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bakugou-tm · 4 years

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Master Knows Best (18+)

Bakugou x Maid Cafe Reader

plot: You’ve gone almost a full year working at a maid cafe with none of your friends finding out, which is exactly how you liked it; but thanks to a certain friend your beloved hot headed boyfriend found out your secret and planned on teasing you the whole time. In a stubborn attempt to get back at him, you realized exactly what would happen if you disobeyed your master

warnings: suggestive NSFW, swearing, a shit ton of teasing

wc: 5200+

mood song: worst behavior

a/n: I was supposed to post this on valentine’s day but it’s better late than never right? I perhaps may make a part two depending on how this does but I’m also a s s at NSFW so we’ll see. For now just enjoy (especially my fellow brats out there)

You liked things to be simple. You were a simple girl, with a simple life.

Sure you had your secrets, but thanks to your overall simplicity, nobody even bothered to uncover them.

That’s just the way you liked it too. Each different part of your life was separated as they should, for if they intertwined your life would becoming a living nightmare.

You never dreamed that living nightmare would become a reality. Who knew all it would take to crumble the reputation you built up for so long...

was a simple text.

Sweat trickled down the ash blond’s toned arms, his ragged breath becoming more steady as he slumped down against the wall while his friend took a few rounds at the punching bag.

The sound of his phone buzzing beside him didn’t drag him out of his exhausted mindset quite yet, but when his crimson eyes glanced across the words on the screen he felt everything come to a halt.

electric dunce: remember that day time job (l/n) said she had during the weekends? i think i found it bro..

electric dunce: 1 attachment

Bakugou’s red haired training buddy noticed the change in spirit with his blond friend, noticing how his heavy breathing suddenly stopped.

Wiping his gloved hand across his forehead, Kirishima glanced down to his friend only to see Bakugou’s eyebrows knit in a deep focus.

“You uh... You okay bro?” Kirishima questioned with a raised brow, trying to control his own ragged breaths after he attacked the swaying back before him.

Before he could question his friend once more, Bakugou let out a breathy chuckle, one filled with mischief and even excitement if Kirishima listened well enough.

“Training is cut short today shitty hair.”

“Come onnnn (L/n), how could you tell us you have a job then not tell us what it is?” The pink haired girl whined as she slid her upper half onto your lap and sighed dramatically.

Giggling slightly your eyes flicked to Kaminari across from you as his lips doubled over into a pout, “The whole point of having a job is so your friends can come crash it!”

“And to make some money dumbo.” You sneered, flicking his forehead gently while glancing down to Mina’s attempt at puppy dog eyes, “Besides, I didn’t want to tell you guys. You forced me to tell you where I went after school or you said you would doxx me.”

Your friends let out a sigh of defeat as Kirishima glanced to your boyfriend beside you, “C’mon Baku-bro not even you know where she works?”

Smirking slightly you placed a gentle palm on your boyfriends cheek and winked to him tauntingly,

“Not even Katsuki~”

Bakugou simply clicked his tongue and smacked your hand away, “I don’t know because I don’t fucking care.”

Oh but he did care. It ate away at him everyday that you refused to reveal where you worked. You claimed it would be “embarrassing” for him to see you working and wearing a uniform but he failed to understand why it would be. He brutally antagonized you all the time and you never bat an eye, why would he care if he saw you wearing a ‘Mini-Mart’ uniform?

You simply hummed at your boyfriend’s denial and leaned against his side.

“Say whatever you need to make you feel better love,” You purred, grinning at his scowl before you looked to your group of friends,

“Because you will never find out where I work, ever.”

Bakugou felt like he was in a state of euphoria as he stood before the quaint wooden doors, decorated with all sorts of pastel ribbons and paint.

It was almost as if he was entering the doors of heaven, the ultimate satisfaction of knowing he was about to beat you and your stupid threat.

And better yet, of all the places to find out you worked, it was here?

Oh he was going to enjoy this, even beyond getting revenge.

“Never find out my ass.” Bakugou sneered with a smirk, letting the soft breeze flow through his spiky locks as he tugged open the door into the unknown.

Meanwhile you were attempting to gracefully, yet quickly, get your uniform back on since your break ended in about thirty seconds. You hated how good you had gotten at putting on this stupid uniform, soon enough it would be second nature to you.

Working at a Maid Cafe wasn’t exactly where you planned to end up. When you stumbled onto the small podium in kindergarten to announce your future career, you surely didn’t say “I want to be a server at a Maid Cafe!”

And yet here you were pulling up the thigh high socks to your frilly, bow covered maid dress.

Admittedly when you were searching for jobs, you were surprised to find no luck. Any job that paid well required university years, and any left over job wouldn’t pay enough for your time to walk there.

It wasn’t until your aunt came to you in your troubles and recommended the job of your nightmares.

“My sweetheart why don’t you just work at my niece’s Maid Cafe? You’ll get to work with very sweet young girls about your age, and they pay very well since they have a very diverse clientele!”

Immediately you threw away the idea before you could even process it, the thought of having to serve gross old men and pretend to be excited while doing it didn’t sound appealing, let alone possible.

With that said, that didn’t mean your aunt was going to give up just yet. Without telling you she scheduled an interview for you, telling you if you didn’t show up it would make your family look bad.

Feeling the inevitable guilt throughout the day, you submitted into your aunt’s wishes and at least showed up to the interview.

Who knew? Maybe they would just let you be a janitor or something.

Sure enough they wanted you as a maid, but before you could even deny they offered double what any job had offered you, even the high paying ones.

“We know the job isn’t ideal, which is why we pay so much. A young girl like you would be just perfect here!”

Push came to shove, and somehow you ended up working at the cafe for a year and a half now.

You couldn’t lie, dressing up all cute and getting to hang out with a bunch of sweet girls was pretty fun. It beats mopping an empty grocery store with creepy co-workers.

With that said, the dread of having to deal with pervy customers and the existential fear of one of your friends walking through the door almost outweighed the pros of the job.

Luckily you had been able to escape doom for this long, so what are the odds that would change anytime soon?

The sound of the bell charming brought you back to your senses, quickly tying the silk bow behind your back you stumbled out into the break room to see your boss awaiting.

“Phew I thought you almost ditched us (L/n).” Your boss said with a wink.

Rolling your eyes you began walking backwards towards the swinging doors that led to the dining room.

“Have I ever failed you Miss Manager?” You purred with a grin.

Satisfied with her laugh you danced through the double doors, putting on your cute act once again. Only two hours left and you could go home and pig out on what was left in your pantry.

If that’s truly all it took, you didn’t mind turning on your “anime girl” side for a few hours.

Smiling at all the guests you made sure to check on everyone’s table before making your way towards the greeting podium. The doorbell went off so that meant some sort of customer was waiting to be sat.

Giving one last wink to a customer you whipped your head towards the front doors and gave a small bow before looking up.

“Welcome back to Maid Cafe master, would you like me to show you to your se..AHHHH!”

The moment your eyes met the sturdy figure before you, all senses jumped out the window as you screeched and jumped backwards defensively.

How.. How could this happen? This couldn’t be happening. All your intricate planning and anxious working to make sure no one you knew would ever catch you on the job.

And out of all the people in the world... it had to be Katsuki Bakugou.

Your ever so taunting boyfriend.

Sure enough Bakugou had a shit eating grin on his face, his eyes glowing with excitement for probably more reasons than you could count.

“Well well well, don’t you look familiar.”

At this point words weren’t even an option in your mind, you couldn’t tell if the cold spike of fear shooting up your spine was worse or the overwhelming heat that flared along your face.

Your little outburst didn’t go unnoticed by the guests and maids, all eyes moved to the two of you as you stumbled over your own words.

“Y..You- I.. but I.. and you! I can’t...”

“(L/n) is something the matter?”

The sound of your boss’ sweet voice from behind you caused you to shriek again as you now jumped to face her.

Feeling your face grow even warmer you avoided eye-contact with her, trying to use what was left of your slowly deflating brain to come up with an excuse to fix this entire mess.

“Yeah princess, is something the matter?”

Between the chilling tone and the pet name you physically shuddered, your head slowly peaking back to the problem at hand.

Bakugou couldn’t help but notice your reaction, sneering cockily as he looked down on you with pride.

“Zip it Bakugou-”

“Ah ah..” Bakugou started before you could even finish your threat, “I believe you are supposed to refer to me as master.”

If your brain wasn’t broken before, it sure was now. Your internal mix of equally enjoying this and hating this had officially clashed and broken any sense at this point. All you could feel beyond anger at this point was complete and utter embarrassment.

“(L/n) you’re not having any trouble greeting our guest, are you?” Your boss questioned sternly.

You’ve honestly never heard her get so serious with you, given this was far from her angry side, but you hated disappointing your superiors.

Glancing around you still noticed some eyes on you along with your suspicious boss’. At this point there was no escaping the situation, and like hell were you going to give this bastard the satisfaction of your embarrassment.

“N..No ma’am, no trouble at all!” You said back in your sweet work voice, offering the best smile you could muster before twitching back to your smug boyfriend.

“Let me uh... let me show you to your table...” You stuttered out, grabbing a single menu before looking up at your expectant boyfriend’s expression. You knew exactly what the little shit was waiting for, and if you didn’t say it your boss would surely drag you to the back.

“Master.”

Bakugou sighed in dramatic satisfaction, clasping his hands together sarcastically and bending down to your level, “Fucking splendid.”

Gritting your teeth you glared into his crimson orbs before spinning on your heel, plastering the cute smile on your face so your boss could get off your back.

Once she seemed to notice you returned to your old state, she let out a gentle sigh and walked away to serve her tables.

At the very least you felt a bit less tense knowing she wasn’t following you like a hawk, but she was far from the problem at hand.

Quickly b-lining towards a table in the corner, you slammed the menu down and pulled out the chair, offering the most sarcastically pleasant smile you could.

Bakugou gladly took his seat, making sure to drag his hand along the small of your back on the way down. He throughly enjoyed each time you shivered from his touch, or even words.

First you decided to take his order, making sure all eyes were officially off the two of you. Once you decided the coast was clear, you quickly grabbed the collar of his tank top, as you bent down to be eye level with him.

“How did you find out about my job Katsuki.”

Bakugou grunted in surprise, catching himself quickly before he smirked back to your fuming expression. Oh how adorable you were when you were mad.

Your thick eyebrows would knit together in a deep focus and your plush lips would pinch into a perfect pout that drove him crazy.

As the blond smugly glanced over your features, his eyes flicked up only to notice other eyes were facing the two of you once again, only this time they only seemed to be on you. On your backside.

The way you were bending down seemed to perfectly expose your backside to the world, and your dumbass was too oblivious with him to even realize it.

Clicking his tongue, Bakugou placed a firm palm on the edge of your spine before shoving you down to your knees so the back of your dress would cover your backside once again.

The action caused a small yelp to escape your lips, you assumed he had done it to embarrass you which made you that much more mad.

“Answer. My. Question.”

Once the ash blond was satisfied with your state and he glared at any that dared to still look at you, he glanced back down to your fiery orbs with an unimpressed look.

Rolling his eyes he slapped your hand away causing you to huff before he shoved the photo Kaminari sent to him.

Glancing over the photo you eyes widened to see a photo of you through the window of the Maid Cafe assisting a customer.

Your cheeks began to glow red again as you worriedly looked up to Bakugou, “You guys actually doxxed me?!”

Bakugou raised a brow and snatched his phone back with a sigh.

“I didn’t, I can’t speak for that stupid dunce but I’ll deal with his reasoning later,” He explained before his dreadful smirk returned as he cupped the edge of your chin, “Back to the elephant in the room, how come you hid such a delicious fucking secret from your master.”

As much as you would’ve loved this behind closed doors, to be openly embarrassed in public made your head feel like it was going to explode.

“S..Stop acting all smug you idiot!” You snapped, smacking his hand from your chin and standing up straight, “I hid this from you so you wouldn’t act like an egotistical dick.”

At this Bakugou barked out a laugh, the booming sound causing you to jump a bit as he slouched back in his chair, folding his arms with that smug grin.

“I think we’ve already come to the conclusion that my fucking ego is backed up, or have you forgotten doll?”

His piercing red eyes narrowed to your own, the sight making you blush as you jerked your head to the side and huffed.

“Can you order already idiot? I’ve got plenty of other orders to take.”

Bakugou simply smirked and picked up the menu, glancing down the options before shoving it in your arms.

“I’ll get two of the shitty rice bears,” He explained, grinning when he saw you look up with a raised brow, “I’ve got a hungry maid coming home soon waiting to please her master.”

Your confused expression turned into a flushed angry one as you snatched the menu from him and turned on your heel. You didn’t even remember what he asked for but at this point you didn’t care. You just wanted to hide from the customers so you could collect what dignity you had left.

The moment you brushed by the double doors you let out a sigh of relief as you rested your head against the back wall. Maybe if you closed your eyes and pinched yourself hard enough you would wake up from this horrible nightmare?

You could only imagine the things Bakugou was thinking. Does he think you’re some ditzy pushover maid girl now? Is he texting your friends telling them that you work here? Honestly Kaminari has probably already done that.

It was so nice having the upper hand on him for once, but now that he took every last bit of dignity and laughed in your face, you were doomed.

“Rough shift huh?”

Raising your brows you peaked an eye open to see one of your coworkers with a concerned expression. Standing up straight you fixed a piece of your hair and nodded.

“Yeah I guess you could say that..”

“How come you were acting so weird with that customer (L/n)-chan?” Your manager called from behind, carrying a bunch of plates as she walked beside your coworker, “Is it because he’s crazy hot?”

Folding your arms you let out a huff as you pouted your lips out,

“Try boyfriend.”

Both girls gasped in shock, your boss nearly dropping the plates in her hand as they looked two you in disbelief.

“Wow sorry for calling him hot, I never knew you had a boyfriend (L/n)! And a hunk at that~”

Letting out a slight chuckle, both your eyes fell on your coworker when she spoke up.

“You know this same thing happened to me with my boyfriend,” She spoke while tapping her finger against her cheek in thought, “I didn’t want him finding out about my job because I knew he would make fun of me, then one day he showed up and sure enough started making fun of me.”

Frowning you let out a sigh as you rubbed the side of your face exasperatedly, “My dumb boyfriend is doing that too! What did you end up doing with yours?”

Your coworker grinned as she shrugged.

“I simply fought fire with fire. Since he was making fun of me, I made him eat his words and watch me serve the other customers. He ended up getting so jealous he left!”

The advice she had given you finally brought warmth back to your numb body, you felt a grin rise to your face as you quickly wrapped your arms around your coworker.

“You are a lifesaver woman! I owe you so much for that advice.”

Your coworker simply laughed and hugged you back, happy to see you back in your normal cheerful state.

“Yeah have some fun but don’t ruin the experience for our other guests!” Your boss called out before walking out the door with the plates.

“I should probably get out there too, let me know if you need any help (L/n)-chan.” Your coworker said with a mischievous grin before dancing out the double doors.

Your mind was rushing with ideas, how could you of not thought of this before? Your explosive boyfriend could get jealous from a rock on the street, this would be the perfect pay back for you!

If he was going to come into your workplace and wreak havoc, you would do the same for his inflated ego.

Fixing up your dress you grabbed the two plates and narrowed your eyes towards the dining room.

“Bring it on Bakugou Katsuki.”

Oh did Bakugou feel pleased with himself.

Normally he hated skipping out on a workout, but this was worth it.

He couldn’t let the image of your adorable flushed expression and tense body escape his mind. Let alone that maid costume on you was divine on your plush skin.

The fact that you refused to wear a maid costume in the bedroom made it that much better, no wonder you were trying to hide this job from him.

The way the black silk hugged every curve, just tight enough to where your skin was overflowing from the material. And those thighs squeezing out of those adorable thigh highs drove him wild.

If he hadn’t made the best discovery of his life today, he would almost be mad you were strutting around in such a costume for anyone other than himself.

Deciding to wait another day to deal with that, Bakugou simply enjoyed the scenery and awaited for his girlfriend.

Just like clockwork he saw your form dance out of the backroom a bit too peppy. The thought of you “collecting” yourself in the back only made him sneer with a sadistic grin, he would simply break you all over again when you served him the food.

Just as you sauntered over to his table, the ash blond looked you up and down with a smirk, opening his mouth to say something truly condescending until your body turn away from him and towards another table.

“Here’s your panda shaped muffin and honeydew boba masters!” You spoke to the two customers at the table in front of him, “Is there anything else I can get for you my handsome masters?”

Bakugou felt his heart drop at the sound of you calling another living organism your master. Were you doing this on purpose? Is this usually how you talked to the shitty customers here?

His answer was confirmed when a small squeak escaped your lips and you bent down towards the table, your chest surely giving the two guests a show given their cherry lit cheeks as your thumb grazed across one of the customer’s cheeks.

“Silly master, you have some icing on your cheek.” You said with the most divine giggle he had ever heard. Gritting his teeth his entire world froze when you stuck the finger in your mouth and licked the white cream off clean, “No worries, I got it for you~”

The man before you looked like he was going to bust on the spot, his friend watching with his jaw dropped and eyes filled with jealousy.

Smiling sweetly you gave them one last bow, “Let me know if you need anything else masters!”

Just before you danced away from their table you glanced to Bakugou, giving him a small smirk as you looked him up and down with unimpressed eyes before sauntering away, leaving your explosive boyfriend on the verge of a breakdown.

You truly had a death wish. It was the only explanation for your actions. For almost a full hour you kept that act up, leaving the many guests within the cafe speechless and ogling over you. You knew exactly how jealous Bakugou could get, and you knew he hated admitting it.

Of course Bakugou also knew what a little tease you were. He didn’t miss the delight in your glistening eyes each time you taunted him, waiting for the repercussions of his wrath. But this...

This crossed the line of his sanity.

The ash blond tried to wait til your shift was over, he really did. As furious as he was with you, he wasn’t irresponsible enough to make you lose your job. But the moment your finger tips danced along the shoulder of a guest, any bit of restraint the male had left in his body had snapped like a twig.

The sound of him storming up from his table caused the immediate guests around him to look up, his silverware clanking against the pink trimmed plate as he made a direct line towards you.

Unfortunately for you, the scene your boyfriend caused went over your head as you continued to jot down the order from the customers before you. Focusing on your blossom shaped ordering pad you didn’t notice the horrified expressions on the customers before you as the saw an angry Bakugou storming up behind you.

“I’ll get those orders right up for you masters~” You exclaimed with a cute wink as you began to walk off until a firm hand wrapped around your wrist in a vice grip.

Bakugou could have loosened his bit a grip he realized when you let out a small yelp but he had already committed and like hell was he going to let you flirt with another damn customer right before his very eyes.

Your sweet words, gentle touches, suggestive actions... they weren’t meant for him and him only.

Immiedetly you recognized your boyfriend’s sharp hold and tried to tug your hand away so not to make a scene, but the ash blond simple spun your wrist around and pinned it to your back, giving him full control of wherever you walk.

With a squeak he shoved you forward, causing you to stumble over your own feet as he quickly pushed you towards the backroom.

You briefly met gaze with your boss as he shoved you by, your eyes pleading for help as they were filled with regret. Your boss opened her mouth, not sure what to even do.

“E..Excuse me sir? You can’t touch the-”

Before she could even finish her sentence Bakugou flashed a sharp glare to the woman, his crimson orbs thin from lack of patience and absolute fury.

Your boss was smart enough to know your boyfriend was truly about to go feral, for her life and your own she decided it was best to turn away and pretend she saw nothing.

You let out a small pout when you saw her attempt to serve the shocked guests, leaving you to be shoved into the backroom by a surely pent up Bakugou.

Once you reached the back you saw your coworker, the one that had given you such brilliant advice before, shoving a pastry in her mouth as she was on her break. Her eyes first fell on the dark lidded ones of your boyfriend before falling on your pleading fearful eyes.

Her mouth opened, unsure of what to say before closing.

“I’m uh.. gonna take my break outside.” She muttered softly, politely pushing the chair in and offering the best smile she could before she quickly shuffled out the back doors.

Once the room was clear Bakugou let go of your wrist, giving you a chance to stretch your arm back in it’s proper position before the sound of the back door slamming to a close caused you to shriek in surprise.

Bakugou couldn’t help but smirk as you jumped, as angry as he was he loved seeing you so on edge thanks to him. Returning to a serious expression he watched as you turned around, attempting to put on a serious face of your own.

“Bakugou you know I still have thirty minutes left of my shift-”

Trying to speak was hard enough as is with the thick tension in the room, but when the ash blond slammed his hands on either side of you against the wooden break table you let out a shriek and quickly sat back against the ledge attempting to gain some more space between you two.

The action made him chuckle dryly as he looked you up and down.

“You’re still going to act like a fucking brat huh? After the show you just put on?” Bakugou spoke lowly, his eyes drinking in the sight of your costume only swirling more pent up feelings within him, “Someone’s feeling spunky today?”

You bit at the corner of your lip, swallowing what left of saliva was in your dry mouth as you tried terribly to avoid eye contact.

“Hiding such a naughty job from me, and then when I catch you red handed this is the treatment I get?” Bakugou hisses with clenched fists, “You should’ve been at my fucking heel all day for keeping such a delicious lie from me and yet you taunt me like you’re the one in charge?”

His harsh words made heat rise to your cheeks as you looked down at your frilly dress, trying to find anything to look at besides his face. Surely you knew that wasn’t going to pass with him.

“Look at me when I fucking speak to you brat.” Bakugou growled, his eyes narrowing when he saw your lips pinch together stubbornly.

Letting out an annoyed sigh he grabbed your wrist roughly before shoving you back against the thin wall and grabbing your jaw harshly shoving it against the wall with a hard knock, forcing your eyes to meet.

The sight of your cheeks being squished together by his large palms and your wide glassy eyes forced to look into his own, he couldn’t hide his smug smirk as he felt you lightly tremor beneath him.

“Much better doll.” Bakugou cooed, voice laced with sarcasm as you both knew the next chain of events were about to get quite violent.

“Now, I was planning on patiently waiting for you to get off so we could take this conversation in private...” Bakugou spoke, eyes narrowing down to yours as he let out a sinister laugh, “Hell I even bought you a treat, I’m such a generous fucking boyfriend aren’t I?”

Your breathing was ragged as you stared up into his crimson eyes, your brain was so fogged by the situation that you hadn’t even realized what he asked until his grip on your jaw tightened.

“I asked you a fucking question.”

Blinking back to reality you nodded deserpatly, not daring to look away from his gaze as you let out a slight whimper that shot directly to his pants.

“Good.” Bakugou said with a dark smile before continuing on, “But now I cannot go along with that generous plan because you can’t go two seconds without acting like a fucking slut.”

The filthy words spewing from his lips caused your face to grow warm, the entire situation already had your silk underwear drenched, but his words alone caused you to brush your plump thighs together desperately.

Your actions didn’t go unnoticed by the ash blond as he roughly shoved a knee between your legs causing a whine to escape your lips when he refused to put any friction on your aching core.

“Even now you can’t help but act like a brainless bitch in heat.” Bakugou sneered with a grin, his hand on your jaw lowering to now grip on your neck gently so not to cut off any air.

“Because you’ve disobeyed me multiple times today, I’m going to have to set you straight right here in public so you know who truly has the power here.”

Your mouth opened to rebuttal as your eyes widened at his idea, but his hand only gripped tighter around your throat causing the words shove back down your throat.

“And then,” Bakugou hissed, “If you perform like a good little maid, I may give you what you want when we get home. Maybe.”

You let out a shaky breath as he narrowed his eyes down to you, trying to read what you were feeling right now.

“Now you’re going to be my good little slutty maid and serve me until I’m satisfied, you fucking got that?”

As Bakugou’s grip on your neck loosened, your posture relaxed a bit as you nodded to his question, only for the grip to return as he growled down to you.

“Try again.”

Biting your lip your thighs attempted to squeeze against his knee for any sort of friction at all as any conscious thought was clouded with ashamed lust for the man before you.

“Y..Yes master.”

#bakugou x reader #bakugou katsuki #bakugou katsuki x reader #katsuki bakugou #bnha bakugou #maid cafe #maid cafe au #maid au #maid reader #maid cafe reader #boku no hero academia #my hero academia #mha #bnha #reader is a big ole brat #this kinda segsy tho #anyways enjoy

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botanicials · 4 years

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wish this was the full part, but here is a sneak peak of falling in love at a coffee shop. the first few rough paragraphs. coming soon! littles will be posted until then ❣️

falling in love at a coffee shop

i. (sneak peak!)

October 13

The cold NYC wind is forgiving for once, all things considered. You had just spent your evening watching over seven sugar high eight-year-olds that had decided finger painting was the ideal after school activity. It was laborious at times and their parents probably weren’t too pleased, but the kids were happy.

Your phone is warm against your cheek as you walk, owing to the Disney Favorites playlist you were asked to play- and Eloise skipping nearly every song that wasn’t sung by Elsa or Moana. Your mother’s words are insistent in your ear: plane tickets, dinners, graduation details.

“It isn’t for another… what? Four months? We’ll figure it out.”

You hear your mother sigh. “I’d rather plan everything out now, the end of the year brings me enough stress as is.”

“It-“

“And what is it with your graduation ceremony being in January? Such an odd time. I mean, right after the holidays? Don’t they realize we might want a bit of a break?”

You laugh lightly at that, eyes spotting the familiar rusting sign hanging up ahead. “Um, has to do with my hours and the kids’ semester ending. I don’t know. Tickets should be cheaper, they usually are after Christmas.”

“Suppose that’s a positive.”

“Definitely a positive- I’ll call you later, I’m grabbing some food so I can hurry up and get home. There's an apron covered with paint in my bag and I’m convinced it’ll stain everything I have inside.”

You begin to unwrap your scarf from your neck as you near closer to the mahogany red door, turning to push it open with your side. “You put an apron covered in paint in your bag?” She sounds incredulous.

“It’s rolled, mom. I’ll call you later.” You repeat.

“Soon.” She says, and you hum before finally ending the call.

A gust of warm air hits the chilled skin of your face when you enter, along with the strong aroma of brewing coffee and a hint of vanilla. You move quickly to close the door behind you, not wanting to disturb anyone with the reality of what they’d have to endure once they leave.

“Welcome in.”

Your eyes follow over to the voice that called out, to catch him take a quick glance at you before turning to meet your eyes again.

He’s not much taller than the familiar college students that work here, but judging from his shoulders, his build is clearly much larger. Atop his wool baby blue sweater is a- definitely used -burgundy apron you’ve seen time and time again. Who you haven’t seen, however, is him.

Once his eyes flicker to the new customer in front of him and back to you, you realize that you’d completely ignored his greeting. And hadn’t moved from the door?

You find yourself sending a clumsy smile before moving across the hardwood floors to stand in line behind the short balding man repeating his order.

Your phone is in your hand a moment later, needing a distraction as to not ogle at the pretty green-eyed barista any longer. Your thumb instinctively lands on Instagram, as much as you wish it hadn’t.

A selfie of an old friend from high school.

A photo of someone’s newborn. The third you’d seen this month.

The conventional food flat lay.

You hear the man in front of you make a second order of two dozen bagels for a big meeting tomorrow morning. “Hoping for a promotion,” he says, a clear smile in his voice. You silently wish him the best. With bagels from Coldwell’s, he was bound to make a good impression.

You’ve been coming here since the beginning of your junior year, finding the cozy café to be a home away from home. You’d discovered it after moving out of your dorm, it was an unmistakable upgrade from the campus coffee shop you were forced to visit every morning.

Thick floor to ceiling windows on one wall, exposed brick and a menu on another; coupled with the bulbous string lights, numerous plants hanging from the ceiling and perched on shelves with the occasional vintage record.

There were unspoken sections inside; couches and low tables for group study sessions, a line of comfy booths along the back for brunches and dates, a few tables with mismatched wooden chairs for those who’d rather spend some time alone. It was always clean and well kept, and during Christmas, it smelled of nutmeg.

Depending on which barista had their phone connected to the speakers, the shop was either playing Spotify’s Chill Lofi Study Beats or smooth jazz, both welcomed by the regulars that filtered in day-to-day.

You hear the last drop of the bagel slicer when your phone buzzes faintly. Milo: We should go for breakfast one morning. When are you free? :) That message alone was enough for you to stuff your phone into your bag. Jesus Christ.

You watch the man’s scuffled loafers as he makes his way out, the arm free from two large boxes lifting to wish his barista a good night. Speaking of, he’s got a welcoming grin on his face when you step to the counter. There was no doubt he was recalling your odd entrance.

“Hello.”

His eyes are bright, they remind you of a dewy morning in a garden - and you wish you were in the right state of mind to watch him the way he was watching you. “Hi, um”, your eyes fly up to the menu as if you weren’t sure of exactly what you were getting. “Are you still selling those bottled fruit drinks? I usually get them in the morning.”

“The Pressed ones? Got a few in the back but I’ll grab one for you. What flavor?” You take a second to inwardly scold yourself for focusing too hard on the way he’d flavor, there was no second-guessing on whether he had an accent or not from moments ago.

“Blackberry,” you say, sending a small smile.

He taps at the screen of the POS, his lips tucked into his mouth as you reach into your bag for your wallet.

Not there. No. Not that pocket either.

You frown.

“So, a blackberry Pressed, anything else?”

Your head is nearly inside of your purse as you move your belongings around, cautious of smearing Crayola paint anywhere. “Please, a blueberry um...”, you flip the apron to stick out a bit and allow you more room to see, careful not to squeeze it too hard, “bagel?”

A beat of silence.

“You sure?”

Your head snaps back up to find the barista- Harry, his name tag reads, it suits him -smiling at you, teasing.

You laugh at yourself a bit before buttoning your bag closed. Your wallet was nowhere to be found; which would frighten you if you hadn’t already left it in the classroom twice this week. “Yes-. Yeah, sorry my brain is like, fried from studying.”

“No, yeah totally get it,” he says. Tot-ally.

You find yourself contemplating on whether you should tell him to completely scrap your order or give in and finally figure out how ApplePay works. He scratches at his chin. “Erm.. cream cheese?”

You have some at home. “No, thank you.”

He nods and you take a glance at the tiny hoop earring that catches in the overhead light as he does. You’re just about to resume digging in your bag to check one more time, when he surprises you by saying something that isn’t your total. “What are you majoring in?”

You readjust. “Education. I want to teach 3rd grade.”

“Do you?” His smile is wide and you notice the dimples that sink into his cheeks. Because of course, the guy has dimples.

His genuine happiness takes you by surprise and you laugh. “Yeah, I graduate this year. Well- hopefully. Still have to pass my finals.”

He’s still tapping at the POS- definitely taking much longer than normal, but you don’t mind. Thankfully you had nowhere to be for once.

“M’sure you’ll do great.” You smile, despite the fact that his eyes were still on the screen in front of him. “I um, I graduated just last year,” he looks up to see your eyebrows rise in question. “Film.”

“Film?” you repeat. “I.. Honestly, I can see that.” The earring, the eyes, his style. It made sense.

Tap. Tap. You catch the price going down.

“That because I’m working at a coffee shop?”

“That- What? No, no. I-“

He lets out a boyish giggle and shakes his head. “Only joking. That was a bit of a dig to us film majors, hm?”

“A little. It just makes sense,” you continue. “You look like a film major.”

“Yeah?”

“It’s a compliment,” you say, and his lips twist to fight a smile.

“I’ll take it,” he says, slipping a glove onto his left hand. Your eyes immediately take notice of the cross etched next to his thumb. “Total comes out to $3.21. I’ll go grab your-“

“You didn’t have to do that.” You’ve ordered this countless times, and though Anne let you have your things for free when no one else was around, it’s always come out to $6.78.

Harry only frowns, shaking his head. Don’t worry about it. “I’ll go grab your drink.”

“Sure. Thank you.”

The second he disappeared into the kitchen you’ve seen so little of, you quickly lift your wrist to try and figure out how this stupid watch worked.

You told yourself to test this out at some point, but you just haven’t had the time. The pad of your figure taps and swipes against the tiny screen, nothing screaming pay with me!

Not that app.

Not that one either.

Had you even set it up?

You hear the door smack lightly against the wall. “Alright here’s- oh,” Harry stumbles upon return, eyebrows drawn together. “Did the card not work? There’s a chip at the bottom-“

“No, I was- I left my wallet at work and I’m trying to..” You point at the card reader. “Does this have Apple Pay?”

His eyes flicker between your watch and the reader before nodding. “Yeah, you’ve just got to..” he leans over the counter a bit and his hand hovers over yours. “May I?”

With confirmation, his nimble fingers press lightly into the inside of your wrist, tilting it toward the reader. His touch is soft- he’s excessively gentle despite only adjusting your hand. He moves his thumb to double click a button on the side of your device, the palm of his hand brushing the side of yours.

The both of you look up at one another, eyes meeting in much closer proximity than any time tonight.

You can’t possibly pick up a guy at a coffee shop. Right?

Ding!

You look down at your wrist that’s still in his hold, your tiny screen now displaying a successful checkmark.

He swiftly pulls his hand away, the gloved one quickly grabbing your bagel as the other grabbed a waxed baggie. “Sorry-“

“No, thank you.” You can’t help but let out a clumsy laugh at the moment the two of you just shared. Silly, you think to yourself.

“To go, yeah?”

“Please.”

He smiles, eyes focused on the screen before the printer hums to life and begins to spit out your receipt.

You watch as he works the bagel slicer and toaster without conscious thought, large hand pulling off his glove before taping the flimsy paper to the front of the bag. He’s sliding your items over to you to grab when you speak once more.

“And thank you again, for the discount.”

He only shakes his head, lips turning down into a funny looking frown. “Don’t worry about it, really. Good luck on finals.”

You smile gratefully, managing to hold your juice and bagel in one hand as you make your way back over to the door. “Thank you! Have a good night.”

“Bye, love you—“ He practically chokes on his own spit, turning quickly to cough steadily into the crook of his elbow.

You were halfway out of the door when you heard him, and now you stare, amused as the cold wind nips at the left side of your face. “Love me?”

“I-“ His nose crinkles, and he coughs one last time. “Sorry, I-“ You watch as he visibly relaxes once his focus is back on you and not on trying to breathe correctly.

Your head is tilted to the side, an obvious glint in your eye.

He lets out a breathy laugh before trying to continue. “I don’t-” Your eyebrows rise as he stumbles. “- love you. I just- I say it to friends a lot and I guess it… slipped? I don’t know-“

“I’m teasing.” You call out over the wind that blows through as you push the door open wider. You can’t help but laugh to yourself as you move to leave. “Don’t worry. Bye, Harry.”

147 notes · View notes

twomoonstwosuns · 4 years

Text

valentine’s day.

back to you [series masterlist]

previous part · next part

pairing: professor!poe dameron x reader

warnings: swearing, pure sweet cheesy af fluff for literally the entire thing

word count: 4.8k lol oops

a/n: eee, here it is! i really hope this lives up to expectations because i really agonized over trying to make this perfect. feedback would be so greatly appreciated.

also shout-out to @myrandom-fandomlife for giving me the help to kickstart my brain and get this written <3

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

You felt lighter than you had in weeks.

The semester was going well. Graduation was just a few months away. Your sister Tallie announced she was pregnant, her baby coming in the fall. The only thing that had the potential to turn your mood was Poe, but even that had been going well.

You talked more. You hadn’t been over to his place since he bent you over his table the previous week, but you were talking to him nearly everyday. You texted often and stayed up way too late talking to him. You were enjoying it, but you knew you had to be cautious as you fell deeper into attachment.

With Valentine’s Day just a few days away, you began to wonder if you’d be spending it with Poe. You weren’t together, much to your chagrin for fear of putting your heart on the line and being turned down, but people had sex on Valentine’s Day. Maybe you’d at least get that. You tried not to dwell on it too much, but Poe made it increasingly difficult to not think about it…or him. He had spent the majority of the day sending you the most ridiculous pick-up lines, having heard one that morning at his favorite coffee shop that made him cringe with how bad it was. Whether it was a joke or not, he didn’t know, but he found the most ridiculous ones on the Internet and sent them to you, if anything just to brighten your day and make you laugh.

You had just dropped a book off at the library and were heading towards the university center to meet up with your roommates when a car flashed its brights at you. You stopped when they did it again and it took you a minute to realize it was Poe’s car. You made your way over, hearing the soft whir of his window going down.

“Hey, what’re you doing here?” you asked as you leaned in, the warmth from the car’s heater fanning your face. “I thought you had that mixer thing tonight?”

“I’m on my way, I just had to grab something from my office. Then I saw you and just wanted to say hi.”

You could just see him, the cover of darkness providing the perfect shield for your meeting. The smell of his cologne filled the car and you realized it was different but just as distinctive than the one he wore everyday. You narrowed your eyes when you noticed the tension in his shoulders.

“You don’t want to go, do you?”

“Not really.” He admitted with a humorless laugh.

“Could you skip it? I can’t imagine sucking up to department heads is very fun.”

“It’s not, and as much as I want to, I can’t. Snoke’s retiring and they’re looking to find his replacement before the fall semester. There are a lot of people that will be there that I have to impress if I want to be considered.”

“Do you want to be considered?”

Poe nodded, the knot of nerves in his stomach tightening. “It’s just a rumor right now, but word is that President Organa’s already got a small list of people she’s considering to replace him and I’m on it.”

You gaped, a smile forming on your face.

“Poe, that’s amazing. They’d be stupid not to pick you.” You placed your hand on this shoulder. “You have to get going and I have a move to catch, so neither of us have time to listen to me tell you all the reasons why you’d be the best option, but just know you are. And although I may be a little biased, I’m also usually right.”

Poe smiled appreciatively, the support making him feel a little more ready. Of course he’d talked to his dad and his close friends about it, receiving the same encouragement, but it meant so much coming from you.

“So, what’d you think of the pick-up lines I sent you?” He asked, changing the subject. You giggled.

“I thought they were great but my roommates think you can do better, so we spent an hour after class googling pick-up lines,” you explained, making Poe chuckle warmly. “I’m definitely going to blame you for not getting anything done the rest of the week.”

“That’s what I’m here for.”

“I did actually like some of them. They were cheesy as hell, but some of them were pretty cute. And the dirty ones were good too.”

“I have one more if you want to hear it.” You nodded enthusiastically. “Do you have any raisins?”

“Did you just say raisins?” you asked incredulously. Poe gave you a pointed look that told you to just answer the question. “Ok fine, um…no?”

“Then how ‘bout a date?”

You threw your head back and barked out a laugh. “That’s a good one. Very smooth.”

“Y/N?”

“Yes?”

“How about a date? Saturday night?”

You froze, unsure if you heard him right, but the way he was observing you with hope told you that you heard every word correct. You couldn’t help the smile that grew bigger with each second you took to process Poe’s words.

“Yes.”

“Yes?”

“Yes, I’ll go on a date with you.” you repeated with a grin, your smile disappearing when you felt your phone buzzing incessantly in your pocket. With five minutes until the movie started, you knew it was your roommates wondering where you were. You glanced at the clock. “I have to get going and so do you. Try not to die of boredom.”

“I’ll text you.”

“You better.”

You took two steps away from Poe’s car when you decided to turn back. You knocked on the window, giving Poe an apologetic smile when he jumped in surprise. The window rolled down once again and you leaned in to press a gentle kiss on his cheek.

“I can’t wait,” you said softly, taking a few steps back as your cheeks heated up. The way he was smiling at you was turning your insides to mush. “Good luck tonight.”

Poe’s soft gaze stayed on you until he couldn’t see you anymore. If he had room to punch in the air in victory, he would have. Meanwhile, you felt like you were sixteen again, like the boy you had a crush on for months asked you to the big dance. The smile stayed on your face for the entire movie, while the one on Poe’s face lingered for throughout the party.

》》》

Dress warm. I’ll pick you up at 8.

Nervous was an understatement. You paced in the lobby of your apartment building, your hands practically sweating through your gloves.

If this date didn’t go well, that would be it for the two of you.

“Stop psyching yourself out,” Jessika had told you just moments before. “You guys already have this amazing connection, it’s gonna take something short of admitting to a murder for this not to go well.”

She was right, of course, but this wasn’t just any guy. This was Poe, someone you’d come to care for greatly in the last few months.

It had to go well.

Poe pulled up at exactly 8 o’clock and you snuck into his car, speeding off before anyone could see, like an undercover mission. “So, where are we going?”

“You’ll see. It’s not too far from here.”

You narrowed your eyes and studied Poe, looking for any clues in his facial expression that could somehow spill where you were going. He kept his face neutral, a small hint of a smile on his face. “Mysterious. Ok. How’d the mixer go the other night?”

“Good. Not to sound conceited but I think President Organa likes me.”

“Of course she does.”

Poe winked and you rolled your eyes with an amused smirk on your face. The soft music in the car filled the silence, neither of you quite knowing what to say. You wrung your hands in your lap as nervous butterflies flapped around in your stomach.

“You seem nervous.” Poe said, his hand coming off of the steering wheel and covering yours in comfort. You immediately stopped fidgeting.

“Is it weird that I am?” You asked.

“No. I am too.”

Your confession gave him a boost of confidence. He felt he had gone the extra mile to make this night special, to show his true intentions of what he wanted out of this. He hoped you’d see it and want it as much as he did. Knowing you were just as nervous as he was showed you cared about this going well just as much as he did.

He pulled his hand away to steer his car into a parking spot. His was the only car in the lot, not that it was surprising. Cold and dark winter nights didn’t exactly bring a lot of people out to wander around a park for fun. Poe opened his door, but your hand on his arm stopped him. “I’m nervous, but I’m really happy we’re doing this.”

He gave you an easy half smile, the one that made him so effortlessly striking.

“Me too,” he said, covering your hand with his. “Come on.”

You got out of his car and finally realized you were at Canto Park. It was unrecognizable at first due to the darkness of the night and the lack of people, but you recognized the streetlights that lit up the walkways when you got a closer look. Poe handed something to you and it took a minute in the dark to see that they were a pair of skates.

“We’re skating?” you asked in surprise, completely caught off-guard. You were expecting dinner and a movie at his apartment, the options for doing anything together extremely limited. “This is not going to end well, just so you know.”

“You’ll be fine,” Poe assured you. “Have you ever rollerbladed?”

“When I was like thirteen.”

“Then this’ll be fun. I’ll help you.” You couldn’t help but become a little anxious. The chance of you making a fool out of yourself was very high.

The park was eerily quiet but peaceful, the only sound crunching underneath your feet. The man-made ice rink was lit up with bright lights that nearly blinded you with its sharp contrast to the inky black sky.

“I don’t think we’re supposed to be here,” you said with a smirk as you sat down on the bench next to the ice rink. “I’m pretty sure the park closes when it gets dark.”

“Better be prepared to run if we get caught then.”

“I’m flattered you think I’ll be able to skate, let alone run in skates.”

Poe finished tying up his skates and as you tied up your left one, he scooted closer to you and brought your right foot into his lap.

“What’re you doing?” you asked.

“Making sure you tied them right,” he winked. You gave him a dry, sarcastic laugh as he grabbed the foot you had just finished with. With his seal of approval, Poe helped you up and over to the ice. You gripped the wall until you were sure you had your balance. Like riding a bike, the familiar movement of gliding came back, although you wobbled like a newborn colt with fresh legs because it had been nearly ten years since you did anything like this. Poe did a lap around the rink as you glared at him.

“Show-off!” you called after him, hearing him laugh from the other side of the rink. “Let me guess, you played hockey?”

“Only for fun.” Poe answered, slowing down as he approached you. “I was more into music than sports in high school. I was in a band, though.”

“College professor by day, rock star by night? It’s like modern day Indiana Jones. What kind of music did you play?”

Poe smirked at the reference. “Rock, pop, alternative, whatever you want to call it. We called ourselves The Resistance. It’s how I met my friends Finn and Rey. Still best friends to this day.”

“Do you guys still play?”

“Individually maybe, but together no, we left that back in high school. We had a demo of songs that somehow got into the hands of someone over at Skywalker Records, but we weren’t interested.”

“You didn’t want to be a rock star?”

“Sure I did, but I had other things I wanted to do more. Finn and Rey did too.”

“The Air Force?” Poe gave you a curious look. “The tattoo on your back. I recognize the symbol.”

“My dad was in the Air Force. I got the tattoo for him. I almost enrolled right out of high school, but then my dad got sick.” You gave him a sympathetic look. “He’s fine now, but instead of enlisting I went to college and I worked to be able to stay home and help him out.”

“You guys are close.” You observed.

“Very.” He wanted to tell you why, but didn’t want to bring the mood down anymore with the story of his mother. “What about you? Sports, music?”

You told him how you played soccer as a kid through an amateur league in your hometown. You played up until high school, making the varsity team your freshman year but taken out of the game indefinitely during your first game from a severe knee injury. You told him while you loved music, you participated in choir during high school not because you could sing, but so you could hang out with your friends.

While the conversation was entertaining, you stumbling around on the ice was not. Poe thought it was though, as he tried walking you through it step by step, giving you tips on how to keep your balance by focusing on one spot in the distance and not moving your eyes from it. Of course your mind chose Poe to focus on, but every little movement he made, especially when he was close to you, grabbed your attention, which made you unable to concentrate. You were having fun even though you were slightly embarrassed about your lack of coordination. You’d miraculously had not fallen, but you bumped into the wall and crashed into it whenever you had to stop yourself.

“Ok, new idea. Let’s try one more thing.” Poe said, turning so he was facing you. He grabbed your hands to make sure you were steady before moving backwards, pulling you with him. “Don’t look down, eyes on me. Now talk about something.”

“Like what?” You were finding it extremely difficult to focus on anything at all except your hands in Poe’s and the impending doom of rolling your ankle at any second.

“Anything.” He said, turning so he was facing you and skating backwards. “Tell me something not a lot of people know.”

You hummed as you thought about his question. “I seriously considered going to school for photography.”

“Why didn’t you?”

“Same reason you’re not a famous musician. I had other dreams and it’s a hard industry to make a career in. It’s probably better as a hobby anyway, I can’t get mad when something doesn’t go right because I’m not under any obligation to be successful.”

“What do you photograph?”

“Anything. I’ve done some senior pictures over the past few summers when I’ve been home. I’ve done some engagement photos, pregnancy announcements. I like to think I’m really good at those black and white hipster photographs of nature and stuff.”

“You’ll have to show me sometime.”

“I always keep my portfolio with me, just in case. I’ll bring it by next time.”

Next time.The promise of a second date. Poe smiled down at you and then looked over your shoulder with a soft chuckle.

“What?” You followed his gaze and your jaw dropped. You had skated from one end of the rink to the other without almost falling. “Oh my god, I made it!” You laughed happily. Poe smiled at your excitement.

“I told you you’d be fine.”

You were practically bouncing in excitement. You pushed forward, gaining speed and catching up with Poe when you suddenly fell onto your butt when your skate hit a loose chunk of ice.

“Damn it, I was doing so well!” You exclaimed, holding your arms out in front of you. “Help me up?”

Poe pulled you up with ease, gripping your forearms when you nearly slipped again.

“You good?”

You nodded with breathless laugh, your eyes meeting his. The sudden urge to kiss him consumed you and you glanced down at his lips. Poe did the same, the air surrounding you standing so close becoming thick. Your feet suddenly came out from underneath you and you ended up on the ice with a hard thump. Poe laughed loudly and you couldn’t help but laugh with him at your clumsiness.

“Ok, I think that’s enough skating for you.” Poe said, holding out his hand. You lay back onto the ice with your eyes closed, arms out on either side of you in defeat.

“Nope, I’m done, not moving. I’ll die here.”

Poe grabbed your arms, hauling you up before crouching down to the ice, urging you to get on his back. “Come on, I’ll give you a ride back.”

You hesitated a second before wrapping your arms around his neck. He gripped the back of your thighs tightly as he picked up speed, taking a quick detour to do a lap before taking you back to the bench. You squealed in delight at his sudden burst of speed, the wind whipping your hair. You held on tightly, not letting go until you were being lowered onto the bench. Before you could start unlacing your skates, Poe was doing it for you, being gentle as he slid the skates off in case you hurt your ankle.

“If photography doesn’t work out, I don’t recommend skating as a back-up plan.” Poe teased, and you shoved his chest playfully as you grabbed your boots. You handed Poe his and then the skates, but he pushed them back towards you. “Keep them for next time.”

“You’re going to make me do that again?!”

Poe took your hand and you walked back towards his car, both taking it slow as your legs were exhausted.

“You’ll be a pro by the time I’m done with you.”

You sincerely doubted that, but didn’t want to tell Poe it’d be useless after seeing him so excited to try and teach you. It’s not like you wouldn’t mind trying again if it meant spending more time with Poe.

From relearning how to skate to the conversation, time had flown by and it was nearing ten o’clock. As he drove, you couldn’t help but hope your date wasn’t over despite it getting late. When he took the familiar route to his apartment, you were ecstatic.

He led you inside, itching to grab your hand but knowing there were too many possibilities of someone seeing it. Whether or not they went to school or knew he was a professor and you a student, the night was going too well to risk it. When Poe unlocked his apartment door, your jaw dropped.

The lights to inside were dimmed. A bouquet of roses sat in the middle of the wooden table that had been used not so innocently just last week, with a bottle of wine and two glasses. You scoffed in disbelief as he led you in.

“Wow,” you breathed, still taken aback. “Is this what you did all day?”

“Yeah. I cooked too, if you’re hungry. It just needs to be warmed up.”

You were speechless. Poe had really gone all out. You were secretly happy he had been the one to ask you out and not the other way around, as there was no way you could’ve come up with something to rival what he came up with in a few days. While he dealt with the food, you begged him for something to do to help him out. He insisted he had it but had you open up the bottle of wine.

“Where’s Beebs tonight?” you asked as you twisted the wine opener into the cork, looking around the apartment and not seeing him or any of his toys lying around.

“He’s at a friend’s house.” You glanced up at Poe, giving him a weird look. “No seriously, he’s down the hall at my neighbor Mr. Frick’s. He has a dog named Zorii that Beebs likes to play with. He lives alone, so I think he likes having two dogs to keep him company.”

“Have you done that every time I’ve come over?”

“Sometimes. Other times I usually put him in the guest room when people are here. I love him to death, but he’s nosy. He just gets so excited when people are over and not all of them like him jumping up on them. Not to mention I didn’t want him worried about the noises you were making.”

You understood, having had a dog growing up that had to be kept in a room when you had birthday parties and sleepovers. You were also surprised at how hyper-focused you must’ve been to get Poe naked that you didn’t realize that Beebs hadn’t really been around whenever you were there. You made a mental note to pick up something special for Beebs for being so tolerant of you and Poe’s frequent activities.

You handed Poe a glass, gently clinking yours against his before taking a sip. You noticed he had also lit some candles, adding to the romantic ambiance of his apartment.

“I keep meaning to ask you,” you said as you walked over to a cabinet that held a record player that had caught your eye many times before. “Does this work or is it just for show?”

You waited for an answer, but instead Poe walked over to you, reaching over your shoulder to grab a record. He practically boxed you in, the close proximity of him brushing up against you making you buzz excitedly. He grabbed a record and soon enough the slow strums of an acoustic guitar filled his apartment. Between the flickering candles and the smell of delicious food was filling the apartment, you were in awe.

“Dance with me?”

You set your wine glass down, your heart thundering in your chest. You knew Poe was sweet, but this was turning into the kind of date you thought only existed in movies. You were absolutely swooning and it was only the first date. You’d never been romanced this hard by anyone you dated. You took his outstretched hand and he pulled you into him. The position was familiar, you’d been in this exact stance with him many times, but his touch was soft, not lustful, like he was holding something truly precious. His hand was on your waist, the other holding your hand between your chests, holding you close. Any chill that lingered from your outdoor adventure was long gone. You were warm with adoration.

“What’re you thinking about?” Poe asked softly, bringing your attention back to him.

“The music, the candles, the dancing…it’s all so romantic.”

“Is that such a bad thing?”

“Not at all.” You swallowed, suddenly feeling nervous again. “I just really thought I missed my chance for this.”

Poe pulled back just enough to give you a questioning look.

“I wanted to ask you out last weekwhen you told me about your date,” you confessed, and Poe felt his chest tighten with a little bit of guilt. It read on his face and you shook your head. “Don’t. I should’ve told you not to go, or to go out with me instead, but I chickened out. My feelings have been all over the place the last few weeks and after that night I cried on your couch…”

“Yeah, me too.” He didn’t need to elaborate. You knew he felt the dynamic change that night as well. “Since we’re being honest, I only agreed to that date to try and forget how much I was thinking about you. This whole arrangement we have—“

“Not really working for me anymore,” you interrupted, Poe nodding his head in agreement. “But this? This is what I want. Even if I come out of this with a bruised ass.”

“I could say something about bruises on your ass, but we’re having a nice moment.”

Your shoulders shook with quiet laughter, your head dropping down onto Poe’s chest. He hugged you to him once again, his cheek resting against your head.

“Did you have fun tonight?” Poe asked, his tone suddenly unsure. You looked up at him concernedly. “Even though you fell a bunch of times?”

You went to answer him, but he kept talking.

“I know we don’t have a lot of options for dates because we’re technically not allowed to date, but—“

You put your free hand on his cheek, silencing him and bringing his attention down to you.

“This was the best first date I’ve ever been on,” you assured him and he smiled softly as your thumbs gently ran over his cheeks. “And it’s ok if we don’t have options. We’ll make it work. I just want to be with you.”

Poe let go of your hand, allowing his to fall at your waist. His eyes searched yours, brown eyes sparkling with warmth from the candles looking for any hint that you didn’t mean it. He found none and you stood up on your tiptoes, guiding yourself to him with the hand on his cheek, meeting his lips at the same time as he met yours.

He’d never kissed you like this before. Your lips molded together perfectly, already familiar with one another, but it was soft and light with nothing behind it except being in the moment. It took your breath away. You pulled away at the same time and it took you a minute for you to open your eyes.

The beeping of the oven pulled you apart. You reluctantly let go of Poe, grabbing your wine glass while Poe dished up the food. He suggested eating on the couch instead and your achy muscles couldn’t have agreed more. You made yourself comfortable on his couch as Poe ran to get Beebs before it got much later, both of you having severely lost track of the time. Although the dog was happy to see you again, he ran right into Poe’s room to sleep, tuckered out from a night of playing with another dog.

It didn’t surprise you that Poe was a decent cook and you made sure to let him know as you ate. How he managed to plan everything from the date to the food, you had no idea.

“You said earlier that you and Finn and Rey might still play individually. Do you?”

Poe shrugged. “Occasionally. I find myself mostly playing when I get really stressed. It’s relaxing.”

“Do you play for Beebs?”

“No, but he’ll sometimes lay next to me while I play, so I guess maybe a little bit.”

“Will you play for me?”

“Someday.” Poe was already thinking through all the different songs he could sing to you.

“So you skate, you cook, supposedly sing, and dance. What can’t you do?”

“Water ski.” Poe answered and you gasped theatrically, which turned into a loud laugh. “I’m serious! I’ve never been able to stand up.”

“I’ll teach you. It won’t hurt as bad as ice skating.”

Poe moved the dishes onto the coffee table, bringing your legs into his lap.

“Will you stay tonight?” Poe asked, giving your leg a squeeze. “No sex on the first date, I promise. We’ll do this right. There have been too many times I’ve wanted you to stay but didn’t ask you. But if you don’t want to, I’ll take you home.”

“I want to stay.”

You and Poe, on his couch, found yourself in the same position you were in a few weeks prior, except sadness and anger were replaced with adoration and bliss and neither of you were holding anything back. You stayed up until the early hours of the morning, just talking. With how much you knew about each other, it felt more like a sixth date than a first date. It was truly amazing how smooth the this transition was, from just sex to dating.

Like you were meant to be doing it all along.

tag list [open!] - @ah-callie @darksideofclarke @gloomygoregirl @leilei-draws @imaginecrushes @i-ievu @brianamaree @yeeintensifies @spider-starry @krazykatkay456 @fanfiction-trashpile @afootnoteinyourhappiness @easterncryptid @my-child-gaara @myrandom-fandomlife @onebatch--twobatch

#poe dameron x reader #poe dameron x y/n #poe dameron fluff #poe dameron fanfiction #poe dameron #modern au #back to you series #modern poe dameron #poe dameron x reader insert

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puttingfingerstokeys · 4 years

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faraday cage

so the title should tell you the ship (if you’re familiar with my terminology), but if not, it’s Faraday Cage (Johnny/Raiden). Spacing’s all fucky and, as usual, tumblr eats italics. I’m a lazy POS tho so here ya go! One day I STG I’mma post these on Ao3, with like maybe more words/deets. I skimmed this one before I posted it, so like, hopefully it’s not a TOTAL mess. Hilarious ‘cause the story actually titled “How Come Cassie Gets Two Dads” is only like... POTENTIAL faraday cage and also isn’t in the prevented timeline at all (I mislabeled it initially, WOOPS).

Prevented timeline

“Hey, Raidude, I’ve got a question for ya.

“Yes, Johnny Cage?”

Raiden shifted on the lawn chair to face the mortal who addressed him, fully aware that whatever came out of the man’s mouth next would almost certainly be foolish. He was eager to hear it.

“What color’s your hair?”

“Oh my GOD, dad; you can’t just ask a guy what color his hair is—that’s so weird!” Cassie, just emerging from the house with a plate of lemonade for the three of them, was appalled at her father’s lack of courtesy toward their divine guest. That, or she was simply messing with him. “It’s like asking a girl if her hair is dyed—that shit stings.”

“It does not insult me, Cassandra Cage,” Raiden reassured the woman, taking the offered glass and giving a serene smile in return. She rolled her eyes. He would never stop calling her Cassandra Cage. She suspected he could not help it. “Fujin and I are twins, thus...” He trailed off, gesturing at his own pause. “But I understand—”

“Wait, you guys are twins?” This was Cassie, settling down next to her father, two glasses in hand. Johnny tipped his shades down his nose to better judge if the god of thunder was toying with them. He was, as usual, not.

“Why is this surprising?” Raiden seemed genuinely taken aback, in point of fact, that the mortals had not known this from the start. He had never made mention of it, because it had never mattered. Every day, he was surprised, again and again, by the things the Cage family said or did, or asked, in this case; it revealed still more layers to the complexity of mortality.

“You just don’t—I mean he looks like he could be, I dunno, mid thirties?” Johnny looked to Cassie for confirmation. She pursed her lips and nodded. “And you’re like—”

“A dad,” Cassie filled in. “Like, sorry in advance and all that, but lowkey dilf status.”

Johnny went red. Cassie was also colored to the ears. Raiden looked between them and understood context with enough acuity to know that whatever she had just said was not, in general, something one discussed in polite or mixed company.

“CASS!” Johnny finally managed to hiss this and give his daughter a hard sidelong glance.

“Well not ME, but like, y’know…” She gestured in Raiden’s general direction, while the god himself was having a mental field day observing their antics. It must truly have been glorious to be mortal, to experience many things only once, seeing phenomena which, to a god, occurred millions of times in the eons of their lifespan, but to a mortal were wholly unique, singular, and precious.

“Well whaddabout me?” Now Johnny was on the warpath. Raiden leaned back in his seat and observed the exchange further, still wondering what “dilf” signified.

“No, dad, I’m not asking anyone that. Gross.” Cassie made a face. “I mean you’re a movie star, so like, someone prolly thinks you’re hot.”

Johnny laughed aloud at that and drank deep of his lemonade, shielding his eyes from the California sun. “That’s good ‘nuff for me. I just need someone to think I’m hot and it’s all good. My ego is very fragile.”

The three sat in silence a while, the only sound accompanying them a light clinking of ice cubes on glass when someone took a drink. It was peaceful and they finally—all three—felt as if they could breathe once more.

“So Fujin’s really your twin, huh?” Johnny was, evidently, not ready to let that point go. Raiden nodded.

“He is the wind and I the lightning,” he said simply, as if this explained it all. “His appearance is that of a much younger man, but keep in mind, we are neither mortal, nor human.”

“Your appearance probably reflects your job, or something, right?” Cassie was taking a stab in the dark, but she was neither stupid nor unobservant. “I mean you’re like the cosmic dad, so, it kinda makes sense you look like one.”

Raiden pursed his lips, considered this, and nodded. “I am flattered, Cassandra Cage, that you consider me a father figure.”

“What am I,” Johnny grunted, crossing his arms and imitating a pouting child, “chopped liver?”

“I can have two dads, dad,” Cassie returned almost without thinking. Her cheeks colored, but she pressed on. “It’s the twenty-first century.”

“Yeah, yeah,” said Johnny, drowning the words in more lemonade and waving his daughter off. “I dunno if Electric Slide here wants the job, though, do ya, big guy? Cassie’s a handful.”

“Cassandra Cage is a competent kombatant; she takes after both her mother and father; I would be honored to fight by her side.”

Raiden’s answers to these things always came across in one of two ways: pedantic and pontificating, or sweeping, all-encompassing, realm-crossing philosophies. This was the latter. Cassie froze a moment, her brain scrambling for words. It was an immense compliment she had just been paid and she, the motormouth of the century, had nothing to say in return.

“Th…thanks,” she stammered, mimicking her father and drowning more words in lemonade. She had her mother’s eyes, in shape if not color, Raiden had noticed, and they widened the same way when he complimented her. He did not hand these out without thought, and so he was pleased she understood the gravity of his meaning. “I’m… prolly not callin’ you dad, though; that’d be kinda weird.”

“Y’think the neighbors would buy the ‘uncle’ bit?” Johnny ventured, speaking to his daughter.

“No way. That just makes you guys sound like a couple on the DL; no one’s on the DL anymore, especially not in Beverly Hills.” The Cages laughed aloud and Raiden smiled once more. Their mirth was infectious. He felt lighter in their presence. It was refreshing. The thunder god felt safe alongside them, a strange phenomenon he did not realize he had lacked until it was placed in his lap, so to speak. He removed his hat and set it gently aside, desirous of the sun’s warmth upon his brow.

Johnny noticed immediately when Raiden reached up to then loosen and remove the cap which he wore underneath his hat. That thing was a piece of headwear almost as famous as Kung Lao’s razor-edged lid; Johnny could not remember the last time he saw Raiden not wearing it, if ever. Cassie turned as the cap came free and, spilling out, absent of its confining presence, was a thick, light-catching, glossy mane of the whitest hair they had ever seen—save on Fujin, of course. Raiden felt about in his hair and made the face of someone who has lost something.

“Your uh… scrunchy broke?” Cassie was the first to find her words. She didn’t know what she was witnessing, precisely, but she knew it was rare. Raiden was far too tightly wound to simply take his hat AND cap off in front of just anyone. She wondered if they were the first people to see his hair in millennia. Her heart thudded a little faster as she considered it; this was special and she didn’t even have her phone on her (yet another rare occurrence).

Cassie Cage played the part of a flippant valley girl, but her guts were her mother’s and cleverness and bravery came before all else. She could drink all the iced coffee she wanted, wear the most expensive shades, and shop only at places called boutiques, but she was still a Blade. Blade women looked upon gods with the appropriate awe and she was doing just that at this moment.

But that was nothing compared to her father.

Johnny was, in a word, thunderstruck by Raiden’s voluminous hair and was assaulted all at once by the urge to see it spread out on a pillow. He stowed that, quick and hard, trying to replace his expression with something resembling nonchalant serenity and contentment, as if it was totally normal for the god of thunder to be disrobing in his presence.

“I seem to have misplaced it, yes,” admitted Raiden, almost sadly. “But it was ancient and… on occasion, ancient things … tire out.”

Johnny leaned forward and took a chance, laying a hand upon Raiden’s knee, lightly, knowing the clothing he wore protected from much of his electrical potential, but not all. There was a low buzz just beneath his fingers. “You’re tired, but not tired out, man,” he reminded Raiden. Cassie was standing quietly, sneaking away from her seat. She knew what she was seeing and it would be best to get a move on while their attention was focused on each other. “You’re a god—like, an eternal battery; you guys never run out.”

“Your confidence in us is flattering, Johnny Cage,” said Raiden sadly, “but ultimately misplaced.”

“I don’t think it is,” responded Johnny with resolve. “No, see, I’m not built to have faith in something I haven’t seen—someone who I don’t know can deliver on his promises, or fight damn hard to do it.” What other god would go to the lengths Raiden had to protect his people? Johnny couldn’t think of a single mythological example, at least. “I have faith in you because you’ve more than earned it.”

It was now Raiden’s turn to be struck dumb. His lips were parted, just a little, as if he had intended to protest, but the protest died thereupon and was caught, suddenly and without warning, by Johnny’s.

#cc #cw #mortal kombat #faraday cage #johnny cage #raiden

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moominquartz · 5 years

Photo

rating: G fandom: Steven Universe prompt: It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time warnings: None Apply word count: 2.3k requester: @koffiepop

Apple Farms and Missed Calls

Connie has a great idea.

Set between the episodes "Growing Pains" and "Mr. Universe,” but is absolutely NOT canon compliant.

This oneshot features Connverse, mutual bonding over purposelessness, and also, their respective relationships with their parents. Enjoy!

It’s Connie’s idea. Which, really, only makes it seem like a fantastic idea, because she’s usually the one to talk him down from this kind of thing.

“Let’s run away,” she says with complete sincerity. “Let’s get on a bus and not look back.”

Steven turns to face her, startled. She isn’t looking at him. She is sitting on his balcony with a soft look on her face as she watches the moonrise, and he’s watering a few of his potted plants that he’s kept outside the greenhouse.

Since the greenhouse… isn’t exactly the best place for him right now.

“We could go live on an apple farm. Just like you used to say.”

“I think I said that once.” He laughs, but Connie doesn’t join him. Her eyes close and she leans back against the wall of the house, her knees folded up to her chest and arms folded across them.

“Seriously?”

“What’s the alternative?” Connie giggles, but it isn’t genuine. “Go to college a thousand miles away for something I’m not even sure I’ll like?”

“…Huh?”

She sighs. “Oh, I don’t know what I’m saying. Never mind.”

“No, no, wait.” Steven’s heart skips a beat as he sets his elephant-shaped watering can down on the ground, and kneels next to her. It’s the first time he’s ever, ever heard her doubt college, and it’s so intensely relatable that he can hardly believe it’s coming from her. “I thought you really wanted to go to Jayhawk.”

“I do.” She hesitates. “I did? I…”

A frustrated groan tugs itself out of her throat, and she puts her head in her hands. “It just isn’t fair. Why am I being expected to decide something that will shape my entire future? Our brains aren’t even done developing, Steven! We’ve still got nearly a decade!”

“Uh, well—”

“How do I even know that the thing I really want to do, the thing I’m really interested in right now, is going to be something I’m always interested in? Or should I be going for a hobby, like art, something I really enjoy but I’m not necessarily good at, but that’s an extremely competitive field, and…”

“Why don’t…”

“And Mom thinks I should be preparing for grad school already, like I have any idea how that could benefit me. I just… want to get away from all of it for a bit. Get a breather. Not have anyone breathing down my neck about something I haven’t even had time to think about, because I’ve been too busy with school!”

Connie gives a great sigh, leaning her cheek into her hand as she stares up at the moon overheard. “An apple farm has never sounded better.”

It’s getting late. The gems won’t be home for another day or two, if they’ll even notice he’s gone with how busy they’ve been. And Connie, in this lighting, has never looked so beautiful.

But then, he thinks that every time he sees her.

“Okay.”

She blinks. She looks at him with confusion written all over her face. “What exactly are you ‘okay’-ing?”

“Okay, let’s run away.” The look on her face is eerily close to the time he proposed, so very quickly, he adds, “Not forever. Not even all the way to an apple farm, if you don’t want. But just for a night or two, maybe. Let’s go pretend none of that stuff exists.”

“Mom’ll have my head.”

“So?”

That gets a bark of laughter out of her. She shakes her head… and then she grins. “Okay. Let’s go be rebellious teenagers.”

Steven giggles. “Can’t be rebellious if no one told us not to do this.”

“Ooh, I like the way you think, mister.”

She takes her hand in his, and they both laugh.

This is a far better idea in theory than it is on paper.

Rather than take the bus, they pile into Steven’s car. Steven grabs a few things to keep them overnight — mostly just a change of clothes, his toothbrush, only the basics. They swing by Connie’s house, where Steven grabs her and floats up to her window so she can grab what she needs.

They’re like ninjas.

His heart’s thudding in his chest, anticipation rising. The last time they did something like this, it had been over in an instant. Alexandrite chased down the bus and forced them out, and he’d lost his TV privilege for one thousand years.

Hard to believe it’s been three years since then.

But now, no giant woman pursues them. They drive out of the city, radio on, Connie gazing at the scenery with an expression between adoration and awe, and Steven’s heart softens at how the only other time he’s seen her with that look is when she looks at him.

It’s such a cheesy thought that he blushes, eyes back on the road immediately.

“I think there’s some campgrounds about an hour out,” Connie suggests, almost startling him. “Do you wanna stay there for the night?”

“Oh. Sure.” He grins. “Getting back to nature, huh?”

“I haven’t been camping in so long.” Her voice is nostalgia colored in melancholy, and Steven knows she needs this.

“Camping it is, then.”

They do not have a tent.

They lay down on the top of his car and watch the stars.

“You know,” Connie murmurs, “I used to dream of being an astronaut. Of exploring planets in other solar systems, documenting everything, enjoying it maybe way too much.”

“Yeah?”

“Then everything happened.” Dread sinks into his stomach like lead, mouth drying, as he realizes what she means. “And… I don’t know. Maybe that’s not what I’m meant for.”

“How would you know?” He swallows, unable to look at her. His gaze remains fixed on the cloudless night sky, as he struggles to withhold what he can already tell would be his pink glow. “What you’re meant for?”

“I don’t know.”

In the silence that follows, Steven prays for what he isn’t meant for.

They sleep in the car. Connie on the backseat, and Steven in the driver’s, pushing the back far enough for him to at least sleep at an incline. He drapes his jacket over Connie to use as a blanket when he thinks she’s out, but she opens her eyes and offers him a smile that devastates him.

The next morning, when they’re back on the road, they get just enough reception for Connie to see she’s missed eight calls and has three voicemails.

“Shit.”

It’s the first time Steven’s heard Connie curse.

“Don’t worry about it.” Steven smiles, hoping to assuage her fears. “This is about you right now. Not them. So we’ll only go back when you’re ready to go back.”

Connie bites her lip. “No, I must’ve really worried them. I can’t believe I didn’t even text them to let them know what I was doing… I’m gonna call them.”

“No, don’t worry about it!” He laughs and hates how forced it sounds, for the look Connie sends him. He keeps his eyes on the road. “We could go another night. They’ll be fine.”

“Steven, they’re clearly not—”

“It’s not like they’ve even noticed!”

“They clearly have—” Connie cuts herself off this time. She furrows her brow, and then she reaches for his phone.

“Uh, hey…”

“You haven’t had yours even on.” She boots up his phone without asking him. “Steven, if you’re worried they won’t notice, you have to give them the chance to show it.”

He bites his tongue. Connie presses a few buttons on his phone, and then there’s a voice.

“You have one new message. First message:”

“Hey, Schtu-ball.” It’s Greg. The relief is so immediate and so intense that his eyes water and he doesn’t get why. “I don’t know what’s going on, but both you and Connie are missing, and the Dondai’s not here… I know things have been pretty rough lately, so. Call me when you can. I don’t want to push you, but I’m worried about you. I love you, kiddo.”

“End of message.”

Steven pulls over, pressing his wet, snotty face into the sleeve of his jacket, and Connie puts her arm around him and pulls him in.

No messages from the gems, even though both Amethyst and Pearl have phones by this point. But it’s fine.

Maybe Garnet foresaw his return.

“I don’t want to go back yet,” he tells Connie. “Is that… okay?”

“... Yeah.” It’s hesitant, but Connie gives a gentle sigh and rubs his back. “I’m gonna call my mom and explain what’s going on. But we don’t have to go back just yet.”

“Thanks.”

The next night is spent at a run-down motel that Steven recognizes a little too well. They’re on the border of Delmarva and Keystone, and they spend the evening with their bare feet dipping into the swimming pool.

“What are you going to do if the gems don’t call you?” Connie asks.

Steven huffs. “I don’t know.” He doesn’t want to think about it.

He’s not even sure if he wants them to call at all.

“Well…” Connie’s fingers interlace with his. His heart skips a beat. “It’ll be nice to sleep in an actual bed tonight. You know?”

“Yeah.” He smiles. “I know.”

Her phone buzzes. Connie glances at it, the phone turned away so Steven couldn’t sneak a peek even if he’d wanted to. “Oh, it’s my mom.” She pulls her feet out of the water, sighing. “I’ll be right back. You stay here, okay?”

He nods. Connie smiles and pulls her hand from his, grabs her shoes, and heads on back to the room with her phone pressed to her ear.

Steven groans and flops back against the pavement. What is he even doing? What point does this serve, to just… run away from all his problems? Why is he dragging Connie with him?

It’s better to run away with someone else than to do it alone.

No, Connie was the one who suggested it. It’s just that Steven’s the one prolonging it. He’s hijacked her journey, and he definitely shouldn’t have done that. He knows what that’s like.

Maybe he should go home. Even if none of the gems have noticed he’s gone, maybe that’s for the best. If he goes back now, he won’t have to explain himself to them. Or maybe they’d ask where he’d been, he’d say he’d gone for a walk, and they’d just shrug.

But Connie’s parents had noticed right away when she didn’t come home.

Pink explodes out of him, too bright, turning himself into a beacon in this poorly lit swimming pool in the middle of a poorly lit parking lot. He winces and struggles wildly for a moment to contain it—

Then a sound interrupts him. There’s the screech and stench of burning rubber, a sudden brake, and then the sound of a door opening and slamming shut. He turns, anxiety spiking — pink refusing to disappear — and sees the Maheswarans’ car pulled up beside the pool.

But it isn’t the Maheswarans that are charging him right now.

“STEVEN!”

Amethyst slams into him, knocking him into the chlorine pool water. Steven gasps as he surfaces, the water seeping through his organic jacket, but then Amethyst’s arms are gripping his shoulders, shaking him. “What the hell, man! What are you doing?!”

“H...huh?” At least she’s stuck in the water with him.

“You can’t just leave without any sort of notification,” Pearl says. Steven looks up to see both Pearl and Garnet standing on the pool’s edge, bizarre expressions on their face. He hasn’t seen anything like it before. Anger and… something else.

… Concern? Or is that just him hoping, projecting?

“You guys could’ve called me,” Steven mutters as he moves to the edge of the pool, pulling himself out. “I would’ve answered.”

“No, you wouldn’t have.” Garnet’s voice is resolute, firm, unyielding.

“I might have!” he snaps. “You can’t just -- just decide that for me! I didn’t even know you guys were coming, I didn’t even know you guys cared, I…!”

“Dude.” Amethyst swims on over, hopping out of the pool right next to him. “Are you… okay?”

Steven blinks.

“I…” He works his throat, but despite everything, he can’t find it in himself to articulate an answer. His eyes water, and he tries very, very hard not to let them see. “W...what are you even doing here? How’d you know I’d be here?”

Pearl smiles, though it doesn’t quite seem genuine. “Your location was on.”

“Huh…?” He could’ve sworn he turned it off before he turned off his phone.

He tries not to think about what that means.

“C’mon,” Amethyst beckons, grabbing his hand. “Let’s head home, okay?”

“You are in big trouble for just up and leaving us, young man.” Pearl’s voice is stern, hard. “Connie’s going to go home with her parents, while we are going to walk to the nearest warp pad. All four of us. And we’re taking away your TV privileges again.”

“I don’t even really watch TV anymore,” Steven mutters in resignation.

He hasn’t done anything he likes to do in a long time.

“W-well… We’ll…” Pearl blushes, flustered, and quickly tries to recover. “Well, we’ll find something to take away from you! You can’t just do whatever you want!”

For a moment, the anger builds in him again. What are they even doing? Are they trying to — to discipline him? After years and years of letting him solve their problems for them, now they’re trying to do parenting right?

… Oh.

They’re trying.

“You ready?” Garnet asks.

His eyes water again, and somehow, slowly, his pink glow fades. “Yeah,” he murmurs, exhausted. “Yeah.”

He’s been ready for this for a long time.

#su #suf #su fic #suf fic #connverse #steven universe #ask to tag #isaiah original #isaiah writes #fluff bingo

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milknette · 4 years

Text

day 01 - cafe

i'll make a cup of coffee, with the right amount of sugar.

tumblr month: @auyeahaugust

links: ao3 | ff.net

MARINETTE doesn't exactly know what makes her answer yes.

Maybe it's from all the overnight shifts she's been taking, or the coffee fumes she's been inhaling daily finally taking a toll on her brain— or maybe it's because he's the most handsome man she's ever seen walk into her cafe (fact: it's most definitely the third reason), but Marinette can't bring herself to say no to him.

And as things always come with her, a well-intentioned yes easily snowballs into a mess of epically huge proportions. (Though in her defense, she doesn't know that yet.)

Marinette plasters on a smile directed at the customer. "Of course we do!" She replies, noticing a little too late that her voice is a notch higher than usual. "It's just that we don't— uh, have it now! Out of stock, haha, y'know how restaurants go… well, maybe you don't, but there's this thing called supply and demand, and… I mean, I don't want to assume you're dumb or anything— in fact, you're probably a lot smarter than me I went to a fashion university, can you believe that? Like, I went abroad and everything. I learned a lot then, but—"

Horrified that she was tripping over her words, Marinette inhales deeply, then wills herself to stop talking. "— so, anyway! We'll probably have it in stock some time soon, so come back then, okay? I'll have a piping hot coffee ready for you to drink with those pretty lips of y— I mean! Maybe I could call you when you can stop by?"

Marinette only has a moment to reflect on how suggestive that may sound before the customer laughs, effectively breaking her thoughts from spiralling any deeper than they already were.

"Sure," he says, and Marinette briefly wonders if love at first sight has more truth to it than others may believe. "Can I have your phone? I'll put in my number."

His voice is smooth and confident, and Marinette feels the burning need to disappear into a puddle. She hands over her phone gingerly, and takes a moment to appreciate his arms as they type away at the screen.

He returns her phone and smiles. "I'm really lucky I stopped by your cafe. I didn't think there was any place in Paris that had it available," the stranger explains. "Even when I was in America, it was already hard to get a hold of. So thank you…"

The stranger pauses, then looks down at her nametag. "Marinette." He nods his head toward her as a gesture of appreciation, then disappears out the door.

The moment he steps out of her cafe, Marinette feels her knees give out and falls to the floor.

And as she always does when she makes a mess of things, she calls her business partner.

"Alya, I may have messed up… again."

ii.

"What the hell is Kopi Luwak coffee?"

It's a valid question, and Marinette has no idea how to answer. After all, she doesn't actually know what it is either. "His order?" She answers back (completely unhelpfully).

Alya sighs, then pinches her forehead. She's the more level-headed one from the two of them, and therefore the one who always has to fix whatever mess Marinette had gotten into at the time. They're at her office— Alya usually handles the more managerial parts of running the business, whereas Marinette is more on the production of food and drinks side — as she inputs the term into the search bar.

The results are quick to show up:

KOPI LUWAK: THE MOST EXPENSIVE COFFEE IN THE WORLD!

Their faces consequently morph into ones of expectant horror. Alya clicks on the link, and has to visibly stop the sudden gasp that escapes her throat. The cost of one cup of coffee ranges from $35 to $100, with a single kilogram of beans worth almost $700.

Marinette almost snatches the mouse from her hand as she quickly scrolls through the article, clinging onto the (very likely futile) hope that it's probably someone's terrible idea for a joke.

Unfortunately, it isn't.

Alya's the first to speak up, and it's a simple question. "Was our customer a millionaire or something?!"

"I don't know!" Marinette responds, panicked. "I mean, if he were it'd make sense why he's so attractive but he never said anything!"

"Why did you say we provided this?! We can't serve hundred-dollar coffee, we're barely paying rent as it is!"

"I know, I know!" Marinette repeats, pulling at her hairs in stress. "I just thought it was some other kind of regular coffee! How was I supposed to know he wanted that?!" She extends both her arms to point at the computer screen, then shakes her head. "Only an insane person would pay that much for a drink!"

Then, a pause. And in a quieter tone: "Why can't I meet normal guys? Is a cute boy too much to ask for?"

Alya rolls her eyes, then suddenly puts her hands on the table. One returns to massaging her forehead. "Okay, Marinette. We can't serve this to him. You'll just have to tell him the truth."

"But I can't do that!" Marinette frowns, as if the very notion of telling the truth is impossible. "He'll find out that I lied to him and he'll hate me and start going to another cafe instead!"

"— then you shouldn't have lied in the first place!" Alya points out, wagging her finger. "It's better to tell him now before he comes here again and finds out for himself!"

Marinette shifts in place, clearly uncomfortable with the idea. "Maybe we can find cheaper alternatives somewhere else?" She asks. "I bet if we ask our suppliers, someone's bound to grow those beans—"

"Afraid not, girl," Alya says, turning to look at the computer. "These aren't regular beans. Apparently they're made by—," she suddenly pauses, as her face contorts into one of pure disgust. "Ew!"

"What?" Marinette walks toward the computer and leans over, only to feel the need to gag upon reading what came next: Coffee beans are digested by a civet cat. Their excretions are sold as the rare Kopi Luwak.

"So you mean…" Marinette begins, shivering. "That this coffee is basically… cat poop?"

Alya looks at her solemnly, then nods. "Yup."

At that, they finally burst into laughter— though whether it's from entertainment, the absurdity of the situation, or the realization that she's helpless in securing a date with the stranger, or all of the above, Marinette can't tell at all.

iii.

They agree that Marinette tell the truth to the Cute (And Apparently Rich) Coffee Stranger even though it'll very likely ruin all her chances with him. Nothing is, as Alya says, worth spending hundreds of dollars on cat poop for.

Except that Marinette Dupain-Cheng cannot follow directions.

Instead, she contacts a special supplier internationally and pays almost a thousand dollars total to have a kilogram of the beans at her doorstep not more than a week later. (Marinette finds comfort in knowing that the coffee doesn't smell like actual feces.)

She messages the stranger, who left his contact name as a single coffee emoji:

hey we restocked and are ready to serve tomorrow! can you drop by? :)

The reply is almost instantaneous:

That's great! I'll stop by in the morning. Thank you so much!

Marinette reads and rereads that message until she finally falls asleep.

iv.

For the first time since the history of her business, Marinette doesn't arrive to work late.

She doesn't know exactly what time the Coffee Stranger will arrive, but she knows that she doesn't want to miss when he does. Marinette takes the morning shift (something that all her co-workers were understandably surprised by), and she waits.

Coffee Stranger arrives an hour later.

He greets her good morning, and Marinette short-circuits. She reaches out her hand. “Hi! I'm Marinette!"

He laughs. "I know," he says. "Maybe you don't remember me? I gave you my number. I'm the one who asked for the Kopi Luwak?"

"Sorry. Of course I remember! I could never forget you," she replies— blurting it out, to her complete horror.

Coffee Stranger, thankfully, doesn't look all that bothered. In fact, he looks entertained, more so than anything else. "Great," he responds, the smile still on his face. "Then I'll have that."

Marinette nods, and she gets to work on his coffee. She gets it done quickly (Marinette had practiced making it at home; pleasantly surprised to find that it tasted wonderful), and hands him a perfectly hot cup of coffee. "That'll be… eighty dollars."

She cringes at the cost, but the Coffee Stranger pulls out a hundred dollar bill without hesitance. "Keep the change," he tells her, as he takes a sip. "This is even better than what I've had before! Definitely worth more."

The barista blinks in disbelief. "You really think so?" She asks, to which the stranger enthusiastically nods. Marinette feels her body buzz with joy from the sudden compliment, then she points at the macarons on the counter. "Here," she begins. "It's on the house."

The stranger looks up in surprise. "Are you sure?"

Marinette smiles. "It goes great with the coffee," she explains. "I think you'll like the passionfruit flavor. It mixes well with the cat po— the Kopi Luwak."

"Perfect," the stranger responds. "Passionfruit's my favourite flavor!" He grins, then pauses. "And… it's Adrien."

"What?"

Coffee Stranger's eyes go up to meet hers. Green. A forest of green she wouldn't mind getting lost in forever. "My name's Adrien," he says, reaching out his hand to hers. "Nice to meet you.."

Marinette suddenly feels her throat dry. She suddenly forgets that she spent a thousand dollars just to make him happy. It feels worth it.

"Nice to meet you too."

Adrien quickly becomes a regular.

He makes it a point to stop by whenever she's working, sometimes having his coffee to go, and other times staying in to do his work at the cafe. Marinette likes those times the most— and she almost always sneaks in a little macaron or some other snack to help him get through the day. It's small and short exchanges, but they learn more about each other and that's more than enough to make her happy.

She finds out a lot about him. He's kind. He has a sweet tooth. He lives with his best friend, a DJ. He owns a cat. (He clarified, however, that all he does with Plagg's feces is throw it away.) He's rich, but it mostly came as savings from his younger years. He was a teenage model, but nowadays he prefers being the one behind it. (A waste, Marinette thinks, but she respects his decision.) His mom's gone, and he doesn't speak much with his dad. He treasures his friendships more than anything.

Adrien tells her that he treasures their friendship. Marinette's smile doesn't quite reach her eyes when she thinks about how that's all they'll probably be.

She willfully ignores Alya's unimpressed looks and how her bank funds steadily drain into the danger zone.

vi.

At some point, Marinette can't ignore it.

The bank tells her that she can't withdraw anymore, because her funds are almost completely depleted. She paces back and forth her room, visibly stressed. Her current bag of coffee beans would likely last her a few more days— but afterwards, it'll no longer be an option.

Alya says that it's easier to tell the truth.

As per usual, she's right. Marinette promises to herself to talk to Adrien when the coffee's gone completely.

vii.

"I was lying to you."

Marinette decides to be upfront, delivering the statement along with his final cup of coffee.

"What do you mean?" His look is serious, and it's a complete change of pace from how he usually is. It makes her stomach so uncomfortable turns and her knees buckle together in fear.

She sighs. "I was… lying about the coffee." She says it quickly and in one breath, and Adrien's eyebrows knitting together makes it clear that he understood none of it.

"About what?"

"The coffee!" Marinette basically shouts, then pulls him aside as they notice the customers pile in line. Another co-worker takes over, and throws them a concerned glance before focusing on their task completely.

Marinette brings Adrien to one of the empty storerooms, and when they settle, he speaks up. "What do you mean you lied about the coffee?"

"We never sold Kopi Luwak," she explains.

"No," Adrien argues. "That's definitely what I've been drinking, though?"

"Yeah," she replies, shaking her head. "But the cafe doesn't officially sell it. I was taking from my savings to buy the coffee abroad and make it for you." As Marinette says the words aloud, she begins to realise how outlandish the very idea was.

"What did you do that for?"

Marinette frowns to herself. "I guess I just didn't want to disappoint you… or something." Her cheeks redden, and she looks down. "I wanted to see you again too… I didn't want our only meeting to be that one time."

Marinette thinks she hears a hint of laughter, but it disappears so quickly she may have imagined it. "You know," Adrien begins. "If you wanted to see me again, you could've just asked." He smiles at her, but it looks almost sheepish. Adrien scratches his head. "I mean, I was really only ordering coffee so I could keep meeting up with you."

What?

Marinette fumbles over her words. "You… me… meet up?"

Adrien laughs, full-blown now. "Yeah. I thought you were cute. And when I got to know you better, it was just… I couldn't stop myself. I might have caffeine overdose, but I think it's worth it." He turns toward her and wraps his arms around her waist, and Marinette finds a laugh escaping her throat.

"Been having trouble sleeping, then?”

"Haven't slept since the day I met you," he replies. "But I don't mind, because you're a dream come true."

Marinette rolls her eyes at how silly it all is. "That's corny."

"I like to think of myself as a corny jokes and puns connoisseur," he explains teasingly. "Maybe you'll let me tell you more over dinner?"

"How forward of you," Marinette laughs, but nods all the same. "I just have to warn you, I'm broke from all the coffee beans you made me buy."

He smiles. "Then I guess I'll have to pay for all our dates from now on?"

Marinette hums, then grins lightly. "I wouldn't be against that."

"Then it's a deal." He replies, suddenly looking at her directly. "Want to seal it?"

She has a vague idea of where he's going with this, and the smile practically blooms on her face. "Yes."

It doesn't take anymore waiting until he kisses her.

(And she's glad to say that he tastes like roasted coffee beans and a warm fire; not at all like cats or feces or anything of that sort.)

#auyeah2020 #mlauyeahaugust2020 #auyeahaugust #auyeah august #adrinette #adrien agreste #marinette dupain cheng #ml #miraculous ladybug #milk writes #ml fic #ml fanfic

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alma-berry · 5 years

Text

Kit’s Secret Fire Message # 13

Masterlist 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12

When the morning came, it was a sudden blow. The darkness seemed to cling to the stone walls until the very last second, absorbing the soft glow of the witchlight into an almost blinding black void. And then, like with a switch turned on, and it was gone.

Ty stared at his plate, still a bit groggy after a long night of research and frustrated speculations with Livvy. He felt no closer to understanding the meaning of Jem’s warnings, and the thought of Kit, endangered by this unknown threat, sent cold shivers down his spine. He forced his attention back into the current conversation before anyone noticed his uncharacteristic lack of interest.

“We can’t just wait for them to reappear, there has to be a logical pattern that we can find and trace.” Said Adam Townsend, the third centurion in their group. His thick brows furrowed in concentration as he loomed over the old London map that lay across the dining table.

“Only if you assume they have enough brains for logics or patterns, Adam. They’re demons, not masterminds serial killers.” Carl said with his mouth full of potatoes.

Ty averted his gaze from him, slightly nauseated.

“Don’t underestimate them. They’re minions. Even if they’re not highly intelligent, they could be-“

“Hi”

The voice that interrupted him was as familiar to Ty as his dreams. Kit.

He stood in the dining room’s entrance, leaning casually on the wooden door, surveying them with a guarded expression. He wore dark jeans, and the soft material of his grey shirt hung loosely on his frame, revealing bits of the fine golden skin of his collar bones. His eyes flickered towards Ty, and something about his posture seemed to soften by just a fraction. Ty could feel his own heartbeats, thumping loud in his ears, the sound nearly drowning Kit’s words.

“What are you talking about?”

Kit took a seat next to Adam, as far from Ty as the table offered. Ty felt a pang in his chest but quickly chased it away while Adam explained.

“We’re trying to figure out the meaning of the increased Moloch demon activity throughout London. We received plenty of reports but there seemed to be no apparent pattern, they’re not even killing anyone. Not as far we know, at least. It’s like they’re looking for something, but we don’t know what.”

Kit leaned back in his chair, and looked directly at Ty. It startled him, the stark contrast between his physical distance and the familiarity in his eyes. When he spoke, it was to Ty.

“Um.. did you try looking for missing children?”

Carl burst out laughing, cutting Ty’s train of thoughts. “Are you still high on demon poison, Herondale? Why would we look for missing kids?”

Kit tore his gaze away from Ty with apparent difficulty, and focused on Carl, a sweet, dangerous smile fixed on his lips.

“Because, dung face, it’s basic knowledge that human children sacrifices were made to the Moloch greater demon. Don’t you have WiFi at the Scholomance?”

Carl seemed to almost spit fire at him, “It’s pagan mundane crap, completely irrelevant. You’re not even part of this investigation-”

Ty concentrated at the faint hum of music from where his headphones lay. He examined his knowledge of the demon while Carl kept ranting at Kit. A distant memory trying to resurface to the front of his consciousness, a quote.. and suddenly, he remembered. He realized, with a just of surprise that Kit was, in fact, right.

“No,” he rose to his feet, cutting Carl in whatever rude comment he was about to make.

“It’s not just pagan, it’s biblical. ‘There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire’. Humans used to sacrifice children, babies, to what they called a god, the Moloch. They burned them, just like the demons. Kit is right.”

He looked at him, cobalt blue shimmering like a secret island in the middle of the sea. Once again, Ty felt that pull, planted deep inside his ribcage.. as if a rubber band was stretched between them, and the furthest he was from him, the harder it was to breath.

He pressed his hands hard on the table, forcing clarity onto his body, diverting his mind into the present, into this possible new lead. A lead that Kit figured out. Ty was equally impressed and annoyed that he didn’t figure it out himself.

“You should look through the missing persons reports for missing children, and try to compare their locations to those in which the demons appeared. Maybe that’s the pattern.” The two centurions gaped at Kit with astonishment.

The careful smile that clung to his lips tug at Ty’s heart. Kit almost seemed reluctant to acknowledge his own accomplishment, which made no sense and only made Ty feel furiously proud of him.

“Don’t feel bad, you couldn’t have noticed it.. it’s not like you watch mundane news or read the papers.” Kit gave a disturbed looking Adam a sympathetic smile.

“I read the papers!” Carl called, but Kit only laughed.

“Sure you do, dunghill. I bet you have The Guardian mailed to the Carpathian mountains daily”.

Ty pushed back his chair before Carl could respond.

“I need a computer, do you know where-“

“I have my laptop here”, Kit replied with a small voice, and something passed between them.

Ty nodded, and they left the dining room together, walking in silence towards Kit’s room.

Kit opened the door to his room and cursed himself wordlessly. He was supposed to keep a safe distance from Ty, to keep him safe. How was he to do that if they were alone in a room, together? The memory of Ty’s hand on his felt like a newly drawn rune, stinging his skin, and he shuddered from how much he longed for it.

“Are you cold?” Ty sounded concerned.

“No.. it’s just chilly.” He shrugged off the discomfort and reached for his duffle bag.

“Here”, he handed him the computer and shoved his hands hard into his pockets.

Ty sat down on Kit’s bed and opened the silvery device. The dimmed light of the screen made his long lashes cast soft shadows under them. Suddenly, his eyes widened and a blush painted his pale cheeks.

“What is it?” Kit asked in alarm.

Without uttering a word, Ty turned the thin screen towards him, and the familiar view of an endlessly blue sky reflecting on a glistening sheen of water greeted him. The beach on the foot of the Los Angeles institute.

“It’s your wallpaper.” Ty’s eyes searched Kit’s face. He didn’t know for what.. for answers? for the memory of a shared past? or was it for the knowledge that Kit still remembered the unspoken promises they made for each other, so long ago. And broken.

He nodded, unable to say what’s on his heart.

“Why?” Ty’s question was a mere whisper, but it enveloped so much emotion. Loss and hope were just hidden underneath it, touching the bare surface of his voice.

The words came out of Kit’s mouth before he could restrain them.

“Because it reminds me of home, of friends. Because it hurt, and I never want to forget it. Because you were standing just outside the frame.. and if I try hard, sometimes I can even see you in it.”

Ty’s lips shaped a surprised oh and his eyes found Kit’s, naked emotion on his sharp, beautiful face. Kit tried to steady himself, and failed miserably.

“But.. but you left. You said that- you said that you wished you had never known me, and left.”

Ty’s words burned a hole in Kit’s heart like branding iron. Raw pain and shame suffocated him to a point that his voice sounded like broken glass.

“Ty.. I didn’t mean that. You know I didn’t. I told you, so many times, in so many letters.”

“So why-“

Kit wanted to scream, his own memories felt like acid coursing through his veins.

“Because you said I was nothing, Ty!” he was practically shouting, but it didn’t matter. He waited so long to rid himself of these words that he didn’t even care if someone overheard him. Only the sight of Ty’s earphones, the echo of his hushed whispers to the night’s sky and how he flinched involuntarily made him lower his voice.

“When you tried to raise Livvy, you said ‘there’s nothing if you aren’t there’, and I knew I could never matter to you. Not really. But then you sent me that letter, and it had those words, again. And I don’t know if you meant to tell me I’m still that nothing, or that I’m.. and when you didn’t came to see me last night I thought-“

Ty flew to his feet, a shattered look on his face, his hands clenching and unclenching on his side.. Kit realized he was crying. Ty was crying, because of him.

“No! Kit, I-“ as he stepped closer to him, Kit lifted his shaking hands, signaling him to stop. He couldn’t have him so near, he couldn’t. He already felt the buzzing electricity, charged and ready to explode.

Hurt clouded Ty’s eyes like dark shadows on a stormy sea, and Kit desperately wanted to fix it, but didn’t know how.

“You were never nothing to me, Kit. Never. you were my-“

A soft knock on the door made Ty leap backwards to Kit’s bed, and by the time it cracked open, his eyes were hidden deep under the black veil of his hair.

“Did you find anything?” Adams head peeked inside, making Kit sigh in frustration mingled with relief.

I was his what? He wanted to shove the centurion out of his room and make Ty complete his sentence.

Instead, he cleared his voice and said “I’d better leave you to it.”

He turned and left the room without looking back, his legs carried him towards the safety of the roof as the palms of his hands started to glow a bright, ominous white.

The study was a buzz of excitement. As it turned out, Kit theory was accurate.

There were numerous disappearances of young mundane children all over London, exactly where the demons were last reported to be seen.

A knot of fear tangled itself in Ty’s stomach. They still didn’t know if the children were simply missing, or gone.

The information they had gathered indicated that the sacrifice itself was the last stage of the ritual, which meant there was a good chance the children were still alive, if they could only reach them in time.

Ty and the others were discussing the possibility of mundane involvement, when muffled voices came from just outside the door.

“Come on, Bridget.. I know I’m late for dinner and that I’m not a sexually charismatic Lightwood but can you at least let me have some leftovers?”

Kit’s voice were drowned by a loud thump and a yell. “Ouch! Fine! I’ll get it myself!”

Two minutes later, Kit entered the study holding a plate of something that looked like mashed potatoes under a pile of sausages.

He was dressed in gear and traces of blood and ichor smeared the knuckles of his hands, but his smile was radiant.

“What happened?” Ty called and sprang to his feet on the sight of him.

“Just a couple of Dahak demons down at Lambeth Bridge, it was quick.”

Kit walked towards the table and sat right next to an annoyed looking Carl.

“Do you want one, Carl? You look like you could use a sausage right about no-”

“Why didn’t you tell m-, us? are you okay?” Ty demanded.

“I’m fine, really.. I didn’t want to interrupt your work. The walk back took longer than getting rid of them.” Kit waved his fork and speared a sausage, as if to indicate the poor demon’s fate.

Ty looked at him critically, searching for hidden injuries. He didn’t trust Kit’s perky attitude, not after how he left his room earlier today.

“Ty..” his voice was warm and reassuring, “I’m fine, I promise.”

Kit looked at Adam and asked, “So what did you find out?”

As they talked, Ty couldn’t help but notice that Kit still sat the farthest he could from him, though his body seemed to always turn itself towards him, and his gaze barely left him for long. He could feel it, like traces of fire licking his skin, like the spots imprinted on the back of your eyelids after you stared right into the sun.

He couldn’t understand Kit’s distance, none of it made sense to him. whenever Ty got close to him, Kit found a reason to move away, though it looked like it hurt him every time he did.

There was something drawing them closer, and Kit was fighting it with all his might. But Ty knew how magnets worked, all you had to do was flip one, and the reaction, the attraction, grew.

Something was keeping Kit away, and Ty had to understand if it was something he had done or said. Their earlier conversation still sat like a weight on his chest.

Did Kit actually believe Ty didn’t care about him? That he was nothing for him? Ty couldn’t wrap his mind around the amount of pain Kit must have felt all this time. The thought pierced him violently every time he got near it.

Kit was with his back to him, still talking to Adam, and Ty took advantage of that to study him.

His back was broad, the sharp daggers of his shoulder blades pointing out. The boy Ty remembered lingered on his features only slightly, in the arch of his neck, in the delicacy of cheek bones. Now, Kit was.. a man.

He turned half way and Ty caught a hint of a smile on his face. A warm sensation spread through his stomach, and he fought the urge to get up and stand near him, knowing without any logic explanation that he would soon find an excuse to move from his side.

When he looked at him again, Adam’s hand touched Kit’s arm casually as they laughed at an unknown joke.

And Ty’s insides were on fire.

Ty, who hid his feelings about Kit for so long, who hardly ever talked about the pain he felt after he left, was flabbergasted by the amount of emotion he couldn’t suppress.. and nothing helped. Not his toys or Livvy’s soothing words. He couldn’t contain them or knew what to make of them, and it frightened him.

He felt, he always felt so much. He loved his family, his Livvy. He loved his work and Irene, and he cared deeply for the few friends he had. But it was something he never gave a name to, a voice. He never said the word Love out loud, though he was wrapped in it his entire life.

It was his own walk of shame, his punishment, because Kit had loved him and Ty made him leave. Because he didn’t know how he had loved him, and not knowing or understanding drove him mad.

Every time he touched or kissed, every time he let his body take the reins over his mind, his heart was left locked away. Because if he didn’t know how to answer the love of the only person outside his family that he ever truly cared for, perhaps he shouldn’t try. He was already different from others in so many ways, but it never bothered him until now. Love wasn’t something he knew how to verbalize or explain, it was a hidden thing, a whisper in the darkest of nights, when he was on the verge of sleep, half conscious, and entirely alone.

But in front of the clear view of kit’s eyes, he felt, for the first time in his life, that some questions didn’t need to be answered.

Their eyes met, silver colliding into blue, and it was like Kit had picked the lock that kept Ty’s heart hidden away with a single bright smile.

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rosemaidenvixen · 5 years

Text

A Secret’s Worth

Chapter 2: Jim

Ao3

Jim stood at the entrance to Arcadia Oaks high school, feet rooted to the ground. He really didn’t want to go inside.

After sobbing in the car for no less than a solid hour last Thursday he and his mom had gone home to spend the rest of the day crying off and on and fighting back abject misery. Next morning things weren't much better, Jim had stood at the front door for nearly twenty minutes, lunch and book bag in hand, trying to find the will to force himself to go outside and bike to school. In the end his mom had found him like that and called him out sick again. Jim ended up spending Friday hanging out in the staff lounge at the clinic visiting with his mom on her breaks.

The entire time he had avoided Toby and only communicated with him through vague texts, dreading giving him an actual explanation for all of this.

On Saturday Toby had forced the issue and showed up at his house in person. He hadn’t said anything, just held up a DVD of the Great British Baking show in one hand and an extra gande size bag of tacos in the other.

If he hadn’t been completely emotionally wrung out by that point Jim would have cried.

One weekend later that brought him here, Monday morning, getting ready to go in and face the social fallout of bursting into tears in the middle of the school. Jim wasn’t so naive as to think that there wouldn’t be any. And to add a cherry on top of the disaster sundae that today was sure to be, Toby had to go to the orthodontist and wouldn’t get here until lunch. Meaning Jim was going to be facing the tender mercies of his peers alone.

His gut twisted, if things were hard at school before, they were about to get even harder.

But no matter how bad this was going to be, no matter how much crap Steve and every other jerk in school was going to give him; going to in and facing the music, even without Toby’s support, was better than spending a long day alone in his house.

Anything was better than that.

Sucking in a final deep breath, Jim steeled himself and walked inside.

Mercifully, he didn’t run into any trouble getting to his locker and making his way through the halls. But Jim knew better than to let that get his hopes up. Resisting the urge to hightail it to the other side of town, or preferably even further than that, Jim walked up to first period algebra and pushed the door open.

Ms. Janeth wasn’t here yet, but more than half of the students already were. Sitting and standing around talking while they waited for class to start. The creak of the door opening caused the buzz of conversation to dim and several people to turn and stare in his direction. Which was perfectly normal, that’s just what people did when someone came into the room, they weren’t staring at him in particular. Although some of them held their gazes long enough to make him start doubting that.

Jim made his way to his desk in silence. Just when he was about to sit down, someone’s palm made contact with the back of his head, and not gently.

He spun around on reflex, only to come face to face with his absolute least favorite person in the world.

“I’m surprised that you’re willing to show your face around here again Lake ,” Steve said with a nasty smirk “We don’t usually let crybabies come to the big kid school, but if you really want to stick around, I’m sure we can find some diapers for you,”

Jim glowered, cheeks burning, but said nothing as he slid into his desk. From all around him came snickering and whispers of ‘Crybaby Lake’.

Less than half an hour in and things were already going to hell. Great, just great.

Fortunately Ms. Janeth came in less than a minute later, putting an end to the murmurs and giggles. Class was relatively normal, Ms. Janeth lecturing on algebra and working through problems while Jim tried to force himself to pay attention.

Even though he wasn’t going to make anything of himself after high school so there was no damn point to studying algebra so what was the point of even trying anymore.

An hour of algebra later the bell rang, signalling for everyone to pack up and head to the next class. Jim had stuffed his papers into his bag and stood up out of his desk when Ms. Janeth stepped over to him.

“Jim, could I have a word with you?”

He froze, a teacher had never approached him like this before, meaning that this was no doubt a direct result of his public meltdown last week “Uh...ok,”

She waited until everyone else had left the room, some of his classmates lingering and glancing back at them not so discreetly as they went through the door.

Once they were alone she spoke up against, voice soft “Is everything... alright with you?”

At first Jim wasn’t sure if he heard her correctly. Was he alright? A common, innocent question. One that had him biting the inside of his cheek to keep from screaming.

Alright.

He was on house arrest every night, doomed to become an unemployed recluse after school was over, and one day he would die old, friendless, and alone. Of course that was all assuming no one figured out his secret and shipped him off to be alien autopsied.

Jim was pretty much as goddamn far from alright as a person could.

He forced a smile “Yeah I’m good,”

Ms. Janeth frowned, apparently Jim wasn’t very convincing “Well if you ever do have any...issues, I’m here to help,”

Jim mumbled out a thank you before making a hasty retreat and scampering off to his next class.

Health and Spanish class were much of the same; sideways stares and whispers from his classmates, and Coach Lawrence and Señor Uhl pulling him aside afterwards to ask if everything was ok and tell him that they could help or just listen if he ever needed it.

You know you’ve hit rock bottom when even Señor Uhl takes pity on you.

Finally, after the longest morning of his entire life, lunch period came.

Jim cycled through his breathing exercises as he headed into the cafeteria, stomach growling. He hadn't packed a lunch this morning; just getting up and getting dressed had been utterly draining. Even waiting in line to buy some french fries sounded unbearably exhausting. Guess that meant he was skipping today. Steve had a different lunch period, so at the very least Jim would be able to get a break from him.

So far school was still better than being home alone, but not by much.

He took a seat at an unoccupied cafeteria table and pulled out his phone, hopefully the new Go-go Sushi app could take his mind off of things for a bit. Jim had been at it for about ten minutes and burned through four out of five lives when Toby showed up at his table, catching him completely off guard, over an hour early and carrying a large pizza box.

“I figured Chef Jim could use a break,” Toby beamed at him as he set the box down onto the table “So for the next five days, you let me worry about lunch,”

Jim was stunned and more than a little touched “Tobes you--”

“Up up up,” Toby held up a hand “Sorry Jimbo, I’m not taking no for an answer, you’re just going to have to get used to take out a la Toby for the rest of the week,”

Tears brimmed at the edge of Jim’s vision, he blinked rapidly to dispel them before they could fall. Toby had been his rock throughout the entire disaster that was his life, never prying or asking questions, always there with cheerful support and comfort. He was the greatest friend Jim could ever have.

It was going to hurt so so much when Toby went to college and left him behind.

“Thanks Tobes,”

Toby took a seat next to him and opened the box “Anytime,”

Jim reached in and grabbed the closest slice, Toby following suit. It wasn’t until he took the first bite that he realized just how hungry he was.

They’d been chewing their wonderfully greasy pizza in silence for a few minutes when Jim saw someone approach their table from the corner of his eye. Of course, today just had to be one of those days when Seamus decided to bother them without Steve acting as the muscle. He swallowed his mouthful of pizza and snapped his head up to tell Seamus to get lost only to freeze.

A girl with blue streaked dark hair stood in front of him.

It was Claire.

The Claire.

The girl who’d been in his dreams ever since that fundraiser last February.

“Hi,” she said with a small smile.

Jim’s heart fluttered. Claire was talking to him.

“Oh...hi,”

“How are things?”

Jim, fumbled, trying to remember how to put words together “Oh, uh...things are...good...I guess,”

Claire tugged at the edge of her jacket “So me, Mary, and Darci really liked the macarons you shared with us,”

The memory flickered behind his eyes, Toby snatching the cookies he had made the night before and sharing them with Claire and her friends in order to ‘make a good first impression’.

Had that only happened a week ago?

“So to say thank you...we were wondering, maybe, if you guys want to go to the county fair with us with us this weekend?”

Jim’s mouth went dry. Of all things he expected to happen his first day back, this was not one of them “The county fair? I, uh….”

“No pressure, think about it for a bit,” she piped up, voice half an octave higher “Let me know what you decide,”

She scurried off, gone just as quickly as she had come.

Jim was still trying to restart his brain when he felt Toby elbow him in the side “ Oh my gosh! Claire just totally asked you out!”

“What? No, you heard her, it’s a group thing, you’re invited to,”

“Po-ta-to po-tah-to, I know what it looks like when a girl’s been bitten by the love bug. You’re going to tell her yes, right?”

“I...don’t know,”

An hour later Jim was sitting in history class half listening to Mr. Strickler’s lecture, still turning Claire’s offer over and over in his mind.

A week ago, he would have said yes in a millisecond, but that was before. Thoughts of Claire still made him blush, but what could she possibly see in him? Claire had to know about Jim’s breakdown, why would she want anything to do with him? She’d said that it was a thank you to him and Toby for the macarons. But macrons wouldn’t outweigh a public crying fit. Maybe this was just a pity offer in disguise.

Jim’s stomach knotted up as an ever worse idea took shape. Maybe this whole county fair thing was just a way to trick him and humiliate him even more.

But Claire wouldn’t do that, would she?

A wadded up piece of paper hit him in the back of the head, derailing his train of thought. Jim grimaced and tried to ignore it, two more wads of paper and that became impossible.

Glancing back, Jim saw Steve smirking at him, he then pretended to rub his balled up hand against his eye, doing a bad pantomime of someone crying, Seamus and Logan snickered and high fived him behind his back.

Jim bit back a slew of choice four letter words and turned forward again, from a few seats ahead and to the right he could see Toby shoot him a sympathetic glance.

Seriously, could Steve just not for one hour of their lives? Jim had enough on his plate as it was.

Class seemed to drag on forever, but finally the bell rang and the students started filing out, Jim lingered, packing up his bag with deliberate slowness. Toby waited by the door, but Jim waved him on. He hesitated, clearly uncertain, before walking away, giving Jim one final lingering glance.

Mr. Strickler was cleaning off the blackboard, he hadn’t noticed that Jim was still here. Jim cautiously stepped to the front of the classroom, ignoring the little voice in the back of his head shouting to get out before he made things awkward and weird. Before he could act on that instinct, Mr. Strickler finally noticed him loitering.

He turned and smiled “Ah Jim, normally I would ask if you need something, but I assume every other teacher you’ve had so far has given you some variation the same question. I’m curious, how did Señor Ulh’s offer of assistance go?”

Involuntarily, the corners of Jim’s mouth quirked up, the expression feeling almost foreign on his face. A smile. The first genuine one in days.

Somehow Mr. Strickler had known the exact right thing to say to make him feel just a tiny bit better, in spite of everything.

None of the teachers here were bad, but Mr. Strickler was the one who had pulled Jim up off the floor last week, brought him to his office, let him cry until he was semi functional again, called his mom to take him home.

Maybe it was irrational, but Jim trusted him just a little bit more.

“Actually...there was something I wanted to ask you,”

Mr. Strickler stopped what he was doing, putting down the rag and turning to face him fully “What seems to be the issue?”

“Well...you see, it’s…” Jim struggled to translate the gnarled knot of emotions into words “There’s this girl,”

“A girl?”

“Yeah, and she wants me and Toby to go hang out with her and her friends,”

One of Mr. Strickler’s eyebrows quirked up “And you don’t wish to do this?”

“Yes-- I mean no! I mean, I do want to, but I just...” Jim trailed off helplessly.

“You know this girl and her friends, correct?”

“We’ve...met,”

“And does the idea of spending time with them sound fun?”

Jim thought about it for a few seconds before swallowing hard and nodding.

Mr. Strickler gave a wry smile and picked up a pen from his desk, “I think I might know what your problem is,”

“You do?” even Jim wasn’t sure what his problem was.

“It sounds to me that you would like very much to go on this outing, but you’re intimidated by the idea of putting yourself out there with new people and terrified that something will go wrong,”

“That...sounds right,” Jim mumbled, he was embarrassed about having it laid out like that, but at the same time he was glad Strickler was able to explain what Jim couldn’t find the words for.

“So...I should tell her yes?”

Mr. Strickler chuckled “I think you should do whatever feels best for you. Keep in mind, while there is a certain amount of risk involved with making a change and opening yourself to new people, as a great man once said, t here can be no life without change, and to be afraid of what is different or unfamiliar is to be afraid of life ,”

Jim’s blood turned to ice in his veins. He struggled to keep his face blank.

If Mr. Strickler noticed Jim’s sudden change in mood he didn’t comment on it, merely capped the pen and slipped it into his pocket “And if I may be so bold, I think you could benefit greatly from a deviation in your routine,”

Mr. Strickler didn’t know, he couldn’t have meant the words that way, but hearing them cut Jim to the bone.

There can be no life without change.

A life trapped in his house, a life of slogging through the same old routine just because he didn’t know what else to do. Powerless to alter his inevitable future.

Jim balled his fingers into fists so the trembling wouldn’t be too obvious. His life wasn’t all doom and gloom, but Jim had gotten to the point where even the best things about his life, Mom and Toby, could barely keep him going.

He wanted more.

To be able to live free from secrecy and fear, to spend just one night of his life outside his house with other people. To be able to have an actual future.

But Jim wasn’t going to get that. No matter how badly he wanted it.

He took a deep breath to steady himself, Mr. Strickler’s words buzzing around in his skull.

A deviation from the routine.

Claire’s face flashed in his mind.

Jim wasn’t going to get what he wanted, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t have more.

Mr. Strickler was right, there was a risk, a huge risk. But the potential for something different, something new, was worth it. Even if it wouldn’t change anything long term.

“That makes sense,” Jim hefted his bag over his shoulder “I think I know what I need to do now,” he started hurrying towards the door, if he was quick he could meet up with Claire and give her an answer before next period “Thanks Mr. Strickler,”

Mr. Strickler waved back as Jim walked away “I’m glad I could be of some help,”

#tales of arcadia #Trollhunters #a secret's worth #fanfic #jim lake jr #steve palchuk #toby domzalski #claire nuñez #walter strickler #rmvwrites

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rancoeur-the-unfortunate · 5 years

Text

Pills (Chapter 18)

(3128 WORDS!!!!!! 😍😎😀😆)

(Also sorry for my poor action sequences. I suck at them. A little out of my comfort zone. 😅)

Dib found himself unable to sleep despite his best attempts. So he sat up and grabbed his laptop and hotspot device. He powered both on and just web-surfed for a bit. After an hour or so Dib received a notification on the families chat room labeled 'Hey Dibshit'. Automatically knowing it was his sister Dib sighed and opened the notification icon.

-Big Brother joined-

"Hey Gaz, what's up?"

"U didn't tell me u had ppl after u"

Dib found himself sighing again, yeah that was his sister always straight to the point.

"Didn't think it mattered."

"Usually it doesn't but when a flying moose thing tells me I think u get my point"

"Wait Zim's moose thing talked to you? At the house?"

"No, his dumb robot thing dragged me to Zim's house told there might be dumb aliens after you two so I checked your computer and found several notifications from that Swollen Eye thing you always try to be secret about"

"WAIT, you KNOW about the Swollen Eyeball?!!"

"That seriously all you took from that?"

Dib took a moment to reread the text and almost screamed.

"You went through my COMPUTER?!"

"OMFG DIB!"

Dib paused, read it once more and realized his mistake.

"Oh god."

"Yeah. The moose and I are preparing Zims house thing so it would probably be best for you to to stay wherever the heck you are."

"Uh yeah, thanks Gaz."

"Shut up Dib."

-Little Sister sighed off-

Dib sighed rereading all of the texts one more time before shutting off his computer and hotspot. He rubbed the bridge of his nose and let out a huff. Were Zim's Tallest after them now?

God for once in his life could things just be easy?

He laid down and let out a deep breath keep calm and carry on, he thought.

He turned over and faced Zim. The alien seemed to be back in his relaxed state, his features were soft and calm. Just listening to the alien's soft breathing was enough to lull Dib to sleep.

When Zim awoke he was in another unrecognizable and yet so familiar place. Like he had been here before but could not remember where. He stood in what seemed to be in an Irken dropship. This Zim recognized, the Irken Milica used these to dispense Irken soldiers straight into the battlefield. However Zim didn't recall being in one simply because he wasn't an on-field soldier, he was a trained Invader.

Zim was in the front of the ship near the cockpit surrounded by other Irkens dressed in Vort armor. They all looked at him with expressions mixed with bravery, uncertainty, and fear. Couldn't have been more than 20 of them in that ship. Some seemed to at least 10 Irken years old.

"Commander Zim, you ready?" The pilot asked.

Zim turned to Skoodge strapped into the pilot's seat.

"Yeah just give me a minute."

Zim took a deep breath and examined his men.

In the beginning, they had more than 500 soldiers who were ready to die for the Irken dream. Now their numbers had dwindled so low that Zim wondered if there was any point to it. But he knew not to give up, not when they were so close to winning. But those looks of uncertainty on his men made Zim's skin crawl.

Zim pushed a step ladder in front of the small crowd and stood up before them.

'Attention!

'Sir, yes, Sir!'

The soldiers each soluted him.

'At ease'

Their hands went down in unison.

'Men, how long have we been fighting this war?'

'Since the day we were born sir!' They all quoted.

'And why is that?'

'Because we were born short sir!'

Zim nodded.

'Yes, that's true.'

Zim examined his men again. Most were pretty short though they used to have tall Irkens before their numbers started dwindling. Zim shook his head.

'But you remember this. Just because you happen to be small does not make incompetent. If that were true would we even be here right now?'

The soldiers whispered amongst themselves.

'We've gone through many hardships because if those moronic assholes whose sole reason to bully us is because we're smaller then them. But today and the days that follow we will show them that we are a mighty army and won't back off until justice is served on a steaming hot platter!'

The soldiers nodded and cheered

'We will break into the controls brains' base and FORCE them to give us the same rights as any other tall Irken, and if they don't? We'll kill them!'

The men roared in approval.

'We have lost so many good men and women to this war whether they were KIA or LIA. But I promise you this my Irken soldiers that their lives will NOT go to waste when we WIN this war!!!'

The men howled and shot their fists in the air as they chanted.

'THE TALLER THEY ARE, THE HARDER THEY FALL!!!'

'We all set to go Skoodge?'

Skoodge gave him a thumbs up.

'Then let's show those Tall bastards how much of a big problem us little guys are.'

The men whooped and the dropship took flight. Zim sat in the co-piolets seat and smiled at Skoodge and received one back.

'That was amazing, they really needed that.'

'Yeah, I did too.'

Skoodge patted Zim's thigh and gave him a reassuring click with his antennae.

'Trust me, after this, we won't have to fight anymore it'll all be worth it and this will just be a memory.'

Zim nodded and sighed.

'You remember the plan?'

'Wait here until you come back and if you don't... leave and contact Lard Nar.'

Zim nodded.

'Good as soon as things look bad you leave. Don't wait for me.'

Skoodge nodded, though the worry in his face went unmasked.

'Promise me you'll make it though.'

Zim took Skoodge's hand and rubbed his gently against his forehead.

'I promise.'

The short Irkens smiled and continued to piolet the ship in silence.

When they arrived at the control Brains' base it was pitch black night. The building stood tall and proud and vaguely resembled a giant magenta box though up close it was lear the walls were covered in pipes, docking area, vent, etc. in all kinds of colors and shades. They had been spying this place for so long they knew everything about the outer defenses and just enough of the inner ones to succeed. There were so many risks however and Zim just knew that they were going to lose some people and that made him want to back out, but he COULDN'T he just couldn't. They cloaked their ship and set up their disrupters to stop any Irken tech. from tracking them.

Zim stood and turned to leave before Skoodge grabbed his tunic.

'Please just don't die out there.'

Zim smiled and pressed his forehead to Skppdge's.

'Everything's going to be alright. I promise.'

With that Zim stood and left the cockpit and joined his crew.

What happens next will be written in Irken history Zim thought to himself and smiled and got himself suited up and leading his soldiers out of the ship and towards the alien structure. There was an old ventilation system long abandoned that could take them inside undetected. Zim turned on his cloak and his soldiers followed suit. The cloaks, however, couldn't hide much when moving so the Irken's had to jump from cover to cover in order to get to the closed-off vent. Zim used hand signals once they crossed the borderline. The borderline was the technological barrier off what the control brains could see outside the building it was like an advanced security rat detecter. But with the Vort armor, the control brains wouldn't be able to detect them. As long as no one uncloaked or spoke they would be safe. Zim could be himself shutter once they passed it, this was it. This was the final push and this war would finally be over. Running and jumping from cover to cover the group finally made it to the vent two engineer Irkens managed to take off the cover and all 20 of them crawled in. The air Zim noticed was different here. It was supple at first but after a bit, it seemed like the air was almost higher here. Once the passed the inner barrier the borderline effect was gone, Zim let out a sigh of relief. He leaned into his walkie-talkie.

'Skoodge can you hear me?'

'Loud and clear.'

'Good. We're out of the barrier and are ready to begin phase 2 get ready to release the static pulse.'

'Aye, sir.'

They continued crawling through the vent till they reached a drop. Zim was the first to jump down and scan the area. Empty seemed to be some kind of storage unit.

'All clear.'

The sound of 19 more stomps came after that. They traversed the area ray guns in hand in case they come into contact with a drone or a guard. The room was clear. They grouped up and uncloaked.

'Alright, all of you remember your parts?'

The soldiers nodded in unison.

'Alright, go!'

With that, the soldiers split off. Zim ran towards another vent and crawled in. From here the group had split into groups of two. Zim's partners was a stubby Irken named Bob though despite his size Bob had more fortitude than Zim.

It was a good thing too because this vent was so small the two had to army crawl through it. It took them about an hour before they reached their destination. Of course, there wouldn't be a direct vent to the Control Brains but that was fine that wasn't what they were after anyway. No, they were after something much more important.

Finally, they reached it, the surveillance room. They had to activate there plan between the shifts so no Irken guards were around however there were still drones buzzing around. Carefully they undid the hatch and climbed out and scanned the area. The vent was on the ceiling and gave them a perfect view of the room. Two drones were manning the room. The room in questions wasn't too big, it was meant to be small and hard to find and had it not been for their spies they would have most likely gotten lost three turns ago. Zim slipped down using his PAC legs as to not make a sound. Bob followed suit through his PAC legs weren't as long. Silently, they crawled behind the drones and blasted them this their pulse guns. This sent a wave of electricity through the drones and overloading them causing them to collapse. Zim scanned the room and let out a sigh of relief.

'We're all clear. Bob, you man the door I'll administer the port.'

The soldier nodded.

'Yes sir'

Zim stood in front of the control panel, took a deep breath, and turned on his comlink.

'Is everyone in position?'

'Yes sir'

'Affirmative'

'Yeah'

'All set'

'Ready to go'

'Ready'

'All good here.'

'Let's get rolling'

'Yup.'

Zim nodded to Bob to let him know.

'Alright everyone when this pulse goes off we'll have exactly 30 minutes to get into our next positions do not and I repeat DO NOT stay near the explosives you will die. As soon as you hear it, activate the explosive and get to your spots.'

'Sir yes sir!'

Zim smiled and plugged the bug port into the panel.

'Skoodge.'

'Yes, Sir?'

'Activate the pulse.'

'Initationing pulse in 3, 2, 1'

Suddenly all the lights went out and Zim and Bob booked it out of there. 30 minutes was all they needed to run through the hallways past now broken bots and disoriented guards all the while explosions were going off in the background.

Zim and Bob ran into another storage room where they were set to hide with 5 minutes left to spare. The plan was to wait for the guards to go in a frenzy trying to find them or fixing the now destroyed docking stations while the Soldiers snuck into the unguarded Control Brains' room and confront the Control Brains there.

'Alright did everyone get to their spots?' He asked his comlink however he received no answer.

He tried again.

'Did everyone get to their spots? Hello? Is anyone there?' Zim could feel his heart start to race.

'Uh, Commander Zim?' Bob called from behind him.

'Wha-?' Zim turned and immediately froze. in the center of the dark room was a lone spotlight that shown an Irken, The Doctor.

'Why hello there Zim.' Zim could feel his blood run cold.

Out of all the Irkens, they could have run into, it had to be him. The doctor how his white lab coat his yellow eyes covered by his blue goggles. His left antenna was missing Zim noticed.

How could this had happened?! He had this whole place mapped out. He couldn't have messed this up.

'Why don't you have a seat.' Another spotlight turned on shedding light on a chair The Doctor gestured to it.

It was at this time did Zim notice Bob was gone. He tried to run but the door was shut tight. He couldn't believe it. He was locked in a room with HIM.

'Now don't be difficult.' A bot came out of the darkness and grabbed Zim by the arms. Zim fought but he was in such a panic-induced frenzy that he couldn't think of a logical way out.

He was sat in the chair and cuffs were latched on him holding him to the chair.

'I knew about your for awhile Zim. I have to admit it was a pretty well thought out plan. But you didn't think those spies of yours wouldn't get caught would you?'

Zim struggled, trying with all of his strength to break free but to no avail.

'All they needed was a little medicine and they were right back in line.'

Zim snarled at him.

'You sick demented FREAK!' Zim yelled.

'Now that's not a way to talk to me Zim especially with all the trouble your in. Heck if the control brains hadn't seen you as a valuable asset you would be dead by now just like the rest of your team.' The doctor laughed.

Zim froze. No... no, they can't be dead. They can't be.

'You're lying!'

'Oh am I?'

Another spotlight turned on and there they were. 4 of his soldier lay in gell filled tubes.

Zim had to stop his breathing to hold back the tears as he bit his lip.

'I know this isn't all of them but we'll find them soon enough.'

Suddenly Zim heard something on his comlink.

'Zim? Come in Zim? Some of the crew came back. Said they were ambushed. Are you on your way?' Skoodge's frantic words made Zim's eyes tear up.

'Aw what's wrong Zim? Did you finally realize that this is the line? That's okay Zim.'

The Doctor got closer and rested his hand on Zim's shoulder.

'Don't worry. After you take your medication you won't even remember this.'

He kneeled down to meet Zim's eyes.

'It might even make you taller you know. You'll make a fine General.'

With that Zim jolted and headbutted the Doctor. Said Doctor fell back and groaned in pain. He lifted his hand to cover his face, and when he pulled back he found blood and a missing tooth. He snarled and glared at Zim who was in the process of knawing off his own hands. Irkens had the ability to regrow limb though not many Irken's knew this. So, of course, Zim didn't mind losing his hands in order to get to Skoodge. Zim jumped up and kicked the Doctor to the ground knocking him out while Zim searched for a way out of this hell.

He used his PAC leg lasers to cut a hole through the door and booked it down the hallway while turning on his comlink.

'Come in Skoodge can you hear me?!'

'Loud and clear, are you okay Zim? Bob just came back saying you were in trouble.'

'Skoodge I don't think I'm going to make it.' He ran into his third dead end.

'What?! What do you mean?'

'I mean I'm lost and being hunted Skoodge. You're going to have to leave me.'

'No! You need to get here Zim. I'll send in some soldiers.'

'No Skoodge it'll put them in danger. Just leave me ok.' The blood loss was getting to Zim and he was starting to feel tired.

'Please, Zim I can't leave you!' Zim could hear Skoodge crying on the other side of the com.

'It'll be ok Skoodge. You need to contact Lard Nar. He'll know what to do. Call 777 he'll give any technology you'll need.' Zim sat down at his 7th dead end too tired to keep going.

He lifted up his wrist and typed in the launch code on his wrist device with his tongue. A contingency plan that would make the dropship go on autopilot and fly to Vort in case Skoodge wouldn't be able to fly.

'Wait, Zim, NO!'

'It's okay Skoodge.'

'NO NO NO I don't want to leave you! Please!'

'It's okay'

Skoodge hiccupped.

'Please, I can't do this without you!'

'Remember what you told me? You can do it Skoodge.'

Zim could hear voices in the distance, the guards were getting closer.'

'Remember what we were fighting for, to begin with, Skoodge.'

'Oh, Zim.' Zim could barely hear Skoodge's sobbing now, his vision was getting blurry and he could see the silhouettes of the guards.

'I love you Skoodge.' Zim clicked his antennae and whispered before finally passing out.

'Zim? Zim!'

'He's ours now.'

Zim awoke with the concerned gaze of Dib looming over him.

"You okay Zim?"

'Yeah, I'm fine human.'

"Huh" Dib tilted his head.

Zim corrected himself, realizing then he was speaking Irken tongue.

"I said I'm fine."

"Oh uh okay. You looked like you were having another nightmare."

Zim paused.

"I... was."

"Do... you want to talk about it, Zim?"

"I don't know. Do you think it would help?"

Dib shrugged he had never been so concerned for Zim. It was weird.

"Maybe, but only if you want to."

Zim sat up and looked down at his gloved claws.

"It was so strange. I really don't know how to start. It was so real like it was just a memory, but I don't remember any of it happening and I-" Zim cut himself off and placed his head in his hands.

"That's okay Zim." Dib hesitated before patting the aliens back.

"Just start from the beginning."

#invader zim zadr #invader zim #zadr #zim x dib #a bit more ZASR then usual #action #romance #heartbreak #and all that good shit #nightmares #Gaz

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jetstarsays · 5 years

Text

(Continued from https://jetstarsays.tumblr.com/post/186449423017/screaming-thats-all-jet-star-can-hear-it-takes

For @systematic-ghosts )

Jet came to sometime later. The sun had gone down and so did the temperature. He subconsciously shook, both from the cold and emotional outburst, and pulled his jacket around him a little tighter. He gathered his things carefully in the backpack again, trying to keep the toy truck off his mind. As standard in the Zones, he had to focus on survival. Jet pushed his past away with the shake of his head. He needed to survive the night.

Collecting himself with a sigh, he peeked his head up above his rocky cover and looked around. Jet half expected a Drac to be standing there, but the coast was clear—thank the Witch—so he proceeded on in a direction that he thought looked like the way to Doctor D’s shack. Now, Jet wasn’t born in the desert, but he spent enough time traveling through here to basically have it memorized. This area? Jet had no idea where he was. “Must be far out in Zone 5,” he muttered, placing his hand on his ray gun. All the Killjoys knew that the further out in the zones you go, the more radiation there is. The old ‘Joys talk of the effects of the radiation, the mutations of the animals. Basically, Zone 5 is not where any sane ‘Joy wants to spend his time. So, Jet walked. He rested during midday, when the sun was the hottest, and continued at dusk. He continued this pattern for a few days, trying to ignore how thirsty he was, how his leg ached, until a small, unassuming shack came into his view on the horizon. That must be it. Jet Star broke into a run for the second time, dashing full speed towards the radio station. He hoped the Doc wasn’t in the middle of a radio broadcast so he can talk to him.

Jet ran into—literally ran into—Show Pony and was thrown onto his back the sand. He looked up at the tall lanky Killjoy before him, still wearing their signature mask with a small grin.

“Hey there sugar!” Pony held a hand out to help Jet back up, “We heard you were in’a bit of a clap, it’s good to see you in one piece.”

Jet gasped for air, his voice catching in his dry throat. Pony took that as a cue to help Jet inside. The (slightly) cooler air hit Jet’s face the moment he stepped inside and he practically collapsed onto Pony and the Doc’s chair. Show Pony handed him a bottle of water which he gulped down.

“Pony? Where in the Witch is my screwdriver?” a voice bounded from the other room. Jet perked up instantly.

“Look in the drawer, Doc, where it always is.” Pony laughed in response, “But come ‘ere, we have company & I think he needs a doctor’s touch.”

The Doc wheeled into the room with a grin on his face. “Jet Star! It’s good to see you, son.” Doctor Death Defying, a legend in the Zones, rolled in the room in a wheelchair. He was a veteran of the Helium Wars. Jet was just a baby when they happened. Doc never really talked about how he ended up in a wheelchair and none of the ‘Joys that Jet knew had the stones to ask him.

“Hi Doc.” Jet breathed, “It’s good to see ya familiar face.” He put his face in his hands. “Doc, I almost got ghosted. Again. They found me. I fell asleep, I fucked up and let my guard down. Witch, if I got captured and tortured again.”

“Son, you didn’ get captured. You didn’ get clapped. You made it, kid.” Doc clasped a hand on Jet’s shoulder, “You should let Pony check ya out, make sure you didn’t get hurt.”

Jet gingerly rolled up his pant leg to reveal the burn mark on his calf.

“Ouch, Jet, how did that happen?” Pony asked, bringing over the full first aid kit.

“They blew up my hideout, I barely made it out. So much fire, flames.” He muttered, he could practically feel the heat on his face.

Pony grimaced, sitting down on the floor to treat him, their roller skates spread out in front of Jet’s legs. “Did you already treat this? Looks fairly clean.”

Jet nods and shrugs, “Party always made us carry a first aid kit.” He didn’t look up at the other two as he spoke quietly.

“Wise fella, Party Poison.” Doc chimed in, smiling a little.

It was quiet for a few moments, but Jet couldn’t hold it in any longer, “Doc. Do you think…do you think any of them made it out?” his gaze held steady to the floor, studying the shaggy rug’s details. The Doctor seemed to have been waiting for him to look back up. When Jet eventually met his eye, he said softly, “All intel inside BLi suggests they are either hidden inside or ghosted.” Jet’s shoulders fall, “But. With you lot, I wouldn’t doubt at least some of them are out here in the zones somewhere. Your crew is tough and stubborn, which is a good combination to fight BLi.”

Jet smiles out of the side of his mouth, remembering the previous clap, where Kobra Kid spat at the SCARECROWS that got too close. He looked up to see the Doc still watching him. Pony had gotten up to find food for their new hideaway.

“I know you’re scared; I know you want your crew and your boy back. But they’ll give you a sign.”

“I got one. My kid’s toy truck fell out of my bag while I was running. The one thing I have left of him.” Jet messed with the callous on his thumb, his gaze falling back downwards.

Pony skates back inside, carrying food as Doc answers, “I’m sorry, boy. I’ll have the runners keep an eye out for it.” He takes the food, a can of Power Pup and a can of oranges, and Jet does the same. Jet really dislikes Power Pup but when it’s mixed with other (actual food), it isn’t as bad. He needs to eat anyway; he’s been running in the desert for what feels like days. His body ached, his head still throbbed from dehydration, sobbing and, oh yeah, that blast.

“I’m not cut out for running alone.” Jet mutters between spoon-fuls.

“We can hook you up with—” Show Pony begins, but Jet stops her with a look.

“I only run with them, Pony.” He said, “I can’t replace my family.”

“Ain’t nobody trying to replace them, sweets.” Pony responds softly, “I just wanna keep you safe.”

Jet nodded, safe; that sounds nice. But this is the Zones, there is no such thing as safe. He was about to tell Pony as much when Doctor Death Defying perked up, “Okay, kids, I’m gonna hit the hay. Jet, you know you’re free to stay here.” Doctor patted Jet’s knee, and he whispered his thanks. Doc continued, “Pony, you stayin’ awake or comin’ with?”

“I ain’t tired, I’ll be in later.” Pony said, clasping the Doctor’s hand as he passed.

Jet hoisted his (suddenly feeling so heavy) legs onto the couch and laid back.

“I knew you survived.” Pony said sometime later, sounding almost smug, “Even when the others gave up hope, I knew it.”

Jet almost smiled, and rested his head back on the patchwork couch, “How long were we…was I gone?”

Show Pony considered for a moment, tapping their finger on their chin, “Had to be two weeks, maybe three.”

Three weeks?! He knew he lost track of time, but this is a shock. He was held at BLi for at least five of those days, they attempted to brain wash—what did they call it? Re-education. He doesn’t remember much about it, just pain. Overwhelming, excruciating pain. Jet isn’t a stranger to excruciating pain, but this was a whole new level.

Jet had his eyes closed for a while, on the brink of a flashback, and Show Pony must have thought he fell asleep because when he opened his eyes, he was alone. The room was quiet, way too quiet. Their home was usually buzzing with some sort of noise: Fun Ghoul working in the garage, Kobra Kid pacing, and, well, whatever the fuck Party Poison did during the day. He had become accustomed to it, he needed it.

Jet didn’t sleep, but he usually laid down and rested for a few hours at a time. The nightmares and sleep terrors of his past keep him awake. His friends don’t understand how he does it, Kobra tried staying up with Jet once and started hallucinating by the second night.

Jet sighed, he pushed those thoughts away and grabbed his backpack that was sitting on the floor beside him. He placed it on his stomach and looked inside for his radio. Eventually, Jet found a station still playing music and settled in, turning the volume way down so he doesn’t wake Doc and Pony.

He heard a familiar tune playing over the radio, although he can’t place it.

Coming out of my cage

And I've been doing just fine

Gotta gotta be down

Because I want it all

What is this song and why does it send chills down Jet’s spine?

It started out with a kiss

How did it end up like this?

It was only a kiss, it was only a kiss

Now I'm falling asleep

Jet assumed he must be losing it and tried to relax. Then the chorus came on.

Jealousy, turning saints into the sea

Swimming through sick lullabies

Choking on your alibis

But it's just the price I pay

Destiny is calling me

Open up my eager eyes

'Cause I'm Mr. Brightside

Jet choked and sat up. It couldn’t be. How could this song come on now?! He hasn’t heard it in years. In…since his son was small. His chest ached. This was their song. His eyes welled up with tears as he was thrown into a flashback.

The two of them liked to go on runs together, or at least that’s what they told the others. In reality, the father and son duo sped around in the trans-am until they crashed or ran out of gas, blasting music that Jet knew before the war. Mr. Brightside, he remembered, was Ghost’s favorite. Jet considered it his favorite song just because of how happy it made his young son. Jet could practically feel the sand whipping at his face as he drove far too fast and recklessly, both screaming at the top of their lungs. He stole glances at Ghost in the passenger seat. In that moment, he was trying to imprint that smile into his memories. Ghost had a shitty life, and Jet was very aware that he was mostly responsible for how it went. He wanted to see that smile forever, but he knew, even then, that it was impossible. Not out here, in the desert.

Jet was thrust back into the present by a foreign arm around his shoulder. No, he didn’t want to leave Ghost’s smile! It was gone, and Jet was left shaking and sobbing on Doctor D’s couch, sweat pouring down his back like he had been standing outside in the sun all day. He looked around and took in his surroundings. It was Show Pony’s arm around his shoulder, and they had gently turned the radio off because it was quiet again. Doctor D was not far away, observing as he always does. Pony dabbed at his forehead sweat with an old rag. Jet tried to speak but no words came out. Pony just nodded, understanding without a word.

#whoops gave myself feels #my writings

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asiryn · 6 years

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so hey.......y’all remember when i said that sometimes, just for fun and the hell of it, i make lists of “endgame” ships in my fandoms? bc yeah, that’s a thing that i do sometimes. XD

having now finished kh3, i’ve finally finished my endgame ship list for kh, and i figured that it might be a fun thing to share!

the actual list i’m gonna put behind a cut, bc it’ll be hella long (bc seriously.....i put about 95% of the characters into ships, and this includes all of the humanoid-ish disney characters too (barring most of the villains, bc....well, those characters are dead)), but before that, i’ll give you some....idk, context behind this list.

keep in mind, this entire affair is just like........gonna involve a fuck-ton of indulgence on my part. and most of this is fairly light-hearted. most importantly of all, this is pretty much a self-challenge: i paired up the majority of the characters just to see if i could, with the additional challenge that i could only pair them with characters that actually, canonically, have appeared in kh (this means that i couldn’t substitute in other final fantasy or disney characters); i did this to see how creative i could get with my ships, really.

idk if i’ll ever actually get around to writing fanfic for this verse (tho i do have a lot of headcanons, and i’ve actually put (probably far too much) thought into how i think these ships would work/come about, and my long-suffering friend Ip, bless her, has been an incredibly good sport about being a sounding board for all this), but i tend to refer to it as my “Healing Vision”, and it’s basically a post-kh3 AU, that presumes that everyone but xehanort (and also eraqus) got to live happily ever after. and this verse is so named bc, apart from everyone being able to heal and be happy after the traumatic canon, i also wanted to do my absolute best to put them in.....idk, healthy ships, and not ones that i think would be more toxic. everyone had redemption arcs, is what i’m saying (even if they never did or would have gotten them in canon).

y’all don’t understand, at this point i probably have over a hundred pages in various word docs of notes about this verse, so please feel free to ask if you want to hear more about it, i need validation of my madness---

anyway, here we go!

just so that there isn’t just a massive wall of text, i’m gonna break this up into roughly 2 sections: square/original kh characters, and then the rest of the disney characters.

Square/original KH characters:

Olette/Xion/Namine/Sora/Riku [OXN, SoNami, & SoRiku], Shiki/Kairi/Selphie, Axel/Saix, Hayner/Roxas, Terra/Cinderella, Aqua/Larxene/Yuffie, Repliku/Vanitas, Ven/Beat [more friends w/ benefits], Xigbar/Luxord, Aeleus/Even, Ienzo/Demyx, Sora’s Mom/Dilan, (Cinderella’s) Prince Charming/Marluxia, Geppetto/Ansem, Tidus/Wakka, Zack/Cloud/Leon, Aerith/Tifa, Cid/Auron, Fuu/Tinker Bell, Seifer/Rai, Jack Sparrow/Setzer, Boo/Vivi [platonic], Rikku/Paine, Yuna/Elsa, Neku/Joshua, Rhyme/Snow White, Hiro/Pence, & Eraqus/Xehanort [together in death]

i have no idea what’s going on with the khux characters going forward, and atm they don’t really have anything to do this AU, but assuming they’re alive and they’re all their own characters, at least for the time being, those ships would be: Skuld/Strelitzia, Ava/Ephemer, Invi/Ira/Aced, Gula/Brain, and Sephiroth/Master of Masters (but again, these are more tentative, and i don’t actually care about these characters, really)

Disney characters:

(again, keep in mind that these are only the humanoid or really anthropomorphic characters; ones that are straight up animals, like simba for example, were not included)

Mickey/Minnie/Daisy/Donald/Goofy [M/M, D/D, MinDaisy, & qpt Donald/Goofy], Horace Horsecollar/Pete, Clarabelle Cow/Clara Cluck, Hercules/Meg, Tarzan/Jane, Aladdin/Jasmine, Ariel/Eric, Belle/Beast, Lumiere/Cogsworth, Will/Elizabeth, Quasimodo/Phoebus/Esmeralda, Kristoff/Anna/Rapunzel/Eugene, Maleficent/Aurora/Mulan/Shang/Phillip [Malora, Philora, Mulora, Mulan/Shang, Phillip/Shang], Alice/Wendy, Peter/Wendy [qpt], Peter/Tinker Bell [qpt], (BatB) Chip/Pinocchio, Anastasia/Chien Po, Yao/Prince (from Snow White), Ling/Drizella, Merlin/Yen Sid, Hades/Genie, Mrs. Potts/Flora, Merryweather/Triton, Hook/Smee, Doc/Grumpy, Blue Fairy/Dopey, Fairy Godmother/Happy, Fauna/Bashful, Slightly/Cubby [platonic], Calypso/Barbossa, Sam Flynn/Quorra, Queen of Hearts/Agrabah Merchant, (BatB) Wardrobe/Gibbs, Emperor/Sleepy [his cuddle-cubine, if you will], Grand Duke/Sneezy, Mike/Sulley, Woody/Buzz, Honey Lemon/Go Go, Wasabi/Fred, Baymax/Tron/Baymax, & Phil/Zeus

Assorted Notes:

- should probably mention that all the worlds are just vaguely All Connected Now

- ven and hercules dated in bbs (then the Plot happened, ven pretty much vanished, and eventually herc moved on. they’re a bit awkward with each other now, but they agreed it’d be too weird to even attempt to date now, bc herc outgrew ven while he was in a magic coma)

- zack’s alive bc they forced hades to resurrect him like he did with auron (my hc is that the deal he made with cloud in kh1 was to bring zack back to life, but hades reneged on this; when cloud finally shared this info with sora, a Quest was undertaken to get hades to honor the deal)

- repliku’s name in this verse is Kiru (he decided to go along with the Theme, minus the sigil); sora’s mom is named Hikari; and i’m going with henry and florian for the real names of prince charming and snow’s prince, respectively (marluxia will probably still call henry “charming” as a sort of affectionate and kind of joking nickname (bc in this verse, henry is the definition of a Disaster Gay))

- goofy and pete dated in the past, but broke up with goofy came out as aroace; pete’s still kinda bitter about it

- aqua/larxene/yuffie is 100% a thing bc i feel that aqua deserves to be able to have fun and not be the responsible mom friend for once; aqua and cinderella also have some playful flirting, but it’s never really serious

- terra’s getting a staycation with his girlfriend, and aqua’s getting a vacation with her girlfriends

- olette/xion/namine/sora/riku is Peak indulgence for me; i love namixiolette, sonami, and soriku too much to want to choose between them? fuck it, they’re all smushed together in a poly pile now. this is my indulgence fic, i can do what i want, and none of you can stop me XP (the other sub-ship combos, riku with any of the girls, and sora with the other two girls, are more queerplatonic, ftr)

- there’s like a whole soap opera behind mickey/minnie/daisy/donald/goofy coming to their current arrangement, mostly bc the idea of giving all the Drama to these characters in particular amuses me; same with past goofy/pete

- a recurring Theme in this verse is that compulsory heterosexuality is the true darkness, and pretty much no one is straight (and so, light = gay) (this is how the final confrontation in kh3 truly went down: sora: kingdom hearts, is gay! / xehanort: shit...u right, bro. kk, lemme just fade into the light of gay with my bf then)

- sephiroth in this verse is mostly just a vehicle for me to be able to mildly punish terrible lightside mentors, so this ship with the MoM is kinda a cracky spite ship (before kh3 went all in on xehaqus, this was eraqus’s original fate XD)

- i will admit, gula/brain is mostly just me going, “you both really annoy me, and i don’t care to find you better ships, so you two can deserve each other”; to be fair to myself, this attitude was on the rarer side during this process

- hiro totally builds a robot body for tron to use to visit the outside world, tho he still chooses to live in the computer most of the time; tron’s besties with baymax 1 & 2

- i’ll be honest: scrooge, huey, dewey, louie, chip, dale, and possibly jiminy, by my rules, should have been put into ships. they’re not bc i couldn’t find any that worked for me *shrugs*

- phil is more like zeus’s on and off again boyfriend; he’s really fucking annoyed that he keeps having to train a lot of zeus’s offspring, and that he kinda, in a way, ends up doing more parenting for them than zeus does; currently phil is kinda claiming herc away from zeus (”i’m his dad now, so there”) (so at this point, their relationship is more of a hatemance than anything else) (i guess in my hc, zeus skews more towards being like his myth self than the disney version)

- the total number of ships, if you’re curious, is 75

- i’ve actually got queer headcanons for the square characters (excluding the khux squad), and some of the disney characters, figured out (as an example, namine is a demiromantic asexual)

okay, i think i’ll stop here for now, tho of course i might tweak or add things later XD

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booksncoffee · 7 years

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how you get the boy - twenty six

“I’ve missed you,” I murmured as I inched closer and closer. A smirk appeared on his lips and he closed the gap between us, smiling into the kiss. Just when my fingers found a home in Harry’s hair, we heard a cough so loud that it made us jump from each other. “Bloody hell, Niall!” I shouted, scowling at him.

“Sorry,” Niall grinned. I doubted that he meant it.

read below // story page

Two days before summer break started and before everyone went home, I realised that I might be going mental.

I’d realised it a few weeks ago, but I had blamed it on the amount of stress I was put under due to finals. Unfortunately, I still felt the same way even after the weight had been lifted and the dark clouds that had been lingering on the top of my head had left me alone.

That’s when I realised that there’s more to this nagging feeling that clung to my bones. And I didn't know whether it’s good or bad that it had everything to do with Harry and how, out of the blue, I was becoming hyper aware of everything he did despite having dated him for over a month.

I was suddenly aware that we would be apart after this. I might not be able to see him that often anymore and that this honeymoon phase we’re having – I refused to call it a ‘phase’ at first, but then again, it shouldn't be a surprise because I was in denial about lots of things – would end. I might not be able to kiss him every day, to see him smile at me when I got home, to feel his arms wrapped around my waist after a long, gruelling day and to feel his lips pressed against my skin.

I supposed that’s why I began to cherish every little moment we had. I began appreciating even the littlest things about us that I didn't realise before.

Like how his fingers always traced circles on my shoulder when we’re with our friends or when we’re alone as though he’s trying to tell me something. Or how his green eyes seemed to burn brighter when he’s showing me things that he loved. Or how he always knew what to say or do as soon as he noticed that something’s wrong. Or how tentative his touches were, like he loved every inch of me – every flaw, every blemish, every scar – all that were nothing but perfection in his eyes.

He made me feel loved. And oh, how I loved him back in return.

Speaking of love, neither of us had said those three words to each other yet nor had we ever talked about it. Alas, that didn't mean I couldn't feel it in my veins, because I could I could I could. Could feel it when my heart beat each time I caught sight of him, each time he smiled at me, each time our skin brushed. I could feel it almost all the time and I wanted nothing more than to scream at the top of my lungs so he would know. So everyone would know.

But the thing was, I was scared.

Scared that we were moving too fast, scared that when I did say it, it wouldn't leave the intended effect – not that I knew what it would be anyway. I was scared that if I were to say those three words, Harry wouldn't say it back even though according to Shiloh that was the most ridiculous thing I’d ever thought of.

“Of course he loves you,” she had said with a scoff, “Even a blind man would know that!”

Regardless the vote of confidence, I still couldn't get rid of the fear that had planted its root in me. And to make myself feel better, I kept saying that I was just waiting for the right time, the right place.

“Bunny,” Harry’s soft voice pulled me from my train of thoughts, “You okay?”

He had a concerned look written all over his face as he looked at me. I smiled at him, “Yeah, I’m great.”

“Tee’s probably just daydreaming ‘bout you, mate,” Niall interrupted, reminding me that we weren’t alone in Harry’s kitchen and it hadn’t been that way for days.

Ever since his lease was up three days ago, he’d been staying here because it’s the first available place that popped into his mind. He didn't want to sign another lease with his previous landlord as he had decided to live somewhere else, preferably somewhere closer to us – I could only pray that he would change his mind.

In spite the fact that it was understandable that he needed to crash at someone’s couch until it’s time for him to go back to Ireland for Summer break, up until now, I still didn't know why he refused to crash at someone else’s place. Harry just had to be his victim.

“Shut up, will you,” I rolled my eyes at him, to which he stuck his tongue out like a mature lad he was.

“That’s the truth, isn’t it?” Niall wiggled his eyebrow at me. I opened my mouth to reply but upon realising that it wouldn't end anytime soon, I decided against it.

Smiling to himself as though he’s proud of me, Harry turned to me and asked again, “Are you sure you’re okay? Cos you were smiling and then all of sudden you were, uh, you were frowning.”

“I was?” I quizzed at the same time Niall said, “H, she’s dreaming ‘bout you, remember?”

Harry’s eyes darted from me to Niall. Then, he let out a sigh as if he was tired of us; maybe he was. Fortunately, a smile touched his lips less than five seconds alter and he said, “Well if that’s the case, then that’s good.”

“You’d like that, wouldn't you?” I kinked an eyebrow at him. Harry nodded, leaning forward to press a kiss on my lips. I didn't get to return the kiss as Niall started coughing like he was choking on something and when the two of us turned to look at him, he shot us an innocent smirk, one that told us that he did it on purpose.

“Tee, H, I think you both know that I love you, but bloody hell you two are so disgusting!” He exclaimed with a huff before he got up from the chair and brought his empty, dirty bowl to the sink, muttering words that neither of us could understand under his breath.

“My place tonight?” I asked Harry as soon as Niall was out of our sights and hearings. “Think we deserve some privacy.”

“God, yes,” Harry nodded as he let out a relieved sigh. Then, pinching the bridge of his nose, he added, “He’s driving me nuts.”

“I know,” I whispered my agreement.

Niall was driving the both of nuts. He never seemed to know when to leave us alone nor did he seem to know how personal space worked. One would have thought that he would stop meddling once he’d found out that we’re together – just as how he wanted it to be – but it appeared as though things turned into the opposite. Wherever we turned, we’d see Niall. Whenever we’re in bed, he’d walked into the room and squeezed himself between us. It’s either because he was a dog in his past life or he’s a four years old boy living in an adult body.

“Sorry,” Niall grinned. I doubted that he meant it. As he walked past Harry, he patted his back and said, “H, we have to go now if we don’t wanna be late.”

“Right,” Harry sighed as he ran a hand down his face. Reluctantly, he got up from the chair and pressed a kiss on top of my head. “I’ll see you later, bunny. I love you.”

The world stopped spinning, I was sure, as his last three words echoed along with the sound of the front door being shut. I took a deep breath to compose myself; however, as soon as my brain registered his words, I felt a rising sense of panic, breaking through my sleepiness. Every inch of my body was buzzing and no matter how many times I told myself not to let panic take over, I came to a conclusion that my attempt proved to be pointless.

I was, much to my dismay, panicking.

My palms began to sweat and before I could realise what I was doing, I was heading towards the front door and putting on my jacket. I couldn't stay here for a minute longer especially when I could feel his words hanging in the air, so I decided to go see Shiloh. She always had answers to almost every question I’d ever had and I was hoping that she would know what to make of this because for the life of me, I couldn't even find a way to calm my erratic heartbeats.

A part of me wondered if Harry realised that he’d just said the words that both of us were scared of and if he, too, was freaking out right now. Wondered if he wasn’t, then did he plan on saying it like that so he could leave straightaway before he could see my reactions.

Despite the fact that I had once drunkenly told him that I was in love with him, it was nothing compared to what happened earlier. Neither of us was drunk and I had the chance to reply, but I didn't.

As my car pulled to a stop at Shiloh’s place, all I could hear was my blood rushing in my eardrums and the beat of my heart that was so erratic that I felt like everything was going so fast. I didn't know what to think, but my heart went on the beat that seemed to rhyme with he loves you he loves you he loves you he loves you he loves you and it wouldn't – couldn't – stop.

And I had no idea how, but what scared me to death just a few moments ago became a sheer force that calmed me down.

Shiloh opened the door only a few seconds after I knocked and when she’s there, standing in front of me, eyes half opened, all I could say was, “He loves me, Shiloh.”

A yawn was the first response I received from her as she stepped aside to let me in and rubbed the sleepiness away with the pad of her palm. Only once we were both seated on the couch in her living room that she finally started speaking. “I told you that, didn't I?”

She did. A countless of times actually, but I didn't believe her up until now.

“Yes,” I replied, my one word answer made her smear a victorious smirk across her face. “But what should I do now, Shi?”

“What do you mean what should you do now?” Shiloh questioned, brows furrowing in confusion. Wagging her finger at me, next, she asked, “Did you bolt as soon as he said that?”

I quickly shook my head, dismissing the idea that I was the one who ran away even though there was also a possibility that Harry didn't mean to dash out of the flat as soon as those words tumbled out of his mouth.

“I think it’s pretty clear what you have to do, Tee,” she continued when I didn't say anything in reply. “Do you love him?”

The answer sat heavy on the tip of my tongue, it had been there since God knows when, and I was surprised that not once had it slipped.

Sure there were times when I wanted nothing more than to tell him how I felt because sometimes the feeling I had for him could get overwhelming, so much so that sometimes I thought it's everything that I was. But I would always stop myself before I could say it, before I could ruin things between us – not that I thought our relationship was that fragile. Alas, we hardly talked about the future let alone about love. They were the two topics we skirted around like we’re afraid to get our feet in the water.

My mind went back to the night when I drunkenly told him that I was in love him and the image of colours draining out of his face followed immediately. I remembered the aching I felt in my chest upon seeing his face and the insecurity lacing his voice when he asked me if I meant it. And I remembered how instead of assuring him that I was, in fact, in love with him, I let him believe that I was only saying it because I’d had a lot of drinks earlier that night.

It was something that I thought about a lot and despite the regret that blanketed me for weeks, I knew that not admitting it was the best thing I’d done that night. And that’s because I still had a few things that I needed to sort out, but now that everything that had troubled me before had been put in the past, I knew there’s nothing holding me back anymore.

“Well, do you?” Shiloh pressed as she squeezed my knee, her eyes fixated on my face.

As I casted my gaze at my friend, I realised then that I couldn't be more sure of an answer before. It’s like the fog had just been cleared and along with it was my insecurity, my fear. What stayed was this intense feeling that kept growing and growing inside of me, one that wouldn't leave me anytime soon. Or ever.

“Yes,” I answered with conviction, “Yes, I do, Shi.”

She beamed, “Then, that’s great!”

The certainty disappeared as quickly as it came and I was met with a crashing realisation that I was scared to tell him that. Whereas I had admitted it to myself, it was a completely different thing to admit it to him. “But why am I scared, Shi?”

“It’s normal, y’know,” Shiloh answered, offering me a reassuring smile when I sunk my teeth into my bottom lip. “I mean I’ve never been in a proper or serious relationship before so I’m probably the least reliable person when it comes to love, but Tee, it’s okay to be scared.”

“It is?”

“Yeah, of course,” she nodded and I liked how sure she sounded when she said those words. “But if you’re scared that he won’t say it back, then you shouldn't be. Besides, he said he loves you, didn't he?”

I shrugged when she gave me a pointed look. “Yeah, he did,” I replied, “but what if he didn't mean it?”

“Bullshit,” she replied immediately with a shake of her head. Then before I could open my mouth to argue, she continued, “Everyone can tell that he’s madly in love with you, Tee. And as your best friend, I want you to stop doubting every single thing. He’s in love with you, period.”

At that, I let out a sigh. Relief spread across my chest at the same time and I felt a smile tugging at my lips. “You’re right.”

“Course I am,” she agreed, a smug grin adorning her lips as she lightly punched me in the shoulder. “Now, what’re you waiting for? Go and tell Harry that you’re in love with him and get your happy ending!”

Harry was pacing back and forth like there’s something bothering him – knowing him, perhaps there was – when I walked into his living room. I knew he’d be here since Niall was in my flat, watching a football match that Louis had recorded.

“Hey,” I said as I approached him from the back and almost instantly, he stopped pacing and turned to face me. The pucker between his brows disappeared as a smile slid onto his face. “You okay?”

A nod was his only response before he closed the gap between us and pressed his lips against mine, his hands cradling my face and thumbs brushing in feather light strokes along my jaw. His mouth was warm and welcoming and I felt the breath leaving my lungs in surprise.

That’s when I felt it: my heart swelled up into my throat, the back of my eyes burned and I fell in love with him all over again right there and then. I fell in love so hard and fast that it took my breath away.

“You told me you love me,” I whispered as I pulled away from the kiss to catch a breath. “Earlier, before you left.”

“I did,” he replied smoothly as a smile tugged at his lips. He didn't look like he was freaking out nor did he look like he was about to take those words back.

Confused by his response, I asked, “How’re you so.. calm?”

Regardless how serious the situation was, Harry started laughing and I couldn't help but frown at him. “Bunny, I’ve known that for a while,” he told me before he ran his tongue over his bottom lip, wetting it. “Trust me, when I first found out that I’m in love with you, I’m pretty sure I didn't sleep that night. I couldn't stop thinking about it, couldn't stop imagining what it’d feel like to say it to you. But that’s not why I couldn't sleep.”

I kinked an eyebrow at him, curiosity taking over me. “Why couldn't you sleep?”

“I was afraid that you wouldn't say it back,” he replied rather sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck and shifted from one foot to the other. “So, I waited and I suppose I couldn't keep it to myself anymore.”

I racked my brain for a response, but nothing came as everything began to overwhelm. Even the smile that never seemed to leave his lips overwhelmed me.

Harry stroked a hand over my face, his eyes so soft that I was certain I might cry. “It’s okay if you don’t want to say it back, bunny. No rush, okay? I’m in this for a long time.”

In the moments that followed, when I looped my arms around his neck and pulled him down so our lips could meet, I could feel those three words pushing their way up to my throat and I knew as soon as I pulled away from the kiss, they would tumble out of my mouth. The realisation that I was so in love with Harry hit me like punches to the chest and as bizarre as it might sound, it was the kind of pain that I wouldn't mind experiencing for the rest of my life.

“I love you,” I told him breathlessly, my eyes fixated on his swollen lips. Then once I was done staring at them, I looked straight into his green eyes and said, “I love you, I love you, I love you.”

“Music to my ear,” he said with a smirk, to which I rolled my eyes at him, for it was so easy for him to return to his cocky self.

My thoughts were cut short when the front door was pushed open and in walked Niall, followed closely by Louis. As soon as they spotted us, they looked like they had just won a lottery.

“Did you say it?” Niall asked Harry, grinning from ear to ear. Beside him, Louis looked just as curious as he was as he rubbed his palms together, waiting for an answer.

A grunt and a soft ‘go away’ was the only reply Harry gave as he hid his face in the crook of my neck. I ran a hand down his back whilst shooting a glare at Niall. “Leave us alone, will you?”

“Never,” Niall answered as he pressed his mobile phone against his ear and tapped his foot against the floor.

“And you,” I pointed my finger at Louis, catching him off guard. He quirked an eyebrow at me and mouthed the word what. “What’re you doing here?”

He shrugged, though there was a hint of a smirk on his lips. He knew why he was here but he didn't want to share that to us. “Niall asked me to come here with him.”

Before I could tell him to leave, Niall’s loud voice interrupted me, “Shi, they’ve said it! Fucking finally!”

At that, Harry removed his head from my neck and his eyes widened in horror. I was positive my face mirrored his. “Why’d you do that?” Harry quizzed and though it was a rhetorical question, Niall opened his mouth to answer it. He didn't get the opportunity to do so, however, as I cut him off.

“Alright, that’s it,” I mentioned as I marched towards both Niall and Louis and began pushing them towards the front door. “Leave, leave, leave.”

“Fine, fine!” Niall replied, throwing his arms up as though they were a white flag and he was admitting defeat. “We’re leaving.”

“Thank you,” I huffed, relieved that it didn't take more than that to make them leave.

I was making my way back to Harry when Louis said, “Don’t be too loud, yeah? Thin walls and all that.”

“Shut up!” Both Harry and I shouted in unison and their laughter was the last sound we heard before the front door was shut. And finally, we were both alone again.

“Can you believe that those are the kind of people that we associate ourselves with?” I asked Harry, incredulous. Harry simply shook his head, a soft smile touching his lips. He didn't look annoyed, but he did look embarrassed. “Are you okay?”

“I’m grand, bunny,” he smiled as he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me closer. “My girlfriend just told me she loves me so I don’t think there’s anything that could make me not okay.”

I rolled my eyes, “You’re so cheesy, do you know that?”

“I do,” he nodded, smiling widely. “I also know that my girlfriend loves that about me and she loves that I’m a jackass. She digs the Jackass who’s never failed to mess up her name when she orders a Caramel Macchiato – weird.”

I crinkled my nose, “Your girlfriend must be a mad, mad girl.”

He tapped my nose once, twice and sunk his teeth into his bottom lip as though he’s trying to hold back a smile. Maybe he was. “She’s mad, yeah, but I love her and I don’t think I could love anyone as much as I love her.”

Breath hitched in my throat, I had to swallow the lump in my throat twice and I had to blink my eyes a few times so tears wouldn't escape my eyes. What had happened to the old me who hardly cried, I hadn’t a clue; Harry had made me weak, but not in the bad ways of course.

“Harry,” his name rolled off my tongue and he kinked an eyebrow. “If you don’t take your girlfriend to the room right now, she might cry.”

“Oh no,” he gaped as he leaned closer, his mouth only a few inches away from mine. “I hope it’s happy tears.”

“It’ll be angry tears if you keep talking,” I warned him.

Almost immediately, peals of laughter escaped his throat and before I could scold him for laughing at me, he carried me to his room, tripping over his pair of jeans that he left on the floor. I had told him times and times again to pick it up but he’d never made an effort to do so. And now his laziness had bit him right on the arse.

“Told you,” I laughed when he angrily kicked at his jeans, sending it to the corner of his room. Then, letting out a huff, he throws himself to the bed, on top of me. “It killed your mood, huh?”

“Do you really think so low of me?” Harry questioned with a frown between his brows whilst holding himself up with his arms. Before I got the chance to answer his question, he began peppering kisses all over my jaw and for a moment I forgot what we were talking about. I had to sink my teeth into my lower lip to prevent the moan from leaving my lips. “Hmm, do you?”

“Maybe,” I replied.

Harry stopped kissing my jaw and burrowed his face in my neck, mumbling, “God, I love you.”

Being in love felt a lot like taking your heart out of your chest and holding it in your palms. Being in love also felt a lot like taking a leap off of a cliff because despite the trust you held for the person you're giving your heart to, there’s a part of you who prayed that he would take a bloody good care of it.

And I knew that I wouldn't trust anyone with my heart as much as I trusted Harry because the love I had for him was just as much as the love he had for me.

“I love you too,” I whispered back as I run my fingers through his hair.

Funny how sometimes you found what you need whilst chasing after what you want, but sometimes what you need would be right in front of you the entire time. Either way, I was glad that I stayed to find out.

#1dff #harry styles fanfiction #louis tomlinson fanfiction #this is the last chapter!!#minus the epilogue of course #hygtb #hygtb26

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heytherejones · 7 years

Text

Friends with Benefits Chapter 4

“So about that date.” Jughead’s eyes avoid hers, wiping down the bar with a rag. He’d been sure she’d heard what happened yesterday. Betty wasn’t quiet, screaming at him or when fucking him.

“Still on?” She places a glass on the table, smiling in his direction.

“Relax, I’m teasing. You’re off the hook.” She rolls her eyes, her laughter filling his ears.

“Saw her come in. She’s pretty.” He senses it, jealousy. The way her eyebrows raise at her last statement. He hadn’t had to deal with a jealous girl since Sabrina. The ex who wouldn’t quit.

“Yeah, really.” His eyebrows raise too, nodding once.

—–

“My god, don’t you two ever leave the house.” Archie throws his varsity jacket on the hook as he walks through the front door, his eyes rolling.

“And go out when we could be right here? Are you joking.” Betty doesn’t tear her eyes away from the tv, popping a chip in her mouth, settled between his legs.

“Don’t you ever like go on dates?” Archie starts to make his way to the kitchen, kicking his shoes off in the middle of the hallway.

“This is a date, right now. And you’re ruining it.” Jughead calls after him.

“Whatever.” He yells back.

“Do you want to go out?” Jughead looks down at her, pushing her hair away from her face as he nuzzles her neck. She looks up to him, humor in her eyes as she crunches on another chip.

“That’s funny.” She laughs.

“Why’s he being such a prick?” Jughead shakes his head, taking a chip from the bag.

“Don’t worry about it, I don’t care.”

—–

They’d fallen asleep together in his bed, her head on his chest and leg between his. She hadn’t been home in days. It was an endless cycle of Fred’s attempt at dinners and getting fucked hard every night before bed. His warmth was heating up her pale, icy skin and when she wakes up in the middle of the night, he awakes too, the both of them silent in the late hour. She’d dreamed of him, she always does, waking with an ache between her legs. She whispers that she needs him and it moves quickly from there.

The next minutes were only a blur, frantic hands, desperate kisses, lips trailing over naked skin, clothes being discarded on the floor until we were finally both naked and she pushed him back into the bed, eyes flicking hungrily over his body as she took him in. Every inch of him with her eyes. His heart skipping a beat as his eyes fell on the scars covering her body, speaking of the hard life she had led the last decade and the possessive feeling overwhelmed him again and he push her against his bed.

“Fuck, Betty, I need to taste you.” He pushed her back, her thighs colliding with the mattress and she fell backwards, her elbows crushing hard on the bed, a moan escaping her as he dropped on hid knees in front of her, throwing her legs over his shoulders, licking his lips as he stared at her between her legs before his eyes snapped up to hers, glinting with unrestrained hunger.

“Then do it.” Betty replied defiantly, crossing her ankles behind his neck and pulling him forward.

His head shot forward, tongue pushing into her without warning, hand coming around her thigh, his finger pressing hard against her clit, flicking over it while his tongue swept into her over and over again.

Her stomach tightened, her thighs quivered around his head, her hips bucking upwards, pressing harder against his face as the waves crashed down over her, the tremors wrecking her body, leaving her breathless.

Within moments he was inside of her, her hips shaking in sensitivity still in her post orgasm haze. He’d fucked her so hard he’d been sure he was going to break the bed, wake the whole house. With the way the springs creaked and the wood slammed, Archie surely would have heard next door.

Their pace picked up gradually as they moved together until they were both sweating with exertion, mouths meeting in heavy, bruising kisses. Breathy gasps and slapping skin was all that could be heard. After the first few minutes, he began hitting at a slightly different angle with every thrust, searching for exactly where she needed him, until she saw stars.

“Juggie please.” She moaned and his thrusts got faster and deeper, his teeth sunk into her shoulder gently, encouraged by her prompting and she bucked into him harder.

“Come, Elizabeth.” He growled, voice heavy as he struggled to drive into her even faster, sweaty forehead pressing into the crook of her neck. It wasn’t a minute before she complied with his pleas, shaking around him. He pulls out her and collapses on top of her, both of them breathing heavy.

Between her thighs, traces of the both of them are there, leaving him hungry altogether for her at the sight.

“You’re so cute.” Her sweet voice brings him to snap his head upward, eyes looking over her face, wondering if she had been joking.

“What?”

“Did I not just fuck your brains out two minutes ago?” His eyes brows knit together in confusion. She presses her hand to his shoulder, pushing him over.

“You’re a softy Juggie and you know it.” She laughs, her fingertips running over the baby soft skin of his cheek.

“I love no rules.” She sighs, falling forward to press her cheek to his chest, hugging him with her arms wrapped around his torso tightly. His phone lets out a buzz on the nightstand, the screen illuminating the dark room.

“Archie says we’re being too loud.” He looks over his phone before dropping into the bed, his lips turning up into a smile at her annoyed face.

“What?” He laughs out, hands on her waist and running along her thighs.

“Nothing, just. He called me a bitch in the hallway the other day.” Her voice lowers.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. He thinks I’m using you.”

“Well in that case.” She shrieks as he rolls her over, pressing her into the bed again. He’s in between her legs again, hips pushing forward and her eyes open wide as he rocks into her for the second time.

“Be as loud as you want.”

—–

He hears Archie stir outside the door and he pulls his sweatpants on, leaving Betty passed out and wrapped in his sheets.

“Bro-” Jughead stops him in the hallway, Archie pulls his wrist out of his grasp.

“Why are you snapping at Betty all of a sudden.”

“Just looking out for you.” He shrugs it off, trying to continue down the hall.

“Well if this is the way you’re gonna do it, stop.”

“Wow-” He stops in his tracks and turns back around, mouth opened slightly.

“You’re with Veronica.” Jughead states, Archie’s eyes brows knit together, a look of frustration on his face.

“I know that.” His teeth grit together, eyes narrowing.

“Then why aren’t you focusing your energy on her?”

“Are you-Are you…jealous?” He knows he’s reaching, but with the way he’s acting he couldn’t help but ask.

“Of fucking what?” Archie shouts, shaking his head.

“Me, because of Betty? God, I don’t know, you’re being such a dick lately.” Jughead looks over him, his face scrunched in confusion.

“Betty is my friend.”

“Yeah I got that-”

“I’m not jealous of you, you fucking idiot. I’m looking out for you. Don’t you remember what happened with Sabrina? I’m worried about you.”

“Betty couldn’t hurt me if she tried.” Jughead shakes his head. In all his years he’s known Betty, he’d hardly fought with her.

“Betty could kill an army of men with a few words. She’s pretty tough man. Look, I’m sorry alright, just-”

“-I don’t know, be careful?” Archie puts his hand to his shoulder, eyes filled with concern.

“Yeah, alright.”

—–

“What are you doing here?” A certain blonde walks through the White Wyrm doors, and not the one he’d been inside of just this morning.

“To win you back.” She shrugs her coat off, walking toward the bar.

“Sabrina.” His teeth grit together.

“Kidding, duh. Heard you guys were hiring.” She eyes around the empty bar.

“Seen the man in charge?” He doesn’t answer her, his eyes following her as she walks around the room, running her fingers along the wood of the table.

“You’re not in head of personnel are you? I can think of a few things to get me the job.” She looks him up and down, hand over her chest with a glint of mischief in her eyes. She was Satan.

“Kidding! Jeez. Heard you got a girl.” She smiles, her head snapping up at the sound of the door to the office opening.

“You Sabrina?” The boss looks at her, looking over a piece of paper in his hand.

“Yup!” She waltzes over. The door shuts and he lets put a breath he didn’t know he’s been holding. He’d never want to hurt anyone let alone a woman but God, he was ready to pull each thread of hair out of her head. His brains goes over ever possible worse situation he can prepare himself for, thoughts interrupted minutes later when she walks out, hand on her hip.

“Got the job. Guess you just can’t get away from me, huh? God this’ll be so much fun!”

—–

“Guess who stopped by!” He huffs, slamming her bedroom door open. The smile drops from her face, pencil falling from her hand and onto her mattress.

“No-”

“Yup.” He sighs, kicking off his shoes.

“I’ll be sure to make a visit then.” Her eyes darken, her lip between her teeth.

“Betts, you don’t have to-” Oh but God, does he want her to.

“I’ll wear a skirt for your easy access.” He smiles, thankful for his seductress or a girlfriend.

“Underwear or no?”

—–

“I could just tell her you fucked me, bent over the bar, but what would be the fun in that?” Betty shrugs off her coat, drunk on tequila and young love as she stumbles through the bar doors, pulling Jughead with her. It’s abandon at this late hour, the lights off and chairs turned over on top of the tables.

She pulls him with her, fingers interlocked behind the bar counter, her phone light the only thing illuminating the room and leading the way. She throws her phone and keys to the bar to the counter, bending herself over.

“I’ll be waiting.” She rests her hand on her hands, listening as he unbuckles his belt, pulling his zipper down. He can’t help but laugh at her, buzzed on alcohol and aroused at the sight of her. She’s not wearing any underwear, her skirt has risen slightly at her bent position over the counter.

She’d planned on getting straight to the point, but he sees her bent over like that, perfect view of her with her skirt lifted the way it is and he can’t help but drop to his knees.

“I gotta taste you.” He licks his lips, hands wrapped around her calfs.

“You did this morning-”

“I know but I-” He pushes her legs apart and her feet stumble, his head moving forward, interrupting himself. His tongue was inside of her within seconds, her legs already about to give out.

“Jug, you gotta get straight to the point or I’ll lose it.” He groans against her and she almost falls. As he stands he secures his arm around her waist to keep her grounded. Boxers pushed out of the way and on his hips he sinks into her.

His eyes rolls to the back of his head. After she had confessed she loved him and he did the same to her, fucking her was so much more intense. He still fucked her like he wanted to hurt her, but it was all the more loving and intense. He could feel it, the way she’d look at him, the way she’d be looking at him now if she was facing him. Coming inside of her was like a whole other world now. The way she’d beg it out of him, to fill her up, God, it was the hottest thing. And she was doing it now.

“Come in me, Juggie please, just-”

“Fuck me till you break me.” Her nails dug into the wood, hard enough to chip it, hard enough to turn her fingers white under the pressure. Her cries grew louder, hearing him groan making her wetter. The rough push and pull of his hips left her shaking, his cold fingers from the icy chill of the bar pressing to her clit, rolling in circles.

“Fuck, c'mon.” He came in her, hard.

Traces of them ran down her leg as she stayed put, bent over the counter and breathing heavily, her face pressed to the hard wood and her lips curved into a devilish smile.

“I love when you do that.” She turns over, leaning against the bar, following his eyes down between her legs. And he can’t help but drop to his knees again.

—–

Wednesday around noon the bell to the White Wyrm chimes, Betty smiles and all, passing Sabrina and walking toward him.

“Juggie!” She grabs him by the lapels of his jacket over the bar. She leans over, her lips pressed to his and her hands on his neck. His eyes are blown wide until her tongue slips in his mouth, letting them flutter closed.

She moans into his mouth, their lips pulling apart with a wet pop. He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand, watching Betty as she drops a bag of Pop’s food on the bar counter. She turns to leave, eyeing Sabrina.

“She might wanna give the bar an extra wipe down, right Jug. First day on the job, yeah?” She looks between them, swinging her coat over her shoulders. Before she disappears behind the bar door she looks to him one more time.

“I’ll be back later on your break Juggie to take you for a ride.” Darkness looks good on her.

“Your girl likes to mark her territory huh?” Sabrina’s eyes narrow at him.

“Bet our sex was better.” She looks over him, eyes filled with humor.

“It’s called being in love.”

“Never felt it before, its new for me. Excuse me if I’m a little infatuated.” He bites back, venomous.

“Ouch.” Sabrina takes the stab to heart. They’d been together for 2 years before they’d broken up, to which was her fault of course. She’s cheated on him, more than once. He’d thought he loved her, at the time. Until he realized what loving someone actually felt like.

“Why are you really here? Riverdale is small but it’s not that small Sabrina.”

“I miss you.”

“That’s great. I don’t care. Leave.” He nods toward the door.

“You’ll come to your senses.”

—–

Later that night, having fucked hours on end they were wrapped in the sheets, high on each other. Betty sat cross legged, sheets bunched around her waist as he lay back, arms crossed behind his head.

“No wonder every girl at the bar wants you.” She admires him, icy blue eyes and dark raven curls.

“Yeah and why is that?” His lips curve into a smile, pulling her by her arm to fall against his chest.

“You’re hot as fuck.”

“Yeah?” He chuckles, his fingertips running across her bare skin.

“It’s bothering you isn’t it?”

“I wanna make a sex tape just so I can tie them down and make them watch it.” Her hands turn to fists. Quickly he pulls at her hands, prying them apart. He laughs at her comment, unable to help himself.

“Why do they want what they can’t have.” She sighs and he laughs at her again, head thrown back in amusement.

“You’re cute when you’re mad.” He pouts, watching as she scrunched her face, frustrated.

“Shut up!” She crossed her arms over her chest, beginning to get more upset.

“Do you want me to make you feel better?”

“You have to snuggle with me before you go to work.” She demanded sweetly, his eyebrows raising as she pulled him on top of her, his arms resting on either side of her, careful not to crush her fragile frame.

“Is that so? Anything else you want, Elizabeth?” He relaxed above her, giving her the weight that made her feel safe. She rolled her eyes for a moment at the call of her name before snapping back into her playful mood.

“I would like a kiss please.” He leaned down, smothering her cheek with his lips, making her burst into a fit of giggles.

“Not there Jug!” She whined, making him grin at her impatience.

“Not there? Where then? Here?” He teased, kissing the tip of her nose, making her groan in a playful frustration.

“No, here.” She pointed her finger to her lips, her eyes swirling with desire for him, and his for her.

“Oh, there.” He acts innocent, pressing his lips to hers, almost instantly getting the taste of her strawberry tongue with growing desperation. His fingers tangle through her hair, tugging gently, lifting her chin up, delving deeper into her mouth.

The sheets fall from her waist as she locks her legs around his waist, the innocent mood slipping away quickly as he presses open mouth kisses down her jaw. Her nails dig into his sides, clawing, scratching as his lips are reaching down to her chest. He’d never spent this much time naked and vulnerable in his life. They were in bed, always. Talking, fucking, eating food, eating each other. He couldn’t imagine going back to life it was the way before. When he wasn’t with her.

“I keep dreaming about you.” She pulls back, eyes on his.

“Yeah? What am I doing?” He already has an idea. Sometimes he’ll wake up, she’ll be sweating, writhing, moaning in her sleep. He’ll touch her till she wakes up, she’ll tell him what she dreamt about, and then he’ll do whatever she dreams of.

“Fucking me, always. It’s all I think about now.”

“Why dream when you can have the real thing?” He kisses her deeply again, pulling back with her lip tucked between his teeth.

“You came in me so many times Jug, I was so full of you.” She whines, her hips rolling toward his.

“Fuck-” He chokes out.

“I love when you come in me Juggie, when you fill me up like you do-”

“It felt so real, the way you were pulsing inside of me, I-God, I’m so wet already Juggie.” He roughly pulls her closer, ready to start all over again.

“I won’t be able to walk tomorrow.” They’d been fucking all night already, she already could feel the ache between her legs, her thighs becoming sore. But, God, she was never not wanting him. He made her sex crazed.

“I’ll carry you around.” He quickly pushes inside of her, already close on all of her words alone. He’s so tired, the push and pull of his hips dragged out slowly. Her hips buck up to his, desperate. Within minutes her words alone have him coming, filling her up.

“How many times have we fucked in the last week?” She tries to catch her breath, wincing as he pulls out of her.

“I lost count after 20.” He rolls onto his back.

“You complaining?”

“Never.” She shakes her head, shuttering at the feeling of traces of him seeping out of between her legs.

“Why are you so addictive?” He’s on side, head propped up on his hand.

Pink sweaters and hair tied back was no longer his vision of Betty Cooper. It was miles of bare, pale skin, curled blonde hair falling around her face, devilish green eyes and the soft sound of her moaning when he came inside of her. Hearing her name brought up the most sinful images in his head. And there was no doubt in his mind that he was going to want her for the rest of his life.

“Can you stay home today.” She curls up next to him, pressing her cheek to his chest.

“Baby-” His fingers pull through her hair, upset knowing he can’t miss a day.

“I have a bad feeling about today.” She whispers against his skin, lips turned down into a pout.

“What do you mean.” He looks into her eyes and she shrugs.

“I don’t know, just a bad feeling.”

—–

Sabrina walks in to the bar, an hour earlier than she’s supposed to. Jughead had still been at home, wrapped in the sheets with his girlfriend. With purpose she walks to the girl behind the bar, taking a seat.

“So!” She folds her hands together, smirking at the young girl.

“I heard Jug likes you.”

“He’s with Betty.” She looks up, shaking her head.

“That possessive little thing? Don’t worry about her. They’re just fucking.” Sabrina leans back in her chair, arms crossed over her chest.

“He told me he was with her.”

“Jug says lots of things.” Sabrina plays it like she knows him, though she never really did.

“I say go for it. Whatever you do don’t give up. Jug loves a girl that doesn’t quit.” She hops off the stool, a sinister smiling curling on her lips.

—–

“Hey-” The girl makes her way behind him as he wipes down the bar, her hands wrapping around to his front.

“What’re you doing?” He turns around, pushing her back by her shoulders, watching as she tries to move her hands to his belt.

“Get the fuck off of me.”

“You know I have a girlfriend right?” He moves to the side, looking at her, her face twisting in confusion.

“I don’t understand, Sabrina said-”

“Sabrina said?” His blood immediately boils.

—–

“Sabrina!” He picks up a glass from the table as she walks in through the bar door. He throws it next to her head, letting it shatter into a million pieces as she quickly jumps out of the way.

“What the fuck are you doing?” She yells, hand over her chest.

“Fuck out of my business you fucking-”

“Wow, calm down. I’m having a little fun.” She puts her hands up in surrender, jumping as the door opens behind her, Betty storming in. Her hair was failing in curls around her face, skirt and one of his t-shirts on, her face red with anger.

“You! You-Oh I’m gonna fucking scratch your little eyes out you fucking piece of-” Jughead is at her side before she has the chance, pulling her back by both of her arms.

“Baby,-” He whispers in her ear, trying to calm her down, but damn, is she strong when she needs to be.

“Oh god, you got yourself a crazy one.” Sabrina’s lips curve into a smile, and Betty tries to lunge at her.

“Crazy? I’m crazy, you better-”

“Im having some fun, Jeez. I put a pebble in your path and you cracked your tiny little skull on it. Get over yourself.” She spits, nodding her head in Betty’s direction.

“Fuck you!” She screams, trying to pull forward, but Jughead holds her in place. He knew if he’d let go she would fucking hurt her, badly.

“No need, Jug’s already done the job. Many times, remember Juggie?” Sabrina smiles and that’s when he loses it, letting Betty go.

“Knock her out Betts.” She lunges forward, her fist slamming into Sabrina’s jaw.

“You crazy bitch.” Sabrina spits blood, holding her jaw as Betty steps back, locking her fingers with Jughead’s.

“Get the fuck out of my town.” Betty looks over her one more time before pulling her boyfriend out the door.

#bughead smut #bughead fanfiction

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