#soufflé x reader

[ijwrsmff]

Hiiii! Can I please request something with Soufflé? Maybe soft cuddling that leads to something else, but if you aren't comfortable with that, then just non binary (they / them) MA cuddling Soufflé after a long day?

- Soufflé anon 💕✨🌙

I mostly did the lead up TO something else if that's okay! Suggestive, and I tried to capture his character without having got him in my own game ;-; I feel like I played one of his events, but didn't get too far in it or at the very least it was a while ago. (Very sorry, I hope I did your boy justice ^^)

Thank you for requesting!

Word Count: 1,207

All you could do was sigh when you got back home, and you headed to the bedroom only to flop down onto the bed. You groaned, and Souffle ran in, looking as confused as ever. He sat next to you, and patted your back awkwardly. You just knew Lilia and Vivian were clung tightly to him. He tended to keep them close to him at all times, and knew he could act differently without them. 

“Sorry Souffle…it’s just been a long day. Not up for doing anything really…” You took in a deep breath and turned over to lay on your back. “It’s good to see you though, you always calm me down.” You smiled, and he looked away with red cheeks. Reaching over with one hand, you took his free hand in yours. It was quiet for a moment before he spoke. 

“A long day? I know just the thing!” He gave you a small smile, and slid off the bed and over the span of a couple minutes made a sort of “pillow fort” in your bedroom. Your actual bed being in the center. He had a few little lights around in the room, fake candles and all that, so it looked really…well cute. “I-If I can…I could hold you? Make you feel safe?” He wouldn’t ever look at you when he made comments like that. Not unless he didn’t have his dolls with him. 

“Sure Souffle! That sounds nice.” Even your tone sounded worn out, and you maneuvered your way around the bed to be laying at the head of it. You laid down with your head on the pillow, and on your side as you patted the spot beside you. A yawn escaped, but by the time you had opened your eyes fully again, he was laying a foot or so away from you. It made you laugh quietly, and say “It’s okay! You can come closer.” 

He slid carefully, and slowly into your awaiting arms. When he wrapped his arms around you, you could feel the material of the dolls against your back. It wasn’t anything new, but it was comforting he’d let you get so close to them. He wasn’t exactly willing to let hardly anyone near Lilia and Vivian, let alone close enough to touch them. It showed how much he trusted you, and even just that made you trust him all the same. 

“Is…is this okay?” He hugged you a bit closer, before pulling back slightly to press his forehead against yours. He was making sure to not look at your eyes, knowing he could get so lost in them he wouldn’t be able to say more than a word or two. Though he did do it sometimes, it made him somehow even more flustered than he was on a regular basis. When he was already an extremely flustered person, it said a lot. 

“More than okay. Perfect even.” You laughed, and leaned forward slightly to kiss him. It wasn’t a long kiss, but it showed your feelings. He asked you often if you loved him, so you did everything in your power to make sure he felt loved. “I love you, Souffle. There’s no one else I’d rather cuddle with like this.” You kissed his nose, then relaxed more into his embrace. 

“I…love you too. All of me…loves you.” He sounded feeble, but the words were said with conviction. You knew he had another side, sometimes he was timid, but other times confident. Shy, then bold. It all depended on his mindset and how comfortable he was in a situation. Somehow, the dolls had something to do with it as well. But he always knew what he did no matter what he acted like, so it became common for you to even catch on to the slight changes. 

“It’s okay Souffle, I love all of you too.” A small laugh escaped, and he looked at you as if you were his whole world. And it may even be true, he certainly acted as if it was the case. He was precious to you, every detail. Every time he was happy, sad, any of it. “My Souffle…knowing how much you love me, only makes me love you more.” You reached and put your hands on either side of his face to pull him into a deeper kiss. 

He whined, loving the action and pulling you as close as he could. He was soft, and gentle as he kissed you. Even his hold on you, so careful as if he’d break you with any more pressure. He rolled his head to the side, and you did the same as you shared this intimate moment. Something changed though…he progressively got rougher. Still not rough itself by any means, but a noticeable difference. 

Your suspicions were confirmed when you felt his hands on your back, instead of the touch of Lilia and Vivian. The feelings went from comforting, to something more. You were pulled closer, and you felt his tongue run from the corner of your lips to your ear as he whispered, “I’ve missed you.” He chuckled, in a low and almost menacing tone. “Stressful day? I know how I can help you relieve that stress.” 

You were far from intimidated though, so instead you challenged him. “Think you can help me?” You laughed with him, and you let him roll you over onto your back while he hovered closely over you. “I think that’ll be alright. Though I’m not much in the mood for “rough” right now. Be gentle?” You tilted your head to the side and smiled up at him. 

“I suppose I could manage that.” He smirked, and leaned down, pulling you into another kiss. His hands wandered, from your back, around to your neck. Slow, but intentional. Using the tips of his fingers to span across your neck, and moving your head to the side so he had better access. “Don’t you just love it…coming back here, home to me. I can comfort you, confide in you…pleasure you. No one else can do that.” He chuckled against your neck as he trailed his lips along it. 

You sighed in contentment and let him do as he pleased. “My souffle…” You accentuated your words by putting emphasis on “my” and that little detail made him gently nibble on the soft spot on your neck as he chuckled at your words. He wasn’t always gentle, but right now he would be. “Not a human, not even a food soul I’d rather be with right now.” 

“Just as I am your Souffle…you are my y/n. Now and forever.” With the last word, he bit down just slightly harder and it made you gasp. “So now…I’m going to make sure you never have to worry about stress while I’m here.” His hands traveled, and rested on your chest as he squeezed, proving his point. 

“I want you to only think of me, okay?” He chuckled as he made sure you felt good, for him and him alone. “So for today, tomorrow, anything. No matter when or where we are, I’ll always make you feel good. Make you happy. Give you everything you could ever want. I’d do anything for you…” 

[leaderwonim]

GREEN FLAGS YOUR BF HAS! ENHA HYUNG LINE

pairing. nonidol!enha hyung line x fem!reader

genre. teeth rotting fluff, established relationship

LEE HEESEUNG

never letting your hand touch the door handles and drives you everywhere

“What are you doing?” You say in disbelief as you watch Heeseung practically trip over his own feet to open his passenger car door for you.

“Opening the door for you,” he says breathlessly, letting you settle inside the passenger seat which was already warmed up and decorated in pink, your favorite color. “Can’t let my princess open the door by herself.”

You roll your eyes, blushing heavily even though Heeseung always said things like that.

“Thanks Hee,” you say as soon as he gets comfy in his seat, leaning over to kiss him.

“No problem baby,” he smiles. “Now, where to?”

“The movies! I wanna watch the new Mean Girls.”

Heeseung shakes his head, grinning as he pulled out from the parking lot, one hand on the steering wheel and one on your seat.

PARK JONGSEONG

always cooking and taking care of you

You woke up to the smell of pancakes, rubbing your eyes tiredly as you make your way out to your boyfriend’s apartment living room.

“Smells good Jay,” you say, placing your chin on his shoulder, slightly dozing off. “Whatcha making?”

“Soufflé pancakes and bacon.” He smiles, positioning his head a bit over so he could give your head a small peck.

“You’re the best Jay,” you mumble sleepily, and he can only laugh at your state as he finishes cooking up, letting you lay your body on his.

SIM JAEYUN

always talking and thinking about you

If Layla was a human instead of a dog, she’d probably tell Jake to shut up from how much he was talking about you.

“that’s your mom Layla,” Jake coos to the dog, pointing at you who was currently running to pick up the ball jake had thrown earlier. “and she’s your only mom, I am never dating anyone else.”

You run back to your boyfriend and his dog a few minutes later, breathing heavily. “Here you go Layla girl, here’s your ball!”

and Jake can’t help but watch with heart eyes as he watches you play with his dog, heart leaping as it falls inlove with you over and over again

PARK SUNGHOON

covers pointy edges whenever you’re near, has your picture on the back of his phone

“Hey, is that a Polaroid of Y/N?” Sunghoon’s friend, Seonwoo questions as he flips over Sunghoon’s phone.

“Yeah,” Sunghoon quickly takes his phone back from his friend. “She’s really pretty, isn’t she?”

“Mhm,” Seonwoo’s eyes drift to you, who was currently making your way over. “There she is.”

“Babe,” Sunghoon says, standing up to wrap an arm around you. His hand automatically comes to rest themselves on the pointy and sharp edge of where you were standing, which only Seonwoo notices.

He raises an eyebrow at this, but doesn’t question it because Sunghoon’s already too occupied with asking about your day. He still keeps his hand there, unconsciously making sure none of your body comes in contact with it.

How sweet, Seonwoo thinks, but how gross at the same time.

[pinkhoodi]

sweet love, sweet mornings

✎ᝰ — mornings with dick grayson <3

♡⃕ — dick grayson x reader

♡⃕ — genre + warnings: fluff + no warnings !

♡⃕ — a/n: literally whipped this up after thinking about how handsome dick would look in the morning and ooooooo he’s so 😮‍💨

Ꮺ mornings with dick, when he is present, are very much dreamlike. his heavy snores fill up the room as he catches up on sleep but also the way his back muscles tighten with each snore in and relaxes with each snore out

Ꮺ dick is usually a light sleeper, many things can wake him up and have him on high alert. but oddly enough, when you brush your fingers against his body, his rigid figure softens and his snores become lighter. it’s like his body is trained to differentiate your soft, angelic touch from the touch of family or the touch of villains

Ꮺ but also, the beautiful, quiet moment of witnessing dick sleep makes your stomach twist and your lips give a cheeky smile, seemingly similar to a high school crush. his posture of laying on his stomach but also his back slightly turned to you made you infatuated and flustered by his physique. it also doesn’t help that his body is barely covered in clothing, only boxers, but who is to complain ?

Ꮺ secretly, dick goes to bed in barely any clothing cause of two reasons. one, he adores the tenderness of your skin brushing against his as you both sleep soundly, and two, he notices how flustered you become from waking up to your boyfriend’s rugged body on display

Ꮺ usually when dick wakes up, he gives you a good morning kiss on your forehead and a “i love you kiss” on the corner of your lip. sometimes he’ll try to be slick and get a full-on kiss on the lips but you swerve your head just to mess with him. he either pouts or rolls his eyes at your playful antics

Ꮺ majority of the time, he’ll have his arm wrapped around your torso and pull you closer to him. he’ll tell you good morning followed by many complaints, starting at how beautiful you look to how grateful he is to have you. he’ll drag his hand across the bed until it meets yours and intertwine his sturdy fingers with yours. he brings the laced hands up to kiss your knuckle and give a light squeeze

Ꮺ it does take a while for the two of you to get out of bed. you’re too in love with dick’s warm look from the morning sun and he’s too obsessed with your beauty to even notice the time passing by. not to mention, you both go on tangent about the busy workload you have, catching up on the bat family, and even dick telling his stories from last night’s patrol

Ꮺ the usual routine for the both of you, after getting out of bed, is the both of you going into the bathroom together to brush your teeth and wash your face. one of you offers to cook breakfast while the other is in the shower. usually, dick offers to cook since he loves loves loves cooking breakfast for the two of you

Ꮺ I truly believe dick is a master chef at making the best soufflé, fluffy pancakes that are thick, bacon perfectly crisp. he loves cooking them all

Ꮺ dick would have that corny apron that says “kiss the chef” while cooking breakfast. he would also have fifties music playing in the background or some lighthearted jazz playing. sometimes he’ll be too into the music and have a concert instead of paying attention to the stove

Ꮺ after dick is done cooking, he would usually swap places with you and head into the shower while you’re drying yourself. as he passes by you, he would press his fingers into your hips and give a light squeeze. he would look into the mirror and softly smile at how you two complement each other so effortlessly. he loves how beautiful y’all look as a couple, he loves it so much that he has you guys framed almost everywhere in the house

Ꮺ once both of you done with bathroom, he would set the plates up while you poured juice for the both of you and set the dining table for y’all favorite show to watch together <3

Ꮺ for the rest of the morning, the living room is filled with commentary from the both of you about the show, small chews of the food. dick constantly asks if you like the food just so he can be cocky with it, a stupid grin while you roll your eyes and pretend to gag just to playfully hurt his pride a bit

♡⃕ okay but like mornings with dick ???? I don’t think I would want the morning to end 😩

𝐕𝐎𝐓𝐏 💗: psalm 9:10

© 𝟤𝟢𝟤𝟥 𝗉𝗂𝗇𝗄𝗁𝗈𝗈𝖽𝗂. 𝖺𝗅𝗅 𝗋𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍𝗌 𝗋𝖾𝗌𝖾𝗋𝗏𝖾𝖽

[dutchess-of-fear]

Baking Chocolate Chip Cookies

Vinsmoke Sanji x Reader

Masterlist

You are best known for your desserts, you are known for your mousse cakes, chocolate soufflé, lava cakes anything you would think of.

And today Luffy and Usopp wants you make Chocolate Chip Cookies, it's quite simple for you to make actually so you would be finished in no time,

As you began making the dough, the leading chef of the Going Merry had came out of nowhere in the kitchen, "pardon madame would you like some help?" Sanji smiled as he take off his tailor coat and rolled up his sleeves,

"I mean sure Sanji but I am nearly finished, Luffy really wanted Chocolate Chip Cookies" as I finished making the dough and placing each one on the baking tray, Sanji got out another bowl and extra ingredients, "well once that Luffy had some cookies you know he would want more" I nodded in agreement and smiled,

Sanji is the recent member of the straw hat crew, he had his eyes on Nami ever since he met her at the Baratie where he worked in fron what you heard as you stayed behind to keep an eye on the ship, you find Sanji quite a gentleman, and it had became less stressful working in the kitchen since Sanji came round,

After a while you two became close friends, as you and Sanji beganto hang out together at more, which make your crush for him even stronger that you couldn't deny the attraction of him,

Once you knew the cookies were finished you took them out of the oven as you placed all the cookies on a plate as Sanji began making the dough, but once he started the electric whisk and all the flour had splashed over on you and Sanji,

I gasped as Sanji immediately stopped the whisker as he looked over the both of us, I couldn't help but laugh softly, Sanji looked so messy from the flour as it got all over his shirt, and his face and his fringe was completely covered in flour as Sanji realised how ridiculous he looked,

He softly shook his head all the while chuckling, you walked up to Sanji with a cloth as you cleaned his perfect hair, face and clothes, "in all my years between cooking and baking, that had never happened to me" he spoke as he looked at me while I cleaned him up,

"well, no matter how much of a pro we both are at cooking there will be some mistakes that would happened" I said as I smiled towards him, to which he looked slightly away, blushing as he try to hide the small smile on his face,

"You know madame, you have the most beautiful smile I have ever seen" he said as I felt my face began to blush, Sanji always knows what to say to make me go completely blushing like mad and my thoughts goes crazy,

"you are the most handsome man I have ever met" I blurted out as I covered my mouth as my face became red like a tomato as Sanji looked over to me with shocked to what he heard as his face became slightly pink,

I looked away completely embarrassed as I knew I ruined our friendship but to my surprise Sanji came round and place a hand under my chin making me look up to him, as his eyes filled with love for you,

You melted under his gaze as he leaned forward as our lips connected together, you relish in the feeling of his lips on you, after you two kiss you both looked at each other and smiled softly, "so does that mean we're a couple" I said quietly,

Sanji brushed some of your hair out of your face as he brush his hand over your cheek gently "Oh I am so happy to finally call you my girlfriend" he answered kissing my forehead as I closed my eyes softly,

You then heard shuffling in the kitchen breaking the moment you two have together,

Sanji and you glanced over and seen Luffly and Usopp stealing the cookies that you have made, they immediately noticed that they had been caught as they stumbled as they rushed out of the kitchen stealing a couple of cookies on the way,

You laughed at how mayhem they had made as they completely messed the kitchen in there wake, as Sanji grumbled before going after them, "hey you two come back here and clean up the mess you made!" You shook you head as you slowly followed Sanji knowing fully well, that it be a while to find them two cookie thief's

[sarahowritesostucky]

📖"Temporary Custody" Series Page

Rating: Explicit

Pairing: Steve x ofc x Bucky

Tags: Dom/sub, bdsm au, dom Bucky, sub reader, hurt/comfort, enemies to lovers, gay sex'n'stuff, straight sex'n'stuff, Steve being a literal Golden Retriever, mental health issues, dub-con, forced submission, bakery au, m/f/m, gentle domination, total power exchange

Summary: The stigma and shame of being a submissive has kept Mary unfulfilled and in the closet her whole life, until an inciting incident leads to Bucky and Steve taking her in and giving her everything she was always too afraid to ask for.

Trigger warnings: This story contains themes of eating disordered behavior, body image issues, self-harm, childhood trauma, and alcohol abuse (basically, the ofc's a hot mess).

Ch 1 Lemon cream tart

Ch 2 Hazelnut ganache tart

Ch 3 Cream filled sponge cakes

Ch 4 Cake doughnuts

Ch 5 Jiggly soufflé cake

Ch 6 Somethin' with bananas

Ch 7 Strawberry cream puffs

Ch 8 Banana-dulce cheesecake

Ch 9 Honey-mascarpone crêpes

Ch 10 S'mores

Ch 11 Palmiers

Ch 12 BabyCakes

Steve and Bucky sexuality profiles

April Fool's Ch 11 "farewell cheesecake"

@matchat3a @bethexo07

[rebelfell]

✦ Stranger Things Masterlist ✦

My works all feature a female reader with limited physical descriptors. Just by virtue of being written by me, they will likely be shy/inexperienced ‘cos I write what I know, y’know? There are individual warnings on each. If you do come across something you think needs a warning, please let me know (gently, I am a fragile soufflé ready to sink)

🌶️ is marked with a*

Everything is 18+ MDNI for your sake and mine

The Third Date┃Part One┃Part Two

eddie munson x anorgasmic!reader - 14k

Surrender┃Part One ┃Part Two*┃Part Three*

eddie munson x bi!reader x lesbian!chrissy cunningham - 18k

Bells Will Be Ringing┃Part One*┃Part Two

crush!steve harrington x fem!reader x fwb!eddie munson - 8k

Hold Your Peace in Pieces┃TBD

engaged!rockstar!eddie munson x reader -

Small Plates

this summer is the apocalypse, pt II, pt III*

Thinking thoughts on eddie and an older!Harrington!reader (aka: stevie’s aunt has got it goin’ on)

haven’t had any complaints yet*

the perils of giving van head over forty

cold dry stone*

revenge f!cking with gator 🐊

that Vanity Fair party was wild*

actor!steve x assistant!reader x rockstar!eddie

are you even listening to me?

bestfriend!eddie gets distracted by your…assets.

I didn’t know you were into that…

you’ve been watching too many ghostface tiktoks

working on my fitness, pt II

a gym meet cute w/ modern!eddie (neighbors AU)

modern!wealthy!Steve? How’d you get in here?

steve spoils his girl in the midst of a hangover

wait, are you a…have you never?*

bigdick!steve x virgin!reader

felt in need of some affection…

sweet!soft!eddie vignette

Smut Blurbs

possessive.┃eddie shows you who you belong to

multiples.┃eddie wants you to arrive properly

urgent.┃eddie can do better than he can

Holiday Blurbs

so wrong, it’s right┃so right, it’s wrong 🎃

eddie munson x his best friend’s (ex?) girl

you’ve never seen gremlins? 🎃

it’s scary movie night at eddie’s house

you’re a what? (WCIL-verse) 🎃

modern!eddie bumps into you at a halloween party

how much of that can is left? 🦃

you + eddie + whipped topping

today is a no bones day 🦃

you and eddie go into recovery mode

Unlisted Tags

#free write (bursts of writing based on images/other posts)

#moodboard (fic/character inspo, aka i’ve been spending far, far too much time daydreaming on pinterest)

#thrift shop eddie (short blurbs about all the odd and random items I would terrorize shower Eddie with if I had the chance)

✿ Reblogs/comments/tags are so deeply appreciated and will absolutely make my day ✿

© 2024 rebelfell All Rights Reserved. Any written work on this blog is my own and I do not consent for it to be copied, altered or re-posted in any form or to be fed into AI software.

[letstalkaboutshtufff]

In another life part 3

Pairing: Satoru Gojo x Reader

Summary: You tag along on a mission.

Warnings: Language and suggestive themes, violence against a curse

“Now just what is that smell?” Gojos head popped around the corner wall eyes glowing.

You smile awkwardly, “Hopefully that’s a good comment?”.

“If it tastes as good as it smells then definitely… you didn’t have to make breakfast though”.

“I wanted to, to thank you for everything you’ve done so far for me”. You smiled shyly while plating up a stack of 10 strawberries and cream French toast with white chocolate sauce and fresh fruit. A sickeningly sweet combo that was also one of satorus favorites.

He sat down at the table eyeing the breakfast in awe.

“So this is how she trapped me…”

“Huh did you say something?”

“Nope”

“Alright, dig in.” You set your own plate down, a couple plain pancakes with some fruit.

“Thank you for the meal”

You smirked to yourself when you saw him absolutely devour the meal out of the corner of your eye.

Yup, I know how to keep my transdimentional husband💅

“So what’s the plan for today?” You ask shoving a piece of strawberry in your mouth.

Gojo pauses and leans back arms crossed. “Well I do have some business to take care of with the students but after that I’m thinking we head back to the school and see what information we can dig up. So I’ll pick you up later I guess”.

“No way” you shake your head.

“Huh?”

“I mean there’s no way I’m staying here, I know it’s safe here because of the veil but I need to train! Who knows when Amomeeemo will show up again, I wanna be ready this time!”.

Is his name really that hard?

“Uh well I have no problem letting you tag along, can’t say I’m not curious to see your technique.”

“Great… oh but my clothes are kind of all curse gooed out…

“Oh right, give me a second”

*swoosh*

He didn’t even ask me my size- oh right, like he needed too…

*flashback*

“I swear I could go blind right now and be a happy man the rest of my life…” you turned meeting his glowing eyes as he leaned lazily on the wall eyeing you up and down.”

“Aw hey don’t say that” you turned back to stirring the eggs not knowing if the heat was from the stove or your cheeks

Last night was the first time you and satoru had ahem… canoodled and you were currently clad in one of his shirts loosely buttoned with nothing under.

“Soooo” you blushed feeling warm arms wrap around you from behind.

“Normally I’d ask how it was but judging by how loud you were last night I don’t need to…” he bit your ear, hot breathe on your neck making you shiver.

“Mmm cocky…it was fine…”you tried to sound annoyed but that was hard when your heart was going a mile a minute.

“Oh yeah? T-T-Toru ah ah please ah! sooo good I’m gonna cu-“ he mocked.

“AH STOP” you shoved him away embarrassed.

“Crap I burned the eggs!”.

“Here let me” he reached over for the pan with the biggest smirk and turned to the trash.

You the tomato turned away in a huff and sat at the table.

“How about we go out for breakfast? There’s this great place nearby, they make these soufflé pancakes that are just the best.”

“Well I would say yes but I kinda don’t have any clothes since someone tore my dress last night…”

“Oh don’t worry, I already got you new clothes~” he threw a bag your way.

“You did?” Huh!?

Bersace? And is this real Jucci!?

“Ah Toru you didn’t have to buy such expensive things- wait how did you know my size?” You quirk a brow holding a bra up with your pinky.

“Oh please, I have six eyes, I knew all your measurements the day I met you”

“Ew that’s so creepy…”

“Well I can always return the stuff-“

“N-no it’s fine, thank you Toru” you shyly approach him and kiss him on the cheek.

“Hmm you call that a thank you?”

“S-shut up I’m not used to this…jerk” you turn to leave embarrassed.

“Aw did I make you upset baby? C’mere…” his impossibly long arm wrapped around your waist and brought you back to him.

You could see that familiar look in his eyes..

“W-what about breakfast..” you gulp averting your eyes.

“Hmm m’kinda hungry for something else now…” he whispered in your ear…

*Flashback end*

*SWOOSH*

“Huh what’s wrong with your face??”

You quickly fixed your expression, “n-nothing just thinking… those for me?” You pointed to the bag he was holding.

“Yep, you’ll have to make do until we go shopping” he handed you the bag.

“Make do with designer clothes? I think I’ll manage” you smirked pulling out an outfit and seeing the label, *Louis Button* still has the best taste huh?

“Thank you baby they’re gorgeous…”

“…”

“Ah-! Crap s-sorry” ugh so embarrassing.

He just tilted his head in amusement. After the initial weirdness wore off he was finding himself enjoying this now.

“I’ll go change..” you rush off into the room and slam the door.

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

“Gooood Morning students!” Gojos cheery mood was a stark difference to the kids who looked ready to kill him.

“You said we were meeting in Roppongi!!”

“Yeah what’s up with that!?! This place sucks!”

“Did you guys actually believe him…”

Gojo claps and side steps to reveal you.

“Oh hey it’s you.”

You wave shyly at the group who scrutinizes you.

“Well everyone allow me to introduce you to y/n! She’s from another universe but one where she knows everyone, freaky right!?”

“Are you joking? No way that’s true”

“We literally saw her fall from the sky, is it really that hard to believe?”

“Well… ok then if you really do know us then tell us some things about us.”

You thought for a moment.

“Things.. um well Yuji likes girls like Jennifer Lawrence… Nobara wants to be a fashion model… and Megumi is allergic to cats..”

“Well she’s right…”

“So weird…”

“Hey so you a sorcerer or something then?”

“Mm kinda? I help out occasionally but I’m mostly only good at barriers and seals. I can excersize low level curses though.”

“Or keep them as pets.” Gojo mumbled.

“So how did you-“ the kids are abruptly cut off by a loud clap.

“Alright guys, you’ll have all the time in the world to question later her but first, we have a special grade to take care of!”

“Oh right..”

Gojo led you all to what appeared to be an old abandoned warehouse.

“Ew it smells..”

“Hey why don’t you put up the veil?” Gojo said over his shoulder.

“Oh uh sure.” He probably curious to see my techniques…

“Emerge from lightness brighter still…” you make the hand sign and feel the energy curse through you.

“Huh?”

“What in the sailor moon school girl shoujo was that?” One exclaimed!

“What do you mean?” You furrow a brow watching as your veil encompasses the area perfectly.

“Your veil, the speech, heck even the color of it, what gives??”

“This is how everyone does it...?” You cock your head. Is this not how they did it?

“So weird..”

“Um so anyway… let’s go” Gojo leads the group again inside the building.

You enter a large dusty and dark room, with one flickering light illuminating the space.

“So creepy…” you comment glancing around wearily.

“I definitely feel a strong presence..” Yuji commented kicking away a moldy piece of… whatever that was..

Suddenly Gojo stopped and motioned forward with his head, “Go on, I’ll stand back here unless you really need me”.

The kids stepped forward, you hung back as well. You wanted to train yes but didn’t want to get in the way of their lesson.

A scurrying and squeak had you shrieking and suddenly launching yourself onto Gojos arm unconsciously stepping up on his shoes so the offending animal couldn’t get you.

“Ew ew ew so gross” you held on tight until the rat was out of view.

“Ah! not again!!” You jumped back off in a fluster of apologies and embarrassment.

“Don’t apologize, I’m honestly finding all of this funny now.”

“Don’t say that….” You mumble mortified.

*Crash*

“Ah there it is!” Suddenly a giant grotesque spider looking curse swings down from the ceiling. You see the kids a little ways ahead get into position.

“I know they need to get stronger but I always hate watching them fight…” you sighed a bit sadly. Gojo couldn’t protect them forever but you wish he could..

“You care about them a lot huh?”

“Of course I do, they’re basically family…I wonder how they’re doing… they have a tournament coming up soon too.. winner gets promoted to first grade.”

“Oh? They choose like that?”

“Yeah, but I think it would be-ah! S-should we help them?!” You cried out watching the spider thingy wrap them up in webs.

“Nope not yet, have faith in them.”

“I know I just- ah I can’t watch!” You turn around covering your eyes.

Huh? A cold feeling washed over you all of the sudden. Slowly you looked up and eyed the ceiling carefully. You felt it before you saw it, a giant ball of spider saliva shooting your way.

Your right hand moved on instinct, swiping across your body whilst releasing a burst of energy that acted as a shield. The saliva sputtered on the ground melting and sizzling.

“Ah so you do have some skill after all.” Gojo said directly behind you.

The jerk, he could’ve warned you!

“Why don’t you take care of this spider for us? You said you needed training right? This one is a lot weaker than the one the kids are fighting.” Gojo smirked.

Ugh why did I say that??? Spiders are so creepy ew..

“S-sure” you shivered in disgust as the being spiraled down from the ceiling.

You swiped your right hand out again and this time let the energy form in your palm. When it was adequate you pushed it in the direction of the curse.

Crap it’s fast… you dodged another saliva attack with your shield and rethought your strategy.

Instead of aiming at the curse you aimed at the Ceiling above it.

*Rumble* *Crash*

*SCREEEEEEEECH*

You winced as the ceiling caved in and smooshed the spider under it to the ground.

You took a few steps back watching the pile carefully.

You charged a different, more powerful blast in your palm and waited.

…..

…..

…..

“SCREEEEEEEECH”

The pile erupted and you readied your hand. You totally got this.

The curse was quick to set its 100 eyes on you and make a dash.

Ok ready to hit it in three, two on- huh? Ah

Suddenly a flash of heat washed over you and your vision blurred.the spider was suddenly tilted in your eyes.

*swoosh*

“Uh hey you ok?” Your view was changed to silvery white locks hovering over you.

Gojo frowned holding you in his arms

“You were doing good, what happened?”

You used a hand clutching his chest to hold yourself steady in his arms. “Frgot mm pills”

“Huh?” Oh right. Your Satoru did mention something about iron pills. Guess I should’ve taken it more seriously…

“I’ll be fine… just stop spinning for a second” you frowned.

“I’m standing still…”

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

“Sorry for the trouble…” you were currently sipping on some juice in a nearby cafe with Gojo. A small bottle of pills by your hand.

“It’s fine don’t worry about it.” He waved dismissively.

“Besides, the pharmacy was by this cafe which happens to be one of my favorites.”

“I don’t think I’ve been here before… ooh they have matcha cake rolls, you know who’d love this place? Suguru, hes always hating on sweet stuff but this one doesn’t seem like it has too much sugar…”

“Hm? Oh yeah..”

Huh, there it is again, that weird feeling when I bring up Suguru.

Do I ask? No I shouldn’t right? Maybe I can ask the kids..

It’s nearing evening time when you and Gojo are making your way to the school. You asked him not to warp based on how dizzy you just were.

You subtly glance to the side, the setting sun illuminating his profile in a golden hue. He opted for his designer glasses today and man were you a sucker for them.

You remember the time you accidentally sat on one of his limited edition Lay Banz shades and he made you hold a funeral for them. Man what a goof…

“Uh you ok over there?” Gojo raised a brow hearing you snicker to yourself like a maniac.

“Yeah, just remembered something funny…”

He hummed and smiled. “Your smile sorta reminds me of something…just can’t quite put my finger on what…”

You smiled warmly, thinking back to one of your first dates.

*Flashback*

“Your smile reminds me of something…”

“Oh yeah? What?”.

“Promise you won’t laugh?”

“I won’t laugh…” probably…

“My grandmother...”.

“Your grandmother? Why?”

Did you have an old lady laugh??

“Well when she smiled, everything around her seemed to brighten up.”

“….”

“Huh why are you so red?”

“Shut up.”

*end flashback*

“Uh oh you’re turning colors again, you’re not gonna faint again are you??” Gojo started fanning you.

“I’m good I’m good-“ you smack his hand away laughing.

“Did I mention you’re kinda weird?”

“Well Excuse me, I do not take insults from someone who organizes their sun glasses by, and I quote, “Cold, Warm, and Horny” like I still to this day don’t get what that means!”

“….you know too much…”

You give him a teasing smile, “I did mention we are married right?”

“So weird…”

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

Thank you all for the amazing support!! It means so much and motivates me to keep going! I love you all xoxo

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[kayentokk]

Your Dear Husband

-Pairing; Aizawa Shōta x GN! Reader

-Synopsis;Your husband just wants to have breakfast with you.

-Contains;Butt smacks, kisses, fluff, pet names,

-wc; 367

-A/N; I love Aizawa, who doesn’t? I just had to do a little something for him. ;) Let me know how you like it in the comments.

Warm, golden light shining through the small cracks the curtains didn’t cover. Morning bliss still clouding your brain.

Laying there half way awake, before little pecks make their way up your body. Starting at your hips, easing up to your stomach, your neck, until finally your face. You stirred a little, smiling into the soft lips on yours.

“Good morning baby,” a slightly groggy voice spoke.

“Morning,” you uttered.

“Sorry, I hate to wake you up-“

You cut him off, “so why did you?” You retorted almost laughing at his baffled expression.

He cleared his throat continuing, “if you want to have breakfast with your dear husband, I suggest you get up.”

You perked you ears up at the word “breakfast” you love when Aizawa cooks, especially breakfast. He smiled before he stood up and walked back into the kitchen.

You sat up, rubbing your eyes before taking in the scent. Steamed rice, yum. Buttery-good sweetness; soufflé pancakes! A faint sweet smell, not pancakes….tamagoyaki? My favorite!

Now you were really excited. You wanted to see Aizawa in action so you hastily brushed your teeth, washed your face, and walked into the kitchen. It smelled so good. All the light aromas of everything he was making filled the air. You stood there for a moment behind the counter, taking in the sight you saw.

The tall, muscular man standing over the rice-cooker in your apron. His long, dark hair tied up into a bun, the dark blue apron synching his waist perfectly. A breeze of hot steam rising onto his face as he opened the lid. He turned the rice cooker off and wiped his face with his hands.

You walked up behind him, swung your arm back, and hit his butt.

“Hey good lookin what’s cookin?” You said snickering before the man could even muster up any words from your previous action.

The heat rose even more in his face before he sighed, turning to face your e/c eyes, “you do that every time I make breakfast. Yet it still surprises me.”

“Yep I know,” you chirped back smiling. You pecked him on the cheek and he turned back around to continue cooking.

@/firefly-graphics for the divider

[wardenparker]

Down the Rabbit Hole - ch 12

Jack ‘Whiskey’ Daniels x female reader Co-written with @absurdthirst​

When Jack accidentally shoots a civilian on a mission he takes on not only the guilt of the man’s death, but inherits his soulmate as well. To you, it’s a dream job with more perks than you can imagine - but for Jack it’s a nightmarish complication. Even more so when he starts to develop feelings.    

Rating: Mature! 18+   Word Count: 17.1k   Warnings: *Blanket warnings - mentions of deceased spouse, a lot of food and alcohol consumption, family recipes, age gap, cursing.* Anxiety, accidental hurt, panic attack (symptoms based on my own personal experiences), intrusive/racing thoughts, physical symptoms of anxiety, hurt/comfort. *Author chooses not to disclose all warnings so as not to spoil a plot point! It has been spoiled in the tags if you would rather know ahead of time!* Summary: An impromptu trip with the girls leads to a lightbulb moment that you wish had never come.  Notes: And you guys thought everything was smooth sailing after the proposal? Oh no...we can’t have that...

Ch 1 ~ Ch 2 ~ Ch 3 ~ Ch 4 ~ Ch 5 ~ Ch 6 ~ Ch 7 ~ Ch 8 ~ Ch 9 ~ Ch 10 ~ Ch 11 ~ Ch 12 ~ Ch 13 ~ Ch 14 ~ Ch 15 ~ Epilogue

It was something of a joke the first time it got brought up. One night long after dinner service was over when you and Jack had Sophia and Tex over for drinks. You had sat out on the back porch refilling your glasses and chatting about weddings when Tex randomly asked a question.

“Ain’t there a tv show for that? For buyin’ wedding dresses?”

“You mean Say Yes to the Dress?” You had asked, laughing and leaning into Jack’s side. It had been almost the only thing you watched with your sister for months when she was engaged. “Yeah. Why, do you want to watch it?”

“Naw.” He has shaken his head pensively. “Y’all should be on it.” You had laughed. All four of you. Delighted by the silly idea of you and Sophia being on TV together. It had seemed like an idea that came and went like summer breeze. Two whole weeks ago and while you’d fantasized a little, you hadn’t brought it up again. It hasn’t been brought up at all before today.

******

When Sophia blows into a building, people know it. Her tendency to throw the doors open and yell seemingly fits right in with the Statesman group far better than she ever had with Kingsman. So when she bursts through the double door leading to your kitchen, no one on your staff even bats an eye. “Pack your bags, we are getting on the plane!” She squeals, nearly giddy with excitement.

The sound of banging doors hasn't bothered you in your entire life, considering you grew up with noisy siblings, so you are perfectly leaned over a soufflé plate to put the finishing touches on its presentation when Sophia appears in a tornado of activity. "Oh yeah?" You ask, raising an eyebrow that is meant for her but very carefully placing a quenelle of homemade ice cream on the plate to hand off to one of your waitstaff. "Where exactly are we going in the middle of my dinner service?"

“Kleinfield.” She’s smug as she smirks at you and reaches out to pluck a shaving of chocolate off the line to pop into her mouth. “They have a cancelation two days from now and you and I are taking it!”

The spoon you had in your hand promptly clatters to the counter as you stare at her, jaw nearly unhinging from your face in shock. “You’re kidding, right?”

“Would I joke about that?” She gives you a horrified look. “I have Tex’s credit card and need to burn a hole in it!”

“But he—I thought—it was just a joke?” A passing comment from your friend while drinking under the stars. Nothing more. But the look on her face is fully aghast and you shut your mouth for long enough to realize that she’s talking about your day off. “Two days?” You ask, knowing that no, she would never joke about this. As boisterous and excitable and unconventional as Sophia is, she would probably be perfect for Kleinfeld.

“You don’t want to do it?” She asks, knowing that some people talk about doing things and never get the nerve when presented with the opportunity. “It’s okay if you don’t.”

"No, I just...I'm honestly shocked they had an appointment available." The disappointment in Sophia's face is obvious, and you grab a dish towel to wipe your hands on before throwing your arms around her. "Maybe we'll get to be in a background shot of an episode if we linger by a camera long enough."

“Either way, we are going to drink champagne and try on wedding dresses!” The hug rejuvenates her and she’s immediately crushing you in a return embrace. “I want an emerald green Zuhair Murad. Unless I find something I love more.”

"Oh god, you even know what designer you want." If Sophia has faults, preparedness is not one of them. She's always fully informed and ready to go at a moment's notice. "I suppose I should actually look at some designs before we go, shouldn't I?"

“No.” Sophia decides, grinning at you. “Choose whatever dress speaks to you.” She holds up a credit card, sleek and shiny. “I’ve got Whiskey’s card and there’s not a limit.”

"You already went and got his card?" That has you doubled over laughing, so taken aback by her approach and yet you have no idea why. This is who Sophia is. And it's why you love her. The woman is unapologetic about her enthusiasm. "You know I have to work tomorrow, right? And the appointment isn't for two days." Regardless though, it earns her another hug. It might be good to go back to New York for a happy reason...try to form new memories there that have nothing to do with what happened last time...

She pouts at you, clearly wanting to go to New York with her friend now. “Fine but we are spending the entire next three days.” She warns you with a pointed finger. “I need to see the sights.”

"I have a restaurant to run, you know." You just shake your head at her with both hands on her shoulders, barely smothering another laugh and sighing happily. "I'll make it work. Pick out the places you want to see the most and I'll see if my brother is going to be around or if we can crash an event at his art gallery. How does that sound?"

“Perfect! Oh! I asked Diana about coming but she’s insisting she will stay behind and make sure that the restaurant runs smoothly while you are gone.”

"You thought of everything, didn't you?" She always does. It's not as if it's a surprise. "Alright." One more hug and you pull back, shooting her a knowing grin. "Are you staying for supper or should I pack up a to-go order for you to take home to your man?"

“Ohhhhhh dinner.” She moans. “Not having the hour long ‘what do you want for dinner?’ conversation.” She laughs. “Please. Whatever you want to pack up, I’ll buy.”

"The chicken pot pie soup is even better today than usual." And it's one that they haven't tried yet, so you immediately go to pour two to-go containers. "And the biscuits are fresh." You add two of the apple hand pies and a small container of whiskey caramel for good measure, wanting to make sure that they're well fed tonight. "I'll put it on Tex's tab."

“That sounds amazing.” She groans, rolling her eyes. “But everything you make is amazing. I’m just never cooking again.”

"Glad to be of service." The compliment is like a giant fuzzy blanket you can wrap yourself up in, and you hand her the full bag of food with your restaurant's logo on the side. "Now go home and make a list of everything you want to see while we're in New York."

“Don’t tell me that.” Sophia grins and leans in to steal another hug. “Or I’ll plan it like a mission.”

"I can think of worse things." Throwing her a grin, you shoo her toward the door with a laugh. "I'm gonna come by your office before my shift tomorrow and I want to hear at least three ideas, otherwise I'm dragging you to every museum I can possibly think of. Deal?"

“Deal.” Sophia turns back towards you with a grin. “This is going to be great. We are going to have so much fun and the added bonus is that we will drive the boys crazy wondering what we are getting into together.”

"You're the only person in the world who can give Tex a run for his money in the troublemaker department." With one last squeezing hug, you really do have to get back to work. "Go on, Soph. I'll see you tomorrow."

“Bye!” She shouts as she blows out of the restaurant just as eagerly as she came in. You’ve given her more food she hasn’t tried and she’ll be damned if she’s going to let it get cold.

******

Going home to Jack that night is basically falling into a lump on the couch beside him as soon as you walk in the door, but at least you're the happy kind of exhausted. "Good day at work?" You ask, sighing a little as you tuck into his side and steal a sip from his glass on the coffee table.

Jack rolls his eyes slightly. “Alright, but Champ has decided that I need to be tested, make sure I’m up for going back to the field after months away.”

"What kind of test?" It's a fair thing for his boss to insist on, but you can hear the annoyance in Jack's voice.

“Every-damn-thing.” Jack grunts, shaking his head. “Man seems to think I’m getting old. Got me trainin’ with the recruits.”

“I’m sorry I kept you out so long.” You know it’s at least partially because of the trouble you had with each other in the beginning, and you turn your chin to look up at him on the couch. “He’s just doing his job, baby. A boss had to be a boss, even to his best friend.”

“It’s just aggravating.” Jack admits. “The younger group doesn’t mind. But they are in awe.”

“Bask in their admiration then, my love.” That makes you grin, knowing that Jack loves to show off when the opportunity arises. “Have someone other than your fiancée coo over how impressive you are.”

He grumbles under his breath, but it seems to do the trick. Tomorrow’s training not seeming quite so bleak as it has been looking. “Sophia find you?”

“She came by during dinner service.” He seems mollified, and you pick up his hand to kiss his palm before grinning guiltily. “I thought we might talk a little about wedding stuff before she and I leave tomorrow night?”

“What do you want to talk about, sugar?” He had gladly handed over his card to Sophia and told her to make sure you bought whatever you wanted.

"Well...we haven't really planned anything yet." Other than convincing your mother that no, you really can't fit into her wedding dress without major alterations and knowing that he had mentioned a family veil in a conversation ages ago, you've just been too busy with the restaurant to bask in the glow of being engaged. "We haven't even talked about where to have it yet."

“Honestly?” Jack chuckles. “I had anticipated you wantin’ to have the wedding here.”

"Here as in the house, or here as in the Statesman campus?" Either one is fine with you, but you want Jack to be excited for the wedding, too. Just because this will be his second doesn't mean it should be less meaningful.

“I meant here at Statesman.” He corrects. “Or up with your family.” He offers. “It doesn’t matter to me, if I’m honest. As long as you are there and we are happy.” He winks and leans in to press his lips to yours.

"Here at Statesman, then." It's come to mean a hell of a lot to you as a place to live and work anyway, there's no reason not to celebrate it. And your lips twist into a grin that you can't deny at the thought of having the wedding back in New Hampshire. "We threw my sister's wedding at my parents' house. It was so much fucking work, I think they'd be glad to just show up to this one instead of throwing the whole thing."

Jack nods in agreement. “That’ll be a good thing. The whole crew will want to be there.” He warns you with a grin. “It’ll be a big party.”

"A big party, huh? Sounds like fun." It's just teasing, you know it will be. Everyone at Statesman loves Jack, and your extended family will make plenty of fuss. "Do you..." You bite your lip and sit up to actually look him in the eye. "Do you want to do it before or after we go to Montana? I don't mind either way, but I know it's going to be an emotional trip and I don't want you to feel awkward about anything."

“Sugar…” Jack reaches for your hand and he picks it up to kiss the back of it. “I want you to plan this wedding for whenever you want. If we were to do it my way, it would be at the courthouse next week.”

"I mean...we could do that, but you're the one who's gonna tell Sophia that the trip to Kleinfeld is off." You have to bite your lip again, but this time it's to keep from bursting out laughing at the stricken look of worry on his face. Jack clearly does not want to be the one to deliver that news. "I don't mind how long we're engaged, love. I just want us to both be happy. So...since you're being so terribly practical...how about I talk to Diana about what would be the best time once I find my dream dress and find out how long it will take to get? Since I hear those things can take ages to come in."

“That will work for me.” Jack murmurs indulgently. “So you’re plannin’ the weddin’ and I’m plannin’ the honeymoon?” He asks with a teasing grin. He knows you will want his input and he won’t be the type of man to let you take on everything yourself.

“If that’s what you want.” Leaning in to kiss him has you grinning. “I imagine you’ll be choosing someplace where I wear as little as possible?”

“It’s like you know me.” Jack jokes, actually thinking about making one of your dream trips possible on your honeymoon. While time in bed is a must, he also knows you want to see the world.

“I’m happy as long as you’re there.” You promise him. “Just let me know when you pick so I can pack accordingly.”

“Would you prefer Paris or Thailand?” He asks with a smirk. “Was thinking we could do a week in Bangkok and then set ourselves up on an island resort. Or we could do the classics.”

Eyeing him like you think he might be teasing you, you decide to just roll with it and see what he says. "Depends on when the wedding is. If it's winter? Thailand, no contest. But summer? That's Paris."

“Then I guess we better figure out if you want a winter or summer weddin’ then, don’t we?” He chuckles. “Somethin’ to be said for both times of year here.”

"Guess I better talk to Diana, then. And figure out a dress." Leaning in, you steal a small kiss and relax against him again. "You...you had mentioned a veil...a while ago. And I wondered if it might be something that I could...take to New York with me? Or at least see it beforehand? I would hate to pick out a dress that it doesn't look good with when you said it was important to you."

Jack squeezes your hand and gets up with a grunt. “Come on, sugar. The veil is in the safe. Let’s see how it looks on you.”

You set the security system and Jack shuts off the lights on your way upstairs, ready to settle in for the night. The safe is in your bedroom anyway, so there won't be any reason to go back downstairs. "I assume you'd prefer I pick something white?" There's teasing on the tip of your tongue as you climb the stairs together. "I mean...who knows what I could find while Sophia is looking for her green dress."

“Sugar, I want you to pick out whatever catches your eye and makes you feel like a Princess.” He murmurs as he leads you towards the bedroom. “As long as you don’t mind there being a cowboy hat on me and all my groomsmen, we’re good.” He teases.

"I'd be disappointed if you went without." The feeling of his large hand around yours is soothing and grounding so you turn down the hall at the top of the stairs. It's automatic now, having slept in that bed with him so many times even before you were officially moved in. "Have you decided who you're going to ask?"

“Tex is gonna be my best man– if you’re good with it.” He turns and watches you carefully, wanting to make sure that you don’t hide your feelings towards it. “I was kind of hopin’ you might consider Champ officiating?”

"What if we did...couples? Kind of?" The thought is worth chewing over, and you sit down on the bed while he opens the safe. "Champ to officiate and I'll ask Diana to be our planner? Tex and Sophia as best man and maid of honor. Astrid and my brother for your other groomsmen and Gabi and my sister for my other bridesmaids?" It's like a perfect split of your friends, and you had always said that you wanted your siblings to be in your wedding party if you ever found your soulmate. After all – you were in theirs. "Does that sound okay?"

“Anyone else you want to invite?” He asks, punching in the code for the safe and swings it open. He knows exactly where the veil is, packed away in a box for protection and safekeeping. He pulls it out and turns back around to face you. “Friends from before?”

"Maybe a few. But I brought a couple of them in for the restaurant, to be honest. My best friend from culinary school is my front-of-house manager, and my closest friend from the pastry circuit back home is my pastry sous. So...aside from my extended family, most people really are already here." It's something that actually makes you more comfortable than you had realized, and bringing in your friends to help you run your dream restaurant only made it all the better.

Jack nods. “Whoever you want. We can make sure that everyone comes, even if we have to set up huge reception tents outside.”

"Is that it?" The box in his hands is cradled with care, and you know it can't be anything else. There isn't much in the safe besides weaponry and a few valuables, and that box is the only thing you haven't seen yet.

“If you don’t like it, you don’t have to wear it.” Jack offers before he hands you the box. Despite what he had said about this being a family tradition, he wasn’t going to insist on it if you hated it.

"Unless it's a literal tablecloth, I can't imagine disliking it." And even if it were, you would still wear it if it was important to him. He looks nervous as you lift the lid, but the second you reveal the lace to the light you gasp in awe. It's simple and stunning - classic in the way the scalloped lace at the edges is full of beautifully woven flowers that ease into the body of the veil to give way to simplicity. When you lift it out you can see that it has an attached clip, encrusted with beautiful, crystal-clear rhinestones. "Jack..." You look up at him on the verge of another gasp. "It's gorgeous."

“You like it?” He asks, shuffling slightly and wondering if you are just saying that. He had family pictures going back generations with this veil and if you decided you didn’t want it, he would be disappointed but understand.

"I love it." You're practically in tears over it, and immediately stand up from the bed to go in front of the mirror and get an idea of what it would look like in your hair. The gold and rhinestone clip and floral lace are giving you ideas that you never would have imagined for yourself. "I'm going to pick something simple for a dress." Whether you're telling yourself or him is up for debate. "So this can be the center piece." Without having any family at all to invite, it's the perfect way to still have them with him at the wedding.

“It looks gorgeous on you, sugar.” Jack swallows, not wanting to compare you to his late wife, but you both look like angels wearing the family veil. It’s been a long time since he’s even looked at it. “Probably needs to be cleaned. But I’ve kept it as safe as I could.”

"I'll ask Diana. Something tells me that she will know a place that can handle something this delicate." It's silly, but you really don't want to take it off so quickly. But he's right, it's an heirloom and an antique, and should be handled with care. "I'm honoured that you want me to wear it, honey. It's beautiful, and a beautiful memory to have."

“I will admit.” He reaches out and touches the lace. “I was hopin’ you’d want to wear it.”

"I absolutely do." Leaning over a little, you leave a kiss brushed on his cheek and rub his arm gently. "I'm going to take some pictures of it, if that's okay with you? I don't want to risk something happening to it on the trip. It's more delicate that I had imagined."

“No, you take it with you.” Jack insists. “It’s a lot tougher than it appears. It’s been through more than most family heirlooms.”

“I’ll pack it up in something safe and padded,” you promise, already trying to think of your laptop case will fit the bill. Either way, you carefully take the clip out of your hair and wrap your arms around him as soon as the veil is back in its box. “I’m glad we have something of your family’s for the wedding.” You wish you could do more than that - find some way to have them there - but some things are beyond even your determined reach.

“She woulda liked you.” Jack admits in a quiet voice. “Woulda boxed my damn ears for how I treated you, but if there was some way for you two to be in the same time, she woulda joked about the two of you runnin’ me ragged.”

"If there was some way for us to be in the same time, I know she and I would have been friends." Though you don't really know how you know it, all of the things you've ever learned about Abigail Daniels all add up to the kind of person you would have loved to be friends with. "She'd give me shit about the whole thing with Tex, and she'd love Sophia to death just like I do. And..." You sit down on the bed with him again and pick Jack's hand up in both of yours. "And I hope that sometimes I remind you of her. Even a little bit. And that sometimes you're just like that cook from Boston."

“That might be what scared me the fucking most.” Jack whispers quietly. “You do remind me of her. That same spirit. Caring nature.” He lifts your joined hands and puts your arms around his shoulders. “But I love you. For you.”

"I love you, too, Jack Daniels." It always makes you smile, the way the sentence rolls off your tongue so naturally and makes him blush, pushing that lone dimple up into the meat of his cheek. "But I hope you know that giving Sophia your credit card means she is gonna make sure I come home with the most expensive wedding dress New York City has to offer."

“It’s why I gave it to her.” He pouts at you playfully. “You either wouldn’t have accepted it or resolved to spend as little as possible on it.” He grumbles, unsure of why you disbelieve the fact that he can afford to spoil you. “She’s under orders to have them remove the price tags from the gowns before you try them on.”

"Tex is convinced they're going to put us on camera." Later in the night he had texted you to thank you for dinner and excitedly gushed about how he was dead certain that if two ravishing ladies such as yourself walked up into that salon with fancy fiancés and unlimited budgets, they would be fools not to put you on the show. "I don't think it works like that, but I didn't want to dash his dreams."

“Hardheaded fool.” Jack shakes his head and sighs. “Sophia can’t be on the show.” He explains softly. “At least not featured. She’s an active agent.”

"She's the most special thing to him in the world and he likes to dream about it. It's sweet." His exasperation is endearing - brotherly, really - and you grin. "He's sappy and in looooove."

“Yeah. He is a sap.” Never one to turn down a chance to insult Tex good-naturedly, he chuckles. “He’s gonna cry when he gets the bill for her dress.”

"She's going to look spectacular." You know that without hesitation. Even if she weren't a statuesque beauty to begin with, her assuredness and vivacity would make her a knock-out no matter what. "It'll be the most unconventional wedding dress you've ever seen."

“The boy said she was wantin’ a green weddin’ dress.” He hums, looking at you curiously. “Are you thinkin’ something along the same lines or traditional?”

"I think the wildest I'll get is a flower pattern or something in the fabric. No colors or anything over the top for me." Somehow you have a feeling that Jack wouldn't say a word if you wanted to be untraditional, but he's hoping for white in his heart. And honestly? You never imagined anything but white on your own anyway. Maybe ivory - but that is hardly a stretch of the imagination. "My mom and my sister had these very elaborate dresses with lace and rhinestones and bows and stuff and I just...I don't know. I think I want to do something simple. And definitely something white."

“Simple is good.” Jack slides his hands around your waist and pulls you closer. “Simple lets the gorgeous bride shine. Instead of just looking at the dress, they will be lookin’ at you, sugar. Envious and wonderin’ how the fuck I got so lucky.”

Your immediate impulse is to protest that you’re the lucky one in this situation, but you know you’ll just end up going back and forth flattering each other. “We’re both lucky,” you insist, leaning forward to press your lips to his.

He can concede that, smirking slightly against your lips. Tilting his head and sliding his tongue into your mouth to deepen the kiss and groans when you immediately respond. The way Jack kisses you will never cease to thrill you. Reverent and wanting but always playful. It makes you smile into the kiss and ring your arms around his neck to pull him in closer. “I’m gonna miss you while I'm in the city.”

He frowns slightly and pulls you closer. “I’m going to miss you too, sugar.” He admits. He’s worried. Worried that you might not react to being in the city where you were tortured, but he’s not going to bring it up. If you aren’t thinking about it, he doesn’t want to put it in your mind. “But you will have a lot of fun with Sophia. You two are gettin’ along good.”

“She’s great.” You tilt your chin back to kiss the tip of his nose and smile, trying to wipe the frown off of his face. “And I know I’ll be safe with her.” It’s not as if you hadn’t thought about where you’re going. But you can’t exactly shun the city where your own brother lives for the rest of your life.

“You will be.” Jack looks down into your eyes seriously. “Please wear the bracelet and your earrings?” He begs softly.

“Cross my heart.” You nod earnestly, pressing another kiss to his lips. “And if I never go to Brooklyn again it’ll be too soon.”

He hums, tightening his grip on you slightly. “I would offer to come but I think there’s some rule about seeing the dress.”

"There's a very big rule about it, and I want you to be surprised." Although you can't deny that you always feel safer with him around, you know that Sophia will be able to take care of anything that comes up. If anything does at all, which it shouldn't now that Jack had taken care of the Rollins boys. "Unless...maybe Astrid could come with us? If she wanted to, and Gabi was okay with it? Then I'd have two of the baddest ass women I know looking out for me and you might feel a little calmer?"

“You take whoever you need to, sugar.” It’s sweet that you want to calm him down but he will always feel a little anxious when you aren’t in his sight. He’s already come to terms with that fact.

"It'll all be fine." You assure him, solidly reminding yourself of it as well. "We'll both be a little unsettled but I'll be fine with Sophia. And I'll wear my bracelet and my earrings so you can watch my little tracker dot circle around the dress shop a bunch of times and grin about it."

“I think you’ll find your dress in under an hour.” Jack predicts.

"You want to be more specific?" The idea of a little bet is intriguing to you and you pull apart from him to start undressing for bed. "Make a wager, maybe?"

“You know what you like and what you don’t.” Jack explains. “Even if you don’t have any particular style in mind before you go in, I wager an extra week on our honeymoon that you find your dress within an hour.”

"So if you're right, we add an extra week to the honeymoon." Tossing your socks in the laundry basket, the t-shirt you were wearing joins it next. "If it takes longer than that, which I think it will because I have no clue what I'm looking for other than 'not what my mother or sister wore', then..." You think through it, trying to think if there's anything you've wanted that he has ever said no to. Which of course, there isn't, so you go for something silly instead. "Then you and I are going to take an extremely silly engagement trip somewhere. Disney levels of silly."

Jack chuckles, knowing that it would seem extremely silly, but it would be worth it. “You’re on, sugar.” He hums happily, watching as you strip down and he starts to unbuckle his belt. “It’ll be great having you on the honeymoon for an extra week, but—” He points at you playfully and wags his finger. “You can only call to check in on your restaurant once a day.”

"Twice." You immediately pop up, turning to throw him a pout in protest. After all, pouting topless has never steered you wrong before - even if you're a little too anxious tonight to be thinking about sex. For the last several days, actually. "Once at the beginning of business and once toward the end of the night."

“One call, one text.” Jack haggles with you, smirking slightly although his eyes are squarely centering on your tits at the moment. Not sure if he’s smirking at the conversation or at the sight of your beautiful breasts.

"One call and one text. I can deal with that." You'll conspire with your sous chef later to communicate far more than that, but that's for later. "See something you like, cowboy?" It does make you smile, even though you're currently digging into the dresser to pull out an oversized t-shirt to sleep in.

“You can’t expect to pull out your tits and not have me stare at them.” He huffs dramatically, although he’s noting that you are already putting clothes back on, the universal signal for ‘not tonight’. To be fair, there has been a lot of sex and he doesn’t care if you want to have a rest. Instead of stripping down completely, he leaves his boxers on as he pulls back the covers.

"You're always allowed to stare at them, babe. Just like I'm always allowed to stare at your ass." Grateful that he doesn't seem to be fiercely ready for sex tonight, you crawl into bed beside him and snuggle up tight.

Curling his arms around you and pulling you into his chest, Jack presses his lips to your forehead. You seem perfectly content to let tonight be a snuggly affair and he’s perfectly okay when that, sighing softly at your warmth against his chest. The beating of your heart that he can just barely hear. “It’s a good thing you like it, cause it’s barely there. Better narrow your eyes to see it.”

“I’m gonna have to get a very powerful glasses prescription from Astrid,” you joke, giggling when you look up at him in bed and he frowns dramatically in response.

Jack reaches between you and pinches your nipple. “Brat.”

“Ow.” You’re laughing until you’re not, confused as to why the normally playful gesture hurts tonight. Jack must have accidentally pinched harder than usual. “Now I’m a pouty brat.”

“Shit, sugar.” He goes to rub your breasts to apologize but you twist away. Instead he strokes your back. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you.” He promises, feeling guilty for being too rough. He must have pinched harder than normal.

“S’ok.” You shrug, but also shrug out of his touch, slipping down beside him with a soft smile. “Kisses make things better, ya know.”

“I’ll give you as many kisses as you want.” He keeps his hands away from your chest, settling them on your sides as you lean in so he can kiss you.

“Sounds perfect to me.” Determined not to let your nerves about going to New York seep in, you just hope you get a good night’s sleep tonight. You’ve been restless lately – who knows why.

“Let’s get some sleep, sugar.” Jack suggests, unwinding one arm from around you so he can turn off the light. “You’ve got some big weddin’ decisions to be makin’.”

******

When you actually depart for New York it's early in the morning two days later, and you and Sophia have Gabi along with you for the trip. The idea of inviting Astrid was well-meaning for Jack's comfort, but since both of you had actually planned on asking Gabi to be your bridesmaid individually you had decided to make this trip a sort of event. The three of you sit over breakfast on the Statesman jet, talking over what Sophia wants to see and all the little things that you think you might look for in a dress or for your weddings. It's a calm flight, all things considered, but you still find yourself picking at your breakfast and wishing your upset stomach would subside.

“Are you good?” Gabi reaches out and touches your elbow. “I know the food isn’t as good as yours, but it’s not worth shredding the bagel.” She teases with a grin.

"I felt kind of off yesterday, too." You admit, looking between your friends with a sheepish expression. "I think I'm nervous."

“It’s okay to be nervous.” She promises. “I kept choking on my own spit the day Astrid and I got married. Broke out in hives.”

"Oh god..." As comforting as it is to know that even the happiest couples you know had plenty of wedding nerves, that just makes you groan in the moment. "Don't tell me that. Tell me everything's going to work out and the stuff that goes wrong will be little and unimportant and we'll laugh about it later."

“Everything turned out amazing.” She assures you with a smile that can only be from a person still completely besotted with their soulmate. “One of the best days of my life. And it will be yours as well.”

"Gabi's official role as bridesmaid for both of us is to be the calm one." Sophia jokes, sitting back at the table in the belly of the jet with her hands wrapped around her iced coffee. "Which reminds me," she grins, eyes flashing mischief at you before focusing on Gabi. "Hen parties. What did you and Ginger do?"

Gabi snorts and shakes her head. “Uhhhh….” Her grin is devilish and she shrugs. “We went to a male strip club.” She admits with a cackle.

"Seriously?" You almost do a spit take of your herbal tea, which would not help your stomach in the least.

“What?” She gives a shrug of her shoulders as if it was nothing surprising. “Just because we are desperately in love doesn’t mean we don’t like to look at dick.” She huffs playfully, dropping her voice on ‘dick’.

"So you like to look but don't want to touch men?" Human sexuality is such a fucking spectrum that you typically don't ask questions, but now you're curious. Plus, it's probably the first time you've ever seen Gabi blush. Ever.

“Ummm….” She shrugs again and gestures uselessly with her hands. “All of our kids were, uh, conceived naturally. So sometimes we do like to touch.”

"So..." This is breakthrough information that has you sitting up in your chair, practically giggling in delight. "Jack just...assumed you're a lesbian and no one ever corrected him? Because he definitely thinks you're a lesbian."

“To be fair, we are in a committed relationship and don’t really talk about anybody before finding each other.” Gabi defends lightly. “And we were very discreet with the fathers of our kids.” She giggles. “Plus, if Jack knew, he might have volunteered to get one of us pregnant and while I would have gone for it….Astrid would have worried it would affect their work relationship.”

"He absolutely would have volunteered." And rather than making you feel awkward in any way, you can absolutely laugh about it. "Well it seems I learned something about my friends today!”

Gabi shrugs and smirks. “So don’t feel bad about wanting a male dancer for my sake!” She jokes. “I’ll be upfront since it’s been a while.”

“Oh!” Shrinking back in your seat a little, you shake your head and laugh nervously. “I wasn’t planning on having a bachelorette party. No dancers or strippers or whatever for me.”

“What?” Gabi immediately shakes her head. “You are having a bachelorette party. Even if it’s just a spa thing with the girls.”

“No one’s saying we’re dragging you to Vegas for a Magic Mike show and endless rounds of cocktails by the pool.” Sophia waggles her eyebrows. “Although that does sound grand.”

“That’s what we’ll do for you, then.” That kind of party is much more styled to Sophia’s outgoing personality, and you’re definitely more up to planning something like that than being the focus of it. “Mine will be the low key version of things.”

Gabi nods. “Noted. Sophia wants naked men, you want pedicures.” She teases. “But you will stuff some dollar bills in a g-string if given the opportunity?”

“I promise to stuff at least two bills into two separate g-strings.” You snort, shaking your head at the very silly bargain.

“At least.” Gabi agrees with a grin. “Who knows, maybe Astrid and I will have the motivation to start looking for another donor for baby number three.”

“Your third baby donor and my brother’s second husband,” you half-joke, knowing full well it’s only half. If your brother knew you were going to a strip club he’d be there in a heartbeat. Sophia cackles at that, gleefully enjoying the image it brings to mind, and you snort a laugh that brings the whole table into a fit of giggles.

“So.” Gabi leans in and grins. “A little birdy told me that you and Jack have a little wager.” She hums. “I am to act as timekeeper.”

“Oh god.” Despite your embarrassed laughter, you do sit up and reach for your tea. “If I find a dress in under an hour, he’s adding an extra week to our honeymoon. If it takes over an hour, I get to be treated to a silly little engagement trip. He’s convinced I’m going to find one in no time.”

“So you win either way.” Sophia looks impressed, sore that she hadn’t come up with something like that with Tex. “Bravo.”

You shrug, knowing the compromise is really just a win for both of you, and it’s really just about when to have an extra week of vacation. “I know it’s going to take me forever, so you two will have to help me come up with someplace extraordinarily silly for him to take me.”

“Knotts Berry Farm.” Sophia immediately pipes up. “Or Disney World. And make him wear the ears!”

“If I bring that man to Disney World, I’m dressing him up like Woody and absolutely no one can stop me.” It would certainly qualify as silly, and your beloved cowboy soulmate would undoubtedly have you dressed up in something equally silly the next day as revenge. “And I would take so many videos.”

“You would have to!” Gabi laughs at the mental image and shakes her head. “There’s a snake in my boot!” Sophia cries out in an exaggerated imitation of Jack’s voice.

“Excuse me, ladies.” The flight attendant that welcomed you all on board and set out your breakfast comes over with a smile, having clearly recognized the impression Sophia was doing. “We’ll be landing shortly. If you wouldn’t mind buckling in, I’ll just clear this away. You’ll be on the ground in twenty minutes or less.”

Sophia looks giddy as the plane starts to descend, looking out the windows although the clouds still cover up the view. “Thank you for coming.” She says suddenly. “I am excited for this.”

“You made this happen.” Reaching over to hold her hand tightly, the way she grips yours back eagerly is full of excitement and anticipation. “We’re glad to be here for the ride. And I am also very excited about this appointment.”

“I am just here for the free champagne.” Gabi teases, honored that both women would include her in such a big event. Even better, she gets a mini vacation that is sure to rejuvenate her.

******

The ride from the airport to Kleinfeld is animated, with all three of you mashed into the backseat of the Statesman SUV that came to pick you up at the private airstrip. Apparently, having three agency soulmates fly into the city for a few days landed you some privileges, especially since Sophia is an active agent - and the best perk might actually be having a driver at your disposal.

“So Sophia already has an idea of what she wants. What are you thinking?” Gabi asks. “I know you have Jack’s family’s veil with you.”

“Yes, I do. And it’s non negotiable. If the dress doesn’t compliment the veil, it’s not the one.” The tote bag you’re carrying today holds any number of things, but your laptop case containing that veil is the most precious by far. “I just want something simple. As vague as that is.”

“Simple can always be wonderful.” The only married woman in the group insists. “Especially when on such a gorgeous woman.”

“Flatterer.” A sly grin in Gabi’s direction makes both of you laugh, and you reach for the front door of the bridal salon with a sharp intake of nervous breath. “Okay, ladies. Here we go!”

“Reservation is under my name.” Sophia turns towards you two before a woman in a tailored pantsuit walks up to the group. “Hello.” She watches as the woman seems surprised by the accent and smiles. “We have a reservation. Andrews.”

"Of course. Welcome!" The perfectly coiffed platinum blonde smiles broadly and waves you all over to the desk. "My name is Ellie, and I'm actually your consultant today so this was perfect timing to run into each other." She laughs, but instead of being put-on or polite, she sounds genuinely amused as she glances down at the computer behind the counter and back up again. "Now this is a double appointment, right? You, Sophia...and...?"

"And me." You put out your hand out to her and find yourself smiling in mirror to the woman – Ellie is one of the consultants frequently featured on the show but you would be hard pressed to actually say anything. She probably gets enough of that every single day from other brides.

“I already know what I am looking for.” Sophia announces, motioning towards you. “She is the one who isn’t quite sure what she is looking for. Although she has brought a family heirloom veil from the groom’s family that she wants to use.”

"Oh wow." Ellie looks suitably impressed and waves the three of you toward the belly of the salon. "Well let's go and get you ladies set up, and we can talk a little about what we're looking for and what our budgets look like." She moves through the space with ease and the three of you follow easily until you're shown to a soft, blue loveseat in one corner of the salon. "Since we have two brides trying things on I have a seat here for our third friend, and two pedestals for trying things on. But for now," she grins and pulls up an extra chair. "Let's have a little chat. Fiancés, weddings, budgets, all that good stuff."

“Budget is no concern.” Sophia hoots, pulling out Jack’s card. “Her fiancé is the CEO of Statesman distillery.”

"And hers," you side eye Sophia with nothing but love. "Is Head of Security." Tequila's return Stateside and good work at Kingsman had come with a step up in his civilian job title, much to his delight. It corresponded directly with his accolades as a senior agent. "They're best friends, and close with our friend Gabi's wife. Who is also a department head at Statesman. We're a big work family. But, um...yeah. Our fiancés are footing the bill, and they said no budget."

"My goodness." It's pretty clear Ellie wants to swear but she's too professional and she nods along with what you're saying. "So let's talk weddings, then? And fiancés? Sophia, you said you already know what you're looking for so why don't you tell me a little about everything?"

“I am not traditional.” She flashes a sardonic smile. “Trying to throw off my Britishness.” She jokes, you and Gabi laughing. “My fiancé is a huge cowboy and his engagement ring for me is a good indicator of our whimsy. I have decided I would like an emerald green wedding dress and my bridesmaids will wear white tea length gowns. Emerald green accents.”

"Okay!" Ellie nods, obviously a little thrown off by that idea but ultimately undeterred. "We don't have a lot in the salon in green, but what I can do is pull dresses that I know the designers are willing to do in colours and show you a fabric sample of what that colour would look like. How does that sound to you?" If it isn't satisfying to this bride Ellie will have to pull out her Hail Mary very early in this appointment.

“I was hoping for a Zuhair Murad gown?” Sophia suggests. “If that’s possible?”

"It's definitely possible." The excitable blonde nods her head and looks around the group of the three of you conspiratorially. "He's actually here today. We have a trunk show of his gowns going on this week and he's in store to meet with brides and consult on some things. I definitely think it would be worth bringing him into this appointment so that you can get that emerald color you want. His coloured gowns are stunning."

“Are you serious?” Sophia looks positively star struck and she can’t nod quick enough. For her, the designer is the entire reason she had wanted to come here.

"In that case." Ellie's eyes flash and she turns to you with a grin. "Let's talk about you, my dear. What are you looking for? What kind of wedding are we thinking of having?"

"Our situations are very similar in most ways, but in some ways we're the total opposite of each other." You explain, laughing a little when Sophia shrugs unapologetically. "We're both marrying Statesman execs, both having our wedding on the Statesman campus. I think we're both going for a sort of elegant Southern vibe. But where Soph is vibrant and extroverted and more of a party girl, I'm definitely looking for something simple and classic. My worry, though, is that everything simple is going to end up being a little boring."

“Your friend said the veil was going to be a part of your look. May I see it?” She asks, eager to see what kind of style the veil is designed in.

"The veil is an heirloom." Carefully digging into your tote, you unzip the case you have it in and lift out the antique lace to show the consultant. "This is the only thing that is non-negotiable. I could walk out of here with the most expensive and elaborate dress you sell even though I came in wanting simple and chic, but it has to work with this veil. Every bride in my soulmate's family for the last hundred and twelve years has worn it."

“It’s beautiful.” Ellie’s eyes widen and she reaches out to examine the lace. “This is hand sewn.” It is much better quality than most veils brought in that were from the 70s or 80s and the bride's mother wanted them to wear. This piece is timeless. “Simple, you say? This would look magnificent against a satin bridal gown.”

“I’m open to trying anything.” It would be silly to point out that you’re not used to wearing gowns so anything she suggests to try would be new for you. You can’t imagine most women wear an excess of gowns in their lifetime. Some, of course. But not most.

"Do you have any preference for cut?" She asks, eyeing your figure. "I have a selection of gowns that would be gorgeously simple and not clash with the veil but rather work with it to give you a wonderful bridal look."

“I just want to be able to dance,” you tell her with a grin. “He’s an amazing dancer.”

Nodding, she gently lets go of the veil and smiles at the three of you. "I will get you set up with some champagne and then start pulling dresses for you to see." She promises as she stands up. "I feel like you both will find exactly what you want."

It's a few minutes before your consultant returns with a tray of drinks and shows you that your dressing rooms are the ones right beside where you're sitting. She disappears again with an excited grin, headed into the belly of the salon to the stockroom to pull some dresses. It seems like the three of you have barely had a few sips, though, when a tall man with dark features and an easy smile sidles up to your area. "Miss Andrews?" He asks in a thick Middle-Eastern accent, looking to see which one of you answers. "Ellie told me you were interested in one of my colored gowns for your wedding dress."

Sophia’s eyes widen and she is immediately standing, rushing to shake the hand of one of her favorite designers. “Yes.” She gushes happily. “I am in love with your designs.”

“The very highest compliment I could ever receive.” Murad smiles warmly and shakes Sophia’s hand with both of his. “There are a few gowns here that could be dyed. I will help Ellie pull those for you and we will see what you think of them. But,” he flashes her a grin. “If we do not turn up anything here, then we will come up with a design all your own, together.”

“The only thing that I care about is that the dress matches the color of my ring.” Sophia can’t help but grin back at the handsome man.

"A beautiful piece," he praises, letting the emerald catch the light and dance. "Your fiancé has excellent taste."

"Thank you." Sophia beams and twists the ring on her hand. "We were joking that I should have a dress to match and I absolutely fell in love with the idea."

"It is not a joke, it is genius." The designer flashes a grin at Sophia and then at you and Gabi on the plush little loveseat. "Let me see what is here that can be dyed, and I will come back with Ellie to see what you think."

Sophia giggles nervously and nods, turning back towards you and Gabi when he walks away. "Oh my fucking god! I cannot believe I just met him!!!!" She squeals, nearly apoplectic with glee.

"I think that was more than a meet, honey," you wrap a giddy Sophia up in a hug and let her giggle fit ride itself out naturally. "He just offered to custom design your wedding dress if you don't like anything on site."

"Oh god, he did, didn't he?" She's completely awestruck and nearly spills her champagne as she plops down on the cushioned chaise lounger. "I missed that. I just– oh my god, do you think he would find it strange if I invited him to the wedding?"

"I don't know if he would be able to come, but I think it would be a very nice gesture." She's completely overcome with the encounter and you can't help but laugh softly. "How about if I meet my dress's designer too, we'll both invite them. And then we can be weird together?" It's such a silly suggestion, but kind of a sweet one. Like a big thank you for a day that is already so wonderful.

"Maybe he can design something simple for you." She bites her lip and looks around in complete starstruck awe. "I cannot believe I am here. We are here. We are going to be getting married!"

“She’s gonna take off to outer space.” Gabi laughs, carefully extracting Sophia’s glass from her hand while you hug her.

“Can’t say I blame her.” There’s activity all around you, consultants toting dresses and other brides giddily browsing the pieces hanging in the sales floor, and you look around with a sigh. “It’s like bridal Disneyland.”

Gabi snorts and can't deny that. "It is bridal Disney, isn't it?" She hums, amused by the idea. "We need to see about adding a bridal boutique to the Statesman label." She chuckles. "Have it be an all in one wedding venue."

“If we had a bridal label we’d be unstoppable.” The very idea of it makes you grin, as if you don’t have enough on your plate already with the restaurant just opening and the event planning taking off at the same time. “Champ would either throw resources at us or realize he’s created a monster.”

"You don't think that man is aware that he has created a monster?" Gabi asks you, raising a brow even as she grins at you. "He's fully aware."

“Jack’s the one who keeps encouraging me to dream,” you shrug like it means nothing, but it’s honestly one of the more sincere and romantic things he could possibly do. “Champ’s just the facilitator.”

"Maybe one day." Gabi offers, leaning over to tap her glass to yours. "Lord knows our Statesman family is going to be growing."

“Still thinking about baby number three?” She had seemed to glow with the idea after joking about it on the plane, and you could definitely see Gabi and Astrid deciding to give Ricky and Carmen a little brother or sister.

“I kind of am.” She admits with a dreamy smile. “I know Astrid would let me carry the next one, so I just– I want to talk to her about it and see what she thinks.”

"You guys are the cutest parents. I'm sure she'd be excited for it." Aside from your sister and brother-in-law, Gabi and Astrid are the parents of young children that you've spent the most time around and that both makes you ache and anxious all at once. It would be wonderful to have kids, but you have no idea how you would be as a mother or how Jack would respond to the idea of being a father again.

“Are you okay?” Gabi’s soft smile turns concerned as she scooches closer to you. “You suddenly look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

It hit you like a ton of bricks - the horror tinging your realization with fear. When was your last period? "I'm okay." Unfortunately it's a flat out lie, but you just smile and set your champagne glass back on the tray when Ellie reappears with her hands full of gowns. Gabi doesn't need to know. No one needs to know. No one needs to know that you can't remember the date of your period. Getting an IUD had never made them stop completely, only made them dramatically lighter. But it's...it's been months. Shit.

She doesn’t question you any more, but she side eyes you. Wondering if you are feeling nervous about the dress or if it’s something to do with children. “You know, I think Jack will be a wonderful father.” She murmurs reassuringly right as Ellie starts to talk.

"I have a few of our simpler gowns here in a variety of silhouettes so that you can get a better feeling for what style you might like, and we can go from there," she tells you with a happy smile before looking to Sophia. "And you, my lucky friend, Zuhair just pulled a few things from the stockroom. He's right behind me."

She is practically bouncing in her seat, excited, although she turns towards you expectantly. “Are you ready to find your dream dress and have an extra week of honeymoon?” She teases, having fully sided with Jack.

"We'll see." Forcing yourself to paint on a smile, you push out of your seat and follow Ellie into the small dressing room. Everything on the hangers is delicate and focuses on your body instead of obscuring details, and now all you can think of is how you might be pregnant and trying to do the goddamn math on your cycle.

"Do you have one you want to start with?" The bubbly consultant asks, but the best you can do is chew your lip in concern. "How about something classic?" She suggests when you look more worried than excited. "A simple satin ballgown for that princess feeling?"

"Sure." You nod, reminding yourself how, and start to slip out of your jacket. Focus. You need to focus.

Whisking you off towards the changing area, Ellie starts listing off the attributes of the gown in question, making up for your decided lack of questions. Something has changed but it’s not her place to ask.

The first dress you come out in is...large. It's a poofy princess dress if ever there was one, and with the terror that you're now feeling your mind has wandered to thinking about what any of these gowns would look like on a pregnant woman. "Let's see what they think," you suggest, instead of admitting that you don't like it very much. It's too big and you know that a baby bump would only make it worse.

The moment you step outside the little changing area, both women can tell you don’t like it. They each shake their heads. “It’s too…poofy.” Gabi offers politely and Sophia snorts. “You look like a cream puff.”

“Thanks, guys.” The way you roll your eyes at both of them is a half-assed attempt at humor, and you shake your head. “So ballgown is out? No Princess Sugar?” Humor is good, you tell yourself weakly. Humor will help.

“I think something sleek, more fitted, Princess Peach.” Sophia smirks at you with a wink.

“Now, I know who Princess Peach is,” Ellie laughs, helping you down from the pedestal in the gown that has been dubbed too much “But who is Princess Sugar?”

“Sugar is the nickname that Jack – her fiancé – coined for her.” Gabi explains, throwing you a smirk. “Very southern.”

“I own a restaurant.” Is the explanation you give, stumbling over your words like a nervous weirdo. “I was a pastry chef when we met…I make cakes…it’s a whole thing.”

“It’s sappy and adorable.” Sophia flutters her eyelashes dramatically as you disappear, but jumps off the couch immediately a second later as Murad reappears with three enormous dresses for her to try.

“Here are the ones that I think will be best, if you don’t like them, I can sketch a design.” He offers.

Sophia is giddy as she lets herself be swept into the second dressing room while you go to change into your second dress. Gabi can hear her cooing with glee behind the thin wall, but she didn’t miss the way you hadn’t had any light in your eyes at all when you came out in your first dress. Something happened, she just doesn’t know what or how.

“The dress can be dyed if it is not quite what you are imagining and I have taken the liberty of pulling all emerald green fabrics I have.” Murad calls through the curtain as Ellie helps Sophia into the first dress.

“Sounds like you’re in heaven over there,” you call out through the wall between dressing rooms, enjoying the gleeful sound of Sophia’s giggling next door. The second dress that has been pulled for you is a trumpet gown that you would probably have loved if you weren’t feeling a roiling stomach and the weight of the world on your shoulders. Sophia emerges from the dressing room with a strapless gown with all the most beautiful embellishments and a sweetheart neckline to die for, looking like an angel come down to earth. You remind yourself to smile again, not wanting to spoil your friend’s unbridled excitement.

“What do we think?” Sophia asks, biting her lip as she looks in the mirror at her reflection and dying a little inside as she sees herself.

“You look like a dream, honey!” Gabi squeals, sitting up on the sofa with her glass clutched in both hands. “Tex would lose his mind to see you in that dress.”

“Okay, so I love this, but….” She tilts her head and glances at Murad in the mirror. “There was one that was off the shoulder sleeves, right?”

"Are you thinking of the sleeves from that gown on this one?" He tilts his head at her like an artist considering their muse and grins mischievously. "Let me..." The thought trails off as he ducks out of sight, going to grab a veil from the nearest display and manipulating the long length of fabric in his hands. Each end is somehow magically transformed into a small, loose sleeve that hangs off her shoulder like an elegantly fallen strap. It falls just around the middle of her arm and makes the whole thing look positively refined. "Like this, you mean?"

"Yes." She nods, biting her lip as she stares at herself in the mirror. "That is what I am looking for. The way that it sits has always seemed so refined and luxurious to me."

You stand and watch, taking in the way Sophia’s face lights up and tears well up behind her eyes as she talks with the designer and customizes her gown. He shows her the shades of green he could dye the fabric and they coo over the design together, and you really feel like you might be sick as the room spins around you in anxiety instead of happiness. There have been times you’ve been sick lately - days you haven’t eaten because you’ve been sick to your stomach, extra headaches, back aches, cramping. There was the incident two nights ago with your breasts being overly sensitive… How long has it been? Two months? Three?

Gabi just happens to glance over at you to see the absolutely crushed look on your face. Setting her champagne glass down, she quickly stands and crosses the floor to where you are seemingly doing an astrophysics problem in your head and touches your arm lightly. "Honey, what is wrong? What happened?"

“Nothing.” The answer comes far too quickly and far too sharply, and even Ellie looks concerned on your other side, but you can’t just — oh god, you were drinking…you’ve been drinking alcohol this whole time…and so much caffeine… “I’m not feeling great,” you murmur finally, knowing that it’s half-assed but not daring to spoil Sophia’s moment.

"I have some Tylenol in my purse." Gabi offers helpfully. "Do you have a headache?"

“It’s — m-more of a stomach ache.” It’s an aching feeling everywhere of complete dread and fear, but you make yourself smile for Gabi as though it can be brushed off. “It’s okay. I think I’ll just…lay off the liquor until it subsides.” Or for the next six or seven months…

Highly skeptical, Gabi discreetly glances around the boutique to make sure that you haven't seen someone who has spooked you. You look scared, not like you have a stomachache. "Alright, but if you need me to call Astrid, I can. She can run a diagnostic of you in the Statesman truck."

“If it keeps up.” You nod like you would ever agree to that, even though the idea of being hooked up to anything medical on a Statesman vehicle makes your skin crawl with memories from a month ago. And that’s when it hits you - like a freight train coming right at a cartoon character. If something has gone wrong and you are pregnant? It can’t be Jack’s…

"Oooookay." Gabi grabs you as your knees threaten to buckle and she waves Sophia off. "Let's get you out of this dress and into the bathroom, okay?" Astrid has been concerned that memories from a month ago would resurface and cause issues and from the way you look like you are going to puke, that has to be it. "Okay, come on sweetheart. We can manage everything." She promises. "I have a Valium in my purse just in case something like this happened."

“Is that safe?” You ask in earnest, letting Gabi bring you back into the dressing room like you’re on the end of a set of leading strings.

"It's fine." She assures you quietly. "Astrid gave it to me just in case you had problems."

“I’m okay.” Getting out of the confining dress and back into your own clothes will help, so you don’t hesitate when Gabi shuts the door behind you. Your head is spinning too much which makes the room turn on its axis and the feeling of panic in your chest is making everything more urgent and terrifying.

Maybe that Valium isn’t such a bad idea after all — Astrid sent it because you were attacked here, why did you think this would be a good idea? Everything inside and around you is moving so fast that you don’t even realize you’ve dropped to your knees. Quick, sharp breaths are going to have you hyperventilating in no time but you can’t stop them, and the way your skin is crawling makes you want to scratch your skin clean off. You drag your fingernails up your forearms with purpose, and if you didn’t have short nails from decades of culinary work you might actually succeed in tearing yourself apart.

“Let me–” as a mother, Gabi always carries a bottle of water or a juice box in her purse. Grabbing the oversized bag had been a stroke of luck as she starts to rifle through it until she comes up with a small bottle of water. “Here, drink this.” She kneels down beside you and twists the plastic cap off to hold it up to your lips. “It’s okay.”

It’s a small mercy but still a notable one, mostly because you have to stop scratching yourself to hold the bottle. Gabi gently takes your other hand in both of hers, holding onto it to keep you from spiraling even harder as the tears start to fall and you swear you’re going to choke on the water you just swallowed.

“Come on. It’ll be okay. I promise. No one is going to hurt you.” She murmurs softly. “Our driver is an agent. Sophia is here. Say the word and we’ll have Jack here.”

"No!" The panic that you feel has nothing to do with what happened a month ago and everything to do with the position you would be putting Jack in if what you fear is true. "No–no, I mean...that's not necessary. I'm just..." You feel like an absolute nutcase, but you don't know how to tell her that without sounding silly. "I'm just not feeling well."

“Okay.” The best thing she can do for you is to calm you down. Agreeing with you makes you relax so she doesn’t hit the button in her bracelet yet. “Okay, we’ll just take a few deep breaths, sound good?”

"I'm sorry," you curl in on yourself, not having made it out of the sample wedding dress before the panic started, and wish you could make yourself disappear so you wouldn't feel so damn embarrassed.

“Nothing to be sorry for.” Gabi tells you firmly, cupping your face in her hands. “Nothing at all. Do you understand?”

"I don't want to ruin this for Soph." Or ruin life for Sophia. For your friend. The last time you had your period was the week before your cousin's wedding...Isn't there some kind of old wives' tale about being extra fertile after your period? Or is that before? Shit shit shit.

“You won’t, she wants to be here for you too. She and Tex are so happy for you and Jack.” She insists.

"I'm okay," you insist again, despite it obviously being not true. The best you can do right now is force yourself to refocus. Force yourself to function. Pray that Sophia is so wrapped up in picking out her wedding dress that she never notices that anything was wrong with you in the first place.

“Here.” The small pill is offered to you. “Take this. It will help you relax. Short term.”

"I–um– thanks." Still a little shaky, you manage to take the offered medicine and have another sip of water without too much fuss, and breathe deeply as you stare at your knees. Could it be real? Are you really...pregnant?

It’s long minutes before you start to calm down. Your breathing returns to normal and Gabi takes the now empty water bottle and shoves it back into her purse. “You need another drink? I have a juice box.”

"Would you..." You turn to look at Gabi for the first time since this whole thing started, seeing the concern drawn on her face and the determination that you recognize from seeing her take care of her kids. "Would you just tell Sophia I'm okay if she asks? If she didn't notice then I don't want to worry her."

“I– you don’t think Sophia noticed?” She asks, shocked you would think that.

"Why?" It makes your head spin again in a way that jolts your stomach. "How long have we been in here?"

“Not long, but she’s an agent.” She reminds you gently. “And your mood went from happy to nearly frantic in an instant.”

"All the more reason to let her know that I'm okay, then." It's a miracle that you can think straight, if you're honest, but at least your skin has stopped crawling and you didn't do anything to damage the sample dress still clinging to your body. "I'm sure she has her dress sorted out by now. I'll just..." You blow out a breath that you hope sounds encouraging instead of wavering with fresh tears, which is how you feel. "Change out of this one and try the next. Since this one now has...questionable memories."

"It's not your style anyway." Gabi jokes, sending you a small smile as she stands and holds her hands out to you to help you to stand. After you get back to the hotel tonight, she will discreetly call Astrid and let her know that another therapy session would be good for you.

"Thanks, Gabi." You squeeze her hands before letting them go and refocusing yourself on the dresses that are hanging from the bar on the other side of the small dressing room. Thank god you elected not to wear make up today, or you'd probably look like a raccoon right now.

"This one seems more your style." Gabi offers, although you could never tell when the dress is on the hanger. "Do you want me to help you into it?" She asks quietly, willing to step out if you want.

"If I haven't frightened off our consultant, I'm sure she can help." It's less scary to have to face a near stranger with what's going on in your mind. Ellie doesn't know anything about what's happening in your life. She can't read you like a book the way your friends can. And she'll more than likely buy the story that you just aren't feeling well without pressing for more details.

"Okay." Gabi frowns but she is moving toward the door. "I will send her in."

Sophia is sitting on the loveseat in her regular clothes when Gabi comes back out, fidgeting with her sleeves and frowning heavily. "Is she okay?" She asks quietly once their consultant has gone back into the changing room. "She had an episode, didn't she?"

"Yeah." Gabi knew that Sophia would have noticed you. But she's happy that the other agent didn't push her way into the dressing room knowing it would have embarrassed you even more. "I gave her a Valium. Maybe we need to make it an early day?" She suggests softly. "Or maybe she'll be better once she's let the medicine kick in."

“She wants to keep going?” Sophia can’t tell if she’s surprised or not, knowing you to be both stubborn and usually fairly in tune with yourself. “No crazy partying tonight. Maybe a room service and a movie? And a museum tomorrow. She loves museums.” The laundry list of things she wanted to see can wait. Her best friend’s well being is far more important than anything else.

"That sounds like the perfect, low key evening that we need." She nods and bites her lip. "What about you, hun?" She reaches out and touches Sophia's arm. "Did you find something that you like or are you needing to have something designed?"

“We made a few tweaks, but the first dress was nearly perfect.” She keeps her voice respectfully low, but clasps Gabi’s hands eagerly. “It’s going to be beautiful, and one of a kind. I just hope our girl in there isn’t so overwhelmed that she doesn’t get to enjoy this appointment. Or this trip.”

"She's a trooper." Gabi smiles, excited for Sophia. "I know she will find the perfect dress." She prays that whatever is going on with you doesn't spoil the experience for you.

A few minutes later you emerge again with red eyes looking tired but forcing yourself to smile - knowing that today is about more than you. You’re just going to have to make sure you read the return and cancellation policy on this dress very carefully in case the worst happens.

"Oh." The dress is stunningly simple and yet it is completely breathtaking. The way it drapes over your form brings the soft folds of the dress and shimmering of the satin. "It's perfect."

“Yeah?” If you’re honest, you barely noticed anything about the dress you put on. It’s comfortable, sure, and simple. But past that? You couldn’t tell what the silhouette was or anything about the details if you tried. Still, you like that they like it. “Gabi picked it.”

"Yeah, love." Sophia stands and walks over towards you with a soft smile and reaches for the package with Jack's family veil in it. "Let's see if it's as perfect with this as I imagine it will be."

It’s nerve racking to see the veil come out now. You’re scared and trying not to show it, like in the back of your mind you know something is wrong and that it might affect Sophia’s relationship as much as your own. Who the fuck knows what will happen if you turn out to be pregnant with Tex’s baby. It will turn your whole world upside down. And hers. And Jack’s. And Tex’s.

Sophia freezes, trying not to immediately demand to know what is wrong. She knows you will deny anything is wrong. Instead, she moves slowly as she takes the veil out and drapes it over your head.

It is beautiful. You can’t deny that even if you have trouble looking yourself in the eye in the mirror. The low cowl neck of the dress makes room for a necklace and the even lower back keeps the focus on the veil, and on any other day you would be gasping right along with Gabi and tearing up for a good reason instead of a stressful one. “It’s…” your hand drifts to the edges of the veil and you try to banish the question mark of what this dress would look like on a pregnant woman. “It’s beautiful.”

Sophia knows that something is wrong. She can tell, but she's cheerful, trying to be your support. "It is beautiful. I know, I know that you shouldn't be pressured and it's all about what you want, but this is the one." She gushes, fluttering the veil around you. "Jack will lose his mind when he sees you in this dress."

“It’s exactly what I said I wanted.” You won’t deny that, even if you’re barely looking at your reflection. Your eyes just keep going back to your engagement rings over and over again. Thinking of Jack and hoping that you haven’t completely ruined your lives with recklessness.

"Do you– do you not like it?" Sophia asks softly. "Because if you don't, Ellie can pull more dresses. We will find something that you love."

“No, I do.” Thinking as quickly on your feet as you can, you force a smile and touch the edges of the veil again. If this is the only time you’re going to get to wear it, you want to at least appreciate its beauty again. “It will need a good necklace. And you two have to tell me if the back is too low.”

Turning you around, Sophia whistles. "That is a sexy back, love. No, you should show it off and this is the perfect dress to do so." She hums and Gabi jumps up to chime in. "Oh it's just lovely. Perfect. What do you think?" She asks you seriously.

“I think it’s right.” If you were thinking with a clear head right now, you would be in happy tears. It really is exactly what you said you wanted in a dress and you do look great in it, but your mind is just too cloudy at the moment to recognize that. “And I think even Louisville is too cold for this dress to be at a winter wedding.”

"Spring or summer?" Gabi asks, not willing to mention that she has clocked you choosing the dress at fifty-two minutes, thirty-five seconds.

“Spring, I guess.” When you finally look up to find your friends smiling at you, you try not to pull in on yourself self-consciously. “Soph and Tex already called dibs on this summer.”

"A spring wedding." Gabi grins conspiratorially. "That will make Jack happy as a pig in sunshine."

“Engaged for a whole year?” Sophia grins, suspicious but trying to cheer you up from whatever is bothering you. Because you are bothered. “You’ll have plenty of time to plan and dream, mate.”

“I think so.” When you nod it’s slow, but definite. “I think this is it.” They like it. Right now that’s the best thing you have to base a decision on, because there’s no way in hell that you can be objective or make the choice with a clear head.

“Great!” Both women cheer, trying to interject as much enthusiasm into the event as possible. They don’t want Ellie to think anything strange, although Sophia knows she has seen plenty of drama.

"Did we remember to keep the time?" You have no intention of letting Jack know what kind of chaos happened here this morning. None whatsoever. So you turn your mind to things that seem normal. Like the bet.

“Under an hour.” Gabi admits with a shrug. “Although if you have your heart set on that engagement trip…” She breaks off teasingly. “I can be bought for the price of a Manhattan in Manhattan.”

"No...he won, fair and square." It would have taken even less time if you hadn't freaked out, and you're not about to lie to him about things that don't matter. There are too many things that do matter at stake.

“I bet if you give him that Soul Snatcher Three Thousand when you get back and ask him for the engagement trip, the man will dance towards Disney wearing the ears.” Sophia waggles her brows suggestively and barks out a laugh a second later.

“We’re going to Montana in fall,” you tell them both quietly and reach to take the veil out of your hair. You’re going to hang on to every bit of normalcy and every promise as hard as you can right now. “That’s sort of going to be the trip, I think. Though…it won’t be silly. It’ll be good for him.”

“Oh….” Sophia had been told the story, the real story in its entirety and she knows that it will be emotional for both of you. “If you need to talk to someone, I’m here for you.”

“It will be good.” Maybe if you tell yourself that enough times, it will be true. You can hope, at least. “His hometown does a big Labour Day festival every year, so we’re going to go for that.”

“That will be fun.” Gabi smiles. “Something fun to look forward to.”

“I’m going to get out of this so I can buy it,” you announce, hoping you sound excited. “Then we can go celebrate?”

“That sounds good.” Ellie ushers you towards the changing room and Sophia turns towards Gabi. “What are you thinking?”

“She won’t look us in the eyes,” Gabi murmurs sadly. “If I wasn’t convinced that that is the most perfect dress for her, I’d be insisting she wait to buy and we all go do something to distract ourselves.”

“She didn’t get a text, no one called.” Sophia looks around the room of mostly women and frowns. “Do you think something reminded her of the kidnapping?”

“I don’t know what else it would be.” Gabi admits with a sigh. “I gave her the Valium, and I’m going to let Astrid know what happened. But other than that? I’m not sure what to do.”

“All we can do is support her.” Sophia frowns, making a note to text Jack if you still are off kilter by dinner time.

“We’ll get her through it.” It’s as much of a promise to Sophia as it is to you without you even being there.

“Yes we will. And if we need to head back tonight, I will have the plane ready.” Sophia won’t put your mental health at risk. She won’t.

******

Your dress purchased and arrangements made for you to be contacted when it comes in so you can be fitted, Sophia and Murad exchange information to work on her custom made dress, then the three of you pile out onto New York’s streets. “Where to now?” Gabi asks, looping her arm through yours. “Anywhere you want to go.” She tells you.

"Sophia made a list." It's less deflecting than it is just angling to not have to think about much of anything - and that includes decision making. But Sophia isn't having it, and she shakes her head as the three of you pile into the waiting Statesman car. "Anywhere you want to go," she insists, keeping hold of your hand in the backseat. They're a stubborn pair when they agree on something, and you look between them with a sigh. "We could go to a museum?" It's your go to. Museums and food tourism. And right now you can't stomach the idea of food.

“Why don’t we do one of the smaller museums?” Sophia offers. “Near the hotel in case we want to go back and rest?” The unspoken part of it suggests that you might want to go back, to not participate and it gives you an out if you need it.

"I know you guys don't want to be dragged around the Frick Collection or some other intense little art museum." It's sweet that they're trying to be kind after what happened in the dress shop, but you really don't want this trip to be about you and you know at least half of Sophia's list. "Why don't we do Madame Toussad's? Selfies with wax people sounds like a silly as hell way to spend the afternoon."

“Yes!” It sounds like just the type of activity to get you out of your head so both women nod eagerly. “Let’s do that and we can decide what to eat afterwards.” Sophia decides.

“Times Square has tons of places. It will be great.” Gabi agrees, wanting things to go smoothly from here on out.

Each woman flanks you, wanting you to feel protected and surrounded by someone familiar. Each one believing that you are reliving the trauma of the last month. “Maybe we will find some inspiration for your menu.” Sophia encourages.

“We should take Soph someplace absurd and touristy. Super American.” You suggest, sitting back between both women as the car makes its way around Central Park. “Like Red Lobster or Margaritaville levels of absurd.” Silly will help, you decide, sitting on your hands so that they don’t move self consciously to your unchanged stomach. Silly is good.

“Ohhhhh we can get wasted in Margaritaville, right?” She grins. “Like that song?”

You’ll definitely be laying off the booze for the rest of the trip for necessary reasons, but you swallow it and add a smile as you nod. “Absolutely, Soph.”

“Great!” There’s practically nothing a little booze and girl time can’t fix, so she is immediately leaning forward to lower the glass to tell the driver to take you all to the Wax Museum.

******

Madame Toussad’s Wax Museum is plenty busy, full of families and groups of friends out for the same silly distraction that the three of you are. The staged dummies and their scenery providing just enough distraction to have you breathing normally and even laughing a little with your friends.

“This place is wonderful.” Sophia gushes. “Creepy, but wonderful.” She looks around at all the wax figurines. “We should do waxes of the agents.” She laughs.

“Tex would hide his all around the house to scare you.” Gabi snorts, thinking of how much fun the agent has been known to have, acting like an oversized child in some of his time off.

“God he would.” Sophia laughs, shaking her head. “Until I decapitated it and then he would pout.”

“You can’t cut off that beautiful face.” Gabi laughs, posing next to the model of actor Channing Tatum just like he’s Tex. They’re about the same size, so it works. “He’d be such a sad boy.”

“Tex’s ears are a little bigger but I swear they are brothers.” She huffs, stepping closer to examine the figurine of the man who looks just like her fiancé. “All that ridin’ I’ve been doing. Gotta hold onto somethin’.” She drawls, imitating a southern accent.

“Save a horse, ride a cowboy,” Gabi giggles, swinging her hips in an impromptu dance move that makes all three of you laugh. It is, after all, the unofficial Statesman motto.

“Speaking of…” Sophia smirks. “There’s been a lack of complaints around your house early in the mornings the last few days. Have you just decided to wear Jack out at night or did you turn the safe room into your sex room?” She waggles her brows outrageously.

“The restaurant starting up has changed our schedule a little.” You excuse, suddenly hyper focused on a speck of dirt on your hand. “And I’ve been a lot more tired.”

“I’m sure you are.” Sophia nods, reaching out and patting your hand. “Let me know if there’s something I can do. I did work my grandpa’s pub back across the pond.”

“Thanks.” Everyone here knows you’ll never ask. Not only do you have a great staff but you’re stubborn as hell. Still, it’s nice that she offered. “I just want everything to be perfect.”

“Everything is perfect. Have you not read the reviews?” Countless food critics for the area have already been out to try the newest addition to Statesman and each one of them have come away giving rave reviews.

“Then being tired is worth it.” You decide, flashing them both that smile that feels a little more authentic with that encouragement.

“Ohhhh look! There’s Nic Cage!” Gabi squeals, darting over to the next display. “This is– is it a wax figure or does he come and pose everyday?” She giggles, poking the figure’s waxy face.

“It’s his Dorian Gray statue instead of a portrait,” Sophia laughs, dragging you with her to the next display. “If you move the clothes you’d see horrible disfiguration.”

You jump from exhibit to exhibit, Gabi and Sophia making sure that there isn’t a lull in the conversation or jokes being tossed out. Wanting to make sure you don’t have time to think about being upset. By the time you’re through the Creepy But Fun (as you all agreed upon) museum full of uncanny wax people, you’ve calmed down a little. But only in so much as the panic has turned into a slowly simmering dread in your belly.

“Where to now?” Sophia asks, grinning at your obviously more cheered spirits and links her arm with yours. “I’m famished.”

"Do you still want to go to Margaritaville for dinner?" The thought of alcohol makes you queasy but you can just have a virgin one and soldier on. The point is for Sophia to have fun.

“Unless you have some little hidden gem that we have to try?” Sophia asks with a grin. “Have you been holding out on us?”

"There's always..." You bite your lip and shrug a little, deciding that it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to have a little fun. There's been a plan slowly forming in the back of your head all afternoon and it will take care of everything. Or at least...it's the best idea you have for not ruining the lives of everyone you love. "There's two places. In Chelsea...both are great but one of them is inside the theater for this crazy play, so you kind of have to do both to get the whole experience."

“Tell me more.” Sophia cocks her head curiously, intrigued by the sound of it.

“The play has a restaurant and a bar in it and instead of sitting down to watch you get up and run around and follow the actors everywhere. And the audience all wears masks, and you can’t talk, and then after you find your friends in the bar and talk about what you saw.” It’s something you’ve done with your siblings a few times and always loved it. No two experiences are ever the same, but it’s exhausting. “If you want a quieter night, we can go to the Argentinian restaurant across the street. The wine list is killer and if we name drop my brother they might make us something special.”

“The play thing sounds fun.” Sophia admits with a grin. “It’s not something I have done before. How about you?” She turns to ask Gabi.

"I don't think I've been to a play outside of Louisville since Astrid was stationed here." It had been very early in her time with Statesman, but back then they had loved to go to Broadway. "I'm in for a weird play where you run around."

“Then it’s decided.” Sophia would sing karaoke in a shoebox if it meant you would be happy, so the smile on your face as you agree means the world to her.

"Let's see if we can actually get three tickets." You pull out your phone as you walk through Times Square between them, headed to your hotel just a block away. "We can have the driver take us, which is a miracle because walking there sucks." The times you had gone with your siblings, you had done the combination of subway travel and walking which was less than fun. Sophia has one arm through yours to make sure you stay on the sidewalk while your face is in your phone and you make a small noise of surprise when there are actually tickets available for tonight. "Looks like we're doing it. I recommend lightweight clothes and your comfiest shoes. We're going to be running all night."

“We have time to go back to the hotel?” Sophia asks. “Or are we running into Target and buying what we need?”

“We have plenty of time.” The hotel is just around the corner and the three of you pop straight into the elevator easily. “It’s not really traditional, but it is based in Shakespeare. But it’s dancing. A lot of dancing.”

“I always like dancing.” Sophia’s eyes widen suddenly. “Ooooooh!” She squeals, “can we go to the Coyote Ugly bar?”

“Tomorrow night,” you promise, laughing when she looks as excited about that as she did about shopping for her wedding dress.

“Always wanted to go there since seeing that movie.” She confesses with a grin.

“We can make that happen.” Gabi chuckles on your other side. She opens the door to your suite with her key and ushers you all inside. “But if you get up and start dancing on the furniture, I’m taking video.”

“Oh absolutely.” She had already anticipated that. “And send it to Tex, hm? Make him regret telling me that I wouldn’t have fun.”

“That boy honestly thought there was any kind of scenario you wouldn’t make fun?” The dismissive sound Gabi makes as she digs into her suitcase for suitable clothing for the night is accompanied by a sigh. “He really is a clown.”

“A rodeo clown.” Sophia had giggled over the few photos Tex had shown her. It had been something fun to tease him about when he was wearing dapper suits that he didn’t find comfortable at all.

"From rodeo clown to super spy." You shake your head as you dig through your suitcase for comfortable clothes to wear tonight. Everything that you had packed was reasonably stylish, but at least you had thought to tuck your good sneakers in the bottom of your case so that you could keep up with all the adventuring Sophia wanted to do.

“So I’m going to wear leggings and a cute t-shirt.” Sophia offers, tossing out her clothes haphazardly. “That sound okay?”

"That works. I've got a pair of jeans and..." The shirt in your hand when you lift it out of your suitcase makes you swallow back an emotional reaction. "Jack packed me his Creedence Clearwater Revival t-shirt..." It's such a small gesture but it has you breathing shakily as you inhale the scent of his cologne from the stretched and worn cotton. "I–I'm going to sleep in that, I think," you murmur almost to yourself, replacing it in the suitcase and pulling out the Louisville Slugger t-shirt that you had bought at the factory tour. If Sophia noticed the expression of almost heartbreak, she doesn’t mention it. Wondering if you are just in your feelings because of where you and Jack were when you were last in New York.

“I’ll call the restaurant to see if they have a reservation left. If not, we’ll go to the place across the street.” You can’t possibly excuse yourself fast enough, heading into the suite’s bedroom to change clothes quickly and make the call. There’s someone else that you definitely need to talk to - but that will be face-to-face.

“She seems better.” Gabi immediately moves towards Sophia and frowns at the closed door. “Don’t you think?”

“Looked like she saw a ghost when she found Jack’s shirt, though. Didn’t she?” Sophia chews on her lower lip. “Hopefully this play thing will take her mind off whatever it is that’s got her so fuckin’ upset.” She wishes you would just talk to them, but there are glimpses of you feeling better that have her hopeful.

“That Southern accent is coming along nicely.” Gabi teases playfully. Sophia had said she was going to work on making her English accent less noticeable much to Tex’s disappointment.

“I put in for a transfer,” she admits with a sly grin. “Champ just has to have the board sign off on it.”

“Really!” Gabi squeals happily, knowing that Tex will be happy about that. “Becoming a certified Statesman agent?”

“I don’t want to take the chance that they’ll transfer me after we’re married.” She reasons, knowing that anything is possible when their jobs and lives can be so unpredictable. “At the end of the day, I always want to be able to come home to him.”

“I can understand that.” Gabi offers quietly. “Your jobs are very unpredictable. You spend time where you can.”

“I don’t want to miss anything.” It’s less of a concern for you and Gabi because of your lifestyles, but for Sophia and Tex? It’s a very real concern.

“You won’t.” Gabi reaches for a quick hug. “Champ is very good about balancing work and home. He won’t let you two stay apart for long, even on a mission.”

"We have Diana to thank for that." If not for his soulmate and his son, Champ would be just as much of a workaholic as most American men of his age. Thankfully, having loved ones to come home to had softened his opinion of home life completely and Diana had taught him balance.

“I just hope that we are all happy as larks.” Sophia hums, the soft smile on her face reserved for when she is thinking about her fiancé.

"We will be." Gabi has made sure she is, and she knows that Sophia and Tex already are. It seems though, unfortunately, that there are still bumps in your road. If not with Jack, then just personal ones.

"Dinner reservations are in thirty-five minutes," you announce when you come out of the bathroom in your casual clothes to dig out your sneakers. "I pulled up the menu on my phone so we can look at it in the car."

“If you enjoy it; we know we are going to eat well.” Sophia shrugs off the idea of looking at the menu. Your tastes are exquisite and you wouldn’t bring them somewhere you didn’t enjoy.

"And drink well." The sneakers you packed are favourites, lovingly broken in and tatty with affection, but strong enough to stand their ground against a few days running around the city. You pull them on and stick a double knot in the laces for good measure. "Everything at this place is good, but the cocktails are on a whole other level."

“Ohhh then we are having some drinks!” Sophia declares, although she won’t drink too much. Maybe one or two cocktails. She wants to be mostly sober in case you have another issue. She doesn’t want you to feel like you have to deal with it alone.

"Everybody finished getting changed so we can get across the city!" Gabi urges, moving around the room with purpose now that she sees you starting to perk up again and Sophia getting excited.

"I'll be ready to go in a second," you promise, moving your essentials from the large purse you had been carrying today to the zipped pockets of your worn jeans. No purse at this place is better - and in no time the three of you are back on the elevator, headed down to the street to have the driver take you to the theatre house.

Your stomach is still in knots as the driver brings you through the crowded streets of the city, and you look out the window while Sophia and Gabi gush about something that you weren't paying attention to in the first place. The idea that you could be pregnant has consumed you almost entirely since it entered your mind this morning and while it's eating at you, at least you have a plan now. One that you can't say you're particularly proud of - but you would rather bare a private shame than destroy the lives of the people you've come to love so much.

Back in Kentucky, Jack frowns at his phone. Since going into the consultation, it’s been nothing but radio silence. He knows you are safe, he can clearly see the ping of your location along with Gabi’s, Sophia’s, and the driver’s. It was a friend of Rye’s that owed him a favor. He sighs softly, wishing you had at least teased him with how much he was going to love your dress, but he’s more worried. You’ve been….off. And you being in New York has him on edge. Shaking off his regrets, he opens your messages and types out one to you: Hey sugar, I know you and the girls are partying it up, but I wanted to check in with you. I hope you are having fun. The restaurant is in good hands but this house surely is a lot more lonely without you curled up with me on the couch. I love you.

The vibration of your phone is unexpected, stirring you out of your thoughts and pulling your lips into a conflicted half-frown when you see Jack's name pop up on your screen. Being afraid of hurting him had made you entirely shut down from even texting him. Hell, if it had occurred to you at home in Louisville, you probably would have shut off from your friends instead. But they're here with you in the car and Jack is at home, so he had gotten the blunt end of your fear instead. You swallow a sigh as you open the text, nearly in tears as you read it through twice before replying: We're taking lots of pictures, so I can show you some when we get home. We're heading to the theater so my phone will be off for a few hours. I love you.

Love.

You love that man more than anything in the world. And that's why you're heading straight to see Astrid in her lab the second you're back on Statesman ground.

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[dumbbvnnyboy]

Johnny suh x male house wife reader

It's your anniversary and Johnny has an even bigger surprise for you than you have for him lol

Warnings smut obvi, rimming, sir title, permission to cum? I think that's it

You thought holiday dinners were crazy, you hadn't seen the storm I had been making in me and johnny's shared kitchen for our anniversary every year.

I'd pick one of his latest favorite foods, and

I'd also use it as a day to practice new and delicate sweets like macarons and soufflé, tres de leche even.

I'd been so busy decorating and baking I hadn't noticed the mess I'd caused on myself with flour and coco powder.

Most of all I hadn't noticed johnny had come home early as a surprise.

My focus was buried deep in the recipe book before I was shocked by a warm embrace pressed tight against me and johnny's entoxicating scent enveloped me.

"My my sweetie you've been so busy, you've even made a cute mess all over yourself" His low chuckle sent shivers down my spine and a twitch in my cock.

"I-i did?" I looked down to see my apron and hands covered in baking supplies as I laughed softly.

"Look at that, I must have been so busy I didn't notice" I shyly replied feeling him start to slightly grind against my back end as arousal starts to grow in me.

"God y/n you don't know how much it turns me on seeing you be such a busy little male wife for me" His whispers made me whimper as I started to grind back against his movements gripping onto the counter and completely ignoring the project in front of me.

"That's why I love to do it" I bit my lip feeling a slight moan slip through as he chuckled again gripping my hips harder and pressing into me tightly before starting to kiss and suck my neck sweetly.

"I think you deserve a reward for all your hard work hmm baby? How about I fuck you over this counter like a good little slut?"

I moaned loudly starting to grind against johnny harder nodding furiously

"please sir!"

He laughed darkly again sucking harder into my neck as his hands slip under the apron and up my shirt playing with my nipples slightly as I whine and writhe in his grasp.

"Good boy hmm, what's this?" I'd opened my eyes and looked down to see johhny's hand inching closer towards my bulge before he palmed it roughly and I moan loudly.

"Aww your so hard and sensitive already baby I guess you missed me today, is that right?"

Moans and whimpers fall from me as my knees buckle and I grind in-between johnny's hand and his prominent bulge nodding again.

"Y-yes sir"

I felt his smirk against my neck as he started to slip down my shorts slowly and press me down onto the counter.

"Fuck baby, you look so cute right here"

I heard Johnny chuckle lowly as he started to massage and grip at my butt and hips before spanking me as I moaned and jolted from the sting.

Sinking onto his knees he started to poke his tongue against my rim continuing to squeeze and rub my butt cheeks as I whimpered.

Johnny continued to start pressing deep into me as I moaned and whined loudly feeling my cock leaking and twitching constantly before he pulled out and spanked me again roughly,  making me whine needily and push back for anything else before I earned another slap.

"Tell me what you want baby?" Johnny whispered into my ear as another shiver was sent down my spine and I whimpered against his warmth and scent enveloping me.

"I want you to fuck me please sir"

He grabbed my chin and pulled me into a sweet kiss as he unbuckled his own pants and started to kiss down the nape of my neck and upper back.

Standing up I felt him press into me teasingly as he chuckled.

"Are you ready sweetheart?"

He asked gently as I nodded furiously whining slightly "yes sir please"

Slowly he pushed in as I whine and writhe from the pleasure of feeling full as I moan and relax against the counter.

Once he'd bottomed out he grabbed my hips again starting slowly and gently as I whimpered and gripped the counter tighter as he laughed softly.

"Aw what's wrong baby? Is it not rough enough for you?" I whimpered loudly and pressed back into his hips needily as another slap landed on my ass.

"Use your words sweetheart."

Johhny stopped his thrusts and sounded stern as his grip on my hips tightened making me whimper.

"Please sir, f-fuck me harder and faster, please" I pleaded shyly as my face heated and my cock twitched slightly as Johnny smirked before pulling out and slamming back in.

"See? Was that so hard baby"

He asked mockingly starting to thrust deep into me roughly and grip my hips harder as I moaned and whimpered.

I felt my eyes roll back and a knot build up in my stomach as I felt my entire body buzzing making me whimper and moan uncontrollably with each slam of his hips.

Johnny groaned and panted turning me on further as I felt my cock leaking precum onto the already messy apron as I whined "s-so close, please sir c-can i?"

Johnny laughed again and pulled my hair back lifting my body and starting to thrust up right into my prostate as I moaned and drooled from the feeling and my thighs shook.

"Can you what sweetheart? I won't know unless you tell me, so spit it out honey"

He smirked again starting to kiss against my neck and play with my nipple keeping his other on my hips never faltering his thrusts.

"I-i wanna cum" I said making my face flush deeply again as he groaned and kissed me passionately before slipping his free hand down to my leaking cock and stroking it as he broke the kiss and smiled at me.

"Good boy, now cum for me angel you deserve it." He whispered before biting my ear and sucking down my neck as My thighs shook and my hips stuttered cumming with a loud moan onto the apron as johnnys hips started to stutter as well with moans and whimpers escaping his beautiful lips along with praises and sweet pet names before he finally came as well slowing down his thrusts whilst I moaned and squirmed against him overstimulated.

"Good boy, mmmh so so good f-fuck" was all I heard as Johnny pulled out of me softly and kissed my cheek before picking me up and running a bath for me.

"Thank you angel, for everything! Happy anniversary~"

[marwhoa]

request: okay soooo… i was wondering if you could write something abt the reader (gn please) being introverted??? and despite their shyness and quiet disposition, they’re drawn to more outgoing people?? (basically me irl lmao) any character from ouran & tmnt is good!!

🝮 “ high school sweethearts ”

hikaru hitachiin x reader

author’s note: i’m hungry and just realized i wrote this whole thing without putting on my glasses. Originally i was gonna write this for kasanoda then i was like “wait, he’s not so outgoing, he’s shy and easily embarrassed” then i looked at Hikaru and was like “… prankster… that’s outgoing… even though he can be a little.. immature” then i was like waaaaait i’ve read a bit of the manga, and he does change a bit!! so here’s my excuse at getting to write a casual hikaru x reader uwu

word count: 1.6k

The two of you had met during cooking class. He was always surrounded by all kinds of friendly faces, and you wanted to be one of them too! So, when he was assigned your cooking partner, you were secretly over the moon with the chance to hang out with him more one-on-one.

Unfortunately, it kind of seemed like didn’t feel the same. While getting ingredients ready, with everyone else distracted, he seemed to be… very focused on his side of the work instead. This made your lips tighten into a bit of a frown. There wasn’t even a chance to introduce yourself and he already disliked you? Harsh..

“ Y/N, can you hand me the onions? “

Hikaru asked, pointing at the onions you had diced up. Absentmindedly you nodded, handing it off and going to rub your increasingly-teary eyes—what? it was disheartening to fail so early on, don’t judge!

But, you were shocked. For two reasons.

1.) Did he just say your name? He knows your name? How? It wasn’t like you had friends in this class—acquaintances yes, and they knew your name because, well, you were pretty nice. Well liked, just not popular. Kindness gets you that status, I suppose!

2.) He had grabbed your hand before it touched your eyes. A little “ eep “ had escaped you with how fast it happened.

“ Hi… Hitachiin-kun …? “

“ Hikaru’s fine, but Y/N be careful. You didn’t wash off your hands. “

He pointed at the onion and you couldn’t help but connect the dots with fright. That would’ve burned! And been so embarrassing! So obviously you hastily washed your hands as an awkward silence slowly whirled between you both. Alright, so THAT was your first impression… At least you got a chance to fail this time…

You have a heavy sigh, continuing to chop up and dice ingredients, handing it off to him. With your head down, you were missing the smile he gave each time—and also didn’t see how it lessened with each hand-off.

Hikaru, on the other hand, was currently thinking of ways to get you to not be so cold. Classic two-sided misunderstanding! He opted for a casual approach, hoping it would stir something between you both.

“ So, have your chefs ever made this before? “

“ Ratatouille? “

You answered with a bit too excited of a voice, surprising even yourself. He was talking to you, after that? Albeit small talk, but still something!

“ Oh—! Um, well, probably once before. Not sure if I would call it a favorite enough to request it of them, though. Usually I let my chefs decide the menu. ”

Hikaru laughed, pulling a smile from you. You were starting to make more eye contact, and definitely couldn’t have missed how he brightened at that.

“ That’s fair. I send plenty of requests to my chefs—usually asking for soufflé pancakes or to surprise me with something spicy. “

You had began making your sauce, seasoning and sautéing the vegetables.

“ Pft, does your brother enjoy that, too? “

“ Obviously, it’s the twin-sense. “

He teased, sliding a few stray onions into your pan. Now, usually folks at this school detested cooking class the most. I mean, when you have chefs who prepare every meal, a class on cooking becomes all the more annoying and sometimes much too hard—seen with the perfect example by the partners toward the back window. One of them was screaming as the stove practically ignited. Wrong setting or too much oil.

But you? Well, this was pretty fun, and it’s a useful skill to know.

“ Oh right, you do have a twin! I don’t see you two together as much. Did something happen? “

This time, the smile he gave was nearly indecipherable. And by that, I mean you weren’t too sure what you said that made him happy.

“ No, nothing happened. We’re just… I’m becoming independent, you know? Thinking about dying my hair, even. “

——-

That answer had taken you off guard at the time, but now—looking back on it, all the pieces were falling into place.

Today, you were both seniors—and sweethearts— in the academy, counting down the last days together. Being partners in class worked wonders for you both getting closer, and it even led to you attending the Host club—specifically for him, of course.

At first, the other hosts didn’t really know what to think of you. Haruhi not included. If anyone were well-versed in the ways of gender, it would be them. They were actually the one taking weight off your shoulder to explain to the others why you dressed in the uniform you did—and why sometimes you would change. It would either be the pretty girl’s uniform (seldom that, but there were a couple times of outgoing-ness just for personal testing-out) or the cool guy’s uniform. In fact, sometimes you even wore a custom uniform. This caused a few jealous students, some turning to get their own custom uniforms while others tried to have a word with you.

Emphasis on try. It wasn’t like Hikaru played a part in deterring them or anything. If you asked what happened, he would shrug it off. Feign ignorance. But you knew he knew, and he knew you knew he knew!

So, now the hosts are on the same page. Their only issue presently is how often you come ONLY for Hikaru! Don’t you want to, maybe, hang out with another person? Talk? Share tea?

To pour salt into the metaphorical wound, there had been times you came for someone else other than Hikaru, but that alternative was always Haruhi.

They (coughtamakicoughattentionwantercough) were jealous! Hurt! … Hikaru lavished in it though.

Now, it was strange they were jealous. After all, your sessions were usually completely quiet and serene, with a little small talk sprinkled here and there (with Haruhi) or they were you being an avid listener to a talker (Hikaru). Not the most exciting, so…

Anyways, the latter was the situation going on now as you sat in the Host club. Your visits were Hikaru’s favorites for two reasons:

1.) He gets to see you. Huge plus!

2.) It’s like a break. He will do some flirty Host tricks or acts here and there to make you smile or laugh, but he will also hold just casual conversation. It also allows Kaoru a break, but he’ll usually just continue taking folks for fun.

Your head was laying in Hikaru’s lap, a rosy tint upon his cheeks as he talked to you about what plans he was thinking about pursuing come graduation and college.

“ I’m set on fashion—maybe I’ll add a S.T.E.M minor? “

“ Mmm, because you like science and math? “

“ Precisely that. “

He smiled at you fondly, especially so when your hand rose up to rustle through his short brunette locks. After a few minutes passed in mutual quiet, he suddenly straightened up, hands reaching out to ensure you weren’t accidentally thrown off.

“ Right! Y/N, will you help me after the club ends today? “

“ …? With what, Hikaru? “

Y/N yawned and started sitting up. The look settling in his eyes made you snort and simply interlock your fingers together.

“ I have been working on my fashion portfolio and have a few prototypes that would look nicer on a model instead of a mannequin. “

Still holding your hand, Hikaru leaned forward and propped his elbow on his thigh. He winked at the end of his sentence, sending a rosy hue upon your cheeks to match his.

You obliged, of course, and come the chime signifying the club’s closing, you were surprised to see your chauffeur wasn’t waiting for you. You were planning to tell him you would be going with Hikaru when you got out. Confused, you turned to Hikaru who gave you a glance, then a grin, then held out his hand. Kaoru walked past you both snickering, getting into the car (and probably taking the best seat for himself since you were both slowpokes).

“ What? You thought I wouldn’t take care of things myself? I am inviting you myself, it’s only expected that I handle any inconveniences. “

With that, the two of you went to his chauffeur and headed to the Hitachiin home as an impromptu model. There, he would take you to a room equipped with a few maids and dozens of clothes or different styles hung all around.

“ Whoa—Hikaru, I don’t think—“

“ Oh, you won’t have to try them all on. There’s a few I made specifically with your measurements in mind. “

“ How did you get my—“

“ Bella, could you help them into this? “

Hikaru interrupted you, with a nervous pitch. That made you a tad bit suspicious, but you would let it slide when the maid, Bella, led you and two others to the dressing room. You held the article of clothing he handed you, and it was a pair of pants made of such a delicate and nice-feeling silk. A smile snuck upon your features.

Now him saying you wouldn’t try them all on turned out to be a lie. The night would continue with you being handed different items, some swapped with others until the perfect combo was achieved (this seldom happened, he usually nailed it on the first try.)

With each different outfit you stepped out in, shyly presenting yourself, Hikaru would pause as if lost in a trance.

“ Does it look weird? “

“ What do you take me for? I’d never put you in something atrocious. You just make everything work too well. “

He shifted his weight to his hip, staring at you while thinking.

…

Hikaru sighed with a smile, shaking his head and shrugging his shoulders.

“ Well, it’s decided. I’ll just have to make new ones. These ones look so perfect on you that you just have to keep them. “

“ WHAT? Hikaru! “

“ You’ll wear one of them on our date this weekend, right? “

A blush flushed your face, and he couldn’t help but need to look away before you saw his expression at that cute display. How can he keep up a little “ flirty bad boy ” face when your eyes twinkle like that?

You muttered a little, “ yes “, nodding as well in case he hadn’t caught it, and he couldn’t help but sweep you up into a hug right then and there.

[bi-bard]

Waiting - Dream of the Endless Imagine (The Sandman)

Title: Waiting

Pairing: Dream of the Endless X Reader

Word Count: 898 words

Warning(s): mentions of death

Summary: After being forced to say goodbye to the person he loved, Morpheus finds himself obsessed with getting them back. All while the person they love makes themself at home in the world of the dead.

Author's Note: Yeah... I should've known that my readers wouldn't let me get away with an angsty ending.

PART ONE HERE!

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Being dead wasn't as bad as many people thought it was.

There was no pain. It was all just over.

Then, you spent the rest of eternity in your own personal freedom.

I don't think that I would've ever seen it that way if I hadn't seen my death coming. If I hadn't known about it ahead of time. If I didn't get to say goodbye.

I got more than most people did. I got to say goodbye to the person that I loved most.

I still thought about Morpheus constantly.

Death had been very kind. She befriended his raven to get updates about him. She would then report those updates to me. It felt like I hadn't been gone all that long. Like I was still a part of his life.

My life beyond life wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.

Hell was my biggest fear, so anything better than hell was a gift in my eyes.

I had found my personal freedom in this small house. A shelf of ever-changing books, a small kitchen to make whatever I wanted to attempt to make, a small fireplace to rest by, two cushioned chairs by said fireplace, and a small corner for me to finally pursue art as a hobby. My eternity had given me a head start when it came to developing that skill.

I was home.

Home and free.

I had long stopped tracking how long I had been locked away in this little home. I just knew that I was happy.

That all changed when there was a knock on my door.

"Come in," I called, placing the pan I had been holding on the counter.

I knew who it was. I just smiled as Death walked in. I threw my oven mitts on the counter and took off my apron.

"I have a question," I said. "If this is the death realm and the rules of living existence don't apply here, then why can't I make one soufflé?"

She looked at the dish that looked- without a doubt- like a disaster. And shrugged.

"Y'know, that's really not helpful."

She chuckled. "I come with news."

"Always a delight," I said, going to lean my hand on the counter.

I yelped when my hand went through the countertop. I used my other hand to push myself back up.

I looked down at my hand that was flaking away. Turning into dust. At the time, I thought I was fading away. That I wouldn't exist in any realm. Not even that of the dead.

"Death," I said, tears filling my eyes. I took a few stumbling steps backward as my breathing sped up. As if I could've avoided it.

"I was coming to tell you," she explained. "He did it."

"What?"

"Dream," she stepped toward me. "He did it."

I didn't have time to ask for more of an explanation as my legs started fading away.

"Help me-"

"You'll be okay," she promised. "Trust me."

I nodded and closed my eyes, letting myself crumble to dust.

I was in the world of complete darkness for mere moments.

I soon felt myself being put back together. Piece-by-piece until everything that had turned to dust had been reconstructed in my image. My eyes felt like the last thing restored.

I looked down, silently checking on myself. Two legs, two arms, one head... everything seemed to be in order. Even clothes. Nice to know that the universe could be kind.

I looked out to the horizon. It looked like a beach. A beach that was clouded with fog.

"(Y/n)-"

I turned around when I heard my name, completely prepared to defend myself against anything that could've attacked me.

Morpheus was there. He held his hands up to me when he saw how scared I was.

"I don't know how much you remember-"

"Morpheus!"

I ran forward and hugged him. I hid my face in his shoulder as he hugged me back. One of my hands found its way into his hair. I heard him let out a sigh as he relaxed against me.

"What did you do," I whispered, not wanting to let go of him to ask. I was terrified that I would lose him if I did.

He stepped back slowly, only moving far enough to look me in the eye. "I made you a dream."

"A dream," I repeated. He nodded. "And everyone's safe now?"

He nodded again.

I cupped the sides of his face and let out a relieved laugh as my eyes scanned every part of his face. I ignored the tears falling from my eyes as I leaned forward and kissed him. It felt like I had spent an eternity waiting for me. Maybe I had.

Maybe I didn't care. Because I had him back. I leaned back, my forehead resting on him. I pecked his lips a few more times before nudging my nose against his.

"I love you," I muttered. As if it was some kind of secret.

"I love you too."

While I was dead, I never thought that I would ever see him again. But now that I had him, I knew that I hadn't accepted my fate. I was just waiting. Waiting for him to find me again.

And I would've waited for him for all eternity.

Because I loved him. And that's all that mattered.

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Masterlist (Includes links to All Writing Challenges)

What I Write For

Some Original Characters

[jungk0oksthighs]

Against The Odds | Happy Birthday pt.1

Pairing - jungkook x reader, taehyung x reader

Genre - angst, smut, fluff, established relationship, ceo!jungkook, ceo!reader, attorney!taehyung

Word Count - 3.5k

You have a pre-birthday dinner with Yuri to take your mind off the hardships of life

Warnings: swearing, light drinking, mentions of kidnapping and family drama, significant plot point

FULL SERIES COLLECTION

“You know I hate surprise parties, and my birthday isn’t until tomorrow so I don’t even know why we’re here.” You roll your eyes, suspicious of how Yuri has been stalling your ‘birthday meal’ for a very long time. “So if there’s a surprise party happening and you’re just trying to stall me… Tell me now.” Your brow quirks when you point your fork at her, curious.

“Nope. No surprise party! I just reallllly wanted to try these desserts I’ve heard so much about them from my friend.” She beams, tucking into a soufflé that the head chef advised would take ‘a while’ to cook, but she didn’t mind. And she’s eating it slowly. Super slowly, lazily enjoying every single mouthful for at least two minutes at a time.

Something’s up.

Things in your life have been hectic lately to say the least. The police and media outlets have been swarming you and your family for updates about your nephew Charlie and his whereabouts. You’ve barely slept, barely eaten and the walls of your brain have been so chaotic with destructive, intrusive thoughts towards the situation that you completely forgot tomorrow's your birthday until you arrived at work and Yuri insisted on taking you for a celebratory dinner this evening.

You’re sitting in an upscale Michelin star restaurant by the window, wearing an elegant little black dress and heels of the same colour, being sure to cover your face whenever the paparazzi catch sight of you. The food is gorgeous, the dimly lit decor exquisite, the atmosphere sophisticated and classy. It’s lovely and you’re having a nice evening for sure. Yuri looks outstanding as always in a burnt orange blazer pant suit as bright as her smile, it’s nice.

Everything has been so crazy with Charlie’s disappearance and the media and eating it up. As though you and your loved ones aren’t devastated by the news. Truthfully this the first outing you’ve had in a while, simply because of everything going on. Today was your second day back at the office, Jungkook was the one who convinced you that perhaps some normality and routine would do you and your mental health some good. And in a way he was right, in another way – not so much.

“Oh yeah? Who told you about the desserts being so good?” You grill her, pushing your negative thoughts deep enough to deal with another time. It’s painfully obvious your assistant is hiding something and she’s definitely taking her time for a good reason. You fear the worst, you’ve always hated surprise parties to your very core, and the fact your best friend Jimin wasn’t invited tonight only makes you all the more suspicious, giving that they both get along so well.

“Hoseok told me.” She grins, flashing you an animated wink, paired with a tongue click.

At this you inhale, brows high, eyes growing wide when you nod, “Ah yes, Romeo himself, guess I should’ve seen that coming.” You chuckle.

As fate would have it your assistant and Jungkook’s assistant really hit it off when they officially met a few weeks ago, and with yours and Kook’s lives being the centre of the news again, they’ve been spending a lot of time together dealing with the fallout. You don’t know if they’re dating dating, but you do know Yuri is very much interested in more than hooking up with him. His sharp jawline and model-like features are pretty much all she talks about these days.

“Seriously Y/N? You’re not going to finish your dessert?” Yuri gestures to the almost whole fruit tart sitting in the centre of your navy plate with her chin. “You barely touched your main either.”

“I’m not really hungry…” You sigh, “Sorry I just-, this is really nice. It’s just that I haven’t been out in a while... Not since, well you know.”

When Yuri catches sight of your deflated expression she reaches a hand atop the table, taking yours. “Hey, they’re going to find him. I promise. Ruth may be crazy but she’s still his mom, she wouldn’t hurt him. And the police are doing—”

“Doing everything they can to help, I know.” You feign a smile, it’s the same conversation you’ve had with everybody else lately. Including your fiancé who’s being saying those exact words over and over again like his own personal mantra.

Things with Jungkook haven’t been…great in recent weeks. Of course he’s still the most supportive, loving and kindest man you’ve ever known and he’s done his absolute best to make sure you’re okay. But your sex life is still non-existent. Some people could assume you wouldn’t want to be fucked senseless at a time like this, and they’re probably right, but a part of you craves his touch more than ever. Maybe to distract you from the hardships of life, or maybe to simply prove that you’re overthinking things and your relationship is fine.

Because in all honestly, it doesn’t feel fine.

Yuri offers an apologetic smile, knowing when to change the subject, “So… Have you seen much of Taehyung recently? You haven’t mentioned him in a while.”

“No not really.” You shrug nonchalantly, “He hasn’t been over lately and I guess I’ve been too busy to reach out to him. I’m sure he’s fine though, he always is.”

Another bullet point on the list of things that are worrying you: Taehyung. You can’t shake the feeling that he and Jungkook have fallen out, despite Kook insisting they haven’t whenever you ask. He hasn’t been over to your apartment, he hasn’t called, texted, nothing. And with him being your attorney and having eyes and ears in the celebrity gossip world you figure he’s well aware of the situation at hand. But still he’s chosen to stay away. For what reason you’re unsure, maybe he’s just busy, or perhaps you’re the one to blame since you haven’t contacted him yourself in a while.

“Hmm…” She hums in agreement, picking up her phone that’s vibrating on the table, face down. One look at her screen and her face changes, “Okay, we should go now if you’re done with your dessert.” Her grin is wide, and you can’t help but chuckle to yourself.

“Could you be any more obvious? Who was that texting you—”

“Nobody!” She yells, half-drunk half-offended, “Y/N I’m serious there’s no surprise party so get that out your head right now. It was Hoseok, he wants to see me tonight. Are we okay to take separate cabs? Only cause he lives the other side of the city.”

You smile kindly at her, “Fine. But if I get ambushed when I get to my apartment by balloons, screams and hugs...you’re fired.”

“The only person waiting for you in your apartment is Jungkook,” Yuri snorts, pointing her finger at you, “He might make you scream though, since you’re a couple of sex obsessed freaks.”

You’re laughing but her words find a way to chip at your heart since at the moment that’s very much not the case, “Well I hope you have the best booty call of your life with Hobi tonight, Kook says he’s a great guy.”

“You know he dances in his spare time right? Gosh, those hips can move—”

You shove your fingers in your ears, squeezing your eyes shut, “Ahh! Okay I get it, la la la! I don’t want to know about Kook’s assistant’s hips thank you! Can we get the bill now?!”

Yuri is laughing loudly, chugging the rest of her red wine in one, “Funny thing is I’m not even sorry. Best dick I've ever had.”

As expected the paparazzi swarm you when you’re making way to your cab, asking outrageous questions about your sister and nephew. You’re so done with this shit, you never asked for this life and you hate the fact your privacy is invaded almost every time you step foot outside. You give the driver your address and sink into the back seat with a frustrated groan.

Yuri messages you as soon as she’s made it to Hoseok’s place, but you’re too busy reading a news article about Ruth and Charlie that you miss the notification. The taxi driver has to verbally tell you when you’ve arrived because your nose is buried deep into your cell phone, as it usually is these days. You know better than to get caught up in the media storm, but you can’t seem to help yourself. No matter how emotionally draining it is.

When you get into the complex your brows are pinched with curiosity, gaze landing on Taehyung sitting on a red velvet chair by the elevator. He's holding what appears to be some kind of outfit zipped up in an all-black hanging bag. And he looks…rough.

It’s maybe been two weeks? Since you last saw him, but you notice he’s unshaved for the first time, his brunette hair is longer and kisses his feline-eyes and he’s bouncing his leg anxiously when you approach him, heels clicking on the white marble floor.

“Tae? Are you okay?” You sink your head lower, trying to meet his eyes when they suddenly snap up to you, startled.

“Y/N… Hey.” He smiles, it’s soft and closed but it’s still a smile nonetheless. He’s wearing an emerald green suit with a cream shirt and dainty gold chain breaking up the solid forest colour, the first three buttons of his shirt undone exposing his tanned chest. “You look amazing, have you been out?”

You’re still frowning when your tongue clicks against the roof of your mouth, “Uh, yeah. Dinner with Yuri.” You nod, looking him dead in the eye momentarily. “Are you okay…? What’s with the… Whatever that is.” You point to the large dry-cleaning bag with a manicured finger.

At this Taehyung stands, his frame towering over you despite your heels. He sighs, stare never faltering from yours when he wets his lips. “It’s your birthday present from me. Sorry if it’s too much but—”

“You didn’t have to get me anything Tae, besides it’s not til tomorrow.” You chuckle, flicking your hair over your shoulder when you cut him off. “Why don’t you come up? Can’t help but notice you haven’t showed your face in a while. I’m sure Jungkook would be happy to see you.” Your hand finds his shoulder, rubbing it reassuringly.

“Ah, I don’t know about that…” He averts his gaze to your hand on him, nervously chewing his lip. “To be honest with you I only came to give you this. I should really get going now.”

“You sat here for god knows how long,” You cock your head to one side, brows raised, “Just to give me this? How did you even know I was out in the first place? I could’ve been upstairs and then you would’ve been sat here all night on your own. Come on, I’m not taking no for an answer we’re going upstairs.”

“Well I only just got here and, Y/N wait—” He protests when you grab him by the elbow, dragging him to the elevator doors where you push the button with your free hand.

“You’re coming up and we're going to have a drink, end of conversation.” You grin, “So can I open it upstairs?” Your brows wiggle animatedly, and he freezes on the spot.

“No! I mean... no, it’s not your birthday til tomorrow you said.” His laugh is barely inaudible, breathy and albeit a little awkward.

You tut, playfully rolling your eyes when the elevator dings, “Fine… You’ve got me there.”

There’s a beat of comfortable silence before he clears his throat, pushing the P button for you once you’re inside the golden elevator that leads straight to your apartment. “So how have you been? Aside from the obvious.” When the doors close he turns to face you, his usually sharp profile soft and kind as he listens attentively to everything you have to say.

“Well… Not great.” You admit with a sigh, “Everybody keeps telling me it’ll all be fine in the end and that the police will find them but…” Your smile fades, discomfort blanketing your features, “They don’t know my sister like I do. She’s cunning, and dangerous and honestly? I’m terrified she’s going to do something… Well yknow. I just feel so useless, like there’s nothing I can do.”

“It’s okay to feel how you feel, you know that right?” Taehyung’s voice is gentle and deep, face riddled with sympathy when he locks eyes with you, “You’re doing everything you can to stay sane and I’d say that’s more than enough. If something like that happened to one of my siblings… I wouldn’t be anywhere near as strong as you’re being right now.”

You exhale, nodding slowly with the tiniest of smiles threatening to tug your lips, “Thanks Taehyung…that’s really sweet of you.”

Taehyung shakes his head, thick brows furrowed when he edges closer to you, “I mean it Y/N. You need to give yourself more credit, after everything you’ve been through you still find a way to take it all in your stride. And that’s fucking amazing.”

Blood rushes to your cheeks at his words, gaze falling to your feet when holding eye contact with him proves too intense for you. He really is one of your closest friends. He’s so unbelievably kind and always has been. It suddenly dawns on you that you don’t know what’s happened between him and your fiancé, so you take this private moment with him as the perfect opportunity to ask.

“Tae?” You hum, peering back up at him. He’s clinging onto your birthday present as though his life depended on it, slender fingers gripping the material hard enough for his hands to ache you’re sure.

He blinks at you, plump lips ajar, “Yeah?”

“What…. Why haven’t you been coming round as much? I kind of get the feeling you and Jungkook have fallen out or something.” You’re breathing through your nose, mindlessly toying with the hem of your dress just above your knee.

“Mmm.” He nods, chewing his lips when he looks to the elevator doors instead of you, “We haven’t fallen out don’t worry about that, we just-, he just needed some space from me I guess.”

“…Space? What do you mean?”

“It’s…complicated.” He can’t physically look at you, busying his eyesight with anything but you. “I love him so much. I miss him so fucking much, he’s like a brother to me. You know that right?

 “Of course!” You’re hanging onto his every word, trained to his face even though he’s not giving you the same amount of attention. “What happened between you two? There’s nothing in this world that’s worth losing your friendship Tae, I know he misses you.”

“Yeah?” Hope brightens his expression when he turns to you, “He said that?”

You swallow, “Well… Not in so many words but—”

His face drops into something sullen, “Thought so.”

“Taehyung what the hell happened?” Your voice is slightly raised when you talk with your hands, emphasising your words, “What could possibly come between you both that’s so bad? Kook’s been so moody since you stopped speaking and he won’t come anywhere near me and I just can’t help but feel like I’m missing something! Please Tae…” Both hands find his shoulders where you hold him in place, he gulps, “Just tell me what’s wrong. Let me help you.”

His eyes close, long eyelashes dusting the high points of his cheekbones, “You’re the one person who can’t help me Y/N. I’m-, I’m sorry. I’m just gonna go.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” You quietly scoff, gently letting him go with a deep frown. “Why can’t I help? I love you both and I want to be there for—”

“No Y/N you love Jungkook.” His gaze is fierce, as though something’s just snapped inside of him when he glares down at you with a jaw set tight enough to snap, “You love Jungkook and you want to be there for Jungkook. It’s always going to be about Jungkook with you, you’re marrying Jungkook, you’re in love with Jungkook and you’re gonna live happily ever after with guess who? Jungkook. You’re fucking perfect for each other and you don’t need my bullshit coming between that.”

“Last time I checked you was my friend,” You bite, mirroring the intensity of his sudden outburst, “And I do love you Taehyung, whether you like it or not I want to be there for you and help you through whatever this. Both of you, because I care about you both. Just tell me what happened… Please.”

“I-,” He huffs, kicking his head back in frustration, “Y/N seriously… I can’t!” His voice is louder than before, brows raised when his chest heaves with hurried breaths. He looks as though he's losing his patience.

You soften, offering him an apologetic smile. You don’t want to upset him but he needs to know you’ll be here for him no matter what, “You can Taehyung… Whatever it is, I can help you through it. God knows how many times you’ve helped me when I’ve been going through—”

“Y/N stop.” He warns, shaking his head.

“Taehyung...” You sigh, playfully nudging his arm with your fist, “It’s me! You can tell me anything, I want to help you—”

He drops your present to the ground, gripping either side of your arms when he starts screaming like a mad man, shaking you slightly and startling you completely.

“Fine! You really wanna help?! I’m in love with you! Okay?! Are you happy now?! I love you. I love you so fucking much and it’s killing me inside every single fucking day of my sad, pathetic excuse of existence!” He scoffs, eyes wide and frantically searching for a reaction in yours when he wets his lips once again, “You want to know what happened between me and Kook? I fell in love with his fiancé and put him in an awkward position. I. Me. I did it. I’m the only one to blame for any of this and it’s fucking tearing me apart that I’ve hurt him and on top of that I can’t have you! I'll never have you! The one person I can actually see myself sharing a future with and you're my best friend's fiancé! All I want is for you to be happy Y/N! Even if it's never going to be with me.”

Unbeknownst to you and Taehyung the elevator doors are already open. Your friends, family, loved ones… Yuri, Jimin, Yoongi, Hoseok, your parents, your fiancé all standing in your dimly lit apartment dressed to the nines in complete, stunned silence. Until Jungkook clears his throat, winning you to push his best friend away from your frame and look in his direction. His deep voice is merely a whisper when it rolls off his tongue, the single word laced with venom that matches the darkness swimming behind his hooded eyes.

“...Surprise.”

x

[sarahowritesostucky]

📖"Temporary Custody"

Rating: Explicit

Pairing: Steve x ofc x Bucky; Steve x Bucky

Word Count: 4042

Tags: Dom/sub, bdsm au, dom Bucky, sub reader, hurt/comfort, enemies to lovers, gay sex'n'stuff, straight sex'n'stuff, Steve being a literal Golden Retriever, mental health issues, dub-con, forced submission, referenced childhood abuse and resultant mental health issues, bakery au, m/f/m, gentle domination, total power exchange

Summary: The stigma and shame of being a submissive has kept Mary unfulfilled and in the closet her whole life, until an inciting incident leads to Bucky and Steve taking her in and giving her everything she was always too afraid to ask for.

Trigger warnings: This story contains themes of eating disordered behavior, body image issues, childhood abuse, self-harm, and alcohol abuse.

Wait! I haven't read an earlier chapter of this fic! Story Masterpost

5. Jiggly Soufflé Cake

Steve

“I should be in there,” Bucky says again, making Steve roll his eyes.

They’re sitting next to each other, out in the waiting room at the Center. It’s been over an hour, but Steve remembers how the intake worker had told them that Mary’s evaluation wouldn’t be short. Already, he’s read through half the crappy magazine selection. He lets the edge of an outdated issue of Dominant Monthly flop down to his lap. “Babe …”

“It’s taking too long. What if they’re harassing her or—”

“You know that’s not true. The people here are good. You’re just trying to control everything,” he reminds Bucky.

“If I was in there I could—”

“Get in the way. She needs to feel like she can express herself.”

“What if she’s not honest? What if Linda’s not asking her the right—”

“Buck, stop,” Steve says, injecting some command into his voice. Bucky might be the Dom, but Steve can put his foot down with his husband when needed. “The therapist knows what she’s doing. All the people here do. This is what they do.”

They’re at the Center for Designated Peoples, the place where people like Bucky go for … well, anything related to their dominance or submission needs. That’s all Steve really knows. He knows that Bucky has been in and out of CDPs since he was a kid. “It took almost a week to get her this appointment, alright? You want to mess that up?”

Bucky grumbles. “No.”

“Good. Cause they don’t need you in there, interfering in her assessment. So sit tight.”

Bucky shuts up after that, satisfying Steve that he’s made his point.

“Well, what do you think?” Bucky eventually says, when another ten minutes have passed and the door to the therapist’s office is still closed. “Of her?”

Steve glances over. “You mean in general?”

“Sure. Whatever.”

Steve can tell when Bucky’s being defensive. “You like her,” he says. “And not just cause of her lemon tarts.” He’d seen him looking at weighted blankets on Amazon, yesterday. “Admit it,” he prods, nudging Bucky’s shoe with his. “You can tell me how you feel. Why d’you need me to qualify it for you, first?

“Because I’m married to you, not her,” Bucky snaps. “Jesus, Rogers. Never met a man with less self-preservation instincts than you.”

“Mmhm. Aand?”

“... Okay I’m drawn to her,” Bucky says. “But I can’t tell how much of that is instinct and how much is normal people stuff.”

“‘Normal people stuff’,” Steve echoes, amused.

“I want to know what you think of her.” Bucky kicks his shoe back. “Tell me.”

“I like her too,” Steve concedes. “It’s not just you.” He can see as Bucky’s shoulders relaxing a little bit, knows that his opinion matters to his husband. “She’s different. Plain, but …” Steve searches for the right word. ‘Cute’ doesn’t seem right. She’s too prickly for that and too old besides. She’s a woman, not a girl, and he’s not just trying to describe her physical appearance. “I don’t know,” he says. “Editorial?”

“Editorial?” Bucky scowls. “What the fuck does that mean?”

“I dunno, just, not off the rack. Different.” Bucky snatches the magazine out of his lap and chucks it back to the coffee table. Steve rolls his eyes. “Wish she wasn’t so defensive, though. And I wish we could’ve met her … you know, like on a date or at the gym or something.”

Bucky snorts. “Yeah.”

“She grows on you,” Steve decides. Like an angry, stray cat. That’s dirty and scraggy a little.

“She’s pretty,” Bucky offers, but the words fall flat. They can both see that she’s attractive, that isn’t news. Bucky and Steve are attractive people themselves. They aren’t hurting for opportunities to be with attractive women (or men), if they want to. And it’s been a while since they invited another person into their bed. But …

“I haven’t been with a woman since my twenties,” Steve mumbles, thinking about it. He glances at Bucky. “You have.”

They both know Bucky was dating women casually when he met Steve, years ago. “Yeah,” he says simply.

“You ever miss ‘em? Women?” Steve kind of does sometimes. He likes how soft they are; the contrast. It had taken him a couple of dates and a few glasses of wine, back when they’d first gotten together, to admit to Bucky that he was bi. Steve had told him that, and then Bucky had disclosed his designation status. “We used to talk about the whole poly thing a lot more.”

“Hm, yeah I guess.” Bucky shrugs and reaches to take his hand. Steve gives it a squeeze. “I dunno babe. Kind of hard to think about anybody else when I’ve got you around.” He gives him a lecherous look that makes Steve glad they’re the only ones in the waiting room. “Your hot body’s been enough to keep my attention.” His eyes drag up and down Steve, mentally undressing him.

Steve feels heat creep up his neck and he chuckles, pushing Bucky’s hand away. “Stoppit. Jerk. I’m a person.”

“Punk,” Buck smirks. “You like it.”

“Shuddup. Not here. God, you’re such a creep.” They’re both grinning—probably like complete, horny letches—when the door to the therapist’s office opens.

The professionally dressed woman offers them a friendly smile. “Bucky, Steve.”

“Hey Linda,” Bucky greets.

“How’d it go, Doctor?” Steve asks, not on as informal terms with the CDP staff as his husband is. “Is she …”

“Mary is fine. Would you like to come in and talk with us?”

Bucky is immediately standing from his chair. “Yep.”

Steve has to refrain from rolling his eyes. He grabs Bucky’s wrist. “Hang on now, Buck. Maybe she doesn’t want us in there. We should try and give her choices where we can.”

Doctor Linda surprises him by saying, “Actually, Mary says she’s fine with discussing this all together.”

Bucky shoots him a smug look and tugs his wrist back. “See?”

This time Steve does roll his eyes, but he nods at Linda and gets up to follow her back into the office.

Bucky

Bucky can recall very clearly the first time he’d been told he had a mental illness. He’d been ten, had been sent to the school shrink for misbehavior. He remembers how his mom had come in, harried about being called off from work when her kid wasn’t even sick. Bucky had felt bad about that, had felt like he’d done something wrong (well, he had scrubbed Trixie Wallace’s face into a mud puddle at recess).

But still, even at ten years old he’d been smart enough to know that this meeting with his mom and the counselor was more serious than another simple admonition or in-school suspension.

Long story short, His mom wound up reacting with something like embarrassment, and Bucky had wound up internalizing that for a long time, feeling like his “condition” was something to be kept private and not discussed.

Now, he sits in Linda’s office and makes sure to exude an air of calm and acceptance. He doesn’t want Mary to be embarrassed about this like he was. It helps that times have changed a bit since Bucky was a kid, and he knows this particular Center very well. They do good work with the designated community. Bucky knows that no one here is going to announce to Mary that she’s a deviant.

Mary’s sitting in her own chair, separate from where Bucky and Steve share the couch. Even though Bucky’s instinct is to tell her to come sit with them, he holds back. He knows that the seating arrangement is likely purposeful on Linda’s part. He tries to remember Steve’s words about giving Mary choices where they can. Domination may be what she needs, but too much of a good thing, administered too fast, can still be harmful.

“High needs,” Steve is saying, echoing what Linda’s just told them. “... So, she’s like Bucky, but submissive?”

“Yes,” Linda confirms. “We did the assessment twice, and both times Mary tested at the far end of the spectrum.”

“Fantastic,” Mary mutters.

“We’ve been discussing what this might mean for her care plan, going forward. Mary has several other issues that I believe tie into her unfulfilled needs as a submissive.”

“I don’t understand how it went undiagnosed for so long,” Bucky says, feeling vaguely upset about it. “Doc?”

She shrugs. “Mary’s from a part of the country where mental health awareness isn’t so advanced. They didn’t test in the public school system where she grew up.” Mary makes a quiet noise of discontent and Linda adds, “So we’ve been talking about the physiology of it, the role of neurotransmitters and how important it is for her to be dropped regularly. And we’ve discussed what that might look like, different options she has.”

“Options?”

Here, Linda hesitates. “Well … Mary has expressed an interest in taking advantage of the Center’s social programs.”

“No,” Bucky says right away. “Absolutely not.”

“She said you do it,” Mary counters, and when Bucky looks over he finds her glaring at him. “Apparently, I don’t need you after all. I can just come here and hook up with any old body.”

“I’m your legal guardian right now,” Bucky reminds her. “And the clubs are for people who know what they’re doing. It’s too unstructured for you. You need more stability than that.”

Mary scoffs and crosses her arms, but Dr. Linda is already nodding in agreement. “I think Bucky’s right, Mary,” she says gently. “A reliable, dominant partner and regular drops in a safe space are what you need right now.”

“Why can’t you just write me a prescription or something?” Mary complains. “You said it was a brain chemistry thing, so why not?”

Linda looks uncomfortable as she explains, “Medication is usually only considered as a last ditch treatment option … and with your substance use disorder and other issues I'd rather not —”

“I am not an alcoholic!”

“No meds,” Bucky says, hating that idea. “Come on, Mary. You don’t want to be drugged up, do you?”

She glares at him. “You just want to control me.”

He fights very, very hard not to roll his eyes. “Yeah,” he quips. “That’s kind of the whole point.”

Mary groans and slumps back into the cushions of her chair, looking put out. “This sucks.”

“It’s manageable,” Linda reminds gently.

"I don't want to be this way," she mumbles. "'High needs'. It's embarrassing."

“It's no different than needing air, or food or sleep,” Steve supplies. “You guys just have this extra thing.”

Mary makes a face, probably at being lumped into the ‘you guys’ category with Bucky. “So, what’s the plan then?” she asks mulishly, crossing her arms. “We go back to your place and you break out the whips and chains?”

Bucky barks out a laugh before he can stop himself. “Oh, honey. I promise there aren’t any chains.” He winks at her. “I prefer leather.”

Mary

After the therapist, it gets a little easier to be around Steve and Bucky. Mary’s still quick to anger, thinking about the situation that she's managed to get herself into, but there are some ameliorating factors to the situation.

Having an official diagnosis—no matter how much she doesn’t want this diagnosis—is at least a starting point. Mary doesn’t have to keep exhausting herself, arguing with Bucky that she’s not a sub. She is. That’s that.

And when he takes it upon himself to speak with Mary’s boss about her situation (effectively getting him to unfire her for the multiple days of work she’s missed) some more of Mary’s contempt for Bucky slips away.

“Thank you,” she says quietly once they leave the café, her next shift already scheduled for that upcoming Monday. “ I … this job, it means a lot to me.”

“I know.” Bucky says simply, though Mary can see the self-satisfaction in his posture. He takes her hand as they walk together down the sidewalk, and to Mary it feels like some sort of test, like he’s waiting for her to pull away.

So she forces herself to curl her fingers around his and keep holding his hand.

Again, she can practically feel the reaction coming off of him. He’s pleased with her. Mary’s cheeks flush from the domineering squeeze he gives her hand from time to time as they walk, and she’s grateful that she can blame it on the day’s chilly air.

Doctor Linda had explained everything, of course, when Mary went in for the assessment. The testing hadn’t been what she was expecting, hadn’t been embarrassing or invasive. And, perhaps most disappointing of all, it hadn’t been predictable. Mary hadn’t felt like she knew which way to fake her responses, to get the test to declare her mentally fit. So she’d answered honestly. 

And where had that gotten her? Lumped into the same group of deviants as James Bucky Barnes. “High needs”—God it sounds awful.

“It’s not necessarily sexual,” Linda tells her at her second appointment. “Or, well … it doesn’t have to be, at least. There are ways around it, if you really need an asexual dynamic.”

Mary nods along, but inside she thinks about the last time Bucky scolded her or praised her or held her hand on the sidewalk. She thinks about when he’d put his hand on her throat and applied pressure. Thinking about those things doesn’t make her feel asexual at all.

The first time Bucky doms her in a coordinated manner, she’s actually unaware of what he’s doing at first. It’s one of Mary’s  three days off and she’s terribly bored, researching how to make grapefruit soda caviar and wondering if there’s a gym nearby that she could join. She hasn’t exercised in weeks, and honestly, if there’s even the slightest chance that she’s going to wind up being naked in front of Bucky or Steve (or, oh god, both of them), then she really feels like she needs to work out.

Scratching fingernails over the skin of her lower stomach, she googles nearby gyms, finds one that looks decent, and tells Steve that she’s headed out to go join. She’s tying one sneaker when Steve objects.

“Oh but wait,” he says. “Um, Bucky’s going to be home soon. And I think he uh, I think he had plans. … For us.”

Mary raises an eyebrow. She likes Steve—thinks he’s kind of a big, beefy sweetheart, actually—but sometimes his devotion to Bucky and what Bucky wants is annoying. “Fine, you stay here and tell him where I went. I’ve got to get out of this apartment.” And out from under you and your bossy husband’s constant supervision. “Got to … I dunno, burn off some steam.”

Bucky’s timing is impeccable. He comes through the door just as she’s bending over to lace up her other sneaker. His arms are full of plastic grocery bags, which he dumps onto the kitchen counter with fanfare. "Honey, I'm home."

“What happened to using the reusable bags?” Steve drawls, earning an eye roll from Bucky.

“Forgot 'em.”

“Mmhm.”

“Shut up.” Bucky’s grinning at his husband, until he catches sight of Mary crouched in her gym clothes. “Where do you think you’re going?” he asks her.

“None of your business,” she snips, standing back up and heading for the front door.

“Stop right there, Princess.”

Oh. Well that’s a new one. Mary turns back around with what she’s sure is an incredulous look. “‘Princess’?”

Bucky smiles warmly and drags her over to inspect the groceries that are in the bags. She’s quick to catalog: eggs, butter, flour, sugar, milk. “What?” she asks, looking up at him. “You think I’m going to cook for you?”

“Oh I know you’re going to cook for me,” he says calmly, taking dry goods out of one of the bags and arranging them in the pantry. “Bake, in fact.”

Mary might stare a little, maybe with her lips parted. She feels equal parts annoyed and intrigued by his audacity. Something vaguely squirmy and warm stirs in her. She's planning on throwing some haughty quip back at him, maybe casually threatening poisoning, but somehow what comes out of her mouth is a subservient, “Well … what do you want me to make?”

He turns back around with bright eyes. “Oh, I’m sure you can come up with something,” he practically purrs. He gets right up in her space and says, “Something … delectable.”

Mary has to avert her gaze and turn away. She says a quick prayer that he hadn’t been close enough to hear the little hitch in her breath, then tries to focus her attention on cataloging the ingredients the jerk has brought her. Eggs, butter, flour, sugar, milk …

Hadn’t she … hadn’t she been going out somewhere? Oh yeah, right. The gym.

She squeaks when Bucky claps a cheerful hand on her shoulder and gives her a squeeze. “Good girl,” he simpers, then walks over to the couch and flops down next to Steve, giving him a kiss hello. They proceed to chat with each other and chat about their days like Mary isn’t standing less than twenty feet away in the kitchen.

She suddenly feels like some 1950’s housewife. … One with damp panties, now that Bucky’s called her that right in her ear. Christ. Had Steve heard? She glances back over to them, but they’re not looking her way. Mary flushes and looks back down at the countertop. Eggs, butter, flour, sugar, milk. She tries to think if she has everything she might need for soufflé cakes.

“How can something so plain be so good?” Steve wonders at the dinner table, where he’s squinting closely at his third helping of dessert like he can glean answers from it. “And what is it?”

“Satisfying,” Bucky says sagely. “That’s the secret.”

“The secret is buttermilk. And it’s cake, Steve. Just eat it.”

“How’re those dishes coming, Doll?” Bucky calls back, shooting her a sly look from over his shoulder. Mary resists the urge to stick her tongue out at him and dunks her hands back into the soapy sink water. 

Steve pokes the jiggly cake with his fork. “What are yooou?” 

By the time they’re finished with dinner and dessert (and dishes), she’s figured it out. All the pet names, the casual touches and the confident demands? Bucky’s trying to dominate her. She thinks about calling him out on it, but promptly forgets to do that when they go into the living room to watch a movie and Bucky firmly suggests that she make herself comfortable on the floor instead of the couch. At his and Steve’s feet.

Forget about damp panties, she just hopes it doesn’t start to show through her leggings.

Asexual dynamic her ass.

Mary had only held onto the illusion that the guys were gay gay for about two whole days, before it became very apparent that they actually like women, too. Steve’s comments alone about Daenerys while watching Game of Thrones are enough to broadcast that he swings both ways.

So that takes it from regrettable to just plain insulting when, as time goes by, Bucky doesn’t initiate anything sexual with her. He keeps doing his whole Dom thing, aided and abetted by Steve, and almost always in ways that take Mary off guard. He’s never mean, never does any of the intimidating things she’d imagined a dom would do to a submissive. 

And Mary won’t admit it, but she’s starting to look forward to when Bucky gets home from work at the end of the day. She spends more time than she’ll ever admit planning out something new to make for dessert, all the while anticipating the beginning of Bucky’s early evening commands and how they elicit those first tendrils of effervescent, pink fizz giddiness. 

It’s the later commands—the ones that come after dinner and during tv time, that tend to bring on the warm, sunken bathwater feelings. Marys pretty sure that Steve is a bit of a voyeur, because he seems fascinated by it all, watching every night as Bucky bosses her around, sometimes even joining in his own small ways, by petting her hair or telling her she’s sweet, or something like that.

Every evening, they play this strange game. And every evening Bucky and Steve each give her a kiss on the cheek and send her dazed little self off to bed, the two of them retiring to their own room. In the beginning, being left alone to go to bed is nice. She ignores the arousal between her legs in favor of floating in her syrupy sea of sweet feelings. Going to bed in subspace gives her the most solid sleep she’s ever had in her life. But after another week of it, and then another, the arousal starts to linger a little more at bedtime. She starts to fantasize about what it would be like to keep things going, to take Steve’s hand at the end of the night and let him guide her into his and Bucky’s bedroom, rather than her own; be held between their two big bodies while they whisper more sweet things to her and touch her in new places …

Maybe Steve and Bucky really do just want this to be platonic, she thinks, as another week of the same goes by and her dreams are getting dirtier by the minute. She’d surreptitiously stuffed her vibrator into a bag when they’d gone back to her apartment to retrieve her belongings, but she’s been too afraid to use it when Steve and Bucky are right across the hallway in their room, mortified to think that they might hear the buzzing and know what she’s doing.

Best not to add fuel to the fire, she thinks, when she ignores how increasingly horny she’s becoming and forces herself to lie still and count sheep and not fantasize about the two insanely hot, not-gay-gay men in the next room. They’re still a happily married couple, she tells herself. They’ve got no interest in her as of yet, and she’ll just be making herself into a homewrecker if she pushes for more.

… Or maybe they’re just not attracted to her that way, she eventually starts to think. Steve and Bucky are both in amazing shape, and they’re very good looking. They probably see her as like … maybe a solid five—with makeup and a blowout. 

She gets a little down in the dumps about it, realizing that all the heavy drinking and crap diet of this past year and a half has taken its toll on her, and she’s just not physically their type. She convinces Bucky to start adding salmon to the grocery list, she researches the pros and cons of lip filler, and starts whitening her teeth with one of those nasty little gel kits.

She stands in front of her bathroom mirror each night and scrutinizes her naked body, dragging her nails absentmindedly against the skin of her lower stomach and cataloging everything that’s not as good as it could be. She considers the scars on her hip that have no new slices added to the roster, wonders if Bucky ever wound up telling Steve about how … how awful they are …

“Night, Mary!” Steve chirps from across the hall, making her inhale and flinch in surprise.

“N-night!” she calls back through the wall, feeling the pleasant effects of that night’s drop fading away faster than she’d like.

Maybe she should just be happy that she’s getting at least this much attention from them, that things have improved a little and she at least isn’t drinking herself into a stupor each night anymore. That’s a positive, even if she is still left pining after them like a fool every night. Steve and Bucky are okay guys, but they probably just don’t want anything more than this from her. They’re helping her because she shares this mental illness with Bucky, and that’s super nice of them, but it doesn’t mean they have to be attracted to her, too. Mary’s not entitled to anything.

She joins a 24 hour gym and takes to binge exercising in the middle of the night to push away the uncertainty.

Series Masterlist

Masterlist

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@badthingshappenbingo

card: sarah-writes-stucky / sarahyellow

Square O2: therapy session

@marvel-smash-bingo

card: sarah-writes-stucky

square I1: enemies to lovers

@sebastianstanbingo

card: @sarahowritesostucky

Square B5: Love triangle

@ultimatechrisbingo

card: @sarahowritesostucky

Square B3: Inconvenient attraction

[anabdaniels]

Flufftober 2023 with Agent Whiskey- Day 5- Embracing

Paring: Agent Whiskey x Gender Neutral Reader

Word counting: 460

Rating: General audiences

When you parked your car in front of the ranch and saw that the Bronco was already there, you couldn’t help but smile, it was one of the rare days when Jack got home before you. You walked inside excited, kicking your shoes when you entered the front door and smiling at the incredible smell coming from the kitchen, from the two of you, Jack was the one with cooking skills. You moved to the kitchen to find your handsome husband focused on what he was doing and, judging by the ingredients on the counter top, was definitely that soufflé that you loved so much.

Jack looked in your direction and smiled softly before turning his attention back to what he was doing. You walked toward him and hugged him from behind, resting your chin on his shoulder, while observing him working. He turned his head slightly and kissed your cheek, moving one of his arms to caress the side of your body.

“Is this a good moment for us to discuss your retirement from Statesman to be my stay-at-home wife?” you joked, still holding his waist and smiling when he laughed.

“You’re starting to make me tempted to accept.” Jack replied in a playful tone, still looking at his recipe.

“That’s the kind of thing I like to hear.” You kissed the back of his neck and stayed quiet, observing him.

A few minutes later, you had to let go of him while he put the soufflé on the oven, and of course, you didn’t appreciate that, sitting on the kitchen island with your arms crossed, almost like a toddler after not getting the toy they want. Jack shook his head at the scene and approached you with a smile, holding you by the waist.

“You’re so stubborn, honey.” He chuckled and leaned forward to press his lips softly on yours.

“I told you that spending your days pampering me wouldn’t end up in anything good.” You smiled and passed your arms around him again, snuggling against him like a little puppy.

“You’re right, I have to face the consequences of my actions.” Jack kissed the top of your head, tightening his arms around you and resting his face on your hair.

None of you said another word during the next minutes, after all, there was no need for them. It���d taken around 20 minutes for the soufflé to be baked, which meant that you could be just holding your cowboy for 20 minutes, keeping your head resting on his chest and listening to his heartbeat and feeling the soft movement while breathed. You definitely couldn’t ask for anything else in life: the embrace of your loving husband and the amazing smell of the soufflé in the oven. Undoubtedly the best way to spend your time.

Flufftober masterlist

[josiebelladonna]

me: *makes art that i’ve been making since i was a kid that’s only matured and developed with me and has gotten praise from incredible people*

“nope, this just isn’t good.”

me: *writes erotica that is true to me and my personal kinks in all its wordiness and complexity*

“nope, this isn’t sexy. this 100 word x reader drabble with breeder kink with very little description, horrible grammar, and no indication of what the author is feeling other than ‘i’m having fun’ is 100000000x sexier and is the best writer ever.”

me: *has a weather station, keeps a weather journal because it’s interesting and regular journaling just enrages and eventually breaks me*

“why? we have advanced instruments for forecasting, why bother?”

me: *attempts to show my drawing process, through video and photographs*

LITERAL. CRICKETS.

me: *bakes fucking bread and a cake, makes meatballs; first loaf was spot-on; rye bread was underproved but delicious and warm; meatballs and cake were heavenly and i’m being sincere about that*

“cool. thx for sharing.”

me: *talks about stuff i want to learn how to bake like spanakopita and soufflés*

me: *shares testament’s sharing of the ginger snap cartoon i made of them*

me: *shares soundgarden’s sharing of a cartoon i made during a bad time in my life—i actually wound up disliking that one because of the time period but it was still something special*

me: *talks about gary holt and rob cavestany liking my exodus and death angel drawings*

me: *talks about chris, lars, joey, alex, eric, and jeff, and how i love these men with all my heart for their kindness to me, especially chris and alex*

me: *does three art challenges for october, one of which was something particularly challenging (goretober)—goretober and witchtober were my own prompts, too!*

me: *writes 1.1 million words*

me: *goes on a weight-loss journey*

me: *does own illustrations to accompany my writing, by hand, no less*

me: *participates in nanowrimo every year since 2018 except last year, and wins every single one—hell, the 2018 one, i was literally traveling while i was writing it*

me: *Irish exits out of all social media except ig because i am literally giving you motherfucking imbeciles the world and i’m lucky to get a thank you*

“awww, what’s the matterrrrr, are you feewing negwected? are you making money? hey, where are you going? come back. are you okay? we need you. are you okay? ARE YOU OKAY?” *starts throwing shit* “ARE YOU OKAY???!!??!?!?!?? YOU SHOULD BE GRATEFUL!!!!!! get a job, loser. you don’t care, do you, little bitch.”

i also get this nonsense a lot:

“check out this artist! reminds me of your art!”

*looks absolutely nothing like my art, or it does sort of, like i can see the logic*

“sorry, what does this do for me besides cheapen art, mine as well as that person”