You're too Sweet for Me (Grumpy!Sebastian Stan x Sunshine!OC!Assistant)
Sebastian Stan Masterlist
Chapter 1
Word Count: 1,816
Warnings: None.
A/N: I know this chapter isn't long, but I promise the upcoming chapters will be longer. Let me know what you think and what you would like to see!
They say never meet your heroes, yet here Julie was, working for him. At only 25 years old, she decided to make the move to New York City, it was a bold move. she had known California to be her home since birth, but with her recent breakup, she felt like it was suffocating her. She needed a change a big one, so she grabbed all her shit and her dog and moved to NYC.
Getting the job as Sebastian Stan’s assistant was just the cherry on the top, she never imagined working for the actor Ishe had a major crush on, but he wasn’t everything she saw in interviews. He spent most of his time angry or silent. Julie decided not to let his moodiness ruin her mood because she was living the dream.
“You’re late,” Emily, Sebastian’s manager, says as Julie walks into Sebastian’s apartment.
“I know, I know,” Julie sighed setting down her bag on the counter. “What am I dealing with today? Two cups of coffee or do you think one will do?”
She glanced towards the office where Sebastian spent most of his time, “Make it two.”
Julie rolled her eyes, “Jesus.” Making her way into the kitchen and began making some coffee.
“Did you go check out that restaurant I told you about?” Emily asks, leaning against the counter.
“Yes, I did. It still doesn’t beat the tacos back home.”
Emily smiled. “You miss California?”
“Yes and no.”
A frustrated yell echoed through the apartment, Emily and Julie looked at each other. “If only the coffee machine could go any faster,” Julie said, grabbing Sebastian’s favorite mug from the cupboard.
“I should head out, but I’ll send you more recommendations. There’s this Thai place you should try out, it’s near your apartment,” Emily said as she made her way to the door.
“Wish me luck,” Julie sighed.
“Good luck,” she smirked before leaving the apartment.
Julie poured Sebastian his coffee before rushing over to his office.
“A coffee a day keeps the grumpiness at bay,” Julie said, placing Sebastian’s mug on his desk. It was just the way he liked it, with a dash of oat milk. Julie wondered if maybe that’s why he was always such a big grump.
“I am not grumpy.” Sebastian rolled his eyes before turning around, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
“Sure, and I’m not bisexual. Oh, wait, Yes I am.”
Sebastian rolled his eyes again, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Remind me why I hired you again?”
“Because I needed a job and I saw a posting about ‘Assistant needed’ and I thought, hey! I can-”
“Alright, alright,” Sebastian sighs. “Can you just hand me that script I was talking about yesterday?”
Julie sighed, “Please?” She mutters, handing him the script that was in his file cabinet.
Sebastian takes in a deep breath, “please,” he mumbled.
“Now was that so hard?” She asked as she began to walk out of the office.
“A bit,” he muttered.
“I heard that!”
“Wait! Before you go.” Sebastian took a sip of his coffee as Julie quickly turned around, “You do know you were about thirty minutes late today, right?”
“I really thought I was gonna get away with that,” she smiled. “It won’t happen again, I promise! My alarm never went off this morning.”
Sebastian stared at Julie as she rambled on, something was different about her. Her glasses. Sebastian shook his head with the realization. “You wearing contacts today?” He asked.
“Oh,” she let out a nervous laugh, “I uh- managed to forget my glasses at home along with my contacts.”
Sebastian rolled his eyes, “dear lord, help me with this one.”
“But I swear, I’ll be fine!” She turned around to walk out of the office but bumped into the wall, she let out a small groan. “I swear that wall wasn’t there a second ago.”
Sebastian sighed, getting up from his chair. “Come on,” He said, grabbing his keys.
“Where are we going?” She asked, rubbing her nose from the impact.
“We’re going to your apartment,” He said walking past Julie.
She quickly followed him out of the office, “What? Why?”
“Because, Julie, unfortunately, you are no use to me when you’re blind as a bat,” he commented, grabbing her bag from the counter and handing it to her.
“A-Are you sure? Because it’s like a twenty-minute walk, that’s not including having to use the L line to get to my street,” Julie began to say as she took her purse from Sebastian.
“I would much rather have my assistant able to do her job without making any mistakes, especially today.”
“What’s so special about today?”
“We have that deadline remember?”
Julie did not remember, she took out her phone, holding the screen close to her face as she looked through her calendar. “Ah, yes, I remember now.”
Sebastian gestured for Julie to lead the way once they exited his apartment building.
It took about thirty minutes for them to arrive at Julie’s apartment, Sebastian took in the old building in front of him. This was the first time he had been to her place and he’d be lying if he was never curious as to how she lived. He expected her to have bookshelves and maybe some plants, a cozy environment for an introverted bookworm like herself. When they got to her hallway, Julie led him to the farthest door.
Yelling could be heard as they passed by one of the doors, “That’s Janice,” Julie commented. “She’s a bit of a yeller.”
Once they got to Julie’s door, she rummaged through her purse. Sebastian watched as she squinted her eyes while rummaging through her purse. Her petite frame barely made a dent in the small space they occupied, he felt like a giant next to her. Her dark hair tied up in a messy bun, evidence that she was indeed in a hurry that morning. Sebastian knew her signature bun that was always perfectly pulled up with a few loose strands of hair in the front.
Her skin had a warm, caramel hue, a testament to her latina heritage. To most girls, Julie would be envied for having the perfect tan skin.
Julie cleared her throat, feeling Sebastian’s eyes on her. She pulled out a book and handing it to Sebastian, “Hold that, please.”
Sebastian sighs, taking the book. “So you forget your glasses, but you don’t forget your book.”
“Oh, that’s my purse book,” Julie says, rummaging through her purse again.
“Your purse book?” Sebastian raised his eyebrows.
She nodded, “It stays in my purse, in case of emergencies.”
“What kind of emergency would there be in which you need– what book is this,” He looked at the title, “Tuesdays with Morrie? What kind of emergency would require you to read Tuesdays with Morrie?”
“The kind in which I am trapped somewhere and in dire need to read,” She smiled, pulling out her keys from her purse.
“Sometimes, I wonder what goes through that little head of yours.”
“My mom always said that to me,” Julie commented, opening the door to her apartment, “maybe that’s why I had to take all those tests when I was a kid.”
Sebastian stifled a laugh, “You know what, I’m not gonna even ask.”
As they walked into the apartment, the sound of nails clicking against the hardwood floor echoed through the apartment hallway, it was followed by the jingle of small pieces of metal clashing together. A German shepherd came into view, wagging its tail as it went straight to Julie.
Julie bent down and began scratching behind the dog's ear, “I know, I know, I didn’t say good morning to you this morning.” She kissed him on the head as the dog whined, “I am so sorry, Shadow.”
“You didn’t tell me you had a dog,” Sebastian commented.
At the sound of Sebastian’s voice, Shadow quickly reacted and began barking at him. Sebastian took a step back, “Heel, Shadow.” Shadow obeyed instantly, sitting beside her.
“And he’s trained,” Sebastian said with an impressed look.
“This is my baby,” she walked over to the kitchen counter, grabbing a treat from a jar. She handed it to Sebastian, “Trust me, he’s just like you. A big softie on the inside,” she said with a wink.
Sebastian gave Julie a small glare as he took the treat from her and gave it to Shadow, “hey, Shadow.” The dog was quick to smell Sebastian and then eat the treat. Sebastian had gained his trust, for now.
“I’ll be right back, um, you can make yourself at home.” Julie gestured towards the living room. Sebastian stepped into the living room, taking in the bookshelves that lined one of the walls, the plants that hung on the ceiling, and the ones that were left out on the patio. Some plants had long lines that draped over some of the bookshelves. It was exactly how he imagined it. A smile tugged on his lips as he scanned the books on her shelves.
“Is most of this yours?” Sebastian scanned the coffee table, which was littered with magazines and books. He was surprised to see an ashtray.
“The books and the plants, yes!” Julie yelled out.
“I’m assuming the ashtray isn’t yours?”
“Roommate,” Julie said as she walked into the living room with her glasses on.
“There she is! Now that’s the assistant I know.”
Julie rolled her eyes, “Let’s just go before we’re late for that deadline.”
The way back through the L line took an unexpected turn, the line had stopped suddenly. Everyone seemed to not panic as a voice came on the speakers informing everyone they should be back on route shortly.
Julie smiled widely as she pulled at her book from her purse, “Emergencies.” She waved the book at Sebastian.
Sebastian couldn’t hold in his laughter as he shook his head, “You are unbelievable.”
“You think it’s stupid, but look what just happened. Now I can entertain myself while we wait.”
Sebastian rolled his eyes, “Whatever.”
After a few minutes passed, Sebastian began to feel anxious waiting, his leg began bouncing as he peered over Julie’s shoulder.
“I see you,” She whispered, a smirk playing on her face as she turned the page.
“Wait, I wasn’t done with that page.”
Julie glared at Sebastian, “Then maybe you should have a purse book.”
“But I don’t carry a purse, so it won’t work out.”
“You usually carry around a backpack, right? Hell, there are even ebooks for your phone,” she exclaimed as she put her book down.
“Why don’t you get ebooks then?”
“Because it’s not the same,” She rolled her eyes, “now stop distracting me from my emergency.”
Sebastian leaned back in his seat. “Alright, maybe the whole purse book wasn’t such a bad idea.”
“Thank you,” She said in a sing-song voice.
Taglist: @cjand10 @floralwsloki
34 notes
·
View notes
What I Want You To Know About Long COVID
Well lads, I've been suffering from Long COVID for over a year now. My life is at a complete standstill. I'm 25 years old and I'm too sick to go back to school, I can't work, I had to move back in with my parents and I'm still stuck here.
Here are just a few things I wish people knew about Long COVID, including things I didn't know myself until I got it.
COVID destroys your immune system. Yes, even if you don't have Long COVID. Are you getting sick more often now? When you get sick, does it last longer? There are many studies showing that COVID causes t cell depletion, even in mild COVID cases! T cells are how your body remembers how to fight off infections you've had before so losing those cells? Bad news.
Your initial infection can be mild and you can still get Long COVID. Right from Yale Medicine, "Most people with Long COVID had mild acute COVID." (This is also a good link for a basic Long COVID overview).
There can be a gap of time between when you "get better" from the initial COVID infection to the onset of Long COVID symptoms. Some people get sick with an initial COVID infection and never get better. Some get better and then weeks or months later start developing Long COVID symptoms. Long COVID symptoms can even fluctuate over time, can go away for months and then suddenly come back.
So many people have Long COVID and don't realize it. Do you feel more tired lately but no matter how much you sleep, nothing helps? Is it harder to concentrate at work or school? Can you just not think like you used to? You could have Long COVID and not even know it. Even mild post-COVID symptoms are still Long COVID.
COVID can do anything to your body. Long COVID has over 200 recognized symptoms and can affect basically any part or system of your body. There is no one mechanism or cause of Long COVID which unfortunately also means there's no one cure either.
The effects of COVID are cumulative. Each COVID reinfection increases your chances of developing Long COVID. COVID is also affecting your body in other ways, yes, even if you're otherwise young and healthy! "Repeat COVID-19 infections increase risk of organ failure, death".
Once you have Long COVID, repeat COVID infections will make your symptoms worse. "80% [of Long COVID patients] saw their symptoms worsen [from reinfection]. In 60% of people who were in recovery or remission from Long COVID, reinfection caused a recurrence of Long COVID."
There is a lot more I want to say about Long COVID but I want to keep this post at least somewhat manageable to read. Like how when COVID is contracted during pregnancy, those COVID-exposed fetuses have a 6.3-fold increased risk of motor developmental delays, or that another study found 50% of babies exposed to COVID in utero had developmental delays.
You need to keep caring about COVID, for others around you and also for yourself even if you're "healthy". Everyone is at risk. And don't forget 40-60% of COVID infections are asymptomatic, which is why masking even if you feel fine is crucial. The only way right now to not get Long COVID is to not get COVID in the first place. It's not too late, if you've stopped masking it's never too late to start again! I know it's easy to get distracted by things in your life that seem more real than the possibility of getting sick some time in the future, and the peer pressure to not mask can be intense. But it only feels less real or less important until your entire life is having Long COVID. Trust me.
I know this is a complicated issue, many people can't afford to stay home when sick even if they want to because of their jobs, there are disgusting policies trying to ban wearing masks, but please if you can. Keep masking. Masking works, masking saves lives.
This post got a bit longer than I wanted so below the cut is a non-exhaustive list of my Long COVID symptoms and some of my experiences as one of the "healthy young people" who got "unlucky". cw brief mention of suicidal ideation.
Welcome to the Thunderdome that is my body with Long COVID. Keep in mind these are just my experiences and symptoms, Long COVID can cause any range of symptoms at varying severities.
Dysautonomia: Exercise intolerance, Post-Exertional Malaise (PEM), fatigue, and heat intolerance. What do those things mean? Here's some specific examples. Absolutely terrible circulation I am so cold all the time but also, if I get a little too warm I will pass out. Eating hot food makes my heart rate spike, I sweat, my body feels heavy. Blood pooling and pins and needles in my feet when I walk. Don't even think about exercising past walking, it's impossible. I used to work out an hour a day 4 times a week and now walking up one flight of stairs makes my heart pound and I can't breathe. Can't take even just warm showers anymore or I will pass out. Heat rashes from being in the sun for 10 minutes.
Digestive issues: Honestly too many to name but: constant bloating, extreme nausea, constipation, slow motility, lack of appetite, just so much cramping and pain. I lost 18 pounds from Long COVID, as someone who was already considered underweight their entire life, and almost had to get a shunt put into my chest to deliver nutrients because I was nearly completely unable to eat. For the first 6 months of Long COVID, if I could manage 600 calories a day, that was a good day.
Histamine intolerance: Oh boy. My worst symptoms, I don't even know where to start with it. If you know Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) it's very similar. I can only eat 19 foods. If i eat a single bite of something not on that list, it's 48 hours of absolute hell. Coughing, migraines, itchy eyes, such extreme nausea I cannot even describe it, panic/feeling of doom, racing heart rate, derealization, rash, uncontrollable muscle tremors. I only learned about histamine intolerance 5 months into having Long COVID so before that, I was experiencing these symptoms nearly every single day. Terrifying isn't even a strong enough word to describe how it felt to experience all this and have no idea what it was, how to stop it, or if it would ever stop. Really dark times.
Neurological issues: More of that derealization. Inability to concentrate. Anxiety. OCD-like symptoms such as thoughts getting "stuck" in my head, repeating 24/7 completely unable to stop them, genuinely felt like my brain had cracked open and I had lost my mind. Constant dizziness like I'm on a boat.
Sleep issues: I sleep like garbage. I have insomnia, I wake up dozens of times every night and every single time I sleep I have intensely vivid dreams. I can't sleep longer than 7 hours total no matter how exhausted I am. It is exhausting. I'm exhausted, I'm so so tired.
And finally. Just. Really intense suicidal ideation. My body, my health, my entire life has been stolen from me because someone else decided my life was worth less to them than wearing a mask or staying home if they feel sick. Before I got Long COVID, I was preparing to go to South Korea to teach English, then on to a PhD in neurolinguistics, I was supposed to meet my long distance partner and had already booked plane tickets when I got sick. All of that has been destroyed.
Most of us with Long COVID are stuck in a cycle of being extremely sick, then if you're lucky you'll slowly get better over months, just to get reinfected and go right back where you started or worse. Honestly, I'm not scared of dying from COVID. I'm scared of living for a long time, suffering from Long COVID the entire time. This isn't living.
I don't know how to end this now. I'm still fighting, I'm trying experimental treatments, I'm not giving up yet. I hope everyone reading this stays healthy and well.
9K notes
·
View notes