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fairest · 5 months

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Killing Child at Zoo

There’s little hope. Although I heard Eileen Myles writes a big novel. I often return to them in moments of world fury. In the opening essay from The Importance of Being Iceland, Myles talks about how music can “circulate melancholy” more effectively than writing. When I was 25, Jeff Tweedy told me I wanted

a good life with a nose for things fresh wind and bright sky to enjoy my suffering

so that’s what I aimed for. And that’s what I got.

I keep seeing religious people. The Amish on a casino bus. The Sunday suits in the Naf Naf Grill. A man stops me outside Buffalo Exchange and asks, “are you Jewish?” I used to think, I’m only culturally Jewish? Now I think, I’m Jewish ungenosideickally?? There’s this billboard on I-55 that says, Cultural Jews got sent to the gas chambers, too. La-dee-da.

Outside the police station, a huddle of migrants. Casualties of Operation Lone Star. The older kids compare scooters, the babies wear candy cane jammies a month early. The parishioners cook the food. The lines get longer. The mayor has to do something. With good works, without weapons, Chicago fights the war brought to us by Catholic Charities of San Antonio.

A tart espresso from a suburban coffee bar. The Persian and/or Israeli girls I lusted over in the Best Buy walk out with a TV on a dolly. I stood behind Chromebooks to get a better view of their outstretched necks, gold earrings, furry purses, the heavy sweats tucked into Uggs. The daughters of Zion are haughty, the prophet Isaiah wrote, and the Lord will discover their secret parts. The scribes probably got hard every time they recopied those words. I know I do.

Out here in Niles, all is mall. I could start 200,000 wars. The local businesses shed hours, raise prices, clean Uggs. The diner says OPEN on its curbside sign, as if to remind customers and also the staff. Niles reminds me of “Hot Rotten Grass Smell,” the opening track on Wednesday’s Rat Saw God, and this Hopperesque lyric of Karly Hartzman’s:

neon sign at the nail salon turned off and the streetlights turned on.

I get back in the car singing a different song. The song that drove her crazy in 8th grade.

At the playground, I’m thinking about Billy Woods and his kid, the last verse on Maps. Woods sings, of his child, “Anything at all could happen to him.” There’s another Woods verse, in this warm vein, on the new Armand Hammer:

I write when my baby's asleep I sit in the room in the dark I listen to him breathe I walk 'em to school, then the park Hold they little hands when we cross the street I think about my brothers that's long gone and this was all they ever dreamed People I lost to COVID-19 but it ain't do a thing to the fiends.

I chat with a Dad whose wife is boring, and he’s also boring, and I don’t remember their names but I remember his wife’s extreme bob. What did the children do before they had these leaves to roll around in? I’m only good with the names of people I love. One day I’ll forget those, too. If I learned how to pronounce Fyodor Dostoevsky, I can learn how to pronounce…

In Washington D.C., residents are stealing toilet paper. This is the closest drugstore to the Catholic University of America, where this week, at the Novitate conference, intellectuals fulfill their contractual desire to discuss René Girard. The bill says, We Buy Diabetic Test Strips, the title of the new Armand Hammer. I wonder if any of the Novitate participants will end up at this black CVS and scurry back to the white light of Catholic University plenaries, to speak coldly about desire.

Our D.C. hosts, like most petite Romans we know, work for the bomb makers. They tell us this neighborhood is killing trees to build townhouses that start in the low $800s. The death of the trees fucks with the runoff from the storms, Kate says, giving us grape leaves, and the storms worsen every year. Kate’s into trees. Her cheeks the color of the Japanese maples that stretch over our courtyards back home. Because of the Israel-Hamas war, Kate isn’t quite speaking to her parents. Or her sisters. Or maybe even herself. Betsy and Kate met on Birthright. I like to think they kissed the same Egyptian dragster.

In the Naf Naf Grill, Diana tells me all the “stuff in the Middle East” made her want to watch Schindler’s List. The “stuff in the Middle East,” I say, picking sumac onions out of my falafel bowl, makes me want to watch Lars von Trier’s Nymphomaniac. Particularly the scene when Charlotte Gainsbourg wraps herself in Saran to stop masturbating. When I see Netanyahu, well, at first, he looks exactly like Putin. At first, he looks like Patrick Bateman, when he kills the child at the zoo, because Bateman, like Netanyahu, is “unable to maintain a credible public persona.” At first, he looks like Charlotte Gainsbourg masturbating herself out of plastic. At first, he looks like Yul Brynner’s hardened heart. At first, he looks like the toilet paper when it’s still got a little bit of shit on it. At first, he looks like Biden’s unwaxed floss with little bits of hot dog in it. I watch The Godfather. Find a shrink-wrapped copy at Rattleback Records, the Coppola restoration. Biden and his cronies are like Don Zaluchi in the meeting of the five families. They want to “control war as a business. Keep it respectable. We would keep the [drug] traffic,” Zaluchi says, “in the dark people, the coloreds. They're animals anyway, so let them lose their souls.”

A date with Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour. I photograph Betsy and Leo in front of a spray of pink and purple balloons. I say, three separate drink cups. I say, the popcorn already has butter on it. I’m cold because I’m still sick. Unproductive coughs.

In the theater, Leo whispers in my ear, “Is Taylor Swift still alive?” How easy it would be to take my child’s life. How quickly he would disappear. Taylor Swift, though, will not disappear. Then again she’s a woman. Anything could happen to her. She’s one of Bob Dylan’s “six-time losers” hanging around Matthew Gasda’s theater. She’s Gasda’s “Big five novelist with a forthcoming debut (typically less daring than her conversation).” Or, as Swift herself puts that, “the jokes weren’t funny I took the money.” Even at this late date, running across the stage. A goddess of forms and surfaces. Like the star in Ariana Reines’s poem, “Mistral”:

Don’t you see That between the people who want To be machines and the machines That want to be people women Are still, still at this late date Running?

On the plane back from D.C., I’ll read Sam Kriss’s laborious (in the sense of, “requiring considerable effort and time”) article about René Girard. I like to read Harper’s on planes because the altitude makes me dumb. I’m a frequent flyer. I’m a lifelong subscriber.

To Harper’s, Christian Lorentzen posts a letter from Rome. He informs us, “Nothing matters.” Another Catskills Gaza one-liner. On the ground, I read his pitchy (in the Myles sense that “writing for pay is a little ‘pitchy’”) piece on Don DeLillo. The Bookforum pages, soaked in Canh Chua Tom broth, lay flat on our kitchen island. What is the systems novel? Is it polytheism? “The war over the appropriation of Jerusalem is today’s world war,” wrote the prophet Derrida. “It is taking place everywhere, it is the world, it is the singular figure of the world’s ‘out of joint’-ness today. The three messianic religions embroiled in rivalry are directly or indirectly mobilizing all the powers in the world and the entire world order for the ruthless war they are waging against one another.” Leo sees the picture of Don DeLillo in a pink button-down and asks, “Daddy, is that’s you?”

In the intro to Pathetic Literature, Myles writes that art is something with “secondary meaning.” We locate that meaning at the National Gallery, when I open the roof patio door and Betsy spots Katharina Fritsch’s Hahn/Cock. How could she miss this ginormous blue chicken. It reminds her of her father, who died suddenly. She breaks down for what feels like an hour. Enough time for me to run out of cold breath making sure Leo doesn’t break anything by Robert Indiana. Katharina Fritsch couldn’t have known her chicken would offer my wife the release she’d been searching for all morning. In the art game, you can’t distribute “secondary meaning” evenly, and every player rolls for broke.

Walking in Bowmanville, at an unemployed hour of afternoon, the child’s dress reminds me of some modern wing painter. The blues could be Kandinsky, the powdery reds Belle and Sebastian. The child gathers orange and gold leaves in a silver kitchen colander. The grandmother says, “Hello.” The thought enters my head that I can steal this child, murder this grandmother, kill the child, too, bury it by the Metra tracks. Nobody’ll find me. Circulate melancholy. It’s genre fiction baby killers get caught.

“Killing Child at Zoo” comes later in American Psycho. Patrick Bateman, “unable to maintain a credible public persona,” is sleeping in “twenty-minute intervals” after eating one of his impossible foods, a salad with “foie gras vinegar.” He heads to the Central Park zoo. The surrounding buildings, like Trump Plaza and the AT&T building, “heighten its unnaturalness.” After calling a bathroom attendant the n-word, Bateman sees a mother breastfeeding, which “awakens something awful in me.”

He perks up when he spots the child. Offers him a cookie. “But before the child can answer, my sudden lack of care crests into a massive wave of fury and I pull the knife out of my pocket and I stab him quickly, in the neck.” When the child’s mother, “homely, Jewish-looking, overweight,” finds her dying son, she makes a sound Bateman, if not Ellis, “cannot describe,” and this monotheistic sound is the sound in my head as I spare the grandmother and child.

Bateman reasons it away, typical for him, in one of American Psycho’s Victorian moments of accountability.

Though I am satisfied at first by my actions, I’m suddenly jolted with a mournful despair at how useless, how extraordinarily painless, it is to take a child’s life. This thing before me, small and twisted and bloody, has no real history, no worthwhile past, nothing is really lost. It’s so much worse (and more pleasurable) taking the life of someone who has hit his or her prime, who has the beginnings of a full history, a spouse, a network of friends, a career, whose death will upset far more people whose capacity for grief is limitless than a child’s would, perhaps ruin many more lives than just the meaningless, puny death of this boy.

In The Missing of the Somme, Geoff Dyer and chums do a car tour of the Western Front. They eat. Drink. Make jokes about Wilfred Owen poems. It rains. It’s cold. In Ypres, they stay in an “expensive cheap hotel” with “towels the size of napkins, burn marks on the dresser.” Dyer quotes the writer Stephen Graham, writing about the post-war Ypres of the 1920s, when “death and the ruins completely outweighed the living. It is easy to imagine someone who had no insoluble ties killing himself here, drawn to the lodestone of death. There is a pull from the other world, a drag on the heart and spirit.”

I could kill myself in Gaza. Are there reasonable flights? At first, Netanyahu kills comedy, like Kramer saying the n-word umpteen times. There were many words that you could not stand to hear,” Hemingway wrote of World War I, “and finally only the names of places had dignity.” To native English speakers, who rarely suffer but protest much, Gaza is a graffiti-sounding word, like Even or Once or demise stylized as Dmise. I saw Dmise above a Chinatown garbage can. At least we can pronounce Gaza, unlike Ypres.

No matter what Leo hits, I let him run the bases, get his home run. Then I get my chance at bat. But when I run around the bases, Leo just stands at 3rd base, waiting for me to come home. Before I can, he tags me out.

“I think my strategy is better than yours,” he says on the walk home. This is the first time I hear him use the word strategy and one of my thoughts is, post your child’s revelations online, like Don DeLillo wearing his pink shirt.

I press Leo on his strategy. “Well, Daddy, your strategy is just, chase me. But you never catch up. My strategy is, stand and wait to get you out. My strategy is better than yours.” So my child does understand war.

Suddenly Zionist friends who moved to Townhouse, California. When will the suffering cease? The husband and I saw Father John Misty once. When Misty sang “Total Entertainment Forever,” which begins

bedding Taylor Swift every night inside the Oculus Rift after mister and the missus finish dinner and the dishes,

in Milwaukee, I felt the absence of the horns that play on the studio album. My friend didn’t. Not all of us circulate the same melancholy. Still, I miss him. I miss those abandoned futures.

#israel #Gaza #American Psycho #Bret Easton Ellis #Taylor Swift #Stuart Ross #OG #2023 #Ron Mueck

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petslike79 · 2 years

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Choosing a Reflective Collar For Dogs Price

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They increase the risk of an accident

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#ReflectiveCollarForDog #DogReflectivecollar

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best-solar-lights · 2 years

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https://bestsolarlights.org/solar-powered-street-lights-price/

The 19 Best Solar Powered Street Lights Price [2022 Review] – Bestseller

#solar #streetlight

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redorich · 3 years

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do ren and mumbo have an instinctual rivalry due to being a werewolf and vampire, respectedly? or do they just act like it every now and then as a funny bit?

Tonight's the night. The sky is still aglow with the watercolors of sunset, but the streetlights at the fairgrounds are beginning to light up, one by one. It's the perfect view to start the-- fair, not festival.

"Wow, this is the most horrifying petting zoo I've ever seen," Hbomb says admiringly.

Cleo preens, flipping her hair as Hbomb takes in the armor stand children being eaten by various armor stand animals as well as the actual petting zoo animals, most of which are hostile.

"What can I say? I've outdone myself, as usual, in the name of creeping other people out," Cleo says smugly. A skeleton named Baby in the Horrors of Mankind petting corral shoots at Joe, who yelps.

"Howdy, H!" Joe greets as he is pummelled by a zoglin. "Wanna pet the animals? Admission's free!"

"Sure!" says Hbomb, who has had a week or two to get used to the fact that death is no longer permanent. He enters the Creatures of the Night exhibit and is immediately slaughtered by five phantoms.

Tubbo laughs at Hbomb's death as he rides past on the back of Ren in his gigantic wolf form. He and Michael were delighted to see the world from a higher vantage point than Ranboo for a change, all for the low low price of head pats for the giant dog.

Meanwhile, Scar and Bdubs avidly scam anyone and everyone out of their money. Everyone who walks by their stand is roped into playing a game, trying to win a stuffed animal, but because Bdubs is the best redstoner ever, the players keep winning so it's not much of a scam at all.

When Techno comes across Etho's stall where he sells golden apples, of course Techno has to but one for himself and another for Philza. They turn out to be regular honeyed apples, to Techno's disgust, but Philza laughs and buys a caramel apple as well.

Zedaph also buys a caramel apple-- two, in fact. The first he swallows whole just to annoy Impulse, but the second he eats like a normal human being. Impulse sighs, but drags Zedaph along with Tango to try out the awesome, ridiculously complex redstone roller coaster that he built in one day. On their way there, they pass Grian's funhouse, done up to the nines with creepy circus music and a ringleader costume.

"Hey, Impulse!" Grian says cheerfully. "Your roller coaster is pretty cool... But mine's better!"

Impulse raises an eyebrow, knowing damn well that Grian's not going to be able to top a redstone masterpiece. "Where is it, then?"

Grian's smile becomes fixed in place as he rifles through his inventory for a couple spare rails. He quickly places them on the ground in a circle, then sets down a crafting table to craft a minecart.

"This is your epic ride?" Tango asks skeptically, but gets in the minecart nonetheless.

Grian gives him a little push, and the minecart goes around in a circle a couple times before running out of momentum.

"Yeah, that looks way better than Impulse's ride," Zedaph says earnestly, then dodges as Impulse tries to swat him.

Not all the attractions are dogwater, though; after Cub and Puffy pick up some snacks at Eret's adorable cottagecore food stand, they ride a massive Ferris wheel made by Sam. Unfortunately, Sapnap lights something on fire which damages the redstone, and the wheel stops turning.

"Puffy, we're going to miss the Lil Nas X concert," Cub says urgently. Without an elytra, he can't see a way down that doesn't end in respawn, and he forgot to set his spawn nearby.

"Don't worry," Puffy says, wearing shades at night. "I've got this."

She scoops Cub into her arms and parkours down the side of the Ferris wheel, impressing the hell out of Cub and getting to the concert right on time to watch Lil Nas X perform his heart out as he sings Montero. Next to the two, Ranboo carries Michael on his shoulders so he can see the performance. Tubbo brings them snacks from Eret's stand.

Everything is right in the world.

...And then Grian sets up a huge fighting ring and charges admission to see Mumbo the vampire and Ren the werewolf duke it out. They are so bad at it. It's a glorified slap fight. It doesn't end until Michael is let into the ring to "slay" them both. He stands atop their "corpses" and basks in the audience's applause.

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dulightfze · 3 months

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bobohu4eva · 3 years

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Pink Lace - Bonus

Characters: Baekhyun x Reader

Genre: College AU, stripper AU, fluff, smut

Summary: Baekhyun decides to surprise you with an expensive new dress, so you make sure to give him his money’s worth

Word count: 4.7k

Warnings: smut - slight sugar daddy themes, sex with no condom, aftercare, it’s pretty fluffy tbh

Tag list: @smolbeanmika @leave-me-in-the-summertime @totallynerdstuff @bbhmystar @nana-banana @kimyhappy @thegreatandi @geniusloey @deligxt @bbhyun506 @lovebuginlove @bellamendoza @baekyeonoreo @bobohumyonlyboo @wooya1224 @strawbaeri-s @xiuweetbbh @bbhile

Masterlist

“Oh my god, that is gorgeous.”

“You want it? I’ll buy it for you, as an early Christmas gift, and to celebrate the semester ending and me not losing my job.” Baekhyun said as he smiled down at you, one hand snugly laced through your own as the two of you strolled down the street, window shopping. You had stopped in front of a display for a particularly beautiful dress.

“Don’t be ridiculous, it’s way too expensive.” It was true, it was expensive. Baekhyun lived quite close to a high end shopping neighborhood with lots of fancy restaurants and designer outlets, where the two of you could now finally walk around in the open for the first time, since the semester had ended just a day earlier.

Baekhyun raised an eyebrow, “How many times do I have to remind you, money is not a problem.”

“No I know, I just feel bad, that’s still a lot of money, at least to me.”

As you said it you kept staring at the dress. It was perfect. You also knew it must cost at least as much as a month of your rent (which Baekhyun also paid) judging by the store window it was in.

“The way you’re staring at it is just making me want to buy it for you more you know.”

With that you pouted and turned around, away from the window and pulled him away with you.

He chuckled, but looked back, making a mental note of the exact dress and store.

It was lovely, finally being able to go out together like this. So far, most times when you and Baekhyun would see each other it would be at his home, where you would sometimes stay for days at a time even. It was nice, but actually being able to go out and eat at a restaurant together, or go on a walk, was new and felt amazing.

To celebrate not getting caught dating while you were still his student, he’d taken you out on a nice dinner at a small Italian restaurant with only two tables, where you’d been served at least 5 different courses, each more amazing than the last. The wine had been amazing as well, leaving the two of you giggling in each other's arms as you slowly walked back towards his home.

“This is nice.” You hummed as you leaned your head against his shoulder, closing your eyes and letting him pull you along.

“Going out like this?”

You nodded slowly into his shoulder, feeling the soft haze of the wine and the soft glow of the streetlights soothing your senses, along with Baekhyun’s touch. It was surprising to you how openly affectionate he’d been, always needing to touch you somehow, whether it was a hand on your waist, or holding your own. He liked to press soft kisses to your cheeks and forehead as well, not caring at all who might see. You never stopped him either, relishing in the feeling of finally being able to do this without having to worry about getting him in trouble.

“I like it too, I can finally show the world that you’re mine.”

You let out a small laugh and the two of you kept walking until you once again reached his home. He gave you one of his hoodies to change into before the two of you fell into bed together, limbs tangling together until you both dozed off.

Things had become incredibly comfortable with him. You truly felt like you could tell him anything, and any time you were struggling he always gave you the best advice, unsurprising considering his job. Being around him was so easy, and even after spending days on end together, you wouldn’t get sick of him. He was like a second home to you, warm and reliable.

You always fell asleep quickly when he was there with you, and you knew he slept better when you were there too. He bestowed you with a sense of coziness and repose that you’d never experienced with a man before, and you knew that your presence brought him great comfort as well. Even on nights like this one when you wouldn’t have sex, just holding each other was more than enough.

The sex had only gotten better as well. Baekhyun had already far outdone the few men you’d been with in the past in his first night with you, but the more he got to know your body the better it got even. He had every inch of you memorized and knew exactly where to touch you, how to touch you, and what to say while he did it to make you feel like you were losing control, but in the best of ways. You simply let him take you along for the ride as he commanded your body as if it was an extension of himself, and it was euphoric.

The next morning Baekhyun drove you back home since you had some errands you needed to take care of. You went about your day, and in the afternoon when you finally returned home and walked into your room you saw an unfamiliar box sitting on your bed.

You opened it to find that inside was the dress from the night before that you’d seen and fallen in love with in the store window.

A small gasp left you. He’d seriously gone and bought it. Up until now you had only let him pay your rent and buy you food. It was a first to be receiving such an expensive gift from him since you’d started dating and despite how much you loved the dress you still couldn’t help feeling guilty.

You snapped a picture and texted it to him followed by several question marks.

Baekhyun: (4:37pm) Don’t try it on until I can see too!

You dialed his number and to your relief he picked up right away.

“Baekhyun I can’t accept this, you have to bring it back.”

“I thought you might say that so I got rid of the receipt. It’s yours, you really seemed to like it and I do too so bought it because I wanted to see you in it and I knew you’d like it. And you told me gifts were okay!”

You sighed. You technically had said that.

“Okay, but I’m impatient I wanna try it on already.”

“I’ll be there in ten.”

He hung up before you could respond, so you made yourself comfortable on the couch in the living room as you waited for him.

Eventually you heard a knock on the door and opened it to see your boyfriend looking back at you with an excited look on his face.

The dress was nothing modest. It was short and tight, hugging your body in all the right ways and the silky fabric shimmered beautifully. The color complimented your skin tone perfectly and as you looked at yourself in the mirror, smoothing down the fabric, you had to admit, you loved it on you. It fit surprisingly well and showed off your assets wonderfully. There was no doubt in your mind that as soon as Baekhyun would see you, he wouldn’t be able to keep his hands off you. You were starting to understand more and more why he’d been so keen on seeing you in it, despite the price tag.

You sat yourself on your bed, crossing your legs and leaning back, before calling for him to come in.

When he walked into the room he was silent for a good long moment as his eyes ran up and down your body, before walking closer to where you were seated to pull you up off the bed.

“Do a spin for me?”

You happily obliged, slowly turning to give him the view he was looking for. Once you were facing him again you couldn’t help but blush with the way he was looking at you, a wide grin on his face and his bottom lip caught between his teeth.

“Worth every penny.” You heard him say softly. “So fucking pretty.”

“How much was it?”

You still felt guilty. It was beautiful, and it was clear to you how happy he was to see you wearing it but in the back of your mind, you couldn’t help asking yourself how much it had really cost him, if it was really worth whatever ridiculous number it might’ve been, just for some fabric that you’d likely only wear a few times anyway.

“Don’t worry about that.” He murmured as his hand made its way from your shoulder, down your arm, eventually resting on your waist. His eyes had moved up from your body to scan over your face as you looked back at him.

Despite his constant reassurance, money was still a subject that made you a bit uncomfortable. You’d never had a lot of it growing up and things like designer clothes always seemed too outrageously priced to even consider buying. To spend that amount of money on something so non-essential was still crazy to you, and the fact that he did it so casually for you felt foreign no matter how much you tried to rationalize it. You just couldn’t help the guilt that pulled at your heartstrings.

“You look so beautiful, why does your face still look sad? Do you not like it anymore?” He said, voice full of concern. His slender fingers found your chin, tilting it back up to look at him after your eyes had drifted down to the floor.

You shook your head. Of course you loved it, it was gorgeous and fit you perfectly. Hell, it was probably the nicest thing you’d ever seen yourself in. It was your guilt that had you fidgeting and averting his gaze.

“It’s just a lot of money, I’ve never owned something like this and I can’t help feeling like it’s too much, I’m sorry. It is beautiful though, even more so than I remember.”

“All that matters to me now, is that you like it. I already bought it, that can’t be undone, and I wouldn’t want it to be anyway. As long as I get to see my beautiful girlfriend smiling looking this pretty, I’m happy.”

He was doing it again. He was looking at you with that smile that could break through every layer of your soul and warm you from the inside no matter how down you might be. The amount of love and affection in his eyes brought a small smile to your lips that you couldn’t fight even if you tried.

“You know I love you, right?” He said as his smile widened in response to your own.

You nodded, “And I love you too.”

He pulled you in for a kiss and you easily let him. He’d gotten to know you even better and always knew what to do or say to relieve whatever worries it might be that you were having. The way he spoke was full of maturity and understanding and he was attentive when it came to your emotions as well, being able to read you exceptionally well. Sometimes he’d figure out what you were feeling before you even truly understood your own emotions. He knew both your body and mind like the back of his hand.

“I wish I could at least repay you somehow.” You whispered as you pulled back from his lips.

He raised an eyebrow and took a step back so his eyes could roam across your body again. “I can think of a few ways...”

You quickly caught on to what he was saying. If you couldn’t already see it on his face, his hand made it crystal clear when it reached up and rested on your chest, thumb running over the bare skin of your cleavage.

It was funny to you that after he’d been so adamant about not being your sugar daddy or anything like that, here you were, in an expensive dress he’d bought, with him asking for sex as a form of repayment. A few months earlier you never would’ve allowed this to happen, but after having spent more time together and knowing how pure his intentions were you couldn’t find it in yourself to really care.

Finally you decided that if he wanted to buy you pretty dresses, just to be able to take them off of you, you’d let him. He looked like he was on cloud 9 as he pulled you closer, keeping one hand on your chest as the other rested over your ass. There was no way in hell you would deny him this.

“You want to take it off me?”

He nodded, “Not yet, though, you look too good like this.”

When he sat down on the edge of your bed with his legs spread and pulled his belt off, you knew what he had in mind. You positioned yourself between his legs and sat on your knees, so you were on eye level with where you knew he wanted you. As you started to work on the button of his jeans, you could feel how hard he already was.

Again and again it surprised you how easily you could turn him on. You thought that because he was a bit older than most guys you’d dated that his sex drive would be lower, but that was definitely not the case. It was higher than yours, but you didn’t mind since he was good at getting you in the mood even when you were tired or stressed. It would happen regularly that he would wake you up during some ungodly hour of the night with a boner digging into your ass. He simply insisted that it was your fault and that he couldn’t help himself. As horny as he was, nine times out of ten you would gladly allow him to have you too. Especially when he was so good at pleasuring you.

Once you were able to get a hand into the waistband of his jeans, you palmed him through his underwear and he let out a groan as he leaned back on the bed.

“You like the dress this much?” You asked with a smirk and reached into his boxers, wrapping your hand around his already very hard dick.

“Yes” he sighed, eyes closed, lips slightly parted, as he leaned back in his elbows before opening his eyes again to look at you. “Fuck.”

Once you freed him from the confines of his boxers you leaned in to place an open mouthed kiss on his tip, licking up the pre cum that had started to gather.

“Don’t tease.” He groaned and your eyes looked up to meet with his, giving you a good look at his already very blissed-out expression.

When you finally slid him all the way into your mouth you noticed his head fall back and heard the delightful moan that slipped from his lips.

You always appreciated how vocal he was in bed. Whether it was dirty talk, cursing, moaning, or a combination of the three, he was usually making some sort of noise. You hadn’t come across a guy like that before and getting to hear his reactions to you was always a confidence boost. As much as he was able to get you riled up, you could get him just as weak for you as well. To hear him panting and moaning due to your actions turned you on more that you’d admit as well.

With his moans egging you on you started to bob your head up and down, feeling how he’d hit the back of your throat with every movement. When you looked up at his face you found his lip caught between his teeth, and beads of sweat rolling down his temples.

A strand of hair fell in your face and once he opened his eyes to see he moved one hand to gently gather your hair to hold it back.

“God, you look so good like this. So perfect. Feels so fucking good.”

You knew how weak it made him to see you like this, with your lips wrapped around him. He moved your mouth almost as much as he loved your pussy. Almost.

His grip on your hair tightened and he pulled your mouth off of him.

“Stand up for me.”

You did as he asked and stood back up between his legs. He sat up and his hands found your waist, running up and down the sides of the dress before reaching around back to find the zipper.

He slowly pulled it all the way down and you let the dress slip off you, pooling at your feet leaving you in only your underwear since it wasn’t convenient to wear a bra with.

You didn’t think it was possible for you to ever get used to the way he looked at your body. Ever since you’d met him at the club he always had a special way of looking at you. The way his eyes sparked when they met your bare skin was unlike anything you’d experienced with another man. The more you’d gotten used to sleeping with him, the more impossible it became to be shy with him when he looked at you like that.

You bit your lip to try to conceal your smile when he pulled his shirt over his head, showing you his smooth, toned torso. Although he wasn’t particularly large or muscular, he was slender with just the right amount of definition to still make your mouth water.

Before you could react his arm was hooked around your waist and he pulled you down on top of him. You let out a surprised squeal which he muffled with a kiss and next thing you knew you were being rolled onto your back as he laid himself between your legs.

You felt the fabric of his jeans against your thighs and decided they needed to go. As much as you loved sex with him he could be quite impatient, often only shoving his pants down just enough to be able to fill you, not wanting to bother with taking them all the way off.

luckily for you, today when you tugged at the fabric and let out a whine and he got the idea, rolling off you to pull them off leaving him completely bare.

He quickly found his way back between your spread legs, this time with his tip nudging at the wet spot on your underwear.

"Please" You begged, not exactly sure what you were asking for, just needing something to relieve the fire that was burning in the pit of your stomach.

"Please what?" He asked, moving a hand downwards to feel the soaked fabric with his fingers.

Instead of answering his question you let out a slur of incomprehensible curses and pleas when his finger started to rub over your clit through the soaked fabric.

“I’m gonna have to start buying you new underwear too if you keep ruining them like this.” He said as he smirked, relishing just how turned on he had you.

“Take them off already.” You finally breathed out between moans, but he was enjoying himself too much to give in so easily.

“Hmm, I wonder just how wet I can make you.”

You let out another whine when he still didn’t give you what you wanted, still only touching you through the wet fabric, but now with more pressure. One hand made its way to your chest, kneading and pinching at the sensitive flesh as his mouth covered the other side, sucking purple marks onto the soft skin before finally taking your sensitive bud between his lips.

You could feel even more moisture pooling beneath the fabric, making it even wetter and you knew he could feel it too. The wet spot was growing and you so desperately wanted him to finally take it off of you to touch you for real.

Eventually Baekhyun became too impatient himself and stopped fighting the urge, pulling the soaked fabric aside to run a finger through your folds, feeling the moisture on his fingertips.

“Completely soaked.” He whispered before pulling your last remaining pieces of clothing off your body and spreading your thighs for him to see what was waiting for him between them.

When his thumb ran over your clit he could see you clench and unclench, making more liquid drip out of you.

“God your pussy is so perfect. Always so tight as so wet. So fucking good for me.”

“Baekhyun please.” You begged, reaching for his dick to try and speed things up, but he was having a great time seeing you become more and more desperate for him and didn’t want it to stop quite yet.

Instead of giving you what he wanted, he moved back over you, kissing your neck as his hand got to work on your clit.

He’d gotten to know your body so well, it took less than a minute before you were shaking and crying out his name as your orgasm came over you.

Baekhyun had grown very fond of this arrangement. After a few weeks together he’d began insisting on making you come at least once before fucking you, since he said it made you even tighter and wetter, and he liked to see your face while it happened. Usually you appreciated it, but on days like today when he would tease you so ruthlessly you almost wished he would just get on with it and fill you. However you also knew that after being deprived for so long, it would feel even better once he finally did give you his dick.

Once your breathing slowly started to even out again and you were no longer shaking, you felt his tip slip between your soaked folds, bumping against your clit. Your hands tangled themselves into his soft hair, bringing his face down to yours for a kiss.

He pulled away, trailing kisses down the side of your neck before whispering in your ear, “Turn around for me, sweetheart.”

You did as you were told and arched your back, sticking your ass up in the air for him.

With one knee planted on either side of your hips he pulled your ass up and into position. Before leaning over you, sucking a ‪mark onto the skin of your shoulder before sinking himself into you with one smooth thrust.

You gasped and buried your head into the pillow beneath you to muffle the lewd moans that were tumbling from your lips, but he quickly wrapped a hand around your neck to pull your face out of the sheets.

“Don’t try to hide those beautiful sounds from me baby.”

He slowly pulled himself out of you, only to fully sheath himself back inside, setting a brutal pace.

After a few moments of going on like that, he decided he wanted more. An arm was wrapping itself around your waist once again, this time bringing you upright so he could snake an arm around to squeeze your breasts as well while he kept drilling in and out of you.

His teeth dug into the side of your neck, sucking and biting at the skin there before moving to your earlobe.

The feeling was completely overwhelming, as usual. Once he was inside you, there was no more rational thought, the only thing filling your head being your own pleasure and the sound of your combined moans and curses as they echoed throughout the room.

He took your body and commanded it in a way that left you little more than a weak, desperate, panting mess, completely at his disposal. When you were wrapped around him, you belonged to him completely, and trusted him to do whatever he wanted with you.

When his other hand moved between your legs to flick at your sensitive bud once again, you knew you were close to falling apart. The feeling of his dick rubbing against your walls so perfectly, his hand on your chest, and the other between your legs, was too much. You were quickly unraveling again, this time with much more intensity than the first. Only now, even when you were quivering and moaning and clearly overly sensitive, he didn’t stop.

“You can give me one more, come on baby. You can do it.”

His hips started snapping up into you with even greater force as his hand sped up too. If it hadn’t been for the arm tightly wrapped around you, holding you against him, you definitely would’ve collapsed by now.

“T-too much.” You cried out, but he knew not to listen. Unless you spoke your agreed upon safe word, he knew you’d be able to take it.

You could feel the sweat making your back stick to his chest, and the hand that had been on your chest was now too occupied with keeping you upright, since he knew there was no way you could stay upright on your own. His thrusts only picked up in speed and force but they were growing inconsistent as well, a sign that he was close.

“God, fuck.” He breathed into your ear, because of how tightly you were squeezing around him due to your over sensitivity. “You feel so good like this. Let me feel you, one more time.”

And after a few more hard thrusts you gave him what he wanted, going completely limp in his arms as he pushed into you a couple more times before reaching his own peak too.

Your mind went completely blank and vision went white as the last orgasm hit you like a bus, leaving you moaning incoherent curses combined with his name. To your relief you felt his warm cum fill you only seconds later, with a broken cry that sounded somewhat like your name leaving his lips as it happened.

Your mind was still empty when the arm around your torso let go, and you fell forward onto the bed. There was no strength left in your body, completely spent after all he’d done to you. You were slowly becoming aware of the layer of sweat that covered your body, as well as the sticky mess that coated your inner thighs, but you didn’t have the energy to care, you just closed your eyes and let the warm fuzzy feeling sweep over your brain in the usual post-orgasmic haze. Only this time, it was even more intense than usual from how many times he’d pushed you over that edge.

“Baby, you can’t fall asleep it’s not even 7 yet.” You heard Baekhyun whisper softly from somewhere above you, but you didn’t respond, mind still too hazy to form words.

Instead of bothering you any further, Baekhyun simply started to rub your back the way he had on your first night together, causing you to hum at the pleasant feeling of his hands working the sore muscles.

After a few minutes of enjoying the little massage he was giving you, you felt him lean over you to speak into your ear.

“I love you.” He whispered before pressing a soft kiss to the nape of your neck.

“Hmmm, I love you too.” You mumbled, finally getting some words to leave your tired body. But those were easy words, ones you didn’t need to think too hard about since they flowed off of your lips so naturally when you were with him.

“Come on baby, let’s get you cleaned up.” He spoke softly before grabbing one of your shoulders and turning you onto your back. Your eyes remained closed when you felt him slip two arms beneath you, lifting you up off the bed. You let your head rest against his still damp chest as he carried you into your bathroom, turning on the water to let it heat up.

“Darling, can you stand for me?” He asked and you nodded. Slowly and carefully you felt him put you down, and you wrapped both arms around his waist, leaning against his chest.

He chuckled and stroked your hair. “I really wore you out today, huh?”

You nodded again, and he pulled you into the shower with him to get the both of you clean.

As he carefully cleaned your tired body for you, a small smile spread across his lips.

He couldn’t help but think that the dress had been the best thing he’d bought in a while, and he couldn’t wait to buy you many, many, more.

#baekhyun #exo #baekhyun fluff #baekhyun smut #exo fluff #exo smut #baekhyun fanfic #exo fanfic #baekhyun fic #exo fic

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sushiburritonoms · 3 years

Text

@ofcoming4th requested from the AU fic list:

43: falling in love with their best friend’s partner au

There's many characters I can see cheating, but Din and Luke aren't two of them. So have soft pining and breakups instead.

They could all hear Bo screaming at the top of her lungs at Din in the parking lot next to the bar, even over the obnoxiously loud bar music. Thankfully it was loud enough so he didn’t hear the exact words, but the rage and shrill peaks of their argument still made their way over to Luke. He slumped further into his seat, cradling his right stump close to his chest, and did his best to pretend he heard nothing.

Wedge made no such effort. His boyfriend was leaning towards the slightly open window with Boba. “It’s the kid argument again,” Wedge said with a shake of his head. “Damn, Din, you gotta let that go.”

“He needs to dump the bitch,” Boba growled. “I’m sick of him putting up with this shit.”

“Agreed,” Cara said from her seat across from Luke. “It’s fine if Bo-Katan wants that child-free life, but don’t keep Mando from it if that’s what he wants.”

Fennec took another sip of beer. “How did this even come up? I thought we all agreed not to talk about crotch droppings and other domestic shit.” She had arrived late, just in time to see Bo-Katan drag Din out by his leather jacket.

“Crotch droppings,” Cara snorted. “Ha--good one.”

Boba pointed a finger at Luke. “Fucking Skywalker’s fault.”

Luke sighed. “All I said was that I was watching Ben this weekend.” He slumped further into his seat when he saw Wedge twitch at the mention of his nephew.

Ok, maybe it was his fault. Children were a sensitive topic for both Bo-Katan and Wedge and he’d already had a massive row with his boyfriend earlier about his agreement to watch Ben for the weekend. Luke knew better. But when Din had asked what his plans were he’d just let the words slip out of him. Truth was, he liked having Ben around. He couldn’t help it if Wedge was uninterested in playing Uncle to an (admittedly difficult) child.

More than that, it wasn’t fair to Luke. Leia and Han deserved a break from being parents once and a while and there was no one else his sister could turn to besides him and Chewie. Chewie was in Oaxaca for the month visiting his family, so that left Luke. He’d already arranged it so he would watch Ben at Han and Leia’s house, leaving Wedge alone in their apartment for the weekend. What more did his boyfriend want from him?

There was more shouting outside--this time it was Din’s voice. It must have been a bad one if Din was raising his voice enough for them to hear it.

“This is why I keep my gay ass out of the whole family conversation,” Cara sighed. “Kids are more trouble than they’re worth.”

“Kids are fine. Dealing with parents is the real nightmare,” Boba said, surprising them all with the seriousness in his voice.

“Kids are expensive, loud, needy, and too much work,” Wedge countered. He wasn’t looking at Luke but he felt tense all the same. “I can reason with adults more than I can with kids.”

“HA! You’re telling me you’d rather put up with Solo than his kid?” laughed Boba. “I’ll take Solo Jr any day.”

“I happen to like Han,” Wedge grumbled.

‘He really doesn’t’, Luke thought sadly. Han and Wedge were barely cordial these days. Maybe once, back when Luke and Wedge were still flying together in the same squadron, but now that Luke was out of the Air Force and living as a civilian things were strained between his family and Wedge.

Basically, everything about Luke’s life was wrong since his accident. Losing his hand turned out to be the easiest thing to adapt to because he’d had lots of physical support from his medical team, his liaison with the VA, and his family. Sure, his prosthetic wasn’t great, but he’d adapt, and now that he was out of the Force he could smoke his pain away. Nobody expected him to get a job right now and the inheritance from his mother was more than enough to scrape by.

What he hadn’t adapted to was the new strain in his relationship with his boyfriend. Wedge was still enlisted and could be redeployed at a moment’s notice. Their apartment on base meant that Luke was constantly surrounded by the life he’d been abruptly ripped from and it hurt to see men and women walk by in blues or to hear the screech of fighter jets constantly overhead. He felt like a damn military spouse, buying food at the commissary every Friday and getting sucked into random conversations about the rising price of beef. He knew that Wedge desperately wanted Luke to reconsider the Force’s offer to transfer him to the USAF Test Pilot School down at Edwards, but he had no interest in retraining for aerospace. He wasn’t smart enough for NASA or SpaceX either.

He wasn’t a hotshot anymore. Why was he still living like a parody of one?

Luke came back to himself when he felt Wedge squirm beside them. “I think they’re done,” he said quietly. Luke listened and sure enough, he heard nothing but country music belting from the bar’s stereos.

“Do you think he’s coming back?” asked Cara.

“The bitch better not,” Boba hissed.

“Maybe someone should go check to see if they’re gone?” Fennec suggested. “Otherwise we’re paying for their tab.” The table groaned.

“I’ll go,” Luke said as he stumbled to his feet. It was his fault Din was in this situation, to begin with. He looked to see if Wedge was going to argue but the other man was already focused on trying to badger someone to play darts with him.

That used to be their thing before Luke lost his throwing hand.

Fuck, his life was pathetic.

He marched out of the bar, dragging his jacket behind him. The cold autumn air hit him like a slap to the face as he stepped outside. The sun was gone and the only lights around were the bar and one sad streetlight several feet away from him. Luke squinted as his eyes adjusted to the darkness and he looked around for a familiar black leather jacket or blue dress. “Din? Bo?”

A flicker of light appeared at the edge of his vision and Luke turned to see Din lighting up a cig while leaning against the wall of the bar. “She’s gone.” There was no emotion, no heat, behind his words. The only thing illuminating Din was his lighter and it cast shadows that distorted his face, hiding his facial features like a mask. It was hard to see if he was truly upset by Bo-Katan’s absence or not.

“I’m so sorry. I knew better than to bring Ben up--”

“You did nothing wrong.” Din took a deep drag. “Don’t apologize.” Din leaned his head back and Luke could hear the soft thump as he hit the brick wall. “You wanna…” Din held up his cigarette carton and let his words trail off.

“Sure.” Luke struggled to pull on his jacket one-handed but Din waited patiently until he was covered. He let Luke pull out a cigarette before he put the carton back into his pocket and pulled out his silver zippo so he could light it for him.

Luke promised Leia he’d try to cut back, but every time he went out to a bar the cravings hit him like a tidal wave. There was something about being in a dark loud bar with friends that made him crazy for the first rush of nicotine in his system. As he took a long drag he almost moaned at the sensation of smoke curling up deep inside of him. It seeped out of his nose and dragged with it the minor aches and pains that he constantly lived with. That was probably why Din kept it up too. You could watch a tiny bit of your life pull away from you and curl up into the evening air.

They were silent for a good long while, just taking turns blowing smoke and listening to the raunchy laughter of the servicemen and women inside. If not for the ever-present awareness Luke had of his missing hand he could almost pretend this was a year ago, before his crash, when Din and Bo-Katan were having a good patch and contemplating marriage. When Wedge still looked at Luke like he wanted him and when he could just fly away from all his problems. Just him and the endless sky.

“She’s really gone,” Din said finally, breaking the silence and Luke’s self-pity. He flicked away the butt of his cig and turned to look at Luke. “It’s over.”

Fuck. Luke took one last greedy hit before he stomped the rest out with his shoe. “I’m so, so, sorry.”

“I’m not.” Luke could see Din’s eyes tracking him in the darkness, carefully watching his reaction. “We should have ended it a long time ago. I knew she was never going to change her mind about getting married and starting a family. That’s just not Kryze.”

Luke couldn’t imagine Bo-Katan as a mother either. He’d never wanted to frankly, and had never seen what Din saw in her. It wasn’t just because he was gay either. “She didn’t deserve you anyway.” On this, the entire friend group was in agreement. Din had lousy taste in women and men.

“Cliché, Skywalker,” Din teased him. “Are you gonna offer me some wine and chocolate next?”

“Nothing wrong with drinking wine,” Luke shot back. He had a bottle back ...home.

Home with Wedge. Luke’s face fell as soon as the thought crossed his mind.

“Hey.” Din nudged Luke with his shoulder. “You ok?”

“That’s supposed to be my line.”

Din shook his head. “You look like shit.”

“Thanks.”

“Is therapy going ok?” Din looked concerned now and Luke was overcome with a wave of affection. Here was Din, freshly dumped by his long-time girlfriend, and yet he was worried about him.

“It’s going.” Luke waved his stump for emphasis. “Still waiting for my cosmetic hand. You know how the VA is.” Incompetent and full of red tape.

“It’s been six months,” Din said with a frown.

Luke shrugged.

“Can’t Wedge pull some strings for you?”

“He’s a Captain, not a miracle worker.” Plus that would require Luke and Wedge to actually talk about his missing hand instead of dancing around it.

“You’re not talking to him again, are you?” Din’s fingers twitched and he knew that the other man was longing for another cigarette. But they were both trying--and failing--to quit so he probably would stand in pain until the craving completely overwhelmed him...five minutes from now.

Luke sighed. He knew Din would see right through his answer. They’d known each other for years now since Luke first hooked up with Wedge after Iraq. Din had been one of the few friends that bothered to visit Luke in the hospital right after his crash. He’d come as often as his duties would allow, bringing him magazines, snacks, and plenty of base gossip. He’s been Luke’s lifesaver and after he was finally discharged he found himself dragged into Din’s orbit more frequently, standing next to him as they held up the walls of every bar in town with a cloud of smoke. Din knew the basic details of his deteriorating relationship with Wedge; more than anyone else except maybe his sister.

“There’s nothing left to say,” Luke finally admitted. Nothing that they hadn’t already dissected, fought, and screamed over.

“Luke.” He felt Din’s hand on his shoulder and he looked up into sympathetic brown eyes. “You two either need to get some help or finally end it.” He lessened the harshness of his words by offering another cigarette to him with his other hand.

Leia was going to kill him.

Luke let Din put the cig in his mouth and light it for him. The intoxication of the smoke and the closeness of his friend made him dizzy and lightheaded. Din reeked of smoke, leather, and stale beer, and yet it was comforting all the same.

“We never talked about any of this,” Luke admitted. “I never thought I’d leave.” Except maybe via a body bag. He knew Wedge felt the same way, as did nearly everyone in Luke’s squadron. That’s why their visits had been short and performative after his accident. His squadmates pitied and feared him...and he didn’t blame any of them for that.

“Well, I’m done.” Din lit up and turned to blow the smoke away from Luke’s face. “I’m done with all of this shit. I’m discharging and going back to college.”

“Y-you...really?” Luke stuttered. He knew Din’s IRR was almost up but he just assumed he’d re-elist like all of their friends. “You’re gonna leave Boba and Cara?”

You’re gonna leave me?

“Fett, Dune, and Bo are lifers. I never saw myself extending even this long. That last fight, it wasn’t just that I wanted a family and Bo-Katan didn’t. She’s committed and this is just a job for me.” The look on Din’s face was peaceful. He met Luke’s confused eyes with calm focus.

“Oh.” Luke didn’t know what else to say. Good on you? Good luck?

Din sighed. “Wedge is one of them.” Din jerked his head towards the wall of the bar. “He’s never gonna leave until they give him the boot. You know that right?”

Luke nodded wordlessly. Until he lost his hand he’d thought he was one of them too.

“Look, I’m not gonna tell you how to live your life. Just do me a favor. You listening?” Din paused until Luke squirmed uncomfortably and nodded. “Try to put yourself first for once in your life. You deserve more than this too.”

Then Din stepped away. He threw the end of his cig on the floor and stomped it out. “I’m gonna head out. You can tell the others everything, I’m sure they’ll all be thrilled.”

Luke shook his head to try to find his voice again. “Hell no, I’m not telling them you’re leaving!” Fuck that was going to be a disaster conversation.

Din laughed. “Ok fair enough. Just tell them about Bo. Cara will owe Boba $50 so she might as well get paid now before the idiot spends it all on booze.” Then without waiting for Luke to reply, Din started to walk towards his bike with his hands in his pockets.

Luke watched as Din walked away, with his head held up high. He looked lighter already. Letting go of Bo-Katan must have settled the anguish that had permeated his entire being for months now. It was strange, Luke had grown used to seeing Din with slumped shoulders and downturned lips. Whenever he had visited him at the VA, he’d always looked so beaten. But now, he was walking away like a new man.

More than that, he looked like the old Din again. The one Luke had once found very attractive before he’d gotten too involved with Wedge to notice other people around him. It was like watching someone reappear in his scope of vision while he was in the cockpit of his fighter, or like watching a bird reappear from the clouds.

“Din!” Luke shouted. He watched as the other man turned back. He meant to say something appreciative, a thank you for the smokes and the advice. Instead what slipped out of his lips was, “I’m taking Ben to the zoo this weekend! Do you want to come?”

He didn’t know what exactly possessed him to say that, but it was worth it to see Din’s face break out into a real honest-to-god smile. “Yeah, sure. Text me!”

He watched Din until the man disappeared with a loud roar of his Harley, until his cigarette was ashes in his fingers and he felt his own smile finally fade away.

---

Previous responses

28. Knocking on the wrong door (Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan)

38.cop/person getting a speeding ticket au (Din/Luke)

30: tourist/knowledgeable local au (Din/Luke)

19. parents meeting when they take their kids to class au (Din/Luke)

15: meeting in the E.R/A&E au (Din/Luke/Boba)

40: Soul destroying exes meeting again after not speaking for years au (Din/Luke)

25: Library/Avid Reader AU Part I (Din/Luke)

Library AU part II (Din/Luke, Obi-Wan/Qui-Gon)

#warnings: a lot of foul language and Fennec says rude things about children #also I don't know jack shit about the US Air Force #forgot to mention in this AU don't ask don't tell never happened and homophobia aint a thang #I feel like Wedge was very OOC and I apologize I just assume he's a bit of a jerk in this AU #their squadron is not Rogue Squadron they are generic meatheads #the US military is a trauma into itself and would change people's personalities for sure #ok please I beg of all of you never make me write bo-katan and din again #sbficlets #Din/Luke #if you squint

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ejzah · 4 years

Text

14. A/N: And the chapter that many of you have been waiting for. Thanks for patiently waiting for its return and all your kind and supportive comments. I love reading them!

There is a slight bit considerable amount of adult content here.

***

The Agent and the Lawyer, Part 14

“So, where are you taking me?” Kensi asked Deeks as he took her hand and helped her out of his Porsche. She’d nearly drooled when she saw it, the shiny silver finish gleaming under the garage lights. The whole time Deeks was driving, she’d been itching to take a turn behind the wheel.

“It’s a surprise,” Deeks answered with a smug grin. Despite all her pleading and nagging, he’d refused to tell her where they were going for their first date. The only hint he would give was that the restaurant in question required semi-formal dress.

Kensi might have gone a bit overboard on that front, choosing a slim black, knee-length dress with straps that crisscrossed in the back in an intricate design. The fabric clung to her every curve. She’d paired it with simple black stilettos which were worth the pain to see the look on Deeks’ face when he first saw her.

His eyes were on her now as they walked across the street, his gaze clearly appreciative.

“Did I mention how beautiful you look tonight?” Kensi felt her cheeks flush at his compliment and was grateful for the dim light of sunset. Deeks could be especially effusive when he wanted to and it always caught her off guard.

“You did, but I don’t mind reminders. I might have borrowed it from wardrobe, she said, pausing in the middle of the busy sidewalk and turning to face Deeks. She reached out and straightened the collar of his blue button down, taking a long look of her own. “And you look pretty good too.”

She started to drop her hand, but Deeks caught at it, threading his fingers through hers. Again, the casual intimacy surprised her. It was nice though; as much as she wasn’t used to touching someone in a way that didn’t involve a certain amount of violence or practicality.

“Isn’t Hetty super protective of the clothes she gives you?” he asked as they started walking again. “She seemed like she was about to burst a vessel when my blood got all over the shirt I wore undercover.”

“Oh, she is.” It had required no small amount of subterfuge to sneak the dress out and not be caught by Hetty, or anyone else. “But it’s worth it.”

“I’m touched that you would risk Hetty’s wrath for me,” Deeks said as they crossed a street, giving Kensi’s hand another squeeze.

“I’m still not convinced you’re not taking me to Alejandro’s and this isn’t some elaborate scheme to throw me off track,” Kensi said, glancing up at him. His face was highlighted by streetlights and the glow from restaurant windows, but she could see he was smiling.

“Then we would both be wildly overdressed,” Deeks replied, glancing down at her dress again.

“So is this some exclusive four star restaurant that only the rich and famous can get in?” Deeks chuckled at that.

“I would certainly give it four stars, but I don’t know that it’s been given an official rating. You should know by now that I don’t really pay much attention to those kinds of things. Although, I think you’ll be impressed.”

“Mm, I do have high standards,” Kensi agreed. This time Deeks snorted.

“Yeah, I’ve seen you eat pizza we forgot on the counter the next day and twinkies with suspicious best buy dates,” he reminded her.

“That was one time!”

“It’s ok, I still think you’re cute,” he said casually, winking at her. If it was any other guy, Kensi would have punched him by now, but instead she found herself fighting back a grin.

***

“That was the best risotto I’ve ever had,” Kensi told Deeks as a waiter silently removed her plate, the final in a third course meal. As he’d predicted, the meal was excellent. It was a small, intimate restaurant with about 15 tables.

“And you haven’t even had desert yet,” he teased.

“Please tell me they have tiramisu?” she demanded and Deeks grinned at her predictable reaction. She didn’t even care. He knew all about her love of anything sweet and by now she’d gotten over any self-consciousness.

“Yes, they have tiramisu.” Still smiling, he reached out and brushed a curl back from her face. Before he could pull back completely, Kensi slid her fingers through his again. She enjoyed the way his hand easily engulfed hers, always warm and gentle, but capable of so much strength.

“What’s on your mind?” Deeks asked, gazing at her fondly as their waiter discretely placed the promised tiramisu between them and left again.

Deeks had been pretty open as usual, answering most of her questions without hesitation. So far she’d learned several new intriguing facts about him, including that he had several different part time jobs to support himself through college, had gotten into all manner of trouble with his self-described best friend Ray and played the violin.

The last one was particularly intriguing to Kensi and she was already debating how she could convince him to give her a private concert..

“When did you first realize you wanted to be a lawyer?” she asked, resting her chin on her palm. Deeks took a sip of his wine-a Cabernet that was way out of Kensi’s price range-considering her question. She wondered if this was a question he would decide not to answer, which happened every so often when she unwittingly strayed to close to whatever boundaries he kept in place.

He ate a bite of the desert and then pushed the plate closer to her, leaning closer. There was less than a foot between them now, the scent of him, intoxicatingly warm and familiar, drifting across to her. Kensi found it difficulty concentrate on what he was saying.

“I guess the short answer is saw someone I cared about get overlooked by the legal systems. I figured that if I became a lawyer, I could make sure that didn’t happen to anymore people,” Deeks told her with a self-deprecating laugh. “I was a little more idealistic and stupid then.”

“Maybe it is idealistic, but to me it sounds like you just wanted to help people and I can’t fault you for that,” she said, her affection for him nearly overwhelming.

“I feel like you’ve been asking all the questions tonight,” he said, tilting his head at her. Kensi’s eyes dropped to his mouth, the warmth of the wine and his touch making her feel a little reckless.

“Well, I find you very interesting.” Kensi scooted her chair closer, leaning in towards him and kissed his cheek, letting her nose brush across his jaw. It was a fairly innocent touch, but Deeks shivered all the same.

“Agent Blye, are you trying to seduce me?” Deeks asked her. Just in case there was and doubt, she smoothed her hand up his thigh, allowing her fingers to brush along his inseam. She heard his breath catch as she kept her hand in place. Pulling back, she looked him directly in the eye and said,

“Take me home.” Her voice was dark with need and she saw his pupils widen.

He didn’t ask whose home, but tossed his napkin on the table, pausing briefly to discreetly rearrange his pants.

“I’ll go pay our check.”

***

Deeks closed the door behind Kensi, flipping on a light, and turned to her. It had been nearly impossible to keep her hands to herself during the drive back to his house, but she hadn’t wanted to distract him. Her entire body was practically vibrating with desire.

“Do you want-“ he didn’t get a chance to finish his question as she surged towards him, kissing him with everything she had. Deeks made an agreeable sound in the back of his throat, not resisting when she spun them around, pushing him back against a wall. His back hit it a little harder than she’d intended, but Deeks didn’t complain.

Following her lead, Deeks grasped her waist, lifting her up as she wrapped her legs around his hips. She gasped against his mouth, stilling for a second as she was assaulted with sensation.

“I’ve been thinking about this all night,” she whispered, yanking his tie loose from his collar. Deeks made a hoarse sound, too busy kissing beneath her jaw to respond.

The top button of his shirt had popped open, revealing a tantalizing patch of his skin. Kensi tugged at the rest of the buttons, her eagerness making her reckless. When she had them all undone, she spread the fabric open, her breath leaving her for a moment.

His skin was golden and warm, stretched over perfectly formed muscles. She’d spent many hours imagining Deeks without a shirt on and reality was even better. She smoothed her hands down his chest, pausing at his abs. She explored the hard plane, her fingertips brushing over each muscle.

Deeks must have liked what she was doing because he slid his hands down her butt and gripped her thighs. Hard. Wherever he touched left a fiery imprint which only increased the overwhelming desire running through her body.

Kensi bucked against Deeks, needing to feel more, to feel him. His erection pressed into her thigh, just missing where she wanted him most.

Deeks’ smoothed the dress up her thighs, the fabric bunching up before it reached her hips.

“I know I said I liked this dress before,” Deeks said, panting lightly. “But, mmm” he paused to nip at her collar bone. “I really hate it right now.”

Laughing breathlessly at the sincerity in his voice, Kensi curled her finger in his hair as he kissed the top of one breast.

“Rip it,” she told him, just as desperate to get the stupid thing off.

“What will Hetty say?” Deeks asked. It surprised her that he could even think of something like that right now. All her attention was on his hands and mouth and other unclothed parts of him.

“I don’t care. She can dock my pay.” Deeks took her at her word, tugging more insistently at the dress with one hand while other eased the fabric away from one breast.

A sudden loud and unwanted ringing filled the air and Kensi bit out a harsh expletive. Deeks slowly lifted his head, looking very reluctant to stop.

“It’s my phone,” she said unnecessarily, still clinging to Deeks. God, he looked absolutely delicious; his lips slightly swollen and hair completely wrecked. For a moment, Kensi actually considered ignoring the call. At the rate they were going, it wouldn’t take more than a few minutes to finish.

But she didn’t want there first time to be rushed. She wanted to spend the whole night with Deeks and take all the time she wanted. With a resigned sigh, she loosened her hold on his hair, starting to lower her legs. Looking equally disappointed, Deeks helped her down.

Moving on slightly unsteady legs, she went in search of her purse. She didn’t remember dropping it anywhere, but found it near the door and grabbed her phone which showed a missed call and a text from Eric.

“Everything ok?” Deeks asked, coming up behind her. Even with a few inches between them, his presence was still overwhelming and Kensi held back a shiver of need.

“Yeah, it’s just-ok, you need to put a shirt on.” She’d turned around to find Deeks’ chest directly at eye level, seeming to taunt her. Against her will, her eyes dropped down to his waist and then lower. There was still a definite bulge tenting the front of his jeans.

Rolling his eyes, but looking vaguely pleased, he retrieved his shirt and slipped it on. He didn’t button it though, which was almost worse. Kensi tried to straighten her dress, but she was pretty sure she looked exactly like someone who’d been making out against a wall.

Deeks checked his own phone, which he’d apparently put on vibrate and made a face.

“I got a call too. This sucks,” he said, sighing and ruffling his hair. It only made it worse and Kensi smirked at him, walking over to him. She pulled his hand away and started separating the strands into his normal style.

“I need to go home,” she said, leaning in to kiss him. Deeks held her against him for a moment before he let go and she reluctantly stepped back. “I’ll see you at work. And we will finish this.”

Deeks managed a small grin at that and nodded.

“I’m counting on it.”

***

A/N: Please don’t hate me

#ncis la fanfiction #marty deeks #kensi blye #densi #the agent and the lawyer #part 14 #au #rated m #ejzah fanfiction

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red-pill-blue-pill · 5 years

Text

Just to make you happy. Keanu Reeves.

A/N: This took me so long I’m so sorry. This is a request made by @i-ask-requests I really hope you enjoy it 💖. I hope it doesn’t feel rushed or anything cause I can feel it does. Also little sidenote: i’ve never been to New York i just researched a bit on google maps to get it as accurate as possible.

Summary: She’s homeless and Keanu helps her out.

Word count: 5341 (holy shit ??)

Warnings: swearing, violence.

She kicked an empty beer bottle as she exited the bar. The glass rattled on the cold concrete ground and the dainty sound echoed on the now empty street. She checked her watch as she walked away. 2:37 am. A sigh escaped her lips as she took a seat in a nearby bench. A few scraps and cuts decorated her face as a result of a small “disagreement” she just had back inside. She smiled satisfied as she reached into her pocket to pull out a leather wallet, opening it to count that night’s earnings. That asshole didn’t even notice.

She put the wallet back in her pocket and blew her hot breath into the cold night air of New York as she sunk down on the bench. Her brain was going a hundred miles per hour trying to administer the one hundred dollars she had stolen. She had to spend the night somewhere, buy food and, since she didn't stay the night twice in the same place she needed to pay the small warehouse where she kept all her clothes.

She had been wandering the streets for a couple of months now. Her job as a waitress didn’t provide an extraordinary income and the rent prices in New York had gone sky-high in the last few months, making it impossible for her to find a new appartment with an affordable rent price and a small deposit. She started renting rooms in hostels, the cheapest she could find and at the beginning it worked just fine. She managed to make ends meet at the end of the month and sometimes she even got some spare money to get herself a little treat. However the owner of her restaurant needed to reduce costs and that meant reducing staff. She was one of the first waitresses he fired. The compensation for loss of employment eventually faded away as she frantically looked for another job. Her lack of studies didn’t help and now she cursed her stupid young self for taking the decision of dropping out of high school. No one wanted to hire a former waitress apparently uneducated.

When she had to leave the hostel she was completely desperate, she had to survive somehow and that was clear for her since day one. She was going to do anything she could to get enough money to survive. What was the easiest way? Stealing from men in bars. She was a beautiful woman and men bought her drinks willingly, all she had to do was some flirting and some touching here and there. Her skilled fingers slid on their pockets and fished their wallets without them noticing. It was risky and sometimes they got violent, resulting in fist fights and bottles flying. She was skilled in that too. Finally her teenage experiences came to some use; when she dropped out of school she worked as a waitress in her hometown. The bar was a dirty black hole filled with nasty men that always came in looking for trouble. She was the most vurnerable person and forcefully had to learn self defense to kick some ass a couple of times before clients finally realized she wasn’t the one to mess with.

And there she was, sitting on a dirty bench at almost 3 am under a night sky in which she couldn’t even make out a single star thanks to the streetlights that blinded her sight and made the black emptiness above her seem even darker. Her heels hurt her feet and she was certain she was going to catch a cold if she sat there any longer. She didn’t have a phone to look for hostels nearby, she didn’t need it, there wasn’t anyone she could call nor enough money to pay for ir. Luckily she knew the city by heart so she stood up and started walking through the streets like she had a small New York map loaded in her brain, not missing one turn, taking the fastest route.

When she got to the room she took her shoes off and threw herself on the bed, letting out a loud groan of relief. She grabbed paper and a pencil and counted the money once again. The numbers weren’t adding up, she was twenty dollars short if she counted on eating the next day. Her stomach rumbled, reminding her she completely forgot to eat something for dinner. Thanks pal, that’ll make it easier. She had to get more money, she had to go to Manhattan and find some fancy bar, one filled with those rich men that smoked cigars, that drank whiskey on the rocks, that had thousands of dollars on their wallet and a gram of coke up their nose. Those were easy targets, often being too high to notice what was going on.

She laid her head back on the pillow and drifted into a deep sleep. She dreamt. She dreamt of a house, of enough money to pay for a mechanography course, she dreamt of a good payed job and the possibility of having a family.

The next day she had woken up early in the morning, ready to follow the plan she had traced. She had skipped breakfast and taken a bus to the warehouse. She had chosen her fanciest dress, her highest heels and her make up bag and put it all in her duffel bag. She had gone to the best hairdressing salon in New York. If you’re going to pretend to mingle with rich people you better look like you are one of them.

She was now sitting in one of Central Station benches, waiting for the clock to hit eight o’clock. She looked at the people that came and went and tried to figure out their lives. Was that short haired woman married? Was that young man in a rush because he forgot to walk the dog? Did that child have a good day at school? Every life had its little nuances that made it unique and in her eyes it was beautiful, even though hers wasn’t as good as she wanted it to be.

The four-faced clock marked the time and she stood up, almost robotically, heading towards the restrooms. She closed herself in one of the stalls and changed all her clothes. She bumped her knees and elbows against the walls and cursed everytime. This was supposed to be like some kind of movie where the hot spy changes clothes agilely and comes out like a diva turning heads as she walks away. Instead she found herself mistaking the sleeve for the actual head hole, loosing balance as she struggled to put on her shoes and messily putting away her previous clothes on her duffel bag.

She walked out smoothing the soft fabric of her dress and pulling out her small make up bag, She leaned over the countertop and aplied a thin layer of mascara, a subtle blush and a stunning red lipstick that matched her dress and heels. She took a step back and admired her reflection. She looked ravishing. There was no way a man could resist her.

She walked to one of the fanciest bars in Manhattan. Jazz music was playing softly in the background and the dim purple and yellow lights made the big place somewhat cozier. The counter was almost empty and she took a seat on one of the leather stools. The bartender came and went as well as the waitresses. The round tables were spread in front of the small stage and were filled with men and women that chattered and smoked incessantly. She made a signal to the bartender and ordered a gintonic. Shortly after, a well dressed man approached her. She played it cool, seeming uninterested.

“I’ve never seen you around.” he spoke as he ordered a whiskey on the rocks.

Bingo.

“I don’t come around often.” she spoke with a sensual tone of voice as she looked at him through her lashes.

“I believe you. I’m pretty sure I would remember someone this stunning.”

God, he was so bad at flirting she almost had to supress a laugh.

“I’m Michael.” he said offering his hand.

She took it and shook it lightly. “Nice to meet you. I’m Alice.” Obviously she wasn’t going to give her real name, duh.

They talked for a good half an hour. She was running short on things to tell him about her fake past and he just kept asking and asking. She still had her first Gintonic in her hand while he was on his fifth whiskey on the rocks. He was going to pass out soon if he kept this rythm. His once “great” flirting skills turned into even more awful ones and she knew this was her cue.

She leaned into him and put her hands on his chest, pressing lightly against his body. His breath hitched and a smile spread across his face when one of her hands slid to his bulge squeezing it lightly.

“Why don’t you wait for me while I go freshen up. Then you can take me to your place.” she whispered in his ear, licking his earlobe.

What he didn’t notice was the other hand skillfully sliding in this jacket’s inner pocket and pulling out his fat wallet with the subtlety of a professional pickpocketer.

He smiled as he watched her walk away to the restroom and turned to the bartender to pay their beverages. When he reached out to take his wallet his blood ran cold and he frantically patted all the pockets of his outfit. The gears in his head started turning and his face went red with rage. His long lengs strided along the bar to the ladies restroom. He slammed the door open to find it completely empty.

“That filthy bitch!” he screamed as he ran to the street, her red dress nowhere to be seen.

She walked through the street, duffel bag in hand and a proud smile plastered on her face. Her heels clicked fast on the concrete as she went back to Central Station to change her clothes again. She hadn’t opened the wallet yet but the weight of it told her she had enough money for at least a couple of weeks.

She sat on the bathroom stall and went through every single bill she could find. Two thousand and thirty five dollars. That was a whole lot of money. At least it was for her. Her smile grew even bigger and she decided it was time to give her stomach a little treat.

Her favourite New York restaurant wasn’t a fancy one, hell, it didn’t even have an actual “inside.” It was a small street food truck that sold kebab and turkish food. It had a little counter with stools you could sit on if you were lucky enough. She ordered her usual kebab plate and her mouth watered as they prepared the meal. Her stomach groaned reminding her she hadn’t eaten anything for a whole ass day, making her feel bad for forgetting about her wellbeing.

The stars were aligned and a free stool was waiting for her. She quickly occupied it before digging into her food. The man sitting next to her chuckled as he watched her from the corner of his eye. He had never seen someone devour food the way she was doing it. She stopped and turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow.

“What’s so funny?” she said with her mouth still full.

“Nothing. I’m sorry.” he answered feeling bad with his own rudeness. He lowered his head and kept eating his food while she stared at him.

He didn’t look like the type to have a lot of money; his brown boots were a dirty mess and his jeans were torn at the bottom. His unkept beard gave him a wild yet sexy touch and his shoulder length dark hair seemed as soft as silk. She was convinced his wallet wasn’t worth the risk. Besides, it would be pure greed.

“Now you’re staring.” he said turning to her once again, catching her eyes inspecting him. A cheeky grin was plastered on his face, in the end he didn’t feel that bad for laughing at her.

She was younger than him, twenty years more or less. Her eyes still had that curiosity and wonder that contrasted with her tired face. She was beautiful.

Her cheeks turned red but she kept her tough side on the surface. “Now we’re even.”

He chucked and offered his hand to her “I’m Keanu.”

She took it and shook it firmly. “I’m Y/n.”

Silence settled between them as they kept eating. There hardly is something as hard to endure as solitude. It creeps into your life and, before you can even notice, it roots under your skin, sinking into the deepest parts of your mind. It was in moments like this that it seemed to dissapear, a wave of relief washing over them and leaving them at peace for a couple of minutes.

“I laughed at the way you were engulfing the food. You looked so happy.” he broke the silence before putting a spoon full of rice into his mouth.

“It’s been a long time since I had a meal this good.” she said sincerely and he raised an eyebrow.

“How come?”

“It’s been a rough couple of months.”

He stared at her, inviting her to tell him more about her life. She hesitated. He was a complete stranger why would he care? She hadn’t had a real human conection since she was fired and she could use some venting so she went ahead.

She told him everything and, to her surprise, he seemed genuinely interested in her rant about New York rent prices and how her boss was an asshole. His eyes watched her every movement, nodding his head ocassionally to let her know he was still listening.

When she finished silence filled the air between the two of them. Y/n was scared he would report the police about her illegal... procedures. She would understand though, at the end of the day she was living outside society norms and rules. She was an outcast.

She had never thought it that way and it hurt to think of herself as that. Everyone wanted to be part of something, even she wanted to be part of something. But not a part of that society that had condemned her to a life of poverty and misdemeanour. It made her so fucking mad to think about how everything had turned out in the end.

He put his hand on her shoulder. The warmth of his palm radiated through her clothes into her skin. “What can I do for you?”

His question took her aback. What was he willing to do for her? They didn’t know eachother at all. Okay, maybe he also felt that weird connection but it wasn’t that strong.

A loud laugh came out her mouth and she quickly put her hand over to muffle the sound. “I’m sorry, it’s just, we don’t know eachother.”

“I’ll pay for your course." he smiled sweetly leaving her with mouth agape.

“You’re crazy. No way you’re doing that.”

“Yes, I am. And I’m also paying for an apartment until you finish and get a job.”

She laughed again finding it hard to believe. “No you’re not.”

“For the second time: yes, I am. You need it.”

“I don’t need anything from anyone.” her pride kicked back before she could even process what she was saying.

“I’m pretty sure you do. Look, don’t think of it like charity or something like that because it’s not. I want to help you before you get involved with the police.”

“Why do you care that much?”

He shrugged his shoulders and tilted his head to the side. “You told me your story and even though you try to laugh at yourself I can see you’re hurting. So I care. And I want to help you.”

She didn’t know what to say so she just stared back at him. He completely got her all figured out and they had only been talking for an hour. What the actual fuck.

“So you’re going to take the money and shut up.” he spoke again smiling even bigger.

Her mind was racing. This was a huge opportunity to scape the hell hole she found herself in but she didn’t want to owe anything to no one.

Finally her desperation won. “Okay, but you have to let me pay you back.”

She walked out of class. It had been a couple months since she started the mecanography course and she had never been happier. Sometimes Keanu would pick her up to grab a coffee and ask her how she was. Y/n would always insist in looking for a job and paying him back as soon as possible but it was like talking to a wall. He changed topic and pretended he didn’t hear a word she said.

They became good friends, really good friends in fact. He was the only one she really had, the only one who worried about her, who knew her real story. Hell, he was supporting her financially.

The age difference, big enough to notice it but small enough to confuse, made people turn their heads on the street trying to figure out whether he was her father or her boyfriend. At the beginning it made them both feel uncomfortable but now they laughed as they watched the faces laced with confusion.

Sometimes she was confused herself. Her feelings were a complete mess. He would often come to her (his, really) place to have dinner, helping her cook and dancing around the kitchen to the bouncy music she usually listened to. In those moments she knew she couldn’t ask for anything else.

Then she felt stupid. He was a grown up man, with his life almost figured out and supporting her financially. She was still studying and was barely starting to live a normal life. He had much important things to do than to fall for a young needy girl with a dark past.

He was also confused when he looked at her. She amazed him. How she always stayed positive, how confident of herself she was, how kind. One must think he liked her in spite of her past, but it was the other way around. He liked her because she had faced difficulties and she had been capable of overcoming them. Of course he helped her, he could see that potential from the moment he looked at her, but that didn’t diminish her endeavor.

He loved spending time with her, it felt like they complimented eachother perfectly. They could be completely themselves around one another. There wasn’t secrets, lies or problems between them, they always talked everything through. Completely transparent.

He felt as if he had to protect her. Protect her from pain, from loneliness, from ending up living in the streets again. It was something he had never felt, an instictive response from his brain, and if he was being honest, he didn’t care where it came from, he was going to do it anyway.

It was dark outside. Manhattan’s streets were eerily quiet that night. Noise and smoke came out the bars whose doors opened to let people take a breath of fresh air. She walked at a fast pace. Keanu had said to meet him two streets away and she was already late. Her heels clicked on the pavement and her hair swung from side to side in a steady rythm. She would lie if she said tonight’s look hadn’t been meticulously thought through. Her black jeans were combined with a silver sequin top that shimmered in the city night lights. A leather jacket was thrown over her shoulders and her silver heels added the final touch. Her make-up was natural, nothing he could notice even if he tried. She wanted to look as effortless as she could.

A man walked past her, bumping her shoulder hard. He reeked of alcohol and she didn’t even bother saying something, it wasn’t the place or moment to get in trouble. She kept walking but the man stopped in his tracks, turning around to look at her back.

“Well look who’s back in the neighborhood!” he yelled at her and the blood ran cold in her veins.

She stopped walking for a couple of seconds, resuming her fast pace trying to walk away as fast as possible. She knew who he was.

“Come back here, you bitch! I want my fucking wallet back!” he ran towards her, his long legs striding faster than hers, almost catching up with her a few seconds later.

Her heart was pounding in her head as she tried to run faster but her heels weren't make it easy. She was almost where Keanu told her to meet him but it seemed so far away.

A big hand grabbed her shoulder, yanking her back harshly and making her loose her balance. In seconds she was laying on the floor while a huge body pinned her tiny one down with such force she though he was going to break her arms. A raging face looked down on her with a stare full of hatred and violence. She had never seen something like it.

“I thought I’d never see you again.” he snarled as his fist collided with her cheekbone. She screamed in pain and fear, knowing he was going to do whatever he wanted and no one would stop him.

“You stole my fucking checkbook, my credit cards, my fucking money!” he hit her again and again, and her screams echoed in the street.

“I’m going to fucking ruin you, you filthy whore!” he raised his hand again ready to punch her one more time and she closed her eyes, not wanting to see what was coming to her. But it never came.

The weight over her body dissapeared and she opened her eyes.

The man was now with his back to the wall with a very angry Keanu keeping him pressed against it. His face was bloody as Keanu’s fist collided with it over and over again.

She stood up and rushed to his side grabbing his shoulders. “Please, stop!” Y/n cried as his fist stopped beating the man’s face.

She sighed in relief as Keanu towered over the beaten man, holding the neck of his shirt. “If you ever hit, touch or even look at her again I swear to god I’ll fucking kill you.” his tone was still laced with anger and she thought she was lucky to not be the one he was talking to.

The man nodded and ran away as fast as he could.

A cry erupted from her throat as she slowly realized what had just happened. She was almost killed, for god’s sake. It had been the scariest moment of her life. Not when she had to tell her mom she was dropping school, not when she got fired, not when she decided to trust Keanu.

He wrapped his arms around her and pressed her against his chest. “It’s okay, honey. I promise.” he whispered soothingly. She was staining his tshirt and jacket, a mix of blood and salty tears but he didn’t care, he didn’t give a damn.

He took her to the hospital to get her face checked out in case she needed stitches. They sent her home at 12 pm and they walked to her appartment since it was close to the ER.

Her face, now clean, looked so much better even though it was starting to swell and it hurt like a bitch. They walked in silence, their steps synchronized and slow, there was no rush. Neither of them really knew what to say.

“I’m sorry I ruined the night.” she said looking at her feet as she walked. “I guess past always comes to get you.” she laughed bitterly. She thought she had left everything behind but in the end you can’t erase a part of yourself. Her actions still had consequences and that night was the proof she needed.

“It wasn’t your fault. He was the one who beat your face up.” he mumbled still angry.

“Yes it was. I stole his wallet the night we met, that’s why he-”

“I dont fucking care!” he suddenly screamed at her and she stopped in her tracks. “That fucking bastard had you pinned down on the street ready to beat you to death! Don’t you understand? If I hadn’t showed up he would’ve killed you!” he ran his hand through his hair as her eyes filled with tears at his sudden outburst.

She stared at her, anger now boiling inside of her. “Thank you for being my saviour once again, I’ll write it down in my ‘thing’s I owe Keanu’ notebook so you won’t need to remind me everything you do for me.” she spat, her words filled with hurt.

She started to walk away.

“You don’t understand shit.” he said and she turned around.

“What? What is it that I don’t understand?” Y/n yelled back at him. “That you’re always doing stuff for me? That you’re the only one I’ve got? That if you hadn’t been there tonight-” she choked on her tears at the single thought. “I already feel bad enough for not being able to return everything you do for me.”

He looked at her. Her face was swollen and wet from the tears that fell uncontrollably. “I’d spend on you all the money I have if that meant you would be happy.”

She stayed silent as more tears came down.

“When I saw him on top of you something in my mind clicked and I went into full ‘murder mode.’” he chuckled and she smiled slightly. “I felt pure fear when I saw you weren’t moving. The thought of losing you is terrifying.” he stated simply. So simply she actually needed a couple of seconds to register.

Keanu walked towards her and she hugged him tight, feeling his strong heartbeat pumping against her cheek. “I didn’t mean that notebook thing I said, I’m sorry.” she mumbled as she wiped her tear stained cheeks.

“I know, honey. I’m sorry I yelled at you.” he kissed and rested his chin on the top of her head.

They stayed like that for a minute, just hearing their breathings and hugging eachother, trying to get as close to one another as they could. The cold wind blew past them making Y/n shiver and bury her face deeper into the embrace.

“Let’s go, you’re getting cold.” he whispered and let go.

They kept walking and she chuckled lightly.

“What?” he asked with an amused look on his face.

“I had carefully prepared this outfit and my make up to look amazingly casual so you would think I was effortlessly cute.” she gestured to her clothes. “And look how it turned out.” she let out a laugh, a sincere one. She didn’t know why but she just couldn’t stop it. Tears prickled in her eyes as she tried to stop her laughter.

Keanu had a confused look on his face but she was contagious and it didn’t take long for him to join her with his soft low laugh that made her crazy.

By the time their fits of laughter had died down they had arrived to her building. She stopped with her keys dangling in her hand and turned to look at him. She wanted to invite him upstairs just as she had done for about a thousand times before, but this time it was different. All her courage was suddenly gone and she couldn’t get the words out of her mouth.

“I always think you’re cute.” he blurted out, leaving her with a confused expression. “What you said about your efforts to make me think you looked cute. I already think you are, even when you come out of class with your tired stare and shitty face.” he said laughing, earning a slap on his arm while her face grew redder by the nanosecond.

“Shut up!” she laughed brushing it off. “Would you like to come upstairs? I could use some company tonight.” she mumbled and squinted her eyes waiting for a negative answer to come.

“Of course. I’ll feel better too if I keep an eye on you.” he smiled warmly and she turned to open the door.

“I know I tell you all the time but you did a great work decorating your place. It’s very you.” he sat down on the couch as she went to get some clothes for him to sleep on.

“Very me?” she asked from her room while she opened the closet.

“Yeah, there’s no doubt this is your place. Like, not a single piece of furniture in here is actually yours but you add those little details that end up owning the whole place. Just like you do in people's lives."

"That's so sweet. Does that mean I own your life now?" Y/n said as she came back into the living room with a big tshirt and some sweats big enough to fit him.

“Pretty much.” He smiled as he took the clothes.

He went into the bathroom to change while she redied her bed. It was pretty clear that they were going to sleep in the same bed and she wanted him to take the hint. The bed clothing was smoothed out and the extra cushions were lying on the floor.

She thought about what he had just said. It's always nice for someone to tell you that you are a big part of their life but she didn't know she was so important. Butterflies flew around in her stomach making her feel silly for being so childish.

“That’s a lot of cushions.” he chucked from the doorway as he watched her.

“Well, I like being comfortable.” she said sticking out her tongue “I’ll be right back.”

She closed the bathroom door behind her and stared at her reflection in the mirror. Her face was all swollen up and purple and black-ish bruises were slowly forming. It still hurt like hell but there was nothing she could do.

When she came back into her room he was lying on the bed with his back turned to her. His body was rising up and down slowly with his relaxed breathing. She had never seen him so at peace.

She carefully got on the bed trying not to disturb his apparent sleep. The bed shuffled and he turned to look at her. His arms sneaked around her waist and pulled her closer to him, careful not to squish her face against his chest. Her hand reached around him to draw patterns on his back. She felt complete ecstasy. The way his body heat radiated onto hers made her feel at ease, it was everything she ever wanted.

“Thank you for everything you do for me. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” Y/n mumbled against his chest, her cheeks burning at the oncoming confession. “I love you.”

It didn’t hold any romantic meaning (okay, maybe a little bit), it was the truth, plain and simple. He was her best friend, her number one supporter. She couldn’t imagine her life without him and, of course, he couldn’t either.

“Thank you for coming into my life. You make me so happy.” he kissed softly the top of her head and rested his chin on it. “I love you too, honey. So much.” he whispered.

Her whole body tingled at the sound of those words. She was happy. For the first time in months she was truly happy.

Her mind travelled to the night she dreamt of living in a big house with her husband and her kids, having that normal life people had. It was only then when it hit her:

she didn’t want a “normal” life, she wanted hers.

#keanu reeves x reader #keanu reeves fic #keanu reeves oneshot #keanu reeves #John Wick #request #My writing #keanu reeves au

119 notes · View notes

marshmallowprotection · 4 years

Text

Petunia

Assistant Lila AU!

Link: AO3 | FFN

Pairing: Choi Saeran/Original Female Character(s)

Description: Unknown always wanted to have his own assistant. One that is bathed in wisteria and petunias, covering their throat until they suffocate or give in. There are some things that he can't do by showing his face and that's where someone who was very much his equal in sense of the word would be able to help him achieve the goals of Paradise. He's got his eyes set on somebody and surely, with her, the success of Mint Eye is ensured.

Based on the Prologue's Bad Ending. A standalone fic that can read without reading any of the other stories in the series.

Lila wasn’t sure exactly sure why she had decided that she needed to get this far away from her home. She just looked at the map on her wall and the first country that her eyes met became the one that she would escape to. It just turned out that it happened to be the country that she last expected it to be.

She did know why she wanted to get away it just wasn’t something that she wanted to focus on.

Family life had gotten really bad, and after that really bad breakup, she just wanted to escape. It wasn’t until she had the ticket in her hand and she was boarding her flight that it hit her; She was getting away from all the lingering problems that had haunted her for months. It was liberating in some ways that were hard to express.

This was the first time in a very long time that she felt free to do whatever she wanted to do. She didn’t have to live up expectations or push herself so hard into her word that her fingers bleed. She could frankly do anything, and she went straight ahead without even thinking through all of her choices as they were endless.

She was going to take life by the flip of a coin.

It was very unlike Lila, but, she wanted to make a change. If she wanted to be more daring and bold of a person then she needed to take some risks.

So, that’s exactly what she did. It took a couple of long hours but after a nap and a quick read-through of one of her favorite books, the plane arrived in Seoul sometime during the afternoon. She settled in rather quickly. She headed to her hotel right off the bat and slept off the lingering jet lag until her body felt refreshed.

That following morning, she got up and for once, she had no idea of what to do with herself.

Normally her anxiety would have chomped at the bit at that realization, however, this time, she didn’t feel as concerned about it as she normally would. Lila just pilfered through her phone for a little bit to let those that were concerned, not as if there were any apart from one person, and after reassuring her sister that she had arrived just fine and sound, she rose from the bed and decided to start the day.

She got dressed and then left her hotel to just do whatever seemed interesting. Whether that meant she walked for some time until anything intriguing popped up, or if she recalled something from her online research back home and wanted to check it out. That cycle was rinsed and repeated over two weeks.

Sure, a good portion of that time was spent looking for new accessories and props that would look good with the coords back at her apartment, but there was nothing wrong with that. The best place to find cutesy stuff always seemed to lead back to South Korea or Japan. There was no way she would pass up the chance to find great prices on stuff that cost an arm and a leg to buy and ship back home.

You had to keep your eye out for the next coordinate and all the looks that went with it, that’s how Lila enjoyed spending her free time and just being able to bask in that hobby without the judging eyes of her mother on her back was the greatest feeling she had ever felt thus far in life. Everybody has their little niche.

Hers just happened to be Lolita.

She didn’t always get to dress up, though. It was harder back home when there weren’t enough meetups and never quite enough people to chat with her about it in a positive way. Some people just didn’t get that it was a form of rebellion, just like those classic punk kids in ripped jeans. Although, that just meant all the more chances for her to come across rare items without competition.

Never let it be said that Lila was someone who could be stopped when she got her eyes locked on target.

She might have hissed at someone if they dared touched something with Cinnamoroll on it before she could. Of course, only in her head would that scenario play out. She was far too socially anxious to ever push a confrontation.

All and all, the first couple of weeks had been a lot of fun and allowed her to breathe. All of the weight that had been suffocating her back in America was all but gone. It still existed but it was like there was a barrier that kept it from reaching her while she was here. Lila was grateful for that.

It was nice, and she wasn’t sure if she wanted to go back just yet. She would have to, though, eventually, and when that day came, she would still be reluctant. For the time being, she just wanted to enjoy this vacation for what it was.

She hadn’t spoken to many people, although be it not much of her fault because while she was relatively fluent in the language, she was by no means an expert. She would often misplace the right word she was looking for with something else. It could be embarrassing and she wanted to avoid making a fool of herself.

Better left unsaid when you didn’t know what you were doing. Faking it till you made it only worked in the context of other situations.

Tonight, though, something felt off.

As a matter of fact, something hadn’t felt quite right in the last few days. She couldn’t put her finger on it but it was like something was watching her back everywhere she went. Lila didn’t know why this was the case. She never did see anyone looking at her or trailing behind her at all.

She knew when to look and not get caught. It was just a trait that any woman in a city learned fast either when they were young or when they started living there on their own. She would try and note for any abnormalities in windows and her phone camera but nothing came out. She decided tonight that she was just being irrational.

It wasn’t unlike Lila to get overwhelmed with a sensation and run with it.

It just had to be one of those things, right?

...Right?

The city streets were always alive with people and there was always the sense that she wasn’t alone so that couldn’t have been it. She frowned and glanced at her phone as the view of her hotel started to appear on the horizon.

She had stayed out a little later than usual to get some tea, and that wasn’t much of a big deal. It was nice to meet up with other Lolita. She didn’t often get to do that. So, she was dressed up tonight and as cute as can be. Nobody would take her as much of a threat when she looked like a cute cupcake, you know?

It was just this feeling that wouldn’t go away. She just didn’t like this feeling. If she had to make a break for it, it would be a little harder than normal. Her phone told her that it was around nine o’clock. There weren’t as many people out as there were when she normally took this path back, but there were enough that she wasn’t as nervous as she might have been on another night.

Another odd thing that she couldn’t ignore was happening. For some reason, her phone was downloading something and that shouldn’t have been happening.

Lila stopped in her tracks and went underneath the first streetlight she saw to see what it was loading up. She didn’t remember clicking anything. She never even unlocked it. Her data was limited too abroad, so this shouldn’t have even happened without her okaying it.

She watched as it finished loading and then with a raised brow, she murmured the title of it to herself in confusion, “R.F.A.? ...What the heck is that?”

It could have been an accident?

Against her better judgment, she clicked the little button a chatroom opened out. Most of it was distorted in the background like the code had been frayed, or broken, maybe tinkered with just in the wrong way?

She pursed her lips. Something here was fishy. It gave her the prompt to enter a username.

Lila plugged in her nickname, then she hesitated. She may be trying new things but this might have been a reach. She was going to close it and try to remove it because it could have easily been a virus but a message popped up.

Unknown: Hello?

Wisteria: Um, hi?

Unknown: Can you see this?

Wisteria: Yes.

Unknown: Oh, thank goodness. I didn’t think I was ever going to get a response from anyone.

Wisteria: I’m a little confused myself.

Wisteria: Um, what is this app? Do you know?

Unknown: …

Unknown: I was going to ask you that. You see, I found this cell phone on the subway. There was nothing on it.

Unknown: Except for this messenger app.

Unknown: I wanted to return to its owner but there

weren’t any contact details written anywhere on it.

Wisteria: Well, this app just kind of… appeared on my phone. I’m not sure who that device belongs to, or how this got on my phone in the first place.

Unknown: Hm. That’s really odd.

Unknown: Darn. I thought I had found someone to give this to after not knowing what to do with it.

Wisteria: Well, you can always take it to the local police station.

Wisteria: I’m not really from this area. I don’t know anyone, I’m afraid.

Wisteria: It’s very good of you to want to return something like that though. Most people would have just pocketed the free device.

Unknown: Well, I’m a very religious person. It would be against the teachings to not do the right thing, you know?

Unknown: Oh, look at me. I was so excited about finding someone that I forgot to introduce myself.

Unknown: I don’t care for my name. I usually leave all my accounts blank like this.

Unknown: I guess you could say my name is Unknown…

Wisteria: My name is Lila.

Unknown: Since you’re typing in English, I can assume you’re American?

Wisteria: I would hope it wouldn’t be that obvious.

Unknown: Wow, you came from a long way away.

Wisteria: To clear my head, if that makes sense.

Unknown: Sure. I can understand.

Unknown: I'd hate to bother you anymore and I figure you're probably really wary of strangers in a foreign country...

Unknown: I'm not all that great at talking to people... or reaching out... but I want to find the owner of this phone.

Wisteria: Well, your best bet is lost and found or the police station.

Unknown: Yeah. That makes the most sense but... ah.

Unknown: I've got really bad social anxiety when it comes to stuff like this.

Wisteria: Oh...

Wisteria: I understand. I have the same problem.

Wisteria: Don't you have any friends that can accompany you?

Unknown: Ah, no. I'm pretty new to this area too since I came here for my studies.

Unknown: There is an address on this phone now that I’m trying to pick it apart, but that's really about it.

Unknown: I don’t want to just pop into somebody's place out of nowhere without being able to speak with them first!

Unknown: You wouldn't happen to want to go there for me?

Unknown: Would you?

Wisteria: Just pop up to a stranger's place to tell me this person found their phone but they're too nervous to give it back themselves?

Wisteria: You're joking right? lol

Wisteria: Don't put me in that position too!

Unknown: It is strange to suggest, isn't it?

Unknown: lol

Unknown: I'm kind of trapped between a rock and a hard place. I know it’s silly but…

Wisteria: I'm gonna kick myself for this but if you're in the same area as me then I might be able to come with you to drop it off with the authorities.

Unknown: Really? Oh, you don’t know how much that would mean to me.

Wisteria: What could it hurt?

Wisteria: As long as it's in a public area, it should be fine.

Unknown: Oh, man, I never thought someone would be so nice to me like that.

Unknown: [address]

Lila clicked the link and it took her to her maps app.

It said that the location wasn’t all that far from where she was. It was a couple of blocks away but it seemed like a dense area given the few different restaurants and businesses. It was probably alright. They seemed okay. She didn't have any bad feelings in her gut and she empathized with this person.

She wanted to give them the benefit of a doubt.

She was trying to be more spontaneous and open. Surely this could count as one of those things if she let it. If things got fishy, she could always leave and turn around.

It wasn’t like they were asking her to go out of their way and do it. They seemed to appreciate the thought. She didn’t want anyone to feel worried about themselves and if that got her into trouble, well, so be it.

Her empathy was, unfortunately, stronger than her brain at times.

If someone said that they were struggling in a way that she did, her empathy overtook her brain and she just went to help them. It had gotten her into a lot of trouble in the past but there times where she did believe it was an asset.

What kind of person would she be if she didn’t try to help others?

Wisteria: That’s not far from me…

Wisteria: Well, I’ll help you out. But if things seem fishy, I’m out of there.

Unknown: Really?

Unknown: I won’t let you regret it.

Unknown: Th

Unknown: ank

Unknown: you

Unknown has left the chatroom.

Wisteria has left the chatroom.

Lila stashed her phone away and decided to head towards the location using her GPS to guide her the rest of the way along with the signs that she couldn’t quite read on her own. As she began to turn away from her hotel, the bright lights started to die down the further she walked away. It was a little ominous but she paid it no mind.

It wasn’t like she would be gone for very long.

When she arrived at the area that had been sent to her, she glanced around to see if she could see somebody that seemed to be looking for someone else. It took a few minutes of looking at whoever passed her by but after five minutes of looking around, she had decided that whoever it was didn’t really want her help.

They would have found her by now if that was the case.

She blew out a puff of air and went to stash her phone back into her coat pocket when a voice spoke from behind her head, “You wouldn’t happen to be username Wisteria, would you?”

Lila immediately spun around to face this person. She found herself staring up and into the most dazzling and haunting green eyes she had ever seen. They were almost unnatural in color the way that they shimmered underneath the streetlights. His locks were dyed white but had to a sheen to it where pink lingered through the tips.

He was a stark contrast in dress compared to what she was wearing.

He looked like he had walked into a mall Hot Topic and grabbed the first thing he saw to make himself look tough; With a leather jacket that purposely hung from his shoulders and a tank top that fit a little too well against his frame, as well as dark jeans and boots.

She wasn’t one to say something about the way that somebody looked so she wasn’t going to comment on somebody’s aesthetic. People would take a look at her and make their assumptions. She hated that. Plenty of people were far different from the way that they looked and she knew plenty of people that were kind and dressed dark as night.

She cocked her head to the side, “And I presume you’re username Unknown, then?”

It made him grin involuntarily. It didn’t reach his eyes, though. “You’d be correct. I don’t hate smart people so I’m impressed you’d picked up on that so quickly. Yeah, that’s me, Unknown. Funny, isn’t it, though? I don’t bother with nicknames but the system gives you one anyway. ”

“Yeah. Society and labels, am I right? You’d think somebody like me wouldn’t fit the name I picked either,” she offered a small, polite smile.

“Mmm,” he hummed. “No, I’d say that your name suits you. It isn’t a symbol I expected to see from somebody with such a nice disposition like yourself, but then again, my name doesn’t match me quite fit as one would think… right?”

“I suppose so,” she nodded in agreement.

Unknown seemed alright.

His hands rested at his sides and he didn’t move much. There was enough space between them that she didn’t feel out of place. She didn’t feel very threatened by him yet so she didn’t say much to him. He wasn’t making any sudden moves or anything so this seemed like it was legit.

She shuffled from one foot to the other as the lingering anxiety buzzed. Lila looked away for a moment and then looked back at Unknown, “So, you said you found a phone? Whoever lost it must be missing it plenty. I can head with you now if you still want me to!”

Unknown stared at her for a moment as if he were trying to read her expression for something hidden underneath the surface.

When he seemed to find what he was searching for, he nodded his head. “Yes, I want to do the right thing. I appreciate that you want to help me so willingly. Most people wouldn’t help a stranger like this.”

The two of them started to walk down the sidewalk together and the further that they traveled away from that spot, the darker and more lonely the streets grew. Fewer people were standing around or walking in the same direction, and the streetlights were dwindling. It was like the road they were on was getting into a more desolate part of town.

“Yeah, but you seem like an alright guy to me,” Lila said. She kept her hands close to her body. ”I’m sure you deal with this sort of thing often, not a lot of people are nice to anyone who deviates from what people consider normal. I get it. I hear plenty of flack from people about the way that I dress from time to time.”

“It suits you,” Unknown replied.

His tone, although dry, made her chest feel warm.

Heat rose to her cheeks. She wasn’t used to compliments nor did she know how to react when she got them from people. She let out a little awkward laugh. “Well, thank you. I work hard to pull these off. It takes a lot of thought to make something look just right.”

They spent the next twenty minutes or so just talking and chatting about this and that. He would charm her or make her feel like she was really special, and her trust for him would grow stronger and stronger by the minute.

It put her off-guard.

She was so preoccupied with chatting with this stranger that she didn’t even realize that they were the only people standing on the street now.

"It really is my lucky day," he commented, idly.

There was no sign of any other light and all the lights sans the moon were long but gone.

Lila glanced at him, “What makes you say that?”

A chuckle bubbled up from the back of his throat. It was dark and made her shiver as it echoed throughout the street, “Oh? You don’t know? At first, I thought that you would be the perfect choice for my plan. Anyone would be enthralled by a girl as naive as you without even blinking. But, I think I changed my mind. I don’t want to share you with those bastards.”

That was when Lila realized the position that she was in and just how far they had strayed from the rest of the world. It was just she and him. There was nobody if something happened. She wasn’t sure what he was talking about.

Her blood ran cold.

What plan?

"Plan?" Lila asked, trying to keep her cool. She didn’t want to escalate anything. Clarification was going to be key here. “What are you talking about? I thought that I was just helping you with…”

Unknown held up his hand and shushed her before she could finish talking. His face told her all she needed to know. He clicked his tongue in distaste. “I’m getting ahead of myself. I don’t want to play twenty questions, princess. I’ll put it in simple words for you. I’ve come to take you to paradise. A place where only the chosen can wander freely, and where all your pain disappears.”

Paradise…?

What was he talking about? She had no clue what he was talking about. She just wanted to help him return a phone. There was nothing about this when they spoke. He never mentioned that he had a speech ready for some sort of mythical location.

Her body was trembling.

Every part of her was screaming that she needed to get out of this place as fast as she could but her legs weren’t listening. She could feel her chest tightening and her breath start to quicken. This wasn’t good, this wasn’t good.

Unknown took a step closer, and another, and another until he was in front of her. “My dear naive princess.... did you really think you could trust any stranger? Don’t worry, I’ll reward you greatly for your actions. I know you’ve been hurt by the outside world but I know just how to correct your woes and pain. You’re going to come to paradise with me… whether you like it not.”

Lila swallowed, “A… And what are you going to do if I scream for help right now?”

"Let’s just say, I don’t want to have to do those when it’s all that easier just to get you to walk willingly for me, you wouldn’t like the answer, trust me." He said, “I really don’t want to dirty my hands or hurt you. But, I must do what I must do for paradise. You’re the one that willingly came to help somebody shady, you know? You don’t have any regard for your safety.”

She could try to make a break for it.

But she didn’t have any idea if he had a weapon or not. Even if she tried, he would be able to take her down. He was a lot bigger than she was. It wouldn’t have taken much to do it. She had no choice but to listen to him.

Lila knew that she should fight back.

But, at the same time, she knew that if she fought him right now, the odds were stacked against her from all sides.

Unknown was watching as she ran through all of her options and landed on the one that he already knew was coming. He only laughed when she dropped her head in defeat and went quiet. From his perspective, she was about to burst into tears.

He gripped her chin in his index finger and thumb and tipped it back so he could see her nervous brown eyes. “What a good girl you are, princess. You really do act as you look. I thought you were going to make it hard on me, but it turns out you’re just as polite about following your manners as your profiles led me to believe.”

Lila didn’t say anything.

“Haha… hahaha…! Don’t worry. I’ll treat you better than that traitor ever would have.”

17 notes · View notes

flydotnet · 4 years

Text

Sugar, Spice, and Everything Nice

Summary: Aelita experiences something new a few days before Christmas while on a date.

Fandom: Code Lyoko Ship: Established Aelita/Ulrich

Wordcount: 1.5K words

Notes: Joyeux Noël. This was written for my Code Lyoko Secret Santa giftee, @angelofapathe! It was my first time actually writing for CL, so this was a bit special to say the least. I got fueled by my baguettey blood to write something about a growing French custom of these Christmas markets. Also, while Ulrich/Aelita isn’t something I personally ship, it was still really fun to do. Happy Christmas pal! (for the fun fact: I have no idea if Paris’s Xmas market is any good. I’ve never seen it).

Event hosted by @codesecretsanta

AO3 version available here.

----------

Getting there had taken quite a while, but a fact was clear: the bright lights, sweet scents, human warmth and shiny present options made the subway troubles to getting here worth it. They may have almost gotten lost in the flow of people taking public transportations, the apparently countless lines and stations lying underground, and after exiting their final stop, yet she minded nothing of this effort: this was like the dream she wouldn’t have dared having. Truly, a fantasy she didn’t know she had fostered for quite a long time…

This was the first time Aelita saw something like this, so different from anything she had seen yet: the school, Lyoko, her father’s cottage; nothing was quite like that. Granted, she had never seen Paris to begin with, or didn’t remember ever being there at the very least, so her enthusiasm was off the roof and flowing in the night, winter sky. The numerous colours almost blinded her at first, compared to the streetlights they had seen until there.

“H-hey,” her boyfriend’s voice suddenly spoke much louder than usual, “don’t go too fast! You’ll get lost!”

With a slightly mischievous, but mostly purely happy, smile, she turned around to face him, scratching the back of his head with his available fingers, the blush on his face barely noticeable in the dancing flashes of light around them.

“Then we’ll just have to hold hands with more strength!”

He sighed before showing her a little smirk, “I suppose that’s a decent way to go around with it…”

Truth be told, she had barely been able to contain her excitement for this date ever since Ulrich had proposed the idea for it. Aelita had only brought the topic of the Parisian Christmas market after she had heard of it at school from girls discussing going there with friends and got curious. Quick Internet searches for it had only made her want to see it for her own two eyes even more. Staying a decade in a virtual limbo had prevented her from living the simple joys of their world and it was about time she was profiting from hanging with her boyfriend in a sparkly, joyful place like a lot of other boys and girls her age admiring the little shops surrounding them.

Originally, she had planned on bringing everyone along, but the idea of spending some time with just her boyfriend had spoken to her. Spending more time with him, especially in such a charming environment, was more than welcome and she had accepted without thinking twice about it. Her eyes were sparkling, her heart was beating vividly, following along to the rhythm of Christmas music played all around the market. She didn’t quite know where to look, when they were walking along the alleys: which little shop, which presents to give (and internally thinking of what to get for who, while making sure to keep her budget in mind), which happy face near her own.

It was like living a dream’s child, even if she was now a teenager. She wasn’t above simple fun.

Aelita eventually came across a hut-shaped shop (not unlike most of the shops there: it was part of the tradition, or so she had been told) serving hot chocolate. The bitter cold starting to bite, she wasn’t against drinking something to warm the both of them up while they continued exploring the place. There was too much to see to go back inside just because the winter atmosphere around them happened not to be warm enough!

She immediately put out her wallet, hoping she had enough money left on her, when Ulrich put his hand on her shoulder. That was only now she was noticing their hands had untied, explaining why he looked so alert, before smiling at her.

“Don’t bother, I’m gonna pay for us.” (He then looked at the seller before she could even add anything). “Two hot chocolates please, sir.”

The man smiled at him, then at her, before giving his prices and getting their money.

“On a date, are we?” He asked.

She felt her cheeks catch on fire. Aelita and Ulrich stared at each other, both with their faces coloured in red, struggling for a way to answer. That was unexpected to say the least. The man laughs at their confusion, grinning.

“Hey, you youngsters are livin’ ya best life, go for it! Here are your chocolates, have a nice evening, and don’t forget to have fun!”

They both replied with thanks at the same time, making them blush again, before she waved the man goodbye. With a steaming hot cup in her hand, she slipped the other in her boyfriend’s hand, resuming her sightseeing session.

The air was filled with human warmth and the sweet, sugary smell of various treats. The huts all sold different things, some she had no idea even existed, others she had only heard about (such as warm wine, which sounded disgusting until Ulrich explained to her they added spices to them… according to his parents, at least). The deeper they got into the market, the more mesmerized she’d get, sometimes stopping in the middle of the flow of people just to admire the contents of some of the little shops. The distant Christmas lights of her almost-forgotten childhood were coming back, only a thousand times brighter.

People probably looked at her in funny ways before of how childish her current attitude towards everything must have seemed to their eyes. Truth be told, Aelita cared very little about unknown persons’ opinions, right that moment: she was having the time of her life in a bright, colourful place filled with marvels she had never seen before with someone very close to her. She couldn’t have asked for more, and she didn’t dare ask for anything more in fear of everything good disappearing yet again.

Before she could fully settle for a more solemn mood, her eyes settle on the shiny reflects of silverware decorations. A pink gem cast in a bright silver-like metal spiral caught her eye, almost silently calling to her. It’d look great in her room, so her hands immediately went to the wallet right as her feet landed in front of the hut. The price tag showed twelve euros, so she searched for the right amount of money… only to notice she didn’t have the cash needed on her. Ah, what a bummer…

“Hey, what’s wrong? You need some help, Aelita?”

Ulrich had his hand on her shoulder, prompting her to turn around. He seemed concerned with seeing her worried.

“W-well… It’s nothing big, but I don’t have the money to buy this,” (she then pointed the item with her finger). “It’s okay, I’ll just gather some more cash and come back another time…”

Before she could add anything, she watched him get his wallet out, count something in it, and hand a twenty euro bill to the seller.

“You really don’t have to!”

All Ulrich did in response to this was to smile to her and hand her the little box containing “her” purchase. She really didn’t know what to say aside from a big thank you. To say that all she offered in return was a tight hug… He’d tell her it was all okay and that it was on his, that he was happy to pay for her.

When she got the piece out of its box, the gesture only made it shine brighter.

“I’ll have to pay you back one of these days…” She told him as she sighed.

“Don’t stress it. Anything for my princess.”

As soon as he said that, they both stared at each other, dumbfounded, silent and suddenly immobile. She could see his face take on a crimson hue and, to be fair, she was certain she was heading this way too.

“I-I mean,” he stuttered, scratching his head as their walk resumed its course, “I really don’t mind paying it for you! You seemed to really want it! Plus, it’s only fifteen bucks, it’s not a big deal at all!”

All she did was to giggle, both from her embarrassment and how endearing he was getting.

“I like it!”

He stared at her for a little bit, blinking.

“What, the mobile?”

“No, the nickname!”

She giggled again.

“Y-you do?!”

“Of course I do! Would I lie to you about it?

“I didn’t mean that! I just… thought you’d find it embarrassing, y’know!”

She picked his hand in hers yet again.

“We should head home, no? It’s starting to get late…”

He looked at his phone.

“Oh, yeah, you’re right. Let’s get back to the school before Jim makes an example outta us…”

They walked in a comfortable silence as she took in the last bits of the warm colours and scents. She’d come back… she just knew she would. This place was too mesmerizing to only experience once.

“Thank you so much again, Ulrich, for bringing me here. It’s all I’ve ever hoped it to be!”

“That’s nothing. It was a lot of fun going there with you.”

“We’ll come back one day, right?”

“Oh, absolutely. Why wouldn’t we?”

“…dumb question, I know!”

And Aelita sipped on what was left of her cup of chocolate, thinking of the mobile in her bag and the fingers enlaced within hers. The best life had to offer indeed…

#code lyoko #code secret santa #my writing #fluff

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