#so today the testers were running late

[unintentional--sass]

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[d1xonss]

heyyy went thru all your masterlist (reader one) and fell inlove with your fics i was wondering if you can write something like grumpy!daryl x sunshine!reader ykwim? like they complete eachother (::

Sunshine

✧ Pairing : Daryl Dixon x Reader

✧ Era : Season 10

✧ Pronouns : she/her

✧ Genre : Fluff

✧ Word Count : 2.1k

AN ~ Ahhh thank you so much for reading, it truly means so much! I’m always down to write this type of stuff, I think it’s so cute:)) I appreciate the request and hope you enjoy! ps- I thought this was a super cute thing to post for Valentine's Day💋

It was quiet, peaceful inside your home as you busied yourself around the space. It was a nice hot summer day, and you felt quite accomplished with the amount of things you had gotten done in just the span of a few hours. You tended to your garden full of colorful flowers, made a trip to the pantry to pick up a few things you were running low on, cleaned and tidied up the house, the list really went on and on. But the truth was you loved doing things like this, it almost tricked you into believing that life outside the gates was normal again. Even though you knew it wasn’t, it was still nice to pretend from time to time.

Currently, you busied yourself with making some of your famous homemade brownies, something you found you hadn’t made in quite some time. With everything going on lately, it was hard to find the time to do the things you loved most, which was in fact, to bake. But now that everything had died down for the most part, you quickly hopped back onto the opportunity. Whether it was cake, cookies, or some kind of bread, you always found life to be a little bit better with something sweet.

But you weren’t just making these brownies for yourself, in fact, whenever you whipped something up it was never just for you. It was also for your husband Daryl whom you adored more than anything else in this world, the man constantly making you happier with each passing day. And he loved you just as much if not more, and he especially loved being your taste tester whenever you tried out a new recipe. The first time you had called him that, he just scoffed and shook his head as if what you said was something stupid. But you could see that small smirk he had on his face afterwards, silently telling you that he actually loved the little job you assigned, though he would never admit it out loud.

You hummed to yourself quietly as you began to mix the dry and wet ingredients together, swaying your hips a little to the soft song playing in the background. Recently you had found a record player on a run and you were over the moon excited to use it, missing music from the world before. And although you hadn’t found the best records in the world to listen to, you thought almost anything was better than the quiet. The most you had found were a few country albums which weren't in your top favorite genres for sure, but you had to admit it was growing on you the smallest bit. With the way you danced along, it was hard to deny.

Your head then suddenly snapped up when you heard the sound of the front door opening, a smile being brought to your face as you already knew who it was. He was a little loud upon entering your shared house, dropping his crossbow on the table with a loud smack, huffing and puffing as he entered the living room without a word. Your smile dropped a little, usually he would call out to you to announce that he was home, but clearly today was not one of those days. He was in a mood, and you knew you would have to cheer him up.

Although Daryl was perfect to you in every way, he was a pretty grumpy man from time to time when things didn’t work out or go the way he planned. The littlest things could completely ruin his demeanor for the rest of the day at times. He would hold onto it, rant about it constantly while it was on his mind, even though most of the time it was something that he couldn’t change. But you assumed that’s what frustrated him the most. And this was no different, hearing him sigh heavily in the other room as he plopped down on the sofa. 

But the best thing about you, was that at the end of the day, you always found a way to make him feel better.

You discarded the mixing spoon that was in your hand, moving out of the kitchen and towards the living room in an attempt to see what was bothering him. But once you caught sight of him whilst lingering in the doorway of the space, you sighed quietly upon seeing how he held his face in his hands, slumped over the side of the couch. You could tell he was irritated and that something had happened today while he was out, but it was nothing that you couldn’t fix. And you figured the brownies would help too.

So you finally pushed yourself forward to enter the room, softly sitting down next to him as you raised your hand up to squeeze his shoulder lightly. “Hi sweetie.” you greeted softly.

But he didn’t respond. He didn’t even raise his head up to look you in the eye. The most he did was grunt, and even you didn’t know in that moment if it was directed towards you or not.

You eyed him for a moment before speaking again, “How was your day?” you asked gently while rubbing his shoulder up and down now.

Still nothing. Damn he was a tough one to crack today. But you knew he couldn’t resist you for very long, even if today was the worst day of his life, he always came around for you. Always.

Upon not getting a verbal response, you leaned further into him and began to trail a few quick kisses on the side of his head, to which he scoffed and scooted away from. “Come on woman, m’ not in the mood.” he grumbled as he finally looked up from the floor.

“He speaks.” you said as you raised your hands up in victory, your actions causing him to scoff with a roll of his eyes. Acting as if you were the dramatic one here. “What happened?” you asked with a tilted head.

He blew out a breath of air, “Nothin.”

“Mhm…” you trailed off sarcastically with a nod, “Nothing…”

He was silent for a long moment, nearly minutes passing by, before he blew another harsh breath out as he leaned back against the couch. “We lost all those damn supplies on that run we took today, walkers just came outta nowhere and we didn’t have time to stick around. Negan’s getting on my fuckin nerves all the damn time, spittin out the same bullshit I’ve heard a hundred fuckin times before. And my bike broke down on the way back, don’t even know if I can fix it.”

If someone was looking at this from an outside perspective, seeing the amount he just unleashed while you sat there with a small smile on your face, their jaw would probably be on the floor. How you hardly reacted at all, how he was so harsh with the way he spoke, you were sure it would look questionable to anyone who didn’t truly know the two of you, or your dynamic. But the truth was, you had heard this similar song and dance about a hundred different times before, knowing he just needed to get everything off his chest and blow off some steam. And you knew after saying it all out loud, along with a little comfort, he would see that everything would be alright in the end.

Your lip stuck out in a pout as you looked at him, “Oh, my poor baby.” you said dramatically as you pulled him back into you, placing your lips on his cheek to kiss him there multiple times as he let out a heavy and annoyed sigh.

“Stop.” he protested, yet made no attempts to pull away from your affection. In fact, you swore you almost felt him lean in further.

You giggled against his skin as you pulled away far enough to look him in the eye, “I’m sorry you had a rough day.” you spoke seriously now as you stroked the side of his face, “But it’ll be okay…everything will work itself out.”

He scoffed quietly at your words, “Ya always say that.”

“And I’m always right.” you said as you leaned in to place another kiss on his cheek, “Remember when you came back from a hunt that one time with nothing, and you were all grumpy about it? What happened the next day?”

He glanced over to you for a few moments before letting out a soft sigh, “Found three deers…” he grumbled.

“Right.” you said as you moved to give his arm a soft squeeze, “You worry way too much over this kind of stuff, just breathe. Relax. It’s all going to be fine.”

His expression softened drastically after you talked to him, kind and gentle as always, wordlessly leaning into you and wrapping his arms around your waist, hugging you tight. You laughed lightly as you hugged him back, stroking the back of his hair soothingly as you felt him exhale deeply. Taking a breath like you advised.

“M’ sorry.” he muttered suddenly after a few moments of silence.

Your brows furrowed a little in confusion, “For what, honey?”

“For dumpin this shit on ya all the time…” he clarified as he squeezed you tighter, “Ya don’t deserve that…hearin me bitch-”

“Hey.” you cut him off as you pulled away, taking his face in your hands, “That’s what I’m here for, to listen. I’m honored to be the one you go to when you need to rant about something, and I’m even more honored that I’m the one who gets to make you feel better. That’s certainly not something to be sorry for, okay?”

His lip turned up in a small smile as he took your hands from his face, kissing your palm lightly as he looked at you with soft eyes, “I don’t deserve ya.”

You shushed him instantly with a shake of your head, “Yes you do.” you assured, before your mind trailed off a little in realization which caused a small smile to form on your face, “But…I do think I have something else that’ll make you feel better. Maybe even better than I can.”

He scoffed with a growing smile, “Well, I highly doubt that…but go on…” he said as his interest clearly piqued.

“Well…I just so happen to have some brownie batter in the kitchen with your name on it.” you said as you raised your eyebrows.

His eyes widened the smallest bit in clear excitement before glancing out the doorway, clearly itching to rush into the kitchen now, “Ya haven’t even baked em yet..?”

You shook your head with a smile, “Nope…I’ll even let you lick the spoon.” you said, knowing that was his favorite part.

His smile only grew then as there seemed to be a sparkle in his eye, like a kid in a giant candy store. The two of you then ventured back toward the kitchen where the music was still playing softly, getting the batter ready to be put into the pan to bake. But of course, he took the spoon from you almost instantly when you were done using it, licking the entire thing completely clean as if he couldn’t get enough. Though he felt he had to tease you just a little bit, taking a small dollop from the utensil on his finger before bringing it to the tip of your nose with a “boop.” 

You knew then and there that his mind was far from the events earlier that day, now enjoying his time he had with you as he looked at you as if you were a bright ball of sunshine after a rainy day. The sunshine that he desperately needed in his life.

But then the time came. The oven had beeped and you had pulled the brownies out of the oven to cool before cutting them, topping it off with some powdered sugar before your taste tester gave his honest feedback. He took a corner piece, which were his favorite, and took a large bite of the chocolate goodness while you looked at him in anticipation.

“Well..?” 

He said nothing, his eyes rolled back and a groan left his lips as he savored the sweetness on his tongue, and that was the only answer you needed. You smiled brightly as you clapped to yourself, his signs of approval proving that you were only getting better with the hobby you loved to do.

“Dunno how ya do it,” he commented before shoving the rest of the brownie in his mouth, “They just get better and better.” he said with his mouth full.

You smiled proudly as you began to grab a piece for yourself, “Well it’s a good thing I have my taste tester to give me all the feedback I need.”

Normally he would roll his eyes at the continuous nickname you bestowed upon him, but not today. He only smiled with a nod, bringing you in to leave a dramatic kiss on your cheek, pulling away with a loud “muah.”

“I’ll always be here ta taste whatever ya want sunshine.” he promised. 

And you believed him completely.

~ Thanks for reading!

[ctitan98official]

Anonymous: what about,,more donna and baby y/n?👀

I’m here for this! Let’s get into it!

You loved living at Beneviento Manor. There was always a new doll friend to play with, but you were very close to your new Mama. It’s safe to say you were a bit clingy with her.

You adored hearing her talk. She had the most soothing voice (And there’s no way someone’s better at reading bedtime stories than her… Well, maybe Alcina, but you get it.)

Donna made the most delicious food. She let you hang out with her in the kitchen and she sang you songs as she cooked. You also became her designated taste tester, but honestly, everything she cooked was so yummy it was hard to find flaws.

Donna played with you and the dolls and taught you how to play tea party with them. You always had to fight Angie on who could fill Donna’s cup next. Donna made sure not to play favorites and gave you both equal turns. She is nothing if not fair.

One morning, Donna is running late for a meeting because you are throwing a monster tantrum and won’t let her leave.

“Cara mia, why are you so upset?” She asks and cups your tiny face which transforms your screams into sobs. The dolls who were supposed to watch you today throw up their hands dramatically and walk away.

Donna’s voice makes you calm a bit, but you are still so sad. “Don’ want you leave!” You say, crying.

Donna is conflicted. She is so sorry that you are going to miss her and want her to stay so badly, but it warms her heart that you find so much comfort in her presence.

Donna kisses your nose which makes your tears slow and you giggle.

Donna rubs your cheek before sighing and making a decision.

The next few minutes were spent with Donna packing up your stroller with snacks and toys and Angie arguing with her at every turn.

“You can’t bring, Y/N! Are you totally nuts?! What would Mother Miranda say?!”

Donna pauses at Angie’s statement. She hadn’t told anyone about you… She started worrying if this was a bad idea, but you popped your head around the side of the stroller excitedly and urged Donna to get a move on.

“Let’s go, Mama!” You happily said.

Donna felt her cheeks flush with affection at the name you called her. That did it. Her family had to know that she was a mom now.

“Okay, tesoro. Let’s go.” She said with a smile.

Angie squeaked in surprise, but once she realized Donna was leaving with or without her, she hopped on your lap and pouted.

You began bouncing happily which made Donna laugh.

When the three of you got to the meeting, The Lords and Mother Miranda were already deep in discussion.

The sound of Donna’s footsteps alerted everyone that she was here.

“So, you finally decided to show, huh?” Karl teased her.

Donna rolled her eyes at her brother. “Yes. I had a bit of a delay this morning. I apologize, everyone.”

Alcina immediately spotted the stroller. “Well, who is this, Donna?” She asked gently and smiled at you.

You giggled and waved at Alcina before shyly hiding your face on Angie’s back.

Donna smiled and reached down to pick you up. “Everyone, this is Y/N. I’ve adopted them.” She said and kissed your head.

An excited squeal left Mother Miranda’s mouth. “Another grandchild?! Oh, I’m so happy!” She gushed and ran over to tickle your cheeks.

You began to laugh. “Hewwo!” You exclaimed.

Everyone cooed at how cute you were… Even Karl.

Sal elbowed Karl’s side and laughed at his grumpy brother’s reaction.

Karl just grunted and said “Shut up.” Before looking away and lighting a cigar.

“Well, this is fantastic news. The girls will be elated at having a cousin to play with.” Alcina chuckled.

Donna felt immense relief that her family was taking the news well. She handed you to Mother Miranda and the priestess repeatedly kissed you on the head. “We’re going to have so much fun, draga mea!” She said.

You, on the other hand, were confused by Mother Miranda’s outfit. “Are you weally a birb?” You asked her.

Everybody laughed but Miranda just deadpanned. “Already starting with the bird jokes, I see.” She grunted.

You giggled and snuggled into Miranda’s chest which made her smile.

Donna grinned at the sight. She was happier than she had ever been. She loved you so much.

Masterlist

[jewwyfeesh]

Tasty Travels - An Unexpected Journey 4

Writer: Mitsuki

Character(s): Suou Tsukasa, Tsukinaga Leo, Sena Izumi, Sakuma Ritsu, Narukami Arashi

Translated by: jewwyfeesh

Ritsu: But it’s okay, because everyone will be with you, working hard to overcome these difficulties together~ After all, we are the King’s knights.

Translator's Notes: [1] 美味指挥棒 (original CN term) was used as a blanket term to refer to the biscuit sticks (pocky/pretz etc). As such, I decided to use a tl of the original term instead of mentioning either brands. 美味 - tasty/delicious, 指挥棒 - baton (conductor's baton)

Season: Summer Location: Cafe

<After the publicity tour has concluded>

Leo: Everyone! Good work today! We’ve distributed all of our promotional materials!

Oh! I just remembered! Can someone lend me their phone? I needa make a phone call to Oba-chan to confirm some things!

Ritsu: Ah, he ran off the second he got his paws on my phone~ In times like these, it really feels like Tsukipi hasn’t changed one bit.

Though, while we were distributing taste testers earlier on, the charm that Nacchan exuded ended up attracting a lot of people~ Many people asked for your autograph despite not knowing that you’re Narukami Arashi from Knights~

Arashi: Fufu, I myself didn’t expect to be so popular, either. My wrists are a little sore from all that signing and distributing the taste testers.

Izumi: Ugh, seriously… Not long after we started distribution, Leo-kun said inspiration’s flowing and sprawled all over the table to compose, turning a deaf ear to everyone else…

The bunch of us had to pick up the slack. Ugh, sooooo~ annoying.

Tsukasa: That’s what I’m saying… the one who accepted this job was Leo-senpai, so how did I become the one responsible for hosting the Event and maintaining order after it started?

Not to mention, the Speed at which they were distributed was simply too quick. I haven’t had the time to evaluate the flavour of each ‘Delicious Baton’[1]… I had even wanted to suggest that Seishou Hall procure some…

Ritsu: Well, this is a King’s duty. Besides, you’ve also been running after the juniors as of late, right, Suu~chan? It’s hard work all around~

But it’s okay, because everyone will be with you, working hard to overcome these difficulties together~ Because after all, we are the King’s knights.

Arashi: My my, I feel like perhaps Leo-kun did this in hopes of training you some. Even though it looks like he’s acting on a whim, the truth is that he’s already transferred the leadership to the hardworking Tsukasa-chan.

And to see everyone gather round and have a lighthearted chat for non work related reasons… why, it makes me feel rather nostalgic ♪

Izumi: Hold on… speaking of gatherings, has anyone seen Leo-kun?

Ritsu: Eh? He said something about calling Aoba Onii-chan earlier on, but no one’s seen head or tails of him since.

Tsukasa: Seniors, look out the window! That’s the car we arrived in, isn’t it?! Surely Leo-senpai didn’t forget that the rest of us are still sitting here in the cafe, and drove off without us… right?!

Izumi: What?! If I’d known earlier, I would’ve just tied him down to the chair straightaway, with no means of escape!

Tsukasa: There’s no use feeling regretful now… In any case, we need to go after him immediately.

Arashi: Eh?? W-wait a minute… Do I need to come along?

Ritsu: Nacchan, looking at how things are unfolding… our assistance in chasing that errant car is definitely needed. Haha~ he’s forever doing stupid things like this.

Translator's Notes: [1] 美味指挥棒 (original CN term) was used as a blanket term to refer to the biscuit sticks (pocky/pretz etc). As such, I decided to use a tl of the original term instead of mentioning either brands. 美味 - tasty/delicious, 指挥棒 - baton (conductor's baton)

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[pbandjesse]

I had a good day. Until my allergies tried to take enough but I am doing a bit better now. Medication finally kicked in.

I could have slept better last night. But that was okay. I woke up not thrilled but it was fine. I had a pain on my belly that took almost an hour to stop hurting. It was like a Charlie horse. Can you get those places that aren't your legs?

James made cinnamon rolls for breakfast. And drove me to work so they could have the car. They would go for a bike ride a bit far away. I'm glad they were able to do that and turned back when their body told them too.

I had an excellent time at work. Me and Gaby had 21 pre k students and they were so lovely. We got everything set up pretty quickly. The school was running a little late. So me, her, and Jessica talked at the front desk about Tumblr, a03, and the fandoms we read fanfiction for. I loved when Jessica said something about the ships she reads. It is so funny to me to share that in the real world.

When the kids got there we got them inside and they were so cute. I love pre k kids. And we were able to pretty quickly split up and get into our programs.

And hour long program is tough with the littles. But having the first 15 cut off made it a lot easier. I had hats first. We talked about what a museum is, how hats can tell you what a job is, and what roles some hats fill. We read a story. And then they colored their hats and it was super cute. I think they all did great. Even if it was mostly scribbling. It was cute scribbling.

We went on a little tour of the musuem where I had them point out to me whenever they saw a hat or a picture of a hat. Which I thought was very funny and fun to do. And then we had lunch!

During lunch me and Gaby hung out in the office. I did some prep for my next two programs. It was mostly just chilling. We talked a lot about the new polls on Tumblr. And then James was there!! Apparently Bob, the blacksmith, had given James a large tool for trying the wheels of your bike. So they were coming to get that and then heading home. They would be back for me later.

My next two programs were good. Lids went pretty well and their cans looked nice. Though they struggled to draw pictures. And then we had some time to hang out in the car and put on costumes. And then it was time to go to the print shop.

I had one little friend who was weepy. So I started giving out roles. Manager. Assistant manager. Line leader. Machine tester. Story helper. Just anything to make them feel like they were invested. And it worked pretty well. I had them all print on the proof press. It did get stuck at first which was annoying but I fixed it best I could. And I drew out a grid on the printing paper and I think that helped a lot for making sure they didn't just stamp all over the paper like crazy.

At the end we read a story. And talked about being printmakers. And then it was time to go.

We had a little time getting their coats on and I was picking the kids up and shaking them to make them laugh. And then they wanted to try to pick me up so I sat on the ground but this obviously did not work and we were all laughing and it was very silly. Soon though I walked them to the bus and off they went.

Me and Gaby both expressed to Mike that three programs is a lot for littles. And even just making the programs 45 minutes instead would solve a lot of the issue. But I don't know if anything will actually change.

I would take a moment to sit down and chat with Jim and John. My dad had mohs surgery today and they have had it too so I was glad to know a little bit more about it. Though when mom said it was going to be on his cheeks I expected.more forwards but it seems more close to the temples. I had texted him this morning and joked about him getting deli sliced. I hope it made him chuckle.

I would go and make some cans for tomorrow. And then James was there to get me. And we said goodbye to everyone.

James had loaded up all the stuff we were donating. And we would go to Towson to try to exchange our soda stream canister.

Getting out there was kind of odd. People acting stupid on the highway. Way to many cop cars with their sirens on. Then helicopters?? I haven't figured out what happened yet but it seemed crazy.

So we got off the highway. And went to bed bath and beyond. But they did not have the canisters. So we went to Target. We had much better luck there. And apparently if you return the canister it's half price for the replacement?? Incredible. Love a deal.

We walked around a little but they didnt have the things we wanted so we walked to Marshalls to look for the Valentine's day dress. But no luck.

We went to Wawa next. Got sandwiches and chips to eat in the car. Which was excellent. Though I got to excited and almost ate an entire bag of gushers and upset my belly.

Next was savers. Where I almost dropped a box and the guy laughed because he thought it was glass but was just fabric. And I was like oh I would have yelled louder if it was glass and he thought that was hilarious.

We got our coupon and headed home.

Whatever was happening on the highway didn't effect our drive back. And we got back here in one piece.

When we got back here James took the trash out. And I started working on some embroidery. I finished one and started a second but I got really tired. So I have spent the rest of tonight mostly just resting. I did spend some time mending things. But mostly I just chilled.

I had some cereal. Which I choked on but I survived. I took a shower. I shared some cake with my James. My allergies tried to kill me. But I am okay now.

Brandon came over and him and James have been watching a show and playing video games for a bit now. I am glad they are having fun.

I am going to get ready for bed now. I have the same school tomorrow but kindergarten! I hope they are as sweet.

Sleep good everyone. Take care of yourselves. Stay warm and cozy!

[kiyomai]

When They Don’t Let You Sleep

Timeskip!Atsumu, Sugawara, Osamu & Sakusa (separate)

Word Count: 775 (total)

Fluff

Navigation // Taglist

ATSUMU’s career is often too much for you to handle. There are good days and bad days. Good days are when he comes home early and has enough energy to hold up a conversation and stay up later than expected. Bad days are when he's overworked to the bone and can barely keep his head up while he showers and eats. But there are days where you can't keep up with Atsumu. Days where you're so tired, the only goal is to go straight to bed. Unfortunately, it's on these days that Atsumu has enough energy to last weeks.

"Y/N," he whines. "Ya can't go to bed right now. It's too early."

"I'm going to sleep, Tsumu."

"As your boyfriend, I forbid ya from doin' so." You stare at him with a deadpan expression before turning around and going straight towards your bedroom. Atsumu gasps incredulously before marching right behind you, plopping himself down on the bed, determined to talk your ears off before you inevitably fall asleep.

SUGAWARA never fails to impress you with the number of stories he brings home. But, of course, you'd never imagine that an elementary school teacher could even have anything remotely interesting to say. Whether it be teacher drama or crazy stories his students tell him, you're always excited to lend an ear. That is when you can. The thing with Sugawara is that you have to hear all his stories, no matter what time it is, including at night.

"Koushi, why?" You drag out the 'y' in your groggy state.

"I'm sorry," he laughs. "I forgot to tell you what happened today." He's quick to turn you towards him after moving to face the opposite wall, poking your nose for trying to avoid him.

"Can't you tell me tomorrow? You know, when I'm more awake, and it's not 3 in the morning."

"But it's about the principal," he says in a sing-song way. His smile brightens when he sees you pick up your head.

"What happened?" Your curiosity got the best of you.

OSAMU’s greatest creations always come at night, or so he says. He argues that there's not enough time to experiment at the restaurant, says that there are too many customers. So when he gets home, and an idea strikes his mind, he races to the kitchen and starts working. You're always excited to try new things and have volunteered to be his taste tester. Unfortunately for you, Osamu seems to think you work 24/7.

You wake up to Osamu cupping your face in his hands, softly calling out your name. You're confused in your groggy state and try to sink further into the bed when he tries to sit you up.

"I'm sorry fer wakin' ya, but I wanted ya to give this a taste. Tell me how it is." Osamu catches both your wrists before you can fall back in bed, not letting your intense glare stop him.

"I left it in the kitchen. And before ya get all grumpy, I think yer gonna love 'em. So the trip to the kitchen will be worth it."

The trip to the kitchen was indeed worth it when you take a bite into Osamu's delicious onigiri. All traces of sleep gone when he offers more to eat.

SAKUSA may not outwardly say it, but he loves when you ask him about his day. He loves seeing the excitement in your eyes when he tells you all his accomplishments from practice. Of course, he sometimes slips up and talks about his teammates, but he can't stop running his mouth when you ask him his favorite question. And when he comes home late, he appreciates you for still asking him even when you're evidently tired.

"So, we were practicing our serves today, and guess who had more service aces than Miya."

"Hinata, right?" His smile drops, and he throws his pillow at you. "Is this the thanks I get for staying up this late? I ask you about your day, and you throw a pillow at me? Fake."

"You deserved that, brat." He takes his pillow back when he notices you're starting to get comfortable with it. "It was me, by the way. I'm the one who had more service aces."

"I know, Omi. I was only teasing." Your words are beginning to slur, sleep flooding your mind. Sakusa gently strokes your cheek, admiring your adorable sleepy face. And once he places a gentle kiss in between your eyebrows, he pulls the pillow from underneath you, abruptly waking you up.

"I'm not done speaking. And since when do we fall asleep without a kiss goodnight?"

a/n: this idea suddenly came to me. enjoy. likes, comments, and reblogs are welcome and appreciated <33

[felassan]

BioWare Blog post: Developer Story - John Epler

Friends! Welcome to the first of many BioWare Developer Stories! In this series, we’ll be talking with our colleagues here at the studio about their histories, what they do at BioWare, what makes this such a special place to work, and all sorts of other topics.

Today’s lucky contestant is John Epler, Creative Director for the Dragon Age franchise. John’s been at BioWare since the late ‘00s, but he actually didn’t get his start on the creative side of things at all. In fact, before BioWare he was in a different field entirely: the audiovisual trade.

THE STORY SO FAR

“I was selling TVs,” John says. “I knew I wanted to get into games, though, and at the time BioWare was hiring term testers, which is a contract position in QA.” (That’s Quality Assurance, the folks who track down bugs and other issues.) “I got lucky enough to run into a couple of BioWare people at the store and mentioned that I’d applied. I got an interview, got the job, and I’ve been working at BioWare ever since.”

After a few years in QA, John started working as a cinematic designer on Dragon Age: Origins, which he describes as working with a huge library of animations to put together cinematic scenes. “It’s largely about knowing the animation library well enough to be able to go, ‘Oh, I need someone to walk backwards for three seconds; here’s the animation that does that,’” he says. “So you round up all the appropriate animations and stitch them into a finished scene.”

John remained a cinematic designer through Dragon Age: Inquisition, graduating to lead cinematic designer for Inquisition’s DLC. From there he moved into the narrative director role for the next game, which is more about the story and characters of a game as a whole. “You’re focused on narrative as more of a holistic experience,” as he puts it. And now, as creative director, he takes an even wider view, “keeping an eye on the game, and the franchise, as a whole,” he says, “and making calls about where to focus resources on the project.”

ON DRAGON AGE  

With all this Dragon Age experience, you might expect John feels a strong connection to the series—and you would be correct: When we ask about some memorable moments from his time with BioWare, he goes right to the closing days of Inquisition’s development. “We were finishing out the Redcliffe scenes,” he says, “and one of our audio guys called me down to listen to what he’d been working on. I remember standing there, hearing the theme kick in, and thinking, ‘Oh, wow. We might have something special on our hands here.’ We’d put so much of ourselves into this thing, and it was finally coming together.”

It’s a scene where the player has to decide what their character believes in. And that kind of moment is one of the hallmarks of the series, John says. “Faith is a big theme throughout the games,” he explains. “Not faith in a religious sense, necessarily, but belief in something—whether that something is a wholly unknowable figure, or another person, or even just yourself. And the games look at what happens when that belief is challenged, or completely broken.”

John’s connection to the franchise extends even outside of the games themselves: He contributed to the 2020 short story anthology Dragon Age: Tevinter Nights. So naturally, we had to ask how writing a short story compares to writing on games. “Honestly, both have their own challenges,” he says. “Writing games has to consider interactivity, budget, branching, technical needs…so the actual writing is only a small part of the job. Fiction is easier in that I can write whatever I want because there’s never going to be someone building any of it. But I think you lose a lot of shortcuts that you get in games. Like, I hate writing fight scenes—but in a game, I can say ‘and there should be a fight here’ and I never, ever have to write another fight scene.”

ON BIOWARE  

There’s a reason Dragon Age makes such an impression even on the people who help make it. “Dragon Age is really about the people,” John says. “The stuff with BioWare games that tends to get referenced the most—the things you hear people bring up time and time again—it’s almost never the big critical-path beats. It’s the character beats, and at their best, those critical-path beats and those character beats become the same thing. It’s about how those characters interact with each other; ‘family is where you find it’ is a pretty core theme for all of our games.”

And John’s introduction to the studio’s own cast of characters was an especially memorable one. “My very first day at BioWare was the day they held the Mass Effect launch party,” he says. “It was at our local science center, and they had the game playable on the planetarium screen! We had the run of the place after hours—it was pretty incredible.” He pauses. “It may have set the bar way too high.”

And what would John be doing if he hadn’t found his way to the studio? “Honestly, I don’t know,” he says. “I nearly ended up working at a paper supply company before I got the job at BioWare, so maybe that? There’s an alternate universe John out there somewhere that’s basically—I want to say Jim from The Office, but I’ll be honest and say Andy—and he’s living that life, and probably making games in his spare time. But it’s hard to imagine, honestly. I’ve been working here for nearly a third of the time I’ve been alive!”

John Epler is the creative director for the Dragon Age franchise. You can find him on Twitter at @eplerjc.

[source]

[godsleastfavoritewriter]

Love Languages: Acts of Service

Pairing: Loki x Avenger!Reader

Summary: Your day off is well spent with the love of your life treating you like royalty.

Warnings: nothing but fluff

Words: 974

Loki always made you feel like you were royalty or living in a dream when you were with him and this day was just like all the same. Well, not entirely since today was a very special day. There was no birthday or anniversary, no meetings or special missions, not even a simple crime to be fought today. Today is special because it is your day off. There are very few days you do not have Fury directing you to do something, and having to listen to Steve and Tony fight like an old married couple. So you savored the moments you could have peace throughout the entire day.

Usually when you have a day of it does not always mean Loki gets the day off as well so when you woke up to the smell of cinnamon rolls you were very delighted. You indulged in the scent while you walked towards the kitchen. "Mm, that smells delicious Loki. Good morning." you smiled as you walked toward the kitchen island and sat down across from him. "Good morning my love. I thought you would enjoy it. Also, I am assuming you didn't get home until very late because it is now," he paused to check the time "eleven-thirty. Did you get the rest you needed?" He smiled so sweetly as he handed you the food and your favorite drink. "Yeah, Maria wanted me to finish filling out some papers before I headed home. I guess there was more to it than I thought. I didn't fall asleep until 1am so that explains it. I feel well-rested but my body is kinda sore from the mission. You should have seen the fight Loki." You sigh before diving into your breakfast, instantly smiling again once the flavors hit your tongue. "Loki this is so good! Is this a new recipe?" He sits next to you as you eat your breakfast, pushing your hair behind your ear and giving your temple a light kiss. "Next time you should call me and I can help you finish. And yes, they are strawberry rolls with lemon icing. I am glad you can enjoy it, my dear. I changed the recipe around as well so they would be bigger and fluffier than normal." He looked proud of his new recipe and smiled greatly knowing you enjoy them. You hummed as you took another bite. You were fascinated at the God next to you, he did not pick up cooking and baking until he officially started to live with you and you were very glad he did. Somehow with little knowledge about Midgardian meals, he was able to make many different complicated meals look simple to make. You were always his taste tester and you quite enjoyed the job, sometimes you would sneak some treats for yourself before he was completed with all of them as you testified it was for "quality control" of course. "Since you are still sore, shall I run you a bath darling?" He was so sweet and gentle to you how could you stop yourself from smiling at him. "That sounds very delightful, thank you my love" "The pleasure is all mine darling." He simply states as he puts his own dishes away and walks to your shared bathroom to prepare your bath.

Somehow, without even talking about it, you and Loki have perfectly separated chores. He did most of the cooking so you did not mind cleaning all the dishes that were curated. You finish cleaning up and walk to the bathroom. "Just in time my dear it is all set." You smiled as you breathed in the scents of eucalyptus and spearmint. "You really know how to treat a lady huh Loki." You kissed him gently as he wrapped his hands around your waist. "All for you Lady y/n." You giggled at his response and gave him another kiss before he left the room. You were finally able to notice the candles that were lit and the rose petals that were in the bath as well. You instantly felt your body relax as you finally submerged yourself in the water with your hair tied up to not get it wet. You laid in the silence for a couple minutes with your eyes closed before there was a light knock on the door, "Is there anything I could do for you, my love?" You smiled at his voice "Yes, actually if you do not mind could you come in here for a spell?" You opened your eyes and watched the mischievous God walk in. "There is a book, over there" you pause to point "do you mind reading it to me for a short while?" He smiles at you, happy to be of service and to be around you. "Of course, I can Love." He gives you a kiss on the forehead before grabbing the book and the chair you kept in the bathroom for when you did your hair and makeup. He sat next to you putting his feet on the edge of the tub. He read to you until you were ready to step out, and even then he helped you step out and wrapped a towel around you. He gave you your space afterward letting you take the time you needed to finish pampering yourself.

Once you were dressed again you met Loki in the living room and cuddled him on the couch. He waited for you to arrive before starting the new episode of your new favorite show. Few words were spoken while you both enjoyed each other's company. You simply laid on his chest as he played with your hair, and gave you a kiss here and there. The only time he got up was to make dinner. Being with him made you truly feel like royalty and you were forever grateful.

Taglist: @lokiprompts

a/n: I am thinking of making another act of service story, so if this does well I will do exactly that. As always please tell me your thoughts! - Astro

[high-functioning-lokipath]

All About Eavesdropping - Loki x Reader - Words: 1,835

“You want us to what?” You yelled. 

“I need you and Elsa here to go to Greenland for about a month,” Tony said. You stared at him from across his worktable in his lab. 

“Why in Valhalla would we need to do that, Stark?” Loki retorted. “And don’t call me Elsa.” Tony had called the two of you in there right after breakfast saying that he had a very important job for you. This, however, did not seem to be all that special.

“For purely scientific purposes, of course,” He replied, mouthful of blueberries.

“And those would be?” You sighed, facedesking. 

“The new winter stealth suits I designed. I need them tested in the field. I’ve run as many lab tests as possible but,” Tony shrugged. “Field tests are absolutely necessary. Everything you’ll need is either in these boxes or in the house in Greenland. If you want to take any other personal stuff you’ll want to grab it before you leave.”

“And you think we’re the best for the job?” You asked.

“He’s already a popsicle so if it gets too cold he can deal with it and you can heal yourself or him anyway,” Tony said like it was the most logical thing in the world. Loki tensed at his words but didn’t say anything about it.

“Fine,” Loki grunted. He grabbed the box Tony had marked for him and headed for the doors. 

“You leave at 6! Don’t be late!” 

“I wouldn’t dare disappoint you, Stark,” Loki sassed before finally stalking out. 

“Have fun!” Tony grinned at you, wiggling his eyebrows. 

“First of all, perv. Second of all, ain’t gonna happen!” You replied. “Why are you doing this? This whole thing is a direct attack on a part of him he doesn’t like to address!” 

“Well I figured he has to grow up one day and deal with it. We all have inner demons to fight. I figured I’d help him.”

“A bit not good there, Sherlock.” Tony snorted in laughter and shook his head. 

“Would you rather I send him with Steve?” Your eyes widened comically.

“Nope!” You exclaimed, popping the p. “I think we’ll do just fine.” You grabbed your box and headed out as well.   

By 6 o'clock, the two of you were flying out on one of Tony's jets. "So, what do you think of the new suits?" You asked Loki, trying to make some conversation.

"They are no match for true Asgardian leather and would be greatly improved by at least a cape," He replied sounding rather bored. 

"Oh," You said. "How exactly are we to be testing the suits again? I forget what Tony said."

"He said nothing, darling. It was all in his infernal little packet." You blushed lightly at the pet name and nodded. 

"Alright, well, I guess I'm just going to," You paused, unsure of what to do. It was obvious Loki was not interested in conversation but there wasn't much to do on the jet. "I'm just going to sit over there," You said, getting up quickly and moving to the other side of the jet. The rest of the flight was quiet, Loki only speaking up to alert you that you were about to land. 

"Surely the man of iron could not possibly want us to stay here," Loki said, getting out and seeing the small house.

"Maybe it's bigger on the inside," You said hopefully. Gathering your few things, you both headed in. "Oh this is so much worse," You groaned. The large main room consisted of the dining and living rooms and the kitchen. However, it was very sparsely decorated. You could see a stack of groceries in the kitchen along with a note. Loki wandered off to explore the bathroom and bedrooms, you assumed, while you read the note. 

"Find anything of interest?" Loki called out, surprising you.

"Just that Tony said if we didn't like the food or somehow ran out there's a grocery store about 10 miles away."

"And just how does he expect us to go there?" Loki yelled, getting increasingly frustrated. 

"The note says our transportation is out back." You walked down the small hallway to the back door and looked outside. Stifling a laugh you called out, "Hey, Loki! I think your ex is here!"

"My who?" Loki replied, very confused. "I have no 'exes', as you call them, on Midgard." You smirked and moved aside so Loki could look. When he saw what was in the backyard, a strange look crossed over his face. "Run," He said in a dangerously calm voice. 

"I beg your pardon?" You replied.

"Run if you don't want to lose your phone," He smirked back. You laughed but you did take off running. He chased you back out to the main room but you ran out the front door. "Don't think you can escape me!" He called out. 

"Wanna bet?" You called back, running to the backyard. You quickly jumped on one of the two horses you had seen and took off. 

"Oh, you'll regret saying that, my dear," Loki grinned, getting on the other horse and taking off after you. 

The next few days continued in a similar pattern. There wasn't much to do so you and Loki would often spend your time exploring the woods behind the house or riding the horses or just talking. Loki had warmed up to you quite a bit, pun intended, and you were quite happy. Of course, you recorded the events of each day in your diary. Well, it was less of a diary and more of a collection of special moments you wanted to remember and sketches you'd made. You had just finished writing today's events when you heard a loud clatter and Loki call you from the kitchen.

"Y/N!" He said. "Can you come here please?" You quickly put your notebook in the nightstand drawer and hurried out to the kitchen.

"What in the world happened, Loki?" You exclaimed, holding back a laugh. Loki was laying on the floor, covered in a mixture of flour and eggs it seemed, with various cups and bowls around him. 

"I was attempting to reach a mixing bowl on the top shelf when I slipped on an egg and pulled the shelf down," He admitted.

"You're telling the truth!" You gasped, openly chuckling at the situation now.

"Of course, love! I couldn't lie to you." You blushed brightly, as he often made you do with those pet names. 

"Uh, well," You stuttered. "Why don't you go wash up and I'll finish," You paused, glancing around. "Whatever you were making."

"I was attempting to make breakfast," He grinned. "But I think I should make myself clean instead, hm?" 

"Yes, you should," You smirked. "Wouldn't want anyone thinking you were greying early."

"You-" He exclaimed, standing quickly. For a moment you thought he was truly angry, but his eyes sparkled with mischief. He reached onto the counter and threw a handful of flour at you before running off to the bathroom. You laughed, dusted yourself off, and got to work on breakfast.

About an hour later, he came back out and sat across you at the counter. "Your breakfast, my prince," You smiled, presenting him his plate. He smiled and you ate in silence for a time. 

"I've been reading a lot lately," He commented. 

"Mhm," You replied, mouthful of syrupy pancakes. 

"The last book I read had some rather interesting sketches in it too."

"Really?" You asked, truly interested. "I love art. Can you show it to me?" You took a large gulp of milk as he replied.

"My dear," He said, setting down his fork. "I read your diary." You coughed, almost choking on your ill-timed drink. 

"You what?" You screeched. "How dare you invade my privacy like that and-"

"Don't you care to know what I thought?" He interrupted.

"Why? So you can laugh at me, oh Mr. High-and-" He cut you off by leaning over the counter and kissing you earnestly. "Oh, that's nice," You said once you pulled away. 

"Just nice?" He smirked. "I guess I'll have to work on that." He kissed you once more before you pulled away, cheeks flushed and eyes wide.

"I just remembered something!" You gasped. 

"What's wrong?" You quickly pulled out the pamphlet Tony had made you about the suit testing. You then gestured to a paragraph under a subheading of RECORDING ANY AND ALL TEST RESULTS

ALL TEST RESULTS MUST BE RECORDED BY THE TESTERS USING THE STEPS LISTED. TO ENSURE NOTHING IS MISSED, HOWEVER, THE HOUSE WILL ALSO BE UNDER 24/7 SURVEILLANCE TO TRACK ANY UNRECORDED RESULTS.

OUTSIDE - AUDIO/VIDEO

INSIDE - AUDIO ONLY

Loki grinned and leaned into you, lips brushing against your ear. He whispered something and you giggled. "Loki!" You gasped. "We can’t do that here!"

"Oh, yes," He purred. "We can do it anywhere we want if we're creative enough." 

"But outside is so much more exciting," You grinned. "So," you paused, struggling to find the right word. "Freeing!"

"Please do not do anything outdoors where I can see!" You heard a loud voice yell. You both quickly realized it was coming from the monitoring system.

"Steve? Is that you?" You called back with a chuckle. 

"Yeah, Tony insisted I take a turn on guard duty," He grumbled. "Look, I'm sorry I interrupted," He paused awkwardly. "Whatever you were doing but could you please not do it outside? Outside has cameras." Loki laughed loudly and you did too. 

"We really didn't mean to prank you, Cap. I thought Tony was on the other end of that mic."

"I however have no objections to how this turned out," Loki added. You whacked him arm lightly and shook your head. "Truthfully, though, we were only speaking of testing another aspect of the suit. I whispered to Y/N my idea and-"

"I get it," Cap replied quickly. You couldn't see him but you could tell he was embarrassed. "I'll make you two a deal. Behave yourselves, finish the tests, and get home early and I'll help you prank Tony here in the tower. Ok?"

"You have yourself a deal, Captain," Loki grinned. 

"Alright. I'm going to take a nap now. Don't do anything stupid."

"Oh we won't," Loki smirked, wrapping his arms around you and planting light kisses on your neck.

"Loki!" You squealed.

"Do you want to prank Tony or not?" Steve yelled. "I can't see you but I can hear you! And that didn't sound like suit testing. Get to work! If you do as you're supposed to, you'll be done in a week."

"Yes, sir," You both grumbled. Loki, ever the mischief maker, wasn't about to let up. He grabbed a towel and twirled it, smacking your backside with it as you walked away. 

"What was that for?" You asked.

"Loki, did you just-"

"For purely scientific purposes, I assure you," He replied. Steve groaned in frustration.

"This is gonna be a long week."

Loki Taglist

@lucywrites02

@delightfulheartdream

@serpentargo

@khena

@nyx2021

@kaz11283

@weasley-main-lover

@up-to-mischief

@lokislittlesigyn

​Marvel (all characters) Taglist

@bartv21

@another-crazy-fangirl

@whatafuckingdumbass

@ladylulu143

@lokislittlesigyn

[atlafan]

It’s Electric - One Shot

a/n: I have no idea what this is or why I thought of it, but enjoy CEO!Harry with a blue collar!Y/N

Warnings: Smut (slow burn, I’m so sorry.) Not proofread, sorry!

Words: 15.2K

Being a female, blue collar worker was interesting to say the least. Most of the guys you worked with were either fresh out of college and starting their apprenticeship, or they were in their mid-forties, married with kids. You did the college thing, and got a degree in mathematics, but you didn’t want to be a teacher, and you sure as hell didn’t want to go into computer science. Your father was an electrician, and you asked him for help getting into his union. Electrical work involved a lot of math, especially trigonometry.

You were in your mid-twenties, able to live alone, and working a job that had good benefits. A lot of your friends didn’t quite understand it because you sometimes had to work traditional holidays, and you really couldn’t take time off. But the overtime pay was incredible, and when you were able to take a vacation, you had plenty of money for a good time. The one thing you were sort of missing was companionship.

Most of the guys on the job just assumed you were gay. It was a stupid stereotype. To be fair, you did have to wear a lot of flannel and you never wore makeup, and you constantly had hat hair from your hardhat. Again, a lot of stupid stereotypes.

Your union had gotten a contract together to do maintenance on a specific building in the city. It happened to also be where one of your best friends works so you’d be able to go on lunch together.

“Y/N!” She squeals. “Look at you, I’ve never seen you on the job before.” She tugs at your flannel. “I think you’re the reason mom jeans came back into style, you look so cute.” She was the best hype man there was.

“Thanks, Stacey.” You chuckle. “I don’t wanna get in trouble, I’ll see you at lunch, okay?”

You had never changed so many lightbulbs in one sitting. You hated maintenance work, but it beat being on unemployment. Next on the list was to run some tests on the electrical outlets. You make your way through specific people’s offices. You see your friend again, her desk was outside the CEO’s. She was his executive assistant.

“Let me just make sure he’s not on a call.” She says and you nod. She knocks on the door and opens it. “Mr. Styles? The maintenance crew is here to run inspections in your office.”

“Thanks, send ‘em in.”

She smiles and gestures for you to go in. She grabs you first, pulling you back.

“Remember, he’s British, and very hot.”

“Stacey…you have a boyfriend.”

“I’m well aware, I’m just preparing you.”

You roll your eyes and walk in.

“I’ll try to keep it brief.” You tell him and he nods. You click your pen and make a few notes on your clip board. You grab your outlet tester from your tool belt and get to work. He tries to continue typing at his desk, but curiosity gets the better of him.

“This might sound rude, but I was expecting some old guy to come here for this.”

“Sorry to disappoint.” You smirk at him and continue around the room. “This office is huge.”

“Well…it should be. Worked hard enough for it.”

“Right, you’re the CEO?”

“That’s right, darlin’.”

“Don’t call me that.” You make a disgusted face.

“Sorry, it’s just something I say.” He blushes.

“I need to get under there.”

“Excuse me?”

“Under your desk, I need to check the floor outlets.”

“Oh.” He stands up and moves his chair out of the way. He looks away as you get on your hands and knees, but he’s a man, so his eyes flicker down to your ass. He looks away immediately. You stand back up and make some notes.

“Alright, all set. Have a good one.”

“That’s it?”

“Pretty routine inspection. You all take good care of your offices. Nothing to worry about. We replaced all the lightbulbs that needed it, made them all LED.”

“Thanks.” He smiles.

You walk out and confirm with Stacey where you’ll be meeting her for lunch. Harry notices this. After you’re gone, Harry goes out to Stacey’s desk.

“Stacey, you’re friends with that woman?”

“Yeah! We go way back, Mr. Styles. She’s my best friend, actually. We’re having lunch in a bit, would you like to join us?”

“No.” He chuckles. “No, that’s alright. Um…so she’s an electrician?”

“Mhm, she’s really smart. She was top of her apprenticeship program a few years ago. She’s part of some union now that he dad was in. She likes it.”

“Ah…” He looks away for a moment. “You and I know each other pretty well at this point, right?”

“I’d say so. I mean, my boyfriend and I have been to your house for parties.” You giggle. “Why?”

“Is she single?”

‘Y/N? Yeah! Totally single.” She beams. “Not that she can’t get a date, she can. She’s just been busy lately.” She bites her bottom lip. “Do you…want me to give you her number?”

“Only if she wants to. See what she thought of me on your lunch, would you?”

“I’m on it.”

//

You and Stacey meet up at a Panera Bread not too far from the office building. You’d be doing inspections there all week, on every floor.

“Alright, I’m just going to come right out and say it. Harry wants your number!” She squeals.

You nearly choke on your salad.

“Who?!”

“Harry! Mr. Styles, my boss. The CEO of-“

“Okay, okay. What the fuck, I talked to him for like two seconds. He also called me darling, I didn’t like that.”

“He calls everyone darling, or love. He’s British, remember.”

“What does that have to…? Never mind.” You shake your head.

“He must think you’re cute. He hasn’t dated in a while, as far as I know. He’s super sweet, Y/N. Can I give him your number, please? He could really sweep you off your feet.”

“I’m not looking to be swept, I’m looking for a partner, someone to spend time with. Not someone who flashes cash around.”

“You’re making excuses.”

“Fine.” You shrug. “Give him my number.”

Stacey can’t wait to get back up to her office to give Harry your number. She knocks on his door and enters. He’s just finishing his lunch.

“Here.” She slaps a piece of paper on his desk. “That’s her number. I’ll warn you, she’s stubborn, so…play it cool.”

“Don’t I always?”

“I said cool, not suave. She hates that shit.”

“When should I call? I don’t wanna seem too eager…”

“She might think you’re playing around if you don’t call her tonight. Call her after work.”

//

You were hanging out on your couch, fresh out of the shower in a tank top and shorts, digging into a pint of ice cream. Your phone goes off, and you see it’s not anyone you know. You swipe to answer and stick your phone between your cheek and shoulder.

“Hello?”

“Hi, uh, is this Y/N?”

“This is she.”

“It’s Harry.”

“Who? Oh! Mr. Styles from the office building.”

“Yeah.” He chuckles. “That’s me.”  

“Stacey gave you my number?”

“She did. I hope it’s alright that I asked her for it.”

“Hey, however your relationship works is none of my business.” You take a bite of your ice cream. “So, why’d you want my number anyways?”

“So I could ask you out.”

For the second time today you choke on your food.

“Excuse me, one second.”

He hears you coughing and he tries not to laugh. You get a glass of water, and sit back down.

“Sorry about that.”

“No worries.”

“Why do you want to ask me out?”

“I, well, to be blunt I’m attracted to you.”

“Why?” You scoff. “Got a thing for girls in loose jeans?”

“They weren’t that loose.”

“What?”

“Nothing, listen, I think you’re pretty and I just thought-“

“Pretty? Wow.” You scoff.

“You’re really going to make me work for this, aren’t you?” He sighs.

“Hard work doesn’t seem foreign to you. It’s how you got that nice office of yours isn’t it?”

“Y/N?”

“Yes?”

“Would you like to go out for dinner with me some time?”

“I’m free Saturday if you are.”

“I’m free.”

“Pick me up at seven, I’ll text you my address when the time comes.” You hang up before he has a second to say anything else.

You text Stacey to let her know you’d be going out with Harry on Saturday. You were actually sort of excited.

//

On Saturday, you go to your hairdresser for a blow out, and to have your nails done. It was a very nice treat. You get your make up on and pick out one of the dresses you never get to wear. It was black and simple, but you were exited to wear it. You get a call from Harry right at seven.

“Hello?”

“Just pulled up, I’m downstairs.”

“Be down in a second.” You grab your purse and head down.

Harry had a suit on and was standing outside a black car. His jaw nearly drops when he sees you. All he had to go on was that day in his office. You looked like a completely different person.

“You look…lovely.”

“Thanks.” You smile. “I don’t get to dress up very often.” You blush slightly.

He opens the back door of the car for you and you raise an eyebrow.

“I have a driver.”

“Oh…fancy.”

You slide into the car, and Harry comes around on the other side. He taps on the partition, and the car moves.

“I hope you like Asian food.”

“Love it.” You say. “Oh! Are we going to that hibachi place?”

“No, but it’ll sort of be like that.”

“Do you always use a driver?”

“For city stuff, yeah. When I’m out at the beach or upstate I drive myself. Sometimes I get my picture taken when I’m out, learned a long time ago it’s best to just have a driver.”

“Like…paparazzi?”

“Yeah…sometimes. Not that often anymore. There was this, uh, model that I dated a few years ago-“

“Tell me again, why were you so attracted to me?”

“You caught my attention. Not a lot of people do.”

Your cheeks grow slightly red. You feel the car come to a full stop. The driver gets out and opens the door for you. Harry slides out after you. You watch as he tells the driver how long you’ll roughly be. As you walk into the restaurant, the hostess greets Harry almost immediately. You follow her past the main dining area, and are brought into a private dining room. There was a table for two set up already. You give him a confused look.

“I like my privacy.” He pulls your chair out for your and you sit down.

“Is there any particular reason we’re sitting next to each other.”

“The chef is going to make our food for us in a few minutes. Told you it was sort of like hibachi.” He grabs the bottle of wine on the table and opens it. “Would you like some? It’s plum wine, it’s delicious.”

“Um…sure.” He pours you some and you take a small sip. “Hm, different.”

“So, how does one become an electrician?”

“How does one become a CEO?” You smirk. “Lots of hard work, school, and luck.”

Before Harry can speak again the chef walks in, and a few other follow him in with a cart. There was a flat top where he’d be able to make whatever you wanted. One of the waiters brings over a tray of sushi to start with. You grab your chopsticks and take a piece.

“Oh, that’s good. I love sashimi.” You say.

“Good evening, folks.” The chef smiles. “Tonight I’ll be preparing a delicious steak, kale salad, and for dessert fried banana ice cream.”

“That all work for you? I sorta had to tell them ahead of time.”

“Sounds amazing.”

You watch as the chef prepares the steak and the kale. It smelled delicious already, and it was cool to watch as it was done. You and Harry continue to enjoy the sushi in the meantime.

“Are you going to answer my question?”

“About what?”

“Becoming an electrician.”

“Oh…well, my dad was one, and he was in a union. I have a B.S. in Mathematics, but I didn’t really know what I wanted to do with it, so I asked my dad for some help getting into the union, and the rest was history. I get to use my degree every day. Not a lot of people can say that.” You smile and take a sip of the wine. “Do you always do this?”

“Do what?”

“Schmooze on a first date.”

“I’m not schmoozing.” He gasps.

“I’m just saying…this is, like, really fancy. You could have taken me to a burger joint, I’m not picky. I just don’t want you thinking you to need to flash your cash around. I get it, you’re reach and do well for yourself, you know? I wanna know what’s underneath all that.”

Two plates are put in front of you.

“Thank you.” Harry says to the chef and everyone else leaves the room. “I wasn’t trying to flash my cash.” He cuts his steak and takes a bite. “I just wanted to show you a good time.”

“By booking a private room at a really nice restaurant?” You smirk and take a bite of your steak. “Although, this food is delicious.” You use your napkin to pat the corners of your mouth gently. “How’d you get into the business that you’re in?”

“Well, I always wanted to be in sales, do a little bit of traveling, that kind of stuff. When I was in uni, the idea of property management sort of intrigued me, so I looked a little more into that. I started off in the mail room while I was getting my MBA, and then just sort of worked my way up. I bet my company has provided a lot of work to your union, other than just maintenance.”

“It definitely does, I recognized the name. You guys have put up buildings all over the place. You’re kind of like Richard Gere’s character in Pretty Woman.”

“I suppose I am! I love that movie.” He clears his throat. “So, you didn’t want to become an engineer or anything?”

“Nope, I like working with my hands.” You shrug and take a sip of your wine.

“Is it hard being in a male dominated profession?”

“Isn’t it pretty male dominated up in your office?” You raise an eyebrow at him. “Most of the women up there were either assistants or other low ranking positions.”

“Are you saying your friend works a low ranking position as my executive assistant?”

“Stacey likes what she does, she feels fulfilled and needed, at least that’s what she tells me. I’m just saying, anywhere I would have gone, it would probably look the same. Besides, I’m not the only woman on the job, I’m just one of few, and I’m one of the younger ones. The guys are all nice enough.”

A few moments later a waiter comes in to clear the plates and someone else brings out the fried ice cream.

“I’ve never had this before.” You smile. “I’m excited to try it.”

“Fried ice cream is delicious, especially after eating a steak with so many spices in it.”

You both dig in. You lick your lips after taking a bite.

“Mm, that is so good.”

“I’m glad you like it.”

Harry squared up the bill, and out the two of you went. You thanked him over and over for paying. He wanted to ask if you felt like grabbing another drink anywhere, but he wasn’t so sure if you’d be into it. Maybe that could be saved for a second date. His driver brings you home and Harry gets out to walk you up the steps of your building.

“I had a great time.” He blushes. “I’m glad we could do this.” All you do is smile and nod. “Um, well, so I have your number, I’ll give you another call sometime?”

“Okay.” You get your keys out of your purse. “Thanks again for dinner.”

You key into your building and he watches you disappear inside. He was stunned. Not even a goodnight kiss, hell, even a hug would have sufficed. Usually when Harry took a woman out on a date at the very least he got a kiss on the cheek, if not that most of the time he would get invited up. Did he do something wrong? Were you not as attracted to him as he was to you?

//

“Tell me everything! I wanna know what to expect tomorrow morning and if I need to add a caramel swirl to his coffee.” Stacey giggles over the phone with you the next morning.

“It was…okay.”

“Just okay?! Didn’t he take you to that nice Japanese place?”

“Yeah, the food was excellent, but the atmosphere was weird.”

“What do you mean?”

“He had us seated in a private room and we basically had this personal chef. It was awkward when things got a little quiet. There was a little music in the background, but I would have felt more at ease in the main dining area.”

“He likes his privacy.”

“So he said. Apparently sometimes paparazzi follow him?”

“Yeah, about a year ago he was dating this Italian model. He started getting photographed. They followed him around a bit after they broke up, but we haven’t seen too many in a while.”

“I don’t know why he’d want to go from a model to me…”

“Oh, stop it. You’re gorgeous! So…are you saying you won’t see him again?”

“I don’t see why I would. I didn’t feel any sparks flying between us. He seems sort of hollow, Stace.”

“No! He’s so sweet! He can just be sort of…I don’t know…awkward. He’s amazing when he’s making a deal, but outside of work I know he can be a little social awkward.”

“I don’t think I wanna be with someone as rich as he is.”

“He was just trying to impress you, I’m sure. You didn’t have any fun?”

“I had a little…but not enough to go on a second date.”

Stacey swallowed hard. Harry was a very sweet man, and extremely respectful…but he wanted something he worked for it. There was no way he was going to let this, or you, go.

//

“Morning, Stacey.” He says to her with a smile. He grabs his coffee from her desk.

“Morning, Mr. Styles.”

“Have a good weekend?” He asks as she follows her in. He looks at the mail she’s already put on his desk.

“Yeah, Dan and I visited his parents out at the lake. It was nice.”

“Good for you guys.” He looks at her and smiles. “Been together a few years now, right? When’s he popping the question?”

“Oh, Harry.” She swats a hand at him as he chuckles. “Soon. Anyways, you’ve got a meeting at nine, and then this afternoon you’re to go to that new property we just bought. The construction workers will be there, it’ll be good for you to meet the crew.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know the drill. I’m dying to see the place again. Haven’t been since we saw it last.” He sits down at his desk. “Hate wearing those hard hats though, they always mess up my hair.” He smirks.

“I don’t think anything could mess up your hair.” She laughs and turns to leave to go back to his desk.

“Wait, uh, did you happen to speak with Y/N at all?”

“Oh! Um, was this past Saturday the big date?”

“You know it was, quit playing.”

“We spoke, yeah.”

“Did she mention me at all? Trying to gauge when I should call her next.”

“Oh, so you wanna see her again?”

“I do.” He smiles. “So, she say anything?”

“Yeah…um, she said she had a nice time.”

“Was that it?”

“Pretty much, but to be fair, we talked more about my weekend. Barely let her get a word in, you know how I can be sometimes.”

Stacey walks awkwardly back to her desk. She prayed that if he did reach out to you, you’d at least let him down easy.

//

Harry leaves around one in the afternoon to head to the property. He and the COO go together in a car. When they get there they both shake the foreman’s hand and walk around the property.

“The electrician’s showed up this morning. They’ve certainly got their work cut out for them.” The foreman says. “Great workers though, union contract just how you like.”

Harry nods and continues walking. He notices the electricians on their afternoon coffee break.

“Check out the suits.” Frank says to you. You smirk and look over your shoulder. You immediately look back at Frank. “What?”

“I know that guy…the one in the blue suit.”

“No shit, how?”

“He, uh, took me to dinner on Saturday.”

“What?!”

“My friend is his executive assistant, she gave him my number after we met last week doing those inspections.”

“No offense, but I thought you were gay.” He rubs the back of his neck.

“Frank.” You pinch the bridge of your nose.

“So…some big wig took you out? How was it?”

“I don’t wanna talk about it, and I certainly don’t want to-“

“Y/N?”

You turn around slowly to look at him.

“Hi Harry.”

“Y/N, you should address him as Mr. Styles.” Your foreman says.

“That’s quite alright, we know each other.” He smiles at you.

“We sure do, excuse me.” You grab your hard hat, stick it on, and head inside with Frank.

“How do you know her?” The foreman asks Harry.

“She’s good friends with my assistant.”

The foreman brings Harry and the COO inside to show them the bit of progress that’s been made on the interior thus far. Harry sees you up on a ladder helping a wire get fed through a hole.

“Got it!” You yell up, and secure it.

Harry and the COO stick around for quite some time making sure everything was to their liking. He’s there until the end of the work day and sees you walking with your toolbox to your car. You wave goodbye to Frank as you get everything in your trunk. It was a nice size SUV. He watches as you unclip your tool belt and slightly rub at your hip bones. He decides to come over to you.

“Hi again.” He smiles and you nearly jump.

“Jesus, you’re just everywhere.”

“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you, darling.” You scrunch your face at the word. “Sorry.”

“You apologize a lot.” You shake your head and throw your hard hat into your trunk. You take your hair out of its bun, and shake your hair out. “Can I help you with something?” You close your trunk and lean against your car, crossing your arms.

“I just, um, well, I was wondering when I could see you again.”

“You’re seeing me now.”

He chuckles and shakes his head.

“I mean, when can I take you on another date?”

“Harry…” You look down, then back up to him. “I…”

“I should have texted you afterwards, right?” He sucks his teeth. “I didn’t wanna seem too eager.”

“You really had that good a time with me that you wanna take me out again?”

“Well, yeah. Didn’t you?”

You had two choices. You could either crush the man in front of you and walk away, or you could cut the guy a break and give it another go. Would it be so bad to let him take you out again? Maybe this time you could call the shots.

“I did.” You swallow. “I’d like to go out again.”

“Great!” He beams at you. “I was thinking we could-“

“I’d like to plan it.”

“Oh…well, alright. What did you have in mind?”

“You’ll find out Friday night. You’re free then?”

“I can definitely make myself available.”

“Perfect.” You turn on your heel and get into your car. Once again you leave him standing there, stunned.

//

“You’re giving it another shot?!” Stacey practically screams through the phone.

“Mhm.”

“What made you decide?”

“Well, he was just standing right in front of me. I felt sort of bad. I figured maybe I was being too harsh before. It can’t hurt to go out again.”

“Where are you going to take him?”

“I haven’t decided yet. I was thinking of going to that bar I’ve been to with Frank. I’ve taken you a couple of times.”

“Oh! That place with the darts and the live music?”

“Yeah! I think he needs a night to be a little less fancy, don’t you?”

“Definitely! He won’t know what hit him.”

//

Harry was on cloud nine all week. He couldn’t wait to see you again. He even had flowers sent to your job site. You were thoroughly embarrassed. The guys all gave you shit for it. He was a little surprised when you didn’t even text him to thank him for them, but he just brushed it off and kept his cool. When you did finally text him Thursday evening, he nearly squealed.

You: what’s your address? I’ll be picking you up around eight tomorrow

Harry: late start to the evening, where we headed?

You: that’s for me to know ;)

His stomach filled with butterflies all because you sent a winky face. He was having a few doubts that maybe you didn’t like him that much, but you were being playful with him now. This was good.

//

Your hair was down and wavy, you had a white tank top on with a dangly necklace, and some jeans. You drive to Harry’s building. It was much nicer than yours, naturally. You text him and let him know you’re on the street. He comes walking out moments later in a black silk shirt and a pair of yellow patterned dress pants. You squinted through the window and noticed they were sort of tight around his thighs. He waves at you and you wave back.

“This is fun already.” He says as he buckles up. He looks down at you. “I’m overdressed.”

“Not at all. You’re dressed like you, that’s good. This is how I like to dress.”

“You look cute.” He says.

“Thanks.” You start to drive off towards the bar.

“So, now will you tell me where we’re going?”

“To a bar, hope you’re thirsty.” You smirk at him.

As you continue to drive Harry takes note of the music on the radio and even the way you drive the car. You were only using one hand, on the bottom of the wheel. You were so easy going.

“This is a nice car.”

“Thanks, bought it last year. I used have a dinged up old truck.”

“Do you miss having a truck?”

“Not really.” You shrug. “I wanted something more like this. When you have a truck everyone always wants your help with stuff. It’s bad enough that I’m the handy friend.” You chuckle. “I’m always being asked to help repair stuff or whatever. I don’t mind, but sometimes it’s a lot.”

You get over to the bar and find a place to park.

“Can’t remember the last time I was on this side of town.” He comments as you walk inside.

There were a lot people around, and the bar itself was packed. There was some sports game playing, but it wouldn’t be on long once the live band would start. There were people playing darts and munching on popcorn.

“Go snag a booth, I’ll get us some beers.”

“Oh, uh…”

“What’s a matter?”

“I don’t really like beer.” He takes his wallet out. “I can grab the drinks, tell me what you want.”

“I want you to go grab us a booth. I’ll get you something other than beer.”

You turn and go up to the bar. You greet the bartender who knows you pretty well. You decide that if Harry didn’t want beer, then you wouldn’t get one either.

“Two long islands.” You grin.

You get your drinks and find Harry at a booth. He stuck out like a sore thumb, he wasn’t hard to find. You place the glasses on the table.

“I’ll grab us some popcorn. We’ll grab some real food later.”

You go up to the popcorn machine and grab a bowl to fill up. You say hello to some people you recognize and head back to the booth.

“What made you decide on a long island ice tea?” He raises an eyebrow at you.

“Thought it would be fun to just get drunk.” You smile. “What sort of mixed drinks do you usually get?”

“I don’t. I usually just get a scotch or something.”

“Ew.” You grimace and then take a sip of your drink. “This is much more fun.”

“You could have gotten a beer still.”

You toss a piece of popcorn into your mouth and take another sip. Harry takes a sip as well and coughs when he’s done.

“Bit heavy handed.”

“I can get you something else…”

“No, it’s fine.” He smiles. “Do you come here a lot?”

“Sometimes. Some buddies from work brought me here, and I liked it. They have free darts, and live music. The band should be starting soon.”

You were two drinks in, and you both were giggling messes. The band was loud, but fun. You had gotten into a little game of getting popcorn into the other’s mouth. Maybe Harry could let his hair down a little and act like a normal person.

By the time you each were on your third drink, you definitely knew you were drunk, and so did Harry. He was having a great time.

“I’m hungry, are you hungry?!” You had yell over the music.

“Starved!”

“Come on!”

You grab his wrist as you walk out of the place. It’s a bit chilly outside, and without thinking, Harry wraps his arm around your shoulders as you walk. You wrap yours around his waist, and he feels butterflies again. You lead him to a McDonald’s and walk in.

“Two medium big mac meals, please.” You slur as you walk up to the counter.

“I’m paying.” Harry insists.

“Nope, I got it.” You slap your credit card down. “Go fill up our drinks, I’ll wait for the food.”

Harry shuffles over to the drink station and fills the paper cups up with coke. You come over to the table he found and you both dive into the greasy food.

“Mm, I can’t remember the last time I had McDonald’s.” He grunts as he eats the food.

“Right?! It’s like, the perfect drunk food.” You suck down the coke. “I would have gotten us some flurries but the machine’s broken.”

“I have ice cream back at my place…got stuff to make sundaes actually.”

“Are you kidding?!”

“Nope, always keep that stuff around. Never know when you’re gonna need some hot fudge.”

“Well, I know where we’re going next.”

“What about your car? We’re both way too fucked up to drive.”

“It’s called uber.”

“Nonsense, I’ll call my-“

“He’ll be here in two minutes, finish up your fries.” You say, looking at your phone.

“You’re very impulsive.” He chuckles and throws some fries into his mouth.

“Live a little.” You yank him out of the booth and go outside.

You both crawl into the uber, and giggle during the ride. Harry hadn’t had this much fun in a long time. When you get to Harry’s building, he says hello to the doorman, and you just smile and wave. He keeps his hand on the small of your back as he leads you into the elevator. It was a beautiful lobby. You watch, through your foggy eyes, as Harry presses the button for the top floor where all of the pent house suites were. He leads you down a hall and keys into his place. You jaw nearly hits the floor.

“I didn’t know they made apartments this big. It’s like…a house in here!” You walk around. “Is this a staircase?!”

“Yeah, it’s two stories. There’s four bedrooms total. My main guest room is down here, and then upstairs are the rest. Got an office down that way, nice big balcony.”

“What’s a single guy need all this space for?”

“Got family and friends that come to visit. I end up hosting functions quite a bit too. Catered events, and all that.” He grabs your hand to lead you into his massive kitchen. “Can I get you some water?”

“Nope, got any alcohol?”

“You want more to drink?!”

“We’re going to have ice cream right? How about some kalua?”

“You know, I do have some. I could put it into some shot glasses.”

“Works for me.” You smile.

Harry get everything out for the sundaes. His kitchen looked like it belonged in a restaurant, but it made sense since he did say he had catered events. If he had cooks come they’d need state of the art equipment. He runs the scoop under some warm water, rolls up one of his sleeves and scoops the ice cream into two bowls. Your eyes widen as you see the veins in his hand and forearm peek out. He adds the warmed up fudge, sprinkles some nuts, and then adds some whip cream.

“Why do you have all this stuff?” You ask as you make up the shots.

“We had an ice cream social here a week or so ago. I like having themed parties.” He bites into his ice cream and moans. “I hate throwing out leftovers.”

“This fudge is really rich.” You lick your lips after taking a bite.

“Shoulda made milk shakes with this.” He takes his shot of kalua and so do you.

“Next time.” You spoon my ice cream into your mouth.

“Next time, eh?”

“Sure.” You smile. “I’m having a good time.”

“Better than last time?”

“Harry.” You put your bowl down and put a hand on his shoulder. “I’ll admit, I was pretty skeptical, but when you let your hair down, you’re a lot of fun.”

“So…you didn’t have any fun last time?”

“It’s not that I didn’t.” You say, shoveling more ice cream into your mouth. “But I feel like I got to know you better tonight.” You hop up on his counter and sit there comfortably as you finish your ice cream. A little bit of hot fudge lingers on the corner of your mouth.

“You have a little, uh…” He taps the corner of his mouth to show you. He moves to stand between your legs and you look up at him.

“Did I get it?”

“Not exactly.” He cups your cheeks and leans in. You can feel his breath on you. He runs his thumb over the spot. “Got it.” He sucks his thumb into his mouth and smirks at you.

Just as he’s about to turn to grab the bowls you grab at the collar of his shirt, and pull him to you, crashing your lips to his. He sinks into it, only for a second before backing away. He presses his forehead to yours.

“What’s wrong?” You breathe.

“I don’t want this to happen like this.”

“Like what?”

He steps away and looks at you.

“We’re both pretty out of sorts, Y/N.”

“It was just a kiss…”

“But it could lead to more, and I don’t feel comfortable with that.”

“Are you really going to tell me you’ve never hooked up drunk?”

“I have.”

“So…I’m sorry, I’m just really confused.” You hop down so you can stand on your feet.

“Y/N.” He cups your cheeks so you’ll look at him. “I want to be completely sober so I can fully enjoy you.”

“You’re…such a weirdo, Harry. Who says shit like that?” You step away from him.

“You know, most people find me charming.”

“Well, then I guess I’m not most people.” You roll your eyes at yourself. “Ugh, I didn’t mean for that to sound like I’m not like other girls, that would be a weird thing to say. I feel like you say things you think I’d wanna hear.”

“No, I really feel that way. I don’t want…look, if we decided to do it, I’d wanna remember it, that’s all I was trying to say.”

“So just say it like that!” You start laughing. “That I can understand.”

“I don’t know what to say around you. It’s like everything I do is wrong.”

“Not true.” You grab the whip cream can and spray some into your mouth. “You make a mean sundae.”

“Don’t hog it.” He opens his mouth and you spray some whip cream into his mouth. You both giggle.

“So…you don’t even want to keep kissing?”

“I do, but I don’t think that would be a good idea.”

“What do you wanna do instead? My car’s all the way back at the bar, I’m way too fucked to drive…”

“You could stay here if you want. I could give you some pj’s and-“

“No, I’d rather sleep in my own bed.”

“I could call my driver.”

“This late?!”

“He’s on call.” Harry takes out his phone and sends a text. “It’s his job.”

“You’ll come for the ride?”

“Of course!” He smiles. “I have a question for you…”

“Alright.”

“Did you get the flowers I sent you earlier this week?”

“I did.” You move some hair from your face. “I’m sure you meant well, but you shouldn’t do that while I’m working again.”

“Why?” He frowns.

“It was embarrassing. Some of the guys gave me shit for it. Just…if you do it again, I mean, I like getting flowers, just have them sent to my apartment. I don’t need gifts at work. I didn’t even know where to put them.”

“So, we’re definitely seeing each other again?”

“I’d like to.” You smile.

“Great.” He smiles back. “Sorry…I didn’t mean to embarrass you. Do you want me to have someone fired? Cause I can do that.”

“No.” You laugh. “But thanks.”

Harry leads you down to the car and you both get in the back seat. You sit really close to him. You were incredibly riled up and horny. It was the alcohol, but you were sort of disappointed that you wouldn’t be getting laid, and it sort of turned you on that Harry was being such a gentleman. You look up at him.

“Harry?”

“Yeah?” He looks down at you.

You move his arm to put it around you, and you look up at him with big eyes. He sighs and leans in to kiss you. His lips were so soft, and he still tasted like the hot fudge. Your hands slide up to his hair and tug on his curls. You just wanted his tongue in your mouth, but he was being so timid. His other hand goes down to your thigh, and he squeezes it, his thumb digging in to your inner thigh. You whimper slightly and then he lets go of you. The car comes to a stop, and your door is opened by the driver. Harry gets out to walk you up to your door.

“I’m going to be out of town for the next ten days.” He says, tucking some hair behind your ear. “But when I get back, I’d love to see you again.”

“Me too.”

“Good.” He gives you one last kiss before getting back into the car. He makes sure you’re inside the building before he lets the driver go. He presses the button for the partition to go down. “Charlie, I had my doubts, I really did, but she likes me, mate.”

“That’s great, sir. I’m glad she agreed to see you again.”

“Me too. She’s so…different! She’s sort of blunt too. I like that. I feel like women always just like me for my money, but she could care less! This could really be something, I can feel it.”

//

You told Stacey all about your date with Harry, and how good of a kisser he was. You weren’t sure how’d you last the next ten days without his lips on yours again, but you’d find ways to manage. Work was a great distraction. However, your friends continued to shit on you. One of them snuck a magazine that had Harry on the cover into your toolbox.

“Very funny.” You roll your eyes as they laugh. “What’s so funny that he likes me?”

“It’s not funny, think they’re just jealous.” Frank smirks and looks at the magazine. “It’s just odd that you’re into him.”

“He’s not exactly the type of guy I’d usually be interested in, but he means well. He’s sweet…in his own weird way. He’s quirky. I took him to that bar we’ve been to on Friday, we had a great time.”

“Look at you, trying something for a second time. When do you see him next?”

“I don’t know. He’s out of town for a couple of weeks.”

“Doing what?”

“How the fuck should I know? I didn’t ask.”

“Why not?”

“It’s none of my business. It’s not like he’s my boyfriend.”

“Yeah, but he is the guy you’re seeing.”

“I’ve been on two dates with him, nothing’s set in stone.” Your morning coffee break ends you sigh. “Great, time to go into this stupid basement.” You put your hardhat on and a mask and head in with Frank.

//

On Thursday evening, you were just hanging out, watching TV after a long day of work. Your phone goes off and you see it’s a call from Harry.

“Hello?”

“Hi, beautiful!”

You’re sitting there with your hair up in a messy bun, pimple patches on your blemishes, and a raggedy t-shirt with stains all over it. You roll your eyes.

“What’s up?”

“Well, I finally got a free moment, and I wanted to call you. Are you busy? Should be about eight o’clock, right?”

“Yeah it is…where are you?”

“I’m in London.”

You think for a moment and you gasp.

“Harry, it’s like two in the morning over there!”

“Like I said, I finally got a free moment. I’m just getting into my flat, getting cozy.”

“What did you go to London for?”

“Business of course…and to see some family. Killing two birds with one stone.”

“Do you travel a lot?”

“Sometimes. There were some buildings I wanted to look at out here.”

“How come you didn’t bring Stacey?”

“She doesn’t always need to travel with me. We’ve connected, don’t worry. I’m not one of those helpless idiots who can’t survive without their assistant. Besides, need her there to hold down the fort.” You hear some shuffling and then the creaking of a bed, and a big sigh from him.

“So…what kept you out so late?”

“Business.”

“What Business could you possibly need to conduct at two in the morning?”

“Things operate differently over here. People like to go out late. I actually left early because I was tired.”

“That’s wild.”

“Very.” He chuckles. “What are you up to?”

“I was just watching some TV before I hit the sack.”

“Anything good on?”

“Not really.” You laugh and turn the TV off. “Kinda like hearing your voice.” You slap your forehead because you literally don’t know what possessed you to say that.

“Like hearing yours too. Sorry I haven’t been able to text much.”

“It’s okay.”

“It’s not, really. I wouldn’t want you to think I wasn’t interested or something.”

“I didn’t.”

“Good, because I’m still really interested.”

“When do you come back?”

“Monday evening, then it’s back to the office Tuesday.”

“You never stop, do you…”

“It’s hard not to, but I like what I do.”

“I would hope so.”

“How’s your week been?”

“You should get some sleep.”

“Can’t, too awake now. Tell me how your week was, how’s the building coming along?”

“I’ve been in a dimly lit crawl space in the basement feeding wires all week. Tomorrow’s the last day of doing that. Then next week my group of people will move up to the regular basement, and then after that we’ll move on to the lobby. Other people are working on the outside as well, and then once all that’s done we’ll be able to move on to the individual offices inside.”

“Wow, that’s a lot.”

“Mhm, but it’s honest work. I can take a step back at the end of the day and see what I’ve done. I like that.”

“You’re a visual person, then.”

“I am.”

“So am I.”

“Nice to know we have one thing in common.”

“We have other things in common.” He sounds offended.

“Like what?” You giggle and sit with your knees hugged to your chest. His voice over the phone was oddly soothing to you.

“Well…I’d say we both enjoy a good joke. We both like food, although, I have to say, my stomach was pretty angry with me after I had that bic mac.”

You burst out laughing.

“So was mine. It’s always good going in.”

“Mhm, and we like each other.”

“Oh, we do?” You ask sarcastically. “Teasing. I like you.”

“You didn’t at first though.”

“You didn’t make a great impression by calling me darling in your office.”

“If I knew how derogatory it was going to come off, I never would have said it. It’s just…part of my vocabulary.”

“It’s okay, I know you didn’t mean anything by it.”

“When I get back, I’d love to see you again. Maybe we could have lunch or something.”

“On my jobsite? I don’t think so.”

“We could go out for dinner, then? I mean, I’ll be coming by the site next week to check out the progress.”

“Please, don’t even acknowledge me if you see me. I want things to be professional.”

“Reputation to uphold?”

“Sort of. I have a couple good friends, but not all of the guys are so accepting of women on the job. I don’t want any of them thinking I’m getting special treatment or anything because I know you. Someone put a magazine that had you on the cover in my tool box as a prank.”

“I’m sorry…I don’t really know what the big deal is though.”

“It’s like I’m in elementary school and everyone found out about my cruck. Boys never really grow up, so I’ve come to find out.”

“Can’t say I can argue with that. We’re an immature lot.” He chuckles and then yawns.

“You should really go to sleep.”

“But I like talking to you.”

“You can call me this weekend.”

“Oh, that sounds nice.”

“Goodnight, Harry.”

“Goodnight…sweet dreams, Y/N.”

You sigh as you hang up. Your stomach felt weird. Did you have butterflies? You never had butterflies. Harry was definitely growing on you.

//

Wednesday morning, Harry came to the jobsite to check things out. He stayed in the trailer with the foreman with quite some time before going inside the building. He didn’t see you, and he was sort of sad about it. He hears a whistling noise and sees a bunch of people filing out and taking their hard hats off.

“Morning coffee break.” The foreman explains. Harry nods and squints at everyone. His eyes widen when he spots you.

He watches as you grab your thermos and pour your coffee into the little cap that works as a cup. He desperately wants to go over and say hi, but he also wanted to respect what you asked of him.

“Hey, Y/N, isn’t that your boyfriend?” One of the guys says and makes kissy noises. “Go say hi, give him a big wet one for us. Show him some appreciation for giving the union so much work.”

“Very funny.” You roll your eyes. “He’s not my boyfriend. We’ve been out two times.”

“That guy’s dated models, what’s so great about you?”

“Bob.” Frank says, warningly. “Don’t be a prick.”

Harry watches as the group laughs, and Frank puts a hand on your shoulder.

“Everything alright over there?” He asks the foreman.

“Yeah, they’re just giving her a tough time. They seem to think you’re her boyfriend.”

“And what if I was? Is that supposed to be funny?”

“No, sir, of course not…it’s just…up until a couple weeks ago everyone thought she was gay, or at least, just not into dudes.”

“Why? Because she didn’t try to fuck one of the other guys? She’s a beautiful woman, and-“ Harry stops himself. He can feel his blood boiling. He wasn’t your boyfriend, and he knew that, but he still wanted to defend you.

“What’s it like fucking a dude with so much money? Surprised you haven’t quit yet to become his live in lady.”

“Bob, I’m about two seconds away from ripping your balls off.��

“Not a very nice thing to say.”

“You’re being a dick, Bob.” Frank says. “Why do you wanna know what it’s like to fuck Mr. Styles for? You like him too?” He smirks.

“Frank.” You pinch the bridge of your nose. “What’s happening here, you’re going to turn this around to make some gay joke to defend me? Not cool. You all need to grow the fuck up.” You finish your coffee, put your hardhat back on and storm off.

Harry watches the scene and goes over to the group of men since you now left.

“Everything alright over here?” He asks them. The foreman was shaking behind him.

“Just fine, sir.” Bob says.

“Are we sure? Because that worker seemed a bit upset. I hope you’re all working as a team, I hate to see people not being team players. It makes getting a job done well very difficult.”

“The guys have been ragging on her because of you.” Frank says. “Apparently they think it’s funny that you’ve been out a couple of times.” He turns to all of them. “I think you all forget that she works with us and has fun just like the rest of us, but she’s still a woman. She’s allowed to go out on dates with people not like us. Just because she doesn’t want any of you doesn’t mean she doesn’t deserve to find someone.”

Frank huffs and storms off himself. Harry was impressed by him.

“I don’t have much to add to that other than that her personal life is just that, personal. Please remember that, and keep things professional. Then, none of his will have a problem.” He says sternly and walks away. The foremen glares at all of them and follows Harry.

He just wanted to make sure you were okay. He saw you inside, back to work, as if nothing had happened. Frank was holding the latter you were on. He still wanted to respect what you had asked, so he turns and walks back out of the building.

//

Stacey had her phone out when Harry got back to the office. She was texting furiously with someone. Her eyebrows were furrowed and she had a frown on her face.

“Everything alright, love?” Harry asks, concerned.

“With me, yeah.” She looks up at him and smiles. “I’m proud of you.”

“For what?”

“For not stepping in to defend her. She’s good at taking care of herself.”

“So that’s who you’re texting?”

“Mhm. I’m gonna meet her after work for some drinks. When do you see her next?”

“Friday.”

“Good, that’ll be nice.”

“So I shouldn’t show up while you’re having drinks?”

“No! She needs girl time. You mean well, but keep doing what you’re doing. Don’t suffocate her.”

“It was so hard to not run over to her earlier. We chatted a bit over the phone while I was gone. It was so nice.” He sighs and leans against her desk.

“You’re a romantic, Harry, and I love that about you. But…Y/N…well, she prefers to save that for the movies.”

Harry’s eyes widen and he gasps.

“I just figured out what I’m gonna take her to do Friday!” He hugs Stacey quick. “Thanks, Stace!” He rushes into his office and closes the door.

//

By the time Friday rolled around, you were exhausted. You really didn’t want to do anything crazy, and Harry assured you that you’d just be hanging out at his place which put you at ease. His car comes for you around seven. You come out in a pair of jeans, a nice shirt, and your hair down. He gets out and practically runs over to you. He takes you in his arms and kisses you.

“Missed you.” He says against your lips before kissing you again.

“I guess I missed you too.” You smile. “Thanks for being so cool at the site the other day.”

“No worries, I just hope those guys have cooled it.”

“They have.”

“Good.” He smiles and leads you into the car.

“One of these days I’m going to see what you look like behind the wheel.”

“That just means you’ll have to come out to my beach house.”

“That doesn’t sound too terrible. It’s getting warmer out by the day.”

“I hope you’re hungry, I’ve got something good prepared.”

“Did you cook?”

“God, no. I’d burn the house down if I made something other than a frozen pizza.” He chuckles. “No, I had someone come and make everything I wanted.” You make a face at him. “Oh, stop it. You’ll be thankful once you see it, trust me.”

“I’ll take your word for it.”

Once you’re at Harry’s place, he leads you inside. You take note on how he always says hi to all of the workers. You liked that he was so kind to them. When he gets you inside your jaw drops. There was a popcorn machine full of popcorn, hot dogs on a rotisserie, and all of the fixings on a table next to it, a nacho station, and homemade candies and chocolates.

“So, this is, like, the concessions area, and then down the hall is my home theater. Thought I’d bring the movies to us. Do you like it?”

“This is so…extravagant.” You walk up to where all of the sweets are.

“I had my chef make up those chocolate covered cookie dough bites, I thought you might like them.”

“I love those…thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” He kisses you cheek. “Well, let’s make up what we want and then we can go find our seats.” He chuckles at his own joke and it makes you giggle.

You each make up a tray of snacks, and head down the hall. You gasp when you see a movie poster on the wall outside of the door.

“Pretty Woman?”

“I remember you mentioning it on our first date. Would you like to watch it?”

“Sure!”

You walk inside the room. He wasn’t kidding, it really was a home theater. Three rows of luxurious recliner seats, a large screen and a projector in the back.

“Where would you like to sit?”

“Middle row?”

“Works for me.” He smiles and follows you up. He sets his food down on the chair next to him and takes his phone out. “There’s an app linked to the projector so I can just it play from here and even dim the lights.”

“Pretty cool.”

“Very cool. Makes things so much easier.”

The lights dim, and previews start playing.

“Previews from when the film first came out, makes it more immersive.”

“Nice touch.” You saw, biting into your hot dog. “Oh, wow. This is delicious.”

“All freshly made with a natural casing. Still not the best for you, but at least it’s made with good ingredients.”

You sip on your soda and toss some popcorn into your mouth as well. Once you both finish up some of the cookie dough bites, you set your trays aside, recline the chairs, and get comfortable. Harry lifts the armrest between you and puts his arm around you.

“This alright?”

“Mhm.” You cozy up to him and sigh as you watch the film.

Even though you thought he was flashing his cash again, you knew he wasn’t doing it for bad reasons. He wanted to give you a nice evening, and this was how he knew to do it. You appreciated him putting all this effort in just for you. It made you rethink your first date completely. He was just trying to show you a good time, and you felt bad for being sort of rude. You’re happy you gave him another chance.

You sling your arm over his lower stomach, and put one of your ankles over his. His cologne smelled so good, you just wanted to have him closer to you. Harry was swooning. He hadn’t felt this happy in so long. His hand strokes your arm and shoulder mindlessly as the movie goes on. You both laugh and giggle at the funnier parts. When it gets to the part of the film where Vivian goes down to where Edward is playing the piano, and she sits on top of it and they start having sex.

You bite your bottom lip and look up at Harry whose eyes are glues to the screen, but you could feel his heart beating rapidly. He notices you looking up at him and he looks down at you with a slight smile. You reach one of your hands up to the back of his neck to pull him down to you. His lips brush over yours, and then you both sink into it. You tug him by the collar of his shirt so he’s hovering over you on the large seats. You wrap your legs around his waist to have him as close as possible. You swipe your tongue along his bottom lip and he opens up for you. You both groan into the open mouthed kiss, happy to feel the other’s tongue.

He kisses down your jaw and makes his way to your neck. Your hips buck up towards his when he starts to suck on your skin. You crane your neck to give him more access, and you practically push his head further into you. You whimper and bite your bottom lip as your hips move up towards his again. He sits up and pulls you on top of him so you can straddle him. Your lips find his again as you roll your hips down on his growing bulge. You tug at his hair as you suck on his bottom lip. His hands were press on your back to keep you close.

“Y/N?” He breathes.

“Mm?” You mumble as you kiss on his neck.

“Do you wanna take a break so we can finish the movie?”

“What, why?” You pout with your now swollen lips.

“Well, it’s just, that scene where Jason Alexander tries to…um…you know, is coming up and I’d feel weird making out while that happens.”

“Oh.” You chuckle and move off of him. “Makes sense.” He puts his arm back around you as you both catch your breaths.

Eventually the movie ends and the lights come back on. You have to blink a few times to get used to it. You and Harry grab your trays and go out the kitchen to clean everything up.

“Did you enjoy that?” He asks as he loads up the dishwasher.

“Yeah! I mean, I love that movie, and it was cool to watch it privately like that.”

“That room used to be another bedroom, I had it renovated shortly after I moved in. I’m glad I did. It got difficult to go out once the paparazzi started following my every move. Plus, it’s fun for parties. My family loves it when they come to visit.” He dries his hands on a towel and tosses it on a counter.

“Do they still follow you around?”

“Not as much anymore, thank god. At least, not to see who I’m dating. Sometimes after I do an interview for a magazine they follow me to see if I’m going out to get drunk or something.” He scoffs and shakes his head.

“You end up on a lot of thirty under thirty type magazines.”

“Yeah…I’ve done those, made it onto Forbes too, that was pretty cool. Then in a couple of years when I do turn thirty, it’ll be forty under forty. It never ends.” He shakes his head.

“How’d you end up dating some Italian model?”

He steps closer to you and tucks some hair behind your ear.

“Is that something you really wanna talk about?” He asks, just above a whisper as he starts to kiss on your neck again.

“No.” You gasp as his hands squeeze your hips. “Can we go to your bedroom?” You hear him sigh against you and he leans back against the counter.

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Not ready for that yet?”

“You make zero sense!”

It’s true. Harry wasn’t making much sense. He was used to moving too fast with women, and it always went wrong. He really liked you, and he didn’t want it blowing up in his face.

“It’s not that I don’t want to.” He squeezes your hand. “I just think we should go out on a few more dates before we get to know each other like that…don’t you?”

“No, I’d like you to take me to your room and fuck me.” You cross your arms.

“Y/N.” He chuckles. “I promise, it’ll be worth the wait.”

You knew he was right. You felt his fully erect dick when you were grinding on him earlier.

“I just want us on the same page, make sure we both want the same things before diving into all that.”

“God, of course you’re, like, a good person.” You roll your eyes. “Fine, let’s go out a few more times.”

“Great.” He smiles. “I want you to know, too, I’m not seeing anyone else.”

“Neither am I.”

“And you won’t start, right?”

“Why would I?”

“I don’t know.” He shrugs.

“Harry, I barely have the time to juggle one guy, I don’t think I’d have the energy to entertain more than one.” You laugh.

“Alright.” He blushes slightly. You step closer to him and wrap your arms around his neck.

“I’m surprised there isn’t a line of women knocking at your door.”

“Oh, there is, I just ignore it.” He smirks and you roll your eyes. “Kidding.”

“Mhm.”

You both smile and stand there kissing for a little while. Harry makes sure you get home, giving you a ride in his car. Just like last time, you spent most of the ride making out in the back seat. You really didn’t want to leave, but it was late and you needed to sleep. You say goodnight to each other, and he makes sure you’re inside before letting Charlie drive away.

//

“Mr. Styles, don’t forget you’ve got that gala this weekend.” Stacey says to him Monday morning.

“Shit, I’ve completely forgot about that.” He sighs. “Do I have to go?”

“Unfortunately, yes. I saw the guest list and…Carina’s going to be there.”

“Of course she is!” He groans and slumps into his chair. “Fuck, and I don’t have a date.”

“You could ask Y/N.”

“Do you think that’s something she’d wanna go to? She’d need a ball gown and-“

“She’s an electrician, but she’s still a woman. She has a lot of pretty clothes. I actually borrow a lot from her when I have events to go to.”

“She’s having me over for dinner tonight…I suppose I could ask her then.”

“Wait, she’s having you over?!”

“Yeah…” He raises an eyebrow of confusion at her.

“Wow.” She smirks. “She must really like you. She never invites guys over.” She winks at him and leaves his office.

After work, Harry has Charlie drive him over to your place. He rings your buzzer and you let him up. Your door was open a crack for him already, so he goes tight in, loosening his tie.

“Hi, Harry!” You smile.

Your hair was up in a messy bun, and you still had all your work clothes on, but your flannel was unbuttoned, revealing your white tank top and plenty of cleavage. You go over to him and give him a kiss on the cheek.

“Not as big as your place, but it has what I need.”

“It’s lovely. One bedroom?”

“Mhm, and two bathrooms.” You say proudly. “I hope you like food from the crockpot. I set up some chili this morning before I left.”

“Chili sounds amazing, I love spicy food.” He takes his suit jacket off and throws on your couch.

“Great.” You smile and grab some sour cream and cheese from your fridge. You grab a couple of bowls and some spoons and you both serve yourselves. You both sit down at the small table you have in your kitchen.

“This is delicious, thank you.” He smiles.

“Oh, I’m so glad you like it.”

“I’m happy we could get together tonight.”

“Me too.” You smile.

You had fully warmed up to Harry at this point. You’d been seeing each other for a few weeks, and you had let many walls down. You liked him, you really liked him. You two also hadn’t done more than make out, and it was absolutely killing you.

“Do you have plans Saturday evening?”

“I don’t believe so, why? Another movie night?” You ask sort of excitedly and he chuckles.

“No, I wish. I have this charity gala to go to that I actually forgot all about until Stacey reminded me this morning. I’d love for you to join me.”

“Oh…a little fancier than I thought, but, sure.” You shrug. “I could do that. I’ll have to call my hairdresser to see if she can squeeze me in, I’m assuming I’ll probably want my hair done?”

“Only if you feel comfortable…”

“Will I need a gown?”

“Yeah.”

“Alright, I have a couple to choose from in my closet. Do you know what suit you’re wearing?”

“Uh, yeah, here.” He takes his phone out to show you. It was pink with a design on the front. It was beautiful.

“Hm, I think I have a green dress that would look good with this. Pink and green look so nice together.” You use your napkin to wipe your mouth and stand up. “Come on.” You nod towards the hallway.

“Come on what?”

“I wanna show you the gown I have.”

“Oh, alright.”

He follows you into your room, but he stands in the doorway as you go into your closet. It was much smaller than his, but he liked the way you decorated. You utilized a lot of space. You can always tell when a tradesperson lives somewhere because everything always looked really nice. Here were built in shelves and storage units.

“You make those?”

“Mhm, and I made this closet twice as big.” You find the gown you’re thinking of and hold it up in front of your body to show him. “What do you think? Will it do the trick?”

“It’s beautiful, Y/N. Why do you have it?”

“When I was younger I used to participate in pageants. The scholarships were super helpful for college. Anyways, past winners get invited back pretty often and you’re supposed to dress really nice when you go, so I have a couple of formal gowns for when I get those calls.”

“I never would have taken you for a pageant girl.”

“I’m not really…but I needed the money, and I figured out how to play the game. I came in first twice in two different competitions. However, the girls I participated with weren’t very nice, so I wasn’t exactly sad when I got too old for it.” You hang the dress back up. “Don’t worry, I’ll be able to look the part with all your fancy friends.” You smirk and walk out of your room. You sit on your couch and he sits next to you.

“A lot of them aren’t really friends. Acquaintances really. Um, Stacey showed me the guest list today and my ex is apparently going to be there.”

“The model?”

“Yeah.”

“Wonderful.” You scoff. “So are we finally going to have the conversation?”

“What do you mean?”

“She was your last relationship right? Tell me what happened.”

“Not much to tell. We met at a dinner party for a mutual friend. We met in London, actually, but we both had places here in the city, so we kept seeing each other. I didn’t realize how well known she was, so that’s when the paparazzi started. We were together almost a year before it just got to be too much. She wanted me to basically give it all up for her so I could travel with her, but I thought it was selfish of her to ask me to do that, so we broke up.”

“Did you love her?”

“I did.” He says bluntly. “But it wasn’t the type of love I wanted. I don’t have any feelings for her whatsoever, I want you to know that.” He places his hand on your knee. “I just know she’s going to come over to me and look you up and down, and she’s going to be really snotty. She’s…well, she’s a bitch, to put it simply.”

“And you dated her for a year because?”

“Vanity. On paper, we were the perfect match, but I realized it felt like I wasn’t living my own life anymore. I’m much happier now.” He gives your knee a squeeze.

“Alright, well, I’m sure we’ll have a good time. Is it a sit down dinner?”

“It is.”

“Open bar?”

“Yup.”

“Dancing?”

“A little.”

“Sounds like a good time to me.” You smile.

“You’re amazing, thank you.” He leans to kiss you and that was that.

//

The day of the gala, your hairdresser was able to squeeze you in for an updo. You showed her the dress you’d be wearing, so she gave you an elegant bun. You had your nails done as well. You were glad you did because you had a nasty bruise on your thumb. That’ll be the last time you use a regular hammer and not just a nail gun.

When you get home you take out an old pearl necklace that was your great-grandmother’s that would go perfectly with the green dress. It was strapless and fit to your form, with a nice slit starting at one of your thighs. You found a pair of heels that went perfectly with it, and a white shall. You apply your makeup, and take a step back to take yourself in. You looked perfect. You take a selfie to send to Stacey.

Stacey: omfg!!! You’re gonna give Carina a run for her money, have fun!

You smile at the text and find your clutch that goes with the dress. Harry picks you up around seven. You gasp when you see a limo, and not just the regular car he usually picks you up in.

“All this for the two of us?” You ask as he gets out of the car. His suit looked so good. His jaw drops when he sees you.

“You look stunning, Y/N.” He gives you a gentle kiss on the cheek, and help you into the limo. “The limo’s just to keep up appearances. We’re essentially walking down a red carpet into the building. Know how to pose?”

“Oh, I can give face when I need to.” You smirk. “It was fun getting all dressed up since I don’t get to often.”

“I like your flannels too, I hope you know how sexy you look in your work clothes.”

Your cheeks heat up. Harry didn’t really talk like that to you often.

“I’ll have to wear my tool belt for you sometime…just my tool belt.” You whisper in his ear and then face forward. You send a shiver up his spine. He couldn’t wait for that.

When you pull up to the event, Harry gets out first. Cameras start flashing, and he extends his hand out to you. You stand up and nearly feel blinded, but you get through it. You walk with him, his hand on the small of your back. You’d stop occasionally to be photographed. There were reports asking Harry what your name was and other questions, but he didn’t answer a single one. Once you were inside you took a deep breath.

“You did amazing, thank you.”

“No problem. How come they wanted to know who I was?”

“So they can print some story about us. I don’t wanna give up your privacy, so my lips are staying sealed for now.”

You’re brought into a large ball room. There were silent auction items all around the perimeter that Harry would need to put some money down for.

“I hate these things. I’d be happy to just donate without having to get anything in return, you know?”

You walk around with him to look at the items.

“How come you’re not writing anything down?”

“I’m waiting for other people so I can put a larger amount down. They deduct the value of the item from the actual donation, so I wanna make sure enough money gets put down.”

“That’s…really philanthropic of you, Harry.”

“All the proceeds tonight go to inner city schools to get them new computers and other technology they’re in desperate need of.”

You weren’t sure if you’d ever meet Harry’s mother, but you hoped you would just so you could thank her for raising such a kind man. You both mingle with a few people, and eventually Harry puts his bids down for a few different items.

“If I win I’ll just donate this shit. I don’t need anything else.” He shrugs.

Waiters come around with h'orderves and drinks. You snatch a flute of champagne and a shrimp puff.

“Good, babe?” He smiles at you as you lick your lips.

“Very.” You giggle.

His smile fades when he sees Carina from across the room. She had a lovely blue gown on, and some man’s arm was snaked around her waist. She sees Harry and she sends him a small wave. He clutches your hip a little tighter. You look up at him.

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah, uh, wanna find our table?”

“Sure.”

You find your table and you both take your seat. You chat with the woman sitting next to you, and other people begin finding their seats. As the event gets started, waiters come around with food. Someone on a stage comes out and announces who has won what items. People clap. Harry won a couple of the items he bid on. He stands as people clap, and you clap as well. You kiss him on the cheek as he sits back down. Once dinner is through, some people start going out to the dance floor, and others stand around to mingle.

“Well if it isn’t the CEO himself.” Harry turns around the second he hears the accent. “Hi, Harry.”

“Hi, Carina.”

She takes him in for a gentle hug, and kisses him on both cheeks. You want to gag, but you know it’s just a cultural thing.

“And who might this be?” She looks you up and down.

“I’m Y/N.” You extend your hand and she shakes it. “Nice to meet you.”

“Same to you.” She smiles and looks at Harry. “I’m surprised to see you here with someone.”

“Could say the same to you.” He nods over to the man she came with. He was over talking with some other people.

“Oh, that’s Richard. He’s lovely. We met a few months back. He works remotely so he’s able to travel with me. It’s perfect.”

“Good for you.”

“What do you do?” She asks you.

“I’m a union electrician.” You say with a bright smile. “I got a degree in Mathematics and then I joined the trades world.”

“Oh my…I never would have guessed.” She smiles nervously. “Harry, may I borrow you for just a moment? Andrew is here too, and he misses you so much.”

“Um…sure.” He looks at you.

“Go ahead, I need to use the ladies room as it is.”

He watches you walk away and turns back to Carina.

“Andrew’s not here.” Harry says to her.

“I know, I just said that so we could chat. She’s not for you, and you know it.”

“What makes you think you have the right to say that to me?”

“Harry, you can’t be with some blue collar worker.”

“And why not?” He scoffs. “I’ll have you know she’s lovely and elegant, but she’s also not afraid to go to McDonald’s and stuff her face. In fact, she’s not afraid of food at all.”

“I’m on a very strict diet and you know it.” She huffs.

“Why don’t you worry about yourself and Richard?”

Harry turns on his heel and walks towards the restrooms. You were just coming out when you see him waiting.

“Are you alright?” You ask him.

“Yeah, feel like having a dance?”

“Definitely.”

You take his hand as he leads you back into the ballroom and onto the dance floor. The band was only playing slower songs, but that was just fine. Harry was really light on his feet. It made you smile as he led you around.

“You about ready to get out of here?” He whispers in your ear.

“Mhm.”

He smiles at you and leads you out. He says goodbye to a few people, and gets you outside. There were still reporters, but he gets you into the limo quickly.

“So…your ex…was she civil with you?”

“Yeah, nothing to worry about.” He throws his arm around you and kisses your hairline. “Okay to come back to mine?”

“Definitely.”

He gets you up into his place and gets you a glass of water.

“I had a lot of fun tonight.” You tell him.

“Me too, you definitely made it more fun. Those things can be so dreadful.”

“I just look at it as a free dinner.” You laugh.

“Oh, is that all it takes with you?” He smirks.

“Pretty much. I’ll go to a party like that with you anytime.”

“Good to know.” He wraps his arms around your waist and pulls you close to him. Yours go around his neck and you start kissing. You giggle when you let go of him and see your red lipstick all over his mouth.

“Sorry.” You try to rub it off with your thumb.

“No worries.” He chuckles. “Would you like to come upstairs?”

“I would.” You take your heels off, and follow him up.

He leads you into his large bedroom. You gaze at the beautiful furniture.

“I’ve got a walk in closet too.” He says. “You’d probably appreciate the craftsmanship.”

He opens the door for you and you step inside.

“It’s beautiful. I love built ins. Whoever did this did a great job.”

“I only hire the best, but you knew that.” You grip at his suit jacket and push him up against the doorframe of the closet. You slot your lips over his and he welcomes it.

“I want you, Harry.” You say against his lips.

“I want you too.” He kisses on your neck and bites down on your shoulder.

He walks you over to his bed until your legs his the frame. He keeps you steads as his hands find the zipper on the back of dress. You push his suit jacket off his shoulders and let it fall to the ground. He unzips your dress, but holds it up.

“Are you okay with all this?” He asks.

“God, yes.”

Your dress falls to the ground and pools at your feet. Your fingers work to unbutton his shirt. His eyes widen as he looks at the underwear set you’re wearing. You were wearing a strapless black bra with a black lace thong to match. Of course you still needed to wear a bra, your breasts were too large to without. You get his shirt off and you take a step back to admire his tattoos.

“I didn’t know you had so many.” Your hands trace off the ones on his collar bones, his torso, and his hips. “Even your arms.”

‘Got a few on my legs too.” He loves the way your hands felt on his body.

“I thought you just had the cross and the anchor. These are so cool.”

“Thanks.”

Your hands move to his belt buckle and get it undone, his pants drop to the floor moments later. You lick your lips when you see his tight boxers.

“Fuck, Harry, I want you so badly.”

You push him down on the bed and straddle him. His hands go to your hips, rubbing circles into your skin with his thumbs. He reaches up to unhook your bra, and tosses it to the floor. You switch positions so you’re lying on your back. He caresses your breasts and kisses on each of them. He puts his face between them and just enjoys the way your skin feels on him. You start giggling and he looks up at you.

“Breast man, huh?”

“Sorry, was that weird? You just have such a beautiful body.”

“Not weird at all, they’re yours to play with.” You grin.

“Oh, I like the sound of that a lot.”

He takes one of your nipples into his mouth and sucks harshly. You gasp as your hips buck up towards him. He does the same thing to the other before kissing down your body. His hands tug your thong below your hips.

“Can I take this off?”

“Please.”

You lift your hips to help him. He looks down at you and then up to your eyes.

“Can I?”

“Can you what?”

“Make you feel good.”

“Sure, but I wanna hear you say what exactly is going to make me feel good.”

His eyes darken as he looks at you.

“Y/N, I’m going to lick into your cunt until you’re screaming that you can’t take it anymore.”

Your mouth falls open as he parts your legs. He kisses from your knee to your inner thigh. Sucking on where he pleases. He uses his forearm to hold your hips down when he finally gets his tongue on you. He licks a flat stripe from your center up to your clit. You clutch at the soft blankets on his bed as you watch him. He makes eye contact with you when he starts to suck on your clit.

“Oh my god.” You moan as your head falls back. You feel him smirk against you. You start to tug at his curls when he swirls his tongue around you and then flicks it quickly on the nub. “Christ.” You say through gritted teeth.

His tongue moves back to your center where he licks into you. He groans at the taste of you. His middle and index finger move to rub your clit in circles while he uses his tongue to essentially fuck you. Your body was starting to feel hot all over, and you could feel a familiar knot tightening in your lower stomach. He assumes you’re starting to get close because you were starting to tighten around his tongue. He licks back up to your clit, and plunges his fingers inside you.

“Oh, fuck!” You cry out as his fingers work your insides. Your eyes roll into the back of your head when you feel him knuckle deep. “Harry, it’s so good, don’t stop!”

He groans his response as he sucks on your clit again. He curls his fingers up against your front wall where he knew you needed it. He feels you pulsating around him. He could hear you panting and it was music to his ears.

“Shit, oh, fuck, oh my god!” You scream as your orgasm washes over you. He continues to pump his fingers slowly to help you ride it out.

He sits up on his knees and wipes the slick away from his chin with the back of his hand. He licks his lips and smirks at you. You catch your breath and look up at him. You sit up slightly and grab at the band of his boxers.

“Do you want me to-“

“Next time, I really just want to fuck you.”

You bite your lip and nod at him. He takes his boxers off and your eyes grow wide when you see his full length. You spread your legs back apart for him, and he lines himself up.

“Shit, uh…condom.” He backs away from you and rummages through his night table for one.

“I’m on the pill…”

“Found one!” He looks at you. “What did you say?”

“I’m on the pill…if you didn’t feel like using one.” Your cheeks were starting to grow red. “I’m clean. Wouldn’t have let you go down on me if I wasn’t.”

“I’m clean too. So…you don’t want me to use one?”

“Nah, I kind of want you to come inside me if I’m being honest.”

“Jesus.” He grunts and tosses the condom aside. He gets back between your legs and rubs his tip along your slick folds and clit. “You’re positive?”

“Yes.”

He leans down to kiss you as he slowly pushes inside. He swallows you gasp and moan once he bottoms out. You tighten around him involuntarily. He gives you a moment to relax and adjust to him. You hadn’t been stretched out like this since god knows when.

“Go on.” You whisper.

He smiles into your neck as he starts to rock in and out of you. Your arch up into him. Your hands search for a nearby pillow.

“Hold on.” You tell him and lift your hips up, sliding a pillow under you. “Okay.”

“You’re killing me.” He breathes.

He sucks your bottom lip into his mouth as his thrusts pick up the pace. You wrap your legs around him and move along with him. Your hands slide down to his ass so your nails can sink into the fleshy area. He bites down on your collar bone as you keep moving along with him. He was used to women just starfishing under him, this was so nice. He felt really connected to you.

“Oh, shit.” You press your forehead into his chest. “Harry.” You moan.

“Gonna come again?”

“Mhm.”

He snakes a hand between the two of you so he can rub your clit, and that pushes you over the edge. Your nails rake up from his ass to his back as you come, making him moan out at the overwhelming feeling of being marked up by you.

“Can I bend you over the bed?”

You moan out your response. He pulls out of you and gets you on your feet, bending you over. He grips your hips and slips back inside you. All you can hear is his skin slapping against yours. You prop yourself up on your elbows and arch your back. He was hitting so fucking deep, and his tip was brushing against your g-spot. One of his hands goes back to your clit while the other grips the back of your neck while he pounds into you.

“Taking it so well, Y/N.” He grunts.

“Feels so good, fuck!”

He watches as your back arches more and sweat slides down your spine.

“I’m, I’m close.” He says.

“Yeah? You wanna come?”

“Yes, fuck.” He moans out and fills you up while you come again with him.

He had you screaming just like he said he would. He hold you close to him for a moment, his chest flush with your back. He kisses your back before pulling out. You clamp your legs together before anything has a chance to make a mess.

“Let me get you a rag.”

“S’okay, I’ll just use the bathroom.” He helps you stand up and you turn to face him. You grab him by the back of his neck to kiss him. “That was really nice.” You giggle.

You waddle to his bathroom while he grabs a fresh pair of boxers. You clean yourself up and come back out.

“Can I give you something to wear?”

“Please.” You smile. You couldn’t stop smiling, really.

He hands you one of his bed shirts. It had his initials embroidered on the chest pocket. He watches as you button it up.

“Comfortable?”

“Very.” You crawl onto the bed with him. You throw a leg over his and rest your head on his chest. He looks down at you and cups your cheek, pulling you in for a kiss.

“You make me really happy, Y/N.”

“You make me happy too, Harry. I may even let you stay over at my place sometime.” You chuckle.

“I’d like that.” He kisses your forehead. “But only if I’m staying over there as your boyfriend.” He grins.

“I think I’d feel comfortable with that.” You kiss his soft, swollen lips.

“Really? You’re into all this, you’re not just saying that because we had some hot sex?”

“Harry.” You giggle. “The sex was really hot, and I may have had my reservations about you, but we’ve gotten to know each other well, I’d like to be your girlfriend. Let’s make it official.”

“I have to warn you, I’m gonna want to spoil you rotten. You may get annoyed with me.”

“You can’t buy my affection, just remember that.”

“I know, I just can’t help wanting to just give you everything you want.”

“You’re what I want. I don’t care about all this.” You gesture to his extravagant bedroom.

“I know you don’t, I think that’s why I like you so much. You could care less!” He laughs. “It’s amazing. You’re totally not shallow. It’s refreshing.” He settles down further into the bed and you kiss him a few times on the cheek.

“I get busy a lot. When there’s over time I take it. I may have to break dates once in a while.”

“Same here.”

“If you’re traveling, I won’t be able to just drop everything to go with you.”

“I wouldn’t expect you to. I like that you work hard and that you actually want to work. You have an honest job, and I really admire that.”

“Thanks.” You kiss on his chest. He liked that you were a kisser. Harry loved being loved on. “However, if you want to plan a trip to that beach house of yours…I certainly could put in for some vacation time.”

“You’d love it out there. It’s nice and private, we’d have our own beach. I have a boat too with a kitchen and bedroom below deck. It’s great.”

“This will definitely take some getting used to.” You laugh. “I’ll have to keep bringing you to dive bars so to knock you down a peg.” You joke.

“Whatever you need to do.” He smirks.

“I’m also going to teach you how to cook. We don’t need to have a catered meal every time we hang out here.”

“That seems fair. Could we start with that chili you made? It was so fucking good.”

“Sounds like a plan to me.”

You sigh happily and snuggle into his chest as he holds you. You both slept really well that night. You weren’t sure what exactly being a girlfriend to a CEO would entail, but as long as the both of you stayed on the same page about your values, you saw this relationship lasting for a very long time.

[adventuresinwonderlust]

Title: Intermingle: part 1

Pairing: dom! yoongi x inexperienced reader

Warnings: co-workers to lovers, angst, smut, public sex, dry humping, oral (f) receiving (brief), oral (m) receiving (brief), fingering, squirting, orgasm denial, daddy kink, fluff, teasing, pussy spanking, talks of cheating

Rating: 18 and over

“You think I can make you cum just by sucking on your sweet little nub?” He questions from between your thighs, gripping tightly at your flesh. You nod desperate for him to lap up your arousal before it reaches your knees. “Beg me, I want to hear you beg for my tongue in your cunt.” “Please, Yoongi, eat my pussy. I want you to so bad.” He smirks up at you, moving slowly to your dripping sex. You drop your head back in anticipation of his tongue.

*BEEP BEEP BEEP*

Your eyes shoot open as your alarm clock goes off at exactly 6:45am. You whimper like a spoiled child, flailing in bed with need, your panties soaked. Another painstakingly good dream about your office crush that never really goes anywhere. “Meow.” Your Chartreux cat hops onto the bed to inform you it's time for her feeding. “Go away Frenchie.” You shoo, leaning over to your side table and pull out your pocket rocket, deciding to take a few minutes to relieve yourself before you must hop in the shower. “Don't judge me.” You look down at her before throwing yourself back onto your pillow. You release a lustful sigh, your room soon filled with the sounds of your moans and the buzzing of your favorite toy.

“Good Morning everyone. Welcome. Let’s get started quickly, we have a lot to cover and not a lot of time to cover it.” Your boss begins the Monday morning meeting. You take a seat next to your friend Rebecca and hand her a coffee you bought for her. She mouths a Thank you and your boss begins. “Okay. The launch of the new game is in a month's time. We need all testers working with the graphics team to get this game up and running for release time,” He looks around the conference room, “Where is Yoongi?” You look around and realize that he isn't seated in the meeting this morning. “Someone get him on the goddamn phone!” Your boss commands, his assistant hoping up to run out of the conference room to make the call. Just as she twirls in her seat, as if summoned, Yoongi walks into the conference room looking like pure sin. Your breath hitches at the sight of him mouth open wide as if he's been running, dressed in all black with a thin diamond crusted choker around his neck, his messy hair covering his eyes enough to cause him to have to tilt his head up to scan the room. “Fuck Yoongi, if you weren't essential to the team, I'd fire your ass.” Your boss calls out to him. Yoongi yanks his headphones from his ears and gives your boss a tight smile. “Sorry I'm late. There was traffic.” Your boss rolls his eyes while you bite your lip. It was ungodly for a man to look this good.

“As I was saying, for you Yoongi, we need to get the kinks out of this game before launch. The higher ups don’t want excuses they want results! I am putting you all in teams to finish up the last of the projected maintenance, testing, and graphics updates. I want all your work submitted to me one week before launch so we can revisit and correct any errors that pop up. Any questions?” He looks around at all the faces in the room. “Good, please see the assigned teams listed on the white board behind me. No excuses people. If it's my ass, its sure as hell your asses! Got it. Now get to work!” He stands quickly, exiting the room as his assistant flips the white board to reveal the assigned teams. You linger for a moment to gather your things. “Oh, girl, your dream has come true.” Rebecca elbows you. “What are you talking about?” You walk over towards the board and catch Yoongi pinch his nose. “Great looks like I'm stuck with Mother Teresa.” He whispers to himself. You swallow thickly, moving forward to catch a glimpse of the list. Your heart begins to thump heavily in your chest as you see in big bold letters under tester/graphics team 2: Y/N/ Min Yoongi. Never once had you had to work so closely with someone you were crushing over. You and Yoongi worked together in the same office but never.... closely. Hell, your conversations were so minimal you weren't sure he even knew your name.

*KNOCK KNOCK*

You jump at Yoongi hitting his knuckles against the white board before you. He gives you a perplexed look, “Are you ok? You spaced out I think.” “I’m fine.” You whisper. His eyes pop open in a worrisome way and you clear your throat, standing a bit taller. “I am excited to work with you.” You brighten up. He gives you a tight smile and quick nod before walking off. “What the hell was that creepy?” Rebecca scolds. “I have no idea. I just completely shut down.” You groan. “You think! He probably thinks you're a weirdo now, on top of the fact that you dress like a nun!” She points at your outfit. “What's wrong with my clothes?” You whine, stepping into your shared cubicle space. “You look like a librarian and not a hot one.” She notes, plopping into her seat. You run your hands over your favorite buttoned up black cardigan, tugging the fabric down to meet your black dress pants. “I think I look fine.” You shrug, taking your seat. She snorts. “You missed a button.” She teases. “That was purposeful!” You snap at her.

“Hey,” Yoongi appears at your cubicle, “If you have time today to go over our assignment, maybe we can grab lunch or something.” “Uh, sure thing.” You say quickly. “Cool, I’ll shoot you an interoffice message around noon.” “Yeah, sounds like a date… I mean plan…meeting. You know what I mean.” You ramble. He chuckles pointing at your shirt. “You missed a button.” You look down and fumble with your cardigan. “That was on purpose.” You mutter. “Oh, I like it. Living on the edge.” He teases, walking away with a wave. You drop your head into your hands, feeling your face heat with embarrassment. “Smooth Y/N, really smooth.” “Shut up Becca.” At noon your computer pings with a notification from the interoffice messenger:

Minyoon93: ‘I ordered sushi. Hope that’s ok. Going down to grab it. We can eat in my area. Meet you there.’

Y/L/N/Birth year: ‘Yum, sounds good.’ “Catch you in an hour.”

You tell Rebecca, scooping up your notes from today’s tests runs. “Mm, unbutton a couple more buttons.” She yanks at your cardigan. You swat her hands away, “Stop that! Goodbye.” You walk off towards the rear of the office, pass the larger glass door that separates where the graphics team sits, from where the testers sit. You walk past the single seated cubicles, catching everyone lost in their own worlds. You finally make it to the last cubicle before a left turn that’ll ultimately take you to your boss’ office. You run your fingers along the plaque with Yoongi’s name on it, surprised by how neat his cubicle is. He isn’t back from grabbing the food, but he’s set up another chair for you. You snoop a bit around his area, looking over his equipment, notes, and random Knick knacks on his desk. “You know its impolite to snoop.” You jump at the sound of Yoongi’s voice. “I’m sorry. I was just looking at your equipment. It’s really state of the art. I wasn’t snooping, I mean…” “I’m fucking with you. Are you always this wound up?” He tilts his head to the side looking you over. You feel your face heat under his gaze. “Uh, how much do I owe you?” You dig in your pocket. “Oh, don’t worry about it. You get next time.” You nod, your pulse racing at the idea that he wants to have another lunch with you before this one is done.

He opens the trays of food, handing you chopsticks, and begins to dig in. He points at the trays for you to join him. You smile, grabbing a sushi roll and popping it into your mouth. “I brought my notes on the levels I’ve tested so far. There are a few things that can use a bit of a makeover. Some general glitches that need software upgrades, and a few areas that need smoothing.” He nods, staring off, chewing his food. You don’t know why but you find yourself nodding with him. He says nothing, just keeps eating, and your eyes move down his neck as he swallows. You begin to look over his features. His sharp jaw, profound Adam’s apple, his cute button nose, how pink his lips are. God he’s gorgeous, you think to yourself, rubbing your thighs together. You’re almost tempted to reach up and run your fingers along his pretty little choker. He licks his lips, and a small moan escapes your throat. His eyes widen and he looks over to you. You collect yourself and grab a sushi roll, “So delicious.” You raise it up to him. He smirks.

“So, what’s you deal? You’ve been working here a while. You obviously like gaming. Why do you always seem so, I don’t know, reserved?” “Uh, I’m not reserved. I’m cool and fun. We just don’t hang out in the same circles. There’s no deal.” Yoongi looks you over, shaking his head so his bangs move away from his eyes. “If you have to say your cool. You’re not cool.” He replies with a point of his chopsticks. “Oh, and you’re the king of cool?” He sighs, thinking over your comment. “I’m not everyone’s cup of tea, no, but I think you like what you see.” He licks his lips watching you squirm in your seat. “I, you are crazy.” You stutter. “Am I,” He leans in close to you now, “Then how come you keep staring at me the way you do?” You don’t know how to respond, instead opting to stand to escape the conversation. In your haste to get away, you accidentally flip over one of the trays and it lands right in Yoongi’s lap. “Shit!” He shouts, dusting the rolls from his lap. “Oh my god! I’m so sorry,” You reach for napkins and begin to rub at Yoongi’s lap, “Let me get it.” “It’s ok Y/N, it’s ok, hey, stop. Stop! Hey, your rubbing my dick.” He grasps your wrist to stop your movements. You gasp, realizing you’ve been rubbing aggressive circles against his shaft. “I, oh my God. I’m such an idiot. I’m so sorry.” “Hey, no, it’s ok. No harm done. Just a few fallen rolls and jeans that need washing.” He smirks. You cover your mouth feeling your face burn bright red. You apologize again and run out of his cubicle as fast as you can.

“So, what, you jacked him off?” Rebecca looks at you confused. “No, I was trying to clean up the mess. I didn’t realize I was rubbing his.... ugh. He probably never wants to speak to me again. Why oh, why am I cursed to be this clumsy, nervous wreck?” “Girl, you need to get laid. I think you should march over to that boy’s desk and tell him you’ve been craving him for the last two years!” “Are you crazy!?” Suddenly a notification pops up on your interoffice messenger:

Minyoon93: ‘Hey! I didn’t mean to scare you away. We didn’t get to talk about our assignment, and you left your notes here at my desk. I usually work late if you’re interested. I’ll be here. No pressure.’

You read and reread his message, unsure of how to respond. “Don’t! Just show up to his desk after work.” Rebecca suggests when you show it to her. You work your current levels until the end of the day. “Go get him tiger.” Rebecca winks, leaving you at your desk. You fix your hair, apply a little lip gloss, and unbutton two buttons on your cardigan. You grab your new notes from the rest of the day and head back to Yoongi’s desk. He’s seated with headphones over his ears, his face going from his computer screen to your notepad from earlier. You tap his shoulder gently and he turns to face you. “Hey,” He smiles wide taking in your fresh look, “I was just working on your notes.” “I have more.” You dance your new pad in front of him. He waves you in, patting the chair beside him. You clear your throat. “Sorry again about earlier.” “It’s cool, I came on a bit strong. I shouldn’t have grabbed your wrist like that, I didn’t realize you were, well you know.” Your brow furrows. “I don’t know actually.” He leans in to whisper to you, “A virgin.” Your eyes burst open and your mouth falls open. “I’m not a virgin!” You protest. “Really? You just seemed uncomfortable with, anyway, I’m sorry if I was inappropriate.” He smiles. You sit in shock, wondering how you got yourself in this embarrassing situation. “Well, you weren’t inappropriate, I’m was honestly. I shouldn’t have touched you like that so I should be the one to apologize for inappropriate behavior and just for the record I’m not a virgin, so how about we just forget this whole thing.” He leans into his computer screen, stifling a laugh. “Sure, yeah. I’m ok with that. Sorry for assuming.” “You should be.” You tease, batting your eyes a bit. He scoffs, looking your way and you decide to be brave and sit a little taller, raising an eyebrow and crossing your legs in what you hope is a seductive manner.

He leans back in his chair, folding his hands in his lap. “Silly me, how could I have missed all the signs? What with your sexy cardigans and shiny loafers? You really know how to take a man's breath away.” He licks his lips, pressing his folded hands into his crotch. You swallow thickly, feeling your core heat. “Well you know we all don’t have the ability to don sexy little chokers and actually look good doing it.” His mouth falls opens as the realization of your own words hit you. “Did you just call me sexy?” He inquires with confidence. “No, I said your choker was sexy.” A large sly smile forms across his face and he reaches up to caress the diamond crusted choker. He reaches his hand back to undo the clip, removing it from around his neck. You watch him suspiciously. He soon hands the dangling accessory to you. “What are you doing?” You huff. “You’ll never know if you can pull it off, if you don’t try.” “Yoongi, I don’t think that’s a good idea.” He rolls his chair close to you. “Maybe that’s the problem Y/N, you think too much.” He leans in close, bringing his arms up to either side of your head, and latches his choker around your neck. You touch the tight accessory once he's done. “There, see, sexy.” He tilts his head to the side with a sly smile.

“Ah, look at you two working late on your assignment.” Your boss interrupts. Yoongi straightens in his seat, turning to face your boss, you on the other hand jump up. “I was just dropping my notes off for the day. I’m actually heading out.” Yoongi looks at you puzzled. “Well any productivity makes me happy! Come Y/N, I’ll walk with you over to the elevator.” Your boss states. You nod, walking towards him, stopping to turn to Yoongi. “Your choker.” You whisper, moving to remove it. Yoongi shakes his head. “Keep it, it looks better on you anyway.” You smile and walk off with your boss towards the elevators. “Y/N, do you know why I assigned you to work with Yoongi?” “No sir.” “Well, while he is one of the best graphic designers we have here, he’s arrogant, late, unorganized. I could go on but I imagine you get the drift. You on the other hand are classy, quiet, neat, put together, always on time. I know you can get things done in a timely fashion. You are always focused and someone I can count on. My intent was not to have that boy corrupt you and believe me I know his charms. I have heard the office rumors. What I need here Y/N are results in favor of the company, now can I trust you to keep that chaotic Min Yoongi in line?” You couldn’t believe your ears. Your boss was standing before you gossiping about you coworker. You could only imagine the things he really said about you behind your back. You simply nod. “Excellent. You really are a gem.” The elevator opens to lobby. “Have a Goodnight Y/N. I’m counting on you.” “Yes sir. You too sir.” You wave, happy that you are both going in opposite directions.

“You really know how to take a man’s breath away.” He praises, pushing your head down further onto his cock. His head falls back as dark sultry moans leave his gaping mouth. He hitches his hips up causing tears to form as you gag all over his twitching cock. “So sexy”, He grips your hair tightly, “I’m going to cum down your tight throat. Would you like that?” You hum in approval. He cries out loud and you brace yourself for his seed.

*BEEP BEEP BEEP*

You wake with a gasp, covered in your own sweat, panties soaked through. “Ugh, this has to stop.” You whisper to yourself. “Meow.” You look down at your cat, who calmly licks herself “Alright, you win today, let’s get you fed.” You slide out of bed and head to your kitchen to set out her breakfast. She hops up on the counter and you scratch behind her ears like she likes. “Eat up kiddo.” You place a soft kiss atop her head and jump in the shower. Today you opt for a different outfit, you wear black jeans and white spaghetti strap tank, with a jean jacket. You apply a little bit of makeup and curl your hair. “How do I look?” You turn to your cat who is now lounging on your bed. You nod and her unimpressed look and head out the door.

You arrive at the office and find your notepads on your desk with a post it stuck on it from Yoongi that reads ‘done’ with a wink face. You smile down at it and decide to stick the note onto your desk. You pull off your jean jacket and sit down at your desk, loading up your computer. “Damn Y/N, look at you. You have shoulders.” You roll your eyes, grabbing the coffee Rebecca is now passing to you. “Thank you. For the coffee, not the stupid comment.” You sip from your drink. “I guess you and Yoongi had a great night.” She smiles. “No, I dropped off my notes and left. I did however have an interesting conversation with our boss about Yoongi. He said he paired us because Yoongi is unorganized and he’s heard all these rumors about him and he wants me to keep him in line. How do suppose I do that? I can barely speak to him without creaming my pants.” Rebecca laughs out loud at your comment. “Who’s creaming their pants and why?” Yoongi appears with coffee in hand and your laugh catches in your throat. “Y/N was just telling a hilarious story about some movie she saw last night. You look great Yoongi, I love you in red. Y/N doesn’t Yoongi look great in red.” You look Yoongi over, he’s dressed once again in all black accept he offsets it with a red bomber. “Yeah, you look nice.” You compliment. “Speaking of looking nice, did you lose your cardigan?” He snickers. “Ha. Ha. It’s nice to change it up a bit.” You shrug. “You look good. So, you wanna grab lunch later?” “I can’t actually. I’m meeting someone.” “Oh, yeah, of course. Some other time then.” You nod as Yoongi gives you a nod and heads to his desk. “You’re meeting someone? Who, pray tell, are you meeting?” Rebecca slaps your arm. “Taehyung.” You murmur. Rebecca’s eyes pop open. “Get the hell out of here. Why? I thought we agreed, you were done with him popping in and out of your life. He broke your heart or did you forget?” “Of course, I didn’t forget,” You scold, “He’s in town ok. He just wants to check in and see how I’m doing. That’s it. It’s just lunch.” She shakes her head at you. “I’ll be fine Becca. Don’t worry about me.”

You sit, shaking your leg at the restaurant that Taehyung texted you the address for, he’s late. When he finally burst through the door, you’re livid. “I only get an hour for lunch.” You huff. “Sorry Jagi. I couldn’t find parking.” “Don’t call me that.” He nods. “Um, I wish you could’ve met me after work. This rush conversation stuff is hard for me.” He looks around for a waiter. “Well, how about you just start talking then.” You cross your arms in front of your chest. He frowns at you. “How’s Frenchie?” “She’s fine. Is that what you wanted to discuss? My cat?” “Our cat.” He whispers. “MY cat. She was left with me after YOU left me. So, she is MY cat.” “Still so angry Jagi. It’s not healthy to be this way. What was I supposed to do? Lie? Keep secrets?” “You did lie and keep secrets! You cheated! You cheat still just now it’s the other way around.” You hiss. He snorts. “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. I asked her to marry me. She’s pregnant. I want to do right by her. I love her. I can’t see you anymore in any capacity. I came clean and told her everything. She’s going to give me another chance so long as I end this for good.” You sit in shock. “Married.” Is all that slips past your lips. He nods. You grab the water from the table and toss it in his face. “Fuck you Kim Taehyung!” You spew as you head out of the restaurant. You allow yourself to get two blocks away before allowing your tears to flow. You run into the restroom when you get to your office and sob as quietly as you can. You wash your face of any and all makeup and head back to your desk. You find another post it on your desk this time from Rebecca. ‘Had to leave early, one of the kids is sick. Call me on my cell if you need me. Becca.’ You sniffle, curling the note and chucking it in the trash, immersing yourself in work for the rest of the day.

Its 5:15pm, when you get a tap on your shoulder. You yank off your headphones and give Yoongi a small smile. “Hey! You staying late tonight?” He asks. “Uh, I wasn’t planning on it. I lost track of time.” “You look stressed. You ok? I can take these notes off your hand if you’re done with them.” “Yeah sure. Thank you.” You hand him your notepad full of today’s fresh scribbles. He tucks it under his arm. “Go home and get some rest. I’ll handle this.” He throws a fist in the air and walks off. You smile weakly and begin to cry again thinking of the news Taehyung dropped on you. “Married.” You groan. You get up to leave but something pulls you in the direction of Yoongi’s desk.

You lurk a moment, watching him look over your notes. “Want company?” You interrupt causing him to jump. “Ah, you scared me,” He whines, “I thought you left.” “I was going to but the thought of going home to my uninterested cat made me kind of sad.” He smiles wide, exposing his gums and pats the chair beside him. “You have a cat huh?” He inquires. “Yeah. Her name is Frenchie. She’s cool.” You shrug. “I like cats.” “Oh yeah, wanna come meet her some time? She hates people.” You giggle. “You want me to come over to your house?” Your eyes widen and you begin to stutter. “I’m fucking with you calm down. You’re so uptight sometimes. You do know what joking around is right?” Yoongi says, stretching in his seat. “Sorry, I had a terrible lunch date today.” “Wanna talk about it?” “I don’t know. It’s weird.” “I like weird, try me.” He rests his elbow on his desk and props his head up with his fist. “I met up with my ex, which in and of itself should be a huge no no, but I don’t know part of me just hopes that one day, he’s gonna wake up and realize he made a huge mistake and we'll get back together.” Yoongi just nods, so you continue, feeling surprisingly at ease with him. “Well, it turns out he just wanted to inform me that he would no longer be reaching out to because the woman that he cheated on me with and then subsequently left me for is having his child so they are going to get married.”

“I’m sorry. I am sure that was hard to hear.” He whispers. You nod, swallowing back the lump in your throat. “I shouldn’t still have feelings for him. It’s stupid I know but, I loved him you know.” Yoongi nods again. “How long were you guys together?” “Three years.” “That’s a long time. How long was he cheating?” You cringe at the question but answer truthfully. “Two out of the three we were together.” “Damn, I’m sorry. What a jerk. How long since the break up?” You cover your face with your hands now, afraid to tell him. “Three years.” You whisper. “Say again.” Yoongi leans forward. “Three years ok! And before you judge me, just know he kept popping in and out of my life sporadically to sleep with me, making it hard for me to let go.” Yoongi stares at you like you’re crazy. “You just let go, you don’t do to someone what they did to you.” He replies. “Oh, what do you know ok. It was hard for me. He was my first.” “Heartbreak?” Yoongi inquires, still with the look as if you’re crazy. “No,” You turn your head away from his gaze, “my first, you know, sexual partner.” You look back at Yoongi to see his eyes wide and mouth agape. “Meaning, you’ve never been with another man…. since…when?” Yoongi squints at you. “I don’t know. Since he and I last hooked up. Maybe a year or so ago.” Yoongi’s mouth hangs open again. “Stop looking at me like that.” You shout at him. He suddenly starts laughing, rubbing his eyes, then drying his palms on his thighs. “You’re fucking with me, right? This is a joke. You got me.” He turns, shakes his head, and laughs some more. “Who jokes about stuff like that?” You remark and he snaps his head to look at the seriousness of your face. “You’re not kidding. So, you really are a virgin? Explains the button up cardigans.” He whispers to himself. “Alright, ha ha, very funny. Glad I could make you laugh. I’m leaving now.” You stand and he slides to the exit of the cubicle. “Come on,” He whines, “Don’t leave. I’m sorry ok. I just was…surprised by your story. Sit down, we are having a nice talk, getting to know each other. Please. I promise, no more asshole comments.” He gives you a thin smile and you sit down. “Well, what’s your story? I think we’ve heard enough about me.” You lean back in your chair.

He clears his throat. “I don’t have a girlfriend. Haven’t had one in a long time.” He fiddles with a character on one of the levels on his screen as he speaks. “Ah, I see. Not the commitment type. More of a tinder kind of guy.” He scoffs at your comment. “Uh, full disclosure, sure I’ve dabbled around in the tinder pool but after a while it gets boring and repetitive. I don’t mind commitment, I just haven’t found anyone worth committing to, you know?” “Yeah I get it. So, when’s the last time you, you know, did it.” You squirm awaiting his response. “Did it,” He cringes, “Uh, I don’t know like 3 or 4 months ago.” “Oh.” Is all you manage. “Does that make you uncomfortable?” He stops what he’s doing and turns to face you. “No, why would it?” You avoid eye contact with him, instead staring down at your feet. “Why do you ask then?” “Uh, I heard rumors. That you fool around here at work.” The words are out before you can think and he is completely taken back by the statement. “Oh yeah? Did you hear that from the boss?” You stutter unsure of what to say. “It’s all good Y/N, I know he doesn’t like me. I don’t sleep around with people from work. He made up that rumor himself because the person I screwed around with 3 or 4 months ago was his daughter. She passed by here once and left me her number. It was a one-time hook up but I guess she likes to throw it in daddy’s face. He can't fire me for it so he gives me shit instead.” “That sucks, I'm sorry I said that. I shouldn't have brought it up. It's a stupid rumor.” Yoongi shrugs, “Just admit that part of you wishes it were true cause you have a huge crush on me and we can call it even.” You giggle at his confidence. “I do not have a crush on you.” You attempt to look appalled. “Really,” He smirks suggestively, “That's too bad, cause I most definitely…” He leans in to whisper in your ear and you lean in close so you can feel his breath on your neck. “Think you're lying.” He whispers and you shove him away. He laughs, biting his lip. “You're too easy to tease.” “That's just mean.” You pout. “Don't do that.” He groans. “Do what?” “Pout like that. It makes it hard for me to resist kissing you.” You chuckle nervously, not sure if he's teasing or not.

You both stare at each other, the tight space filling with your heated tension. “You'd like that wouldn't you? If I kissed you right now?” His voice changes, deepens, as it fills with lust. You look up and around at the cameras on the ceilings afraid of being caught. “I could hack those you know. Make them see what I want them to see.” He reads your mind. Your heart beats rapidly in your chest, your core heating. You move your right hand over you left and pinch your own skin. “Oh, this is very real baby,” He smirks, “All you have to do is ask.” You lick your lips and watch as Yoongi's eyes flicker with excitement. You stand and move towards his desk, pushing his keyboard back so you can sit before him. He swallows hard watching your every move. “Here,” You whisper, “I want you to kiss me while I sit here.” His face changes and he becomes a man possessed hopping from his seat and leaping towards you. You pull him into a desperate kiss, digging your hands into his messy hair. His lips are warm and commanding, and you are surprised at how quickly you fall into rhythm with him. He glides his tongue along your bottom lip and you gladly open your mouth for him, allowing him to hungrily swirl his tongue around yours, claiming your mouth. You wrap your legs around his body, pressing your heat closer to his growing erection. He soon takes a hold of your hips, grinding your clothed sex against his length. You moan into his mouth while he nibbles and tugs on your lips. He growls quietly and you know you’re driving him wild. “Fuck you sound so sexy.” He confirms, lifting a hand up to grab one of your full breasts. You gasp at the sensation causing Yoongi to stop everything. “Is it too much?” He asks breathlessly, leaning his forehead against yours.

“No, I just wasn’t expecting it. Please don’t stop, touch me again.” You beg. Yoongi groans, pulling you closer against his jailed member. He begins trailing kisses along your neck, tugging on your earlobe with his teeth. “Tell me what to do. Tell me what you need.” He whispers, pressing kisses along your ear. You bite your lip, tugging at your tank top to free your left breasts. “I want your mouth on me.” You whisper to him, kneading at your heavy mound. His eyes are completely blown watching you touch yourself. He lowers his head, opening his mouth to latch onto you erect nipple. You curse under your breath at the feeling of him suckling and licking at your nub ever so gently. He kneads at the soft flesh with his large hand, pushing more and more of it into his mouth, eliciting loud moans to fall from your mouth as all your darkest fantasy of this man flood your mind. He releases your nipple from his lips to blow softly on it causing your skin to goose. “You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.” He tells you, gazing in your eyes from under his bangs while he lowers his head to suckle at your nipple once more. Your pussy clenches at the sight. You moan loudly, aggressively grinding against his massive hard on. He curses around your nipple, allowing it to fall from his lips with a loud pop.

He leans back a bit, pushing his hips forward, intrigued by your sudden burst of excitement. You are suddenly so overcome by lust and want that you've taken to a steady pace, thrusting along Yoongi's cock. He grips your hip with his left hand, panting heavily, still fondling your exposed breast with his right hand. He soon licks his thumb and index finger, tugging and yanking at your nipple. You curse under your breath as you fuck yourself shamelessly, your moans becoming more desperate and wail like. Yoongi watches you in awe, his mouth wide, and you wonder when the last time was that he had ever been dry humped. Suddenly, your eyes widen, as you feel that coil deep inside you tighten. You are in complete shock that this could even be happening but are too overcome with pleasure to care. You grip his desk tightly, moving your hips faster, dying for more friction. Your head falls back as that sweet sensation hits you, your coil snapping, sending you straight to heaven. You cry out, feeling your walls tremble, not stopping your thrust until your high has fully washed over you. When you finally come down, your eyes meet a sweaty Yoongi's impressed expression. You swallow hard realizing you're still at work. You raise your hand up in shock, covering your mouth, then your breast, pulling your tank over it. “Did you just cum right now?” He pants, adjusting himself in his jeans. “I need to go.” You shove him away. “Wait, what? Why? Hey, don't be ashamed. It’s ok, I thought that was so fucking hot.” You cringe. “What happened to not sleeping with people from work?” You snap. He looks at you confused. “That's a bit of a low blow isn't it. I've never done this before ok. Besides we didn’t exactly sleep together.” He responds angrily. “Oh really, mister I can hack the cameras. How many times have you done that before?” “Are you serious right now? You’re just attacking me to make yourself feel better about getting off at work.” Your mouth drops open at his comment. “Now that is a low blow. Excuse me please. I'm leaving.” He sighs but moves out of the way.

The following day, you arrive at the office early and get right to work so you can leave early and avoid Yoongi all together. Rebecca texts to inform you she will be working from home since her kid is still sick. You power through all the updates that Yoongi made to ensure that there were no more glitches. At exactly 9:15am, Yoongi saunters into the office late as usual, looking fresh faced and divine. You groan, drinking him in. His hair is still slightly damp from a morning shower but today he is in a crisp white shirt that brings out his pale complexion. You turn your head quickly as he passes by your cubicle. “Morning.” He grumbles as he passes.  You don’t respond, instead choosing to put on your headphones and work on your levels. By 10:30am, you receive an email calling for an emergency meeting of all the teams working on the new game in the conference room. You curse under your breath, throwing your headphones down and grabbing your notepads containing everything you and Yoongi have been working on. You reluctantly head into the conference room, spotting Yoongi already seated at the table. He looks up at you, nodding his head towards an empty chair beside him. You opt instead for one across the table from him. You hear him scoff as you once again avoid him. Your boss flies into the room with his assistant in tow. “Good Morning everyone. I have just heard from the higher ups today that they want to move launch day up a week.” Everyone in the room either groans or sucks their teeth.

“I know, I know, believe me I fought hard to avoid this but unfortunately my hands are tied. I was shooting for a week three review with a launch at week four but unfortunately that’s not going to happen. Review is next week, launch at week three people. I hope you are all working your asses off to get this game ready for streaming. How have our teams been working out, Y/N?” He shoots his gaze at you. You jump up. “Uh, great! Yoongi and I have already cleared levels one through ten of all its glitches. I have been reviewing Yoongi’s work to make sure nothing was missed but all in all we are ahead of schedule.” You explain. Your boss nods as Yoongi shoots his hand up like a child in class. “Yes, Yoongi?” Your boss looks in his direction. “Why on earth is she reviewing my work. Isn't that what review week is for? In addition, she's not my boss. I don’t need her micromanaging me. I am more than capable of handling my side of things.” You begin to shift uncomfortably in your seat but luckily your boss cuts in. “She is just a perfectionist Yoongi. No one is having you watched or micromanaged. We all know what you are capable of, no one is doubting that we just need to ensure that everything is set for launch day. Now you two play nice. Review is next week people. No more bullshitting! Now get out and get to work.” You see Yoongi clench his jaw, unsatisfied with the response.

Everyone runs out of the meeting room and you race to catch up to Yoongi. “Hey,” You breathlessly catch his attention upon arriving at this cubicle, “what was that back there?” He leans back in his chair, folding his hands in his lap. “What?” He drawls. “Your outburst.” You snap. He chuckles. “Go away Y/N.” He turns suddenly and begins starting up the new game. “Look,” You move closer to him, sitting on his desk, feeling awkward in the skirt you decided to wear today, “I am really sorry about last night. I get that I overreacted, and you're pissed but during work hours we need to remain professional.” He snorts, “So, after work hours we get to be unprofessional.” He leans towards you, grazing your knee with his slender fingers. You look around the office to see if anyone is watching the two of you. “Don't worry Y/N, I cleared the cameras after you left. No one is the wiser. Everyone thinks we’re just two regular co-workers discussing levels. Tell me, are you getting paid extra to keep me in line?” You are completely lost, and it shows. “What are you talking about?” “Funny what kind of conversations people have when they think no one is watching.” He runs his hand through his hair, his eyes never leaving your face. “I don’t know what you're talking...” Suddenly it hits you, “The elevator with...” You cover your face with your hand. “There it is,” He sighs, “I never took you for an office gossip, making dirty deals with the boss while no one is watching. Boy, if he saw you last night.” “Fuck you!” You shout. Yoongi’s brows shoot up as he looks around. You soon do the same, luckily no one has noticed. You drop your head. “I'll have you know that conversation was not what you think. I was horribly uncomfortable the entire time. If I agreed to anything it was because I like you and felt like I could protect you.” “You like me huh? Then why did you run off last night?” “Why do you think? I was embarrassed, I have never done anything like that before. Ever! To be frank, my sex life has been.... what's more basic than vanilla? Italian ice?” You cover your face with both hands to avoid Yoongi’s wide stare.

“You’re amazing, you know that?” He whispers, pulling your hands away from your face. You look at him with doubt. “I am so serious Y/N. I think you’re sexy whether it’s showing some skin or in your button up cardigans and loafers. Sure, maybe you can call what happened last night Italian ice and maybe someone really hasn’t been good to you emotionally or sexually, but I have never seen someone look more gorgeous than what you did last night when you made yourself cum. I couldn’t get that face out of my head.” “Oh yeah? Even though I left you with blue balls?” You laugh quietly. Yoongi’s face suddenly changes, his eyes darken, and you can tell he's turned on. “Is there something you wanna ask me baby?” He says in a low tone. You feel it straight in the pussy. You begin stuttering and he tsk at you. “No baby. No stuttering,” he leans in and whispers, “From here on out, you’re going to need to tell daddy exactly what you're thinking. Every. Single. Dirty. Thing.” He leans back in his chair, pressing his fist into his crotch, with sly smile. “I can't.” You whisper. “Yes, you can. I know you can. Your ex may have given it to you in vanilla, but I know you dream in rocky road. You wanna know if I went home with blue balls, if I still have them now?” He stands suddenly and moves closer to you, rubbing his fingers along your jaw. You shoot your head around, but no one is looking everyone still comfortable in their own worlds. “Yoongi, people will see us.” “Then you should act natural, so no one suspects anything.” He whispers, running the back of his hand down your arm now until his fingertips rub along the exposed flesh of your thigh. You shiver under his touch. “So, do you wanna know?” He asks again. You bite your lip to stifle a moan, gripping his desk tightly at the feel of his erection against the back of your hand. You nod your head. “I did and I went home last night craving you so bad that I lubed my hand up and stroked my fat cock until I drained my blue balls all over my belly. Then I laid there kicking myself because I never got your cell phone number so I couldn’t text you a picture of the mess you made me make because fuck if I didn’t wish you were there to lap It all up with your tongue.” You bite down harder on your lip, feeling your pussy clench around nothing. “Yoongi.” You mewl. “Yeah baby?” You respond by brushing his hard on with your fingers. “Say it, I need to hear you say it.” He leans into your roaming fingers. “I want…” “What do you want?” “I need…” “Tell daddy what you need.” You bite your lip, hearing him refer to himself as daddy has you bravely turning your hand to palm him through his jeans. His mouth falls opens, a small moan escaping his pout.

“She should be back there working with Min Yoongi.” Both you and Yoongi turn to the sound of the approaching footfalls. Yoongi swallowing hard, growling a bit before stepping away from you. You take a deep shaky breath, feeling the heat emanating from your cheeks. “Y/N?” Your eyes shoot open and you step out from the cubicle. “Taehyung? What are you doing here?” “Hi,” He smiles brightly, hugging you, “I hated how we left things. I needed to see you, make things right. I don’t want to end things poorly.” He takes your hand and you melt into his warm eyes. “Didn’t you guys end things years ago?” Yoongi states plainly with a clearing of his throat. Taehyung laughs, moving towards Yoongi and sticking out his hand. “Kim Taehyung. You must be Min Yoongi. One of the other testers told me you guys are working together on the new game.” “Among other things.” Yoongi gives a tight grin. “Right, well, I know it’s a bit early but maybe you can take a break and come grab lunch with me. I’d love to really talk, like really.” Yoongi scoffs and rolls his eyes. “Sure.” You respond. “Actually, we are really swamped. They pushed the deadline up so; we really have to get to work on these glitches.” Yoongi answers for you. “Oh, well in that case how about dinner?” Taehyung offers now. “Yeah I can do that.” You nod. “Ugh, we’ve actually been working late nights, double checking everything. Maybe next month, you know, after the launch.” Taehyung gives an awkward smile. “Can we talk in private?” He whispers to you. “You should really wrap this up Y/N, wouldn’t want the boss to see you just standing around.” “What’s your problem bro?” Taehyung snaps.

“Yoongi its fine! I’m fine. We are ahead of schedule. I’ll be back in an hour. Come on Tae, let’s grab a quick bite.” You push Taehyung towards the front of the office. “Uh, Y/N,” Yoongi calls out to you with money in his hand, “Can you grab me some sushi on the way back?” You nod and walk over to Yoongi to grab the money. “Please, don’t go to lunch with him.” Yoongi whispers to you, holding onto his money tightly. “Will you stop being so weird? I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me.” He looks you over, nodding in defeat. “Combo 13.” He says, releasing the money. “Got it.” You give him a smile, heading out with Taehyung. “Are you seeing that guy?” Taehyung asks once in the elevator. “Yoongi? Uh, no, we’re just friends.” Taehyung nods. “Really? You know you can tell me, right? It’s not like we are together. You can date whomever you want. He just seemed, I don’t know, jealous or something.” Suddenly your heart drops at the thought. “Really,” You suck your teeth, “I don't think so. He's just really serious about work.” Taehyung just hums in agreement. You both walk over to a nearby sushi restaurant and grab lunch, placing Yoongi's order to go. “So, let me just say that I'm sorry for tossing the water in your face. I was very angry. I'm sure you can understand why.” Taehyung nods. “Of course. I shouldn't have just thrown everything at you the way I did. It was insensitive. Look, I want you to know that despite what I did during our relationship, I really truly loved you. Even now I care so deeply about you. We were so young when we got together, we didn't know anything. I mean you were still a virgin; did you really think I was the one?” Your brow furrows. “Yeah actually, I did. I loved you with all my heart. I thought you were my forever. I thought WE would be getting married someday.” He frowns at your statement. “I'm sorry Jagi. I really messed up but I hope that moving forward we can remain friends. I think the world of you. You deserve nothing but the best!” You sigh, angry that you still had feelings for him.

“I agree. Thank you for saying that.” You tell him. He smiles, taking your hand from across the table, rubbing his thumb across your knuckles. “So, you’re not dating that guy?” You chuckle at the repeated question. “Like I said we are friends. He’s really nice to me. Doesn't judge me or poke fun like other people. He accepts me for me.” Taehyung gives you a thin smile. “Guys like that only look for one thing. They don’t care how you look or sound. He gives me bad vibes. Pushy you know.” “Well, he actually likes how I look. Unlike other men I know and to be honest I don’t know how you can determine his intent or pushiness from one encounter. He’s actually really sweet.” “Then I suppose you like him then?” “I never had an issue with how you look Jagi. I, for one, think you’re beautiful.” “Is that why you cheated?” You clip. Taehyung sighs. “I’m sorry again Jagi. I know it’s not enough but I really am sorry. What I did had nothing to do with you. It was my own issues. Maybe when things aren’t so painful, we can really talk about them you know. Right now, I think they’re still too fresh.” “Maybe you’re right. No point in opening old wounds.” You nod. You finish up eating, and allow him to walk you back to work. He insists on bringing you all the way upstairs. “Maybe when your game launches, we can grab dinner to celebrate?” He suggests on the elevator ride up. “Sure, that'll be nice.” “You're truly are so beautiful Jagi. Thank you for letting me set things right. Well, some things anyhow.” He leans in, taking you in a deep hug and you breathe in his cologne, taken by his much you miss his smell. He pulls away slightly and presses his lips to yours. You should shove him away, slap his face, but you don't. How could you? This man that that you loved so deeply, that took your innocence, that stole your heart, NO, that broke your heart! The elevator door opens on your floor and you push Taehyung away. You begin to stutter until Taehyung cuts you off. “Take care Jagi. Dinner soon.” You nod, stepping off the elevator, waving goodbye to Taehyung as the doors shut. He gives a cocky smirk. You take a deep breath and turn to bring Yoongi his lunch, only instead you slam right into his body. “Nice kiss?” “Yoongi, how did you?” “I'll take that, thanks.” He grabs his lunch from you and turns to walk away. “Hey! Wait. It's not what you think.” You whisper. “Don't care either way. Let me know when you finish levels eleven through twenty. Talk then."

You plop down at your desk and pull your phone out texting Rebecca, filling her in on all that has gone on in her absence. “FUCK!” She responds in big bold letter. You write back that you think you’ve blown it with Yoongi and now you don’t know what to do. It takes her a while, but she finally responds. “Be brave Y/N!!” You release a deep sigh and nod, knowing your friend is right. You’ve been in your neat little cage too long. It was time to be brave. You send her a kiss face and place your headphones on, determined to finish your next ten levels in record time. By 5pm, everyone is making their way out of the office, including your boss who makes it a point to say goodnight to you on the way out. When you’re sure everyone has gone, you walk over to the back with your notepad in hand. You slam the notepad down obnoxiously onto the desk of Min Yoongi. He doesn’t even react, pissing you off just a bit. You stand tall however, crossing your arms, awaiting a response. He turns his head slowly to look up at you. “Thanks, I’ll get to work on this. Have a goodnight.” He turns his attention back to his computer, pulling his headphones back on. You feel your resolve cracking. You remain standing there but Yoongi continues to ignore you. You tap his shoulder, but he simply raises one finger to make you wait. You fume at the gesture, yanking the headphone jack from the computer angrily. He swirls in his chair to face you. “I want you.” You say plainly. He opens his arms but says nothing. You begin to stutter, unsure of what to say next. He scoffs, shaking his and turning back to his computer. “Wait, um, I need you.” You pretty much whimper, biting your lip at how desperate you sound. Yoongi doesn’t turn around. “Please.” You whisper. “Go away Y/N.” He grumbles. “Did you hear what I said?” You whine. “Yeah, I did and to be frank, I don’t think you know what you want. Is it me? Your ex? And even if you did, you're so caught in your own head you wouldn’t even know how to verbalize it,” He turns suddenly, “I meant it when I said I liked you, but I won’t sacrifice my sanity for what you got going on with that guy. I play a lot of games Y/N, but what you got going on with your ex, isn’t one I’m interested in.” He moves to his computer once again, plugging his headphones back into the monitor.

‘Be brave! Be brave! BE BRAVE!’ You tell yourself.

You look up at the cameras for a moment, “Fuck it.” You whisper to yourself; you have wanted this man for too long to have him slip away now. You watch as Yoongi begins to work on the notes you left him. Your heart pounds in your chest, ‘Here goes nothing.’ You think to yourself. You lift your skirt a bit and slide your panties off, walking forward and dropping them onto Yoongi’s keyboard. He looks at the lacy fabric with intrigue, swallowing hard, and turning his head to you. His eyes are filled with desire, but he says nothing; does nothing. You lick your lips and move towards his desk; his eyes follow you the whole way. You push his chair back away from the desk just enough to lean against it. He smirks seductively, leaning back in his seat. You grab the sides of your skirt and slowly begin to tug the fabric up your thick thighs, stopping right before you are about to reveal your pubis. He releases a slow unsteady sigh, lightly clearing his throat. He didn’t say a word, but he didn’t have to, you knew how bad he wanted you in this moment. You glide your butt onto his desk now, being sure that you are seated comfortably. You slide your feet out of your loafers and rest one on each arm rest of Yoongi’s chair, parting your legs to reveal your dripping folds to him. His face soon drops, as if taken over by a completely different force, he watches you slowly caress and then part your lips. You dip your middle finger towards your entrance, collecting your juices before bringing it back up to your throbbing bud. You moan gently, staring straight at Yoongi who stares at you like a man possessed. “You see how wet I am?” You cry, arching your back as you rub circles around your needy clit. “I need you so bad.” You confess shakily. His eyes darken. “Careful,” He finally speaks, “You’re not in your right mind right now. You don’t know what you’re asking for.” You moan faster, feeling your core burn with the build of your orgasm. “I’ve wanted you for so long.” You cry out, slapping your clit now to keep from cumming too soon. “Fuck.” Yoongi growls, shaking his leg feverishly. You needed his hands on you, his mouth, something and soon! You were ready to burst. “Daddy.” You moan out the nickname you’ve heard him use on occasion, hoping to elicit a response, and boy a response you get. Yoongi’s eyes light up like a child on Christmas and he takes hold of one of your ankles pulling you forward a bit, his resolve seemingly holding on by a thread. “Don’t call me that. You have no idea what that does to me.” He warns. You rub your finger gently up and down your clit, opening your lips once again, “I need your hands on me, right here, in my tight hole. I want to cum on your fingers. Please…. daddy.” You say as sultry as you can. Yoongi springs up from his seat, wrapping a hand around your neck. Your eyes widen at the abrasiveness, your back pressing into his monitor. “Yoongi.” “No….no…. kitten, its daddy remember?” He pants, turning your head to suck on your neck. You moan at the feel of his wet tongue against your skin. He grabs your hand away from your cunt and places your sticky fingers in his mouth, sucking off your juices. “So, fucking sweet.” He groans, lowering his hand to your sex, cupping it gently, staring deep in your eyes searching for doubt. “Please don’t tease me. I want you to touch me.” You beg. He smirks, slapping your pussy hard. You cry out, arching you back. “Yoongi.” “Wrong again.” He corrects you with another slap, then another. “I’m sorry, I meant daddy.” He smiles now, gliding a finger through your slit. You whimper, pushing your hips forward.

“You’re a needy little kitten, aren’t you? How often have you dreamt of me annihilating this pussy?” His whispers in your ear. “Every night.” You admit. Yoongi moans at the confession. “What’s your favorite color?” He asks out of nowhere. “Uh, yellow.” “Yellow if its too much.” He tells you, kissing your lips hard, pressing one sole finger into your slick, pass your folds and into your entrance. Your mouth falls open, your moan trapped as he quickly adds another finger. He slowly begins to fuck your pussy with his long slender fingers, bringing them to the tips and shoving them in to the knuckles. His pace is so tortuous that you find yourself grinding your hips forward, trying to fuck his hand. He presses his forehead to yours, looking down, watching himself fuck your needy cunt. Your folds become more and more sodden with every thrust of his fingers, the sounds of your moans and slickness filling the small space. “God your so wet, I bet my cock would slide right in wouldn’t it? I can’t wait to fuck this tight hole. Make you mine.” His words cause a desperate cry to escape your throat.  “I love that sound. I’m gonna make you scream so loud when I fuck you senseless.” You mewl just thinking of all the dirty things you want him to do to you. He begins to tighten his hold around your neck, moving his thumb to your clit, rubbing your swollen bud. “Yes, daddy. Please don’t stop.” You strain, your core burning with your impending orgasm. He curls his fingers, pressing on the soft bundle of nerves inside you and your body ignites. Your vision begins to blur, your walls clenching hard on his digits, a sharp yet warm flush overpowering you. Yoongi quickens his pace and you scream out his name your orgasm rising fast. “I’m going to cum.” He groans deep in his chest, removing his fingers from your clenching cunt. You gasp, reaching up to claw at his shirt. “Why? No. I was right there.” You whine. “I know baby. Shh.” He kisses you gently, entering your mouth with his tongue. He cups your sex once again, slapping it suddenly, you jump at the sensation. He enters you this time entering you with three fingers. You squeal with pleasure, causing curses to fall from Yoongi’s lips at the sight of you. You relish in the delightful burn of this newfound stretch, baring down, to clench around him, your legs are stretched so wide Yoongi takes to rubbing the soft flesh of your inner thighs with his free hand. “So, fucking sexy, pussy so tight. My cock is so hard thinking about how amazing you’re going to feel stretching around me.” “God, daddy please, I need to cum.” You nearly sob. He quickens his pace, fucking you relentlessly now. He curls his fingers inside you once again, rubbing large circles deep inside your walls. “Rub your clit baby. Cum for me.” He commands. You drop your hand quickly, rolling soft circles over your bud. Your breathing quickens as your climax once again climbs up your abdomen causing your skin to goose. Yoongi presses harder into your g-spot, dropping his head slowly to your sex. Your eyes roll back at the sight as white waves of pleasure soon wash over you, your body trembling with the most overwhelming orgasm you’ve ever experienced. His fingers curl at just the right angle to cause your entire body to tighten and your climax to shoot out onto Yoongi’s face and waiting tongue. Yoongi pants hard, swallowing your juices as you continue to thrust onto his fingers wailing through your climax. He lifts his head pressing gentle kisses on your face as you soon come down from your high. You wrap your arms around his neck, saddened by the empty feeling once he removes his fingers from inside you. He licks them clean, kissing you softly again, your juices coating his lips. “I’ve never done that before.” You whisper to him, “You should come over to my place and we can do it again.” He chuckles. “No, that’s all for tonight. I will however drive you home.” You pout but nod. Yoongi helps you off the desk and you dress watching as he clears the camera footage. “Where’d you learn to do that?” You inquire. “Sorry kitten you can’t have all my secrets.” He turns to wink at you. “I’ve never been touched like that. Tae could never…” You trail off. Yoongi stands after he finishes hiding the evidence of what you’ve both done. He puts his hand out for you to grab and you both walk over to the elevator.

“If you let me, I want to make you feel good all the time, in so many ways. I just need you to trust me, we have to trust each other. I’ll give you whatever you want, you just have to ask and its yours and if its ever too much, you use the safe word.” You nod at him. “Yellow.” He smiles, nodding with you. “Yellow.” You arrive at the garage and Yoongi unlocks his car. You hop in. “So, what’s with the daddy thing?” You inquire. He laughs. “It turns me on. I like to be in control. I mean if it makes you uncomfortable, we can try something else.” “Did other women call you daddy?” You can’t help but ask. “I don’t want to talk about other women. “So, that’s a yes.” You chide. He sighs. “Full disclosure, yes, some other women have called me daddy. It’s what I like, but like I said if it makes you uncomfortable then we can switch it up.” “Did you call them kitten?” “No.” He says plainly. “What did you call them?” “Honestly, I like calling my women sluts, whores, things like that. It turns me on.” You nod. “So why kitten?” He shrugs. “Its what popped into my head, what turned me on in the moment. Do you want me to use something else?” You shake your head. “I like kitten.” “Then we’ll use kitten.” He rubs your cheek with the back of his hand. He soon begins driving, “You know you really surprised me today. I was definitely not expecting that from you.” He laughs. “I wanted to be brave, I guess. I wanted to show you that I’m serious about you. That whole thing with Tae was nothing. I don’t want to look back anymore.” He nods, nibbling on his lower lip. “I’ll admit I was jealous when I saw you guys kissing. I know I don’t have a right to be, we aren’t dating but still, it really pissed me off.” He swallows hard. “Well, you have no reason to be jealous. I can assure you Tae has nothing on you.” Yoongi laughs out loud at your comment, exposing his gums. “I love seeing you smile like this Yoongi. Its rare.” He looks at you quickly, leaning his hand over the gear shaft to place it on your thigh. You trace the prominent veins in his hand with your fingertip. “Um, I was brave today but I might still be shy about things.” You tell him. He squeezes your thigh. “I’m not in a rush.” He pulls into the garage of your building. “We’re here.” You pout. He nods, leaning in to kiss you. You latch onto his lips, kissing him desperately. You pull him closer, sticking your tongue in his mouth. He moans at the contact. “Please come up.” You say against his lips. He shakes his head. “Some other time.” You lean back in your seat, saddened by his answer. “I’ll see you tomorrow kitten.” You smile at your new nickname. “Hey! Take down my number.” You light up. He gives a big smile and hands you his phone. You enter your digits and lean in to kiss him again. “Goodnight Yoongi.” “Goodnight Y/N.”  

[some-kindofgnome]

Same anon here!!!! So looking at it I think food can fit into 3/5 love languages.

Most obviously and what I think would be Katsuki's main one, acts of service. As someone who was raised to show love and care through food, this hits home. He will sit and wait with baited breath when he tries a new recipe. He will never tell you but when you smile wide and tell him it's amazing, he is probably doing cartwheels internally.

Next up! Giving gifts. One of the best reactions I've gotten to a gift was when I made my ex fiance freezer meals he just had to microwave for Valentine's. And same with what you said about baking cakes!!!!! Giving food is also like giving someone a little piece of you!!!!!! Like here, have some of my heart but in a metaphorical, non-canibalistic way!

Lastly, quality time!!!!! Ok so one of my first memories is sitting next to the stove on the counter making smiley face pancakes with my grandma. You can't tell me Bakugou wouldnt secretly enjoy having you keep him company while he cooks. Probably doesn't want your help but loves having you there.

I can't help myself so here have a blurb:

He didn't realize what having you in the kitchen would mean to him. At first he thought you'd just get in the way, but no, you just sat on the counter or on a stool talking when he asked a question, humming to yourself when there was a comfortable silence and very rarely handing him a tool or ingredient if he briefly forgot where it was. You became his taste tester and despite his stoic expression, he secretly lived to watch your face light up when a new dish was good, and on the off handed chance it was ok or less he would spend the next week correcting it till you beamed at him once again!

Sundays became a ritual. Wake up, breakfast made by him, work out, clean everything besides the kitchen and then keep your boyfriend company while he did a week's worth of meal prep. He prefers you to sit on the counter next to where he is working. Better hugging and kissing height and he lives for the way you stop him from time to time, (when he isn't holding a knife) pull him close, running fingers through his hair and kissing him deeply. Once you wrap your legs around him it seals the deal and you take a brief detour from meal prep.

You threw off his whole plan for proposing to you this very way. He had reservations for a fancy dinner, someone to take photos, flowers, the whole nine yards. And yet. The morning off you had both woken up late, and as Katsuki stood at the stove making your favorite breakfast, he melted right into your touch. The ring he had constantly had on him for two weeks suddenly felt heavy and something about the moment just felt right and perfect.

So there, in the room you may very well use the most in your house, on a quiet Saturday morning, Bakugou Katsuki fell to one knee, "marry me?"

Yes, yes yes, was all you could say between tears and hugs and kisses. Until the smoke detector went off, the forgotten breakfast having gone up in flames.

And when you can't be 100% certain, you are confident at least on of you kids was conceived in that very kitchen. And don't think for a second Kaminari let bun in the oven jokes go once he found out!

Years pass, routines change, but, something remain. Katsuki showed his love through food and he sat each and every child up on the counter to watch, until they were old enough to help and learn, planting the seeds of this tradition in their little minds early on.

And you stand in the door way, admiring your husband and kids, watching sweet memories bloom before your eyes. Food connects us in some of the most beautiful ways. For the Bakugou household, food meant love.

Sorry it got so long!!!!!! Also, I did purposefully send it off anon, so no worries if you feel like sharing it. Or feel free to hoard it forever! Up to you! It's the least I can do for all the amazing writing you give us!

okay, okay, OKAYYYY, i’ve been sitting on this long enough. I wanted to keep it in my inbox forever and ever and ever so I could treasure it, but I’ve settled for taking a screenshot because the world deserves this joy just as much as I do. Especially today. Today feels like the right day to share this.

I just re-read your little drabble and it made me sOB BIG FAT UGLY TEARS. that spur-of-the-moment, private proposal is all I’ve ever wanted. and it feels so true to Katsuki, too. he doesn’t care who sees or who you’re with. he doesn’t give a shit about pomp and circumstance. he just wants you, and wants to show you that in the truest way he can.

to be proposed to spontaneously in the kitchen is a whole new level of special, especially for me. this conversation got started because we were talking about food as a love language and I connected so deeply with it because it’s my love language. to spend a single Sunday afternoon in Katsuki’s kitchen would be sublime. to spend every sunday in Katsuki’s kitchen would be transcendent.

thank you… so much for writing this. i’m literally about to print it out and stick it in my journal. i want it on paper. i want to keep it forever. i love it beyond explanation.

thank you 💖

[halloweennut]

Once Shattered, Now Whole: Chapter 1

In which more things of the past are revealed, Mara as secrets, and Chiro wonders how much he’s missing. Skeleton King plans a visit to a far off planet (heads up, long one here. also CW: implied PTSD and trauma).

Adjusting to life back home on Shuggazoom was different than how Mara expected it. Certainly a lot more war, and the monkeys were a surprise to say the least. But she woke up to an open room in a comfortable bed, no bars and no guards and no chains. Still couldn't eat regular food, but she was up to protein shakes at least. Mara was happy nonetheless - finally free from two prisons, both physical but one spiritual as well, and she was home. Her son was safe and healthy, on a better path than she was at his age, and he had found a family that loved and protected him as much as she did and wished she had been able to while away. 

What was hard was the difference eight years made. 

Part of her still expected that eight-year-old in his little school uniform to turn the corner and run to her, happily babbling about his day. Instead, Chiro was sixteen, tall as her chin, and was practically a war general. She was proud of the young man he became, of course...but she longed for the years between the two versions of her son in her mind. So many moments missed, so many triumphs she wished to have been there for, so much pain she wished to have shouldered for him. There was so much to make up for. Chiro understood why she had been gone for so long - it was a damn good reason - but guilt pressed every nerve in her body. 

So she made pancakes. Specifically, ones shaped like rocket ships. The ingredients were a little pricey, what with the blockades and most items being diverted to the effort, but it was worth it. 

"Pancakes?" Antauri asked, watching the rhythmic way she made each one. "You've been up for how long making them?"

"Only an hour!" Mara protested. "I wanted to do something special as a thank you, and because I wanted to surprise Chiro. These were his favorites when he was little-"

She froze, jerking the pan back to stop the flip and looked at him with some distress. "You don't think he's too old for them, do you? Should I make normal ones?"

"I do not think so," he shook his head. "I think he'll appreciate them. And if not, Otto seems to be enjoying them."

"I am!" Otto happily replied from the table. "She needed a taste tester."

"For the first few to make sure I didn't mess them up! And for the awkward ones," Mara reminded him. "Save some for everyone else! I'm almost out of batter."

"You know how long its been since we've had pancakes?" Otto asked. Mara raised an eyebrow. 

"Beat eight years."

Otto looked down at his plate at that. 

"Regardless, I know you're all busy today, and I know Chiro could use a distraction. I know he's been restless lately," Mara turned back to Antauri. "That skeleton freak has been quiet and Gibson hasn't dropped the sidebar on him yet. Which I'm a little glad about, honestly, but knowing him-"

"He'd much rather be actively helping than just planning sometimes," Antauri chuckled. Mara laughed at that, sliding the last few pancakes onto a plate. 

"That sounds right for my kid," Mara replied. "Though at his age, I wasn't exactly altruistic. Granted, I was running purely on survival mode."

She flipped the pancake high in the air. 

"He's a good kid."

"Who is- are those rocket ship pancakes?" 

Mara turned to the doorway, seeing Chiro and his growing grin. "Yep. Your favorite!" 

"Yes!" He replied, punching his fist in the air, but winced, clutching his arm. "Ouch-"

Mara clicked her tongue worryingly, walking over to kiss his forehead before maneuvering him to the table. "Don't do that star sweeper. Maybe you should talk to Gibson about a soak in the bacta-tank."

"I'd rather keep them open in case someone really needs it. Besides, I'm almost all better!" Chiro reassured. Mara rolled her eyes, ruffling his hair before placing a plate in front of him. "Thanks, mom."

"Anything for you, and the team of course," Mara replied grabbing her own plate, sitting down next to him. "I made plenty."

"Where did you get the ingredients? The blockades have been insane lately," Chiro said around a mouth of pancakes. 

"I had to dip into some pocket change, haggle, maybe toss around a few people," she replied with a smirk."...I'm joking about the last part." 

Chiro grinned back. Mara cleared her throat. 

"Speaking of pocket change, I have to go to the bank and a few other places. Wanna ride shotgun?" She said. "We're both sidelined, and I could use a ridealong." 

"I don't know, the team needs me, and if the Skeleton King decides to strike today-," Chiro began. 

"We can alert you immediately," Antauri said. 

"It'll be like old times when we would go run errands," Mara added. "Except maybe...we pick up one of my cruisers and ride in style. Maybe let you drive it..."

She looked at him mischievously from the corner of her eye, mouth turning up into a grin as Chiro's barely hidden excitement. Those cruisers were her pride and joy, and they were by all means collector's cars. The fact he was being given near permission to drive one before he turned 18? No way could he pass that up. "Yes! I mean, as long as the team can reach me."

"Go get your coat then," Mara said before pausing, realizing a quick flub. "Wait, scratch that, you wear a sweater now." 

Chiro brushed that off with a wry grin. It wasn't the first time she had fussed like that since she returned. Part of her was still primed for him being eight, sixteen being almost foreign ground to gain her bearings on. At the very least, a lot of it was still applicable - ruffling his hair, silly jokes, and now, rocket ship pancakes. Besides, it hadn't been that long! Mara still was adjusting after all, and more than she let on. There were times he caught her staring blankly out into a once familiar city, or waking up early in the morning or in the middle of the night, unable to sleep. She never spoke about why she did or couldn't sleep, but she would smile in that familiar way and ruffle his hair before pulling him into a hug. Chiro tried not to worry too much, but some part of him did, despite her saying not to. 

Pulling up to the hangar she once called home showed a different side to her. Chiro watched tension fall from Mara's shoulder the second they entered and the lights crackled to attention. She stretched her arms out to the room, as though welcoming it back to life. 

"Oh is it good to be back!" she said happily. "Definitely need to come in and clean though...tsk...I told Arch to put his tools away..."

"Arch?" Chiro asked. 

"Head mechanic!" Mara replied, picking up an old kit of wrenches, the leather wrap faded and warped and the tools in want for repair. "He made your mobile when you were a baby and insisted on putting everything together for your nursery. I swear, that guy could fix anything, but always left a mess..."

She sighed, tucking the kit into a tool chest. "They were all good people..."

"Sounds like Otto," Chiro said, bumping into her arm. He watched the smile return to her face. 

"Ha, you're right. Arch could also put away a meal like a beast," she laughed, slinging her arm over his shoulder. "Come on, let's go get that hotrod. We're going out in style."

The hangar of cruisers was as Chiro remembered if a bit brighter with the lights. "Hopefully they all still work...and aren't too dusty."

"Well, if that's the case," Mara said, walking with an acute precision down the rows, like a general amongst her troops. "We'll have a fun project to work on together. I may not be as good as Otto or Arch, but I've done my time as a mechanic."

Chiro smiled at that idea. "Have any of these in mind?"

"Cherry Bomb," she replied with a click of her heel as she turned to face him before whipping a canvas cover off the back of one of the cars. It took a few seconds for the dust to settle before he could actually see the car. Mara's hand gently knocked on the back of a sleek cruiser - cherry red as the name would imply. It was older than both of them combined but had no trace of wear or tear. "First one I ever bought. Let's see if she still purrs."

Chiro quickly ran over jumping to the other side before gently opening the door and sliding in as his mother entered the driver's seat. The keys were still in the ignition. The two looked at each other and nodded before Mara twisted the keys and then-

The cruiser roared to life. Mara whooped. "Atta girl! We'll get you gassed up and do a maintenance check when we get back to the robot!"

She looked over a Chiro with a wide grin, revving the engine. "Ready, kiddo?"

He quickly buckled in. "Heck yeah!" 

-

Mara drove more slowly than he thought she would. He understood, of course. It was an older cruiser and hadn't been driven in eight years, so taking it slow as to not crash or blow the engine was necessary. But she also was far more cautious than he expected. 

"Mom, I think a snail just passed us," Chiro quipped. "He's going to beat us to the bank."

"Oh, hush," she chided. "It's um...it's been a while since I've been behind a wheel or helm. I will admit I'm a little nervous. I mean, you're in here too, so my brain is in protective mode."

"I think I'll be okay if we went the speed limit," he said. 

She smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Fair point. Think you can handle it?"

"I think I can," he returned the grin. The engine roared as she sped up, weaving through the streets with a familiar hand. Still not going as fast as he pictured her, but once they got the car maintenanced, he could just imagine how fast and how wild she could maneuver it, and teach him how to as well! Soon enough, they pulled up the bank. Like many businesses, it was running on limited operations and was serving more as an enforced shelter. Mara walked in with steady confidence, Chiro close at her side as he tried to mimic the gait before stopping at the one opened window. 

"Hello," the clerk said. "How may I help you?"

"Hi, I need to adjust some account details and get an update on my son's account," Mara said. He looked at her confused.

"I have an account?" Chiro asked. She returned the confused look. 

"Well yes - technically it's a trust. The neighbors I left you with have been getting an allowance every month from it for you, and when you became an adult, you'd have full access," Mara replied. "Did they never tell you?"

Chiro shook his head. It did explain some things about his upbringing after she left though. Mara frowned at that. 

"Okay, putting a pin there...," she said softly before returning back to the clerk. "It's under Mara Destiny."

'Pseudonym, smart,' Chiro thought as the clerk typed the name into their computer. 

"Here you are. Your balance, ma'am, is 50 million credits," the clerk said. Chiro stared blankly, stunned at that. "And Chiro's trust is at five hundred thousand."

"Perfect," Mara said, unfazed. "Transfer another five hundred to the trust, would you? I'll also need an updated bank access chip." 

"Right away, ma'am," the clerk said before leaving to do so. She turned to Chiro, who still looked stunned. 

"My last job paid well," she explained. "And it's a pretty lucrative business."

"Mom."

"Yes?"

"That's a lot of credits."

"I was saving for a house and your university funds." 

"What kind of house?? A mansion?"

"Actually, yes." 

Before Chiro could speak further, the bank clerk reappeared. "Here you are ma'am!"

"Thank you," Mara replied, taking the chip. She rolled up her jacket sleeve to reveal a small wrist bracer and pressed a small button. A small chip was ejected, and she replaced it with the new one. The bank clerk took the old one for disposal. "All done!"

She smiled at Chiro, who only raised an eyebrow. "Are there any other secrets I should know?"

"Not until you're older, star sweeper," she laughed. "But if you have a specific question, I will answer it."

Chiro rolled his eyes and followed her out of the bank. "Where to next?"

"The apartment," Mara replied. "I need to go work out the paperwork and all that. Seeing as none of us live there..."

He paused. Chiro hadn't been in their apartment for years. He walked past it, every day growing up across the hall, waiting for the door to open but it never did. He wondered how much stayed the same, if it smelled like dust or the way it always had. Mara noticed him pausing. "You don't have to go there with me."

"No, no I want to go," he shook his head. "...can I drive there?"

"Maybe on the way back to the robot, okay?" she replied, hopping into the driver's seat. Chiro rolled his eyes but sat shotgun. Eventually, the busier streets of the city faded into calmer suburbs as they drove, and Chiro tried to remember the last time he went that way save during a fight. He hadn't exactly kept close contact with the couple who had taken care of him - they were always so busy anyway. Their old building pulled into view, all sleek and silver, and he remembered all the times he played outside or sat at the window to watch the weather - he could see it from the street. The curtains were faded and dingy, but they were still there. Mara sighed. "My first real home...our home."

"Is it?" Chiro said softly. "I..."

He couldn't finish the sentence, just opening the door to step onto the street. Mara looked up at the building, walking up the front steps, almost apprehensively, and subconsciously reached out for his hand, just like when he was little. Chiro reached past, putting in the code for the building, and swallowed the lump in his throat. The building honestly hadn't changed. 

"They really haven't renovated, huh?" Mara said. "Incredible."

Their old hallway was also the same. Chiro suddenly felt younger, smaller. They walked down the hall, stopping between their old door and their neighbors'. 

"I need to get the keys from the neighbors," she said. "And I need a word with them."

Mara knocked sharply.  Chiro wondered if they were even still there or if they somehow didn't notice the war at their doorstep. But surprisingly, the door opened, revealing Mrs. Leone. 

"Hello? Oh, Chiro! There you are- Mara??" Mrs. Leone exclaimed. "Where- what happened? To you?"

Mara shoved the door open to Chiro's surprise, eyes angry. "What happened, Jordan? I come back to Shuggazoom to find out my son is a child soldier and that you barely kept an eye on him! He didn't know about the trust I left for him, the one you were supposed to use to take care of him! I trusted you, and I find out he's been fighting to protect Shuggazoom since he was twelve!" 

"Kurt and I were just so busy- and Chiro was always so self-sufficient-," Mrs. Leone protested. 

"Because you failed at the one thing I asked you to do! Do you know how hard it is to get my son to accept help or take a break?" Mara poked the woman's chest. Chiro looked at her in disbelief, but they hadn't really been there the years they had him. "The people who have actually taken care of him have told me! I've seen it with my own eyes! He's a kid!" 

"Now Mara that is not fair! You were gone for eight years!" Mrs. Leone spat back. "What, would you have preferred some other situation?"

"You precious little-," the captain snarled. "I trusted you! Now give me a reason why I shouldn't make a call and have you-"

"Mom! Stop, that's enough!" Chiro exclaimed. He was honestly upset at the display. "It doesn't matter anymore!" 

Mara huffed, glaring at Mrs. Leone but stepped back. "Give me my keys. And if I find out you used the money for anything-"

"We honestly forgot about it," she replied cooly, pulling the keys from a side table. Mara took them roughly. 

"Just like my son," Mara hissed. "Chiro, do you have anything here?"

"No," Chiro didn't mean to sound as clipped as he did, and took the keys from her. "Let's just get this over with."

Before she or Mrs. Leone could say anything more, he rushed out, gripping the keys tightly as he went across the hall. They left indents in his palm as he dropped the many to hold the main one, unlocking the door. The apartment was dark and drab and smelled stale. A coating of dust covered every surface, and there was a chill in the air. It was nothing like he remembered. His mother was nothing like he remembered sometimes. Everything had really changed, and he thought he caught all of them neatly in his mind. What else had he missed? Had he changed unknowingly? Chiro felt an uncomfortable catch in his throat. He heard the door click shut behind him.

"Chiro, I'm sorry-" he heard his mother say and he whirled around. 

"What was that? Mom, I'm not a little kid! I can handle people being angry around me, but I expected...I don't know what I expected because there's so much I don't know about you anymore!" he exclaimed. It all bubbled from his chest. "First you're dead, then I find out you're a smuggler and were in jail, then you're alive and you're a different person than I remember! You have so many secrets and I don't know anything! I've never seen you so angry! And-"

He couldn't finish. Mara pulled him into a tight hug, gently shushing him. "I'm sorry star sweeper. I never wanted you to see that side of me, and I shouldn't have reacted like that. I just...I trusted her with the most important thing in my life..."

She leaned back to kiss his forehead, wiping tears from his cheeks. "And I know I have secrets, and there's still more to tell you. I just couldn't tell you before, mostly for your safety, and now still for that. But I'll let you know more, but there are some things I'm not ready to talk about yet. You're old enough." 

"You promise?" Chiro murmured. 

"Absolutely sweet boy. On the way back, I'll let you drive back to the robot, sound good?" she replied. He nodded. "Alright star sweeper, let's see what-"

Chiro felt her freeze. "Mom?"

"Someone was in here," she said quietly. "The dust isn't even."

He slowly turned, looking around the apartment. She was right. There were patches of dust that were gone, and recently too. Mara gently tugged him behind her.  "Stay there..."

She quietly crept to the bookshelf, grabbed a box from the top shelf, and pulled out a small blaster. "I know- more secrets. I hid a few around the house."

Mara gestured for him to come closer. "If anyone is here, run and call for help. Okay?"

She didn't wait for a response - the order was too firm to be questioned - and quietly cased the open rooms of the apartment. Nothing in the living room or kitchen, nor the dining room, and there wasn't a sound. They reached the first bedroom- Chiro's. Mara charged the blaster, and quickly opened the door, ready to fire...and there was nothing. And in a literal sense, nothing. The room was ransacked. Furniture overturned or wrecked, and nearly everything was missing. The window was broken but closed. "My room..."

"Oh stars...all of your things! You had a favorite stuffed animal," Mara said weakly as she picked through the sheets of his bed. "It was a little monkey! You loved that thing-" 

"Ironic now," Chiro tried to laugh. But he couldn't. Almost everything he had was gone from his past. Clothing, toys, even his school uniforms...He froze. Was this how the Skeleton King had gotten all of his things in that weird shrine? How had he known? By the looks of it, it had been sacked years ago.

"Wait, wait- you put it in my bedroom before I left! So that way someone would always be home-," Mara exclaimed. She quickly went to the next room, and Chiro heard her gasp and ran to her side. 

"Mom! What-," her room was in a similar state, but all the more recently. "Oh no...Mom..."

Mara holstered her blaster silently. The life she had built was really taken from her in every way. "I hope...please still be here..."

She approached the bed, and pulled back the covers, somehow undisturbed in the wreckage. And lo and behold, there was a familiar stuffed monkey, a bit faded with time. Mara smiled, plucking it from the pillows before squeezing it tight before turning to Chiro. "I think this belongs to you."

He took it gently, running a thumb over the well-worn plush. He remembered it then, tucking it into her bed before she had led him across the hall, how he loved the thing. "I remember how you had to sew the eyes back on constantly."

"It was well-loved," Mara replied. "And I never minded." 

She sighed. "At least that is still here, and the photo albums are still on the shelves, so I'll take that." 

"Maybe there's something else? Not everything could have been stolen," Chiro offered. It was weak. Everything personal to them was gone. Mara picked up a small jewelry box. She hadn't worn a lot of jewelry back then, but he remembered her having a lot of pretty things in it. Some of them were scattered on the floor, surprisingly so if it had been a normal robbery, but something told Chiro it wasn't. 

"That's not what I'm worried about," she replied. She lifted a small hinged part of the box, revealing a small hidden compartment. "It's gone..."

There was an uncomfortable sound of sorrow in her voice. "Mom? What was it?"

"It- it was a ring. It meant a lot to me," Mara replied. "I can't remember how I got it or why it was but...it did." 

She knelt down, picking up the pieces of jewelry on the ground, and perhaps in some attempt to find the ring. Chiro joined, placing the stuffed monkey down. But nothing of the sort was found. Chiro couldn't remember her wearing a ring, ever. But by the look on her face, he knew it was important. Perhaps, this was one of those secrets she wasn't ready to talk about yet. "I'm sorry..."

"Don't be...," she said. "I'm just confused. All these pieces are valuable. ]Why only take a few? A lot of things in the apartment are still here too. And why steal your things? It makes no sense."

"I have an idea of what happened," Chiro sighed. "You won't like it."

The ride home was quiet. Chiro drove slowly, mostly for his mother's benefit. She had the stuffed monkey in her lap, and the items they could recover were in the back. He knew that, once she got over the shock of the Skeleton King raiding their home, she'd be pulling out the baby pictures to show the team, and more than likely and horrifically Jinmay. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched her worry the same paw that he always did. Soon, the robot came into view. 

"Once we get Cherry Bomb docked," Mara said, breaking the silence, "We'll show her off to Sprx and Clayton. Then we can run a diagnostic and see how she's doing." 

"Sounds like a plan," Chiro replied. "I was thinking...maybe that little guy would feel safe with you for a bit? I mean, I don't want you to think I don't want him anymore, but-" 

Mara laughed. "You said that when you put him in my bed - that he'd feel safer there. But yes, I'll keep him safe."  

She paused for a moment as they slowly docked. 

"I think I'm going to need a minute after we run the diagnostic. I'm alright, I just...there's a lot on my mind right now," she said. "I'm sorry-"

"No, I think I do too...," he replied. "Maybe we can make those brownies with the leftover stuff from breakfast?" 

"I was just thinking the same thing, star sweeper," Mara smiled, leaning to kiss his forehead. "Come on, let's unpack and get those two so we can show off the hotrod." 

That night, despite everything and anything and a warm stack of brownies that she was finally allowed to eat, Mara sat in the observation deck, alone as the world was quiet, save the occasional hum or click of machinery and monitors. Nearly everyone was asleep by then. The Sun Riders were taking care of the night-shift patrols with the volunteers, and her son and the rest of the team were asleep. Or so she thought. 

"Mara? You're awake."

She turned to see Antauri approach. She forgot that he didn't need to sleep like the rest of the team.  Mara nodded, clutching the stuffed monkey close to her chest. "Yeah...couldn't sleep."

"Chiro told us about the apartment," he floated at her side, legs crossed. "That must have felt so violating." 

"It does," she said softly. "I'd never had an apartment or a house before that one. And now...I don't think it could ever be mine or Chiro's again..."

"I am deeply sorry," Antauir replied, watching as she buried her face in the stuffed animal. "Mara?"

"I don't want people to see me like this," her voice was muffled. "I just...I thought I could leave so much pain behind when I got back. But it seems like it just keeps getting rehashed."

"Mara, do you...do you want to discuss these things? You haven't been sleeping well, and I have noticed some patterns of disassociation, extreme caution, and anger," he replied. He heard her sigh - she knew it herself. "There's no shame in it."

"I'm...I'm a captain. I'm strong for everyone, especially my son," Mara weakly protested. "But being back there..."

She raised her head up, and Antauri could see a faraway look in her eyes before they focused on him. 

"What I tell you, it doesn't leave this room. Chiro can never know. I only just...realized what happened," Mara said. Antauri nodded. 

"I won't discuss it, I promise," he replied. "What happened?"

Mara sighed and took a deep, steadying breath. "This isn't the first time someone- something has broken into our apartment."

--

Chiro had always been clever, so clever. He figured out quickly how to get out of his crib, especially if he was protesting bedtime. It had become a pattern when he turned three. Mara would put him to bed, and not even ten minutes later he would toddle out of his room and straight to her lap. She didn't have the heart most of the time to put him right back. How could she say no to those bright eyes and unruly mop of hair? He would smile and babble and Mara could only just pull him close to her chest, rocking until sleep finally took him for the rest of the night, and right back to his bed he'd go. 

One night, after following their routine, perhaps an hour later, Mara heard a thud from his room. She assumed, at first, that Chiro woke up and would come running out. But that didn't happen. There weren't any sounds of playing or babbling or even crying from his room. Her mind immediately went to the worst scenario: that he fell out of bed trying to get out and had really hurt himself. She sprinted from the couch, and burst into the room...and screamed. 

A hulking figure stood over her son's crib, looking more like an animated shadow or an inkblot come to life, the only flash of anything in the pitch was a mimicry of a skull for a face. Chiro was sound asleep, unaware of the chaos above him, the danger that was posed as the creature had extended its large claws toward him. It looked at Mara in surprise, framed by the dim light of the suburbs from the open window. It let out a screech before leaping from the room and to the street below. Mara quickly grabbed a hidden blaster - out of reach of curious toddlers - took aim...and the creature was soon only a splattered mess on the pavement below. The reverb of the blaster woke Chiro up, and he sobbed, screaming from the sound. She was quick to drop it, slamming the windows shut before picking up her son, cradling him close, and soothing him until he fell asleep. But Mara didn't put him down. She grabbed a packed bag - as she always had ready, just in case - packed him into her car, and sped off to the hangar. 

They spent a few nights there. Her crew cased the place for weeks afterward, someone always keeping an eye on the windows. And Mara circled a large house for sale at the center of the city. It hadn't been owned in decades, abandoned by some missing millionaire, but even then the security was still state of the art. She only needed a few more jobs to get it, and then...they'd be safe. 

"I only just found out what it was...," Mara continued. 

"A Formless? But how?" Antauri asked. She shook her head.

"I don't know. I didn't know anything about any of this back then. But he knew, somehow. That's why a Formless was there that night, it must be. That's why they broke into our apartment for his things - but why mine?" Mara replied. 

"It's strange. The Skeleton King didn't know who Chiro was until he unlocked the Power Primate and woke us...perhaps there's more than we know to that prophecy...," Antauri pondered. "It could be that by destroying that scout, you prevented him from any action concerning or knowing about Chiro until later. He must have sensed the shift in the Power Primate when Chiro was born and sent scouts to look for him." 

"So he's always known Chiro existed, and then stole his things?" Mara asked. "Why? And why mine as well?"

"I am unsure. It could be part of his obsession with destroying us, and now that he knows who you are...you're in this as well," Antauri replied. Mara sighed. 

"I'm going to shoot that bag of bones between the eye sockets and turn the crystal into a lovely chandelier like a messed up trophy." 

"I can't think of anyone who'd stop you."

-

The Skeleton King parsed through the items taken from his hero's apartment. Unfortunately, the original collection he had was destroyed, but the new additions were a decent replacement. A few photos were of interest, since he only had such a limited range of what his former general had looked like in life, some articles of clothing, a blaster and ammo, all fairly standard. But what held his attention was the crystal and silver ring the scouts had brought back. His former general had hidden it away from view. The band was delicately woven together, interlocking bands of metal and mineral forever intertwined. There were few like it in the cosmos and fewer who knew its worth. The Skeleton King figured she would know the value of such a thing, and kept it hidden for that alone, as any sane person would do with something so rare. After all, it was what she had managed to do, inadvertently, with their hero. 

And yet...

He plucked it from the pile of things taken, and it rested in his palm, dwarfed by his hands. It felt heavier somehow, warmer too. It was an unfamiliar sensation, long forgotten in the Black Spire where sunlight dared not breach. The Skeleton King held the ring under the dim light of his castle, watching the ways it caught the light. The crystal shined like its home planet of Korolodol, precious and guarded. Well, until recently. He held his sway over the place still. 

Perhaps the Veron Mystics could explain how such a thing ended in his General's hands.

[notmrskennedy]

Whatever You Need

(Chip x Fem!Reader)

A/N - am I little in love with Chip? Yes, but who isn’t? So please enjoy my hot take on our lovely Mr. Chip Taylor

Summary - a university professor meets a very adorable maintenance guy ...

Warnings - a pinch of swearing and two teaspoons of mentioning gross things

Word Count - 3k 

-------

There’s a thin line, she realises as she rushes into the lecture hall, between anthropological research and grave robbing. When you’re on loan to the federal government and a water pipe bursts at a cemetery, there isn’t much to do other than say, ‘yes sir Mr. FBI agent, I will gladly slop through three feet of mud and water, digging through graves!’

She’s ten minutes late to her lecture. Ten minutes long enough that the TA’s are snickering. Ten minutes long enough that the entire class looks horrified that their Anthropology 101 professor is covered head to toe in dried mud, grass, and whatever else could be found in destroyed 19th century coffins.

She sets her bag down heavily on the desk and startles everyone in the room. Sans the maintenance guy. He’s tinkering with vent at the foot of door. He’s mostly a faded ball cap and a distressed jean jacket, one arm shoved up the vent. She can’t imagine why someone would have their arm up a vent, but god only knows why the university would ask someone to.

A moment passes where she unabashedly stares. How did she miss him? Was she in that much of a hurry that she nearly tripped on the guy and didn’t look back? And what the hell is in that vent?

The TA’s snicker behind her back, sobering up when she shoots them a half deadly look. She’s covered in mud, not lenience. She half hopes Maintenance Guy will turn around—she has a desperate, yet beguiling feeling he’s hot. But what she’s really curious for is what’s stuck up that vent.

And he doesn’t turn around—his complete disregard of her is a 180 from the rapt attention she’s receiving from her students—until she’s frustratedly brushing dirt off her face. Pulling grass from her hair.

“Let me just start with,” she begins, pulling an earth worm out of her sleeve, “if the federal government asks you to sort through bodies in a flooded cemetery, tell them no. And despite how much fun grave digging can be, there’s a thin line and that line is punctuated by whether they’re arresting me or not.”

Maintenance Guy snorts, head turned to beam up at her. She’s almost taken aback by how bright he seems. How his grin puts the sun in its place. He looks honest, grease stains and all.

There’s something to be said about the fact she’s studying his bone structure instead of his fleshy bits. She can’t tell you what colour his eyes are, but his zygomatic bones are killer.

“Professor?” a TA prompts, ineffectively holding back their own knowing smiles.

“Thanks for reminding me,” she replies, digging through her bag to hand out a stack of student essays. “Pass these back, please?”

Tick one for the professor.

“And as per usual,” she announces, leaning back against the white board, “let’s do our daily recap. And as you know, these questions can be used to aid in exams.”

She sneaks a glance at Maintenance Guy, pulling his arm out from the vent. He grumbles, digs through his toolbox, and grabs a screwdriver. Whatever is in that vent is stuck.

Once the rustling stops, she says, “Okay, question one: if your professor—that would be me for those of us who are new—were to be one of, say, five wives with one husband, it’s called—?”

“Polygamy!” a student shouts from the front row.

“You’re right, but you aren’t correct,” she says, standing up straight. “Polygamy is the practice of having more than one spouse. Polygyny—with an ’n’—is multiple wives to one husband. Examples of the culture are Kenya’s Logoli and other Abalulya sub ethnic groups.”

She writes it on the board for spelling, and glances over to see Maintenance Guy paused in his excavation of the vent. He’s paying better attention than her students. It’s sort of sweet and she stifles her soft giggle at the thought.

He’s ridiculously tall and she takes a moment to appreciate just how long his femurs have to be.

“Question two!” she announces and finds even the most hungover kids forcing their attention on her. “If your professor were to marry five men all at once, that’s called—?”

“Polyandry,” a student pipes up from the back. “A lot of times it’s fraternal marriage.”

“Examples of a culture that practices—”

Pop!

Maintenance Guy rolls back with the force. His knees are still bent from where they’d been used as leverage against the vent, a wall of debris bursting into his face. In one gloved hand was a dead raccoon, while the other desperately brushed bits of the vent’s clog—a raccoon’s nest—from his eyes.

“Oh Jesus,” she mutters, jumping into action. She picks up a garbage bag from his toolbox and nets the dead animal from his hand. It’s a pretty tame find, though she’s used to human remains which tended to be—gooier.

With the animal tucked up, she hauls Maintenance Guy to a sitting position, frantically cleaning the odds and ends of the nest out of his eyes. She steals his ball cap as she whispers kind words to him, further trying to shake the bits of insulation out of his shaggy hair.

The class is in a terrible chatter behind them. Not that it matters. Not with Maintenance Guy’s eyes opened and his hands gently clutching onto her wrists as she brushes the last bits of insulation off his cheeks. His eyes are definitely hazel up this close.

“Thanks,” he croaks, still gently latched onto her hands.

“It’s no problem,” she smiles back, absently studying the rest of his face. He’s got the kind of skull she’d love to see on her table—well, maybe once he’s died of his own accord because he seems rather sweet. Confused and concerned, but…sweet. “Don’t worry. I’ve had much worse flung all over me. You don’t much get used to it.”

He smiles, barely chuckling. Coughs up a bit of insulation.

“You might want to see a doctor. Insulation in the lungs is…what gets you a one way ticket to my lab.” She grins at her own terrible joke. His eyes are too close and she can’t help but wish for a skeleton to be looking back at her. She understands those. People are too…gooey.

“I’m Chip,” he offers, silently asking her for help to his feet. She does, offering her own name in return. He mulls over it, like it’s a fine wine sitting on his tongue. “Professor Y/N. Thanks again.”

She shrugs, mouth suddenly too dry. Heart beating too fast. Jesus, human interaction was going to kill her. There was no job to distract her from Chip’s strong hands. There were no bodies to keep Chip’s genuine gaze off of her. There wasn’t anything to distract from seeing Chip as so pleasantly human.

“Want the raccoon as a consolation prize?” he chuckles, rubbing the back of his neck with a newly de-gloved hand. There’s something satisfying about answering questions that aren’t meant as questions. Especially ones that showed just how weird she really was. The questions that were relationship testers—like can we be friends if I tell you that I keep carrion beetles as pets?

“Actually, sure.” Chip’s jaw drops just slightly open. He has cute teeth. “Dissection is a key part of the anthropological process, forensic or not. Let’s see just what this raccoon was up to. Eh, class?”

Every single one a deer in the headlights, the class goes eerily silent. She winks at Chip and announces again. “Don’t you guys want to see what I do for a living? I mean human remains are much cooler but I think we can settle for a mostly solid raccoon carcass.”

A TA clutches at her stomach. “Professor, never say that again.”

The professor just laughs, absentmindedly taking a soft grip on Chip’s shoulder. “Don’t worry everyone, Chip’s going to keep the raccoon. At least I’m not making the final a practical examination. I do have access to laboratory rats—“

The entire class clambered forward, hoping to dispel the idea and the evil smirk off their professor’s lips. She just beamed back at Chip, dropping her hand. She expected the same horrified expression of her students, but he seemed, dare she say, impressed.

That wide eyed shock creeps onto her face. Because who would risk being impressed by a professor covered in dirt from grave digging who offered to dissect a raccoon at 10 AM on a Tuesday?

Apparently, it’s this guy. Must have a thing for crazy women.

Chip shakes his head, bites his lip, and turns to stoop for his raccoon trophy. “I’ll, uh, have them send someone for the nest. I—I guess I have to do something with the raccoon, if you’re sure you don’t want it?”

She just shakes her head, failing miserably at keeping her cherry red tint to herself. “No, no. Maybe next time.”

“Next time,” he repeats, rather sadly, to himself. Though, as he turns to leave, it feels more like a promise.

#

The worst part about knowing Chip is that she seems to see him everywhere. Rushing between lecture halls? There he is, doing his best to fix a fountain. Getting escorted away by federal agents? There he is, sympathetically waving as he walks across the quad. Leading a group of students outside to lecture on the green? There’s Chip, fixing a sprinkler.

She’s had exactly three times in the last six months to talk to him. All under three minutes.

But today, today she’s running late from court. Grand jury testimony had gone fine, until Agent—God, she’ll never learn his name—WhatsHisFace tried to ask her out again. Because what a turn on talking about the mutilation of a hacked up college girl was.

It also didn’t help that, outside of the court room half an hour before, she was doodling what she thought Chip’s skull would look like.

So she can’t help but storm into her postage stamp of a classroom, dropping her package on the desk with a gentle, yet annoyed huff. Her 12 students, all seniors in the Anthropology department, raised their eyebrows at her. At her court getup.

She’d missed those formative lessons at 13 on how to be a proper lady. And even if she had had them, it probably wouldn’t have stuck. Besides, what she wore into the field had to be more than acceptable for the university’s standards. The heels and pink blouse of today were extremely rare and uncomfortable.

“Whoa, Professor Y/N!” Reese Rosebeck calls out, dramatically twitching in his chair, “Is that really you? You look hot!”

“Ha, ha. That’s a very coherent thought for the kid who wrote the worst paper I’ve ever read,” she deadpans. She relents when she sees his dramatic puppy dog pout. “Though, I do have to say I enjoyed you’re use of colloquial slang. Accentuated your point very cleverly.”

“As long as I impress the hottest professor on campus, I’m alright.”

There was a quiet laugh from the back of the room, and she found her eyes snapping to the hunched over back of none other than, Maintenance Guy Chip Taylor. He’s just quietly listening—as always—tinkering with the radiator pipes in the back of the room. She’s half thankful. It is starting to get cold.

“Hey, Chip!” she chirps and the poor thing bangs his head on the pipes. He waves her off in a flash, hand extended wildly above the other desks in the room. Reese chuckles to himself, dragging Lionel with him.

She kicks her heels off behind her desk, straightening herself once she’s back on stable ground. She’s about three apples short of a pie to wear heels for more than six consecutive minutes. The female students give her rather sympathetic looks as she begins to roll her feet and open her package.

She pauses halfway in. Jeez, she forgot about—“Hey, Chip?”

Like a meerkat, he pops up with a dazzling soft grin.

“Are you going to call the cops on me?”

“Excuse me?”

Her students’ eyes bounce back and forth between the pair, following the invisible tennis match. The professor settles on a rather tired, “Are you going to call the cops? The last person who attended lecture that didn’t know me, called the cops because of a demonstration. So, are you?”

“No.” He shakes his head and she wonders if he’s a little too trusting. He’s honest as he leans back down to continue futzing with the pipes. He’s genuine in every interaction they have. Does she really deserve the kind of trust he’s offering? To a crazy woman who’s asked if he’ll call the cops on her?

She shakes the thought away. These 12 students—tangible students—need her focus. At least for the next few minutes. She pulls six human skulls from her package, all neatly wrapped up in protective glass cases. She places those on the table along with a box of gloves.

“Two people to a skull,” she announces and runs through the rest of the directions. “Don’t forget your gloves. You too, Ms. Figg.”

Jamie Figg’s fierce blush is long forgotten once they are all set to work. Tactile learning is the best way to learn in her opinion, expressly in advanced classes like these. It also gives her a moment to rest her brain—even if it’s a few minutes before the onslaught of necessary questions.

She settles into an unused section of chairs and desks, smiling absently at the way all of the kids have squeezed themselves around the one table. She misses the days when she was young and new, ready to find her own legs to stand on.

Chip’s not quiet and she watches him with too much adoration as he sits down next to her. It’s not all too unexpected nor uninvited. He smells like grease and good cologne up close, mixed up with that dangerous combination of hazel eyes and delicious bone structure.

Chip smirks, drawing her out of her smidge of staring. “See anything good?”

“You have excellent bones,” she mutters, tracing a finger against her own cheek instead of his. “Prominent zygomatic bones and well balanced supraorbital margins. But the, um, the rest of you is—is nice too.”

Oh great one, Y/N. Perfect. You’re such a fucking creep.

Chip just smiles. The kind of soft upturn of the lips and dip of the head that means he took it like the compliment it was meant as. He runs a rather shakey hand through his hair, bringing his gaze back up to do his own staring. She wonders what he sees about her. She’s sure he doesn’t see bone structure like she does, but does her flesh give away something she doesn’t know about?

Chip wrings his hand down behind his neck and she sees it. That little bit of something that brews between his bones and his epidermis. The fuzzy sort of thing that sits behind his eyes. The one she’s seen in war veterans, cops, and now the university’s maintenance man.

And as if he’s just a skull on her table, she states ever so eloquently, “You look like the kind of guy who’s seen some shit, Chip.”

And as if she’s accepted his offer for the raccoon all over again, he beams. He further turns away from her, shaking his head, and she follows his eye line to the students not so subtly glancing over at the pair every three seconds. The dozen are still chattering on, examining the skulls in their hands with rapt fascination.

Chip, despite all the non-threatening, sensitive, idiot boy vibes, looks over the skulls with more recognition than she cares to admit she sees. Most people don’t look at skulls like they’re familiar. Like the idea of them being formerly attached to a living person doesn’t bother them.

Again, looks like he’s seen some shit.

“Are they real?”

She nods, taking a tiny chance and pressing their shoulders together. She’s not upset to say that Chip carries very warm skin on his lovely skeletal structure. She wipes the blush off her cheeks and answers, “From the university’s collection. I’ve done a lot of travelling, lots of excavations, lots of grave robbing—sometimes the university doesn’t miss the skulls of the not-so-recently deceased.”

“You’re very—“

“Creepy? Weird?”

She hopes that Chip is too stupid to hear the insecurity bleed through. That he’s too stupid to look at her the way he is. Instead, he squints as if he can’t risk choosing the wrong adjective, so the words inch through his brain. All carefully refined into his choice of, “…Intelligent.”

His takes her hand in his to accentuate his point. She nearly stops breathing.

“You’ve forgotten more this morning than I’ll ever know,” he whispers. She doesn’t know how to look at him without letting him see the hearts in her eyes. Her fingers tighten against his. “I’d never call you creepy.”

She swallows, fighting against the rock in her throat. It wasn’t often people paid her any compliments, especially after she’d let her mouth run for more than five minutes in a one-on-one conversation.

And as if she isn’t already trying to desperately clutch onto her frayed nerves, he confidently pulls a slightly creased business card from his shirt pocket. Offers it to her irritatedly hesitant fingers.

“I do home visits, you know,” he says, putting more weight into where their skin touches. “So, if you’re dishwasher breaks or something, give me—give me a call.”

Chip squeezes her fingers one more time, double checks she’s holding onto the business card, and walks back for his toolbox. Only when the classroom door is closing behind him does Reese shout out, “Oh-ho-ho! Professor’s getting some!”

“Get back to your skull before I use yours as a soup bowl,” she snaps, though she can’t hide the cherries in her cheeks as she thumbs over the business card. Chip Taylor. Whatever you need.

[chaoticpuff17]

A Dangerous Game

part 28

masterlist

Hello my darlings! Here it is next chapter because I am stressed and my mother is threatening to send me to live in Moose Jaw where my cousin is eagerly waiting to marry me off. But enjoy! send me an ask! drop a comment! and check out the teasers for the rest of the hyung line!--- chaotic puff

Boredom had eventually forced her to the kitchen much to the horror of Miss In and the rest of the staff. Even getting someone to show her where the kitchen was had been a struggle, but here she was fluttering around the kitchen in a flour smudged apron with the cook and Miss In both hovering as she went about her business. She was almost positive that both women were going to have an aneurism.

It was fall and the inexplicable urge to make something pumpkin related had overtaken her which had led to the decision to make a massive batch of pumpkin bread considering there were no muffin tins. She knew full well that she wasn’t going to eat this much pumpkin bread, but she figured she could shove it off on the boys. Jungkook had a bottomless stomach, and Jin loved to try new foods. Yoongi didn’t like sweets very much, but she was sure she could force him to take a few slices. She’d even give some to Taehyung and Hoseok. Jimin would get a whole loaf as an apology for hitting him over the head now that he was back.

“The incomparable Mrs. Kim!” A familiar voice crowed. She looked up to see Mark waltzing into the kitchen.

“How do you keep getting in here? Aren’t you banned? I think someone got fired last time you were here.” She mused turning her attention back to the pumpkin bread. “As long as you’re here make yourself useful and hand me the vanilla.”

He grinned taking off his jacket and rolling up his sleeves as he joined her at the kitchen island brining the vanilla with him. “Baking today?”

“Bored to tears. This seemed like something different to do.”

“Are you feeding an army?” He asked looking at the amount of batter she was mixing. “Or a small country?”

“I’m bored.” She deadpanned flicking a speck of the bright orange mixture at him. “Don’t judge me. You’re not even supposed to be here. If my being in the kitchen isn’t going to give Miss In an aneurysm your being here will.” She whispered conspiratorially trying to suppress her grin. “What are you even doing here?”

“I’m here to check up on my favorite mob wife. Someone needs to make sure Namjoon isn’t keeping you locked in a tower.”

“Not a tower. A mansion though. An entire gated estate.” She laughed mixing the batter together before taking a tester spoon to it. “It needs something. Taste.” She handed him a tester spoon as well.

“More cinnamon?” He asked looking at the mixture contemplatively.

“More cinnamon.” She agreed as he handed her the spice in question.

“Who are you even feeding with all of this?”

“A small army. We’ve been over this.” She teased happy to have someone new to talk to. She was starved for Namjoon related company these days. Something about the late fall had everyone busy, not that anyone would tell her what it was. She was the wife and nothing more. Information about Namjoon’s empire was strictly forbidden to her. Even his study was locked when he wasn’t in it.

“Ah. Planning to use your small army to take over your husband’s empire? I’d support that.”

“We’d both get shot.” She reminded him. “You in the head. Me probably in somewhere nonlethal, and I’d never get to leave my bedroom again.”

“Kinky.” He teased playfully bumping his hip into hers, and she could practically feel Miss In’s glare boring into their backs. Namjoon was going to have a field day with this later.

“How did you get in here?” She asked looking over at him in confusion.

“Very carefully.” He answered giving her a wink.

“You’re going to get yourself shot.” She warned prepping the bread pans. “I’d prefer you not to get shot just because you were checking up on me.”

A slow Cheshire grin took over his face. “You like me.”

“False.”

“You like me. You don’t want me to get shot.” He laughed helping her pour the batter into the pans. “Wait till I tell Jackson. He’ll be so jealous.”

“Careful. He won’t be the only one who’s jealous if they hear you say things like that.” She warned casting a quick glance at the door just to make sure Namjoon hadn’t materialized. Someone was bound to have told him about her visitor by now.

“Faint heart never won fair lady.”

She froze before turning a solemn glare to him. “Don’t say things like that.”

“Like what?” He asks innocently.

“Flirty things. I will not be responsible for the hole between your eyes if Namjoon ever got wind of it.” His grin faded seeing how serious she was.

“You really think he’s going to shoot me.”

“You don’t?” She scoffed putting the bread pans into the oven, two in each. “You really think he’s not capable of shooting you out of some sort of misguided jealousy? You think JB could protect you?” She asked putting one hand on her hip and the other on the counter as she stared him down.

“You’re really worried about this aren’t you?”

“He crashed a car with me in it to get me here. He put a chip in my neck to make sure I can’t run away. I don’t underestimate him.”

“He crashed a car with you in it!” He yelped looking vaguely panicked on her behalf. “What the hell?”

“You should probably go.” She laughed the sound bitter and sad. “He’s bound to know you’re here by now, and that means we’re both in trouble. You should get out of here before either he or Hoseok shows up. Maybe Yoongi. Yoongi would shoot you, no hesitation.”

“I’m going.” He grinned again, though the expression didn’t reach his eyes this time. “If you ever need help, you can call me.” He whispered into her ear pulling her into an unexpected hug, and she felt something heavy drop into her apron pocket much to her confusion. “Don’t let him know you have it.” He gave her a quick peck on the cheek leaving her in shock as he waltzed out of the kitchen.

Her eyes immediately shot to Miss In as soon as she recovered her senses. “I’m in so much trouble.” She groaned leaning over the counter.

Y/N nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist as she took the bread out of the oven.

“Don’t do that!” She shrieked placing the bread pan on the cooling rack. “Hot pan.” She scolded turning in his arms only for Namjoon to cage her in against the counter his eyes dark and furious.

“You had a visitor today.” He growled his face only inches from hers, and she was thanking her lucky star that she had hidden the phone that Mark has slipped into her apron pocket before Namjoon got home.

“I did.” She gulped her hands trembling as she gripped the counter behind her.

“He kissed you.” He hissed his jaw clenched, eyes blazing.

“Only on the cheek.” It was a pitiful offering that did nothing to calm him.

He closed his eyes taking a deep breath as he tried to calm himself. “Y/N.” Her name was more a warning than anything else as he said it.

“Nothing happened.”  She whispered softly.

“And it won’t. He’ll be dead by morning.”

“Namjoon.” She made her eyes as wide and pleading as possible. “Joonie, please.” She wrapped her arms around his waist pressing her cheek against his chest in an effort to calm him down and save herself from his wrath. “I made pumpkin bread?” She offered as she trembled in his arms.

“You are in so much trouble.” He growled though he wrapped his arms around her keeping her pressed tightly to his chest. She knew full well that he was soft for that nickname.

“Nothing happened.” She whispered. “I didn’t even know he was coming.”

Namjoon’s sharp eyes focused in on Miss In who was standing off to the side looking as composed as ever though her eyes refused to meet his. “How did he get inside my house?” He barked.

“I’m not sure, sajangnim.” She bowed her head her lip trembling slightly under his scrutiny.

Y/N’s brow furrowed as she took note of the slick feel coming off the back of Namjoon’s jacket. Pulling back she examined her hand only to find it streaked in red. “Is that blood?” She yelped jumping back from him only to be kept firmly in place by Namjoon’s arms around her. “Why is there blood on your jacket?”

“I was taking care of some pesky rats at work when I should have been taking care of the rat that found its way into my house.” He huffed staring down at her meeting her own wide eyed stare. “I never want to hear of him being anywhere near you again, him or anyone else from his wretched group. Am I understood?” He asked dark eyes boring into hers. “Am I understood?” He repeated when she didn’t answer.

“Yes, Namjoon.” She nodded gently pushing on his chest in an effort to get him to back up. “Pumpkin bread?” She offered again in an effort to circumvent his wrath and change the subject.

“I’m bringing Jungkook back.”

“Okay, Joonie.” That would honestly be more of a relief than a punishment. She was starved for company these days.

“No more illicit visitors.”

“Okay.” It wasn’t like she had any control over that either. 

“Why are you in the kitchen?” He finally asked taking note of the apron and the floor smeared on it.

“I made pumpkin bread.”

“Why did you make pumpkin bread?” He quirked a brow looking down at her with a sort of fond exasperation.

“I was bored.”

“So you bake?”

“And have illicit meetings with strange men.” She joked only to receive a withering glare in return. “Right. Not the time.” She chuckled nervously. “Pumpkin bread?”

“You’re not supposed to be in the kitchen.”

“Was that a rule I didn’t know about?”

“We have people for this.” He reminded her shooting another glare in the direction of Miss In and the cook. “I have people specifically to take care of your every need.” 

“I wanted to. You can’t blame Miss In for my antics.”  She murmured her eyes cast down to look at their feet. “You should clean up and change. There’s blood on your jacket. We can have tea afterwards.” Sucking up to him and offering her company voluntarily couldn’t hurt in the effort to diffuse his anger. She was getting good at that. The man, she had come to realize, was very much in love with her in his own twisted way. If she played into his vision of her life, he was much less likely to be angry with her.

“You’re still in trouble.” He warned her.

“Okay.”

“Jungkook is still coming back to keep an eye on you.”

“That’s fine.”

Namjoon took her chin in hand tilting her head up so that her eyes met his. “If you ever let another man touch you again, I’ll carve out his heart and serve it to you on a silver platter.”

part 29

[wetsteve3]

REG DEARDEN’S SUPERCHARGED VINCENT 1949 VINCENT BLACK LIGHTNING FRAME NO. RC4436 ENGINE NO. F10AB/1C/2536

Sold for £ 221,500 (US$ 304,687) inc. premium Following a glorious era throughout the 1920s period very few British motorcycles were mechanically capable of contesting the rarefied world of Record Breaking. Since WWII the most frequent choice of machine for the Blue Riband of Motorcycling has been Vincent’s 1000cc Black Lightning. Vincent is undoubtedly revered as Britain’s most cherished medium-volume manufacturer but, having begun in 1928, and started manufacture at Stevenage (Herts), regularly producing several hundred machines each year, it was to universal disappointment the firm ceased trading in 1955. However, when arguably at their peak during the late 1940s, the American rider Rollie Free – formidable former Indian racer, and renowned for his hatred of Harleys – gained the World Speed Record at Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah, USA, for Un-Streamlined Machines on Fuel. This was achieved in September 1947 on a much-modified version of the 50-degree ohv vee twin. The Vincent was owned by John Edgar and, by arrangement, had been especially prepared at the factory. Famously, those last few mph of the Record attempt had proven elusive until Free stripped down to his bathing trunks, whereupon, he thundered through the traps at the magic two-way average speed of 150.31 mph. This important Record saw Vincent’s contemporary advertising proclaim they made the World’s Fastest Standard Motorcycle. And, very soon there after, the firm were prompted to introduce the Black Lightning model, incorporating a similar engine specification to that of the Edgar/Free prototype. Priced in excess of £400 it was easily Britain’s most expensive motorcycle. Is it any surprise, perhaps, but barely 30 examples were ever produced and sold. Today, a Black Lightning is categorically acclaimed as the Holy Grail of post war motorcycles.

  By its very nature Record Breaking is traditionally the most demanding of arenas. The roll call of contestants with a realistic chance of success has never extended beyond the resourceful few. However in 1949 The Motor Cycle, Britain’s leading 2-wheel publication, offered a Trophy, plus a generous £500 prize [more than the price of a new ’Lightning] for the first successful all-British attempt on the absolute World Speed Record, for which full streamlining was clearly a necessary requirement. The Record had been held since 1937 by BMW at 173.54 mph. Inspired by the Blue Un’s offer Reg Dearden, a popular high profile m/c dealer at Chorlton-cum-Hardy [Manchester], purchased a Black Lightning direct from the factory, expressly for the purpose. There was a widely held belief in those days that the guarantee for reaching these targeted speeds was most easily achieved by the fitment of a supercharger. In early 1950, therefore, Reg returned the bike to Stevenage for the retro fitting of a purpose-built Shorrocks ’charger, together with the necessary but complex “plumbing” system, which was fed via an outsize S.U. carburetor and float chamber. Other mandatory tasks included an extension of the gearbox and engine main shafts, the making of a special clutch contained by specially cast alloy casings, fabrication of a dramatically re-shaped ex Grey Flash fuel tank and, in order to correctly install the supercharger within the chassis, the main frame, engine plates, and swinging arm were strengthened-and-lengthened” by about 6 inches. The work was undertaken under the personal supervision of Phil Vincent, MD, with advice and assistance from George Brown and various other luminaries constantly involved at the Stevenage factory. Press reports of the time quote Dearden’s subsequent claims to the effect that every individual part on the bike was virtually now “one-off”, simultaneously admitting in a rueful mode how the work had cost him several thousand pounds! The work in fact proved such a massive undertaking that it took the factory until mid-July to complete.

  Public appearances of the Vincent, thereafter, were infrequent, inasmuch the next reported sighting of the now supercharged Vincent was as part of a spectacular display in a branch of Kings of Oxford, whose 20-odd shops were owned by Stan Hailwood [Mike’s father], an old friend of Dearden. Reg himself, meanwhile, was enjoying a close relationship with Norton over an arrangement that entailed the entering and supporting of a posse of promising young riders to compete in the Isle of Man TT and elsewhere, riding the Bracebridge Street machines. At any one time Dearden had at least 20 Manx Norton competitors “on his books”, a program that continued for many seasons, undoubtedly consuming an immense amount of time and concentration on his part. It is probably this reason, along with the news in 1951 that NSU had now upped the Speed Record to 180.29 mph, which caused the modified Vincent to lay dormant until 1953, when it was briefly announced in the technical press that the intended rider for the Record attempt – presumably at Bonneville – would be Les Graham [father of Stuart]. Les was already 500cc World Champion, and had been assisted by Dearden in his early career. Sadly, he was fatally injured in the 1953 Senior TT, causing yet another delay and a possible reduction in enthusiasm for the Record Breaking project. Even so there are some recorded instances of the bike in use. It was timed at Pendine Sands at 150 mph, but ran its bottom end. Following this setback it was further modified at the Stevenage factory, whose tester briefly rode the machine, fitted with silencers, on the public highway. Reg, too, apparently tried a series of straight-line Burn Outs, using “slave” tyres. And, in a letter to Classic Bike dated April 1992, Ireland’s Vincent agent, Harry Lindsey confirms how he too once rode the bike on an undisclosed aerodrome strip, although his all too brief “blast” was swiftly curtailed due to engine shaft failure.

  The setting by NSU, in 1956, of a new Speed record at Bonneville, at 211.40 mph, seemed somehow to rekindle Dearden’s interest, for it was reported he would now fly the bike to the Salt Flats – although no rider was specified – in his own Cessna airplane, for one last serious attempt. Yet again it came to nought when the CAA refused to certify the aircraft concerned for this particular mode of transportation! The Vincent thus stayed unused and neglected at Dearden’s premises over the next decade, until it was eventually sold to Eric Biddle, a publican friend, in 1970. Biddle never used the machine, but sold it on to Michael Manning, a scientist, who lived in Pennsylvania, USA. In 1977 Manning took the Supercharged Vincent to a Vincent Owners Club Rally in Canada, where it was ridden over a short distance but, after returning to his home in Philadelphia, it again remained in storage until acquired in 1987 by the present owner, a passionate collector and user of Vincents, from Texas.

  The vendor’s association with the Stevenage product is a profound and lifelong relationship. As a true aficionado he knows instinctively if a Vincent needs restoring, or when sympathetic preservation is the better route. In the case of the Dearden Vincent he’s applied the latter philosophy. After his purchase, and following a gentle re-commission, he was struck by the machine’s obvious originality. Considered alongside its minimal Running Time, over a period of sixty years, this originality creates something that is utterly unrivalled. During the last 20 years the vendor confirms that the bike has been run on several occasions. The resultant racket emitted by those huge open pipes, he claims, resembles no other. In 1999 the well-known UK photojournalist Mick Duckworth sampled the Vincent on a remote Texas highway for a 7-page feature in Classic Bike. The generous terrain allowed Mick sufficient space, and enough time, for familiarization. After reaching a speed close to 100 mph in bottom he bravely engaged second gear…at which point he suddenly remembered exactly what a precious artefact he was astride. The test ride concluded happily, however, with the owner stating, “You’ve probably ridden this Vincent further than anyone in living memory!”

  The historic Black Lightning reposes in all its visual potential, slightly oily, yet with its original HT leads and the OE Avon tyres first fitted at Stevenage so long ago; even the rims’ black factory paint remains in place. Original low usage Black Lightnings are rare, supercharged ’Lightnings rarer still. This one is unique