#i gently suggested that we should try to set the rehearsal plans earlier

[widevibratobitch]

i hate my uni sm lol i dont want to be heeeeere let me out let me out

[randomshyperson]

Love is Outside the Screen - Part III - Elizabeth Olsen x Reader

Summary:  The one where Reader plays Vision in the MCU and she falls in love with her co-worker Elizabeth Olsen.

Warnings: (+18), smut, sexual themes, strap on use, teasing, fingering, sexual suggestions, explicit language, explicit, obscenity, a bit of praise kink, dom/sub dynamics, bottom reader mostly, switch dynamics, power dynamic changes, slight possessive sex, brief angst, alcohol mentions, arguing, jealously, fluffy.

Words: 7.935 K

A/N> Instead of writing my series, I'm continuing works that were finished already. This is basically porn honestly haha No, but jokes aside, we have fluffy moments with a lot of smut. Good reading everyone!

Part One | Part Two | All Works Masterlist || AO3

//-//-/////-///-//

Love is Outside the Screen - Part III

Northern Ireland, two years ago.

You slipped under the long wooden table as the script indicated.

Your character was supposed to give a slight nod, and then gasp because of the torso injury, and you followed the script perfectly.

When the director yells cut, you stand up, trying not to bump into the makeover they did on your clothes.

"That was great, guys!" Shouted Alex Graves in the direction of the cast scattered around the medieval set. "Let's call it a day."

You were exhausted.

The Game of Thrones footage was absolutely grueling, and time-consuming, although it allowed you to learn something new with almost every scene.

Walking back toward the dressing room to clean up your makeup, you smiled shyly at the girls in the salon who congratulated you on the day's performance while helping you to remove your costume.

While they were going through your hair, you decided to check your cell phone.

There were two missed calls from Lizzie, and you felt your heart swell with guilt immediately.

She had also sent you messages asking if everything was okay, or if you were busy, and saying that she missed you, and you wish you had answered them all, but your routine had been completely absurd.

You felt your chest ache with longing every time you thought of your girlfriend.

When you signed the contract, you knew the conditions, and so did Lizzie. But nothing prepared you for the real thing.

Almost three months without a decent conversation, not even video calls, and the lack of her in your life was making you frustrated and irritated all the time. You were sinking into the screenplay and the recordings, because you simply hated not having Lizzie in your day-to-day life.

"Thank you girls." You said as soon as you noticed the makeup completely removed from your abdomen.

The change in the script killed your character sooner than expected, and you should go home early, even though it was going to take two or three months, it was much less than originally planned.

Grumbling softly, you went back to the dressing room, deciding to call Lizzie now that you would have a little time alone.

She doesn't answer until the second-to-last ring.

"Yes?" Her husky voice signals that she was asleep, but all you can feel is your body shaking at the sound.

"It's me, baby." You reply tenderly as you sit back in the armchair, pressing the cell phone to your ear as if you wish you could reach into the device and touch your girl.

"Oh, hey." She comments sleepily, and you wonder if she has closed her eyes again, or even opened them. "It's late."

"I know, I'm sorry." You say leaning back in the armchair. "I wanted to check that everything was okay because I couldn't answer you earlier."

"Don't worry, darling." She says softly, almost sleepily. "I just missed you."

"Me too, my love." You assure her, feeling your chest tighten slightly. My god, you just want to see her, hold her, touch her. "Lizzie, darling, are you asleep?"

"Yes." She whispers, making you smile.

"I love you baby." You say. "Call me when you wake up, I will interrupt as many scenes as it takes to talk to you."

"Behave yourself in the studio, love." She mumbles sleepily, and you laugh lightly. It was the same warning she gave on your last day in California, on the way out of the airport. "I love you. And I miss you."

You cursed the entire movie company at once when you could perceive the upset in Lizzie's tone, even in her sleepy state. You repeated that you loved her one more time before hanging up the phone.

As you put your cell phone away to grab your keys and head back to the hotel, you wondered if a breach of contract was really so bad.

//-//

Present, California.

You felt Lizzie's arms wrap around you as soon as you made mention of getting out of bed. You smiled, turning your body to look at her.

Her sleeping figure with her eyes closed, her hair slightly tousled made your heart warm with affection.

You loved her so much.

Raising your hand to her face, you stroked her cheek gently with your thumb, and watched the woman sigh softly, and even in her sleepy state, lean into your touch.

"Lizzie." You called softly, trying to wake her up. And did so again until she mumbled softly, leaning her face against the pillow. You let your hand wander to her hair, enjoying the softness as you stroked her scalp with your fingers. "We need to wake up baby."

Lizzie just mumbled again against the pillow cotton, making you smile at the cuteness of that scene.

You moved closer only to deposit short kisses across her face, and only stopped when she let out a husky giggle.

"Good morning, love." You whispered against her ear, and were about to pull away, but she tightened her arms around your waist, keeping you almost on top of her, making you smile.

"Good morning." She sighed back against the skin of your neck, and you blushed slightly when you felt her inhale your perfume and then tighten her fingers around your waist. "Fuck, I love you."

You laughed softly at her sudden, hoarse confession, but let your arms slip around her shoulders, burying your body against Lizzie's. The tenderness was wonderful, and she moved one hand up to caress your back while the other remained on your hip, her thumb moving across the skin beneath your blouse.

You tilt your face away just to look at her, and already you find her with her eyes wide open, a shy smile on her lips.

"I love you too, babe, but we need to get up." You tell her, and you almost get the impression that she's not even listening, because all she does is look at your face with adoration.

You bite back a smile as you feel her legs move beneath you, her bare foot caressing your ankle before she spins you around quickly and stands over you, the sudden movement making you sigh and tighten your arms intertwined around her neck.

"Lizzie!" You exclaim humorously, but all you get is a low murmur as she sinks her body against yours and buries her face in your neck.

"How much time do we have?" She asks against your skin, her lips dangling on that sensitive part of your collarbone and sending a shiver up the length of your spine.

"Enough." You reply already affected by her touch, closing your eyes to enjoy the sensation.

Lizzie smiles against your neck, beginning to deposit chaste kisses against your skin, making you sigh softly.

It didn't matter how many times you had been together or for how long, your body reacted to her in the same way. You only hoped that you wouldn't be late for your appointment with the Marvel directors, but when Lizzie slipped her hand up into your pajamas, you didn't care about that anymore.

//-//-//

London, 1 year and 9 months ago.

It's your third time on "The Graham Norton Show."

You finished taping Game of Thrones the day before, and this was your last appointment before returning to California. To Lizzie.

Part of the cast is sitting next to you, and you are glad for that because you are distracted this evening and can use the time they answer questions to think about your girlfriend. And you miss her for sure.

Graham, the host, asked questions about the final season, and about day to day life on set, and after Kit Harington and Emilia Clarke commented on everything being amazing, and not telling anything about the plot since they weren't allowed to, you were slightly surprised that the subject shift went directly to the romance rumors between the cast.

"I hear that some of you have been becoming close friends outside the set." Graham begins with a chuckle, and you and the cast share a chorus of dissatisfaction that makes the audience laugh. "Which is normal in a long series of course. But we wanted to bring that in because we love gossip."

"Since I'm married, can I have a drink in the dressing room?" Kit jokes, drawing laughter from everyone.

"You're supposed to help us with the arguments". Graham replies humorously. He leans back in his chair slightly to point to the monitor behind him. "We have some behind-the-scenes photos here. And Miss Clarke looks very comfortable."

The audience laughed at the comment, and you tried to cover it up with an awkward laugh. It was a picture of Emilia Clarke, your colleague who plays Daenerys Targaryen, on your lap. But the moment was badly misinterpreted. The photo was taken right after one of the prom rehearsal scenes, and Emilia had gotten one of the coordinations wrong, and you laughed when she fell on you.

Of course, this kind of insinuation was happening because to the media, you two were two single women. And you were used to this kind of questioning, but still, it was always uncomfortable.

"We were dancing, Graham." Emilia argues humorously. "It's not what it looks like."

The audience lets out a chorus of disappointment, and you and Emilia giggle awkwardly.

"Was that the mating dance, ladies?" Graham teases and you want to dig a hole in the ground, but all you do is keep up with everyone's laughter. "Despite all the jokes, I think Marvel's couple is going to be threatened."

The comment makes your heart race, but the audience is very approving, applauding heartily.

At least with this you can talk about Elizabeth.

"Is tonight the night you are going to take over America's dream relationship or can we just keep saying that you and Emilia are together, since there is not the slightest chance that someone that attractive is single." Graham tells you with humor making the audience and cast laugh. You try to keep up, not wanting to seem rude. You wish you could tell him that there is nothing wrong with being single, but you don't think you want to create an awkwardness so you just settle back in your seat as you joke:

"Unfortunately I will deny it again, Graham" You reply. "And I'm not dating Emilia either, I assure you."

You spend the rest of the evening dodging the comments, and are exhausted by the time the interview is over.

"Hey, are you going back to the hotel already?" Kit asks you just as you walk back to the dressing rooms, and you deny it with your head.

"No chance, I'm leaving." You reply. "I'm going straight to the airport, I have a flight in two hours. What about you, Harington? Aren't you going home to see your wife?"

"I didn't know we were talking about wives." He jokes making you blush and look away. Kit didn't know about Lizzie, but he knew you had someone. "Of course I want to come home, but I still have some appointments here. And Rose is in Spain."

"That sucks, man." You comment and he murmurs in agreement, shrugging.

"Yeah, but longing sure makes the sex better." He retorts with amusement and you grimace before laughing.

"You're unbelievable." You joke before waving yourself off in farewell, turning in the direction of your dressing room.

As soon as you enter, you take your cell phone out of your pocket and try to call Lizzie, but it goes to voicemail. You leave a message saying that you can't wait to see her and get your things ready to leave.

After saying goodbye to the cast again, and taking a taxi to the airport, you receive a message, but it is not from Lizzie.

*Sara evil agent* sent you an attachment.

You frown at the matter. "Off-screen romance? Would GOT star Emilia Clarke be dating queer Marvel protégé?"

You call Sara the same minute.

"I literally said I wasn't dating her!" You complain as soon as she answers and hear Sara laugh on the other end.

"Oh, honey, I told you, the media loves a little gossip." She says. "And you need to stop setting up fake girlfriends so quickly, I can barely keep up."

You grumble in irritation and your agent lets out a giggle.

"Don't be so grumpy, it's just a rumor and the last time I checked you were a single woman so I don't see a problem." She says and you bite the inside of your cheek. Since your lack of excitement about GOT, Sara suspects something. Neither of you says anything, but you know she's not an idiot and figures you have a girlfriend. "Are you going back to LA already?"

"Yes, I'm catching my flight in an hour."

"I hope you're ready to record, Lady Vision." She jokes. "Your scene schedule is getting closer."

"I plan to rest this week." You warn, slightly distracted. "Game of Thrones really was something different."

"I just hope people like the ending."

You giggle and Sara wants to know why, but you don't give her any spoilers. After asking if everything was okay, and assuring her that you had eaten something before the interview, you hang up.

Lizzie didn't text you back and you fell asleep on the plane.

//-//-//-//-//

California, three years and eleven months ago.

Your heart was beating so fast that you could hear it in your ears.

But Lizzie's hand in yours was doing a good job of calming you down.

Maybe it was just because you had waited, or maybe it was because you were so much in love, but you don't remember feeling so nervous about the idea of having sex with someone. Not since your first time.

And well, now with Lizzie, it was actually only the first time you two were going to sleep together. You didn't have to be nervous, but you were.

Liz opened the bedroom door as soon as you two reached the room, and dragged you inside with her. You closed the wood as you entered.

The tension was palpable in the air, and you wondered if you stayed still long enough, she might hear your heartbeat.

You looked at her, your eyes locked on each other, and a shy smile on your lips as you approached, stopping inches from her body.

Lizzie holds her breath.

"Are you nervous?" You ask in a husky voice, raising your free hand to go around the length of her arm with your finger, admiring the way her skin shivers at your touch.

She just shakes her head and you smile, resting your hand on her cheek.

"It's just me." You comment as you lean your forehead against hers, and you both close your eyes in anticipation. "We can stop if you're not sure..."

"I'm sure." She interrupts half breathlessly, her hand tightening its grip before letting go of yours, so that she brings both hands to the sides of your neck. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." You assure before breaking the distance, bringing your mouths together in a firm kiss that draws a sigh from both of you as your hands move up to Lizzie's waist.

It doesn't take long for the kiss to deepen, your tongues fighting together and the sensation making your head spin and your body heat up.

Lizzie gasped against your mouth before parting for breath, and you used the opportunity to let your fingers run down to the hem of her shirt as you pulled it up. In motion the piece was off, and she copied the same to remove your blouse.

You bit your lip as you looked at the sight of Lizzie's exposed torso in front of you, her nipples hardening in the air making you feel the tightness beneath your stomach increase.

You lunged forward, grabbing her left breast with your mouth, and Lizzie let out a loud noise in her throat, throwing her head back as your tongue skirted her left nipple.

She was so hot and smelled so good, and the sounds she was making were driving you insane.

You moved your hands up to her breasts as soon as you brought your mouths together again, your tongue circling hers as you played with her hardened nipples, and it wasn't long before Lizzie began to whimper, closing her legs and thrusting her hips towards yours for more friction.

You smiled against her lips, you would give her exactly what she needed.

//-//

California, one year and nine months ago.

Leaving your keys on the counter, you were surprised by the silence as you entered.

It wasn't that you wanted Lizzie to stay late to wait for you, except that it was exactly what you wanted.

You left your bag on the living room floor and called her name twice before assuming she was asleep.

Sighing slightly, you went up the stairs to your room, but it was empty. All the other rooms were empty, which made you frown.

Okay, you didn't expect Elizabeth not to be home just the day you were returning, after months of not seeing each other.

But you didn't have much time to think about what might have happened, because a clearly drunk Lizzie stumbled into the house, fighting against the lock and her own balance just as you were coming down the stairs.

"You're drunk?" You ask in a voice in a mixed tone of disbelief and concern upon seeing her, and Lizzie is startled for a moment before giggling.

"Look who's here, California!" She announced to the room with irony and with open arms, stumbling inside. "Hollywood's most eligible bachelorette, watch out ladies and gentlemen."

You frowned at the little scene, Lizzie walked with difficulty to the kitchen as you finished going down the steps, she murmured quietly and you with your arms crossed, trying to understand exactly what was going on.

"What happened to you?" you ask as you follow her across the room, Lizzie takes off her shoes with difficulty, almost falling to the floor at least twice. When you make mention of helping her, she holds up her hand for you not to, and you are starting to get worried.

"I went to have fun." She replies with a humorless laugh. "I can have fun."

"Of course you can." You retorted with a raised eyebrow, watching Lizzie take a deep breath and close her eyes as she leaned her back on the countertop, probably getting a headache from the way she buried her face in both hands for a moment. "Who did you go with?"

"I don't know, Mom." She sneered wryly, and you clenched your jaw. Lizzie laughed at your expression, and pouted. "Oh, did I upset you? Sorry, darling, I'll try to be a good girl for you."

You shook your head slightly.

"Babe, what is happ..."

"Don't call me that." She cuts off quickly and you look at her in surprise. Lizzie closes her eyes and takes a deep breath and when she looks at you again, she has thick tears in her eyes and you feel your heart soar. "I saw the pictures on television, Y/N. I saw the pictures, I saw your interview, I saw the videos on instagram. And I guess I understand, because she's beautiful and we haven't seen each other in months but I thought you loved me..."

"wow, what are you talking about?" You interrupt, confused and frightened, and Lizzie looks like a complete mess. She is crying and you reach up to touch her face, and try to calm her down. "Babe, breathe, I don't understand."

She whimpers softly, and you wonder how much booze she really has consumed.

"You are going out with that woman and I love you and everything is horrible." She declares in a whiny voice and you look at her with a frown.

"Lizzie, what..."

But she pushes you and walks off toward the bedroom, and you try to keep her from falling over drinking at least three times until she can get up the stairs properly.

"Lizzie, wait, talk to me." You beg but she keeps walking and you enter the bedroom a moment after her, watching her walk to the closet and start throwing all her clothes out while mumbling about cheating.

You take a deep breath with your hands on your waist, letting out a humorless laugh. It was an absurd scene to say the least.

"Elizabeth Olsen, stop this immediately!" You command as soon as she steps out of the closet, and she widens her eyes slightly as she shifts the weight of her feet before veering to the floor. You sigh as you walk toward her. "Babe, look at me."

"No."

"Lizzie."

Reluctantly, she does so. You soften your expression, feeling your heart soar at the image of her face, longing invading your whole heart.

"God, I missed you." You confess half breathlessly and Lizzie looks on the verge of tears. "Darling, where did all this come from? I'm not seeing any other girl."

"I saw the pictures..."

"Lizzie." You interrupt seriously, shaking your head slightly as your hands land on her shoulders. "I have no one but you. I would never cheat on you, I don't know where that came from. I wish you hadn't drunk so much so we could have a serious talk."

Lizzie gives a mischievous little smile, her gaze half lost because of the alcohol.

"I'm not drunk." She mumbles clearly intoxicated, making you chuckle slightly.

"Of course not." You said as you pushed the loose strands of her hair behind her ears. "You made a mess in the bedroom, babe. Why don't you try to sleep while I clean up?"

Lizzie sighed, clearly tired but shaking her head in denial

"I don't want to sleep." She said as she brought her body closer to you, her hands squeezing your shirt. "I want you to fuck me."

You bit back a smile, looking at Lizzie with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, yeah?"

She murmured in agreement, her fingers trying to open the buttons of your shirt, but she was clearly in no condition to do so.

"I'd like that too, but you're drunk." You say as you move your hands to hold hers, smiling at the grumble of frustration she lets out. "Go lie down, I'll get some water."

"But..."

"Bed, Lizzie." You ordered again as you intertwined your hands to lead her to lie down.

She was reluctant a few times but eventually agreed and lay her down on the mattress, placing the comforter on top.

When you made mention of getting up, she held your hand.

"Don't go." She asked softly with her eyes almost closed. You smiled.

"Aren't you thirsty?"

Lizzie denied and pulled your hand, you moved closer to lie beside her and she wasted no time in entwining her body in yours.

You let your fingers run through her hair and she sighed lightly, not taking long to fall asleep. You waited a few more minutes before moving, getting out of bed as gently as possible so as not to wake her.

After collecting the clothes Lizzie had thrown across the room and putting them away in the closet, as well as putting the party clothes she was wearing in the wash, you went back downstairs, looking for your bag to take to your room.

Your cell phone vibrated as you walked up the stairs.

It was a message from Scarlet, and you laughed lightly as you read its content.

“I heard you're coming home today, right? Lizzie was really upset about the rumors that you were dating, and asked me to take her out for a drink. I dropped her off at home, but she was pretty shaky. I didn't know you two had a thing, can we talk about it over coffee tomorrow?”

You were relieved that Scarlett was the person accompanying Lizzie, but now she knew you two had something. You were tired of it honestly. The secret. All you wanted was for everyone to know how much you loved Lizzie. And judging from recent events, that was a problem for her too. Or at least it was enough for her to drink more than she should.

But you would have to wait until Lizzie woke up to have this conversation, so you went back to your room, and after putting away the clothes from your bag, you took a shower and put on your pajamas, wasting no time in joining Lizzie in bed again.

//-//-//

Caribbean, one year and six months ago.

Following the music, you continued to dance slowly, your hand around Lizzie's waist while the other was entwined in the air with hers.

The luxury hotel where you were staying that week was hosting a Hawaiian themed evening, and well, after spending the day in the pool area, you decided to dance a little.

In that moment, with Lizzie in your arms, you were at peace completely. Moments like these, like waking up with her in your bed, or cooking together, or rehearsing your lines while curled up on the couch under the blanket were more than enough to make you sure that you wanted to spend the rest of your life with Lizzie.

You smiled before pulling your body away slightly, just to look at her. And she looked back at you with the same adoration, her cheeks flushing slightly.

You spun her into your arms then, making her laugh as you pulled her back, your hands resting on her neck as your hips swayed to the rhythm of the ukulele of the band playing on the stage.

There were a few other couples around, but you could hardly notice anyone but Lizzie.

You continued dancing, and you rested your forehead on hers, closing your eyes and breathing in her perfume. Lizzie smiled, stealing a quick kiss before resting her chin on your shoulder, following the rhythm of the dance.

When the show ends, you follow the crowd in the clapping for a moment before Lizzie entwines your hands and pulls you toward the bar.

"That was fun." She comments with cheeks flushed from the dance, her smile soft as you stand near each other, your hands intertwined as you reach for the menu.

"Dancing with you always is." You retorted charmingly, releasing her hand only to fit it against your waist, drawing a chuckle from Lizzie.

You ended up sharing some drinks and snacks, and you were starting to feel higher with each sip.

Lizzie was in the middle of a joke when you interrupted her.

"Marry me?"

She blinked in surprise, a confused chuckle escaping her lips.

"What?"

Maybe it was the drinking. Probably not, because with the emerald eyes looking so intently, you suddenly felt very sober. Your heart raced too, but you were never more sure of anything than you were now.

"Marry me." You repeat with a confident smile. Lizzie blushes with wide eyes.

"You... Are you serious?" She asks in surprise, and you let out a sigh, moving closer to take her hands and put them down on your racing heart.

"I love you." You tell her with nothing but sincerity. "I want to spend my life with you. I was planning something bigger, perhaps, at your parents' summer house. I would get down on one knee in front of your family and hand over the ring I've been carrying for three months." You confess and watch her look at you in shock. "I've been waiting for the right moment, Lizzie. But I've just realized that every second with you is the right moment. I want you to be my wife. Do you want me to be yours?"

It took a second for her to react, her expression changing from shock to pure happiness, the tears appearing in her eyes and the smile so big it made her eyes small.

"Yes, yes, of course." She replied between one shy laugh and another, moving forward to kiss you over and over again.

You couldn't stop smiling as you kissed her, and you giggled against each other's mouths, pulling apart to embrace each other.

It didn't take long for the people around the bar to notice and start clapping, but you didn't care.

All you were seeing was your future wife.

//-//-//-//

California, 1 year and 9 months ago.

You finished putting the coffee jug on the tray, the last missing item, before carrying it to your room, taking careful steps not to trip over anything on the way.

Lizzie was already awake, but still in bed. The glass of water in her hands and the missing pill on her bedside table indicated that she was already treating her hangover.

"Good morning, darling." You greeted as you entered, walking over to the bed to leave the platter on top of the sheet next to Lizzie.

"You're home." She commented in a mixture of surprise and embarrassment, you just made a noise with your mouth as she sighed, running her hand over her face, probably because of her headache. "When did you get home?"

"Last night." You respond by watching her. "Just before you."

"Sorry." She says moving closer. You gently pull away from her attempt to kiss her lips, and Lizzie frowns. "What?"

"I was worried." You state seriously. Lizzie lets out a sigh, leaning her back against the bed completely. "I thought you were going to pick me up at the airport, but you didn't call. And then I find the house empty. Until you arrived, completely drunk at dawn."

Lizzie crossed her arms, looking away. It was your turn to sigh.

"What's happening, Elizabeth?"

"It 's nothing."

"Elizabeth."

"Stop it." She asks impatiently, turning her face to you again. "Don't call me that."

You just frown in confusion. "It's your name."

"No." She exclaims annoyedly, closing her eyes for a moment. "You only call me Elizabeth when you're angry. And you can't be angry at me because I have the right to go out!"

You watch her stand up, as if running away from the conversation, and you sigh impatiently, massaging your temple with your finger. Lizzie begins to remove her dress, clearly intent on going to take a shower.

"I never said you had no right to go out, Elizabeth." You retort ignoring the annoyed grunt she lets out at you continuing to call her by her full name. "I just think I have the right to ask why after we agreed on something, you changed plans at the last minute and decided to disappear."

"It's funny that you want to demand something from me when you've spent the last few months without giving me any satisfaction of where or who you were with!" She accuses angrily and you grimace in indignation.

"Oh, so it's about my work?" You retort angrily. "The last time I checked we had decided that I was going to record and come home. You said you were fine with that!"

Lizzie gave a humorless laugh, her dress falling to her feet as she worked to remove her bra.

"Well, you know what, I wasn't!" She shouts angrily, throwing the bra angrily into the closet. You need to remember that you are angry with her as you have the vision of her breasts exposed in front of you while she is yelling at you. "I didn't agree to the endless get-togethers with all those sluts around you! And I sure didn't agree with your flushed face on television flirting with Emilia Clarke in front of the whole country!"

You stared at Lizzie in shock, but she just grunted in irritation before turning to go to the bathroom.

"No, I think it's so funny you bring that up, you know, Elizabeth." You spoke aloud as you stood up to follow her. "Because when I said Aubrey Plaza was flirting with you, you told me it was just business. But suddenly, Emilia is something that bothers you!"

"God, this is so different from Aubrey!" she retorts in irritation, finally naked, before stepping into the shower. You were beginning to find it hard to remember why you were fighting now that you had the view of her wet silhouette in the shower stall, as she raised her voice to be heard beyond the sound of the water. "We were supposed to be flirting in the interviews, it was all for the movie. You were just falling all over Emilia for no reason. All those smiles and giggles." She declares angrily, making you bite back a smile. Lizzie naked, angry and jealous was hot as hell.

"I really can't believe we are having this conversation." You complain as you unbutton your pajama shirt. "The most absurd part of it all is you thinking I would have anything with anyone else."

"You say these things but don't live up to them with your actions." She retorts, annoyed. "I wouldn't think anything of it if you didn't flirt with other people!"

"I didn't flirt with anyone!" You return defensively, your blouse finally coming off. Lizzie's annoyed expression almost falters, but she keeps her gaze above your breasts as you take off your pants. "And honestly, none of this would be happening if everyone knew we were dating!"

Lizzie frowns, her anger finally dissipating with your sentence. You step into the shower stall with her, and she looks at you dubiously.

"You...you want to go public?" She asks, studying you as the water falls on her back. You swallow dryly, keeping yourself in front of her.

"Only if you want to."

Lizzie holds out her hand for you to take, and when you do, she pulls you gently until your breasts are almost touching.

"Do you think we're ready for that?" She whispers as your foreheads lean against each other. You sigh as you rest your hands on her waist.

"With you, I'm ready for anything, Lizzie."

She sighs against your lips, her hands moving up to your neck.

"I can't think about that with you naked in front of me." She mumbles before moving forward against his lips.

Kissing shouldn't feel this good.

You slide your tongue over hers a moment later, and you both sigh in need, feeling the effects of so much time apart. Your hands move down to her ass, squeezing the flesh and forcing her against you, and the direct contact of exposed skin makes Lizzie whimper.

You press her against the glass of the shower stall, feeling the shower water against your back as you hold your mouths together in a passionate, hungry kiss.

When air was needed, you ran your kisses down your girlfriend's exposed collarbone, enjoying the way she sighed in anticipation, her hand moving up to the back of your neck to encourage you.

"God, I missed you." You sighed before sucking on the sensitive spot on her collarbone, making Lizzie whimper as she dug her nails into your shoulder.

She pulled your face back to hers, kissing you urgently, and you pressed your body against hers, your hands moving down to her thighs and up so that she entwined her legs around your waist.

The contact of your exposed intimates together made you both gasp in the kiss, but you slid your tongue against hers again, savoring her taste as your hands moved up to her breasts, squeezing and cupping them with a full palm, your fingers playing with her hardened nipples and making Lizzie sigh wetly.

"What is it baby?" you teased when she was unable to keep up the pace of the kiss, throwing her head back as she felt your hands pressing her breasts hard, and Lizzie grunted as she bit her lips to keep from moaning, looking up at you with dark eyes, clearly struggling to keep her expression impassive. You smiled, pressing your hips forward and watching her close her eyes tightly, unable to contain a low moan that escaped her throat. "I want to hear you, baby."

"I'm still mad at you." She declares in an affected voice, and you murmur in understanding, lowering your face to her collarbone, and licking and kissing the skin, making her shiver.

"Is this angry sex, then?" You sneer as you move your hips forward again, the sensation bringing a rising wave of pleasure to both of you. "It doesn't seem like it."

Lizzie sighs impatiently, and puts her legs on the floor, pushing you away by your shoulder.

You are so stunned by the sudden break in contact that you barely have time to absorb her turning off the shower before she pulls you by the hand out of the stall.

You were about to ask what she was going to do, but she pushed you onto the bed, and disappeared into the closet.

"Lizzie?" You called out uncertainty, preparing your apology speech for what exactly you couldn't say. But she walked out next, and the sight made your mouth go dry. "Damn."

Elizabeth was wearing a strap-on, the rubber penis already fitted in the front and ready for use. And from the determined expression on her face, she was more than willing to prove to you that she was pissed.

"Fuck me." You breathed aroused by the view, and Lizzie gave a wry chuckle as she approached the bed.

"Oh, I will." It was her only warning before she broke the distance, kissing you fervently, her tongue exploring your mouth and pulling the air from your lungs, making you see stars.

You let out a low moan, moving your hands up to her waist to pull her to you, but Lizzie pushed your hands away, breaking the kiss and moving one hand up to your neck, squeezing lightly as she made you look at her.

"Knees, ass up." She commanded in a husky voice, her gaze glittering with lust, you bit your lips to keep from moaning again, feeling your pussy pulsate with desire as you obeyed, turning on the bed quickly as Lizzie positioned herself behind you. "I'll teach you not to flirt with other girls."

"I was n-fuck." Your speech turned into an horsy whimper as she suddenly penetrated you with the dildo, you were so wet that she had no problem at all, the toy slipping into your folds with ease, filling you completely. Lizzie chuckled breathlessly, her hands steadying your hips.

"God, you're so hot." She murmured, moving slowly inside you, the action making you clench your fists in the sheets and arch your back, your pussy clenching against the dildo.

"Fuck, Lizzie."

She thrust again, this time hard, her hands squeezing your hips as she went deep inside, making you moan loudly.

Before establishing a rhythm, she leaned against you, her hand coming up to your hair and pulling you back as she brought her mouth to your ear.

"You are mine." She whispered before she thrust hard inside you, making you moan. "Do you understand?"

"Not quite yet, try harder." You teased breathlessly, the pleasure at having the dildo all the way inside you making you half dizzy. Lizzie grunted angrily, this time stroking even harder, making you see stars as you whimpered, your body beginning to tremble.

"Quit being a brat or I'm going to fucking stop." She warned against your ear, thrusting more slowly this time, and you moaned breathlessly, barely able to keep your eyes open.

Lizzie set a slow pace, but thrusting hard as you moaned and whimpered, every time the dildo entered you making you even wetter and aroused, to the point that you were unable to hold back the loud moans, and she giggled.

"Look at you, a horny, begging mess." She sneered against your ear. "You are mine, and only mine."

She whispered, her strokes deep inside you. "I want you to remember that when you flirt with other girls. How good I make you feel."

You whimpered, your pussy clenching against the dildo for more, Lizzie keeping the strokes torturously slow. Seeing your state, she laughed softly, pulling out of you completely.

Before you had time to complain, she turned you over on the bed, spreading your legs as she bent down, thrusting deep inside you. Your moan died against her lips as she kissed you hard, laying against you as she buried the dildo inside you.

You could feel Lizzie everywhere. Her breasts against you, her lips on yours, and it was too much. She thrust hard again, deep and fast as you had your legs around her waist, and her tongue on yours, and you began to tremble in spasms, pleasure spreading throughout your body.

Lizzie smiled against your lips as you lost the ability to respond to the kiss, moaning and whimpering at the closeness of your climax. Her mouth moved down to your neck as she kept up the pace of the thrusts inside you, and your hands tightened around her waist, pulling on her hips for more friction.

It wasn't long before you fell over the edge, the tightness under your belly exploding, the pleasure spreading to the tips of your feet as you moaned against Lizzie's ear, crumbling under her.

As you tried to normalize your breathing after such an intense orgasm, she straightened to look at you, her eyes had adoration in them.

"You did so good." She praised against your lips. "Did you learn your lesson?"

"I did." You replied in a husky voice, taking a deep breath to control the effects of climax.

In one swift motion, you spun you two around on the bed, sighing as you felt the toy move inside you.

"Now you will learn to honor your appointments, Miss Olsen." You warned as your hands moved down to the latches of the strap, removing it as Lizzie bit her lips, looking at you with a mischievous gaze.

You shifted to remove the strap and toss the toy on the floor, returning to sit on Lizzie's lap, your mouth returning to hers immediately.

When she began to move beneath you, you smiled against her lips, pulling away as you rested your forehead against hers and let your fingers play with her wet entrance.

"Use your mouth." She asked breathlessly, her nails digging into your arm.

"My baby wants my mouth?" You teased, moving forward to lick her lips and pulling away with a short laugh when she moaned as she chased your mouth unsuccessfully. You circled her clitoris with your fingers, and Lizzie gasped. "The next time you want to get drunk, at least text me, my love." You warned as you penetrated her with two fingers at once, feeling her hot and slippery, while Lizzie moaned loudly against your mouth. "Do you understand?"

You removed your fingers, playing with her entrance until she nodded frantically, pushing her hips toward your hand. But you laughed lightly, pulling your hand away completely, and leaving her with a confused expression.

"I thought you wanted my mouth." You scoff, already ducking, as Lizzie looks at you expectantly.

"God, you always fuck me so good." Lizzie comments as you kiss her thighs, moving down. You smile against her skin, finally reaching her pussy.

You stare at her before moving forward, your tongue against her clitoris as she sighs with need.

"Don't torture me." She begs breathlessly, her wrists locked on the bed, you smile, lingeringly licking her, and she closes her eyes tightly.

"I won't, my love." You assure her before returning your mouth to her pussy, kissing her entrance before you begin to suck and lick, devouring her with desire.

She moans loudly, letting out affected sighs with each movement of your tongue inside her, and you hold her thighs to keep her open for you as you eat her out.

It doesn't take long for Lizzie to reach her edge, already near the limit from fucking you, but it's still delicious to have her crumbling against your mouth like a weeping mess, her orgasm on your tongue as she screams your name.

You climb your body back up onto her, and kiss her tenderly, unlike anything so far.

Lizzie is trying to control her breathing from the climax, but sighs in satisfaction as she tastes herself on your tongue.

As silence falls over you, you sigh lightly, your hands caressing her face.

"Are we okay, Lizzie?" You ask as you settle down to lie across from each other. She leans into the touch of your hands, as her hands come up to your waist.

"I don't know." She confesses. "But I want us to be."

You smile, using your finger to take a strand of hair from her face and tuck it behind her ear.

"Do you think going public will make us better?"

"I don't want to love you in secret anymore." She says and you feel your heart soar. "Do you understand?"

You smile. "Yes, babe. I feel the same way."

She gives a relieved smile, her gaze passionate. You break the distance, and kiss her gently.

When you break the kiss a moment later, you look quickly at your bodies. "I think we should have this conversation with clothes on." You comment and Lizzie giggles.

"Later. Now I show how much I missed you in my bed." She says before bringing your lips together again.

You certainly wouldn't object to that.

//-//-//

Atlanta, three years ago.

You hesitated at the entrance to the restaurant.

Through the window you could see Lizzie, and all your cast mates, as it was the closing celebration of the WandaVision filming.

You swallowed hard, the object in your pocket suddenly becoming too heavy.

You startled slightly when you felt a hand on your shoulder.

"I guess we're both late, huh?" Kathryn Hahn, your cast mate, remarked gently, putting her car keys away in her pocket clearly having arrived right with you.

You gave her a lopsided smile and she noticed your hesitation, assuming a worried expression.

"Everything okay?" She asked.

You shifted your gaze to the window again, watching Lizzie giggle shyly, her gaze shining slightly. She looked around too, searching, and you knew it was for you.

"Yeah, I just...I was just having a moment of doubt." You say still looking at Lizzie. Kathryn followed your gaze, and smiled, but didn't comment on it.

You sighed, reaching into your pocket and pulling out the object.

"Wow, are you going to...?" Kathryn asked in surprise but you gave a humorless laugh.

"No, I couldn't." You say swallowing dryly, and looking away from the velvet box. "I don't know if I'm ready."

"And when either of us are?" Kat returned, making you smile.

"How did you know you were going to say yes to your husband?" You asked next. Kathryn sighed thoughtfully.

"I didn't." She replied. "There's no way to know until you get asked. But what I did know was that I loved him. And that's what really matters."

You absorbed her words in silence, and then put the box back in your pocket.

"I think she loves me." You say. "That will be enough until I find the right moment."

Kat murmurs in understanding, and then pushes her shoulder against yours lightly.

"Just don't wait too long." She warns with a smile, nodding her head signaling for the two of you to enter the restaurant and join the rest of the team.

When you enter, any thoughts of Lizzie denying your marriage proposal are driven out by the image of her contented smile when she sees you arrive.

//-//-//-//

A/F/N> I'm not even gonna try to say this is the last time i'm continuing this work because at this point, I just know I don't believe my own words anymore haha. Tell me what you think people.

Tag> @imapotatao / @aimezvousbrahms/ @ensorcellme/ @helloalycia || @mionemymind / @abimess / @stephanieromanoff / @yourtaletotell / @tomy5girls / @justagaypanicking / @thegayw1tch / @idek-5 // @myperfectlovepoem // @helloalycia // @ENSORCELLME // @AIMEZVOUSBRAHMS // @drpepperobsessed // @sighsam // @olsensnpm // @sxfwap // @table57 // @madamevirgo // @causeitswhatjesuswouldfreakingdo // @emptysince18x // @xastrydx || @yuhloversxx || @ymzki-haruki || @wouldirunofftheworldsomeday || @lostandsearching || @lezzzbehonesthere || @musicinourlips || @chaekhan || @diaryoflife || @nervoustrack || @aquamarinescarlet || @cristin-rjd || @idamaemann || @fortunatelynerdylight

[memzhay]

The Rehearsal

The long teased on camera kiss was happening. There had been a lot of discussion on the whens and the hows of it. Should they do it on the camping series with Stevie? Should they do a bunch of fake out kisses while camping and then do it on a regular behind the desk episode right after the camping series dropped? Should they do the kiss first and then do the camping series? Should they do it on Good Mythical More so the hard core fans would be the first ones to see it? There were lots of variables, and it was important to get it right.

In the end, they had decided to do it during Pride month, in a main GMM episode, right around the time that the crew would be running the big 5K for the Los Angeles LGBTQ Center. The concept for the episode was a trivia game where there were no winners or losers, highlighting the contributions of LGBTQ individuals throughout history. Not just in things like music, and fashion, but in fields of science and technology, philosophy, all kinds of things. It was a solidly good concept. They would finish the game, say something about the Center and the upcoming 5K, they kiss, they spin the Wheel of Mythicality.

It was a few days before the shoot, and Link seemed nervous and on edge. He and Rhett had talked about it a bit, and it wasn’t that he didn’t want to do the kiss, or that he was worried about their friendship, or their families, or anything like that. He said he was worried about technical things, but had trouble articulating exactly what. They decided to have a rehearsal one evening at the studio after the crew had gone home. After a lot of discussion earlier in the day they had for sure decided they wanted the kiss to be standing up over by where they used to do LTAT rather than behind the desk. Since the premise of the game was really more of a behind the desk sort of thing, the writers weren’t exactly sure what the motivation would be for them to suddenly be standing up, but said not to worry about it. If it was important, they would figure out a way to make it happen.

They were standing in the spot where they planned to do the kiss. They had put chairs out where the cameras would be. They put the wheel where the wheel would be. Once they were satisfied that the scene was set, Rhett turned to Link.

“Ok. So we have camera 1 here, 2 here for close ups, far away cam if we need it will be up there. All good?” Rhett asked.

“Yeah,” Link said pacing around and adjusting the chairs minutely one way then another. “If this is the main camera, then that means we should be standing here and angled like this.” He adjusted his body so that he was in profile to the camera with his feet at a right angle so that his body faced the camera slightly more.

Rhett angled himself to match across from Link, eying the positions and imagining the camera angles. “That should be fine. Do we want to put tape marks down?”

“Not right now,” Link said awkwardly. It seemed like he couldn’t meet Rhett’s eyes and kept sweeping his gaze across the floor and their feet like something still wasn’t quite right. Rhett put a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Hey now. Everything is cool. It’s just me. Ain’t nothing dramatic happening tonight. Tell me what’s bothering you. Was it the camera positions you were mostly concerned about? Do we need to get a real one out instead of these chairs?”

“No,” Link replied. “It’s not that. I’m just overthinking every detail, and it’s kind of embarrassing.”

“Out with it, Neal! Rhett McLaughlin is here to help.”

“What am I supposed to do with my hands?” Link blurted out. “I mean we hug, and it shouldn’t really be that different, right? But do my hands need to be more on your shoulders than they normally would be, am I supposed to touch your hair? Are you supposed to touch my face? Speaking of your hair, is it going to be up or down? How long a kiss are we talking here? We don’t want it to be like a quick peck, so do we count slowly to 5? I know we already talked about that before, I just…” He was spinning out of control fast.

“Man! You really are in your head about this,” Rhett said with sympathy. “That’s too many things to think about at once, right? It’s like shooting a music video. If you think of all the things that need to happen at once, it’s overwhelming. Let’s take it in steps.”

“Right,” Link said taking a deep breath. “Steps. Find the process. One thing at a time.”

“Good,” Rhett said. “Now come here and hug me.”

“I…You..” Link stammered, his hands making tiny helpless windmills in the air.

“Come on! Like you said, it’s not like we don’t hug. Hug your buddy! Let’s start from there,” Rhett prompted spreading his arms in invitation.

Link chuckled about how silly he was being and stepped into the hug. His hands went automatically to the middle of Rhett’s back. It felt fine. Not alien, or awkward, or different than any time they might hug.

“Come on and hug me like you mean it!” Rhett said, giving Link a squeeze and jostling him back and forth a bit. Link laughed in spite of himself and returned the hug with a bit more gusto.

“Alright! Now we just lean back a bit and we are in a perfectly good kissing stance. Are your feet still angled right?” Rhett asked, turning his face to the side and looking down. Both of them had their feet properly angled. “See! We’re pros. We can do this!”

Link chuckled a bit. “Ok. So the hands just sort of go where they would anyway. I’m fine with that.”

“Alright then, let’s talk hair stuff,” Rhett suggested. “Do you want to touch my hair?”

“I don’t know!” Link pleaded. He didn’t try to pull away from the hug though.

“You touch my hair a lot. Remember when you used to cut it back in the day? You’ve cut it, curled it, straightened it, covered it in peanut butter. It’s still just my hair.” Rhett reached up and pulled the ponytail holder out of his hair and shook it out a bit. Link automatically shook his own head in dramatic, somewhat mocking fashion. Rhett chuckled.

“Ok. Just your hair. Not like it’s made of snakes,” Link said, bringing his hands up and sliding them into the hair at the base of Rhett’s neck. His hair is so long these days! He looked at his fingers flexing them a bit. There was more of it than there ever has been, but it was still just Rhett’s hair.

Seeing that Link was fairly comfortable, Rhett slid a hand into Link’s hair as well. Link closed his eyes and leaned into Rhett’s hand ever so slightly. Link brought his hands back down to where they had been on Rhett’s back and focused on the feeling of Rhett’s fingers curling and uncurling gently in his hair.

“Next agenda item, the length and voracity of the kiss,” Rhett stated. “What do you think would be best?”

Link’s eyes flew open and he considered. “I think it does need to be more than just a quick smooch, I think we referred to the tone before as sort of friendly and respectful, but what if when it happens we are all adrenalized? What if it goes wrong? What if I end up kissing you, I don’t know, too much? Not enough?” Link was starting to sound panicky again.

“Let’s establish right now,” Rhett said quietly, “If you don’t want to do this, if it’s too much, it stops here. No guilt or blame, nobody’s going to give you a hard time. Furthermore, if you want to kiss me more than just quick and ‘respectful like’, I hereby consent.” He smiled warm and comforting down at Link, his fingers still lightly working their way through his hair.

“Good. Ok. I’m fine, really,” Link assured. “I’m not backing out, it’s just, it’s the first time, and I want it to be perfect.”

“And what is perfection?” Rhett prompted, giving Link the set up for something he said all the time.

“An illusion,” Link said with a sigh. He was feeling better. This was going to be ok. The girls were fine with it. The kids were fine with it. However it turned out, him and Rhett would be fine. Another shadow flitted across his eyes.

“Anything else?” Rhett asked.

“I guess there is one more thing,” Link began. This was real embarrassing. “I..I’ve never.. I’ve never kissed anybody with a beard before. Do you think the texture will freak me out?”

“I’ll have you know the texture of my beard is perfectly lovely!” Rhett exclaimed in mock outrage. He considered the problem. “But you better go ahead and put your face on it, just to be sure.”

“What?” Link began to pull back.

“Here. I’m going to lean down, you can kiss my cheek, rub your nose in it, whatever you have to do to be comfy with your dear old friend, my beard,” He said with a calm smile.

Rhett leaned down and Link brushed his cheek on the auburn beard he knew so well. Scratchy wasn’t the word. Not soft either exactly, but definitely not painful or unpleasant. He turned his lips into the side of Rhett’s face and lingered a moment, noticing again that Rhett’s hand was still lightly moving around the back of his head, petting his hair.

“It smells nice,” Link said as though in a dream.

“Mythical.com/store,” Rhett chimed in. They both laughed. Link pulled his face back a bit and smiled an untroubled smile up at his friend. He then tucked his head down and snuggled into Rhett’s chest, feeling his heartbeat. That constant, steady beat that had been with him so much of his life. They stood there a long time like that. There was no rush. This was a good idea. They should have done it years ago.

[bluejayblueskies]

chimera

Part 13 of Whumptober 2020

Fandom: The Magnus Archives Characters: Jonathan Sims, Martin Blackwood Tags: Whump, Major Character Death, Angst (like a LOT), Memory Loss

Read on Ao3

Warm sunlight filters through the window, casting dancing shadows against the hardwood floors of the Scottish safehouse. It brings out the golden tones in Martin’s hair, Jon thinks as he lays tangled in the soft down comforter they’d dragged from the closet, sleep having left him before the sun broke over the horizon, as it so often did lately.

 “I can feel you watching,” Martin says softly, eyes still closed, and Jon startles slightly, feeling a blush rise to his cheeks.

 “I- sorry, I… thought you were still asleep. Though I suppose that’s not really any better, is it?”

 “No, it’s- it’s fine,” Martin says, opening his eyes to look at Jon. There’s a small smile on his lips. “It… it’s nice, actually.”

 Jon’s blush deepens. “Oh.”

 Martin laughs lightly, voice still husky from sleep, and reaches forward, his fingers ghosting across Jon’s cheek. “I just meant that- well, you don’t have to stop. That’s all. I like looking at you too, you know.”

 Jon reaches up and captures Martin’s fingers with his own. It never feels quite real, being able to touch Martin like this; even now, Jon’s afraid that one moment, he’ll reach out and he’ll meet only fog. “I know.” He hesitates, just for a second, and then leans forward and presses a soft kiss against Martin’s mouth. “I love you.”

 He can feel Martin smile against his lips. “I love you too, Jon.”

 They lie there, in the warmth of the sun, and just look…

.

It’s really no surprise when Martin wakes one morning to the creaking of the bed as Jon scrambles out of it, nearly tripping in his effort to free himself from the tangle of sheets that, once, had been a comfort. It still nearly breaks Martin when Jon says, in a voice trembling with raw fear, “Where- where am I? Who are you? Why- why can’t I see anything?”

 They’d rehearsed this, all those weeks ago when the first gaps in Jon’s memory had begun to appear. Just little things, at first: what he’d had for breakfast that morning; their trip to the village the day before, to pick up groceries; the garden they’d planted last week, evident only in the freshly tilled earth and small wooden markers labeled in sharp, blocky letters that Jon couldn’t remember writing. Then, bigger things: those last moments of fear, destroyed utterly as the Panopticon went up in flames and Jon’s eyes alit in kind; that long and pained journey through the domains, every step carefully planned yet entirely unknown, in the end; the trip to the safehouse, Martin still shivering in the passenger seat of Basira’s car and Jon’s hand clasped firmly with his, as it had been since they’d begun to make their way out of the fog.

 Yesterday, it had been the first time Martin had brought Jon tea. Earl Grey, with a splash of milk, no sugar. Set on his desk with a tentative smile and a, “Sorry about earlier, with the- erm, the dog. I- I’m glad to be here. Really.”

 Jon had stared at the tea, like he couldn’t quite understand why it was there, and then had said stiffly, “I trust we can expect a more professional demeanor when it comes to your work, Mr. Blackwood.”

 “Oh, y- yes, of course,” Martin said, trying and failing to hide the nervousness in his voice with a shaky smile. “And it’s Martin. Please.”

 Jon’s finger absentmindedly traced the rim of the steaming mug. “Well, Martin, we’ll have our work cut out for us rectifying the frankly abysmal state of the Archives. I suggest you spend less time making tea and more time filing.”

 It probably should have made Martin angrier, to have what was intended as an apology be brushed aside. But the look on Jon’s face later, after Martin had retreated back to the assistants’ desks, when he took a casual sip of the tea and, apparently, found it quite to his liking, was something Martin never could get out of his mind.

 And now it was gone. And Martin knew, when Jon looked at him blankly and said, “We’ve just met—of course I don’t know how you take your tea,” that this was it. He… he’d run out of time.

 He’d known for weeks, what was coming. It doesn’t make it hurt any less.

.

Jon’s curled up under the sheets, and he’s shivering, and Martin wants nothing more than to wrap him up in his arms and hold him, in these last moments. But he knows that’s not what Jon wants. Not anymore. So he sits, in the armchair he’d moved from the living room to their bedroom—Jon’s bedroom, he mentally corrects, as he’d moved to the second bedroom in the safehouse some time ago—and tries, unsuccessfully, not to cry as Jon says, weakly, “I- I don’t remember. You- your name. I’m sorry, I- I think you told me, but I- I don’t…”

 Jon lets out a small, broken whimper. “I don’t remember who I am. And- and everything hurts, and it- it’s so cold. Why… what’s happening to me?”

 God, he can’t do this. He- he shouldn’t have to do this. Everyone else gets to be happy. Everyone else gets to forget that dark and broken world of fear and pain, resuming their lives like nothing had ever changed. They’d gone through so much, sacrificed so much to cast the fears from this reality, and this is what they get. This is their reward. Martin wants to scream. He wants to break down, to collapse into the pain and the fear and the sorrow, to retreat into himself and shut out a world that’s not for him anymore.

 He forces a reassuring smile onto his face. “It’s- it’s okay, Jon. You’re going to be okay.”

 Jon’s hands, thin enough to be nothing but bone covered in a layer of dry, cracked skin, scrabble at the sheets, unable to get a grip. “I- I don’t- please, just- just help me, I don’t- I don’t understand- who am I? Why can’t I remember? Why can’t I see?”

 “You… you’re going to be okay,” Martin repeats, and he- he can’t stop himself. He reaches forward, hesitantly, and lays a careful hand on top of Jon’s. Jon flinches instinctively, and Martin’s stomach twists as he begins to move his hand back. Then, tentatively, Jon relaxes against Martin’s touch.

 “You…” Jon swallows, and his voice is so ragged. “You’re so warm.” A pause. Then: “Will… will you hold me? I- I’m sorry, I- I don’t even know if you know me, but- but I’m just so cold, and—”

 Jon’s voice breaks off, and Martin realizes that he’s crying. “And I think I’m dying,” he says, barely more than a whisper, and it breaks Martin’s heart into a thousand tiny shards.

 “Of course,” Martin says, and he’s sure that the tears that are now flowing freely down his face are wet and sticky against Jon’s neck as he pulls Jon tightly to him, trying desperately to commit to memory the way that Jon smells, even now, like lavender and sandalwood, and the way that Jon’s curls tickle his cheeks as Jon tucks his head into the crook of Martin’s neck, and the way that Jon sighs, ever so slightly, as his arms wrap around Martin’s back and his hands fist in the soft material of Martin’s shirt. Martin can hardly breathe, but he focuses on those sensations and tells himself the lie that this isn’t the last time, because otherwise he thinks he’ll crumble entirely. “Of course,” he repeats. Then, because he can’t help himself: “I love you, Jon. So, so much. I- I just wanted you to know.”

 Jon’s breathing hitches, and Martin thinks he’s going to pull away—that it was too much, he knows it was too much, that he shouldn’t have said it—but after a moment, he just squeezes Martin tighter. “I- I wish I could say the same. But I… I don’t think I know what love feels like anymore. It… it’s just gone.” Jon swallows, and then says, in a quiet and pleading voice, “Could… could you describe it to me?”

 Martin tries to think of a way—a way to describe how it feels, to be completely consumed with affection and warmth and radiance and Jon—and comes up empty. So he pulls back, just enough to study the lines of Jon’s face, and begins to tell him about cups of tea placed on hardwood desks, and quiet moments spent walking with hands clasped through rolling, grassy hills, and holding onto one another unwaveringly when the world wanted nothing more than to pull them apart.

 At some point, Martin feels the gentle rise and fall of Jon’s chest still. But he keeps talking, even as he lays Jon down gently on the bed, and brushes Jon’s hair away from his face, and presses a soft kiss to his forehead.

 “It was nice, you know?” Martin says, his voice thick with tears but unable to help the small, sad smile that comes across his face. “The time we had. I just wish…”

 No. There’s really no point anymore, is there?

 Martin steps away from the bed, and looks away. “Goodbye, Jon,” he says. He lets himself stand there, just a moment more. Then, he draws in a shaking breath, and makes the call.

[sakuradormitory]

A couple of years ago I was working on a big project called Sakurasou Theatre,  a novel-length AU where the residents of Sakurasou were part of a theatre club and putting on their first play together. Sadly I won't be able to finish it, but quite a few scenes from it that can stand as they are, so I wanted to share those for anyone who might be interested.

I hope you enjoy a peek into Sakurasou Theatre!

I’ve included a couple of scenes below and I’ll be uploading some more to AO3 over the next few weeks.

Galactic Cat Nyaboron

“Alright then!” Misaki shouted, posing with her hand in place of a microphone. “Let's get this play started!” As she hopped down from the stage and started to hand out everyone's scripts, Sorata exchanged a look with Nanami. 'Hectic' would have been the best way to describe the day. Everyone was excited about the new play and first rehearsal of the year — even Ryuunosuke was in notably good spirits. Sorata caught him nodding and smiling slightly a couple of times as they all read through the script together. Since it was the first trial run of Galactic Cat Nyaboron to see how Jin's script would work out on stage and what changes would need to be made, everyone practiced reading through their lines before doing anything on stage. They read through the play once without interruptions (though Sorata noticed Nanami and Ryuunosuke both pausing regularly to scribble notes on their copies of the script) and by the time they had finished, everyone was pumped up and ready to power through the second read-through with full steam ahead. With a better grasp of the context of each scene, both Nanami and Misaki read through their lines with more confidence than before. Nanami made a few suggestions about the dialogue, Sorata asked a few general questions and Ryuunosuke raised a few propositions about how he might do the lighting in each scene. Misaki, who had stayed surprisingly quiet the first time, was now bouncing up and down in her seat and jumping up to add excitedly to everyone's contributions. Jin typed up everyone's comments on his laptop, his eyes hardly ever moving from the screen the whole time. He looked a lot more serious than Sorata had ever remembered seeing him before, and by the time they had been through the entire play again, he looked utterly exhausted. The rest of them were clearly spent too: Ryuunosuke and Nanami were both stifling yawns, Mashiro was leaning on the latter's shoulder looking like she was ready to doze off, and Sorata could feel a crick in his neck and stiffness in his back and shoulders. He flopped back against his chair, wishing it had a more comfortable backrest. Only Misaki didn't look as tired out as everyone else, but she was certainly significant more breathless than usual. She leaned over in her chair and nudged Jin lightly in the side. “Jin, Jin, did we do a good job?” “Yes,” Jin said vaguely, not looking away from his screen. “Alright, are we ready to go through again?” “You must be joking,” Sorata groaned, slipping down in his chair. The play wasn't particularly long, but with everyone's contributions it had taken them almost two and a half hours to go through... and that wasn't including the time they had spent reading it aloud the first time. 

Line Practise

After breakfast the following morning, Sorata headed back to his room with the intention of taking a chance to run over his lines before the first class of the day. Jin, Misaki and Nanami were still downstairs talking over the script while Mashiro had headed back to the rooms with him, setting herself up in her bedroom with all her pencils, ready to finish the sketches for the background pieces. While Sorata had been eating with the others, Hikari and Komachi had both claimed spaces on his desk and chair respectively, so he sat cross-legged on the bed and tried to read out his lines as if he was on stage. “This war will never end until the Nyangolownians are defeated,” he mumbled, reading over the highlighted parts of the paper in front of him. “This war will never end until... no, I have to sound more like I'm pain for this part... I am supposed to be dying, after all...” Sorata looked up at the cats: Komachi was curled up asleep on his chair but Hikari was sitting up and watching him intently. “Pretend to be Nekoko for a moment, will you, Hikari? This war will never end until the Nyangolownians are defeated.. and the only one who can do that is you, Nekoko...” Hikari meowed and he looked up, grinning. “That's not actually your line, but close enough.” She meowed again and Sorata flipped the page to find his next lines, but the door opened before he had started to recite them. “Hey, Sorata.” “Hi-” Sorata looked up in time to see Jin drop a large cardboard box over his head. “Oi! What the hell, Jin-san?!” “We've got a job for you.” “And I've got one for you: stop antagonizing me while I'm trying to learn my lines." “Mashiro needs some smaller things cut out of cardboard as well as the big ones for the set pieces, so I volunteered you to cut out parts from some boxes for her to work with. Misaki's already marked off where to cut on this one; she'll bring up the next ones when she's done with them too.” “Right, sure,” Sorata began, pulling the box off of his head. “Wait, isn't this Hikari's box?” To prove his point, Hikari leapt off of Sorata's desk and promptly bit one of the flaps. “It's the box Akasaka's new computer came in, so technically it belongs to him.” “Yeah, but she claimed it. Akasaka said he didn't care.” “Doesn't she do that with all of them? Hikari can't have every box in the building, Sorata.” “Try telling her that,” Sorata muttered, avoiding eye contact with the hissing cat as he tried in vain to tug the box away from her. Unfortunately, even as Sorata convinced her to stop biting it, Hikari's claws had sunken into the corner. Sorata had to gently detach her from it and hoist it high above his head with one hand so she couldn't reach it again as he took the scissors Jin offered him with the other.

Worth Ethic

Leaving Mashiro to continue her paintings, Sorata pushed aside the heavy curtain dividing the platform in time to see Jin and Ryuunosuke arguing at the base of the stage, a few feet from where Nanami and Misaki were still reciting their lines. “Why can't you take the role instead?” Ryuunosuke demanded, arms folded over his chest as he glared up at Jin. “I need to be backstage. And you should know the script better than anyone, considering you're the one who wrote it.” “I co-wrote it,” Jin corrected him. “And yes, I do know the script word for word, which is exactly why I need to be free to jump in as understudy in case anyone can't perform on the night.” Jin adjusted his glasses as he finished checking over the parts Nanami had highlighted on Ryuunosuke's script. “I'll make sure that we won't need you doing anything backstage for these scenes,” he added. “And you'll only have appearances in the second half.” “If you've made all this effort to ensure everything will go ahead even if Ponytail or Kamiigusa can't perform, what are you planning on doing if both of them can't do it?” Ryuunosuke challenged, still looking mutinous. Jin flipped back to the front of the script and handed it to him. “Then you'll be taking a significantly bigger role too, so if you think that's a possibility you should probably learn their lines too.” Looking slightly horrified, Ryuunosuke took the file without a word and left abruptly to go backstage. After he had disappeared behind the curtain, Sorata approached Jin. “You shouldn't torment him like that, Jin-san. You know this sort of thing makes him uncomfortable.” Jin let out a long sigh, and stared down at Sorata for a moment. “I wasn't messing with him, actually. I really am memorizing everyone's lines so I can fill in if there's an accident.” “Your approach is all wrong,” Sorata said simply. “And you were definitely messing with him, because you know as well as I do that it would make more sense for me to do the role.” Jin raised his arms in a gesture of surrender. “You got me. Though I'm conscious of giving you too much to do. You're already co-directing, so I'm not keen to give you more to deal with.” “I can handle it,” Sorata hoped he sounded more confident than he felt. “Akasaka is needed backstage and I have the least to do at the moment. And you said the character only appears in the second half, right?” “Yes, at the moment, anyway... I was talking to Misaki about it earlier but our conversation got cut short so we haven't confirmed it yet. I'll check with her after the break.” “You can give me the lines you're sure about in the meantime and I'll read them now and practise with the others after lunch?” Sorata suggested. “The lines I'm sure about...” Jin repeated, looking uncharacteristically gloomy. “Sorata, if I was to give you those, I'd be handing you the first page of the script.” Jin raised the copy of the script he had been looking through, to display the first page:

GALACTIC CAT NYABARON

A PLAY BY SAKURASOU

Jin waved it a little for emphasis. “You're exaggera-” Sorata started, but stopped when he looked back to Jin's face. “Jin-san, the play's great. Everyone thinks so.” “Do they?” “There's no need to sound so skeptical. Trust us a bit, alright?” “Of course I do. But because you're my friends, I'm not convinced that you five are separating me from what I wrote.” He paused, and then chuckled. “Well, I could probably rely on Akasaka to give it to me straight. Chihiro-san too, but I don't think she'd read any of my writing.” “I honestly think the story and the script is great,” Sorata said firmly. “I'm sure everyone else is being honest about it too.” As forced as it seemed, Jin did crack a smile at that. “The last thing I want to do is let you all down,” he ran a hand through his hair, eyes downcast. “Especially Misaki. I've let her down too many times already.” “Misaki-senpai loves your scripts-” “She loves me,” Jin corrected. “Not my scripts. My writing doesn't match up to her artwork, or her standards.” His sigh was heavier this time as he turned back to Sorata. “You understand what I mean, don't you?” Sorata opened his mouth to answer, but paused. “Yeah, I do,” he said finally. “I can't say I've experienced it as harshly as you have, but... yeah, I get it.” “And this time I'm working with a story that means so much to Misaki... I really can't let her down this time.” “Aoyama's been helping you, hasn't she?” “Yes,” Jin nodded, his eyes flickering to Nanami on stage as she dropped her script onto the stage and raised her arms into position, ready to recite her lines. “She's been brilliant; I really couldn't have done this without her.” “Besides, Misaki-senpai wouldn't have asked you to turn Nyaboron into a script if she didn't think you could do it justice.” Sorata continued, turning away from Jin to wave encouragingly at Nanami. “But is that her overestimating me, or underestimating her story? Does she really think I can do her story justice, or does she not value it enough to give it to someone better?” Sorata nudged him, a bit sharper than he had intended. “You should have more faith in her and her judgement, Jin-san. You know how amazing she is.” “Yes, I do,” Jin said quietly, his eyes fixed on Misaki as she performed on stage. “I know that very well.” What am I supposed to say to that?   There was an awkward pause. It filtered out into an increasingly awkward silence as the two of them stared at their friends on stage. “Going back to what you were saying to Akasaka about if Misaki-senpai or Aoyama can't do it though...” Sorata cleared his throat. "I can't help but feel like it'd have to be a pretty serious accident to stop either of them from going through with this–” He watched the two of them battling on stage. “AND NOW, WITH MY MINIONS OF ROBOCATS, I WILL TAKE OVER THE UNIVERSE-” “Misaki-senpai, that's not your line!” “I know, but don't you think this sounds much cooler?" “Please stick to the script, Misaki-senpai!” “–and in a case like that, wouldn't we just end up postponing the play?” Sorata continued. “It's not like there's really a deadline for it. If we can't do it at the cultural festival, we can always find another opportunity.” “I guess,” Jin agreed, looking thoroughly miserable at the idea. “No, you're right.” he amended a moment later. “Sorry. I'm not thinking straight.” “I figured,” Sorata looked at him with concern. “Why don't you go and take a break?” Jin shook his head. “I'm the director, I can't not be here while everyone else is practising.” “So the director can't ever take a break? I don't know of any rules saying that the director needs to work himself to death,” Sorata retorted. “I can take over for a while.” Seeing Jin's unmoved expression, he changed tactics. “Alright, listen up everyone!” he cupped his hands around his mouth, calling out to the others on stage. “As co-director, I'm hereby using my authority to announce a non-negotiable fourty five minute break for early lunch. I'll go pick up the lunch we made this morning, so everyone else can just sit tight for now.” “FOOD!” Misaki whooped. She jumped off the stage, dragging a protesting Nanami along with her. “I would never have pegged you as the type to abuse your authority, Sorata, maybe I made a mistake appointing you with this position.” Jin said, grinning even as he shook his head. “I'm the one who's supposed to announce things like that.” He looked slightly relieved all the same. “You were the one who insisted, you can't back out of that now. And you can't complain about taking a break yourself if everyone is taking one.” Sorata nudged his friend again, considerably gentler this time. “Now go and sit down while I get you some lunch." Jin looked like he was about to say something else, but conceded and instead gave his friend a tired smile. “Thanks, Sorata.” Sorata waved him off with another grin, and Jin headed backstage without further complaint.

Sorata spotted Nanami and Mashiro heading towards him as he was leaving the clubroom. “You're going to pick up the lunch we made this morning, right? We'll join you.” Nanami's voice was somewhat breathless. She wiped sweat from her brow as she caught up with him, and tried to regulate her breathing again. “Wouldn't you rather rest instead?” “No, I'd rather come. I promised Mashiro I'd get her something from the store.” “Nanami promised me baumkuchen.” “Oh, so that's why you're sticking so close to her,” Sorata noted shrewdly, closing the clubroom door behind him. “No,” Mashiro shook her head, frowning. “It's because I'm supposed to make sure she doesn't touch her script until after lunch.” Nanami whirled around to face Mashiro, affronted. “Excuse me?” “Did Misaki give you that job?” Sorated turned a bit to hide his amusement. Mashiro nodded, following his gaze over to where Misaki had dragged Ryuunosuke out from backstage and was sitting in between him and Jin one of the mats at the back, talking enthusiastically. They both turned back at Nanami's huff of indignation. “Anyway, shall we get going? I thought we could walk that way together and catch up on the way back.” “Yeah, let's go.” Mashiro linked her arm with Nanami's as the three of them walked back to Sakurasou.

Sorata waited outside for Nanami and Mashiro to return from the convenience store, and then the three of them returned to the clubroom, each of their arms laden with the food that he and Nanami had prepared for everyone that morning. The three of them returned to find Misaki cheerfully narrating the backstory of Nyaboron to Ryuunosuke, who had curled his knees up to his chest and seemed to have accepted his fate. Jin was dozing off at the side next to them, slumped over with his head resting against the stack of unused mats. “Jin, wake up!” Misaki gently prodded Jin in the cheek with a spoon. He blinked dozily, sitting up slightly and yawning. “Huh? Is it morning already?” “Try midday, specifically lunchtime.” Sorata pushed a box firmly into Jin's hands. Everyone else helped themselves to the food; Misaki declared that Aoyama's cooking was the best she had ever tasted. When she had finished her share, Nanami made a quick grab for her script, resting on a chair a short distance away. Mashiro got there first, jumping up and promptly sitting on it, and earning herself snorts of laughter from both Sorata and Jin and a bout of loud applause from Misaki in the process. After an extended lunch break, everyone agreed to go through the entire play one more time for the day before heading back to Sakurasou to discuss the day's progress.

[reifromrfa]

First Snow - Zen x MC

Here’s my Secret Santa gift for @michiigii-writes-mysme! :) I love your writings so much, I hope you like this! :) Advance Merry Christmas! :D

First Snow

Zen x MC, fluff

This was a disaster.

All he wanted was a special pre-Christmas date with her; was that so hard to ask?

Apparently, for the silver-haired actor, it was.

Zen sighs as he stares up at the sky, recounting all the terrible mishaps of that day.

It all began with how his rehearsals had finished late. Again. With the holidays just around the corner, the director wanted to cram as much rehearsal time as he can before people started going off on breaks –and that meant extended practices.

But with today being the last day of rehearsals, they ended an hour later than usual.

Of course, with MC taking on the job as his manager, it meant longer work hours for her too, as she was there on set waiting for him to finish as well so she could discuss their holiday schedules with the rest of the cast.

Earlier that day…

Zen stretches his arms and breathes out a sigh of relief.

“Man, I’m beat,” he says, falling into a step beside his girlfriend and manager. MC nods as she adjusts the strap of her bag.

“They really pushed you guys today. I wanted to have a word with the director, but I know he’s heading to Busan tomorow to be with his family,” MC replies.

Zen notices her fixing the strap and immediately reaches for it, thinking the bag was heavy and she needed help. But MC pulls her bag away from his reach.

“It’s fine, Zenny. It’s not that heavy,” she replies, smiling at him.

“Yes, but what kind of knight would I be if I let my princess carry such a heavy load by herself?” Zen replies, taking a step closer to her. MC giggles.

“This princess isn’t exactly a damsel in distress,” MC says, winking.

Zen lets out a chuckle and raises his hands in surrender, reaching out and holding her hand in his instead. Well, that gesture turned his princess into a blushing mess. He laughs at how easily his girlfriend gets embarassed.

“Why don’t we eat at a nice place to celebrate?” Zen suggests, lacing his fingers between hers and squeezing her hand gently. MC looks at him, tilting her head.

“What do you have in mind?”

Zen grins and picks up his pace. “It’s a surprise.”

He had actually made reservations to the new restaurant that opened downtown. It was a little pricey, and he had to admit, it looked like a restaurant that the jerk Jumin Han would eat at. But he was leaving with MC tomorrow to visit her family. They wouldn’t have much time for themselves during the visit and he wanted to make their first Christmas together special so he went ahead and booked a reservation two weeks ago.

It’s a good thing MC was always dressed so nicely. He absolutely loved her fashion sense and he knew the dress underneath her winter clothes would be perfect for the ambiance of the restaurant.

MC laughs, trying to match Zen’s pace. “Zenny, slow down! It’s hard to walk in these heels!”

“I can’t slow down!” he says. “I’m too excited!”

He bends down and sweeps her legs from underneath her, taking her into his arms and holding her close to him. MC lets out a squeal of surprise, her arms automatically wrapping around her boyfriend’s neck.

She’s too light, Zen thinks to himself as he resumes his walk down the street, ignoring the looks the other people were giving them.

“Zenny, put me down!” MC exclaims, laughing at the absurdity of this. Her cheeks are flushed from the lingering stares people are throwing at them.

“No~”

“Zennyyyyy.”

“Jagiya, I would never let your feet touch the ground if I can help it,” Zen tells her, winking.

“Oh God, I don’t want that! I’ll become really fat, babe,” MC replies, laughing.

“I wouldn’t mind. It means I’ll have more of you to love and cherish.”

He watches her turn bright red and he grins happily to himself, feeling a sense of pride at making her heart flutter. He meant every word he said –he would love this woman no matter what because she is his world.

He didn’t know how he lived before meeting MC, but he looked forward to waking up with her next to him every morning and holding her in his arms every night. God he loved her so much.

As they near the restaurant, he sets her down on the ground and holds her hand, hoping she would like his little surprise. But before they could even go near the entrance, a bright light flashes before him and he’s momentarily blinded.

“ZEN! LOOK HERE!”

“ZEN, GIVE US A WINK!”

“SMILE FOR THE CAMERA!”

He reflexively raises his hand, stepping in front of MC to shield her from the barrage of flashes and the sudden rush of paparazzi.

“IS IT TRUE YOU’RE PERFORMING A STEAMY SCENE IN YOUR NEXT MUSICAL?”

“WILL YOU BE SHIRTLESS IN YOUR NEXT MUSICAL?”

“IS YOUR GIRLFRIEND REALLY YOUR MANAGER?”

“ZEN! WE HEARD YOU WERE DINING HERE WITH YOUR MANAGER! ANY COMMENTS ON THE NEWS THAT SHE’S PREGNANT?”

“IS IT TRUE THAT YOU’RE FINALLY POPPING THE QUESTION TONIGHT?”

As though the sudden paparazzi isn’t bad enough, the two suddenly hears high-pitched screaming from the other side of the road and MC’s eyes widen when she sees some of Zen’s fans running across the street towards them.

“WE LOVE YOU ZEN!”

“PLEASE MARRY ME!!!!”

“OHGODZENILOVEYOUSOMUCHPLEASELETMELICKYOURABS!!!!”

“ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU ZEN!!!”

“ZEN!!!!!!”

“Please let us through!” Zen yells through the noise, pulling MC close to him. But he hears her let out a cry as she stumbles into him, one of the reporters having pushed her in his haste to get a good photo of Zen.

“Hey!” Zen bursts out, ready to start a fight but MC lays a hand on his arm and shakes her head, steadying herself against him.

He sees the look in her eyes and he tightens his grip on her.

It’s now or never.

With a burst of adrenaline, he wraps an arm around her waist and wades through the mass of people, keeping their heads low but trying to spot an opening as well.

That’s when he sees the red stoplight and a cab rolling to a stop right across the entrance to the restaurant.

Screw it.

He bursts through the paparazzi and the fans and guides MC to the cab, yanking the door open and shielding her from the cameras as she climbs in. He gets in hastily and shut the door just as MC gives directions to the driver.

The light turns green and the driver hits the gas, sending them flying back into their seats as the driver speeds away, leaving behind the paparazzi and the fans.

As well as the wonderful evening Zen had planned for them.

“All I want is nice, romantic date with my girlfriend!” the silver-haired actor yells to the sky. “Is that so hard to ask?”

He sighs dejectedly, bowing his head in defeat. This isn’t the first time their plans had been ruined by the paparazzi and the fans. They’ve been hounding him more persistently nowadays, thanks to the success of most of the musicals he starred in. A group of fans even caught him and MC at the supermarket once and they wouldn’t stop gushing over him and following them around that MC had to tell them off, rushing the rest of their shopping and dragging him back home. But a small smile makes its way to his face when he remembers how that day ended.

Let’s just say MC’s beast was unleashed the moment the door to their apartment closed.

He didn’t think she was the jealous type, but she definitely marked him as hers that day. Just thinking about it made Zen want to stand in front of the refrigerator to calm the beast.

He hears the door to the rooftop groan as it swings open and he turns just in time to see his girlfriend step out into the cool evening air, her hair tied up in a bun atop her head.

“Jagiya, what are you doing here?” Zen asks, getting up from his seat.

MC grins and holds up four cans of beer, making her way to his side. His crimson eyes follow her movement and he laughs as she hands him two cans.

Yep, he definitely worships this woman.

They sit close to each other and pop open a can, giving a little toast before taking a sip of their drinks.

“It’s been a while since we’ve been up here,” MC says, looking up at the sky. “And by that, I mean the last time we were here, you were on crutches.”

“Oh, yeah, you’re right,” Zen says thoughtfully. Then he smiles, his face lighting up at the memory of their first encounter. “I remember that day. It’s one of my favorite days.”

MC nods. “Me too. I couldn’t wait to meet the man who’s been spamming my phone with all those selfies.”

“You mean blessing your phone with beautiful photos, don’t you, Jagi~?”

MC giggles and looks at Zen.

“I know what you were up to a while ago,” she says. “And I just want to tell you that I really appreciate it, Hyun.”

Zen’s heartbeat accelerates as he hears his real name from her lips. He sheepishly scratches his cheek with a finger.

“It was such a failure though,” he admits, looking at her apologetically. “But don’t worry, I’ll make it up to you when we get home from our trip.”

“You know you don’t have t–”

“I want to. I can’t afford to take you out to fancy meals often yet, but I’d like to do it at least once every couple of months.”

MC raises her can of beer and grins. “I’m fine with some beer and fried chicken, Zenny.” But she puts down the can and her grin widens. “Dinner at a fancy restaurant sounds lovely though.”

“We just need to find a way to evade all those paparazzis and fans,” she continues, her face getting serious. “Maybe we should take up Jumin’s offer to give you bodyguards.”

“Babe, no.”

MC rolls her eyes. “Zenny, you obviously need protection. As your manager, I’m asking you to consider getting bodyguards.” A worried expression appears on her face, her eyebrows pulling together. “As your girlfriend, I’m telling you that I’m calling Jumin in the morning and asking for the bodyguards anyway. Can’t have my boyfriend be trampled on by cameramen and screaming girls.”

Zen looks at her concerned expression, at the line between her eyebrows; it always appears when she gets worried. He reaches out and gently rubs his thumb over it, making her close her eyes and relax.

“If I’m getting bodyguards, then you’re getting them too,” he says softly. “Can’t have my sexy manager and girlfriend being harassed either.”

A smile appears on her face and even though Zen hated asking Jumin for favors, he would swallow his pride and let MC ask for bodyguards. If it would ease her worries, then it’d be worth being teased by Jumin in the chatroom every now and then.

With her eyes still closed, Zen moves his hand from her forehead to her cheek, stroking her cheek gently as he leans forward and captures her lips in a kiss. He felt her jump under his touch, but then he felt her lips moving against his, returning the kiss.

God her lips were so soft. So perfect. Always beckoning him to have a taste, to drown in her. He moves closer to her and trails his tongue over her lips, asking for entrance. She gives it to him and he deepens their kiss. She let out a soft moan and he nearly takes her then and there when suddenly, he feels something cold against his cheek.

He pulls back and touches his cheek, his fingers wiping away the cold droplet. Zen hears MC gasp and he turns to her and she’s staring at his face.

MC looks at the snowflake caught between Zen’s lashes and she can’t help but think how perfect her boyfriend is, how beautiful he is.

“Snow,” she whispers, a huge smile spreading across her face.

The snowflake melts and Zen blinks, wiping his eyes. The two of them watch as snow starts falling from the sky and her whole face lights up as she throws her arms around Zen.

“Hyun! It’s the first snow!” MC exclaims excited, her arms tightening around him.

First snow. God, first snow with the most important person in his life. Zen looks at her as she watches the snow, her eyes shining, happiness evident on her face. He wraps an arm around her waist and pulls her closer. The actor couldn’t be happier.

They say if you watch the first snow with the person you love, all your dreams will come true.

MC lets out a happy laugh as she stretches out a hand and tries to catch snowflakes on her palm.

Zen used to dream about becoming a famous actor. All his life, he worked hard for that dream. It’s still his dream and he’s still working hard towards it. But the heavens granted him a wish he had long forgotten about.

He’s holding her in his arms right now. His love, his life, his dream. Zen presses a kiss to her forehead and MC turns to him, her happiness radiating off of her.

“I love you, Hyun Ryu.”

He would do anything for this woman.

“I love you too, MC. My heart belongs to no one else,” he leans closer to her once more, their noses nearly touching. A slight blush appears on her cheeks as MC looks into his crimson eyes, her heart pounding hard against her chest.

“I’m glad we’re here together, Hyun,” she whispers back. “Although, my dream has already come true.”

She strokes his cheek and Zen closes the gap between them, relishing in the moment.

To be honest, Zen has another dream he’s been looking forward to fulfill. But for now, he will hold the woman of his dreams and kiss her as the snow falls around them. Everything is almost perfect.

His thoughts drift to the small box sitting in the bottom drawer of his desk and he can’t help but feel his heart swell with immense happiness at the thought of hearing that sweet yes.

Soon.

Happy Holidays~! :)

[miraculousstorytelling]

One Last Kiss

Hey, @mouserzwuzhere here is your gift from the @mlsecretsanta exchange! Sorry it took a little while to get it to you. It just kept going!

I went with some Marinette and Jagged Stone brotp and fake dating in one, so I hope you enjoy this! It was fun to write! :)

"You want me to what?"

"Please, you're the only one Fang seems to actually like. We need an evening to rehearse without interruptions." Penny sighed. "Look, I'm willing to pay you very well. It's just one night."

"I'd have to ask my parents. I dont know if we have enough room for a crocodile." Marinette glanced over at her mother who was looking increasingly concerned by the conversation she was having.

"Oh, we've already rented a room in a hotel nearby. You could stay there with Fang. He really just needs someone to keep an eye on him. He gets lonely."

Marinette smiled. "Well..."

"Please, Marinette."

Marinette glanced up at her mother. "Mama, could I stay the night at a hotel with a pet crocodile?"

Sabine raised a brow. "What?"

After explaining the situation, Marinette's parents agreed. Marinette, of course, refused any kind of payment, insisting that a night at a nice hotel was payment enough. Penny didn't argue with her, but she didn't exactly agree either.

A few hours later, Marinette arrived at the hotel room. Penny greeted her. "Thank you, thank you, thank you. We'll be back by midnight. Just call if you need anything. You still have my number, right?"

Marinette nodded. "Yes. Go on ahead! I'll take good care of Fang."

Penny nodded and flashed her a quick smile before running for the elevator, already dialing Jagged Stone to let him know she was on her way.

Marinette closed the door and stepped in. Fang was already sprawled out on the floor at the foot of the bed. He perked up when he saw Marinette.

"Hey there!" She grinned. "It's been a long time, hasn't it?"

She sat on the couch, and he settled at her feet, eager for her attention.

"Oh, you haven't been too lonely, have you? I know Penny and Jagged Stone have been so busy lately..." She gently petted along his back. "Poor guy."

He bumped his head against her palm, and she giggled.

"Well, hey. Now I'm here and I can give you a whole week's worth of attention."

Her phone rang, and Fang eyed it briefly.

"It's okay. I can pet you while I talk..." She scooped up the phone and answered it on speaker. "Hey, Alya!"

"Hey, girl! I heard you're watching Jagged Stone's crocodile."

"Yep." She reached down to keep petting Fang. "Apparently he behaves for me."

"He has good taste." Alya chuckled. "I thought for sure you had a date with Adrien tonight."

"Oh, ummm..." Marinette smiled. "Well, I had to postpone it when I got this call. Adrien was really sweet about it."

"Look, you two have been dating for three months now, and so far you've only gone out twice." Alya frowned. "What's going on?"

"Nothing! We're just both busy!"

"Uh-huh..."

"Really."

Alya sighed. "When Nino and I started dating, we were at each other's place all the time."

"Well, not everyone can be you and Nino."

"Yeah, but you were head over heels for him. What happened?"

"Nothing happened!" Marinette protested. "Look, he's modeling and busy with stuff after school. I just got started on a commission from Jagged Stone. We're both busy."

"Hey, I run the Ladyblog and Nino's out looking for gigs on weekends. We make it work."

Marinette grimaced. "Adrien and I are fine."

"Look, Nino and I are having dinner tomorrow. Maybe we can make it a double-"

"Adrien has a shoot tomorrow, so I don't think-"

"Nino said it just got canceled."

"Oh," Marinette paused. "Well, I guess I could ask-"

"Great! We'll see you two tomorrow. I'll text you the address!"

"Alya-"

"Bye!" Alya hung up before Marinette could argue, and Marinette grumbled to herself as she flopped back onto the couch.

Seconds later, Fang was nudging her dangling hand, already bored by her internal meltdown.

Marinette turned to look down at him and gently ran her hands down his back. "This would be so much easier if I could explain all of this, Fang." She sighed. "I could just say: Hey, Alya! Adrien and I aren't actually dating. I'm just pretending to date him, so he can date the other me." She laughed. "That's right! Adrien's dating Ladybug. Which is also me. So, I guess I really am dating him. I just can't tell you about the picnic we had on his roof last night or the movie we watched a week ago at midnight."

Fang looked up at her.

She frowned, rubbing along his scales. "I guess I'll just have to talk to Adrien about spending more time together." Fang nuzzled against her palm, and she chuckled. "Not that I mind."

When Jagged Stone and Penny finally returned, Marinette was dozing off on the couch, Fang resting on the floor beside her. She sat up when the door opened and turned to face them with a smile.

"How was set up for tomorrow?" she asked with a small smile. "Everything ready?"

Jagged Stone grinned. "Of course!" He walked over to Fang and patted his head. "And did he behave for you?"

"Oh, he was a total sweetheart." Marinette stood up. "I'm glad I got to spend some time with him."

He nodded. "Penny said you wouldn't let me pay you for watching him."

She waved a hand. "Oh, believe me, a nice evening away was enough payment for me."

"Well, in that case, how would you like some tickets with VIP passes as a thank you?" Penny chimed in.

Marinette looked over at her. "No, no. That...honestly, it was my pleasure."

"Maybe you could bring that boyfriend of yours with you," Jagged Stone suggested. "And a couple friends."

Marinette brightened. "Well, actually..."

"You have tickets for Jagged Stone's concert tomorrow?!" Adrien nearly shouted into the phone.

"And VIP passes." Marinette answered. "I was going to ask Nino and Alya if they wanted to join us. Make it a double date."

"Oh," his voice fell as he spoke, "That..."

"Alya was a little suspicious earlier. She thinks we aren't spending enough time together." She explained. "This is the perfect low pressure date, and we don't need to do anything but hang out together. I promise it'll be fun, and it won't be awkward." She smiled. "I know how you feel about Ladybug. This is just to show Alya she doesn't need to worry about us."

He relaxed. "Yeah, that sounds great, then." He frowned. "But, Marinette, you know you don't have to-"

"I know. If this was a problem for me, trust me, I'd tell you. I just want to make things easier for you."

"I really appreciate it. Look, this won't be forever. Just..." he glanced at his ring. "Just until it's safe."

"I know."

"And when you find a guy you like," he added. "We'll end this. No problem."

"Thank you," she said softly. "I'll let you know if that happens."

"So, I'll pick you up tomorrow night?"

"Yep. I'll see you then."

He nodded. "See you then."

Adrien stared up at the ceiling of his room, quietly second-guessing the arrangment he had with Marinette for what must have been the hundredth time. A soft thump on his floor interrupted yet another mental pro-con list, and he sat up to watch as Ladybug straightened and waved.

He jumped up. "Ladybug!"

She smiled. "I saw your window was open."

He smiled and approached her. "I was hoping you'd stop by. I wanted to talk to you..."

"Okay." She sat on his couch. "Let's talk, then."

He sat beside her and sighed. "Marinette and I are going on a double date tomorrow. It's just for appearances. It's actually..." He chuckled. "We're seeing Jagged Stone. He's my favorite musician and-"

"Adrien, that's wonderful!" She grinned.

"You're not upset?" he asked softly.

"Should I be?"

"Well, I don't know. This has just gotten so complicated..."

"You told me about it, and I'm sure you made sure everything was okay with Marinette." She gently slipped her hand in his. "Why should I be upset?"

He looked down. "Yeah, she actually brought it up. I just..." He frowned. "I feel like this isn't fair to her. I feel like I'm taking advantage of my friend, and I hate it."

She bit her lip. "Oh."

"I don't want her to be hurt. Nino keeps talking about how she used to have a crush on me, and..." He shook his head. "She says it's fine, and I don't want to second guess her, but..."

"If you don't like this, you should end it." She glanced over at him. "I'm sure she was only trying to help. She wouldn't want you to keep doing this if it makes you feel guilty."

"I know."

"So, talk to her after the concert tomorrow. Tell her how you feel." She inched closer. "I'm sure it will be okay."

He finally looked back at her. "Yeah. I think I will."

She leaned in closer and pressed a soft kiss to the corner of his mouth. "She's lucky to have a friend who cares about her as much as you do." She grinned and gently squeezed his hand. "And I'm lucky to have such an amazing boyfriend."

He blushed. "I'm lucky to have both of you in my life." He turned to face her and moved forward for a soft kiss. "Thanks."

"Anytime."

By the time Adrien was on his way to pick up Marinette, he had a plan. He knew exactly what he was going to say. He'd thank her, insist on staying friends, even offer to help her find someone new, and then he'd end this charade once and for all.

Of course, that plan was easier in his head than it was in reality. Every part of the evening seemed to remind him of all the things he could lose if this didn't go as well as Ladybug had made it sound last night. He waved at her parents through the windows of the bakery when he arrived to pick her up, and he wondered how they would feel about him once this was over. They'd treated him like family, inviting him to dinners and even allowing him to help out around the bakery. In fact, they'd even made him a small cake for his birthday this year. The thought of disappointing them was unbearable.

That was even before Alya and Nino showed up, all smiles and hugs, teasing them over the fact that they hadn't been on a date in weeks and oohing over the VIP passes Marinette showed them. Alya was Marinette's friend, which meant that if he hurt Marinette, Alya would stay by her side. Nino, of course, would stay by Adrien's side, and that separation would, at best, damage Alya and Nino's relationship. At worst, this decision could break them up. The thought made his stomach twist, and Adrien could barely manage a smile when they started walking together to the concert.

He wished, more than anything, he could go back in time and warn himself two months ago that this was a mistake. When Marinette suggested it, she'd sounded so rational, and the idea was so reasonable, and even though some part of him said it might be a mistake, he'd agreed and doomed himself to this miserable, guilty night. As much as he might fear the consequences, though, he knew he had to make things right. Surely, Marinette would forgive him eventually, even if the news upset her.

Marinette smiled and handed him his ticket, bringing him back to the present. "I can't wait to see if the new Jagged Stone shirts are out yet."

He nodded and accepted it. At least he'd have the memories of his friends all together tonight to fall back on if she hated him after all of this was done.

The show was incredible, as always. Adrien had bought a new Jagged Stone shirt for all of them, and all four had tugged it on over their current clothes to get in the spirit of the concert. Jagged Stone was amazing in person, as always, and the crowd ate it up. Their seats were some of the best in the crowd.

"Now, we have a very special guest tonight," Jagged Stone began as a spotlight searched the crowd. "The only girl I've met who won over Fang. Let me tell you, many people have tried and failed." A short burst of laughter from the crowd interrupted him. He smiled. "I'd like to invite Miss Marinette Dupain-Cheng to the stage." The spotlight shined on her, and Alya cheered. "And bring your boyfriend, too! This last song is a thank you for taking such good care of Fang."

Marinette paled, an icy nervousness pooling in her stomach as she stood and offered Adrien her hand. She somewhat regretted telling Jagged Stone about her boyfriend now, especially since she knew he planned to break up with her tonight. Well, with one of her anyway.

Adrien slipped his hand in hers, already uneasy and now absolutely terrified at the prospect of acting like a doting boyfriend in front of this crowd. He hadn't expected the night to get worse, but here it was. Where was Ladybug's luck when he needed it most?

They stepped onstage and waved at the crowd, blinking at the bright spotlights that followed them the entire way. When they finally made their way onstage, Jagged Stone directed them to stand in the spotlight while he played on the piano. Marinette recognized the song, and she could hardly keep herself from grimacing. Adrien almost flinched when he realized Jagged Stone was playing Ladybug's song. Part of him hoped she wasn't out there in the crowd, watching this. This was so much worse than he could have expected.

Marinette wasn't sure who started the chant, though she suspected it was Alya, but soon enough the crowd picked it up. A growing repetition of "Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!" filled the venue, and Marinette could see Adrien stiffen beside her. As if this entire situation couldn't be more awkward.

She turned to face him, murmuring. "We don't have to do this."

He shook his head. "I know."

"But, if you do..." she stepped closer. "I'm sure she'd understand."

"But..." he leaned forward, gently resting his forehead against hers. "I wanted to end things tonight. This isn't how it was supposed to go."

"I figured it would happen soon." She smiled. "Look, we can still be friends. This doesn't have to change things. This was kind of a silly idea after all."

He chuckled, finally relaxing and backing up enough to look her in the eye. "Yeah. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-"

"I never should have suggested it."

"And I shouldn't have agreed."

She laughed. "Yeah. We messed up." Then, she reached out and squeezed his hand.

"Thanks, Marinette."

"Of cou-"

"What are you waiting for?" Jagged Stone called out to them. "Kiss her!"

Adrien sighed. "I-"

Marinette took a step back. "It's okay."

"No, let's..." He held out his hand. "Let's call it a goodbye kiss."

She paused, then took his hand and moved forward. Heat rose in her cheeks as he closed the distance between them. She smiled and placed her hand on his shoulder while he cupped the side of her jaw in the way he always did when he kissed Ladybug. It felt familiar, even if it was strange to experience this without the mask.

Her eyes closed when he leaned in, his familiar warmth washing over her along with the subtle scent of his cologne. She inched closer on pure instinct, lacing her fingers in his and lightly squeezing. His breath hitched, so close to her lips she could feel his soft exhale ghost over her. The long moment, simply holding her breath in anticipation was excrutiating. What was he waiting for?

When he finally kissed her, that same electric thrill filled her veins as it always did when they kissed. She could actually feel his fingers between hers, which was infinitely more enjoyable than feeling them through the fabric of her suit. Before she even realized what she was doing, she was tangling her fingers in his hair, desperate to experience what it felt like without the usual barrier of her suit to dull the sensation. She tugged him closer, kissed harder, dared to taste just enough to remember what she had waiting for her again once this was over.

Adrien could never have guessed what it would be like to kiss Marinette. From every interaction they'd shared, he expected tentative and sweet, perhaps a bit bolder now that she'd become comfortable around him, but he hadn't expected her to take from him the same way Ladybug did when they kissed. When Ladybug...

His brain paused to digest the comparison. The way her fingertips trailed over his scalp was so dangerously familiar. The taste of her lip gloss was almost incriminating. The soft sound of protest when he pulled away was too similar to Ladybug's to be explained away.

He stared down at her, into those familiar blue eyes, tracing the path of freckles he'd memorized a thousand times, over the soft, parted lips he really should have recognized weeks ago.

Marinette watched him carefully, catching her breath as regret built in her chest. She should have held back. She had an audience. It wasn't fair to Adrien. What was he thinking now? Would he hate her for kissing him like that when she knew he had someone else? How could she be so reckless?

"What a kiss!" Jagged Stone laughed and stood to clap them on the back. "Give the couple a hand!"

The crowd cheered, and Adrien turned to wave. Marinette followed, blushing under the attention.

Penny led them backstage, and Alya and Nino joined them moments later. Jagged Stone greeted them warmly, settling down on a chair they'd brought in for him. Fang perked up when he saw Marinette, and he sat beside her as soon as she settled down on one of the chairs Penny had set up for them.

"I'm hurt," Jagged Stone complained when he saw his pet's devotion to Marinette. "I leave him alone for a few hours and suddenly he has a new favorite."

Marinette chuckled. "I think he's just happy to see a friend."

Alya and Nino helped to ease some of the tension Marinette could still feel in the air. She'd made a mistake with that kiss. She knew it. Adrien kept looking at her, brows furrowed and eyes calculating. If only she could just tell him the truth... but then now the charade had been going on so long now, even if Tikki said it was okay, how would he take it?

Had she really just screwed up one of her best friendships? She couldn't imagine what she'd do if Adrien was angry with her. How could she carry on a relationship with him as Ladybug knowing he wasn't speaking to Marinette? She'd have to end things, and she wouldn't be able to explain why, and-

"Hey, you okay?" Alya asked, helpfully breaking Marinette out of her rapidly spiraling thoughts.

"O-oh! Yeah, I'm fine!" Marinette grinned. "Just a little tired."

"Why don't I walk you home?" Adrien asked, reaching out to rest his hand on her shoulder.

"That's okay! We just got back here!" Marinette answered, flinching away from him. She couldn't stand the thought of what he might say to her.

"Your health is more important." Adrien met her eyes, his tone firm as he stood.

Jagged Stone nodded. "We'll have plenty of time to talk once you finish that commission. Why don't you go get some rest?"

Marinette glanced around the room and sighed when she saw Alya eagerly mouthing "go!". Time to face the music. "Okay, you're right." She stepped forward to hug Jagged Stone and Penny. "Thank you both for an amazing night!"

He patted her back and grinned. "Anything for Fang's favorite girl."

Penny chuckled. "I'm glad the pressure's off for me now. Fang never liked me much."

Marinette smiled. "I'll call you when I'm finished with the outfit."

"Okay, get some sleep!" Alya answered while motioning for her to go.

Adrien offered her a hand up, and Marinette reluctantly accepted the assistance. Her heart pounded in her ears as he led her outside and down the street. His steps slowed once they were out of earshot of anyone still lingering outside the concert.

"That really was quite a kiss," he commented softly.

She bit her lip and nodded.

"Not sure how I'm gonna explain it to Ladybug."

Marinette stopped. "Adrien, I'm so sorry. I swear I didn't mean-"

He turned to her with a small smile. "Hey, I'm sure you'll understand, won't you, milady?"

She froze, eyes widening as the pieces fell into place. "Did you just...call me milady?"

"I'm paw-sitive I did," he answered with a smirk.

"You're..." She took a step forward. "Adrien, you're Chat Noir?"

"Yes, princess."

"And you figured out I'm..."

He nodded and gently cupped her cheek. "Hey, bugaboo."

She blushed. "How?"

"I pieced it together during the kiss."

"And you're not...mad?"

He raised a brow. "Mad? Why would I be mad?"

"Because I lied to you. We were dating, and I didn't tell you that I was pretending to date you to cover up for actually dating you."

He laughed. "It's complicated, but..." He shrugged. "I didn't exactly tell you I was your partner, so I think it evens out."

She relaxed. "Oh. You're right."

"So, I guess this means I don't have to break up with you anymore."

She smiled. "Yeah, I guess not."

He gently brought her closer, lacing their fingers together. "I'm really glad. You're the best girlfriend I could have asked for."

"I'm..." She hugged him with her free arm. "I'm just so glad it's you."

He wrapped his arm around her. "Me, too."