#i get sad when i see tourists. why would you pay money to come here

[zrdu]

london is the most depressing city ever

[1plus1kiyoomi]

Chapter 12: Lost

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[masterlist] [kia’s slambook]

warnings: mentions of sex

You and Kia prepare for your trip, waiting for Akaashi. He mentioned about picking you up since Bokuto lent him his car. You remember about the card Sakusa told you about.

You go to his room, making sure you don’t touch anything, and see that there are two bedside tables. You checked the one on the left first. You open the drawers and see boxes of condoms, some opened, some still new. You close it and go to the other table to get the card.

Something in you says to go check the other drawer again, but it would make you feel guilty. You hear Akaashi’s car honk so you go out instead. You take Kia from the couch and leave the house.

‘Did he date someone in the last 3 years?’ The thought is bothering you and Akaashi notices. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” you reply, smiling. He carries Kia and puts  Kia in the safety seat of the car. He returns to the driver’s seat while you sit on the shotgun seat.

You continue to think about what you saw. You broke up. So what if he had a girlfriend? You have no right to dig in your nose into his business. Why are you so upset about him having sex with other women? He’s a grown man. He has his needs.

“You’re spacing out,” Akaashi points out. You shake the thoughts off your mind and stare out of the window. You groan, the thoughts coming back in again. “Spill it.” So you do. You tell him about what you saw. “Why are you so upset? So what if he had sex with someone? You broke up with him, remember?”

“Exactly why I’m bothered!” You cover your face with your hands in frustration.

“If you’re so bothered, why don’t you ask him about it later?” Akaashi suggests, his eyes on the road. You sigh, nodding.

You three arrive at the theme park and suddenly you feel at ease to be outside again. Kia starts running, but luckily, Akaashi has long legs. He easily keeps up with her. You make your way to the booth, while Akaashi carries Kia around to look at some figurines by the entrance.

After you successfully retrieve your reservation tickets, you enter the theme park. Despite being a weekday, it’s still packed with tourists. There are also students in uniforms, probably in a school trip.

“Mama! Look! Robot!” Kia points to the Bumblee Bee statue. Akaashi puts her down and she runs to the statue. The figure starts speaking and Kia’s mouth hangs wide open in amazement. “It talks! Mama! Keikei! It talks!”

You continue to walk around the theme park, stopping on shops and stalls from time to time. While Akaashi excuses himself to go the toilet, you see an ice cream food stall and Kia immediately asks you to buy some for her. You take her to the stall and carry her so she can choose a flavor.

“That would be 600 yen,” the shopkeeper tells you. You put Kia down to take money out of your wallet. You pay for the ice cream. The employee gives you the treat and when you look down, Kia isn’t by your side anymore. “Kia?”

You go around the stall, in hopes that Kia just took a look somewhere near. You search and search but you don’t see any sign of your daughter. Akaashi comes back and sees you getting antsy.

“Where’s Kia?”

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“Take a good rest, boys. We’ll be back to practice next week. Enjoy your free time because we won’t be having any left after this. Cool down and you may leave,” the MSBY Black Jackals coach announces. The players thank him and say their good byes.

“Training ended earlier than I thought,” Atsumu sighs in relief. “I’m so excited to go home and be in the comfort of my bed.”

“Wanna go to the gym together this Saturday, Bokuto-san?” Hinata asks the older player as they start stretching.

“If I don’t have anything to do,” Bokuto replies.

“Isn’t Akaashi in town?” Sakusa speaks, stretching his wrists. Bokuto’s attention gets stuck on the other spiker’s wrists and he forgets to respond. “Hey.”

“Oh, yeah. Akaashi is in town. How’d you know?” Bokuto eyes the curly haired man in suspicion.

“(Y/N) told me. They’re in Universal today,” Sakusa explains.

“Omi, you’re okay with Kia going to crowded places that is surely full of other people’s germs?” The blonde questions, stretching his legs.

“Do you really think I expect her to grow up like me?” Sakusa rolls his eyes, stretching his back this time. “Germs can be washed away. They can get disinfected. It’s nothing compared to Kia’s upbringing. I don’t have plans to raise her to be clean, I want her to grow up to be someone who she wants to be.”

Atsumu smiles because of his teammate’s response. Not long ago, he would think of Kia as some sort of hindrance, but now he seems happy that she’s around. The blonde also noticed how Sakusa is gradually becoming more soft with his words and actions.

They finish stretching and go back to their dorms. Sakusa is packing his things when he suddenly feels anxious. He can’t think straight. He feels something bad is about to come. He opens his door and check the hallway. “Miya’s not here. If it’s not him, what could it be?”

Sakusa goes back into his room, hearing his phone ring. He sees Kia’s contact name and answers quickly.

“What is it Kia?”

“Kyo... I lost mama,” Kia cries on the other line.

That tone. That way she said it. The feel. It’s too similar with your words 3 years ago.

“Omi... Let’s break up.”

“What? Where are you right now?” Kiyoomi runs out of the dorms. Adrenaline kicking in as he hears Kia’s sobs.

“Why? Let’s talk about it. I’m coming over.”

“I see a dinosaur,” Kia responds, worry and panic in her voice.

“I just don’t see a future for us, Omi.”

“Don’t end the call, okay?” Kiyoomi says softly despite his worries. He hears Kia crying again. He starts his car and connects his phone to the bluetooth of his car. “Hey, stop crying. I’m on my way. Just stay wherever you are.” He doesn’t get respond so he speeds up his driving. “Kia? Baby?”

“Is it something I did? Tell me! Don’t just ignore me, (Y/N).”

“Okay. I’ll wait for you.”

“I’m sorry, Sakusa. But I can’t do this anymore.”

Kiyoomi’s sports car has never been put into good use until now. He arrives in the theme park in top speed record. Luckily, there isn’t a queue on the booths so he gets a ticket promptly.

“Kia?” He puts his phone close to his ear, looking at the theme’s park map. “Are you still near the dinosaurs?”

“You’re joking, right? Tell me this is a prank.”

“Yes. Kia stayed here like you told me,” Kia responds, already calmed down. Kiyoomi rushes to the Jurassic Park area and looks for her in every corner. But Kia couldn’t explain her exact location well. He spots a kid and calls him.

“No. This isn’t a joke.”

“Have you seen this child?” He shows the back of his phone to the boy. The boy nods.

“Yes. She’s sitting near the entrance of the restaurant,” the boy answers. Before Kiyoomi could thank him, the boy recognizes him. “Aren’t you Sakusa Kiyoomi? I’m a big fan of your team!”

“Ah, thanks. Come to my next game, okay? I’ll give you a jersey.” Kiyoomi leaves him and goes to where the kid directed.

Kiyoomi spots her and his steps become bigger and his pace becomes faster. Kia sees him so she climbs down of the bench she is sitting on and runs to meet Kiyoomi halfway. He takes her into his arms, tightly hugging her. He feels her wrap her arms around him, and his heart starts breaking into pieces.

“(Y/N), I know you’re still in there. Whatever it is, let’s work it out,” Kiyoomi shouted from outside of your apartment’s door. He’s been sitting there for hours now. He leaned his back on your door, his knees close to his chest.

Did you really leave?

Were you not coming back?

There are a lot of words he had yet to tell you. He wanted to see you two accomplish your dreams together. He wanted to wake up and the first thing he sees is your face. He wanted to come home and receive your hugs as soon as he steps into the door. He wanted to see you walk down the aisle. He wanted to grow old with you. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with you. You were all he wanted.

He regretted not hugging you tighter. He regretted not kissing you more. He regretted not spending a lot with you. If only he could do all those things one more time.

“I love you...” He cried. You always said those three words first. Why weren’t you responding?

He’s too late.

He had already lost you.

"Kyo, why are you crying?” Kia asks him, her small hands on his cheeks. She starts tearing up, sad that he’s crying. He doesn’t even know he’s crying. His thoughts is too full of fear and anxiety.

There are still a lot of lessons about life he wants to teach Kia. He wants to see her accomplish her dreams. He wants to drop her off to school. He wants to receive her hugs as he comes home from practice. He wants to see her fall in love with someone who loves her just as much as she does. He wants to see Kia grow. He wants her to see him as her father for the rest of her life.

He regrets not hugging her tight enough. He regrets not kissing her good morning and good night. He regrets not spending time with her. He regrets not being there from the start.

What if he was too late?

What if he didn’t answer her call?

What if he lost her?

“Kyo? Are you mad?” Kia’s lower lip is quivering, tears already coming out of her eyes.

“Kia..” he calls her. She pulls away from his hand and looks at him.

“Yes?” Kia’s voice is shaky. She’s afraid he’ll scold her. She promised to be a good girl. What if he hates her?

Kiyoomi takes a look at her face. He caresses her cheek with his thumb, then plants a kiss on her forehead.  ‘But I’m not too late this time. So I’ll make sure I won’t regret anything. I will never lose the two of you again.’

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

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Facts:

Most dinosaurs were vegetarian

Many dinosaurs had feathers

The longest dinosaur name is Micropachycephalosaurus

Small carnivore dinosaurs are most likely to be the smartest type of dinosaurs

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Taglist:  @elianetsantana aoi-turtle ptv-hades  aquzairus a-applepi  justoneofthefangirls arianna-r13 morenabambinii chaelysian loser-keiji mxngy ne-kuroo n1fangirlsblog d-efend missalicebaskerville marvelousbakugou @agaashesmilktea​ bonkyandloki kimi09  ntimacy @mkazuyuh  ushi-please minty-mangos-world @dearest-kiyoomi

[thequeensbastardenglish]

of whisky, witchcraft and what lies between

When Lena walked into Peggy's bar she'd been ready to tear shreds from her. Elizabeth Walsh was out of Peggy's reach, there was no way for her to pay for what she'd done, she she'd been prepared to hae the daughter pay for the sins of the mother.

But Lena just looks too sad. A couple of drinks couldn't hurt or lead to something more, could it?

read on A03 or please continue...

There was a momentary sense of satisfaction to popping that entitled rich bitch’s idea of her fairytail reunion with her mother’s memory. But it had only lasted a brief moment. Five minutes after Lena Luthor had left the regret had set in. The feeling of unease lying heavy in her gut and the second guessing rattling around in her mind. Now Peggy was pulling pints and serving customers with a churning stomach and knowing that she’d never get the chance to apologise for her harsh words.

Not that she would apologise. Elizabeth Walsh had been rotten to her core and it was better for the Luthor woman to know that then continue to believe her mother was a saint. But she still felt bad. That was her own mother’s fault for raising her to be empathetic. Still. The guilt was eased by the knowledge that someone with Lena Luthor’s money would likely be sleeping on the finest cotton sheets and returning to her life of wealth and luxury. She’d hurt for a bit but what did someone of her stature know about real suffering? So Peggy continued to work and tried to put it out of her mind. It wasn’t like she was ever going to see her again.

Life sure did like its little jokes.

It was later in the evening when Lena Luthor walked back in.

Peggy dropped her bar towel across her shoulder and placed her hands on her hips and watched as Lena approached the bar meekly. Her head lowered, shoulders up, and a definite drag to her steps. For someone so neatly put together she looked a mess.

“Ya look like yer’ve seen some stuff.” It was impossible to hide the nasty satisfaction. Her dear departed mother would be so disappointed. She didn’t remember him well, but she knew her father could hold a grudge, and well, maybe the vindictiveness came form him.

Lena stopped at the bar and placed her arms across the top. She raised her head and it was immediately apparent that she’d been crying. Peggy fought down the urge to immediately try and soothe her.

“You could say that,” Lena said then laughed wetly. She wiped her hand under one eye. “Sorry, I don’t usually — no. Actually I cry a lot these days.”

“Really? Doesn’t come across when I see ya on TV.”

“Public persona’s aren’t real. They’re just carefully crafted fantasy.” She drew in several shaky breaths and finally, once satisfied that she was under control, looked up to meet Peggy’s eye. “I’m surprised you’re not kicking me out.”

Peggy smirked. So, whatever it was Lena had found out it had corroborated what Peggy had told her. That was satisfying. But Peggy wasn’t one to gloat. She could be magnanimous in her grim satisfaction.

“You got cash?”

“More then I know what to do with.”

“Then you can buy yourself a drink. I’m not gonna kick ya out.” Peggy cursed her dear old dead mum and her stringent teaching on hospitality. It’s old magic Peggy, there are rules. Peggy barely resisted the urge to huff in annoyance. “Whisky neat?” she guessed.

Actually…” Lena stared at the pumps. “I’m trying to be better about drinking and wallowing. Whisky is too contemplative. What beer would your recommend for someone who rarely drinks it?”

“YellowBelly’s Fighting Irish is the most popular.”

“That is…” Lena blew out a breath eyeing the pump warily. “Strangely apt. I’ll have that.”

Lena took her half of ale and retreated to the far corner, sliding into a booth and pulling out her phone to make a call. Peggy went about her work. She served customers, took orders, piled dirty glasses into the drawer for the wash, and wiped down tables. Lena remained at her table slowly sipping her beer and talking softly on the phone.

Peggy resolved to ignore her but her eyes were continually drawn to the woman in the corner. She hadn’t even taken her coat off. She sat stiffly, chin tight and head held high. She cut a strange and lonely figure. Dark coat and dark hair stark against her pale skin. She must have burn on overcast days with a complexion like that. She looked smaller in person than she did on television. Maybe it was standing next to Supergirl that made her look taller, more in control, maybe it was just camera trickery and a great stylist team. Whatever it was, Lena Luthor hadn’t brought it with her. SHe looked tired and defeated.

Her call finished her phone lay on the table before her and her glass was finally empty. Peggy walked over.

“Another?” she indicated to the empty glass.

“I’ll take that whisky now please.”

“Thought ya didn’t want to wallow.” Peggy picked up the empty glass and stared down at Lena. She looked tired, and not just the usual jet lagged tired that tourists did around here but a bone deep tired hat she’d be carrying about for the rest of her life. Weary with life as her dear departed mum would say.

“I didn’t but I just chickened out on a phone call so now I do want to wallow.” She smiled sardonically and rolled her eyes. “A bit of whisky to help with the self-deprecation.”

“You rich folk have it so rough.” Peggy marched to the bar and poured Lena her drink, making it a double because she looked like she needed it. On a whim she poured herself one. It was coming up to the end of her shift and she didn’t need to be the one to close up. Perks of being the boss. She went back to Lena’s table where the woman was staring down at her phone as she picked at her finger nail.

Peggy clunked both glasses down loudly and Lena jumped. She stared wide eyed as Peggy sat opposite her and slid her drink across the tale to her. She sipped her own.

“What are you..?” Lena trailed off. Then she closed her eyes and exhaled heavily. When she opened her eyes again her gaze had hardened. “I’m not in the mood for a fight.”

“Yer sure? Yer look like ya gearing up for one.”

The muscle along Lena’s jaw twitched. She had a hell of a jawline on her. One that could probably cut steel. That maniac of brother of hers must have been right jealous. He was clearly hiding a weak chin beneath his beard.

“I’m being neighbourly. Didn’t want ya drinking alone.”

Lena finally picked up her whisky and took a sip. She put the glass back down and murmured a thank you.

“Saw yer on the phone before. Take it that wasn’t the phone call ya chickened out on.”

“No. That was my friend Andrea. She’s been instrumental in my taking this journey or self discovery.” She rolled her eyes again.

“Then who yer trying to call? “

“Just… A friend. A former, well…” She exhaled, her jaw working. She rubbed her finger against the wooden table top, following the pattern of the grain. Finally she looked up. “She is a friend but for a time I wasn’t a very good friend to her. We fell out. And I did some awful, terrible, arguably unforgivable things to her.”

“But she still calls yer a friend?”

“She’s very understanding. Even to those who least deserve it.”

“Then why aren’t ya calling her? Sounds like if she forgave yer after all that then the least ya could do is call her.”

Lena’s eyes flickered fearfully towards her phone.

“It feels selfish to waste her time with my worries,” she said. She licked her lips nervously. Peggy followed the movement of her tongue and took a long, slow sip of her whisky. She set her glass down gently.

“Sounds more selfish to not call her.” She tapped her fingers against the side of the glass. Lena’s eyes widened and she drew back. Her pale skin going whiter by the second. She was the spitting image of her mother and it made Peggy’s blood boil. She was staring into the face of her father’s murderer and offering her friendly advice when she should have been throwing her drink in her face and cursing her out. “She cares about yer as much as yer make it sound then ya should call her. She’d want to hear how it’s going.”

“You’re right.” Lena picked up her phone and stood up. She stepped out from the booth, paused, turned and grabbed her whisky. She downed it in one swift gulp, lips twisting at the taste. It was a sipping whisky and that was a waste. She wanted to do that then Peggy had some cheap shit behind the bar she could have given her. Lena set the glass down and hurried outside, thumb already moving across her phone.

Peggy sipped her own whisky. With a huff she stood up, took Lena’s empty glass to the bar and refilled it, bringing it back.

From what Lena had told her it sounded like the apple hadn’t fallen far from the tree. Elizabeth had been a terrible friend as well. She’d abandoned Peggy’s mother when she’d needed her the most. Left her to shoulder the looks of pity and incrimination. Peggy had been forced to watch her mother wither under the stress of what had happened to her husband, under the guilt, until she hadn’t been able to stand it anymore and she had given up. She had as good as killed Margaret Bishop as she had her husband.

She swirled her whisky. It wasn’t true what they said, children were stained by the sins of their parents. Elizabeth’s Walsh’s selfishness was written deep into Lena Luthor’s blood. That was also old magic.

She looked up from her drink as Lena returned, shoulders still hunched and her coat still on. She paused when she reached the table, no doubt surprised that Peggy was still there.

“Well. Don’t keep me in suspense.” Peggy raised both brows at Lena. Slowly Lena slid back into the booth. She placed her phone down on the table.

“She was busy. But I gave her a quick rundown of what I’d found out.”

That her long thought exalted mother was a liar, a murderer and a gold digger. She’d probably already known the last one, being the product of an affair and all.

“And?”

Lena looked uncomfortable. “And she was happy that I was getting answers. But she was busy and couldn’t talk for long.”

Maybe Lena wasn’t quite as forgiven as she’d thought.

“Honestly, I’m amazed she’s taking my calls at all.” Lena smiled sadly. She picked up her glass and took a sip. “Thank you. I think after this I’ll try and find somewhere to stay. If anywhere will have me.”

“Might have to go a few towns over.” Elizabeth’s crimes were well known in the area. “Didn’t think you’d be staying.”

“There’s some more questions I want to ask Florence,” Lena said.

Peggy slammed her hand down on the table top. “Y’what?”

Lena had found Florence Abbott. She’d found the other witch that had made up her mother’s coven. Who had left her mother to die.

“I — I have more questions for Florence. Assuming she’s willing to answer them.”

Peggy dragged her nails across the table top. All these years. All these years and Florence had apparently just been hanging around waiting for Lena Luthor to show up. Where the hell had she been Peggy’s entire life? She remembered her vaguely from when she was a child. That she’d been kind, a little stern, tutting when Peggy had begged for sweets but giving her them regardless. She’d left after her father’s funeral. Left rather than face justice.

There were so many things she wanted to say to Florence Abbott and every single one of them would be far harsher then what she’d thrown at Lena.

“Peggy?”

She looked up at Lena’s curious watery gaze. This woman cried at the drop of a hat.

“Enjoy yer drink.” Peggy pushed her half finished drink towards Lena and stood up. She stalked back towards the bar and went back to work guilrt replaced by the old familiar burning twist of anger.

More fool her for ever speaking to Lena Luthor again.

<center>/\/\/\/\</center>

Last orders came and went and Lena Luthor was still at her booth only just finishing off her whisky. Peggy stomped over and stood by the booth, fists on her hips.

“Drink up, settle up and get out.”

“Right.” Lena startled. She slung back the last dregs of her whisky and stood, following Peggy to the bar. She dropped her card on the bar top and Peggy ignored the name of the bank printed on it as she swiped it. To her immense surprise and annoyance Lena dropped a hundred dollar tip.

“Yer driver waiting outside?” Peggy asked. She didn’t really care but it was a force of habit to make sure her patrons made it home safe.

“He’s back at the B&B. He was tired so I told him to get some rest. Use the room I was meant to be staying in.”

“Sounds real smart. Guess that’s why you’re the scientist and I’m just pulling pints. Where you sleeping, genius?”

Lena smiled and shrugged. “I’ll work something out. It’s a nice night for a walk.”

She left. Not that Peggy cared where she slept. It was none of her business. City girl wanted to curl up beneath a tree then more power to her. She had an alien who could fly on her frequent called log, she’d be okay. She probably had the keys to a spaceship in her pocket.

Peggy cashed up, wiped down the bar, said goodbye to her staff and stepped out front to lock up. As she was turning the key she felt the prickle on the back of her neck, the fine hairs rising.

“I’m gonna tell yer now, attacking me would be a serious mistake.” Her voice didn’t tremble. Her fingers tips did. The magic humming beneath her skin.

“Good job that’s not what I’m doing then.”

Peggy spun round. Sure enough Lena Luthor was waiting for her, eyes bright in the light from the bar. “What is it yer want?”

“To talk.”

“Think we talked enough. I’m going home to get some sleep.” She stomped down the steps and brushed past Lena. She was rounding the corner of the bar to the steps for her apartment when Lena called out.

“Florence Abbott had a lot of interesting things to say. Some of them corroborated what you told me.”

“Oh, aye?” Peggy turned. Jaw clenched and fingers curling to fists. “What was it old Florence had to say?”

“Much the same you did. Witchcraft and cauldrons. Hopping over brooms and running naked in the moonlight,” Lena sneered. “I’ve seen a lot of strange things. Even what aliens have passed off as magic but there always a scientific explanation.” She took a step towards Peggy. “What I find interesting is that you believe in it. Even with Supergirl and Superman flying around you still get those that deny the existence of aliens. Why would you ever believe that your mother and mine were witches? Unless…”

“You’re chatty. Where was all this when we were enjoying our drink?”

“I’ve…” Lena tipped her head side to side, wrinkling her nose in thought. “I’ve had time to contemplate. To put some things together.”

Peggy tilted her head back and stared up at the night sky. It was a small town with little light pollution so she could see the stars. For all of her guilt and shame, for all of the blame she took on herself and allowed to grind her down, her mother had always preached kindness.

“Damn ye mum,” she hissed at the stars. She dropped her head, sighing loudly. “Where yer staying tonight?”

“I don’t know.”

“Come on. The couch is a pull-out.” Peggy turned and went to the stairs leading up to her apartment. She didn’t look back but knew that Lena was following. She put her keys in the door and unlocked it. Behind her she could hear Lena breathing heavily, her teeth nearly chattering even though it wasn’t all that cold. She pushed the door open and stepped in, flicking the light on and kicking off her boots. “Shoes,” she told Lena not waiting to see if she complied.

She walked through to the kitchen and turned on the lights there as well. Lena wandered in after her, looking about the small apartment. She froze in the kitchen door way, her eyes widening.

“You have children,” She said. Peggy followed her gaze to the toys that had been left on the floor.

“Two boys,” she answered. She filled the kettle and placed it on the stove not lighting it yet. “Don’t worry. It’s the holidays and they’re with their father. Tea?”.

“Yes, please.” Lena finally stepped inside the kitchen. “You have a very nice home.”

Peggy snorted. “Ya taught to say that at yer fancy schools?”

“Yes.” Lena unbuttoned her coat, slipped it off revealing a black blouse. She hunger the coat across the back of one of the kitchen tables before pulling it out and sitting down. She rested her forearms on the table, fingers lacing together.

“What did Florence tell ya?”

Lena met her gaze steadily. “That she and my mother and yours were witches.”

“You believe her?”

“I believe what I can see.”

“Can’t see atoms but you believe in them.”

“You can see — of course you can seem atoms.” Lena screwed her brows up, confused. Peggy had never claimed to be good at science. It was one of those subjects that had never clicked for her. “You can’t see magic.”

“You feel magic,” Peggy told her. “Why are yer here?”

“Because.” Lena heaved in a breath. “Because Florence says that I have my mother’s…” her lips twisted into a sneer. “Gift.”

She made the word sound dirty rather than something to cherish. Like it was a shackle she would have to bear always chafing at her flesh. Irritation flashed white hot through Peggy. This woman. With all her money and her airs, with her super powered friends, was looking down on one of the last connections Peggy had to her mother. She saw it as best a joke and worst something to turn her nose up at.

“Doesn’t explain why yer’ve come crawling to me.” She crossed her arms, glared at Lena. “I don’t have answers for ya.”

“Sounds like this ‘gift’ is hereditary.”

“So yer wondering if I have it? Even though you don’t believe in magic.”

“I’m not going to believe in something without evidence.”

She should kick her out. Tell her not to darken her doorstep ever again. Instead without breaking eye contact, Peggy turned the gas on for the stove top and put her finger to the ring. Lena’s brows drew down, her lips parting. It took so little effort. No will at all. Just the barest hint of a tingle in her fingertips. It was more a parlour trick than real magic. A small flame flickered from Peggy’s fingertip lighting the gas.

Lena twitched but to her credit didn’t leap from her seat. Didn’t start screeching for the villagers to get their pitchforks. She raised her eyes to meet Peggy’s and exhaled slowly.

“I suspected,” she breathed. “It passes from mother to daughter?”

“Not always. It’s dying out, there aren’t enough of us left.”

Lena nodded, absorbing the information. “I don’t want it,” she said finally.

“Tough shit.” Peggy turned to her cupboards and pulled out two mugs. She set about preparing the tea pot as the kettle on the stove started boiling.

“I won’t do anything with it. It doesn’t matter if it’s… there. I don’t want it and I won’t use it.”

The kettle boiled and Peggy poured the water into the waiting pot. She set it down on the table before Lena, ignoring the frown and pout she was sporting. She pushed one mug towards Lena and kept the other for herself.

“I don’t have any fancy china to break out for ya,” she explained. Lena curled her long fingers around the empty mug, seemingly not caring that it was chipped. “Good news for yer is that it’s probably too late for ya t’learn. Normally mother teaches daughter. That usually happens young. Yer mother not being here, yer age, well…” She shrugged. “You might have the gift but I doubt you’ll ever learn to use it.”

Not more then cheap tricks anyway. Very few learnt instinctively and without a teacher Lena’s power, whatever it might be, would eventually wither.

Lena seemed troubled at the news. She shrunk down, shoulders up again and head lowering. Biting back the umpteenth sigh for the night, Peggy poured both their teas. Much like Peggy, the gift was probably Lena’s only real connection to her mother. Her real mother, not the Luthor matriarch who spoke in syrupy sweet tones on the television but couldn’t hide the cold contempt in her eyes.

Peggy poured them both half a cup of tea. Lena lifted it and inhaled the aroma, closing her eyes.

“Its fennel and ginger,” Peggy said. “It’ll soothe ya and help ya sleep. Good for the bowels too.”

“Thank you.” Lena smiled at her over the top of her mug. The stress lines around her eyes melted away, the hardened edge of her lips softened, and she looked like she should. A beautiful young woman. One who likely shouldn’t be looking like she was trying to carry the weight of the world on her shoulder.

“You got no luggage?”

“I left it in the car,” Lena admitted. Her smile turned a little sheepish as she tucked her hair behind her ear.

They sat in a not completely uncomfortable silence drinking their tea. Finally Peggy drained the last of her mug and stood up.

“I’ll lend ya a shirt or something.” She quickly cleaned up. Pointed Lena in the direction of the bathroom while she went to the den and pulled out the couch and found some blankets that didn’t smell too fusty. She’d just finished making up the couch when Lean reappeared, her face freshly washed and hair out of it’s neat braid.

Without the make up she looked softer. Younger. Less fake and more like a real person. Even more like her mother. She favoured the Luthor’s colouring but the eyes and the jaw line were all Elizabeth.

Peggy hated her.

Lena pulled at her own fingers as she approached. “Thank you for this. It means a lot to me.”

Peggy pulled a shaky breath in through her nose and held it.

Magic was a strange and unpredictable thing. Peggy hadn’t always been the best student of the craft, her mother had only shared enough so Peggy wouldn’t hurt herself, and anything else Peggy had taught herself through painful trial and error. But she knew that when magic called you answered. And she was drawn to Lena. Felt it in every moment where she’d wanted to turn her away but had pulled her in. Had anted to cast her out but invited her into her home. Served her tea and invoked old magic that meant she couldn’t kick her out.

Her eyes dropped to Lena’s parted lips.

“Fuck.”

Lena’s eyes widened a fraction just before Peggy kissed her. Her lips were soft. They parted further, a surprised “oh,” breathed against Peggy’s mouth. She stumbled back, her fingers going to her mouth.

Peggy’s heart was thundering. What was she thinking? What the actual fuck was she thinking? This woman was everything she despised and yet Peggy wanted her.

Lena stepped back into her and pressed her lips to Peggy’s. They stood in the low light of the den, hands y their sides, bodies apart, but leaning into one another, lips moving against and with one another. Lena tasted like her tea and whisky, with a hint of mint that suggested she’d slipped a mint at some point. Peggy brushed her tongue against Lena’s and the small whimper that Lena emitted made her break the kiss.

She stared into Lena’s eye. The faded moss green of one and the gentle washed out blue of the other.

“This way.” Peggy walked past her, not waiting for a response. Lena followed behind her as she led her to the bedroom.

Peggy switched on the bedside lamp and pushed the door closed behind Lena. She didn’t reach for her but she turned, stepping back till her knees met the edge of her bed. Lena swallowed, eyes tracking over Peggy.

It wasn’t about romance. Certainly not about love. It was something older and more primal than that. It was about the pull that Peggy felt and that she was sure Lena felt too. Old magic drawing them to one another.

She didn’t go to Lena and Lena didn’t come to her. They stood apart and each stripped off their own clothes dropping them to the floor until they were both bare and only then did they close the gap between them. Only then did Peggy curl her hand around the back of Lena’s neck and draw her towards her, capturing her lips in a heated kiss.

She pressed Lena down atop the sheets on her bed. Kissed her as she cupped her breasts, thumbs skimming over already stiffened nipples.

Part of her wanted to wrap her hands around Lena’s exquisite neck. To throttle her the way someone should have done her mother. But Lena gasped and trembled beneath her like it had been age since she’d been touched with anything resembling kindness so the urge was smothered. It had been a long time for Peggy as well. Not for the kindness, but the gratification of sex. So she kissed Lena and let her hands roam over soft skin, she rolled her hips and moaned at the feel of long strong fingers exploring the length of her body. They gasped wetly into one another mouths, legs twisted together as their hands delved between on anothers legs.

Then it was a race to the finish. They breathed hot and wet, fingers pressing, hips pushing. Messy and beautiful and heart pounding.

Lena came first. Her hips shuddering against Peggy’s hand and letting out a small broken cry. She shook, twitching away from Peggy’s touch. She gulped down several breaths. Just as Peggy was starting to suspect she was going to have to finish herself off, Lena rolled her over to her back, lowered her head and took a nipple in her mouth. She pressed two finger inside her and ground down on her clit with the heel of her hand and — <em>oh!</em> — She had impressively long fingers.

Peggy’s orgasm was almost overwhelming. It rolled white hot through her, liquid heat and all those over used flowery imagery, with stars bursting behind her eyelids. Really she came so fucking hard that she yelled and slicked wetly against Lena’s hand.

When she opened her eyes Lena was leaning over her. Eyes wide and shining, red blooming in her cheeks and chest, her hair in disarray.

She was beautiful. And broken. Peggy could see the cracks running though her and the way she was desperately trying to hold onto herself.

“Well that was something.” Peggy wiped her own hand down her stomach and settled back on the pillows.

Lena laughed. The smile curling a the edge of her lips a little shy. She dropped onto the bed next to Peggy and stared up at the ceiling.

“This wasn’t what I was expecting when I followed you home,” she admitted.

If she had a better understanding of her gift then she would have seen that it was inevitable.

“Come with me to see Florence tomorrow,” Lena said.

Peggy shook her head. She wouldn’t. She couldn’t. Maybe one day she would be ready to face that woman but she refused to be part of it now.

“I’ll just get in the way,” she said. She turned her head so she could watch Lena, took in the frown pulling at her lips. She wanted her again. To touch her. To taste her. Sex was a kind of magic in it’s own way. People never really understood how much of themselves they gave away in the act.

“Right.” Lena licked her lips. She sat up, swung her legs over the edge of the bed.

“Stay,” Peggy said. Lena looked back at her, surprised. Like she thought Peggy would kick her out. Which to be fair was probably exactly what she was used to in these situations. She knew nothing of the old ways. Peggy reached out and trailed a finger down her spine. “Stay and make me come like that again. I’ll make ya breakfast in the morning.”

The smile that broke across Lena’s face was the best yet. Her cheeks dimpled and eyes squinted closed. She turned and leaned over Peggy, buried her face to her exposed throat and pressed her lips to her pulse.

She wouldn’t go with Lena to see Florence. She already knew this was a fleeting moment not meant to last. That Lena would leave, go back to her friend whom she had hurt and work on her forgiving herself. Likely she would rarely think of Peggy.

She didn’t know it but she had smoothed the jagged edges of Peggy’s hurt. Made the ache where she kept the memory of her mother that little bit less.

But it didn’t hurt to hope that Lena might think of her again one day.

[milkybonya]

senior - friend - lover

Warning: mentions of drinking, but reader in this fic does not want to drink and does not drink, food mentions

Pairing: college!Jinjin x (gender neutral reader who is shy, has a hard time saying no)

Word count: 3.5k

Note: This is my entry for the Valentine’s day collab hosted by @kpoppwriter ! It was inspired by prompt 12: “You don’t have to if you don’t want to”

what i listened to while writing: I Like You by DAY6

On your first day at university, you got lost a total of three times, were late to all of your classes because of that, and you almost missed an important, required meeting for all first-years of your program. Almost.

As you were rushing back to your dorm, tired of the long day that you had just endured, you felt a hand gently grab your arm and stop you from moving forward. You almost grabbed the hand and twisted it out of anger until you looked up and realized who it was.

“[y/n]... right? You’re a first-year, no?” the person asked. You couldn’t quite remember his name, but you knew that he was a well-beloved senior in your program. During Welcome Week, he had been leading most of the events.

“Yeah, that’s me!”

You didn’t dare to ask his name, not wanting him to know that you had forgotten.

“I’m Jinjin. I’m sure you’ve seen me around,” he said, giving you the answer to your question without you even needing to ask.

“Yeah!” you say again, not sure what to say. This was the first time a senior in your program was talking with you one-on-one, so you didn’t want to embarrass yourself.

“I see you’re heading towards the dorms. Have you forgotten about the mandatory meeting for first-years?”

You gasped, eyes shaking as you realized that you had, in fact, forgotten. Jinjin smiled, his soft eyes disappearing into pretty crescents.

“You know how to get to the building, right?” he asked.

Your heart was racing. There was just one simple answer to that question… no. But for some reason, you had such a hard time saying that word. You felt like that word burdened whoever you were uttering it to, and for that reason, you always obliged with whatever came your way.

“Yeah!” you said for the third time.

“Okay, get there soon! It’s starting in five minutes,”Jinjin said, walking off and waving goodbye.

You pretended to walk towards this building, having no clue which one it even was, until Jinjin told you that you were going the wrong way.

“It’s okay. I actually have some things to do near there, so I can walk with you,” he said, leading the way.

How embarrassing, you thought to yourself. Now Jinjin knows that you pretended to know where you were going…

“It’s hard to ask for directions, right?” Jinjin asked you, walking with his hands in his pockets.

“Yeah…” you said, again.

“It feels like you’re a tourist even though you’re just a student on campus. But don’t worry, everyone here understands. We’ve all had to ask for directions before. Once, I asked for directions and it turned out I was standing right in front of the building I needed to find!” Jinjin explained, laughing softly. The sound was contagious and you laughed along. Your shoulders, that had been tense this entire time, dropped, and you felt yourself relaxing for the first time that day.

-

After that day, you tried your best to avoid Jinjin because of how embarrassed you felt, but somehow, the two of you would always run into one another. It would never end at just ‘hello’.

You were at the campus bookstore the next day, picking up some textbooks that you needed when someone tapped your shoulder. When you turned around, there he was. The boy who you’d embarrassed yourself in front of the day before.

“Hello! Are you picking up some books?”

You nodded, awkwardly returning to the shelves to scan them. Again, you weren’t sure what to say to your senior, but also again, Jinjin had a strange way of making you feel comfortable around him.

“Oh, don’t buy those books, [y/n]. It’s not worth the cost…” Jinjin said, pointing to the heavy load in your hands. When you blinked up at him, waiting for an explanation, he sighed.

“I doubt you’ll read them… But if you really want them, do you want to borrow mine? I still have them and they’re as good as new!”

“That would be great… How much should I pay you?”

Jinjin laughed.

“I said borrow. You can borrow them - there’s no need to pay!”

“Really?” you asked.

Jinjin leaned against the shelves and smiled, nodding.

“Can I drop them off at your dorm later today?” he asked.

When you nodded, he excused himself and walked towards a different part of the store. Thanks to Jinjin, you left the store empty-handed. It sounds sad, but actually, you were saving a lot of money thanks to him!

Just as he promised, he met you on the main floor of your residence building with a lot of books in his hands. It looked heavy, so you offered to help, but he said he didn’t need any. 

He walked up three flights of stairs (the elevator was broken), so by the time you had reached your room, he was sweating a ton. His veins were showing and his muscles protruding. He was such a cutie… you hadn’t expected him to be fully built with muscles.

He collapsed on the floor of your room once he placed the books on your desk, leaning his head back against your bed frame.

“Are you okay? Let me get you some water!”

When you brought him some, he chugged it all in one go and gasped for air once he was done. For some reason, that made you laugh, and Jinjin frowned at you.

“Is my pain funny to you?”

You pressed your lips together, shaking your head ‘no’.

“Anyways, there’s going to be a party for our program so we can introduce the first-years. Do you want to come?”

Gosh.. there it was. Another instance where you wanted to say no but just couldn’t. Why was it so hard for you to say ‘no’ in the most crucial situations?

“Uh… sure!” you said quietly. You weren’t fond of parties. Being a shy person made it hard to interact with strangers. Even if the people at the party weren’t really strangers, since they were all in your program, talking to them and socializing would be hard.

Jinjin scanned your face with his eyes.

“You don’t look like you want to go, though.”

“What? No… that’s… not true.”

“You look like I’m forcing you to go somewhere…” he said, squinting at you.

“You don’t have to come, [y/n]. If anyone asks, I’ll just say… you were studying?”

“But it’s only the first week… there isn’t much studying to do!”

“Shhh, I’ll tell them you have a quiz you’re worried about,” Jinjin said, standing up and waving away your worries with his hands.

“But-”

“Don’t worry, [y/n]. I’ve got it covered.”

-

“[y/n], you said you’d treat me out to food as a thanks for borrowing my books, right? Can we go eat somewhere today?” Jinjin asked you over the phone.

“But I didn’t… say that…”

“Oh, right… you didn’t. I wasn’t trying to make use of your inability to say no or anything! I swear! I was honestly just trying to find an excuse to have a meal with you but… you don’t have to treat me if you don’t want to!”

“Jinjin, you don’t need to make any excuses for having a meal with me. I’m always down to share a meal.”

“Really?” he asked, his voice somehow sounding like a happy puppy.

In the evening, the two of you went to a pizza place just outside campus to indulge in junk food. Things were getting stressful with exams approaching, and there was nothing like pizza to make you feel better.

When Jinjin asked you if you liked a certain flavour of pizza, you couldn’t help but agree, even though you hated that flavour the most. You just didn’t want to upset him…

He noticed the way you nibbled and tried to hide the fact that you were almost gagging on the taste. There was a soft thud as he dropped his pizza onto his plate.

“[y/n]... you don’t like this flavour, do you?”

“It’s fine!” you said, trying to take a big bite but struggling.

“It’s clearly not…” Jinjin noted, taking the pizza from your hands, his warm hand brushing against yours as he put the pizza away.

“Tell me what kind of pizza you want right now and I’ll go get it,” he said, pushing back in his chair, the legs scraping against the floor.

“You don’t have to!” you said, also standing up nervously.

“No, [y/n]. You don’t have to. Please, when you’re with me, don’t ever worry about anything. Only do the things that you want to do.”

You could hear your heartbeat flooding your ears as he said this. How did he have the ability to make you feel so comfortable?

When he ordered the pizza that you wanted, he watched as you ate with heart.

“Why aren’t you eating?” you asked him.

“I’m full,” he said, continuing to watch you. You found it awkward to eat as he watched, so Jinjin continued to eat his own pizza despite saying that he was full just moments ago.

“Wait… so why did you want to eat today so badly?” you suddenly asked Jinjin.

“What do you mean? I thought you said I didn’t need a reason to want to eat with you?”

“I’m just curious now,” you said, slyly taking a bite of your pizza.

“I just wanted to see you…” Jinjin mumbled in-between mouthfuls of food.

“Hm?”

“Nothing… I’m just hungry,” Jinjin said, taking a big bite of his food.

-

Once the second semester began, more people had picked up on your struggles with saying ‘no’. In group projects, all of the workload was forced onto your shoulders. People dragged you to parties and events that you didn’t want to nor had the time to attend, and you were sick and tired of everyone. Everyone except for Jinjin, of course, whom you’d managed to grow extremely close to, despite him being your senior.

“Give me your phone,” Jinjin demanded, crossing his arms over the library desk.

“Jinjin, calm down-”

He snatched it from your hands before you could finish your sentence and sighed once he saw the messages on your screen. Then, he began furiously typing a response. You leaned forward and tried to reach for your phone, but Jinjin wouldn’t let you have it. He only gave it back once he was done typing.

“These rascals… [y/n], I’ve told you to say no when they make excuses for not being able to do the work.”

“It’s hard,” you whined, eyes widening once you read the nasty response Jinjin had written.

This is a group project and there will be no free riders. I know you’re all lying. Everyone will do their part as we decided, or else you’ll get a zero as I’ll be showing the professor these lies that you’ve all messaged me.

“Jinjin, this message is so scary.”

“You have to be scary for them to take you seriously!” Jinjin says, his loud voice earning him glares from a couple of students.

“I know it’s hard… Whenever you get these messages, tell me and I’ll reply for you, okay?” Jinjin tells you.

As the two of you returned to your studies, you noticed a part of Jinjin’s forearm glowing. The ceiling of the library was all glass, so the sunlight was able to shine down sometimes. Today, the sun had decided to bless Jinjin.

Acting on your sudden urge, you stretched out your arm to poke Jinjin’s forearm, right where the sun’s rays were shining on it. He looked up after your finger collided with his skin, confused.

“Look, the sun’s shining on you!” you pointed out, amused. Jinjin smiled seeing your reaction to something so simple.

“You used to be so scared of me… now you even poke my arm?” he asked.

“Oh… I’m sorry!” you said, retracting yourself away from him and returning to your notes. Jinjin watched you for a few moments as you tried to study, admiring your beautiful face from only an arm’s length away.

-

“Drink up drink up!”

Glasses clinked together inside the warm pub, the sound echoing in your ears. Once everyone’s glasses met their lips, the only sounds that could be heard were the murmuring of chatter that filled the slightly busy space and something sizzling in a pan far off towards the kitchen.

You took a sip of your glass of water, trying to hide it from all your college friends. They were quick to catch on, though.

“It seems like [y/n] isn’t drinking tonight,” the person next to you said, pushing your glass of water forward for all to see.

“Do you think we’re a joke, [y/n]? We came to this pub to drink!” another person said.

“Yeah, if you’re not going to drink, then pay for the bill.”

Your heart was racing. Once again, a moment where you wanted to say ‘no’. You needed to say no but just couldn’t.

“Okay, okay!” you gave in.

Everyone cheered.

“Someone, fill a glass for [y/n]!”

Jinjin, sitting across from you, started to pour the contents of a bottle into a shot glass. Of all people, you would not expect him to do this. But when he handed it to you, he gave you a wink while smiling from ear-to-ear. Though you’d only known him for a year now, you knew this meant you could trust him.

Taking a deep breath, you lifted the glass to your lips, tilted your head back and downed its contents.

Water.

It was water.

You laughed to yourself when you realized, but your friends just thought that the ‘alcohol’ was cheering you up.

“That’s right!” the person next to you said, nudging you.

Jinjin filled your glass two more times with water until everyone stopped paying so much attention to you. Then, the two of you stepped out for some air.

“I thought you were trying to help me learn how to say no,” you told Jinjin, who pulled the hood of his hoodie over his head.

He smiled. This boy seriously never stopped smiling at you.

“That was an emergency. I knew it would be hard to say no when everyone was staring at you like that, so I thought I’d give you a hand. Was that so wrong of me?” he asked you, pointing dramatically to himself.

You shook your head, pushing him slightly. He pretended to stumble, making you laugh.

“Just know that if you ever don’t want to do something, you don’t have to do it. Especially when I’m around,” Jinjin said. The hanging lights from the exterior of the pub were making his crescent eyes twinkle.

“I know. You tell me that everyday,” you said, feeling embarrassed. Sometimes Jinjin acted like he was your dad or something.

“And I should. Until you understand that, it’ll still be hard for you to say ‘no’.”

He gently patted the top of your head before heading back inside, leaving you there in the chilly air. But the air didn’t feel so cold anymore, especially after he patted your head like that.

-

“What if left… wuz right and right… wuz lefht?” Jinjin asked, waving his arms around wildly and almost falling over forwards.

“Jinjin please stop walking away from me and just hold onto my shoulder so I can get you home safely,” you whined, chasing after him for the seventh time. 

After getting angry at your friends for trying to slip alcohol into your glass since they realized you’d been drinking water, Jinjin yelled at everyone at the table and declared that anytime anyone made you drink, he’d down the drinks for you instead. Now, you were left with a very drunk Jinjin to carry home.

“If lefht iz right then am I wrong?” Jinjin asked, finally stopping and facing you. 

His knees were bent in a weird way and his small frame looked so adorable in the massive hoodie he was wearing. While he was distracted, you raised his arm and wrapped it around your shoulder, holding him by the waist so he wouldn’t escape.

“Nooooo!” he squealed, squirming and trying to run away again.

“What is your problem?! It’s me, [y/n]! Why do you want to run away so badly?”

“That’s the problem. You’re [y/n] and… when…. When you hold me like thissss… I… get….. Confused!” he suddenly yelled the last word, making you jump.

“Confused? Why?”

Then you realized that your hand was wrapped around his waist.

“What do you mean?” you quietly asked.

“[y/n] I like you! So stop… confuse… confusing me…”

“But Jinjin, I like you too…” you admitted, your heart swelling. 

This man was the only person who made you feel comfortable when you were around him. He had become such a close and dear friend, he was cute as heck and every time he’d pat your head, somehow that was enough to make your heart do a million cartwheels?

“No, no, [y/n]. It’s okay. You can sayyyyyy. No. You can. Ssssay it,” Jinjin grumbled, still continuing to walk along with you.

“But Jinjin, I mean it this time. I really do.”

Jinjin let out a strange gasping sound and then went quiet, leaving you alone with your thoughts while you dragged this man’s heavy body to his apartment.

What was the use in telling him in his drunken state that you liked him, anyway? It’s not like he would remember. Oh, well. At least you knew he liked you back! But how in the world would you bring this up tomorrow…

-

February 14th. The next day was Valentine’s day. You had to confront Jinjin about his drunk confession on Valentine’s day of all days?!?!

You woke up in a seated position, your head resting against a bed frame. Then, you remembered that you had walked Jinjin home last night and he didn’t let you leave, so you had been trapped in his room until you fell asleep.

Beside you, Jinjin was still softly snoring in his white t-shirt, so you got up and tried to make some breakfast. Just after a few minutes though, Jinjin immediately woke up.

“[y/n]? What are you doing here?” he asked in his raspy voice. His low tone made you shiver.

“Do you not remember last night?” you asked, trying to sound confident.

“No… we were out drinking! And those stupid friends of yours were forcing you to drink… Then I drank a lot…. And then?”

“And then?” you urged him.

He didn’t answer.

You sighed in relief. He’s forgotten!

You heard rustling and Jinjin got up and walked to the bathroom. Or at least, that’s what you thought he was doing, but he actually left the house.

When breakfast was ready and you couldn’t find him anywhere, you got concerned and began to call him. No answer.

You sat at the small table outside his kitchen, sighing at the food in front of you. Where had this man left in his pyjamas?

After a few minutes, you heard the doorknob turning and Jinjin walked in… with a whole bouquet of flowers in his hands. Your first reaction was to laugh, because his hair was a mess and his face was so puffy and tired, but this man was holding the prettiest flowers… it was irony in the flesh.

“[y/n],” he said, kicking off his shoes and cutely hobbling over towards you.

“What is it?” you asked, still trying not to laugh.

“I’m sorry that it turned out this way, but… I like you.”

Hearing that just made you laugh even harder - why were you laughing so much today? Just the fact that this man had already confessed yesterday without knowing and was doing it today too… for some reason that was funny.

“You’re laughing?” Jinjin asked, starting to also laugh himself.

“Okay, yes, I know. It’s Valentine’s day and I should have done something better, but when I woke up and you were next to me, there wasn’t much I could do! I had different plans… I was going to confess to you right when I saw you, and I was planning to look nicer than I do now, but-”

“You look great,” you said, your laughter having ceased now. 

“Are you being sarcastic?”

“No, I swear. These flowers are so pretty, too.”

“Did you hear anything I said?”

“Yes, Jinjin. And I heard you yesterday too, when you drunkenly said that you like me.”

“I… said that yesterday?” Jinjin asked, his legs giving out as he fell onto the chair across from you.

“Yes, you did. And… you were really cute,” you said, mumbling the last part.

“Well, what did you say?” Jinjin asked, awaiting your response.

“I…” You froze. It was easier to tell him how you felt last night when he was drunk and out of it, but now you were afraid. 

What was there to be afraid of when Jinjin already liked you?!

You took a deep breath before speaking.

“I said I like you too?”

“Really?” Jinjin asked, standing up and excitedly running around his tiny dorm.

You laughed, watching your senior and now boyfriend yell while the food in front of you continued to get cold. Weirdly enough, even the flowers looked like they were smiling at you.

[tomtenadia]

Island Dreams  - Chapter 7

Hello everyone.

I have a day off so the update to day is an early one. The reason I am updating basically daily is that this story just came to me and I knew exactly what i wanted to write. The chapters come easily and I don't think I ever written this easily. Ever. I hope to be able to post regularly.

So, chapter 7, things move a bit more. Rowan tells her his idea to make her happy again and they get a bit closer. Elias shows up and he and Rowan have a stand off. If we were in a fantasy, Aelin would be calling them both "overprotective fae bastards."

There is angst and I am sorry about that. Aelin is having a hard time. But things are improving soon. I promise.

I hope you will enjoy this chapter.

A big, massive, gigantic virtual hug and thank you to everyone who liked the story or reblogged it. Thank you all so very much. And to everyone is reading only... thank you to you too <3

------------------

A couple of days had passed and Aelin kept herself as busy as possible and went to visit again some of the places that were becoming her favourite sites. That day she was taking another day off from gallivanting around the island and was now on her way to Rowan. She had finished the book and she had to discuss it with him. And that special aspect of their complex relationship made her happy. But first of all coffee and breakfast. With the confidence of a local she walked along the streets and went straight to Maeve’s. Once in she noticed it was quite busy, but the woman had time for he and greeted her warmly and with a soft smile. “Good morning, darling.” The woman squeezed her in a gentle hug “What can I do for you?” “Could I please have two coffees to go and…” she looked at the counter full of fresh food. Her mouth watering “Does Rowan like apple turnovers? I am bringing breakfast to him.” “Alas, my nephew does not like sweet food.” “He what?” The shock clear on Aelin’s face. Maeve grabbed a small box from the counter behind her “I know. He is strange. I made him some of the oatmeal biscuits he loves. It took me a while to perfect the recipe but he will eat these.” Aelin grabbed the container and placed it in her backpack, then grabbed the coffees and the paper bag with the apple turnovers. “Thank you, Maeve.”

She left the coffee shop and began walking toward the alien that was Rowan. How was it possible that he did not like sweet food? He could not be a regular human being. Once at the bookshop she realised her hands were full, and Rowan was looking the other way. With her butt she pushed the door open and a moment later Rowan finally noticed her struggle and was at her side holding the door before she dropped everything and made an epic mess of their breakfast. “You could have said something. I would have helped you carry everything.” “I did try to get your attention but you were staring at the computer.” “Sorry, I was dealing with an order.” “You are an alien, by the way.” In a few steps she closed the distance and walked to the counter where she deposited the two take thermos mugs. “Excuse me?” “How can you not like sweet stuff?” Aelin plopped the container with his biscuits on the counter and then the bag with her breakfast “Your aunt made your favourite biscuits.” “I like to eat healthy foods.” And munched on his own biscuits. She scooted past him and sat on the high chair behind the counter and enjoyed her breakfast and her smile was back and Rowan relaxed a bit. He hadn’t seen her in two days and he was worried after what happened last time she was there. Aelin pointed a finger at him “so boring.” She wiggled her finger at him. Rowan launched forward and pretended to bite her finger. In challenge she stared at him with a poker face and kept eating, closing her eyes with delight. The food was incredible. She moaned quietly and Rowan froze at the sound. Fuck. A different kind of picture popped in his head. The two of them on a bed with far less clothes on and his mouth… He blinked the image away and forced himself to rid his brain of that picture. He coughed gently “Choked on coffee, sorry.” He lied shamelessly. She would have killed him if she had known where his mind had gone. Hey Aelin, I know we just became friends, but I just imagined you naked on my bed and my head between your legs. Still fancy being my buddy? He cleared his voice again “I was thinking…” Aelin stopped drinking her coffee and looked at him “You know that is dangerous for you, right?” He glared at her and continued “Would you like to… I thought that maybe…” he was struggling to find the way to suggest to her the idea he had thought about last time he had seen her. Why was he so bad at this? “The shop… you could, work with me. If you want.” He clarified quite quickly “It’s just an offer. You love books, you have a knack for displays,” and he pointed at her table “and you might like the money too…I can't pay you like a doctor but, it's just the two of us, thus the pay is quite decent and life on the islands is cheap." Aelin liked the idea. Having an income would help a lot. She had savings but they were starting to take a hit. She had even bought a car after returning the rental. And he was right, life on the islands was indeed much cheaper. She was so used to the astronomical price in London. “Are you asking me to work here?” He could see the joy in her eyes and the view took his breath away. “Yeah… and I sucked at it.” Aelin deposited her mug on the desk and then threw her arms around his neck and squealed in delight “Of course.” Then she quickly moved away and began jumping behind the counter “I will be working in a bookstore. Do I get staff discount?” “You can get a staff discount.” He nodded and Aelin smiled again. But a part of Rowan was terrified. Last time he had another person working in the shop it did not end well. He tucked the sadness away and convinced that this time it was different. He and Aelin were just friends. She was not interested in him that way, plus she had the other guy and probably it was for the better. He breathed deeply and regained focus. He left the counter and went to his back office. When he got back he had a bundle in his hands “I have been thinking about this for a few days now and I got you a t-shirt to work here.” “Mine.” Said Aelin grabbing the t-shirt and disappearing to the staff toilet to get changed. She came back a few minutes later grinning “How do I look?” She walked to him swayed her hips in a sensual way that made Rowan sweat “Perfect. Now get that box and start unpacking.” “Yes, sir.” Aelin produced a military salute and went back to work. The two worked in silence for a few hours. Aelin unpacking, checking the deliveries and arranging some of the display. Rowan at the counter working on his computer on paperwork. They had a busy morning and Aelin had a lot of fun helping the customers giving time to Rowan to do his stuff. They even had a few groups of tourists in an Aelin gave her loads of suggestions. She was giddy. Again that feeling of lightness in her soul she hadn’t felt in ages. On her knees she was rearranging the fiction section and stopped to look at a book that sounded quite interesting “Have you read this?” She asked him, waving the books in his direction. Rowan joined her and kneeled in front of her, far too close for comfort. He took the book from her hands and looked at it. Aelin in the meantime stared at him transfixed and a small smiled appeared on her face. She wanted to run her hand in his hair. She wanted to taste if his lips were as soft as she imagined them. And his hands. She stared at his hands. Lysandra’s comment popped in her head and she pushed it away. She was at work. Not appropriate. “Spaceship Rowan to Aelin, are you there?” Fuck. Did he notice her staring at him like a moron? “Sorry, away with the fairies.” “I said that this is a good one.” “Good.” She regained control of herself and placed the book on the side on the floor “I’ll give it a go.” In that instant the door opened and they both looked up and Aelin gasped. Elias just entered the shop, then he looked at her close proximity with Rowan, and gave him a hard stare.

Rowan stood quickly “Hello.” He said quite icily. “Hi Elias.” That was all she could manage. Her heart was racing madly in her heart. “My meeting finished early. So I went for coffee, passed in front of here and saw you.” He noticed her uniform “In that.” “Oh yeah. I started working here.” “Since when?” “Since about two hours ago.” “Oh.” That’s all he said. A strange emotion flashed in his eyes. Was Elias mad at her? Was that jealousy? “I don’t have meeting until later in the afternoon. Fancy going for a ride?” And he uttered the words while staring at Rowan in a clear challenge to the man at Aelin’s side. Aelin turned to Rowan. He nodded and placed a hand on her lower back in an almost proprietary gesture and Elias noticed the gesture. “You can go. I got all my paperwork done this morning, thanks to you. I man the fort for the afternoon. Go, have fun.” There was a softness in his words she never felt from him. He jerked his head “Go.” “Are you sure?” “Positive.” with his hand on her back he pushed her away from him. “I’ll se you tomorrow, I guess?” Rowan gave her a wonderful warm smile. Then Elias held out a hand to her and she timidly took it “Ready to go?” “My backpack.” She collected her belongings and she joined the man. One last look at Rowan and she followed Elias out, feeling guilty. They went to his car and he started driving. Both in silence. They were on the road, in the countryside outside Stornoway when she finally broke the silence “You are mad.” “I am not.” His tone told her otherwise. Aelin scoffed “Yes you are. You are gripping the steering wheel so hard that your knuckles are almost white.” He realised his mistake and released the grip a bit. “Most importantly. You are mad at me.” “Why were you working with him? I thought you were a doctor.” He was definitely spoiling for a fight. She looked outside the window and stared at the rolling landscape and tried to soothe the pain in her soul. “So what? Does that mean I can’t work in a bookshop?” “You can work wherever you want, okay?” And his anger came back. “It just seems a waste.” Aelin’s head whipped in his direction and flashed him a deadly glare “You what?” Her tone matched his in terms of nastiness. “All I am saying is that it sounds like you were this awesome doctor down in London and now you are here, in this small town, playing bookseller. Damn it, Aelin. Dream bigger.” A surge of savage anger rushed through her “Stop the car.” When he did not comply she shouted again “Stop the fucking car, Elias.” Worried by her tone, he pulled over in a safe place and she stormed out as soon as the car was stopped. She slammed the door and moved to the front of the car, meeting him “How dare you.” She growled at him “How fucking dare you to tell me what to do with my life. Dream big?” She pushed him on his chest “I dreamt big my entire fucking life. I had a goal. And that goal has been taken from me in the most hurtful way possible, so don’t you dare.” She sat on the hood and refused to look at him “I gave my life to my job. Every single fucking day of my life.” She said through gritted teeth “And it probably even costed me my marriage. I gave everything.” She was breathing hard and she knew a panic attack was coming. She had a few in the past few days. And the thing scared the hell out of her. Last time she suffered from panic attacks was when she was an intern. That’s how messed up her life was just now. She tucked her arms around her waist, closed her eyes and concentrated on breathing. “I am sorry, I didn’t…” he was in front of her and there was deep sadness in his eyes. “I am an idiot. I am sorry, Aelin.” She started crying as well. She was struggling to breath and when she tried to pull away from the car hood, Elias had the scare of his life when she collapsed on her knees “Shit, Aelin.” She was crying and hyperventilating at the same time. Her tears now turned into full ugly sobs. He moved closer but Aelin pushed him away “Don’t touch me.” He ignored her and hugged her. She fought him for a moment but then she she gave up to his embrace. Elias felt her shaking. “I can’t breathe…” her voice was shaky and he recognised the telltales of a panic attack. He lifted her chin “Look at me.” And she did “Breath in… then breath out. In.. and out…” He caressed her head trying to give her some comfort after he was the one who caused all of this. She did just that for a few minutes. “How are you feeling?” “Dizzy and about to be sick.” She jumped up and run at the side of the road and hurled. Elias stared at her with worry not knowing wether his proximity would help or make things worse. Aelin leaned on the car exhausted. She was still shaking but he breathing was slowly going back to normal but she still felt very dizzy. Probably from all the hyperventilating. Damn she was a doctor she should be able to handle her panic attacks better. But in the past few days they have been quite bad. And that did nothing to lower her stress levels. She was almost at the breaking point. She turned toward Elias and a wave of dizziness hit her. He noticed her sway on her feet and a moment later he was at her side “Hey…” his arms went around her “Shhh… hold on to me.” He felt her arms loosely wrap around his back. “I am taking you home.” “I am fine.” She added stubbornly, pushing away from him to prove that she was okay. But she wasn’t. When she swayed another time, Elias lifted her in his arms and opened the passenger door “We are going home. You need to rest. Panic attacks this bad can leave you exhausted for a while.” He got back in the car and began driving back into town. Fifteen minutes later he was back at the marina in their usual car park. “Hey, baby…” she gently nudged her awake “We are back.” Aelin woke up and looked at him and then focused her eyes on the area around her. She went to open the door but Elias’ hand was on hers “Let me drive you home, please.” “I can walk.” Her voice told him otherwise. “Aelin, please.” Then he smiled and lifted his hands “I’ll keep them to myself. I promise. I just want to see you home safely. You gave me a fright.” She sat back and gave in. “Fine. I live on Newton st. The only light blue cottage there.” He replied with a smile and she leaned back. Five minutes later they arrived in front of her cottage. He parked along the pavement and left the car, walked in front of it and in a matter of seconds he was at her side holding the door open for her “M’lady…” and bowed. Aelin stood and still felt a bit dizzy, something he did notice so he followed her. In front of the door, Aelin hesitated “Come in. We had no lunch and you must be famished.” “You don’t have to cook for me.” Aelin did her best to give him a weak smile “I have some Indian leftovers, if you are not too fussy.” “Which one did you use?” “The one along the main road to Lews castle. Apparently that is the best one in town.” “That is the best one.” They entered the room. He noticed her removing her shoes and he did the same. “Kitchen is on the right.” She directed him, her voice filled with exhaustion. “Do you want some as well?” Aelin shook her head, “I’ll just have some chamomile tea.” She left him in the living room and made her way to her bedroom upstairs. She came back a few minutes later in her pyjama. Elias was in the living room. A plate full of food on the coffee table a glass of water and a mug of steaming chamomile for her. “A cookie monster pyjama.” He laughed “You are the woman of my dreams.” She lifted her leg, wiggled her toes showing off her Calvin and Hobbes socks. “You are bloody perfect, you know?” She ignored the comment “Is the food still good?” “Oh yeah. I usually buy a lot from them and polish it off the next day and it’s always still tasty. Not my first time.” He turned to her and she looked exhausted and he felt deep worry “I am sorry for what I said.” She leaned heavily against the back of the sofa “Not today, Elias, I don’t have the mental strength right now.” “You should go to bed.” “The chamomile usually helps me sleep.” She took a sip and tasted something sweet “Did you put honey in it?” “Yeah, that’s how my mom used to make it for me when I was little. It tastes amazing.” Aelin took another sip and hummed in pleasure. “Sweet to perfection.” “Get a room you two.” Slowly she leaned on his shoulder. He shifted his position a bit so that she could lean a bit more comfortably against him. Slowly he placed the empty plate on the coffee table and leaned back. One arm went around her back and pulled her closer. With the other he removed a stray lock of hair from her face. Aelin continued sipping her tea but both stayed in silence for a while. She was still mad at him for what he had said, but she had no strength to fight. So, she just gave up and enjoyed his presence beside her. “I wanted to be an archaeologist when I was little.” He started telling her, hoping to distract her from her thoughts “I had watched Indiana Jones a bit too much I guess. But also, my parent’s house was near Callanish as well. They live about ten minutes form my current house.” The hand around her shoulder started caressing her hair “My dad used to take me and my brother to the stones almost on a daily basis and tell us all the myths and legends. And that’s when the obsession started.” “That place is awesome.” “My brother loved the legends but he was in the firefighter phase.” He explained “And by the way he actually is a firefighter. He is the captain of his unit.” “No way.” Elias nodded “I, on the other hand I started using our garden to dig holes. I knew that was an area rich in settlements remains and I was adamant our garden contained an archeological treasure. I destroyed my mum’s garden.” And he laughed “When I was in high school I did manage to get a placement with some guys working on digs on Shetland, the islands in the very, very north of Scotland. They have some amazing Viking stuff. It’s mind-blowing. Anyway…” he stopped when he felt he hand on his knee “I spent a month working on the remains of a Viking longhouse. It was epic.” “It sounds like. I love Vikings.” “Then I came back home, went back to school and one of my teachers destroyed my dream of becoming an archaeologist. She told me that I was going to waste my time. She one was of those who believe only scientific careers actually mattered. Not a nice woman. But I was young and I listened to her. So I took engineering.” She squeezed his knee “Med school is just as a nightmare as they paint it. Your social life disappears. And once you are an intern… sleep becomes a luxury as well. That’s when the panic attacks started. My stress levels were off the roof. Too much coffee, lack of sleep, infinite hours. By the time I finished I was a wreck. I choose my specialisation and worked hard every day of my life. Then a year ago everything went to shit.” ���You said you were married.” Aelin nodded “We met at the hospital. He is a police officer. I had been called in the A&E for a consult on a police officer who had been injured pretty badly in the line of duty in a very seriously deprived part of London. The officer was trying to stop a case of domestic abuse. He almost got killed in the process. Chaol, my ex, was his partner. That’s when we met. Seeing the police in an A&E was not unusual. And I used to do a lot of rotations there as well if I was not in surgery. Anyway, Chaol once brought me a cup of coffee, we started chatting and we hit it off. Four years later we married. Five more and I gave him divorce papers.” He pulled even closer and kissed the top of her head “Do you regret the divorce?” “Hell no, he had it coming. No… no…” she grabbed her mug again “But it just not easy to ignore nine years spent with someone, especially when eight of those years had been great.” “I imagine you can’t.” Elias then stood and cleared up his dishes. By the time he washed everything, she had fallen asleep on the sofa. Gently he lifted her in his arms and walked upstairs looking for the bedroom. He put her to bed and covered her with the blankets. He found a notepad and scribbled down a note for her

You fell asleep while I was doing the dishes. That should have been me :) Hope you and cookie monster had a nice slumber, my princess. I’ll text you tomorrow to check that you are okay. I have a crazy day at work tomorrow so no adventure. Please, take it easy.

Good night, Elias.

He then got back downstairs, grabbed the keys from a tray on a shelf, left the house, locked the door and pushed the keys through the letterbox. Once outside he looked up at her bedroom door and smiled. He was mad about her. He’d move the world for one of her smiles.

[lausterholes]

Sugar daddy Hcs | Giorno, Diavolo, Risotto

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Sorry for my thirst for Sugar daddy things. I aged up everyone into the current time’s age. (Giorno is 35, Diavolo is around 52? and Risotto is 47) I just really have something for older men asfadfdaf. 

Warning: not sfw/ (a lot of) age gap/ sugar daddy-baby relationship.

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Sugar Daddy!Giorno Giovanna (35)

▀  After he became the don of the greatest mafia in Italy. Giorno just stressed out with many things he had to deal with. It’s not that he’s going to toss his work away anyway, it’s a part of his life now. He has been fulfilling his role as the boss perfectly for nineteen years. Everything went faultlessly within those hands.

▀ Except for only one thing, lover. Basically, Giorno never cares about having any girl by his side. But this makes Mista genuinely feels that his don may get too stressed. He talked about this to Giorno sometimes, but the don just brushed it off.

▀ Until one day, the new problem happens in Naples. The gangsters that he had been caught his eyes on for so long caused huge trouble to the tourist. Giorno may let them go this time, but the problem is- they hurt one family that just happens to be the innocent, they tried to help and call the police, but end up beaten instead.

▀ Giorno annoyed by their unreasonable antics. Not just that- the gangsters pretend to be victims and claim for damage. Okay, that’s too much. Giorno had to step in, already decides to have someone dead. They were suspected to be traitors anyway.

▀ You, the child of the said family, are unpleasant about this. You have to pay so much for your parents’ treatment and yet- you have to pay for those bastards too, you almost get harassed, so you fight back. But you ended up looking like a culprit instead.

▀ When Giorno learned about you, he just gave a visit to the hospital right after he eliminates those scumbags. When he saw you, frowning at him- he just introduces himself and apologizes. You tried to ignore him, but Giorno catches the sadness and uneasiness in your eyes. He knew that you have struggled with the state you’re in- you lost a lot of money for these, but you have to pay for tuition too.

▀ Giorno genuinely felt bad for you, he offers to pay all of your parents’ medical treatment cost. When you denied him dismally. Giorno change the offer, he said that he will help you, but if you work with him. You hesitated but agree anyway. You just can’t let him help you for free, you don’t want to pay him back later.

▀ It started with simple tasks, such as arranging the documents, make Giorno a cup of coffee, or maybe just help him take care of his garden. Giorno didn’t expect any kind of bond, but he sure is enjoying your company. And so do you.

▀ Then, he started to spend more time with you- talking about so many things, taking you to his favorite restaurant, having a deep conversation. Giorno didn’t know what to do, you’re so young compared to him, he’s almost middle age while you’re only a college student.

▀ Unexpectedly, you confessed your idea of being his sugar baby first. And Giorno just stays silent for a bit- only for you to almost cry of shame. He just started to tease you, doesn’t he?

▀ That’s when your relationship starts. Giorno pays a lot of money on you, including your tuition cost. Or maybe just after getting intimacy with you, he inserts money in your undergarment.

▀ Always nagging you when you want to buy something you like. But purchase it anyway. Maybe he uses this against you for punishment in the bedroom.

▀ On the bed, he’s eager and not so vanilla. But your feelings have to come first- he makes sure you feel good and always reach your climax. Extra point if you call him daddy, this man will ram into you and will spoil you rotten the next day.

▀ Sometimes he bought you a pair of lingerie that seems to fit you. If you decided to wear it someday. Giorno definitely will treat you like daddy’s little princess and reward you what you deserve.

▀ 10 out of 10 sugar daddy.

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Diavolo (52)

▀ Even for someone who’s fifty-two years old, he’s still hot like his old day.

▀ Diavolo is a very cautious man. He always deletes his traits and identity. Almost being fully anonymous. But is it wrong for a man who wants to be unknown to have a desire? No, of course. Diavolo still craving for touch as a human being.

▀ But he had to choose wisely for someone to being his mistress, his possession. Someone that he could truly trust, or else he had to kill right after he finished. 

▀ And his eyes caught on you, a young girl that enters passione to find extra money to pay off her own tuition cost. One day, you started your normal routine like ever. But this day, when you spot a pink-haired man in front of your college’s gate, he just approached you and said that he wants to talk to you about something in passione, his name was Doppio, he told you.

▀ You agree to come along with him. This guy looks too innocent to be one of the boss’s reliable allies. But you guess that it won’t hurt if you heard him what’s the matter he wants to talk about.

▀ Of course, Diavolo only sees you as a way to relieve himself. But more and more the conversation between Doppio and you go on, Diavolo sparked some interest. Not only because you seem devoted to what you believe and really good at keeping secret, but because you have lesser power than him, he could easily manage this.

▀ Doppio finally touches the base. He told you that his boss wants to meet you in person. You questioned why, Doppio a little embarrassed to say it- so Diavolo takes a place instead, then said. “He wants your company, maybe tomorrow, .”

▀ When you arrived at the location where Doppio hand you. You weren’t sure about this- you didn’t know anything about your boss. Did you do something wrong? Did he trick you into this? You weren’t sure for real.

▀ The security was safest of the safe, if there’s disaster outside, you assured that he’ll be totally fine. You nervously entered his room. The room was dark and really cold. Even you embrace yourself, you couldn’t warm up.

▀ You heard his voice aloud in the deepest corner, demand you come closer. You were afraid of what might happen, but it’ll be better to listen to your boss.

▀ He started a conversation with you, making you feel as comfortable as he can. While the conversation goes on, Diavolo crept closer to you, showing his longing feeling that you must be the one to fulfill it. He knew that you have some trouble with your tuition fees and needs in your life you couldn’t afford, he might help you. That’s why you agree.

▀ You were loyal like a dog, keeping secret deep in your mind. The mysterious relationship with the most cautious mafia boss is something you never expected to have. Diavolo really pleased with you, he never played favorite before, but now he is.

▀ Diavolo is rough and such a selfish bastard. He treated you like he owns you as his personal fuck toy. All the nights you spend are nothing more than rough sex. Once he finished- he may lead you to a pillow talk or just leave you on his bed and go bathing.

▀ Diavolo likes the idea of dressing you up as he pleased, feeling completely own you.

▀ When you’re underneath him, call him daddy, and you’ll get the best orgasm you’d had. Maybe sometime, he might get carried away and end up driving you into the oblivion.

▀ Spoiled you rotten, but he’s rough and you feel quite awkward. 7/10

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Risotto Nero (47)

▀ Oh boy. The best sugar daddy is here. Even compare to the other two, he still a little broke. But trust me, he is better for your mental health.

▀ Imagine about Risotto’s ideal wife. Usually, this man doesn’t specific his type of girl. At this age, Risotto started to think about retirement and family. He wants to go back to Sicily and lived a normal life he could ever have since he was eighteen.

▀ Maybe Risotto just really hoped that he could really find someone.

▀ While some of his teammates retired and got replaced by the new ones, he’s still there, being a capo every now and then. Leading the team as he always did in the past. But really? His path couldn’t be changed, but he can retire anytime he wants though.

▀ Then, he met you. The newest member of passione, so young, but mature and free. He wants to treat you like any other, but you’re so attractive in his eyes. He’s a little guilty of that. You seem like you haven’t finished your college yet. He doesn’t even know other than being awkward when you two are alone. Such a big himbo.

▀ Risotto is not a guy you could read like an open book, that’s why you always keep your professionalism with him all the time. But when you learned a glimpse of his fonding toward you, you shall be the one that opens your heart first.

▀ You spend more time with your capo, he’s much older than you, yes, but that’s not making him less attractive. But that’s how it starts, awkward tea time and a little conversation.

▀ One day, Risotto said that he’ll afford you anything you’d like to have. Even you could pay with your own money, Risotto suggests that you should save it for good. He even let you use his credit card, you really appreciate this- but isn’t he too generous for you?

▀ Once he gets comfortable with you more, Risotto started being like himself again. All cool and discreet. Risotto at this age is someone you would head over heels with. Not just his attractive older figure, but also his personality that even more sensible. You just couldn’t enough of him.

▀ He is a busy man but can meet you several times a month. The meeting doesn’t always end up with sex, maybe just a conversation with a good dinner.

▀ Risotto expected you to call him daddy during the intercourse, he doesn’t react with his words, neither with his expression. Looks like he doesn’t care, but his movement said otherwise, Risotto would actually break you along with the bedpost that keeps slamming onto the wall. He loves it.

▀ He might let you queening him as a reward for being a good girl. His tongue feels like heaven, each stroke driving you insane. And you wouldn’t dare to be naughty with him, would you? Or else you’ll be roughly fucked your brain out.

▀ The aftercare with Risotto is the best, he’ll do anything to please you. Drink? check. Food? check. Comfy bed? check. Bath? check. All the things you need are already prepared by him.

▀ As soon as you okay with it, maybe Risotto might make you a real wife of his, then he can peacefully retire and live the rest of his life with you.

▀ 10/10 recommend.

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[dreamescapeswriting]

Tourist Trapped ~ KTH [Request]

➳➳➳Word Count: 3.1K

➳➳➳Genre: Floffy!!!!!

➳➳➳Pairing: Kim Taehyung x reader

➳➳➳ A/N: Hope this turned out the way you wanted hun. Guys please, I still suck at names does anyone have any tips?!?!?!?!?This is literally named after a Gravity Falls episode…

You were doing an Instagram live while you got ready for a date with your boyfriend, you were reading through the comments for questions from Army that had come to see you when another comment flooded in about you only being with Taehyung because of who he was and you were starting to feel a little sad about it, if only they knew the truth about how you met. You'd been in a relationship with Tae for two years now and three months ago it was revealed to everyone that you were dating, thanks to a magazine who let an article slip about you both being seen out in public together. For the most part, fans were really sweet about you both being together but there were always a couple of people that were going to drag you down for it. You tended to block most of the negativity out that came with being with Taehyung but it was hard sometimes, you wanted people to know you weren't with him for his money, his fame for God's sake you didn't even know who he was when you first saw him, and he was rude to you. 

There was nothing that would have brought you down at this moment, you were walking are Seoul in Korea for the first time in your life, it had been one of your dreams since you were a kid and now you were finally living it. It took you years of saving up, getting extra shifts and saving up every last penny you had but you were finally here and nothing else mattered but that, 

"Make sure you're getting lots of photographs for your grandma! and bring me some back of you as well, I don't want to just see buildings and flowers." You mum said to you over the phone, you hummed in response walking through the middle of the town smiling at passers-by who were looking at you. You'd been in Seoul for almost a week and you'd noticed they would do that a lot whenever someone was speaking English around them, you figured it was because there were a lot of people who only came to Korea for their pop stars but you didn't pay much attention to the music. You loved Korea for the culture, the food, and the photography opportunities to you it was just another place to check off your bucket list. 

"I promise mum, but I have to go I'll call you back later, I love you." You both hung up the phone and you went back to walking towards the markets, snapping photos of people during their natural day to day things something you did back home as well. You were getting food from the market because you were staying in a small home that was rented out by an elderly couple for people who couldn't afford hotels or b&b's, the only catch was you had to bring and cook your own food except on Sunday's when they would invite you to a big dinner. You'd become quite close with the lady that owned the home and she was fond of you staying there, claiming you were the sweetest out of most of the guests she'd had went and stay with her, always offering to help around the bigger house or asking if they needed anything while you were out but you didn't see it as being nice, you saw it as just the way of life.

"Sorry," You said in Korean quickly as you walked into the back of someone, you weren't watching where you were walking so it was your fault. You quickly bowed to the man before leaving and walking in the direction of the Han river, it was somewhere you hadn't been yet and you'd been meaning to get some photographs. 

The view was amazing, you'd already collected over 100 photos of it already and you hadn't even gone all of the way around the River yet. You scrolled through the photos on your camera and knew your mum was right, you were going to have to get some photos of yourself but it was hard when you didn't have anyone with you to take them. You glanced around at all of the people that were walking along the river, you didn't know who to ask they all looked busy with their own lives but that was when you spotted someone. He had a mask on his face as he took photographs on his phone, you slowly made your way over to him having a debate with yourself and trying to gather up all the Korean you could remember, as you got closer to him you realised just how handsome it was and it made you nervous. You suddenly forgot every word you knew and he was staring at you with a raised eyebrow,

"Can you take a photo of me please?" Is what you thought you said but the guy looked genuinely offended and sighed, 

"I can't go anywhere without someone pestering me, I love you guys but this is my weekend off can we just-" Once he saw how confused you were he stopped himself from talking in Korean, he was speaking way to fast for you to understand a single thing he had just said. 

"Erm...Sorry, my Korean is rusty, erm do you speak English?" He nodded, he understood a lot of English though sometimes his accent got in the way of him speaking it. 

"Can you take a photo of me by the river?" He instantly felt bad for what he had been saying and nodded following you over to the spot you were taking him to, 

"I'm sorry for anything you understood-"

"It's fine, all I got was 'It's my weekend off' my Korean is rusty, I thought I offended you." You laughed walking over to a railing and standing there, you stood beside him showing him how to use the camera and the whole time all Taehyung could think about was the way you were talking to him. You weren't screaming or jumping up and down because he was Kim Taehyung was BTS you were walking to him as though he was a normal person. 

"Thanks for this," You told him he walked back and began taking photos of you, 

"Smile!" He called out making you giggle a little, then he began shouting out orders for you to take as if you were a model and he was the photographer he had to admit he was having a lot of fun with this already. Once people began to look over you lost your confidence and walked over to him thanking him in Korean and he felt sad that your time together was coming to an end, 

"I'm Tae." He stuck out his hand for you to shake and you took it,

"Y/n." You said with a smile looking through the camera roll and thanking him in Korean, 

"You're a lifesaver and a natural with the camera." You laughed looking at the angles he'd gotten and how he'd worked with the natural lighting. He watched a smile appeared on your face again and he wanted to do something to make you smile properly again, to have the image of your smile burnt into his brain since it was probably the last time he was going to see you again. 

"Do you want to get some photographs no one else will have?" You looked up at him and you could tell he was smiling even though he had a mask on, 

"Depends if you're secretly a murderer and are going to kill me..." He promised you he wasn't, 

"I know some spots that aren't meant for tourists but since you're with me, we'll get in." You stared at him wondering if it was too good to be true, all the spots you'd been too were well known and had thousands of people there taking photographs. The chance to go somewhere new and get unseen photos would be amazing, 

"Sure!" You agreed, Taehyung smiled looking around and began leading you back to his car. He was glad he'd come out in disguise and in a rented car instead of the usual car he had back at the dorms.

You'd spent the entire day driving around with Tae who eventually told you his real name was Taehyung but he prefered it when you called him Tae, he'd taken you to a private beach called Gwakji & Handam, the secret beach, on Jeju Island and you had lunch together on the sand. Talking about your life back home and why you'd chosen Korea for your first independent holiday destination when most people would have chosen somewhere else. Now you were walking along a wooden bridge going up to a temple he'd been telling you about, 

"What do you doing for a living then Taehyung?" You questioned, it had been on your mind the whole day, you wondered why he was so defensive about someone taking his photo so you figured he was either an actor or a singer.

"You really don't know do you?" He asked waiting for you to catch up to him, you stood on the bridge looking over the mountains. He'd brought you to the Golgulsa to see the temple but he hadn't expected it to take so long to get there and the sun was starting to set. 

"I'm a singer in a band...a big one." You blinked at him and he could tell you really didn't know who he was and he kind of liked that. For once he wasn't Kim Taehyung from BTS or from Hwarang, he was just Kim Taehyung.

"I don't listen to a lot of music, unless it's old classic stuff that no one listens to anymore." He laughed along with you as you took photographs of the sunset across the mountains, 

"I should take you back it's getting late." You nodded in agreement disappointed that you didn't get to go up and see the temple and Taehyung was disheartened that your time together was coming to an end and he could tell you were too. 

"Or we could, I mean I'd get us different rooms but we could stay here?" You stared at him and he pointed up in the direction of the temple, 

"You can stay here?" He nodded and you smiled thinking about how an amazing opportunity it would be to get early morning photos of the temple but you were going to make this up to him somehow and you had just the idea.

"Okay, but as a thank you for everything I'm taking you to dinner tomorrow, my landlady always cooks way too much." He agreed walking up with you towards the temples, you were staring out at the view with your hands down by your side, Taehyung looked at your hands you walked together and he debated taking it in his hand when you accidentally brushed your hands together. You felt a jolt of electricity run through your body as soon as it happened and your cheeks heated up, Taehyung's cheeks flushed once he felt it but he said nothing as he wrapped your fingers together. There was no one out there to see you together, no one taking photographs of you holding hands and him being a mess around someone new who he had a crush on. For the first time in who knew how long he'd had a crush on someone he felt he had a real connection with, someone who didn't like him for his fame, someone who liked him for him.

"You don't mind this right?" He asked as you reached the top of the temple together your hands still locked together, he was referring to the hand holding but you didn't mind one bit, in fact, it was sending butterflies wild in your stomach. 

"Not at all." You whispered to him walking up with him into a reception area and getting a room in the temple together, settling for a twin room instead of two single rooms and then heading to your room for the night.

"Hi, Miss Park. I'll be home tomorrow and I'm bringing a guest with us to lunch if that's okay?" 

"Are you okay? Are you safe?" She was panicked a little, she thought of you as a granddaughter to her and she wondered why you were staying out for the night instead of going back to her. Taehyung was in the bathroom talking to who you assumed was his friend on the phone, 

"I'm safe, I'm with a friend and he's taken me to a temple for my photography. He's going to come for lunch tomorrow."

"Perfect!! I'll make sure everything is ready for round 12 tomorrow, make sure you're here." You hummed in response and said your goodbyes since Taehyung was coming out, he handed you his shirt and climbed into bed in the temple's dressing gown that they'd given you both and climbed into his bed. 

"Thank you for today Tae," You said as you went towards the bathroom, changing into his shirt and coming out a couple of minutes later, he looked at you with a smile on his face thinking about how good you looked in his clothes. 

"It's no problem, is your landlord okay with this?" You nodded at him and he smiled watching as you climbed into the bed next to his and he smiled at you. 

"Are you tired?" You asked looking over at him, he shook his head he was more awake now then he'd ever been, there was something about you that made him want to cuddle up to you and stare out of the window at the view with you. 

"No, are you?"

"Nope. Wide awake." He looked at you and you stared back at him, you were both thinking the same thing but neither of you wanted to say anything to the other. 

"C-Would it- Can I-" He didn't know how to word what he wanted to ask you and you bit down on your lip, 

"Can you what?" You asked wanting to make sure it was going where you thought it was going, you didn't want to assume anything. 

"Can you come and cuddle me?" Your heart jumped into your throat but you nodded walking over to him and climbing into the bed beside him, he spooned against you resting his head in your neck and holding you close to him. 

"I don't do this with every-"

"I figured that much," You giggled looking at the view from the temple window, he smiled against your skin and relaxed. Being with you felt easy, he didn't feel like he had to hide the real him and he could be a normal guy. 

"I don't either," You said back to him looking over your shoulder to see him closer to you then you first thought. 

"Are you feeling tired now?" He questioned rubbing your hands over your arms in a comforting way, 

"Yeah, are you?" You yawned laying your head back against his chest and closing your eyes, he hummed in response and you smiled as you felt his chest vibrating. 

"Miss Park?" You called out walking through the small home with Taehyung holding your hand, 

"Y/n?!" She called out from the kitchen, you walked through to her and she smiled greeting you and let you introduced Taehyung. 

"From the TV? My granddaughter loves you," You smiled going to help her husband cook when he poked your cheek, pointing over at Tae and Miss Park who was going to lay the table together.

"Where did you find him?" You looked back at Mr Park who was smirking down at you, 

"By the Han River, I asked him to take a photo of me. He's really sweet." You went on to explain your whole day to him and then your night at the temple neglecting to mention that you'd shared a bed and woke up tangled together. You smiled at the thought of the morning you had together, you went for a walk around the temple taking silly photographs of him whenever you could and then taking videos of you together. 

"He's a keeper, look at him looking at you." You glanced over your shoulder to catch a glimpse of Taehyung who blushed once your eyes met and looked down at the floor. 

"I'm sure that after today I'll never see him again, he's a very busy guy." Mr Park sighed coming up to you and rubbing your shoulders whispering in your ear, 

"If it's true love it'll work out without the trouble."

Taehyung was getting ready to leave while Miss Park got a basket of food ready for him to take back to the dorms with him, 

"I told you she always makes too much." You laughed walking him over to the door, he looked over his shoulder at it and then back to you. 

"I wish I could stay longer," His hand was caressing your cheek gently as you stared into each other's eyes you didn't want him to go yet but you knew he had places to be. 

"I wish you could too." You whispered back to him, he bit down on his lip. 

"Would it be terrible if I kissed you right now?" You shook your head and he bent down wrapping one arm around your waist and drawing your body closer to his so he could kiss you softly. Miss Park watched from the kitchen door and her husband smirked knowing he was right about it being true love, 

"Call me when you get back to the dorms?" You questioned wanting to know when he got home safely, he kissed your nose. 

"I will." 

"Jagi?!" Taehyung called walking into the bedroom to see you applying to make up to your face, he kissed the top of your head and then started talking to Army through your phone.

"I have to steal my girlfriend now guys, we have an anniversary dinner to get to." He ended the live for you and then kissed the top of your head. 

"Are you ready?" You nodded getting up from the vanity table and doing a twirl in front of him, 

"Miss Park and Mr Park are waiting for us." You kissed his cheek and began walking through the temple with him. He'd brought you out to the temple for your anniversary and made sure Mr and Miss Park could join you for a meal since they were another reason you met in the first place. 

"Happy anniversary baby." You whispered as you walked through the temple hand in hand and looking at the view, he let go of your hand a told you to stand under one of the blossom trees,

"Smile!" He ordered making you giggle, you posed for him and he continued taking multiple photos until you screamed at him to stop or you were going to be late for dinner. 

"Come on lover boy, I'm starving." You joked dragging him in the direction of the eating area.

Tagline: 

@yoongisdumplingcheeks​ @snowy-meowl​ @lynnthevirgo​ @jooniesdarlingdimples​ @kpopfanfictionhoes​ @lyoongx​ @callingmyangel​ @fan-ati--c​ @btsiguess-kpop​ @mitzwinchester​ @rjsmochii​

[melaninkpopimagines]

Crave

Daddy Woo x Reader 

Word Count: 4442

Warning: Smut 

Author: Admin Jae 

“These are the last papers to sign," the owner said. 

“Thank you. It was a pleasure doing business with you.”

“Of course when you start making money” he slyly said. 

“And I will" you guaranteed. 

“Thank you for your time," he said. You happily shook his hand. 

You looked around the entire place envisioning everyone enjoying themselves with food, chefs hard at work, hosting various themed events and gaining celebrity attention. You smelled the fresh cool air of the new rental space that will turn into your very own soul food restaurant. 

3 Weeks Later. 

“Dang it where is everyone at?” you scoffed to yourself. “Am I doing something wrong?” 

“No, you're still doing a good job as always.” Chel said. Chel is one of your closest friends. You two met in college as roommates and were inseparable ever since. You wouldn't trade her for the world. She was your first investor to your restaurant. You promised to pay her back in full. She flew out to Korea to see you and help run the business with you. 

“Thanks Chel.” you smiled. “I couldn't have done this without you.” 

“Girl, it’s no problem at all. I would do anything for you.” Chel said. 

You stood at the front entrance with your arms folded, you were worried. 

“We're near one of the most populated areas in Seoul and no one hasn't come in” you stressed. 

“Here have a glass of wine.” Chel tried to hand it to you. 

“Chel, I love you but this is not the time nor the place to drink while the restaurant is opened!” you scolded. 

“What?! you worry too much. I'm just trying to help.” Chel said drinking the glass herself. 

You continue to stare out the window with people steadily walking past. 

“Where is everyone?” Minhyuk peeped his head out the kitchen door. Minhyuk has been with you two since the business opened. He walked in asking to be your cook after seeing your ad online. 

“I don't know," you said.

Minhyuk came from behind the door teasing “What did you do? Scare everyone off?”

“Maybe your food was terrible" you teased back. Minhyuk made a playful sad face then laughed. 

“I wish it was that easy, then I must be really ugly.” you chuckled. 

“Far from it” Minhyuk complimented. 

You smiled. “Your food is terrific by the way. I just wished people would COME in so they could see for themselves.” 

“I’ve got an idea.” you said. 

“What?” Chel asked, pouring another glass of wine. 

“What if we gave people flyers of the restaurant?” you suggested. 

“I'm down with that.” she agreed. 

You head to the office to create festive flyers. You came out feeling proud of yourself. 

You handed out a handful. 

“Are you sure it'll work?” Minhyuk said. 

“It has to.” you insisted. “I'm running out of options.” An idea sparked again. “Or better yet…. what if we gave out samples of items on our menu?” 

“Let's do it," Chel supported. “People will know how good our food is.” 

“Exactly” you agreed. “It's worth a shoot.”

“What kind of samples should we make?” you mumbled flipping through the entire menu. You scanned the menu in seconds, analyzing what would be a popular item. “Any ideas?” Minhyuk questioned. 

“Yeah, a few" you mumbled. “Ok, here's what we're going to do.” 

Everyone stood at attention. 

“We are going to create appetizer samples of fried chicken poppers as well as a small cup of homemade mac and cheese.” 

“Alright, on it!” Minhyuk heads to the kitchen to get started. 

“You think we can pull this off. Rent is due at the end of the week.” Chel asked. 

“Hey, I thought I was the one that was supposed to be worried.” you corrected.

“You're right.” Chel smiled heading to the kitchen with Minhyuk. 

“I hope you're not too drunk to help out.” you called out. 

“Of course not.” Chel giggled. 

You flipped the sign to the front door ‘CLOSED’ it wouldn't make much difference since no one came in. 

“So exactly how many samples do you want to make?” Minhyuk started to cook. 

“At least a hundred samples maybe” you speculated. 

“A hundred sounds good," Chel nodded, handing you an apron. 

You three spent the next hour and half fixing samples for the locals. You covered the food in wrapping paper. You rolled out a little food cart with an umbrella attached to the top. You guys walked over to a crowded shopping area with a small one way road cars slowly passed through. 

You three reached an intersection. “Should we get started?” Minhyuk asked. 

“Yep.” you said as you finished the final touches to the stand. 

Minhyuk began randomly walking up to people handing out samples and flyers on his tray. He even went out his way pointing in the general direction of the restaurant. 

You and Chel did the same. 

You had people reject your offer, they were in a rush to their next destination. Luckily, you guys ran into some tourists. You hoped they would stop by eventually while they were in Korea. 

After giving away samples and flyers, Chel and Minhyuk took the remaining samples and headed back. You stayed behind cleaning the cart off. You heard a motorcycle in the distance, but you didn't pay it any mind. 

You reached a small intersection around the corner from the restaurant. The motorcycle became louder. You looked both ways in the crosswalk. You saw a guy on the motorcycle, he was far back, so you figured you'll have ample time to cross. As you walked, one of the wheels got caught in the small pothole in the street. 

You looked up at the motorcycle coming closer and closer. You tried your hardest to push the cart but it wouldn't budge. Your heart was racing, you were about to panic. The motorcycle sped closer. 

This is it. I'm going to die. 

The motorcycle made a sudden stop and swerved in front of you and managed to reach a stopping point on the sidewalk. 

A guy stepped off the motorcycle. His dark was slicked back with a fade on each side. His entire outfit was black with just a sliver chain hanging from his jeans. He had the most intimidating look on his face and to add his height made you feel smaller. 

“What the hell is your problem?” he spoke in a rough deep voice that stirred you up. 

“What the hell is yours? You could have hit me” you retaliated. 

“Couldn't you have waited until I passed?” he asked. 

“I thought I would make it in time until one of the wheels on the cart got caught in the pothole, so if you'll excuse me” you continued struggling. 

He looked underneath the cart to see for himself. 

“Let me help.” he said. You both grabbed each side of the cart pushed as hard as you could. The wheel broke free. 

“Thank you.” you said. 

“No problem.” he said, smirking “What do you sell?” 

“I wasn't selling anything. I was giving samples away.” you answered while pushing the cart away onto the sidewalk. 

“Samples of what? Hair products, make-up, facial masks….” he guessed. 

“For your information, it was food. I own a restaurant nearby.” you corrected him. 

“Let me push it for you.” he offered. 

“No, I'm fine.” you denied. “But thank you, I'm not far from here.” you continued walking. 

“Umm….who's watching your motorcycle?” you cautioned hoping he would leave.

“No one's going to touch it.” he replied and continued to walk beside you. He kept his eyes on you, studying you. You couldn't clearly look him in the face without feeling embarrassed yet you felt completely comfortable. You were smitten. 

“Again thank you for your help!” you said

“No problem, maybe I can give you a ride sometime,” he asked. You froze in place. 

“You never rode a motorcycle before?” he asked. 

“No.” you shyly laughed. 

“Maybe, I can change that,” he smirked. Your eyes slightly widen, thinking eroticly. 

“Mmm. I'll think about it.” you said as you both stepped in front of the restaurant. “Well, here I am.” 

“This is your restaurant?” he asked. You spotted Chel and Minhyuk spying on you. 

He looked up and noticed something. “I like how you played with the words,” he remarked. As you pushed the cart into the restaurant. You noticed he was looking up at the title. Se(ou)l Food. 

“Thanks, I hope to one day bring a little soul into Seoul” you winked at him. Omg, did I just wink at him. Christ. 

“That's a plus. I could use a little soul myself. “ he winked back smiling at you . You shyly smiled. 

“Yep. I just opened about three weeks ago.” you answered. “ Listen, well thank you for not killing me, how could I ever repay you?” you spoke in a mockingly girly voice. 

“A ride" he answered. You nearly choked to his request. “A what?” you gasped. “Take a ride with me on my motorcycle". He smirked. “What did you think I mean?”

“Uhhhh...mmm” you hesitated. “Listen I'll see you around.” He winked before walking off. 

You stumbled back in the restaurant, flustered. “Girl, who was that?” Chel asked. 

“Someone who could have hit me” you answered. 

“I guess he didn’t hit it hard enough,” Chel suggested. “CHEL NO!” you shrieked. “What? We both know you could use some. You’re so tense. ” Chel smiled.

“Omg, not now. I have a business to run and I’m praying we can make some progress and actually get customers in here soon” you sighed.  

Within the next week, business started to come along and business picked up on Friday nights. Koreans and Tourists alike. Customers really enjoyed your food and posted their reviews on social media. 

As business continues, you never thought you’d see him again. 

………

Distracted, “What can I get you?” you stared down at the notepad ready for an order. A familiar voice spoke, “I guess those samples really did pay off, Uh?”  

“Oh God” you mumbled to yourself. You took your eyes off your notepad to see him smiling at you. “What are you doing here?” you seethed. 

“What else am I here for?” he replied. 

“I don’t know, why don’t you tell me?” you insisted. 

“Relax, Baby Girl, I’m here to eat with my friend here. You looked across the table to see a gentleman politely wave. “Hi, you must be the girl, Woo was talking about.” 

“Oh, so you’ve been talking about me?” you raised an eyebrow. 

“I mean what can I say” he smirked as he shrugged his shoulders. 

“Well if it’s any consolation, I’m happy you came to see how good the food is yourself” you smiled. 

“No problem” he skimmed the menu. “Let me have a cheeseburger, fries, and a beer. He slowly closed the menu and looked at his friend to say his order. “Yeah, let me have fried chicken, with a side of mac and cheese and collard greens”. 

“Sure, not a problem, I’ll get those orders for you”. You smiled while collecting their menus. You felt him staring at you as you walked away. You walked quickly into the kitchen so he wouldn’t see your reaction. 

“Girl, did you see a ghost?” Chel asked as she was preparing to hand plates of food out the door. 

You swallowed and spoke, “I’m fine, but he’s here”. Chel eyes widen in excitement. “He came back” Chel peeped through the kitchen double doors and saw him sitting with his friend. “Omg, girl, yeah he likes you. He wants to see you”. 

“Now is not the time for all of this, we need to focus and provide everyone with a good experience” you remained calm. 

“Minhyuk, I have another order for you for booth 3” you placed the ticket on tab grabber. “Got it,” he shouted. “Let me know when you need a break, I’ll jump in and cook” you shouted back. I’m taking a break in about 5 minutes, so if you can take over then” he mentioned as he dumped a new batch of chicken into the fryer and placed french fries into another fryer. “I gotcha” you said. 

“Chel, if you can remain a waitress for me while I cook” you asked. “No problem girl, I got it” she left the kitchen to tend to the table. 

You didn’t know which was hotter, seeing him or being in the kitchen cooking. You grabbed the hamburger from the massive fridge and placed it on the grill and continued to monitor the chicken frying. One thing you knew: collard greens and mac and cheese were popular side dishes, each day you keep these pots filled with hot food.  You started to create side dishes. You cooked both sides of the burger perfectly and placed a slice of cheese, it slowly started to melt. You hurried and grabbed two brioche buns and buttered them and placed on the grill for one minute. The chicken and fries finished cooking, you placed them both in individual racks to drain. You created his plate and lightly seasoned his fries with sea salt, created his cheeseburger with every topping. It was massive. I hope he’ll be able to eat all of this. You created his friend’s dish, you prepared to give him a thigh, leg and wing with collards and mac and cheese served in individual stone bowls. You also included a small basket of hush puppies. Chel burst through the doors, you jumped so hard. “Another order”. Minhyuk came back prepared to work again. “Thank you for covering me,” he said. 

“No problem” you said. “Hey Chel, take these orders out to booth 3 for me, I didn’t realize how much time passed” you remarked. 

You noticed every time you cooked, you were always in a daze, time always slipped away from you. 

"Minhyuk, Chel came back with another order" you said. 

"No problem" he said as you walked out the kitchen doors. You and Chel continued to wait tables. Each moment, you could get you glanced over at him eating. He was holding a piece of the burger with a fork. He was almost done with his food. Each bite he took, he savored. He licked his lips. 

You went over to his table. "How's everything?" you asked. 

"So far, it's really good," he said as he wiped his hands and mouth with a napkin. His friend nodded in agreement. 

"I'm Woo by the way" he introduced himself. "This is my friend Tres." 

"Hi, nice to meet you" you smiled. "I'll take your plates if you're finished" stacking their plates together. 

"Thank you". You smiled and hurried to the kitchen. 

You staked the plates in the dishwasher. You looked down at your watch only to see an hour and half left in time till closing. 

You stepped out of the kitchen to say good-bye to him. 

He was gone. 

You stepped to his table to see he left a $50 dollar tip. Tips aren't necessary in Korea. You continued to collect the remaining dishes on the table and wiped the tables and seats for more customers to be seated.

The next hour and half flew by. After Chel escorted the last customers out. You, Chel and Minhyuk collapsed into the chairs. Exhausted, you went back into the kitchen and gave Minhyuk and Chel a bottle of water to cool down. 

"Well, you guys we did it!" you exclaimed. "It was successful for sure" 

"Alright let's clean up a bit, you guys go home and get some rest" you said. 

Minkyuk and Chel took care of the kitchen while you took care of the dining area. You started stacking the chairs onto the tables. And began swiping the floor. 

You went to the register and started counting the money and creating the deposit. You took what was left and paid Chel and Minhyuk. Agreement was met with them being paid on the weekly basis. 

"We're done with the kitchen, the food is set in the fridge, we cleaned the fryers, and everything else" Minkyuk reported. 

"Thank you, I appreciate it," you said. 

"Should we wait for you?" Chel asked. 

"No, you two go ahead. I need to mop the floor" you said. "I'll see y'all tomorrow" you smiled. 

Minhyuk and Chel waved good-bye and left. 

You locked the doors behind them. 

You went back into the kitchen and grabbed the mop bucket cart and began to mop the floors. You were almost finished mopping the floor near the entrance. 

Lost in thought, you didn't care for the slight knock at the door. The sign says closed. 

The knock continues. 

"We're closed!" you shouted. The knock continues. You finally look up to see him standing at the door. 

You walked to the entrance to unlock the door, he's smiling at you. 

You opened, "Can I help you?" 

"Can I come in?" he asked. 

"For what?" you asked. 

"To talk," he replied. 

You sighed and let him in. 

As you walked towards the mop bucket, you advised him. "Watch your step, I just mopped the floor. So don't fall". 

He stepped carefully into the restaurant, you motioned him to follow you into the kitchen. You placed the mop bucket into the back room and came out. He was standing there observing the kitchen and the set up. "This is nice," he said. 

"Thank you" you smiled. 

"You left in quite a hurry earlier" you remembered. 

"Yeah, I did. I had all the more reason to come back" he responded. 

"Why?" you asked. 

"Because I didn't even ask you for your name," he answered. He stepped closer to you. His presence was overwhelming you. 

"It's ummm…. Y/N" you swallowed. The cologne he was wearing, heightened your senses. Damn, he smells good. 

"Are you afraid of me?" he asked. 

"No why?" 

"I have a tendency to make people feel intimidated”. You were a little nervous. However, you definitely didn't want him to notice. You kept calm. 

"I was at first when you were about to hit me with your motorcycle" you smirked. 

"I told you I wasn't going to hit you, honest to God" he chuckled. 

"If you say so" you reckoned. 

"So why are you here exactly?" you asked. "I know you didn't come all this way just for my name" you folded your arms. 

"No, not just for your name. How about that ride?" he asked. 

"Not today, I had a long day as you saw. Tell you what let's postpone it for another time, deal?" you proposed.

"Deal" he said. "You know the face you made when I said ride when we first met?" he asked. 

Shit, he saw. 

"I...don't know what you're talking about" you denied. 

"I believe you do," he stepped closer. 

You were backed against the kitchen counter. You felt his aura engulfing yours. You started breathing slightly heavier. 

“I know you wanted to see me too,” he whispered. “That’s why I came back, to be alone with you”. He continued "…..let me taste you". He stared into your eyes. 

You closed your eyes and you both leaned in for a kiss. His plump lips were soft and smooth. You pulled yourself closer to him. His arms wrapped around you, you wrapped your arms around his neck pulling him closer for more. You felt yourself become lighter and pulled away to breathe. 

You both looked at each other. It was clear, you both wanted more than a kiss. 

You both dove in for another kiss. This time, he picked you up in his arms and sat you down on the kitchen counter. He was all over you. You wanted it that way. 

You both frivolously removed every layer of clothing. His arms and lower torso were covered in tattoos. His kisses were becoming more passionate and intense. You moaned in his mouth. He kissed your neck, working his way down. He was so warm. 

You slowly parted your legs open. 

"Are you sure?" 

"Yes" 

“I may not go easy” 

“Neither will I,” you smirked. 

He stroked his swollen girth, while licking his lips. He wants to tear you apart. He leaned for another kiss as he slowly slid inside your pulsing warmth. You immersed yourself fully into his presence as he stretched you. 

He groaned in your ear. “Fuck baby girl.” 

You gasped as he pulled you closer to him, you felt all of him. He steadily snapped his hips into you. You felt yourself becoming more wet with each tug and pull to your tight pink walls. 

His pace increased with each passing moment. You tilted your head back savoring every moment. 

“Hold on to me,” he said. He scooped you in his arms, holding onto him he lifted you off the kitchen counter, he held your legs in place and proceeded to plummet into you, your juices spilled out of you. You started to whimper out loud. “I love how well you take this dick,” he whispered. You hung onto him tightly, you scratched his back. You were drowning in his sex. He kissed you harder as bounced on his dick, you moaned into his mouth. “Woo”. You felt yourself losing control, your body was his. He made sure it was. 

Your eyes rolled to the back of your head. He placed you back on the kitchen counter, he lifted your legs over his shoulders.“I’m not going anywhere” he whispered, softly kissing you, his pace became deep and sensual. “Cum all over this dick,” he groaned. 

He started deep into your eyes, as he kept his pace. He wanted to see your reaction as he quickened. Your face said it all. All he needed was confirmation, you were enjoying yourself, you were enjoying him. Your core began to tighten, you were ready to release, shivers ran throughout your body. You were barely able to hang on at this point. Woo saw you were about to reach your max. He gripped your sides to hold you in place as he rapidly tore you to pieces. He was becoming too much, you tried to push him off but you were too weak. 

“I can’t hold it any longer!” you moaned loudly. He immediately felt your warm liquids squirted out your stretched pussy. He pulled away, as you climaxed in front of him. You trembled in place until your orgasm  stopped. You saw him staring at you. You wanted to hide, you were embarrassed. 

Still stroking his hardened member, he rubbed it against your sensitive pussy wanting to see more juices sprinkle out. 

Your eyes widened in astonishment as you cried out in pleasure, more juices came out of you. You felt your body being numb. You didn’t know how much more you would take from him. You realized he wasn’t finished with you yet. You slowly assumed into position, with your feet touching the floor, your legs widened for him again. Your breast touched the warm surface of the kitchen counter where your back was on. He approached from behind, slid his dick inside once more. Your back arched for him to touch the most vulnerable parts of your wet dripping pussy. He gazed in awe as he tapped your ass from behind. Your skin collided with his, clapping in unison as he took control again. You continuously moaned his name out loud as you felt yourself slipping in a daze. He landed heavy slaps on both of your cheeks, making his hand print on your skin. 

He grabbed a handful of your hair and pulled your head back a little as he kept his pace. You turned to face him, he kissed you. He placed his hand on your right breast, rubbing your nipple. 

“Fuck” he groaned. “You feel amazing Y/N” 

“So do you” you whispered. He pounded and pounded and pounded into you until his thrusts started to become more sloppy, he was reaching his max. “Woo, it’s alright” you said. You figured he knew what you meant. 

He slipped out of consciousness as he came inside of you. His length released more cum than you had anticipated. He held onto you. He was breathing deeply. He remained inside of you for a few more minutes before pulling out. His thick cum seeped out of you. He hurried and grabbed a towel to clean up both of your messes. 

He walked up to you and kissed you some more. He held you in your arms. “Are you ok? Did I hurt you?” he asked. 

“No, I’m fine” you smiled. “It’s just been a while”  

You looked down at your watch. It’s getting late. 

As you both began to get dressed. “Let me take you home,” he offered. “I know it’s late, the trains don’t run at this time. Taxi Drivers aren’t the best at this time either”. He had a point. 

You nodded your head. “Sure, thank you.” 

You wondered if that would be it between the two of you. Just a one night stand. 

You cleaned the kitchen counter off and turned all the lights off. Woo followed you out as you locked the door. 

His car was parked right outside the restaurant. “What happened to your motorcycle?” you asked. 

“Nothing, I figured to bring my car” he said as he opened the door for you. You got inside the passenger seat. “Where to?” he asked. 

“I live in Gangnam” you said “I’ll tell you where to go” you instructed him to your apartment when needed. 

However, the ride was awkward, you didn’t know what to say to him. You twiddle your thumbs. 

He found your apartment, placed the car into park. You both sat there silently for a couple minutes. “Listen, thank you for tonight”. 

“Anytime” he smiled. “Listen, Y/N, I know we barely know each other, I wanted to ask you if you would like to go out on a date with me?” he asked. 

You smiled. “I would love to” 

“Good, it’s a date then” 

You both exchanged phone numbers. “I’ll text you later today,” he promised. 

You both looked at each other again. You couldn’t stop staring at him. He placed his hand on your cheek and pulled you in for a gentle kiss. You both smiled and pulled away. You bit your bottom lip. 

“I guess I’ll see you later then” you said exiting his car. 

“You will” he smiled as he rolled down the window. He waited for you to enter the building before pulling off. 

You entered the elevator to your apartment excited about the beginning of a new chapter in your life.

I hope you guys enjoyed this. I’ve been writing this for a long time. I guess you can say I’m back. I miss you guys, I hope everyone is doing well and being safe. 

~Admin Jae 

[adrieunor]

even in its hard places (1/?)

Fandom: The Mandalorian 

rating, pairing, idk idk man. T/T+. Din Djarin/Original Female Character. working on it. post s2. outsider’s perspective, again, because we like that. 

summary: it’s hard to go back to an old life after a big event, even for a mandalorian like din djarin. if the mandalorian had known so much trouble would come out if it, he would have ignored greef karga the moment he’d asked: “why not pick up a hobby? 

**************************

And one day, just like that, the Mandalorian returned and said he’d like to try farming now.

People in the village were happy to have him back, of course—the village would always be safer with someone like him around, nothing on Sorgan could compete with a real Madalorian—and if they were confused, they kept it to themselves in close lipped smiles, curious glances, and murmurs behind raised hands.

After a few days, something became apparent. Actually, it took less than an hour into the first day for it to be noticed, but it became really noticeable by the second day, and just plain sad by the fifth day. Still, no one wanted to confront the Mandalorian—he’d done so much for them. 

…but these things always had a but didn’t they?

But.

Someone needed to tell him.

And by the encouraging smiles on her neighbor’s faces, she knew no one was going to do it. Not when Omera hovered and looked up at him with her dark lashes, not when Kahil was dogging the Mandalorian’s footsteps like a kid eager to carry his idol’s off casts, and certainly not when the children were so, so eager to show him the ropes.

Every village had its asshole. She just hadn’t thought, coming into the new harvest, it’d be her. 

But if everyone else was going to play silly plopnars, then she’d just have to suck it up and be the skuggle. 

So she had woken up that morning, had brushed her errant bangs back from her face and looped a dark blue ribbon to tie it all back, and had marched herself to the Mandalorian’s guest-hut-turned-fortress-of-solitude with every intent of being the one krill swimming opposite the rest.

If he was surprised to see her, how would she have known? It was just a big shiny helmet that stared back at her. If he wanted to greet her, he didn’t get a chance, as the moment said shiny head poked out from the curtained entryway she had dropped the kid gloves—

“You’re bad at this.”

His helmet made a noise like a millisecond of the rainy season, fizzy and short. His shoulders lifted, a little, like he was about to say something but she quickly held her hand up, looking up at the dark visor easily heads taller than her.

“Nope,” she said, planting her feet firmly and cocking her hip.  “Don’t argue. You are. It’s very clear you’re very bad at this. Very, very bad. You don’t have a farm hand’s bone in your body, and no one’s going to tell you that because everyone is really happy you’re here. Which, I get, because we wouldn’t even be here without you.”

Wow, she thought. That felt really good. If it weren’t for the fact that everyone lived in each other’s pockets and therefore were dependent on being nice to each other in the village, she might have put more thought into making a career out of just Being Honest Very Bluntly. Like some kind of truth goddess come out to yell at the masses, what she wouldn’t make in money she’d probably make in emotional satisfaction.

“Do you…want me to leave?”

Oh. Right. The Mandalorian. …Who now seemed unsure of what, exactly, to do with her standing in front of his threshold? If she was taller, she could say she was darkening up his doorstep, but she wasn’t—head barely reaching his shoulders, all it’d take was one good headbutt downwards from him and she’d be out cold.

She stared—no, she squinted and gazed into the dark abyss of the helmet, nose crinkling, as she tried to figure out whether she was making intense eye contact. This was a Very Tried and True strategy that normally worked whenever someone needed sussing out, but she’d never done it with a Mandalorian before. Still, it didn’t hurt to try.

The Mandalorian was very good at staring contests.

This must not have been his first borfta ride, because he simply stayed as still as a statue regarding her, helm tipped downwards.

Finally: “What’s your problem?” She furrowed her brow. “Is this, like, some game to you? You’re literally wearing a lifetime’s worth of harvests while out here mucking up the fields with your stompy boots. Is this a really weird fantasy you’re trying out? Because you should pay us, if it is. You know: for wasting our time.” 

She heard some rich people would do that: visit poorer planets and communities just to try out the life of a commoner for a day or two. Like some kind of weird tourist attraction. (Because, sure, laboring until you were no longer useful to the people around you was so appealing?)

A beat of silence. And then the Mandalorian did a funny little head tilt, from one shoulder all the way to the other, like maybe she needed to be seen at a better angle.

“You,” he started, “are very direct.”

“Thank you.”

“…That wasn’t a compliment.”

“That’s fine,” she said, breezily, before tackling on: “Is this a midlife crisis?”

One: she wasn’t actually sure how old the Mandalorian was underneath all that armor. 

Two: that hadn’t been one of her hardball questions. 

So it was to both their surprise, that it made the Mandalorian’s shoulders suddenly slump so much. His shiny shoulder pieces, which she always thought gave the impression of his shoulders being raised in constant, keen alertness, folded forwards and something about his whole body just seemed to sag a little bit more. Like there was a little bit less of him underneath all that under armor. A little less Mando and a little less man all around. 

Somehow, she, all five foot something of her, had managed to wilt the shiny chrome Mandalorian.

The Mandalorian took a very deep breath, which she could hear filtered through his helmet. She didn’t think a helmet could emote so much with so little, but she felt very much the center of his attention. Maybe he’d just been waiting for someone, anyone, to finally ask him what he’d been dying to answer.

“My name is Din,” the Mandalorian finally said, “and I’ve had a really bad week.” **************************

ayyy if you want any of this, let me know and i’ll add you to the tags. hop in my clown car, bitches, we’re gonna get the serotonin. 

@wille-zarr come eat some of this

[frost-flame]

Stan’s Ford plushie

A fic based on my post. This is also a practice to write more Stancest in the future. (It’s more of plot though)

His brother is such an ungrateful bastard! Why did he expect a "Thank you" from his brother? Right, he was hopeful. He should've learn to stop being so hopeful. Life in the streets taught him that. He'd gone soft.

He sighed sadly as he removed his fez and sat on his bed. He put the fez and his glasses on the nightstand and lied down the bed, staring at the ceiling with nothing in his mind. But sleep still hadn't come to him. He had gotten used to working on the portal every night. For 30 years that's what he did. Now... He feels incomplete without that on his routine.

All he wanted was a "Thank you" (and maybe even a hug) from his brother. Their reunion was completely different than what he thought it would be and yet... That was actually one of the possibilities he thought of. Ford punching him on the face. He remained positive and hoped that maybe one good thing would come to his life. He should've known no good things happen to him, except the kids. Them coming here is the best thing that happened to him.

Stan chuckled. He may not get the love he wanted from his brother. But he has the kids now. They love him. They made it obvious to him every day. With that thought, he fell asleep.

~~~~~

Next morning Mabel can't help but feel a bit down after remembering what happened yesterday. Her grunkle Stan seemed so sad. Then again, if she was in Stan's case, she would be too. Getting punched at the face by your twin brother whom you haven't seen for 30 years isn't really a reunion anyone would be expecting.

Mabel had made a decision. She wants to make her grunkle happy, but how? She could make something for him. But would that be enough? No. What would cheer up Stan? Money? Stan already gets that through the mystery shack. A date? Stan didn't seem to show any interest to anyone else in the Falls. Getting a tourist to go on a date may be a solution, but the shack is close. A plush? Now what would Stan need a plush for?

Wait a moment...

Remembering the wax figure that she made before (that unfortunately melted), Stan treated it like a person... Like his brother.

"Like Great Uncle Ford!" Mabel said out loud. "What about Great Uncle Ford?" Dipper asked with interest and a sparkle in his eyes. "Nothing, Dipper. I just want to cheer Grunkle Stan up. He seemed so sad yesterday" said Mabel as she sat cross-legged on her bed and hugged Waddles and played with his little pig arms.

"I know. I never saw how fake his smile was until that moment when he smiled at us before we went to bed" Dipper replied as he put his book on the nightstand. As much as Dipper wanted to ask the author a billion questions about Gravity Falls, the man had just got back last night and is probably adjusting. He needs to give the man a bit of space before asking him what he needed to know.

"What do you mean like Great Uncle Ford?" Dipper asked. "What?" Mabel replied confused. "You said "Like Great Uncle Ford" suddenly. What do you mean by that?" Dipper asked again.

"Oh right! Remember the wax figure that I made of Stan? He treated it like a person. And then we discovered Grunkle Stan has a twin and the wax figure look like him! It all come together Dipper. He treated the wax figure like his brother!" Mabel exclaimed.

"I never thought of that. No wonder why he was so sad when the wax figure "died" said Dipper thoughtfully. "But what's the point in all of this, Mabel?" Dipper asked in interest.

"Well, I want to cheer Grunkle Stan up! You saw how he looked last night. I want to make him happy" said Mabel with a happy smile. "How are we going to do that? Bring him out fishing?" Dipper asked with teasing tone to his voice. "Nope! I'll make a replacement Ford" Mabel exclaimed.

"A what?" Dipper asked, shocked at Mabel's statement. "You know, a substitute. A replacement for the wax figure I made so he could get the love he wants from his brother" replied Mabel with a big grin.

"And what exactly would this "substitute" be? Another wax figure?" Dipper asked.

Mabel hummed in thought and then snapped her fingers as an idea popped into her head.

"A plush! Everyone loves plushies! I think" said Mabel but mumbled the last part. "What about a plush of Great Uncle Ford?" Mabel asked with a big grin.

"That can be a good idea" said Dipper thoughtfully, putting a hand on his chin. "But you need to ask for Great Uncle Ford's permission first" he added. Mabel's smile slowly turned into a frown as that idea came into mind.

"You're right. How am I suppose to ask Great Uncle Ford that?" Mabel asked. "I don't know. That idea was great and all but if The Author didn't approve of a plush toy of him, it will be pointless" Dipper stated rather than reply.

"It's not a question of yes or no. It's a question of when I can ask him" said Mabel confidently. "What made you certain Great Uncle Ford will say yes?" Dipper asked with a raised brow. "That's on me, Dipper" said Mabel.

She jumped from her bed and ran downstairs excitedly. "Wait! Mabel!" Dipper left his bed and grabbed the 2nd Journal to continue reading for later and ran after his twin.

.

Reaching down the stairs, Dipper hurried to the gift shop and saw his sister standing in front of the vending machine with a little reluctance etched on her face. She gave Dipper a grin and was about to reach to type in the code. But then the vending machine opened and out came their great uncle Ford. He seemed surprise to see them as well.

“Kids! What are you doing up so late?” Ford asked surprise. “It’s already morning, great uncle Ford” Mabel replied with a smile while Dipper nodded in awe at seeing their great uncle or the author again.

“It’s morning? I didn’t notice. Is there any breakfast?” Ford asked looking around. Only then did he notice that indeed it is morning, the light outside the shack making it obvious.

“Yes! There are pancakes in the kitchen for you” Dipper replied. Mabel noticed Dipper sweating a little bit. Mabel snickered at that.

So far so good.

They followed Ford onto the kitchen and watched him grabbed a fork, seeming to inspect it for a second and sat at the table. The pancakes were neatly stacked along with maple syrup and butter on top. A note was written Ford on top of it all.

“Do you kids want some?” Ford asked nudging the plate of stacked pancakes towards them. Both twins shook their heads no. Now’s the moment, Mabel thought.

“Great Uncle Ford, do you mind if we make a plush toy version of you?” Mabel asked quickly but shyly. Despite being a relative, the man is still a bit foreign to them (or to her). But she does want to make something for the man. How about finger puppets? He could be the master of finger puppets with his six fingers. She'll do that later.

Ford seemed to enjoy the food he was eating as he looked slightly blissful and happy as he ate the pancake. “Hmm? Oh yes, of course” said the author with a dismissive wave of hand. Mabel cheered and ran off, Dipper following suit.

“By the way, Grunkle Stan made those pancakes! it’s good right, Great Uncle Ford? So much better than the Diner's!” Mabel added happily. Both twins didn’t notice the surprise look of the author and the phantom smile that came after it.

.

Mabel and Dipper walked around town wondering where they can find a tailor to sew a plush toy of Ford and wondering how much it would cost. if it’s too expensive, Mabel would have no choice but to make it herself, whether or not it would look like Great Uncle Ford or not.

"Now where can we find a tailor that sews custom plushies?" Mabel asked to herself. "We should ask someone we know for a trustable source" Dipper commented. Mabel nodded her head in agreement. That would be preferable. If the price for customized plush would be too expensive, Mabel would have to buy all the materials needed and she has to learn how to make one too. But as much as possible she preferred to have it be created by a professional.

"Heya, dudes!" A familiar voice greeted. "Soos!" The twins greeted back in unison. Because of the events last night, the shack is once again in repair, being managed by Stan while his only two staff had the day-off. It seemed the town is also in the same condition.

"Soos, thank goodness you're here" said Mabel in relief. "Soos, you're just the guy we need" Dipper added. "Really? What for?" Soos asked curiously.

"We're looking for a tailor. Someone who is willing to make a customized plush toy of someone" Dipper replied. "We want to make a plush toy version of Great Uncle Ford for Grunkle Stan" Mabel explained. "To make him happy."

"For Mr. Pines, anything. Follow me, dudes. I know a tailor that might do your request" Soos said waving his hand to follow him. Mabel cheered then the twins followed Soos to the location of the tailor.

.

It took a lot of bargaining but since the tailor knew Soos, they were finally able to make the tailor agree with the price. It's a reasonable price but still a bit high. Soos decided to pitch in too. Mabel disagreed but Soos insisted because "It's for Mr. Pines" he said. Fortunately, they'll only pay once the product has been made.

"I'm glad that's over" said Mabel as she happily skipped back to the shack. "Yeah but we're going to wait a week to get it." Dipper complained. "For Grunkle Stan? I'm willing to wait" Mabel said.

Dipper shook his head but with a smile at his sister's determination or stubbornness.

~~~~~

A week passed and what happened yesterday still amuses Mabel. The fact that she went on an "epic magical quest" to save her brother was fun. She'd also been making finger puppets for her great uncle but he doesn't want to do it. Oh well, maybe next time. It seemed she's forgetting something. What could it be? What could it be?

Mabel looked at her surroundings and saw Waddles only lying down on the carpet. Her grunkle Stan is nowhere to be found because he's managing the shack again. Great Uncle Ford is still down at the basement as usual. Maybe that's where Dipper is.

Wait...

Ford... The Ford plush! "Oh that's what I forgot!" Mabel muttered, mentally smacking herself. She ran to the attic, grabbed the money and ran to where the tailor is.

Reaching the tailor, Mabel went inside and the owner of the little shop greeted her not so warmly.

"Took you long enough, kid. I was expecting earlier than this" said the tailor. Grabbing a box and giving it to Mabel. "Go ahead and check it kiddo, I did my best to make it adorable but detailed like those "chibi" things you showed me." The tailor made a circling motion with her wrist while rolling her eyes.

Mabel opened the box and took the plush. The fabric was nice to feel. There are exactly six fingers on each hand. And the plush is so soft. The hair had stuffing too. It seemed the glasses are removable. The jacket isn't though. That's fine.

"This is beautiful" said Mabel in awe. Someday she will make plush toys just as great as this, but nicer towards customers.

"Well, honey, of course it is! I made it!" said the tailor proudly with a smug look.

Mabel took the money from her backpack and paid the tailor. She put the plush back in the box and took the receipt and ran back to the shack with a big smile.

.

When Mabel reached the shack, she ran to her room and found Dipper there. Whatever he and Ford had been doing, it's done now.

"It's finished, Dippingsauce!" Mabel exclaimed showing the box where the plush is. "Really? What's it look like? Is that woman really great like she said?" Dipper asked with obvious curiosity. He would totally hate it if his sister wasted her money for nothing.

"Yes!" Mabel replied opening the box and showing the plush. "Wow, she is good" said Dipper. "I guess now we know why the price is like that"

"Worth it!" Mabel exclaimed with a huge grin. "I'm going to give this to Grunkle Stan later"

 ~~~~

Stan doesn’t know what he was staring at. Well he knows but he can’t believe what he was seeing. Mabel was holding a Ford looking plush right in front of him. It was pretty big. Maybe it’s about 40 centimeters? It looks expensive. Mabel was grinning at him with pure happiness and excitement. Is this for him?

“Grunkle Stan, what do you think? I had this made for you!” said Mabel with a big grin. Stan doesn’t know what to say really. He had no idea why Mabel would do this… and seriously that thing looks expensive.

“I- I don’t know what to say” he replied. Mabel took it as a compliment, fortunately. “I had this made for you” Mabel exclaimed and pushed the plush towards him. “Mabel, sweetie, how much did you pay for this?” Stan asked. “Doesn’t matter, Grunkle Stan” Mabel replied dismissively.

“Mabel if you spent a lot of money for this-“

“If I spent a lot of money for it and you decided to throw it away, then that would be wasting money”  Mabel cut off with a hint of embarrassment in her voice.. That’s logical. But the tone… is she embarrass that he got this for him? It would be a waste of money to throw it because he didn’t like it. But he didn’t ask for this. But Mabel bought it for him (which is also embarrassing) because she was thinking of him.

“Why exactly did you bought this?” Stan asked unconsciously hugging the plush tighter.  “Grunkle Stan, you were sadder – or grunklier – than usual again and I thought it was because of your brother. So I thought of getting you that so at least you can give as many hug as you can from your brother… like how you treated the wax figure before” Mabel replied while twiddling her fingers and face red. She is really that embarrass? Well, it is understandable now. An old man isn’t usually seen with a plush toy that is usually for children.

“Now I really think I wasted my money” Mabel muttered, embarrassed. That look doesn’t suit Mabel, not at all.

“Well, I kind of like it” Stan replied. “Mabel’s face looked surprise. “Really?” Mabel asked with her face starting to brighten. “Yeah! This is a lot better than the wax one. I like it. Thank you, Mabel” said Stan with a grin and playfully messing up her hair.

“Ack! Grunkle Stan”!” Mabel said removing the hand from her hair. She giggled and then gave him a hug, which caught Stan off guard. She skipped happily away with the knowledge of cheering up her Grunkle Stan.

The next day, Stan seemed to get attached to the plush quickly. Dipper and Mabel were proud of themselves. Stan’s mood lighten and he doesn’t glance at the vending machine nor hang at the gift shop often anymore. But he also doesn’t talk to the plush like a person unlike the wax figure. This is better. It benefited everyone! Stan’s happy with the plush and their Great Uncle Ford doesn’t need to be disturbed. It’s a great idea!

~~~~

Mabel and Dipper didn’t expect this…

Their Great uncle Ford obviously did not like it. He had been glaring at the plush whgenever he sees it for 2 days now, which was weird because he seemed to be okay with the plush at first. That was only three days ago. Does that mean it only took a day for Great Uncle Ford to hate it? Is it because they did it without his permission? That can’t be right. They asked permission and he said “yes”. Albeit dismissively, he still said yes!

…Then why? Why would he hate it? What if it’s because it is possessed…? No it can’t be possess. If it is, with or without permission from Stan, Ford would have destroyed it and explained to them why he had to do it. Then why? It’s an innocent plush.

Unless… is Great uncle Ford jealous of the plush, specifically the attention it keeps receiving from Grunkle Stan?

If that is the conclusion, Dipper would be doubtful… at first. It’s proof now. Stan just gave the plush a quick peck on the cheek and Great Uncle Ford seemed ready to commit murder. A few hours later, Stan did it again and Great Uncle Ford almost stormed to the living room if it weren’t for the fact that Mabel and him held Ford back.

Great Uncle Ford is jealous of the plush… This is going to be chaotic…

[a-solitary-marshmallow]

Please Don’t See Me - Chapter 14/14

“FORD!”

The scientist in question snatched his hand back, just before the carnivorous plant he had been studying snapped at him with a second slime-coated mouth. A second mouth! It was located under the bulbous head’s primary maw, smaller but sharing the larger one’s distinctive jutting spines that seemed to function like teeth – hooked back to prevent prey from getting away. The infant plant was only as long as his forearm but when it was fully-grown the secondary mouth could easily be large enough to pick up small mammals from the forest floor, maybe even large raccoons or the occasional gnome.

Hmm. They might make for good pest control. Ford studied where the plant’s stem met the forest floor, trying to ascertain how deep the roots ran. If he could get his hands on a pair of good, sturdy gloves for protection he might be able to replant it in a pot and take it back to his lab for further testing. That would certainly be easier than trying to run tests on the fully-grown specimens dotting the forest. How old was this one, anyway? Ford pulled out his tape measure to record its size.

Stan slapped his hand away when it neared the hissing plant. “Don’t touch it! Didn’t you just say this thing was poisonous?”

“Venomous, not poisonous.” Ford corrected.

“You know what I mean.”

Ford waved away his brother’s concerns. “Don’t worry, it’s only a juvenile. Its venom hasn’t developed enough to do any damage. The worst it’ll do is itch.”

“I still wouldn’t be touching it if I were you.” Stan said doubtfully, hunkering down next to Ford to get a good look at the creature. The plant hissed and spat at them and generally made a nuisance of itself.

Ford smirked. “Look Stanley, it’s just as friendly as you are.”

“Hey!” Stan brandished a finger in Ford’s face. “I’m a friendly guy! Just not to weird-ass plants that try to bite my brother’s hand off.”

“It’s not like you didn’t try to bite my hand off when I reached for the ice cream yesterday.”

“Fuck you Ford, I called dibs and you know it.”

Ford rolled his eyes, reaching for the spade in his pack. He’d missed the easy banter between them. It had been missing during the whole Rebus fiasco, obviously; there was only so much sarcasm a wolf could convey through its eyes alone, and only so much a scientist could babble to his canine friend without it being… just sad. Even once the brothers had reconciled, Stan’s mind restored, Ford had worried that after nearly ten years apart the differences between them were far to great to bridge.

But in seemingly no time, Ford had fallen back quickly into the habit of trading quips and joking insults, laughs and rolled eyes and body language that sometimes spoke more than words. It felt far more natural than the forced conversations he’d attempted to make during his time in college. Ford had forgotten the comfort of having his brother nearby.

Of course, an adjustment period was necessary – perhaps made longer by the added factor of Stan readjusting to having a human shape. It was rather concerning, the number of times the man would forget to cook his food and instead tear into it raw and bloody. The first time that had happened Ford had been in the kitchen as well, and he’d stared with popping eyes as Stan nonchalantly sank his teeth into a raw steak.

Stan had hesitated, chewing slowly and swallowing before speaking in his gravelly voice, not bothering to wipe away a trail of blood rolling down his chin.

“…okay, yeah, I see what I did there.”

And of course, they were wildly different people who were bound to have disagreements. It had taken Ford quite some time to convince Stan that while they may argue, he was in no danger of losing his family again. He wouldn’t be sent away, punished or abandoned again. Not while Ford was still breathing.

The plant’s hiss brought him back to the moment. Ford frowned, considering his plan of action, before settling on the plain approach. They could simply carry the thing home.

“Can you get out one of the sample bags? I want to bring this specimen to my lab and they should be large enough to hold its roots.”

Stan rifled through the pack while Ford sized up the agitated plant. He would be able to dig up the roots if the darn thing would stay still! He would have to design some kind of muzzle appropriate for two mouths when they got it back to the house.

Ford made a lunge for the creature, trapping its stalk against the ground with one hand so it couldn’t bite him as he dug up its roots. The plant snapped at him fruitlessly. Ford quickly loosened up the soil enough to lift the whole thing and settle it roots-first in the awaiting sample bag.

Stan groused at having to carry the plant all the way home (one hand gripping behind its head, obviously, to stop it from biting). The whining was pretty unfair considering Stan had demanded to carry it so he could keep an eye on the snappish thing, but Ford supposed he could appreciate the intent.

(…on the other hand, that left Ford to carry the heavy pack. He was beginning to think that this wasn’t a purely altruistic move on Stan’s part.)

“When I took the job I didn’t realize ‘research assistant’ meant ‘gardener’.”

“I don’t pay you to whine, Stanley.”

“You don’t pay me.” Stan countered.

“Oh – don’t I?” Ford could have sworn he had been. Stan tended to handle the money so Ford had just… assumed that Stan was receiving some of it. He frowned. “Why don’t I pay you?”

“’Cause I live in your house? That’s kinda payment enough.”

“No it’s not!”

“It was when you thought I was a wolf.”

Ford spluttered. “That – that’s because you were a wolf. Wolves don’t need to be paid to act as research assistants-”

“Oh, are you saying wolves don’t deserve to be paid equal wages?” Stan shook his head in mock disappointment. “Gosh, Ford. My own brother-”

“Oh, shut up! You know what I mean!”

Stan snickered. He only laughed harder when Ford punched him lightly in the shoulder, careful not to jostle the creature in his grasp.

Ford glanced at his watch, taking note of the time. At this pace they would reach home well before dark. Maybe they should take a detour to check on the size-altering crystals? Ford had covered the Warped crystal with a tarp to prevent the light reaching it, but he really should check that the covering was still in place after the blustering winds that had recently swept through. He didn’t want any unsuspecting forest life to wander into its beam.

Then again, that could wait for another day, and they had a carnivorous plant to re-house.

“…I really do need to pay you, though.” Ford muttered as they walked.

“You really don’t.” Stan shrugged. “I’m not doing anything useful anyway.”

The nonchalance with which he spoke made Ford want to sigh. Stan never acknowledged his own value or input! Ford wanted to shove it down his throat and force his brother to acknowledge that he was important, goddammit!

For the moment, he settled on arguing his point.

“Shopping for food is useful; plus, the people in town know you better than me and I’ve been living here for years, so you’re basically handling public appearance. And collecting data from my monitors is useful.”

“That’s just walking and taking readings.” Stan argued right back. “A monkey could do that data-collection stuff.”

“Babysitting Tate while Fiddleford and I are busy is useful.”

“The kid’s easy, he just wants to spend time with a dog all day.”

“Defending the house from griffins is useful.” Especially since they seemed to have it out for the Pines twins and would come by every so often with claws and beaks bared.

“You woulda just found a better way to keep ‘em away.”

Ford gritted his teeth. “You handle the money and pay the bills.”

“It’s your grant money, I just budget it.”

“Exactly! That is exactly what I should pay you for!” Ford flung up his arms in exasperation. Stan merely shrugged, and – smirked? He was enjoying Ford’s misery! “Ugh, whatever.”

Stan continued to look smug. Ford silently resolved to start paying him, even if he had to sneak the money into his brother’s bank account. Or just leave some around the house. Apparently Stan was too proud to accept payment but the guy never passed up an opportunity to take it if it was there.

“…anyway, about the whole money thing, I was thinking.” Stan mumbled, a little more subdued. Ford glanced across.

“Yes?”

“Eh – well, y’know how there are so many cool things around here? If Pa’d let us come, we woulda loved it here when we were kids.”

Ford imagined himself as a child – bright-eyed and eager to learn, marveling at everything around him – and was inclined to agree.

“And just yesterday you were sayin’ about how no one appreciates this stuff. Really, I’m kinda surprised no one’s made something of this place before, snatched it up for a tourist attraction. I was thinking that it would be pretty cool to give… tours or something?”

Ford opened his mouth but his brother was already rushing ahead, a nervous scowl affixed to his face.

“It’s all good if you don’t want me to – probably something about the scientific integrity of the place or whatever – but, it’s kinda something I’m good at. Tours, selling stuff, talking to people, that stuff. A-And I know you love teaching people about things, so if you wanted to help? Like, write up information sheets or – or do classes or whatever. Obviously I’d be spinning some yarns, that’s the fun of these places, but I know people would love to see some of the weird stuff here and actually learn about it too, so I dunno, I think it would be cool?”

All of this was said rather quickly, with few breaths taken in between, so when Stan finally ran out of things to say he took a few heavy breaths. Ford blinked and took a few moments to process this.

“Stan, are you asking my permission to open a tourist trap?”

The werewolf cringed, grip tightening fractionally around the uselessly-wriggling plant creature. “No, ‘course not. I’m just… seein’ if you’d be open to the idea.”

“Well…” Ford adjusted the straps of his pack. “So long as it doesn’t interfere with my research, I think it’s quite an interesting prospect. It would be nice to be able to share some of the things I’ve learned. If you think you can pull it off I believe you. You don’t need my permission, of course, but you certainly have my support.”

“Wait, really?”

Ford laughed as his brother perked up. That was another thing he’d had to adjust to since their reunion – canines tended to express themselves heavily through body language and Stan had apparently picked up that trait. He had no tail at the moment but from the straight posture and slight vibrating, Ford imagined it would be wagging.

“’Cause I’ve got so many ideas.” Stanley gushed. “I was thinking I could get a place set up, probably in the woods closer to town – maybe contract that lumberjack guy you talked about to built it? Anyways, I’d fill it with attractions, some of the cool shit that lives around here. Like, you know that weird-ass bird we saw the other day, the one you said we shouldn’t bother to look into?”

“Having a second head is a fairly common mutation. I’ve studied several animals with that phenotype in my time here.”

“People eat that stuff up, Ford! And I could do tours around some of the harmless places – and charge a pretty penny for it too. You know how many shmucks are happy to get ripped off by dodgy fake tourist attractions? And this one would be real! I’d have a source of income, and you’d have somewhere to put the stuff you’ve finished researching, and people to teach if you want to. Plus this crummy town could use some tourists to give business a boost.”

Wow. Stan had evidently thought this whole thing out – and the excitement was contagious. Ford wondered if this was how his brother felt, when he himself became giddy about a new finding or breakthrough. Stan was grinning like a kid.

Ford laughed and elbowed him playfully. “It’s a sound plan. And it’s nice to see you’re putting aside your history with Dan. You growled at him last time we came across him – you weren’t yourself then, of course.”

Stan shot him a weird look. “Who?”

“Dan. The lumberjack.” Stan continued to look confused. “Matilda’s boyfriend?”

All at once the werewolf’s eyes widened. “The shovel guy.”

“Er – shovel?”

“He hit me with a shovel.”                                                    

“Oh.” Ford had almost forgotten the circumstances of their meeting, with himself rescuing Stan from being beaten to death. Ah – with what he knew now, the situation seemed a lot more dire. He strongly resisted the urge to grab up a shovel and see how Boyish Dan like being smacked into the ground.

Obviously Dan didn’t know it was a person he had assaulted, not a wolf, but still. It would make Ford feel better.

When no words came to him, Ford said the first thing on his mind. “Didn’t you try to eat his mother’s dog?”

“Dog? Fuckin’ thing was more of a bug than a dog. I was starving anyway, gimme a break!”

“I’m not judging. Anyway, I’ve seen you try to eat so many things-”

“Can it, Poindexter.”

Ford began to count on his fingers. “Squirrels, gnomes, the mayor’s hairpiece, our father, my kitchen cupboard, a whole watermelon for some reason-”

“I was outta my mind for half of those!”

“My phone, the multibear somehow, several lemons – why you kept coming back to them after knowing you hated them remains a mystery to me–”

They arrived back at the house before Ford could continue his list.

“We should get this thing planted before it dies or somethin’.” Stan shuffled the plant around in his arms to hold it more comfortably, ignoring its hiss of displeasure. “Where do you want it?”

“The porch should be fine. I don’t know how much energy it gets from its prey as opposed to the sun ­– it might need sunlight to live.”

“Right. You got a pot around? I can get Chompy here planted while you find something to stop it biting anyone who gets close.”

“’Chompy’? You named the plant?”

“You were too slow.”

Well, Ford couldn’t argue with that logic. He’d just have to be faster with the next creature they came across. They had a lifetime, after all, to squabble about names – among other things.

 (For example, whether Ford was terrible for pretending to toss Stan the car keys but hiding them behind his back instead. It took Stan an embarrassingly long time to realize and once he did, Ford could barely see the withering glare he received through his snickering.)

(That evening, in revenge, Stan fell asleep on the couch lying across several of Ford’s books. Upon attempts to remove him Stan simply shifted into a wolf and thus became heavier and harder to move.)

(But these are stories for another time.)

[pod95]

Pairing: Finn Balor X OFC (Ciara)

Word Count: 1981

Warnings: Mature to explicit as the story goes on.

Description: After moving to the USA from England to start her career as an NXT superstar, Ciara gets to meet her long time crush, NXT champion Finn Balor. It's clear the pair have chemistry, but when tensions start to rise, will they find they want more than a no strings attached relationship?

So this is the first piece of fanfic I have written literally ever. I will be posting them here periodically, but I already have 6 chapters out on my Wattpad, AO3 and FanFiction pages.

This series will involve romance, drama and (although it will take a little while) some smutt too. Hope you enjoy it! 😊

Chapter 5: Prince Charming

I had a quick shower in my locker room before heading out to the car park, where Fergal was coolly leaning against his car. I was feeling kind of nervous. Up to now every time I'd seen Fergal it was down to pure coincidence. Now we were very intentionally going out for food together.

"Ready to go?" he smiled as I approached his car. I nodded sheepishly in response. "Good. We'll swing by your place so you can drop of your stuff and change if you want."

"That would be great, thanks!" I threw my gym bag into the trunk and climbed into the passenger seat. Fergal turned the radio on low and pulled out of the car park.

"So can you drive back in England?" he asked me.

"To be honest no, I never got my licence"

"Really? How come?" I hesitated for a moment before answering. The truth was simple: I could never afford to. But the reason why was something I wanted to run so far away from that I'd never think about it again.

"Well... I grew up in a poor area and money was tight for a lot of my life. I guess I just... Never got around to it," I lied, before lowering my head in embarrassment.

"Ya know," he piped up eventually, clearly noticing my discomfort, "I didn't learn to drive until I joined NXT. Dusty actually taught me" he admitted, with a hint of sadness.

"You must have some great memories with him"

"Oh I could tell you some stories, " he smiled at me before turning his attention back to the road.

The journey was filled with laughter as Fergal recounted his driving lessons, and soon enough we were pulling up outside my apartment.

"Right, won't be a minute"

I jumped out of the car, rushed inside and dumped my gym stuff in the washer. Knowing that this wasn't a date took a lot of the pressure off of choosing an outfit. I kept reminding myself that this was just a casual meal between work colleagues and not to overthink it. I returned to the car in a nice top and some jeans.

"So where are we going?" I asked.

"Well there's a nice sushi place near here, or we could get pizza-"

"I LOVE sushi!" I interrupted loudly before catching myself "I mean... Sushi sounds great, please"

"Sushi it is!" Fergal giggled, and pulled away from the pavement.

* * * *

As we entered the restaurant, the host greeted Fergal with a warm, familiar smile.

"Mr Devitt! Your usual seat I presume?" he asked, eyeing me before giving Finn a knowing look. It was obvious the host was not surprised to see Fergal here with a new face.

"Yes please, if it's available"

"Of course! Right this way sir. And might I say, your lady friend looks ravishing this evening" he flashed me a charming smile.

"This is Ciara, she's a new superstar. She worked her ass off today so I'm treating her," Fergal flashed that gorgeous smile again, but his quickness to correct the hosts mistake had me a little disappointed.

"Ah, my mistake sir! I assumed... No matter. Can I get you anything to drink?"

"Just a soda, please"

We took our seats in a quiet corner of the restaurant.

"Same for me, thanks" I nodded.

"Right away," he nodded and left the two of us alone.

Our table was next to a large window looking out across a small stretch of beach. Not one of the many that were overpopulated with tourists, but a quiet, peaceful piece of heaven. As the sun started to set, its light was dancing across the surface of the ocean. It was a beautiful sight. I could see why this was Fergals usual table, though I couldn't help but wonder how many women he'd brought here, charming them with the view.

"So, what looks good?" Fergal opened the menu and glanced over the pages.

"Honestly, all of it..."

"I usually just get a sushi platter to share and then order some ramen or a bento box for myself."

"That sounds perfect," I closed my menu and set it down, relieved that he'd taken the lead before I said something stupid. Fergal called a waiter over to give him our order before turning his attention back to me.

"So how did you get into wrestling?"

"My mum is a huge fan, we used to watch it together. She's basically in love with Brett Hart" I giggled.

"She must be incredibly proud," he smiled. I nodded in response, trying to hold back some tears that had started to form. Noticing my sadness, his tone softened, "I know it's hard, moving away from family, friends, boyfriend..."

"Oh, I'm single so that's not an issue but... Yeah, I miss them a lot."

It could have been my hopeful imagination, but the look in his eyes seemed to shift slightly from sympathy to devilish triumph.

"Really? That's interesting..."

"How so?" I asked, playfully.

"Well..." he hesitated before leaning in slightly closer to me. He squinted his eyes in thought, as if he were trying to solve a difficult puzzle. "You're beautiful, so I doubt you're short on options. You don't have any annoying habits that I've seen, but honestly you're attractive enough that most guys won't care-"

"And what if I'm only interested in women?" I teased, enjoying watching his attempts at analysing me. He chuckled cockily and licked his bottom lip.

"Well in that case, all that flirting you did last night wouldn't make much sense would it?"

"I... Suppose not..." I mumbled, my cheeks beginning to feel hot once again.

Every interaction between Fergal and I felt like a game of Tennis, passing flirtatious remarks and enticing glances between us until one of us (usually me) was left feeling embarrassed.

"So that means, you're choosing to be single. Why is that?" he leaned back in his chair and folded his arms, satisfied with his theory.

"I'm just not looking for anything serious now. My career comes first."

"That's smart," he nodded in approval.

We were interrupted by a waiter bringing our food to the table. Everything looked and smelled amazing.

"I just got out of something semi-serious so, I'm focusing on my career too."

I popped a Maki roll into my mouth to hide my surprise. He didn't look like he was lying to me, but Saraya had mentioned last night that he was seeing someone. Maybe she was just taking a dig at him. There was a lot of hostility there after all.

Ugh... Thinking about last night was giving me flashbacks of my piss poor attempt at being alluring. I shuddered the thought out of my mind.

"You ok?"

"Yeah just, kind of embarrassed about last night," I confessed. "I don't normally flirt with complete strangers."

"I could tell, you were really bad at it. Do you always get like that when you're drunk or are ya just that attracted to me?" Fergal laughed, doing nothing to calm my already crimson face.

"I'm always like that, sorry to disappoint. But I did want to thank you for not taking advantage, and for making sure I got home safe. It was really kind of you..."

"Wow. No wonder you're single. You really need to get higher standards for men love. If not trying to sleep with you when you're drunk is your idea of kind, you're gonna be dating a lot of assholes."

I knew he was right, but considering my last relationship, honestly at this stage I'd say almost anything was an improvement.

We continued eating and laughing until finally the bill came. I reached into my bag to get my purse out.

"Woah, what are ya doing? I said this was my treat." Fergal insisted, reaching into his back pocket.

"At least let me pay for half of it"

"Absolutely not."

"You are fighting a losing battle here miss. Mr Devitt is a gentleman after all," the host chimed in, leaving me with no choice but to concede. We thanked him for the meal and said our goodbyes.

It was only when we got outside and it was pitch black I realised how long we'd been here for. Time really felt like nothing when I was spending it with Fergal. The journey home was made in a comfortable silence, both of us stuffed from dinner as I hummed along to the radio, and before I knew it we were pulling up outside of my apartment.

"Here, it's dark. I'll walk you to your door," Fergal switched off the engine and got out of the car.

"Thanks again for tonight. It was nice getting to hang out. Made me feel a little less lonely being here," I reached into my purse to grab my keys.

"No problem, I know what it's like moving to a new country. If you ever need anyone to just hang out with, let me know," he suggested.

"And next time I will definitely pay!"

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that." he beamed.

In the moonlight he looked more gorgeous than I could ever imagine, and I couldn't stop my gaze from wandering. They travelled from the pale blue pools of his eyes, to that intoxicating smile, to the perfect contours of his chest, all the way down to-

"Ahem, my eyes are up here," he smiled cheekily, clearly very pleased with himself that yet again he'd caught me checking him out.

"I was just-"

"No need to be embarrassed love. I take it as a compliment. I actually find it really cute you can't keep your eyes off of me. Besides..." he took a step closer to me and placed a tender hand on my cheek, "You're not the only one who's thought about it."

"Th.. Thought about... What?" I stammered, feeling a pleasant tingling at his touch.

"Oh, you KNOW what" he brushed a strand of hair behind my ear.

"I don't..."

He pushed me gently against the wall and held me there, one hand still caressing my cheek, the other pinning my hands above my head.

"So... You haven't thought about me ripping your clothes off and throwing you onto the bed. You've not thought about how it would feel, me kissing every inch of your body," he moved his face closer to mine until our lips were mere inches apart. His eyes were staring intensely into mine, and the feeling of his breath on my skin made my heart beat faster.

"And you've never imagined how, when you can't take any more, I'd make you feel more pleasure than you've ever felt before."

I ran my tongue along my bottom lip in anticipation. Anticipation for a kiss that never came. A let out a small whine as he pulled his face away and released me from his hold. Hearing this he smirked.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," he sighed, looking very frustrated with himself. "Look, you're sweet... But I don't do sweet. Okay? I do broken and desperate and fucked up. It's just easier that way. Good girls always think they can fix me, and then treat me like I'm the bad guy when they get their heart broken in the process. If you know what's good for ya, you won't cross that line. I'm not your Prince Charming, love."

He walked back to his car, leaving me alone at my doorstep, confused and disappointed as he drove off into the night. I shut the front door behind me and threw myself onto the sofa in frustration. Damn, having him that close to me, talking about the things he was had gotten me all worked up. I needed to get that out of my system before the next time I saw him, otherwise I might just have to show him how wrong he was to call me a good girl.

[captainsassmanes]

Follow up to It’s the Little Things

Alex poked his fingers between the blinds and slowly lifted them, hoping not to draw attention to himself. 

It was 9am on a blazing hot Saturday and he’d been woken by the sound of a weedwacker whirring right outside his window. He didn’t have to look to know exactly who it was, but he was curious as to what the fuck Michael was doing.

He’d be lying if he said the image of Michael, shirtless and sweating, didn’t turn him right the hell on but this was getting out of hand.

After Alex had spilled his guts, throwing his insecurities into the wind before thinking about where they’d land, he couldn’t get up. He lived for helping Michael, for finding ways to give back, to make some kind of difference, however small, in the other man’s life. 

Michael had managed to call him on his bullshit, though. It was Alex’s way of staying involved, of being as close to Michael as he could be without physically being near him.

But he’d pushed too hard and it really was over. 

That first night was awful. He replayed their conversation, or the word vomit he’d spewed, nonstop. He drank, and then drank some more, until he woke up on the couch, stiff and barely able to move with a headache that made blinking agonizing.

After a puke, a coffee and some eggs, Alex had taken Buffy outside and sat in one of his patio chairs, taking in his house, his car, his stuff.

It meant little now.

The thought of Michael, of their potential relationship, possible future, had quietly been keeping him going all these years. To have that hope extinguished...he didn’t have the words to describe how empty he’d felt.

His chest ached as he went inside and opened his laptop, starting his search for the country’s top cities. He knew he’d want to live somewhere busy, populated, but safe. His job could easily be remote once his re-enlistment period was up, plus he had quite a bit of money saved so he could take his time getting readjusted.

New York City and LA definitely had his attention, the music scenes alone would be worth the trip, but the apartments were tiny, and he may end up having to sell a kidney to pay his rent. Miami wasn’t his scene and Seattle looked like the type of place to send his depression spiraling.

He grabbed his third cup of coffee and moved to the living room, getting comfortable on the couch and making room for Buffy to rest her head on his lap. He found another one of those top cities lists and was intrigued by Portland. LGBT friendly, relaxed people, music scene, not so far that he couldn’t visit if he wanted to.

That afternoon was spent clicking through photos, checking out postings for apartments, falling down a YouTube spiral of some artists who got their start in the city.

The next day, feeling a bit better with a plan under his belt, he’d ventured outside to Beam Me Up for a cup of coffee and a snack. On his way out, he literally bumped into Maria.

“God, sorry. Did any of that spill?”

Alex just blinked, an uncomfortable wave of jealousy moving over his skin and pinching him where it landed.

He shook his head and said, “no. It’s okay.”

She gave him a smile as they stood awkwardly in the doorway. He wanted to say something, even if it was small or unimportant, just something to break the ice, but his instincts telling him to get home were clouding his thoughts.

“Michael mentioned he saw you the other day.”

Alex’s eyes grew wide. They hadn’t spoken in weeks; nothing more than worthless pleasantries and she knew why; he’d been honest with her. He’d also felt he’d been fair, leaving them both alone to their relationship, not interfering or getting involved.

At least he’d thought that was what he’d been doing.

But now, as he stared at his oldest friend, watching as her face changed to apprehension, maybe realizing that playing the we can connect over Michael card was the wrong move, he felt angry.

“I’m moving.”

Maria stepped back, surprised. “What?”

Alex nodded, looking around the street, hoping he looked as relaxed and casual as he was aiming for. “Yep. When my enlistment period is over.”

Her mouth opened and shut a few times, small sounds trying to become words escaping. Eventually, she was able to croak out a, “where?”

Alex shrugged and took a sip of his coffee. “Portland looked interesting. I’m looking at a few apartments there.”

The silence took over again as the street became a bit busier with the weekend tourists coming out to enjoy the weather and the sights. Maria’s hair bounced, the ends of her head scarf wrapping loosely around her throat. “You’re leaving because of me, right? Because of me and Michael? You can’t just go because – “

“I have no reason to stay, Maria.” Their eyes met and both sets were filled with a sadness neither could describe. Alex’s heart felt too heavy in his chest, memories of late nights and shared shakes and tears and joints and hugs threatening to leak out of his eyes. Instead, he smiled. “My time here’s up. I did my part but it’s time to see something new.”

With that he turned and walked to his car, coffee cup shaking in one hand while his fingers curled painfully around the bag in the other. Fuck he missed Maria. But he didn’t know if he’d ever be able to look at her the way he used to again.

It was that night, his excitement dwindling and replaced by a quiet desperation, when the first text had come through.

Don’t leave.

Alex stared. Obviously, Maria had told Michael about their chat. Maybe he felt bad, a twinge of guilt. Alex hoped he did, then felt guilty for hoping Michael felt guilty. This was exactly why he had to leave.

He ignored the text and went back to his computer, sipping on a beer and occasionally giving Buffy some nice scratches behind the ears.

His phone pinged again. Alex stared at it, hoping his glare would make it blow up or something. In the end, curiosity got the best of him and he looked at the text.

Don’t leave me.

Alex’s heart raced as his fingers moved without thinking.

You wouldn’t come with me anyway.

He turned his phone off and tossed it across the room, not caring when it bounced along the wood floor a few times.

He didn’t sleep well after that. Thoughts of car rides and spaceships and apartments and soft blankets and bright sunshine and honey curls played behind his eyelids every time he tried to rest.

The further away from Michael he was, the better it’d be for everyone.

The next morning his doorbell rang at 8am. Alex had thought it was a part of his dream at first, cuddled up on a firm, warm chest, wiry hairs beneath his fingers while nails scraped his scalp, lulling him back to sleep. When the buzzing continued, he was thrown back into reality with a big, empty bed and a headache to boot.

Grabbing his crutches, he went to the door and threw it open, shocked to find Michael on the other side looking clean shaven with a cup of coffee.

Michael looked…different. Yes, the beard was trimmed, maybe his hair, too? His clothes were definitely clean. But there was an energy, an aura, around him that Alex hadn’t seen in years. One side of Michael’s mouth lifted, an almost bashful smile, and he held out the coffee cup. Even Michael’s fingernails were clean. Alex lost some time staring at those nails and remembering the comfort they’d brought him in his dream just moments before.

Michael cleared his throat, bringing Alex’s attention back to the moment. “Whole milk and one sugar.”

Alex raised an eyebrow. “What are you doing?”

Michael shrugged and pushed the cup gently into Alex’s chest. “Bringing you a coffee. Good morning, by the way.”

Alex would later blame the broken night’s sleep for the dreamy way he’d whispered out, “good morning,” while accepting the cup. He took a sip and was instantly in his glory. His favorite coffee from his favorite café made perfectly delivered by his favorite…

“Well, have a good day, Alex.”

While Alex stood in the doorway, mouth hanging open at a loss for words, Michael sauntered back to his truck and drove away.

It had fucked with Alex for the rest of the day.

After that morning, Michael made appearances most days. A delivery of a burger and fries one afternoon, randomly bent over the hood of Alex’s Jeep for a tune up a few evenings later, dropping off a case of Alex’s favorite beer. Each time Michael came around, the conversation was limited. Michael would smile, explain why he was there and, as soon as he was finished, he’d smile and say goodbye, driving off once again.

Alex hated it. It was so confusing and contradictory, it made him fucking furious.

Alex really loved it.

He was seeing more of Michael than he had in years and Michael was absolutely different but in a way that suited Michael, not as though he’d changed to fit someone else’s wishes. He looked great and seemed healthy. Happy.

Apparently, today was clean up the yard day. With a sigh, Alex turned from his window and looked at Buffy with her head raised and cocked to the side in concern.

“Yes, it’s Michael.” Buffy’s tail wagged furiously. “You little traitor.”

Alex watched him for a few quiet minutes, taking in every detail, from the way his curls looked almost blonde when the sun hit just right, to the pattern of body hair scattered across his torso, to the flex of his legs when he bent and stretched.

He’d realized the other night, as he sipped on one of the beers Michael had bought him, that he’d stopped looking at apartments, collecting more information on Portland. All it took was for Michael to notice him and his universe tilted, and its center of gravity became Michael once again. That was the first night since their fight he’d allowed himself to cry again.

With a sudden surge of resolve, Alex threw open his drawers and grabbed whatever clothes his hands touched. He took the time to get his leg on, wanting to feel stable and steady for whatever came next.

By the time he got outside, Michael was leaning against the bed of the truck looking like a tan god, bottle of water to his lips, head tossed back with his face covered in sunlight.

Taking a deep breath, Alex charged ahead.

“I want a reason.”

Michael startled a bit, lost in his own thoughts, and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Alex couldn’t help but stare at the dampness his hand missed.

“What reason?”

“Don’t be coy, Michael. It’s not cute.”

Playfully, Michael pouted while batting his lashes. Alex wanted to laugh and scream and cry and hold Michael, confusion and caution warring within him.

Alex looked at the ground, noting a nasty scuff across the toe of one of his boots. He pushed his foot into the sand and whispered, “why are you doing this to me?”

Michael made a quiet noise that sounded hurt and stood straight, blocking out the sun from Alex’s face. “To you?”

Alex looked up and fell into hazel eyes. He nodded. “You’re not actually trying to talk to me. But you’re being- being really kind and generous. I don’t understand.” He shook his head this time and took a step back so he could think. “You told me to get out of your life, I say okay, and then you come flying back into mine.”

Michael shook his head and started digging around the bed of his truck, apparently looking for his t-shirt to throw on as well as his trademark hat. Turning back to Alex, he shrugged and pulled out his car keys.

“I have no idea what I’m doing, Alex.” The silence between them felt thick with opportunity; to be honest, straightforward. Just a chance. “But that night I…” Michael scoffed and broke eye contact, looking around at Alex’s house. “You’ve got a loose shingle up there – “

“That night you what, Michael?”

With a sigh, Michael continued, “I knew that might be it. I know I’ve pushed, and you’ve walked and recently I’ve been pushing a lot harder but I just, I dunno, never let myself imagine you not being in my life somehow.”

Alex crinkled his eyebrows, confused yet again. “If you didn’t want me to go then why say all that shit about – “

“I have been drowning for years, Alex. In booze, in sex, in work, in regret. Just fucking drowning. Then you came back, and your dad was the fucking devil and then my mom and Max. I couldn’t separate it all out. Everything felt like it went back to you.”

Alex nodded, feeling the familiar creep of guilt working its way into his gut. “And I said I understood all of that. I gave you as much space as I could.”

“Did you?”

Alex sighed and dug his hands into his pockets, wishing he had something in his hands to keep them better occupied. He could either choke Guerin at the moment or pull him into a suffocating kiss. He couldn’t decide.

“I guess I didn’t.” He blinked as the next thought smacked him across the face. “I’m not as strong as you, Michael. I can’t know you’re nearby and struggling and do nothing.”

Michael shook his head, taking a step closer to Alex.

“That’s why I’m moving. I can’t stop myself from being in your orbit and you made it clear that’s what you wanted. It’ll give me a fresh start, too, you know. No one’ll recognize the Manes name. No one will care. I can just be another face out there, have a little anonymity and figure out what I’m doing.”

“I don’t want you to go.”

Alex groaned. “C’mon, Michael! You just came here not that long ago bitching that I sent you some food! I’d think you’d be thrilled that I’d be gone.”

Michael laughed. Alex watched as his face changed with the humor and his heart broke a little to see how much younger Michael could look when he relaxed. Even if just for a second. “I told you stay away. You didn’t. I told you again stay away and then you did. Then I couldn’t stay away and now you’re gonna leave. Can we just say the fucking things we need to say and stop doing this?”

Alex took the challenge at face value and straightened up, nodding his head. “Fine.”

“Why did you do all those nice things for me even when I told you to stay away?”

“Because I love you.”

The ease with which those words slid from Alex’s mouth surprised both of them. There was something freeing about the honesty, of finally just saying the words out loud to Michael without fear of rejection or consequence.

He took a deep breath. “Because I love you and I was worried about you.”

Michael licked his lips and looked away, nodding in understanding.

“Your turn,” Alex whispered, pulling Michael’s attention back. “Why do you keep showing up here when you told me to stay away?”

“Because I regretted everything I said as soon as I said it.” Alex lifted an eyebrow, not fully understanding. “I thought I needed distance. Not seeing you all the damn time helped me focus on other things. And I did tell you the truth; I didn’t think we were good for each other and I really, really wanted to be good for Maria.”

Alex took a step back, feeling the burn in his throat start at the mention of his friend’s name when Michael’s callused fingers wrapped around his wrist. “The second I realized I probably pushed you completely out of my life, I regretted it. I don’t want you to leave. I don’t want you to stop caring. I want to be better. I just – “

Michael stopped and took a deep breath, clearly overwhelmed as his voice began to crack. Alex slowly shifted his wrist from Michael’s grip and gently held his fingers in his own.

Michael sighed, “can you ask me one more time?”

Alex nodded. “Why do you keep showing up here when you told me to stay away?”

“Because I love you.”

They stood together in the blazing sun, sweating and staring at one another as though the world had fallen away. The moment was broken when Alex’s eyes shifted to Michael’s turquoise belt buckle. “But you love Maria, too.”

Michael nodded and watched helplessly as Alex let go of his hand. “I do. But I love Maria the same way you love Maria.”

Alex rolled his eyes. “I don’t know what that means.”

“She’s my friend, Alex. That night we fought I had an epiphany.”

“An epiphany?”

“Yeah. You probably already know this but I’m an alcoholic.”

Alex’s head whipped up with concern in his eyes. His mouth moved but he couldn’t think of anything to say.

Michael took it as his cue to continue. “I’ve also been a shit brother to Isobel, so I’ve been working on that. But the morning after I left here, I talked to Maria. Told her how I was feeling, she talked about her feelings and, we both just told the truth.”

“Which was?”

A smile tugged on Michael’s lips. “That we both love you.”

Alex cleared his throat, doing his best not to start crying. “I’d like to get back to the alcoholic piece of this, and I’m glad you’ve stepped up to support Isobel but, uh, are you and Maria still together?”

Michael shook his head. “Not for about, what? Two weeks now?”

Alex nodded. “Okay.”

“Go out with me.”

Alex waited a beat, making sure he’d heard clearly before repeating, “okay.”

“The Crashdown? Lunch tomorrow? Around 12?”

Alex nodded. “Yeah. I’ll meet you there.”

Michael smiled and closed his truck. Slowly, he took off his hat and leaned in, kissing Alex on the cheek. They were both just piles of sweat and beet[TS1]  red, but Alex thought it might be one of the most romantic moments of his life.

“I wanna do this right, Alex. From the beginning.”

Alex smiled. “Me, too. I’ll see you tomorrow. For our first date.”

Michael laughed, his youth bursting through every pore. “For our first date.”

[artificialqueens]

A Road to Somewhere, Chapter 1 (Adore Delaska) - Puppy

A/N: So, I’ve been wanting to write a Spirited Away AU for some time, so here we are. Spirited Away is my favorite Studio Ghibli film (plus the first one I ever saw) and I thought it would work in this setting.

I would like to thank @thackeryisatop and @chaoticnachokitten for helping me beta. Also thanks to @chaoticnachokitten for helping me with final casting.

I hope you all enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing this first chapter.

Chapter 1

Spanish Translations for Chapter 1:

“Ojalá que sobrevivan” - “I hope they survive”

“Puedo abrir la ventana?” - Can I open the window?

“Mierda” - “shit”

“Mija” - “my daughter”

~~

The jolts of the car startled her out of possibly one of the best naps she’d ever taken. Besides, it was the snake dream again, so it wasn’t anything new. Adore blinked herself awake and stared out the window and directly into the sun. It was so bright that she could barely see a thing. She couldn’t tell if they had left California or not, and she didn’t want to ask her mother if they were there yet. That kind of shit doesn’t fly now that she was a thirteen year old girl, practically an adult in her perspective. From the likes of it, it seemed that they had driven for 5 hours, yet the drive didn’t feel like it was getting any shorter.

Her phone was nearly dead and her mom had the charger at the moment, so there wasn’t any use trying to get some more juice on it. No one wanted to look at her updates on the trip. Heck, even Ganja was probably too busy with Gia and couldn’t be bothered with their own things to pay attention to her. They’ve probably been to San Francisco before; it wasn’t anything new. In the meantime, she just stared at the bouquet of flowers Laganja was thoughtful enough to buy.

“I’ll miss you, Adore. Until we meet again.” The messages on the card read with Laganja’s signature following it.

She appreciated the sentiment. She really did, but it seemed to her that they could’ve done more than just carnations. She was almost surprised that the flowers had survived this long considering the heat. The whirring of the engines and the occasional voice from the GPS kept her from napping any longer. “Moooom?” Adore groggily maneuvered herself within earshot of the woman driving the car.

“We have about an hour left. I think you can handle it. Now get back in the back, Dory.”

She sighed and sulked in her original spot. “I really don’t see why now was a good time to move. Azusa was, like, the bomb.”

“Me neither, but think on the bright side. There won’t be as many knife fights and we might get a cat at the new house. And your cousin says the middle school is great. You’d fit in well, I hear.”

“But Ganja won’t be there…” She whined, leaning back a little farther and scaring herself with the crinkling of plastic. “FUCK!”

“Watch your language.”

She whined. “SHIT! They’re all sad now.”

Bonnie glanced in the rearview mirror at her daughter and a newly crumpled bouquet of flowers. “Maybe you shouldn’t have smothered them.”

“Someone finally sends me flowers, and it’s for this. Great. They’re probably gonna die before we even get there.” Adore never doubted the California heat; that was an apt excuse for her pessimism, right? On top of everything else that had happened today, her gift wilting away into nothingness would be a perfect ending to this already hellish day.

“Ojalá que sobrevivan. We’ll put them in water as soon as we can.”

“Ma? ¿Puedo abrir la ventana?”

“Sure,” Bonnie responded. “Hold onto the card,” she shouted over the sounds of the wind blasting into the small car, “You don’t wanna lose it!” Her daughter took that word to heart and shoved the note in her jean shorts’ pocket. They’d be at the new house sooner than later if she took another nap, but it felt like something out there was keeping her awake.

It must have been that same force that subtly influenced Bonnie to avoid the GPS and swerve into a wrong turn, thrusting the seat belt-less Adore to the other side of the car. Thankfully, she was unharmed.

Bonnie cursed in Spanish before slowing down her drive. “I must’ve missed the turn. Mierda. On the bright side, I think there’s a rest stop up ahead so you can stretch your legs or do whatever it is you need to.”

“What’s with all those rocks? They look like houses.” Adore poked her head out of the window to get a better view, her Ariel red hair whipping behind her.

“Never mind. At least we made it.” Her mother parked the car and stepped out. The more the two looked around, the less it seemed like a normal rest stop. There weren’t any park benches or vending machines; hell, there weren’t any other people besides them. It was simply the Delanos, the forest, the road, and the structure ahead of them. “Ah… now I got it. This probably used to be some tourist trap in the early eighties.”

“Why’d people stopped coming?” Adore wondered as she observed the framework of the building. Maybe it’s the fact it’s in the middle of the fucking woods, Adore. She blinked as a voice in the back of her head answered her rhetorical question. “Y’know what? Screw it, I’m going in!”

Bonnie grabbed her hand, halting her daughter in the process of rushing through the entrance. “No you’re not.”

“Come on, I just wanna look at it. Only for a few minutes!” The redhead whined as she wiggled her hand out of her mother’s grasp. “I’ll be, like, right there and back…”

“I’m… gonna call the movers. Tell them we’re gonna be late and-” Before she could finish her sentence, Adore ran into the tunnel. “Let’s hope they have a key.”

The teen stopped and looked behind her. She could barely see her mother on the phone as she was washed out by a pool of light. The tunnel felt longer than she expected, as she never fully felt like she reached the middle. A breeze blew behind her, urging her to go forward. It may have been strong enough to blow her over, but it felt gentle in places too. If Adore was to fall, the wind would probably catch her and set her on her way. She scoffed and went on her way, faster as the wind pushed her.

This place wasn’t like any other tourist trap that she had encountered before. It was mostly a field with a small collection of buildings far off in the distance. From what Adore could see of the buildings, they were foreign in nature - Japanese, probably considering California’s history. An old straw hut struggled to stay upright at the wind, decorated with dandelion seeds from a far off field. The cobblestone she was standing on eventually gave way to a dirt path towards the infrastructure. A clock tower stood on top of the structure behind her: dormant, yet imposing. A little farther down the path, there was a collection of rocks. Bonnie shortly caught up to her and they both took in the view.

“Damn… we should’ve brought a picnic.” Adore muttered off-handedly. As if on cue, a savory smell wafted through the air.

“Come to think of it, I am starving. Let’s see if there’s something up ahead.” The two women went on their way down the path and towards the little uphill town. “They were probably going to put a river there,” Her mother pointed to the rocks, “Would’ve been neat.”

Adore followed suit, becoming more aware of the noise of the footsteps. The more she traveled down that path, the less she wanted to stay. The less she felt wanted. However, she hadn’t eaten in a couple of hours so it was worth it. She had enough energy to hop up the stairs without tripping.

When they entered the town, it was mostly deserted. There were definitely sounds of action and evidence that people had been there before. Occasional piles of bones stacked on top of plates from previous customers and some orange peels had been scattered around the ground. “Are any of these still open? It’d be a dick move to come in, like, fifteen minutes before they close.” Adore wondered aloud before, as if by magic, the two arrived at a buffet. There were a few catches though. From what they could see, there was no one at the kitchen or at the cashier’s. “Maybe they’re on a break?” she continued, but her mother ignored her.

“Mija, you’ve got to try this!” Bonnie shoved a forkful towards her daughter, who stepped away

“I don’t think I oughta. Also… vegetarian, remember?.” Her mother ignored her as she scarfed down whatever was in front of her. Adore didn’t care how good it looked, she didn’t want to eat it.

“This is the only time we’re gonna have anything of quality before we get to the house. Come on, you’ve gotta have something… When was the last time we ate? Breakfast?”

“Yes, but isn’t this, like, kinda stealing? There’s nowhere that specifically says ‘all-you-can-eat’!”

“Don’t worry about it,” Bonnie said with a mouthful of chicken, “I’ve got credit cards and cash. I’ll pay when someone gets back.”

Adore just scoffed and wandered off while her mother engorged herself with whatever was in front of her. They were going to be here for a while, so she’d might as well get a feel for the place. She glanced at the empty shops as she walked, hoping that another one that was more her speed was open and manned properly; however, she had no money so she was basically screwed. The redhead trudged her way up another flight of stairs towards a sign. She couldn’t quite make out what it said, but it didn’t really matter. She turned to her left and gasped, noticing a building she hadn’t seen before.

“Wha?” Adore blinked to see if she was seeing it correctly. It looked like a traditional bathhouse. There was some steam or smoke coming from a chimney-stack, so there had to be some people inhabiting this ghost town. “That’s strange…” she pondered. If so, why weren’t they out and about? What was so great about the saunas that everything else needed to be neglected? She grabbed a ponytail holder and put her hair up into a messy updo and approached the bathhouse.

As soon as she was about halfway across, she was startled by a sudden rumbling of the bridge and a crossing train, or at least the sound of it. “I… guess there’s a station nearby.” She talked to herself before speed-walking to the other side to see it cross. She hopped up onto a railing and leaned forward to get a better look. The farther the train was out of sight, the more cautious she was becoming. It was as if someone, or something, was watching her every move the moment she came to the bridge. When Adore stepped down from the railing, her suspicions were confirmed.

A girl who looked about her age (perhaps a little older) stared at her, gasping as Adore made eye contact with her. It was as if she had run into an old friend. She had blonde hair that went to her mid-back and was slightly taller than her with a fairer complexion than her. There was something definitely odd about the lady, but she couldn’t quite place it. The two stared at each other for a bit as the sun began to sit behind them. There was something familiar about her, but too familiar. There was no time to focus on formalities though.

“You shouldn’t be here, you know,” The blonde charged towards Adore.

“Wait what? Why?”

“No time to explain. It’s getting dark.” She increasingly grew more panicked, pushing Adore farther and farther down the bridge. “You should leave. NOW.” It was nearly too late for words now. The sun was setting faster by the second and lamps began to light behind them. She collected herself for a moment and whispered in Adore’s ear, “I’m sorry, but I have to do this. I’ll distract them so you can get away faster. The woman then pushed her towards the last stretch of the bridge at the edge of the staircase.

Adore looked back at the woman. She couldn’t quite understand what she was doing, but she noticed something come from the other girl’s hands. They looked like flower petals… or scales, perhaps. She wasn’t close enough to fully determine the material. “Bitch didn’t have to push me though…” she mumbled to herself before running off to find her mother again.

She called her as loud and as frequently as she could. Her voice could’ve given out at any moment without hesitation. Thankfully, the redhead was able to determine her location; it seemed like anyone could hear the sounds of her chewing no matter where they were. “Ma! Ma! Ma! Ma! Ma! Ma!” She tugged on her mother’s arm, but she didn’t budge, “We gotta go! We gotta go! It’s getting dark! I don’t wanna be here anymore! I’m-” Before she could apologize any more, she witnessed the hand she was holding turn into a cloven hoof. The face that then faced her wasn’t human. Adore stared at her mother’s bovine features as she stepped back. “Mom…” She remained frozen in place as the pig that sat in her mother’s face continued to gobble at whatever was in front of her.

There was something grotesque about her mother being treated like that. A frog-like spirit appeared from behind the counter and beat the pig with a flyswatter as if she was some common pest. Adore covered her ears as she heard the pleading squeals from the sow that used to be her mother. She jumped when Bonnie eventually fell down. There was nothing she could have done at this point. Many more spirits surrounded Adore, signalling the human to run for her life. She had clearly seen enough in one day.

The girl remembered her path the best that she could. She spotted the clock tower in the distance; she knew the exit was closer than she thought. Adore ran down the steps, nearly tripping over her own feet. She could have been seriously injured if not for the body of water that caught her. For a split second, she wished she could have sunk to the bottom of the makeshift lake, or at least she’d become a mermaid and swim to safety. Alas, she couldn’t swim that fast and she couldn’t even drive yet. She was simply stuck.

She came face to face with an oncoming riverboat. For all she knew, it could have been manned by ghosts as well. She was able to make out a few figures at it reared closer to shore. It was almost like Noah’s Ark in a sense that the inhabitants were mostly animal spirits. They were conversing; she could overhear bits of small talk. It was like they couldn’t even notice the sopping wet human off in the distance.

Adore crouched down and curled herself into a ball. This had to be a dream, right? She hoped she was still in the car drooling over her shirt and covered in the petals from Laganja’s wilting flowers. She and her human mother would be at the house by now, and she’d get around to settling in her room with a phone at full charge. She rocked back and forth with her head in her hand. “Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck! Wake up, goddammit!” Adore slapped herself. “Just go away…” She muttered after calming down. She realized soon enough how poor of a word choice that was.

As she attempted to shield her eyes from the boat’s lights, it was all in vain. She could see the boat through her hand. In time, the boat docked and the animals disembarked while continuing their conversations. As soon as they touched the land, something strange happened. They transformed into more humanoid states. Some of the spirits still had hints of their true forms though. There were ones with beaks and webbed fingers; some still had their original ears and tails as well.

Adore quickly backed away into a corner, hoping to not be noticed. Although it wasn’t like she was going to due to her current state. She crawled up a hill when she was fully out of the procession’s line of sight. When she went to a haven of safety, she crawled back into a ball. All she felt like doing more than anything was to fully disappear into the nothingness that surrounded her. She was taken out of her daze by someone tapping on her shoulder. Adore jumped slightly and turned towards the touch; it was the girl again.

“Don’t worry. I’m trying to help here.” She shoved a berry towards Adore’s lips. “Please. Eat this. You need to eat something from this world in order to stay in this world.”

“Aren’t you gonna apologize for fucking pushing me?” Adore tried to push her back in retaliation, but it was no use. She had simply passed through.

“Alright, I might have been a bit harsh. Are you going to eat this or not? I promise it won’t turn you into a pig.”

The redhead opened her mouth, letting the berry fall into her mouth. She chewed as her face twisted, reacting to the taste. It was a little tart for her taste and not very filling, but if she needed to eat to save her life, then so be it. Her shoulders dropped, becoming less tense. She didn’t know why, but she felt so much calmer around this stranger.

“There we go,” The blonde held her hand and squeezed it lightly, “You’re here. You’re alive. You’re okay.” Her touch felt strange to Adore. Her hands were rough, but not calloused. It was as if they were covered in something other than skin. Scales perhaps? She was cautious enough not to rub the wrong way.

“I’m okay,” she parroted back at the woman.

“You see? Now, come with me.”

“Wait!” Adore yanked the standing girl’s arm, bringing her back down to eye-level. The blonde sat down and listened attentively. “What about my mom? She didn’t really turn into a pig, right?” She asked as if she didn’t see her transform in front of her. Hopefully, this was merely a trick of the eye or her brain was making her see things from fatigue. It had already been a long enough day; the last thing she wanted to do was cry.

“You’ll get to see her soon enough, but not right now.” She put a hand on her shoulder, but quickly stopped herself. There was danger lurking around and she could sense it. “Fuck,” she muttered under her breath, pulling the human into her and shielding her body from the force that followed her. “Don’t move.” Adore couldn’t help but stare upward.

There was a large black bird, no bigger than a vulture, circling the area. The strangest thing about it was the head. Instead of a beak and feathers, it was a shrunken human head. She couldn’t quite make out what or who the head was supposed to resemble, but the face didn’t seem happy. After a few more swoops, she clung to the person, enjoying her protective nature and the touches.

“I think we’re good. Let’s go.” The woman attempted to bring the young human to her feet, but couldn’t. It was like her legs refused to move.

“Oh no oh no oh no oh no oh no oh no…” Adore hyperventilated, but was quickly shushed.

“Calm down. Take a breath. Can you do that for me?” Adore nodded her head while the mysterious woman smiled. “Lemme… do this real quick. In the name of the waters and earth beneath me, unbind this girl from the land.” Her hands glowed a radiant white and Adore stood up, as if by magic.

“That thing is probably after you. We have to get you out. Now.” Before she could properly thank her rescuer, the magical woman gripped her palm and started to run.

And off they went.

[sherlockfanficwriting]

Sherlock “Save her” (x reader)

Summary - You’re Sherlock’s friend and you are each other’s world. Carelessly you roam around in town one day. You are kidnapped by Jim Moriarty and soon forced to jump to your death. Will Sherlock find you? If he does, will it be too late?

Warnings - drowning, some violence 

A/N - This is a good story, one of my favorites that I have written so far. If you guys like it tell me and send some requests!

“(Y/N), I can’t understand how you love looking at dead bodies!” Sherlock cried to you as the two of you walked to his flat. It was a beautiful rainy day. You had been on a case with Sherlock for most of it and were tired.

“Do not twist my words! I said they’re interesting!” You said, playfully pushing his arm. 

“Come on, take me!” Sherlock yelled, spreading his arms, taunting you to throw a punch. 

“Oh, not now, when you’re least expecting it I will. After all, I’m smarter than you.” 

Sherlock scoffed. For the whole year that you had known him, you swept him off his feet when you first met. Your intelligence, it was not like his because it was a different kind. He couldn’t quite explain it, but he liked it. He didn’t know what you were, but he knew that he really liked you. 

“You’re smart. Very smart. I’ll give you that,” he said smiling. You saw his flat in the distance and it started to rain harder. You sprinted to it, leaving Sherlock in the dust. You were a very fast runner and loved doing this randomly to him. You opened the door and bolted upstairs, practically tripping down on the floor. 

“Sherlock?” John cried from inside. 

“Not him,” you said. 

“You okay?” He asked, walking to you. You hopped up. 

Before you could say anything Sherlock came running in and said, “I’ll beat you one day.” 

John looked confused. “Beat her? In what?” 

“Karate,” you said, causing Sherlock and you to erupt in laughter. 

“That’s it. I’ll be in my room,” John said, walking away. 

“Nice to see you too John!” You cried out. 

“He hates us,” Sherlock said to you in a low voice. 

“I heard that!” John cried from away. You smiled at Sherlock. He was like your twin. You had so much in common and you loved being together doing random things. 

“I should probably leave,” you told him, adjusting your crossbody. Sherlock looked up at you, almost sadly. 

“Are you sure? It’s not the best weather. We can have a violin contest.” 

You shook your head. As much as you wanted to stay, you wanted to take a long walk and get yourself lost. You loved to be with Sherlock, but you needed some time to yourself to just be free and think. Letting your mind wander. 

“Tomorrow? I know you’re busy with that guy, uh James?” 

“Jim Moriarty. “You’re right. It’s not easy, but I’m working on him,” he said making a small space with his thumb and index finger, “I’m this close.” 

You nodded. You knew he worked hard especially for that horrible man. It didn’t make sense to you, the whole crime stuff and hacking and killing. It was horrible, but at least Sherlock liked to do it. 

“I’ll see you later, Sherlock.” You backed up to the door. 

“Text me if you need anything.” 

You turned around about to walk out, but Sherlock said, “Where are you going now?” 

You stopped. “Just out and about really.” 

“Sounds boring. Be safe,” he said, waving to you. You skipped down the steps and into the London rain. It was a steady rain, but it didn’t bother you much. The sky was darkening, but slow. You figured you had time to walk by the river and explore wherever your legs took you. 

You walked down alleys, foreign roads, by tourists, and made sure you were immensely lost. There was no fun in walking around the same part of town that you knew so well. There weren’t many people around, but the ones you passed looked rather....sketchy. You tried not to pay much attention to them, but couldn’t help feeling in danger. You brushed it off as being paranoid, something that happened quite often. You thought you looked vulnerable. You were wearing loose black pants, a white blouse, and a black blazer with navy flats. If anyone saw you they knew you didn’t belong in this part. Worst of all you didn’t have your knife. That knife was important to you. It kept you out of trouble, cut things for you, and made you feel safe. It was like a large knife, but a small sword. You had left it in your own apartment, which was god knows, miles away from where you were. You continued walking on when all of a sudden you heard loud footsteps behind you. 

You whipped your head around, startled. You couldn’t see them well and realized how dark it was. The sky was a dark blue, preventing you from making out who this person was. You faced forward, brushing it off and sped up your walking. The person behind you did the same. You were now certain that they were following you. 

You stopped walking and faced them. 

“Do you need anything?” You asked. They took a step closer to you. They were about two inches taller than you with a slim figure. Wore dark clothes and had dark hair. Pale skin. You couldn’t make out his facial features much. 

“Yes, in fact, I do,” he said. He didn’t have a British accent. You weren’t British yourself and you found it difficult to pinpoint what European accent some people had. It sounded like American but had a twist. It wasn’t Canadian, maybe Northern European. You didn’t know. 

“Well, what is it? I don’t have much money, but you can have it,” you said to him, trying to remain calm. 

He laughed. A deep sadistic laugh. “No, dear. I need you.” 

You panicked. You turned around and started to run, but a pair of strong arms stopped you from doing so. They lifted you off the ground, squeezing you hard. You flung your legs around, going crazy. Then you started to scream. His hand covered your mouth, preventing you, and he put something around your nose while he did so. Your eyes became weaker as did your body and you soon collapsed. 

------------

You woke up and quickly opened your eyes, trying to see where you were. Soon, the past events came flooding back to you. You looked around the room. Bright room. Bright lights. You were lying down on the floor, surprisingly no restraints. You knew you had to remain calm, you had to do whatever you could do to survive. It was probably morning already. You must had been knocked down for hours. 

You got up slowly and walked around the room. 

“Hello?” You cried out. 

“Why hello, (Y/N),” the same man said. You turned around. He was standing in the corner of the room as if he had emerged from thin air. 

“Please, don’t hurt me. Why am I here? What did I do?” You pleaded. 

He moved closer to you. “Oh, you? Nothing. Sherlock, something.” 

“Sherlock? What has he got to do with this?” 

“I’m Jim Moriarty.” His voice echoed through the room. You shivered when you heard those words and remembered Sherlock talking about him. He was a dangerous man. He was trying to stop him. 

“I-I what do you need?” 

“I told you. You.” His voice was deeper and more serious. At this point, you were frightened and wondered if Sherlock knew something was wrong.

“I’m here.” You stated blankly.  

“I’m aware. You,” he said, pointing at you childishly, “are going to come with me. He walked faster toward you and grabbed your wrist forcefully. You let him, there was no point in fighting back at this point. He swung open the door and walked up a flight of steep steps. You didn’t know where you were going. The hallway and stairs were dark. His grasp on your wrist tightened, causing you to succumb to the pain. 

You reached the top and he bolted open a ceiling door. He stepped up dragging you with him. You were at the roof. It was morning. The cold air made you more alert. You were more frightened. Why were you on a roof. He let go of your wrist, but stood close to you, staring you down. Suddenly he took out a phone from his pocket. Your phone.

“Let’s get Sherlock here,” he said, flashing a picture of you. 

“Done.” He threw the phone over the roof. You ran over. The building was right on the edge of the river where it landed. You swallowed. There was something seriously wrong with this man. 

“Let’s have some fun.” He clapped his hands together.  

--------------

“Sherlock you got a text,” John said, holding a cup of tea. Sherlock was sitting down, looking through a microscope. 

“Who’s it from?” He asked. 

John looked at the phone. 

“It’s (Y/N).” 

Sherlock snapped up and took the phone. He opened the message. A picture of you, mostly your face. Your eyes, always bright and lively, looked sad. You weren’t normal. Your lips, slightly quivered. Your expression. Always happy and charming was different. Your skin, pale, looked cold. The wind blew a few strands of hair in your face. But, most importantly, you didn’t take the picture.

Sherlock quickly put his jacket on. John didn’t question him, but followed. As he flew down the steps and onto the street, he glanced at the photo again. Water in the background. Down below. You were on a roof. He called for a taxi, his mind thinking about scenarios and how to get to you. 

“Kidnapped?” John asked. 

“Moriarty.” 

----------------

“Today, you are dying. Quite soon actually.” Moriarty’s voice didn’t even instill fear in you anymore. You had established the fact that you would get hurt badly or probably die soon anyway. You felt no more emotion except the longing for Sherlock. 

“How? How am I going to die?” 

Moriarty walked closer to you, his hand on your back leading you to the edge of the roof. 

“Water.” 

Chills went up to your spine. You couldn’t swim. How did he know this? You couldn’t fight him. He had thousands of backup plans. He would just shoot you or throw you off point-blank. Hundreds of memories and emotions flashed through your head. It was like your life was flashing back, but you did it voluntarily. 

“Can I call him?” You pleaded to him. 

“Please do. He’s on his way.” He handed you his own phone and you dialed his number, pressing the phone against your ear. It didn’t even ring before Sherlock picked up. 

“(Y/N), what’s he doing. Are you hurt? We’re coming,” Sherlock’s voice boomed. 

“I’m fine, but it’s no use. I’ll be gone shortly.” Your voice quivered. Fear snuck up on you again. 

“What? No, you don’t do anything and stay there.” 

“Sherlock, I can’t. I love you, I really do. Just don’t bother. I’m so sorry, I have to do this. He’s making me.” 

“(Y/N), wa-.” You hung up and handed him back his phone. 

“Now is time. This will ruin Sherlock forever. Just my plan.” He motioned you to step on the ledge. You did. You looked out. You could see the long dark river and the buildings across. You didn’t know what drowning would be like, but you tried not to think about it as you would find out soon. You took a minute to gather your thoughts before you did so. 

“Time is ticking. You have 30 seconds or I’ll push you.” 

-----------------

“Stop the car!” Sherlock cried, sprinting out. He knew where you were. He was three blocks away but he could see you from the top. He was on the bridge. Close enough, but far. He didn’t know what to do. 

“Please stay up longer, please,” he said. He sprinted down the bridge and into the street, desperate to get to you. He knew you couldn’t swim. His legs carried him fast across the city. Desire pumping through his body. 

-----------------

“Your time is up.” 

You didn’t notice it but you were crying. You looked down at the water. Hard dark waves splashed against the building. You stood up straight, counting down. You kept a happy thought in your head. Sherlock. He would be the last thing you would think about. You closed your eyes, slightly extended your arms and jumped off. You landed in the cold water and opened your eyes. You were sinking and flailed your arms around. It just made it harder. You were panicking. Your strength was lost and the water began to overcome you. You held your breath as you sunk fast. Your eyes were closed. Terror flooded over your body. You breathed in water, but it suffocated you. Soon your arms and legs stopped moving as you were just a lifeless body drifting away. 

------------------

Sherlock sprinted through the streets, eager to get to you. Adrenaline rushed through his whole body. He was scared. He predicted you had already jumped and he was right. He knew you didn’t have much time. He saw the building in the distance and ran faster to it. When he reached it he ran along the alley leading to the back. He looked up at the spot where you were standing and predicted your jump. He stared at the water for a moment, about to jump in, and prepared himself. You were all he loved and he realized it. His will to fight, not just for you, was something you both shared, but you were in your weakness. Water. 

Without hesitation, he hopped on the ledge and dove in the water. He started swimming underwater, arms extended trying to feel for you. He couldn’t find you. He swam deeper and deeper everywhere, fiercely searching. It took him a minute, but he felt something familiar. Your hair. He traced it to your body and wrapped his arms around you, pulling your body up. 

“(Y/N)!” He screamed. Your head just moved lifelessly around. He looked at the ledge again, trying to figure out how to get you on land.

A ladder. 

He swam quickly to it, holding you close. 

“Sherlock!” John screamed. He was right above the ladder. Sherlock reached it and stepped carefully but quickly on the step. John stepped closer, extending his arms for your lifeless body. Sherlock ran up the steps and kneeled next to you. 

John did so too, trying to feel for a pulse. He shook his head, trying not to cry. Sherlock began pressing on your chest, trying to start your heartbeat. He did so firmly and never stopped. He wouldn’t let Moriarty win. Not you. He breathed into your mouth and back into pushing. He kept his eyes fixed on you. Your lips, red, were turning purple from the cold. Your skin was white and paler. Your lively eyes shut close. This wasn’t going to be how he remembered you last. He knew you could overcome this. You were like him. 

You inhaled air fast and your upper body rose from the ground. You choked out water. You didn’t know what happened. Sherlock, who was crying, wrapped his arms tightly around you, burying his face in you. John held your hand. You focused on your breathing. You felt weak, but you remembered Sherlock just saved your life. How would you thank him? You couldn’t believe it. 

“Sherlock,” you said. 

He directed his gaze on you, holding your body up from hitting the ground. 

“I really do love you.” You hugged him and kissed his cheek. He did so back and embraced you, warming your cold body. You didn’t want to move. You only wanted to be by him and stay in that position forever. He was your world, and you were his. He didn’t let his cherished world die. 

[wickedgamesoyaoya]

Come Back... Be here.

Pairings: Tooru Oikawa x Fem!Reader 

Genre: Angst 

Word Court: 1.6k. 

𝅘𝅥𝅮  This is falling in love in the cruelest way. This is falling for you and you are worlds away.  New York, be here. But you're in London and I break down cause it's not fair that you're not around.  𝅘𝅥𝅮

It was a lonely life, one you were forced to become accustomed to. Your fiancé of three years was constantly travelling due to work, and right now he was in Brazil. You tried to maintain high spirits, filling your free time with volunteering and work. But recently every morning, you dreaded waking up. The emptiness that was usually dormant had become active once more, nibbling away at your will to continue your mundane life. Your first thought was to partake in something spontaneous. An activity that would revitalize your very being.

“I’m going to buy a ticket to Brazil!” It was the first idea to pop into your head, Tooru would never see it coming!

“You don’t have the money for that, y/n.” Your best friend, Akaashi was studying diligently when he heard your outburst. It was only natural for him to poke a hole in the plan you assumed was impeccable.

“That’s.... true. I’ll have to pick up more shifts. I can do it.” A determined smile had fixed upon your glossed lips. It would be a surprise.

For the next month every second you had was dedicated to earning money. During one facetime call Oikawa had inquired why the bags under your eyes have gotten worse. He suggested that you buy a new skin care kit, oblivious of the real reason your skin no longer had a healthy glow.

But because of your new and hectic schedule, the two of you barely spoke to one another. At first you did not notice, your whole goal was to surprise him after all. He was the one thing on your mind. It was Akaashi who commented on the lack of communication.

“You and Oikawa haven’t been talking as much.” It was a mere observation from a concerned friend.

“Well, you know I’ve been busy!” You waved a hand dismissively.

“But... he hasn’t called you either?”

You stopped stirring the pot, realization starting to hit. It was weird. Tooru didn’t seem to be phased by the sudden lack of communication. He simply went with it, as if nothing had changed.

If your absence doesn’t matter, then your presence never did.

You knew that all too well. When you were a child you slowly drifted from your friends, and while the others were indifferent, you cried your heart out. It was your older sister who told you that quote.

Now, you had accidentally drifted from your boyfriend by trying to get closer to him. Your chest constricted, anxiety beginning to course through your veins.

“Keiji, can you finish cooking this for me?” Your voice was barely released in a whisper, and your best friend was immediately at your side.

“Go.” He lightly pressed against your back, shoving you out of the kitchen.

The second you reach your bedroom, you placed the phone against your ear, listening intently to the dial tone. He would pick up, right?

“Hello, y/n?”

You instantly feel the stream begin, tears flowing freely as you clutch the phone as if it were Tooru himself.

“Hi.” Was all you were able to utter back.

“... are you crying?” His tone was dripping with concern, which only made you cry even more. You had missed him so much, and you were terrified about losing him. What if he found someone in Brazil? Someone whose face wasn’t colourless and drained? Someone who was able to cheer for him at every game. Someone who wasn’t you.

“Come back. I need you to be here!” The plead was completely unintentional, as you were overwhelmed by the emptiness you had tried so hard to combat. It had been months since you kissed his lips. Months since you were able to caress his face... Months since you felt loved.

Your words are met with silence. He wonders what possessed you to make such an ridiculous request.

“Y/n, I can’t do that.” There was no menace in his voice, rather he sounded defeated. His volleyball career had always strained his romantic relationships. It was nothing new.

“You can’t or you won’t? Other players at least visit their significant others or call them whenever they have a chance!” You were unable to control yourself, for three years you were the perfect girlfriend and then fiancé. It was your goal to be the last person Oikawa Tooru loved. You wanted to be understanding, that was why you never voiced your pain. But now there was no holding back.

“Did something happen? Why are you acting like this suddenly?” If he was being honest, he would have admitted that he did slack as a partner, but only because you never seemed to mind. There were plenty of occasions where his team members would request time off to spend with their loved one, but not him. Volleyball always came first.

“Nothing happened. I keep waiting for you to put me first... but it’ll never happen.” Pinching your eyelids shut, you stumble back a few steps, forcing your back to meet the wall for support.

“Y/n, please. Let’s talk tomorrow when you’re calmer.” His voice used to sound better than your favourite song, and right now he sounded like a complete stranger.

“Okay.” It was suddenly hard to breathe, your lungs were refusing to continue accepting the air, as if it were poison.

“Goodnight. I love you.”

You don’t say it back, which hurts him. But in your head you think he deserves it.

How could you build a family with someone who never viewed you as a priority?

——

He didn’t call the next day, and neither did you.

You had received your final pay-check in the mail the next day and still found yourself at the airport, buying a seat on a last minute flight to Brazil. But your reasons for going had changed. On the flight you fiddled with the ring on your finger, occasionally removing it to read the engraving inside. ‘Yours forever’

A bitter laugh crawled up your throat as you choked back tears. Forever never lasted as long as one expected.

When you arrived it was morning, you knew he had a game scheduled in the evening, and decided to spend the day exploring. It wasn’t a cheap flight, you may as well make the best out of the situation. After buying Akaashi a souvenir, you visited a few popular tourist attractions. It was oddly refreshing being on your own in a new city. It also reminded you that you survived without him before and could do it again.

You managed to purchase some close tickets for the game at a fair price, another benefit for being a single person. Most people bought tickets in pairs, you used to do it too. But not anymore.

When Oikawa entered the court, there were various screams throughout the stands. You even saw some signs that were decorated for him. He seemed to be the most loved player on the team, not that it was surprising.

In the first two sets he failed to notice you. But when he was prepping to serve in the final set, his eyes landed on yours as he began his journey back to the ground. The second his feet connected to the laminated flooring, he stumbled back clumsily. He had not expected to see her. Her presence had thrown Oikawa off his usual rhythm, which almost cost them the final set. Fortunately, his team mates were able to adjust and stole a narrow win. 

At the end of the game, Oikawa had ran off the court, eager to find you. Within minutes he found you at the empty stands. A hand was resting on his chest as he attempted to catch his breath.

“Y/n? What are doing here?”

“I was saving up to see you. That’s why I didn’t call as much recently. That’s why there were bags under my eyes.” A sad smile tugged at the ends of your lips as realization fell upon the man you loved.

“I didn’t know. But I’m glad you’re here. Let me introduce you to the team.” Extending out an arm, he attempted to grab your hand but you quickly stepped away from his touch.

“No, Tooru. I don’t think that’s necessary. I have come only to return this.” As your hands began to tug at the symbol of your love, fear flashed in his caramel irises. Instinctively he grabbed your hands, stopping you from completing the movement.

“Please, y/n. I know.. I haven’t been the best fiancé. But I refuse to let you end it like this.”

“You aren’t the only person in this relationship, Tooru.” Your voice cracked as tears began to cloud your vision.

“I will be better, give me the chance and I'll prove it." To your surprise, there were tears blossoming in his eyes. This was the first time you had seen him cry since high-school. "I love you, please don't do this." Lifting your hands to his mouth, he dropped gentle kisses to your knuckles, only furthering your confusion. How could you turn him down when he looked so vulnerable? A sight so rare that you had to wonder if you were dreaming the entire event. 

Stepping closer to him, your forehead dropped against his chest in defeat. Swiftly his arms snaked around your waist, drawing your small frame against his. It had been so long since you were able to feel his warm embrace. 

"I love you, y/n." He pressed his lips against the crown of your head, and at that moment you were roped in once again. All you could do was hope this time would be different.