#i know some of y'all are pressed about a complete stranger who was probably never going to marry you marry someone close to him

[starlightxsvt]

Home | k.mg

pairing ➳ businessman!mingyu x female!reader

genre ➳ strangers to lovers, romance, slice of life, angst, fluff, gets spicy at the end

word count ➳ 5.6k (apx)

warnings ➳ cursing, reader is really indecisive, heavy makeout, implications of sexual activity.

synopsis ➳ an attractive stranger visits your cabin for a week with whom you quickly bond, developing some strong feelings in the process; leaving you to wonder if he's worth leaving everything behind.

A/N: henlooo~ I finally posted! This has been sitting in my drafts for a while but I didn't really feel like writing for a while, hence the delay. I hope y'all enjoy this piece and please don't forget to leave some feedback! It really motivates me :)

A cool gust of wind blew by as you finished typing your last column, leaving a soothing feeling behind as you exhaled loudly. It was hard to finish this piece of writing for some reason, maybe because you lacked inspiration or maybe because your life had been monotonous for a while or simply, a mix of both. Closing your laptop you stretch your hands and legs, feeling somewhat productive. Humming a tune, you looked out the window to see a Lamborghini come to a halt at the entrance.

It piqued your interest because it's not often that people riding Lamborghini come in this cabin so genuinely you're interested in the visitor. You shifted in your chair, waiting for the man to come upstairs to the reception and sure enough a tall- really tall man dressed in a neatly pressed suit appears into your view, briskly walking towards the reception where Chan stood to greet him. You could not get a good look at his face as he moved around quickly, grabbing his small carry on and heading towards his cabin after the formalities.

You watched his tall frame walking away as you got up from your seat and moved towards Chan.

"Who is he?"

"Kim Mingyu," Chan explained, resting his arms on the reception table." A millionaire, owns a lot of companies. No wonder he looked familiar."

"Oh, really? How long is he staying?"

"He has booked for five days. Said he might extend his stay."

"I see."

"Why are you so curious though?" Chan raised a brow at you, tilting his head to a side.

"Nothing." You shrugged. "He just has different vibes than the other people that come here you know?"

Chan hummed in agreement.

-

There was never much visitors during the rainy season which was both a blessing and a curse. Blessing because that meant the cabin was less hectic and curse because sometimes you are bound to get a bit too bored. You were helping yourself with a cup of tea to somewhat feel re-energised when your newest and the only guest for the week appeared from his cabin, padding through the corridor and stepping into the common kitchen area. You were taken aback for a moment before you composed yourself and smiled at your guest, "Good morning, Mr. Kim. May I help you with anything?"

"Mingyu, please," the tall male replied while scanning the kitchen area. "You're the owner right? What's the food arrangement here?"

"Well, our guests generally cook for themselves or order takeout. When there are many guests I sometimes do the cooking."

Nodding, he hummed before putting in a capsule in the cappuccino machine. You took a seat by the window, tea in your hand as you watched the male move around like he knew this place. Dressed in his pajamas and judging by the fluffy mess that his hair was you assumed he had a good night's sleep.

"I hope you had a pleasant night, Mr- Mingyu." You said to your guest who had whipped out a pan from the cupboard and was making omelette. "Yes, surprisingly so. Normally I have trouble falling asleep but I slept like a baby last night," he casually conversed as he prepared his breakfast.

You smiled, "Well, I'm glad to know that. If you need anything let my staffs or me know."

"Sure. Oh- I didn't get your name though." Mingyu turned to meet your eyes.

"___," you smiled.

"___, okay."

-

"This is gonna be a rainy week," Hoshi said from behind you as he stood holding a tub of fresh soil for the plants in the backyard of the cabin. You sat on your knees, eyeing the plants which needed their soil changed.

"Yeah? Well, good thing there isn't much guests now."

"I think there should be, I mean it's so pretty here during the rain too. People need to look at it themselves." Hoshi complained.

"Well, most people don't like going out in the rain. Pass me the soil, Hoshi. Let's get this finished before the shower starts."

Hoshi handed you the tub of soil as the sky above started growling, full of thick black clouds. It was gonna start raining soon.

Hoshi spoke, "Oh, Mr.Kim, Mingyu you know, asked me about the beach by the marketplace. Apparently he wants to visit so he asked me if I was free to show him around."

"And let me guess, you aren't?" You rolled your eyes.

Soonyoung pouted, "No! Well I would have given him a tour today if the weather wasn't so bad. And my friends are coming tomorrow, so I'll be busy then."

"Wait- you're friends are coming?" You turned, glaring at the boy who smiles sheepishly, "Oh! Um- I didn't tell you? Well they're only staying for a couple of days and it's not like they're staying for free."

"Well, make sure they clean after themselves okay? If I see them trashing all over the place like last time, I'm kicking you out with them." You gave him a pointed look.

"Okay okay," Hoshi rolled his eyes, puffing his cheeks. "Just- take the CEO out on a tour tomorrow for me okay? I haven't seen my friends in a long time."

"Alright, I will...if the weather is good which probably won't be." You sighed, gently removing the old soil.

Hoshi mused about Mingyu, "Bummer for him, he came in a wrong time. It's weird, no? We don't have such guests like him."

"Yeah," you hummed, focused on handling your roses.

-

Hoshi's friend, Seokmin and Seungkwan appeared early in the morning next day as you watched Hoshi vibrate from happiness when he hugged them. You smiled to yourself, laughing at at the antics of your staff as you saw him guide his friends into their cabin. The day was once again filled with dark clouds and raining which occurred every other hour. You and Chan cleaned up and completed some chores as the noon fell.

"Should I cook something up for them?" You wondered as Chan finished cleaning the common space of the first cabin.

"Nah, Seokmin hyung is cooking for them. He's a pretty good cook actually."

"Really? That's nice." You said pulling up a chair to sit down. "Are you gonna join them? Hoshi has been with his friends since they came."

"Yeah, probably. You should join us too."

"No, I think I'm gonna take a nap. I feel so tired."

"Alright."

You watched as Chan climbed down the stairs and stepped towards the second cabin where everyone else was. You were about to head to your room when the CEO, Mingyu appeared in the kitchen.

"Oh, hello."

"Hi."

"I haven't seen you since morning," you said watching as Mingyu poured himself a glass of water.

"Yeah, I woke up early today, went for a jog."

"Ah, I see."

"Couldn't go far though, the weather sucks you know." He said leaning against the kitchen top.

"Yeah. But I heard that it should get better from tomorrow. I could show you around if you want to. Hoshi, my staff, is going to busy for a while so I can guide you around."

"Really? That would be cool." Mingyu smiled. There was a small stretch of silence as you both listened to the rainfall before he spoke, "Have you had lunch?"

"Uh-no."

"Would you like to join me?" He asked "This is the longest time I've been alone and it feels a bit weird," he murmured more to himself than you.

"I mean- I don't mind," you shrugged. "Though I should be the one doing it."

"It's okay. People say I am a good cook," Mingyu smiled, his eyes crinkling.

"Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to see."

-

It was weird how comfortable you felt watching Mingyu being clumsy and bump into things as he prepared your meal. It felt like you've been doing this forever- like you've known him forever and you thought to yourself what was suddenly wrong with you. He made small talk as he cooked and it felt easy talking with him- almost impossible to believe that he was stranger. He was friendly and easy to get along with, definitely not a cold and grumpy businessman like you imagined him to be.

Mingyu grinned as he set down the food in front of you- chicken soup, rice and cheese omelette. His eyes twinkled excitedly as he watched you take a bite, waiting for you to say something.

"What are you? A part time chef or something?" You tried not to moan as you chewed because it was that good. Mingyu laughed- a sweet, shy laugh that had his canines showing and his eyes forming crescents. "Thank you. I learned from my mom. I like cooking for myself when I get the time which is not often," he smiled- almost sadly.

"Well, you can cook for me all you want as long as you're here because this is amazing!" You grinned at him, cheeks puffed with food.

Mingyu chuckled softly as he dug in and you both started eating. It felt nice, to talk to someone new and spend time with them, someone other than Chan or Hoshi. It was a nice change- a change you probably needed for a while.

"So...What brings you here?" You asked as you finished your food, setting down the spoon and leaning back into the chair. Mingyu who was still eating, looked at you with a perplexed expression so you spoke, "I mean...we don't generally have guests like you. And it's not even a good time to visit...so I was wondering what brought you here?"

"Guests like me? What does that mean?"

"I mean...rich, okay?" You fumbled, feeling awkward. Maybe you shouldn't have asked. "Like...there are fancier places to visit, you know..."

Mingyu smiled at your words for a moment before he deadpanned, "I'm running away."

"Running away?" You gasped, almost jumping from your seat, "From who? The cops?"

"It would have been better but no, my family," he said, his voice as serious as ever.

"Oh...I see," you fell quiet. It definitely wasn't the answer you expected. You both remained silent for a while as he started out the window, lost in thoughts. "It must have been really bad if you're hiding out here." You spoke softly.

"It has always been," he mumbled. "I just couldn't take it anymore, you know? I desperately needed a break," he spoke more to himself than you. Instead of prodding further, you sat quietly, watching him and listening to his words. Seeing him now, he definitely looks troubled and you didn't exactly have the words to console him.

So you whispered, "Well, I hope it gets better."

-

Later that night, you find Hoshi and his friends and Chan preparing for a bonfire in the front yard of the cabin.

"Wow, you all are really having fun, no?" You said as you fisted your hands in your pockets from the chilly weather. The air was colder than other nights and everyone including you had put on some warm clothes.

"You wanna join us?" Seokmin asked as he stacked logs on top of each other.

"Nah, it's fine. You four carry on," you patted his back as you started walking back towards the cabin and saw Chan and Hoshi coming out with some boxes in their hands.

"Hey! There are marshmallows in the kitchen cabinet if you want.... nevermind," you finished as you saw beer cans and soju bottles in their hands.

"We're gonna get drunk baby!" Soonyoung yelled, grinning like a fool.

"Hyung, you look drunk already," Chan gave him a side look as they trudged towards the bonfire.

Laughing at their antics you climbed the stairs to the kitchen, preparing some hot chocolate for yourself. Holding the mug on one hand you knocked on the door to Mingyu's room, checking up on him since you haven't seen him since lunch.

The door opened revealing Mingyu in a baggy shirt and pajamas, his hair fluffy and messy.

"Hey," you chriped. "Wanted to check up on you. You wanna join the others in the bonfire?"

"Nah, I'm good. I've been watching them from the balcony." He smiled, his pointy canines showing.

"Oh, I see."

"You wanna come in? I've been getting lonely." He offered, moving away from the door to make space for you.

"Uh- I don't mind," you murmured, surprised that he asked you to come in. You tentatively stepped in and it was fair to say that you were surprised to see the room neat and pristine as most guests kept their room messy.

He ushered you into the balcony, which had a great view of your yard and the forest behind. You saw others laughing loudly as Soonyoung acted something out. Mingyu's voice pulled you out of your thoughts.

"You didn't join them?"

"Nah, they can get too loud sometimes," you chuckled, taking a seat on the bench. You eyed an empty mug lying by, guessing that Mingyu already had his fill of hot chocolate.

Mingyu took a seat beside you, stretching his legs and sighing as he mused, "The view is great."

You hummed your agreement. It was indeed. Not only did you have the full view of your yard and the forest, but you could see a vast horizon of the night sky, some stars twinkling through the clouds.

"It's even more beautiful during summer. You can see so many stars that it feels unreal." You told him.

"Then I will try to visit again during summer," he smiled and you were not sure if he was serious or joking. However you replied with a smile, "You're always welcome."

A silence falls among you two after that but it's not uncomfortable, as you both watched the night grow and Soonyoung and his friends got louder.

"Things got really hard for me, you know," Mingyu started speaking, his voice soft as he stared at the mesh of trees ahead. You were somewhat surprised at his words, but you didn't interrupt, opting for him to continue.

"Running a million dollar company was never easy but...it suddenly was unbearable. My parents always interfered in my work and how I run the company but I managed through all of that, really...until..." Mingyu heaved a long sigh, abruptly stopping.

"Until?" You tentatively asked, peeking at him.

"They want me to get married. With the daughter of their business partner. A marriage of convenience, really."

Oh.

You fell silent, watching him as the moonlight dimly lit the side of his face. There wasn't enough light to see his face completely, but enough to see the curve of his face, his sharp jawline and the sad, lost look in his eyes. Your heart suddenly ached for him. Silently you patted his shoulder, conjuring up some words to console him.

"That's ...awful, really. I'm sorry."

"I've never been so mad in my whole life. Can't they just leave me alone? They treat me like a puppet, like my only job is to live for them. I'm so done. " He said, his hands forming fists.

There's a beat of silence as you quietly patted his back and watched your friends get wasted by the bonfire before he chuckled softly, "I'm sorry for dumping all these on you. I just couldn't hold them in you know-"

"It's really fine, Mingyu. I don't mind. It would be nice if I could actually help you," you sighed, retracting your hand.

"Trust me, you are," he said and you caught a smile on his face.

"I suppose you don't have a significant other? Someone you could talk to freely?"

He shook his head. "That is why I came here. Needed to get my thoughts together, away from them. Not to mention I don't remember the last time I went on a vacation."

"And have you got your thoughts together?"

"I think so, yeah." He shrugged.

"What are you gonna do?" You asked tilting your head.

"Stand strong in my ground, I guess. There's no way I'm marrying their business partner, I'd rather die. And if all else fails, I'm staying here. I'm sure you have some type of job for me, right?"

You laughed at his words, "Maybe. But I'm not sure about your skills, Mr. Kim."

"Oh I'm a fast learner, Miss ___."

You both grinned at each other.

That night when you went back to your room, your thoughts were plagued by Mingyu and you could swear you saw him in your dreams too.

-

The next morning is brighter and shinier; the sky relatively clear other than some light clouds. After getting dressed and checking up on Hoshi and Chan who were still sleeping, you trudged through the cabin and towards Mingyu's room, before knocking on it. A fully dressed Mingyu appeared, clad in a white polo and jeans, his hair styled messily. He looked effortlessly attractive, making your heart skipp a few beats.

Damn it, what was wrong with you?

"Hi," you almost missed a breath, your face flushed with warmth.

"Oh, hey. I was about to come to you. I believe you were to show me around." Mingyu grinned, his pointy canines showing.

"And that is what I'm here for, Mr. Kim."

"Great! Let's get going. We'll take my car."

-

After showing Mingyu around for a couple of hours, you both ended up at the beach by the marketplace, sitting on the sand next to each other. The weather was nice; not too hot, not too cold as a light breeze flew by occasionally. Though you could see some black clouds gathering above, it wasn't to rain until evening if the forecast was correct.

"This place is so pretty," Mingyu mused, making you smile.

"I know right. The weather is great too."

You both watched the waves crash to the shore, occasionally wetting your feet as you both relaxed on the sand. There was a silence, a comfortable one as you finished eating the corndog you bought from the market earlier with some groceries. As you finished the last bite, Mingyu turned to face you and asked, "Tell me about yourself."

"What?" A squeak of surprise escaped from you.

"I shared a lot about myself last night. It's only fair I get to know about you too."

"Well..." You pondered. "There isn't much to tell. I've a pretty dull life, unlike you."

Mingyu chuckled, shaking his head, "Does the cabin belong to your parents? Is it like a family business type of thing?"

"No, not really," you smiled softly. "My parents are dead. The cabin belonged to my grandfather."

"Oh- I'm sorry."

"No it's okay. They passed away in an accident when I was a kid so I don't remember them much." You spoke, watching the sea, "My grandparents raised me. Growing up I've spent a lot of time in the cabin and when my grandfather retired he handed the job to me."

"Are they alive? Your grandparents?" He asked tentatively.

You shook your head, "Grandpa passed away a couple years ago and it's been a few months since grandma did too."

"I'm sorry, you must've been lonely," Mingyu offered, his voice soft.

You shrugged, "Yeah, like I said, nothing interesting going on in my life."

Mingyu hummed noncommittally and there was a few moments of silence before he spoke again, "Was managing the cabin something you have always wanted to do?"

You were quiet for a while as you thought over the question, "No...not really. I've just kept doing the job I was handed to. I haven't really thought about what I want to do."

"Well...I think you should hire a manager in your place and maybe...I don't come to the city and make friends, see what calls for you."

"Yeah, I've thought about it. But I don't know really." You murmured.

"Well, give it some thought. I could help you find a manager. In fact, I could help promote and upgrade your cabin if you'd let me. It'll be a good investment."

You laughed softly, not taking his words too seriously. He was just a guest. He was probably just being nice.

A gust of strong wind flew by, ruining your hair as it poked into your eyes and you laughed when your eyes landed on Mingyu.

"What?"

His hair was sticking in different directions because of the wind and you shook your head with a smile as you reached to pat the hairs back into place. It happened naturally, before you could stop yourself. For a moment your eyes meet as you quickly retract your hand, face heated.

Something was definitely wrong with you.

Mingyu's gaze stayed at you for a while; you could feel his intense eyes on you and you thought maybe he didn't like you touching him. Before your thoughts ran more rampant, he spoke.

"___?"

"Y-yes?"

"Do you...Do you have a home?"

"Home?" You were confused.

"Yes, home. Not like a real house but like a... person. Someone who makes you feel at ease, someone with whom you can be yourself without judgements, someone who keeps you cozy and safe and loved...like a home."

Somewhat taken aback by his words, you fell silent but their depth hit you and you found yourself thinking about it. Do you have a home?

No. No, you don't.

You shook your head, murmuring, "No."

Mingyu nodded taking his eyes off you.

"What about you?" You asked.

"Me neither."

You smiled, "Figures. Because if you had someone you wouldn't have run here but went to them."

Mingyu smiled, a sad smile gracing his lips. It was a somewhat bitter truth, he hadn't found his home no matter how much he looked for it. Maybe that's what he was doing wrong, looking desperately.

"Let's get going. It has started to rain," Your voice dragged him out of his thoughts as he felt small drops of water fall on his face. You reached your hand out to him and he took it, standing up. As you both jogged towards Mingyu's car, your hands remained connected, no one bothering to let go.

-

That night you had dinner with Mingyu again but this time it was you who did the cooking. After enjoying dinner over small talk, Mingyu like the gentleman he is did the dishes as you poured some wine for the two of you.

Sitting on the small table in common space by the window, you both watched the clear sky that had appeared after the shower. You sipped your wine, watching the vast expanse of stars that blinked in the dark sky.

"I think I've to go back tomorrow," Mingyu suddenly whispered, his tone so low you almost thought you misheard him. A bolt out the blue, you looked at him.

"Tomorrow?"

"Mmhmm," he fiddled with the hem of his cardigan as he stared at the table. "I've got so many calls and messages from work. My company won't run on its on, I can be gone for only so long." He sighed.

You didn't offer any words, too shocked to know that he'd be gone tomorrow. What is this attachment you've developed towards him? Why did the thought of someone, almost a stranger going back to where he came from, where he belonged hurt you so much? You didn't know what to label your feelings but realizing that you'd probably never see him again was tugging at your heartstrings.

Should you ask him for his number and stay connected with him? Is there even a point in that? You both live miles away from each other. Or should just take his advice and follow him to the city? Would that even be a good idea? Are you just reading all this wrong?

You were so invested in your thoughts that you didn't realize Mingyu was calling you until he shook your shoulder.

"You okay, ___?"

"Huh? Yeah...it's just, the news is really sudden. I didn't... expect you'd return so soon." You mumbled.

Mingyu sighed, his shoulder dropping a little bit. "Trust me, if I could I'd stay here forever. But...I can't keep running. I need to face my parents, the sooner the better."

At a loss of what to say, you just nodded. Reaching for your drink you took a big gulp, trying to calm your nerves. It's okay, you can do this. He's just another one of your guests.

You stood up, taking the empty glass in your hand, "Well, I better leave you alone now. I'm sure you've got packing to do."

You almost turned away; until a strong hand gripped your wrist and pulled you back, making you stumble towards Mingyu's body.

"Don't. Stay for a while. I don't want you to leave." His voice was soft yet deep and it immediately broke your resolve as you set the glass down and looked into his eyes.

He didn't let go of your wrist; instead only wrapped his other hand around your waist, pulling you closer, leaving just a few inches between your faces. You didn't tell him to move neither did you make any effort to get away from him- you didn't want to. It felt good, comforting as he held you and looked at you almost like you were his whole world. His eyes had so much emotion swirling in them and you were sure yours looked the same too.

"___?" His voice was breathy and it set your heart aflame.

"Y-yes?"

"Can I...kiss you?"

You inhaled sharply as his hold on you got tighter. You couldn't process a reply, overwhelmed with emotion. So you just nodded and Mingyu leaned in, pressing his lips to yours.

It was soft at first, his lips just resting against yours, as if he was testing the waters. When you didn't resist but only pulled him closer, he started devouring you, his tongue prodding in your wet cavern. Moans espaced from you as you kept pulling at his hair almost grinding on him, desperate for more. He was the same, kissing you with so much passion and vigour like you were the last female standing.

You somehow managed to tug off his cardigan between the kiss and when you pulled apart for air, Mingyu panted, "Can we take this to the bedroom?"

His deep raspy voice spread liquid heat throughout your body and you had to stop yourself from pouncing on him.

"Yes please," you breathed. Mingyu stood up straight, his tall and built body intimidating you in the best ways possible, "Oh baby, you don't have to beg. I'll give you anything you want."

Once again your breath was trapped as he picked you up, his hand under your ass to support you. When he dropped you on his bed and took off his tee you realized you were in for a long night. In the back of your mind, you also realized that this would make it even harder to let him go.

-

Next morning you were the first one to wake up as the sun barely seeped through the blinds. If you had to guess it wasn't any more than six am. Mingyu's hand rested on your waist as he remained snuggled against your back. It was so comforting that you almost forgot your reality and went back to sleep, until you remembered what had happened last night. Before you could start overthinking and possibly had a breakdown right there, you ever so carefully removed his hand from your body and scrawled out of the bed, grabbing your shirt and quickly throwing it on. Then you tiptoped out of his room despite the ache between your legs and rushed straight towards yours.

Slamming the door shut, your sat down, head in your hands. You've to now prepare for saying goodbye. Right, you just need to act casual and not let him know that you might have developed feelings for him in the past week.

His words came back to you.

"Do you have a home?"

You didn't have one until now but the realization that you may have found it brought tears to your eyes.

-

You spent the next hours wallowing in your self pity, curled up in your bed too afraid to get out and face Mingyu. Soonyoung dropped by once, knocking at your door and asking if you want breakfast, which you declined. Time slowly ticked away and you watched as the clock struck eleven. You couldn't stay inside forever. You needed to bid Mingyu a goodbye- that is if he hadn't left already. But you were sure he didn't; he wouldn't just leave without any words.

Sighing, you gathered every last bit of your courage and stepped out of your room. Immediately you saw Mingyu coming out from the opposite end of the corridor, the carry-on he brought with him in his hand.

"Hey, where have you been?" He asked, his steps getting quicker to come and stand in front of you.

"Oh- um, I took and shower and then dozed off, sorry," you lied easily, not meeting his eyes.

There was a beat of silence as you both stood in front of each other and when your eyes finally met his, a blush spread across his face like wildfire. The air was heavy with unsaid words and you coughed, trying to get rid of the terrible awkwardness.

"So, you're leaving now?"

What a nice question.

Mingyu seemed to be lost in thoughts as he snapped back to reality and scratched the back of his head, "Oh yeah, right. It'll be a couple hours drive so the earlier I leave the better."

Nodding you motioned your hand towards the exit, "I'll see you out."

Mingyu seemed to have something to say but he pressed his lips in a thin line and started to climb down the stairs, you behind him. Soonyoung, who was standing at the entrance gave you a conspirational wiggle of his brows but said nothing as he watched you follow Mingyu out.

You observed as Mingyu loaded his bag in the trunk, peeking glances at you every other second. When he finished, you spoke, "Well...good luck. I hope you can overcome your problems."

"Thanks. It won't be easy and my dad will probably take away my shares of the company but...I'm done living like this."

You nodded, smiling softly as you crossed your arms against your chest. It suddenly felt cold.

You both gazed at each other, saying nothing even though you've so much to say, as if the silence would carry your unsaid words to him. You were torn- wanting to talk about last night but chickening out knowing it was probably just a fling, a one night stand for him.

"___..." Mingyu spoke but the words died on his tongue. Not trusting yourself to speak, you swallwed the ball of emotions and looked at him with a curious tilt of head.

"...I hope you find what you really want to do. And I hope you find your home too," he said, his words so soft and gentle. For some reason you had a feeling that those were not the words he wanted to say yet you forced a smile and nodded, "You too, Mingyu."

His eyes swirled with so my emotions but you didn't know what he was thinking. He looked pained, just like you but you were too afraid to speak your feelings, scared that you misread him.

When you spoke no more, Mingyu sighed and backstopped slowly, "Well... goodbye, then."

You managed to choke out the words, "Goodbye."

Your emotions overwhelmed you, tears stinging your eyes as you watched him enter his car. Why did it hurt so much? Why did it feel like your heart was being ripped right out of your chest?

His engine roared to life and your stomach sunk. Was this really the right thing to do? Should you just let him go like this?

You made a split second decision that moment, just as his car moved forward a little.

"Mingyu!" You called after him, immediately making him stop the car. He came out, almost in a hurry, an expectant look on his face as you ran towards him. Then you made another split second decision as you wrapped your arms around his tall frame and held tight.

"I like you, Mingyu. I really like you." You mumbled in his chest.

He didn't say anything back but you felt his arms wrapping around you tightly and you stood there in each others embrace for a while. It felt like time has stopped, the warmth and safety of his arms comforting you and making you realize how you would have regretted if you had let him go.

Mingyu pulled back to take a look at your face, his hand cupping your cheeks, his warm but intense eyes on you, shining with love and adoration.

"Say something," you whispered, still unsure.

He chuckled, a light-hearted, carefree sound that made your heart swoon. "I like you too, if it wasn't obvious after last night."

Elated, you pulled his face down and kissed his lips as you felt him grin and wrap his arms around you once again.

"I want to go with you...to the city," you murmured into his chest as he rested his chin on the top of your head.

You couldn't see it but you felt him smirk, "Good. Because I think I found my home."

Your heart couldn't become fuller as you grinned like a happy child.

"Me too."

A/N 2: If you enjoyed reading don't forget to like and reblog and let me know your thoughts!

© startlightxsvt 2021 | All Rights Reserved. Do not copy, translate, adapt, or repurpose any of my works.

[ragingbookdragon]

I'm Only A Crack In This Castle Of Glass (Hardly Anything Else I Need To Be) PT. 5

Batfamily x Batsis Story!

Word Count: 2.5K Warnings: Explicit Language, ALL THE ANGST. AND MORE TO COME! Tags!: @itsnottilly @cloudyskylines @starflyer-104 @iwillstaywiththemforever @justine-en @weirdgirlfromtx @notsostraightweeb @candlestudy @edlothia-baby @soul-end @willieoo @willowoo @peterxwade24 @the-atlantic-french-fry @bad-bouquet-of-emotions @vvipgot7be @pure-princess-97 @atomicsoulhumanspy

Author's Note: I have nothing to say for any of the emotions y'all are about to get from this. Enjoy!-Thorne

She wasn’t sure what she expected when she sat down, but the stretching silence growing between her and her estranged family wasn’t it. She tried to look anywhere but them, not because she was ashamed—far from it. But it was more than awkward sitting across from three brothers and a father she’d not spoken to in three years, let alone tell them she was even alive.

Her eyes found Wally’s as he sat down beside her eldest brother and if looks could’ve killed, he’d been dead and buried.

“Glare at me all you want, but I’m not going to apologize,” he shrugged.

Scowling, she turned her attention to the skyline. “Fuck you,” she spat, crossing her arms.

“At least talk to them, (Y/N).”

“And why should I, Wally?” she questioned, glaring at him. “I don’t have anything to say. If I did, I wouldn’t be here in Central.”

“You’re not leaving until you talk to them,” he finalized with a firm look and she growled low in her throat and resigned herself to her fate.

Her eyes darted to her father’s and she couldn’t for the life of her decipher what was in them. “I’ll talk for an hour,” she told him. “I’m not talking about what I’ve been doing in Central City, so don’t ask. I’m not talking about the life I’ve been living, so don’t ask. You’re only allowed to ask me about my departure and that’s it. But after one hour is up, I’m leaving.”

“Who said you get to leave,” Wally questioned, and she shot him the darkest glower she could muster.

“So help me God, Wally West you’ll either take me home or you’ll fix that fucking elevator and I’ll walk myself home. Because if you don’t, I’ll tell the world who every vigilante is at this table.”

For once she managed to stump him because his eyes went wide—so did her family’s but she didn’t care—and he finally nodded.

“Alright. One hour.”

Seemingly satisfied with his answer, she turned back to her family, more specifically her father. “Why are you here? What do you want from me?”

“Maybe for you to come home, (Y/N),” Jason answered, and she glanced to him.

“Not a chance. Next?”

“(Y/N), you don’t have to be hostile. We’re not going to force you here,” Dick said, and she looked at him now, eyes narrowing.

“The manipulation tactic isn’t going to work on me, Dick. I’m not here for to be tricked into coming back. I’m never coming back.” She cocked her leg over the side of the table and reclined, biting out, “Give me your anger. I’d prefer that instead of whatever this pitiful bullshit you’ve got going on.”

In the eighteen years they’d known their sister they’d never heard her say such a callous thing, but her words had practically slapped Dick across the face because hurt etched onto his expression, then immediately turned into anger.

“You want my anger? Fine.” He stood and pointed at her. “What the hell is wrong with you! Why would just up and disappear like you did! Do you have any idea how scared we were for you! How distraught!”

(Y/N) blinked at him. “Knowing how you like to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders because you can’t help but be a hero? Probably a lot.” She made a dramatic show of looking at her watch. “You’ve got forty minutes. Keep it up.”

Her eyes shifted to Bruce’s. “Did you let them read the letter? Or did you just throw it away after you read it?”

Dick, Jason, and Tim all turned to Bruce at that.

“Letter?” Tim repeated. “What letter?”

(Y/N)’s mouth made an ‘o’ shape and then she smiled knowingly. “Oh, you never showed them the letter, did you?” She looked to her brothers. “I wrote dad a letter the night I left to explain why I was leaving. It’s sugarcoated bullshit but it is the truth.”

Dick’s face contorted in anger. “(Y/N) left a reason behind and you didn’t tell us about it? Three years and not a single word?”

Bruce merely stared at her as he pulled the letter out of his coat pocket. “I was going to burn it when I found her again. Talk to her before anyone else could.”

Jason snatched the letter from his hands. It had faded a bit, softened around the hard edges, like someone had opened it and read it every day for three years.

His eyes scanned the paper, and he met her gaze, voice chock-full of hurt and she had to fight tooth and nail to keep herself from externally reacting. “You left because you thought we didn’t care about you?”

Dick reached over and took the letter. With furrowed brows and a frown, he started to read aloud, and Bruce gazed at (Y/N) as the memory came back to him.

***

Mornings at the manor were unusually quiet in comparison with the evenings. Everyone was typically too tired to argue so it accounted for a peaceful breakfast of soft words and chewing. Everyone had an assigned seat and every child had learned early on not to take the seat that belonged to another brother or their sister because there would be a fight about it.

Dick and Jason sat next to each other and (Y/N) took the seat at the end of that side; Tim and Damian took the other side—oldest to youngest, just the neat and even way Bruce liked it.

It was rare for any of the boys to be awake before him or Alfred and (Y/N) was usually the first kid to the table, the boys wandering in just minutes after her. Oddly enough, that morning she hadn’t come down for breakfast—which she always came to.

Bruce looked at Alfred. “Is (Y/N) coming down?”

Alfred hummed and gently maneuvered Tim’s arm to the side to he could set down the plate. “When I went to her door, it was locked, and I received no conversation from inside.”

Jason snorted and sipped his coffee. “Probably had a long night with her friends and is still out. I know I would be.”

“How would you know?” Tim interrupted. “You died before you got to the eleventh grade.”

“You’re one to talk, dropout,” Dick countered, and Damian sighed.

“Richard, you dropped out of college. The only son of Batman who has actually completed an entire bout of schooling is me.”

The three boys turned on him with scowls and retorted, “No one asked you, pipsqueak.” Damian glared back at them.

Bruce rolled his eyes, using the side of his fork to cut into his omelet. “Let’s try not to start a free-for-all here in the breakfast room, please.” He glanced at Alfred. “She’s probably tired from all the ceremonies. Let her sleep.”

Alfred nodded. “Of course, Master Bruce. She should be well rested this evening.”

But when the evening came, Alfred still hadn’t been able to get (Y/N) to unlock her bedroom nor speak to him. He certainly wasn’t worried, but it was off for her to be so reclusive. When Bruce and the boys came back from patrol, he mentioned it to him.

“Miss (Y/N) hasn’t come out from her bedroom, Master Bruce. Nor has she said a single word all day.”

Bruce’s brows furrowed and he tugged the cowl off, rising from the seat at the Batcomputer. “I’ll go check on her,” he replied. “You deal with…” his steel eyes drifted to Dick who had Tim in a headlock and Jason who was giving Damian a noogie. “Them,” he finalized, leaving the poor butler behind.

He knocked on the door to her room and pressed his ear to it. “(Y/N)? You haven’t come out all day. Is everything alright?”

Nothing. Not even a breath.

“(Y/N), are you in there?” he asked again and when he didn’t receive a confirmation, he raised his arm, running his fingers along the doorframe until he touched a small metal piece. He pulled it down and stuck it in the door, wiggling the knob for a second before it clicked, and he opened the door.

“Sweetheart, we’ve been trying to—” Bruce went silent when he saw the kempt room. Bed neatly made, everything organized and put away. Even her clothes hamper was empty.

He blinked and walked into the room, quickly heading to the bathroom to check for her there. It was empty as well, and just as clean, leaving him stunned as he exited the bath.

Wandering over to her desk, he saw an elegant envelope sitting on top of her laptop, his name written in beautiful penmanship. He picked it up and unfolded it, pulling out the multi-page letter. He drew his eyes along the golden lines, reading her words.

Dad,

I don’t really know how to start this letter. Truth be told I’ve written at least six before this one, and even then, I’m not entirely happy with it. But if you’re reading this, I’m not here anymore. I haven’t hurt myself in anyway, you don’t need to worry about Vicki Vale or Jack Ryder reporting the discovery of my body. I mean it in a literal sense—I’m not in Gotham anymore. Neither am I ever coming back.

Don’t think this is your fault. You’re a good father, the best I could’ve been given, and my brothers are good siblings. But the truth is that I’m not fit for this family of heroes. And I never have been. My best when trying to be what all of you are, was never good enough and I’ve spent eighteen years staring at your backs, waiting for you all to realize that I’m still here, that I still matter even if I’m not like you. And I don’t want to feel like a stranger in my own home any longer.

I don’t want you to look for me. I know you will, but I wish you wouldn’t. This isn’t some spur of the moment thing I decided to do the night after graduation. If you look at my bank records, I’ve been withdrawing cash from my savings since freshman year—this is four years of planning, so please understand that I’m doing this because I don’t want to be found—ever.

I’ll leave the story for the media up for you, though I doubt that they’ll care long enough to make a deal of it. It’ll pass like winter does spring and they’ll move on to the next bigger story.

Thank you for everything dad, and good luck with Gotham—keep it safe like you always have. And I hope that one day when you think of me, you won’t feel disappointment. I’ve only ever tried to be something that when you looked down on me, you’d only be proud, and I hope one day I’ll achieve what I always dreamed about. Eighteen is young to be on your own and I’m scared. But I’ll be okay—I always have been.

So do me a favor and don’t spend too much time over this. There are plenty more younger kids that need a parent’s hand on their backs to steady them like you once did for me. Find one and fill my spot. Let them shine brighter than I ever could. Let them be the one worthy to be a Wayne—I know I never was.

-(Y/N)

Bruce barely had time to grasp the back of her chair to keep himself from falling to his knees in shock. The letter was clenched in his hand and his lungs wouldn’t take in air like he wanted them to, his heart aching with each palpitation. He looked around the room to her dresser drawers, willing the strength into his legs to moved over to it. He opened every drawer and to his astonishment, they were empty. Hurrying to the bathroom, he noticed the drawers in there were empty as well. She was really gone. And he had no idea what to do.

***

Tears were in Dick’s eyes when he finished the letter and he looked up at her. “How could you ever think we didn’t care about you, (Y/N)?”

She didn’t want to have this conversation. She didn’t want to sit there and explain every time she asked her brothers if they wanted to do something with her and they conveniently had something else to do. Didn’t want to explain every school and extracurricular performance that went unattended and left a little girl standing in front of a crowd barely managing to stave off the tears as she bowed and thanked them for coming. She didn’t want to remember all the memories that chipped away at her heart with every disappointment that occurred. All she wanted to do was leave.

(Y/N) had earlier returned to her original position, hands in her lap and she clenched her fists until her nails bit into the skin of her palms, eyes directed anywhere but Dick’s.

“I think it’s time we call this little reunion done,” she said, standing to her feet. “We’re not going to get anywhere.”

“Not if you run again,” Jason muttered, unconsciously wiping a tear from his eye.

She pointed at him, hissing, “I didn’t run the first time, Jason. I left. On my own accord.”

“You ran instead of coming to us, (Y/N),” Tim said, and she threw her hands above her head in disbelief.

“What the fuck did you want me to do! Wander down into the cave and beg at your feet for someone to pay attention to me! To at least pretend like I was a sister! I did! Every day!”

(Y/N) picked up her purse and yanked it up her arm. “Cassandra seems to be fitting in better than I did. So go and dote on her as the younger sibling. I’m not interested in the position anymore.”

“It’s not a competition,” Dick explained. “We love you just as much as we love Cass.”

She paused and gazed at him, voice laced with disappointment as she disagreed, “Then you should make sure she’s content in the manor, because if you love her with any semblance of how you loved me? It’s not at all.”

Her eyes shifted to Wally’s. “Fix the elevator. Now.”

He stayed seated for a moment, the two of them staring each other down, then he nodded wordlessly and moved to the elevator, starting it again. Her family stayed seated, and she gave them one final look before she followed Wally, silently waiting for the doors to open.

When they did, she stepped inside and turned around, hitting the button. Just before the doors closed, Wally stopped them and murmured, “You’re making a mistake.”

“My worst mistake was becoming friends with you.” (Y/N) blinked at him, then reached up and shoved his hand away from the door and as it closed, she remarked coldly, “And you can go to hell for all I care.”

[ibijau]

27 for chengxian! (◍•ᴗ•◍)❤

(Losing their memory only to have it come back after a much awaited true love’s kiss.)

Y'all really like that prompt lol I think I have at least one more ask for that one somewhere?

“And he’s been like this the whole time?” Jiang Cheng asked, repressing a shiver of disgust.

“Yes, zongzhu.”

“He didn’t even make a single inappropriate joke?”

“Not so much as a smile, zongzhu. And he said he was sorry for the inconvenience.”

Jiang Cheng gave Wei Wuxian another long look. He would have suspected a joke, but that style of humour would have more been Nie Huaisang’s thing. Wei Wuxian usually went for pranks instead of comedy. Besides, several Jiang disciples had been there when Wei Wuxian had taken in hand the cursed box, and they’d all testified to feeling a powerful discharge of Yin energy. Not only that, but the owner of the box had apparently warned them beforehand of the risk, and explained as well how to cure the curse.

True love’s kiss, of all things.

Normally, when it came to Wei Wuxian, that would have been quite an easy cure to organise. If anything, it was preventing him from indulging in those true love’s kisses that proved a challenge.

So of course this whole mess had to happen when, for once, Jiang Cheng had managed to get his shixiong to come without that damn icicle he called a husband. A favour he had only obtained because Lan Wangji was away on a Night Hunt in a place where resentment toward the feared Yiling patriarch remained too great for Wei Wuxian to go with him. It would take a few days until Lan Wangji could be warned of this incident and returned to administer his cure.

Until then, Jiang Cheng was stuck with this stranger who didn’t look like his shixiong, and didn’t even act like him either.

“At least it’s an improvement over his normal personality,” his first disciple scoffed. “Let’s all enjoy it while it lasts.”

“Am I really that bad?” Wei Wuxian asked with open concern. “If it is inconvenient for others when I am myself, perhaps I’d better stay like this.”

Jiang Cheng huffed. Lan Wangji would never have allowed that, he knew. Someone in that marriage needed to have a personality, and it wasn’t going to be the second jade of Gusu Lan. Although perhaps if they were both equally boring, then perhaps there would be a divorce, and Jiang Cheng could get his shixiong back.

A most tempting plan, except for the fact that this man before him just wasn’t Wei Wuxian, and thus wasn’t worth keeping around.

“Send for Lan Wangji,” Jiang Cheng reluctantly ordered. “And you, come with me,” he added toward Wei Wuxian. “I’m not letting you sleep at some inn when you’re in that state. I’ll have your room prepared, you’re staying where I can see you until you’re better.”

The man who wasn’t Wei Wuxian meekly followed him without a single objection, nor any attempt at teasing. Jiang Cheng found it almost sickening, which surprised him. He’d spent most of his life wishing Wei Wuxian would learn to act more appropriately and to show proper deference to those around him. By all accounts, this should have pleased Jiang Cheng to finally behold a version of his shixiong that knew his place.

He refused to dwell on that, mostly because it never did him good to think too long about that insufferable shixiong of his. Instead, Jiang Cheng congratulated himself on his decision to have had a room prepared for Wei Wuxian the instant he’d heard Lan Wangji wasn’t with him. If he wasn’t going to have shameless intercourse during the whole night, there was no need to banish Wei Wuxian to an inn. Of course Jiang Cheng hadn’t been sure how to offer that bedroom to the other man without being accused of being friendly, so at least one positive side to that curse had been to remove the need for an explanation.

-

After a few days together, Jiang Cheng had determined that being stuck with that unnatural version of Wei Wuxian was the worst torture he’d ever endured, even counting being struck by discipline whips and having his golden core torn from him.

Now that he’d had time to observe the amnesiac man during the afternoon and at dinner, Jiang Cheng had realised that contrary to his first impression, something of Wei Wuxian remained through the loss of memory. It was only small things, a manner of movement, the way he held his glass of tea, or the gesture with which he sprinkled additional spices over his dinner without even tasting it. A hundred ghosts of who Wei Wuxian was, lingering in a man who had too much politeness and not enough humour.

It was striking also to realise just how little Wei Wuxian looked like himself in his current body. Usually it wasn’t noticeable because his personality made up for the difference, but at the moment he truly looked like nothing but a complete stranger wearing a disguise.

Jiang Cheng hated it.

And Wei Wuxian, apparently, noticed it.

“If you tell me more about what I’m normally like, I can try to act more like it,” he said in a forlorn voice on the fourth afternoon, while watching Jiang Cheng take care of his correspondence.

Jiang Cheng only grunted.

“Though from what everyone says, aren’t I more pleasant to have around like this?”

Another grunt. Others were idiots for not appreciating Wei Wuxian as he naturally behaved, while Jiang Cheng was equally stupid for missing it.

“Just tell me what to do,” Wei Wuxian insisted, and Jiang Cheng hated that those were words he’d always wished to hear but now felt so wrong. “Should I smile? Should I be…” he hesitated. “Should I be obnoxious?” he asked in a trembling voice, just pathetic enough that in a roundabout way, it did sound like something Wei Wuxian might say if he were joking.

Jiang Cheng, exhausted and on edge, almost laughed.

Sadly Wei Wuxian noticed, and took it as encouragement.

“I think I can do that,” he claimed, coming to sit closer until he was nearly on Jiang Cheng’s lap.

That, too, felt a little too much like the real Wei Wuxian, though normally he kept that sort of behaviour for Lan Wangji.

Well perhaps that damn icicle liked being climbed over, but Jiang Cheng did not. Not at all, not one bit, that scenario had never once appeared in his dreams, when his mind thought it could betray his good sense. So Jiang Cheng tried to push away Wei Wuxian, who quickly threw his arms around Jiang Cheng’s neck to make it harder.

“Isn’t this the sort of things I’d do?” Wei Wuxian pleaded, pressing himself harder against Jiang Cheng the more his shidi tried to get rid of him, until he was all but straddling him. “I’ve heard people say I’m flirty.”

“Yes, toward your husband!”

“Well, I don’t know him. But I know you. You’ve been kind to me those few days, even when it was obvious that you don’t like seeing me like this. You shout a lot, but I think you’re a very good person at heart.”

“I’ve tried to kill you in the past,” Jiang Cheng blurted, though he gave up on trying to push Wei Wuxian away. “More than once.”

“From what I’ve heard, you’re hardly the only one.”

Two thoughts crossed Jiang Cheng’s mind.

The first was that he might have to borrow some ideas and forbid gossip in the Lotus Pier, if Wei Wuxian had heard so much in so little time.

The second was that he probably ought to hate a little more the way Wei Wuxian was straddling him, and how close he was. Close enough that if someone were to come in, they’d get the wrong idea and think they were about to…

Jiang Cheng’s eyes flickered to Wei Wuxian’s lips. He wondered, and then mentally slapped himself for wondering.

“The cure is a true love’s kiss, isn’t it?” Wei Wuxian asked in a whisper.

“Your damn true love is going to arrive tonight or tomorrow,” Jiang Cheng retorted in a voice that failed to be anything but pleading. “Wait for him instead of playing games.”

“If I wait for him, I’ll never be sure about you,” came the answer, before Wei Wuxian pressed their lips together.

Jiang Cheng, at first, merely allowed it to happen, unsure what to do with his hands, with his mouth even. Wei Wuxian appeared to understand and, without breaking the kiss, placed Jiang Cheng’s hands on his hips while also moving his lips in a gentle manner, as if trying to show him what to do.

When they parted, Wei Wuxian’s cheeks were flushed and his eyes shining with emotion. Then, slowly, his lips parted into the most obnoxious grin in the world, one that Jiang Cheng hadn’t seen once in those last few days.

“Jiang Cheng!” Wei Wuxian laughed, his voice just as annoying as ever. “Jiang Cheng, who knew!”

“Shut up! Get off my lap now that you’re cured!”

Wei Wuxian laughed again, sounding like a demented wolf, and Jiang Cheng hated how much he had missed that.

“Jiang Cheng, don’t pretend, I know you care, you can’t hide it anymore!”

“Who’d care for an asshole like you!” Jiang Cheng exploded, trying again to push away the other man, only for Wei Wuxian to laugh and press another quick kiss to his lips.

“Look at you, all embarrassed! Jiang Cheng, you’re an idiot, you know.”

“I’ll murder you!”

“Been there, done that,” Wei Wuxian retorted with another kiss. “Now listen. The cure was true love’s kiss, not ‘somewhat unrequited long lasting crush kiss’, alright?”

Jiang Cheng stopped fighting instantly, thus giving Wei Wuxian the chance to kiss him again, a little longer this time. Without any input from his brain, Jiang Cheng’s hands found their way to the other man’s hips, this time pulling him closer.

“What about your Hanguang-Jun then?” Jiang Cheng breathlessly asked when they parted. “Does that mean he’s…”

“I’m a very spoiled man,” Wei Wuxian said. “I can have two true loves, to make up for the fact that they’re both absolute bitches.”

The idea of sharing Wei Wuxian, now that Jiang Cheng knew he could have him, was particularly unpleasant. The only thing that would make it bearable, Jiang Cheng decided, was the certainty that Lan Wangji would be appalled that they had anything in common.

Happy with this petty thought, Jiang Cheng kissed Wei Wuxian again.

[nuatthebeach]

New Ginny

Link to AO3 for comments/reviews

"You know this was not what we had in mind for a low budget vacation, Winston!"

"You said you wanted to go somewhere you couldn't find at home."

"So, why would you take us to the beach all the way across the country, man?!" Sand shot in the air as an angry kick on the shore was executed effortlessly by the man Schmidt himself. "We live in freakin' LA! There's beaches crawling out of everywhere! And you wonder why no one lets you choose any of our vacation spots anymore, ya freak."

Cece threw up a hand in exasperation, diamond ring winking in the sun. "Yeah, why didn't you just tell us we were going to the beach, Winston? We could have saved a lot by just taking a car nearby instead of you surprising us with these 'low cost' plane tickets."

"See, you guys don't get it. I told y'all we were going on a cheap trip we ain't never done before, right?" Winston's smile brightened, the look of misguided, twisted comedy overtaking his expression with alarming speed. "And then, boom, I took y'all to the beach. On the East Coast. Ha! You just got Bishoped!"

Nick shook his head, right hand rubbing wearily against his face, looking just as tired as the rest of them. "You've gotta stop with your pranks, man."

"Y'all should've seen the look on my face - "

"Y- Seen the look on your face?"

The only word to describe the look on Schmidt's face was 'flabbergasted.'

" - When I swiped y'all's credit credit cards last month as you were all arguing with Nick over that Flat Earth theory video on YouTube - "

"When they asked the guy about his qualifications, he answered 'critical thinker'! Does that sound like someone who would just lie to you?!"

" - And for your only holiday weekends too! And, man, Nick is so broke right now! I was trying so hard to hold it in!" Winston was absolutely beaming with mirth at this point, reducing his friends' sense of camaraderie towards him to a terrifying low. "You know, you guys should really be checking your billing history more often, for real, someone could really be stealing from you, and you'd have no idea."

Before Winston could register Schmidt's increasingly tomato red face, something else in his periphery caught his attention. "Damn it, Ferguson, don't go near that water! It is not your friend, baby!"

"What type of idiot lets a cat roam free on the beach!"

While Cece attempted to alleviate the pressure between Schmidt's tightly clenched teeth, an irritated look overpowering her own, a low voice spoke from behind. "Are your friends always like this?"

Ginny, who had been laughing at her loftmates' antics and was surprisingly not feeling as bothered by Winston's tendencies as the rest of them (this vacation is, after all, well-deserved after the shitty week I've had, and every second counts, even if they are each spent planning Winston's upcoming ultimate demise), turned around to see an incredibly fit man her age speaking to her directly.

Sweeping her eyes over his form once, she leaned closer. "I'm afraid they are, yes, but I've got to warn you I'm not much better."

He seemed equally as amused as her. "How so?"

"Well, as you can tell from my completely American accent," she deadpanned in her British accent, amused when the stranger rolled his eyes in response, "my sense of humor is a bit dry. Superior, of course, but I'm told some people can't handle it."

"Natural selection will handle that, I hope," he chuckled.

"If we're lucky," she smiled. Feeling particularly introductory that late afternoon, she gestured halfheartedly to the obnoxious chatter several meters ahead of her. "My loftmates here, on the other hand, each have an equally questionable sense of humor themselves."

"Who, those few?"

She rolled her eyes, failing to prevent the corner of her lips from quirking upwards. Pointing to the man who was now dragging an increasingly wet and agitated cat from the Atlantic ocean, his jeans completely soaked from the knees down, Ginny drawled, "That idiot over there who cost us a proper, well-earned vacation is Winston. The only thing this man loves more than crazy pranks is his even crazier cat, who I'm pretty sure doesn't even know he exists. Needless to say, I've really never been more envious of a cat's attention span myself."

Moving on to Schmidt and Cece who were lying on the shore as far away from Winston as much as possible as a form of spite, Ginny explained matter-of-factly, "Schmidt and Cece don't have a cat, but that won't stop them from also making ear infection-inducing noises at six in the morning through our paper thin walls."

Pointing to the last couple on the beach, she continued, "Not like Nick and Jess are any better, though. They like to make weird noises too, but it's not always during sex, and that scares me more than it should anyone, really."

She gestured to herself. "And last but not least, you have me, whose most normal experience of today is having a fit guy at the beach wonder out loud about how five idiots managed to drag their even more fit loftmate out of her comfortable bed and into an expensive five hour flight. Just to do the same things that I easily could have done if I just took a simple albeit very long stroll outside. And I would have had a much better view, too, no offense to your rather peculiar looking ocean over here. What shade of contaminated gray would you call that hue, by the way?"

"No, that's a pretty accurate way of describing it, actually. I'd like to think there is some green in there, though. Just to give it the illusion of appearing to be clean." Reluctantly, Ginny had to agree.

The stranger's lips pressed firmly in amusement the entire time she was talking - ranting, more like - clearly trying to not give her the satisfaction of knowing how funny and charming he thought she was.

She found that endearing. They all try at first.

Eventually, he settled with: "So you and, uh, Winston, are the only two people in the loft who are not coupled up?"

She raised an eyebrow, impressed by his nerve. "Pretending to ignore your intentions for asking such a tactfully worded question, no, actually, when Winston's not too busy canoodling with his cat, he's canoodling his girlfriend - Aly - back at home, but she couldn't make it here today, lucky girl. So it's just me."

Finally smiling now, the stranger ignored her challenging look ('why are you so curious about my relationship status, you hot, inquisitive, none-of-your-business stranger?') and asked her teasingly, "Aren't there a lot of people to fit in just one loft?"

"I mean, we're from LA. Rent there is mad, so we need all the help we can get," she shrugged. "But, yeah, most definitely breaking some housing rules here or there. Is that something that bothers you?"

He smiled, something akin to arrogance taking over his face. She found that look more stirring than she'd like to admit out loud. "You'll find I'm not really the rule caring type."

"Oh? When would you imagine I'd be finding that out?"

She was beyond the point of caring how brazen she must have sounded to a complete and utter stranger. And if she was being honest with herself, she never did care, really. Besides, if she was going to fit a hot summer romance in the span of a whole day, she thought she might as well get on with it.

He cleared his throat, his gaze silently indicating how much he'd like to agree with her on that one, too. "Okay, Miss Dry Humor. I guess I know everything there is to know about your loftmates without risk of my mind being fully blown apart, now. What's your story?"

"What's yours?"

He chuckled at her retort though immediately furrowed his eyebrows afterward, as if he was confused by this question himself.

Ginny did not know what to think of that, though she found a strange fog overtaking her when she tried to ponder on her own personal history too.

Strange.

Instead, she prompted, trying to clear her mind, "You're a lifeguard here, right?"

He looked down at his form, a lanyard draped across his increasingly interesting collarbone and a whistle resting just above his bare chest.

"I can't swim."

She blinked.

"What?" she laughed. "Isn't that, like, a hazard for what you do?"

"Probably," he said sheepishly, rubbing his hand against the back of his neck. "I don't mean to, like, put anyone in danger or anything. It's a long story, but basically, I'm covering for my friend while he's, um...making noises with his girlfriend, as you said. Hence, the whistle right here. So I'm not really a lifeguard. But if anything happens, my other friend - an actual reliable lifeguard - can help you out. He's right over there nearby."

He pointed to another dark-haired, attractive man standing farther away from them along the shore. At first, Ginny thought he was winking at her, but when she saw the tension building along the shoulders of the stranger next to her, she knew who that teasing look was meant for.

"Sorry about him. He thinks I'm trying to make a move on you."

"Oh? Is that not what's happening right now?"

His cheeks flushed slightly. Ginny found it amusing how this man could be so confident but also so shit at flirting too. It strangely caused warmth to expand, but this time it was not through her lower belly.

"I don't want him to think that, though. I'd never hear the end of it."

It was not a direct answer to her question, but his eyes were so soft and mischievous that she had no doubt as to what he really meant.

She rolled her eyes anyway. "I thought you Americans were supposed to be more direct than that."

He scoffed, eyes lighting up at her jibe. "Oh, I see. You're one of those. Dry humor doesn't have to equate to being mean, you know."

Ginny laughed. "Well, that's why my loft arrangement works out so well with this lot over here," she jabbed her thumb to her friends, watching as Ferguson was attempting once more to drown himself in the ocean to escape his owner's clingy attentiveness. "My sense of humor is mean and dry, and their sense of humor compensates by being mean and wet."

He coughed. "Wet?"

She raised an eyebrow at him, pretending like she hadn't made any suggestive comment whatsoever. "Well, occasionally we do like to alternate, though."

"Of course."

"If I was always dry, and they were always wet, we'd have a different problem altogether."

He barked out a laugh, his cheeks flushing again. "How are you even real?"

"Well, anything's possible if you've got enough perv."

The man's breath hitched, his green eyes staring at her intensely. Despite her earlier insult, Ginny thought the color reminded her exactly of the ocean they were at now, something much stormier than the one back in California.

She found herself growing fond of this beach in a way she was not before.

"Do I know you? I swear I feel like I met you before."

She leaned closer to him, fighting feeling flustered herself. "I've probably got one of those memorable faces or something."

"Something like that." His eyebrows furrowed, but his lips were still upturned. "I'll certainly remember it much later today anyways."

His ears promptly reddened.

She gasped playfully, smiling as she hit him lightly on his very fit arm. "You are much smoother than you look. And randier."

He laughed. After a short while of them standing in a silence filled with smirks and silky sheet-like possibilities, he finally asked, "Okay, Miss Dry Occasionally Wet Humor - "

"Nice."

He bit back another chuckle. "What's your name?"

"What's yours?"

He rolled his eyes ("stubborn too"), he relented, "I'm Harry."

She chuckled, shaking his hand that was offered to her mockingly. She tried to ignore how well it fit in her own small one.

"Ginny."

He watched her nose crinkle, a deep smile spreading across both of their lips contentedly.

It was something tangible, she thought, as her insides fired up, not out of lustful heat - though certainly that too - but something warm, like receiving hugs after being shoved outside in a freezing tent in the woods for months and months, with nothing but a piece of marked parchment to keep one sane.

Parchment?

Something within her squirmed, and she thought that if she listened closely enough, the sounds of seagulls cawing in the distance could easily be replaced by something akin to an audience crooning in sympathy.

As if watching a pair of hopeless lovers on a silver screen.

Suddenly, Nick's comically high pitched scream filled the air, allowing Ginny to shake her head at her crazy thoughts.

"It's just a ghost crab, Nick!" Jess yelled from far away, annoyed as her boyfriend jumped on her back in fright, almost causing her to topple over herself.

"Why are there crabs and ghosts, Jess! You can't have both! You know I always told you that crustaceans are the cockroaches of the sea! It's a crazy world out here!"

At Jess's blank stare, Nick chuckled incredulously, his last brain cell firing meekly. "Wait. I get it. You're teasing me, Jess. Ghosts aren't real. Psh. Nice try."

Nick's neck cricked as he glanced around in paranoia.

Jess rolled her eyes, attempting to drop him down from her back but failing badly, his legs wrapped around her like a vice. "Ghost. Crabs. Nick. I don't know why you're even scared of them - they even walk sideways like you do!"

"They should not be blending in with the sand like that! They're all spooky ghosts! It's not right!"

"You. Are. So. Infuriating, Miller!"

As Nick hopped off of Jess to moonwalk away from the ghost crabs, a thought came to Ginny.

"They kind of remind me of..." Both Harry and Ginny said at the exact same time, causing them to stare at each other hastily.

When neither of them finished their sentences (what even was I going to say anyways?), Ginny huffed. "Right," she said, "Well, I've got to head back now before Nick finds out that it's getting late, which can only mean that more ghost crabs are bound to be crawling all over the place soon."

He laughed but quickly became alarmed when she made to leave. "Wait."

She turned around, hand cupping her forehead to squint at him through the waning sun. Harry swallowed, eyes drifting to her red hair in a daze.

Before he could say anything, however, Schmidt and Winston's obnoxiously loud voices were shrill above the sounds of the waves crashing ahead of them.

"Of all places for a prank!" Clearly, Schmidt's ability to let things go was about as weak as Ginny's right hook. "Why did you decide to take us here in the end?"

"As in, why the East Coast and not a beach in a whole other expensive ass country? Damn, now that would have been a better prank."

Four legs reached out to kick sand in Winston's face, Ferguson following with a screech.

"But to be honest, I couldn't wait to see what the sunset looks like on the other side of the country."

Pause.

"Winston! We are on the East Coast! The sun falls west at night time! Look at where the sun is now," Schmidt gestured aggressively behind him, where towering beach homes covered the view. "You can't see the freakin' sunset on this beach, man!"

"Aw, damn, my bad."

"How are you actually one of the more intelligent people I know in my life?!"

If there was one thing she and Schmidt shared, Ginny concluded, it was their inability to handle rage.

Her eyes flitted to Jess, who was trying to catch her attention.

Ginny chuckled, holding up a hand to let her loftmate know to wait there when she saw her smiling knowingly towards her and Harry. She watched as Jess's eyebrows waggled dramatically, stuffing her index finger through a hole she made with her other hand in repetition as she chomped down on her lip.

Completely unfazed by her loftmate's quirks at that point, Ginny turned to Harry again.

"If we can't do that sunset, I suppose I'll have to make plans for a sunrise tomorrow before we head back to LA, then. Join me?"

His answering smile could make a grain of sand feel alive.

She had the strangest feeling that the sound she could have sworn she heard a while ago was ringing faintly in her ear once more.

This time, she thought she heard boisterous whoops instead, clapping cheerfully as Ginny smiled one last time to Harry before finally walking toward her friends.

…

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[lotusss-flowerbomb]

Special Guest

Florian Munteanu x reader

Warning: Smut, 18+, Florian in that grey jogging suit

A/N: There is unprotected sex in this story. Remember this is fiction, so in real life, make them wrap that before you let them tap that, okurrrrrt?!

Word Count: 3,814 [whoops!]

********

You shuffled into the lobby of the hotel and set down your bags down.

"Sorry, I'm late. There must be something big going on downtown, because traffic was ridiculous," you said as you pinned your name tag to your blazer. You quickly keyed in your code to clock in and turned to your coworker, Chanel. "Did I miss anything?"

"Did you miss anything? You're three minutes late, you've literally missed nothing." She playfully rolled her eyes. "You know, we get real sick of you being Miss Goody Two Shoes around here."

"Oh, I'm sorry my work ethic offends you ma'am," you laughed. The large figure sitting on the couch caught your eye, a guest sitting halfway off the sofa with his feet on the table. You inched around the large counter to make your way over to him.

"What are you doing?" Chanel grabbed you to stop you from approaching him. She knew the moment you noticed him you'd say something having no idea who he was.

"I'm gonna go ask him to get his feet off of the furniture if that's okay with you?" You pulled away and continued in his direction. Your shoes clacking loudly across the floor as you make your way over to him.

"Hi, sir, I'm gonna have to ask you to remove your feet from the table. I can grab you a foot stool if your legs need to be elevated," you smiled sweetly.

He never looked up from his phone. You cleared your throat, but again he didn't budge. You turned to look back at Chanel who was watching you in horror.

You tapped his shoulder. This time he looked up at you and pulled his hood down, removing an airpod from his ear.

"Sorry to disturb you, sir, but may you please remove your feet from the table?" You clasped your hands together in front of you.

"Yep, sorry," he sat up and looked behind you, "the person I was waiting for is coming anyway," he stood.

You took a step back, "Oh shit, you're a giant," you clapped your hand over mouth. "Sorry, I did not mean to say that."

He looked at you and smiled.

"Oh wow," you said. You clamped your eyes shut. What the hell is wrong with you? You cleared your throat, "Um, yeah, so next time there's um, a foot stool you can use if you need to—"

A large shadow caught your attention. You turned to see the person he must have been waiting for coming closer.

"Oh my God, there are two of you," you inhaled sharply. Seriously, why couldn't you stop your thoughts from just tumbling from your mouth? You cleared your throat again deciding it was best to just walk away before you said something else silly. "You gentlemen enjoy your night."

Chanel watched you walk back over to the desk. You did your best to remain calm and hide the embarrassment that coursed through your veins. You pretended to type something on the screen as Florian and Masias walked towards the entrance.

"Enjoy your evening, Mr. Munteanu," Chanel called out to him.

Florian paused his stride and looked back, "Thank you and make sure you don't work too hard tonight, beautiful."

You stopped typing and looked up. He was looking at you and winked before he turned back around. Your breath caught in your throat and tongue snaked out to wet your lips.

Once they were completely outside you scurried around the desk.

"Where are you going?" She asked.

"Bathroom," you stomped down the hall. You opened the ladies room door and leaned against it. The coolness of it relieved your rising temperature. You pulled a few paper towels out, wet them and pressed them against your throat and neck.

You've worked at this hotel for three years and have seen your fair share of attractive men, but you've never had such a reaction to a single one the way you were having now. This Munteanu guy had you absolutely flustered...and horny. You shifted from one foot to the other as the cool air hit your damp panties.

"Shit," you sighed and went inside the stall to remove them. Thank goodness you decided to wear thigh highs instead of tights under your skirt today. You tucked the thin material in the pocket of your blazer and headed back up front.

********

"You know what the problem is? It's been too long since you've been laid." Chanel said as she dropped a handful of M&M's into her mouth. Ever since you came back from the bathroom, she wouldn't lay off about how you'd made an absolute ass of yourself.

"Why can't you let it go?" You huffed.

"Because, you need to hear it. I say you fuck him," she shrugged.

"Chanel! I don't know that man and he is a customer." You couldn't believe her. She knew you well enough to know that there was absolutely no way you'd have sex with a total stranger.

"Even better; no strings attached, just sex. Consider him a special guest.” There was that Cheshire cat grin again, “Also, judging by the print he had in those gray sweats, if he knows how to use that thing, it'll be good sex. Plus, he has big hands." She wiggled her fingers.

"For the love of god, would you please knock it off?" You grabbed the duster and walked away. You couldn't take any more of her. Mostly because everything she was saying you'd already thought of and you needed those thoughts to stop.

Having meaningless sex was not something you'd ever done and having sex with guests of the hotel was simply out of the question.

You saw Chanel making her way towards you. You rolled your eyes. She was seriously crossing the line. It's not as if she cared. She prided herself on being your "tell it like it is" friend and getting you to step outside of your safe zone. She could be messy and annoying at times, but you loved her all the same.

"Don't come over here with your mess, Nell," you continue to wipe.

"Girl please," she waved you off, "all I'm saying is, you need to live a little. You clearly got his attention."

"Yeah, I'm sure a lot of women has his attention. He's very attractive and probably flirts with anything that has a pulse," you looked at her.

"So?"

"So, I'm not trying to be another notch on this man's belt."

"A notch on his—what are you 50?" She doubled over in laughter. You couldn't help but laugh with her. The phrase was a little dated, but she knew what you meant.

A few late check-ins filed into the lobby, so you both went back into professional mode. You kept your focus on the guests in front of you as you helped them as best you could, but your mind would never stray far from Mr. Munteanu.

********

Florian and his friends had finally returned from their night out. You took a deep breath, smiled politely and greeted them as you would any other entering guests. Masias was obviously a little tipsy and was loud and giggly.

"Go talk to her," he whispered loudly.

"You need to go talk to some toothpaste, Masias." Florian put his hand up. They had another person with them this time who assured Florian that he had Masias. Florian doubled back to the desk and stopped in front of you. "Um, hi."

"Hello, Mr. Munteanu, how may I assist you?" You asked.

"Just wondering if you could possibly send someone up with extra trash bags and a can to 804? He's going to need it."

"Absolutely, sir, may I help you with anything else?" You looked down at your screen to type the memo out for housekeeping to drop those items off to his room.

"Florian."

"Excuse me?" You glanced up at him.

"My name is Florian. You don't have to keep calling me sir," he smiled.

"I am an employee and you are a guest. It would be very unprofessional of me to call you by your first name... Sir." You smiled innocently.

His smile wavered. He couldn't tell if you were flirting or giving him attitude, but he just made up his mind to find out.

You stared him in the eye. You weren't showing that you were flustered like you were earlier. You had prepared yourself just in case he came back.

He chuckled. "Okay, have it your way Miss," he peeked at your name tag, "Y/N. You have a nice night, dragă meă." He walked away.

"You too, sir," you spoke to his back.

********

"Hey, where have you been?" You asked Chanel when she returned to the station.

"Oh, I took that stuff up to 804," she smiled slyly.

"That's Tony's job."

"Yeah, and I did my coworker a favor while he was on break. I was standing there when the memo came through."

"Mmm hmm, so why are you just now returning? That was 30 minutes ago," you raised a brow.

Chanel's face lit up like a Christmas tree. You groaned.

"Nell, you didn't!"

"Would you calm down? He was too drunk to take it too far."

"Too drunk? I talked to Florian, he wasn't all that drunk." You said.

"Florian? Y'all on a first name basis now."

"No, I— he just told me what it was. That slipped." You explained.

"Mmm hmm, well it wasn't Florian. It was his cute friend, Masias. I would've sucked the skin off of his dick too if the other guy hadn't been there."

You just shook your head and laughed. This girl was a hot mess.

"I'm gonna go lock up the pool. Please stay put until I get back."

You made the short trip to the pool, but before putting the code in, you peeked through the glass to see if anything needed to be picked up. This was someone else's job, but of course they never did what they were supposed to do.

You saw a towel and a pair of slides, so you slipped in to tell whoever it was that it was time for you to lock up. When you got close enough, they popped up to the surface with a large splash getting you wet.

You yelped. He turned to look at you.

"Um, sir, it's time for the pool to close," you said swiping at the wet spots on your blouse and skirt.

"I'll be right out," he said.

Your head snapped up at the sound of Florian's voice. He lifted his large frame out of the water near you. Your eyes scanned him from head to toe. Damn, he was a lot of man.

You picked up the towel and handed it to him, unable to peel your gaze away from him as he dried himself off.

"Like what you see?" He asked.

"What?" You shook your head pulling yourself from the trance, "no, I, um... absolutely not."

"Are you always so uptight?"

"Are you always such a jerk?" You frowned. "I'll come back in five minutes. If you're still in here, I will lock you in." You turned to walk away.

"No, no, no, wait. I'm sorry, dragă meă, I shouldn't have said that." He grabbed your hand before you could get too far.

"What does that mean?" You questioned.

"What?"

"Draga may-ya?" You spoke slowly. He laughed at your pronunciation. You turned your head to the side and jutted out a hip, "really?" You smirked.

"You did your best and it was cute as hell. It means my darling."

"Mmm hmm, is that the universal nickname you give all women?"

"Nope, had that one saved up just for you," he pulled you close to him. You'd forgotten until that moment that he was still holding on to your hand.

Your other hand came up and rested on his chest. He flexed his pecs beneath you.

"Oh, sweet lord," you tried to move away, but he held on to you. "Um, this is very inappropriate, Mr. Munteanu. And you're getting me all wet."

"Oh, am I?" He raised a brow.

"No, that's not what I meant."

"I think it is," he ran his free hand over your ass and then down into your skirt. Your breath caught in your throat when he cupped your bare ass.

He slid his fingers between your cheeks, rubbed over your wet slit and pressed down on your clit.

"Did I tell you that you could touch me?" You pressed your forehead into his chest.

He stopped pressing on your clit, but never removed his hand from your skirt.

"I could stop or I could make you have the best orgasm of your life. Which would you like?" He asked.

You started laughing. Your body shook lightly as you pushed away from him. He looked confused. It was as if something within you had snapped.

"You men are all the same, always promising the best orgasms when you can't manage to even locate a g-spot."

"Are you challenging me?" His voice dropped an octave and his accent grew thicker.

You looked him in his eyes to let him know you were serious.

"Absolutely."

He wasted no time throwing you over his large shoulder and carrying you into the locker room. He sat you down on a bench and pushed your skirt up around your waist. He crouched down in front of you and put your legs over his shoulders.

"When this is over, the only thing you'll be able think about is Big Nasty." His eyes had gone from hazel green to nearly black. Completely darkened by lust.

"You talk too much," you said as you grabbed the back of his head and forced it between your thighs.

Florian sucked your clit into his mouth, using his tongue to brush over it lightly causing your legs to shake just a little. He stopped sucking with a loud pop from his mouth. You pushed him back down and thrust your hips forward. When he sucked it back into his mouth, you pulled away.

"Mmm, yesssss," you mewled as you repeated the movements. The loud sucking sounds bounced off the metal in the empty room.

He growled deep in his chest before he started rolling his tongue over your clit and sliding a thick finger inside of you. You inhaled sharply and caught your lip in between your teeth. He pumped his finger in and out a few times before adding another.

You scratched at his head as he went back to flicking his tongue over your clit.

"Oh god," you cried out as your orgasm built. Your legs shook and Florian picked up the pace.

"You gonna cum for me, dragă meă? Hmm?" He wasn't expecting you to answer him; he already knew what it was.

He felt you tighten around his fingers. It made his dick hard thinking about how you would feel wrapped around him.

"Yes, yes, yes!!" You dug your nails into his shoulder as you quivered into your release.

He watched you as you bathed in ecstasy. Your chest rising and falling with each heavy breath. He reached up and slowly unbuttoned your shirt. He opened it to reveal a simple black bra.

Florian leaned over you and softly kissed each of the smooth mounds before moving to your stomach and then back down to your clit. You flinched due to still being sensitive from your orgasm.

He did it again just to see the same reaction. He smiled.

"Don't be so cocky. You did okay at best," you rolled your eyes.

That triggered him. This time, you watched his pupils dilate and he grabbed your ankle to pull you closer.

"I think I've figured you out," he said as he pulled his hard dick from his shorts. "You've never been fucked the right way," he stroked himself.

Your eyes bulged at the sight of him and your mouth suddenly went dry. There was no way he could fuck you without hurting you. You tried to move, but he held on.

"Don't run now. You talk shit and now you need to back it up." He pushed your legs back and rubbed himself up and down your wet slit.

Your pussy contracted with anticipation. The fear of pain turning into excitement within seconds. He pressed his forehead to yours as he pushed inside of you slowly.

Placing your hands on each side of his face, you let out a loud hiss.

"I'm going to fill you up now, prințesă."

You shuttered as he slid into you further. Gradually stretching you to accommodate his entry. He finally bottomed out and you lost it.

"Ooooh, fuck!" You yelled as you came for the second time.

You dug your nails into his neck.

When you finally opened your eyes he was looking at you with a smirk on his face as he slowly pulled out until just the tip of him was in.

"Um, that's never happened be—"

He drove back into you at full speed cutting off your sentence. He fucked you hard and fast. He moved one hand above your head for support and moved the other to your throat squeezing lightly.

"Harder, harder, harder!" You chanted. He granted your wish and applied more pressure, but making sure not to hurt you.

"I knew you had it in you, Dragă meă. Walking around here with no panties, likes to be choked; it's always the quiet ones." He could feel you tightening around him. "Look at you, a mess, getting ready to cum again. But what if I don't want you to?" He pulled out completely and loosened his grip a little.

"No, no, no, please!" You were on the verge of tears. "Why did you do that?" You tried to sit up, but he pushed you back down tightening his grip on your throat again.

"I didn't tell you to move," he slipped his hand under your bra and pinched your nipple. You moaned as the mixture of pain and pleasure coursed through your body. Between his choking and pinching, you couldn't resist reaching down to rub your clit.

Florian watched as you played with yourself. His mouth watered a little at the sight. He wanted that pussy back into his mouth, but he controlled himself.

"Yeah, play with that tight pussy. That’s my pussy now. Make it wetter for me." His dick twitched as he watched you.

You could feel yourself getting ready to cum again, so you stopped and slapped your clit lightly. You wanted him inside of you again.

"Please, Florian, I want you. I need you," you tell him.

You used two fingers to spread your slick covered lips to invite him inside. He wasted no time penetrating your slick cunt. You mewled as he slowly slipped in. He latched his mouth onto yours swallowing your moans.

Florian broke the kiss and started swearing in Romanian. You didn't know what he was saying, but it was turning you on even more.

"Yessss, baby, give me all of that good dick."

He pulled out and flipped you over. He stood you up and bent you over, so your hands were planted on the bench. He slid back into you with one hand on your hip and the other clutching the band of your bra.

"Play with that pussy," he demanded.

You immediately rubbed your clit.

He put one foot up on the bench and invaded your core as much as he could.

"Good girl, prințesă. You take me so well."

The sound of your bodies joining, your loud moans and the squelch of your soaking cunt created a symphony of pleasure.

Your legs began shaking again. He put his arm around your waist to help hold you up.

"Yes, Flo!! Fuck me, baby!" You started cumming.

He started losing control as you squeezed around him. His hips stuttered and he growled deep in his chest. You heard him calling for god just before he pulled out quickly and finished all over your ass and pussy.

He slapped his still fully erect dick on your glistening cunt and then rubbed the tip from one hole to another.

You both breathed heavily. He turned you to face him before taking you into his arms and kissing you deeply.

"I really should get back out there," you said and moved from his lap. Your legs wobbled beneath you as you tried to stand. You quickly recovered using his towel to clean yourself off and button your shirt back up.

Florian took his time putting his shorts back on. He placed his feet in his shoes and followed you out. The elevator and lobby were in opposite directions, but before you parted ways, he grabbed your hand and pulled you to him.

"Hey, look at me," he said and lifted your chin. "You didn't have a good time?"

"I had a great time...like a really great time, but it's over now, so..."

"Who says it's over? I'll be here for the next few days. Can I take you out on another date?"

"Another date?? This doesn't count as a date, Florian," you scrunched your face.

"You're cute," he laughed. "It absolutely counts as a date. It's the best first date I've ever had."

"That's not funny," you pinched his arm.

"No, really, I would love to see you tomorrow. Please?" He looked so innocent.

"I'm off at 7am," you smiled at him.

"I'll see you then," he leaned down to kiss your lips. He watched as you walked away. "Are you sure you don't want to come up with me?"

"Good night, Mr. Munteanu," you said over your shoulder. You heard him chuckle as he stepped onto the elevator.

********

"Mmm hmm, and where have you been?" Chanel asked the moment you came around the corner.

"Locking up the pool," you said casually.

"Riiight, the pool passing out hickeys now?"

You ran over to the mirror, "What?! He didn't even —" you stopped talking when you saw nothing there. You squeezed your eyes shut. She played you.

"I knew it, I knew it!!!" She jumped up and down. "You have to tell me how it was. I know that dick was fire just by the way he carries himself. He drips big dick energy."

You looked around before speaking, "It was incredible and I never wanted to stop." You blurted out.

"So is this like a one night thing or are you gonna get more before he leaves?"

"He wants to go out tomorrow," you said.

She jumped for joy again. You couldn't figure why she was acting this way. It hadn't been that long since you dated... has it? You dismissed your friend. You weren't even going to attempt to do any work. It was useless. The only thing on your mind was Florian and your date tomorrow. You couldn’t keep yourself from smiling.

[galadrieljones]

As You Were (Chapter 3)

Fandom: The Last of Us | Pairing: Joel x OC | Content: Fix-it | Rating: Mature

Masterpost

When Joel and Ellie take a wrong turn on their journey from Pittsburgh to Wyoming, they find themselves lost in a beautiful place with a dark and dangerous secret. While there, they meet a mother and son who, after a recent, tragic event on their family farm, are fighting tirelessly for survival. In an effort to find hope for the future, the two groups set out west together, growing closer over time, making choices and altering paths that will change the course of their lives forever.

This is an AU, starting after the events of the Summer chapter in the first game, and extending into the timeline of the second. Joel lives.

Chapter 3: The Driftless

“When you’re lost in the darkness, look to the light.”

After dinner, Joel insisted on cleaning up. Cici said she'd show him around the kitchen, the downstairs. The food had been really good, like way too good. Ellie had never had lamb before, ended up eating almost as much as Noah. At some point, though, while everybody was making small talk, she became dreamy. She was looking out the window, pressing her thumb lightly to the blade of her knife, finding shapes in the stars. Noah came over after everybody was finished with the meal and asked her if she wanted to come with him, out to the Crow's Nest, to help him with something.

"What are we doing?" said Ellie. It was probably about ten o'clock and full dark outside.

"It's a mess out there," he said, throwing the shotgun strap over his shoulder. "I just have to go haul some stuff out. You can come, if you want."

"Yeah, sure," she said. She smiled and closed up her blade. "Let's go."

But then, Joel said, "Ellie."

His voice was big, and deep, like space. Whenever he said her name like that, she immediately found his eyes. Something about choosing to stick together like they had. You can't really unstick.

"What's wrong?" she said.

He was standing with his hands in a basin, which was full of soapy water. The faucets didn't work anymore, said Noah. Nowhere in the whole house, or on the whole property. The running water was completely unusable. Ellie thought it was a little funny, seeing Joel do dishes. She'd never thought of him like that before. He wiped his soapy hands on his jeans, and then he looked down at them and seemed to reassess what it was he was about to say. She was listening. "Just be careful," he said, looking at her in a way that meant compromise.

"Sure," she said. "I will."

"Thanks, Ellie."

"She really listens to you," said Cici, once the kids were gone. She was taking the vacuum out of a broom closet by the front door. "Or is that just when other people are around?"

Joel stopped what he was doing, his hands back in the soapy water. Admittedly, he felt like a stranger in a kitchen like this. It had been too many years. "You mean Ellie?"

"Yeah," she said. "It can't be easy, with just her dad."

"Ellie ain't—she ain't my daughter," said Joel, remembering, suddenly, that Cici did not know. Noah knew, but the particulars of their relationship at large had not come up yet. It just wasn't important. "I'm just looking after her. For the time being."

"Oh," said Cici. She was surprised. "I'm sorry. I just figured."

"It's okay," said Joel. He started washing the plates with a sponge. "Back in Boston, there was a lot of...violence. A small group of us were trying to get out of the QZ," he said, scrubbing. "My brother lives out west, got some sort of set-up there, so that's been our plan, to find him. Some of us got as far as Pittsburgh. But me and Ellie, we're the only two made it this far." He looked down at the plate. It was like a coral color, porcelain.

Cici was quiet. When he turned around, she was just holding the cord to the vacuum cleaner, staring at it like she had forgotten what it did. "Well, we're glad you found us," she said. “Despite the circumstances.”

"Us, too," said Joel. "Y'all said you were in need of some real help. I've been wondering what kind."

She went to plug in the vacuum, but she didn't turn it on yet. Instead, she just stood, like she was piecing something together in her mind. "Infected,” she said. Then she was examining her fingernails. She had her hair braided about halfway down her back. She didn’t seem to want to look him in the eye. “They been tearing up our land,” she went on. “More keep coming, from up the river. And every time they do, they blow the mines on the perimeter. Yesterday, they brought down a tree. Noah had to rewire the entire valley and dig a whole new trench. I help as much as I can, which is usually enough, but given the volume of work, there’s only so much I can contribute these days, reasonably. I just—you coming along, it’s like happenstance.”

Joel took a deep breath, looked down at his watch. He had his sleeves rolled up above his forearms. “How many mines you got down there.”

“Over a hundred,” she said. “There’s IEDs, too. Some can be detonated remotely.”

”Who’s building IEDs?” said Joel.

“I am,” she said. She offered zero explanation. “All the maintenance, everything, it’s getting to be fucking impossible.”

“Well,” he said. “Like I said earlier, I’ll help in any way I can.”

”Thank you,” said Cici.

"Do you have any idea what's bringing them down, the hordes?"

"We got some idea," she said. She bit off a hangnail. She told him he needed to talk to Noah.

"Okay," said Joel. It was a little like she had given up. He didn’t like that. He knew she was keeping something from him, but he didn't press. "You know I thought we might be able to get to all this over dinner,” he went on, “but then the food turned out to be a little too good. I forgot to ask."

She started loosening the plaits of her braid, smiled to herself. "Thanks," she said. She was a subdued woman, at least for the time being. "I mean, I don't think I've ever seen a girl eat as much as Ellie."

"It's mostly canned rations in the QZs," said Joel. "I ain't surprised. Other than squirrels and rabbits, we ain't had real meat in some time. Ellie's certainly never had lamb."

"Was she born in the Boston QZ?"

"I guess so," said Joel, realizing he didn't really know. "The woman who raised her, more or less, she was a Firefly. You know that group?"

"Yeah," said Cici, leaning on the vacuum. "I do, actually. A couple Fireflies came through here, maybe five years ago. They were looking to recruit."

"Anybody go with them?"

"No," she said. "They were spouting off all sorts of plans. Said there was gonna be a cure. But they were focused up in Minneapolis. We had a whole community here, going strong for a while. It was safe. Nobody wanted to risk leaving, not on a lark like that."

“Well, that makes sense," said Joel. He finished the coral plate, set it on the drying rack, then set forth on a plate that was more of a custard yellow. He didn't ask what had happened, with their community, and why it was she and Noah were out here all alone. He washed the dishes.

Cici turned on the vacuum, cleaned up under the table, and around Joel's feet. When she finished, she put it away and started wiping down the surfaces with a damp towel. When the dishes were all clean and drying, and Joel was drying his hands on a linen towel, she brought out the rest of the wine from dinner and poured it into two small mason jars, one for each of them. They sat down at the kitchen table, trying to undo a little bit of their strife as they stared down at their wine, their hands, their knees. As two adults, they were somewhat unaccustomed to small talk. It was easier to hide things, for both of them. They were trying very hard though. Joel could tell that Cici was, not uncomfortable, but a little awkward. She just didn't know what to say to him.

"So," he said, after a little while. "Noah. He's what, eighteen, nineteen years old?"

"He's seventeen," she said, drinking. "He'll be eighteen in a couple weeks though."

"He's big for a seventeen-year-old," said Joel, drinking. "Pretty tall."

"His dad played football at Madison," she said. "He was a tight end. It runs in the family."

"You don't say."

She got a little red in the cheeks, and sipped her wine. "Noah is a good son. He does right by me, and by this farm."

"I can tell." Joel drank some of his wine, too. It was a little thin, made from cabernet grapes they had grown in a vineyard out back. That’s what Noah had said. Grapes don't grow in Wisconsin like they do in California, he'd said. But they do grow. "I will admit that I was a little surprised,” said Joel. “You look kind of young to have such a grown-up son. That's a compliment, by the way."

It was like she was trying to smile, but she hid it. "I'm thirty-six," she said. "I had Noah very young."

"I get it," said Joel. "You don't have to explain anything to me."

They sat for a little while, drinking their fruity wine and listening to the nature sounds coming in the open windows. The river rushing, snaking through the property like a silvery ribbon, the crickets big and deep. The clock on the wall.

"You know, I noticed, on the drive in, this place don't look like what I thought Wisconsin was supposed to look like."

"How so?"

"It's so hilly," he said. "With the stone ridges and the outcroppings, the rivers and the terrace farms. I thought Wisconsin was supposed to be pretty flat."

Cici got up then. She went to the record player, on a shelf by the TV, and she was rifling through a stack of vinyls. "Most of it is," she said. "But where we are, it's different. You ever heard of the Driftless Area?"

"No," said Joel. "What the hell's that?"

She chose one vinyl from the stack, slid the record from the envelope. "It's this small area around the upper-Mississippi, in the floodplain of southwestern Wisconsin mostly, some parts of Minnesota and Iowa. During the Ice Age, you know, the glaciers came down, flattened out everything. That's why Wisconsin is the way it is, but down here, in this tiny little corner, it escaped glaciation, somehow. It just missed us. There are no leftovers from the glaciers, or glacial deposits I guess, and so that's why the terrain looks the way it does, like the waterfalls and the cold streams, all the tributaries and big ridges and everything, the high forests. There's no drift. It's driftless." She was centering the record on the spindle.

Joel was looking down into his wine, feeling dumbfounded. "You're telling me the geography around here ain't changed in a hundred thousand years?"

"More or less," she said, setting down the needle. "It's some of the best trout fishing in the world, where we live."

"Y'all must fish a lot then. Does Noah get out there much with his line?"

"Not anymore," she said. Something about the sound of her voice, he knew that was the end of their talk on the Driftless.

The record player crackled and clicked. A song came on. The music filled the house. It was almost joyful. Joel had been daydreaming at first, but then he realized that he recognized the voice. "Is this Ryan Adams?" he said.

”Yeah," said Cici. “You know his stuff?”

“I do,” said Joel. “I saw him live in Dallas, all the way back in, what was it now, 2004?"

”Really?" she said.

”Really.”

”That's amazing. But you’re so old.”

He laughed. This surprised him, the sudden levity between them. “Well, I was a teenager.”

”What are you now, like forty-five?”

He gave her a look. "You gonna guess my age, Miss Cici?"

"I don't know," she said. "I'm sorry. Is that weird?"

”Not really," said Joel. "I'm just messing with you. If you must know. I'll be forty-eight at the end of the month.”

"How old is Ellie?" said Cici.

"She's fourteen," said Joel.

"What does she like?" said Cici. “I mean, what are her interests?”

Joel wrapped his hands all the way around the mason jar, as if to heat the wine within. "She likes comic books," he said. "I try to pick them up for her, whenever I find some. I've heard her sing, too, whenever we're on the road. She ain't half bad, and she tries to whistle every now and then so I think she likes music. But the place she grew up, it was basically a military prep school. Real stifling. She ain’t really used to having the liberty of interests."

"I thought you said she was raised by Fireflies?"

"It's complicated," said Joel. He swallowed some of the wine.

"I see," said Cici. "How long have you two been traveling together?"

"A couple months," said Joel, right away. "Seems like forever."

"I'm sorry about your people, from Boston," said Cici. "The people you said you lost. I don't know what to say."

Joel saw the shape of Tess, darkening the doorway. It seemed to drop a shadow, over the room, his insides, just for a second. He blinked. “You don't have to worry about me,” he said. Then he looked at Cici. Her face was pretty. Anybody would have noticed as much. "I'm fine."

Her eyes were dark, her braid undone over her shoulder. She drank her wine and said softly, "Okay."

Once they got outside, Ellie looked up. The sky swam darkly. The stars here were like nothing else, she thought. Maybe a million ribbons, maybe fishes in a black pool. It seemed to breathe up there, to teem. Teem. That was the word. She wanted to tell Joel. She thought it was a neat word, he might appreciate. She was used to feeling desperate, warm floods—of emotions, which she would then bury deep inside of herself.

She followed Noah, trailing slightly behind. They spoke little. He did ask her how she felt about it, out there. The farm.

"I love it," she said. "You're so lucky."

They walked back down to the gate where they’d first met. When they finally got to the crow’s nest, Ellie needed a boost up to the ladder, and then he followed up behind her. When she got to the top, she dusted her hands off on her jeans and looked around.

It really was like a little nest, she thought. It was totally his. There was an oil lamp glowing on a low table, and stacked up beside it were dozens of paperback novels. Names like Ernest Hemingway, Cormac McCarthy, Jim Harrison. Noah started cleaning up, right away. Tidying things, sweeping the floor with an old straw broom. There were a couple bean bag chairs with neat, psychedelic patterns, and a battery-powered hot plate, and some dirty plates, bottles and mugs. She could tell he spent a lot of time in the crow’s nest, alone. She could tell that maybe he liked it to be neat and clean up there at the start of each new day.

As he stacked up the plates and things and swept the floor, she flipped through some of the novels on the table. There was one book that was open, conspicuously, on top of the rest. That one, she did not touch, for fear of losing his place. “You like to read?” she said, stupidly.

“Yeah,” he said. “Do you?”

“Yeah,” she said. “Do you ever read comics?”

“Sometimes,” he said. “I have a bunch inside.”

“Sweet,” said Ellie, looking around. There were some posters on the wall, nothing she recognized. One was for a band called Pearl Jam. “I was reading this one series. It’s called Savage Starlight. I mean, it’s stupid. You heard of it?”

“No,” said Noah. “What’s it about?”

“It’s about this chick,” she said. There was a quilt, draped over one of the bean bags. The craftsmanship was very lovely. Ellie ran her hand over the soft knitting. “Her name is Dr. Daniella Star. She’s like a scientist. She invented some kind of crazy time travel, and it’s just like, her adventures in space, I guess.”

“Sounds pretty intense,” said Noah. He dumped the dirty plates into a canvas rucksack. He set the broom against the door jamb. “There’s a comic store in Viroqua. We could go pillage it, maybe tomorrow night? I bet you’d find some of them there. They have a lot of super obscure stuff. And the town isn’t too badly looted. There’s a lot left.”

“Really?” said Ellie. “Are there any people there?”

“No,” said Noah. “Not anymore.”

“Right,” she said.

They climbed back down the ladder. Noah said, "You wanna see the river?"

Ellie said yes. Hell yes. She did want to see the river. She'd never really seen a river, not a real one, not up close. Or at least she didn't feel like she had. They went along a little grass path. Ellie looked up some more, up at the stars, the Milky Way, listening to the nighttime birds and the crickets. Then they came to a river. Noah stopped, and she stopped. It was just this small thing, smaller than she had expected, maybe ten feet across, cutting through the grassy field, snaking around like a ribbon. It was enchanted, almost haunted, how it rippled. Little rapids, here and there. It was so beautiful.

“What's this river called?” she said.

"Technically it’s a creek,” he said, surveying, real pensive. “It flows out of the Kickapoo River, which is a tributary of the Mississippi.”

“Man,” she said."This whole place. It's like, perfect. Like a dream. In the QZ, we couldn't leave. We couldn't go outside the gates. If we did, and we got caught, they wouldn't let us come back. But here it’s like, you're free. Do you love it?"

“I guess,” said Noah. He’d set down the rucksack, his shotgun. “I mean, I don’t know anything else. You didn’t like living in Boston?”

“Not really,” said Ellie. “But I guess—I guess I didn’t really know that until I left with Joel.”

"Why'd you guys leave."

"Too dangerous, I guess. Some...bad stuff happened. In Boston it was pretty bad, but then in Pittsburgh...It’s a long story."

Noah waited, like maybe to see if she was going to keep talking. When she didn’t, he just said, “So he’s really not your dad, huh?”

“No,” said Ellie. “No. He’s just—Joel.”

“He seemed to get kind of worried when you left the house.”

“That’s how he is,” she said. “We’ve been through a lot together.”

“Like back in Pittsburgh?” he said.

She was watching the dark river in the moonlight, all unfolding, the tall grasses on the other side, blinking with fireflies. “Pretty much,” she said.

He took a deep breath then, which made her nervous. He got down to one knee, opened up the rucksack, and from inside, he took out a clear empty bottle from up in the Crow's Nest.

"What are you doing?" she said.

He didn't answer. He just blew the inside of the bottle dry, and then he dipped it into the river, filled it up with water. "It's not perfect here, Ellie," he said. “I know it seems perfect to you, and free, but it’s not.” He fashioned a lighter from his pocket, let it illuminate the bottle.

Ellie crouched down beside him, curious, but confused. She looked at the water in the bottle. She sensed a darkness, all around them. In Noah’s voice, hidden in the moonlight and the greenery of the terrain. But she didn't understand. "What do you mean?" she said. "Is this about what you said upstairs, how we shouldn't drink the water? What's wrong with it?"

"All the water, flowing out of the Mississippi, down from the north, is poisoned," he said.

"Poisoned,” she said, gazing into the light. “With what?”

He pocketed the lighter, tossed the bottle into the river. They watched it sink. “Spores.”

[tinalostgirl]

AshTina | Will You Marry Me?

Who: Tina Cohen-Chang and Asher Karofsky ( @asherkarofsky )

What: Bingo - Give Flowers to Someone Pretty + Propose to Someone

Where: Courtyard

When: Monday morning 9.7.20

Asher clutched the bunch of flowers tight to his chest as he walked around campus. He was so damn nervous. He'd never done something romantic. And this wasn't something really real. It was a game. He was afraid that whoever he picked would either slap him or think he was ready to get married. He saw the girl walking toward him, face smily and open and truly pretty with sparkling eyes. He took a deep breath stood up tall and walked straight to her. He had some words planned, but all came out was. "Umm pretty for a... I mean... these are for you 'cuz you're real pretty."

Tina was on alert all week, knowing that people were doing weird and crazy things for thing Bingo event. Enter Asher, an obviously shy and soft spoken kid coming at her with flowers. She knew it had to be Bingo cause everything about her screamed gay and the poor boy looked like he was extremely uncomfortable. But honestly, even if this wasn't for an event, she still would have found this exchange alluring. He was adorably out of his element and that made him extremely approachable. She smiled as he handed her the flowers, but didn't take them right away. "This is for Bingo isn't it?" She asked with a laugh. "Blink once if it is and twice if it isn't." She stepped forward and took a very close look at his eyes.

He blinked once without even processing that she was joking. Up close she was even prettier than far away. Something danced in her eyes and the corners of her lips turned up revealing slight curving dimples. She also did not seem like she was going to slap him that was a plus, though he did get nervous when she looked at him slow closely. He was a grown damn man who got nervous when girls got too close. Well, boys too, though that wasn't something he was thinking about. "Ahhhh...."

When it was clear the joke went over his head, Tina stepped back a little and broadened her smile. "I'm just joking, kid. Relax." Tina took the flowers and pressed her nose into them, taking in the floral scent. "I mean, I was mostly kidding about the blinking, but this is for Bingo, isn't it?" She continued to smell the flowers, giving herself something to do while he composed himself. "Was the square give flowers to a lesbian or something like that? Oh no wait, you said I was pretty. Aww, you think I'm pretty."

It seemed strange to have someone clearly younger than him and probably half his size call him kid, but damn if it wasn't right. In this situation he was the kid. He nodded dumbly before finally getting his brain to kickstart. "Yeah. Bingo." His eyes went wide when she said lesbian. Had he insulted her by doing something romanticish. He'd never met any lesbians. Of course the thing was that in the circles he'd been in and the jobs he'd taken he'd been surrounded by butch lesbians and just simply been to dense to pick up on it. "Yeah f..flowers to someone pretty." He nodded. "'Course. You are." That seemed objectively true.

The compliment was delivered in such a way that made the fact that she was pretty seem like common knowledge, like it was irrefutable and she liked that. It made her smile grow and her stomach flip. He was sweet. "Well thank you for the compliment, stranger. And I'd say you did what you came to do, one more square for you." Tina paused for a second and pulled out her phone, taking a peak at her own bingo card. "You got a name? Maybe you can help me out with mine, too."

"Oh... oh yeah. Sorry. I'm Karofsky." In the world he'd been living in people lived by last names in a supremely impersonal way. "Asher. Ash." He rolled his eyes at himself. He was ridiculous. "Sure ma'am. I'll help ya anyway I can." As soon as the words passed his lips he realized that some of those cards were pretty damn heavy duty. Was he going to be losing his virginity right here and now? He gulped audibly.

"I like Ash. I'm Tina. Hey." Tina gave an awkward little wave, trying to match some of his energy to see if that would make him a little more comfortable. He seemed way in over his head and she appreciated that. "Ma'am, that's weird. But I kinda like it? It's super chivalrous sounding." Tina was getting off topic again and had to force herself to look down at her phone again. "What was I looking for? Oh right. Bingo." She scrolled some more then read over her card, a mischievous grin spreading across her lips. Tina searched her pockets for something before finally pulling out a straw wrapping from her back pocket. "What's your favorite romantic song, Ashy-poo?"

The small wave was pretty damn adorable and he couldn't help but huff out a little laugh and relax a bit. "Yeah, some of y'all here don't like it. Don't mean harm. Found you can take the boy outta the South. Little harder to take the South outta the boy." His eyes went wide at the sudden change in her demeanor and the nickname. "I... oh... I.. what?" His brow creased as he tried to catch up. "Umm You Belong to Me by Miss Patsy Cline." He'd sat in many a diner while on the road or working in some dusty town listening to scratchy records of Patsy Cline singing about love and wishing he could find some for himself.

Tina relaxed a little too, glad that she was able to make him laugh. The way he talked kind of reminded her of Jo and it automatically made her affectionate towards him. Tina could sense that she was moving to fast for him, but sometimes she was moving to fast for even herself and she couldn't help it. She just hoped she didn't lose him before they finished this exchange. She changed screens on her phone to open Apple Music and searched for the song he had just gave her. Then she turned it up and put it in her back pocket before tying the straw paper into a small little neat circle. Once the song hit the chorus, there was a nice little crowd that circulated around them. Tina straightened her clothes then got down on one knee. "Asher Karofsky. It would make me the happiest girl in the planet if you married me." She held out the make shift ring and held his gaze, blinking once to let him know it was a bingo card request. "What do you say?"

She turned the song on and it filled the air. It also slowly drew a small crowd around them. He panicked a bit at first thinking that perhaps she had really gotten the wrong idea about the flowers, but his logic, which usually lagged way behind his emotions finally caught up. She had asked him to help her with one of her squares. This obviously had something to do with that. He watched her every motion, eyes widening humorously large when she went down on one knee. This was the thing he pictured himself doing some day in the hopefully not to distant future. He let go of his awkward worries and smiled, easing into the playfulness of it all. He blinked back and smiled. "Yes! How could I say anything but yes darlin'." He lowered his finger and did his best to ease the way of the paper around his finger.

Tina was glad that he caught on before she had to break character and intervene. It was a lot more fun this way, just playing off of each other and improvising. It made her miss acting and performing that way. But this was a nice substitute. At his answer, there was a genuine grin that spread across her face. When he lowered his finger, she pushed the paper completely onto his hand, then added to the moment by pulling his hand in to kiss the back of it. "You've just made me the happiest woman on Earth." Pushing it even farther, she took his hand in her as she stood up and raised their combined hands between them. "He said yes!" The crowd cheered and she turned to flash him a smile. "How does it feel, Mr. Cohen-Chang?"

It was eye-opening to see all of this play out from a perspective opposite from his expectations. He lived in an old fashioned world where the man got on his knee and asked the woman to marry him. He knew of course that part of being here was going to be pushing outside of those perspectives. He helped her up and even pulled her closer to his side. He didn't have to fake the pink tinge on his cheeks. But it probably did help sell the act. He laughed as the crowd cheered. He hadn't played like this... well since he was a boy. "Like the luckiest man in the world Mrs. Cohen-Chang." He leaned down and kissed her cheek without thinking, pulling back with a surprised look, the sorry already on his lips, but not wanting to ruin the act.

This was totally and completely unexpected, but probably the most fun she was able to have with this event. She was just glad that some people were still willing to joke and play with her. It was the break from all the seriousness she needed. When he pulled her to his side and kissed her cheek, she yelped but then turned to give him a kiss on the cheek as well. "I hope you know this means we're stuck for life. No divorces in this universe. You're a Cohen-Chang forever." It was all said in jest, but what she really meant was that he probably made a friend for life. And if not a friend, at least a friendly acquaintance. "Thanks for approaching me, kid. And thanks for playing along."

When she kissed his cheek, he knew it was still alright. Still fun. This was maybe just what he needed to dive into this thing. He laughed. "No divorces. Got it. Proud to be an official Cohen-Chang." There was that kid again. This time he laughed. "Glad we could help each other. Hope you like the flowers." He knew this good experience would stay with him. He hoped not divorcing meant that he'd really made another new friend. When they waved goodbye, it was with happy feelings.

[zodiacal-dust-and-curls]

Gŵr Tŷ

A/N: Y'all voted for it and here it is!!! Next is Roger. I hope you like it. It's based on one of the funniest sentences Duolingo has used to help me learn Welsh. I cackled for so long. I love this language so freaking much. This os a completely blank slate reader ( except I gave them my career. Sorry)! Proofread by the every lovely @rogers-wristbands and @mollymarymarie 🖤🖤🖤 idk what I'd do without the two of you. Probably torture some other poor souls with my nonsense. Bless you.

Warnings: adoptions, children, parenthood, feelings of inadequacy, kissing

Word count: precisely 1k

Today was one of those days that promised to be good. You could feel it in your bones as you woke up next to the love of your life.

You had cuddled up to him in your sleep as you often did in the cold of winter. Having a space heater for a husband definitely paid off.

With your nose pressed to his shoulder, you were ready to enjoy a few moments of peace before the day really started. What you weren't ready for was the words that left his lips.

"Gŵr tŷ dw i."

It was so quiet you almost missed it. You knew he had been feeling down lately. After your leave from work had ended, Gwilym had stayed at home with your child.

You felt awful about it. It was never intended to be this way, not for so long.

"Nonsense." You mumbled it to him through his skin. He would always be so much more than a simple house-husband.

"Good morning, cariad." Gwilym's mood did not seem to improve with your disagreement. "You weren't supposed to hear that."

"I know." You let out a breath as he turned around to face you. These quiet moments were few and far between with little Morgan still being so new. The both of you were hesitant to speak above a whisper.

"You know that it's not true, right?" You just looked at him. Hoping that he would believe the same thing you did with all your heart.

Gwilym had an amazing career. He'd been Brian May on the big screen and befriended him in real life. He'd been in numerous dramas and had a role on Midsomer. Things were a little slow at the moment, but they would pick back up. You couldn't explain how you knew, but you did.

"Even if it isn't true, that's how I feel." He'd scooted down to press your foreheads together. "I've done no new projects for months. Basically, since we started the formal process for Morgan." He let out a sigh. "I just feel a little useless being at home all day while you're out saving lives."

"My love, what I do is far from saving lives." This was true. You worked as a pharmacist and the closest you'd gotten to saving a life was giving an EpiPen.

"It's still important." Was he starting to pout? "More important than what I do."

"Right now, what you do is more important to me than anything I've done in my life." You pulled his chin so that he met your eyes. Your legs had found their way together, effectively holding the both of you in place.

"You stay home all day with our child. The child we fought for, for months." You could see he was starting to believe you. "My two favorite people, my two great loves, are together at home, my favorite place in the world. I won't get to have that thought for long. Soon you'll be back to voice acting or auditions and some stranger will have Morgan. What will I do then?"

"You know my parents will take Morgan." He rolled his eyes a bit.

"I know. But no one will be here making memories or having fun to tell me about when I get home." You didn't know exactly how to impress upon him how important this was to you. Your child and the love of your life, bonding together.

"I took every bit of leave I could to spend time with the two of you." You'd pressed your noses together keeping your lips inches apart. "If I didn't go back, I'd lose my career. It's the first thing I ever fought for and I can't let it go." A tear had managed to work it's way down your cheek. When had you started crying?

Gwilym knew that you'd had to fight for everything. You fought for your education, your job, him, and now your family.

"I know." He pressed your lips together. The kiss was sweet and full of emotion. You couldn't find words to express how much you loved coming home to him and Morgan. Leaving them was the hardest thing you did every day.

The kiss was cut short by the loud cry of the 6 month old in question. You quickly got out of bed, eager to see your child.

"Good morning to you too, my little love." You scooped the wailing infant out of their crib. "Let's get you changed and fed, yeah? I'm sure your daddy would love to see a happy baby this morning."

Putting a microwave and mini fridge in the nursery was the best idea you'd ever had. You could change and feed Morgan without stumbling through the dark house.

After a fresh diaper, onesie, and the beginning of a bottle, you and Morgan padded back down the hall to your room.

"Look who's awake!" You weren't sure if you were talking to Gwilym or Morgan, but the news was well received by both of them.

Gwilym smiled up from his phone at the two of you. "My, my. What a happy baby."

"Yes, yes." You were refocused on Morgan, making sure that there was no spit up or spills. "Such a happy baby." You couldn't stop yourself from making faces and cooing at them.

"Give me my child." Gwil started to get out of bed, finally.

"No. I don't think I will." You started to move back towards the door. "In fact, I think we're going to run away together."

Gwilym pressed a kiss to your forehead and dropped to press one to Morgan's as well. "Why don't we all run away together?" He wrapped his arms around the pair of you, peering over your shoulder to watch Morgan finish breakfast.

"I think that's an excellent idea, gŵr tŷ." You pressed a kiss to his scruffy cheek.

Today was going to be good. There were too many possibilities for the three of you for it to be bad.

Taglist: @rogers-wristbands @80s-rockers @brianandthemays

Taglist is open!

Feedback in the form of comments/asks/reblogs is appreciated!!!

Gŵr tŷ dw i. = I'm a house-husband.

[x-useobwa-x]

༄ Swipe, baby! | Part 10 - TihGib Entertainment

Idol!Taehyung x Reader sm/au

< Previous | Next >

➺ Word count: 1,5k

Genre: Crack humor, Romance/Fluff

╰ You both swiped right on each others tinder profile with no pictures of yourselves.

You keep the details on the low; no names, no nothing, only your ages. To keep the interest until the meeting, you started talking casually, but little did you know that the guy that's trying to get into your pants is no one else than Kim Taehyung, Singer of BTS, and little does he know, that you are completely whipped for the man, an army by heart since day 1.

Start reading!

⇣ ⇣ ⇣ ⇣ ⇣ ⇣

Fuck.

Everyone would probably wonder how you ended up in this situation, well- you certainly do. Here you are, sitting in a very fancy restaurant, having dinner with a stranger from Tinder. Except for the fact that the stranger was Kim Taehyung. And that he is now drenched in a combination of water and your saliva. You certainly know how to make a first impression.

„I... I should probably..“ Taehyung says, as he gestures circles around his face with one hand and points to towards the bathroom with the other.

„Yes... you- you probably should..“ you say with a nervous laughter as you watch him get up and walk away. Jesus christ. You really did not mean to spit a mouth full of water right into his face when he sat down and you first saw him.

You're nervously sipping on your drink as you watch Taehyung making his way back to your table.

„Should I wait until you're done drinking before I sit down this time?“ he says jokingly.

„No... no it's fine. I'm sorry, just- just sit down,“ you say as you exhale in embarrassment.

„Alright“ is all he says as he lowers himself onto his chair with a little laughter.

„I'm sorry that I spat my drink all over you it's just... I'm not used to going on a blind date with a handsome... stranger.“

You notice how Taehyungs eyebrows twitch for a second as the word ‚stranger‘ reaches his ears.

„Stranger? You don't know who I am?“ he says cocky.

„Well, I don't know anything, not even your name, all I do know that your dick really needs to bust a nut, but other than that...“ you say, a playful smirk dancing on your lips.

„I... uhm, wo-would you excuse me again for a short second?“ Taehyung rambles as he gets up from his seat, hitting his knee on the table, causing his glass to fall over.

„Oh my god I'm so sorry.“ The embarrassment is evident on his face as he awkwardly tries to pick up his glass. You have to hold back a very big grin, and you just wave your hand to signalize him that it's okay if he leaves again. You watch as he leaves while he mumbles a couple more sorry's towards you, and then take one of the napkins to dry the mess as soon as his silhouette disappears behind the bathroom door.

When Taehyung comes walking back, he suddenly radiates an unreal amount of confidence. Pulling his chair back a bit too rough, he sits down nonchalantly with a shit-eating grin on his face.

„So, shall we finally introduce ourselves?“ he says, pouring some wine for the both of you. „By the way, do not worry about the menu, it's already been ordered and paid for.“ he adds, smiling ever so widely.

„Well, wow? I guess? You seem to have a lot of money considering the fact that the food is already taken care of and no one else is in here,“ you say, eyeing your wine as you give it a good swirl.

„Huh, not to brag but- I rented it out so we could have some privacy. By the way, did I ever mention I am the Co-CEO of a famous company?“

„Oh is that so? Which company is that supposed to be?“ you ask cocking an eyebrow.

„TihGib Entertainment. We're casting... well, entertainers.“

You almost snort a laughter as you take a sip of your wine as he answers. This is the best date of your life. Never would you have expected to sit in front of V, but what you really would have never expected, was that you both would play each other.

„Ahh I see, I'm sorry, what was your name again?“ you say as you hold back a smirk that's dangerously tugging on the corners of your mouth.

„Choi Taehyung.“

„Taehyung, okay, got it. Hi. I'm y/n,“ you respond, a warm tone coating your voice.

He's placing his hand on yours as he smiles and this is it. You're choking on your wine. As you're coughing and gasping for air, he's getting up to pat your back in attempt to help you breathe.

„Are you okay?“

„Y-Yes,“ you cough out. „Yes totally okay. I'm fine, really, I'm great, the best I've ever been.“

You're not okay. How could you? You're on a date, with Kim Taehyung, who just happens to be your bias, and he just touched you. Never in a billion dreams would you ever have expected that to happen one day. But as it seems ‚one day‘ is in fact today, and the fact that you started a game you did not expect to take these turns has you, well, nervous- to say the least. On the other hand, it has you just as excited because you are well aware of what's going on while he really is not.

„Well, enough about myself. How about you tell me something about you?“ Taehyungs eyes are piercing through your soul, a very curious expression on his face as he rests his chin on his folded hands.

„Well, I'm a barista, working for a fairly popular coffee-chain. Starbucks, you might have heard from them,“ you say as you giggle with an evil hint. „Well, some of my customers are very pushy. Especially one. He always wants me to call him... daddy.“ you add, paying a lot of attention to what kind of reaction it spurs on his face. You're pleased when you see his tongue poking out, wetting his lip and continues with dragging his teeth across his lower lip in the most subtle way. He's swallowing hard and the way his adams apple bobs in his throat tells you just how intrigued he is.

„Do you like that?“ he asks.

You know exactly what he's talking about, but you can't find it in yourself to stop playing around.

„Do I like what?

„Do you like calling people that? Daddy?“ he asks again, a hint of unpatience evident in his voice as he's fidgeting with the hem of his sleeve.

„Well, I don't know, you tell me... daddy,“ you say with a sly smirk.

That's it. That's the moment a low growl leaves Taehyungs throat and you'd be so sure that he'd be ready to jump your bones right in this moment if it wasn't for the waiter that's interrupting you, presenting the dish as he's proudly placing it on the table. Taehyung catches himself again and politely thanks the waiter for his service.

As an Army, you know exactly how to push Taehyungs buttons, you know exactly what kinda game you have to play, the fun part is, that he doesn't. You're pretty torn between behaving like you usually would, or going all out, I mean, this'll probably be your only chance to ever get things going with the Kim Taehyung, so you really don't know. Should you seduce him like you would with any other guy? Should you play into his cards and be exactly what he desires? Not that you're only interested in his dick per se, no not at all, but if you're realistic, that's most likely all you'll ever get and if the chance is served to you on a silver plate, you might as well just take the offer. In the end, thats exactly what you signed up for in the first place.

Therefore, your mind is pretty much made up. You're going for the simple way- you're playing with his primal instincts.

You take your knife and fork and cut a tiny piece of your steak and slowly bring your hand towards your lips and you, just as slowly, take the piece into your mouth. As you begin to chew, you let out a moan.

„This is so good..“ you breathe as you eye Taehyung, who's sitting there, heavy lidded as he locks eyes with you.

„That is such a good... piece... of meat...“ you say seductively and you see Taehyung holding his bottom lip between his teeth and averting his gaze towards his crotch for a short moment. He's painfully pressing his eyes shut and furrowing his eyebrows as he now faces the ceiling, speaking silent prayers to whomever.

‚Almost there.‘

You're smiling to yourself. Men are just so easy. All you need is to give him the final blow.

„Don't you want to eat?“ you ask him with the sweetest of voices.

„Oh yeah. Yeah I do.“ Just as he picks up the cutlery, your foot meets his shin softly, and you lock eyes with him as you gently drag your foot up towards his inner thigh, taking a sip of your glass of wine.

That's the second Taehyung lets go of the good silver and slams his hands on the table, standing up abruptly.

‚Gotcha.‘

„Excuse me,“ he calls out to the waiter. „Could we have the food to-go?“

a/n: wow what the actual fUCK? Ooof this chapter had me: in t e a r s. I laughed SO much as I wrote it, I can't put it into words. This was one of the most fun and crackhead writing sessions I've ever had and oh my god, tomorrow the second part will drop for y'all! Brace yourselves, you're in for a ride. 🤪

Taglist:

@foreverconfused-foreverlost @depressed-philosophers-daughter @hobisbeech @torrentmgc @rjsmochii @xxqueenwxtchxx @messedupfangirl05 @xosetsuna @babyboyjiminn @stray-kids-in-your-area @thefooolonthehill @yeosinlana @sippinpeachtea @stbangtan @kpopkermit @d-noona @sarahleslie123 @sociallyawkwardforever @oodlespadoodle

[violentmouths]

V's Friend, Nero

Ok so, I haven't done one of these in a while and I'm incredibly sorry for not doing one. But hey, better late than never, huh?

Ok, so we ain't talking about the warm chocolate cake with a cold milk on the side, V much today (although the topic is about him as always).

We're not talking about Dante (going to soon).

Hell it ain't even about Vergil!

It's about Nero...

Now I like Nero, not only is he voiced by the beautiful Johnny Yong Bosch, but his personality too. He's still that hot-head I remember and love from DMC4 and I'm so proud that his relationship with Kyrie is still going (and because of that, I cannot make a fic with my OC or you as the reader to mess with such a thing, please forgive me)!

Now I've talked about V... WAY MORE THAN HE'S EVER DESERVED on my blog (and I truly don't mind it since DLACB [Dance Like a Cherry Blossom] is about V, the V Experiences are about V also, and so are these observations posts)!!!

But the more I look at V and Nero's relationship...

I feel like Nero was V's ONLY friend...

Like, think about it... V usually strikes up a conversation with Nero almost everytime they're together! And sometimes they're dialogue is pretty funny;

V: Pardon my delay, I was catching up on some... Reading

Nero: Yeah, looks like a real page turner

Like what?

Why would y'all say that? Your enemy is sitting on his throne above your heads, not to mention the Legendary Demon Hunter is nowhere to be found... Why would you two choose NOW to tell shitty jokes? *Ahem*

Not to mention their conversations are quite long... No matter where they are...

Anyways, I wished they worked on their friendship even more. I mean, why does Nero care so much about V and not the others?

Example;

-When V is talking to Dante and falls on the ground, Dante just leaves him.

-When V leaves Trish, Lady, and Dante to go get Nero, Lady asks "Who was that guy?"

-When V is chasing after Dante and falls again, Dante leaves him in the dust.

Like come on, give this guy a break!

Pretty sure you guys are gonna say "But VMoooooooouths that's not true, Trish cared enough to save him."

Yeah but did you see how fast she ran off? Like, go back to the part where V and Trish were running and see how quick she dipped on him, just everytime I see that part I'm just laughing my ASS off at how fast she ran!

That bitch was out too, she was like "FUCK YOU V, I GOTTA GO!!!"

Now, all humor aside, no one cared about V like Nero did. No one came to save V from Malphas; only Nero did. Who helped V when he fell to the ground saying he must press forward? That's right, Nero did.

I also feel like the part when Vergil dropped the book and Nero picked it up. I felt like Nero would read the book not for Vergil, but for V. Seeing Vergil as a complete stranger rather than V.

Hell didn't Nero call Vergil a "Fucking asshole"? So why would he bother getting to know his father now?

Vergil: I ripped off your arm and tried to kill my brother as well as humanity, let me get to know you now!

Like what?!

If I was Nero, I'd want nothing to do with my dad!

Vergil: Now I haven't been the greatest father but I wanna try-

Nero: No, no nope, get the fuck out of my life! You weren't even there my entire life, your human self was in my life for a month, he's taught me things within that time. What have you done, hmm? Besides rip off my arm and use it to try to kill your brother?!

If you listen to the way Nero talks about V it's quite interesting. "Okay V, you're an interesting guy." Or "Okay V, I trust you."

Like what? D-does Nero even have any friends? Sure he has Nico and Kyrie, but I'm talking about male friends. Like, does he have a male friend, who can help him through big and small problems? That can give him advice?

When you look at Nero, he's quick to anger and it's shown too! But he seems to cool down whenever he's talking to V or Kyrie. And when you look at V (which is what we all do) he's calm and collected. Now V could've left Nero in the dark completely about everything; about Urizen, about Vergil, as well as about himself. But chose to tell him anyway, I also love how V calls Nero "The Boy" as if to tell us that;

- He sees Nero as immature (thus to his anger)

Or

- He's older than Nero (I personally think he's 27 or 28. People said that Nero was 19 in DMC4 and if that's true he must be 23 or 24 in DMC5, idk don't trust me on the age thing)

Like I said in my other post, I feel like Nero and V have a strong connection. Nero listens to V, unlike Dante, who he almost got into two fights with. I see V as somewhat of a father to Nero, being that anchor and reason he needs.

Hell I'm pretty sure in DMC6 (if it comes out) if Vergil and Nero met again, Nero would probably tell Vergil straight to his face that he saw V (or maybe even Dante) as more of a father than him. I mean, did Nero even have a father-like role model in his life as a child? If he didn't, V would be perfect as such. Not only seeing V as a friend... But as a father...

Not to mention how Nico writes "Another dead beat dad on a picture of Nero and Vergil fighting, which says alot!

NOPE I don't and will never see Dante as a role model to Nero, I will always say HELL NO to that idea!

Sooo *dials the Devil May Cry number*

Dante: Devil May Cry?

Me: Ya not a good enough role model for Nero!!!

The only reason I brought this up is because I was watching Avatar: The last Airbender, and I saw the part where Zuko told his father that he saw Iroh as more of a father than his own father (which is extremely true). Iroh didn't feed into Zuko's anger, he gave him wisdom. He told him things he needed to hear. And whenever Iroh left, you could tell how lost Zuko was without him.

I feel that Nero and V have that connection too and personally think that Nero would miss V greatly after he went back to himself.

"What happened to V?" Always makes me touch my chest and let out the biggest sigh, because that was the only friendship in the game, that made me smile really big.

Look at the way V talks to Nero, look at Nero's facial expressions.

Once again look at this photo:

Not only that, he takes heed of what V says, he doesn't fight V... But he has gotten into fights with Dante!

Which brings me to this point...

Do we all remember the part where Nero bitch slapped Dante and it nearly killed him? If V was in that position Dante was in, would Nero bitch slap him too?

I still say no, Nero treats V with respect... Now that I think about their friendship, Imma try to work on it in the V Experiences...

Do tell me what you think, I gotta go now...

I will see you again soon...

[romaniassexdungeon]

Mets and Cooper’s Alternative Detective Agency - Chapter 1

Pairing: OzEst (others to come)

Summary: Logan was a single dad, wanting nothing more than to help, and Eduard was just trying to survive. A stolen bike case brings them together as it unravels into something far more sinister, and the start of something special.

Warnings: Homelessness, more to come :)

Hey y'all, it's ya gays Romaniassexdungeon and @larsmoorenhateblog back with another OzEst fic that will probably be sad, and happy, and some dumb, horny humour will be coming out of Oz's mouth. OzEst is slowly picking up shippers now, so to the total three or so other shippers, enjoy! And to anyone who hasn't heard this pairing but is curious: please give this dumb ship a chance and maybe you'll like it. Anyway, this is a detective au and touches upon some sad, yikes stuff, warnings will be added when needed.

...

Logan - Australia

Harriet - Atlantium oc (don’t fear the ocs, it’s okay)

~bring back line breaks~

Read on AO3, also follow @larsmoorenhateblog

...

“Bathroom’s down the hall,” said Logan, “kitchen’s to your right. It’s a box room, I’m afraid, but...” He trailed off, opening the door at the end of the hall. Eduard stepped into his new room, unable to even begin to know how to respond.

He knew he was being stupid. He was making the exact same mistake, but he was too hungry, too tired, to care. Just like last time. And he hated how he was most likely sacrificing freedom for food. Eduard wasn’t a stupid, naive kid this time, but here he was.

“Dinner’s gonna be an hour,” Logan continued, “but feel free to have a snack, if you want. There’s bread, and…” He trailed off, biting his lip. “I’ll let you unpack.” Then he left.

Eduard stood in the middle of the room before sinking onto the bed. It was so, so soft. He’d forgotten what it was like to feel comfortable. He hugged his bag to his chest and looked around. It was a tiny room, just enough space for a single bed and one set of drawers. No personal touches, except a painting of Uluru opposite him.

He didn’t want to unpack. It didn’t feel quite real, and he wanted to make sure he could make a quick getaway.

Logan poked his head back round the door. “I don’t mean to be, well… but feel free to use the shower before dinner. There’s a blue towel on the rack for you.”

...

Earlier that day, Eduard shuffled through the automatic doors of the local supermarket. The security guard looked at him like something he’d scraped off his shoe. Eduard pressed on, trying not to sweat or fidget. He took a breath, and walked calmly down the first aisle. He knew he was homeless, but a homeless person was allowed to go shopping, right? He desperately needed food.

Too desperately.

He had enough change for a chocolate bar. Proof he was buying something, and wasn’t suspicious. Even as a child, it always set him into a state of paranoia, leaving a shop without buying something, a precursor to anxiety. Or maybe he’d always had anxiety.

He saw a tin of spam, and slipped it into his jacket pocket. Not too greedy now, just enough for a few days. Then maybe he could try begging. Maybe he could risk being out on a main street for a day.

Maybe he should just end it all. It wasn’t like anyone would mourn him.

It would solve a lot of crime, though.

He’d only felt that low once before, completely uninterested in what happened to him and whether or not he lived any longer. He just sighed and picked up a sandwich. He missed grainy, brown bread. Egg and cress, fancy. He glanced around before stuffing five chocolate bars down his trousers.

He didn’t bother with the fridge section. He needed food that lasted. Maybe, if he rationed, he could last for a week.

Maybe, he could get away with this.

“Sir?”

Eduard froze. “Yes?” It could only last so long, after all, the perfect crime. He wasn’t exactly inconspicuous.

“Are you paying for that?”

He pivoted on his heel to see a young man, not more than 18, looking straight at him suspiciously, like he’d been waiting for this. Had he been following him around the store, or had Eduard not noticed a camera?

“…Yes.” He was out of practice, lying. He’d been so good at it as a kid. No, mother, I’ve never drunk an alcohol in my life.

He considered his escape routes, thinking about handcuffs and ways to incapacitate a man with a pen. Or maybe he should give himself up; there was food in prison. There was also the chance of him not lasting more than a day. But if he tried to escape, the security guard could catch up to him, and kick the shit out of him. And he probably wasn’t going to be arrested. They’d just ban him from the store, right? “Sir, would you please come with-“

Another man came up behind him, his voice deep and authoritative. Eduard was scared, too stiff to turn and look.

“Hey. Is there a problem?”

“No, no, just-“

“I’m a cop. I can take it from here.”

The young man looked up at him, as if considering his options. As if wondering if his weekend job was really worth the effort of dragging this guy into a back room to wait and do things the official way.

“Thank you, officer.”

Eduard’s blood ran cold.

“Show me what you have.”

Refusing to meet either pair of eyes, Eduard took the sandwich and chocolate bars out, one by one. He handed them to the shelf-stacker. He considered keeping the spam, but the cop was massive and could probably break him, so he handed that over too.

Satisfied, the cop nodded. “Come with me.”

He escorted him out. Maybe he’d have had a chance escaping a supermarket. Prison was another thing entirely. His hand was firm on his shoulder as he marched past shelves, through the automatic doors, and swiftly let go the moment they were out of sight.

“Sorry about that, mate.”

Eduard touched his shoulder where he’d grabbed it, squinting. “What?”

“About making you empty all your stuff out. Had to make it believable.”

“Right, right. What?”

The cop laughed. “They rarely ask for a badge if they don’t care. And that guy definitely didn’t.”

“So you’re…”

“Not a pig, no. Not anymore. You’re safe, don’t worry.”

“You were, uh…”

“Lying, yeah. Again, really sorry about your food. I can make it up to you if you want.”

“You don’t have to.”

“I want to. Where are you staying?”

“Why do you wanna know?”

“To help. If that’s alright.”

“How?”

“A bed for the night. Or a few nights. A meal.”

He dithered.

“Look, I get it, stranger danger. But I can help you, and I want to. If you want me to.” He shrugged. “Seems like it would help you more than arresting you.”

Common sense weighed against his hunger. “It would. If you’re sure.”

...

Eduard couldn’t believe a man with a 9-year-old daughter was letting a homeless stranger stay in his flat. There had to be something else going on.

The three of them were crowded round a rickety table in the corner of the main room. The girl - Harriet - looked at him. Stared at him. She didn’t know what to make of him, and he couldn’t blame her. He didn’t want to think about what he must have looked like, dirty and wolfing down his food like it was his first meal in months - which maybe it was, though he’d long since lost track of time.

He’d turned down Logan’s suggestion of a shower. He may have been hasty in accepting his help, but he wasn’t an idiot. He wasn’t about to get naked under his roof, give him a full preview.

If this whole place was like the last time, then he wanted to know just what a small child was doing here. Or maybe he didn’t. No - he definitely didn’t. But he could guess.

“How was school?”

“Not bad. We learnt multiplication.”

Maybe it wasn’t as cruel as he assumed. Maybe she was just there to lull him into a false sense of security. You could trust a parent with a little girl, especially one like Harry, well taken care of and happy, learning multiplication and smiling at her dad like that. He was almost offended at the lack of care put into the script. Multiplication? That’s right, keep it vague. Keep it believable. Then they’d have him, right?

And really, who looked at their kid like that anyway? Logan smiled at Harry like she was coming first in a marathon when she was only dipping frozen chicken nuggets in ketchup. No parent actually looked at their kids like that, no matter what stories said.

“Is the whole business with Lina over?”

She nodded, skewering a kebab of curly fries onto her fork. “Mhmm. She gave Princess Cheesy back and I gave her kitty back.”

“Good, good. So, no more fighting?”

“No more fighting.”

“Good. Eduard, you settling in alright?”

Eduard nodded, mouth full of nugget. “Yeah. Thank you so much. This food is amazing.” He was raised to have no option other than polite, and it was delicious.

“I just threw it in the oven.”

He raised his eyebrows. “More than can be said for most of what I’ve eaten lately.”

“Well, there’s more if you want it.”

He nodded, but it felt greedy. He didn’t like to ask for seconds, but the longer this went on, the longer the illusion of safety would last.

Logan piled more chicken nuggets onto his plate, then picked at the curly fries Harry didn’t want, and Eduard ate in silence. He’d always been a slow eater. Now that the blood was flowing in his body again, the ravenous desperation subsiding, he was more than happy to take his time. He savoured them, knowing it may be his only chance to do it.

Harry sat at the coffee table on the other side of the room and drew, whipping out a box of 50 colouring pencils like she meant business. Right, get her out of the way. When she left the room, he knew it was going to happen.

When he was finished, Logan took his plate and washed it up. Nothing else happened.

Logan turned to him, awkwardly hovering by the sink.

“Wanna watch TV?”

Eduard had no idea how to respond.

“Or you can get cleaned up and go to sleep.”

He nodded. It was bound to happen. But Logan left him to it and sat down to watch some nature show. Was he supposed to get clean before anything happened? Were other people showing up later?

After ten minutes of silence, Harry walked over to him and handed him a drawing. It was a decent drawing, for a child, he guessed, of a hairy, messy - apparently smelly from the lines coming from him - homeless man.

“It’s you.” She didn’t need to tell him that, but she did anyway. Last time he’d seen himself in the mirror had been at a client’s house, checking a bruise on his neck, but it was still obvious.

“Thank you,” he said in a small voice. Did she do this for everyone, or was he the first person they’d lured here?

He hated the stubble she’d drawn on. He could feel how rough and patchy it was, and missed shaving. Logan would probably force him to shave it, make him look younger and prettier.

Logan looked over his shoulder. “Harry! Don’t draw smell lines on people!”

“But he’s stinky!”

He put his hands on his hips. “That’s very rude. Say sorry!”

She groaned. “Sorry.”

She was right, though. Or maybe it was a ploy to get him in the shower. He really wanted one, though.

...

Eduard was freshly showered, and still apparently safe. He stepped into the box room, having said goodnight to Logan, in pyjamas far too big for him and a pair of woolly socks Logan had never used, apparently. Because who needed woolly socks in Australia?

It did get ridiculously cold at night, though, and Eduard would probably take anything just to not be sleeping in a tent.

As he slipped under the duvet, something warm brushed against his butt. He jumped, and pulled out a hot water bottle.

And that was when he broke.

He hugged it tightly against its chest like it was the only source of heat in a frozen wasteland, as something caught in his throat. He had almost forgotten how it felt to cry. Things just stopped bothering him. But this, this tiny gesture, this faded red hot water bottle with its threadbare cover, this was what broke him. Call it what you will - compassion, attention to detail, lulling him into a false sense of security, it left him curled up on the bed sobbing. He cried until his eyes could barely stay open with exhaustion.

He didn’t want to let his guard down and sleep, but as soon as he curled up around the water bottle and his head hit the pillow, he was gone.

...

Maybe it was best he shouldn’t stay.

The sun hadn’t begun rising yet, but a grey light was filtering through the windows. Out of habit, Eduard felt for his bag, held with him all night under the covers. Not stolen. Not necessarily an indicator of safety.

His tent was still on top, for some reason, and he wasn’t freezing or boiling. He bolted up and found himself in his new room, under a heavy duvet, water bottle next to him.

It had seemed like a dream, to be honest. The kind where he’d wake up, forget where he was, and, when he remembered, reality ate at his will to live just a little more. Sometimes, he dreamed he had a family. Sometimes he dreamed about Evelin.

He needed to leave before he was trapped.

He slipped a coat on over his pyjamas and searched for his shoes, then put his bag on his back and slipped out of the room.

He found his clothes - cleaned for the first time since he put them on, probably - on the radiator. There was still a lingering smell of B.O., but they were crisp and warm and not covered months worth of dirt. Eduard had always hated being dirty. He hated grimy conditions, but recent circumstances had made that the least of his problems. He packed the clothes away in his bag.

He didn’t want to steal from Logan, not when the man had only given him reasons to trust him, so far, but he doubted the supermarket would be so forgiving if they saw him again.

He looked in the cupboards and pulled out tins of soup and mackerel. He could last on that, then, maybe, the taste of living in a real home where he was safe, and throwing it all away in fear, would finally push him over the edge.

“If you stick around, I’ll do you a fry-up.”

Eduard yelped and jumped, dropping tins all over the floor. Logan was leaning against the door, looking at him in amusement. Now he was in for it. At best, Logan would throw him out, at worst… well, he was definitely trapped now.

“I’m sorry,” he squeaked, picking up the tins, “I’m sorry, I- I’m sorry! I just-”

“I get it. Look, stay here a bit. I promise, it’s okay. At least until you get a job and somewhere to stay. You don’t have to do this.”

“Why are you being so nice to me?” he asked, a lump in his throat. “What do you want? What sort of thing are you running here?”

“Running- nothing. Look, I’m just trying to help. I like helping people. That’s why I became a cop, and, well, I think this way is gonna help more people. One at a time, but, well, would a criminal record help you?”

He put the last one back in the cupboard. “There’s food in prison too.”

“I’m not sending you to prison.”

He turned to him. “You don’t know anything about me, and you’re letting me live with you? With your kid? What if I’m dangerous?”

“I know you’ve been handed some rough cards and you need a hand.”

“This isn’t a hand, this is a whole arm. You’re inviting a crazy stranger into your house with a kid. I’m not going to hurt her but I question your judgment.”

“You’re not gonna hurt her?”

“Course not.”

“Then I’m satisfied.”

“That’s exactly what someone who’d hurt your kid would say, though. You really think I’m trustworthy?”

“I mean, if something did happen, I know you know I’d break you in half easily. But also, you seen trustworthy.”

Eduard squirmed. He wasn’t.

“So, want some breakfast?”

His stomach rumbled and he sighed.

...

“Can I use your computer?”

“Sure, go ahead.”

A night had turned into two, into three, into a week. He hadn’t been trapped yet. It would be a weird gambit to play, to keep him safe for this long. He wondered what he was playing at.

Eduard sat at the desk at Logan’s old PC and set up a throwaway email address. It was a long shot - he doubted she still used the same address from when she was 15- but it was something.

Evie,

No.

Evelin,

Also bad. He’d never called her Evelin in his life. Oh well. She knew who she was.

I’m safe.

But was he, though? Logan may have worn him down, but he wasn’t that naïve. Maybe he was playing a long game, trying to break him emotionally by betraying him.

I’m alive.

After all this time, there was so much he had to say to her. And so much more he never wanted her to know. What would she say, he thought, if she saw him now? Maybe the less he said the better. He always was good at being concise.

I’m alive. I love you. Don’t look for me.

Eduard.

[gaylotusthatexists]

Flightless - Chapter Seven

Fandom: Sanders Sides 

Pairings: Eventual Moxiety, Platonic Prinxiety

Word Count: 2260

Notes: hey, i am so so sorry for the long wait for this chapter. life has been hectic with school and the month of december and exams and stuff, and also some other projects that i'm working on for y'all, but here is a chapter of flightless whilst i have the time (kinda) and motivation to write this. hopefully the next chapter shouldn't take too long haha. hope y'all enjoy :)

Tag List: @xx-fandom-potato-xx @trash-can-so-do-i @bunny222 @phantomofthesanderssides @everythings-coming-up-aces @unknownanonymousgirl @tinkslittlebelle @jani-bunny54 @noahlovescoffee @why-should-i-tell-youu2 @unicorndragon1-2-3 @ab-artist @journalanxiety @applecantbebothered @quietwords-loudthoughts @honeysucklingz

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Virgil leant back, with his foot propped up against the wall. He knew that Logan hadn't gotten home yet, since he had already flown up himself to see. So instead, Virgil had decided to stay down in the lobby for a while until Logan returned, which shouldn't be too long, hopefully. At the very least, it was entertaining to watch people walk around the lobby. People watching had always been one of Virgil's favourite past times.

A man with wings almost identical to Virgil's walked up to the desk at the front. Huge, beautiful white wings - looking at the man, he could almost see the appeal to those kind of wings. And, looking a little closer, Virgil could swear he saw hints of red around the feathers. Interesting - perhaps that dye-offer that Talyn had given to him didn't sound that bad.

But the longer Virgil stared at the man, the more he realised that things were not going well.

"Look, I-"

"I'm telling you, it's not dangerous at all," the woman behind the desk said, sounding almost exasperated. "If you want, we can get somebody to escort you round?"

"I don't need escorting!" the man exclaimed. "I need another way to get up there!"

"Look, sir, there's nothing we can do."

"Surely there's something-"

The woman just shook her head. "I'm really sor-"

"Don't apologise to me! Just fix the goddamn problem!"

There was silence for a moment. Everybody else in the lobby had set their attention on the two. Virgil couldn't help but wonder what the problem had been in the first place.

"Sir, if you're not going to be cooperative, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave," the woman finally said.

The man just stared at her in disbelief. "All of my things are up there. All my equipment, clothing, everything. Can you not even move me to another room?"

"That was the only room available, we've told you-"

"Do you even know who I-"

"Sir," she snapped, "please leave the building."

Completely silence fell upon the room. It was as if the entire world had just paused, stopped at that moment, like it was going to end then and there. Virgil held his breath. Until the man turned and left, and everything went back to normal.

His phone buzzed in his hands - a message from Logan.

16:49 Logan: I've arrived at home.

Virgil glanced over at the stairs, and then out the door. He couldn't help but feel as if something was wrong. As if that man had needed help. As if Virgil needed to help him. Part of him just wanted to follow him out there and see if he was alright, if Virgil could help him. He had obviously had a problem, possibly something to do with flying, which Virgil knew all about. And the woman behind the desk hadn't attempted to help him in any way...

Then again, feeling as if something was wrong was just Virgil's constant state of being. Maybe the man would be fine and Virgil was just overreacting.

Unless...

16:52 Me: something happened down here, some dude got into some trouble or something, going to check if he is ok

Virgil put his phone back in his pocket and exited the building, looking around for any signs of that mysterious man. His phone buzzed again, but he ignored it, instead shooting up into the air and down the street. It didn't take him long to spot a familiar pair of white wings. The man had sat on a bench on the side of the street, his head in his hands.

"Hey," Virgil said, floating down to the floor. "You okay, dude?"

The man looked up and scowled. "What do you want? An autograph? Is it that hard to leave a guy alone?"

Virgil frowned, taken aback by his reaction. "Uh... I..." He cleared his throat. "I saw you back at the apartment block. Thought you, uh, might need some help, or something."

The man just stared at him. "So... you don't... you don't know who I am?"

Virgil blinked. "I've never seen you before today."

He let out a sigh. "You know, I've only come across one other person who hasn't recognised me."

"...okay?" Virgil looked him up and down - nothing out of the ordinary, nothing that sprung to mind. "What's your name?"

"Roman. And yours?"

"Virgil."

"Virgil," Roman repeated, smiling. "Hey, Virgil was the name of some Roman poet. Isn't that neat?"

Virgil blew a huff of air out his nose in what could loosely be described as a laugh. "Yeah, I guess that makes us basically soulmates."

Roman let out a hearty laugh. "Platonic soulmates, of course. Unfortunately, my heart belongs to another man."

"Oh really?" Virgil smirked. "And who might that be?"

Roman hesitated. "Well, uh, I'm not quite sure yet, but once I see him, I'll know."

Virgil sat down next to Roman, bringing his feet up onto the bench. "What, so you believe in love at first sight?"

"Of course." He smiled. "Why would you not?"

"I don't know. Maybe because love isn't that simple."

"Who said it was simple?"

"If you fall in love with someone after just meeting them, you're not in love." Virgil looked over at Roman. "You don't know the person well enough to understand your feelings. You have to... get to know them. Let it all happen naturally."

Roman hummed. "That sounds boring, though."

Virgil shrugged. "Can't argue with that. People are hard." He set his feet back down on the ground. "Anyway, I came here to see if you needed help."

Roman groaned. "Look, what happened back there was not my fault. I specifically told the management there that I needed a room with access from the stairs."

"Why? Surely with those amazing wings-"

"I'm not the best flyer," he interrupted, "and you'd better not tell anybody that." He sighed. "I just... What would they do if that exact same situation happened to a person without wings?"

"They'd probably kick that person out," Virgil said, without even thinking. "I mean, in my experience-" He caught himself before continuing, realising what he was about to say. "-from, uh, watching other people, the guys in that place are always giving wingless people dirty looks, and stuff. It sucks, y'know?"

"Ha, tell me about it." His eyes widened. "I-I mean, it does suck. Like, those people have done nothing to deserve that."

Virgil tried to shake away the feeling that Roman was hiding something, instead plastering a smile onto his face. "Glad we can agree. But, uh, we should probably tried to fix this problem of yours."

Roman took a deep breath in, and let a deep breath out. "How? I can't just walk back in there. And I can't explain it, either. If they- If they find out why I can't fly up there, my whole career could be ruined." He locked eyes with Virgil. "If anyone finds out that I'm-" he brought his voice down to a whisper- "not the best flyer, I'm basically dead."

"Okay, drama queen, we'll figure out a way to get you a room without letting out your biggest secret."

Virgil wondered for a moment why he was helping this stranger - having to get him up to the apartment without letting the secret get out seemed like a lot of work, which Virgil wasn't particularly keen on, and he still had no idea why it was so important that people don't know that this man couldn't fly well. Then again, when the two had first spoke Roman had seemed to act as if he was famous, or something. Like a lot of people knew who he was. And Virgil wouldn't have been surprised if his wings had something to do with the fame, since Roman cared so much about them. Whatever the case, he didn't want to let this man down, and Virgil had no idea why he felt that way.

Virgil took his phone out of his pocket, noticing that he had received a fair amount of messages from Logan.

16:53 Logan: What do you mean? What happened?

16:54 Logan: I just saw you leave the building. Please message me to let me know if you're okay.

17:05 Logan: It's been over ten minutes and you still haven't responded, are you okay?

17:06 Logan: Wait, I just heard that there was some problem with some singer down in the lobby, is that anything to do with what's happening?

Virgil glanced up at the time - 17:24. Logan hadn't sent him anymore texts.

Roman leant over Virgil's shoulder. "Who's that?"

Virgil jerked his phone away. "A friend. He lives in the apartment block that you were just in."

"A friend, huh?" He wiggles his eyebrows.

"Yes!" Virgil exclaimed. "A friend! Nothing more!"

Roman looked almost disappointed. "Well, if he's just a friend, why were you in the lobby?"

"I was waiting for him to get home. To visit him. Y'know, like friends do." He began to type out a response.

"And why are you texting him now when we should be figuring out how to get me into my apartment?"

Virgil pressed 'send'. "To see if he can help."

17:26 Virgil: hey lo. idk if it's that singer guy you were talking about but he needs helps. any chance i could bring him back to your apartment?

Roman skimmed through the message. "You think this guy can help?"

Virgil shrugged. "He's dedicated his entire life to helping people who, uh, 'aren't the best flyers', I guess. I'm sure he'd be more than happy to help."

His phone bleeped, signalling a reply from Logan.

17:27 Logan: I suppose I can see what I can do. Feel free to bring him up.

"And look at that, he said yes. Let's go." Virgil stood up and lifted himself into the air, beginning to make his way down the street. Roman looked up at him, helplessly.

"Hey, uh, Virgil?" he called. "Remember how I said that I 'wasn't the best flyer'? And how you said this guy 'helps out people who aren't the best flyers'?"

Virgil turned around. "Oh, right, uh..." He held out his hand. "Here, I'll help you."

Roman frowned. "You'll... what?"

"Take my hand and I'll help you fly up there."

"Why are we flying there?" he asked. "Can't we just walk?"

"I'd rather not risk walking into the lobby with you and getting kicked out again. We can reach my friend's apartment without walking through the building."

"But I can't fly."

"You can if you're holding my hand."

"What if you drop me? What if I'm too heavy?"

Virgil sighed, and landed on the pavement. "Look, I was the best flyer in class at school. I'm the best flyer in my family, in my friend group, even in my university class now. I'm training to do search and rescue in the airforce, which literally requires helping people who struggle to fly by helping them to fly to get out of danger, which is basically what I'm offering to do now. So-" he held out his hand- "do you trust me?"

Roman took in a deep breath, clearly still unsure, but took his hand anyway. "Okay. Off we go?"

Virgil smirked, and shot into the air, dragging Roman along behind them. They soon came high enough to feel the cool wind against their faces, to feel the breeze stroking through their hair, through their wings as they surged forward. Glancing over at Roman, Virgil noticed that he was smiling, laughing with glee. Maybe Roman had never experienced this before. Maybe he couldn't fly at all, and this was his first experience in the air. Virgil knew how special that could be.

"This is amazing!" Roman exclaimed. "Is this how it always feels? Why don't people talk about this more?"

"Most people take flying for granted," Virgil replied, slowing down a little to allow himself to navigate the city. "They forget how fantastic it can be. Which is why people who struggle with flying probably have it better - they never forget the feeling."

Roman hummed. "But people who can fly actually get to do this."

"True. But when those who can't always are finally able to, they find it to be the best feeling in the world." He looked back at Roman. "Speaking from personal experience."

Roman frowned. "I thought you said you were a good flyer? The best flyer, actually."

Virgil nodded. "Yeah. But also I have an issue that means sometimes I can't fly. I'm working on it, trust me, but on days like this when I can fly to my hearts content..." He smiled. "I can never forget how great it feels."

Why he was opening up to this complete stranger, Virgil didn't know. But what he did know was that he could trust this man, and if he wanted to help him, Roman would have to trust him as well. If that wasn't a good reason to tell Roman the truth, Virgil didn't know what was.

If he was able to open up to Roman so easily, then surely he could do the same to Patton. That was it - he had to tell Patton, tonight.

The two landed on Logan's balcony, Roman still smiling like crazy. But then when he stepped into the apartment and laid eyes on Logan, his smile faded.

"Logan? The guy from the theatre? Is- Is that you?"

Logan raised an eyebrow. "Prince Roman. Fancy seeing you here."

[wiggly-blue-shite]

Chapter 37 From the Top

(Prof H X Ted)

When Henry and ted arrived at the beach Paul and Emma were already there, guns drawn, staring at the boat that was only a mile or less of the coast. Henry was right about there location.

They'd be there within the hour. A few others were also on the beach, armed. They weren't alone. They could do it. They're most definitely severely outnumbered, but they could do it. Maybe.

"Breath, Henry." Ted's voice was so calming. Henry squeezed Theodore's hand. They can do this. Henry was not going to lose anyone else.

Henry walked up to Emma and Paul, Theodore following behind.

"Hey guys." Ted patted Paul on the shoulder. Paul flinched a bit. Everyone's on edge.

"How are you Henry?" Emma sounded concerned. She was a good friend. Henry's glad that Emma was in his life.

"Better." Henry nodded slightly. All thanks to Theodore.

Henry stared at the boat. That's them. They're so close.

There are more infected. There would still be infected on the island. They wouldn't put all of their eggs in one basket. They're just stalling another wave of infected. They have to find another solution. They can't just keep fighting them over and over again. God why didn't he think of that before. Christ what was he thinking.

How could they kill off all of them at once. They're a hive mind... if you take out the head the whole thing goes down. The fish rots from the head. Ted you genius in disguise.

"Emma do you remember what you said 4 months ago, about the head of the hive mind? The meteor holding the head." Henry's brain was scrambled. It was just a blur.

"I don't remember!" Emma looked a little pissed but it faded quickly, "The brain came down in the meteor. Something like that."

That's it! The meteor. Henry doubted that PEIP had ever even touched the fucking thing. They need to take out the meteor.

They need to get on to that island. God damnit Henry why didn't you hunk of this sooner. Matters are to pressing right now. DAMNIT.

Henry realized that Ted was staring at him. Henry took a deep breath. He can't freak out. That does no one any good. He smiled at Ted. Theodore smiled nervously back. That beautiful smile

"I need to get to the island." Henry knew the other three would refuse him. They can't argue with logic though.

"To take out the head." Ted's voice seemed far away. He's lost in thought. Henry had expected Theodore to argue with him. But he didn't.

"I'm sorry you want to go back to fucking hatchetfield!"  Emma went back to yelling. Henry understood though, hatchetfield is dangerous. No one in there right mind would want to go back. But he has to.

"I need to take out the asteroid." Henry needed them to understand.

"You're not going alone." Paul's voice was steady. Henry never liked paul but he's a good guy.

"Well I'm going with him." Theodore grabbed Henry's hand, with his not gun hand. Of course he would want to come. "I'm not leaving you alone." He loved him so much.

"Well fuck that! Henry you're my best friend I'm going with you." Emma tried to look imposing, unfortunately her short stature counteracted that attempt.

"I go where she goes." Of course paul does. Henry knew he was going to need backup but all three of them felt reckless.

"We can't all go! Who's going to fight them off here!" Ted yelled.

"Well can't they do that!" Emma pointed l back up the beach. There was a small crowd of people gathered there, some with weapons some without. "It's their fucking town." Emma quieted down so they could hear her.

Henry never did really feel like he belonged in Clivesdale. As much as Henry hated teaching at Hatchetfield college, it was still preferred.

They can fight for their town. Henry was going to go back a finish the job in his own.

"Hello," Henry called out to the crowd, it got quieter, "as some of you probably know, we are the soul Hatchetfield survivors. Thank you for listening to us and coming to fight the fight." Henry felt like he was leading a protest which was absolutely ridiculous. "The four of us need to get on to the Hatchetfield island as soon as possible. We need you to fight here while we go." A couple people in the crowed nodded and murmured vague affirmations.

"Well it's settled then, all of us are going." Paul nodded like he didn't want to go back. But who really wants to go back to a place like that.

"How the fuck are we getting there?" Emma raised a good point. How the fuck would they get there? Shit Henry your brain really is giving up on you.

"I don't-" henry started.

"Hey I couldn't help but overhear, uhh do y'all need a boat?" A stranger with a very large gun walked over.

"Uh yes." Emma looked uncomfortable. Henry didn't really like this guy stepping into their conversation but he sounded helpful.

"Well I have a speedboat you guys can use."

Well that's convenient.

The boat ride took around 50 minutes. When they had gotten to the island chills went up Henry's spine. It looked deserted. It was so quiet. Why was it this quiet? It shouldn't be this quiet!

The four survivors walked down the middle of the street away from the dock towards the theater. They watched all around them. Where are they? Where did they go? They are not all on that boat.

They're probably not on the boat anymore. Henry hoped the Clivesdale citizens could fight for themselves. They can do this. Yeah.

No one spoke. Not a word. The sound of their walking was almost deafening.

They have to be here. They're just fucking playing with them. They've got to be. This is ridiculous. JUST FINISH THEN OFF, DON'T TORTURE THEM!

Henry took a deep breath. Theodore looked him in the eyes with such love. He didn't have to say anything. Henry knew everything would be fine. It has to be.

There it is. The old Starlight Theater.

It was completely disheveled. A big home in the front of the building where the asteroid hit.

It wasn't quiet anymore. There was a soft humming. They're here.

Henry gripped his gun tightly. This is it. They can go back to being happy, to their better lives in clivesdale.

Henry took on step in the building. It was so cold.

Creak

It echoed throughout the whole building. The humming stopped. Henry could hear movement.

Theodore, Emma, and Paul joined Henry inside. Guns drawn. This is the end.

Henry dared to take a step closer to the door that separated the lobby and the theater. That's where they are. All near the brain. Of course.

This cowardice is doing them no good. Henry pushed the door open.

Empty.

They must be hiding somewhere. They're playing with them.

Henry saw the asteroid. It was huge and menacing. It radiated blue. It was so god damn blue. Henry couldn't look away.

CREAK

There they are.

A creaking sound came from the stage right wing. Henry shot at it. He was met by operatic screaming. Henry's head hurt. It was so loud. So so loud. The infected emerged from the wings and started walking towards them, arms still outstretched.

"Paul, Emma. Distract them." Henry heard the infected coming from all directions. God they've been surrounded haven't they. Henry walked them into a trap.

God the screaming. Henry could hardly think.

If paul and Emma could get some of the infected off of Henry's back, he could destroy the asteroid. Maybe.

Paul and Emma ran off in opposite directions, yelling and screaming. The infected seemed to be drawn to the two.

"Watch my back Theodore."

"Of course." Despite the cold bleak theatre, Ted had warmth and love in his voice.

Henry hurried to the stage. A few infected redirected their attention to Henry but were promptly shot by Theodore.

The singing only grew louder. It wasn't singing really. It had no soul. It was just a perfect 5th. They grew louder and louder.

Henry tried to tune them out, but he couldn't. It was so loud. Henry could hardly breath.

Staring down the asteroid. Where does he start. WHERE. The world is at stake. Theatre, human science, human music, human food, Theodore's cooking, Emma's jokes, Theodore's singing, Theodore's eyes, Theodore's smile, Ted. They were all at stake. It all rested on Henry's shoulder and here he is not knowing where to start.

He began to chip away at the asteroid.

This isn't doing any good. It's a waste and time and energy.

He's failing all of humanity.

Tears rushed down his face.

He picked away at it more and more. A chunk fell of revealing a chuck of blue.

Henry threw his gas mask on.

It was so so blue. It almost hurt to look at it.

Henry began to tear at the blue shit. It did nothing. It just sat there. Of course picking at it would do nothing. Nothing at all.

Henry pulled out his hunting knife and stabbed it. It just became more blue. Why did it get bluer? Why. Why won't it die?

He has to be able to stop it. There has to be a way. It can't be indestructible, right.

Henry fell to his knees. Tears getting stuck and the bottom on the mask. Henry can't breath in this. He threw it off.

"Henry are you o-"

BANG

~~~

The beginning of the end.

[5hfanfiction]

Why Did I Get Married?

Part 11: Truce?

“Hello Hailee,” Camila smiled sweetly. “Can we talk?”

When the secretary’s eyes fell upon her boss’ wife and the woman who hated her with every fibre of her being, the only words one could’ve used to describe how Hailee felt was ‘scared shitless.’

She pushed herself away from her desk and started looking for a way to run, but unfortunately for her, there was only one way to leave her desk and Camila was standing there smiling at her.

Smiling? Ha! As if Hailee was going to fall for that. She was a tiger waiting to pounce on its prey.

Hailee was on her feet and started backing away to the wall. “Listen Camila, I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t mean to cause any drama in your life and your marriage. I swear.” The singer kinked an eyebrow at her. She didn’t know why Hailee was going on about this, but she decided to play along.

“You’re sorry?” Camila scoffed. “Sorry for ruining my marriage? Sorry for the fact that I can’t even look at my wife because of your dumb mistake!” She took slow steps towards the woman. “You’re a despicable human being, Hailee.”

The secretary’s back was now pressed against the wall. “I know I am. I didn’t know what I was thinking when I kissed her. I was drunk but that doesn’t constitute for the fact that what I did was wrong and I’m extremely sorry, Camila.” She cowered away from her boss’ wife.

Realising the woman was scared enough, Camila cracked a smile and laughed. “Chill, Hailee. I’m not going to stab you.” She stuck her hand out for the woman to hold it.

Hailee just stared at it, not making any move to grab her hand. “That sounds like something a person who’s going to stab you would say.”

Camila rolled her eyes and grabbed her hand and dragged her along. “Come. I want to talk to you.” She pushed open the doors to her wife’s office and told Hailee to take a seat whilst she sat at the edge’s of Lauren’s desk.

“Are you going to fire me? I’m not qualified for anything else besides a secretary, and I really like my job,” Hailee said in a scared tone. “I could probably go into singing but you’re like incredible and your songs. Wow. I could never compare to any of that.”

Camila pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed heavily. She was having second thoughts about actually stabbing the woman.

“Can you relax for a second? I’m not going to fire you. Yet,” she muttered the last word. “I just want to talk.” She said frustratedly. “Lauren told me what happened between the both of you. And I guess, if anyone I should be mad at, it should be you.”

The secretary looked down at her lap.

“But I don’t hate you. It doesn’t mean what you did wasn’t wrong, but I’ve…” Camila paused. She wasn’t going to lie right now. “I’ve hated you long enough. You’ve been there for my family when I wasn’t and I must thank you for that…so thank you. And I’m sorry for the way our relationship deteriorated over the years.”

Hailee looked up at the brunette in sheer shock. “Are you seriously apologising to me? I’m the one who should be sorry! I’ve been the reason your marriage is the way is it right now.” She sighed heavily. Remorse evident in her voice. “I’m so sorry, Camila. It was never my intention to hurt any of you, especially Izzy.”

Camila looked at the woman and could see how visibly sorry she was. “I’m not saying that you’re not responsible, but you’re not solely responsible. Lauren and I should also be held accountable for what happened between us." 

Hailee nodded in understanding. "Okay. I uh…”

The singer shook her head and smiled softly. “Truce?” She stuck her hand out for the woman to take. “I’ve been so hurt and mad over this for way too long, that even though it was damaging my marriage, I couldn’t even look pass this. I’m ready to move on Hailee, and that means…” Camila cringed slightly, “That means forgiving you.”

The secretary took the woman’s hand and shook it gently. “Truce.” She felt a bit relieved.

“But that doesn’t mean that I want you breathing down Lauren’s neck or hovering over my daughter,” she glared.

Hailee nodded furiously. “I totally understand. Hell, I’ll back away completely if I have to.”

Camila got off the desk and patted Hailee on the head. “Chill. I’m kidding….not exactly,” she pulled out a pocket knife from her jacket and smirked at Hailee’s reaction. Camila grabbed the apple off her wife’s desk and began to slice it. Popping a piece into her mouth. “But Lauren says you help her out when I’m not there and I really appreciate that. It’s just…I guess you need to know your place.”

***

“Well, well, well would you look at that,” Maggie Jauregui said as she paused at the couple’s bedroom door. “I never thought I’ll see the day where Camila is moving back into the unholy room that is Camren.”

Lauren threw a pillow carelessly at her sister who dodged it with ease. “What are you doing here? Who even let you in?”

“My beloved niece allowed me to enter your humble abode,” Maggie smiled sweetly at her sister. She propped herself against the doorframe looking on at the couple.

Camila rolled her eyes. “I thought I told Izzy not to open the door for strangers.” She stuck her tongue out at the woman.

Maggie fake gasped. “Ouch, Camzii. To think I thought we had something special. Something real,” she approached the woman and held her hand looking into her eyes. “I thought we were something.”

Camila laughed and shoved the woman away. “Why aren’t you an actress? I swear you’re so extra sometimes.”

“That’s why I’m a model,” Maggie winked. “Those bitches can be so extra, oh my god. Have you seen how some of those walk that Victoria Secret’s runway? Like y'all the lingerie is ugly, but they’re working it which makes me wanna empty my bank account on that shit.”

Lauren stared at her sister in awe. Wondering where half the shit that comes out of mouth actually comes from. “Mags…you’re a Victoria Secret’s Model. Did you just…did you just diss yourself?”

The woman shrugged. “Self deprecating is what I do best to be honest,” she looked around the room. “Anyway, what’s going on here? You’re moving back in?” Camila nodded. “Are you gonna start having sex again?”

“What’s sex?”

The three women in the room spun around to be greeted to Isabella Jauregui. The kid sure did have impeccable timing, just like her mother; who always seem to catch Hailee and Lauren in a position that Camila did not like one bit.

Maggie stooped to her niece’s height. Both Camila and Lauren were scared out of their minds.

What was Maggie going to tell their daughter?

“That’s a lovely jacket you got there kiddo,” Maggie acknowledged. “Can I get it? I think it’ll look cute with my jeans, don’t you think?”

Izzy shook her head 'no’. “But you can’t fit in it, tía.”

Maggie fake gasped and clutched chest. “Are you calling me fat?”

Izzy giggled. “No! I’m not. You’re beautiful just the way you are.”

The child’s aunt blushed. “What the hell, why is a kid smoother than me?” She ruffled her niece’s hair. “But you’re even more beautiful. Between you and me,” Maggie whispered loudly into the child’s ear. “You’re more beautiful than your mummys.” She pretended to shush Izzy so she wouldn’t say anything.

Izzy zipped her lips and giggled.

Her parents breathed a sigh of relief. Thank God the child had a very short attention span.

Maggie stood up and winked at Izzy’s parents.

“What are you doing, mummy?” Izzy asked as she went and sat on her parents’ bed.

Camila and Lauren sat on either side of their daughter. “Well, mummy and I would be sleeping in the same room again.”

Izzy furrowed her eyebrows. “Why?” Her parents had never actually told her why they weren’t sleeping in the same room, she also never questioned it.

Camila looked over at Lauren. They were both at a lost for words. Not exactly sure what to say, but they didn’t want to tell her too much to worry her.

“Well mummy used to never like to share a bed with me. She used to snore a lot.” Lauren pretended to snore causing Izzy giggled. “So now that she got some medicine from the doctor, she’s coming back in here with me.”

“Is that okay with you, princesa?” Camila asked her daughter who still seemed a bit confused, but she didn’t want to ask anything to hurt her parents feelings.

Izzy nodded. “Yeah I am. Can we all sleep in here tonight? Like a sleep over?”

Lauren kissed her on her forehead. “Sure, princesa. Whatever you want. We can watch a movie too.”

“Frozen?!” Izzy asked excitedly as she began to bounce up and down on the bed.

Maggie groaned loudly. “Ugh. What is it with children and this dumb movie?”

“Frozen isn’t dumb!” Camila and her daughter said simultaneously.

“Ugh. Children,” the model rolled her eyes. “Are you done with moving back into the room anyway?”

Lauren nodded. “Yeah, we are. It was basically just Camila’s clothes, shoes and her guitar. That’s about it.”

“Right. Right,” Maggie shrugged. The room fell quiet, Lauren kept staring at her sister waiting to discover what her purpose of being in their home was.

But then again, she was always in the Jauregui - Cabellos’ home.

“Why are you here, Maggie?” Lauren decided to ask. “Something we can help you with?”

The woman shrugged. “Nah. I was just in the neighbourhood. I guess I should…” she pointed out the door and started backing away. “Nice to see y'all are working things out.”

Lauren stood up and followed her beloved younger sister out their bedroom door. “Mags, wait,” the model stopped and turned to face her. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing is wrong,” Maggie avoided eye contact with her sister. “I’m fine.” She looked up and smiled. But Lauren wasn’t buying it. “It’s just…” Maggie sighed heavily. “Mom and Dad.”

Lauren kinked an eyebrow, “What’s going on with them?” She guided her sister to the living room and took a seat. “Is it the divorce?”

The younger Jauregui nodded sadly. “I just…I don’t know why they’re divorcing you know?” She placed her hands over her face and sighed. “I always idolised their marriage. I mean, I don’t even know if I want to get married, but they were always so in love. What happened to them?”

Lauren opened her mouth to speak but shut it. Was she really going to break this to her sister?

“People break up for many reasons, Mags.”

Maggie sighed and shrugged. “Yeah I guess.” She couldn’t understand why her parents were divorcing. Whenever she asked her parents, they always have her a vague answer. Though Maggie may seem hyper and extremely happy, she was a very sensitive person. Her family knew that. “I should probably be going. I have a flight to catch later.”

“Where are you going?” Camila asked as she took a seat on the chair’s armrest near her sister-in-law.

“I’m heading to LA for a quick photo shoot with Barbara. Then I have to head to New York,” Maggie stood and fixed her clothes. “I’ll see you when I see you. Bye mini me,” she lifted her niece and wrapped her arms tightly around her aunt.

“I love you, tía,” Izzy said as she placed a kiss on her aunt’s cheek. “Bring me candy when you’re coming back.”

Maggie smiled. “Aw. I love you too, kiddo. I’ll bring you back so much candy, you’ll get sick eating it. Be good for your mummy okay? Not your mama, she’s mean.” Lauren rolled her eyes. “Later, losers.”

“Mummy?” Izzy looked at Camila as her aunt exited their home. “Can we visit abuelita? I haven’t seen her in forever,” the child said dramatically.

Camila looked to her wife who shrugged. It had in fact been quite some time since they had visited Sinu and after the last therapy session, maybe it was a good idea to visit her mother.

***

“Mija,” Sinu’s thick Argentinian accent filled her daughter’s ears. She pulled Camila into a hug.

Camila smiled. “Hola mami. ¿Cómo estás?”

Sinu picked up her granddaughter and placed various kisses all over her face. “I’m good now. It’s been so long since I’ve seen mi linda nieta.”

Izzy giggled. “But I’m your only granddaughter.”

The old Argentinian gasped. “Oh really? I thought you had a hermana?”

Izzy shook her head 'no’. The banter between the granddaughter and grandmother caused Camila’s heart to swell. It was the same relationship she had with her mother when she was younger, and was extremely happy that her daughter had the same with Sinu. Unlike her relationship with Izzy; it needed some work but it was getting there.

After an hour or two, Izzy fell asleep on her grandmother’s couch. Camila decided to give her a moment to rest before they headed back home.

“I may be old, mija, but I can sense that there’s something on your mind,” Sinu said as she handed her daughter a cup of tea and took a seat next to her. “What’s troubling you?”

Camila sighed.

She wasn’t sure if she wanted to start discussing the topic of her father. Her mother tried to talk about him with her, but Camila always brushed it off. She hated him after all.

“It’s about Alejandro.”

Sinu nodded. “What about him? There’s so many things to talk about.”

Camila rolled her eyes. “I don’t really want to go in depth. It’s just…” She paused. “Have you spoken to Valentina since?”

“I have,” Sinu revealed causing her daughter to look at her in shock. “I don’t harbour any animosity towards her or Alejandro anymore, mija. Sometimes you have to let go.”

Camila scoffed. “The same way he let go of us?! I can’t believe you don’t even hate him! Or her for that matter!”

Sinu shushed her. “Listen, Camila. I’m not saying what your father did was right, because it wasn’t. I’m saying that I forgave him a long time ago. I won’t hold any sort of hatred in my heart,” She turned to look at Izzy who kicked off her blanket in her sleep. Sinu smiled. “If I didn’t marry him, I wouldn’t have had you and there wouldn’t have been her.” She gestured at her granddaughter.

“But he hurt you, mami.”

Sinu nodded. “That he did. However it’s been years. Of course I’m still hurt but I don’t hate him. I don’t hate Valentina, and I definitely don’t hate Rebecca.”

Camila furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. “Who’s Rebecca?”

“She’s your half sister,” Sinu silenced her before she could speak. “Don’t even think about saying anything. Rebecca is the only innocent one in all this mess your father caused. Besides you and I. It’s not possible to hate her, or blame her for anything.”

Camila sighed. Her mother did have a point. It wasn’t her fault their father cheated and ruined his first family’s lives.

“I…Okay. Have you met Rebecca as well?”

Her mother nodded. “After your father’s death, we all were going through something. I respected that you didn’t want to talk about it, but I did. After a few years, I allowed myself to forgive him and that’s when I decided to meet with them. Rebecca is a lovely girl,” Sinu smiled. “You’ll like her.”

Camila shrugged. “How old is she anyway?”

“She’s 16.”

“Ah. The annoying teenage years,” Sinu laughed. “Does she know who I am?”

Sinu nodded again. “She does. It’s kind of crazy you know? Your sister,” Camila looked at her mother pointedly. “Half sister. Is one of the biggest stars out there, and you have never met her.”

The singer kinked an eyebrow at her mother. “Are you insinuating something, mami?”

Sinu only smiled cheekily. “I’m not insinuating anything, mija.” She stood and gave her daughter a pat on the head. “I know you have a good heart. I know hating your father is killing you, because you two were like bread and butter. So when you’re willing to let go of the hate you have for him,” she took Camila’s phone and typed in a phone number before giving her daughter it back. “You should call that number.”

Camila looked down at her phone.

Rebecca: 1 305 467 9807

She locked her phone and looked up at her mother. Sinu had Izzy in her arms as the child had just woken up.

In a sense, Rebecca was in the same position as Izzy. Given the fact that both her parents had been fighting with each other and their marriage had been going downhill. Izzy didn’t deserve any of it and neither did Rebecca deserve any of the hate Camila had.

She wasn’t sure if she was ready to meet Rebecca or Valentina. She may have excused her half sister, but Valentina was the woman who took her father away, forgiving her was not on the table right now; or possibly ever.

***

On their way back home, Izzy begged her mother to stop at a park they had passed on the way to Sinu. Camila agreed because she needed to work on her relationship with her daughter. So she didn’t have any issues spending time with Izzy before she had to go back to work.

Camila’s phone began to ring while she was walking around with Izzy; when she looked at the caller, it was her manager; Roger.

“Hey, Roge,” the singer answered the phone. “What’s up?” She took a seat on a bench and watched her daughter who was a bit of a distance off. “Izzy! Stay where I can see you.”

Camila kept her eyes on her daughter, but the child approached a girl; possibly in her teens who was walking her dog, and began to pet it. Izzy always had a habit of petting dogs no matter where or when she saw them.

Hanging up her phone, the young mother approached her daughter and the younger girl. “Izzy, princesa are you ready to go?”

At the sound of her voice, the teenager froze, and slowly looked up at the woman.

“Mummy! This is my new friend Becky and this is her puppy Nugget,” Izzy giggled at the dog’s name. Completely unaware of her new friend’s reaction to her mother. It seemed to go a bit further than star struck.

The singer smiled at the girl. “Hey, I’m Camila. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Hi. Yeah. Um…I’m Becky,” the teenager introduced herself awkwardly. “I know who you are,” she laughed. “Well everyone knows who you are.”

Camila laughed softly. “Yeah, you’re right. I like your dog. He’s cute.” She stooped at the dog’s level and began petting him. He was extremely friendly.

The girl smiled. “Thanks. My mom got him for me when my dad died.”

“Oh. I’m sorry to hear that,” Camila frowned.

Becky shrugged. “It’s fine. No use in crying over something that happened over 10 years ago.”

Camila stopped petting the dog and looked at the teenager with furrowed eyebrows, because her dad; Alejandro passed away a little over 10 years ago. It must have been a coincidence.

Right?

“I should probably be heading home,” Becky stood and dusted off her pants. “My mom will throw a fit if she doesn’t see me in,” she looked at her watch. “Five minutes ago.”

Camila laughed. “I’m sorry for holding you back.”

Izzy pouted. “Can I get to see Nugget again?”

Her mother was about to protest but Becky spoke up. “I’m always in the park at this hour. So whenever you want to see him, you can ask your mummy to bring you.” She smiled.

“Yay! Mummy can you bring me here everyday?” Izzy turned to look up at her mother who laughed.

“Not everyday, princesa. But maybe once for the week,” she looked at Becky who nodded. “Tell Nugget adiós.”

Before leaving, Izzy hugged Nugget and then his owner. “It was nice meeting you Becky. I can’t wait to see you again!”

The teenager smiled and ruffled the child’s hair. “It was nice meeting you too, kiddo!” She then turned to address the child’s mother. “It was nice meeting you, Camila. I’ll see you around.”

Camila furrowed her eyebrows. “Wait, you’re not going to ask for a picture? Autograph? Nothing?”

Becky shook her head and laughed. “Nah, I’m good. I’m a fan but I’m not a major fan. I’ll keep the meeting forever engraved in my brain though.” She tapped her head and smiled. “Unless you want me to ask for those stuff?”

Camila laughed. “It’s okay. I just know there’s some crazy fans out there who wouldn’t have let me go without asking for a picture. But it was nice meeting you. I guess we’ll be seeing you.”

Walking away from each other, Camila failed to, or rather chose to ignore the fact that the girl sort of looked like her. She ignored the fact that she had the same smile as her, her eyes kind of looked like hers, and maybe her resemblance was a bit uncanny, but still.

People looked like each other didn’t they?

Despite the fact that she did have a half sister out there, who technically from what she knew, didn’t live too far from her mother.

It probably was just a coincidence.

***

“Laur,” Camila called when they reentered their home. “We’re back.”

Her wife stuck her head into the living room. “Hey, how was abuela’s?” She had an apron around her waist and oven mitts on her hands.

“Abuelita is fine. She said to give you a hug,” Izzy ran towards her mother and wrapped her small frame around her leg. Lauren laughed. “What are you making mama?”

“Your favourite, princesa. Chocolate chip cookies!” Lauren said excitedly. “I’m about to put them in the jar, do you want to help?”

Izzy nodded eagerly.

The family of three went into the kitchen, and watched as their daughter started putting the cookies away.

“Camz?”

Camila snapped out of her thoughts. “Yeah, sorry. What’s up?”

“Are you okay?” Lauren asked with concern evident in her eyes. “You seem distracted. Did something happen at your mom’s?”

Her wife shook her head and smiled. “It’s nothing to worry about, it’s just been a long day.”

“Camz,” Lauren said pointedly. Camila sighed heavily. “Princesa, why don’t you take two and watch tv for a bit, yeah? Then we’ll get started on dinner.”

Izzy nodded and grabbed at least five cookies, because why not?

Fuck, a cavity.

“So you know about my dad after today,” Lauren nodded. “I spoke to my mom about it and she told me that she had met up with Valentina and I guess…my half sister, Rebecca.” She sighed. “I just don’t know how to feel about all this. After everything my dad put my mom through, how could she forgive him and forgive her?”

Lauren took her wife’s hand in hers and looked her in the eyes. “Sometimes it’s better to let go of the pain, amor. No matter how much the person hurt you. You can still be mad at him, at her, but it’s better to let go. To move on.”

Camila hesitantly moved closer to Lauren and buried her face in her chest, “But I don’t want to.” She whined. “It’s so much easier to hate him. To hate her.”

The older woman laughed and awkwardly patted her wife’s back. “At least you’re not being unreasonable and hating your sister.”

“She’s innocent in all this I guess,” she pulled away from Lauren and sat on the island. “If I have to meet anyone, I’ll like to meet her first. Then work my way up to her…puta of a mother.” Camila took a bite of a chocolate chip cookie. “These are pretty good. I see why Izzy snatched a bunch.”

Lauren kinked an eyebrow. “And you didn’t tell her to put back some?”

Camila shrugged. “You didn’t tell her anything either.”

“That’s because I didn’t see!”

“Ugh. Can we go back to my family dilemma please?” The singer asked dramatically. “Izzy doesn’t even eat much junk food, she wouldn’t die.”

Lauren took off the oven mitts and tossed it on the island, taking a seat next to her wife. “What do you want to do about Valentina and Rebecca? Do you think you’re ready to meet either of them?”

Camila wasn’t sure if she was ever going to be ready to meet either one of them. She wasn’t even sure if she ever wanted to meet them to begin with. It had been over 10 years since her dad passed away; taking into consideration she never even attended his funeral, or acknowledged his existence or Valentina’s after her parents’ divorce.

“I think…” Camila paused. “I think in time, I’ll want to talk to Rebecca first. Then maybe…I don’t know I’ll like to speak to Valentina and get everything off my chest. It’s been 10 years. I have to let go one day, right?”

Lauren nodded. “Right.” She smiled. “And I’ll be here for moral support if you’ll like. If you want, we can kidnap Valentina, you can kill her, then we’ll dump her body in a lake and no one will ever know it’s us.”

Camila laughed.

“We can be Bonnie and Clyde 2.0.”

The singer shoved her wife playfully. “I hate her, Laur. But not enough to kill her. Think about my fans! They’ll never get to hear all the good stuff I’ve got hidden under my sleeves.”

Her wife rolled her eyes. “Rightttt. Let’s not forget you have a daughter to take care of.”

“Izzy is a big girl, she can take care of herself.”

Lauren facepalmed. “How are you a mother again?”

The couple laughed.

After their last therapy session, it hadn’t been long, but it seemed as though their relationship was progressing a bit. Of course it wasn’t back to normal, but one step at a time.

***

“So uh,” Lauren said awkwardly. She was clad in her pyjamas along with her wife, who was standing at the foot of the bed. “Which side do you want? Like I know you sleep on the left side, but do you still want it? Because if not, you can have the right side.”

Camila laughed softly at her wife’s awkwardness. She was a bit nervous about sleeping in their old bedroom. Sharing a bed with Lauren after so long was bound to be awkward, but thankfully for Izzy who had demanded a sleep over, their first night back together wasn’t going to be that bad.

“Either side is fine, Laur,” she tugged back the duvet. “But I’ll take the left side if you insist.”

The feel of the bed was both comforting and scary. It had been so long that she actually forgot what it felt like. Scary; because their relationship was only going to progress and she wasn’t sure how she was going to keep up. Given that again, it had been so long.

“Princesa,” Camila called their daughter, “Why don’t you put in the movie and come up here?”

Izzy nodded. “Is Frozen okay?”

“No.”

“Yes.”

Lauren rolled her eyes. “Yeah. Fine. Whatever. Dumb movie,” she muttered under her breath. “Not like we’ve seen it a million times but okay. Frozen again. Woo! Let it go. Libre soy. Bullshit.”

“Did you say something, mama?” Izzy looked at her mother in confusion.

Lauren smiled. “No baby. I just can’t wait to watch Frozen! You know how much I love Olaf.” She said excitedly.  “Now come on. Get in bed and let’s start it.”

A couple minutes into the movie, Izzy passed out. She was snuggled into Camila’s side and Lauren couldn’t help but admire the sight. It had been a couple months since she saw this. And a little over a year since the three of them did this.

Of course, they had family movie night, but it was usually in the living room; where Izzy would pass out a few minutes into the movie, and Lauren would’ve taken her up to her room.

“She’s so precious,” Camila whispered looking down at their daughter. “I can’t believe we made this. We made her.”

Lauren smiled. “Me either. She’s perfect. You’re perfect.” She whispered out the last part. It was so soft that if Camila hadn’t been paying attention, she wouldn’t have heard it.

Luckily, it was dark otherwise, Lauren would’ve seen the blush that had spread across her wife’s face.

“This is weird,” Camila revealed. “Not weird in a bad sense or a good sense, but it’s just…different.”

“Well we haven’t shared the same room in a little over a year, and we never slept in the same bed since, so yeah. It’s bound to be super weird, Camz,” Lauren said as she laughed softly. “And you made it even more awkward by pointing it out.”

Camila giggled, her body vibrations causing their daughter to stir in her sleep. “Oh right,” she looked down at Izzy. “It’s so cool having a mini version of you. Like wow. This is mine. This is me. I created this?! Like wow.” The woman rambled looking at her daughter.

Lauren sighed and laid down on the bed. “You’re weird, Camz.”

“You’re weirder, Laur,” Camila mimicked her wife. “Are you sleeping?” She asked after Lauren had been silent for a few minutes.

The photographer turned her head to look at her wife. “Nah. I’m just thinking.”

“About?”

“About us. About you. About everything I guess,” she sighed. “We’ve come a long way since that day in Spanish class.”

Camila smiled to herself at the memory. “Yeah, yeah we really did…” She paused and looked up at the ceiling. There were glow in the dark stars on it; something Lauren always wanted. “Thank you. Thank you for never giving up on me. I know how hard I am to be with. But I don’t want you to think that my love for you isn’t genuine.”

“You don’t have to thank me for anything, Camz. Ever,” Lauren took her wife’s hand that was wrapped around their daughter’s petite frame and kissed it gently. “I want to be the one for you, because you’re the one for me. You mean so much to me that I can’t imagine a life without you.”

“I know we’re not okay now,” Camila ran her hand through Izzy’s hair and locked eyes with her wife in the moonlit bedroom. “But…but I want to spend my lifetime loving you,” she began to sing softly. “If that is all in life that I ever do, I want to spend my lifetime loving you. If that is all in life I ever do…”

Lauren felt her heart accelerate at the sound of her wife’s melodious voice filling her ears. She had heard her singing this song once and she had assumed it was for her upcoming album. What she never once thought about was that this song was written about her.

“I will want nothing else to see me through. If I can spend my lifetime loving you.”

***

[nebulous-frog]

The Next Night Ch. 1

Summary: Germany in 1937 was a hard place for anyone "different". Dan just wanted to live his life, fall in love, and die surrounded by family, but his particular community was too "different". Dan found himself hiding, wishing for a better world, maybe even finding it in the eyes of an unlikely savior.

Masterlist

Rating: Teen and Up

Warnings: Major Character Death, Graphic Depictions of Violence, Swearing, Homophobia, Panic Attacks, Holocaust, Nazis

Word Count: 2348 (This chapter)

Challenge: 20k History Challenge 

Genre: Holocaust, Slow Burn, Angst

Author’s Note: This is a Holocaust Fic. I don't want to say everything that happens, of course, but I do want that to be clear. Most of the tags I put for the first chapter won't apply until later on in the fic, but I didn't want anyone to come in totally blind. I will definitely put warnings for each chapter as they come, as well. I'm not sure how many chapters there'll be yet, but I do have a plan and guarantee I'll be finishing this fic. 

I have done extensive research, and I know what I’m talking about, although some facts have been skewed for the purposes of the story. 

This is written for @phanfichallenge's 20k History Challenge (hopefully it gets to 20k lmao).

Many, many thanks to @pedestriansquirrel and @auroraphilealis for betaing! Y'all are fantastic and I love you <3

Chapter 2

Link to AO3 Fics Masterlist

The Bird’s Nest was always lively on Friday nights. Everyone had just finished a long week of tedious work, or job searching, or the trials of a life spent lying to loved ones, and needed an escape from the hell that was Germany in 1937. They needed a place to be themselves again. A place where, figuratively, they didn’t have to hide, even though they were literally hiding.

Dan had only been there a few times before; he’d always been afraid that the one time he came would be the one time the police conducted a raid and arrested everyone. The rumors were that people who played for the other team were arrested, beaten, and then shipped off to who-the-hell-knows-where, probably never to be seen again.

The few that came back were skin and bones, rarely making eye contact, and flinching at the slightest movement.

But Dan had had enough of feeling like a complete outsider, so he had started frequenting The Bird’s Nest in the last month to meet other people like him - people attracted to the same sex.

He had chosen this particular bar because, although it could get busy, it was relatively calm and well hidden. He worried less about getting caught here than at some of the other bars he’d heard of, especially after hearing some of the stories from the other patrons of The Bird’s Nest. They told tales of constantly running like hell to get away from the cops, trying to keep their heads down so their faces wouldn’t be remembered, as they fled some of the bigger, more prominent bars in the area.

Yeah, the Bird’s Nest was raided far less than any of the other places.

That night, Dan arrived and spoke the coded sentence to the “store” at the front of the bar, and entered into what felt like a completely different world. The lighting was soft, gently caressing the faces of the men drinking and flirting. Soft, sweet music played in the background, courtesy of a pianist in the corner. Despite how many people there were, it wasn’t so loud that Dan couldn’t be heard when he ordered his drink or picked up a conversation.

So far, he hadn’t been brave enough to let things go too far with anyone else at The Bird’s Nest any of the nights he’d stopped by. Sure, there had been flirting, maybe a little kissing, but nothing too intense. Finally, Dan had worked up enough courage (and sexual frustration) to decide that tonight would be different.

There was an empty seat at the bar next to an attractive man with dark hair and pale skin, so Dan took it.

“Is this seat taken?” he asked, trying to act indifferent and hoping the shake in his voice wasn’t too noticeable.

The stranger glanced at Dan briefly, barely taking the time to notice him, before shaking his head. “It’s all yours, sweetheart.” His voice was deep and rough, which sent shivers down Dan’s spine. The man waved at the bartender to bring over two drinks as Dan sat down.

When two shot glasses filled with clear liquid slid in front of them, Dan and the stranger clinked them together, and downed the alcohol in one.

“So what’s your name, sweetheart?” the man asked, turning slightly so he was just barely facing Dan.

Now, Dan could see a dark layer of stubble across the stranger’s jaw, and pretty blue eyes staring back at him.

Well, he’s attractive. Don’t fuck it up, Dan.

“I suppose I’ll tell you, since you were so nice and bought me a drink,” Dan said with a wink. “I’m Dan.”

One corner of the stranger’s lips quirked up slightly. “Well, Dan, what brings you to this fine establishment?”

To have a sense of belonging in this rotten hell of a world? No, that’s too honest. Sex? Too forward. Play it cool.

Dan smiled shyly and leaned his elbows on the bar. “What, I don’t get a name in return? Maybe that’s why I’m here.”

The stranger chuckled. “You’re here just for the name of a stranger?”

Dan gave him big, innocent doe eyes. “Oh no, not just a stranger. A handsome stranger, perhaps. And maybe not just a name.”

“Well, if you came all the way here I might as well tell you. The name’s Grant.”

“Grant?” Dan acted intrigued. He leaned forward and put his hand on Grant’s forearm. “I’ve never met a Grant before! How interesting. Tell me about yourself, then.” Dan rested his head in the hand that was not currently touching Grant and smiled, trying to look like he was paying attention.

And boy, did Grant tell Dan about himself.

He talked for a solid half an hour about his dull job as a factory worker, about his shitty marriage to a woman he could never love, about his family’s expectations and desires and demands and blah blah blah.

Dan was becoming less attracted to him by the minute, but he had come here for a reason and damn if he wasn’t about to listen to some guy talk for this long and not get something out of it.

Somehow, Dan managed not to fall asleep, and maybe even seem somewhat interested, humming and laughing in all the right places with little understanding tilts of his head thrown in. He didn’t say much himself, until finally, Grant leaned in and said what Dan had been waiting for the whole night.

“So, Dan. What would you say about maybe getting out of the public eye and finding an empty spot in the back for the two of us?” Grant asked, smirking and raising an eyebrow suggestively.

About fucking time.

“Hmmm, I don’t know. Do you think you can handle it?” Dan let his gaze wander from Grant’s strong jawline, to his strong forearms, to his pale, thick neck. Damn, is there anything that isn’t strong about this guy? His eyes flickered back up to meet Grant’s gaze.

Grant leaned forward, mouth right next to Dan’s ear, and placed a hand on Dan’s knee. “Oh, definitely, sweetheart,” he whispered.

Dan shivered and stood. “Let’s go then.”

Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if I hadn’t gone with Grant that night… if I hadn’t inadvertently found a place to hide.

Grant led Dan outside, and pressed Dan up against the back wall of a closet, shutting the door behind them once they were both inside. Grant found Dan’s body in the dark, his hands grasping Dan’s hips, and his mouth pressing insistently over Dan’s.

Five minutes later, Dan found himself panting into Grant’s mouth between vicious kisses, body aching for more. It was as if his body knew that Dan was finally going to get what he wanted.

Things were just starting to get interesting, what with Grant’s hand creeping lower down Dan’s body, when it all seemed to go downhill

Dan had just moaned into the kiss, hoping to keep things moving along, something he’d been craving from anyone for weeks now, when suddenly Grant pulled away.

“Hey, come back,” Dan whined. He tugged on Grant’s loose collar, brow furrowed in confusion, and eyes snapping open in an attempt to make out what was going on.

“No, wait. Shh,” Grant replied, leaning away from Dan, and tilting his head closer to the closet door.

Dan pouted, but did as he was told. He could hear some loud footsteps outside the closet, but didn’t think too much of it. He was too preoccupied to really care - until he heard someone starting to yell.

“Run! It’s a raid!” The voice was panicked and shrill, its owner sounding genuinely terrified.

Dan’s eyes widened. A raid? Now, of all times?! Shit, I have to get out! He quickly started to use the hand already around Grant’s neck to reach around him in order to yank the door open, but Grant stopped him.

“No way, sweetheart, I’m out first,” he said, shoving Dan back farther into the closet and knocking him over. Dan fell hard on his ass with a solid thud as Grant wrenched open the door, and slammed it shut behind him.

I don’t feel too much anger for that, anymore. Phil told me he personally arrested a man with pale skin, stubble, and dark hair, so I guess shoving me out of the way didn’t help him too much in the long run.

For that one brief moment where the door was open, Dan heard yelling and shrieks of terror, and saw people running for any back door they could find, all of which only fueled his imagination.

What if they’re already here? he wondered. What if the warning came too late? Oh my god, they’re beating people, aren’t they?! I have to get out, I have to run! If I stay here, I’ll be arrested and shipped somewhere horrible. I have to get out! Dan thought as he gaped up at the closed door from where he had fallen to the floor. Shocked at the cruelty of Grant’s self-preservation instincts, and paralyzed with a literal fear of death at the hands of an unknown evil, it took Dan a moment to gather himself enough to stand up. When he did, he went to the door and opened it just enough to see if the cost was clear.

His body was thrumming with adrenaline even before he saw what lay behind the dark wood.

Stood directly in front of the door was a policeman, back to the closet.

Dan stopped breathing and stared at the back of the policeman’s head.

Oh my god. I’m going to be arrested. I can’t run anywhere. Oh my god, he thought, panicked. His heart was racing, beating faster and faster as his imagination ran wild. Horrific images of what could happen to him flashed through his brain, some based on the stories he had heard and some exaggerated by his own imagination. He saw himself dragged away, not screaming and fighting like the people outside his closet, but limp and resigned, as if he had already given up long ago. Images of himself starving to death, covered in bruises from the officers that he imagined as heartless, cruel watchmen of his prison. He imagined smokestacks and bodies and all of it was connected to the light hair of the policeman that still stood directly in front of Dan.

Somehow, he managed to quietly close the door and direct his focus to finding a hiding place in the closet, although it didn’t seem like it would do him much good. Where would he even hide? Under a pile of clothes? No matter what he did, there was a policeman literally right outside the door of the ridiculous closet Dan had chosen to snog a near-stranger.

Carefully and quietly, Dan turned around to assess the situation. Unfortunately, it was pitch black in the closet, so he had no real idea of where he could hide. Dan began groping the walls and reaching for anything he might be able to hide behind.

Come on, come on, come on! There’s gotta be a box or a shelf I can use! Dan begged the universe. His hands brushed over broom handles and shelves nailed to the walls, over and over again, but it all felt useless. How could he possibly save himself from this when all he had was a stupid closet with nothing to hide himself behind?

Finally, he found what he hoped was a medium-sized box that he could move. The back right corner of the closet had a little bit of room between shelves that lined each wall, just enough for him to squeeze himself into. Dan snuck one foot in, then he wiggled his ass between the shelves, and then he managed to get the other foot to slide in.

Sitting down felt more like barely controlled falling: first, Dan leaned his back against the wall and began to slide down it, then he moved his feet as far away from himself as he could manage, and then he quickly slid down the rest of the way.

As soon as he was situated, he carefully reached out and pulled the box over to hopefully hide whatever could otherwise be seen of him.

The space was so small that his arms were squished at his sides and he could have rested his chin on his knees easily. It was too cramped for him to stay there long with any hope of standing and running. Not that he would have any chance to run if he had to, stuck in the corner as he was.

God, I hope this works. What am I gonna do if it doesn’t?

Deciding that worrying about his future would just send him spiraling out of control, Dan focused on listening to what was happening outside the closet.

The screaming and shouting was a constant. Dan could also hear frantic footsteps as people tried to run away from the policemen. They sometimes got louder as someone ran towards his closet, which always made Dan flinch and stop breathing. The commanding voices of officers tried to control the crowd, threatening them with beatings. Cries of pain often accompanied these warnings.

Dan heard calmer footsteps approach the closet, making him tense up and try to squish himself farther into the corner. Two voices muttered something indecipherable, and then footsteps moved away again. Just as Dan breathed a quiet sigh of relief, he heard the doorknob turning. He froze again, unable to think because of the absolute panic he felt, as the door opened and someone stepped into the closet, then closed the door behind them.

As they entered, Dan heard louder yelling, this time less terrified and more authoritative, and caught a final brief glimpse of the light before the door blocked it all out again. It left Dan and the policeman in total, terrifying darkness and silence.

All he could do was pray to a god he wasn’t even sure existed or cared: Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name…

Chapter 2