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#love when cats turn into a bread and stare into your soul
hocusbogus · 2 years
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21. Write a 400-word story featuring alligator boots, the aroma of baking bread, and disappointment.
It was a Thursday, I always wake up on the wrong side of the bed on a Thursday and when I heard the sound of my cats begging for food behind my bedroom door, I just knew that it was a Thursday.
At least there is no work today, I decided that on my own. The beauty of being an artist and a writer is the fact that I can decide whether today is "creating" day or not, and sometimes I couldn't decide only because my soul wanted to create and I had to be that vessel to let it.
"You guys be good." I spoke to Miso and Sushi as they stared at me with intent eyes.
I've put on my alligator boots to channel my inner goddess and ready to head to one of my favourite bakery in town. It was only a 15-minutes drive away but I decided to romanticize life today and took the train mainly so that I could vlog on my way there.
The aroma of baking bread hit my nostrils when I arrived, there was a line outside, as it usually does. But today is a Thursday, don't people have work? I whispered to myself.
"Hi guys, I am at Universal Bakery to get my weekly sourdough stash, but I guess I'm late? Because there's already a line outside, let's hope they don't run out before it's my turn." I spoke to my camera, while turning it to capture a visual of the line in front of me.
This used to be awkward for me, to speak into a camera, people would stare and some would whisper to their friends, some would even point.
But most people would just ignore me.
"I love your boots." Somebody spoke from behind. A girl with bleached blonde hair in braids spoke, her voice was deep with a heavy accent that I couldn't pin point. "Thanks, I love your hair." I smiled. I hope I didn't make her uncomfortable as I was vlogging and she could be in the background.
"Thanks!" She smiled.
I wanted to continue the conversation, but I somehow couldn't think of a natural conversation starter, what a disappointment for an extrovert.
"I know you." She continued, and I turned to face her completely. "Oh you do?" she sparked my interest with the statement. I'm used to being occasionaly recognized.
"Yeah, you look like my next girlfriend."
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taxolotl · 2 years
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Their lips parted.
Oh, so much dèjá vu
That was it. George turned around immediately refusing to face DreamXD, whose expression had not changed at all. He could feel those all-seeing green eyes pinned on his back.
"Was it bad?" DreamXD remarked, tone as neutral as it could be, as if… as if nothing had just happened.
George threw his hands in the air. It hadn't been bad, it hadn't been good either. It was nothing, that's what it was. It had been just a kiss. He had no idea what he was expecting, a soul-crushing kiss? Something life-changing? It was so quick it had barely been a kiss.
"I don't know," he muttered, "I DON’T KNOW," he said raising his voice. DreamXD took a step back cautiously. He was getting frustrated. What was he even angry at? Was he expecting him to kiss him like he used to? George laughed at his own stupidity.
And now I can feel your love
He turned around to face DreamXD. Sometimes he hated looking at him. The spitting image of… him, yet so distant, so cold, so alarmingly peaceful.
"It's not him, okay? Is that what you wanted to hear? It doesn’t feel like him at all," George said, hands shaking as he tried to calm down.
"But... I look like him, I sound like him," DreamXD said faintly.
"THAT DOESN’T MATTER, YOU ARE NOT HIM, OKAY?" George yelled tears running down his cheeks. He didn’t mean to yell. He shouldn’t have yelled. Eyes still watery, he looked up at DreamXD, expecting a fit of rage, a fearful face, or just him gone, having vanished in the wind. But DreamXD just looked… confused, batting those pretty lashes slowly.
"I don't get it." he slowly let out.
George smiled slowly. DreamXD was like that sometimes. An all-knowing creature! To which George had to explain the simplest things. Why do cats meow, why are flowers so pretty, how you can bake bread from scratch instead of spawning it from thin air… In this case, well, a kiss. He sat down on the ground, turned to DreamXD and gestured for him to sit beside him. When he did, George grabbed one end of his cloak and blew his nose with it. DreamXD snatched it back immediately while George laughed, and DreamXD rolled his eyes.
"I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't have expected you to… to understand or anything. Do you even…? Have you... y’know… you probably haven't-"
DreamXD lowered his head. He seemed to be thinking. Then he smiled. George couldn’t help but notice how beautiful he was. The sun draped along those broad shoulders, highlighting his golden hair and making his freckled skin look like a starry sky. George sighed at such a sight. It was funny how his surroundings changed with him, DreamXD smiled and it all felt warmer, more colourful. DreamXD stared at a blue butterfly resting on his finger that George had not noticed until now.
"I did, once..." he exhaled. George looked at him astonished as if he couldn’t believe DreamXD had loved before. It made sense, he had lived for so long, yet…
"George,” he said pointing a finger at him noticing his surprised look, “gods can feel that way too, we are not so different."
"Okay no, that’s not what I-"
“Wow, you really assumed you were my first kiss? Come on George…”
“NO, I-”
DreamXD giggled and looked at George tilting his head slightly.
"I’m messing with you. God, you look so stupid,” he said lovingly, carefully brushing George’s fringe out of his face, his fingers slightly skimming George’s forehead.
Your temporary touch
“It’s okay,” he dropped his hand to his lap, “Yes George, I fell in love once. I can do that by the way, it happens,” George rolled his eyes, “He was…” His smile started to fade, “He was…”
"What?”
“I don't… I don't remember. I don’t even remember his voice,” George looked at DreamXD’s face. He looked like was struggling to grasp his thoughts, his eyes empty yet full of sorrow. “I just remember what it felt like being around him, holding him close, saying his name. What was his name?"
DreamXD stopped speaking, lost in the thousand thoughts that mind held, while George wondered if he was going to end up living the same tragedy, loving and being hurt. He had already had so much and lost it so quickly. Was it meant to be that way?
It’s a hit and run
"A curious thing, a kiss,” DreamXD interrupted the silence, snapping George back to reality, “humans feel closer to heaven, yet beings from the heavens feel so…human, so vulnerable..."
George took a deep breath. As embarrassing as it was to admit, it used to feel like that. It was as if the shape of his hands had been imprinted into George’s, his scent, his kisses peppered across his cheeks… George shook his head. That was cringe.
You go back there when you’re done
As if DreamXD was reading his thoughts he just said, "Maybe it is meant to be that way. Love being a constant agonizing what if. I don’t understand why, though…”
“Me neither. Maybe it’s about the yearning? I don’t know,” George replied. Yearning… He didn’t like the taste of that word in his mouth. He needed to change the subject quickly.
"What happened to him?" George asked with a voice that didn’t come out as his.
"I wish I could remember George, I don't... I don't know... " he said with a sad sigh.
The sun was setting and to George, it all felt incredibly silly. The way he was talking about boys, like a lovestruck teenage girl, with god himself. George couldn’t repress a smile.
"I haven't felt like that in a while," DreamXD just snatched George’s thoughts from his head and said them out loud. George looked at him, and it all froze for a second. DreamXD was nervously fidgeting with his hands, not looking at George. George grabbed his hands, and those eyes finally met his own.
“I feel that way with you,” once more George thought it and DreamXD whispered it slowly like no one else was meant to hear, just George.
And then he leans in. And he cups George’s face in his hands, and George knows he’s kissing god but it’s surprising how different it feels. It’s nothing like the first time. This is not DreamXD pretending to be him and kissing George to see if he unlocks a memory, or missed him still. It's just him kissing George because he wants to. And it's him. And their noses bump. And they giggle between kisses, and it’s all so perfect, and all thoughts seem to have disappeared, and the only sound George can hear is his own heartbeat.
DreamXD starts to pull away and George’s mouth chases those lips like it’s a need.
Don’t you want some more?
DreamXD is still cupping George’s face in his hand, slowly dragging his thumb along George’s jaw. And George closes his eyes, and he holds DreamXD’s hand in his own. He opens his eyes and meets DreamXD’s smile. It’s a sad little smile that holds all the truths George would have rather ignored. And George hates it, and he wishes he had never opened his eyes. And he doesn’t want DreamXD to speak, he wants to stay there with him in silence. But he says it.
"I love you, George. But you are not mine."
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rurifangirl · 2 years
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Y'ALL WE GOT NOTHER BITCH FINNALYYYY
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Name: Liam.
Age: 23.
Sexuality and gender: Bisexual, trans man.
Species: Gorgon.
Occupation: Guardian.
Pronouns: He/him.
Height: 4.26m (15 feet).
Birthday: 3 October.
Likes: Ducks, waterfalls,sand.
Dislikes: Squeaky sounds, arrows, insects.
Personality: Protector of the 4th floor, Liam has done everything in his power to protect his people, even if that meant straining away from them. His avoidant and shy attitude don't make him the best in coversations, but he is a good listener. Overall gloomy, but good at heart.
Weapons/Abilities
He uses a schyte for combact (though rarely; and It Is a normal schyte w/o nothing special).
Then of course, being a gorgon he can turn people who meet his gaze in stone. Though, differently from the original gorgons, he can control whether to turn people in stone or not. But, if in high concentration of any emotion (even happyness or sadness), they'll turn in stone either way.
Further info under the cut <3
The other lil stuff/bit of background 🐍
So as I've said earlier, he's the fourth floor's guardian, and in contrapposition to Vox he isn't really seen well. By all means, he still Is respected by most, it's just that his relationship with humans Is,, complicated to say the least.
Even with previous guardians the relationship was rocky, so Liam simply adapted to the situation, and didn't mind the distance. Though, he was still pretty curious, and couldn't help but sometimes interact with humans.
And before you may ask yes, his eyes that look like scared cat eyes are intentional. He might seem to stare at your soul but rly he's just looking normally. He Is pretty self co ncious of that though so Liam tries not to look eye to eye.
Anyways ducks ducks ducks ducks -
He loves those silly little dudes just . Swimming around where he resides . And gives sometimes some bread y'know
Oh and speaking on how he gets food: It's mainly through offerings, since there are several lil altars. When It's night, he approaches them and boom cool stuff and some bread.
Random thought but for the italian folks i think he'd adore peach estàthe.
He easly gets stuck between branches, as he often forgets just how tight the gap between two tree's branches are.
It's not unusual for him to bathe in waters like rivers or lakes, though sometimes It gets more lonely than usual.
Since he doesn't talk much, he might have trouble with pronouncing or rarely remembering words, so It'd be better to let him have enough time to express himself.
Tags: @a-chaotic-dumbass @spoopy-fish-writes @spooping-around-liyue @edensrose @nadi-117 @dopesaladlady @audre-falrose @yourlocalcowboy @flowergarden1 @infraaa
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sxlver-sweet · 3 years
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Please i'm begging youu i want to see more fantasy au for tokrev and that pirate would be so good i even have some idess on me already 😩
–🎴
I HAD A FUCKING FIELD DAY WITH THIS I WANNA HEAR YOUR IDEAS PLS SHARE
i’m currently sleep-deprived, so some of these are probably really basic and there’s most likely errors somewhere in here skdkcmdksk
also, requests may be closed, but discussions and more ideas are absolutely welcome.
faerie!kokonoi, who preys on the heartbroken drunkards at upscale bars, listening with a secretive smile as they spill their life stories to the bartender. silver-tongued and clever, kokonoi purrs his condolences, slipping their name into the conversation with ease and feigning oblivion when they, cloudy-eyed and ignorant, hand over their precious bank information and the locations of their valuables.
tailor!mitsuya unable to concentrate on stitching up a torn dress with the incessant clanging in the background and snapping at blacksmith!pah-chin, who’s busy forging knight!baji a new sword. mitsuya chastises baji for being so careless, but all baji does is grumble and turn away, black oil and dirt smeared on his flushed cheeks and long hair clinging to his sweat-stained forehead from his previous sparring session.
wizard!mitsuya spinning golems out of clay and shooing them away with an order to find him more materials to craft matching cloaks for his newest apprentices, luna and mana.
leprechaun!nahoya luring unsuspecting villagers into the forest with the promise of gold coins, only to send branches crashing down onto their heads when they venture far enough. they shout irately and scramble after him as he tumbles, laughing, into the shadows… but it’s no use. he’s too fast.
mermaid!yuzuha punching the shit out of pirates and dragging them down from their ships when they disturb and/or hunt the peaceful merfolk
knight!draken pledging his life to princess!emma
werewolf!baji, who appears to casually laugh off questions about his sharp, prominent canines; when in reality, when he’s secretly sweating bullets. werewolf!baji, whom the others wrinkle their noses at and tease when he orders his steak rare. werewolf!baji, who can’t hide the particularly ferocious, almost predatory glint in his eye that only appears during brawls after the sun has fallen. everyone laughs it off, mistaking his bloodlust for adrenaline. it’s only baji, he’s just intense, they reason.
half-blood!takemichi, who leaps through time with the protective blood of a phoenix coursing through his veins. half-blood!takemichi, whose blood aids him in resisting the beckon of death that pries at the empty body he habitually leaves behind and enables him to keep rising back to his feet no matter who knocks him down.
dybbuk!shinichiro, whose rage inhabits mikey’s body, only flaring to aid in crushing kazutora beneath his little brother’s fist. dybbuk!shinichiro, who plucks away at mikey’s sanity day in and day out, demanding for his death to be avenged. dybbuk!shinichiro, who is the reason that mikey can no longer set foot in his bike shop, because no matter how hard he tries, mikey can’t seem to shut out the eerie groaning of forgotten bikes as they rust away or the crackling squelch of metal colliding with bone that he’s positive he’s never heard before—so why is he hearing it now?
executioner!kazutora, who has no problem with the unjust slaughters that tyrant!kisaki approves, because his unchecked guilt can only be satiated by “cleansing the kingdom of immoral souls.” executioner!kazutora, who hums a crude tavern song as he takes his sweet time lining up his blade with the neck of the shivering woman hunched before him—the shivering woman whose only crime is swiping some bread to feed her starving family. executioner!kazutora, who only finds retribution in the twisted cycle of playing the role of god’s “divine” axe.
knight!toman forming a wall in front of their king to square off against an approaching army, a measly one hundred men with fire in their eyes and swords dripping with blood—a measly one hundred men fully prepared to offer up their lives to protect king!mikey.
jester!hanma, who flirts with the women of the court and openly takes cheap shots at tyrant!kisaki, regardless of whether or not he’s in the vicinity. still, it doesn’t matter how humorous the joke is. no one dares to allow even a twitch of their lips. how hanma hasn’t been executed yet, they don’t know.
pirate!nahoya, who cackles like a madman and jeers at an opposing ship from his place perched atop the crow’s nest
apothecary!souya meeting his future s/o in a field of lavender while he’s searching for fresh herbs. apothecary!souya, who’s mortified by the chalky powder spattered on his overalls and runs a hand through his hair, accidentally smearing a yellow dust through his blue curls. apothecary!souya, who blushes when you kindly offer to brush the powder from his hair. apothecary!souya, who offers you one of the dandelions peeking from his pocket as a gesture of gratitude.
ladies-in-waiting!emma and hina scurrying off to deliver empty dishes to cook!mitsuya, who leans forward expectantly to hear the latest gossip when they approach him with sparkling eyes and poorly concealed smiles.
adviser!draken storming into king!mikey’s private chambers without an invitation to shout at him for neglecting his duties and drag him by the ankle out of bed
sorceress!hina enchanting a four-leaf clover necklace with a spell to keep knight!takemichi safe in battle
spymaster!sanzu scaring the shit out of his scribe!s/o whenever he pops up in the windows of the library in all black with no prior warning
doll-maker!izana, who lives in a secluded area of the woods with his apprentice kakucho and obsessively lines his shelves with replicas of the older brother he wishes he had
knight-in-training!chifuyu working extra hard to impress knight!baji, who had recruited him and taken him under his wing
steampunk inventor!chifuyu, who’s never seen without his trademark goggles that kazutora always pokes fun at and threadbare overalls splattered with oil stains. inventor!chifuyu, who nearly has a heart attack when baji hobbles in on one leg, grinning at him with a face swollen with bruises while waving his detached prosthetic leg in greeting. inventor!chifuyu, who keeps wrenches on his belt specifically to hurl at his idiot friends whenever they come into his shop all beat-up with their bronze prosthetics severely damaged
steampunk!hanma, who has a glass eye with the word “pain” engraved on the iris. steampunk!hanma, who asks kisaki to hold something for him. when the latter holds his hand out with an exasperated sigh, hanma sets his replacement eye in his palm and cackles hysterically when kisaki promptly jolts with disgust and chucks it across the room
cyberpunk!sanzu, who’s already inebriated but continues to drown deeper in the neon lights of the club as he pops an array of glowing pills into his mouth, body numb to the robotic assistants that hum around him and intermingle with the equally delirious crowd in case someone were to collapse from overdosing
masquerade!mitsuya, who smiles at you with such kindness and respect as he guides you onto the marble floor that you immediately resolve to discover his identity at a later date
masquerade!kakucho, who does everything in his power to prevent you from uncovering his identity. masquerade!kakucho, who fears that you’ll be disgusted with his deformed appearance once you see his scar.
samurai!yuzuha, who rescues you from a band of thieves but is perplexed when you insist on repaying her goodwill. samurai!yuzuha, who eventually starts coming to you whenever she needs her wounds bandaged or a home-cooked meal. samurai!yuzuha, who refuses to let you touch her sword with your pure, unsullied hands.
potion-maker!ran, who always despises when rindou barges into his workspace for nothing else than to tip over a couple jars and poke fun at his craft. potion-maker!ran, whose skin and hair have been permanently imprinted with the scent of clove and allspice berries. potion-maker!ran, who concocts love spells and perfumes that grant increased intimacy for the lovesick women who visit him when their own assets aren’t working. potion-maker!ran, who smiles charmingly and calls his female customers “darling.” potion-maker!ran, who has no problem with allowing them to test his products on him in order to guarantee their potency—but only if they’re attractive and have a pretty penny to spare :)
gunslinger!mikey, who almost shoots his big toe off trying to impress the beautiful barmaid across the room
servant!baji, who isn’t the slyest but always makes sure he leaves out a saucer of cream for the stray cats that wander through the town during the night, regardless of how much trouble he gets in. servant!baji, who develops a forbidden bond with his royal!s/o due to their shared love of animals. servant!baji, who is ignorant of the ways of courtship but does his best to flirt with you, however flustered and awkward he may be. servant!baji, who sheepishly seeks advice from his mother about how to impress royalty despite him being unable to offer you any material items.
necromancer!takemichi who doesn’t know wtf is going on and is literally only a necromancer because he fucked up reading a recipe for garlic bread that was written in cursive
vampire!kokonoi, who looks wistfully upon his collection of dusty, old perfume bottles as he recalls how they’d been the most expensive items on the market centuries ago. vampire!kokonoi, who possesses splintered, wooden chests overflowing with outdated currency that will never again be utilized. vampire!kokonoi, who sits for hours and stares at the photo of the young woman that he’s preserved in mint condition for countless years, wondering why he can’t remember who she is
half-blood!mikey, who wonders why his legs are so much stronger than the rest of his body, why he’s always been so much faster than his peers, and why they’re always chock-full of energy. half-blood!mikey, who’s blissfully unaware that the blood of his ancestors is not as it seems. half-blood!mikey, who has zero clue that his lineage marks him a descendant of the minotaur.
farmer!chifuyu, who’s too shy to approach the seamstress’s daughter, so he resigns himself to only admiring her from afar until she makes a move herself. farmer!chifuyu, who’s beyond embarrassed when he accidentally bumps into her, the dirt and grime on his clothing soiling her pristine outfit. farmer!chifuyu, who tries to brush it off, only to panic when the dust on his hands stains the fabric. farmer!chifuyu, who shows up at your mother’s shop the next day to apologize and is nearly chased out due to his kind “not belonging there,” only for you to object and invite him in, claiming that he’s your friend.
jack the ripper!sanzu, who leans up against a dirty brick building with his head low, tongue clicking in rhythm with the slim hands on his golden pocket watch as he decides on his next victim. jack the ripper!sanzu, who dons a simple, shapeless white mask that contrasts sharply with the elaborate feather woven into his top hat. jack the ripper!sanzu, whom others eye skeptically when he skillfully, easily slices his steak into cross-sections with nothing more than a butter knife. jack the ripper!sanzu, who smiles so charmingly at women, basking in their ignorance as he lures them into a sense of false security with a few sweet words. jack the ripper!sanzu, who seals all of his letters documenting his crimes with a lipstick-stained kiss and giggles manically when it smears onto his cheek. jack the ripper!sanzu, who is taken aback when one of his targets whirls on him with anger in their eyes and a knife gripped in their hands, fully prepared to give him a dose of his own medicine.
achilles!izana and patroclus!kakucho. that’s all i have to say. y’all know what’s up👀
soothsayer!takemichi, who’s looked down upon by his fellow prophets because of his frenetic efforts to change the future. while the rest lounge beneath the shade of trees, sweet-smelling smoke curling from their ornate pipes and hazy eyes trailing after people who they know are supposed to die tomorrow, takemichi is doing his best to track them down to warn them of their fate. “he’s just a boy,” the others chuckle, “he won’t make a difference.”
victorian era painter!s/o, who finds seishu inui snoozing beneath a tree and resolves to capture his beauty on a canvas. seishu, who’s well-aware of what you’re doing but decides to let you have your fun. painter s/o, who’s mortified when seishu happens to “wake up” as soon as they sigh with satisfaction and requests to see the picture.
barista!izana, who mixes drugs into his drinks for certain customers while they discreetly slide a handsome wad of cash across the counter
archer!chifuyu, who accidentally spears his superior through the leg while struggling with his bow. archer!chifuyu, who meets kazutora in the dungeons and befriends him during the one night he spends there. archer!chifuyu, who is confused and hesitant when he is abruptly assigned to join the ranks of the prince’s bodyguards. archer!chifuyu, who is white with shock when he sees kazutora stroll into the room, a golden crown balanced atop his head and a wide smile blooming upon his lips when he spots his new friend.
ROBIN HOOD!CHIFUYU
potion-maker!souya, whose face always softens whenever you stop by his shop during your daily mail delivery route. potion-maker!souya, who’s ashamed of himself for having considered exploiting your trust in him and slipping a love potion into your drink. potion-maker!souya, who always offers to make you something befitting the occasion whenever you’re running low on energy, not feeling well, or are nervous about something. potion-maker!souya, who’s too shy to confess his feelings for you.
town crier!nahoya, who sometimes slips a swear word or two into his announcements and prefers to storm the town on horseback, disregarding his elaborate attire. town crier!nahoya, who has definitely snatched you off the street during his routes, leaving you to cling to his sweat-dampened clothes and shout at him for being such an imbecile.
shapeshifter!nahoya, who diligently keeps his eyes closed because he can change everything about his appearance, except for his distinctive eye color.
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queenxxxsupreme · 3 years
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A/N: This was an ask from I believe @creatingstuffinpeace but I accidentally deleted the ask right as I was about to post it. I am going to probably make this into a little series with at least one more part because I have an idea, it's just a matter of when I have time to write it out :)
***
Thunder rumbled outside.
You moved around the bookshop, tidying things up.
“But momma! What about Gunnar?” Your son, Cas, tugged at your skirt.
“He’s probably just outback chasing a cat, love.” You brushed your fingers over his hair momentarily before picking up a small stack of books. “Will you help me with putting these back, Cas?���
He took two of the books from you and began to follow you to the other side of the little store.
“But momma! It’s about to storm! Gunnar doesn’t like storms!”
“Cas–,”
“What if he’s hurt? What if someone’s taken him or something’s happened to him? What if he’s lost!” The more the six-year-old thought about all the things that could have happened to his pup, the more frantic he became.
“Casimir.” You placed the books down on a table and knelt down to his level. You took the books from him and put them aside.
Tears welled in his eyes as he gazed at you. His bottom lip quivered.
You cupped his face and brushed your thumb over his cheek.
“I don’t want to take you out in the storm. But if you promise me to stay upstairs until I return, I will go look for Gunnar.”
“You will?”
You nodded.
“Okay.” He sniffled.
You wiped the tears away and leaned in to kiss his forehead.
“Let’s get these books put away. Then I’ll take you upstairs.”
As you stood up, Cas grabbed four of the books and tried to hurry towards the bookshelf they belonged on.
The front door creaked open and the bell above the door chimed, signaling someone was entering.
You glanced to your son once more before turning to greet the customer.
It was a tall figure with broad shoulders and a hood over his head. Something underneath his cloak moved and out poked Gunnar’s head.
“Gunnar!” Cas squealed in delight, running towards you.
The man put Gunnar down and the pup ran to meet Cas.
“I was just about to go searching for him.” You smiled at the stranger, taking little note of his vibrant golden eyes with catlike pupils.
“I found him clear on the other side of town.” His voice was deep but quiet. He gave a tight smile before turning to leave.
“Have you got a hunt to tend to at the moment, Master Witcher?” You asked, messing nervously with your hands. You hoped you weren’t crossing any boundaries by asking this.
“Not with the storm outside.”
“Would you want to stay for dinner? As a thank you for bringing my son’s dog back?”
The man hesitated to answer.
“I don’t want to impose.”
“It wouldn’t be imposing if I invited you.” You smiled just a little. “The rain seems to be coming down awfully heavy out there. And we’d like the company, wouldn’t we, Cas?”
Cas held Gunnar in his lap but was watching the witcher curiously.
“Yeah.” He answered quietly, a shy smile tugging at his lips.
“Your manners, son.” You lightly chided. The witcher turned back to you.
“Yes.” Your son repeated, this time lifting his head a bit.
“You don’t have to do this, m’lady.” The witcher insisted, his voice quiet and a bit on edge.
You could see with the way the poor lighting caught his face that there was something…. unnatural about his features.
“If you feel uncomfortable with the matter, my apologies.” You murmured softly, smiling. “I just wanted to thank you for your kindness. Not many people would bring the dog back, especially not in such weather.”
The man said nothing.
“Please stay, s-sir.” Cas spoke from behind you, his voice timid. “You brought-brought Gunnar back h-home. Let-Let us thank you.”
The witcher looked past you to your son briefly, before nodding his head.
“I am Y/N. This is my son Casimir.”
“Eskel.”
***
You took Eskel upstairs to your home located above the bookstore.
As you prepared dinner, you made conversation with the witcher. He was very polite and well-spoken, though he remained silent unless you asked him a question.
Your son sat by the hearth, watching Gunnar as he ate his dinner. You happened to be looking at your son when he looked into the kitchen. His eyes were focused on Eskel.
The witcher’s eyes flickered over to Cas, shifting ever so slightly in his seat. Was your son making him uncomfortable?
You moved around the table to place a mug of tea in front of the witcher. Golden eyes found you once more, taking in your every move. He turned his head just slightly away from you as if he was trying to keep his right side from you. But you had already seen the scars, the mangled lines that pulled at his face.
“You’ll have to forgive Casimir.” You lowered your voice so that only Eskel could hear you. “He’s young and just a curious boy. He means no harm, I promise you.”
Eskel’s brows furrowed together just slightly. Had he given you the illusion that something was wrong?
“Cas?” You looked up, smiling as your eyes landed on your boy. He perked up and raised his head. “Is everything alright, love?”
“Yes…. Can I get the book about daddy?”
“Of course, love.”
Cas shot up to his feet and ran to his room. Without finishing all of his food, Gunnar followed the boy.
“Your boy did nothing wrong.” Eskel spoke as you moved away from him. His eyes followed you. “There’s no need for any apologies.”
“But I know how cruel children can be, Master Eskel.” You focused on the pot of soup over the fire, stirring the contents steadily. “They are mean and cold because they are raised to be that way by their parents. They see it in the ones they look up to. They see fathers calling women in the streets filthy slurs and mothers degrading anyone who looks different from them or from their idea of what is normal and what is right….”
You trailed off, only realizing with the silence that followed that you had started to ramble.
You turned your head to Eskel, completely embarrassed that you had let yourself start down that path.
“I’m so sorry, Master Eskel. I didn’t mean to lecture you on my views of society.”
“Don’t apologize.” He shook his head, holding a hand up just slightly. A little smile tugged at the corner of his lips. “What you said is true. Children learn from their parents.”
You nodded, turning to check the bread in the oven.
“Momma, here!” Cas ran into the kitchen. He held a thin book high above his head. Gunnar was on his heels, happily wagging his tail.
“Set the book down on the table, Cas.”
Cas chose to stand at the table directly to Eskel’s right. He placed the book down on the wood and opened it up.
“Tell Master Eskel what the book is about, Casimir.” You took the bread out of the stone oven and placed it on the counter top.
Cas turned his head to look at Eskel but only for a split second. He didn’t want to stare for too long. Staring was rude and Casimir was better than that.
“It’s about the tales of a witcher!”
Eskel read some of the words over Cas’s shoulder, but the six year old seemed to just want to flip through the book.
“Momma?”
“Yes, my love?”
“May I ask Master Eskel a question?”
“He’s right beside you, Casimir. Go right ahead.” You paused what you were doing, placing one hand on your hip as you watched your son.
“Master Eskel?” Cas closed his book and rubbed his fingers over the wording on the front cover.
“Yes?” Eskel looked down at him.
“How many witchers do you know?”
“I suppose a handful. There aren’t too many of us left.”
Cas nodded his head. A furrow formed between his brows. You could tell he was deep in thought.
“Casimir? What else would you like to ask Master Eskel?” You moved towards the table, kneeling down so that you were at your son’s level.
“Do you think he knows the one who knew daddy? The one who gave me this?” Cas tapped on the book.
“Oh, love.” You gave him a sad little smile, brushing your fingers over his hair. “The one who gave you that wasn’t a witcher. It was a man who travels with a witcher. A Witcher’s barker or bard. I don’t think Master Eskel knows him. That happened so far away.”
Cas nodded understandingly.
“May I ask who it was?” Eskel asked almost hesitantly.
Your eyes met his. You weren’t sure if you wanted to keep talking about the matter knowing that it would upset Cas, but Eskel was just curious.
“It happened when we lived in Cintra years ago. The witcher’s name was Geralt.” You explained.
“And we had to move far, far away from home.” Cas nodded his head, taking a deep breath. His voice was sad and made your heart break. “Now we live here.”
“This is home.” You leaned forward to kiss his head.
“I’m going to put my book back.”
You watched him leave the kitchen.
“I do know that witcher.” Eskel spoke. He didn’t want to say anything loud enough for Casimir to hear him. He wasn’t sure if you wanted your son to hear what he was saying. “He’s my brother.”
You opened your mouth to speak but nothing came out at first. You weren’t sure what to say. You were surprised. What was the chance that this witcher sitting here at the table knew your dear friend Geralt?
You pulled out the chair directly across from him and sat down. Your eyes fell to the wedding band on your left hand.
“Geralt was great friends with my husband. Geralt saved him on more than one occasion.” A fond smile came to your lips at the memories. “My husband, rest his soul, could never stay out of trouble in his youth.”
“I’m very sorry for your loss.”
Your eyes flickered up to Eskel, offering him a smile.
“Do you know Geralt’s bard, Jaskier? He wrote stories of Geralt and my husband’s journeys together for our son and had a book created so that Cas would have a book to always remember him by. He clings to it.”
“That was very thoughtful of Jaskier.”
“It was. Brought me to tears for nearly a month afterwards.”
Eskel watched as you tapped your fingers absentmindedly against the table. Your eyes were stuck on the hallway but you weren’t watching the hallway. Your mind was elsewhere. You were absent. He knew that look. The look of someone who had lost someone, a part of them.
Silently, the witcher wondered how long ago your husband had passed. Time never made things better, but it did help to numb the ache of a loss. He had plenty of experience with time and with loss.
“How long has it been since you’ve seen Geralt?”
You blinked and straightened your posture, no longer lost in your mind. The sound of Cas coming back to the kitchen made you remember what was happening, where you were, and what you were supposed to be doing.
You stood to your feet and began to finish the last bits of dinner.
“Um, oh…. I’m not sure…. He, um, I think he came to visit just after….” You trailed off, looking at your son then at Eskel. “Just after it happened.”
Eskel nodded understandingly.
Casimir returned to his seat directly next to Eskel.
“Alright, gentleman. Thank you for your patience tonight.” You placed two bowls down in front of them then turned to get yours.
“Thank you for joining us, Master Eskel.” Cas picked up his spoon and began to eat.
“Thank you for having me.” Eskel smiled, golden eyes flickering over to you.
You met his gaze. Your eyes lingered on him for a few heartbeats before finding your soup.
Taglist: @pressedinthepages @mishafaye @whitewolfandthefox @wolfyland07 @belalugosisdead @persephonehemingway @keira-hulmaster @dinonuggs69 @greatestauthorofmygeneration @shadow-hunters-lover @dancingwith-thesunflowers @tedi-fach-las @thecomfortofoldstorries @natkowaa @weathervanes-my-oneandlonely @onlyhenrys @wackylurker @criminaly-supernatural @magpie343 @permanently-exhausted-witcher @genderfluid-ho @the-space-between-heartbeats @havenoffandoms @carriebee1 @ger-bearofrivia @naominami @writingawaymylife @reaganjenelle @theawkwardpedestrian @scarlettwitcher @badassspaceprincess @just-a-sad-donut @summersong69 @an--actual--human--disaster @rubyqueen819 @omgkatinka @vonxcon @mazakeen @bravelittlesunflower @thereagles @Awkward-Turtles-World @menalliha @cotton_mo @maan24 @thefirelordm @monkeymo @krenee1drful @nympha-door-a @unadulteratedtreecrusade @Aquarius-pisces-rose @mentallyscreamingsincebirth @fl0ating @sometimesiwrite @you-fxcking-wish-bish @thanks-bruh-for-nothing @maan2442 @thegaydeath @creatingstuffinpeace @wellthisstinks @andyrazzledazzle @ameliasmistake @winterwolf @caraqas @bluscryn @thefirelordm @y-napotat @henrycavillbesty @ta-ka-shi-ma @sulkyshengshou @spaced-out-state @thecollection @mayday1284 @babietrain @wandering-poetess @redneckstrash
If your name is in italics, it wouldn't let me tag you :(
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youamongthemelissas · 3 years
Note
hi mwah <3
may i have a scenario with zoro being a brat who doesn't want to go down on his girl, but she just puts in his place by sitting on his face? 👀
ara ara, it seems that the fifteen hours I've been sleeping have made me reap the rewards uwu
well, I really hope you like the result and that those 3,3k words make up for the delay in my writer's block. i've only reviewed it a few times because i'm really really sleepy right now, so I apologize in advance for any mistakes! :(
warning: oral sex (giving and receiving), fingering, face sitting, etc. only for +18. smut everywhere
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Zoro and I had known each other for almost two years, but he changed his position from hookup to boyfriend two months ago. Our chaotic relationship started at a horrible party. Everything that night was horrible, except when the handsome guy approached me offering his help when some ramshackle human being spilled water on my shirt. To complete my disaster, the outfit I wore was white and cotton, so it marked the contours of my breasts just right. Damn day I decided to leave my house without wearing a bra. Too embarrassed, I just crawled into the bathroom – which didn't even have a lock – and waited for the crowd to dwindle or for my shirt to dry so I could get out of that unhealthy place. But fate didn't have the best plans for me, as I saw the bathroom door open and a man enter that cubicle.
"This is the ladies' wc, you know?" I informed the guy angrily.
“I know,” he replied simply. "I saw the whole scene, so I decided to come make sure you're okay."
I arched my brow and stared at him with half-closed eyes. Was he feeling okay? I looked for signs of drunkenness in him, but his voice was steady and he looked too sober.
“Very nice of you, but you can't just lock yourself together with a strange woman in a cubicle. You know, I can interpret this as sexual harassment!” I snapped.
“Oh, fine. I was going to lend you my shirt so you could wear it and wouldn’t have to wait for yours to dry, but I see you don't need my help. Bye and sorry for the inconvenience,” and so he left, not giving me a chance to respond.
I cursed the Universe, but then I stopped myself because a tarot reader had informed me that a situation like this could happen throughout the week and I didn't listen. In the end, it was my fault for being a stubborn and skeptical one.
I really couldn't tell how long I was locked in that fetid cubicle, but when my t-shirt dried enough not to leave me practically naked from the waist up, I walked out and saw the same guy as before, he was talking to a red haired girl, actually it looked more like an argument was going on between them by his annoyed expression and her restless gestures. Would she be his girlfriend? Was the discussion focused on me and the bathroom incident? Well, I wouldn't stay there to find out and risk getting hit by the girl for something that wasn't my fault. He was the one who entered the ladies' room with an unknown woman!
And my disastrous night ended when I lay in my bed and turned off the light to finally sleep and erase all memories of the party from my head. But that boy's face has not left my mind.
The days followed normally, and when I was already forgetting the cool guy, I saw him for the second time in a bakery. He wore the same shirt that day of the party and sweatpants. His sleepy face gave away that he had just woken up and had just left the house to go buy bread for breakfast. He saw me but pretended not to. I got the feeling I should have apologized for the misunderstanding, but he was already making the request. Luckily, we were assisted together as soon a second attendant appeared who assisted me as well.
As soon as we paid the bill, we silently left the place and I got a chance to talk to him as we were heading in the same direction.
“Hey,” I called him, being ignored. "Boy, wait a minute"
“What is it, girl?”, he snapped at me sharply.
“I wanted to apologize for the misunderstanding… Seriously, I was just freaked out by a guy walking me into the bathroom…”, I was sincere.
"It's all right. Go on with your life in peace.”
“And you had a girlfriend, right? Like, you were still wrong in the end…” I couldn't hold my mouth before needling him.
This time he stopped abruptly and turned to me, making me smack my face into his chest.
"Girlfriend? First you accuse me of sexual harassment and now besides being a harasser you think I'm a traitor?”
“I didn't accuse you of anything! Except the girlfriend part. You and that red haired girl seemed to be fighting really bad, like boyfriends do,” I clarified.
“Redhead girl?” he seemed to search his memory for what I was referring to. “Nami? God forbid me dating that devil woman! She's not my girlfriend, and we were fighting because…”, he stopped mid-explanation. “This is none of your business, girl. But she's not my girlfriend,” he ended the pseudo-argument.
I nodded and went on my way.
“How long will you follow me? Now I can interpret that you're a deranged stalker”, he told me right after we turned down the same street, after walking close for a few meters.
“I'm not following you, my house is on this way”, I replied.
And that's how I found out that we lived in the same condominium.
Although I clearly remember the first two times we met, I can't say when exactly we started to change our cat-and-mouse relationship and elevate it to a more intimate one. Maybe it was when he fucked me for the first time in the laundry room in the building. I was taking my clothes out of the machine while he put his clothes in another one, and then we looked at each other and as if we had the same idea, he grabbed me around the waist and lifted me up to put me sitting on top of the machine he had just finished stuffing with his own clothes, putting it to work and taking me in a kiss while taking off my panties. When he entered me, I moaned loudly, but the sound was drowned out by the shrill noise of that old machine. Zoro confessed to me later that he chose precisely that one so my moans could not be heard. I think it was the most insane thing I did, because at any moment someone could come and catch us, but luckily for us that only happened after Zoro had cum on my thighs and taken me off that old thing. It was weird walking with my legs sticking together because of his cum, but I didn't have time to clean up, just lift my panties and straighten my skirt before passing the newcomer, who didn't seem to have noticed our presence.
After our first sex, we didn't get apart anymore. We couldn't be alone as we caught fire and had sex wherever we were.
As time went by, we calmed down and our meetings became more spaced, but our chemistry didn't extinguish even a little bit during these almost two years, on the contrary, it only earned us the beginning of dating. And we became more than just hookups, we became friends too, those who know about each other's lives and I got to know Nami, the red-haired friend he was fighting that night at the party. I came to discover that they could never be boyfriends, because she loved money and women.
Everything with Zoro was almost perfect. He was a good boyfriend, and even though we're two hotheads, we never fought. There are always dialogues in our relationship and this helps a lot to avoid unnecessary fights. Besides, sex is wonderful, everything just right, except for one small thing that bothers me. We combine a lot in bed, I always try to please him and give him pleasure at all times. I've lost count of how many blowjobs I gave him and how many times I let him cum in my mouth, but the problem is that he never even gave me oral sex. And that makes me a little frustrated and scared. Was the problem with me? I took good care of myself, but he always shifted position when I tried to get him down on me.
One day, while I watched him playing his favorite game, I stroked his hair.
“Babe?”, I called him.
“Hm?” he mutters, not moving an inch.
“Do I disgust you?” I asked bluntly.
"What? Where did you get this ideia?”, he turns abruptly to face me, doing something wrong in the game because soon there are some curses directed at him in the chat.
“It's just a question.” I shrugged.
“It can't be just a question. For you to ask me that, there's definitely a reason behind it,” he replied, no longer looking at the TV screen, and not realizing that he was being offended by the other players. Damn virgins.
“Nevermind…”, I hesitated, unable to let myself be affected by the comments, which weren't even for me. "Your game friends are very angry with you."
"Fuck them, the issue here is you.", he held my face with both hands, making me look at him. “Tell me what made you think about it,” he looks deep into my eyes, almost reading my soul and I immediately regret opening my mouth. But it was too late, lying was out of the question, because he knows very well when I lie, so I had no choice but to tell the truth.
“You never gave me an oral. So I deduced that the problem is with me”, I said at last and he let me go.
It was his turn to shift the focus to another corner.
“It's nothing to you, it's me who is the problem. I've never done that to any women, and in the movies I see them “squirt”, what if that happens?” He looked a little frustrated and embarrassed.
I got up from my seat and stopped standing in front of him, making him glare at me.
“You have to stop thinking real life is a big porn movie, Roronoa,” I said, putting my index finger on his forehead. “I really admire you knowing how to fuck without looking like a caveman”, I said that last sentence more to myself.
“Hey!” he heard and seemed offended. "It hurts, okay?"
“Sorry, but that is nothing but the truth”, I rolled my eyes.
Even though he didn't suck me when we had sex later, the seed of doubt was already planted in his head.
I know this, because days later he was more committed to making me cum. Before he seemed to care only about his pleasure, but after our conversation, he even put his fingers to work on my clit – which were presented by me –, as he moved in and out of me, until I came on his fingers. It felt good, but I wanted to feel his tongue down there, and wanted to see his head between my legs. I wanted so badly to squirm in pleasure beneath him as he sucked everything I had to offer him.
When the dream day finally arrived, all my thoughts turned opaque as I felt him hug me from behind and lean his body against mine as his lips found the skin of my neck.
“Do you know how hot you look wearing my shirt?” he asked huskily, pressing me closer to his body, making my ass fit into his crotch. And I already felt it was hard. "Even more so I know you're not wearing anything under it."
I couldn't hold back the moan as I felt his fingers travel up my waist until they reached my breasts under the fabric. He squeezed it first and then circled the nipple with his finger, making it hard. He knew how sensitive I was in that area. And to my delight, he lowered his other hand to between my legs, and slid it to find my sex, which was already starting to get wet.
When I was in his apartment, I liked to have just one piece of clothing. Walking around his house half-naked was one of the most satisfying things for me, because I knew that anytime we were going to get laid and being too undressed would get in the way of the process. So I opted to wear just a pair of panties or a T-shirt with nothing underneath, as was the case now.
He removed his hand from my body and pulled me away, but only to pick me up and take me to his bed, where he laid me down and leaned over me and started kissing me.
His kiss tasted like the whiskey he drank a few minutes ago. I ran my hands over his body and scratched him lightly on his back, inside his shirt. He ended the kiss and rolled off of me, but only to undress. I watched the scene intently, looking at each piece of skin that was revealed to me little by little. When he took off his underwear and his cock popped out, I felt my mouth water. He was there in front of me, completely naked.
I got rid of his t-shirt I was wearing and crawled until I was close to his body, took his hard member in my hands and started masturbating before putting it in my mouth. Unconsciously, I reared my hips up, and ran my tongue over the glans, tasting the pre-cum. Without waiting, I felt him lean over to smack my ass, and it made his cock almost hit my throat, making me gasp. I pulled it out of my mouth, gasping for air, but went back to sucking on it. When I relaxed, I put him in one piece and this time I got used to that intruder so deep, and I heard him grunt. He loved when I swallowed him like that, but before I could make him cum, he gently withdrew from my mouth and lay down on the bed, turning me to stand beside him.
He kissed me again and wrapped his hands around my waist and slid them to my ass, where he slapped my ass, making me moan into his mouth.
We made out until he was on top of me, making me feel his hard cock on my thigh as he kissed my neck and played with my nipples.
I was already throbbing with lust, and it got worse when he slid his fingers to my clit and touched his fingertip to that sensitive spot, making me arch into him. But he did nothing but tease me, and I wanted him to use his tongue this time to bring me to orgasm. For that reason, I forced his head down and he got the message, surprisingly trailing kisses down my body, but before he got there he stopped and returned the kisses to where they were before, leaving me frustrated.
I sighed in annoyance, and shifted our positions, getting on top of him. I positioned myself right on top of his cock, and I fit my pussy there, not to slide him inside, but to rub myself there. He liked my boldness a lot, but I abruptly left the place until I was positioned right in his mouth. I felt him startle under me, but it was too late because I was already sitting pretty well in his face, with my cunt snug in the place where I always wished it was. He showed no resistance, just ran the tip of his tongue over my clit and I closed my eyes, sighing.
At first, he was stuck and a little lost, but little by little he got used to it and now his whole tongue passed through my intimacy, sometimes sucking painfully. It was good for me and it was good for him too, because I felt him grip my thighs tightly, holding me in place as he penetrated me with his tongue. I saw stars. When he smeared the entire place and when my body showed signs of the first orgasm, nimbly and using a little force he took me off him and put me back on the bed, with my back to the mattress. I thought he had given up, but he again slid down my body and positioned himself between my legs, giving me that wonderful sight. Again he pressed his tongue against my clit.
Seeing him there, with his head buried in the place I'd always dreamed of, made a fire burn in my stomach, and my brain worked tirelessly on the new sensations his mouth was gaving me me.
And he looked very committed and thirsty. He was like someone who had gone days without even a drop of liquid and who had just found an inexhaustible source of pure water. And I was that source. And just the thought of having him thirsty for me was enough to give my boner more ammo and make my hips start working nimbly, looking for more contact. Zoro shaved every day, but there were already two that he didn't shave, so the growing hairs scraped the inside of my thighs when I moved my hips, leaving goose bumps.
His tongue explored every corner of my intimacy and his arms closed tightly around my legs as he brought one hand to one of my breasts and rested it there, squeezing every now and then as my body showed signs of orgasm.
He didn't let go of me when I came for the first time or when I screamed for the second. Instead, he circled my waist with his arms and held me immobile in place as he sipped every drop that dared escape from me. He showed no signs of satiating even when I scratched his shoulders or slapped him in the arms to get him to let go. In fact, it felt like it was just an extra boost for him when I was on the verge of madness, writhing in his mouth and thrashing around aimlessly for support and control of the spasms in my body.
He was both a sadist and a masochist at the same time, which is why I was so attracted to him.
When he released me, I was almost voiceless and completely shaky. I wouldn't be able to form an intelligible word, and his playful smile, which I saw blurred due to the tears pooling in the corners of my eyes, gave away his satisfaction at seeing me in that state.
When I finally composed myself and my heart stopped beating in my chest, pulse, and throat, I took a deep breath and stared at him. He was lying beside me, looking at me and running his hand down my face, lovingly.
“You look beautiful when you're coming”, was the first thing he said.
“You look handsome between my legs”, I returned the answer in the same tone.
He smiled and massaged his jaw, as if in pain.
“Too bad it takes so long to cum, my chin hurts”, he complained and I rolled my eyes.
“You didn't leave me after my first orgasm,” I accused. “For those who were afraid of giving me oral sex, you seemed to enjoy it a lot”, I continued, with a pout.
“I had no idea you were that tasty,” he said, smiling slightly. “Now you better get ready, because your taste has gone straight to the top of my favorite flavors”, he assured me, as he pulled me by the waist to glue my body to his.
I kissed his lips softly, and touched our foreheads, and he kissed me again, obscenely. It didn't take me long to be on my knees for him, determined to reward him for the multiple organs he gave me.
Seeing him from above, with his eyes closed and his expression filled with pure delight, made me want to feel his cock in the back of my throat to the point of gasping for air. But he refused to cum inside my mouth. He lifted me up and positioned me on all fours on the bed and placed the condom on his cock.
When he sank into me, I moaned loudly, too happy that my sex life with my boyfriend was perfect.
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matchamorphosis · 3 years
Text
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐲𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐞, 𝐦𝐲 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐞
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𝐦𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 | ღ | 𝐦𝐲 𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭
𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲 || what seems to be a normal rich summer morning with the women who lives across the honeysuckle boulevard from his cottage lies something else. a buttery rich feeling that spreads deep within Bucky’s heart as he takes his neighbor, alongside Alpine to the farmers market for coffee.
𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞 || fluffy fluff! ➳ part one
𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 || retired!bucky barnes × neighbor![black//woc]reader
𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 || 3K ➳ 𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭 || @firefly-graphics
𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 || if you think long walks with bucky and alpine in the sunny countryside are warnings then so be it but there is lots of food mentioned. ღ also reader owns a flower shop, not a warning thought just some info!
𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐬 || this version of cherry wine by hozier ღ this version of mystery of love by sufjan stevens ღ
𝐰. 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞 || eeeeep!!! so this is my first bucky with alpine fluff and i’m very glad to have it be the first for my fluffy mini series that i’m doing for this month! ღ I don’t describe reader too much throughout the story but what is clear is that I don’t specify on skin tone but yes the person in the moodboard is a woc! ღ anyways I hope you cherubs enjoy reading! ღ
+ p.s || do not repost, republish or plagiarize my work on any other fanfic platform such as: wattpad, ao3, tumblr, etc or steal my work all together. do so and i will rip your spine from your scumy asshole and shove it down your talentless throat. ♡♡♡  
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it was a lavish affair when Bucky found himself tangled with you in the bed of a million perennial petals.
clothing falling and bodies twisting themselves against each other in not lust but emotional apprehension. the soft petals of rose, carnation and violet keep pouring like blissful rain, entangling in his hair and in the crooks of your body.
enough to suffocate but enough to make him feel enveloped in the fantasy- the divination of you you you and only you.
for you are butterscotch benevolence that he will let pool like ambrosial nectar in the cavernous hollows of his collarbones. your tears of seventh heaven euphoria trickling onto his skin forming constellations- like the paint speckles on the forlonged artists canvas of his naked soul.
you are honey sunlight oozing from the basin of the candy floss sky, lacing with the shedding petals that continue to powder in their divine scent and morality. his fine pink sheets soft and silky as the rose petals of Heliogabalus, he’d sigh in heavenly pleasure to be buried alive in petals if she was drunk of the love he has for her.
he sees her playing, singing, dancing and bringing her virtuous spring song deep within the glossy shine of her honey hive eyes. love seeping in the melancholy streams leaking through the old creeky floorboards of his home and straight into the chambers of his heart.
so promising yet so grandeur as he feels his chest warm with her very touch, the ivory bow encased in the virtuous flowers of her emblem garden in his hands- he’d think that he was Cupid but oh how he’s been struck by his own arrow in great surprise. straight into the once extravagant chamber of his heart.
the spiraling golden arrow destined to pierce and rip through the tender muscle of breast to the beating vessel that writes a tragic tale of eternal ravishment in the movements of lyrical beats. muttering with languor-glazed lips, he’d keep her love like a an old locket against his chest for it’s what reminds him of home whenever he feels the cold element on his skin.
there are pieces of you scattered in the wonderous arteries of his heart.
nestled in the folds of the beating muscle, take heed.
for that is his home.
y/n is his perennial feelings left unsaid, exquisite pain yet ethereal serenity. his soft bed of roses and his deadly golden arrow, all meant to give his heart hope.
that he was- however it seems the bed of roses and all the lovely elements it holds have come to a staggering pause.
now as the sun hits the past super soldiers eyelids that dream of flower petals and the heavenly vision of you disappear. they flutter open to meet the single stream of sunlight that has slipped past the slit of the sheer bedroom curtains. brightening up the somewhat clustered space of the room with its single golden string.
Bucky sighs in defeat, this is the fifth dream he’s had of you in a month and he was barely pushing past the second week of May. before he didn’t mind the dreams, they calmed his mind while he layed in slumber during the thunderstorms of April but now they were resilient. it wasn’t no regular thing to dream about the women across the boulevard in the haven of flower fields and maple trees.
Bucky knew this but he couldn’t help but not treat these dreams sweetly. they were the definition of sweet torture, you never hurt him in those dreams as he did to himself but it was a pain to know that you probably don’t think of him the same way. for goodness sake ever since he and Alpine moved the only interactions he had with the maiden were just acknowledgments as they passed each other on their daily errands.
he shouldn't be this infatuated with someone who he's only met.
the soft hum of a purr finally awakens Bucky, his cats paw brushing against the half covered skin of his fleshed bicep. it takes a pat or two to make Bucky open his eyes to find Alpines blue hues staring back at his and he gives his furry friend a crooked smile. a chorus of meows welcoming him to another sunny morning in the peaceful and harmonious countryside.
“morning pal, ya slept well?” Bucky smiles as he lazily lifts his hand to scratch the right spot behind Alpines ear.
stretching out of bed till his feet touch the cool wood flooring, following the simple path from the bedroom to the kitchen he pours Alpine his dish of cream and gets started on his own breakfast. whisking hen eggs his neighbors from afar gifted him the day before and toasting the freshly baked loaves of bread he bought specially from the market yesterday.
Bucky normally didn’t take any gifts from anyone, he wasn’t that type of person to feel comfortable with those sort of things but as the days gone by the cheerfulness of the communities welcoming energy towards him has soften his doubt.
eating his simple breakfast paired with coffee, Bucky bites into his buttery egg toast whilst quickly scribbling down his to-do list for the day. of course there isn’t any tasks that the hundred and ten year old man has to get done but there were things that Bucky did look forward to ever since he settled in a month ago. the country was a lovely peacefulness he had forgotten about ever since he was a boy.
traveling to his grandparents farm away from the city for memorable childhood summers in the sun and fields. turning his head to meet the white linen sheets that draped over the kitchen panels, Bucky can see the herd of brown and black spotted cows from the distance. tapping the pencil against the shiny polish of the kitchen table he bites his lip on what else to add on.
his head lifts up to see through the other window that casts its lovely light against his paper. blue eyes meeting the toffee cobblestone path that led to her cottage, hidden amongst the shrubbery of acorn trees and flower budded bushes. hearing from lots of locals in the cobblestone village near the sparkling sea that she owns a little orchard of peach and cherry trees, a few strawberry patches amongst the vegetation.
it made sense why he sometimes finds a large wooden basket of those ruby fruits at his doorstep from time to time. a card inviting him over for some tea that he would agree to yet he would always call you the next day a stuttering mess canceling it over some important errands. nonetheless it made Bucky's heart swell how understanding you were, sweet just like the ripe fruits you pluck for him on Sundays.
Bucky would make copplers and sometimes pies out of them and if he wasn't so scared of the possibility of being too attracted to you he'd head over to your place so he and him would eat them in your gazebo. but of course he can't do everything his heart implores him to do. was it bad to want to get to know you and imagine what it would be like to befriend you?
maybe do lots more than just befriend you...
sometimes he would find a glimpse of your form in the distance as he headed for the lake neat the lavender fields up north to fish something for dinner. humming while you cared for your flowers, singing to them as you danced along the vintage radio. Bucky could see himself singing and dancing alongside you. caring for your precious tulips, primroses and other beautiful flowers that you sold.
those pretty flowers sweet and divine just as her lips and voice when the two first met, when he arrived in the too expensive car that stood out amongst the scenery. arms occupied with bouquets upon bouquets of trimmed flowers that practically shielded her face, his body ran straight into yours when he got out of his car. flower petals falling with the impact and him apologizing one thing led to another and he helped her with her bouquets all while being stricken when he got a clear look at her.
a clear look at you.
lovely in your sundress that flowed beautifully against your bodies soft planes, there was something about the sparkle in your eyes that made him start to stutter. something about you that made his heart bloom in a recherché flower he still can’t understand because he can still hear the velvety tone of your voice speaking your own name when giving each other’s your introduction.
from there on out a glowing ember of clustered stars burned in the pit of his belly when you spoke his name and he spoke yours. it was soft and innocent as the flowers in your arms but the introduction was cut off far too short for Bucky's liking but he promised you a coffee when he was completely settled in. having to do something so he could see you again cause oh how he wishes to hear you speak his name again and again and again till the flowers sprout, bloom and decay with each coming season.
maybe he should pay you a visit and bring up that coffee...
the music from the radio filling the bright cottage kitchen sweetly alongside the birds singing their song outside. Alpine takes his seat across from him, yawning over the new day that brings nothing but lazy laps and baked fish treats. forking a few honey drizzled raspberries in his mouth, Bucky walks to the front door and just in time the daily paper plops down on his feet from the passing paper boy whipping through the grassy roads on the shiny steel of a ringing bicycle.
bending down to retrieve the newspaper, he passes through the sidewalk of petunias and violets till he reaches his mailbox. the wood creaky and the metal rusty but the daisies that sprinted around the opening was a pretty site to see before Bucky grimaced at people from the outside world wanting to invade his privacy. grabbing the letters before smelling the sweet daisies, Bucky looks through the letters one by one. ripping some that had no use for to be used as fire food for his fireplace, grunting that even though he’s away from the tabloids and cameras there are still people eager enough to want something from him.
a soft voice from the distance pulls him out of his annoyance, it makes his eyes lift from his dreaded mail to the women a mile away singing her song as she reaches her mailbox. Bucky can’t help but look at her from afar; and maybe Alpine knows this to as he watch his lovesick owner admire the maiden from the kitchen windowsill.
with some obscene fortune he notices you checking your mailbox as well. heart pacing in his chest, he wishes he didn’t go outside before showering and at least brushing his hair for your waving to him from the distance.
“hello hello Bucky!” your sweet voice exclaims and it just adds onto the heaven that is the morning it makes his cheek hurt from how much he’s smiling.
“hello hello to you y/n. how is the shop coming along?” Bucky shouts and his heart sinks when you wave him over to you.
despite his mind telling him to not pursue closer his heart makes him walk his way to you standing next to your Valentine shaped mailbox. his worries slipping away when there's a underlying comfort in your posture and aura, alluring like the bees are to the flowers. welcoming and warm and he can't help but feel that way every time he's near you.
speaking of you, its reassuring to also know he wasn't the only one to wear pajama's out since your still in your blue silk nightgown. matching silk slippers adorning your feet, you sip from your tea cup as you read what he believes to be a Cosmopolitan.
“it’s coming along great, thank you! a bit slow the first week but that’s how any business starts but I just received my tenth loyal customer and i’m more than certain i’ll be selling lots of flowers today.” you spoke as you smiled to yourself then up at him.
checking your mail, Bucky’s surprised that you have quite a handful of letters and boxes. all written in lovely cursive and packaged nicely, almost like love letters and gifts. it makes Bucky’s heat sink, knowing that he might not be the only one who’s fallen head over heels for you. by all means you probably have the whole village under a spell with just the way you smile alone but he wants to see that smile the most.
he wants to be the reason for that smile.
“that’s sounds wonderful y/n, maybe I could stop by and pick a pretty bouquet or two," you only smile wider upon those words and much to his excitement you even brush your hand against his.
"oh really? have a special someone in your life who needs some loving?" you perk as you open an envelop but the question makes Bucky's throat dry on how he should answer.
you seem like the type of maiden who loves an honest man- yes, he should be honest.
"well... there is this one special lady." Bucky lingers and that makes you snap your attention away from the letters in your hands. voice dying in your throat at those words and heart beat hitting pause.
"I always thought Alpine was gonna be the only one to get to my soft spot- we sleep in the same bed together," he stops to laugh a bit, rubbing the back of neck with his metal arm and you laugh along with him.
"how is Alpine? i'm noticing he's getting into a routine with sleeping in my chamomile beds in the afternoon," you smile and bring your tiny tea cup to your lips. "would you care for a cup Bucky? this just so happens to be chamomile,"
"Alpine is doing good and thank you for bringing that up I was beginning to wonder where that rascal has been leaving for. will have an important talk to him once I get home and- I was going to ask you something," Bucky speaks while admiring how your thick lashes curtain your honey hive hues as you sip the steaming golden liquid.
no one should look that beautiful just drinking tea yet here he is, breathless on the simple action. if he truly wanted a cup he'd wish to drink from your tiny cup, to press his lips upon the porcelain rim where yours once brushed against. drink the sweet sunshine to experience the closest thing to your honey kiss...
"don't worry it's alright! I love looking over at him when I have tea at the back patio, he's quite a lovely guest. very well mannered, and yes Bucky is there anything I can help you with?" you cannot deny that your heart is practically skipping beats in your chest, fast and lively like the flutter of a butterfly wing.
Bucky runs his fingers through his hair, for someone who has done the simple thing of asking someone out for couple hundreds of times a hundred years ago from now it’s a disappointment that he’s lost his touch. however you don’t seem to notice or care but that doesn't mean he should give up. not when you're right here glowing in your morning dew radiance, anticipating the next words to slip past those lips.
it's now or never.
"h-how do you feel about that coffee I promised? today? I have a few errands to run in town and I was wondering if you would accompany me- on my errands... if that doesn't bother you,” Bucky rambles to a stop and he's thankful you're still smiling that closed lip grin against the porcelain of the cup.
"yes Bucky I would love that! there's a coffee cart near the shop I work at but what about your lady? she wouldn't mind us going out for coffee, would she?" you speak as you gather your letters in your arms. glancing up at Bucky to receive some conformation and Bucky bites his lips.
"I don't think she'll mind. in fact... I think she would love me to go out once in a while. I have a habit of only going out when necessary, coffee with you wouldn't hurt,"
"that's perfect, i'll see you at twelve then Bucky. you can help me open shop to," you smiled and Bucky returned an even warmer one back.
filling your heart with a rush of liason, like a tea cup filling with tea. something meant to be full and warm, embraced with someone's touch and lips as they drank each fluttering honey glazed sensation they have for one other.
something that seems to be happening right now before they break their strong eye contact, wiry- crooked smiles still embellishing their sun-freckled faces.
you wish you could kisses each one off his clean shaven cheeks right now, slightly rosy but oh how it would feel like peach skin against your lips.
Bucky wishes to kiss yours, the shine of your lips the form of heart shaped clouds and he just can't seem to get his head out of the amorous blue you cast him into.
"i'll be seeing you in an hour Bucky," you draw before walking away with a cheeky wink, your eyes still locking with his before you get to the rosy sunflower porch.
"and i'll be waiting for you doll,"
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write-ur-wrongs · 4 years
Text
Of Monsters and Men (pt. 1)
Summary: Geralt and Jaskier travel to a small seaside village after being hired to take care of a monster that has been terrorizing the villagers for months. However when they arrive, Geralt finds that the monster in question isn’t so easy to kill. 
A/N: This was getting to be quite lengthy, so I decided to split it into parts. This is the story I wanted to write when I first started watching the Witcher on Netflix and I am nervous and excited to finally be sharing it here!! Like with all my fics, I try to keep my Y/N has physically non-descript as possible, she/her and vibe are the only descriptors. I’ve also not proof-read but will edit errors as I see them post post lol. I hope y’all enjoy this!! Your feedback is always welcome :’)
this is approx. 2200 words and is largely setting the scene. I expect this to story to be told in no more than 3 parts. 
                              _________________________
When Geralt and Jaskier rode up to the quiet coastal village, they were struck by how calm and peaceful it was. The sound of waves lapping against the rocky shoreline, the rhythmic bumping of boats against the docks, and the soft clatter of driftwood windchimes melted together to create an atmosphere that soothed Jaskier to his core. He found himself gaping at the sights that surrounded him in wonder; truly taken by the way setting sun cast a golden glow on everything and painted the cloud-laced sky in rich hues of pink and orange.
“This place…” he sighed theatrically, waving his arms around, “is wonderful! Geralt are you not moved by the sight of it all? Does your soul not sing out! Oh, Geralt! Wow!”  
The witcher only rolled his eyes at his friend’s dramatics. Jaskier was always so blown away by the simplest things and it both amused and annoyed Geralt. Yes, the sky and the sea were beautiful sights, but more importantly, they were merciless vehicles of danger, death, and destruction; and Geralt knew better than to romanticize things that were, at their core, dangerous.
Sensing the bard’s eyes on him, Geralt gave him a hum of acknowledgement hoping it would be enough to satisfy Jaskier’s need for collective appreciation. It was, as he dreaded, insufficient.
“Come now, Geralt!” he enthused, “take that stick out your arse for a moment and appreciate the sights and sounds of this charming inlet! Listen to the sea! The chimes, Geralt! Listen to how the wind tickles the –”
“For fucks sake, Jaskier! It’s a fucking port city just like any other. This place is one bad storm away from being wiped out by that scenic sea of yours!”
“Yeesh,” Jaskier said letting out a low whistle. “Was it the stick in the arse bit? Too far?”
“Jask-”
“- because look, you are very stoic but – and I mean this as a compliment Geralt, so don’t get your leather in a –”
“Jaskier!” Geralt interrupted gruffly as he dismounted Roach with a huff. “Will you please shut up! Let’s just find the stables and the inn and get this over with.” Without waiting for Jaskier to catch up to him, he led his mare deeper into town.
Jaskier, refusing to let Geralt’s gruff exterior get him down, dismounted gracefully and lightly jogged to meet up with him, his lute clacking loudly against his back as he ran.
“Remind me again what dreadful little creature brings us out to this enchanting harbor?” he asked, still jogging a little to keep up with the witcher’s long strides.
“Don’t know yet.”
“Oh, ho-ho! A mystery? Always makes for a good song. What do we know so far?”
Geralt stopped and turned slightly towards the bard before speaking.
“Apparently a creature has been killing and dismembering men in town. They are being killed at all hours, bodies found in town, at sea, or out in the surrounding forests. Seems nowhere is safe.” Geralt let his cat-like eyes linger on the bard’s horrified expression for a moment before turning back and keeping on the path into town, shaking his head at Jaskier’s queasiness.
“Yeesh – Geralt! You’re not serious! Why would you bring me with you!?” Jaskier picked up the pace, suddenly wanting to be closer to his friend.
“You invited yourself,” Geralt said, trying to contain his smile, “as always.”
“Of course, I invited myself! You’re far to proud to admit you’d miss me.” Jaskier retorted. “Let’s get these horses to the stables, get rooms, and find food so that you can sort this out as quickly as inhumanly possible,” he said, speaking quickly and with a light waver, trying to pretend the quaint seaside village around him didn’t now leave him chilled to the bone.
“Hmm,” Geralt chuckled, happy to have managed to scare the bard into silence, at least for the time being.
The local pub was busier than Jaskier had expected when they rode into town. Seems the reason the village was so peaceful upon arrival was because everyone had already made their way to the bar. Fortunately, he’d managed to nab them a table by the stone fireplace; after a day of riding alongside the sea, Jaskier was desperate for a cold ale and a warm fire.
“Alrighty then, Geralt,” Jaskier said, holding his hands up to the hearth, “what have we got so far?”
“Not much,” he replied, tearing apart the loaf of bread a barmaid had brought over moments prior, “a couple people stopped me at the inn to ask me if I was here to kill the beast, but they didn’t have any information to offer besides the fact that it was a constant threat.”
“Well, maybe you’ll have more luck here – I mean look around, you’d think the whole town’s come to drink!”
“Port cities, Jask,” Geralt said, letting his gaze scan the room slowly, “the people here either spend their days at the mercy of the sea or waiting for their loved ones to come home. You drink for sorrow and for hope of a bright tomorrow.”
“That was poetic as fuck, Geralt! My influence?” he teased, shooting the witcher a cheeky grin, who merely grunted distractedly in reply.
Now ignoring his still-talking friend, Geralt’s eyes had landed on the two women working behind the bar. One was talking excitedly and kept casting quick glances toward the bard, blushing brightly when she caught his eye, while the other was watching Geralt with inquisitive eyes.
“… I tell you Geralt the more you allow yourself to – oh! Speaking of which, here come a few now!” Jaskier flourished, winking enthusiastically at the blushing barmaid who was making her way towards them sheepishly.
Geralt sat back in his chair and rolled his eyes, already tired of the flirting he was about to witness. To his surprise and great pleasure, Jaskier got up and met her halfway, leaving him in peace with his thoughts.
Having brought his attention back down to the bread before him, Geralt didn’t notice that he had company until she was right in front of him. Sensing her presence, he shot his gaze up quickly, and found her staring at his wolf medallion with a quirked brow.
“Forgive me,” she started, her deep, velvet-like voice washing over Geralt like morning sun after a cold night, “but you’re… a witcher?”
“I am,” he replied, giving her a crooked smile, his own voice, low and gravely and smooth, not going unnoticed by the woman before him. “Geralt, of Rivia.”
“Oh fuck,” she said, with a breathy sort of laugh, “so you’re not a witcher, you’re the Witcher then, aren’t you?”
Geralt let out a low and modest grunt, shaking his head at the comment. He thought himself immune to the scrutiny and awe that came with being the White Wolf, having carried the title for so long, but there was something about the way she was looking at him that left him shy.
“I’m,” he faltered needing to stop to clear his throat, having made the mistake to look her in the eyes, “just a witcher. Really.”
“Well, they don’t send you out for just anything, do they? For you to be out here in our little hamlet…” she squinted at him with a small tilt of her head, “we must be under some kind of threat. Should I be worried?”
“I was hoping you’d tell me, –” he stopped, waiting for her to introduce herself.
“Y/N,” she replied quickly, offering Geralt a warm smile despite the fact that she’d just crossed her arms, “and I mean we do get the odd ruffian coming through town. They always make a mess of things, don’t they? Beyond that, well, I suppose alcohol does breed violence in some,” she gave a light, one shouldered shrug, “but that’s not the kind of crime that would reach your ears.”
Geralt hummed thoughtfully, taking his time to consider Y/N’s words. She seemed almost too friendly, and there was something about her that both drew him in and had him putting up his guard.
“A monster has been picking the men of the village off one by one.” Leaning back into his chair to put some distance between them. “I’m surprised you wouldn’t be aware, considering,” he nodded towards the bar, “your job here.”
“Meaning what?” she retorted, wearing a playful smile that didn’t reach her eyes.
“Only that you must hear a lot,” he gestured vaguely to the crowd surrounding them, “and see a lot, doing what you do. I would have expected that the disappearance and dismemberment of men in town would be something of note.”
“Well,” Y’N tsked, “I’m sorry to say that you’ve been brought out here on something of a fool’s errand. There’s no monster here; the tale of disappearing men has been told here for months. It started with a woman, too embarrassed to admit that the man who impregnated her left her overnight, telling everyone that a creature from the forest killed him. From there the story grew wilder with every retelling.”
“Hm,” Geralt hummed, watching Y/N carefully with narrow eyes, “I was told dismembered body parts were turning up, consistently, after each disappearance, and that they were being identified as belonging to the latest victim. Besides, I was hired to come here. Why would someone pay me coin to rid a town of ghost?”
“People struck by tragedy will claim to see many things, Sir Geralt,” she replied softly, “not all of them will be true. A dead fish floating at sea, a creature mauled by wolves by the roads, rotten meats abandoned by vendors…” she shrugged, “the mind will twist the truth in order to bring comfort. Who hired you?” 
She added that last question quickly, and Geralt could tell it was calculated. Sensing this, he only replied with a quirked brow and a tilt of his head. 
Y/N betrayed no sense of frustration when she realized the Witcher wasn’t going to elaborate. Instead, her eyes softened, and she smiled at Geralt with what he perceived as pity. 
“Look, the truth is that there is no monster here. Isn’t that right Thalia?”
“Sorry, what?” Thalia, who had just walked back over the Geralt’s table with a tray of ales in her hands, was breathlessly giggling at something Jaskier had whispered in her ear. As she and Jaskier placed four ales on the table, Y/N took a seat across from the Witcher and quickly explained got the two up to speed.
“Oh goodness, that! I can not believe our town’s little lore made it to your ears, Sir Geralt!” She said with wide eyes as she snuggled up next to Jaskier, clinking her tankard with his before taking a generous sip.
“Wait, wait, wait,” Jaskier coughed on his ale, “you’re telling me there’s no monster here? That we might actually be able to enjoy a little rest and relaxation here without any horrible monster-killing business? Geralt this is good news!” he exclaimed, smacking his free hand on the table for emphasis.
Geralt only growled out a hum in response, never taking his eyes off Y/N.
“I’ll admit,” Thalia continued, seemingly unaware of the tension between the Witcher and her friend, “it’s scary to think about – you know, murder – but when you actually think about who disappears, it’s not difficult to see the truth.”
At this, Geralt turned his fierce gaze away from Y/N. “What do you mean, ‘who disappears’?”
“O-only that the men who leave aren’t really the type that anyone would miss.” She replied, stuttering a little against her best efforts to not recoil at Geralt’s inhuman eye-contact. “They were mean, violent types. The kind of man that would get crueler the more he drank. Just, awful, evil men, right Y/N?”
Y/N nodded quickly in agreement, taking a slow sip of her ale. “Good riddance.”
“Exactly!” Thalia agreed, clinking her glass to Y/N’s.
“Hell, I’ll drink to that,” Jaskier laughed, before picking his lute up off the floor. “What do you say ladies, a song?”
Thalia cheered loudly and encouraged the rest of the patrons to listen to the bard, letting them all know that he was in fact, the one who traveled with the great White Wolf. Jaskier was positively floating from the adoration as he danced around the pub, pulling cheers and applause after every song.
All the while, Geralt never took his eyes off of Y/N, who had retreated back to the bar after finishing her drink.
Geralt wasn’t sure what to believe. He had a strange feeling about this place from the moment he and the bard arrived, and it frustrated him to no end that even after hours in town, he was no closer to understanding the source of his discomfort. One thing was for certain, something about the story he heard here tonight did not add up, and he definitely didn’t trust its source.
Y/N was standing behind the bar washing glasses, but she wasn’t focused on the task at hand. Instead, her eyes were trained on the crowd before her. Geralt watched her as she scanned the pub with calm, slow-moving eyes that jumped from patron to patron.
The witcher was distracted for a moment when Jaskier sauntered into his sightline, singing a loud chorus of Toss a Coin to Your Witcher. Despite himself, Geralt couldn’t help but smile at the bard, whose face was flushed from the ales and the exertion.
However, as Geralt watched Jaskier twirl across the crowded pub, something in his peripheral vision made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.
Y/N had turned he head and was staring right at him with a pair of pitch-black eyes.  
Like a shot, Geralt turned his gaze to the woman behind the bar – his heart beating loudly in his ears – only to find her smiling warmly at him, her eyes their normal shade.
Instinctively, Geralt brought his hand up to his wolf-head medallion, hoping it would signal the presence of some supernatural evil. But he felt nothing.
He didn’t know what she was, but she was not human.
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weepylucifer · 3 years
Text
Tosses another dinluke at you. This one’s about caring for each other
Luke awakens from uneasy sleep filled with nightmares, and immediately can tell that today is going to be terrible.
The occasional phantom pain in his wrist, that he can take. The old, flaring ache, the strange feeling that the hand is still there, which somehow makes both wearing and not wearing the prosthetic feel uncomfortable - well, it’s a drag, but it’s only one part of his body. With meditation to aid him, he finds he can usually sequester it off, away from the rest of him, and go through his day more or less like normal. But sometimes, each and every scar caused by the Force lightning clamors in pain, especially when he’s been dreaming about how he got them. This is the worst, because he hasn’t found a good way to cope with it yet. He can’t make the pain stop, and it’s driving him up the walls.
There’s no way he can teach his padawan like this.
Fortunately, Grogu’s father is visiting, and will probably be more than happy to entertain the kid for a day.
Luke hasn’t gotten the measure of the Mandalorian yet. He talks little, projects an aura of intimidation, being covered in armor all over like that, but he seems very attached to his child, so attached that Luke reckoned upon getting Grogu that breaking their bond would do a lot more harm than good. He’s come over for a few visits to far, and he practically curls over Grogu like a loth-cat over its young. But Luke doesn’t exactly know anything about him besides that.
Also, it’s dawned on Luke that he knows nothing about Mandalorians. He knows Boba Fett is one, but that’s pretty much it.
So he’s not exactly comfortable admitting his plight to the man. What if he perceives it as weakness? So when he emerges from his bedroom to greet him, he is brief, almost curt, making himself speak through the pain.
“I’m sorry, but there’ll be no lesson today. Can you just watch Grogu for me? I’m... something else has come up.”
The Mandalorian looks... like an expressionless helmet on a suit of armor. But his voice betrays some surprise when he says, “Um, yeah. Sure. Not a problem.”
He’s justified in his surprise; Luke has never cancelled Grogu’s lessons before. “Thanks,” Luke says and repeats, “Sorry this is on such short notice.”
The last thing he sees before beating his retreat back to his room is Grogu cooing and reaching a little hand out towards him in concern, doubtlessly feeling in the Force that something is amiss with Luke. He closes the door but can still hear the Mandalorian reassuring the kid to the best of his ability, “Sorry, buddy, your bajuri seems to be busy. No floating stuff today.”
Grogu emits the sad coo again.
“Hey, it’s okay. Wanna go to the pond and look for frogs?”
...
“We can take the Phoenix over there.”
A happy squeak tells Luke that the plan has met approval.
“You like flying with the jetpack, huh? Yeah, me too.”
Their voices recede, Grogu babbling happily and his father talking back pretending to understand him, and then the temple is silent. It dawns on Luke that the Mandalorian is attractive, the juxtaposition between the gleaming armored fighter and the father so gentle with his kid intriguing. The thought is brutally cut short by another sharp flash of searing pain.
He whines and flings himself onto his bed, curling up and tugging at his hair with both hands, hoping beyond reason that the pain in his scalp will distract him from the pain in his everywhere else.
--
Luke has been trying on and off to meditate or at least nap for several hours, when he hears a knock at the door. It can only be Mando.
“Um. Master Jedi?”
The Mandalorian has never asked Luke’s name, maybe he reckons Luke goes by his self-assumed title, just like he seems perfectly comfortable going by Mando. Yes?, Luke wants to ask, but he’s scared it’ll come out an undignified whimper.
“I made some dinner for the kid,” the Mandalorian continues. Is it dinner already? “I thought maybe you’d want some, so I’ll leave it out here.”
Luke blinks at the door. He wasn’t expecting this.
“I don’t know if you’ll like it, it’s, ah. Aruetiise usually find our cooking too spicy. So I made some bread to go with it, it. Helps. With the spice. I used some stuff from your storage for it, hope that’s okay.”
The silence persists.
“Putting it down now. Okay. Good luck with your... Jedi business.”
There’s a sound of, indeed, something being placed on the floor, then footsteps walking away.
Luke opens the door. There is a tray of food waiting for him. An amazingly delicious smell wafts from it and his stomach growls loudly, reminding him that he hasn’t eaten today.
So this man can cook. This man baked bread for him. Luke tries to imagine him, in the kitchen, doing that. Maybe he put Luke’s apron on over the armor. The thought makes him giggle for the first time today. Truly Grogu’s father is full of surprises.
--
It’s already getting dark out when Luke carries his empty plate back to the temple’s little kitchen. He finds Mando there with Grogu on his lap, as always in complete armor, simply watching as Grogu plays with a small silver ball.
Luke clears his throat. “Hi,” he says eloquently and carries his plate to the sink.
The Mandalorian nods in greeting. “All done in there?”
“Not exactly.” Somehow, Luke can feel Mando refocus on him, even through the helmet. He knows he must look rumpled, his hair mussed, his face drawn, and using one of his robes as a shawl. He wishes he had the ability to suffer more attractively, or at least the energy to make himself up a bit.
He sighs and sits down at the table with them. Somehow he feels like, as fair payment for the meal, the Mandalorian deserves his honesty in return. “Full disclosure, I wasn’t doing... Jedi stuff in my room. I just... I’m unwell.”
“Oh.” For some reason, Mando’s head tilts towards Grogu. It becomes apparent why when he asks, “Anything catching?”
“No. No, Grogu will be fine.” Luke folds his hands on the tabletop. Well, he’s already at it being honest. “Do you ever get the feeling of... old scars, hurting again? Like they’re new?”
“Your hand?” the Mandalorian asks. Ah, of course, he’s perceptive, he’s noticed the fake hand.
“Not just the hand. Everywhere. All over.” Luke grits his teeth as his nerves alight again along the lightning patterns. Maker, he hates this. It’s like the shrivelled old prune continues to torture him from beyond the grave.
“All over?” Mando repeats. The helmet’s modulator dulls emotion, but Luke guesses it’s concern he hears.
“Yeah. Look.” Following a sudden impulse, he gets up and shucks his robe, unbuttons his shirt and slips that off too. “Here, see?” He turns himself this way and that, catching the warm lamplight. “And yes, they go all the way down.”
Helmet or no, he can hear the Mandalorian’s breath catch. His hand, the one that’s not keeping Grogu from tumbling off his lap, twitches... rises... reaches out... Luke keeps himself very still. For a breath or two, he thinks that if the Mandalorian were to touch him, trace the lightning bolts on his torso with his gloved hand, then he might feel better. Might be soothed.
The hand is lowered to the table again as if embarrassed. Luke lets out his breath and tries not to slump in disappointment. “I’ve never seen scarring like that before,” the Mandalorian says. “And I’ve seen my fair share.”
“Force lightning,” Luke explains, before remembering that his companion knows nothing about the Force. “A Sith torture technique.”
“You were tortured?” Mando asks, then amends, “You don’t have to tell me.”
Luke sits back down, hugging his knees to his chest. “Pffft. It’s not like I’m not already thinking about it.” He rubs his hands down his arms at another shiver of pain. “The Emperor did this. When I went to confront him on the second Death Star.”
“It was you on the Death Star?” the Mandalorian asks.
“Yeah. The Emperor wanted me to join the dark side. I refused. I had no idea he’d just start frying me with lightning. I had no idea this was something the Force could even do.”
“But then you... killed the Emperor?” The Mandalorian is clearly guessing, and Luke finds himself astonished that there’s someone out there still who doesn’t know the whole Luke Skywalker Saga.
“I did not,” he says. “My father killed the Emperor. All I did was lie on the ground and be tortured.” He picks at his wrist where the synthetic skin joins the organic. “I’m not even bitter about that. It ended up saving my father’s soul. But sometimes, I have nightmares about it, you know? And in those dreams, my father... doesn’t help me. He just stands and stares at me and that���s worse than the pain. Because, when it actually happened, there was... a moment when I thought he wouldn’t do anything. He wouldn’t care and he’d watch me die. For a moment there, I lost hope, and that’s the worst of it really, knowing that about myself.”
“Why was... your father on the Death Star?” the Mandalorian asks, and huh, apparently he hasn’t heard about the Luke-and-Vader-connection either.
“It’s a long story,” Luke says, because it is, and he’s tired. His scars still hurt, not in these sudden flashes anymore, but as a pulsing, bone-deep, constant ache. But his chest feels a bit lighter for having talked about it.
The Mandalorian now gestures at said chest, instead of asking for the story again. “Can you take painkillers for those?”
Luke shakes his head. “They don’t help much. The pain’s in here.” He taps his temple. “I’ve just been trying to sleep it off, but it hurts too much to get to sleep.”
Mando hisses out a breath, and Luke is by this point fairly certain he’s commiserating. “Phew. Sounds like you need a drink.”
This makes Luke laugh, and he appreciates that. “You know, I’d love a drink, actually.”
After Grogu is put to bed, Luke gets a glass of spotchka and Mando’s company (he tilts the helmet off just far enough to free his mouth in quick, almost furtive gestures and takes tiny sips). His head’s starting to feel pleasantly swimmy when he says, “You know, I’ve just bared all my troubles to you - well, not all, but some, and pretty hefty ones - and yet I know... three facts about you, maybe.”
“Hmm. Yeah, that doesn’t seem fair,” the Mandalorian says amusedly. “What would you like to know?”
“Your name would be a good start,” Luke suggests.
The way the Mandalorian fidgets with his glass, he looks almost flustered. “Ah... Din. Din Djarin.”
“Luke Skywalker.” Luke grins and reaches across the table, ignoring the pinpricks of pain up his arm, to grip Mando’s - Din’s - hand. “It’s nice to have met you, Din Djarin.”
-----
In the following months, these flare-ups return occasionally, but none in such intensity. Luke knows that it’s only a matter of time, though. He’s beginning to suspect that this might stay with him forever. But he’s not as horrified at the prospect as he once was, after talking about it to Din and being neither judged nor pitied. After Din didn’t look at him worried like Leia, or attempted clumsily to walk on eggshells around the topic like Han, and didn’t think less of Luke, and didn’t act like Luke’s admittance to his issues tarnished some sort of larger-than-life image of the glowing Jedi hero. How odd it is to think of a future that has someone in it he can rely on in such an uncomplicated manner. He hasn’t had anyone in his life to rely on - or dared to think of himself as needing this - since... well, since Aunt Beru, probably.
During these months, Grogu has steadily progressed in his studies. Din has visited the temple with some regularity, but Luke has yet to get used to him. How could he, when there’s so much new and exciting to discover about Din still? He finds himself looking forward to these visits, and missing Din when absent, almost as much as Grogu does. Din can only ever stay a few days at once, and Departure Day is a sad one for all two inhabitants of the makeshift Jedi school. (Luke’s not sure what Din does when he’s not here. It can’t be so important, right? Surely not more important than spending time with Grogu? Than talking to Luke?)
This time, though, when Din shows up at the agreed-upon time, it’s weird. He speaks even less than usual, he seems to retreat into his armor even more, he opts to sleep in his ship instead of one of the many empty bedrooms in the temple that Luke has yet to fill with more students. And he barely holds or even touches Grogu, and that tips Luke off. These other observations he could chalk up to paranoia and his own desire to coax Din out of his (figurative!) shell. But that last one tells him that something is off.
Grogu can feel it too, and confusion and worry is seeping off of him into the Force. Luke tries to calm him and get him to sleep, but in the morning, Grogu’s still a bit anxious, and their collective worry mounts when breakfast passes by and Din fails to emerge from his ship. The two of them are reflecting their worry back off each other, and it’s getting aggravating, so Luke gets up and resolves to investigate.
“Okay, Grogu, can you go in the garden and play with Artoo? I’ll go look what’s up with your dad.”
Grogu immediately calms now that he knows the matter is being taken care of, and it warms Luke’s heart to see how much the kid has grown to trust him.
He gains entrance to the ship - it’s not the same one that Grogu has shared memories of with him, but similar enough in layout. The cockpit is empty, so he descends down a narrow ladder into what probably passes for crew quarters here. Peering around a corner, he finds Din hunkered down with his back against the durasteel wall, his threadbare cape wrapped around him as a blanket. He hasn’t noticed Luke come in yet, and that’s wrong in and of itself, and he’s shivering so hard it makes his beskar rattle slightly. As Luke lays eyes on him, he breaks into a horrid wet cough beneath the helmet, the modulator rendering it rasping and metallic.
Okay, something must be done.
“Din?” Luke asks, peeking his head out into open view. “It’s Luke, I’m in here now. You sound like my dad, kriffing-- how long has it been like this?”
Din’s head whips around in Luke’s direction, and he probably only doesn’t flinch because he’s trained to not flinch at things. “I’m fine,” he claims - outrageously lying - and tries to drag himself to his feet, hands bracing against the wall behind him.
Luke is already rushing to his side. “No, no, just stay down. There, that’s right, just sit. Are you wounded? Sick?”
Din tilts his head back against the wall. “Not wounded.”
“Well, that’s... good.” Luke squats next to him, unsure how to proceed. In the Force, he can feel exhaustion and pain radiating off of Din, but that doesn’t tell him what exactly is wrong. He tries to touch his wrist and, of course, meets beskar.
“Din, I realize this might be a... big ask, but can you remove your helmet so I can check your temperature?”
A stuttering sigh comes out through the modulator. “I don’t...”
“I’ll close my eyes,” Luke hurries to add. “It’ll just be for a few seconds. Oh, oh I have a blindfold back at the temple! I can run back and get it.”
Din shakes his head. “It’s okay. You’ve seen it before.” He reaches a shaking hand up and with a hiss, the locks on the helmet disengage. He slides it up and off and Luke takes in his face. It’s flushed, his hair matted and sweaty, his eyes bleary, and yet. It’s as attractive as Luke remembers.
Shaking these thoughts off, because there certainly are more important things now, Luke reaches out and puts his ungloved hand on Din’s forehead.
“You’re burning up,” he hisses. “I’m taking you back to the temple, I have medicine there.”
He’s already in the process of wrapping an arm around Din’s torso to help him up when Din shakes his head. “No. Gotta stay here.” His speech is washed out, his eyes glassy, and Luke’s concerned he’s not talking sense.
“You’ll be more comfortable at the temple.”
Din tries to brush him off with alarmingly feeble hands. “No. The kid.”
Ah. “I don’t think Grogu can catch anything off of you. Different species and all that.”
“You don’t know.”
Well, strictly speaking, Luke doesn’t. Yoda never mentioned anything like that. For a moment, Luke looks around the room, but his old mentor’s ghost is unhelpfully absent. He settles for promising, “I’ll make sure he keeps his distance.”
Din shakes his head again. “Kid’s going to...” He’s interrupted by another coughing fit. “...try to heal me. Don’t want him to overdo it.”
Even miserably sick, Din’s first concern is for the child. It makes something warm swell in Luke’s chest, and he realizes with no small start that Oh, this might be something a lot more than attraction he’s dealing with.
It doesn’t matter now. “I’ll make sure Grogu doesn’t overtax himself then. I’m his teacher, it’s what I’m here for.” Not at home to any more protests, Luke uses the Force to help him lift Din up in his arms. “Try to have a little faith in me, okay?”
“I’m fine here on my own,” Din insists.
“Don’t be an idiot,” Luke says distractedly as he starts off towards the exit ramp, bridal-carrying a whole Mandalorian warrior.
Din is not cooperative, doing his damndest to make himself a dead weight. “I’m Mand’alor,” he mutters, eyes half-closed. “I don’t have to take that tone from you.”
Luke doesn’t know what that word means. Maybe it’s a special type of Mandalorian. He’ll ask later, if he remembers. “Right now, you’re sick, that’s all,” he says, taking them at a brisk pace back to the temple. “You need attention.”
Din’s answer is a displeased groan. “My own damn fault for taking off the helmet.”
In the moment, Luke wonders if he means that in a metaphysical sort of way, like he’s being punished by the ancient Mando gods for his heresy. He’ll later discover that it’s much more prosaic than that: Din has worn the helmet since he was a child, and it’s protected him amiably against any airborne diseases. Now that he’s decided to start taking if off occasionally amongst other people, his immune system is being thrown into a panic by all these new unfiltered things to be breathed in, and he has prompty caught some kind of space flu.
For now, he gets Din into bed, armor and all, and heads for the ‘fresher and the aid kit he stashed there.
--
Din is burning.
Din is glacier-cold.
He sleeps irregularly in this soft bed he doesn’t recognize, and wakes himself with fits of coughing. He gropes for lucidity and gives up on it again in intervals. At some point, someone took his helmet - no, he remembers taking it off, or was that a dream? He has a memory of being carried in somebody’s arms, but who would carry him in full beskar? Who would care to? He’s not on his ship and he’s not alone and this is wrong. He’s been sick before, even with the helmet: from infected wounds or bad food or bad water or being out in harsh weather too long during a job. He’s always ridden it out by himself, if he was too far off to stumble his way back to the covert. But this isn’t the covert - that’s long gone, isn’t it? - and someone is here.
The person, at some point, helps him sit up and removes his armor, and Din would panic - does - but the person’s hands on him are gentle, and there’s some voice telling him that “It’s just to make you more comfortable, I’m putting it right next to the bed, I’m not taking it away, see? It’s right here waiting for you” and he’s too exhausted to put up a fight, and why would they lie? If they wanted the beskar for themselves they would’ve killed him already. But the person doesn’t. The person gives him water when he’s coughed his throat raw. The person drapes a blanket over him, which he shucks off during the hot spells only to grope for it again during the cold ones. The person puts a hand on his forehead and it’s even more cool and soothing than the damp cloth they also provide.
At some point, the person puts something in the bed with him - some alive thing, some small and fussy thing, some important thing with small green claws and wide moon eyes and large ears that are the softest thing that Din’s ever touched. He reaches out for it on instinct, just to pet the downy white hairs on its little head, and the person’s voice says from somewhere far above, “Okay, Grogu, I promised your father to take this slow. We’ll do this gradually, so you don’t tire yourself. You understand? Small healing. Easy.”
The small and precious thing makes a displeased sound, and Din wants to soothe it again. The voice replies, “I know how you feel, I know you want to fix it all right now, but I promised, okay? Your father will be very disappointed in me if we don’t do this just like he’d have it. And we don’t want that, hm?”
Din hears a coo close to his ear, feels a tiny, three-clawed hand touching him, and then there’s a sudden warmth spreading in his chest, not like the clammy heat of the fever but different, pleasant. Suddenly it seems easier to lie back and get some real, truly restful sleep, and this he does.
This instance repeats several more times, over days, until there is a point at which Din wakes - still sore, shaky, and with his muscles aching from having trembled so much - but with the fever broken and his head clear enough to string a coherent thought together.
He’s vaguely aware of a warbling voice a short distance away that he can’t quite yet discern. The room is dim, with only a singular lamp by his bedside spreading a warm light. There is a window above the bed but no light is coming in. It must be late in the evening - Grogu’s bedtime, is what Din’s inner alarm clock tells him without fail. And indeed, when he raises his head, he spots a small crib across the room that can only be Grogu’s, and Luke is there, rocking it in gentle motions. It is him who’s doing the crooning - singing Grogu to sleep, Din realizes abruptly. As he focuses, the lullaby slowly starts to make some sense: it’s in Bocce, which Din is about as conversant in as Tusken. He’s actually heard the tune before; it’s a nonsensical little ditty that settlers on Tatooine sing to their children.
He stretches out an arm and points a shaky finger at Luke.
“Hick,” he accuses, his voice gritty like he gargled a mouthful of sand.
Luke spins around, his blue eyes widening. “If you’re trying to insinuate that only sand-encrusted, desert-dwelling hicks speak Bocce,” he says, “then you are correct.” He smiles. “It’s good to see you back with us.”
“You’re from Tatooine,” Din says, and wonders why this is so important to him. Maybe it’s because learning things about Luke is like putting a puzzle together. There’s somehow a whole bunch of people that Luke is - he’s fascinating, he’s vexing, he’s confusing, and Din has no idea why he’s this interested in the first place. Well, he does have some clue, but it’s best not dwelled upon. Luke has his Creed and his life, Din has his wholly different Creed and life, and it’s not like the interest can be mutual anyway.
Or can it? Luke seems to have been here for days, watching him heal. Din’s mind veers away from phrases like “nursing” and “caring for” because, well, it implies a needing and a being needed that’s not usually extant for him. He takes care of himself, mostly, that is how it’s been for years. Decades...
Luke nods. “Anchorhead represent. Go Womp Rats.”
Din wrinkles his nose. “Anchorhead? There’s nothing there.”
“You’re telling me! Come talk to me about it when you’ve lived there for nineteen years.” He crosses the room to come perch on the edge of Din’s bed. “Which you won’t, you’re the king of Mandalore.”
Oh, shit. Yeah. He’s probably missing a council meeting right now. Wait. “Who told you?”
“You talked a lot when you were feverish.” Luke passes a hand over Din’s brow. He’s done that before, but it’s very different now that Din is awake for it. “It seems to have broken.”
“You had the kid heal me,” Din surmises. He can’t waste breath right now on wondering what else he said to Luke, when the fever had him. “I told you not to do that.”
“I had him heal you slowly, step by step, so he wouldn’t exhaust himself. Just a little every day,” Luke explains.
“He okay now?”
“He’s-” Luke begins to answer, then stops himself. A truly mischievous smile spreads on his lips. “Prince Grogu is resting, your highness. But yes, your majesty, he’s perfectly fine and healthy.”
“Stop.” Din swats a hand at him. “Not... ‘majesty’. We don’t even do that. It’s just ‘Alor. Actually, it’s just Din.”
Luke dodges his hand and almost falls back onto the bed, laughing. “Oh, dear. Please, your worship, accept this humble Jedi’s apology--”
“I mean it, stop--” He probably sounds petulant. He can’t bring himself to care.
Luke’s smile gentles. So do his eyes, impossibly blue. Huh. He’s beautiful. “I’m just teasing you,” he says, beautifully. “I know this doesn’t change anything here. Just another facet of the man I’ve been getting to know.”
“Ah. So you’ve been.” Din clears his throat. That feels awful, as it is still very dry. “Getting to know me. Huh?”
Does this qualify as flirting? This is probably awful. Din’s not good at this. And anyway, it’s still unclear if Luke is actually--???
The softest pair of lips in the galaxy (the galaxy!!!) is on his forehead. Din’s chest implodes. He can feel Luke’s smile on his skin. He’s never felt anything like it before. How is this happening? He’s most likely still sick, and this is a fever dream.
“I’d like to get to know much more of you,” Luke says, withdrawing, still smiling, his eyes like sun-streaked oceans. Din has no breath in his chest.
He delays his reaction two seconds too long, and Luke’s expression begins to falter. “I’m... sorry, you’ve just recovered, and here I am putting... this on you.” He gestures broadly at himself in his entirety. “I... hold on, I’ll go get you, um, a glass of water or something...”
Din would like a glass of water. He would not like Luke to leave. The latter wins out. “Wait.” He grasps Luke’s wrist before he can get up. “I didn’t mean... I would, um. Like to get to know you also.”
Luke stills, his face a turmoil of emotion. How is this the same man who looked so utterly serene to the point of expressionlessness when they first met?
Din figures it’s way past time he made a move. Luke’s already gone and bared himself so much. It’s only fair that he meet him halfway, Din thinks and kisses him.
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heavenunderthemoon · 4 years
Note
Can we get JJ and daughter reader where the reader bio father comes back
ROOM 286
Warnings: mentions of drug abuse, blood, death, abandonment. 
This piece is extremely angsty, I didn't even mean for it to happen it just kinda came to me while writing last night, enjoy:)
Sanitizer.
It smelled of sanitizer and something else. Something heavy, pulling you down, the scent dragging against the floor as you walked along with it, sneakers hitting the freshly waxed floor with a squeak. What was that smell?
It could have been anything, walking among the halls of that hospital, a hospital you had never been to, a hospital far away from your home, from Quantico.
Blood, maybe. Blood leaving someone else's body, a severe injury or just a small wound. Or blood entering someone else's body. A transfusion, a hope to save someone's life, a wish to stay alive for just a while longer. Blood, scarlet and distinct, heavy and substantial, entering or leaving.
Or death. Perhaps the heaviness was the mere proximity of death that hospitals seemed to have. Hospitals were like a precipice, a border between the living and the dead. Some who entered simply never left, and those who didn't were walking behind you, mirroring your footsteps, following your direction. It was the darkness of death, the souls of those that were lost covering the hospital like a shroud. The weight of those souls, the anger, dread, and our sadness that filled them weighed them down, pulling the hospital with it.
You had never liked hospitals.
"This is his room."
Your mother's voice was taut, laced with pain and something else. Bitterness, maybe? You snuck a glance toward her. She was still dressed in her work clothes, having practically sprinted off the jet to grab you from the house. Her gun was holstered, resting on her hip directly next to her badge that clipped to her belt loop. It gleamed under the fluorescent lights of the hospital, and you looked away, back to your mother's face.
She was crying, albeit small. Tears pooled in her eyes, the bright blue you had stared into for your entire life. Her teeth were sinking into her bottom lip, tiny sniffles escaping every so often, as if attempting to console herself as to not let you hear it. She never liked you to see her cry, not even after those stupid, cheesy romance movies that the two of you rented out every Valentine's Day. The woman was still operating under that archaic belief that once you turned an adult, once you became a parent, your emotions were supposed to simply leave you, become secondary to your child. You wished she wasn't. You wished you could take her hand and let her know she could cry but the entire situation at the moment, the real-life fever dream had you incredibly uncertain of how to handle anything that came next. Your hands clenched in your jacket pockets, glancing back to the room before you.
Room 286.
"Your father is dying, Y/N."
A glance back to Will in the kitchen had made you furrow your brows. The LaMontagne man was whistling as he cooked, fingers clenched around a wooden spoon being used to stir the noodles in the pot. Will was an excellent chef, and you had just gotten your report card back for the first semester- straight A's (and one B, but it was math, and both Will and your mother knew how much you absolutely loathed the subject, and so they took that as a win). The dinner was celebratory in a way, nothing too fancy  you didn't like all the fuss, nor did you want to have to make your mother miss a nice dinner in a restaurant that passed out free breadsticks before a meal (she would argue that any restaurant that did so was, automatically her favorite, no matter if the bread was crappy and stale). And so, pasta at home it was, and you had even negotiated Will's famous peanut-butter cookies for dessert. Henry sat on the counter beside him, giggling at his father's horrible dance moves. They were off-beat, choppy, and out-dated, but it made both Henry and you laugh uncontrollably when he did them, and so he continued.
The sun was just setting and your mother was on a case. She liked to call before bedtime when she was away, enough time to coax Henry into a sleepy stupor, to tell him goodnight, and to let you know how much longer she would be gone. You would tell her about your day, and she hers. The two of you would talk for forty-five minutes if she had time, ten if she didn't. But the sound of your phone ringing at dinnertime hadn't made you think anything was wrong. Perhaps she was calling early, or maybe she just wanted to hear your voice. That happened sometimes too, when the cases were especially heinous.
"What?" You asked confusedly. Will was looking at you with a raised brow, mouthing a 'You okay?', to which you didn't quite have an answer for. Instead, you shrugged, holding up a finger as a signal to give you a minute, before you were exiting the room. The playroom was a mess, Henry rarely ever picked up his toys. You sidestepped two matchbox cars before you stepped on a lego, hissing at the pain and walking over it irritatedly. For as small as he was, he sure could create a mess.
A pregnant pause.
"It's Christopher." Another pause. You were starting to hate those. "Your birthfather... He's dying."
Your breath seemed to have been stolen, and the last of your air hitched in your throat, eyes becoming unfocused. How were you supposed to react to this? You weren't entirely sure. your birth father, a man you didn't know, a stranger, really. You didn't know anything about him.
Horrible thoughts began to flood your mind.
You didn't know what he looked like. You inherited a lot of traits- too many traits, honestly- from your mother, so you had never thought to ask. You were a bit taller than your mother...was that him? Was that his genetics coming into play? What color eyes did he have? What did his smile look like? You didn't know small things either. How did he like his eggs cooked? What method of shoe-tying did he prefer (bunny loops or round-a-bouts)? Dogs or cats? Movies or books? Did he watch T.V. with the captions on or off?  You didn't know his favorite book genre, or band, or what foods he didn't like. You didn't know any of these things about him, about your father.
You knew these things about Will, of course. Because when you thought of 'father', Will was the first thing that came to mind. It had been that way for a while, so perhaps the fulfillment of the 'father' role in your brain was obscuring your mind, but you were wracking your brain to remember the last time you had thought of your brith father. But, then again, maybe you shouldn't have, because now, flashing before your mind were not saccharine , wholesome stories, but memories of empty chairs in audiences, uncelebrated Father's days, and 'Father-daughter' dances with Derek, or Reid, or Hotch.  Sour thoughts and memories of an absentee father who left your mother in the lurch, abandoned her in her time of need, was that bad to think of he was dying? Were you supposed to be nice now? You weren't sure the rules of this arrangement.
"What?" It was weak and strangled, as if someone had clutched your throat right then and there and squeezed.
"He's at Saint Mercer's. It looks like an overdose, he had a stroke. It was too much for his body, and the doctors declared him brain dead. I was his emergency contact, and..." Your mother was speaking, rambling from the tone of her voice. She was in shock, surely, and you were only half-listening.
An overdose.
You wondered what you'd find on the other side of the door.
"Are you ready?"
Your mother was speaking, but she didn't sound like she was...there. You were sure she wasn't. No, she hadn't been there ever since she had gotten you, taken you to that airport, boarded you on the first flight out, planted you both in front of room 286 in Saint Mercer's Hospital. Her eyes were glazed over, as if replaying every single moment with the man she had once known , the man she had created another child, her first child, with. A man she hadn't seen for entirely too long, and a man she hadn't ever expected to see again. A man she wouldn't even recognize, surely, because he wasn't a man when he left. You weren't sure if he had ever become a man. To your mother, he had been a boy, just a boy and a girl, in childish love, until they weren't.
"Are you?" You countered, eyes glued onto the wooden door separating you and a man you should know, but had no relation to.
For the fist time that night, she smiled.
She smiled because despite it being the most unfair situation in the world- a situation in which she was placed as an emergency contact for a man who intentionally left her when she was pregnant with his child (placed as an emergency contact in hopes to either advocate for them to try harder to save his life, or to let him go if need be, which, ironically, he had abandoned her completely without regards to treat her reciprocally)- you were there. You, her shining hope, a silver lining in the entirety of it all. You were the one thing that made her not regret a single decision she had made with the man, made her not regret meeting him in the first place, because she had gotten you. Your hair was shoved into a baseball cap, Will's, she recognized. It usually hung on the coat rack by the door, the man tugging it on whenever he went to the store or to pick Henry up from school. It was sun-damaged, tearing at the lip, but he refused to buy a new one because 'that just means it was well-loved, JJ.'. And now it sat on your head, a hat that belonged to a man you had met six years ago, a man you called Dad, willingly and without any input from her. You, a girl who had gone without a father for so long. Years of Father's Day cards, heart-wrenchingly sweet cards made out to Reid, or Derek, or Hotch because they volunteered to take you to your dances, even if she had offered to go, because you said you didn't think it would be allowed for her to crash it. Cards made out to her, thanking her for being both the mom and the dad (those tended to make her cry a lot). Years of ballet recitals, soccer games, spelling bees, silly school graduations, all of which she happily attended, but attended alone. All the nights of fevers and stomach aches and sniffles and dry throats. All the diaper changes and reverse cycling. All the scraped knees, busted elbows, trips to the ER. And now you were here, in front of the man who had abandoned you before you had even let out your horridly beautiful wail. JJ felt so many emotions at once, swelling within her that she reached out, grabbing your hand.
You weren't sure if it was to comfort you or herself, but you took it, entering the room as she opened it.
Machines.
Lots and lots of machines.
They stood at attention by his bedside, beeping and humming so loudly you weren't sure your thoughts would be able to tear their way through your mind anymore. Perhaps stat was a good thing.
There he was, lying in the bed before you. A standard hospital blanket was draped across his lower half. It was cream and thin, you recalled your days spent in a hospital not too long ago, how much you had hated it then. Those blankets were always itchy and uncomfortable, and you had all but forced Penelope to bring you one from home, to which she happily obliged, toting an assortment of stuffed animals as well (you argued you were too old for them, to which she had responded that no one was too old for comfort brought about by a stuffed animal.). His hands were resting limply at his sides, and you forced your eyes to skip over his arms, the damage an indicator of the activities he had chosen over taking care of you for the past decade.
When you reached his face you tilted your head. His face was sullen, cheeks sunken in, lips dried and caked in dead-skin. A redness spread about his face, a sunburn, perhaps, but you weren't sure. His hair, brittle and receding, was brown and you wondered of you had gotten anything from the man. A small part of you hoped you didn't. Looking at him now, you weren't sure if you wanted to. A sudden thought popped into your mind and you turned to your mother, who seemed to try to be looking anywhere but the man before her.
"What color were his eyes?"
They were shut now, and he almost looked...peaceful.
JJ lips parted, eyes coming to meet yours. "Brown." She said softly. Her hand was still in yours and you didn't make a move to drop it.
You nodded, glancing back to him. Something was missing, you gazed around the small hospital room to find what it was before it came to you. "Where is everyone? His family, or friends? Do they know he's here?" You looked back to the man, eyes following the rise and fall of his chest created by the ventilators attached to him.
The blonde stiffened, looking at her shoes. "They do. They won't come." With a clear of her throat, she was glancing back to you, your face softening as your teeth took your lip in their hold.
He was alone.
Was that by choice? Or had he run away from them like he had run away from you and your mother?
The doctor entered the rom, signaling for your mother to speak with her, and she left with a squeeze of your hand, leaving you with...him.
What were you to call him? Christopher? Dad?
Alone.
He was alone. His parents weren't coming to see him, he didn't have any friends. No loved ones to hold his hand in his time of need, to tell him it was going to be okay, to tell him that he was safe, and loved, and would be remembered. Regardless of his past actions, you felt...awful. Looking at him, you couldn't feel anything other than immense sympathy, because he had pushed away everyone and everything in his life, and he was left with nothing. You pondered his appearance, wondering what he must have looked like back when he had met your mother, what had drawn her in to him, made her love him and want him and that thought train had you reaching for his hand. Your mother didn't love without reason. She was logical, and fair-minded, and welcoming, and you knew that if she had loved a man, the man before you, it must've been for a good reason. And so, you couldn't judge him based on what was before you, because that was a result of all of his bad choices, all of his digressions and, yes, they were horrible, but they had also allowed your mother to meet Will. It allowed them to have Henry, it allowed you to have a family, a perfect family, and now all you felt was sympathy. No anger. No pain. Just sadness.
His hand was warm, surprisingly. What would it have been like to grow up with his hand, one to put in yours when you crossed the street, to feel your forehead when you said you felt sick, to help tie your shoes when you were still learning?  
The beeps of the machines sang louder as you stepped closer.
"Nice to meet you." You said softly, closing your eyes for just a moment. Just enough time for you to feel the weight of his hand in yours, to reassure yourself that this was real, that you were there, before you were opening them again.
When you did, your mother was back in the room.
Your mother's heart almost broke when she entered. The doctor needed her signature, needed a confirmation that they could remove life support, and her shaky hand had signed beside the 'x' with tear-filled eyes. And when she returned back to that godforsaken room, a room in which she felt all the air was removed, a room in which she felt suffocated, she saw you. Your hand in his, an image she had imagined in her head over and over and over again when you were growing up, a pipe dream, really.  A dream in which he suddenly got his act together, came back to find the both of you, declared his love for her, and begged for forgiveness for leaving. It was a dream that she wasn't even sure she wanted to happen so much as wondered if it would. Because you two didn't need him, she would attest that you two didn't need anyone, not really. Not before Will and Henry. You two were strong and independent. Jareau women were fighters. But still, she had thought about Christopher, and now that dream was shattered because instead of him holding flowers, he was hooked up to a life support machine, brain dead and unresponsive.
She wanted to yell. She wanted to yell and laugh and cry because this wasn't fair. It wasn't fair. She wanted to stomp her feet and throw herself to the floor like a toddler throwing a tantrum but it just...wasn't fair. She couldn't yell at him because he couldn't respond. She couldn't yell at him, because he was practically already dead, and he had left the decision for someone to give him the final blow to her. Her, a woman he had neglected, and your hand was in his, and everything was wrong.
Her feet took her to you, despite every cell in her body attempting to make her turn around.
"They're gonna unplug him, right?" She had told you on the way there that it was a strong possibility, depending on his state. But saying it aloud made it feel much more real. It shouldn't feel so absurd, you scolded. He was never in your life anyway, it wouldn't particularly make a difference. But, in some strange, bizarre way, it did It made a difference because now, Christopher wasn't just some man who abandoned you, he was a dead man who abandoned you.
"Yes." Her voice was small, and you latched onto her once more.
"He's all alone." You said with a frown, and she removed her hand from yours, instead, choosing to drape her arm across your shoulder and bring you into her embrace. Doctors were beginning to enter the room, beginning to explain what each machine did, the consequences of unplugging it, and then doing so quietly, though neither of you were listening.
"He is." She nodded, blonde hair rubbing against the side of your face.
You both stood silent for a moment watching the doctors continue.
"Tell me about him. When you loved him."
JJ sucked in a breath. She had only thought about the bad for so long, only thought about the moment his hand was no longer hers, his retreating figure as she clutched that pregnancy test in her hand, that panic in her chest as she realized she would have to do this alone. "He transferred to my high school in my sophomore year. Everybody went nuts. We didn't get new people in town...ever. But there he was. His hair was a mess," She glanced toward you, a soft smile replacing the frown she had been wearing. "Kinda like yours when you wake up."
"Hey." You mumbled into her shoulder, but you laughed all the same.
"We had a few classes together and he never let me forget it. Chris bugged me almost every minute of them, passing me notes, trying to talk to me, asking me out. I swore I wouldn't, I was too focused on soccer. But, he wore me down."
You rose a brow. "Wore you down? I didn't think that was possible."
She chuckled, the vibrations from it were felt on your cheek. "It wasn't before him. He was...different. He was a total music snob, spent almost all his money on the latest releases. He liked to take me swimming, said everything, all the bad things and all the troubles just floated away when you were in the water."
You looked back to the man in the bed, the doctors having turned off all the machines by now. Now, it was just a waiting game.
"That sounds silly." You whispered.
"It was. But, then again, so was he. He was carefree, spirited, and laid back. He hated the thought of having to grow up one day, said that being an adult was a life sentence to nowhere. Your grandparents hated him, but I didn't care. He was my first love."
You took in all the information, watching the ragged rise and fall of his chest, the sound of his wheezing making you cringe. "Would he have been good dad, you think?"
JJ thought about it for a moment. "I don't know. He chose to run. But I don't think he was suited for being a dad. I think he wouldn't have liked the responsibility of it all." She said thoughtfully, squeezing your shoulder before she was placing her head atop yours. "I know, without a doubt, that he would have loved you, though."
A snort escaped your lips. "Really?" You asked doubtfully.
"Oh, for sure. I think that if he had met you, he would have tried his best to be there, to be there for you. You both do that thing when you get mad, where you nose twitches like a little bunny and it's so cute that no one can ever stay mad at you. Or when you're tired, your eyes droop down and you can sleep instantly, no matter where you are. You both like rock music, and comedy movies, and blankets when they're fresh out of the dryer-"
"I don't think anyone can hate blankets when they're fresh out of the dryer."
She chuckled. "And you both hate peas. I swear, I tried to feed them to you when you were little and you actually scoffed at me. A seventh month old baby, scoffing at me."
"Hmm, wonder where I learned that from."
JJ rolled her eyes. "And you both have a big heart. Sometimes, his heart was so big, that he didn't quite know what to with it. You're better with following it, but you both have it. Just, too much love to give, and he never knew where to place it."
Silence settled over the two of you once more, the wheezing become quieter.
It was just you and her. You and her and the man in the bed. Her arms around you, chin atop your head as you lay in the crook of her neck.
"Are you sad?" you asked softly.
She took three breaths before she answered. "Yes."
You looked back at Christopher, imagining a relationship, one that included movie nights and car rides filled with shared music interests and dinners that revolved around your hatred of snow peas. But the image was foreign and fleeting, and all you could see was Will in your kitchen, producing horrible dance moves and whistled melodies. You could only see Henry shaking you awake. Reality reminded you of the life you actually lived, one without a Dad for a small amount of time, and then finding one. A life without Christopher. Your life and his. Ones that should have been lived together, but never were.
"Me too."
And the wheezing ceased.
Well damn. ANYWAYS, I’m so happy people are liking my JJxdaughter!reader content. It’s so strange because I really thought it wouldn't get much attention so that’s a fun surprise. Let me know what you think about this piece!
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permanentcrossfics · 4 years
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Italics sorted (someone tell me why Google Docs doesn’t love me like Microsoft Word did by letting me copy italics?)! Happy reading, all. See you next time x
“So, m’going to be back in New York soon.” Again, you said nothing, and after a beat he continued. “Just for a night or so — I’ll be flying into Philadelphia and then out to LA for some work stuff.”
“Philadelphia to New York to LA?” you asked.
“London to Philadelphia and Philadelphia to LA.”
“So—” Bless whatever and whoever it was that’d sicked the cat on you to catch your tongue before you could ask him why he was coming to New York if he was flying into and out of Philadelphia. “That’ll be nice.”
He cleared his throat again and you dropped your phone from your ear to take a deep breath, suddenly hot.
“Yeah, so,” he began, “I was thinkin’, y’know. If you’re free or you’d like to….”
You’d like to laugh, because this whole thing was wildly fucking funny. Harry Styles was dialing you for a booty call after a one night stand from months ago. Harry Styles was going to detour into the city for one night just for you, and it wasn’t because you’d had such riveting conversation last time.
“When?” Your fingers twitched at your side.
“When’s good for you?”
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So, the truth was: you’d had sex with Harry Styles and forgotten all about him. 
No — seriously. You’d had sex with Harry Styles and forgotten all about him. 
Honestly, it was all more like a fever dream than anything. It’d happened to you — with you — and even you didn’t buy it. Because why would Harry Styles go to a hole in the wall burger place in the middle of New York City? Didn’t he have people to see at much nicer places with way better food? Especially after one of his own concerts, with people wanting to celebrate him?
And the sex…. It wasn’t even the night of that made your toes curl the most. The morning after, in the forty or so minutes it took room service to get to your hotel room? He’d fucked like his life depended on it. You’d been on your belly, and he’d been in it, skin slapping and both of you wheezing and sputtering your ways to the end because in the morning hours, they might care. In the morning, there might be someone who could recognize his voice or who would wonder if you cried out his name — you weren’t the only one who’d grabbed a hotel for the show, after all. Remembering the low, rumbling groan that’d echoed in his throat as he pulsed inside you and pushed his hips just so against you made you clench if you thought about thinking about it.
He’d left, you’d left, and you hadn’t told a single soul — not your friends, not your Instagram, and definitely not your mother. Not because he’d asked you not to, or because you couldn’t, but because it was the right thing to do. Only the worst of people had busy fingers and thumbs to take fishing selfies and post stories that created more talk than their mouths ever could. And honestly? It was easier to pretend it hadn’t happened, because that was absurd. The whole of it from top to bottom was the most hysterical insanity, and if you’d read it in a blind item column, you’d laugh your way around the world and fall off if it was flat.
(But it wasn’t flat, and as it was, you’d go round and round in circles, and where you’d stop, nobody would know.)
So, you had to forget all about him. And it’d worked, too. The end of June bled almost indiscernibly with the beginning of July, the blazing sun of which made all but the most touristy of tourists want to crawl underground. August brought enough relief to make you throw your windows open and lie naked on your bed, hoping a breeze would blow through, but it wasn’t until September you knew peace.
And then you’d picked up the phone. 
It was an unknown number, and you were a 21st century person who routinely ignored any call from any number they didn’t know (and, sometimes, the ones they did). Maybe you knew — maybe that was why, despite your hiss of annoyance, you slid your thumb on the screen. “Hello?” Clipped in anticipation of either a robotic voice or a sales pitch, you barely held the phone to your ear, poised and at the ready to hang up as quickly as you’d picked up. You leaned across your sofa to grab the remote you’d thrown onto the cushions at the opposite end at the start of the film you’d put on. 
“Hey, it’s uh—” The owner of the voice on the other end cleared its throat, but you were already frozen, tense and in shock, prickles erupting on your scalp and up your arms. You didn’t need him to say who he was. Even as quietly as he was speaking, the cadence and lilt were familiar to you anywhere. As was the smile you could hear in his voice. “It’s Harry.” 
You jammed your thumb on the pause button several times until it finally took. 
“Hi.” Flat, dull, and totally uninterested, which was not true or accurate. “Hi,” you repeated breathlessly, hoping he could hear the difference. “Hi, I didn’t— sorry. I thought it might be a spam….” You took a deep breath. He didn’t care. Hell, you didn’t care. “How are you?” 
Harry’s cough sounded suspiciously like a laugh. “M’good,” he said. “Y’know, m’doin’ well, just… keeping busy. Working.” 
You hummed but otherwise stayed silent, waiting. This wasn’t exactly a phone call you got any day and every day, and you doubted he was calling to check in with you.
“So, m’going to be back in New York soon.” Again, you said nothing, and after a beat he continued. “Just for a night or so — I’ll be flying into Philadelphia and then out to LA for some work stuff.” 
“Philadelphia to New York to LA?” you asked.
“London to Philadelphia and Philadelphia to LA.” 
“So—” Bless whatever and whoever it was that’d sicked the cat on you to catch your tongue before you could ask him why he was coming to New York if he was flying into and out of Philadelphia. “That’ll be nice.” 
He cleared his throat again and you dropped your phone from your ear to take a deep breath, suddenly hot. 
“Yeah, so,” he began, “I was thinkin’, y’know. If you’re free or you’d like to….” 
You’d like to laugh, because this whole thing was wildly fucking funny. Harry Styles was dialing you for a booty call after a one night stand from months ago. Harry Styles was going to detour into the city for one night just for you, and it wasn’t because you’d had such riveting conversation last time. 
“When?” Your fingers twitched at your side. 
“When’s good for you?”
For a moment, everything went white with the headrush from the overwhelming power flooding you. He was waiting on you — fares and change fees probably didn’t matter to him, if he paid much for anything at all with how many airline miles he’d probably racked up in his life. 
“Next Friday?” you asked. You’d need a full two days to recover from the shock alone. “If that’s good for you.” 
“Should be,” he said. “I’ll let you know.”
You smirked slightly. Trying to regain a little control? “Sounds good,” you murmured, fingernails digging into your knee. “If not this time then another time, maybe.” 
Needless to say when he texted you ten minutes after hanging up, Friday worked perfectly. 
You didn’t hear from him again until closer to the date. Part of you was wondering if he’d forgotten, but when he asked you on Thursday if you were still on, you stared at his very formal message for a good fifteen seconds just… absorbing the fact that he was coming into town just to see you. 
To have sex with you. 
He wanted to meet for dinner first — God, did you have to? It made the whole thing so much more… you both knew you were winding up naked at the end of the night, anyway.  When you looked up the restaurant, you just about died right there on your sofa. It was, in a word, expensive. The type of expensive that didn’t have the prices listed online but that Yelp was all too happy to spill. Stress mounted in you and you blinked in the dim blue light of your computer, shellshocked, scrolling through the reviews with your hand pressed tightly to your cheek. 
It was a drop in the bucket, maybe, but he didn’t have to do this. He knew that, didn’t he? 
More than once you wrote out a message to cancel — you didn’t feel well, a work thing came up that you couldn’t get out of, someone from somewhere was flying into town and you had to see them. Every time, though, you deleted it all. For months, you hadn’t thought about him, but now… you wanted to see him. Badly. You wanted to see if it was as good and normal as the first time. If it crashed and burned, fine, but at least you’d know and wouldn’t wonder what would happen if you got to see him again. 
Dinner was late that Friday night. He’d asked if you were ok with that, and while part of you wanted to rip the bandaid off, the other part knew — or imagined to know — he had his reasons, especially when the name he told you to give when you got there wasn’t his. Suddenly, it clicked — people could see you and him, together, and he was trying to take precautions to avoid that as much as possible. Maybe for your sake as much as his. 
The inside of the restaurant was dark, and you gave the name as discreetly as you could, trying not to fall right over from how your nervous knees were knocking together. Each step through the maze of tables full of diners clinking wine glasses, sharing pizzas, and cutting into massive steaks that were bigger than the plates they were on made you a little more nauseous, and you were seconds away from turning around and bolting on jellied legs when there he was. Alone, huddled behind a plant in a dark corner that was more secluded than the rest, with a basket of bread in front of him along with a bowl of butter and a bottle of olive oil. He was typing on his phone when he looked up and did a double take with your wave and feeble smile. 
“Hi.”
Harry stood slightly and only sat down after you’d done the same in the chair that was pulled out for you next to his — albeit too clumsily and too soon. 
“It’s good t’see you,” Harry said, quietly and warmly but still audible over the clang of the dining room. 
“You too.” You took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. You didn’t remember eye contact being this intimidating with him — you’d had sex with him and managed it better, not to mention the conversation and shameless way you’d flirted with him during the show in a way that would show up any seventies groupie.  “Good trip?”
You should take your coat off. You should put your purse somewhere, and you should maybe try not to look like you had a stick up your ass, but all the common sense, human nature things that you’d usually do without thinking suddenly took a great deal of effort to remember. 
“It was ok, yeah,” he said with a shrug as you gingerly set your bag down and tried to get out of your jacket without hitting him in the arm. “Here, let me….” 
Harry stood and hooked his fingers into your jacket and pulled it down your arms to drape it over the back of your chair. 
“Thank you,” you said, still hot despite shedding a layer. “How’ve you been since…?”
Since we last had sex?
“Good!” he said. “Good, y’know… busy, but good. Getting some different things done.”
“Anything I can know about?” you asked, managing a smirk at last.
A mistake, because he returned it, and his looked better. “Not yet,” he said. “Couple of things might come out soon.” 
You held his gaze a fraction of a second too long, and you felt its impact. Clearing his throat, Harry picked up the menu card in front of him. He looked like he was fighting a smile, and there was a very faint flush in his cheeks. “So, the ah, linguine in vodka sauce is very good and there’s a vegan version if that’s somethin’ you’re interested in.” He flipped it over. “And the affogato—” You bit your lip to contain a smile of your own, the flare of an attempted Italian accent over his Manchester accent cutting through influences from London and America alike comical in a way it shouldn’t be— “is nice if you don’t have to be up in the morning.” 
Before you could think about it, you said, “Sounds great.” Harry looked at you from the corner of his eye, mouth twitching, and coughed into his fist to hide it. Jesus — could you say or do anything that didn’t make you seem a sort of way? “Is there wine?” 
No, apparently, you couldn’t.
He nodded, lips still quivering annoyingly. “Ordered us a bottle — hope that’s ok, it’s….” He gestured just as a waiter approached with it. 
“That’s good,” you said. 
“Sure?”
You nodded and he gave his own to the waiter who busied himself with uncorking the bottle and pouring you each a glass. Harry held his, hovering in midair when you picked yours up. 
“Oh—” Belatedly, you clinked yours with his before taking two deep sips. He didn’t even try to hide his laughter, then, and his eyes crinkled over the rim of his glass. 
“So,” he said. “How’ve you been?” 
Since you last had sex.
“Well,” you said, running your finger over your glass. “Working, mostly.” 
“What is it you do?” 
You stared, but his green eyes were wide and endless waiting for your answer. Nowhere on his face was a trace of irony or disinterest — he’d asked because he genuinely wanted to know. “I—” You stammered a bit before getting it out and he nodded, a flicker of recognition passing over his features.
“Tell me about it.” Just as authentic and sincere. 
“It’s… I mean….” 
With some coaxing from him, he dragged the details out of you — for how long, how did you get into it, was it what you’d always wanted to do, did you like it, what were the hard parts, did you think he could do that if he put his mind to it. And, eventually, you stopped feeling like your teeth were being pulled, whether in thanks to the wine, the pasta, or his charm — charm you’d known about but that was lightyears worse when it was directed right at you in the corner of a restaurant with your knees touching under the table — you couldn’t tell. He spoke about himself, too, and every now and then while listening to his slow drawl, it was hard to connect the fact that the voice speaking owned these stories. It was like you were eavesdropping on someone else’s conversation with him and being told things you shouldn’t know and had no right to know, but it was he, himself, and he was telling you of his own accord. 
“Would you like dessert?” he asked when your plates were cleared. 
“We could,” you said. “If you’d like — the affogato?” 
The corner of his mouth lifted. “Not planning to get any sleep tonight?”
The bottle of wine had been described as bold, and apparently you’d absorbed some of that along with the alcohol. “You tell me.” 
Harry pressed his lips together, rolling them thoughtfully as you smiled at him as the waiter approached, ignoring your racing heart to hold his gaze. 
“Will there be anything else tonight?” 
His ball, his call. 
With only a quick glance to the waiter, he said, “One affogato to share, please.” He turned to you again. “And the check,” he added without breaking eye contact. 
***
The hotel was intimidating — not somewhere you could ever stay on your own, and, for that reason, not a name you recognized, but you knew by the name emblazoned on the carpet outside the doors that it was the sort of hotel you should know. Hand on your elbow, Harry nodded and greeted the doorman with warmth and enthusiasm acting as the smoke and mirrors to allow you to slip into the lobby ahead of him. You paused, watching him through the glass, and seconds later he was through the door after you. 
“This way,” he said, eyes darting to the elevator bank. 
“Nice place,” you said as he waved the back of his wallet over a black magnetic pad attached to a column before pushing the call button. 
“You like it?” he asked, watching the floor numbers above the elevators. He gently took your elbow again and pulled you towards one descending faster than the others. When the doors opened, it was empty, and you both got on with him mashing the close button until the doors rattled shut and locked you both in with an almost eerie silence.
“Thank you,” you said. “Again. For dinner — and dessert. You really didn’t have to.” 
Harry pressed his floor, but his smirk was warmer and his eyes softer than they had been since you’d both left the restaurant and gotten into his car. The jittery, tingling sensation in your hands and belly had nothing to do with the espresso from dessert. 
“Thank you for coming….” Flames surged in you, up through your torso and over your chest and neck, and you held your breath as his cheek dimpled, the pointed phrase lingering between you. “To dinner,” he added, grinning wider as if he’d displayed some revolutionary wit instead of the most basic— “You don’t have to either, you know.” 
He was still smiling, but it was impossible to miss his pointed message acknowledging the power imbalance between you. You didn’t have to do this, dinner or no dinner, and as much as you knew that, it seemed he needed you to know he knew that, too. 
“I know,” you said, voice catching in your throat. “You’re welcome,” you added with a quirk of your mouth, holding eye contact with him as if your knees weren’t quaking. 
The doors opened and you followed him into the hallway, but he came to an almost immediate stop in front of a door he again waved his wallet over. “After you,” he said, holding it open. On purpose, you were sure, because he looked smug when you squeezed by him, chest-to-chest. 
Oh, wow. 
It was a suite — you were pretty sure that was the only way something this huge could be classified. There was a king-sized bed off to one side, with an overstuffed armchair and a luggage rack with his suitcase on it, and to the other there was a sitting area with a sofa, more chairs, and a coffee table. Beyond it, a chandelier hung over full dining table surrounded with chairs, and a closed laptop with a couple of books sat on top of it with the cord stretched to an outlet. Combined, all of it was bigger than your entire apartment. “Hotel room’s better than mine,” you mumbled, looking around from corner to corner, floor to ceiling. 
Harry laughed and strolled past you, gesturing towards the sofa. “Can make yourself comfortable,” he said. “I’m just going to pop in there for a bit,” he said, pointing to a door. “I’ll be right out.” 
“Sure!” you said. “Sure, take your time.” 
He disappeared through the doorway and you only just caught a flash of tile and mirror when he turned the light on before shutting the door. Seconds later, the sound of water running reached your ears, and, exhaling, you dropped your bag on the coffee table and unbuttoned your coat to drape it over the arm of the sofa before taking your boots off. You crept over to the window and pulled the gauzy curtain back. Below, cars zipped through the city streets, looking like festive ants from this height. You couldn’t hear anything except for the air conditioner — a bit chilly, but you stopped yourself from changing the temperature. You didn’t know how he liked it, and it might turn out to be… necessary.  
The running water from the bathroom cut off abruptly and when you turned around, Harry emerged. His cardigan was gone, and his face looked scrubbed clean with his hair damp and pushed back like he’d raked his hands through it. “Sorry about that,” he said, quietly, grinning as he got closer, and you caught a waft of peppermint toothpaste. “Coffee and all.” 
“It’s ok,” you said. 
Harry stopped in front of you and your throat tightened when he slid his hands up your neck, palms soft and warm. Tilting your head back, you stayed very still as he rubbed the apples of your cheeks with his thumbs with an almost intimate tenderness, and your lips parted with anticipation. You could smell his cologne and you could feel how warm he was, but when he leaned in, you inhaled sharply and turned your face. “I should probably do the same,” you murmured almost regretfully. You wanted almost nothing more than to kiss him right then — you’d been waiting all night for that and more — but you could taste the espresso on your tongue, and you wanted to be able to kiss him right. 
Harry looked like he was going to say no, and if he had you might’ve gone through with it, but finally, licking his lips, he nodded and let go of you. “Sure,” he said. “You can— go ahead, I’ll….”
“Thank you.” You smiled softly and slipped away, shutting the door behind you. Once you were in, you let out a breath and your shoulders slumped. The bathroom, like the suite, was massive, with a bathtub and a shower with a rainshower head stuck to the ceiling. Only one of the double sinks looked like it was in use, with his deodorant, a bottle of cologne, a comb, and a razor half out of a kit lying next to it along with a toothbrush and a tube of toothpaste. 
You gulped, staring at it, before patting underneath the counter and looking around the room. There had to be a complimentary…. Aha! The toiletry bag from the hotel was perched on a shelf over the toilet and you opened it, sighing with relief when you found a toothbrush and a microscopic tube of toothpaste. 
“Can use my toothpaste, f’you want.”
You nearly dropped the whole thing into the sink when you jumped, holding your chest and looking at the closed door. 
“I—” Swallowing your nerves, you nodded. “Thank you,” you called back. You unscrewed the gap from his tube with shaky hands and spread a bit on the bristles, and as you scrubbed, mouth foaming, you stared deep into your eyes in the mirror under the soft vanity lighting. Just sex — it was just sex. And yet, there weren’t enough words to say how surreal this was. 
Teeth, tongue, and gums done, you splashed cool water around your neck and forehead before patting dry and evaluating yourself. Legs? Fine. Stomach? Full, but not uncomfortably so. Teeth? Fresh. That was it, then. Tapping the light off, you opened the door and stepped out. 
Harry was on the edge of the bed, head hanging and hands on his knees, but he looked up when you came closer, a sharp snap of his neck, his glinting eyes reminiscent of a starving man.
“I’m sorry!” you rushed. “I’m sorry.”
“S’ok,” he said, standing. “Don’t worry about it, c’mere.”
No more pretense. No more waiting. 
Cupping your face again, Harry slanted his mouth over yours and you moaned softly, circling your arms around his shoulders. For all the anticipation, it was slow — he was taking his time kissing and coaxing your lips open, groaning his appreciation between quiet smacks while you languidly pulled your hands across his back. He was warm through his shirt and every muscle seemed to tense and release under your wandering fingers. He really was broad, too — he didn’t look it sometimes, but he was, and strong. Minty kisses matched yours, and every now and then you caught a whiff of the same rich and delicious smell you’d determined earlier was his cologne. Breaking, you pressed your lips to his jaw and then his neck, moaning when you got a concentrated dose of the scent. Harry moaned and you felt the vibrations in your mouth through his skin, and he squeezed your hips as you kissed up and down his neck.
“That’s nice,” you murmured between kisses.
“Thanks,” he said, voice strained. You grinned. “Just be—” Harry swallowed. “Just be careful, please. Sorry if that makes me a dick, but….”
Be careful with—? Oh. Marks. “Don’t worry,” you whispered with another one. “I get it.” You were on his throat when you added, “No one will know I was here.”
He laughed, full and deep, and you grinned wider. “Come back here,” he said, tilting your head back so he could kiss you again, and you stilled to return it, though every now and then one of you smiled and broke the rhythm. Drawing your hands down his torso, you stopped at his waistline and felt along until you found the button for his trousers. “Tryin’ t’get into my pants?” he crowed under his breath. 
“Made sure I wouldn’t be able to sleep,” you said. “Might as well do something.” 
The whole world turned when Harry spun you suddenly. You gasped, nearly shrieking with startled laughter when he dropped you on the bed, and you were still giggling when he unbuttoned your jeans and pulled your zipper down. 
“Gonna hurt m’feelings if you keep laughin’ at me,” he said, the warning softened by his grin. 
“No, I won’t,” you said, eyes rolling up with a sigh when he slid his hands underneath your shirt. You sat up a bit until he brought it up over your head and tossed it away before he bent over your chest.
You’d had sex with Harry Styles and forgotten all about it, but he was doing his damndest to make sure you remembered. 
Oh. Right. He was good at this — ridiculously, absurdly, eye rollingly amazing. Each kiss down your over your breasts was simple but carefully placed. He suckled every patch of skin into his mouth with a thoughtful hum and a grunt of conclusion, and when he reached your sternum, he sighed hotly. 
“God, y’smell good.” You laughed breathlessly and nodded your thanks as he made his way down your belly. “Smell so—” He pressed his nose to your hip and inhaled deeply— “good.” 
He said it so deeply, so slowly, so deliberately, that if you didn’t know better you’d think he’d never meant anything more. 
“I’m gonna take these off,” you said, voice sticking in your throat. You sat up and he did, too, pulling his shirt off while you stood on wobbly legs to shed your jeans. He stared, unabashedly, and it was again one of those moments that was so surreal you couldn’t believe you were living it. “Do you have condoms?” you asked, nearly toppling sideways as you kicked your ankles free. 
“In the drawer,” he said. 
He’d really detoured to New York out of Philadelphia just to sleep with you and he wasn’t even pretending he hadn’t had this in mind.
You took a step towards it but he grabbed your wrist. “Hang on,” he said. “Know you can hardly wait—”
You gasped. “Me?” You almost wanted to smack that smarmy grin off his face, and when he nodded, you reminded him, “‘When’s good for you?’” 
“Flexible schedule,” he murmured, pulling you down onto his lap. Straddling him, you held his shoulders to keep from teetering backwards, mouth hovering over his. “We’ve got all night,” he said, kneading your hips with a cocked head. “Don’t we? Not getting any sleep?”
An electric thrill shot through you. His lips were twisted at the corner in an almost coy smirk, and his eyes were endless, full of a level of confidence that made you tingle. You gasped, soft and sharp, and his smirk widened into a grin when you grasped his chin and kissed him, hard, as he dropped back onto the bed and brought you crashing with him. 
Again the world spun when he turned you over, and your eyes rolled as he trailed kisses down your cheek and neck — greedy ones with chins colliding and teeth scraping skin as he held you by the jaw to keep you still. You only barely managed to shift on your back when you felt his hand sliding underneath you, and seconds later the pressure of the band around your ribs released and your bra straps loosened on your shoulders. Harry pushed the flimsy material up over the swell of your breasts, and your mouth fell open when his closed firmly on your nipple. He released it with a soft noise before pulling it again with slightly more pressure, and one of your hands fell into his hair. 
“Leg up,” he rasped against your breast, pushing one of your knees gently but firmly. You did as he asked and bit back a moan when he fit his palm over you through your underwear, its radiating heat making you throb. Up and down he stroked, tentatively at first and then with more certainty, thumb dipping into your slit over the fabric. “Ok?” he asked. Barely able to hear him through your ringing ears, you nodded, and, with the permission, he hooked his fingers under the thin scrap of fabric with a quiet groan. “That’s nice,” he said as he explored with such a careful, barely there touch, you almost couldn’t breathe waiting to just feel something. Swallowing hard, you let out a slow, deep breath, eyes falling shut as you turned your head to the side, knuckles brushing over your mouth as your heart raced out of control. 
“Don’t have t’be quiet,” Harry said almost lazily as he descended lower and lower on your stomach with spongy, stubbly kisses and carefully opened you with his fingers. “Don’t have to—” He laughed when your legs jerked as the pads of his fingers slid over your clit. “S’ok,” he continued. “Relax for me… s’it feel good?”
You nodded, gulping. 
“Is this ok?” 
He pressed his finger onto your clit and you took a deep breath. “Yes,” you said, voice sticking in your throat. 
“That’s good, then,” he said. “Anything y’don’t want me to do you just tell me, right?”
You moaned, then, low and long, and you lifted your hips from the bed as you squirmed. “Yes,” you repeated, slightly louder and pitchier. “Yes… oh,” you sighed, toes curling when he laved his tongue over your nipple while stroking your clit, each breath deep and full, your belly warm. “Fuck!” you whispered, sucking in sharply. The last time you’d felt yourself get wet like this — slippery, soaked — had been… well, with him. 
You laughed under your breath. It’d been with him. Of course it had. “Oh!” you gasped sharply when he circled faster, gripping the back of his head with one hand while the other slapped down on his shoulder. 
“Can hear it, can’t you?” he asked. “Can hear how wet— oop—” His finger slipped out of his rhythm. “There we go,” he muttered. “Easy…. Gotta make sure your pussy’s open for me, don’t we?”
“I am,” you said, back arching. “I am, I’m….” You clenched your teeth together and your head tossed against momentarily as you dug your toes into the sheets. “Mmm….” 
“Sure?” he asked tightly. “Gonna be able to get inside?” 
“I am,” you whispered. “Please, I want you inside me.”
“Yeah?” Harry asked. 
“Yes!” You were hot, everywhere, almost feverishly, and you couldn’t stop moving, fidgeting, trying to do anything to just…. Sucking in sharply, your lips barely moved when you uttered, “Oh, my God, I’m gonna cum,” in one soft breath, digging your fingers into his shoulder more. Your whole body was tense and your stomach muscles kept clenching and releasing, the warmth in your belly spreading through your legs and up your chest. You were going to cum, you were— so close, almost laughably so. Whimpering, you pressed your trembling lips together to stifle a louder moan bordering on agony, and you were just starting to feel the relief of those first flutters when, suddenly… he stopped. 
He stopped?
“No!” you said. “No, please, no, why?” you asked breathlessly, bordering on a cry, hand clapping to his face and forehead bumping his when he popped off your breast. “Why?” 
He laughed, but it was a strained sound. “Sounds too pretty to let it end just yet,” he said. “Got… got all night, don’t we?” he asked. “Got all….” He grimaced and rocked backwards. “Shit.” 
You stared at him, sluggish mind slowly catching up. He was still in his trousers — they’d never made it off somehow — and he was very obviously hard. “Come here,” you breathed. “Come….” 
Harry grunted when you pushed them down his hips. Awkwardly, limbs tangled, you climbed over and around each other until he was on his back and you were on your shaky knees, tugging them down and off him completely. A pair of red boxer briefs fit him perfectly, hugging his thighs, hips, and the cock straining in them. His chest rose and fell with each heavy breath and you felt his eyes on you when you lowered down, pressing kisses to his knees and up his thighs, his leg hair tickling your nose. You were at the edge of his briefs by the time you were feeling blindly along his waistline, and you sat up when your fingers slipped inside to pull them down. Locking eyes with him only briefly when they were tugged past his thighs, you grinned impishly before lowering down and he touched the back of your head with a barely there graze when you licked a stripe up the underside of his cock. 
“Oh, shit,” he breathed blissfully above you. From under your lashes you could see him grinning with his arm over his eyes, and you licked again and again before ducking lower and pulling one of his balls into your mouth with a delicate suck. His answering groan made your hair stand on end and you wrapped your hand around his cock, running your thumb up and down near the head. 
You had all night. Last time had been frantic, rushed, with an invisible timer that wouldn’t stop tick-tick-ticking, and you hadn’t known what you wanted, or were allowed, or how much of it you could have. Now, though, you were enjoying touching him, holding him, experimenting with what you knew and what you were figuring out from every moan and sharp breath above you. 
“Is this good?” you asked between sucks.  
“Yeah,” Harry grunted, nodding his head belatedly. “Shit… s’real good.” Gently, then, he grabbed your hand to move it higher up his shaft while you licked one of his balls. “Y’can… f’you want to—” 
Hand in his, he moved your hold slowly up and down, and the throbbing sensation that’d been lingering between your legs grew. Holding your breath, you watched him jerking himself with your hand, each downward tug pulling his head out a little more. His nostrils flared and he gulped, throat bobbing visibly, and you licked your lips, head spinning. Unthinking, you lifted up and wrapped your mouth around the tip, sucking firmly with a breathy moan, and you felt his thighs trembling beneath you for a moment as his hands faltered. Up and down you bobbed, stretching your jaw slightly more each time to try to get more, but when you felt a click, you pulled off abruptly. 
“Sorry—” You slurped wetly and laughed, horrified. “Sorry!” 
His loud laugh joined yours, warmer and more delighted than yours. On fire, you dug the heels of your hands into your eyes until he pulled your wrists. 
“Come here,” he said, still wheezing. “Come….”
You whined, stretching out next to him, and he chuckled, cupping your face and pulling you in for a kiss. “S’ok,” he said, body shaking with suppressed laughter. “Got me a little wet is all,” he teased.
You grunted when he rolled you onto your back and you melted underneath him as he kissed you — first on your mouth, then your neck, your shoulder, and inside your elbow, before he pushed up and opened the bedside table. The box of condoms wasn’t the hotel’s, but what had to be his own preferred brand, and you must’ve made a noise, because he glanced at you sharply, then.
“What?” he asked.
Smiling slightly, you shook your head. “Nothing,” you assured him. 
He chortled, tearing one open and pulling out the flimsy, wet rubber. Biting your lip, you watched him pinch the end and smooth it down before he cleared his throat.  
“D’you wanna get on your…?”
You stared, waiting for him to complete his question. Harry licked his lips and jerked his head. 
“C’mere,” he said. “Turn over, like….” He coaxed you onto your hands and knees before pressing down on your back between your shoulder blades. “Little lower… there y’go,” he said when you bowed, arms outstretched ahead of you and ass high. “That good?” he asked and you nodded.
“Yes, please,” you mumbled. He laughed quietly behind you but gripped your hips and you closed your eyes.
“Deep breath in,” he said, smooth and warm. “In and out, in and—”
Face contorting, you grunted under your breath when he thrust, shallowly at first but gradually deeper until his pelvis was flush with you. “Oh, fuck,” you wheezed, back arching. It was good, but a bit of a pinch and stretch — had it been this way last time? Maybe you hadn’t noticed as much from the adrenaline rushing through you.
“Ok?” he asked. 
Still grimacing, you nodded, hands fisted in the sheets. “Good,” you managed. “Good, good… oh!” you cried out when he thrust with heavier weight, hands bruisingly tight on your hips. That right there — that was good, the angle and the depth, and if you brought your legs together just a bit—
“Fuck!” he groaned behind you. “Fucking….” 
Faster, steadier, you muffled your noises in the sheets as you rocked back against him. Pathetic — you were pathetic whining and pushing into him, but he’d left you hanging and you were trying to get it back because you’d been so close. 
“That’s it,” Harry grunted, laughing breathlessly. “Fuck my cock.” He took a rattling breath. “Fuck yourself on my cock…. Shit, y’got no idea how wet it looks right now.” He stilled suddenly and you paused, heaving.
“Harry!” you whimpered, twisting, arms too weak to lift up. 
“What?” he asked, and you could hear the smug smirk in his voice. “S’wrong?” 
You let out a keening moan, face flat on the bed, before you tightened and pushed back on him. His answering groan was guttural, and he held you fast when he went silent, only the slapping noise of your ass meeting his pelvis and the sound of the bed thunking filling the air. Good— not bad— not enough, though, either. Stopping short, wheezing, you reached behind you to tap one of his hands. “Let go,” you said, tapping it again. “Both….” 
Immediately, the pressure released and he backed up without a question, slipping out of you with a wet drop. Gulping, you forced yourself up and sat back on your knees to steady yourself before turning. “You ok?” he asked. “You good?” His cheeks were red and his chest and arms were sweaty and shining, lips swollen and bitten up, eyes dark but sharp and attentive on you. 
“Mmhm.” You pushed him by the shoulders and he teetered in his surprise before he fell on his back with a muted grunt. Hands on his chest, you swung one leg over him and lowered down to rest on the underside of his cock. His nostrils flared and his eyes bounced from your face to where you were sliding back and forth on top of him. 
“What—” Harry cleared his throat. “What’re you doing?” 
“Told me to fuck myself on your cock,” you reminded him, inhaling sharply when your clit bumped his head through the condom. “Didn’t you?” 
Again he cleared his throat and ran his hands up and down your thighs. “C’mon, love,” he muttered. “Please. Don’t leave me hanging?” 
“Why?” you said, laughing as his head fell back. “Have all night, don’t we? That’s what you told me.”
“M’fucking balls are gonna explode,” he said, groaning. “Seriously, I’m like….” 
Still laughing, you lowered your chest while lifting your hips, and with your mouth on his, you guided his cock back in. One of his hands clapped down immediately on your ass and held you there when you began to rock again, finding a steady rhythm. Sloppier, rougher, but your clit was against him and the pressure was perfect. 
“Oh my God, you feel so good,” you said between kisses. “You’re making me feel so— oh!” you exclaimed breathily.
“Yeah?” he asked. “Making y’feel good? You feel good? You feel….” Harry swallowed conclusively. “Fuck me, look at y’riding me like this!” 
The hazy part of your brain hoped it was as good for him as it was for you, because this was amazing for you. 
“Jesus, y’so….” Harry groaned, a deep, helpless sound. “Lis— listen to me,” he said. “Can y’do that? Can y’let me make it good for us?” 
You didn’t answer at first, caught off guard. 
“Trust me, darling,” he mumbled. “I can make it so good for you, I promise.”
“What? What, what—?”
“When I say stop,” Harry said. “Y’gonna stop.”
You whimpered.
“Just for a bit,” he rushed on. “Just for a bit, love, only for a moment.” He kissed you hard and quick. “S’gonna feel so good when y’cum,” he said. “I promise you, you’re gonna feel so good when you cum. Right?” 
Rolling your hips, you huffed against his mouth. You were exhausted — your muscles were sore, used, and felt like they’d been stretched taught to the point of snapping more than once from the tremors rippling through you. 
“Stop,” he whispered. Eyes squeezed shut, his cock pulsed inside you. “Stop, please—”
Whining, you came to a still, panting and dropping your head onto his shoulder, heart beating in your throat. 
“That’s good!” he said, hand slipping up your sweaty back. “Good girl, just… just for a moment.” 
“I wanna cum,” you admitted, more broken and needy than you liked. 
“Promise,” he said, patting your shoulder, “y’gonna cum. Gonna take good fucking care of you.” 
Again and again, you stopped and started, each stop happening sooner and sooner with both of you so close. You could feel how swollen you were from the repeated almosts, but even without finishing you knew he was right and that when you did finish it would be indescribably intense. He’d rolled you onto your back at one point and pulled out, trembling from head to toe with a glazed over look in his eyes as he fought to pull himself back, but by the time you were asking him to please, let you cum — you were tired, you wanted it, you just wanted to cum — you were back on top.
“Please, don’t stop,” you breathed. “Oh, please, oh—”
“So cum, then,” he groaned between his teeth. “Fucking cum.” 
A cramp shot through your foot right when every muscle in you tightened, and you were pretty sure this was the ugliest you’d ever sounded when you came since the time you had your first orgasm and hadn’t had the ability to process the new sensations, but it felt… incredible. Hot, like everything in you had snapped and crackled and was shooting through you in fizzling tingles, and seconds later, he thrust up with a strangled sound in his throat and you felt his cock throbbing in you with each stream of cum. Shaking, his head dropped back off the side of the bed and he wheezed through each breath. Dropping your forehead to his shoulder, you gulped for air, trembling, ears ringing. The whole world might as well have been spinning for how steady you felt.
“Holy shit,” he breathed at last. “That was—”
“Yeah,” you said, relief flooding you. Him too — not just you. “Gimme a minute and I’ll….”
“S’ok,” he said, patting your ass. “Can take your time.” 
***
You didn’t remember falling asleep. You didn’t remember much at all after the sex, honestly — how you’d gotten off him, or when he’d gotten rid of the condom, or if you’d even peed — although you did have a fuzzy memory of him calling down for room service and getting it despite it being after hours. 
Waking up now, though, every bone in your body felt like they’d been fused together and then cracked. You rolled over, stretching and shaking, and your arm dropped to the side and swiped through the empty sheets — warm — as you listened to the shower running. When you finally opened your eyes, it was pitch black save for the crack of light coming from the bathroom. The blackout curtains had been pulled — he must’ve done that — and you twisted to look at the alarm clock next to the bed. 
“Morning.”
Harry approached the bed, already wearing his trousers and t-shirt, hands full of the items from the bathroom countertop. His hair was damp at the ends but not washed, only his clothes evidencing his walk of shame. 
“Morning,” you said.
He grinned crookedly. “How d’you feel?” he asked. “Y’know — with all that… wine and caffeine.” He smirked as if in on a private joke and you pressed your lips together. Pointed, and not at all about the wine and caffeine. 
“Fine.” Amazing. “You’re up early.” 
Still smirking, he said, “Have to leave for the airport in a bit.” 
Already? That was… fast. Surprising, but not at all. The opposite of last night that’d felt like it’d gone on forever, but that was ending in a blink.
“It’s early,” you said, repeating your earlier sentiment.
“Headed to Philadelphia.”
You deflated. Right. “I’ll get dressed,” you said. You sat up, sheet tucked under your arms and across your chest.
“Don’t.” Harry dropped his items in his open suitcase on the overstuffed chair in the corner and a quick glance at the table revealed the laptop as well as the rest of his personal items had been swept from the suite. “Room’s mine until noon. I can call for a late check out, too, if you’d like. But you should stay — get some rest, order some breakfast.”
You shook your head. “I can’t, I—”
“Please?” he asked. “Paid for it, it should go to good use. ‘Less you got somewhere to be.” 
You didn’t — you’d purposefully picked Friday to be able to take as long as you needed to the next day, but you’d thought you’d need the time to pick up where things had left off, not to lounge in a suite without him. Sighing, you smiled softly, and he nodded his satisfaction. 
“Good,” he said as you leaned back against the headboard. “Take your time — sounds like you had a busy week.” His hands were hidden in his bag as he shuffled around inside. “This was fun,” he added quietly, the sound of his suitcase closing explosive in the silence.
“Mmm.” A vague sound, but you weren’t brave enough to say anything of substance. 
“When I fly back to London, I’m going to be stopping in Philly again,” he said. “If you’re around— maybe I can call you and see?” 
Not a dream — he was really standing in front of you asking if he could come up to see you sometime. When you didn’t respond, he looked at you from the corner of his eye, and you took a deep breath, snapping yourself out of your reverie. 
“Sure,” you said as nonchalantly as you could. “If I’m around.”
“If you’re around.” 
Jacket and cap on, Harry picked up his bag in one hand and held what looked like his passport and a boarding pass in the other. “Just gotta do one thing,” he muttered, and as he got closer, your lips parted. When he bent, though, he picked up the phone with one hooked finger and jabbed 0 with his knuckle. His necklaces dangled from his neck and he was so close his breath tickled your nose, eyes twinkling with mischief even as he mumbled a sorry. 
You were just about to playfully whisper that he did know it was a cordless phone, right, when you heard a pleasant, clipped voice on the other end. “Good morning,” he said. “M’calling because I’d like to see if it’s possible to get a late check out?” You shook your head but he ignored you. “Yeah— great, thanks. 2:00pm?” You rolled your eyes. “That’s perfect. Thank you so much, have a great day.”
“I won’t stay that long,” you said when he hung up.
“But now y’can if you want to.” 
Harry grinned even as you shook your head. 
“You have a plane to catch.”
“Kickin’ me out?” 
You shrugged and he chuckled. “Had a good time,” he said with the same quiet sincerity from before. 
“Me too,” you whispered. 
“Thank you. I’ll call—”
“Ok—”
You saw it, then — the faintest glimmer of hesitation and uncertainty, and honestly? You didn’t blame him. He’d flown in for a trip that, as far as you could tell, was for work, and he’d made a detour into the city for sex. The sex was done, and so was any physical intimacy, but it would feel… off to end the night with a handshake. 
Before you could think to say it was ok and he didn’t have to, though, he mumbled, “I’ll see you,” just as he leaned in. Short but not quick, you leaned into it, and then, just like that, it was over. 
***
You genuinely thought he’d forgotten about what he’d said. He was busy, and getting some wasn’t a priority, but when your phone rang with an unknown number some few weeks later, you paused and had half a second of questioning before picking up.
“Hello?” 
“Hello,” he returned it, sounding amused. “Y’not sure it’s me?” 
“I don’t have your number,” you reminded him. 
“Is now a good time to talk?” 
“Sure?” More of a question than an answer, but he went on before you could correct yourself.
“M’gonna be flying out tomorrow,” he said. In the background, you could hear noises like zippers and snaps, and he had a distant echo in his voice that made you wonder if you were on speaker. 
“Already?” you asked.
Harry laughed, loud but very far away. “Been a month or so,” he said.
“Really?” 
“S’almost the holidays, love,” he said. 
He was right — they were closer now than they were farther away, but it felt like only yesterday you’d been sweating and sharing a meal in a hole in the wall restaurant. 
“Are you free tomorrow night?” he asked. You bit your lip and your prolonged silence must’ve made him falter. “If you’re not, it’s ok,” he said. “Just wanted to ask, cause I know I said maybe… if—” 
“You’re flying to Philly from LA and then driving to the city?” 
Harry cleared his throat. “Actually… s’more like I’m flying into the city and then I’ll head on out to Philly… after….” 
After seeing you.
It was out of your mouth before you could think better. “You could stop by mine.” Silence greeted you and you kept talking to fill its void. “If the airport— I guess it depends— but even if you flew into Jersey you’d still have to go— except— I mean—”
He laughed on the other end and you groaned.
“I owe you dinner,” you said, face warm but a sheepish, unseen smile pulling at your mouth. “You’ve treated me twice.”
“Ok,” he drawled. “F’you wanna get me dinner, I can come by yours.” 
“I’ll text you the address — I have the thread.”
“And I’ll text you my number,” he added. “You should have it.”
Twenty-four hours later, you were rushing around your studio trying to make it feel like less of a shoebox. Stupid — you should’ve just asked for his hotel. He had to have one! This was sex, it wasn’t a you get this tab and I’ll get the next one sort of arrangement. The sheets on your bed were freshly changed, pillows fluffed (fluffed — who knew you’d ever fluff pillows), and you’d swept and wiped the floors down in the living-bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom alike, but everything still felt small and not enough. You’d lit some candles to try to compensate, but you’d gone on and off with them, blowing them and relighting them a handful of times as you went back and forth on whether or not they lent a feeling that didn’t belong in this sort of situation. Now, though, they burned and flickered on your coffee table, and you were just connecting your phone to the speaker when a knock on your door made you jump and spin.
“Coming!” 
You spared a cursory glance through the peephole before twisting locks and unhooking chains, his hulking figure filling your doorway.
“Texted,” he said apologetically. “But—”
“I was just cleaning up,” you said, opening the door wider. “Sorry— come in.” 
He shuffled past you with his printed luggage in hand, and your heart sank, ensnared in nerves, as he walked into the apartment that looked even smaller with him in it. Ears ringing, you could barely hear the notes of whatever album your phone had selected to autoplay. It was small, but it was yours — all yours — and if it didn’t meet his standards, then he didn’t have to stay.
“It’s—”
“Nice place,” he said slowly, and the upbeat lilt told you he wasn’t being facetious. Your shoulders fell with relief and the tension relaxed out of your neck. “That’s a nice candle,” he added, sniffing the air. 
“It’s a little smaller than your hotel room,” you said.
“Been on tour buses, love,” he said, setting his luggage down. “There’s not really much smaller than a bunk racing across the country.” 
Smiling, you squeezed your arms as he unzipped his coat and took his cap off. “How was your flight?” you asked.
“Dunno, really,” he said, running a hand through his mostly flattened curls. Unlike last time, he didn’t have his rings on, and his fingers looked longer and more slender without them. “Slept through most of it — had a bit of turbulence over Colorado or Utah or wherever, but it wasn’t tha’ bad.” 
“Good,” you said. “If you wanna… um….” You jerked your thumb towards a door. “Bathroom’s there, if you need to clean up or anything.”
He nodded. “That’d be great, thanks. In there?” 
You stepped aside to let him by, catching the distinct waft of plane and warmth and the spicy vanilla smell you’d come to associate with him. When he closed the door behind him, you exhaled and again spun through the apartment, shoving shoes under your bed to finish your tidying before carefully pulling the coffee table away from the sofa — his legs were longer, he’d need the room. You’d just smoothed out the rug when your phone buzzed and you grabbed it, seeing both the texts he’d sent you before that you’d missed in your focus as well as the one from your delivery man letting you know the food was outside. Perfect. 
“S’a good album,” Harry said from the bathroom doorway after you locked up again. You jumped, gripping the bag with a knuckle-popping hold. You didn’t think it was possible to be quiet and sneaky in a place like this. “Sorry,” he said, snickering.
“I like it,” you breathed. “Dinner’s….” You lifted the bag on your way past him and heard him trailing after you. You set it on the coffee table and sat on the sofa as you popped the staples on the paper bag. “It’s nothing amazing.”
“That’s a review,” he teased, sitting next to you. “Now I can’t wait.”
“Shut up,” you said and he laughed loudly. “It’s just this place that’s nearish — El Diablito — they’ve got really good nachos and burritos.”
“Mexican, then?”
“Yeah.” Fuck. “Probably should’ve thought of that since you’ve just come back from LA,” you muttered.
“S’fine,” he said. “Didn’t really have much Mexican.”
You arched a brow and he coughed into his hand. 
“So, d’I get a burrito?”
You nodded and pulled a hot, foil-wrapped item out of the bag. “Careful,” you warned, purposefully busying yourself with pulling the rest of the food out of the bag as he unfolded it.
“Looks good,” he said. From the corner of your eye, you watched him adjust his grip and angle his head before stretching his jaw wide to take a bite. You looked away quickly, almost overwhelmed by how comical it’d been, but when you looked back you found him chewing thoughtfully.
“You can have some of my quesadilla if you don’t like it,” you said quickly. “And the nachos are for both of us to pick at.”
Still, he didn’t say anything, until at last he swallowed and his lips smacked several times. “S’good,” he said thickly. “Like, that’s….” He peered at the corner he’d bitten into almost in disbelief. “That’s really good.” Again he stretched his mouth almost comically wide, tongue out, and this time you did laugh. Mouth full, he glanced up at you with unblinking eyes and mumbled a muffled, “What?” through his bite. 
“Nothing,” you said, grinning and unwrapping your own food. “Go on, eat.” 
“All right, calm down,” he said. “Have the whole night ahead of us.”
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cinnaminsvga · 4 years
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🤬 | seokjin
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the sleep deprived series (n.): drabbles that i write when i’m sad and tired
→ frenemy!seokjin ft. e2l and the magnificent get-along sweater | 2K words → a/n: this is dedicated to my homie @jincherie​ who has been, as they say, wiping her ass everyday only to shit again. i can’t really do much to actually alleviate your circumstances except maybe making you smile, so i hope this can be your tiny ray of sunshine amidst the crap. this fic literally makes no sense because i wrote this within one hour so i’m sorry but pls know that ilysm!!
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“Where’d you even fucking get this abomination?” you growl, struggling fruitlessly against the coarse fabric. In your fidgeting, your elbow knocks into Seokjin’s broad chest, causing more damage to your weak joints than anything. Even so, Seokjin grunts overdramatically, stepping on your toes in retaliation.
“Yoongi-chi, you know that I love you very much—” Seokjin seethes, his teeth clenched almost painfully as he fights to restrain himself from ripping the sweater in half, a la Hulk style. “—but I will not hesitate to stab you once I get out of here.”
“Not my fault that you both are acting like a bunch of toddlers,” Yoongi snorts, hip jutted out in contempt like the homosexual that he is. “And to answer your other question, I bought that sweater online after your last fight, when you two were literally wrestling on the kitchen counter. I didn’t know whether I walked into some intense BDSM play or a WWE ring.”
“You bought a fucking get-along sweater for us? What are you, some sort of Christian camp counselor?” you growl, kicking your legs out in an attempt to hit him. The slimy twink bastard jumps away gracefully, landing onto the loveseat opposite the couch that you were sitting on. He crosses his legs, opening his arms wide when your traitorous cat jumps onto his lap, looking to all the world like a terrible Bond villain from the 80s.
“If I was Christian, I would not put the two of you into a sweater together,” Yoongi says. He strokes your cat, who purrs loudly before pointing a contemptuous glare back at you, as if she was enjoying your torture too. Dumb cat. You never liked Miko anyway.
Yoongi continues, “Anyone would two eyes knows that you both are just one brawl away from fucking each other into the next dimension. Lord knows that your sexual tension could power the entire city.”
It’s Seokjin’s turn to snort, who has been relatively quiet in comparison to you. He’s also less fidgety, but that might be because he at least has the advantage and comfort of occupying 90% of the sweater space due to his oceanic shoulders. You once described him as “horizontally imbalanced,” which he did not find slightly amusing.
“I would rather place my balls into a panini press and feed them to Miko than to ever fuck Y/N,” Seokjin fake-gags, squirming uncomfortably in his seat. “It would be less hot for me to actually grill my penis than for me to sink into her hell-ish cunt. I swear, you could bake bread in there with how much yeast has accumulated from—“
You headbutt his chin before he can finish, squawking indignantly. The satisfying sound of his teeth clacking together in pain is momentary but worthwhile. “Excuse you, but it’d be an honor to fuck me! I’ve got that S-tier pussy! If my pussy was in a gacha game, people would spend thousands of dollars just to roll for my mystical coochie!”
Yoongi smirks. “So you admit that you do want Seokjin to fuck you!”
“What the fuck! No! That is—what the—I don’t!” You stammer, face flushing as you struggle to regain your footing in the conversation. Yoongi’s eyebrow raises, intrigued by your slip-up. “That is totally not what I meant, and you know it!”
Yoongi picks at his nails, pointedly avoiding eye contact. “Sorry, I don’t speak hetero. Prithee, explain thy peculiar mating rituals to one who does not walk the straight and narrow path.”
You slump back against the couch, forcing Seokjin to follow and fall backward with you. His shoulder hits you square in the boob, causing you to groan in pain. “Yoongi, just let us out of this thing before I lose a limb to this walking inflatable tubeman,” you plead, ignoring Seokjin’s glare.
“I resent that,” Seokjin inputs, but no one pays him any mind. Your attention is focused solely on the smirking kitty man in front of you, who grows smugger as time ticks on.
Everyone in your friend group is aware of the weird relationship you have with Seokjin. Ever since you met him in your freshman year of university, things were never peaceful between the two of you. It was always constant bickering, squabbling, competing… everything. Even Jungkook, Seokjin’s other sworn enemy, doesn’t argue with the elder as much as you did.
For three years, everyone just assumed it was your weird kindergarten schoolyard way of showing affection for each other, and at the beginning, it might have been. You and Seokjin, both of whom have never dated in their lifetimes despite being moderately popular while growing up, are unsurprisingly emotionally stunted and never learned how to just be nice to people you like. Affection who? Compassion where? To the both of you, physical connection can only be achieved through hair tugging and nipple pinching, and not even in the sexy way.
But at a certain point, things were starting to get tiring. Your arguments only grew larger in scale, to the point where it was getting hard to differentiate whether the bruises on your neck were from pinches or something else.
“I just… Ugh… When are they gonna fuck, hyung? I’m actually getting tired of their constant fighting,” Namjoon had lamented one afternoon, just a day after your last altercation with Seokjin. It had been a big one, where Seokjin nearly lost a tooth when you had landed a neat uppercut squarely on his jaw after he called your toes ‘a foot fetishist’s worst nightmare.’
Yoongi’s boyfriend had been staring listlessly into his bowl of soup for the past hour, and he was honestly starting to get worried when it looked like Namjoon had started muttering to himself in a foreign language. Yoongi almost thought he might have been scrying for a prophecy, begging for an answer to their most pressing question.
“What do you want me to do about it? Lock them in a room and let them out only after they’ve done the deed? Mixed bodily fluids? Performed the monkey dance to its climax?! No thanks, I don’t wanna be near them when that can of worms finally explodes,” Yoongi grimaced, shivering at the thought.
Namjoon shook his head quickly, face paling with him. “Heaven forbid. Maybe you can keep it PG? How about getting one of those get-along sweaters or something. I think they used those in kindergarten.”
Yoongi sighed. “Yeah, but the question would be how I’d get them into it.” He flaps his noodle arms around in demonstration. “I’m not exactly in the running for world’s strongest twink. Plus, years of fighting each other means they’re both stronger than I am.”
Namjoon shrugged. “Easy, just dare them to wear it. Make it into a competition. Nothing gets them more riled up than when they’re trying to outcompete each other.”
And so, that’s how the two of you had gotten stuck in a 3XXL Hello Kitty sweater that Yoongi had bought from Ebay. It has yet to be decided whether spending $40 on expedited shipping was worth it.
“Look, Yoongi-chi. We both promise that we will stop fighting once you let us out of this,” Seokjin says, smiling sweetly at him. Had Yoongi been younger and much more prone to the alluring temptation of the Straight Man™️, he might have caved. But Yoongi is older now, plus he knows when Seokjin is lying better than any polygraph test.
Yoongi rolls his eyes, waving him off. “Fat chance. You’d probably stop fighting for approximately three hours before getting mad about mint chocolate ice cream or something.”
“Hey! Give us some credit. We both agree that flavor is abhorrent, so we would never argue about that,” you retort, with Seokjin nodding furiously in agreement. You glance at him. “And I feel like we’d last at least six hours without fighting. What was our record again?”
“Five hours and twenty-two minutes,” Seokjin says.
You hum thoughtfully. “Okay, I can promise at least five hours and thirty minutes. Maybe.”
Yoongi groans, rubbing his temples in frustration. His souring mood even makes Miko jump away in fright, and the two idiots trapped in a sweater can immediately feel the dip in temperature. Uh oh, here we go!
“I am absolutely sick and tired of the two of you dumbasses fighting all the time! It’s embarrassing as hell trying to bring either of you anywhere in public because everyone mistakes your little catfights for strange foreplay or whatever,” Yoongi glowers. The two of you shrink into your seats, ashamed.
“We’ve only gotten kicked out of one Costco—” Seokjin defends. 
“But we did get fined for public indecency at the beach when I pulled your trunks down, which was totally unfair, by the way,” you mutter. 
“You literally threatened to, and I quote, ‘Suck the soul out of Seokjin’s dick until he dies.’ How the hell is that unfair?!” Yoongi exclaims. 
“It was a death threat! I would’ve accepted a charge for attempted murder, but that was not going to be a sexy blowjob, I assure you—”
Yoongi holds up a hand to silence you. “Face it, you both like each other. Whatever! Sure, you guys are the token straight people in our friend group, but that doesn’t make you bland as hell! Well, actually, it does but…” Yoongi pauses, wondering if it was worth lying. It takes a second for him to refocus. “Where was I? Oh right—“
Yoongi clears his throat, starting again. He heaves a deep breath, shoulders sagging tiredly as he puts on the sincerest face he can muster. “Listen, I just want to say that I care a lot about you, okay? And it sucks seeing the both of you hurting every time the other person says something really mean that neither of you even mean! If anything, will you please stop for me? If you really cared about our friendship, will you do it for me?”
There is a heavy pause as Yoongi strives to get his breathing back in check, his impassioned speech causing his fragile grandpa heart to race. He can feel his cheeks darkening in embarrassment, unused to using his “hyung voice” on Seokjin or you. Separately, the two of you are very reliable, never really needing him to scold either of you. Together, however… that’s a different story, but as the next eldest hyung, it really only fell to Yoongi to fix his friends’ mess of a relationship.
Screw age hierarchy. Yoongi would love to see Jungkook try to get Seokjin and you to fuck. Would absolutely pay to see the twerp squirm as he tries to even say the word “penis.”
After a while, Seokjin and you share a look. Yoongi watches with bated breath as he waits for either of you to speak, but he can sense some unspoken conversation happening between you. Perhaps, after years of exchanging blows, you had somehow knocked brain cells into each other and now share a weird psychic connection. Or, more likely, the two of you actually like each other and understand each other on a deeply personal level, so personal in fact that you could probably finish each other’s sentences, like—!
“We refuse,” you both reply in tandem, your joined voices echoing throughout the apartment. You both had said it so in sync that Yoongi might have imagined the other person speaking, but no—you both really did just say that to his face. In front of Miko. In front of his goddamn imaginary salad.
“Excuse me?” Yoongi squeaks. He cleans his ears with his fingers but finds no cotton there. These bitches! How dare they just throw his speech to the gutter! That shit took brain cells to think of, and he is not in the business of wasting his precious minutes by using them for productivity.
You shrug, leaning against Seokjin’s shoulder. He can see the ghost of a smirk tugging at your lips, thoroughly enjoying Yoongi’s confusion. “You heard us. We’ve made the executive decision to double our efforts, actually.”
Seokjin nods, not even shoving you off his shoulder like he normally would whenever you made contact with him. What? “Exactly. Honestly, we’ve been fighting for so long that we’ve kinda been just doing it for the bit at this point, and the fact that it annoys you so much is just the icing on the cake.”
Yoongi stares at them. His brain doesn’t feel like it’s connecting to his body at all; he feels like he’s floating. “So. What you’re saying is—“
“We know we like each other. Whatever. But we also like fighting, so who gives a shit if we’re having fun at the end of the day?” you shrug, pinching Seokjin’s cheek for good measure. As per usual, the elder retaliates by grabbing your finger with robot-like accuracy, before biting you there like a ravaging beast.
“And before you ask, no, we aren’t really dating. Yet. We kinda just wanted to piss as many people off before actually becoming official. We honestly didn’t think that you’d be the first one to crack.” Seokjin says, your finger falling from his mouth. The imprint of his teeth marks on your skin are plain as day, but you don’t look remotely bothered by it. In fact, you’re practically cooing at his ‘baby teefies’ like a psychopath.
“I—“ Yoongi stutters, at a loss for words for once in his life. He stands from the chair, but his knees give out from under him, causing him to tumble to the carpeted floor. He holds his head in his hands, shell-shocked. “So… That means…”
“Yeah, we’re kinda just freaky, I guess.” You muse before laughing hysterically when Yoongi begins to sob. “Hey, you’re right! We did make Yoongi cry! Do you think we could make Namjoon piss himself in rage when he finally confronts us too?”
Seokjin cackles, shaking your hand underneath the sweater. “If anyone can do it, I know that we can.”
And so, the two of you stand up clumsily to your feet, not bothering to escape the ridiculous sweater as you both waddled out of Yoongi’s apartment. From outside his door, Yoongi hears the sound of a new fight commencing, your shrieks resonating down the hall and for all the world to hear.
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starryse · 4 years
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Stranger From The Café
13 Days of SVT Christmas- Day 2
Joshua x Reader
Christmas au, fluff, slight angst in the beginning, no warnings
3.4k
They say Christmas is the most magical time of year. The snow falling acts as a beautiful scenery for pictures with your loved ones, Christmas dinners allow you to spend time with family and friends, and the music and gifts all symbols of the love you have for each other. Christmas is the one day a year where you forget everything, all your struggles and worries are out the window as you spend time with the ones you love.
Unfortunately for you, you weren’t one of those lucky souls.
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“Y-you’re breaking up with me?”
“I’m sorry, y/n. Things were just getting boring between us. Besides, Haesul is-“
The tears threatening to spill suddenly haulted at that. Your eyes snapping up to stare at the man in front of you, “Haesul? The same girl who you said was just a friend?”
Your now ex shifted in his seat, eyes drifting to look outside the window instead of at you. His hands fiddled with the spoon in his empty bowl, the metal clinking against the glass. Oh, you understood now.
You folded your arms against your chest. “She was never just a friend, was she?” The man bit his lip, shaking his head. He opened his mouth to speak, but God forbid would you sit here and listen to anymore of his lies.
“Just leave, Seojoon. You don’t have anything to explain to me, we broke up, remember?” And at that, the raven haired man stood up, slipping his jacket over his shoulders, leaving without a single trace but the couples bracelet you two wore that now sat on the café table.
You let out a shaky sigh, propping your arms on the table, hiding your face in your hands. You sat there for a solid 10 minutes, soaking in what just happened. Your boyfriend, of 2 years, broke up with you over a woman he claimed was just a friend. The day before Christmas for Gods sake. You groaned into your hands, probably receiving weird looks from the customers around you. Not that you cared, the only thing on your mind was the prick you unfortunately spent two long years- time you can’t get back.
Sure he wasn’t the best boyfriend, let alone man, but he at least made you feel wanted. When you were stressed from work or class, he always found a way to take your mind off it- need be it was typically through going clubbing (something you weren’t fond of but did it anyways). You couldn’t say you’ll miss him as your boyfriend, but you’ll miss the feeling of having someone. Your own person who you know will love you and be there for you through anything. Now who do you have?
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You weren’t ready to go home, then you’d face the reality of the fact you’ll be spending Christmas alone this year. Your family lived in the states and your friends were too busy with their own significant others. Not that you need a new partner or even just a one night stand, but you could use somebody to be free with, to be happy and careless all at the same time.
“Hi, do you mind if I sit here? You seemed pretty glum and I’m kind of by myself too, haha”
You lifted your head, hair falling in front of your eyes. Moving your hair away from your face, your vision cleared to see a good-looking, young man in front of you. He resembled a cat the way his eyes were sharp and looking into your own. Though his smile had a whole different vibe, his teeth looking like that of a rabbit. Your heart started beating just a little faster at the looks of the man, he truly was someone you would fall in love with at first sight.
Finally clicking that he asked you a question, you quickly formed incoherent words, “u-uhm yeah go ahead.” Really y/n? Smooth.
The mans smile widened, his head nodding in appreciation as he moved to sit in front of you. The male leaned forward, sitting just a little closer to you instead of leaving an awkward space. You quickly reached across the table, moving the dirty bowl and silverware that sat in front of him. He seemed pleased, offering a quiet thank you.
“I’m Joshua! But you can call me Josh, or Shua”
You smiled for the first time since you had been left alone in the café, “I’m y/n”. Joshua grinned, eyes crinkling at the corners. Cute. “Nice to meet you, y/n. I’m sorry I just kind of shoved my way over here”. You waved your hand out, the smile not leaving your face, “no it’s okay, truth be told I was kind of alone too” Joshua’s smile faltered a bit, his head tilting to the side a bit, “may I ask why? You don’t have to tell me of course!”
Meh fuck it.
“Myyy boyfriend, well now ex, just dumped me. Like 10 minutes before you got here” you weakly smiled, though it probably looked a little frightening in his pov. His eyes widened, his mouth opening then closing, “oh shit, wow, I’m so sorry y/n. That’s kind of a dick move of him to do it right before Christmas” Joshua swore at himself, seriously Josh? Way to overstep your boundaries.
You laughed, agreeing with the boy. “It was a dick move, huh? And the worst part-“ Josh leaned it, a huh leaving his lips, “it was because of a bitch he swore was just his friend” The raven haired man oohed, his face wincing at your words.
“What a classic douchebag move, wow. I’m sure he doesn’t deserve you, y/n. You seem like a great person” you blushed at that, face heating up at his remark. Stuttering over your words, you went with just smiling and looking away towards the waitress who was coming your way.
The blonde woman stood in front of your table, asking if there was anything she could get you or the cheesy man in front of you.
“What are your best Christmas drinks right now?”
The waitress pondered, looking at her notepad, “well we have peppermint egg nog, those are pretty good if you’re into mint. We also have double chocolate hot chocolate, which is basically chocolate milk hot cocoa instead of white milk”
Joshua took notice of the way your eyes lit up when she said chocolate, smoothly telling the waitress he’d like two double hot chocolates. You glanced at Josh in confusion, “two?” The male nodded his head, folding his arms in front of him.
“Mhm. I saw your face when she brought up chocolate, so I went on a whim and figured you’d like one too”
Is this an angel Gods sent your way in remorse of the way your poor, sad excuse of life has turned out?
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The double hot chocolate was now your favorite drink, you ending up drinking both yours and Josh’s (he didn’t like the sweetness). The sun had started setting, meaning the café was going to be closing soon. The last 2 hours were spent bullshitting with the newfound friend in front of you, your mind completely forgetting the fact you had been dumped and Christmas was indeed tomorrow.
Josh kept you distracted, his witty jokes making you laugh and forget all your problems, all while his pretty face kept your attention on him. You could say you definitely weren’t ready to leave the café. Leave Josh. Do you ask him for his number? Is that creepy? I mean you’ve only known him for 2 hours, he’s still a stranger, and you were always told stranger danger. But damn, if every stranger looked and acted like Joshua, then danger was your middle name.
“This might be a little weird, but could I have your number? I swear I’m not trying to have sex with you, I know you’re literally just going through a breakup.”
Oh, well that solves that problem.
You laughed, already passing your phone to the stuttering man. He thanked you, sending you a message to let you know it’s him. Your phone dinged, signifying you for his text.
From: stranger from café
This is Josh! :)
You smiled at his choice of name, mumbling a cute to yourself. Unbeknownst to you, the smug male in front of you heard the comment, his cheeks turning a shade of pink.
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That night after you had returned back to your quaint apartment downtown, you quickly shot Josh a text. Eagerly waiting for his response, you distracted yourself by making your favorite Christmas dish in the meantime.
The sound of your phone dinging in the living room caused you to stop in your tracks. You quickly tossed the oven kits on the counter and ran to check your phone. Why were you so excited, you just met him today?? Huffing, you unlocked your phone, your gaze immediately landing upon your text messages. His contact name popped up, following with a line of messages he responded with. You read through the messages, your eyes bulging at the last one:
From: stranger from café
Would you wanna spend Christmas with me and my friends tomorrow?
Your heart started beating fast, fingers quickly typing an
“Id love to” in response.
You were ready to get no sleep tonight.
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Morning came faster than you anticipated, not that you could complain- it was Christmas! Though more importantly, you get to spend it with the cute stranger you met at the café.
You raise yourself from the comforts of your bed, vision still blurry from sleep. Normally you’d stay in bed, wake up whenever Seojoon decides he wants to be up, and do nothing but sleep and watch movies all day- not the most extravagant way to spend Christmas. Today was a change of pace, and whether the urge to vomit was excitement or nervousness you’ll never know. You yawned, stretching your arms over your head, before standing up out of bed and beginning to get ready.
After the process of fixing yourself up enough to not look like a gremlin, you were finally on your way to Joshua’s house. Your palms were sweaty as you knocked on his door, nerves running through your body. “Just be cool, y/n. He’s just a cute guy you met at the café and just happen to maybe think it was love at first sight, no biggie. Confidence bitch, confidence!”
“Did you just call yourself a bitch?” Your head popped up at the sudden voice, eyes locking with said cute guy. You chuckled nervously, muttering a no. Joshua ignored your nervousness, laughing instead and inviting you inside.
As soon as you entered the apartment, your nose was immediately met with the smell of honey glazed ham and freshly made bread. You followed Josh to where you were assuming is the kitchen, eyes mindlessly lookijg around his place. “Mingyu, this is y/n!” You softly smiled, waving at the tall brunette in front of you.
Mingyu walked over, wiping his hands on the apron he wore around his waist,
“Hi I’m Mingyu! I mean you kinda already know that cause he already said it, haha” you giggled, responding with an it’s okay as he smiled at you. You looked behind Mingyu, seeing the cause of the strong food smell when you entered. Your eyes widened, mouth opening just a tad, “holy shit, did you make all this?”
Mingyu‘a cheeks grew pink, eyes twinkling in happiness as he nodded his head in confirmation. You stood in awe, there must have been food to feed at least 20 people here, how did one man make all this? You looked back at the blushing man who’s hands were behind his back as he swayed side to side, “wow I can’t wait to try everything, it looks really good, Mingyu!”
Mingyu’s chest puffed, his cheeks becoming even redder than before. Oh my God he’s like a puppy, you thought.
“Josh I love her already, please keep her around”
Now you were the blushing fool, thanking Mingyu. Meanwhile Josh stood there watching the exchange, happy to see his friends were getting along. He smiled at Mingyus comment, “that’s the plan, Gyu”.
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Josh continued to show you around his place, introducing you to his friends along the way. It was then you later realized why Mingyu had made so much food. Each of the boys seemed insanely sweet, some hyper and loud, but sweet nonetheless. You understood why Josh was friends with them, you would be too.
The two of you had made you way to the living room with everyone else, making small talk (or in this case loud talk because holy shit, 13 guys in one room is chaos) with the boys. You had gained a liking towards the youngest, maybe it’s because you were closer in age, but he was probably your favorite so far- other than the cute man-puppy you met earlier, of course.
“Let’s play a game!” The one you presumed to be Seungkwan suddenly announced, moving to stand on his knees.
Agreements were heard around the room, including you and Joshua. Seungkwan began to explain the rules to the best of his ability, separating everyone into teams of 2. Lucky for you, you really hoped at least because your competitiveness was no joke, you were paired with the raven haired boy.
The point of the game was simple: you and your partner were to complete each mission successfully, all while trying to be the first to complete it. Whoever finishes first the most amount of times, wins the game.
Let the games begin
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“Oh my God again??!”
You fell to the ground hand cupping your mouth, tears threatening to spill as Joshua stood on the other side of you, laughing his ass off at his members' yell of frustration.
“I mean seriously people?! This is the 4th game you’ve won in a row!!” Chan’s cries were as loud as the music blasting over the tv’s speakers, his body crouched on the ground while his hands ruffled his dirty blonde hair in frustration.
You grabbed the towel on the table next to you, wiping the vaseline from your face as you stood up.
“Okay I think we have a clear winner- team cat eyes wins!” Seungkwans announcement caused you and Josh to scream victory, arms clinging around one another as you jump around. The rest of the boys watched, sourness from losing etched over their faces- especially the poor maknae who was currently having a mental breakdown on the plush carpeting.
Josh unwrapped his arms from your shoulders, stepping back to stand by your side. You could feel the sweat drip down the back of your neck, body completely exhausted from the last 2 hours of playing against the 13 competitive boys. The stickiness of the Vaseline was still evident on your cheeks, the makeup you had thrown on in the morning completely melted off. You patted Joshua’s shoulder, him turning his head to look at you, “where’s the bathroom? I’ve gotta get this Vaseline off”
“Ah it’s right down the hall, I’ll show you!”
Joshua smiled, heavy breaths leaving his mouth as he guided you. He flicked on the switch, the overhead light lighting up the bathroom with a soft orange glow. You thanked him, sitting on the counter as went to grab you a towel.
“Here ya go” he passed you the towel, going to sit on the bathtub next to the sink. You ran the towel under the faucet before beginning to wipe away the gunk that was sticky on your skin. Josh tapped his fingers on the tub, propping his feet against the side, “the guys love you”
You glanced over at him in the mirror, rinsing the towel before continuing to wipe your face, “what can I say, guess I’m loveable” Joshua laughed, his face scrunching up forming whisker-like lines next to his nose. “I can’t say I disagree.”
Your face was warm, and not just from the constant rubbing of the harsh towel. Joshua’s words had no intent other than pure friendliness- you knew this; but you couldn’t help the pink that spread against your cheeks. You suddenly forget that you’ve know the boy on the tub for a short 24 hours, your brain already working so many future scenarios that involve him.
You simply shook your head, a soft smile appearing on your face. You placed the now dirty towel next to the sink, turning to face Josh. “Ready to re-join the circus?” The man snorted, nodding his head, as you both exited the bathroom.
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It was nearing midnight, meaning your Christmas festivities were coming to an end. The boys had left about an hour ago, leaving just you and Josh.
The sky was a dark grey, the streetlights highlighting the area with specs of white as the final Christmas snow fell. The coat Josh let you borrow was keeping you warm, but the boy currently huddled against your side made you content. Your hands were covered in a thin pair of white gloves, a to-go cup of cocoa from the same café you met Josh at currently being coddled in between your hands.
You looked over at Joshua, his face settled in a small smile as he watched the cars below pass by. His fringe was sprawled flat against his forehead, the cream colored beanie he wore covering the rest. You scooted closer against the male, his head turning down to look at you. Your head nuzzled against his shoulder, face being squished against his puffy coat.
“I’m really glad you came, y/n”
Joshua’s voice was gentle, his own gloved hands reaching up from its previous spot behind your back, fingers lightly moving your hair behind your ear. His hand cupped your cheek, constellation filled eyes looking into your own, “Would you hold it against me if I kissed you right now?”
You leaned forward, softly placing your lips against Joshua’s. Your noses pressed together as he moved his lips back against your own, soft breaths slipping through the small gaps. Your lips slowly detached, a thin layer of saliva the only thing keeping them together as you rested your forehead against his. “I think that was an answer, what do you think?”
Joshua smiled, “I think I’m gonna need a more solid yes or no”
“Oh yeah?” You grinned back, your lips already going to press on his own, his hands pressing against the small of your back. He pulled back, a soft pop sounding in the air from the disappearance of your lips against his.
“Ah see now I understand, thanks for clarifying”
You laughed, head leaning back while Joshua watched, his own laughs leaving his throat. A sudden gust of wind blew across the rooftop, your hair flying against your face. Joshua shivered, hands pulling you up from your spot as he stood up, “Wanna head inside? I have a soft bed and warm clothes with your name on it.”
“Does the soft bed come with a cute, shivering boy?”
Josh snorted, kissing your forehead before tugging you along with him towards the rooftop door, “the cute shivering boy goes wherever his adorable, shaking girl is”
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True to his word, the change of clothes Josh let you wear were indeed warm. The clothes smelt of light cologne, the old UCLA sweatshirt long against your body, sleeves falling to the middle of your palm.
You currently sat against his beds headboard, Santa Clause playing on his tv. Layers of fuzzy blankets were covering your lower body, pillows propped against your back. The Christmas lights you found in the corner of his closet were currently strung against his walls, you insisting that you put them up.
The sounds of the movie were faded in the background, yours and Joshua’s laughter much louder in comparison. Pieces of cheddar popcorn were scattered on the bed and floor due to the failed attempts of tossing them into each other’s mouths.
“I think-“ you laughed, “I think this is the most amount of fun I’ve had on Christmas ever- actually scratch that, that I’ve ever had in general”
Joshua smiled, his hand pulling you tighter against him, “and I think I have to agree”
82 notes · View notes
pinkykitten · 4 years
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everything stays
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chapter 1 - blood on her hands :: gisela klein [ an aot oc story ] 
note: hey guys i know its been a rlly long time since ive posted anything and u may be rlly let down and underwhelmed that ive chosen to write a aot oc instead of fanfic but its what i want to write and i rlly love my oc and wanna give her some love and some praise and let u a little in how i see her. im sorry i havent posted a lot im going to try to write more and who knows i may or may not finish this but its ok imma try lol but life sometimes is a butthole. i hope you love her as much as i do an tysm for taking time out of ur day to read this story. enjoy!
Even though she knew that this day would have to come and that it was near, it still was a surprise for her. She was taken aback. It didn’t make sense and add up to her; she was trained for this since she was little; preparing mentally and physically for phase one of the plan; and the day appeared through the trees; past the wall; the opportunity was present; the fate of the people were waiting in their hands; and yet she felt a sense of evilness within her heart. Was this right? But there was no time. 
The day was written down in history. The stories were spread around like a disease. Heights, jaws, teeth, feet, stench, the screams. If they survived that nightmare they were seen as a tough soldier; as someone that was applauded because they probably had PTSD and had to see everyday as a reason within themselves or God that they were alive. That maybe just maybe they were saved for a reason; for a purpose. That is what Gisela Klein thought. Maybe there was something greater out there for her to do, to accomplish and that was why she saw another day; breathed another breath. 
But one thing was for sure. Forgiveness would never come her way; she would never expect it. To be a warrior she had to endure the horror; the pain; feelings of worthlessness; and friendships lost. 
This is the story of the 10th finding titan; the Slash Titan.
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The pounding of her heart rang through her ears. It had taken everything for her to keep going on this journey; to continue on the path to and through Hell. She felt a loss within her and the light in her eyes died out. The loss of her friend made it hard for her to function. To keep her head in the game and in the plan. 
She sighed as she stared at her hands. Broken and bruised like her heart; scars and scratches scattered on her skin. Her bite mark deeply engraved into her flesh. She heaved a huge sigh. Ready to give death a handshake and make a deal with the devil. Panic was rising in her chest from her stomach, almost ready to throw up. 
As she thought about her family back home she realized there was no other way; she had to do this. In order to be with her family, to save them she had to do the one thing she was trained to do. 
Kill.
A lightning strike shot over the wall. The wall that kept the monsters away and at bay. Something was wrong; the air seemed to change. The lightning strike caused a boom, clap and the ground started to shake. 
Bertholdt drew his leg back and with full force swung his leg forward, knocking a hole into the wall that was impenetrable. Many people flew back from the wind of the blow and some were crushed by the debris of the wall. 
Many were going to die; but it’s what needed to be done. 
The titans were called. 
Finally the titans entered the devils homes and started to rip up their lives. “This is right, this is right.” Gisela had to keep reminding herself. “For my family.” And something snapped within her. The image of her mother, tortured, flashed in her mind. And suddenly everything was worth it. “No regrets.”
Gisela eyed Reiner, an agreement, a sign. She exhaled and in a quick motion placed her hand to her mouth and bit into it. In a spark she transformed into her titan form. Her eyes were much like a cats, sharp. She was made into the slash titan, she was chosen for this program. Her titans fingers were like sharp knives, able to cut any object or person. They hung a little past her knees. 
Reiner then transformed and both stomped past the hole. Many citizens glanced up, horrified. Gisela and Reiner were titans never seen before. 
She nodded to Reiner, bent down and started to pick up debris and pieces of houses to throw over the bigger wall. The chunks started to smash against people. Blood splattering everywhere. Gisela almost wanted to close her eyes from the immense amount of dead bodies piled on top of others, graves upon graves. 
She was hauling boulders as high and fast as she could. Her titan held a high amount of power and strength. Being slim, muscular and as tall as the armored titan and female titan. Reiner took a step back and gained his speed to go onward to destroy the bigger wall. 
“Fire!” Their soldiers cried out. Fear evident on their face. They shot their cannons, not even slowing down Reiner. Gisela continued flinging, wanting to create a path for Reiner. She was faster than before and many of her hits flattened the men in the front lines. Their screams and cries loud. 
“Close the gate!” They tried, it was their last hope to save humanity. But it was not enough. Reiner broke the wall and killed those running and they went flying. They reached even higher than Gisela. It astounded her almost, they seemed like helpless birds flying high in the sky; but that thought was quickly wiped clean because the second they flew up in the air they came straight down with much force that many parts of their bodies broke. 
Reiner did what he needed to do, he opened up a way for the titans to get in and they were swarming by the bunches. 
In the distance, the survivors fled in boats across the river to get into the other walls. Gisela put herself in their shoes for a second. They had reason to be scared. Everything they have ever known was gone; their houses, loved ones, food, a place to feel the most comfortable you can feel despite situations; it was all gone. Gisela shook the thought out, not caring about these cruel humans feelings. They had none. No emotions. Gisela had to believe that thought; what she was told, she had to believe it with all her heart, or else what was real?
They waited till they were able to not be seen and Gisela turned human first and then so did Reiner. The four of them hopped on the boat. Talking amongst themselves. The wind howled through the vacant homes. Destruction everywhere. Gisela looked around her setting and saw a little girl had been crushed because a tree fell on her, her doll mere inches away from her grasp. She died with her eyes open; almost looking into Gisela’s soul through the eyes. Gisela’s body trembled and she threw up. 
“Don’t.”
Gisela looked up to see Reiner wiping blood and debris off his clothes. He picked his sleeve and turned Gisela’s head to look away, he wiped her chin and mouth off the puke. He saw the trauma in her eyes and felt guilty. But it’s what needed to be done. He kept telling himself that the more he did this the more he would understand and get used to it. It was still all new to her and he had to be strong for her. He knelt in front of her small frame. “It’s not your fault. They needed to die. We are in this together. You don’t need them. Look at me.”
Gisela looked into his eyes, away from the sadness. His eyes carried the feeling of wanting to be wanted. That was always what Reiner wanted. But they also had fear in his eyes. 
“Stop acting like you’re in control when I know how sick you feel. I know how afraid you are Reiner.”
He paused and took a look at his hands and others surrounding him. “You’re right. But I made a promise to Marcel.”
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They joined the other citizens arriving at the food reserves. The master of disguise was needed in this mission. People needed to see four hungry, depressed children that survived the fall of their homes, not mass murderers. 
Annie was only able to fetch two loaves. “Alright, who's the most hungry?”
“You girls should eat, you’re more feeble.” Bertholdt sat on a crate, pointing to Gisela and Annie. 
Annie tsked, moving a bang from her eyes, “who says girls are more feeble? I recall kicking your ass all those times in training.”
“You guys can eat it, I’m not hungry.” Gisela sat on the other crate and saw the chaos of the crowds. A boy caught her interest. He had dark brown hair, tan skin, and light blue green eyes. He was having bread shoved in his mouth and he seemed to have such a strong personality to him. If only Gisela felt so strongly about her motive and her placement in this life. 
“You really should eat, you need your energy after all you did.” Annie broke all the loaves in half and shared it amongst the four of you. “It’s not much but at least it's something.”
Gisela sighed, “you’re right. Thanks.”
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After that day there was land given to only a few refugees but there were too many of them. Luckily the four of them had a piece of land that was enough until further inching themselves within society. Through that whole span each day was getting easier and easier living with the lies and day by day Gisela felt more at sure with herself and knowing that she could fulfill this mission. Pills and alcohol helped the pain and ease the thoughts. She taught herself to put a gap between what she came here to do and feelings. She told herself every day that nobody else mattered except her family and Reiner. She trained her brain to not care, to not have strings attached or any love for anything. It was all a play, all a rehearsal for when the curtain would fall. She was readying herself for that fall. Everyday she educated herself more on these scums. What they liked, wanted, needed, craved for, and what they craved more than ever in their life was freedom. 
She trained her body as if it were her last day, barely getting sleep. The face of her mother haunting her every night making her get up at three in the morning to do pushups or sit ups. Not only was her mind getting stronger but also her body. Even Reiner would make jokes noticing the muscles that would appear. The six pack that formed on her stomach. Her thighs growing tight and firm, her arms growing stronger. The sweat growing on her forehead longer. 
With her body growing her relationship with Reiner also changed. They no longer were the tiny children that didn’t understand anatomy or the air between two people. Reiner and Gisela’s relationship was of being flirty, sharing a few kisses here and there, trying to be a couple but then yelling at each other and breaking it up and realizing maybe this isn’t right a million times. Even Bertholdt and Annie were getting tired of their outbursts. But each time they made up to be friends only and then the cycle started where the feelings came in the way and they wanted to be more. They would tease each other, especially Reiner. They were each other's best friends. Gisela was like one of the boys, loud, obnoxious, burping all the time, Reiner would get a look at her and smirk thinking he taught her well. When Reiner looked at her he felt at home and that everything was going to be okay. Her nightmares continued and each time Reiner would come to her room and hold her, let her cry into his arms. She felt he was the only person that knew her pain. 
Gisela understood many things in life and for once she understood her life here, she understood why she was born and chosen. 
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It was the following year and in order to get closer to finding the founding titan the four became part of the 104th cadet corps. 
“Are you ready to train more?” Gisela nudged Reiner, eyebrow raised.
“What do you mean train more? This is going to be a new but scary experience honestly.” Reiner spoke as if he was a different person. As if he didn’t have a life outside of the walls. 
“Reiner?” Gisela placed her hand on his shoulder, steadying him. He looked fine on the outside but Gisela knew the issues were inside, his mind. She knew this was becoming disastrous to him, he was starting to have almost two personalities, two lives, two worlds, two people. Gisela tried to tell Annie or Bertholdt, they saw it too but there was nothing they could do. 
All that Gisela could do was smile as they made their way to the first day of training. 
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note: again ty y’all sm!!!! If u liked it lmk and this is kinda new for me cuz I usually don’t post my ocs stories here or much at all but I’m rlly excited for y’all to see her and for y’all to know this oc of mine and hopefully accept her ❤️
Taglist: @witchofinterest @chlobenet @eddysocs @fpxloomis @whctsherncme-archive @ocfairygodmother @fandomchick80 @ocappreciationtag
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inkjackets · 4 years
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The Pull of the Past
this was written for the @adrienagrestezine​: Silver Lining. (leftover sales are currently ongoing, so if you haven’t got a copy already, head over and grab one while you still can!!)
AO3
“Hey, mum.” Adrien’s voice rang out softly in the small courtyard. The ground was warm beneath him and the late afternoon sun lit the world a fierce gold. He ran his fingers over the rough paving stones before raising his head to meet the stony eyes of his mother’s statue, sitting serene and tranquil in the alcove surrounded by rose bushes.
“I found out who Hawkmoth is today,” he said, deathly quiet. Adrien swallowed the lump in his throat and ignored the burning in his eyes. “He told me what he’s doing, why he wants the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous.”
Adrien dug his nails into his palm; he clenched his stomach; he grimaced as the tears he was forcing back disobeyed him and spilt down his cheeks, dripping pat-pat onto the pavement beneath him.
“He just sat down and told me,” he whispered with disbelief, “as if he were telling me of an upcoming trip to Milan.” He dug the heels of his palms into his eyes. “I love you so much.” His voice cracked. “But I can’t betray Ladybug. I love her too.” Tears leaked past his palms and his breathing shuddered and he started to tremble.
“But I miss you.” Sobs wracked his body as he broke down crying, the sun warming his shoulders but unable to touch the cold deep inside him. 
Memories came to him then, lighting up his mind. Her sweeping him up in her arms and pecking him on the nose. Her laughter dancing among the notes of the piano she played. Her embrace, so warm, as she held him, that soft smile on her lips which told him everything would be okay. And Adrien wept for that smile. He needed to see it again. He needed her back.
A gentle breeze blew through the small garden. The leaves and flowers rustled in the wind and swept through Adrien’s hair. He lifted his head and inhaled the sweet-smelling earth. Ever so slowly his shuddering breath evened; the tears on his cheeks dried; the pain twisting inside him gave way to numbness, and he gazed at the stone carrying the likeness of his mother.
“What do I do?” His words drifted around the courtyard, catching the light. But the statue remained silent and didn’t reply.
Time lost all meaning as Adrien sat there. The sun dipped below the walls and took the warmth from the air, lights appeared in the windows beyond, and his mother gazed down with cold eyes of stone, unseeing and unable to comfort him. He shivered.
A gentle sound from behind him broke the silence.
“Adrien?”
Adrien turned and was faced with the stunning blue of Ladybug’s eyes. The world around him fell away. He forgot how to breathe; she was beautiful. Her dark hair fluttered in front of her captivating eyes, flecked with gold from the setting sun, and her pale cheeks were flushed from the cool evening air. They both gazed at each other, their only audience, his mother.  
“I’m sorry, is this a bad time?” Ladybug asked quietly.
Adrien breathed and the world came back. He glanced at the statue of his mother and wiped the dried tears from his cheeks, but when he tried to speak a lump rose in his throat and blocked the words from coming out.
Ladybug shifted. “I’ll come back later,” she said, drawing out her yoyo.
“No!” Adrien grabbed her wrist. She looked at him, wide-eyed. “Don’t go,” he whispered. Ladybug’s cheeks flushed and he could feel heat creep into his own. 
Ladybug bit her lip and glanced back at the house. “Your father…” she began. 
Adrien shook his head. “He’s abroad. And took Nathalie with him.”
“Your chauffeur?”
Adrien fell silent a moment. “We can trust him,” he said and knew it to be true.
Ladybug smiled. “Okay,” she said simply and sat down beside him.
Adrien relaxed. He began to let her wrist slide from his grasp, but then she grabbed his hand. He looked at her. Ladybug gave a small smile and weaved her fingers through his, holding him tight. Adrien felt his tension flow out into her as warmth spread up his arm and it was such a relief he felt light-headed. He took a shaky breath in, inhaling her scent of fresh bread and sunshine, and gazed back at the statue of his mother. 
They both sat there in silence as dusk turned to darkness and the cool bite of night rose in the air. The deep cold within Adrien failed to shift but sitting here with her took the edge off his pain.
“About a week after she disappeared I found myself here,” Adrien said quietly, breaking the silence. “It was pouring with rain, I was soaked instantly, but I had to see her.” Pain tugged at his gut. “I sat in her lap and begged her to speak, to hug me back, anything.” He fell silent. “The next thing I knew my father was there. Water ran down his face and I couldn’t tell if it was tears or the rain, but…” The barest of smiles rose on his lips. “He held me. The three of us held each other. And that’s the first time since she disappeared that I remember feeling warm.” The smile faded from his lips. “But then he said… he said something which made me turn cold.” Adrien swallowed as that horrible feeling took over him again. “He said he’d bring her back.” His voice was low and edged with pain. “No matter the cost.”
Adrien looked at the ground. At the time he hadn’t known what his father had meant, but now he understood, no matter how much he wished he didn’t. He dug his nails into his palms. 
He knew he had to tell Ladybug that his father was Hawkmoth, but he needed a moment. A moment to grieve for the loss of his mother, and for the loss of the father he realized he’d never had. 
“I truly hope she comes back to you one day,” Ladybug said.
Adrien’s jaw clenched. Darkness curled in his gut. 
“She won’t,” he said, and terror clawed its way through him because he knew it to be true. “She won’t ever come back, not unless… unless…” he slammed his hands to his mouth and tears spilt down his cheeks.
The next thing he knew he was engulfed in Ladybug’s warmth as she pulled him close. He gripped her tight and gritted his teeth and buried his head in her shoulder and his chest spasmed with sobs. She whispered soothing noises in his hair, holding him despite his shaking.
“I miss her, Ladybug!” he cried into her shoulder, “But I can’t… I can’t… I…I—” He grimaced and held down a wail and dug his nails into her shoulders as turmoil surged within him. And he cried, he sobbed, for the choice he had to make. Knowing he was doing the right thing didn’t make it any easier to say.
He choked down his tears and sucked in a deep breath. “I-I know who he is,” he said, voice strained, “Hawkmoth.”
He felt Ladybug tense. She slowly pulled back and cool air rushed between them. “What?” Adrien stared at the ground unable to meet her eyes. “Adrien.” She tilted his chin up, forcing him to meet her gaze. Tears swam in his eyes, blurring his vision, but the blueness of her eyes shone through. “Who, Adrien?”
Adrien pulled his head out of her grip and looked away. For a moment the only sound was the soft pat-pat of his tears hitting the ground.
“Who else,” he said numbly, “would cause me this much grief?”
And Adrien could feel Ladybug’s horror. “Your father,” she said, barely above a whisper.
Adrien didn’t say anything. Silence swirled around them.
“He’s going to bring her back,” he whispered.
Ladybug looked at him with dismay. She raised a hand and straightened his collar that had bent out of place. “Oh, Adrien,” she said. Adrien felt her fingers shake as they trailed his shoulder. “We have to stop him,” she said quietly.
“Do we?” he said. The words left a bitter taste in his mouth and he regretted them instantly. 
Ladybug eyed him. “You should go to your room,” she said, and pulled out her yoyo, “I’m going to get Chat Noir.”
Adrien placed his hand on her yoyo and made her lower it.
“I’m Chat Noir,” he said quietly. Ladybug blinked. An uncertain laugh escaped her lips, but it faded quickly when his expression didn’t change.
“You’re being serious,” she said.
He simply held her gaze. Her eyes widened. Ladybug sat back with a thump and brushed her fringe back.
Adrien’s heart thumped in his chest and mouth grew dry as she continued to stare at him. But then her mouth widened into a grin. Tears glistened in her eyes and goosebumps rose on Adrien’s skin when her soft laugh rang out.
“Mon Chaton,” she said. She placed her hand on his cheek. Adrien felt his soul calm as he gazed into her eyes, so bright and full of love and life.
“Adrien…” Ladybug took a deep breath. “I’m Marinette.” Adrien’s heart stopped. “Dupain-Cheng,” she added, as if he wouldn’t know.
His eyes traced her hair, her nose, her lips, before meeting once more the blue of her eyes. 
A bubble of warmth rose within him and a smile grew wide on his face. 
“How didn’t I guess?” he gave a soft laugh and Ladybug blushed.
The moon appeared from behind a cloud and distracted them both as it bathed the world in silver.
“So,” Ladybug began, her voice soft in the moonlight, “what’s the plan now?”
Adrien turned his gaze to the stars, now shining in their hundreds, and took a deep breath of the fresh night air. He had a choice to make. He could drown in the past, or in Ladybug’s blue eyes. And he knew which he’d rather. 
“My father gets back in the morning,” he said quietly, “We’ll take him by surprise.”
Ladybug looked at him. There was a sadness in her gaze, but a determination as well. She took his hand once more, weaved her fingers through his, and nodded. 
They both looked back to the statue of his mother. It must have been the way the moonlight shone on her, but Adrien swore he saw her smile. He felt a warmth rise in him then. It wasn't enough to drown out the cold, but it was a start.
And though he wished time would stand still so he could sit here forever, he knew that, as long as his mother watched over him and his lady was by his side, he could resist the pull of the past.
He gave Ladybug’s hand a gentle squeeze. She squeezed back.
He had a future and he wanted to live it.
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nem0-kn0ws-n0t · 3 years
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Hello! Just a little fic i wrote for an April Fools event a while back! HCBBS and Cleo themed <3 Also on ao3 if yall prefer that way! I'd love to hear y'alls opinions!~
“ZombieCleo~.”
Dark eyes looked up from her small notebook of ideas as the figure landed next to her. She quirked an eyebrow, a small smile teasingly on her lips.
“Keralis~” She shot back with the same tone, standing up from her hooded bench to stand next to the wide-eyed brunet. They held each other’s stare for a bit, expressions frozen in a silent eye contest. Of course, it ended when a gust of wind ruffled the palm tree above their head, letting a single leaf float down and land on Keralis’s nose. His eyes widened even bigger (somehow) before he let out a powerful sneeze, sending the leaf flying into the air and the two of them into a fit of giggles.
Soon enough, Keralis is pulling her around his-her base. Her's now; she reminded him, they swapped them. Keralis pretended to sob at the comments, only pulling out more cackles from her.
Yes, she muses while watching her friend sulk in her new diamond office; this will be great.
~~
The transition was delicate, all things considered. Cleo loved her new base, from the skyscrapers that disappeared in the clouds to the bank tellers to the palm trees. The city was a magnificent piece of modern architecture, and Keralis had done a fantastic job building it from scratch.
It was, however, empty.
Not a single soul in the streets, milling around. No children on the benches or clerks in the stores or anything, really. But that’s alright. Bringing life to a place is Cleo’s bread and butter, after all. A simple spin of parts and spells read off a book, and suddenly life-like beings were created.
It made the otherwise deserted place feel more lively, more homely even. And so she threw herself into her work, creating human-like mirages in every spot she could. It worked, to a degree. The city was much more lively than before, the sound of humanity milling around comforting.
(She does wonder, sometimes, while laying in bed at night, unable to sleep, why it didn’t feel quite at home. Staring at the cyberpunk lights flicker in batches of three, she wonders why, exactly, the uncomfortable feeling she got when she first arrived is still there.
As sleep washes over her finally, she wonders mildly why all the lights in this place flash at the same time, in the same continuous pattern.)
~~
She got her answer eventually.
Many things were off-putting, to say the least, and so for a while before. If she’s honest with herself, she might have dismissed too many hints. But now, there’s no way to deny it.
Strange things were happening in Keralis’s City.
Every light in the city pulsing in beats of three were off-putting, to say the least, but Cleo squared her back and ignored them, dismissing it as lousy Redstone work.
The noise from her office ceiling that she could never quite identify or fix? She was just tired from planning out statues all day.
The constant feeling of eyes on her back was simply her imagination, just nerves to being in such a prominent unfamiliar place.
This, however? No dismissing it.
Cleo took great care in making realistic statues. She spent hours, sometimes days, making perfectly realistic mirages. She programmed every part of them to be fluid and human-like, scripting hand-picked lines and emotions. Her work was high quality because she poured a bit of what’s left of her heart into every scene.
This was not how she left them last time.
The mirage in front of her, a small lost child, was not confused nor scared nor any of the emotions Cleo had programmed into his behaviour. No, the child was staring at her with beady eyes, the brightest grin on his lips.
There was something off-putting in the smile, almost like his teeth weren’t supposed to be there. Too long for a child this age, too sharp, too white. The eyes were following her as she moved around, boring into her skull.
It would have been one thing if only one of the mirages was like this, maybe a prank or something.
No, every single statue had the same blank look on its face. From the bus drivers to the people loitering in the streets, they all had the same empty smile and teary eyes, following her as she walked down the streets. Well, more like ran, like a bat out of hell, trying to forget the stares on her back.
She finally took refuge in the Four Seasons Total Landscaping Hotel, ducking into a random floor, slumping against the walls.
What was that? What was that?
Reprogramming all those statues would have taken so long; she can’t fathom a single hermit having done that overnight.
Her breathing is hard, and she’s almost worried her lungs will detach themselves again, and so she shoves her head between her knees and starts counting slowly.
One, two, three, breath in, breath out.
It’s fine, it’s alright, it’s a nasty prank, that’s all.
Three, two, one, breath in, Breath out.
She can fix it; she’ll spend the next day reprogramming the mirages; it’s alright, she’ll find who did this, and she’ll give them the fear of a lifetime. It’s going to be okay.
With that final thought, she shakily got up, pulling her legs under her and using the wall as support.
She can fix this; she doesn’t have to deal with those expressions anymore. It’ll be fine.
When she finally manages to convince herself to go back outside into the populated streets, she almost falls over again.
The mirages were back to normal. The small child that started this whole mess was back to crying in a corner. The pedestrians were amicably chatting as they walked down the road. Even the store clerks were back to haggling with the shoppers.
Everything was exactly how it was before, no traces of soulless eyes and too sharp smiles.
But Cleo knows she saw them. She did not make that up; the foreboding sense of dread creeping up her spine reassured her of that. She stands, taken aback at the scene she made.
What’s going on?
(She thinks distinctively, maybe she doesn’t want to know, really.)
~~
It all snowballed from there.
Almost as if encouraged by her reaction, the changes were more significant and more daring.
She woke up one morning from a restless sleep to the sight of her home flipped around. It took her a while to realize, smacking into doors that weren’t usually there. Everything was exactly how it was, from the paintings to the flower pots, but simply mirrored on its axis. She could barely believe it, making a note to sleep somewhere else from now.
Another time, she was peacefully strolling around the city, planning out where to add more mirages to make her new home even more to her image, only to be stopped dead in her tracks by a pungent smell. A smell she knows intimately, and it didn’t take long for her to identify where the rot came from.
The bright wheat fields which Keralis had spent hours tediously working on and growing, was nothing but rotten stems left. Not a single trace of life left on those lands, not in the plants, nor the weeds, nor in the rats Cleo knows like to nibble on stalks. Faced with such destruction, she did the only thing she knew how to do and started plucking out the plants.
Cleo’s not one to scare easily, no. She simply rolls up her sleeves and fixes every problem she faces, from fields to buildings to armour stands.
What else is there to do?
~~
The final straw came faster than she expected. Cleo’s seen many things in her post-life after all, and there’s not much that spooks her anymore.
This, however, this, however, was too much.
She’s working in her office when it starts. There are some masks in front of her, half-formed and half painted. The simple repetitive movement is almost comforting in the face of everything that’s going on. A meditative moment, if you wish.
At least, it’d be peaceful if not for the shrill sound reaching her ears.
She pauses, paintbrush freezing mid-stroke, focusing on the sound. The silence that follows is palatable, and if she’d had a heart left, it’d be thundering in her ears.
And then it sounds again.
Is, is that a baby screaming?
It’s akin to an animal’s yowling, but the sound bounces of the diamond ceiling in a demonic way. It’s too long to be of an animal with lengthy, and it’s echoing in a way it shouldn’t be able to in the open-plan office, and it’s freaking Cleo out.
She takes a deep breath, slowly resting the paintbrush and the mask on the table before getting out of her chair, breath shallow. Infinitely slowly, she creeps out of the office, turning around to where the little grass roof rests. It sounds like it came from it from there; maybe she could-
It screeched again. This time, not from the bushes, no from her office, where she just was. Actually, it sounds like it came from behind her desktop chair. Where she just was.
Her back hits the white concrete in fear, a single hand clutching where her heart would be in leftover habits from a life gone by.
“It’s nothing; it’s your imagination,” she mutters to herself, too scared to try and pretend she doesn’t talk to herself. “It’s impossible, whatever it is, it can’t move that fa-”
It screeches again. This time, from right behind her, right on the other side of the wall, and right there and then, Cleo decides enough is enough.
Fear fuels her movement as she slips her elytra over her shoulders, grabs some rockets and flies away from this hellish city. Base Exchange be damned, she’s done with this place, and she wants to go home.
(And as she flies away, she overlooks the shadowy forms flickering in the skyline.
And as the zombie leaves, the city falls back into quiet, save for the light cackling of its true owners.
And as the cat leaves with her tail between her legs, the mice come back out to play.)
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