#he wanted to buy a souvenir and ended up buying engagement rings | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

tundrainafrica · 4 years

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Title: Green Gold

Summary:

"The one Levi had picked out was of a minimalist design. The color in particular though was what stood out. At first glance, it looked like a typical gold or yellow. As Levi took a closer look from different angles under a light source, he couldn’t help but notice the way it glowed a bright green and was quick to fall back to a simple yellow. It did it too consistently though that Levi was sure it was not just a trick of the light."

Levi scrambles for a last minute Christmas present and Hange copes with being eight months pregnant.

Same verse as Rough Day, Sugar Rush and Household Planning.

Link to cross-postings: AO3

Notes: I know it isn't Christmas yet but I decided to drop some Levihan Christmas Fluff a little early. I wish you all a happy holiday!

When a new jewelry shop opened in a space adjacent to his favorite tea shop in Paradis, Levi was quick to notice it.

It never did catch his interest though. The hard life he had lived for roughly 40 years had him completely nonchalant at most significant developments. The opening of some ordinary jewelry shop was not at all a significant development that called any attention from the battle hardened soldier, even if it did attract a crowd for the first two months.

That was until Mr. Spasky the tea shop owner brought it up over a round of tea tasting. Levi had seen him exchange a few words with the jewelry shop owner before he would welcome Levi into his shop. He had guessed that they had become fast friends through the excitement of their tones and the detail they looked too comfortable giving each other. The friendship between those two was something he had brushed away too easily though. Levi was too preoccupied by a cranky pregnant Hange and his own household projects to consider much of anything else.

One day, Mr. Spasky brought up one unfamiliar question which got Levi particularly confused.

“So what kind of engagement ring did you buy your woman?"

"Engagement ring? Woman?" Levi frowned in confusion. “I have a woman?”

“It’s the season of giving so maybe it would be a good time…” The shopkeeper winked.

Levi’s thoughts were elsewhere. Partner. That was the word. By the expression and the tone on Mr. Spasky’s face, Levi could at least tell, they had the traditional woman in mind. Of course they would, they’ve never met Hange.

Hange was definitely pregnant and had been glaringly pregnant for the past few months already. Was she being the traditional woman about it? Definitely not.

Levi only had to be reminded of why he even felt the need to correct Mr. Spasky when he got home from his quick trip to the tea shop that day to find Hange as usual, coping with her six month leave in a very unconventional manner.

It had been two months since he had emailed that letter to the queen and requested for a leave for Hange. And with how Hange looked, hunched up on a microscope with a broken rock next to the table, Levi could tell that she was still far from the acceptance stage.

In fact, she had been constantly scrambling for something to do since she had been put in a leave of absence in the first place. She was probably penultimate month of pregnancy according to the doctor and she was still fighting for control of her life.

The first week into the leave she would take long walks, long enough for Levi to feel the need to circle the perimeter of the block where their apartment was, only to end up pacing by the entrance of the house not wanting to relax until she got home. Even when she did arrive home, Levi found himself only getting more stressed by her little souvenirs.

She was like a cat. The big difference lay in the fact that while cats brought home dead rats and game, Hange would bring home different types of leaves, roots and other plant parts and leave them on the table next to the microscope she had set up on her desk.

“Shouldn’t you be doing other things?” Levi had asked as he watched Hange set up the microscope in their room in the wee hours of morning, when he was about to sleep.

“What other things? I’m on leave right?” Hange had too much venom on the word leave that Levi had to look away and remind himself that it was Historia after all who made the final say. So it’s her fault not mine. He would reassure himself, conveniently forgetting the fact that he did draft the letter. He didn’t reply to Hange’s implicit accusation, instead deciding to hide under the covers of his bed and stay there unmoving, even when it did take him an extra three hours to fall asleep.

By the second week, Levi could barely get a wink at night, too busy wondering what risk lay in a pregnant person studying such strange substances. Levi started to follow her surreptitiously as she went about the town, only to see that she had been getting them from a nearby public garden.

It wasn’t strange at all to see Hange digging through plants, roots and flowers. She had expressed her passion for botany on top of titans too many times to count.

But she’s pregnant. And that’s unsanitary as fuck. Hange being unsanitary as fuck wasn’t anything new though. Levi had known her long enough to accept it.

The circumstances then were different. For a while, Levi considered telling her off. He found himself in a state of panic a second later though completely forgetting that intention, as he realized that it wasn’t just unsanitary. A few inches away, a dog decided to pee on that same soil which Hange was digging through. Somehow that view was what helped him put three and two together to get five. Hange was desperately studying whatever green and brown she could find. And it was mixing with dog shit, cat shit and whatever else made their home in that little bush.

Levi did not need to consult a doctor to know that it was potentially dangerous for a pregnant woman. He rushed back home, went to Hange’s desk and disposed of all the samples into a bag and threw it out into the dumpster before she could get home.

For the first time, Levi was grateful that Hange did go on such long walks. That gave Levi at least enough time to create a backstory for the sudden cleanliness of her desk and her missing samples. In a state of panic though and faced with the obstacle of limited time, Levi had come up with another idea, an idiotic one, completely unbelievable that it had little chance of working.

Levi was desperate though. Although he did have the reflexes on the battlefield to take down an enemy bent on killing him, scrambling to find a cover up story for a very pregnant and very unpredictable Hange Zoe was another story.

At that rate though, Hange must have been as crazy, desperate and idiotic as him a result of the pregnancy hormones and the stress of being in almost total isolation in a smaller part of town with little to no responsilities. Hange came home to see rocks lined up, in the stead of her previous samples, and continued on her mini research as if nothing had changed.

They were less alarming test subjects at least. Levi had made sure to wash them thoroughly beforehand. They did not stink as much as the plants. And they had at least caught Hange’s interest enough that she did not ask too much about the missing plant samples, having brushed off the white lie of a bird stealing them.

Overtime, Levi eventually realized she never did believe the lie. She was too sharp for that. In fact, the reason she had accepted such a blatant lie in the first place was because the rocks on the table had turned out to be a more interesting subject. The hammers and nails became an ubiquitous part of her work desk. The meticulous side of Levi was also starting to begrudgingly notice the scratches on the table from the scrape of rock on wood.

From a coping mechanism of studying plants and greens, Hange had shifted to studying rocks. And as Levi started to realize over dinner, rocks were an incredibly boring topic, so boring that he almost missed hearing about photosynthesis and the difference of a xylem and a phloem.

Apparently, there were so many different types of rocks and the ones he had randomly picked out in the garden could have been igneous, hinting to the possibility of volcanic or seismic activity around the area. How she had gotten that from a bunch of random rocks, Levi did not know. She started talking about extracting metals from ores. And she had started to name the rocks too apparently: Gabbro, limestone, basalt. Hearing those names echo in his head, only made Levi miss the plants.

He started to particularly miss the plants a little more when the streets started to line with them, and the main square near their place was fitted with a large tree in the center, decorated with lights and bright balls. A surprising addition to his everyday view on the way to the tea shop.

Christmas. He never really did get used to it. A tradition brought from Marley apparently. With Hange's new obsession with rocks, the large tree in the middle of the square seemed almost nostalgic.

"So it looks like the Christmas tree can amaze even the most serious men," A voice said behind him.

The Christmas Tree was placed in the middle of the square where the tea shop was also conveniently located. And from his good view of the Christmas Tree in the middle, Levi was also a good few feet away from the shop. He only had to look behind him to see Mr. Spassky, having a smoke at the entrance.

That thoughtless comment was enough to make Levi look away from the tree faster than he had wanted to. He entered the tea shop with a Mr. Spassky trailing behind and the tea had helped him cope. By that point, he had almost completely forgotten the Christmas Tree in the middle of the square.

Like always, Mr. Spasky would place a cup of black tea and make conversation. “So what did you get her?”

It was Hange who had pointed out years ago that his birthday was on the same day as Christmas day. For Levi, it was a surprise since he had built a habit through the years of never giving days enough importance to analyze them beyond what was available at face value. At that moment, when the shopkeeper noted that Christmas Eve was that night, Levi could only spit out the tea. It was his birthday. It was almost Christmas. And he had spent too much time and energy keeping Hange sane to have even noticed.

Mr. Spassky was a great salesman and a great marketer. Levi at that moment was at the mercy of his complex emotions constantly flitting from the guilt of disposing of Hange’s samples to his overall exhausted state to the state of panic which would stop by for a visit every few hours, when he would ask the question of what Hange could be doing back home at that exact moment.

If Levi had been any sharper that day, he probably would have figured it out as quickly as he had figured out the food campaigns of King Fritz years ago that Christmas was merely a seasonal marketing campaign to get people to buy more and that new tradition on giving engagement rings was a piece of all year long marketing tactic to keep the jewelry business alive.

At his most vulnerable though, Levi had become prey to those propaganda and the nagging feelings of guilt, only spread through him, getting stronger with every point they made. He and Hange had been living together for more than a year, Hell she was pregnant with their first child already.

And I never bothered to get her an engagement ring or a Christmas present? For the first time since it opened, Levi was finally starting to see the value and novelty in that quaint jewelry shop next to the tea shop.

As Mr. Spassky guided him through the doors of the jewelry shop, Levi was quick to notice the different rings on display. What caught Levi’s eye in particular was the display case on the side of the room that sold shiny colored metals, similar to a cavern under a church Levi had visited so many years ago. On the walls were pictures and detailed drawings of couples exchanging rings, only highlighting the tradition Levi had noticed among other couples he had witnessed.

Is there really commitment if there’s no ring?

Is it really love if you don’t buy them anything for Christmas?

Every good romance starts with a ring.

Blatant propaganda. Yet strong and relevant enough for Levi to put enough thought into picking out a ring.

The one Levi had picked out was of a minimalist design. The color in particular though was what stood out. At first glance, it looked like a typical gold or yellow. As Levi took a closer look from different angles under a light source, he couldn’t help but notice the way it glowed a bright green and was quick to fall back to a simple yellow. It did it too consistently though that Levi was sure it was not just a trick of the light.

Green Gold. That was what it was called according to the shopkeeper as he held it up to the late much better than what Levi had done. From the different angles, Levi could see the gleam of gold and the tinge of green.

Levi did not need the confirmation of the color to decide to buy it. Maybe it was the characteristic cloak they would wear from so many years ago which made it such an obvious choice. Maybe it was the homesickness that came and went from living and fighting in an almost all green landscape almost their whole lives then being forced to move somewhere within the city that had pushed him to that. Maybe it was a combination of all that, only supplemented by the nostalgia that came with missing Hange’s obsession with trees.

It probably was the fact that the color green had been so ubiquitous the past two decades of his life. Seeing it as a faint yet beautiful glow had awakened emotions of sentimentality for a life he had lived long before.

As Levi took in the scenery of the urban jungle which they had been living in for the past few years and the stark contrast to the green they had been fighting in for many more years, maybe he did start to understand her obsession with green. In fact, he did realize with his own impulse purchase, he was a tad fixated with the color green too.

He gripped his small gift bag a little tighter as he arrived at the entrance of the apartment they shared.

“Hange, Merry Christmas.” Levi was completely comfortable with Hange and he was completely aware of that. Yet, for that moment he needed to rehearse it, having occupied himself with whether to say Merry Christmas before or after handing her the present.

Hange returned the greeting with her own questioning look, which could have maybe even been judgmental. For some reason, that had made Levi blush. He looked away as soon as he gave it and went straight to the kitchen to cram the Christmas Eve dinner he had forgotten about.

He allowed himself a last look, only to see a smile creep up Hange’s lips as she opened the gift box. Levi found himself smiling in return, even if he knew she wouldn’t notice it with his back to her. It had been weeks since he had seen such excitement in those eyes as she smiled, that same excitement and enthusiasm he had seen as she recounted to him every development in Paradis. As he was cutting the tomatoes for their meal that night, he couldn’t help but think that that smile gave him the same sense of nostalgia as the color green.

Maybe she felt it too?

“It looks like I was right… I knew they’d put titanium here. It shouldn’t be this hard if there wasn’t any.”

Levi placed the newly cooked pasta on their dining table. Hange was on the living room table, with a lamp at full brightness, hunched over like she was working on something. Just like always, Hange was scratching the table below with a new stone

A shiny new stone…. “Is that the gift I bought you?” Levi asked.

“Yeah…”

There must have been a hint of accusation or anger in Levi’s voice. The face Hange had was reminiscent to what one would see when a dog is caught chewing on something they aren’t supposed to. With the realization that what they had done is wrong, most dogs would usually chew faster. Hange had done the human equivalent, or more specifically, the pregnant Hange equivalent of breaking into it faster.

“It’s a ring Hange. You’re supposed to be wearing it!”

“But is it really important that I wear it? Isn’t it more important that we find out the secrets of how they make this?” It was an argument which could have convinced any other scientist. Levi was far from what could have been a good target audience.

“Give me that!” Levi found himself wrestling or at least trying to wrestle someone while avoiding the baby bump which was taking up more than 50% of her waistline at that moment.

“It’s your gift to me Levi! To me! Let me use it like I want to!”

Hange made a good point. That good point and the prospect of wrestling someone who was eight months pregnant with his first child was what got Levi surrendering and just sitting on the sofa within minutes just listening to one of her lectures.

Hange once again scratched the sharp side of the already broken ring on the table then bit it, inadvertently causing Levi more pain for multiple reasons. “See, gold wouldn’t make a scratch like this. This is why it isn’t necessarily pure gold despite what’s written here,” Hange explained as she slid the flier closer to him. “ I’m guessing they used titanium here, similar to the metal they used for our blades and the ODM gear. Maybe even copper or iron?

“So it was a fake,” Levi said bitterly. It was the mention of such cheap metals making its way into such a beautiful object with such a unique shine to it. He felt like an idiot for actually believing it was something pure.”

“This is actually a good thing because if they did make something out of pure gold, it would scratch pretty fast. In fact, the other metals make it so that it lasts longer.”

“That was supposed to be a Christmas Gift,” Levi said, completely ignoring Hange’s explanation.

“It was a great Christmas gift. I’ve never seen this shade of gold in my life.” Hange said.

“Yeah, it was supposed to be an engagement gift too.” Levi managed to add before the blood rushed through his face, leaving him unable to speak for a few seconds.

“Engagement?”

“Mr. Spassky said that most people give a ring to someone when they want to spend the rest of their lives with them.” Levi did not know how he had managed to get that out.

“And you’re falling for that propaganda now? Levi, we’ve been living together for the past two years. We’ve done things. I’m pregnant with our first kid. We don’t need a piece of metal to prove anything.”

At that moment, Levi remembered his own mother who had raised him. She’s done things. She was pregnant with someone’s kid. Yet he had never met his father.

Then what do we have to prove it? Levi didn’t need to ask her. He felt it in how quickly the exasperation of a minute ago gradually morphed into a playful feeling that tickled his chest and the sudden urge to grab her from behind and feel her tummy. He felt it a second later as she put her hands on his and gripped his hands a little tighter. Just the way he had wanted it.

Hange lay back down on the sofa next to him and gave him one of the softest smiles. She started to yawn and lay her head on his. She had fallen asleep next to him multiple times before. At that moment, he appreciated it a little more. As battle hardened soldiers, they would have only ever fallen asleep next to someone they completely trusted. Then and there, pregnant and tired, Hange was at her most vulnerable.

Then what do we have to prove it? The fact that they knew each other inside and out. The commitment to make it work. Their trust in the other to do the same.

At that moment, they were both at their most vulnerable.

“Now that I think about it... I haven’t been able to buy you a birthday christmas present,” Hange said, her voice only getting softer as she buried her face into his shoulder. “Maybe if you let me go shopping downtown I would.”

“You know what would be the best Christmas birthday gift? You not accidentally killing our kid.”

#levihan #levi ackerman #hange zoe #levi x hange #fanfic

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homeformyheart · 4 years

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best vs. worst decision - m!raleigh x mc (plat)

author’s note: thank you for the ask @raleigh-edward!! i really do love writing these, even if they take me a while. this was partially inspired by that one scene in the SATC movie (i won’t spoil it). i hope you enjoy!

copyright: all characters owned by pixelberry studios. series/pairing: platinum - m!raleigh carrera x mc (cadence dorian) rating/warnings: 14+; descriptions of smoking word count: 1.3k

best vs. worst prompts / 6. best decision vs. worst decision

worst decision

cadence blinked once as fatima finished the final touches on her makeup before smiling at her reflection in the mirror. she took off her large emerald-cut diamond ring and placed it carefully onto a silver necklace chain. zadie helped clasp the necklace behind her neck so that the ring fell perfectly below her collarbone. she stood up and twirled around for her friends.

“you know, i am not a romantic sap by means, but cadence, you look absolutely breathtaking,” fiona smiled, nodding her head in approval.

cadence beamed. “that means a lot coming from you, fiona. are you tearing up?”

fiona glared. “you saw nothing. i’ll see you at the ceremony.”

zadie locked eyes with cadence after fiona left the room and they burst out laughing. “seriously though, how are you feeling?”

cadence smiled. “i’m so happy and excited, zadie. not even the least bit nervous.”

raleigh leaned over the balcony outside his hotel room, taking a long drag of his cigarette. he blew the smoke out and exhaled deeply, watching the smoke gather and then float away into the gloomy, overcast day. he looked down at the street below, empty of passersby because they got special permission to shut down the block for the day.

raleigh hated weddings. or at least, the idea of them. the entire wedding industry was just as bad as the music industry, full of fake people trying to take advantage of sappy couples. an industry fixated on curated, pictagram-ready, material things that don’t mean anything. an industry centered around decisions on things that don’t tell the guests why someone would choose to get married.

at the end of the day, it was just one big party. and raleigh had been to his fair share of parties, to say the least, but this one was an absolute circus. their labels had conspired and basically, in his opinion, coerced cadence into making the wedding into a huge event to cap off the end of her latest world tour. their labels promised to give them privacy and time off afterward, since fanfare around wedding details would be enough to keep the media frenzy going for a few months.

there was a time when he didn’t think there’d be a limit to what he would be willing to do for a semblance of privacy with cadence. he took another long drag of the cigarette before putting it out underneath his shiny black tuxedo shoe. he could see below that cadence’s black limo just pulled up in front of the hotel. he watched as she stepped out of the car, the beautiful white gown billowing around her as she waved to fans and the paparazzi camped around the barriers. he exhaled the cigarette smoke through his nose, relishing the burn. as he watched cadence disappear into the hotel, he realized he did have a limit.

* * * * * cadence felt her body freeze when she saw fiona walking briskly down the corridor with a frown on her face. she felt numb from head-to-toe as fiona explained to her that raleigh called off the wedding. that the man she loved changed his mind. she didn’t register her arms falling down her sides and her bouquet dropping to the floor as she picked up the skirt of her dress and turned to run. to where, she didn’t know; her brain was a foggy mess struggling to process what just happened and why, while her eyes were failing to blink back the tears streaming down her face.

she couldn’t hear fiona and zadie calling after her; she didn’t even register the sound of her heels on the sidewalk or the flashes of photography as she ran outside and opened the door to the limo. all she could hear was the pounding of her heart in her ears.

“cadence, wait,” raleigh said, grabbing onto her wrist. his touch seemed to snap her out of her haze.

“no, i don’t ever want to see you again. don’t call me, don’t talk to me. we’re done,” cadence snapped at him in-between sobs, yanking her necklace so the chain broke and throwing it at raleigh.

raleigh watched as the only woman to make him believe that real love was possible in a fake industry disappeared inside the car and drove away. he glanced down at the necklace and his heart sank when he recognized the engagement ring he had bought her. raleigh carrera had no shortage of stupid decisions he’s made throughout his life, but this one was the worst.

best decision

cadence had never seen raleigh so excited that he almost seemed giddy. a word that normally would be the opposite of what was used to describe him. but as he drove them in a rented convertible away from the tiny airstrip on the tropical island they just landed on, his grin was so wide that cadence felt like her cheeks hurt.

“will you tell me where we are yet? this place looks pretty deserted,” she remarked, looking around at what basically looked like a jungle. at least they were driving on concrete roads so there must be civilization somewhere.

raleigh just grinned and cadence rolled her eyes. “fine, but can we stop somewhere for food?”

an hour later and they were strolling hand-in-hand in an open market across the street from the little strip mall where they grabbed lunch. cadence kept squealing and dragging raleigh from booth-to-booth whenever something caught her eye, whether it was fresh produce or souvenir trinkets. her shopping antics would have annoyed him back home, but here, where they were on vacation, he only found them adorable.

they finally made it back to their villa after a few hours of wandering around and stopping at every market they came across during the drive. raleigh couldn’t bring himself to feel exhausted with how excited and animated cadence was. she seemed to skip across the foyer and through the dining room where there were doors that opened up to a deck and a private ocean view.

“raleigh, look at this!” cadence gestured wildly in front of her as raleigh came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

“i know, why do you think this place is so far away from anything else? it’s very private,” he murmured, leaning down to kiss her cheek.

“how private? can i scream at the top of my lungs?” she asked, tilting her head so he could kiss down her neck.

raleigh chuckled and moved so he was standing next to her. “you could go skinny dipping and not worry about crazy fans or paparazzi, i promise.”

“how did you manage that?” cadence asked, curious. raleigh typically took them places where he could rent out entire properties to ensure some level of privacy, but they were still careful given long-range cameras could breach most advanced security measures these days. this next level privacy seemed almost too good to be true.

he glanced away and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “i, uh, bought it.”

“you bought the property around the villa?” cadence asked, only somewhat surprised.

“actually, i bought the island.” at that, her jaw dropped and she looked at him, stunned.

he regained his composure and gave a wicked grin. “so, you know you can scream as loud as you want,” he winked.

cadence laughed and reached for his hand. “then, i think we should take advantage, don’t you think?” she turned and led him down the steps towards the beach.

raleigh was definitely feeling giddy. while it had still been an impulse buy, it was already paying for itself.

* * * * * mentions: @raleigh-edward; @dulceghernandez; @freckles-spangledvampire; @thegreentwin; @kat-tia801; @kelseaaa; @otherworldlypresents; @brycesgirl; @robintora;

#choices platinum #reposting for new blog #raleigh carrera #raleigh carrera x mc #cadence dorian #raleigh carrera x cadence dorian #raleigh x cadence #choices #pb choices #playchoices #not twc #choices fanfic #choices fanfiction #playchoices fanfiction #my prompt fill #choices prompt fills #my writing #raleigh x mc #raleigh-edward

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itsmylife--dontyouforget · 4 years

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I need answers...

I saw your name again in old going through old Messenger chat, I decided to click and reread them even though I already know what's in. My questioning, a clumsy questioning, as if nothing was wrong with me that night. I explained you that I had a "little" blackout, knowing very well that I don't remember anything from 9pm to the time I woke up... This awakening, which still haunts me in my subconscious, I remember hearing an alarm ringing, opening my eyes and not knowing where I am... starting to panic inside, where am I? What happened? I lift the sheets, I'm naked, on the floor a wrapper... and then you ask me “how are you” and you tell me we had a great evening... An evening that I only remember the beginning: our discussions about travel, culture, advice for my studies, I drink your words as I always have, you have always been good advice since we have known each other, you were the big brother I never had...

An evening that was just a friends dinner in a restaurant, nothing exceptional, an evening during which I only drank one beer except for the shot of tequila before entering the restaurant, a bottle that you had brought back as a souvenir of the good old days.

Here we are back to that famous morning, when I locked myself in the bathroom of this hotel, I remember taking a shower, getting dressed, gathering my things quickly and ordering an Uber. My brain just went on autopilot, I don't remember the passed time between the hotel and my home, I just remember coming home and taking a shower and getting ready quickly for work and pretending nothing happened.

I called L. and asked him to come with me to the pharmacy to buy a morning-after pill just in case. I didn't really explain the situation to him, I have just told him to not ask any questions.

Then, that same day, my college girlfriend called me, my double, the one without whom the group work and classes would have been nothing but long sessions of torture. I summarize the situation by telling her that I have a blackout and that I woke up in a hotel room without knowing how I ended up here. She jokingly replied that I'd better stop drinking and partying. She laughs. The following year in class, she brings back the subject in a funny way, saying that anyway, I'm such a party girl and I drink so much that I wake up in a hotel room with strangers. These words, at this very moment, made me understand that the fault was mine, and what was supposed to happen happened. It was my friend, I must have done something wrong....

I was 21 years old, I went out to dinner with a friend on a weeknight, an older friend who was engaged.

It was by reading many testimonies that I managed to put a word about what had happened and that I discovered the phenomenon of sideration and traumatic amnesia. Our brain, that overpowering tool that knows how to put itself on automatic pilot. My brain just decided to suppress that moment and the following day, a banal day where I pretended nothing happened...

Coming back to that discussion, I had almost forgotten that you came back to me a year later to tell me that “you were sorry and you still didn't understand my reaction, that I am a great girl and that you missed me as a friend.” At that time, I didn't dig any deeper.

Two months after that night I wanted to reclaim my life and somehow my body. I broke a few hearts in the process. The chicks team was born, they made me understand that my detached behaviour with regard to what happened was not normal and that it might be good to talk to a professional about it. Which of course I didn't do.

Then comes the period of self-loathing, followed by long introspection and memories coming back to the surface.

Like the year I turned 18, when I was dating G. he took me into the bedroom during a party at our house, when I was drunk and couldn't even undress myself, it wasn't love either, nor was it envy, but rape.

The following summer, with this boy I met at my workplace, a super nice client with whom I spent the beginning of the summer as a friend. One day after he drove me home, as usual, he asked me if he could charge his phone for 5min for the gps, I accepted. He tried to kiss me : I pushed him away, he tried again and started touching me, I told him no several times and I managed to force him out. He left and sent me a message telling me “what a great person I was and that he loved our time together, that he apologised for getting carried away but I had to understand that it was because I was "hot" ”. I blocked him, he came to my workplace several times. The start of the academic year is coming up and I find myself crossing into him at the library and university restaurant constantly looking at me and smiling at me...

It has taken me a long time to regain confidence and re-dating, a little over a year.

Then I met someone in the corridors of college, an angel...at first sight. It turns out he is violent as soon as he drinks. We were having a party with some of my college friends as part of a project, he came over and freaked out, spilled a drink on my girlfriend, hit a guy who was dancing with me and my friends and knocked the performer off the stage. The guards had to throw him out; he was waiting for me, furious, calling me non-stop. I started to get paranoid at night and always watch my back.

I had time to look back and think about those situations that were obviously "not normal" and not acceptable.

Situations that I wasn't aware of how there were impacting and affecting my relationships. What I thought I had forgotten came to the surface, first with the words of R., who, I quote, "forced himself to sleep with me". Then comes the break-up, I decide to embrace my single life and go out again, always followed by that shadow. This summer, on the beach, M. who stent above me to kiss me, I started to panic...then N. this feeling of déjà vu and anxiety at the contact of his body on mine. These flashes, real or imaginary, that my brain sends to trick me.

All this to get back to the beginning of the story, I want answers. To find this missing piece of the puzzle, even if it is impossible. Part of me stayed in that hotel room.

I'm often told that it's complicated to know what I really think and that I'm constantly chasing guys. Making me understand that I am an easy girl and that I have to be careful because one day bad things will happen. Saying me that I didn’t seem to realize it and that the world isn't all rosy. I already know that, I have chosen to live the moment and not feel sorry for myself.

I have the life I dream of!

That’s why I just keep my thoughts for myself, I don't talk about this event. I don't want people to feel sorry for me or to change the way others look at me. Sometimes my mind gets foggy, and lately we all have time to think, maybe a little too much.

#true story #story to tell #testimony #abusive relationship #toxic relationship #rape #rape survivor #metoo

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otome0heart · 5 years

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[Fanfic] Music of the Heart (Victor)

The miracle happened and I managed to finish Victor’s BD fanfic a month later *headdesk* I wanted to write something for Valentine’s Day but... maybe later... I have a few days off at the end of the month because of local festivities and maybe I’ll be able to produce something. I hope you enjoy this late gift for our beloved CEO ^^

Title: Music of the Heart

Genre: Romance

Words: 6061

Notes: This story is very musical, there are four different pieces scattered through it. I’ll leave you the links in case you want to play them while you read, or want to listen to them in the musical part of the story :) They go in order:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZARU_PNizc (this is a tutorial, so maybe you want to skip until they start playing).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ryUG57yUQI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1prweT95Mo0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qrKjywjo7Q

Also, sorry for my maybe-not-very-accurate music vocabulary, I tried to look for them in different dictionaries but if I got any of them mistaken, please point it out so I can correct it. And now, with no more delay...

MUSIC OF THE HEART

As the last musical notes faded in the emptiness of the bedroom, the young woman sighed relieved, though not as satisfied as she had expected. She still failed at reaching the highest notes correctly and was still insecure in a passage, even though the melody in her mind sounded perfect. However, as she verified looking at a nearby clock, there was no time for another rehearsal if she wanted to have everything ready on time. And she was sure that she would not have even an extra second, knowing him.

She left the cello on its stand, picked up the partiture and put it on the shelf next to her. Then, with great care, she placed the bow and her beloved instrument inside their case, making sure that everything was perfectly secured before closing it. And then, she ran to the bathroom to have a quick shower.

Being Victor's birthday so close to Christmas made the task of finding a present for him even more difficult than it already was. After walking in and out of shopping centres and exclusive shops for several days, she had almost given up. It seemed impossible to buy something for a man that had everything, and who could afford whatever he desired at the moment he wished for it.

And then, it had hit her as she was curling up in the sofa, drinking some hot tea before bed, her eyes wandering around the room while thinking of his gift until they fell on her cello. She had smiled as she left her cup on a low table and stood up, walking silently to the corner of the room by the window. If there was not anything material she could give him, then, she could present him with something that she knew he would appreciate. He had always been fond of classical music and even had a piano at home, though he did not play very well. It was only recently that he had allowed her to teach him a little, revealing to her in the process small pieces of his memories with his mother as they played together, and she could see that music really meant much more for him than just an entertainment.

However, as strange as it seemed, he had never heard her play the cello. When he had been in her home, he had glanced curiously at the instrument perfectly set on its stand a few times, but had never asked her about it.

And then, she had gone on the quest to find the perfect piece. In the end, she had chosen two, but after thinking carefully about it while she was under the shower, she had decided to play only one. She would make up for it by playing a few more songs on the piano.

She came out of the bathroom and, with her hair still wrapped in a towel, she started to dress in the elegant clothes she had prepared beforehand. It did not matter that the concert she had planned was short or that it would be celebrated in his house, Victor would never overlook that she was not wearing the appropriate garments, and the last thing she wanted was to hear a remark about it. Besides, she liked to dress smartly now and then, and most of the times that they could squeeze a date in their busy schedules, he usually picked her up from her workplace, so she did not have time to refresh herself, wear pretty clothes or comb her hair in a more mature style.

She watched herself in the mirror, as she used one last bobby pin in her updo and gave the last touches with the curling iron to the whisps of hair that framed her face. Then, she put on a pair of diamond earrings that Victor had given her for their first anniversary and her engagement ring on her left hand. She did not wear it frequently, since one of her greatest fears was to lose it while running around in a filming location, and after a few arguments with him, her fiancé had resigned himself to seeing her ring finger bare most of the time they were together.

She could not help blushing as she gazed at it fondly, remembering that special moment. There had not been a great display of his wealth or an extravagant setting. Despite being a public figure, Victor was also very private, and even though he had not said anything about it, she was sure that the last thing he had wanted was to see their special moment in a photo on the cover of a gossip magazine or on a TV programme.

There had not been any grand gesture either. After finishing successfully a long tiring project, he had taken her to Paris for a short holiday and while they had dinner in their hotel suite, under the candlelight, he had taken her hand on the table and had asked her to allow him to be part of her life forever.

None had prepared her for that and tears of incredulity and happiness had slid down her cheeks, unsettling him with the thought of a refusal. Once she had taken him out of his mistake, he had shown her the most beautiful ring she had ever seen. Made of platinum, it had a beautiful oval diamond in the centre, framed by a milgrain and bead set halo. The band also had three small diamonds on each side. As he put it on her finger, he told her that it had been his late mother's ring and that he was sure that she would be proud of her wearing it. That had made her cry harder but this time, Victor had kissed her tears away with such tenderness in his eyes and his features that she had blurted out her deep feelings for him, overwhelmed by so many emotions. His response in kind, as he had leant his forehead on hers with a soft smile gracing his lips, was deeply engraved in her heart and mind, as it had been the first time she had heard those words from him. He had always been a man who showed his affection with actions but he seemed to know how much it had meant for her and had chosen the perfect moment to do it.

With a deep breath, she brought herself back from her memories and brushed the wetness in her lashes that threatened to ruin her make up. Turning around, she checked once again the contents in her handbag and picked up her coat. Then, walking to where she had left her cello, she adjusted it to her back and, with a last look at her apartment, she picked up a paper bag and walked to the door.

Victor closed the door of his house with a tired sigh. Nothing annoyed him more than an unscheduled meeting that ruined his already set plans. Not that his birthday had a special meaning for him, but since his path had crossed with a certain silly girl, her childish enthusiasm for little unimportant things had permeated his pragmatism and, even though he still saw some of her ideas half-baked, he enjoyed seeing her wide smile and her eyes shining with delight. He was probably spoiling her a bit too much but he liked the feelings it awoke in him.

The first thing he had seen when he had woken up for his morning jog was her birthday greeting on his smartphone, sent exactly at midnight, the message so filled with happy faces and celebration emoticons that he could not help a smile gracing his lips. She was an idiot for being awake until so late on a working day but also, he knew deep inside that he had expected nothing less from her. Her second message showed her disappointment for not being able to meet him, also accompanied by cascade-crying little yellow emojis. After a brief answer, he had kept on going with his day with the idea of inviting her to Souvenir for dinner once he made sure her schedule allowed it. That was until a sudden fluctuation in the American stock market which affected some of his investments had put paid to his intentions.

However, he would make sure to clear his schedule on Saturday to let her do as she pleased, as he was sure she already had a plan for him in her mind.

A soft rustle stopped his arm on his way to turn on the lights and put all his senses on alert, and he scanned his living room in the darkness. In the faint light that entered through the window at the back and the ones on the first floor, nothing seemed out of the ordinary even though he was really sure of what he had heard. And suddenly, an idea, a really silly one, came to his mind, and he turned on the lights.

The cheerful melody of the Happy Birthday song reached his ears and his eyes fell on his fiancée, sitting at the far end of the room, playing the beautiful white grand piano he kept there. He moved his head while a small smile played on his lips. He should have guessed that she would never let his birthday pass with just something as simple as a birthday greeting.

She met his eyes briefly and a big grin appeared on her mouth. Her dexterous fingers were playing an arrangement of the song a little slower than usual and filled with harmonies that made it sound richer and a bit less childish.

Victor put one of his hands in the pocket of his coat while balancing his briefcase in the other, waiting for her to finish to remove them and approach her. However, when the music ended, she was the one to stand up and walk to him, her fingers laced on her front and her cheeks flushed with excitement and, he guessed, a bit of embarrassment.

He had to say that she was especially beautiful that night. She had combed her hair in an elegant bun, decorated with some crystal pins in the shape of small roses. She was wearing black trousers, black mary-jane shoes and a black lace blouse with slightly puffy sleeves and a round neck that accentuated her fair skin. Her make up was also more defined than usual, which made her eyes bigger and her features slightly more mature.

“Happy birthday!” the young woman exclaimed when she stopped in front of him.

“You couldn't let it pass, could you?” he replied as he took off his coat and scarf.

“Never.”

She took his garments from him and went to the wardrobe in the hall to hang them neatly, humming softly. He chuckled silently and then, putting his hands on his waist, he looked around.

She had decorated his house too, as expected, though not as lavishly as other years. However, it seemed that she had gathered all the Christmas tree lights she had been able to, since everything, from the railing of the staircase to the mirror above the fireplace was decorated with flickering little bulbs which she had turned on at some point after playing, without him noticing. Also, there were some wreaths made of hand-made paper flowers and snowflakes hanging from the edge of the mantel shelf of the fireplace and the pictures on each side of it, making him wonder how she had managed to reach such height without any help.

“Do you like it?” she had stopped behind him and was lowering the intensity of the light of the big lamp which hung from the ceiling with the switch, so he could appreciate the colourful fairy lights better.

“It could be worse” she pouted slightly and he had to hold the smile that threatened to appear on his face. “When did you have time to do all this?” he walked into the living room and brushed with his fingers a small snowflake that hung from a bell jar which covered a wreath of lights shaped as roses in what seemed a makeshift lamp.

A soft blush covered her cheeks.

“Well, when I could take some short breaks at work and also-”

“You didn't cut short your sleeping hours, did you?”

The heat on her face became more intense and her eyes wandered around the room and he furrowed his brows, a bit annoyed.

“You know it's very important to rest properly to be in full shape the following day.”

“Yes, and I did it. I worked properly on the projects too... I just wanted to make you happy.

Victor sighed and then, lifted his hand to pat her head softly.

“I understand” she met his gaze with a smile. “But it also makes me happy that you take good care of yourself.”

She nodded and his frown disappeared. Then, he looked at his watch.

“I don't know if we'll be able to find an open place to have dinner, and if we go to Souvenir...”

“Don't worry about that” she grinned and put her hands behind her. “I made a cake so, if you brew some tea, we can have that.”

He shook his head.

“Not a very good choice for a night meal...”

“Oh, come on” she grabbed his hand and started walking to the kitchen, pulling him along. “Once a year isn't going to be so bad.”

Victor grumbled a little before taking a kettle out and filling it with water. When he turned, his fiancée was leaning on the counter, watching him with a bemused smile.

“You could make yourself useful instead of just staring at me” he opened a cabinet and took out two plates and two cups. “You like doing that too much.”

She giggled as she took the individual tablecloths with winter motives and the tableware he gave her and with a soft humming, she went to the living room. He chuckled, moving his head, and turned to another cupboard, where he kept different blends of tea.

After choosing a specific Oolong one which could go well with sweets, he realised she had not gone back to the kitchen. A second later, as he was ready to admonish her for skipping her helping duty, the sound of a melody played on the piano stopped him on his tracks.

The opening tune of Salut d'Amour, soft and sweet, made his heart flutter, knowing immediately how much of her affection for him was being poured into every note. The tempo was faster than in other versions he had heard before, probably because of her excitement at the moment, but it sounded beautiful. The temptation of getting nearer, of watching her as she played was almost overwhelming, and he lowered the fire in the stove so the water could take longer to boil and the kettle would not make any noise to disturb that precious moment. Silently, he walked to the living room and stayed half hidden by the staircase, watching her.

Despite her expressiveness in other aspects of her life, her movements as her hands danced over the keyboard, reaching for further keys when necessary, were exquisite, far from the exaggerated ones of some musicians. Without any effort, he could picture her eager expression and the small smile that unconsciously played on her lips every single time she played, and that made the corners of his mouth lift slightly.

As the piece reached its central part, the fleeting thought of that being their life together once they got married crossed his mind. The idea of her constant presence in his mornings and nights, filling each corner of his house and his existence with her smiles, her warmth, her music, only made him wish the day would arrive sooner. However, the preparations were going slower than he desired since it was her wish not to leave everything to the wedding planner, but up to that moment, their schedules had been packed with meetings and projects.

He stayed until she got to the last strains of the melody and then, he returned to the kitchen silently. The music ended and shortly after, the young woman returned with a satisfied expression and humming softly. He did not say anything but the softness of his features and the flickering in his pupils as he briefly glanced at her while he prepared the teapot was enough for her to know that he had enjoyed her performance.

She had barely reached the drawer where the napkins were when he spoke.

“Had you been waiting for long when I arrived?”

The first thing that crossed her mind was to tell a white lie, but Victor would see through it immediately.

“Well, yes... I had checked with Goldman your schedule for today but when you didn't arrive by the time I was expecting you, I supposed something had come up at work... I hope it was nothing serious.”

He sighed and, at that moment, the kettle whistled and he turned off the stove.

“We had an unexpected meeting after some fluctuations in the American stock market. Fortunately, it was just a variation caused by some bad decisions, but nothing that some calls and a videoconference could not solve” he lifted his head to her as he poured the boiled water over a beautiful antique clay tea set which he liked to use on special occasions. “I apologise, if I had known-”

“It's not your fault, Victor” she smiled lovingly at him. “That's how work is, we both know it.”

He nodded as he carefully picked up the cups one by one. Then, she watched him go through the different steps of the ceremony with precision and meticulousness, as if she were an important guest to please and lavish.

“Are you free on Saturday?” he said once he finished, setting the set in a new tray, ready to take it to the living room while the beverage brewed in the teapot. “As compensation, I'll take you wherever you want.”

“I think that I only have some things to take care of early in the morning, but I'll check it tomorrow and call you” she approached him with a smile. “And now, go and sit down” she said as she pushed his back lightly.

He observed her suspiciously for a moment before turning around and disappearing into the next room.

The young woman took the cake from the fridge, delighted to see that the time it had been outside while she was waiting for him to arrive had not affected to its shape. She knew it was not perfect but she had spent the whole morning baking and frosting it and she hoped that it was edible according to Victor's standards. She opened the cupboard where he kept the biggest pots and extracted a small packet with candles she had hidden inside one of them. Then, she placed them carefully on the cake. Taking a deep breath, she picked it up from the counter and then, followed him.

Victor could not help a small, silent chuckle as he saw her approach carrying a big cake enough to feed half of her staff. She set it on the low table in front of him and his gaze fell on it. It was obvious that she had improved her cooking skills under his supervision during the years they had been together, though she still had a long way to go. The cake was a bit crooked, the frost decoration was irregular and a bit messy, and the message wishing him happy birthday seemed written by a five-year-old. However, her expectant face and sparkling eyes watching the candles as she lit them one by one made up for all that in his eyes. Nothing mattered to him more than her happiness.

She turned to him after putting the lighter she had brought from the kitchen on the tray, but before she could urge him, he closed his eyes making the same wish as every single previous birthday he had celebrated with her.

'I wish to make you happy, to spend my whole life beside you.'

It took him only a second and then, he blew the candles, opening his eyes. She rolled her eyes at his promptness, took a knife and gave it to him to cut the cake. A small smile played on his lips as he took it, remembering how she had made birthday wishes for him on the first one they had celebrated together and then, he had tricked her into telling him what they had been. Since that year, she had never talked about wishes after they had been made. Not that he would tell her them either. He handed her a plate with the first piece and then, he served one for himself and took a bite. He could feel her eyes on him as he savoured it, as if waiting for his verdict.

“Not bad” he said, and she furrowed her brows in a delicate frown; not wanting her to feel disappointed on such a special date, and sure that she had made a great effort, he continued. “The decoration is still sloppy and the chocolate frosting is slightly bitter so it clashes with the sweetness of the crème pâtissière. However, the sponge cake is soft and since it's just slightly sweet, it mixes perfectly with the flavour of the filling.”

She nodded and her lips pressed in a thin line, and he knew that his words had come across rightfully and she was already determined to make it better the next time.

They ate in silence, alternating the dessert with sips of the fragrant tea. He watched her wiping the chocolate from the cake, eating it in a big spoonful, and make a face at the bitter traces it surely had left on her tongue. Immediately, she picked up some cream and her expression changed into one of delight. He barely could contain the smile fighting to reach his lips and he took another bite to conceal it. He loved how each of her emotions showed on her face, how she was so predictable and at the same time, managed to surprise him every single time.

He politely refused a second serving and watched her as she cut another piece for herself much bigger than the first one, the comment dying on his lips as she made a soft sound of pleasure when the sweetness filled her mouth again. He rested his elbow on the back of the sofa, leaning his cheek on his palm, gazing at her tenderly, feeling infected by her joy.

With a satisfied sigh, the young woman left the plate on the table next to his and leant back, patting her stomach softly.

“One day, you're going to make yourself sick with so much food.”

She glanced at him smugly.

“I was hungry” she pursed her lips. “I didn't eat much for lunch and after I finished with the decorations, I didn't have any snacks thinking you'd arrive soon” his eyes wavered and she continued before he could speak. “And don't apologise.”

Victor held his gaze on her a bit more and then, he straightened, ready to tidy up the table.

“I'll do it.”

She stopped him putting a hand on his arm and then, she stood up, gathering the plates and cups and returning to the kitchen. A few seconds later, he heard the water running in his sink and the soft clink of the crockery being washed. He breathed deeply and then, leant back his head, staring at the ceiling.

It had been months since the last time he had been able to enjoy such peace in his own home. Most days, he came back just to go to bed, after working overtime or dinner appointments with clients, and when he could, he liked to take her to dates, or to Souvenir. On the scarce occasions he arrived early, he ended up reviewing documents or putting the last touches to a meeting. Enjoying a home-made meal not made by him next to her in a place where they could be themselves was like a luxury he could rarely afford.

“Tired?” her soft voice and the touch of her fingers on his arm took him out of his reverie.

His fiancée had sat down beside him and was looking at him with concerned eyes.

“A little” he turned his head to her and he saw her straighten, her hand leaving his shirt, and he hurried to hold it. “But I'm glad that you came...”

She settled back with a smile, her face taking on a lovely shade of pink. A comfortable silence settled around them, as they shared glances, and unconsciously, Victor started playing with the ring on her finger. It had made him extremely happy to see her wearing it. He understood her reasons for not doing it frequently, but that did not mean that he agreed with them. However, he had decided to respect her decision, especially knowing how much she valued that that jewel had belonged to his mother. His attention focused on his actions for a few seconds and then, he lifted her hand, kissing it reverently, making her heart flutter uncontrollably in her chest.

“We need to keep going with the preparations...”

A warm feeling spread inside her and she blushed lightly under his mauve gaze.

“I already cleared three days next week and made an appointment at a bridal shop.”

That made him smile.

“Do you need me to go with you?”

“Victor!” she furrowed her brows, indignant. “The groom can't see the bride before the wedding!”

He chuckled affectionately, lacing his fingers with hers and leaning forward. She met him halfway and the soft caress of their mouths soon deepened, seeking each other's warmth, getting closer as he wrapped his other arm around her shoulders and her hand brushed across his abdomen to circle his waist. The aftertaste of the cake was even more luscious in the other's lips and they enjoyed it slowly until they parted, almost out of breath, and he nuzzled her temple as she hid her face in the curve of his neck.

“I love you...” she whispered against his throat, and he pressed a kiss on her forehead, cradling her head and stroking her hair in a gesture full of affection.

She sighed happily, relaxing against him as he continued his ministrations, and soon, her lids grew heavier, nestled in his loving embrace.

Well,” he said, feeling the progressive lethargy taking ahold of her body and looking at his watch. “Tomorrow, you and I have work so I think it's time to drive you home-”

That woke her up instantly and she sprung from his arms, staring at him with wide eyes.

“Wait! I still haven't given you your present!”

He arched his brows, a bit surprised.

“I thought your present was the cake and you sneaking into my house to do as you pleased...”

“Stop teasing me...” she pulled a long face. “I wanted to give you something special...”

His eyes filled with tenderness as his hand came to rest on her cheek. How he wanted to say that her presence was more than enough present, that every single moment spent with her was special to him. That he considered a miracle having encountered her a second time in his life, and a privilege to be the recipient of her love.

At his touch, she lifted her head only to find him a breath away from her lips. His kiss, soft and sweet, was more eloquent than any of the words he had said before. She felt cherished and safe, and there was pure devotion in his pupils, as she saw herself reflected on them when they separated.

“Fine” he murmured, his breath caressing her skin softly.

The grin that appeared on her mouth was almost blinding, and Victor felt his heart skip a beat. Maybe it was true that birthday wishes became true...

“Now, cover your eyes. I want it to be a surprise.”

He sighed and then, humoring her, he crossed his arms on his chest and closed his lids. He heard her soft steps getting away and then, noises on the other side of the room, of pieces of furniture being moved. The sound of latches being opened and something metallic made him frown.

“I hope you're not making a mess of my house.”

“I'm not!” she replied defensively, looking at him. “And no peeking.”

He crossed his legs.

“I'm not.”

After a few more minutes and some more noise, everything went silent.

“You can look now.”

As he was opening his lids, he heard her breathe deeply and then, the first notes of the Prelude for Bach's Cello Suit started filling the room. Victor became mesmerized as she extracted an exquisite melody out of the cello balanced between her knees, her nimble fingers dancing over the strings while the bow drew across them. There was something different about her, a special light reflected on her soft features and a light blush dusted her cheeks, and he felt her love for that instrument, maybe stronger than for the piano.

He had been curious about her playing the cello since the first time he had seen it in her house, sitting on its stand, waiting patiently for its owner to play it. However, there had been more pressing matters at hand and he had pushed his questions at the back of his mind. Later, he had discovered she played the piano, she had learnt that he had a grand piano in his living room and, as their relationship grew stronger, they had started to play easy tunes together and she had taken up the role of his instructor for more difficult ones. She had never mentioned the cello to him and he had respected her privacy, thinking that maybe, someday, she would share it with him. And though he was not sure why she had decided to do it that day, he was grateful and deeply moved that she had deemed him worthy of entering that secret corner of her heart, the warm, rich tones resounding inside him, making a home in his chest and reaching every corner of his being.

She was approaching the end of the piece and something compelled him to get nearer her, even if it was a little. His body bent on its own, leaning forward, his elbows resting on his knees and his chin on his laced fingers.

When the young woman finished, there was no sound in the living room, not clapping, not a single comment, good or bad, about her performance, and that disheartened her. As she lifted her head to him, she found his piercing gaze fixed on her. She could not read his expression and for a second, she panicked thinking that he had not liked it. However, her eyes met his and she saw something deep in them, a dark turbulence filled with raw emotion which made her heart thunder in her chest and for a moment, she felt like she could drown in the mauve ocean of his pupils.

“Could you play another one?”

She had not expected that and she startled, suddenly pulled out of her trance.

“Can you not?”

His quiet voice was not demanding neither defiant. However, it carried a hopeful tone that reached deep inside her.

“I've been rehearsing another piece but...” she bit her lower lip. “I still make mistakes so...”

“It doesn't matter” the storm in his eyes subsided a little at the same time as his features softened. “I'd like to listen to it.”

She doubted for a moment more before furrowing her brows and breathing deeply, and closed her eyes. The melody and the notes flowed in her mind, and she put the bow on the strings. Then, her fingers moved slowly over the strings as she started to play the beautiful, serene chords of The Swan.

Victor swallowed the knot that had set in his throat as his heart hammered in his chest when she reached the first high notes. The warm and melancholic tune was like the cry of a wounded swan, suffering and fighting death but never losing its elegance and beauty. In a certain way, it reminded him of her. When she first approached him, she was struggling to avoid losing every single thing that meant the world to her: her father's precious memory, his legacy... And even though he had made things extremely difficult for her, her determination and her spirit had made her shine brightly in his eyes.

He saw her flinch as one of the notes sounded off-key but she frowned delicately, not breaking the cadence and trying to reach properly the correct place in the strings with her fingers. They slipped twice more and then, when the melody went back to lower tones, it became more confident and powerful again. Her movements slowed as she approached the end and he was sure that if his nature was different, the beautiful melody would have brought tears to his eyes.

“Sorry if it hasn't been very good...” blushing with embarrassment, not really wanting to look at him, she stood up and put the cello in the stand she had set next to the stool. “I hope I didn't make too many mistakes, I-”

Her voice got caught in her throat as his arms enveloped her in a tight embrace. She felt him lean his cheek on top of her head and his breath deep and even, filling his chest fully.

“Victor?” the young woman pushed at his arms, trying to see his face. “Are you okay?”

His only response was to keep her even closer to him and in the end, she just wrapped her arms around his waist, offering him her blind support.

Victor had always wondered how it was possible that she was capable of making his world shake to its foundations with just the smallest gesture. As a child, she had engraved herself into his heart in the brief moments they had been together and as an adult, she had stolen it again with her perseverance, her strength and her innocence. And now, with just her music, she had reached even deeper into his soul. He pressed a soft lingering kiss on her hair, smelling her delicate perfume.

“Thank you...”

His words were barely a whisper in her ear and she almost missed it, contented as she was snuggled up against his chest. She felt his muscles relax under her hands and loosened her hold on him, allowing him to move. His eyes had regained some of their usual calmness though she could see they still sparkled with contained emotion. On impulse, she lifted her hand and caressed his cheek. She had never imagined such a small thing would mean so much for him. Otherwise, she would have done it long before.

“Will you play for me again someday?”

She smiled.

“Every time you want me to” she tilted her head a bit. “Just let me know beforehand so I have some time to rehearsal properly.”

“If you do it every day, you'll be prepared without me giving you and advance notice.”

She pouted a bit, her lids lowering slightly.

“If you reduce my amount of work, then I'll have time for that.”

“Organise yourself better and you'll be able to do everything.”

“That's easy for you to say when you can stop time to get to everything.”

“I told you countless times before” the corners of his lips lifted up slightly and his eyes twinkled mischievously. “I only do that on special occasions.”

Then, as silence fell around them and the flicker of the fairy lights stilled, he leant forward and kissed her, stealing the words from her mouth, transporting them into a world suspended in a single moment that, if he wanted, he could make eternal.

THE END

#otome games #mr. love queen's choice #mlqc #fanfic #mlqc victor #li zeyan

57 notes · View notes

pockpop · 5 years

Text

to fall in love 03│ kim taehyung

↬ synopsis: to marry or not to marry. taehyung is ready to propose but he’s wondering if you two are even ready. includes some headcannon of their relationship

↬ genre: fluff, angst, husband!taehyung

↬ requested? yess

part one│ two│ three

taehyung sat against the headboard of your bed, the early morning light peaking onto the sheets. you were sound asleep by his side, face mushed against the silk pillow cases you begged him to buy.

rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he leaned over to his bedside table and opened the middle drawer, digging around for a moment, his long fingers finally felt the velvety box they were searching for.

you stirred by his side from the noise but didn’t wake up fully. he returned back to his previous spot, now with the box clutched in his grasp.

he was surprised there wasn’t dents in the box from how long he had been carrying it around and how he basically took it everywhere before it found a home in the nightstand. opening it, your engagement ring sat snug and safe inside, the diamonds gleaming magnificently.

he hadn’t had much sleep the entire night, surprisingly so. the band was finally on a official break and he was so excited to sleep next to you again, but sleep didn’t come easily at all.

his mind was clouded with all these thoughts. regrets and annoyance really. annoyed at the fact he couldn’t figure out how he wanted to propose to you, how no matter his ideas, none were enough or seemed the right choice.

closing the box, he sighed deeply and it was that that made you stir again, waking you this time.

“what time is it?” you ask, voice thick with sleep. taehyung tucked the box into his fist and leaned down to kiss the top of your head.

“early, 5 something.” you squinted up at him, eyes slightly burning from fatigue.

“you are never up this early babe, what is it?” you were already sitting up, cuddling up to his side, tucking yourself close to his warmth. “you’ve been acting weird since you got home.”

“I-“ he bit his lip, feeling his heart pounding in his ears because how can he tell you that he’s second guessing everything?

taehyung slid out of bed, alarming you and you started to say him name when he suddenly got down on one knee.

“y/n, i’m really not good at this.. telling my feelings, being upfront and opening up easily... I’ve known for so long, since that day your precious drink all over my Saint Laurent coat that you were it.”

you giggled at that, your eyes tearing up a little and seeing your smile put him at ease to continue.

“that that moment was supposed to happen, that one day you were either gonna break my heart or save it. I was honestly ready for both the moment we met eyes for the first time. what - what I’m trying to say here is I want to spend everyday cleaning up your mess and waking up to you, even if you drool all over the pillows. I want to play video games with you all night and eat bad food at odd hours, I want forever to kiss away your every fear and worry, to vacation with your family and let them expose you, to have hundreds of animals and mini us’ running around and bugging the shit out of us.”

taehyung took a deep breath and opened his palm, the velvet box held out to you. he opened it slowly and looked you right in the eye, the nerves creeping up his neck and his heart beating so loud he didn’t even hear himself ask,”y/n y/l/n, will you marry me?”

“yes, yes!” taehyung grinned and jumped up catching you in his arms, twirling you around in the small space of the bedroom. he laughed as you attacked his face with kisses before finally pressing your lips together in a passionate kiss. as you pulled away, he smirked,”see that’s real love if you can tongue kiss each other with morning breath.”

laughing, you playfully his his chest,”shut up and put the ring on my finger now.”

taehyung laughed with you and delicately, he slipped the ring on your ring finger. ultimately, it was a perfect fit.

the engagement of course had its ups and downs. if you should have a traditional Korean wedding or a modern one, who to invite, who not to invite, the venue. what kinds of foods, the garments, the date.

you found yourself one night honestly wondering if you were really ready as you said you were. to be tied by law forever to someone and for the rest of your lives, you will share everything and become one.

were you ready for that? the sacrifices? the compromises and struggles? taehyung was famous, hugely and had already the weight of his team and his fans on his shoulders, but this marriage was seriously going to change everything.

did you really want to be known as the black yuko ono ? as the one who broke up bts?

the comments online were already hinting at it after your engagement was announced and you were freaking out to say the least.

freaking out so much that taehyung was surprised to come home to you twisted your ring between your fingers, a empty glass of wine near and teary eyes.

setting down his things, settled beside you on the couch and grabbed the hand twirling your ring. you watched at he took the ring and slid it back onto your ring finger, snug and safe.

“I hope you’re not having second thoughts.” he whispered and momentarily you hesitated to shake your head no, but you did. his visible sigh of relief made you look over to him.

“what? you aren’t afraid of this at all?”

“the only thing that scares me is you not saying I do at the alter.”

“but your fans and the band, I bet the company is having a field day about this. and my family keeps asking me if I’m sure and if I believe you’re the one and-“

“and?”

“and you are the one! but it’s like everyone is making me feel as if I should be thinking twice, if we are even ready for this! I mean you’re going to the military soon and what if-“

“stop. we are getting married and we are going to struggle and have the same ups and downs as any other couple, married couple, whatever. but you and I can get through anything! why? because I love you and you love me, yeah?”

you sniffles leaning your head on his shoulder,”yeah,” you mumbled out, snuggling closer to him. he wrapped an arm around you and kissed your head,”it would destroy me to not have you here, you know?”

you didn’t say anything and you didn’t need to, because you too would be destroyed without him.

—

headcannon of marrying taehyung & the married life

↬ your wedding would be a mix of a traditional korean wedding and a modern one

↬ like on a beach and right at sunset. a private ceremony because nobody was about all the news coverage and wildness

↬ you just wanted it to be personal and also so nothing could go wrong

↬ both of your families were finally meeting and even with the language barrier, it worked out better than you expected

↬ jimin was the best man and had to support taehyung who was trying not to cry when you finally walked down the aisle

↬ your honeymoon was on a remote island that he didn’t want anyone to know about but you two so it would be just yall, no social media, no cameras

↬ best time of your life no doubt and ofc lots of sexy time ya know

↬ always coming with the married goals photos

↬ has tons of paintings of you in his art room because you are his best model

↬ like you both talked about, you ended up getting a house to accommodate the animals and children

↬ even though you two only had yeontan, taehyung assured you children very soon

↬every time he toured, he brought you back a souvenir from each place.

“tae? it’s a titty mug.”

“what? i was in a rush, but don’t they look just like yours?”( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

“i worry about you sometimes.”

↬ your number one supporter for whatever career path you choose, even when he doesn’t want you working - he’s kind of traditional in that way

↬ when you both got time off, you two took various trips around the world to random countries picked out on the globe.

taehyung stood beside his favorite globe you had bought him in Australia and stood straight.

“alright my love, it is your turn to pick the next destination.”

“do I have to be blindfolded though?”

“shh yes or it ruins the whole randomness.” taehyung happily spun the globe and you reached out a hand to stop it. pointing your finger, you heard taehyung snicker.

“Amsterdam here we come, I heard the red light district is phenomenal.”

you ripped your blindfold off just in time to see him erupt into laughter at your reaction.

“remind me why I married you.”

↬you two have a wild marriage though

↬him always pushing your limits and you keeping him grounded

↬ lowkey talks about kids a lot and when you tell him you're finally pregnant, he’s the happiest man alive

↬ such a great dad, making sure each of your children feel loved by him and always hates leaving for tours that he considers taking a break from music during the first year or two of your first child’s life

↬ seriously whoever marries tae is super lucky because i see him being a great husband and so loving, whatever mishaps or troubles that come your way, he’s willing to deal with them together and always put you first

#kim taehyung #kim taehyung imagines #kim taehyung scenarios #pockpop #ambw kpop #bts #bts scenarios #bts imagines

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idratherstayslytherin · 6 years

Text

Feelings We Can’t Let Go (A Drarry Fic) CHAPTER FOUR

Summary: Harry needs to pass his NEWTs with a decent grade in Potions. The Ministry sends Harry to France so he can study for his exam with none other than Draco Malfoy, who has been blocked from Wizarding Society for almost a year now. It was supposed to be just a few months of tutoring, but it was so much more than that.

Read Chapter One HERE

Read Chapter Two HERE

Read Chapter Three HERE

Quick note: Posting re-edited chapter here and on ao3 again, because I want to improve my English and terrible writing. I hope you enjoy it!

This chapter was written partly by me and partly by my co-writer who isn’t helping me anymore, but still deserves the credit for huge part of it. You can find her AO3 HERE . I added a bit of the text and re-written some parts that didn’t feel right or were ooc in my opinion, I also corrected grammar.

Do let me know what you think of it!

////////

“So, what are you planning for your holidays?” Ron asked, flopping down on the couch, butterbeer in his hand. It was one of those nights, when Ginny and Hermione were out with Luna and various other friends, leaving the house to the boys. They usually went out pubbing, after all it was Friday night and they didn’t have anyone to bother them about drinking too much (Hermione didn’t like it when Ron got too drunk, and would pester Harry as well, but he didn’t really pay attention to her, Ginny didn’t mind, so it was okay), but they decided to stay indoors and cook dinner together and drink butterbeer and firewhiskey and watch football (Ron initially wasn’t too keen on it, even though he did enjoy watching TV, it took him time to understand football and stop comparing it to Quidditch). And now Harry had hinted that he was going to go on holiday with Ginny in October, and suddenly Ron wanted to know everything. He always had cared about their relationship, which was a bit uncomfortable sometimes, but Harry had gotten used to it. “I don’t know, we’ll figure it out. It’s not like we have to do something always, we can just go for walks and visit places and enjoy being there” Harry shrugged. He didn't much care where would he want to go, but more about the company he got. If he truly enjoyed spending time with someone then even just sitting down in the cafeteria sounded great for him. He didn't much enjoy wondering around places full of people and reading about things he already knew about and wasn't interested in. “When are you leaving?” “Two weeks to Monday.” “Do you think I should take Hermione somewhere too? I mean not somewhere expensive, just somewhere in the country or something.” “If you’d like to. I mean I suppose it’s a nice thing to do.” “You suppose?” “Yeah. You know I’ve never been on a proper holiday, I just thought it would be good before Gin starts training more seriously and I start working. Just to get away, you know.” Harry actually had no idea how the idea popped out of his head, it was just one of those sudden impulses he had, deciding he needed to spend more time with his girlfriend, and after finding an advertisement about trips to Spain, he booked tickets and a hotel without further ado. “But do you think Hermione would like it?” “I’m sure she would. For Merlin’s sake, she’s working at the Ministry, and she’s already stressed out about doing everything perfectly, I think a little break would do her good.” “But are you sure she’s a holiday-type girl?” Ron looked worried, but Harry couldn’t help but snort at this. “Holiday-type girl? Honestly, Ron. Just take her to some old library and to a museum and for nice walks around the city and she’ll be over the moon.” “Okay. Yeah, I guess she’d like that. Er… thanks mate.” Harry just nodded, lost in his thoughts. They sat in silence for a bit, sipping their butterbeers, Ron seemingly caught up in contemplating how he should ask Hermione where she wanted to go or something. Harry noticed that he was still really insecure about their relationship, even though they had been together for almost two years and engaged for three months. But they were happy, and that’s what mattered. And so was Harry with Ginny. Or at least Harry was happy to be with Ginny, and he wanted to prove it to her, hoping that he could. It’s not that she was angry with him, but she seemed to keep her distance, and often do things alone, and Harry knew it was his fault, he was the one who messed it up with not spending enough time with her. But he was positive they could work it out. “Are you getting engaged sometime?” Ron suddenly asked. “I… what?-” Harry wasn’t expecting that. He didn’t quite know why, after all his friends were already engaged and he and Ginny were together for even longer than them, even though they didn’t see much of each other during the war. “I-“ he stammered. “Yeah I mean I don’t know when or anything, but yes. I think. Yes.” “No rush, I was just wondering” Ron shrugged. “Yeah” Harry muttered, setting his empty butterbeer bottle aside, and pouring himself some fire whiskey, suddenly feeling like he needed it. He couldn’t explain why, the thought shouldn’t have scared him the way it did, he knew he was going to get engaged with Ginny and marry her and they would have children, it was his future and he knew it and he wanted it. Maybe it was just that he hadn’t quite imagined getting married so young. “Any plans for the next two weeks?” Ron’s words made him snap out of his daze, and he was thankful for it. “You mean apart from finishing my training and starting to study for the November exam so I can finally start as a curse-breaker from new year? No.” “I mean no spending whole days wandering around London with Malfoy?” Ron teased, making Harry tense up. “That happened once. Last week. I haven’t even talked to him since” he huffed. And it was true. He decided that he needed some time away from him, even though it was just a friendly Thursday together every week, somehow it was too much, and he wanted to concentrate on other things, like his curse-breaking training and being with Ginny. “Miss him?” Ron raised an eyebrow, grinning. Harry just scowled at him and topped his glass up with more fire whiskey. He didn’t want to have this conversation, and he was definitely not going to admit that in fact he did miss Draco. In a totally platonic way of course. He was nice company, and this week he spent Thursday evening indoors, reading and cooking on his own, which was a bit boring compared to the usual. But that’s all. And in the end the day was alright, because Neville came over after dinner. Fortunately Ron dropped the topic, and they carried on talking about all kinds of things, and ended up so drunk that they just laughed at everything, especially some muggle show Harry found after the football match ended (Manchester United won, but Ron seemed too pissed to care, even though they were his favourite team), before passing out. In the next two weeks things went back to the way they were in the summer, Ginny was friendly again and Harry spent all his spare minutes with her, apart from when he was with Ron or Hermione, and after talking to the latter for a whole afternoon about ‘feelings’, the thought of proposing to Ginny didn’t seem scary at all, and he knew he wanted to do it soon. He really did want it. This time made him realise that they already were his family, and getting married would only bond them in an official way, but what mattered was that they loved each other, which they did. And engagement was just the next natural step to take. As the sun rose on Monday morning, Harry and Ginny said their goodbyes, and after apparating to Portsmouth they took the ferry to Bilbao, from where they apparated again to Madrid, arriving right in front of the hotel Harry booked at sundown. Both of them were tired, the boat journey had been long, so they decided to spend the evening in the hotel room, only walking down to have dinner at the hotel’s own restaurant leaving all the sightseeing for the next day. The week passed quickly, it was full of colours and heat, museums and parks, restaurants and shops, a completely new and thrilling experience for both of them. They enjoyed visiting places, tasting the food and wine, listening to the music or just the people talking in a language neither of them understood, but found interesting. They enjoyed sitting around in parks in the sunshine, eating fresh fruit and listening to a nearby street musician playing. They enjoyed walking around in the balmy evenings, hand in hand, the air cooler than in the daytime, and carrying the scent of flowers. They enjoyed visiting the monuments, taking silly photos of each other in front of them. But most of all they enjoyed being together. It was so natural, so perfect, Harry wouldn’t have wanted it to happen any other way, and just seeing Ginny being so happy made his heart fill with warmth, and he decided he wasn’t going to wait any longer, he would buy an engagement ring as soon as they returned to London. “What is it?” Ginny asked with a smile, looking up at him from packing her suitcase, noticing that the boy had stopped, and was looking out of the window with an excited grin. “You’ll see” Harry assured Ginny, before going back to packing. Neither of them wanted to, but their ferry was leaving next morning, and as neither of them were morning people, it was best to do the packing in the evening before going out for one last night in the city. Harry quickly chucked his clothes into his suitcase, left some space for his wash bag, and placed the presents he had bought for his friends in the souvenir shop they visited the previous day. They bought pens and magnets and pendants and notebooks and all kinds of bits, along with loads of postcards, some of which they sent off, one to Ron and Hermione, one to Luna, one to Neville and Hannah and one to Molly and Arthur. And almost one for Draco, but Harry made his mind up in the last minute, and tore it to pieces and chucked it into the rubbish bin. He wanted to send him something, and had tried to write a letter to him, but after trying to decide on what he should write and scrapping at least ten versions, he gave up. He managed to write the postcard, just apologizing for not telling him that he would go away for a week, and in general apologizing for disappearing for exactly a month, and telling him about what they did, but just before they headed out to the post office, he lost his nerve and chickened out. But he did buy Draco a small pendant in the souvenir shop, even though he was pretty sure he would never give it to him.

After having Monday off, and spending the long weekend alone, in the company of books, Draco woke up early on Tuesday, as he always did on on his work days. This was something that came naturally to him, he never had trouble with early mornings, not even at Hogwarts, he was always the first one awake in their dorm, even without setting an alarm. He went straight to the shower, and was clean and dressed in his healer robes exactly twenty-three minutes later. At seven forty he was sitting at his kitchen table eating a hummus sandwich with two slices of tomato on top. Chickpea spread was one of those things he got used to eating over the summer, and something he enjoyed to eat along with vegetables and other healthier things, which was a huge change from the great big posh meals he grew up with at the Manor and at Hogwarts. It was much better than a full English breakfast or a sandwich with cheese or meat, it tasted nicer, and he felt fuller for longer. Sometimes he didn’t have much time to eat a well rounded lunch or dinner, his work tended to be extremely time consuming. There were always patients who required care at unexpected times, which meant that some days Draco had to grab whatever he packed beforehand for that day as a snack and run down the hallway to help someone. He wasn't good at dealing with hunger, although he always was able to do his best at healing, but it was interacting with others that made things difficult. He already had a bit of trouble with people, he wasn't one to trust someone without really knowing them, and he could be really impatient. But even though he was trying his best, he decided it was better to be a good physical help than a good companion. One can save lives, the other, not so much. As he sat at the breakfast table finishing his meal, gazing out of the window while absentmindedly stirring his tea, he couldn't help but think back to his weekend, and the afternoons after work and the weekend before and so on, and how he rarely had company. He was used to dealing with his problems on his own, that wasn't what he minded, it was just knowing that he had someone to talk to that he missed. He missed looking forward to Thursday afternoons, and whether he admitted it or not, he missed Harry's company. Since parting ways over a month ago after their day out in London, the boy hadn’t given any sign of being alive, hadn’t stopped by Draco’s flat like he used to, he didn’t even write to him. Draco gotten used to having him around, talking to him, cooking, laughing, just the feeling of being with someone. However much he wanted to, he decided against owling Harry, he didn't want to make fool of himself, and seem like he depended on being in contact with “The Great Saviour”. If Potter didn’t want to contact him, it meant that he probably got bored with him, and was too much of a pussy to admit it. Which didn't surprise him, he had always expected him to leave after some time, it’s not like they were anything else, but enemies-turned to-people in the same place that tolerate each other-turned to-people enjoying each others company-turned to somewhat friends. If he decided that Draco wasn’t worth his time anymore, then be it. He wasn’t going be the one to apparate in front of prick’s doorstep and beg him to hang out with him. But this didn't mean that it hurt less. There was a time where he really thought he and Potter had a chance of becoming good friends. He even thought that at some point dark-haired boy wanted more than friendship, but that couldn't have been possible, Harry was a straight man, he could never want more than a friendly relationship. The bloke probably didn’t know what he was doing half of the time, he’s awkward with other people as well, that would explain why he was acting weird around Draco most of the time. Though, it still doesn’t explain what happened right before he left France. What happened on the beach. Draco was awake when Potter touched his lips to Draco’s cheek and kissed it lightly. Draco thought that he was going to explode at that moment, he felt like shivers running down his spine and his stomach did a weird twist. The whole situation made Draco confused, happy and sad at the same time. All his theories about Potter’s feelings towards Draco, the one that indicated that the boy was in fact attracted to Draco, made even more sense after that. And he actually believed it at the time. But Potter had a girlfriend and loved her, right? He never talked about her when they were hanging out, but Draco just assumed it was the other boy’s politeness. He probably never spoke about their meetings to his girlfriend either. Then again, why would he? He was straight. And Draco wasn't. He was attracted to men since his fifth year at Hogwarts, nevertheless he never got to explore his sexuality, because right after that year a certain monster moved to his house, giving him a mission that didn't leave him any spare time. Naturally this didn’t stop him from thinking about other boys at Hogwarts, fantasizing about them, but he never got further than the odd bit of kissing and groping with someone he didn't even know. And one of these boys he sometimes fantasized about was none other than Harry, who he found highly attractive in a strange way. So when he was left alone with the boy in France and had to spend time him, which led to the two of them getting to know each other better, he developed feelings for him, feelings he didn't know before. He liked being around Harry, he loved his smile, his laugh, his sense of humor and the way he held himself up. He admired Harry for what he went through and how he was still able to act like he was just a normal guy. He admired how he was able to put on a brave face even when Draco knew the other boy was scared deep down inside. He admired how he always smiled when people stopped him on the streets, crying and screaming of joy at the sight of him. He not once was impolite towards any of his “fans”, he listened to their war stories and agreed to give them his autograph. Draco knew the boy hated it, he told him so, but even if he hadn't, it was obvious once they got out of public eye. He looked tired and annoyed, closing his eyes and rubbing his temples and sighing. But he never complained, and he would cheer up quickly. He talked a lot, telling Draco about Quidditch results, or asking him about his day and work, right after. He made sure that Draco felt like he was important to him, or so Draco thought then. But now his days without Potter were filled with additional shifts at work, more muggle books, potion making and bottles of firewhisky. It became a routine, a way not to think of Harry Freaking Potter, who left Draco without any note or any explanation as to what this whole thing between them was, what their meetings had meant. But he accepted it, as there was no way he could change it, his pride and his courage always got in the way. He assumed this was Harry's way of getting back at him for not contacting him after the boy left France, which seemed fair, but just as bad. But all he could do was acknowledge it and accept it, and try not to think about it, instead thinking of the workday lying ahead.

Diagon Alley was empty compared to it's usual crowd of wizards and witches, which made Draco smile as he made his way past the shops, his gaze fluttering from shop window to shop window, enjoying the silence and peace. He wasn’t a fan of sweaty bodies of all kind rubbing against him, and he couldn't stand all the noise the people were making, making him internally scream "can everybody be quiet for at least an hour?!" Was it really that hard? His head always ached by the time he got to work. The chattering and laughing of the people would often still be ringing in his head when he started working, unnerving him on a daily basis. It wasn't just those things that made him want to hide from the society and never come back, it was also people who knew who he was. People who without thinking knew he was a Malfoy, Lucius's son. Draco didn't blame them for that, he did look like his farther, even more now with his long sliver-blond hair. People spat on him or made loud comments, or directed to him specifically; that were more than just rude, people loathed him. No one cared to look at one of the interviews he has done before he was hired in St. Mungos, no one cared about his whole story neither his apology, no one cares about the person he became, the slightly new Draco Malfoy he was trying to become; no one cared that he changed most of his ways and that he tried to redeem himself. No one, well no one except the boy who decided he didn't want to have anything to do with Draco anymore; so yeah, he had no one who would trust him or want him as a friend. Now that it was November and people were less willing to go outside for shopping, kids were still at school working hard, studying for their exams, and the streets of that popular alley were free of everything that annoyed Draco. Well, almost everything. Most of people hated this kind of weather, gloomy, rainy and somewhat depressing, but Draco loved it. Not only because it meant snuggling up in front of his fireplace at home and reading all of the books he bought, even though this was one of the main things he liked about cold weather. But he also liked how the air smelled after a rain, he liked how the autumn wind caressed his cheeks while he walked down the pavement, he liked how the trees looked garnished in yellow, orange, and red leaves; he liked the scent of freshly cooked warm meals and the aroma of pumpkin and spices coming from different houses or restaurants he passed by, making him want to melt right there and then. But as Draco was just right around the corner of St. Mungos, he heard high pitched female voices talking rapidly, in the exact style and tone that irritated him. He sighed. It seemed like not everyone despised the weather after all, and there was zero chance of him getting to work in peace. He turned his head to see where the sounds were coming from, and spotted a pair of young witches on the other side of the street, both of them possibly in their twenties, one of them clutching a folded newspaper in their hands, holding onto the other witch with her free hand, who was jumping up and down in excitement. “She’s such a lucky girl!” The witch with the newspaper shrieked. "So lucky!” The other one echoed, in awe. “Does it say when will the wedding take place?” “I don’t think so, but look!” The girl with the dirty blond hair pointed to something inside the paper she was holding. “I bet he must have paid a fortune for that!” she gasped. “And there is her name engraved on the ring!” Now the both girls screamed, smiling at each other. “I wish I was her, I bet I could make him feel good.” The brunette said with a dreamy sigh. “Last week’s Witch Weekly said he likes bossy girls in bed. I can do that.” She grinned, and Draco thought she looked almost evil. “Oh, you horny witch!” The other girl snorted, and poked her friend’s shoulder. “What can I say? And it’s not like you haven’t moaned his name when you were using your new gadg-” “Shhh! Someone can hear you!” The blonde witch shushed her, quickly glancing around, not even noticing Draco. “So?” The brunette shrugged. “I guess you are right, it doesn't really matter, no one but that Ginny Weasley will be having him exclusively to herself.” Draco felt like his heart missed a beat, and he froze. The witches kept on chattering, but he didn't even hear them anymore, his head was spinning and he was on the verge of getting sick. Of course, he had guessed who the witches were talking about, but hearing that last sentence out loud, like that was the final straw. His knees gave in, and he had to hold onto the bench next to him. Harry Potter was getting married. He was getting married to Ginny Weasley. And of course the prat would get her a ring with her name engraved on it. And of course everyone knew about it. And of course this was how he had to find out. After steadying his breath he got himself together, ignoring the odd looks from the witches, and staggered back in the direction he came from, calling in sick as soon as he got home, proceeding to flop down on his couch with a bottle of fire whisky in his hand.

“Why are you sad?” A girl’s voice echoed through the room. Draco absorbed in making a potion for her, didn't even bother to turn around, knowing that he had to concentrate and be careful, he couldn't mess up this solution. It was a medicine for the brain damage his patient suffered. She arrived at St. Mungo’s two weeks ago, the left side of her head had some kind of rod inside it, which cut through her skull. She was unconscious for a week, and the St. Mungo's staff wasn't even sure if she'd wake up. Draco and other healers, like Susan Bones, tried to remove it without causing any more damage, but it wasn't easy, the whole process took the group of five healers, including Draco, five long hours and in the last forty minutes of casting protection spells, preparing medication and getting the rod out of the skull, there was a moment when Appoline’s pulse stopped. Luckily one of the male healers, that Draco could never remember the name of, was quick with a spell that helped keep her alive. A week passed since Appoline woke up, crying uncontrollably the moment she opened her eyes. She wanted to get up and run away, but in this case luckily her legs weren't working quite as well as she had expected, so she didn't get any further than sitting up. She suffered a car crash, and her whole lower body was crushed by the seat in front of her, she couldn't even feel her legs, which made her cry even more. Fortunately Susan was patrolling the corridors just as she woke up, so she looked after the girl, calming her, telling her what happened. Draco had noticed that his colleague was good with kids He had no idea what she said, as he was only watching the pair of them from a distance, but Appoline soon stopped crying, and looked calmer, almost happy. He, on the other hand wasn't sure what to do or say, he had never been good at comforting people, especially when he wasn't too calm himself, so he just handed the girl the medicines she had to take, and left her bedside, carrying on with his job.

It had been a week since he found out about Harry getting married, and after staying home for two days in an angry and drunken haze, he realized he couldn't keep this going, so he got himself together, and occupied himself with working hard even after hours. He also might have sent some letters to Blaise or Theo, he could not remember. He didn't get any answer back, maybe it was for the best. Draco had been assigned as Appoline’s personal healer, seeing as he made a quite good progress in his work. He was able to prepare appropriate medication, and work with the girl on the therapy she required. He wasn't as emotional as some of his colleagues, which helped a lot, as he wasn't affected by the girl's mood swings, and knew how to handle her in a firm, but professional way. They even became sort of friends. They talked when Draco was in a good mood, he told her stories about his days at Hogwarts; omitting some delicate topics, of course. They played some games, but they spent most of their time arguing, during the therapy sessions. “Why are you so inquisitive?” Draco sighed and faced Appoline, who was sitting on her bed and playing with her hands. For thirteen year old girl she had an extremely adult-looking face, which sometimes scared Draco. It reminded him of the way his mother looked at him when she knew he wasn't telling her something. But was he really supposed to tell his girl patient all about his personal life and why he was feeling like a piece of shit lately? No. “You look upset today, you haven’t spoken to me since you came here.” Appoline’s hand went to her remaining, short, brown hair, touching it in a manner that suggested that she was checking if she still had it. “I’m just tired." He sighed. "You don’t need to worry about me.” Draco moved closer to Appoline’s bed and handed her the potion. “Drink.” She looked at him with slightly squinted eyes and a smirk playing on her mouth. “No.” she shook her head. “You tell me - whaaaa- you tell me what’s stomping on your head and I’ll drink it then.” Draco understood what she meant, but still looked at her with a confusion. “Did I fuck it up? I knew something wasn’t right with that sentence, let me-” “Don’t swear, young lady!” Draco snapped, cutting her off. “ ‘Young lady’? ” Appoline snorted and grinned. “Anyways, you always swear, others do to, so why can’t I?” she crossed her arms and straightened herself on the bed. Draco did try not to swear in front of patients, but one or two times a simple “fuck” slipped out of his mouth. “Well, I’m an adult and you are a teenage girl, it’s not polite for a lady like you to swear. When I was your age it wasn't even allowed to say "bloody hell" , so just deal with not being allowed to say those words.” He knew it was an overdone and awful response, but he went with it anyway. “Now, stop your shenanigans and drink your potion.” He handed her the phial again. She still had her arms crossed and make “y-y” noise indicating that she wasn’t going to obey. “Very well, then lay here in pain and don’t even try to get better and cure your body and mind.” He placed a phial on the bedside table and walked away. “That’s not fair!” Appoline growled. “I always tell you if something it’s wrong with me.” “Well, you are obligated to tell me if something is is not okay with you.” Draco packed his other phials into his silver briefcase. “It's still not fair!” There was definite anger in her eyes, her brows were close to one another and the grimace she was wearing made her pretty face scrunch up. “You once said that friends are the people who tell each other if something is not right, I believed you.” She looked like she was about to cry, and she buried her face in her hands. "Appoline-” Draco stepped closer to her bed. “I’m an adult and sometimes, we, adults, don’t want to talk about certain things. I just had a bad night, or rather a week. I’m sure I’ll be fine if I eat something and sleep. Not telling you how I feel doesn't mean that we’re not friends.” He wasn't keen on telling anyone about his feelings, especially those involving one specific person, he just wasn't. It and that was too painful and unprofessional. He smiled at the girl. “Drink your potion.” “Are you sure about that? ‘Coz you know I- I - we play games and we talk and you help me a lot, .... so I thought we were friends.” She looked up, her pale, sea-green eyes shining. “I’m sure. Now, if you don’t drink it now, don’t even think I’ll come tomorrow for our weekly game of... how do you call it? Undo? Or was it Ono?” Draco started putting on his coat. “It’s called ‘Uno’, you dummy.” She laughed and uncorked the phial in her hand. She downed it in one take. Draco smiled at her, said his goodbyes and left the room. On the corridor he met Mr. Sullivan, who could always be found there. Mr. Sullivan was old, and had dementia, and was one of the favorites of most healers, he was completely harmless and always friendly. But that wasn't something Draco wanted now. He desperately wanted to be at home. Alone. “Oh, Draco, what a surprise!” The elderly man pulled Draco into surely the most body-crushing hug. “How nice to see you!” He lifted Draco off the floor, squeezing him so tight, he could hardly breathe. “Yhm- um.” was all Draco was able to get out. “Oh, right.” Mr. Sullivan said and put Draco back on the floor. “I’m sorry, I got a bit excited”. He looked embarrassed. “It’s okay.” Draco coughed a few times until he could breathe again. “Where are you going?” “To my mum, of course, she’s making pumpkin pie today, I wouldn’t want to miss it. You fancy coming with me? I’m sure she’ll be happy to see you.” He invited Draco with a wide grin. He would "visit his mum" at least five times a week, and always felt inclined to bring a healer or another patient or anyone he found, with him. Usually it was just a trip to a one of the further rooms away from his, where the wards wouldn't allow him to pass. The healers would escort him back to his own room from there. Apart from the one time they found him in the reception area, telling some visitors he didn't even know about his mum, and how he was a visitor himself, he never caused any trouble. He usually was very kind and fun to be around. Draco sometimes found himself feeling sorry for him, he could not imagine himself losing his memory, although maybe it would cure him to forget all the bad things he has ever done, the things he replayed in his mind, or dreams, over and over. “I’d love to, but you see, I have a lot to do at home, wouldn’t want to leave my potions unattended.” He usually played along, he didn’t have the heart to straight up tell the man that his mum was long time dead and he was still in St. Mungo’s, as a patient, not a visitor to his granddaughter. “Of course. Maybe next time.” He patted Draco’s shoulder. “Maybe next time.” Draco echoed, and walked away, informing one of the healers about Mr. Sullivan trip then he walked out of the Hospital building.

#drarry fic #drarry #fic #my writing #feelings we can't let go #my fic #draco malfoy x harry potter #harry potter #draco malfoy

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makomaragi · 6 years

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left over thing from femslash february. it’s long and dumb but idk. a prequel to another fic I wrote last year. i’m just kind of over tweaking this lol

prompt: jewelry

pairing: juniper/fennel (scientificshipping), but burnet/kukui are there for a little bit

rating: um pg they talk about sex for a second

fandom: pokemon

Research never seemed to take her to Alola as often as it did other regions, and after having been there for nearly a month, she wasn’t sure why. The region was teaming with all sorts of relevant topics, the time she had spent there not feeling like enough. Professor Juniper had gone to help excavate a new tar pit that was found near the sea, hoping that what they might find would help her with some theories that linked to other fossil Pokemon in other regions. She had heard for years now that Alola was a heartland for fossils – found so often that they were being sold in shops to trainers. Her own theory was that it had to do with the volcanoes and how the island itself developed millions of years ago, collecting samples of the dirt, rocks and fossils to take back home and test.

Packing up the camp site always left her feeling a bit nostalgic, having spent most of her childhood and teenage years backpacking with her father. She could probably untie and repack a tent with her eyes closed by this point, though, not everyone enjoyed the camping aspect of it as much as she did.

Most of the research team had left by that point, Professor Juniper and a few others lagging behind to tie up a few loose ends. She booked herself a hotel for the final few nights in Alola, giving her a chance to have a steady internet connection and a quiet place to get organized before returning to Unova. It worked out, and she was much obliged to meet her old friend Burnet and her husband for lunch in Konikoni City the next day.

She had kept herself holed up in her hotel room the entire time since checking in, seated at the desk that morning, reviewing her scribbled notes and attempting to make more sense out of them by typing them out on her laptop in a more final report. She still had hours to kill until lunch – too close to the time to eat, but plenty of time to do something else.

There was the lingering feeling of wanting to scope out the town. It would give her a chance to stretch her legs, hoping her body would adjust before the long flight home. She had been aching after sleeping in a tent for the past few weeks, but she had hoped taking a few days off from physical labor and sleeping in a proper bed would help ease it.

Bringing something back home for Fennel had crossed her mind several times. She tried her best to pick something up for her in her travels most of the time, but this time especially seemed to carry some weight. Fennel had been upset that she would be gone for nearly a month as it was and they hadn’t been able to speak much while she was gone. When they did speak, Fennel was her usual bubbly self, but the feigned distance and sadness in her voice couldn’t be ignored.

Several flyers and signs had caught her eye in the time she had been in town of a jewelry shop run by one of the Island Kahunas. She had known that Alola ran a different league system than many other regions, and wasn’t sure exactly what the Kahuna’s job was, but it was something to do with trainers. The professor felt a tad embarrassed not being as well versed in Alolan culture as she was elsewhere. She had met the Elite Four in other regions numerous times, some more than others, but felt she should at least know the names of those with the title in the region she was visiting, at least making an effort to introduce herself.

It was said that money couldn’t buy happiness, but higher end jewelry would at least put some sort of sparkle in Fennel’s eyes when she gave it to her.

The shop was small and rather quaint, Aurea not even sure it was open until she pulled on the wooden door handle. “Hi, there. I was told to come speak to Olivia?”

“You’re looking at her,” the younger woman looked up from her spot at the counter, raising an eyebrow. “I know you from somewhere.”

“Could be.”

“You’re a Pokemon professor, aren’t you?”

“Professor Juniper,” she held out her hand as a more formal greeting with the Kahuna.

“I’m Olivia. Island Kahuna and proud member of the Alola Elite Four,” shaking her hand before gesturing to the jewelry under the glass countertop. “So, what are you looking for today? Something for yourself, or a gift for someone?”

“A gift, I think.”

“For your wife, I’d assume.”

Aurea’s brow raised at this.

“You’re wearing a wedding ring and I don’t have anything in the way of men’s stuff. Besides, I know that you’re with that scientist chick,” the kahuna continued. “Any certain occasion? Let me guess. You’ve been away from home for a while, and want to get her a souvenir.”

“Something like that, I guess.” It was all extremely presumptuous of the girl, but she also supposed that she had an eye for these types of things when it came to her jewelry business. She was also sure that Kukui had something to do with all of her previous knowledge of her, somehow. Though being a Pokemon professor did technically make her a public figure. Olivia had already known who she was, after all. Nothing she said had been a secret in any way, and she supposed word had gotten around that she was visiting the region and had been there for a few weeks.

“What does she like? Necklaces, earrings, bracelets, what?” The young kahuna started pulling some shelves around under the display, pulling a few of them on to the glass counter top.

Aurea had a pretty good idea of what Fennel’s tastes were, it was easy enough – anything pink, purple, or shiny. None of which helped her narrow it down. There was a lot of jewelry in front of her. Fancy jewelry was never something that interested the professor on her own, never wearing much of it herself. Her late mother had left quite a bit for her, most of which she had given to Fennel. Fennel knew what all of the jewels were, what they meant, and which ones to wear with which outfits.

There was one piece that caught her eye, though. A small crystal looking, heart shaped pendant set on a silver chain that didn’t look at all like the other pieces, somehow. “This necklace is interesting.”

“Ah, this one. I don’t have many left.” Olivia picked it up and set it down on a cloth on the table to provide a better look at it. “We can only make them one time a year and sometimes not at all if the temperature wasn’t low enough.”

“Why is that?”

“The Vulpix shed their coat, leaving behind these crystals that look like ice. They can only be made and found here in Alola! It’s my shop’s specialty.”

“So it’s Pokemon dandruff?”

“Er, sorta. But it makes for some nice jewelry, don’t you think?”

“I guess.” She couldn’t pretend to be as enthusiastic as Olivia was over it, because she simply didn’t get it. Fennel would like it, though. “I’ll take that one, then.” Maybe she would save it for a special occasion, even if she didn’t know for what yet. It was expensive enough to warrant a birthday or anniversary gift. Or maybe she would just give it to her as planned.

Olivia picked up the necklace, finding a box for it in a bin behind the counter somewhere. “You probably know Kukui and Burnett then, huh?” she mused as she looked around for something else.

“Oh, yes.”

“They’re really nice people. He comes in here a lot. I made her engagement ring, you know,” she continued, stuffing the box in a bag and taking a few of her business cards off of the counter to add to the contents of the bag. “Well, you’re all set, then.”

“Thanks. Let me know if you’re ever in Unova, alright?”

Olivia gave a cheerful nod to this, waving in the same tone as the professor saw herself out.

Olivia was friendly enough, if not a bit bold. The professor could see she and Fennel becoming fast friends should they ever meet.

With what started with time to spare ended in her being late now. Kukui and Burnet were already seated at the restaurant, them noticing her before she could scan the room.

“Aurea Juniper!” Burnet pulled her in to a hug before she had any time to react. “It’s been forever!”

“Professor,” she extended her hand to him, only to be pulled in to another awkward hug.

“Alola!”

“How are you? How’s Fennel?”

“Fine, it’s all fine,” Professor Juniper barely had time to take her seat across from them and pick up the menu before the questions started.

“You know, I really wish she had come with you. She could of stayed with us, we’d have been happy to show her around.”

“I know, but she’s been very busy herself. So have you guys, for that matter.”

“I’m sure we’re all always busy. But we should make time for friends, right?” Kukui set down his menu to add. “I bet she’d love it here!”

“Fennel’s never been to Alola. She’s been wanting to come here as long as I’ve known her. She really wanted to go for our honeymoon, but then she changed her mind when she saw how busy it gets in the summer.”

“You’re both always welcome, you know that,” Burnet repeated.

“Maybe you should come back to Unova. Let us know when you come to visit your family.”

“Aurea and Fennel were roomies in college,”Burnet started, turning to her husband. “Then they got married.”

“That’s not...the exact progression,” Aurea attempted to hide her face in the menu, despite that she already knew what she wanted.

Yet Burnet continued, seeming fueled by her friend’s embarrassment. “Fennel had a thing for her for a long time.”

“I’m not the one that went to Alola for a research assignment and came back showing off that rock on your hand,” she attempted to direct the attention off of herself and on to the other couple.

“No, but Fennel showed me the one you got for her.” Burnet shrugged off Juniper’s comment, even if it was true. “They were together for, like, 10 years before they got married. Had a house and a lab and everything. Aurea thought they were being secretive, didn’t you?”

“It’s beside the point now.”

Aurea was certain that her old friend was only telling her husband this now in an attempt to embarrass her, and it was working. Surely she had told him all of this before. Even if it was the case, he was laughing. Burnet had actually known Fennel first, and introduced them in college. She was also confident Fennel had confided in her with other details of their relationship through the years, and the professor was perfectly happy not knowing what.

“Speaking of rocks, you were at Olivia’s, huh?” Kukui gestured to the bag that sat next to Aurea.

“Yeah. Thought I’d introduce myself to the Kahuna. She’s a very sweet girl.”

“But you bought something, eh?”

“I, um...” revealing the contents to them would only result in more attention on herself, which she did not want. But maybe it was best to get it over it. Picking up the bag, she handed it across the table for the couple to inspect. “Be careful with it. It’s for Fennel.”

The two scientists had opened it and gazed upon it for a short time, both smiling and handing it back quicker than Aurea thought they might.

“You did good. She’s going to like it,” Burnet had some sort of sly smile. “It’s just hard to imagine you in a jewelry store picking that out for her.”

She had never been so thankful to have a waitress approach and take their orders.

Their lunch was nice at least. Burnet couldn’t open her mouth to embarrass her if they were all eating, even if it had all been in good fun.

“I hope that next time you’re here we’ll be able to spend more time together than just lunch. Unless I make it to Unova by then,” Burnet gave her one more hug upon their departure.

“It was great seeing you guys, really.”

“Tell Fennel to come visit, with or without you.”

She couldn’t help but laugh at that. “We’ll see.”

Aurea didn’t know why she felt such a rush to get back to her hotel, besides to finish up some paperwork so she had less to do once arriving home. Fennel would want her to take the next few days off, and she probably would, if only to enjoy being in her own space for a few days and not hotel rooms and camp sites.

She was trying to wait until it was late enough in the day in Unova to call Fennel. If it was 2 am in Alola, it would be around 10 am or so in Unova. Or something like that.

Fennel quickly answered the video call, though she seemed a bit distracted. “Aurea, hi!”

The professor couldn’t help but smile upon seeing the other’s face on the screen. “I figured I’d call you at the lab because you’d be on the computer. You’re not busy, are you?”

“Not really,” Fennel started, seemingly organizing some papers around her computer desk. “But I can talk for a little bit.”

“We’re done in Konikoni City. I’m actually in a hotel. I’ll be home tomorrow evening.”

“I can’t wait. I miss you so much. And when you get home, we’re going to have sex all night. And we can take a bubble bath, and drink some wine, but mostly I just want to touch you again.”

“Is….is anyone there….with you…?” the professor’s face was definitely turning red, not that Fennel seemed at all alarmed by this or what she was saying to cause it.

“Oh, yeah. My assistant’s here, and Bianca. Bianca, Marie, say hi to Aurea!” Fennel picked her laptop up and spun her chair around, turning the screen so that they could see it across the room. The professor gave a hesitant wave to the other two women, both who gave over exaggerated waves in return. They both seemed rather occupied, only looking up when Fennel prompted them to. Thankfully blissfully unaware. She really had been gone for too long if the dream scientist was being so forward with her.

“I had lunch with Burnet and Kukui this afternoon,” she attempted to change the subject.

“How are they? I’m glad you were able to take time away from looking at rocks to be a normal person and socialize. When are we going to go to Alola? I miss Burnet,” Fennel had looked down at her papers again, throwing some off to the side but not wavering in her conversation.

“They’re fine. They’d be glad to see you, too. I’d be happy to take you there sometime.”

“We’re about due for a vacation, I think,” Fennel gave a wistful sigh. “But mostly, I just want you home with me. I’m so bored without you here.”

“You want me home because you’re bored?”

“Mostly, yeah,” the quick response met with giggles on both behalves.

“Well, my plane should get in tomorrow around 8. I’ll text you when I’m on my last transfer.”

“Hm...will you take a few days off to spend with me before you get all wrapped up in your research stuff?”

“I suppose.”

Fennel was still smiling, but seemed suddenly alarmed by something off camera. “I need to go, I’m sorry. There’s a trainer call coming through. I’ll see you tomorrow, I love you!”

Aurea didn’t have time to repeat the sentiments before Fennel had hung up the call. She’d rather Fennel tend to her work than ignore trainers for her sake. They would have time to catch up and plan vacations, especially now that she had promised Fennel a few days without her research coming between them.

They hadn’t spent but more than a few minutes speaking, but the yawn that crept up on the professor reminded her of how late it was. She would cram in as much note taking as she could before the hour was up, and force herself to sleep at some point. A night’s rest and a few plane rides were all that stood between her and being reunited with her beloved wife.

#my fics #scientificshipping #femslash february #professor juniper #fennel #pokemon fic #pokemon yuri #pokemon fanfiction #pokemon fanfics #femslash

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svtmatokis · 6 years

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Maid of Honor: Epilogue

HAPPY SEPTEMBER!! So ultimately, I decided to take the rest of August off to recuperate from being sick the whole work stress thing but now that Septembers rolled around, it’ll be easier for me to manage my work load so I’ll start posting regularly again. Due to popular request -Coughmarycough- I’ve written this epilogue for MOH (also for Wonu-anon~) soo I hope you enjoy it!!

Parts: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 5.2 - 6 - 7 - 8 - END - EPILOGUE

Words: 2588

A year had passed since Mingyu and Hye-mi’s wedding and things with Wonwoo were nothing like you would’ve imagined had you stayed in any of your old relationships. He was nothing but perfect and you couldn’t have asked for a better man by your side.

You two finally moved in together after eight months since the lease on the apartment SVT Corp. had provided was up and it didn’t make sense for him to buy a new place. Your apartment more or less stayed the same since you and Wonwoo were simplistic people, though you had gained a nice DVD collection as well as about two extra shelves to accommodate his many pieces of literature among many gaming systems, all courtesy of Wonwoo.

Your work days were a routine. Wonwoo would wake up first, start the coffee and take a shower. Once he was out, he would wake you up so you could take your shower and by the time you came out, a steaming hot cup of coffee and breakfast awaited you on the kitchen counter. Then, you two would get ready and head out together, meeting Joshua halfway for coffee number two. You couldn’t help that you were coffee addicts right??

After work it really depended on who had projects or not but for the most part, you would go home together and relax. Work was never a topic at home unless it was something you wanted the others opinion on which wasn’t as often as you would expect. You and Wonwoo would make dinner together then snuggle for the remainder of the night till it was time for bed.

Your weekends were more on the unpredictable side. You tried to sleep in more on your two days of rest but since Wonwoo was in Korea to stay, a lot of his friends came to look for him, whether to have a meal or to take him out for the day. A lot of the times he would politely decline unless it was one of the guys from the group then he’d go and do whatever but his friends also understood if he wanted to spend more time with you instead. You would watch movies, go on dates, he would even take you shopping once in a while but all that mattered to him was that you were happy.

All in all, life was more or less perfect.

The two of you walked hand in hand through the streets of Tokyo in early April, right when the cherry blossoms were in full bloom. Wonwoo knew that you had always wanted to go to Japan during this time of year so he took his first opportunity and got it cleared by the board to sweep you away for a week on a surprise vacation.

“I cannot believe you pulled this off.” You said looking up at the cherry blossom petals dancing in the breeze.

“I’m Jeon Wonwoo, I can pull anything off” he said cheekily causing you to hit his arm lightly laughing.

”You are so-“ you started but Wonwoo cut you off by wrapping his arms around you.

“Handsome? Smart?”

“Full of it is more like it.” You shot back giggling as you settled under a cherry blossom tree.

Wonwoo wrapped his arms around you from behind as your hands rested on top of his. The two of you enjoyed the comfortable silence, watching people go about their business while children played at the nearby playground.

“You know...I did have a purpose for this trip though…” he muttered into your ear and you turned your head to look up at him with curiosity and noted that he looked slightly nervous.

“I want you to know that you mean the world to me…” he started and you gasped. This was not happening.

“And I want you to know that I love you with every inch of my being.” You were turned to fully faced him now as he continued his speech.

“Being with you this past year has been amazing and I couldn’t have asked for a better partner in life. Y/N, I love you with every inch of my being and I am so thankful for the clumsy idiot I call a best friend that he married someone as smart as yours which is what lead me to you.” He took a deep breath as he pulled out a ring box from his pocket.

“Y/N, under these cherry blossoms, join me on a new adventure. Will you marry me?”

You stared at Wonwoo in shock as he looked at you with hope and the next thing you knew, you were both on the ground with you crying.

“Yes! Yes a million times yes!”

Applause was heard throughout the park as Wonwoo helped you stand up and he slid the ring on your finger before pulling you into his arms and swinging you around.

When he put you down, he pointed you in a certain direction and there stood Lee Jihoon with a video camera in hand grinning like he just made a million bucks.

Shocked, you ran over to him and pulled him into a tight hug. You hadn’t seen him since your fathers funeral a few months before because he had to go abroad. His producing skills had become known internationally and artists were coming left and right to ask him for help.

“How did you know?!” You all but screamed as you heard Wonwoo chuckle behind you.

“That idiot had to ask for someone’s blessing before he could go through with this and to hell that Joshua be here instead of me.” Jihoon replied with a smirk and looked you over. “Plus, I got it all on video so you have something to look back on.”

You turned to look at Wonwoo. He knew that despite your past with Jihoon, you two were still incredibly close and it showed that. Jihoon and Joshua had spent a good amount of time comforting your mother when your father had passed away in a car accident while Wonwoo comforted you and for that, you were grateful for all the men in your life. Jihoon was like an unbreakable rock to you and Wonwoo respected that.

The three of you spent the rest of your trip sightseeing before flying back to Korea together. You and Wonwoo happy as can be but anticipating the announcement to your friends.

A few days later you sat at a cafe with Wonwoo along with Joshua and Hye-mi in the seats across from you giving you both confused looks.

“So is there a reason for this meeting?” Joshua asked slowly as he sipped his coffee.

“We wanted to give you guys your souvenirs from Japan.” You said with a smile as Hye-mi eyed you skeptically noticing a certain glow coming from you.

“...is that all..?” She asked slowly as you handed both her and Joshua gift bags.

Looking at the contents inside, Hye-mi couldn’t help but squeal while Joshua only looked at his gift in awe.

“No freaking way!!!” She squealed some more before standing up and engulfed you in a giant hug making you both erupt in giggles as Joshua stood up and engulfed Wonwoo in a giant man hug before turning around to join in on yours and Hye-mis group hug.

Wonwoo could only watch you three act like fools as patrons of the cafe watched confused.

“So you two agree?” he asked once you calmed down and Hye-mi and Joshua nodded enthusiastically.

“Are you sure you don’t want Mingyu standing beside you?” Joshua asked concerned knowing the deep friendship between the two middle school friends.

Wonwoo shook his head with a grin, “I already cleared it with him when I told him I was planning on proposing. He thinks it’ll be bad luck if he walks the aisle with Hye-mi a second time.”

Joshua nodded his head in understanding before his grin matched Wonwoo’s, “Then I would be more than honored to be your Best Man.”

“Wait, how did my husband keep that from me?!” Hye-mi almost shrieked and you explained that Mingyu had known for ages that he was going to propose. He just had no idea when. That seemed to calm her down but it was Joshua’s turn to flare up when Wonwoo asked if they wanted to see the engagement video that Jihoon shot.

“EXCUSE ME?! YOUR BEST MAN WASN’T PRESENT AT THE PROPOSAL BUT YOUR FIANCES EX WAS?!”

That statement definitely got looks from the other cafe patrons.

Wedding planning was harder than you anticipated and you were wondering how you pulled it off with Hye-mi’s wedding but you knew that with the support of Wonwoo you could get through anything.

Your wedding party was slightly smaller and only consisted of Hye-mi and Jisoo while Wonwoo had Joshua and Mingyu. You both wanted to keep it small and simple and were thankful that all your friends were understanding about the matter.

The two girls were a big help when it came to dress shopping and all the decorative details. The spare bedroom in your apartment had once again turned into the bridal suite. Wonwoo was not allowed in there AT ALL and you made sure to keep the key to the room on you at all times.

Outside of that, he was a huge help with the wedding planning. He helped pick the venue, the food and of course the cake but he also ensured that it was the wedding YOU wanted.

A week before the wedding, the two of you were in bed discussing final details and that was when Wonwoo asked.

“Who’s walking you down the aisle?”

Thinking for a moment you smiled, “Believe it not, my mom asked Jihoon if he would do the honor”

“Really? So Jihoon’s giving you away?” Wonwoo asked sitting up almost immediately and you nodded your head in confirmation. He then let out a breath

“That means he’s actually giving you to me then.” He went back to lying down, “Interesting.” a grin permanently on his face. His thoughts going back to your hidden past relationship. He knew he literally had nothing to worry about anymore.

In the beginning, Jihoon’s over protectiveness made it hard to court you properly but as time went by, Jihoon backed off slowly. Who knew that someone could do so much even overseas? It wasn’t until Wonwoo took a “business trip” to Los Angeles to confront Jihoon stating that he had every intention on marrying you and was formally asking for his blessing.

Jihoon couldn’t say no after that and the whole engagement plan was set up.

The night before your wedding, Joshua and Mingyu came and kidnapped Wonwoo from your apartment, going as far as putting a sack over his head and dragging him out of the house with a rope. It was definitely a sight to see considering how it took all of Joshua and Mingyu’s strength to get him out of the house. That left you, Hye-mi and Jisoo cracking up on the floor for several minutes till one of you recovered and managed to bring the other two girls back to reality.

You felt extremely blessed to have these two girls in your life. Sure you had Jennie, Rose and the others but Jisoo and Hye-mi would always have a special place in your heart. Like sisters in a sense.

The three of you spent the whole night talking about how in time it was going to be Jisoo’s turn and Hye-mi made a statement that she knew Jeonghan already had a ring and by the end of the night, Jisoo already had her ideal wedding planned in her head.

The next day, everyone was up bright and early for your big day. Like Hye-mi’s wedding day, Wonwoo sent you roses but this time, they were white and there was only a short note.

My love,

I’ll see you at the end of the aisle. I’ll be the handsome guy in the suit ;) I would say more but this is Joshua writing the note for Wonwoo and he’s talking too fast. I think he’s nervous but I’m sure he’ll be better once he sees you.

p.s. Tell Hye-mi I’m sorry I broke one of her vases while we tried to drag Wonwoo into the apartment with the sack over his head.

Love always

Your future Husband

Jeon Wonwoo (and Joshua)

You laughed as you read the note before showing Hye-mi and Jisoo who both burst into giggles.

An hour later, you were all primped up and Jihoon showed up in a suit. (He would only wear one for you as he only wore a dress shirt to Mingyu and Hye-mis). He looked at you in awe and muttered to himself.

“Jeon Wonwoo is one damn lucky guy.”

Later at the ceremony, everything had gone as smooth as you had wanted it to go. Jihoon had given you away while your mother sat on the side with tears in her eyes, happy that her daughter finally found a man willing to take care of her.

As you walked down the aisle, many found it odd that someone so young was escorting you down the aisle and not your mother but it was explained in the program that Jihoon had become a dear friend of the family and it was your fathers wish that if he weren’t able to walk you down the aisle, that Jihoon would do so.

Wonwoo only had eyes for you as you walked down the aisle and to him, you were the only person next to him in the room. It wasn’t until Jihoon had come forward and flicked the groom in the head that he was brought back to reality causing everyone in the room to laugh while Joshua and Mingyu shook their heads.

Everyone was surprised to see him cry as he read his vows and promised that no matter what, he would make you the happiest woman until his last breath. The moment the ordinator said those five words. Yes THOSE five words.

“You may kiss the bride.”

Wonwoo swept you up in his arms and gave you the sweetest kiss you had ever received while Joshua and Mingyu as well as the rest of his friends cat called causing you to pull away while red in the face.

The reception was held in a hotel that SVT Corp. had offered to pay for. Since joining the team, Wonwoo had helped the company grow to extreme lengths and they wanted to thank him in anyway possible.

Various wedding games were played and your first dance was to a song Jihoon had composed specifically for the two of you.

As you danced in your husbands arms, you looked around the room. The reception was alot smaller than Hye-mi’s had been but it was filled with only those who were important to you outside of those you HAD to invite because of family.

Wonwoo noticed you were spacing out and gently kissed your forehead.

“Penny for your thoughts?”

You smiled looking up at him before your lips met in a sweet kiss.

“I love you” you whispered as he returned the sentiment.

Everyone around you smiled knowing that you had found your true happiness and knew that it was only the beginning.

You and Wonwoo would go through many hardships in life but ultimately knew that as long as you had one another, you would be able to get through anything.

#seventeen imagines #wonwoo imagines #kpop imagines #kpop #kpop scenarios #seventeen scenarios #wonwoo

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nitaescence · 6 years

Text

Romantic Surprise

Pairing : Idol&Boyfriend!Seokjin x Vlogger&Girlfriend!Reader

Genre : Vlogger!AU; Fluff

Word Count : 1.5k

Request —

Seoul, South Korea – 2021

Day 1 – 9:14 AM

House

“Hello!” You wave at the camera with a bright smile. “Today finally came. I thought this week would never end but we're finally off to Italy! Please cheer with me!” (sound effects of people cheering)

[cut]

“We're supposed to get to the airport in half an hour and my suitcase is still a mess. I'm gonna tidy everything's up and be back recording again.”

[Your usual travel vlog intro starts playing]

Airport

You spend most of your time filming around until you're eventually close to get on board.

You film your boyfriend who's playing some games on his phone. “Baby, say hi!”

“Hi.” He repeats without looking up. A smile curves the corner of his lips when he sees your unfazed face, “Hi!”

Plane

*We're off!!*

Outside the Airport in Rome

You just got out of the plane and it's already very dark outside.

“It is currently ten pm and I wanna crash. But I'm so happy to finally be able to see Italy.”

Hotel Bedroom

You plunge onto the bed face first along with the camera and stay still while Seokjin arranges your suitcases and bags.

“Don't sleep. We're going out to eat.” You hear him warning.

Rome

Day 2 – 10:02 AM

“Good Morning guys. It's a beautiful day and we're starting our weekend with some breakfast and then we'll go visit around some historical places and most probably try different things to eat.”

“Yes! Don't forget the shopping part.” Cheers Seokjin very loudly.

“Of course!”

[cut]

Pastry Shop

Sitting at a table, you film your boyfriend ordering your food. “Look at him. He can't take his eyes off the pastries.”

[cut]

“Show us how good your Cannoli is...”

He contorts his face comically until you laugh.

[cut]

“I chose to have … What's it called again?”

Seokjin replies with his mouth full “rruttii-ho-nne”

“...Right.”

You laugh at him and wipe some cream left on the corner of his mouth.

[cut] “We also got some fresh juices.”

[Time lapse] You spend the rest of your day visiting landmarks, buying some souvenirs in markets, taking pictures and naturally stop by a pizzeria, filling your day with fun, laughters and good memories.

Day 3 — 5:37 PM

Earlier that day you traveled by plane to Sicily where you were able to go snorkeling and discovered the local flora and fauna. You ate and came back to the hotel to take some rest.

Bedroom Hotel

Seokjin appears turning the camera on. He pulls the window door until it closes and takes a seat on the chair in the balcony.

“Wow, look at this sunset. Beautiful.” He zooms in on the orangey pink sky and then turns the camera back again.

“Okay... How do I proceed...” He looks around, wondering, “Right now, she is asleep inside the room. I hope she won't come out before I finish this.” [cut] “Tonight... I'm asking Y/N to be my wife.” [cut] “I've been looking forward to do this since a long time now but I also want to do this right and as I imagined it... I made reservations for one of the nicest restaurants in Rome which has a great view overlooking the city and other surprises.” [cut] “I'm doing this right now because I now I won't be able to get a sentence straight.”[cut] “No one knows about it, except for my family, not even yours- do I say you or her or...” [cut] “I'm gonna go with you.” [cut] “It's been a real struggle to keep this only to myself but I'm happy I get to propose to you in this beautiful setting.” [cut] “I don't how many times I almost dropped hints that you never noticed. Thankfully. But yeah... Even now I have to keep my voice low so you won't wake up. I haven't been waiting all this time for it to be ruined just now.” [cut] “I'm so scared and so excited and …”[cut] “I just wished you knew how happy you made me feel all this time we spent together, how much I love you and how honored I will be when you chose to say 'yes' to me and I know the best is yet to come for us.' [cut] 'I remember the first time I saw you and you were this cute, shy, gorgeous girl and I knew I wanted to know more about you. I feel so lucky to have found someone like you and that's something that I'll never ever, ever take for granted. There's no one I'd rather spend the rest of my life with.” [cut] “I've never been good with words but I hope it’ll be enough for you to say 'yes' to me tonight.” [cut]

09:43 PM

Restaurant

Now dressed-up as Seokjin has expressly required, you're finally settled at the table he's asked for and able to enjoy your delicious dinner.

“So here's what I got. And this is Jin's.” The camera films the plates filled with food. “And now, we're gonna enjoy our meal!”

After a while, a man with a guitar comes by and starts playing for the customers.

“Hey! That's our song, isn't it?” You recognized the melody and look behind you towards where the sound is coming from. Your boyfriend only smiles back at you. “That's so weird.”

Then the guitarist comes your way, closer and closer to your table and Seokjin understands it as his cue. He gets up and takes the camera with him.

“Where are you going?”

You watch him hand the camera to a waiter who's appeared behind your boyfriend. He whisper a couple of words in his ears and the man moves so he gets a better view of you and Seokjin. You can't help but smile nervously, wondering the logic behind all this. Seokjin turns around and goes to take your hand.

You stand up as he wishes you to do and still in front of him. Your smile slowly fades away and your eyes widen as he gets on one knee, revealing to you the brightest of diamonds you had ever seen in your life.

Your hands go to cup your face and your vision becomes blurry the more you take in the situation. You're pretty sure now you face is as red as the little box he's holding expectantly in his hands.

“Y/n, will you do me the pleasure of becoming my wife?”

Seized with emotion you only manage to nod your head very quickly and Seokjin finally smiles, delighted. He stands up to put the beautiful ring on your finger and eventually takes you in his arms under the cheers and clapping of people surrounding you. You kiss each other several times, unaware of the rest of the world for just a moment.

Seokjin goes to take you camera back while you sit back down and slowly regain your composure.

Your fiancé sits down as well and holds the camera to film the two of you.

“She said yes!!”

You're still wiping your tears away, “How could you do this to me? Look at my makeup!” You joke unable to stop smiling.

“Show them the ring.” He moves the device close to your hand.

“This feels so surreal.”

“Now I feel a lot better. I feel like it finally lifted a weight off my mind. I was just so anxious about it.”

“How could I say no? Of course I'd say yes. You're the love of my life.”

You kiss each other lovingly.

On the Streets

Walking back to the hotel, you film the end of your video.

“I could hope to end on a happier note than this. [cut] I feel like I'm still dreaming. [cut] I knew Italy would be awesome and now it turned out … I don't even have any words for it.”

“Incredible?”

“Magical. Perfect.” [cut]

“We're lucky the waiter recorded it all good enough.”

“Yeah. How did you manage to get him and the guitarist?”

“I phoned the restaurant and they told me they were used to these kind of events...”

“Wow. You did a great job. A perfect job... How better can a proposal be?” Seokjin leans in to kiss you on your hair. [cut] “Do you realize we're engaged?!”

“I know!” He shouts back with a big grin.

“I'm engaged! I can't stop looking at the ring.” [cut] “I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight.” [cut] “Alright, I'll end the video right now, since we've come at the end of our wondrous trip. Today has been quite tiring and overwhelming. I love you! Bye!!”

[You made a sequence of pictures from that unforgettable night as the outro of the video with your favorite song playing in the background]

Masterlist

#prettyboysnetwork #kwriterskollection #kpoptrashnetwork #seokjin scenarios #seokjin fluff #kim seokjin fluff #kim seokjin scenarios #bts scenarios #bts reactions #bts request #bts imagines #jin scenarios #jin fluff

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reylo-is-strong-in-this · 6 years

Text

Shattered || Chapter 1

He was going to propose.

There was a ring in the left pocket of his suit, dangerously close to his heart.

Ben felt like skipping all the way home from a bank his mom kept this family heirloom, but he needed to keep calm. As senator Organa’s only son, he could not afford to loose his calm and collect image in public.

But with Rey, with his Rey he could be anything. He could be as shy, awkward, or as clueless as a blind bat and she would still adore him. He couldn’t believe his luck when Rey agreed to go out with him the year before, and stayed by his side through all the crap his family had been through.

His mother found the love of her life when she was nineteen. His dad was her first and only love, Ben knew he found his love in Rey Kenobi, and he desperately hoped Rey felt the same about him. She would turn eighteen tomorrow, and he would love more than anything to finally show her to the world as his fiancée.

If she said yes, that is.

His phone rang, and his heart skipped a beat when he saw Ray’s name. He immediately answered it, a huge smile plastered his face.

“Hey, I was going to call....”

“I can’t do this, Ben.” Ben felt his heart dropped when he heard her shaking voice. Rey never cried. His Rey never cried no matter how rough the situation was.

“Rey, sweetheart, what happened? Where are you?I’ll...”

“Don’t...just...don’t.” She was crying. If he had had any doubt before, right now he had none. “Ben...I’m so sorry.”

“Rey-“

“We are over, Ben. I’m sorry, but I can’t be with you anymore.”

That was the last word he heard, before his world shattered into pieces.

———-

Rey woke up with a scream.

It wasn’t something unusual for her. It was actually how she had woken up ever since she could remember. Rey turned to her left, only to find other side of her bed empty.

Like it had always been for the last three years.

There was a time when she didn’t have any nightmare about her parents’ car accident when she was five. There was that blissful time when she would wake up with strong arms wrapped around her, shielding her body from cruelty of the world. There was a time when she would wake up to Ben Solo’s sleeping face, with a small smile on those sinful lips and that peaceful expression she never had.

That chapter of her life felt like a lifetime ago.

She grabbed her beaten phone to check for messages. When there was none, she scrolled down to read the last conversation she had with Ben.

I heard this college has an excellent premedical program! I could pull some string to get you an early interview.- Ben

Don’t be silly, Ben. I can’t afford it. Besides, It’s like across the country from here.

We can buy a house somewhere near your campus. I don’t care if I have to move across the country. I would move across the galaxy for you. -Ben

And she knew he would. The older man looked at her like she was his moon and stars. He would start a genocide for her if she wanted it. To be honest, she still could not figure out why someone would love her as much.

And she threw it all away.

“Madam President! What is your opinion on Alderaan’s meeting with Naboo?”

Rey looked up from a table she was cleaning. On a TV screen, there she was, President Liea Organa. The most successful female politician in decades.

And her ex-boyfriend’s mother.

By her side was her husband, Han Solo, and ex-pilot-turned-car-racer with a surprisingly clean record and was adored by the media for reasons unbeknown to Rey. Ben adored his mother. He was not as expressive about his love for Han, but Rey knew Ben worshipped him.

That was why she agreed when Han asked her for the biggest favor anyone could have asked.

“Ben is going to propose.”

Rey’s eyes widen when she heard it from Han. When he asked her to meet for a cup of coffee. She was expecting something like a light chit chat and maybe some souvenir from his trip to Europe. Rey got along with Leia just fine, but she loved spending time with Han a little bit more. They had a lot of mutual interests and Han was easier to talk to, so it was not out of ordinary for Han to want to catch up with her over coffee from time to time.

But this?!

“I- wow...” She didn’t know how to react. It wasn’t like she didn’t know Ben would pop the question sometimes soon, but to have Han told her beforehand caught her completely off guard.

“He took Leia’s engagement ring out of the vault this morning.” Han continued, his face unreadable. “And Leia is, as usual, completely supportive of his decision.”

“But?” Rey raised her eyebrow, she sensed a ‘but’ in his tone. Han grimaced.

“We are neck to neck with Snoke at this point of election. One scandal could mean handing Snoke the chair for the next four years.”

Rey didn’t know what to say to that, so she kept her mouth shut and let Han continued.

“You know Leia loves Ben more than anything in the world, and she would gladly take a chance with the media. She took a lot of chance when Ben started dating you, and we are lucky the media is somehow still being blindsided about my son dating a minor , but marrying you would be a whole new story.”Rey flinched at the word ‘minor’. Somehow, it always made her felt...dirty. Like Ben was some kind of pervert trying to take advantage of her. Han sighed. “Leia worked her ass off for this moment since Ben hadn’t been born yet. I’m not going to see her throw it all away for anyone, not even Ben.”

“You want me to turn down his proposal.” It wasn’t a question, but Han shook his head.

“No.” His eyes filled with regret. “I know asking Ben to wait would be useless. That boy just love you too much not to scream it to the world. I want you to stay away from Ben. At least until the end of the election.”

“I thought... I thought you like me.” Her voice was shaking, and she knew she was going to cry. Han looked away.

“I do like you, Kiddo.” He got up from his chair. “That’s why, I’m begging you, please stay away from my son. She sacrificed enough for Ben, and now I just want to see her happy for once in her life.”

How could Rey say no to such a request.

She remembered how Ben would go on and on and on about how his mother wanted to change the world. To make it a better place, and how he wanted nothing more than that to come true. She saw how Leia would always worked late and looked like she was about to collapse every time she saw the old woman. Rey even asked her when she started dating Ben if it would interfere with the election, and Leia just smiled.

“Let them talk. It will blow over.”

But Rey knew it wouldn’t. This could potentially be the end of Leia’s career.

She closed her eyes. This was going to hurt like hell.

“Okay.”

That was the last thing she said before her world shattered into pieces.

“Rey! Stop cleaning! You are going to be late for class.” Maz shouted from behind the counter. Rey’s adoptive mother ran this cafe since before she was born, and Rey was glad she got to help around after she decided to go to a college right next to the cafe, even when it meant giving up her dream to become a doctor.

Rey grabbed her bag and headed for the door. Hoping her classes would distracted her from thinking of Ben Solo for at least a little while.

—-

Don’t know if i’m going to continue this. Just wanna get this off my head.

#reylo #kylo ren #rey #ben solo #star wars #mine #reylo fic

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alpxcamin · 7 years

Text

A Wedding Cake to Seal the Deal

Requested?: Nahhh

Words: 2.4k

Group: Idol Producer

Member(s): Zhangjing (feat. Zhengting)

A/N: Rip I was just inspired by a prompt I saw and quickly wrote it down. I hope you enjoy it and that it’s not too bad. Also, apologies if Zhangjing is a bit OOC, I wrote this in a bit of a hurry.

Recently, many of your friends have been getting engaged and married. They would all ask you to come and be their bridesmaid, which you agreed to. Usually, you would be completely against these events, but they are your friends...and there is free cake. So for the past few months, you had consumed about ten pounds of cake or something.

You’d think that you’d be sick of cake by now, but apparently not. After the weddings have stopped and your work has been getting busier and busier, you have been craving for cake more and more. However, you can’t just buy five cakes because it’s expensive. You find yourself revisiting one of the wedding cake shops your friend had bought her cake from. They offer free samples for engaged couples and their cakes are just the absolute best.

The only thing stopping you from eating the cakes is that you aren’t engaged, you don’t even have a boyfriend, and that shop is just too expensive for your broke self. You pout, sitting on your couch thinking about ways to steal a cake. You search online for ideas, but there have been no useful results.

“Ugh, maybe I should just ask someone to be engaged to me and then we can both get free cake or something,” you mindlessly mumble to yourself.

You sigh, absentmindedly scrolled for a few minutes before realizing that you are an absolute genius. The corners of your mouth immediately draw up into a big smile, your eyes gleaming with excitement. Quickly going onto Facebook, you post a note, hoping someone would respond.

Hey, does anyone want to be fake engaged to me for some free wedding cake samples? Please respond, thanks!

You lick your lips excitedly as you immediately start getting notifications. However, your brows scrunch together and you frown in disappointment. They were only from your friends commenting on getting a boyfriend first. Amidst all your friends' comments, you manage to find one posted by a guy named You Zhangjing. Both of you had gone to the same high school, but never really talked. You are honestly a little surprised since neither of you really know each other at all. The only thing you remember is that he has a butt load of friends and an enormous appetite.

Cake you say? Count me in! ^^

You giggle at the little emoji at the end, quickly typing up a response, telling him to meet you at a nearby cafe. He responds back with a quick ‘gotcha’ and you nod before throwing your phone onto the couch and getting up to change.

You toss on a sweater over your tank top and pull on some jeans instead of your sweatpants. You rush to grab a small bag with your wallet, charger, and earbuds inside. You leap towards your couch, snatching your phone before sliding into your shoes and head out the door.

You put in your earbuds, humming softly to the music as you skip your way over to the cafe. Luckily, it is only a block away and you go there often after work for a quick snack. The staff knows you well as you have become a regular there.

“Hey, how are you, y/n?” Zhenting greets you at the door. He smiles at you, as usual, waiting for customers to walk in.

“I’m great. I get to have some cake today,” you giggle, finding a seat for yourself.

Zhengting follows, “So, are you going to order then?”

You shake your head, sitting down, “Nah, I’m actually waiting for someone. We’re going to pretend we’re engaged and go eat some free samples.”

“You pig, of course, you are,” Zhengting jokes.

“Says you. Your last name sounds like pig,” you tease back, sticking your tongue out.

The two of you laugh at your stupid joke before you turn back to your phone and Zhengting back to his job. You scroll for a little while before vaguely hearing your name. You look up and see that Zhengting is pointing at you while a shorter male stands next to him, his confusion clearing up as you make eye contact. You watch as he happily skips over and sitting down in the chair in front of you.

“Y/n, right? Long time no see,” Zhangjing laughs, putting out his hand for you to shake.

“Yeah, we didn’t even really talk back in high school, huh,” you chuckle, shaking his hand.

“Yup, such a pity. But hey, here we are, bonding over our love for free cake,” he snickers, licking his lips.

“Alright, so how should we do this? We obviously don’t have rings so why don’t we go buy those fake, plastic ones?” you suggest.

“As long as I get my cake, I’m fine with whatever,” Zhangjing says, standing up.

You nod and stand up as well. The two of you skip out of the cafe and you wave to Zhengting before you leave. You see him making kissy faces and you roll your eyes. You look over at Zhangjing who seems to be just as excited as you.

The two of you make your way to a jewelry store. On the way, both of you had agreed that a plastic ring probably couldn’t fool the staff so you decided to just get the cheapest ring at a jewelry store and go redeem your free sample cakes.

“Oh they’re all so shiny,” you look around the store, a little dazed.

“Yeah, wow…” Zhangjing speechlessly glances around.

“Let’s just ask for the cheapest ring,” you lead the gaping man to the counter, “Um, excuse me. Which ring would be your cheapest one?”

“Cheapest? That’s an unusual request. I’ll go look for a few and be right back,” the woman at the counter chuckles and disappears behind the doors of the staff room.

“Why don’t we split the payment half and half?” Zhangjing suggests.

“Yeah, that makes sense. Thanks for coming here with me,” you smile.

Zhangjing nods and smiles back as the woman comes back with a few tiny boxes in her hands. She places the velvet boxes on the counter, opening them one by one. Your eyes widen at each ring. All of them seem so expensive, yet they are the cheapest at the store.

“Alright, pick one that you like and we can find the right size for you,” the woman smiles, taking a step back.

You look over at Zhangjing, his eyes reflecting the sparkles of the rings. The two of you look at each ring, carefully examining them. He takes the one in the middle out of its box. It’s a simple band, a few tiny diamonds decorate the circumference. He grabs your hand and slips it onto your finger.

“Ooh, this one looks nice,” he grins, looking up at you for your approval.

“Yeah, I like this one too,” you nod.

“This one? Good choice...oh, it seems to be your size too!” the woman smiles, clasping her hands together,” And for the gentleman?”

“Me? Oh right...uh, how about this one then?” Zhangjing chuckles nervously, picking up the last ring. The band is a little thicker than yours and a single diamond sits delicately at the center rather than scattered around like yours.

“Wonderful. Since you both wanted the cheaper rings, these diamonds aren’t real,” the woman nods, punching in numbers into the computer.

The two of you nod before pulling out your wallets and splitting the payment. Thankfully, it isn’t really that expensive. Besides, it can be a nice souvenir for the two of you and you can brag to your friends about getting this gorgeous ring for some free cake.

“Alright, let’s go then,” you jump a little from excitement.

“Heck yeah, I’m so ready for the cake,” Zhangjing agrees, already pulling you out the door.

---

“Wow, this place is amazing!” Zhangjing gasps at the site of all the cakes.

“I know right? I came here when my friends got married and the cakes here are THE bomb,” you look around, taking in the sight and the wonderful smell of the cakes drift to your nose.

“Welcome, have you two been here before?” a staff member quickly notices the two of you and he scurries over.

“Ah, we just got engaged,” Zhangjing says, suddenly becoming shy.

You nod, happily clinging to Zhangjin’s arm. The two of you had practiced your acting on the way to the bakery. You had to make sure they believed you. The staff member notices and grins widely, clapping his hands.

“Congrats! I assume the two of you are looking for a cake then. We have some free samples for newly engaged couples. Why don’t you come try some,” he motions the two of you to follow him.

You and Zhangjing gave each other a knowing glance before rushing to catch up with the long-legged staff member. You continue to cling to Zhangjing and you feel him snake an arm around your waist, pulling you closer. You blush a little, but dismiss it as being too warm.

“Wonderful. Here, as you can see, there are labels. I’ll leave the two of you alone for now. Just come find me if you’ve made your decision,” the staff smiles kindly, before leaving.

You let out a giggle as soon as he leaves and look at Zhangjing with a mischievous expression on your face. Zhangjing wiggles his brows at you before diving in the samples. You reach for the one with the pastel frosting and stab your fork into it.

You close your eyes, savoring the chocolatey flavor of it. You offer some to Zhangjing who happily accepts and shares some of his with you. Soon, the two of you have finished more than half the samples. You groan a little, pouting at how quickly you became full.

“Let’s just have one last one. I don’t think I can fit any more cake into my stomach after it,” Zhangjing sighs, attempting to lick off the chocolate and frosting staining his mouth.

“I was just going to say that. Let’s pick a good one,” you nod, looking around.

A cute, flowery one catches your eye and you reach for it. Zhangjing is also reaching for it and the two of your hands touch. He immediately retracts his hand, nervously apologizing. You pick up the plate and cut a chunk off with your fork and hover it in front of Zhangjing’s chocolate covered lips. He looks a little stunned and you giggle.

“Open up, future hubby,” you laugh, as Zhangjing opens his mouth wide open, and smiling sheepishly, slowly chewing the cake.

“Oh, this one’s good. Here let me feed you now,” Zhangjing seems to have recovered from his temporary shock.

He easily grabs the plate and fork from you, shocking you a bit. You blush a little as his fingers skim over yours as you hand the plate over. You suddenly begin to wonder why the two of you had never hung out in high school. You’re sure you would have gotten along swimmingly, just as the two of you are now.

“Open up, here comes the choo-choo train,” Zhangjing giggles, gently waving the fork in front of your mouth.

You blush a little, looking away and opening your mouth, refusing to make eye contact with him as he feeds you a piece of the cake. You munch away happily, finally looking back at Zhangjing who seems content with finishing up the cake.

“Ah, thanks for giving me this opportunity to eat so much cake...and for catching up,” Zhangjing puts the plate down and grabs your hands.

“Oh yeah, no problem…” you shly avoid his eyes,” You know, we should do this again sometime.”

“How about...next time, we come here as an actual engaged couple?” Zhangjing’s soft tone shocks you.

“An actual couple? I–” you stutter, a little surprised.

“Shoot, sorry, only if you want. I just...I just really enjoyed today and I really want to spend more time with you,” Zhangjing quickly lets go of your hands before shaking his head, ruffling his hair with his hand.

“No, no, it’s okay. I’d love that...let’s go on another date now, shall we?” you giggle at his cute antics, taking back his hands into yours.

“This was a date?” he asks, shocked.

“I mean, we came here engaged, right?” you laugh.

“True. Alright then, let’s go out for dinner. I’m really craving for some hot pot now,” Zhangjing grins, wrapping his arm around you

“Ah, you read my mind. Let’s go!” you agree, looping your own arms around him.

The two of you excitedly skip out of the store, leaving the confused staff waiting by the door. Zhangjing suggests a restaurant and the two of you hop onto the bus, hand in hand. You look up at Zhangjing who looks back down at you when he notices you watching him. His gaze is soft and you lean a little closer to him.

“I look forward to being your girlfriend. I’m just going to apologize in advance for the amount of money you might have to spend on my food,” you smile.

“Don’t worry about that. Let’s just go enjoy as much food as possible,” Zhangjing lightly bounces, his arms still around you, “Besides, you’re my girlfriend now. I have to spoil you with the finest thing in the world, food!”

“You’re so greasy, just like your last name,” you roll your eyes, smiling at the pun you had made.

“No, that was horrible. Why would you say that?” Zhangjing groans, pulling away from you. His nose scrunches up and you laugh, pulling him back to you.

“Sorry, sorry. Let’s go eat now,” you light-heartedly apologize.

“Like hell you’re sorry,” Zhangjing pouts, “But you’re right. Let’s just go eat.”

[gif credits to @zhangjjng!]

~Admin Liz ♡

Tagging @ilynong

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syzygydreamland · 7 years

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SQW Day 4 - Operation Sparkle [Family Vacation]

My entry for day 4 of the Swan Queen Week, prompt “Family Vacation”. Usual disclaimer applies. Thanks for reading!

“Are you sure about this, Ma? So many things could go wrong! I mean, there’s a 95% probability Mom will catch on before you’re even halfway through with the plan. She’ll notice something’s up and the surprise is going to be ruined. Maybe you should go with something less over the top? Like dinner in a nice restaurant or a moonlit picnic, or even just a weekend in Vermont next Valentine’s day?”

Henry and Emma are sitting in Emma’s bug, speaking hurriedly to finish their talk before pulling up in their garage lane.

“No, Henry. It has to be huge. I want to do something nice for your mother, and I want it to be perfect. She deserves it. We just need to be better at hiding it than she is at sleuthing. That’s why I absolutely need your help. It’s essential that she thinks this vacation is your idea, okay? This way she shouldn’t be too suspicious and Operation Sparkle should be a success.”

Henry makes an uncertain pout but agrees nonetheless. That evening, over dinner, he pleads for a family vacation in Paris (“But Mom, none of us has ever been! It would be so great! And it would help me with my French!”), and he does his best to convince her. After a couple days of discussing it with Emma, Regina eventually agrees and the Swan-Mills family makes their reservations for the following spring.

As soon as they land in Paris, their vacation takes a magical turn. Regina has been slightly afraid of flying, but she’s thankfully gotten quickly over it. The three of them are immediately taken with everything they are seeing. Henry is snapping pictures like a madman, Emma is pointing at pretty much everything she sees and Regina’s eyes are glistening madly. As they get in the cab that’s driving them to their hotel, Regina leans over to Henry and thanks him for suggesting the trip. Henry smiles brightly and discretely winks at Emma, who stifles a laugh in a cough. The first step of the plan is completed: they’ve gotten Regina to Paris. They can now start the hardest part of their plan, which they only have a few days to complete.

The week they spend in Paris is wonderful by all aspects. They marvel at what they are seeing and they enjoy each other’s company even more than they do at home; Emma even jokes Parisians must put something in the water to make teenage boys less moody and small-town mayors less strict, and Regina and Henry both laugh at it happily. Henry takes his role in Operation Sparkle extremely seriously: whenever Emma gives him his designated and subtle signal, he distracts Regina by showing her yet another pigeon or asking for yet another delicious treat he’s just spotted in a shop. Regina doesn’t seem to notice Henry’s sometimes ridiculous attempts at getting her attention nor Emma’s odd lingering a couple of steps behind them; she looks so enamored with Paris absolutely nothing could phase her.

They go sightseeing, and they walk so much they drill a hole in the sole of their shoes and need to buy new ones; they find relatively cheap sneakers for the whole family in a chain store and throw their old shoes in the nearest trashcan, laughing madly at their misadventure. They go to Versailles and nearly get lost in the public transportation of the way there, and then they nearly get lost in the park and they end up having to ask a gardener for directions so they don’t get locked in the park. They go for a boat ride on the Seine, and it’s so wonderfully cliché but none of them could care less. They eat crêpes and croissants – Henry swears he’s become intolerant to any food that doesn’t come from a bakery – and any kind of pastry or cheese they can find. Regina insists to try a different wine every night, and Emma is all too happy to oblige; they even let Henry try cider one evening. They go to Montmartre and on the Grands Boulevards; they walk up and down the Champs-Elysées too many times to count; they wander around the Louvre for an entire day and Regina has tear in her eyes when she looks at Michelangelo’s statues of slaves because “Emma, they look so real! Someone made these, and it pretty much looks like they’re breathing”. They go up the Eiffel tower, and they come back later when the sun has set and the tower is lit, and Emma spins Regina around, dips her and kisses her deeply before grabbing Henry and hugging her girlfriend and her son with all her strength. They get their picture taken pretty much everywhere, and they buy the most ridiculous souvenirs (including a beret, an apron and a baguette-shaped bread knife for Snow). They even go to Disneyland, despite Regina’s reticence that they have exactly the same park at home, but when Emma and Henry put on their identical pouts and puppy eyes, she can’t deny them anything, and so they go to Disneyland and laugh at each other’s pretty miserable attempts to pronounce the French titles of the Disney movies, even though Regina and Emma are proud to notice Henry’s French accent has greatly improved since the beginning of the school year. They spend a week out of time, when all that matters is the fun they’ll have that day and the fascinating new things they’ll see.

Sadly, they have to leave Paris. They all get slightly teary-eyed (Henry included) when they leave their hotel and later on, when they have to board their plane, and they try to comfort each other by promising they’ll come back together someday. They return home and, even though they’re all happy to be back in their house and see their friends and family again, they can’t help but feel slightly nostalgic.

Emma, however, doesn’t have too much time to feel sorry: the second part of Operation Sparkle was a success, but she has to get to work and get part three done quickly.

The last part of her plan arrives in the mail on the last week of April. Emma gets the last details ready and tells Henry that they’ll get into the last phase of Operation Sparkle on the weekend. Henry high fives her, and he’s ridiculously chirpy the rest of the week.

When the day arrives, Emma makes sure the three of them won’t be disturbed. Right after breakfast, she hands Regina the photo album of their trip to Paris that she’s had printed and sent home over the week and, right as Regina starts flipping through the pages, Henry calls her from the other room to ask for her help over homework. Emma and Henry wait in the kitchen, nudging each other gently and stifling giggles, even though Emma is so nervous she might drop unconscious at any moment. Once Regina is edging the end of the album, they both discretely come back into the living room. Regina’s back is to them but that doesn’t change a thing, she’s so focused on the pictures she wouldn’t have noticed them anyway. When she turns the last page, she furrows her eyebrows for a second before gasping and covering her mouth with her hand. She turns around to find Emma on one knee, brandishing an engagement ring, and Henry beaming.

On the last double page of the album, Emma’s had special photos printed: during their whole trip in Paris, she’d taken pictures of letters wherever she could find them, on shop windows, on street signs, on banners or book covers, and she’d positioned them to spell “Regina, will you marry me?”. The gesture was outrageously romantic, but somehow it was so Emma: thoughtful, clever and incredibly loving.

Regina didn’t have to think for a second before saying yes and diving into Emma’s arms, with Henry cheering both of them on.

#ouat #swan queen #swan queen week #sqw #swanqueenweek #sqw 9 tm #team moms #rmeq #emma swan #henry mills #my fanfiction #sqw day 4 #sqw 9 day 4 #sqw 9

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seriouslyhooked · 8 years

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Souvenirs (A CS AU) Part 12/14

A Modern CS AU where Emma has grown up in Maine her whole life and runs a store with Ruby and MM. Killian Jones is the new guy in town, who just bought the local bar. Only Emma and Killian have met before and now she can’t help but wonder if their past has influenced his plans for the future. Includes tons of fluff and a happily ever after. Rated M.

Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six, Part Seven,Part Eight, Part Nine, Part Ten, Part Eleven

A/N: Hey all! In this chapter Emma and Ruby go to an interview on a nationally broadcasted style show to promote the line. The show ends up prompting some things when Emma gets back and an important conversation is had between her and Killian. AKA there’s a lot of fluff and cuteness and zero angst ever. Hope you all enjoy!

“Is this real life?” Emma mused out loud in the face of the beautiful set, a live audience, and the numerous cameras covering the stage she stood in the wings of.

Emma couldn’t understand how she’d gotten here, yet she and Ruby were waiting now to be on American Styling. The hosts were doing a segment on her line and Emma was about to be broadcast nationally to talk about her life’s work. Because really, that was what the line was - it was everything Emma had been working towards artistically and professionally come to life.

“Want me to pinch you to see?” Ruby’s joke fell a little flat, and Emma noticed that her friend who was usually the picture of confidence seemed a little uneasy too. Emma grabbed her hand and squeezed.

“Hey, we got this. And think of it this way: at least Mary Margaret’s not here about to faint or worse.”

Ruby smiled at that, knowing how bad Mary Margaret’s stage fright was. Mary Margaret was currently holding the fort down for that reason… and because she hadn’t wanted to fly while pregnant. Yup, their friend had shared the good news only a few weeks back, but the excitement was already here in full force. Mary Margaret was going to be a great mom and with David by her side, this child was in for a beautiful family.

“Ladies, you’re on in thirty seconds,” said a PA on the set, and now Emma felt some of the nerves that had just gripped at Ruby, but Emma was confident that this was a good thing and that as soon as they got out there she and Ruby would deliver. They were just talking jewelry, and Emma could do that in her sleep.

Soon enough they got their signal and they joined the hosts of the show, Aurora and Mulan, on the stage to the cheers of the audience. The bright lights took a second to get used to, but Emma and Ruby made their way on instinct, rising to the occasion.

“We welcome now Emma Swan and Ruby Lucas, two of the heads of Three Fates Treasures. You may have heard of them from their exclusive deal with Socialites on ABS, and from the number of features the line has had in a slew of magazines including Closet Covet who called them ‘this decade’s designers to watch.’ Today we’re going right to the source to find out what makes a piece a treasure. Thanks for joining us ladies.” Mulan’s introduction instantly put Emma at ease, for the woman was both kind and easy going.

“Thank you so much for having us,” Emma replied easily.

“So let’s get right to it. What would you say is the mission of Three Fates?” Aurora asked as Emma looked to Ruby to fill in and her friend did not disappoint. She was the picture of proficiency and owned her answer.

“Three Fates is all about finding your style and finding pieces that mean something to you. Emma’s designs are her art, and jewelry is a way to express yourself. I think we can all agree on that.” The crowd clapped to show they were on the same page and Ruby smiled before continuing. “So for us, and for the line, it’s about making pieces that speak to people and pieces you can have for a long time, that can grow and change with you as you go through life.”

“Now, if you don’t mind me asking, that seems kind of counter intuitive to running a business. Shouldn’t the goal be to have people buy more?” Emma answered Mulan this time.

“I think that we’ve created a trust with our buyers. We had it when we started, and we’ve tried to keep it as the business is expanding, but at the end of the day, people come back because we gave them quality items. There’s nothing saying you should have only one piece of treasure, and I think Ruby’s right. It’s about being yourself and showing the world who you are at any given moment, and that’s not always the same. We are all changing and putting on different hats…”

“And our mentality is that with that hat, have a bracelet or a necklace.” The audience laughed at Ruby’s comment and Emma smiled at her friend, thankful that she’d helped her get out of that question gracefully.

“Emma, we’ve had a lot of viewers tweet and write in asking about your process. What do you find inspires your designs?” Emma considered for a moment before answering.

“I think anything that makes me feel strongly is a potential inspiration for me, and most often those are the people in my life. I look to them, I live with them in the moment each and every day and, I don’t know it’s like the way I am with them informs what comes to light on the page when I’m sketching or when I’m experimenting with different techniques. Love is an amazing inspiration for this line in particular.”

How could it not be? Things with Killian were near magical in the way that they worked together. He saw her and understood her and the love between them was real in a way Emma had never thought possible. She couldn’t help but smile big at her own internal thoughts about him and the fact that she missed him, even if she’d seen him only yesterday.

“Speaking of love, a little birdy told us that you are engaged.” Emma blushed, and she heard the audience’s ‘awws’ resounding through the studio before looking at Ruby who was pretending this was a complete surprise. “So I have to ask, can we see your ring?”

Emma let out the breath she’d been holding, so glad that the question wasn’t incredibly personal on national TV. She extended her hand to Aurora and Mulan and a camera zoomed in, showing the image on the screen behind them. If the crowd’s reaction was anything to go on, the ring was a hit.

“This is gorgeous. He has great taste,” Mulan replied.

“Emma designed it herself, actually.” Ruby added and Aurora looked intrigued.

“Can we take this as a sign that Three Fates may be considering an engagement collection?”

“Never say never, I guess. But right now, we are working on getting out next season’s line.” Emma said as Aurora and Mulan smiled wide and looked between Emma and Ruby.

“And we are all eagerly awaiting it. Thanks so much for joining us today ladies. Up next, we take a look at the new three quarter romper trend and ask yay or nay? Stay with us for that after this.”

When the cameras went dark, the crew signaled that the shot was over and Emma and Ruby thanked their hosts quickly before heading back off the stage. Once away from the crowd Emma and Ruby both slumped against the wall, so happy that was over.

“I don’t want to jinx anything, but I think we just killed it out there.” Ruby’s comment had Emma laughing, and the suspicions were confirmed when they returned to their dressing rooms and found their phones consumed with tweets and instagram messages saying just that. Before she could read too much into it though, a call came through from Mary Margaret.

“Hello?” Emma put it on speaker so Ruby could hear.

“You two are amazing! I cannot believe I wasn’t there, but wow I am so glad I wasn’t because, oh my god the cameras and the people –“

“Hey, you realize we’re flying back in a couple of hours right?” Ruby countered and Emma could hear the little breath that signaled Mary Margaret was affronted.

“Well excuse me for wanting to sing your praises, Ruby! I thought you might like to know that you were great, but I see the limelight has already tainted you.” The teasing in Mary Margaret’s voice was entertaining, especially since Mary Margaret was rarely the one for sarcasm.

“I like pregnant you. So sassy.” Ruby scrolled through her own phone and saw she’d missed a call from Graham. She went to call him back as Emma continued to talk with Mary Margaret about prepping their website for more traffic.

“You were thinking about him when you were talking about inspiration weren’t you?”

There was no need for Mary Margaret to clarify which ‘he’ she meant, because it was undeniable. There was only one guy who would ever register for Emma in that way and that was Killian. Still she tucked a lock of her hair around her ear thinking about it.

“Of course I was. I love him.”

“Well boy did he know it. He was watching with David and I here and as soon as they asked that question he got that lopsided grin and announced to the entire store, patrons included, that you love him and that he’s keeping you forever.” Emma laughed at that, picturing it so clearly, but there was a clutch at her heart that left her uneasy, until she voiced the root of it.

“I don’t want to wait.” Her voice was barely above a whisper, but Mary Margaret heard still.

“Wait for what?” Emma smiled at her friend’s constant need to know everything.

“I don’t want to wait to marry him.”

Pleased squealing at an unexpectedly high decibel had Emma pulling the phone from her ear and Ruby turning around as she spoke to Graham with a questioning look. Emma waved her off, implying that she’d fill her in later, as Mary Margaret concocted all sorts of schemes on how to make a wedding manifest in the next month instead of six months out like Emma and Killian had planned. Only then did Emma see she had a text from Killian.

K: You are a marvel, Swan. I have never been prouder of you or loved you more. You faced your fears head on and you were brilliant. Now come home to me and release me from this miserable separation.

Emma clutched her phone a little tighter and knew that all she wanted was to get back to him too. Once home again, she would explain to Killian why she didn’t want to wait, how the separation had been hard for her too, and how excited she was to start forever with him. She knew she could be very convincing, and being in New York, she had some opportunity to find some reinforcement. But she had only a little time to work with, and it was fast dwindling.

“Hold those thoughts Mary Margaret. I have a few things I need to get done before coming home tonight, but I’ll see you tomorrow okay?” Mary Margaret agreed and Emma hung up, imploring Ruby to come with her on a final errand before returning to the airport. Her brunette friend needed no convincing, and soon they were off, working towards finding her happily ever after just a little sooner.

…………………………..

Awaiting Emma at the gate of the small airport, Killian couldn’t help feeling restless. Surely he could not will Emma’s plane to arrive any sooner, but he couldn’t help hoping that the expected times on the screen before him were slightly off.

Having Emma so far from him was less than what he wanted, and he’d decided as soon as he’d left her here the day before, that in future, he’d like to travel with her for such things. He was his own boss, and could take time off now and again, and it was worth it so as to be with Emma during all of this. He knew her well enough to understand that she’d been worried, and while he was so proud of her for conquering her fears, he would have liked to be there and spare her from them. Killian was a master of distraction, after all, and his talents should have been used to help his Swan.

These were the thoughts that clung to him as he paced the waiting area, and they stayed until Emma finally appeared with Ruby at her side, hitting him with a huge smile.

“How did you get in here?” Emma asked, no doubt wondering how he’d passed the security measures to see her.

“I bought a ticket of course.” Emma flung her arms around him and sighed into his embrace.

“You seriously bought a boarding pass just to see me five minutes sooner?” Emma asked and Killian kissed her lightly and smiled when he pulled back.

“Aye, love I did.” Emma pulled him back in for more and they might have stayed like that, losing themselves in each other, had it not been for Ruby’s interruption.

“As adorable as this reunion is, I have my own guy to get to, and he was not crazy enough to spend money for mere moments. So let’s go.”

Killian laughed at Ruby’s characterizations of his actions, but nothing mattered except for Emma, who was clearly happy at his gesture. He took her suitcase, and then offered her his other hand which she gladly took as they set off to leave the airport and head home.

“And to think she gave us attitude,” Emma said as they finally made it out and Ruby rushed Graham, putting their kisses to shame on the heat spectrum. That they didn’t get a ticket for public indecency was a bloody miracle really, given how much intensity there was between the two of them.

“I’ll give you far more than that when we get home, Emma.” He felt her shiver in anticipation, and her grip on his hand tightened just slightly. But they made their way to the car and he drove as quickly as possible to get them home so he could make good on his promises.

“I missed this,” Emma said as she walked up the front steps of the house and made her way inside.

“What, just the house?” Killian joked and Emma turned around to look at him, throwing an eye roll his way before blushing a little bit.

“No not just the house,” she moved closer to him, her hand coming over his chest as he dropped the luggage to the ground and wrapped his arms around her waist. “While I was gone, I was thinking, and I think we should talk.”

Killian froze at her chosen phrasing and soon Emma was backtracking, clearly flustered by the way he tensed up like that.

“Oh no, not like a bad talk, at least I don’t think so. But I did get you a present, should you choose to accept the terms of this agreement.” Killian felt himself relax, and his hands came to run through her golden hair.

“Anything in my power to give is yours Emma.” She smiled, her green eyes shining with that light he’d missed so much when she was away.

“I don’t want to wait to get married.”

The force of Emma’s words hit Killian square in the chest and filled him with a rush of desire and happiness, for this, was in fact, the opposite of a problem. It actually reflected his deepest wish as well, which was to make Emma Mrs. Jones as soon as possible, tying her to him for life.

“Then we won’t. How about this weekend? The weather’s supposed to be nice, and you know I love a challenge.” Emma beamed up at him with an unrestrained joy and Killian felt his heart pick up in pace.

“I just love you, and I can’t wait to make you mine,” Emma confessed, happily.

With her words between them, they were kissing once more, this time with hands roaming and need taking over. Away from the prying eyes of the general public, and safe in the home they’d built together, they were able to address the heat that always coursed between them, and Killian made quick work of unbuttoning Emma’s shirt, seeing a bit of red flash beneath the cotton of her blouse.

“Emma,” he whispered as she smiled and stepped back, undoing the rest of the buttons and sliding out of her skirt to reveal what was no doubt the present she spoke of.

“I did a little shopping after the show today. You always like me in red.” Her voice was husky with desire, and Killian balled his hands into fists to keep from pulling her too quickly into his arms. Instead he fixated on trying to get his own clothing off.

“Almost as much as I like you out of it.” He growled low when he pulled her closer. Feeling the gasp that passed through her lips just before his crashed down to hers demanding and seeking entry. It took a moment, but Killian finally found the way to peel the bra off of her that she’d bought for the occasion to bare her to him. He ran a hand across her chest, and felt a moan as his mouth was still on hers when he made contact with her nipple.

“Your call, love. Couch, kitchen, or our bed.” Emma took a moment to open her eyes after he’d pulled away from the kiss, and he took the chance to play with her just a bit more, not letting up at all until she told him.

“Good home owners don’t neglect a state of the art kitchen.” As she licked her lips, lust hazy in her features, Killian growled again and carried her to the room in question, setting her out on the edge of the island. Emma looked for a moment, just before he put her down, like she was worried. “Oh, I thought that would be colder than it is.”

“Why do you think I chose to finish it with these materials? I had moments just like this one in mind.” Without a word of notice, Killian lined his aching cock up with her entrance and thrust in. Despite minimal foreplay, she was already soaked in need for him, and the vice around him that was her heat had him struggling for control as she cried out his name.

“Killian, please!”

No more was needed from Emma for him to set a hard and fast pace. He kissed at her neck, not hesitating to bite there slightly, in the hopes of branding her. Subtle reminders of this tomorrow would do quite nicely in his eyes, and Emma was so mindless with pleasure she either didn’t mind or couldn’t bring herself to care right now. When he felt her reach her peak, he brushed a thumb against her clit and felt her release wash over her. He followed soon after, though he was still ready for more. A reunion required the best, and his Emma was going to have it.

“Is the plan to make me come so much I am physically incapable of leaving for work tomorrow?” Killian chuckled low at Emma’s question.

“I want you addicted to the way it is between us love. Keeping you happy and sated should keep you from ever leaving, tomorrow or any day thereafter.” Emma smiled and ran a hand across his cheek.

“I may have more interviews and meetings in the future, you realize that right.”

“And you’ll now have an assistant to give you whatever you need as you travel. And I do mean whatever you need, love.” He knew there was no way she could argue with that, especially as his hands moved to her still sensitive heat and strummed her back into needing satisfaction.

“Only if you realize I’m the boss,” Emma tossed out and Killian groaned but gave a nod.

“Whatever it takes, love,” and he set forward to giving her the best physical resume he could to show her he was exactly right for the job.

Post-Note: Okay, so there we have it! With only two chapters left (a wedding and an epilogue), we are so close to being finished with this story repost. Not to worry though, for as with any other wedding chapter I write, this one was a bit longer than the average chapter, and the epilogue will just be the ultimate ode to CS fluff. Thanks so much for reading, and I hope you guys enjoyed!

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melimoe · 7 years

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Our bus for the two city tour was leaving at 8:10am. We set the alarm to go off at 7am. This would give us time to go and have breakfast and gather our things before we had to be on the bus. At breakfast I used the crepe station. With cinnamon, sugar and fresh fruit it was a very filling breakfast.

We headed up to the lobby at 8am and there were two buses waiting there. Amber asked on the front bus if it was headed on our tour. She was informed, quite rudely, by a passenger that it was a private tour. I can only imagine that it is different from ours because it was one group that booked it. We asked again on the second bus if it was for us and received the same answer. I was surprised at how rued people could be when answering a simple question. I am glad I wasn’t on either of those buses, I don’t think I would have gotten along with the people on them.

Shortly after the other two buses left another one pulled up. This one had a man in a red Air Canada shirt step out and call for our tour. Our bus for sure. We were obviously the first pick up because there was no one else on the bus. After picking our seats we went from hotel to hotel picking up other people for the tour. In total there was about 30 of us.

Once the tour began we drove across a causeway that connected the island of Cayo Coco to the Cuban mainland. On either side of the causeway the shallow waters are a bird sanctuary. There were thousands of birds in the area, including a few flocks of pink flamingos. While we drove to Ciego de Avila, the capital of the region and the farthest point on the tour, we were given the history of Cuba from our tour guide. He was very engaging and informative.

We stopped along the way at a crocodile farm. Here we had an quick opportunity to feed the crocodiles and hold some of the young, as well as other animals, if we wanted. In exchange for this we would leave a small donation.

We were quickly hustled back on the bus after maybe 10 minutes. Along the way to Ciego de Avila we made another stop at a small hotel. They bring in to tourists by making a Piña colada in “true cuban style”. This means using fresh coconut and pineapple rather then a store bought mix. A Piña colada is better when made fresh. While we enjoyed our drinks a local band entertained us. They played some popular Cuban music. They also pulled some people up on stage to teach them how to do a few steps to a Cuban dance. As the band finished there music and we finished our drinks they were selling CDs of their music. I did not buy one and returned to the bus to finish our journey to Ciego de Avila.

Once we arrived in town we were dropped off at a local house that is also used as a studio and sells artworks. We were able to tour through the front of the house that acts as a shop, as well as through the house itself. This was to provide us with on idea of what the Cuban government provides for it’s people.

The Cuban government provides a house or apartment for each family, as well as a wage and food credit. These are not very much and people find other ways to supplement there incomes. Some have shops to sell things, some get jobs in well paying fields, some work at resorts for tips. Our guide told us this because in some of the cities you may see beggars. He wanted us to be aware that they have a house and a government allowance and we could choose to give to them or not.

After we finished at the art shop we continued down the road to another small shop. Here the people used their front room as a jewellery store. They made statues and jewellery out of old german silver silverware. We were even able to view the production area in the back. The entire family and some friends are involved in the process of making things to sell in the shop. Amber and I both bought a few things. Amber was excited because they would size rings to make them fit her fingers, something she usually has trouble with. While she was in the back the group was leaving. I was unsure how long she would be and how far the group would walk. I walked until I had both the shop and the group insight. This way if they turned a corner I would be able to see.

It didn’t take too long for Amber to have the rings sized and we met with the group as they headed into the town square.

We walked through the town square and at the end of the walk we ended up at another shop. This once sold the more coveted of goods; coffee, rum, and cigars.

I knew this is where I would become weighed down with gifts for people. You are allowed by Canadian customs to bring back 1.4L of alcohol. Bottles of rum conveniently came in 700ml sizes. I brought home one for my brother and his girlfriend. I also brought one home for another friend. But I am holding it hostage for my cheese platter that I made. I also bought cigars for the only smoker I know. I made sure to get a Cohiba, which is the brand that Fidel Castro smoked. I also brought home a bag of coffee to give away.

With heavy bags and a light wallet, we went for lunch. This was done buffet style at a restaurant on the square. Lunch was similar to what we would have at the hotel, fresh grilled meat, some sides, and lots of fresh fruit.

After lunch we had about an hour of free time. Amber and I headed for the bank, I had spent all my cash. It was a quick and painless process to take out money at a teller. I recommend going to the teller, especially in Cuba, so that the ATM doesn’t eat your card. This would make for a very bad trip afterwords. Our tour guide warned us that ATM’s in Cuba still eat a lot of North American cards.

After the bank we walk along a pedestrian street and found a local market. This was interesting because the Cubans have two currencies. They have the Convertible Cuban Peso (CUC) that is par with the American Dollar and is used by tourists. They also have the Cuban Peso (CUP) that is used by the government and the people and is converted at a rate of 25:1. One CUC is equal to 25CUP.

In the market the goods were priced in CUP. I know this because the sandals that I wanted had a tag that said 100 on it. I wanted new sandals because my old flipflops had the strap attached by going through the plastic bottom. This meant they rubbed the bottom of my foot and caused blisters. I wanted a new pair that attached to the sides and didn’t rub. I found a cute pair and was able to buy them for only 4CUC. Cheaper then anything I would find at home.

After wandering around for the rest of our time we went to the area where we were meeting the bus. Now we were headed to Moron (pronounced with two long O sounds, not like an idiot, they were very sure to emphasize that point).

I’m not sure how long the bus ride was because I napped all the way to Moron.

When we arrived in Moron there was a horse and buggy tour waiting for us. We went around town and saw the sights, this didn’t take very long because Moron is a small town. We still had fun, our horse and driver liked to be at the front and would do what he could to pass others. The ride only took about 5 minutes, then we crossed the street and went into a bar to watch a live band.

While we were listening to the band Amber is texting on her phone, which was strange because not really possible in Cuba. Turns out she was writing a note that she then passed to me. It said that I had “resting bitch face” and that I was her entertainment. I guess the others on the tour just thought I was unhappy, and I was, unhappy at being woken up.

After the band finished they were selling their CD for 10CUC. Again I did not buy one. We were then taken out the back of the bar because the courtyard had a few little tables set up with souvenirs for purchase. I bought a small wooden model of Cuba for myself.

Then it was back on the bus to the mangrove lake. Here the water is red because of the mangrove wood and sap that has mixed with the water. We were put on two speed boats and taken across the lake. While you are driving it looks like you are headed towards a wall of trees but there is a small turn that the boat takes into a tunnel in the mangroves. Here you are able to see things closer.

The boat drivers know exactly where to stop to show people saw many natural plants. There was a wild orchid growing on one of the trees. There was snake cacti and termite mounds. There was a rope swing to swing out of the boat and back in. Don’t land it the water, there could be crocodiles waiting for you. I was a really nice drive. After we headed back to the shore to get on the bus and head back to the Hotels.

When we returned to the hotel it was just after 5pm. We had lots of time before our dinner reservations. We went to the room to drop off all the things we bought. Then it was down to the beach to catch the rest of the days sun.

We headed to the Italian restaurant for our 6:45 reservation. The building was nice and clean. It was divided into two restaurants on each side of a courtyard. Then the restaurant was in two sections to make it feel more intimate. The food was good but the portions were small, so if you go order from each page. Amber had a pizza and I had cannelloni with cauliflower.

After dinner we headed to the lobby to use up the remainder of the internet card. That didn’t take very long because we once again played the connect, not connect, re-connect. In the end we each got a few messages out. We sat around the lobby bar until 8:30. We both felt tired because of our long day in town.

We headed back to the room and I was out by 9pm. Couldn’t even stay awake until the nightly entertainment.

via Daily Prompt: Pause

Tale of Two Cities: Ciego de Avila and Moron Our bus for the two city tour was leaving at 8:10am. We set the alarm to go off at 7am.

#Cuba #Photography #Travel

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