backup generator. At the least, he's got a backup plan, thanks to Nico for providing him with a spare(at a 'good' price.)

"Come on you bastard", he's mouthing off to the generator as he yanks the cord to bring it to life.

Nero returns to his partner as soon as that's been squared away, and takes their hand in his to go and grab the flashlights and other lights and what not. He looks around to see if there's anything that he might've forgotten about or if there's anything that his S/O hasn't done. He likes to be on top of things, even having a little plan that Kyrie made to go over until the power comes back on. It isn't the end of the world, but he hates sitting still for too long, even if all that's left to do is to wait. He'd have called Kyrie too by then, asking if the boys are doing okay while he's here with his S/O.

If his S/O happens to be anxious without the power, Nero probably won't be of much help. He's a better listener than he is the guy to go to for advice, awkwardly standing around while Kyrie would cry about something that happened to her or that she was going through. He's gotten better over the years though. He'll take his partner to the couch and make sure they're nice and cozy, offering them an earbud to take and listen to some music while he sits with them, waiting for the storm to pass and eventually for the power to return. He's attentive, and tries, and that's all that anyone can ever really ask for.

When the power does come back, he's cracking a smile, and even hits them with something witty and sarcastic.

"Was that so bad? You did just fine"

And they did! And he presses a little kiss to their forehead.

Credo

He had expected such to happen when he caught the forecast on the news just a few days prior. He suspected that something like the power going out would happen, and so he's pleasantly pleased with himself when he managed to be correct in his assessment.

"Not to worry, I've got this", Credo assures his S/O as he moves with a calmness to gather the things that he has prepared in case such an emergency were to arise. There are bottled waters, flashlights, and the like.

One could even say that Credo's a little too prepared. He makes his calls to Kyrie and Nero, making sure that they're alright and have everything just as he had instructed Kyrie. While with his S/O, he's going over what the plan is and etc. The one-winged devil is a little impatient with things, pacing around the house as he waits for the power to return, and checks in with his partner to make sure that they're okay too. It might take their own assurance that things are okay to calm him down from his restlessness.

Credo isn't usually one to have his feathers ruffled, but there are times where even he loses his cool, like when the Order used his sister to further their own goals. It was absolutely unacceptable, and he'd hope that her, Nero, and the boys were doing just as fine as him and his S/O were. If his S/O were to become anxious during the predicament at any point, he'd stop his own fretting for a moment to address theirs. He'd apologize if he had any part to take in causing it, and promptly pull them into a hug, after asking if it were okay to hug them. His formalities could be found endearing, even after all this time, and they do end up calming his partner down. The distraction is more than appreciated as he tries to figure out what to talk about.

Although one may find that he's not so good with small talk, and curses himself for not being better at it for their sake.

Sparda

The dark knight doesn't see a power outage as a problem, even finding it a bit trivial that the lights went out all because of a silly little storm? He alerts you rather loudly that there isn't any power.

"Dear!! The lights have gone out! Is everything alright?"

Funny how he could create the contraptions necessary to power the Temen-Ni-Gru, but simple electricity puzzles him. Ah, oh well. He could easily provide a bit of light with a bit of magic. He was quite good at that, and he does well to emulate a bit of light for him and his S/O to walk around the house if he wasn't too busy with reading or doing anything else the moment the power went out. His main priority is his partner and after seeking them out, he's making sure that they're alright and taken care of. Upon finding them, he'll snake his arms around their trunk before pulling them close to himself.

"That didn't scare you did it?", he'd ask as he smirks into the back of their head, pressing a kiss to their hair as he takes a gander at the state of their abode.

He's off to check on other things if his beloved is fine and dandy. With a bit of his devil's magic he'd even start on preparing them some tea to enjoy until the power comes back on. Sparda does enjoy using his talents every now and then, showing off his power in these small displays to charm his S/O further even though he's already secured them. It's something that he can't help. He does get a bit more serious if his partner happens to be a bit disturbed by the lack of power. It's almost like a 180, where his lightheartedness is replaced by being more levelheaded and attuned to every little thing from his partner. The pupils of his eyes narrow as he kneels before them, surrendering himself to them as he takes their hands into his own.

"Darling, if there is anything that I can do, you just need to say the word", he says in a sultry tone. He'll bring their hands to his lips as he thumbs over the back of them.

[jaskiersvalley]

Hi! Please don’t be freaked out that I essentially just stalked your blog? Emoji ask game, if you feel like it <3

😈💖🧐

Finding that someone has trawled through my blog is honestly the highlight of being on this hellsite (affectionate). It fills me with such unbridled joy. Having said that, my brain holds memories worse than a sieve holds water so I cannot for the life of me remember anything I post or reblog, as such the ask game is a mystery. By way of apology I shall pop on your doormat a fic like a cat would present a carefully hunted leaf.

Technically the Truth

The perk of Geralt dating Jaskier was that Lambert and Eskel met Cahir. How exactly Geraly ended up dating a popstar was beyond understanding but his makeup artist was a perk for sure, even if they couldn't visit him quite as they wanted to. Cahir had two dogs which, at first, had been a delight for Lambert and Eskel. Alas, they couldn't meet them. Being rescues with a gnarly past, they were distrustful of new people already and fiercely protective of Cahir. Add in their size and the stereotypes of their breed, Cahir did not take any risks. It didn't stop him sending pictures of the dogs in various ridiculous situations, Lambert's favourite was perhaps the one involving duck printed onesies, caps and, for some hitherto unknown reason, a pacifier.

Introductions were slowly made, meeting on a walk. Treats only worked to some extent as a form of bribery and buying the dogs' favour. While out and about, things were fine. But when home, it was a bit of a different matter. Still, they worked hard and finally both Lambert and Eskel were accepted and welcome visitors in Cahir's home.

For a makeup artist, Cahir sure seemed exclusive. He toured with Jaskier and his manager, Fringilla. There were very few other clients he worked with, Essi was one of them and, with some disdain from Jaskier, he also occasionally worked for Valdo. But mostly he was not only Jaskier's makeup artist but also confidant. Tours were one thing but Cahir also tagged along to trips, interviews, appearances. The biggest honour was when he asked Lambert and Eskel to take care of his dogs for a couple of weeks.

It was no hardship really. The first week flew by, they sent Cahir photos and got brief messages in return. Whatever it was Jaskier was filming (possibly a music video?), it was keeping Cahir busy. The second week they heard even less from Cahir. By the end of it he had seemingly dropped off the face of the planet. Worried, Eskel questioned whether Jaskier had been in touch with Geralt. Finding out he was home already made something twist cruelly in his chest. To make matters worse, at the end of the two weeks Fringilla was the one to appear, taking the dogs with her. House and hearts empty, Lambert and Eskel were at a loss.

Things didn't get better. Though it wasn't a comfort, Geralt started spending more time with them, seeming to sulk. It all came tumbling out after a few beers.

"I miss him," Geralt grumbled.

"Who?"

"Jask." The word was scoffed as if it should have been obvious.

Eskel rubbed his nose. "Isn't he home? Shit. You aren't having troubles too, are you?"

Shaking his head, Geralt knocked back the last dregs of his drink. "No. He's got these damn dogs living with him. Something about a will or some shit."

"Why's that an issue? You're Mr. Animals Guy. Let me guess, they're tiny teacup yappers?" It was nigh on impossible to hide the bitterness in Lambert's voice.

"I wish. Two big bastards, he says they're friendly once you know them. But fuck, they keep growling and snarling."

Lambert and Eskel shared a glance. It was Eskel who spoke up. "Geralt, listen to me very carefully. You said will, right? And these dogs, they big, one is brown and white, cropped ears, the other is solid grey, missing an ear and has scars on his neck? Called Peaches-"

"-and Fuzzles," Geralt finished, frowning. "How the fuck did you know?"

"Cahir." Voice barely more than a broken whisper, Eskel leaned against Lambert, trying to hide his breaking heart. "What the fuck happened?"

Anger was easier than grief and Lambert gave into it. Face twisted into a scowl, he squeezed Eskel's hand in his. "We have some questions for your boyfriend. How dare he not tell us?"

"Tell you what?!"

"We're paying him a visit right now. And making sure Peaches and Fuzzles are happy."

Just like that Lambert was up and grabbing his shoes, not caring that it was late or that they'd all had drinks. The taxi took them to Jaskier's without a hitch and he angrily jammed his finger on the buzzer. Familiar twin howls went up. After what felt like an age, Jaskier cracked the door open.

"What? It's a bit late and I'm not up for guests."

Pushing at the door, Lambert stuck a foot in. "Let us see them. And you better tell us why the hell you have Cahir's dogs."

Whatever it was that Jaskier saw in them, he stepped back, allowing them to barge in.

"They're in the garden," he said and gestured in the general direction. "Just-" breaking off, he shrugged, "-be gentle, okay? It's been rough."

Not really caring about Jaskier's woes, Lambert was hurrying to get to the dogs, Eskel hot on his heels. Only, the dogs weren't alone in the garden. The first thing that gave it away was the glowing cherry of a deep cigarette drag. A dark, familiar sihlouette was huddled on the bench, dogs by his feet.

"Cahir?!" Lambert near enough screeched. His determined march was only cut short by the deep growl of one of the dogs. It slowed him down enough to collect himself. "You have a lot of explaining."

The outside light came on and Eskel caught Lambert as he staggered back. Bruised, tired eyes stared up at them as Cahir took a moment to gather himself.

"Hey." Even his voice was wrecked, hoarse and scratchy.

"Is that all you have to say?" This time Eskel was the one to finally snap. "You fall off the face of the earth, Geralt tells us Jaskier has your dogs because if was in your will. And all this time you weren't dead?"

"You prefer if I was?"

"No!" Lambert's outburst drew another growl and Cahir tutted at Peaches.

Stubbing out his cigarette, Cahir pushed to stand, movements stiff. "Things went tits up. I'll call it in then explain inside."

In the end Jaskier was the one who made some mysterious call. He returned to the living room where Geralt, Lambert and Eskel were on a sofa while Cahir was in an armchair, dogs by his feet. Sitting down, Jaskier groaned.

"So, we may not have been completely liberal with the truth. Technically I am a popstar and Cahir my makeup artist. But, uh, that's a cover. We work, or rather, I do and Cahir used to work for the intelligence agency. I could get us places, Cahir had the time to do the work while I distracted."

Lambert laughed and the others looked at him like he had grown a second head.

"What? You don't believe this bullshit?" He stared at Eskel and Geralt, face falling. "Oh shit. You do." In the light of the living room it was much easier to make out the bruises on Cahir's skin, the shape of a brace around his knee under sweatpants, the sling which he had a knack for slipping his arm out of. A little weakly, Lambert added, "I just thought Cahir was too embarrassed to tell us he fell down some stairs or something."

"I wish," Cahir huffed.

"You rest your throat," Jaskier interrupted and took over. "That would be a nicer thing to recover from. Cahir's been staying with me since he was released from hospital. For obvious reasons we can't tell you how he was injured. He needs to rest-" here, he gave Cahir a pointed look, "-and not smoke."

"Bite me."

"In the interest of his health and recovery, it was deemed best he stay with me until he could be on his own again."

"Meaning?" Eskel didn't like the sound of that.

"Physical and mental rehabilitation," Cahir spat with disdain. "Company mandated. Will have some lovely scars and nightmares."

"Cahir," hesitant suspicion laced Eskel's voice, "are you being kept here against your will?"

The bark of a laugh turned into a coughing fit that left Cahir red in the face with tear streaks down his cheeks. "Just can't be alone. Jaskier knows the drill. Not for civilians."

"Do you still want us?" Eskel pushed on and next to him, Lambert sat up a little straighter.

"Don't think you'll want me after this."

"Come home with us." It was Lambert who said it, half a command, half a plea. "Peaches and Fuzzles too."

A long look was shared between Cahir and Jaskier who not so subtly shook his head. Taking a deep breath, Cahir nodded and offered the other two a small smile.

"That sounds nice. I'd like that."

[kellyscowboy]

TELL ME MORE ABOUT ALBERT IN WILD WESTIES PLZ

ALBERT IN WILD WESTIES OMG HOLD MY BEER 🗣️‼️

he's my king fr. essentially, in the simplest explanation i can give, he's the story teller. like almost the narrator for the story. imagine the owls in rango... that's literally him.

but deeper than that he's kind of the wise man of the group. basically everything he says, every song he sings, and every story he tells foreshadows something in the fic.

albert in wild westies au is who everyone goes to for advice, but also for a good story. he's got years worth or wisdom & nobody knows where it came from, because as far as they know he's never left their little town.

he tends to stay in the bar & plays a guitar more than anything else. but he's also a cowboy (an actual cowboy, he works at a farm just watching over cattle) so he never really wanders far.

basically can predict what's going to happen on a certain situation & will tell a story that applies to said situation.

i would die for wild westies albert & i love him and his silly guitar

[tsuminonichijou]

So I went through a rollercoaster of the emotions of being a non confrontational judgy person.

I was at a grocery store, and when I was about to check out, there was no one at any of the registers. And my first judgy thought was, it's kind of weird to have multiple cash registers and have all of them empty at 10 am. But an employee was like, over here, they'll be right back, so I figured that there was only one cashier on that shift (which, still weird, for a 10 am shift, but it is what it is) and it's unreasonable to expect someone to never have a toilet break just because there's no one else at the other registers, so fair enough. I set my items on the counter and waited.

Then this elderly man (70s) came in and set his beer right in front of my stuff. Didn't ask, or even acknowledge me. Just put it there. And if it had been someone younger, I would have said something, but I was like, he's old, and if he'd asked, I would have told him to go ahead, so y'know, he's old, and he might be rude, but also, again old. So I'll let him have it. Doesn't mean I'm not gonna judge (especially because he cut the line to buy beer, not bread or meat, or anything essential), but I'll let him have it.

Anyway, I was kinda pissed at this entitled old man already, and the cashier wasn't coming back, and I'd been standing there for about the duration of 2-3 songs, and I was like, that's a long toilet break for someone who knows that there's no one else checking people out. And while I know that cashiers certainly don't get paid enough to warrant them having to rush to check you out, the old man situation was making me prone to be a little more pissy. And while I can help my actions so I'm not going to tell them anything because it's not their fault that they are understaffed, at the same time I can't help my moods, so I was kinda grumpily standing there, mad at the world (but knowing the world has a reason to be that way --and just in passing, the cashier had a better reason than the old man)

So yeah, I was grumpily standing there, and the cashier finally appeared, and I realized they were pregnant, so my pissiness toward them immediately evaporated (again, not that I was planning on doing or saying anything about it) So they sat down, and I was kinda waiting for them to check the old man out first, since he was in front of me. But they immediately started with my items, and I was so shocked that I (shamefully) forgot to even greet them. I assume that they must have seen me get to the register first when they headed to the bathroom, and it also looked from their interaction like the old man was a regular who routinely cut lines without asking to buy his beer, so they were just used to checking out the actual person who got in line before him first (that they saw).

I felt a lot of vindication right then, even though I also felt a little bad about it because, again, it's an old man. But I didn't feel too bad because, first of all, the entitlement of just cutting a line without asking no matter how old you are, and second of all, I didn't even have that many items that would have made him think that it would take a while to check me out. I had like 4 different items, already laid out on the register, and the total number of items was less than 10, and the person behind me (who he also cut through) was literally holding one item, so it would have been a rapid check out.

(the cashier checked out the old man second, right after me, probably because they hadn't seen that there had been 2 people in line when the old man cut through it, so the person behind me wasn't vindicated, so like, a little bummer for them)

[tekni-kali]

Day 225

09:57p, Saturday, June 09, 2023

Uhm....soooo 176 days since I typed out a post for the blog. Coooooolll.....I made my way back...eventually? Let us see how long I stick around this time. I would like to try my best to make something somewhat consistent.

We'll see...

I revived my iPod Mini today. I took a picture of my desk and thought it looked neat, so that's kind of what brought me back here...Here's the picture:

Things I see:

Apple iPod Mini

Left Nintendo Switch Joycon

Nintendo 3DS XL

Laptop

USB Extender adaptor thingie

Cup of Pens

Digital Pen for computer graphic drawing doodles

Christmas lights plug

My Cup!

4 stickers of my art

Hollow Knight stickers from amazon

The desk mat

the hdmi splitter button

Warm ikea lamp

Monitor stand!

Okay...thats enough of the things I see in the picture. I like the idea of using the iPod mini again. I wore it on the walk to 7/11 and it worked out really nicely clipped to my shirt and holding the bag in place....I didn't have to fiddle with it at all!! The one thing I may try to investigate to replace for improvement is the headphone/earbud situation. These hot pink jlab beauties were on clearance for eight fiddy at the local wal greens. The bass is distorted but the noise isolation is nice.

Now I am curious as to whether there is a bluetooth adaptor that I can connect my earbuds to then plug the 3.5mm into the ipod to play through it....

That's what I'll look up next. I'll come back in a bit maybe.

-10:05p

10:25p -

Well...that was fun. I didn't look that up yet but I did want to come back and write a bit about my day...so maybe I'll try to do that?

I washed the dishes. I did a driveby someones house to pick up free chairs from their front lawn. I panicked and drove away....then came home and re-arranged my music files and revived the iPod. I collected Behb from work we'd made plans to go to the state park again....by the time we left the house we would've gotten there at 4 and the park closes at 5:30.....traffic was very bad because of all the holiday events. They had every turn around closed so I essentially just spent 30ish minutes driving around what normally should be a 5 minute square. I was very annoyed.

When we got home I boiled two eggs, fucked up peeling one of them and just threw it away. Then Behb suggested an idea for an activity...popcorn and movie night! He didn't think we had popcorn, I told him there was some in the pantry....it was too expired to eat so we walked down to the gas station and bought a bag to pop deciding along the way that we'd watch Die Hard....cuz...christmas movie - holiday festivities and what not.

I strung up lights last night! First I stuck the command strips to the glass on the window and they didn't stay....then I stuck them to the wall and clipped one of the three wires in there and they haven't fallen down yet! I also strung some over the picture and hung up the two christmas arts his family gave us last year...those combined with the christmas tree wax warmer and we're officially festive!

But newai....

When we returned home, we learned that Die Hard isn't streaming on any of the streamy services we have, and we didn't want to pay $3.99 to rent it once.....so I started scrolling....and suggested: Scooby Doo Movie (2002ish) or Jumanji (1995 w/ Robin Williams).

Behb popped the corn, brought a beer, and picked Jumanji. Turns out....ITSA CHRISTMAS MOVIE TOO! At least...Christmas was in it....so...that counts. I honestly don't think I'd seen it before...but it was a good watch and I was entertained so I'm glad it worked out.

Tomorrow is Behbiversary! It will be 4 years since we swiped n started conversing. I am glad we are progressioning together. I'm going to look for strawberries and chocolates for us to make after he's off tomorrow. He got me roses ^_^. Okay...gonna go click around...I think I'll be back soon...I think I want to add some more...but a break now would be nice. So...ye...brb

-10:34p

10:35p-

You know...I just thought...I can probably use the 3.5mm aux cord to plug the Mini into the JBL Flip....then I get iPod muzik on loud speaker....that will be a tomorrow try...I do want to get up for my earbuds now though....IDK, it just seems silly using it in the apt.

10:45p-

I got my earbuds! and found sum muzik:

I think I'll get some screenshots off the switch to post up here. I think I decided I don't want to put pictures in this post...but I"ll work on organizing them to post separately like I did before....but...ye...this seems long enough...so...I'm gonna post it now.

Catch ya later!

-10:46p

[the-frozen-pheonix]

Wanna be nosy? Here's your chance. 4-7

4: Do you drink? 5: Do you take drugs? 6: Age you get mistaken for 7: Have tattoos?

For Mun:

I drink socially. I have varied, but specific tastes. Red wine, cider, Rum on the rocks (I call it R&R ^^) Beer type depends on the occassion (I.E. Corona when with my ma, but Miller when with my uncle. ETC.) I am a huge fan of Tawny Port... and you can get a very far way if you offer me a raspberry margarita.

Drugs? Depends. As a general rule, no. I'm even against things like painkiller and anti-allergens outside of dire or necessary situations. Pain and sickness I will deal with, or rest for respectively. If it is too bad, and I have a strong need or want to then I'll go overboard to be at my best performance. some examples are like when I crushed up painkillers and caffeine right before a football game (I played in high school), swallowed most of it, snorted the last little bit, and I pushed myself farther than the caffeine and pain killers would allowed... went to sleep on Friday night, and woke up Monday morning just in time for school. Another shorter example-I was drunk the last month of my bachelors degree. I was stuck in my head too much to do work, and when I'm drunk I just do tasks I decide to to. Essentially I had to finish it out, and just do my finals. In the future if it's available, I will use harder drugs to push through situations but will not indulge recreationally.

If I have facial hair, people assume I'm 22. If I'm clean shaven, people think I'm 16 or 18.

No tattoos but I plan on getting some once I finish my stint in the military or getting some while I'm in the service.

For Muse AKA Freeze

Does he drink? Yes. He prefers beer with his friends, ale and mead, or very fruity mixed drinks.

Depends on the verse. He holds a similar view to me on drugs, but will use them for fun as well if he feels like it.

Freeze get's mistaken for a young man very often. He looks similar from age 14 to 25. In most verses, he begins trying to bulk up and gain more weight and muscle for his older years.

Freeze has no tattoos and won't get any normally. He is a bit of a body purist, liking scars and his natural body as it is. (He's a closet nudist)

[luvfae]

LITTLE STAR

PART ONE

summary: elliot's been watching you for a while, but he never dared to approach you. you were a good girl at heart and he didn’t think you'd want anything to do with him. all of that changes one friday night at a party, when both of your worlds collide.

fandom: euphoria

parings: elliot x f reader

warnings: swearing

little star masterlist

part one of my elliot x reader series, here is my 200 followers gift to you. i’ve already written 8 parts of this 😮‍💨 so i’ll be uploading it pretty frequently. it’s essentially a good girl gone bad trope but with a little twist hehe. there will be smut, fluff, angst, all of that, i’ll be sure to warn you if there’s smut like i always do! i hope you guys enjoy and thanks again for 200 followers! 💗

Elliot had noticed you around school many times. He noticed how shy you were, how you kept to yourself, always clinging to your best friend Lexi's side. You were quiet, ignoring your loud peers as you did your school work. Elliot spent hours every week watching you in awe, but never dared to approach you. You were a good girl and he was nothing of the sort. So he admired you from afar, requesting all of your socials so he could keep some kind of tab on your life and look at your selfie's through a screen.

You knew who Elliot was but you had never really noticed him, the first and final time you ever found yourself gawking over Elliot was when you stalked his Instagram after he requested to follow you. He was adorable, but he was a stoner and probably wouldn't want anything to do with a girl like you. You never really thought about him again, you mindlessly liked his Instagram posts, didn't really linger on any picture he uploaded and went about your business, completely oblivious to his constant staring.

It was 8pm on Friday and you were at a party. You didn't really want to go, parties always made you feel uneasy, but Lexi's older sister Cassie was forcing Lexi to go and so Lexi convinced you to attend also.

Cassie had done your makeup for you and even let you borrow one of her dresses since you didn't have any time to go home and change. It was a little more revealing for your taste and made you feel insecure, like everyone was staring at you, but while looking at yourself in the mirror on your own, you felt hot.

You arrived at the party, Cassie leaving you and Lexi alone while she danced with her friends. You and Lexi were seated on the couch outside by the pool, Lexi was talking to Fezco, laughing and smiling with him. You felt awkward and out of place.

"I'm gunna go get a drink," you said. Lexi nodded and you walked off, heading inside to the kitchen.

You weren't much of a drinker but when everyone around you is having fun and you're completely miserable, you could justify getting drunk.

Elliot was standing in the kitchen when you walked in, he was minding his own business, drinking a beer, his eyes nearly falling out of their sockets at the sight of you in a short dress and heels. He watched you closely as you opened every cupboard in the kitchen.

You reached on your tip toes, pulling open another cupboard and you smiled. Vodka, tequila, rum, everything you would need to get drunk sitting right before your eyes. Only problem, you couldn't reach a single thing.

You sighed, one hand holding down the back of your dress as you reached up as high as you could, fingers just grazing the bottle of vodka. Elliot watched you with a smile.

"Here," he said, walking over to you. "Let me get it," he grabbed the bottle with ease and you turned around.

"Thanks," you smiled, taking the bottle from his hands.

It was the first time you had ever spoken to him, the first time he had ever spoken to you. Honestly, he never thought he'd find himself in a situation where he’d actually have a reason to talk to you and he didn't want to waste it.

"Didn't take you for someone who drinks," Elliot said. You screwed the top off the bottle, looking up at him.

"I drink on occasion," you shrugged. "Especially when all my friends are having fun and i'm not," you said, looking down at the bottle. You took a deep breath, taking a huge swig and Elliot's eyes widened. You coughed, face screwed up at the burning feeling, a shiver running down your spin. "Fuck that burns," you laughed, eyes tearing up.

"Why don't you mix it with something?" Elliot laughed.

You shook your head. "Gotta get drunk fast, otherwise i'll blow my brains out before the night ends," you said, taking another swig. You near spat the vodka out, rushing over to the sink, quickly swallowing the liquid, you splashed cold water into your mouth. With the faucet still running you took another swig, the bottle was half full to begin with, now it was almost empty.

"I think you've had enough," Elliot said, taking the bottle from your hand and returning it to the top shelf. "You don't look like someone who would be a heavy weight."

"You're probably right," you said, still hovering over the sink. You could feel vomit stirring in your stomach and didn't dare move until it settled.

"You good?" Elliot asked and you nodded, standing up straight and adjusting your dress. The alcohol was already starting to kick in, your fingers feeling numb, head starting to spin a little.

"I'm fine, i'll be even better in ten minutes," You smiled. One of your favourite songs began to play and your eyes lit up. "I love this song!" You exclaimed. "Do you wanna dance?" You asked him.

"Sure," he shrugged, trying to play it cool. He didn't think you'd ever have a conversation with him, let alone ask him to dance.

Liquid confidence had hit you in the face and you grabbed his hand, leading him towards the dancing bodies. You danced in front of him, your body moving to the rhythm of the song. Elliot's eyes remained glued to you the entire time, raking up and down your body.

By now the alcohol had hit and you were feeling amazing, pretty dizzy, but still amazing. You looked up at Elliot, completely oblivious that he was checking you out. Undressing you with his eyes.

"I need to sit down," you panted, completely breathless. Elliot grabbed your hand, leading you towards the couch. You sat down and he sat next to you.

Lexi appeared in front of you and you smiled up at your best friend. "There you are," she smiled, Fezco standing behind her. "I'm going back to Fez's to watch a few movies, you want a ride home?" She asked.

You shook your head. "I'm not ready to go yet," you hiccuped.

"How are you gunna get home?" Lexi asked.

"I can take her," Elliot spoke up. Lexi glanced over at him, her eyebrows knitted together, she looked back over at you.

"C'mon, Y/N, just come with me," Lexi said, pleading with her eyes, she didn't want to leave you alone in this state.

"No!" You exclaimed, laughing at her. "Go Lex, i'm fine, Elliot said he'll take me home," you said, slurring a few words. Lexi sighed, looking at Elliot again.

"You're Rue's friend, so i'm trusting you to get her home," Lexi said, guilt washing over her for leaving you alone. "If you do anything to her I will fuck up your life," Lexi threatened, but she wasn't really intimidating. "Or he will," she pointed to Fezco, who nodded.

"Relax," Elliot said, raising his hands. "I'll get her home in one piece."

"Don't worry, Lexi," Jules voice rang through the brunette's ears. "I'll make sure she gets home," Jules smiled, sitting down next to you.

"Jules!" You grinned, hugging the blonde girl. Jules hugged you back.

"Thank you," Lexi said, saying goodbye to you and leaving with Fezco.

"Since when were you two friends?" Jules laughed, pointing between you and Elliot.

"Since tonight when she decided to get drunk on her own at a party with predatory guys," Elliot said. You laughed at his words, not really comprehending a thing he was saying.

Kat came over to Jules, saying hi to you and asking the blonde girl if she would dance with her. Jules agreed and walked off with Kat. You watched Elliot as his eyes trailed after Jules and you frowned, an overwhelming feeling of crying coming over you.

Tears pricked your eyes, suddenly gushing down your cheeks. Elliot looked back at you, his eyes widened in shock at your tears.

"What's wrong?!" He asked, grabbing your hand. You shrugged, refusing to make eye contact with him. "Come on," he pulled you up, leading you towards the bathroom.

Thankfully it was empty and he locked the door behind him so no one would burst in. You sat down on the tub, covering your face with your hands.

"Y/N, what's wrong?" Elliot asked, bending down in front of you.

"I'm just not pretty enough," you cried. "All the girls around here are so beautiful and i'm like average at most," you sniffed, moving your hands to your side.

Elliot frowned at you, wishing you could see yourself through his eyes. "You're beautiful, Y/N," he said, wiping your tears with his fingers.

"You're only saying that because i'm upset," you said.

"I'm being honest," he replied. You shook your head at him. "I think it's time for you to go home. You know you've drank too much when you start crying over false information," Elliot said.

You smiled up at him, your face puffy from the tears. "I think that's a good idea," you said. "I'm tired." Elliot stood up, grabbing your hand, helping you balance. "I don't know why i'm wearing heels, can't walk in them sober," you laughed. He smiled, keeping ahold of your hand as he walked you to his car. Helping you into the passenger seat and driving you home.

Music played from the stereo, wind blowing in your face, you stared into the night sky, watching the stars gleam above you. Elliot was stealing glances at you, the moonlight hitting your skin, making you look like something out of a painting. You looked over at him, smiling once you made eye contact.

When you arrived home Elliot walked you to your door, ringing the doorbell for you and walking away before your parents could catch him. He didn't want to risk getting you into trouble.

Then he drove home, thinking about you for the rest of the night. How beautiful you looked without even trying, how innocent you were. Every single thing about you was perfect in his eyes.

© luvfae 2022

[inkandpen22]

Chaotic as The Sea (5/?)

Pairing: Jack Sparrow x Female!Reader

Warning: none

Word Count: 2k

Part Summary: The Black Pearl docks in Nassau. Jack orders Y/N to stay on the boat, not trusting that she won’t go seeking anything to stop Blackbeard. When she goes against Jack’s wishes, things don’t go as planned... 

Masterlist

Y/N

Early in the morning, we dock in Nassau for supplies. Taking a straight journey from Bimini to Tortuga wouldn't exactly be wise. Plus, spending days on end on the Pearl could make any civilized person go mad. One, it smells. Two, it's dirty. Three, there's a whole lot of me. Normally, being surrounded by men doesn't sound like a terrible situation. Except when they're pirates. 

As everyone marches off the boat in a scattered pattern, I join along. While all the boys hit the pub as they did when we stopped in Turks and Caicos, I will be hunting down a grimoire and supplies needed to perform these incantations. I'm new to this so surplus will be welcomed in case I mess up, which I'm sure I will. 

“Uh uh uh, Miss. Hold it." Before I can react, I'm grabbed by my wrist and pulled back into Jack's chest. "You’re not going anywhere off this boat.” 

I scoff. "And why not?” 

“A city full of witchcraft, herbs, and any other spooky things you need, not happening!" He spins me around to face him. "You’ll stay on deck with those two." He points to Pintel and Ragetti. 

The two wiggle their fingers at me with cheeky grins. This should be fun. 

I roll my eyes, looking back at Jack. “While you down all your problems with a couple of beers?” 

“Precisely." He grins, rather proud of himself. He leans in and leaves a quick peck on my lips. “I’ll be back, Love." 

“I hate you, Jack Sparrow!” I holler as he strolls off with Mr. Gibbs. 

“Love you too, Darling." He waves his hand in the air. 

"Overprotective scoundrel, I swear..." I grumble under my breath as I stomp back up the plank onto the boat with the two nincompoops behind me. 

_______________________________

One hour later... 

I sit across Pintel and Ragetti as they sip on the tea I made them. "By this time next week, you two will have the whitest teeth in the Caribbean." 

"Thank you kindly, Miss Y/N!" Pintel remarks, bringing the cup to his mouth to chug it. 

"What's in this again? It smells nice!" Ragetti questions. 

"Orange peels, vanilla, cinnamon," I list. "Oh! And lots of valerian." 

"Valerian?" He repeats. "What's that?" 

"Yeah," Pintel laughs. "Never heard of it. What's it do?" 

"Oh, you'll see," I giggle. 

They both down their servings in less than a minute. I lean back in my chair with a smirk. 

And in one... two... three. 

Plunk. 

The two's foreheads hit the table almost in unison. 

Leaving these two idiots to babysit me, really Jack? Couldn't at least left Barbosa. He would've hesitated to take any of my creations. 

____________________________________________

The market is bustling with merchants and shoppers, eager to get their hands on the latest goods the seas have to offer. For me, my interests lie more with the earth, specifically herbs, and books. 

I analyze the grimoire the elderly woman has offered me. "And how do I know which element I'm partial to?" 

"You'll know it when you feel it, but I can give you a hint. Do you enjoy the day or nighttime more?" 

"Night, I suppose." I shrug. 

"That should narrow it down." 

"Right..." I narrow my eyes, a bit hesitant to believe it all. "And how do I know if my spell has worked? Is there a certain amount of time it takes to kick in?" 

"Depends on the spell, Dear," she answers without pause. 

"Right..." 

She starts to dig through one of her chests, tossing things about. "Ah-ha! Got ya!" She tosses me a vile. "Take this! It'll help!" 

I inspect the brown vile with a thin liquid inside. "What is it?" 

"A blend of essential oils. It'll give you the energy and focus to learn." 

"And-" 

Before I can finish, she already predicts my question. She huffs. "Again, you'll feel it! Trust me!" 

There's a sudden series of shouts followed by the sound of shattering glass down the crowded market street. 

"Oi!" An all too familiar voice hollers. 

My attention travels through the crowd and sure enough, I spot Jack and Mr. Gibbs stumbling out of a pub. "Watch... it... mate..." Jack sways as he points at the barmaid. 

My focus is stolen when a man bumps into me, causing me to drop my newly purchased grimoire onto the mucky brick path. 

“Hey!” I bark at the man as I rise from picking it up. Realizing how loud I was I quickly glance in Jack's direction and immediately his sight meet mine. My eyes grow wide and I hurry to disappear into a nearby alley. "Thanks for everything!" I rush out to the elderly woman before I dart away. 

Back to the ship! Back to the ship! 

Jack

I watch from yards away, through the bodies of the crowd, as Y/N sprints away down an alcove toward the docks. 

I groan. “Bloody fucking dammit, I tell that girl one thing! One rule-“ 

“Captain?” Mr. Gibbs frowns. 

“Y/N!” I huff. How could he not have heard her? "Come on, we have to get back before she does." I declare, snatching the bottle of rum from his hands and beginning down the road. 

Y/N

Back on the boat, dart toward the Captain's quarters. Once I'm in Jack's bedroom, I kick off my shoes, toss my new purchases under the bed, get my mucky skirt off of me- thank you to that man -and grab a random book off the shelf. Hurrying to look occupied before he's certain to arrive, I hop up on the window seat and flip to a random page. My chest rises and falls rapidly as my breathing remains uneven. I may have run a mile back here... in heels... on a brick road... 

Abruptly, the door swings open and Jack stumbles in. His eyes search the room until they finally spot me. 

"Ah-ha!" He points as though he's caught me. 

“Oh, hello,” I act completely innocent. “How were the rum and pub?” 

His eyes narrow as he crosses the room toward me. “It was chaotic as usual... What have you been up to?” 

“Reading." I hold up the book in my lap casually. 

“Strangest thing-" He settles down on the bench beside me. "I saw a girl who looked just like you in the market at the herbs table.” 

“Oh really?" I hum. "Well, couldn’t have been me. I’ve been lounging here, reading my book, watching the waves go by...” 

“Right...” He nods slowly, not convinced. “And Pintel and Ragetti just so happened to have fallen asleep... in the middle of the day?" 

"Oh are they?" I question, sounding surprised. 

He hums. 

I shrug, rising to my feet. “Well, I told them I was going to take a nap so they must’ve too.” 

“And that’s why you’re in your undergarments, but still in your corset?” He questions, gesturing at my body up and down with his finger as he begins to approach me. 

“Oh uh, couldn’t get it off,” I laugh nervously as I place the book back on the shelf, avoiding his gaze. 

“Let me help you with that..." He offers, hovering behind me, so close that I can feel his warm breath on my shoulder. 

“Well if you’re back, Jack, I can wait to-”

“Oh no, by all means, Love," he assures as his hands start to undo my corset. He leans in to whisper in my ear. "In fact, I’m a tad tired myself, perhaps I’ll join you.” 

My eyes fall shut. “Yes... that would be nice." 

His lips brush against my neck and begin a trail of kisses down to my shoulder. 

“Jack...” I whisper. 

He ignores my soft plea as he finishes his task and tosses my corset to the side. His hands now start to circle around from my waist to my front and pin me into his chest. “Tell me the truth, Love,” he whispers against my collar bone. 

“I am,” I argue quietly in a pant. 

“I don't think so... I think you went against my orders and went to the market anyway." 

I shake my head. 

Swiftly, his hands grip my waist and spin me around to face him. My back hits the bookshelf as Jack presses me into the object. His dark eyes meet mine knowingly. A grin forms on his lips as they fall to my mouth. His thumb brushes across my lip on the way to caressing my cheek. 

"You can't lie to me, Love," he reminds. "I see right through you." 

My chest rises and falls rapidly as I know his words to be true. I'm an excellent liar, except when it comes to Jack. 

"Now, you may be more powerfully inclined when it comes to spells and potions and such, but you forget I'm the Captain and you're on my ship. My ship, my rules," he grins, rather amused with himself. "Now, tell me, and don't dare lie. Did you or did you not leave this ship?" 

"I-" 

"Uh uh." He shakes his head and presses his finger to my lips. "Think before you answer." 

Okay, so I was going to lie again, I admit. God, I hate this man with a passion. 

"Alright fine! I did! So what!" I finally break, much to his pleasure. "What can you possibly do to me?" I challenge. 

"Good girl," he compliments and slams his lips to mine hungrily. 

My hands find their way to the back of his neck, deepening the kiss. Abruptly, he releases his body against mine, allowing me to break free. He starts toward the door, leading out to the hallway. 

That's it? 

"What? No big bad punishment? I thought you were the Captain!" I mock as he reaches the door. 

He stops in the archway and peers over his shoulder with a smirk. "Later darling, surely." He snickers, shutting the door behind himself. 

"You're such a tease!" I grab a book of the shelf and chuck it at the door with a thud. "I hate you, Jack Sparrow!" 

_____________________________________

My eyes flicker open from my sleeping state. They land on a sleeping Jack beside me. I glide my fingers across his bare chest, over the many tattoos that scatter his skin. 

"Dear, sweet, Y/N..." A voice purrs behind me. 

I gasp and flip onto my back to see Blackbeard standing at the foot of our bed. I yank the sheet to cover my bare body. 

He grins wickedly. "This man beside you, an ignorant fool, believing he's deserving of your excellence." 

"Get out of here!" I shout. 

"You don't truly mean that... you're curious... I know it..." 

"I'll poison you!" I threaten. 

He shakes his head, ticking his tongue. "You wouldn't hurt me. You wouldn't harm anyone. I don't fear you." 

"You test my patience," I growl. 

"I have an entire world to show you... come with me and you'll be free... " He extends a hand out to me. 

I glance over at a peaceful Jack, unaware of what's unfolding. 

"No more running... no more hiding..." Blackbeard persuades. 

"And you'll leave Jack alone?" 

He nods. "All you have to do is say yes." 

Slowly, I extend my arm out to him to glide my hand into his. 

"Y/N!" Jack's voice echoes in my dream. "Y/N, Darling! Wake up!" 

I jolt awake, rising up from the floor. I gasp, scanning my surroundings to find that I'm on the top deck again, this time with Jack kneeling beside me. Mr. Gibbs hovers over us, visibly frightened. 

"You almost went overboard, Love!" Jack tells me. "What were you thinking?" 

Oh my God, it's happened again! He's gotten inside my head again! He's manipulating me! 

"Jack..." My voice starts to shake as tears begin to form in my eyes. 

He pulls me into his chest, cradling my head. "It's okay! It's okay, Love, I've got you!" 

"It's him! It was him again!" I cry, gripping his arms pleadingly. "Jack... it was so real!" 

"It'll be okay, Love," he reassures. "We'll figure this out. I'll solve this. Promise." He plants a kiss on the top of my head. 

The fine line between reality and dreams is fading, except it's not a dream, it's a nightmare. 

_____________________________________

Masterlist

Tags: @subwonwooagenda @starfire56 @doveygirlkay-blog @dansyberry @dansyberry @meany-marcelini @naturallyathief @oliviamae4193 @xxshoutxx @house-chase465636 @the-clint-barton @lxr1582 @m00ny-stars @lonliest-love @meandmymessyminds @jick-n0nas @biracy @kriimu10 @soxpoprocks @peachyplxm @captainluciabianchin @cannibalistic-cicada @a-e-i-owe-you @velvetsnaiil @mindifislytherin666 @bunkyung @livinglifewithoutbeingseen @ghosts-face @mx-pibbles @bigplaidwinnerparty @greentea121598 @that-eco-bitch

[drabbles-mc]

Babysitter

Angel Reyes x F!Reader

Request by Anon: If you're up for it, could you do -insert whoever you want- and the reader either talking about leaving their kid with Chucky or actually leaving their kid with Chucky. He is a sweet strange bird that we don't get enough of 🥰

Warnings: language, Angel being a protective dad, Chucky being the absolute best human on the planet

Word Count: 2.5k

A/N: I would take a bullet for Chucky with no hesitation. I love that man and I’m so glad he has found a family in Mayans. I love including him in my stories because he’s just??? The sweetest.

Join my group-chat here: (X)

Angel Reyes Taglist: @mayans-sauce @helli4nthus @angelreyesgirl @starrynite7114 @queenbeered @sincerelyasomebody @sadeyesgf @thesandbeneathmytoes @appropriate-writers-name @tomhardydallasstarsgirl @multiyfandomgirl40 @sillygoose6969 @beardburnsupersoldiers @louisianalady @gemini0410​ @paintballkid711​ @chibsytelford​ @yourwonkywriter​ @sesamepancakes​ @behindmyeyes-insidemyhead​ @plentyoffandoms​ @georgiaaintnopeach​ @twistnet​ @themoonandthewicked​ @garbinge​ @bucky-iss-bae​ @enjoy-the-destruction​ @withmyteeth​ @encounterthepast​ @lilacyennefer​ @everyhowlmarksthedead​ @rosieposie0624​ @mylittlelonelyappreciationtoo​ @mijop​ @xladymacbethx​ @blessedboo​ @holl2712​ @lakamaa12​ @luckyharley1903​ @masterlistforimagines​ @kkim120​ @toni9​ @shadow-of-wonder​ (If you want to be tagged in any of my writing let me know! xo)

“It would just be for a couple hours!” you sat on the bar stool next to Angel, “You’re telling me that she can’t stay here for a couple hours? She’s a baby, Angel. It’s not like she can get up and run off.”

“I’m not leaving her with these motherfuckers,” he shook his head.

Angel loved his brothers in the MC. He would take a bullet for any one of them. Which is why it was so surprising to you that he didn’t want to leave your daughter with them. He didn’t mind it when you brought her around the clubhouse, as long as one of the two of you always had eyes on her. He was fiercely protective of her, which was adorable, but it also made it difficult for the two of you to get any time for yourselves. She was six months old and it had been much longer than that since the two of you had some quality couple time.

“Angel, they know how to feed and change a baby. Coco has more kids than we do!”

“Then he can go watch those ones!” he was adamant, “I ain’t leavin’ her here.”

While the two of you were arguing, Chucky appeared from the back room with a few cases of beer. He saw the car seat sitting on the bar top and immediately set down the boxes to come and investigate. He’d met your daughter on a few occasions but there were always so many other people around.

He gently rocked the car seat with a smile, whispering things to her that neither you nor Angel could hear, but you heard her contagious giggles. You turned and looked to see who had her laughing like that, and you couldn’t hide your surprise when you saw the gentle, loving look in Chucky’s eyes as he let her reach and hold onto his prosthetic fingers.

Your heart melted at the way he was smiling at her and the words came tumbling out of your mouth, “You wanna hold her?”

He looked up at you, eyes as wide as his smile, “I would be honored.”

You laughed quietly as you stood up and carefully unhooked the straps that kept her safely in the seat. You lifted her up and out before passing her off to Chucky, who cradled her in his arms as if it was second nature to him. Chucky had always been a bit of a caretaker by nature but this was surprising even to you.

“Like you’ve done it a million times before,” you commented as you watched him bounce her gently on his hip.

“Maybe not a million, but close,” he didn’t take his eyes off the baby.

“Oh yea? You have kids?” you really never gave a lot of thought to what Chucky’s life was like when he wasn’t working at the scrapyard. You knew that he had quite a long history, but you never asked about the details of it.

He shook his head, “Haven’t had the good fortune of that yet. But I spent a lot of time with Jax Teller’s boys when they were babies.”

It was the first time that he had spoken to you about his life in Charming. He spared a momentary glance over at you as he said it before returning all of his attention to the baby on his hip. But even in that split second you could see the wistful look in his eyes. Sometimes you forgot about the fact that he uprooted his entire life to come to Santo Padre.

“Do you have plans tonight, Chucky?” you asked.

Both he and Angel whipped their heads to look at you, their expressions vastly different. Angel knew exactly where this line of questions was going and he wanted none of it. Chucky, on the other hand, had never looked more excited.

He shook his head, “Not a single plan in place, Y/N.”

You smiled, “You think you could watch our little pumpkin here for a couple hours while Angel and I get some Mommy and Daddy time?” you drummed your fingers on the bar, “It’d only be for a couple hours. Just to get some dinner and alone time.”

“It would be one of my life’s greatest pleasures,” everything he said always sounded so sincere.

You chuckled, nodding, “You’re a lifesaver.”

“Y/N,” Angel gently wrapped his hand around your arm, “Can I talk to you for a second?”

You nodded, “Sure, what’s up?”

He tugged you towards the opposite side of the clubhouse, getting the two of you out of earshot from Chucky, “What the fuck are you doing?”

“What?”

“You just wanna leave our baby girl here with Chucky?”

You shrugged, “Why not? He seems like a goddamn baby whisperer.”

“Yea but—”

“And you heard him—he’s been around kids a ton before. Look at him,” you nodded towards Chucky, who was pretending to do some sort of ballroom dance with your daughter, “There is not an ounce of uncertainty in that man’s body. You telling me that any of the guys are ever that confident while holding her?”

Angel sighed, not able to deny that you had a point. Your daughter could smell fear from a mile away, and she could definitely sense when her tíos were getting nervous whenever they held her. You found it amusing because you could literally see the panic set into the eyes of the very tough group of bikers once she started to sound like she was about to cry. They would instantly try to locate you and glad you down to make you put out the fire that they inadvertently started.

Despite all of that, your daughter seemed happy as a clam as she waltzed around the clubhouse with Chucky. You could tell by the expression on Angel’s face that he saw what you saw, he just didn’t want to admit it.

“C’mon, baby,” you smiled and nudged his shoulder, “They make a good pair.”

“Fine,” he grumbled, “Two and a half hours tops. We’ll skip dessert if we have to.”

You beamed, clapping your hands, “Oh this is going to be amazing.” You pressed a kiss to Angel’s cheek before bounding over to Chucky, unable to try and tone down the huge smile on your face, “You really meant it about tonight?”

He nodded, “Of course. Anything for you. For her,” he looked at your daughter with a smile.

“You’re a gem!” you immediately started formulating a timetable in your brain, thinking out loud, “Okay I gotta jet home real quick to take care of a few things. Plus I’ll pack a bag of essentials for her to have here with you. And I’ll shower and get ready for dinner. I should be able to get back here by…6ish? Would that be alright?”

“That would be perfect.”

Angel sat back, watching the two of you make plans together while Chucky held your daughter on his hip. Despite his initial urge to reject the idea, he had to admit that there wasn’t the same knot in his gut about the idea of Chucky babysitting as there had been about literally any of the other guys. Chucky’s brain operated on a different level from the rest of them for sure, but realistically he was probably the most responsible out of all of them. Which was a strange thought.

You waved Angel over so that you could have him walk out to the car with you and the baby. You watched as Chucky carefully got her situated back into her car set, buckling and tucking her under her blanket. You wrapped Chucky in a hug, promising him that you would be back by six.

Angel carried the car set and got it situated in the back seat before turning to you, a smile on his face, “Drive safe, alright?”

You raised your eyebrows, “Wow, no smart comments?”

He chuckled, pulling you into a hug, “I’ll keep ‘em to myself…for now.”

“A true gentleman,” you laughed into his chest for a moment before pulling back to kiss him, “I’ll be back in a couple hours, okay?”

He nodded, “Whatever you need. Text me when you get home. I love you.”

You gave him another quick peck on the lips, “I love you too.”

You had packed everything that you could possibly think of into the diaper bag that you were bringing to the clubhouse. You had clothes, toys, formula, blankets, pillows, and of course diapers. It was impressive how much you were able to jam into the bag. Your daughter was babbling happily in her car seat as she watched you get everything set for her stay with Chucky. It was the first time that she was going to be away from both you and Angel for more than a couple minutes, and you were much more nervous about it than you wanted to let on. Not that you didn’t trust Chucky, but it was tough to leave your baby, even if you wanted some one-on-one time with her father.

When you rolled into the clubhouse, Angel was standing outside with Chucky and a few of the guys. Taking a deep breath you threw the car in park and got out, slinging the diaper bag over your shoulder before opening the back door and getting the car seat out. All of the guys looked at you expectantly as you approached the front steps. You could tell that they all had a hard time wrapping their heads around the fact that you were really about to leave Chucky in charge of your first and only child.

“Didn’t know that this hand-off had turned into a group affair,” you chuckled as you gently set the car seat down on the deck so you could get the bag off your shoulder.

“We just didn’t think that Angel would ever let anyone watch her,” Bishop piped in with a laugh, “Had to see it for ourselves.”

You made small talk with the group of them for a couple minutes before politely hinting that you and Angel had places to be—that was the whole point of this anyway. You unclipped your daughter from her car seat and picked her up, giving her a hug and a kiss before handing her to Angel so that he could do the same.

“I’m sure things will be fine, but if anything happens or if you have any questions at all, don’t hesitate to call me or Angel,” you gave Chucky a hug, “Thank you again for doing this. If anyone has got this under control, it’s you.”

You could see the pride on Chucky’s face as he soaked up what you were saying. Angel had the baby perched on his hip as he spoke to Chucky, “Anything happens to her and I’ll gut you like a fish, got it?”

Chucky nodded, not flinching one bit, “I accept that.”

Angel gave a nod of approval before handing the baby over, giving her one more kiss before doing so. He rested a hand on Chucky’s shoulder, “Thank you for doing this, Chucky.”

You didn’t know if Chucky had even heard what Angel had said—he was already enthralled with your daughter. You chuckled and shook your head as you tugged Angel back towards the car. You could hear the guys as you walked away. Coco must’ve picked up the diaper bag because you heard him call after you to ask if you had filled the thing with rocks instead of diapers, because that’s the only way it could be that heavy.

“What’d you put in there, querida?” Angel asked with a laugh as he got into the car.

“Just the essentials.”

Dinner was quiet, and just what the two of you needed. And, much to your surprise, you didn’t spend the whole evening worrying about if things were going okay back at the clubhouse. You trusted that Chucky would call if he needed assistance. You doubted that he did, though. Angel didn’t seem too flustered over it either. He checked his phone a few times just to make sure that there weren’t any missed calls or texts, but other than that he let it lie.

When the two of you got back to the clubhouse, everything was quiet. It wasn’t nearly late enough for it to be so dead, but you didn’t hear music or ruckus of any kind coming from the clubhouse. It was almost eerie.

You and Angel walked into the clubhouse to see that a large space in the center of it had been cleared of any and all furniture. Chucky had laid out all of the blankets and pillows that you had sent and clearly had come up with some of his own, and made quite the expansive play area for your daughter in the middle of the floor. She was fast asleep now, tucked safely in her favorite blanket with stuffed animals surrounding her. Chucky was sitting cross-legged next to her, just watching her to make sure that she stayed happily in her little dream world.

The icing on the cake was all of Angel’s brothers sprawled out across the blankets as well, also fast asleep. You giggled quietly as you leaned into Angel’s side, both of you walking over attempting not to wake anyone up, but especially the baby.

“Looks like you’ve had things perfectly under control here,” you whispered as you sank down and sat next to Chucky.

“Smoothest sailor out at sea,” he said back quietly with a nod.

“The boys can stay here,” you gently nudged Chucky’s shoulder, “But this little lady needs to come home with me. I’ll come by for the blankets and pillows tomorrow.”

You carefully got your daughter situated in her car seat without waking her up. Your daughter was luckily a very heavy sleeper, which would serve her well growing up surrounded by motorcycles. She hardly even flinched as you buckled her in and draped the blanket back over her again.

You hugged Chucky tight as you thanked him again, and you could tell that he felt it with his whole body, “I really appreciate you doing this for us, Chucky. Would you mind if we called on you again down the road?”

“I wouldn’t mind at all,” he looked back and forth between you and Angel as the three of you stood on the steps to the clubhouse, “Thank you, Angel Reyes, Y/N, for trusting me.”

“You’ve earned it, man,” Angel said with a nod.

The smile that spread across Chucky’s face could’ve melted the coldest heart in the world. The three of you said one more round of goodbye’s to each other before you and Angel headed off to the car, your sleepy daughter now in tow.

Once she was situated and you and Angel had gotten buckled in, you turned over to him with a smile on your face. He shook his head, not even needing to look at you to know that you had a smug expression.

“Just fucking say it,” he said with a laugh.

“I told you so!” you said in a loud whisper as you playfully slapped his arm.

He chuckled, rolling his eyes as he threw the car into drive, “Yea, yea. You told me so.”

[rpmemesbyarat]

RP meme from July 11-15 2022 Reddit posts

“Do you want Protestants? Because that’s how you get Protestants.” “Does anyone have an orphanage we can borrow?” “Man, medieval religion was metal.” “Our family has a long tradition of getting extra-judicially executed, and deserving it” “Time to make 28 gallons of hollandaise.” “So this is how people get into asmr? I get it now.” ““Done is better than perfect” “I don’t know why but this makes me queasy.” “Spread your legs and use your balls as an anchor.” “If you look closely the baby is holding the beer.” “The applications for this data are endless. Okay maybe not endless. In fact I’m struggling to think of more than a handful.” “My kid's first birthday was a great time. We had a party. He was allowed to attend.” “ Waterboard the fucking baby why don’t you” “ Look at this Rockefeller over here with a fridge just for meatballs.” “ How do you know what his ass tastes like?” “ 4 dino nuggies just ain't enough.” “ I made an entire tri-fold display board for my petsitter.” “Cut back on the avocado toast.” “Now imagine a person dies, but 50% of their gut fauna is left behind, flopping onto the ground.“ “ I used to have to fight sea lions at work.” “ Would you put your kid on a fucking grizzly bear?” “ Used to wonder if I’d ever had a full on conversation with a butt-plug in public person.” “I mean I already wanted to shag her and it was hard enough without thinking about her butthole.” “Dude, you don't have to show off your enormous snake.” “ Hairy little asshole” “Why would you try to fight someone with like a foot and 150+ pounds on you? That’s just asking for pain.” “It's hard to feel shame when you don't really feel any general emotions besides rage.” “There are 2 languages known throughout the universe. Dance and mathematics.” “ I love cows, since I was a child they always seemed so gentle.” “What a beautiful sweet baby.” “Some good steak right there.” “Don’t eat meat, please.” “ Did you think it was original? Funny? Are you trying to stand out in the crowd, or just be an asshole? Why are you like this?” “Cows creep me out for some reason.” “Awww she’s ugly!” “The entire point of it is selfish attention.” “ As a horrible person this is super funny and I may do this one day.” “It’s like watching a horror movie where everyone is doing the opposite of what an actual person would do in that same situation.” “Tell your new ex-girlfriend to call me.” “ I'm ready for another existential crisis. Bring it on!” “Her butt was in the way.” “ Incredible comedic timing from the cat.” “Entitled assholes don't care about lines.” “Essential oil will grow those fingers back.” "One less person to pollute the world" “Effective protest causes as much and as widespread disruption as possible, so that they cannot be ignored by those in power.” “Cement is not good on bare skin. It can cause severe burns and permanent scarring, sometimes requiring skin grafts.” “Learning hanky code was a lot more time consuming than being able to openly talk about your sexuality.” “ This is incredibly unsatisfactory!” “Stop trying to be the center of attention” “Drunk by nature?” “ Sure, you can drive an expensive sports car at 100mph, while kissing a gorgeous woman. But neither will get the attention it deserves.” “Just because you can multitask doesn't mean you're doing any of those tasks well.” “You aren't even THAT ugly!” “You know what you have the perfect boobs for? Surgery.” "I'm asking how I look in this dress to get comfort, so please give me a compliment." “Some uniqueness in a person is good, but you have too much.” "Yeah, you look like you used to work out a lot" "You never fail to disappoint" “Aren’t you gonna break the trampoline with your weight” “Been a long time, hey you've gained some weight!” "You did it! Great job! Never in my whole life did I think you'd actually succeed!" “Are you pregnant?” “Goatees are extremely hard to pull off. You either look like Frank Zappa or you look like a one star meth chef at a trailer park. It's the kind of thing that forces you to overdress to compensate.“ “Imagine distilling your own existence down to basic reproduction like a brainless amoeba.” “You need to rationalize the bitter loneliness you feel when it's clear you wasted your life.” “You know what kind of creature only wants to reproduce? A fucking virus.” “Even today, more than any other factor, a war is won and lost on logistics.” “The drop tanks were swapped for ice cream.” “Amateurs talk tactics, professionals talk logistics” “Logistics can’t win you a war, but it can lose one” “You can lead a horticulture, but you can’t make her think.”

[p4lparker]

The Proposal

After you’d made the decision, you needed to think of how to actually ask the boys. Now that was the only thought you had rattling around your brain as the three of you travelled to the bar- the shipment was coming in midday, so if you wanted to swipe a keg for the kick back that evening you’d need to do it soon. John B was steering the Twinkie along the roads smoothly- you held the passenger seat and JJ was star-fished in the back, the sun beating through the windshield and hammering down on your skin. Sunglasses rested over your eyes as you watched the young Routledge manoeuvre the vehicle; one of his large hands and dextrous fingers wrapped loosely around the wheel, the other one resting on his lap, tapping out the rhythm of the song playing from the speakers. Lips mouthing along with the words- wild and salted hair flopping away from his face, eyes narrowed as they concentrated on the roads ahead. Freckles more prominent from their constant exposure to the bright sun, bandanna ever present and tied around his neck loosely. You knew that staring at him like this was weird, but you couldn’t help yourself- he truly was gorgeous. As if feeling your intense gaze; he turned his face towards you, eyes questioning but lips smiling all the same. You returned the smile weakly, thankful for the car seat beneath you- your knees would have surely buckled otherwise.

Shaking your head- jeeze, if you couldn’t deal with a smile from John B how could you ask him or even try to convince him to have sex with you; it was a good job there was a kegger tonight, maybe the liquid courage would help you. The twinkie pulled up a short distance from the back of the bar; delivery truck parked there also. You looked to the mission leader; who slapped JJ’s knee alerting him he was needed, before turning back to you and tilting his head- a charming smile in place, as JJ’s head bobbed in between the seats close enough for you to smell the weed clinging to his breath.

“So… what’s the plan here?” John B asked, eyes glancing between you and JJ- you bit your lip and tried to think of a plan of action, JJ tapped a finger to his lip and John B rolled his eyes at the pair of you. “So we don’t even have half a plan and we need to grab a keg asap… awesome..” he muttered tapping his thumbs against the steering wheel in contemplation- he turned and grinned at you, eyeing your clothing and then putting on the puppy eyes and pout.

“Oh no… what did you have in mind John B? I feel like I’m not going to enjoy this….” You whined, following his eyes to the jean shorts sitting at your hips and the bikini top covering you- JJ tuned his head and copied the pair of you before laughing and holding his hand to John B to high five. You rolled your eyes and cringed as the brunette patted your shoulder.

“Use your womanly wiles Y/N… Distract him and me and J will steal the keg, when its in the bus just bail and that’s it..” John B stated, as if it was the easiest thing in the world- you could feel our head shaking mouth open like a fish, not entirely sure you had any womanly wiles. You turned to JJ who smirked and winked at you and pointed to the delivery truck in front of you all. You sighed and ran a hand through your salted hair. John B could sense your reservations and began fluttering his eyes at you; clasping his hands under his chin and puckering his lips into a pout- JJ copied his actions and you crumbled, they had to know how cute they both looked right now, and you hated to admit it even to yourself- but it was like kryptonite. You nodded shakily and breathed out in a slow puff of air before reaching for the door and leaving the safety of the bus- before trudging to you ultimate humiliation. This was a trick you’d seen Kie pull a hundred times over, but you were 99% sure you’d fail miserably and let your boys down. With one more look over your shoulder, you could see them grin and give you encouraging thumbs up, you rolled your eyes and continued to the truck- when you were within hearing distance you let out a small cough to cover the boys getting out of the bus. At the sound of your approach the delivery driver turned to you, you pasted a small smile on your face.

“Hey.. Sorry to interrupt and all, but I was just uhh wondering if you’d help me?” you asked, nervously ruffling up your hair, walking backwards from the truck slightly- your eyes widened as the driver eyed you up and down not so subtly- a predatory grin slipping onto his features. You could see JJ waving you off from behind the driver- barely nodding your head, you stood a little straighter when the guys eyes devoured you, you stepped away from the truck- internally freaking out. You wandered closer to the edge of the road lined with trees, eyes glancing all around you trying to think of an excuse- eyes focusing on a poster on a phone pole a few feet away. You stopped and turned to see the guy behind you- he moved his eyes to yours quickly, having been enjoying the view. You tried not to gag and looked over his shoulder to see the boys creeping up to the truck.

“It’s really not a problem, what can I help you with?” he asked, smiling in a way he thought was charming- but he had nothing on JJ or John B; the way those boys smiled should be against the law. You chuckled nervously.

“I was just wondering if you’d seen a dog run past? I was trying to get him back into my car and he bolted.. guess he saw something more interesting..” You stated- trying to think of how Kie plays this normally, lifting one hand to awkwardly twist in you loose hair, and pouting slightly. The man stepped closer to you, you had to stop putting more space between you when he did.

“I’ve tried calling for him and everything… I’m just super worried about him, he’s only a puppy…” You stated, grasping at straws as you tried to keep the drivers attention. The man agreed quickly, and he began scanning the trees nearby. You smiled gratefully when he looked up to you, he continued to scan- you looked behind him and gestured wildly to JJ and John B; they were trying to get a keg from the back of the truck without alerting the driver, JJ shook his head and waved his hand at you- motioning for you to carry on.

“So what does your dog look like? What’s his name and everything? The more information I have the more I can help the damsel in distress…” the man mentioned, smiling in thatway again, you could feel your skin crawl as his eyes focused on your chest once more.

“Umm Buddy? He’s a um Golden retriever, big eyes, cute as hell but not too bright…” You stated eyes flickering to JJ and John B behind the driver- they were almost done just about to close the doors to the bus. You panicked as the driver began to turn, so you quickly placed you hand on his chest- grabbing his attention again.

“Do you think he’ll be okay?” You asked quickly, biting your bottom lip- drawing his gaze there. It was as you heard the boys pull up beside you, you sighed out a breath and let your hand drop as soon as JJ slid the side door open for you. Taking a few steps backwards to the bus, you began your retreat and the driver looked more than upset as he spotted one of the kegs in the back with JJ. Your eyes widened and you waved for John B to start driving and you’d catch up. As you jogged backwards trying to ward the man off as John B picked up speed, JJ holding an arm out the side for you to grab when ready.

“You know what… I totally forgot I don’t even have a dog… !” You yelled out as you caught hold of JJ’s hand and he dragged you- poking your head out the door, you waved and blew the driver a kiss as you yelled out “Thanks again!” JJ and John B whooped and laughed loudly- JJ slamming the door shut as you collapsed on the floor, hands covering your face as you felt the waves of humiliation wash over you.

“That was amazing!” John B laughed out beeping the horn and blasting the tunes as the three of you peeled away from the crime scene.

“I don’t even have a dog… !” JJ mimicked you laughing until your stomach hurt. You shook your head and grabbed the Juul from his pocket breathing in the relaxant and waiting for the redness to leave your face.

“I don’t know how Kie does that all the time… It was so awkward and creepy!” You whined hiding your face in your hands again as JJ poked teasingly at your reddened cheek.

“Nahh Y/N, you did good.. Kie can take a break from distraction duties from now on!” John B called out turning his grinning face to you momentarily before focusing back on the road. As you pulled into John B’s drive, you spotted Kie and Pope sitting on the porch waiting for you al to get back. The five of you talked and laughed as you took the keg and other essentials down to the boneyard- you regaled each other with tales from the day; John B and JJ taking great pride in retelling how you distracted the driver for them to steal the very keg they were carrying, as they did they made the whole situation sound better than it really was. You rolled your eyes as Kie wrapped her arm around your neck and repeated John B’s words from earlier.

The kegger was in full swing- red solo cups filled to the brim with contraband beer or some other alcohol. A bonfire in the middle- keg a little ways off being manned by JJ and John B. You gulped some of the sweet drink Kie had procured for you both from some kook or another. You looked around you again as she dragged you more to wards the bonfire- which seemed to be where everyone was dancing and mingling; JJ and John B filling up cups of tourons and flirting with them shamelessly- the tourons blushing madly and giggling. Pope was a little ways off sitting on some drift wood- talking to a girl, who actually looked interested as he chatted to her, you had no doubts he was talking about pathology again. Kie grabbed your and pulled you towards her and began dancing with you to- you watched the groups of girls and boys grinding on eachother- laughing when Kie mimicked them; throwing it back on you as you danced along. You felt hands on your waist tugging you back into a sweaty chest- Kie stopped dancing and stood abruptly as you were dragged away from her. She settled back to dancing against you as you hips were swayed between her and the person behind you- looking down you saw an adornment of rigs glistening on familiar fingers in the fire light. JJ pulled Kie closer to and in turn you closer to him. Th group danced some more, Pope and John B joining in- each pulling you and Kie into spins and dips- Kie and Pope doing the foot dance form TikTok while JJ pulled you back to him again one arm around your waist, his other hand holding a Juul to your lips for you to toke on. John B danced in front of you, his face low in line with your chest as you shimmied in front of him, his head following- you gripped his chin, pulling him up to full height before trying to push his face away as you blew out the smoke- he laughed and inhaled what he could before stealing it from JJ’s hand and taking a hit himself. JJ tried to protest- but ultimately cheered as John B placed it back between your lips, you in turn took a hit and then passed it back to JJ.

Kie suddenly came spinning back to you, pulling on your hand so you were back to back with her and the pair of you shimmied and swayed your hips together; Pope hyped you both cheering and doing some fancy footwork around you both, JJ and John B whooped joyfully as you all had a blast. You could feel the weed and alcohol giving you a real buzz- you swayed whether you were dancing or not, and gestured to the group to sit down, they followed you in a konga line all the while laughing until you all collapsed on the driftwood seating. You rested your head on Kie’s shoulder and sipped on your drinks- which you’d been refilling and probably had, had too much of already- watching as the boys settled around you both; Pope settling in front of you, shoulders between your legs and head resting on you, JJ across from you trying to blow smoke rings and John B sitting beside you- resting an arm around your waist and nestling closer to you. You all laughed and joked, just enjoying eachothers company with no touron or kook action- and you felt content, this was your happy bubble; booze, weed, your best girl and your best boys. You rubbed one hand in Pope’s hair as Kie leaned in and placed a kiss on your cheek. JJ howled joking about girl-on-girl action, Kie rolled her eyes, flipping him the bird and then gripping your chin and pulling your lips to hers- kissing you gently. When she pulled back you both laughed at the shocked expressions Pope, JJ and John B were all wearing.

“Holy shit…” Pope exclaimed before putting his face in his hands. Kie laughed more raucously- she was always a happy and affectionate drunk, you never really knew what she would do next. You looked over to JJ who was smirking at you, eyes sparkling in the low light- your cheeks heating up as he watched you.

“Huh..” John B murmured, hand squeezing your waist. “On that note.. Best kiss go… !” he said pointing to Kie who giggled.

“Y/N obviously..” she laughed before moving onto wistfully talking about how every kiss was the best one- as each moment was special. Pope told you all about a touron from last summer; who stayed for a few weeks and the pair hung out ‘casually’, his eyes lingering on Kie as he spoke- not that she noticed or would remember tomorrow even if she had.

“Scarlet Masters…” JJ stated, puffing his chest and grinning like the devil. The group of you stared at him and waited for him to elaborate- his grin widened. “Couple of weeks ago, mowed her lawn- guess she wanted to see if it was true what they say about us dirty pogues…” JJ bragged cockily, leaning back and taking a toke on his Juul. John B, Kie and Pope all cheered. You just laughed rolling your eyes. John B went on to say it was, like Pope, a touron from a couple summers passed. The group turned to you- and you fried to focus. Your mind racing through memories; not that you macked on a bunch of people, but you’d had your fair share of macking- but you drew a blank, not being able to pick out one particular kiss that made you want to reminisce. So that’s what you told them; Kie looked heart broken- you thought tears would appear in her eyes soon, so you smoothed her hair out of her face and smiled gently at her, Pope shook his head wildly not wanting to believe it, JJ boo’ed at you and threw a handful of sand your way- most of it landing on Pope, John B just stared at you with an eyebrow raised. The innocent question soon turned into a game of ‘Best…’ everyone taking turns; and all too soon it was asked, ‘Best hook up’. You bit your lip and listened to them all- Pope being more shy about sharing, but he’d had a lot to drink- you could ask for anything and the kid would give it to you. JJ spoke for what felt like eternity- one ‘best’ after another. Kie spoke about the differences between partners; talking about the passion, the yearning and teasing- it almost made you blush as she spoke about the pros of sleeping with girls and boys alike. John B just said it was some rando from the mainland- not giving any details. The group then looked to you, you looked down at the sand you were burying your feet in- refusing to look at any of them as you shrugged- not wanted to say it out loud, when you looked up Kie pouted at you. You brushed your lips against her cheek in comfort.

John B looked penseive, his face carefully compromised to not reveal his thoughts. Pope looked like he wanted to interrogate you, JJ noticed this too and began to regale the group with more of his bedroom tales, Kie scoffing and throwing her empty cup towards him- before feeling guilty and going to pick it up and place it in the recycling bin close by. The part was beginning to wind down- a few other locals helping the five of you tidy up the mess you’d made. Once the beach was clean to Kie’s standards, John B lead you all back to the chateau. You had one arm wrapped around Kie’s waist- one of her wrapped around you- Pope latched onto the other side of her. John B heading up the group, a hand held out behind him holding your loosely- and JJ bringing up the rear. You turned your head to look at the blonde- he was being too quiet, you noticed he was hanging back before grinning wildly at you before charging forwards and grabbing onto your waist dragging you from Kie and John B- swinging you around until you were laughing loudly with the rest of the group after getting over the initial shock. He span you to face his back and bobbed down- beaming over his shoulder as you jumped up and got situated on his back; arms wrapping around his shoulders loosely as your face rested in the crook of his neck- his hands gripping onto the back of your thighs holding you fast to him. He ran to joi the rest of the group, John B taking your previous place next to Kie- JJ ran you both past them all. As you dashed by- you let a hand fall behind you and gripped onto the cap that was resting on John B’s wild hair- he tried to grab for it as you teased him, placing the cap on your own head in a similar fashion to how he usually wore it- blowing him a kiss and tossing him a wink JJ cheered you on. Kie and Pope laughing along. John B smiled gently at you shaking his head and ducking it down slightly.

Eventually you reached the chateau, Kie and Pope flopping onto the pull out- John B waltzing to the kitchen to grab some more beers- JJ still had you wrapped around him and he didn’t seem to mind. Traipsing round the main room with you still held tight against his back- you laughed the entire time. John B handed the beers round you all- as he passed one to JJ, who tapped on your thigh with his fingers gently you dropped from his back and went to sit on the table legs crossed shoes kicked off and sipping on your beer contentedly. John B leaned against the table next to you- leaning an elbow on your shoulder and flicked the peak of his cap smirking at you. You just grinned back. JJ flopped onto the floor in between Kie and Pope resting his head on the pull out behind him, sighing as Kie’s fingers found his hair and began twisting the tresses gently. The pogues all sat chatting idly and nursing your beers until Kie announced she was sleepy and she snuggled down further on the cushions pulling Pope with her. As she manoeuvred, she accidentally knocked JJ with her foot- he exclaimed but stood still and made his way to the bedrooms. Kie made grabby hands towards you and you smiled before dropping a kiss to hers and Pope’s foreheads- both smiling dopily and closing their eyes to sleep.

“Pssst!” John B whispered across the room, nudging his head towards the direction JJ had taken. You followed wrapping an arm around his waist you both shuffled to his room- laughing when you saw JJ sprawled on the bed. John B scoffed and hit at his foot as you leaped on the bed and got comfy. John B rolling his eyes as he joined the pair of you- the usually large enough bed soon felt cramped with all three of you situated on it. JJ twirled a piece of your hair around his finger absently as John B twiddled with the fingers on one of your hands- you all stared at the ceiling above, staring at the star charts there. You were all comfortable, chilling; all of you boosed and buzzed nicely. And you thought ‘Fuck it…’

“I want to have sex!” You announced- as soon as the words left your lips, you almost regretted them as the pair of boys both stopped their fiddling and turned to you. JJ choking on his breath, and John B raiding his eyebrows so high you wondered if they would ever settle back to their normal state. JJ coughed, trying catch his breath looked at you with wide eyes.

“What?” he asked once he had calmed down enough, you let your eyes scrunch shut. This seemed so simple earlier, when you hadn’t told them about your plan and had just decided it would happen- but now they were actually involved and it made you anxious.

“I wanna have sex…. With one of you guys. I know you’ll treat me right, and show me all the things. The sex things… I’m just sick of being horny and a virgin ya feel?” You stated your unoccupied hand coming to rest over your burning face.

“The sex things… shit…” JJ muttered one of his own hands dragging through his own hair. He couldn't take his eyes off you- his fuzzy mind trying to process what you'd just said. You felt like curling up and dying in a corner- you flushed from head to toe and desperately tried to think of a way back from this.

"What about the rules? No pogue on pogue macking.." John B murmured, his head turned fully towards you as he lifted your hands from you tomato coloured face. JJ rolled onto his side and stared at you too. You puffed out your cheeks.

"Well... it wouldn't really be macking? It’d be like when you taught me to drive the Pogue or when J taught me to surf, ya know?" You whispered, mortified. You were regretting ever bringing it up, regretting ever thinking of it in the first place, like it was a stupid idea. Of course neither of them would want to have sex with you, the rules were there for a reason- an innocent friendly peck here and there didn’t break the rules, but sex would definitely break them. You turned your head and looked at both boys, either side of you- JJ was frowning and staring at you, you tried not to shrink under his stare. John B had a poker face on- his eyes though were stormy, thoughts tumbling around his brain. You whined and rolled over onto your stomach- burying your head in the pillow. Trying to fight the stinging of your eyes- ignoring the fact that you were crying about this. Maybe that last beer was one too many.

____________________________________________________________________

At some point you must have fallen asleep, because when you next rolled over- the sun was blazing through John B’s shutters. You groaned pitifully to yourself and tried to gather the strength and will power to move from your pit of despair. A laugh from further within the building, the smell of food wafting through- urging you to move, so you did, eyes finding a discarded shirt from the floor and pulling it on to cover your body some more- your bikini top and shorts not feeling all that comfortable any longer. You waddled your way to the main room in the chateau; eyes catching on John B and JJ as they both sat up straighter when you entered. You coughed nervously and moved around the room collecting the bacon; obviously delivered from the Wreck, and a bottle of water from the fridge. You could feel their eyes following you, and the silence was setting you on edge. You turned to the boys and glanced at them, bottom lip between your teeth as you nibbled on it anxiously- wondering why they were watching you like an animal in the zoo. You took a bite of the bacon and tried not to groan at the feeling of food entering your body; you hadn’t realised how hungry you were until that point.

“Did you mean what you said last night?” JJ asked, staring you down as you choked on a mouthful of food- you coughed and spluttered as you wracked your brain trying to understand what he was asking you. It was a hazy memory, but one you couldn’t quite forget- you remembered exactly what he meant, you dropped the bacon to the plate and grabbed up your water bottle to try and take a swig. Swallowing slowly to try and sooth the irritation of your throat- your eyes fluttered around the room. JJ looked anxiously at you; his big blue eyes widened, eyebrows raised lips pouted slightly. John B leaned against the wall, hand on JJ’s shoulder- eyes sparkling but face mostly passive. You sighed running a hand through your matted hair- trying to buy yourself more time. Did you mean it, yesterday you had decided the course of action- but then when it came to telling them it felt like the earth was swallowing you up. And now- well, you weren’t sure, you knew you wanted to have sex; you had needs god damn it! But did you really need to involve the boys in your quest to pop your cherry? They didn’t give you much of a response the night before. Which made you feel worse.

“Umm… I guess. I mean I wanna have sex… but if either of you don’t want to.. then I get it, it was super weird of me to ask…” You started out strong- but their combined penetrating gaze making you feel small. JJ nodded, before looking at John B- shrugging his hand off his shoulder, he crossed the room in quick strides and grabbed you up within his arms. And before you could fully comprehend what was happening his chapped lips were pressed to your own. One hand tangling in your hair and the other pulling you close to him. You gasped into the kiss when his lips began moving against your own- his tongue swiping along your bottom lip, seeking your own. Opening up to him, he slipped his tongue to meet you, caressing over your own. Tangling in a dance that was beginning to kindle a fire within. Your hands came up to wrap around him, as one of his large hands came to hold your jaw- angling you face to deepen the kiss. You could feel the breath leaving your body, your knees weakening and a lust bubbling under your skin. The hand resting at your waist squeezed tightly- wrinkling the fabric of the soft, borrowed t-shirt you were wearing, his fingers slid towards you thigh- gently stroking over the smooth skin there- a light moan leaving your lips and JJ chuckled against you- his chest rumbling with the noise and he pulled back, leaving gentle pecks on your lips softly before pulling away completely and peering in to your breathless face. You breathed deeply, trying to regain some semblance of control- you were still wrapped around JJ as a second pair of hands tugged you away and settled you in front of their body.

You looked up into John B’s sparkling eyes, the light smirk playing on his inviting lips. You hadn’t quite wrapped your mind around what had just happened- but John B placed his hands on your hips and pulled you against him as he perched on the edge of the table; legs spread wide enough for you to stand between them- then pressed his lips against you. There was no rush; his soft lips smoothing over your own, gentle and languid- but that didn’t stop the heat bubbling under your skin. Your hands found his sun kissed tresses and you buried themsleves there, tangling within and pulling the pair of you closer. John opened his mouth- teeth nipping at your bottom lip and suckling it between his own deepening the kiss. You moaned weakly and felt you body lean more into him as the recent events and current ones took a toll on you. John B’s lazy kisses became fervent- rushed; nibbling, sucking and teasing pushing and pulling you in to him. When he pulled away as breathless as you- you frowned trying to chase his lips, wanting them back. The boys both chuckled, the rumbling sound bringing you back to reality. John B’s hands still held your hips fast to him, and one of JJ’s hands brushed your hair from your face. You took a steadying breath and forced your mind to focus- which was harder than it should be, with John B’s hands holding you tightly, his and JJ’s kiss still burning on your lips. you pushed his hands from you hips and stepped away from the pair, trying to breath calmly.

Now you had some space, you could see the pair smirking at you; eyes twinkling at you, their lips plump and looking so inviting. JJ raised a hand and his thumb rest against his bottom lip- while John B clapped his hands and rubbed them together in front of him.

“We’re in…” John B stated confidently, arms folding over his chest- JJ nodding along emphatically and grinning wide. You gasped, eyes widening and nodding- letting your mind catch up. You were still kiss drink from them, a hand raising to rest on your forehead. You looked up and stared at the boys- they just stood smirking.

“There’s gonna be some rules though; we’re both going to help you, cause you didn’t specify who.” JJ stated gesturing between them both as you stood- still shocked but nodding nonetheless.

“We’ll go at your pace, and only do things with you when you say.. yes we’re teaching you, but this is on your terms.” John B stated, gesturing to you, smirk still in place.

“We don’t tell Kie and Pope about this, obviously..” JJ shrugged his shoulders, at the mention of their names you looked towards the pull out and sighed when you saw they had already left.

“Now we need to know what exactly you do know and we can go from there..” John B winked, he moved to the pull out and flopped down onto it, JJ copying his actions before gesturing you to join them. You settled between the boys and waited, you wondered whether the booze from last night was bad or something- cause none of this was making sense.

“Do you know what gets you off?” JJ murmured in to your ear, one hand brushing your hair away from your shoulder- lips dropping a kiss there as he waited for you to respond. You looked to John B beside you, who just shrugged, eyebrow raised. You breathed deeply, JJ resting his chin on your shoulder- you knew the theory and mechanics of sex; but hadn’t put it into practice, nerves bubbled in your tummy as you continued your train of thought. You’d watched porn, and 50 shades- you had used your fingers to ease your libido- you knew how to work them to work yourself to orgasm. But you’d never been touched by another person in that way and you’d never touched another in that way.

“I’ve watched porn before…” You mumbled, cheeks blazing- JJ buried his head in your neck, gently pecking the area. John B traced a finger up your thigh before dropping his hand on it and squeezing gently.

“It’s not realistic.. but a good place to start kinda..” the brunette murmured softly. “Have you ever gotten yourself off?” he asked, a delicate blush covering his tan cheeks- you on the other hand burned with embarrassment and the earlier lust beginning to trickle throughout again. You could only nod.

“That’s good, you know what you like, you can teach us how..” JJ whispered, his lips brushing the shell of your ear, sending shivers through you- the boys both chuckling at your response. The blonde dropping a kiss to your neck and shoulder again before standing up and high-fiving John B- he winked at you and left the chateau- you and the Routledge boy alone- the silence within almost deafening. John B squeezed your thigh gently, ducking his head slightly to be face-to-face with you.

“You wanna try something now?” he whispered- watching as you bit into your bottom lip and nodded. He lurched forward and attached your lips together once more. He wasn’t slow and relaxed this time, he instantly pried your lips apart with his tongue and tangled it with yours. Kissing into you passionately, gently nudging you back to lie on the pull out- he hovered over you, pulling from your lips to kiss around your mouth, then lower discovering you neck like an unmapped land. You moaned as his teeth nipped at your skin- you could feel the grin he wore as he continued to assault your neck. He let one hand hold your jaw, and pulled back- he manoeuvred the pair of you to sit once more, his other arm trailing and resting around your waist- squeezing and lifting you until you were somehow straddling him. You whimpered as he sucked and nipped playfully at you neck. You pulled back to stare at him; he was smiling wolfishly, eyes ablaze, lips kiss-swollen and cheeks dusted with a blush as he stared back at you. You untangled his hand from you hair- ghosting over your neck and the light marks he’d left- grin widening slightly- before plucking gently at the t-shirt you were wearing.

“Looks good on you..” he whispered, grin still in place- he was breathing deeply, and you took a moment to eye his torso; abs working slightly as he breathed quickly. He tilted your chin up and kissed you again- this time with no rush, it was languid and arousal seared through your entirety. His hands took up residence on your thighs, calloused fingers brushing the skin, pushing the large t-shirt up, you whimpered against his lips. He felt so good against you- soft lips kissing against you, hard muscle supporting you- your hand trailed to rest on his chest, it flexing against you hat palm- his skin hotter beneath it. Your body reacting to his lightest of touches- lips fusing together, panting into eachother’s mouths, as neither of you wanted to part. Your hips twitched on top of him, a shock running through your body as he moaned as the contact of your clothed cores rubbing a delicious friction for you both. He gripped onto your hips, fingers digging in, in an enticing manner; he held your hips and guided you over him. Grinding you on top of him, your whines and moans echoing throughout the chateau- his matching sounds slightly quieter than yours. As your body moved and rubbed against him in a tantalising way, one of his hands raised to traced the curve of your body- fingers spreading wide and resting over your ribs, just underneath your breast- thumb gently running along the bottom of you bikini top teasingly.

Your hand found his and cupped it around you, encouraging him to squeeze and tease you. He didn’t disappoint; squeezing gently, exploring the area, letting his fingers tease you hard nipple- pinching and flicking it. All the while your hips worked furiously against him, there was a pressure building within as you could feel him hard beneath; through your clothes, the material rubbing right against you clit in a maddening way. You worked your hips with more fervour focus, you could feel that overwhelming knot tying and twisting tightly within- fraying until it snapped, your climax washing over you forcefully. You moaned and buried your head in the crook of his neck- he panted beneath you, the pair of you trying to catch your breath and calm your racing hearts. The fire within you only burned on, as you could still feel him pressing against you harshly- you began moving your hips, slowly, you were sensitive and knew a second release wouldn’t take long. But John B gripped your hips tightly and stopped you movements, shaking his head.

“No, no, no- this is all for you okay? Don’t worry about me…” he chuckled, his voice deeper than normal- making you want to grip his head and kiss him into oblivion, you restrained yourself as he helped you to sit beside him. Wrapping an arm around your shoulders and pulling you in close to him. You two stayed cuddled together long after your racing hearts had calmed and you breathing had returned to normal, eventually he stood from the pull out, tugging you with him and leading you to his room before traipsing to the bathroom by himself. Your eyes caught on the bulge in his shorts making you blush- one he spotted and sent a wink to you. You laid in his bed and tried to wrap your mind around the happenings of the day. When John B appeared again, he had a towel slung low on his hips- making your mouth go dry, he searched for clothes and explained that you’d stop by your place to change and then you were going to meet the others for a day on the boat as usual. You nodded, more focused on watching him cover up his still damp body with an unbuttoned shirt, board shorts, backwards cap, converse and his ever present bandanna tied around his neck. He looked over to you, chuckling as he clocked the mark on your own neck, grabbing another bandanna; he tied it around your throat like his own. Dropping a kiss to the corner of your lips, smirking when he pulled away. He dragged you out of the chateau and to the parked bus- ready to start your day even though it was nearing the afternoon by this point. You both got settled in the Twinkie before setting off.

[talkfantasytome]

PART THREE PART THREE PART THREE. I will sell my kidneys, organs, my stupid heart for a part three in the vacation Nesta and Cassian. Time for Cassian to put on his moves and maybe Cassian POV? I love simping cassian as much as I love a sexy Cassian.

Combining also with this one:

There's also another ask for this, but it didn't specify part 3, so I will be doing a part 4 to answer that one. XD

Part 1 | Part 2 | Read on AO3

Cassian didn't give a fuck.

Not a single one.

He couldn't care less how obvious he was being. Not when the woman in front of him was happy to entertain.

It didn't matter that they were at different tables, supposedly engaged in separate conversations. No, so long as they maintained eye contact, they were in their own world, and no one else mattered.

It had been bad enough that afternoon, seeing her lounge by the pool so close to where he and his brothers were swimming. Book in hand, yet clearly not making a dent in it. She was too busy glancing up at something.

At what, specifically, he couldn't be entirely sure - those damn sunglasses. But, he had a feeling that her eyes met his a few too many times to be a coincidence. He sure as hell hadn't been able to stop himself from looking over at her continuously throughout the entire hour she sat there. He wasn't sure if it was good or bad luck that had her leaving before the rest of her friends.

He felt his eyes darken as her lips wrapped around her straw, holding her smirk as she took a sip of her cocktail. His breathing went ragged when she licked her lips and his heart all but stopped when she then bit down.

He was going to die.

This woman, with her storm cloud eyes and sensuous mouth, was going to be the death of him, and he hadn't even gotten her name.

Cassian was just about to stand up and do something about this situation when the redheaded girl next to his death pointed excitedly behind them and the three girls all stood up and made their way over to the railing of the deck, looking out to the ocean.

Smart girls, to bring their things and drinks, because not a minute later their table was taken by two couples, and suddenly Cassian didn't care much about his seat.

"Look at that, from best to worst seats in the house in thirty seconds flat," Rhys sighed, leaning back against his seat.

Cassian laughed and stood up, his brothers' eyes following him.

"Where are you going?" Az asked.

"To go find where the best seat is now." He winked at his brothers and then walked toward where the girls stood, taking in the back of his lady death's dress for the first time.

It was a fact. She truly was trying to kill him.

Because where the back was supposed to be, it was essentially just all skin. All smooth, perfectly golden-tanned skin. He couldn't stop himself from imaging running his hand across that back, down her perfect little ass, and resting on the thigh just beneath, right around where the hem of the dress brushed. And shit, was that dress short in exactly the right way, showing off long legs that would wrap so perfectly around him.

Oh, he was so screwed.

A smart man would stop walking. Would pivot, grab a drink, and maybe find a girl that wasn't likely to be the end of him. Someone safer.

It was safe to say that, tonight, Cassian was not a smart man.

Not as he, instead, counted his blessing that she stood to the left of her friends, instead of remaining in the middle. And certainly not as he settled himself against the railing next to her, purposefully keeping his eyes on the horizon.

She stiffened beside him, also refusing to look directly at him, but he had a feeling he knew who had taken the spot beside her.

"Beautiful view," he noted.

"It is," she agreed. "And you just missed the whale."

"The whale?"

He could see in his peripheral that she nodded. "Well, its tail. And it was pretty far out, but it was clearly a whale's tale that came up out of the water and then splashed back down. Like it was waving at us."

A smile tugged at his lips at that comment. "I'm sure it was." He finally felt her shift, her gaze landing on him, so he turned to look at her, unprepared for what he found.

Yes, he'd already seen those blue-grey eyes, tantalizing and taunting as she'd sipped her drink, but now they were something else as they assessed him so thoroughly he felt as if he were naked and needed to cover himself.

Still, he held her stare, putting on a lazy, cocky smile. "I'm Cassian," he offered, resting one arm on the railing as he studied her. The way her pupils dilated as she looked at him, how her eyes shifted just slightly at the comment, or how her mouth twitched for the tiniest second upward before she schooled herself again.

"Nice name," she replied, her own body mirroring his stance.

"Surely not as lovely as yours." He'd leaned in slightly to say the words at a lower register, and regretted it almost immediately when the woman practically cackled in his ear.

He winced as he pulled away, and the girl's face seemed to soften at that. "I'm sorry," she sighed, covering her mouth with her hand. "I was just expecting a better line."

Cassian couldn't help but chuckle slightly. "So, you spend at least five minutes taunting me from your table, only to insult me when I finally come up to talk to you. How's that seduction technique working out for you?"

"I'll tell you in the morning." She smirked up at him, her eyes lit with amusement. "I'm Nesta."

"Well, I wasn't wrong then." He smiled down at her, risking a step closer, sliding his beer down the railing with his arm.

A wicked gleam flashed in her eyes, even as she helped in bridging the gap with her own step. "No, looks like I was the only one with too high of expectations."

"Oh, I'm sure I'll exceed them in many other ways." Her breasts were just barely brushing his chest, so Cassian moved, one final step, so that their bodies were all but pressed against each other, knowing exactly what she would be feeling.

A soft gasp escaped Nesta's lips, an accidental slip up from the cool exterior she'd been presenting. But she didn't let it deter her.

"Perhaps I have a problem expecting too much," she rasped. "How do you know I haven't made it impossible to even meet them?"

His eyes widened at the challenge, but Cassian's lips only fell into a half-smile he was sure would drive her crazy as he leaned in, bringing his mouth once again to her ear. "I guarantee I'll find a way." He felt Nesta's body sway into him slightly, as if her instinct was to melt into his touch, and he let his free arm wrap around her waist to steady her as she attempted to pull back to quickly. "Where do you think you're going, sweetheart?"

Cassian watched as Nesta's cheeks flushed with pink, his heart racing at the sight. His arousal building enough to keep him from feeling triumphant at rendering her speechless. Mostly.

A loud round of laughter broke through their silent staring contest, causing both Nesta and Cassian to snap their heads toward the sound, and he finally noticed the group standing near them. It appeared that Rhys and Azriel had finally worked up the courage to go talk to the two girls they'd been eyeing all day, and the four of them were engaged in conversation together.

Nesta stiffened at the sight, taking a small step back. Not enough to pull out of Cassian's arm, but enough to allow the breeze in, chilling Cassian slightly despite the tepid temperature.

"Nesta!" the redheaded girl suddenly called, turning to look at them both. Nesta quickly pivoted in his arm, facing her friends and his brothers, and it made Cassian feel empty, to lose her gaze and focus. "Come join us! We're comparing favorite bars!"

Sighing, Nesta started toward their friends, laying a hand over Cassian's on her waist, letting him know to keep it there and walk with her. He was certain muscles loosened that he hadn't realized he'd tensed at that touch.

"Why on earth would you be comparing bars?" she asked skeptically.

"Rhys and Az live in Philly, too!" the girl almost identical to Nesta, but with softer lines and a clearly younger face explained.

"I'm Rhys, by the way," his brother standing to that girl's right offered, violet eyes focused on Nesta for a moment. "And this is Az." He motioned to their other brother, who was standing between Nesta's mini-me and the redhead. "Since Feyre darling didn't mention that."

The girl - Feyre - rolled her eyes, but Nesta offered him a small chuckle. "Nesta," she said, in a tone that said she knew it was obvious. "Feyre, Gwyn, this is Cassian. Cassian, this is my little sister Feyre, and one of my soul sisters, Gwyn."

"Younger!" Feyre corrected.

"And little. You are shorter," Nesta teased, grinning at the girl before turning back to Cassian. "Do you live in Philly too, then?"

Cassian couldn't help but smile as it all hit him. "Yeah, I do."

They lived in the same city. Or close enough to it.

And suddenly everything changed.

@generalnesta

[ripperdaddy]

the viktor vector romance path + ending we deserve

Disclaimer: This is definitely something I came up with in my head. There will be a few instances that are solely made up so it can tie in with the “story.” This is purely fictional; something I wished happened if there was a possible Vik romance 🥰 This is based on my general knowledge of the game & Vik’s life. All gifs + images are from my own personal play through, but wouldn’t be possible without the help of the Appearance Menu Mod, found on Nexus Mods by the creators, MaximiliumM and CtrlAltDaz. And the shirtless Vik mod by the lovely samsnak ♡

It would start after completing the Paid In Full quest where you pay Vik back the eddies you owe him.

I feel like realistically, the general player would have to be at least halfway through the story to have collected enough eddies. I would say that a good point in the story where we can begin the romance is that you’ve already established a connection to Alt and have dealt with the VDB’s.

I think it would be a short side quest like River’s. Vik already plays a big part in the story overall on his own, so I don’t think it’s necessary to make his “side quest” too long. His romance would just be an addition to the ending.

And as much as I would love for him to be a bisexual option for both male/female V, if we’re sticking with the game’s standard with limiting partners to only one kind of partner, he would only be romance-able by a female V with a feminine voice.

V: Finally scrounged up enough eddies to pay you back in full.

Vik: Hold on to ‘em just in case - you need ‘em more than me.

V: I’m not taking them all the way to my grave, Vik. Here. And.. thanks again for doing so much work on me ‘thout ever seein’ an enny.

Vik: That’s what friends are for.

Then, there is an additional option for dialogue to trigger the romance path.

V: Friends? I think you’ve been in and out of my body more than anyone else I’ve hooked up with in Night City.

He laughs, with a coy smile. “Well, can’t argue with you there. Why don’t we take some of these eddies and grab a drink. You know, to celebrate. Catch up on old times. Haven’t seen you round here much lately, kid.”

You agree to meet at the El Coyote Cojo tomorrow evening.

You meet around 9 PM and you are welcomed by the sight of Pepe and Vik at the bar.

V: Nice choice of venue.

Vik: Thought you’d like it. Haven't been here since.. well, you know.

V: I miss him, Vik.

Vik: I know, V. Me too.

You immediately take a seat and tinker with a few dialogue options, where you can either have a sweet moment talking about Jackie or some surface questions to ask, like how he’s doing, what kind of drink he likes, etc. But it all winds down to Jackie anyway, where Vik confides in you about his past. Judging by how Vik was so affected by Jackie’s death, and V’s (if you chose the suicide ending), you can tell that he has lost a lot in his life, and keeps his circle very small.

You then achieve an even closer, more personal relationship with him. But, ultimately nothing happens other than the usual, wait 24 hours in game for a text/phone call from Vik to head into the next stage. At least now, you have established the foundation for a future romance.

Halfway through the 24 hour period, you get a text from Vik thanking you for the lovely evening. No reply needed, as he calls you once the 24 hour mark hits and invites you out for another date.

You meet at Tom’s Diner for coffee in the afternoon. It starts off with him apologizing for being emotional the previous night and asks if you’re open to hanging out again and going down to Pacifica to watch a fight with him.

Vik: Hey, V. I just wanted to apologize about last night. I didn’t mean to be such a downer.

V: It’s okay, Vik. We share the same grief.

Vik: I was going to head down to Pacifica and catch a real good match later on today. I was wondering if you’d like to come along, think it’d be great for the both of us, you know, as a distraction.

pssst even Johnny’s rooting for y’all ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Johnny: Hmm, interesting.

V: What?

Johnny: Never thought you'd be going out with this guy.

V: Vik's amazing. And I mean--we basically owe it to him since he practically saved our life.

Johnny: Don't tell me you're going out with him out of pity.

V: I'm not.

Johnny: I know, I can feel you get all mushy-gushy. It's almost repulsive. Just wanted to hear you admit it.

V: Eat a dick, Johnny.

You arrive before the GIM and blend into the crowd.

V: Nothin’ like watching guys beat the shit out of each other to get your blood pumpin’, huh?

Vik: This is a real good matchup, V. This kid’s fresh, young talent.

V: You miss it, don’t you?

Before the fight begins, Vik shares a story about his time in the ring and coming in second in the Watson Boxing Grand Prix.

There’s some extra fun options in the dialogue, you can bet some eddies on who’s gonna win, or side with him. The fight ends, and you two head outside.

Since you’re already out in Pacifica, you head over to the boardwalk (where you would ride the roller coaster with Johnny) and he starts telling you about the last days of his boxing career and how he transitioned from the sport to being a ripperdoc.

You both share a sweet moment with each other, reminiscing about old times and talking about V’s future with the relic. This is where I would see Vik confessing how he feels about you, mentioning how grateful he is for Jackie introducing you to him.

The evening ends and Vik asks you to give him some time to try and dig up some footage from his storage and have you come over to watch. You can kiss him then wait another 24 in game hours before the last quest. Halfway through, he texts you and asks you what you’d like for dinner. You can opt for pizza or chinese.

I haven’t seen or read anything about how or where Vik lives. If I overlooked something, please let me know! But for the sake of the story, let’s say he does actually have his own place that’s now introduced in the game. Personally, I think he has a typical bachelor pad, like a really nice apartment. Not too far from his clinic either. He looks like he would just walk to work. Vik definitely has a lot of money, but he’s so humble I doubt he would choose to live lavishly. As mentioned in the beginning, he typically just “sleeps nights” ever since he was over “being a legend” so I’m guessing his lifestyle is very routine. He goes to work, goes home, sleep. Seems unlikely he has a place like the Peralez’s. It would probably be just the same as V’s but decorated to his taste.

The evening comes and you are over at his place. He’s dressed in just a white undershirt, no exo-glove. You get to know more about his family, how he grew up — scanning things around his place. Then he plays some footage of one of his fights for you, while you two have a conversation and share a beer. As you two sit on the couch, you get close, then have an opportunity to kiss him.

then this is where da sex happen hihihi (ノ・ω・)ノ

The next morning you wake up and you two have a heartfelt conversation about where this is going. He already knows your situation, so I would assume he is very accepting and supportive. And with Vik, he seems like the kind of guy who would still want to be in your life and keep the friendship the same way despite no longer being together romantically. So it’s official. He’s your man 🥵 !!11!1!

Like how River gives you the “fuck the police” tank top after sleeping with him, I think Vik would give you his Night City Devils t-shirt that provides you with a significant amount of armor or some kind of cyberware upgrade that makes you invulnerable for a brief moment while using your hands to fight enemies.

Note: I was thinking of Vik giving V his boxing glove necklace, but because it's part of his character's appearance in the game, I don't think we would be able to essentially "take it" from him - unless he gives you a replica as a keepsake. Which I think would also work.

If you successfully romance, during the rooftop scene near the end of Nocturne OP55N1 (despite Vik’s disposition of him telling you to take matters in your own hands and being a little closed off), you still have an option to reach out to him when Johnny advises you to call a loved one.

V: Hey, Vik. I just wanted to say, thanks for hanging with me, until the end.

Vik: Quit talking like it is, V. Just do what you need to do.

V: I mean, think of it. It’s like I’m heading into the last round of this whole thing.

Vik: Well, in that case.. remember—keep your hands up, guarded at all times. It ain’t over just yet.

V: Heh.. I can feel it, just a few more punches.

Vik: Now look at you - the new welterweight champ of Night City.

V: Thanks, coach.

Vik: Last piece of advice from the coach's corner. Just.. be careful, kid. Remember, I’m with you.

Okayyyy, soooo I’m not the biggest fan of how CDPR gave us two of the same endings (Path of Glory). The only difference is that Rogue’s life is spared. I would have assumed that not only would we get to keep Rogue around, things should have played a bit more differently for V if we took the route of going solo against the corpos. So let’s tweak it.

This specific ending; it should be after getting through Don’t Fear The Reaper where you single-handedly manage to rip through Arasaka by yourself. Johnny goes back to Alt & Rogue is still alive. Yes nobody dies!!!

(honestly this ending can apply to any love interest you choose)

Vik and V are now living together in a lavish penthouse, entertaining an upcoming merc to do their work for them (which is now the current POV of the player.) You were recruited by Rogue at the Afterlife, who told you to visit this couple for a real, preem job.

They give you some vague details about the gig and go on for a brief moment about what you will be doing and what you should expect. Vik emphasizes to you that it’s important you get what they need because it’s for his wife, V, as her life depends on it.

As Never Gonna Fade Away is playing in the background, they tell you to break into Arasaka HQ.

Then the game officially ends.