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#They keep appearing and disappearing at the gap at the top of the food of my car
wildflowerluver · 1 year
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sweet pea
aaron hotchner x teen!reader, bau team x teen!reader
5 times the team hears about you and the 1 time they actually meet you
cw: fem reader, set over the span of three years, case mentions, broken family unit, hotchner trio, hotch is a swiftie, also refers to his daughter as ‘sweet pea’, team is nosy, eating/food, forehead kisses run the hotchner home
wc: 3.4k
༺♡༻
1. inception
child cases are always rough.
they’re not only extremely sensitive, but they hit emotionally for everyone involved. 
it’s a small town and yet no strong leads. there’s no reason for the case to be as difficult as it is, but every case the team looks into is different.
local p.d. bring in a woman named chancy solace. she was the last one to see the missing boy alive and no one wants to wait around for another death to happen to look for evidence.
hotch was set to do the interview.
he asked basic questions about the missing boy, keeping his voice calm as she recounted her day through tears. they all knew she was innocent, no doubts about it. he was set to finish up after a few moments. it was clear she didn’t know much.
as he went to stand, however, solace had stopped him.
“do you have children, agent hotchner?” her voice was broken.
hotch nods. “i do.”
“how old?”
“my son is 3 and my daughter is 13.”
the air outside the room went stale. everyone on the team knew jack. some had even met him within his first few weeks of life. he was three, that was a fact - but a daughter? not once had hotch mentioned one, let alone one with such a large age gap. jack never rattled about a big sister either.
solace frowned, more tears welling up in the corners of her eyes. “then you must understand the guilt i’m feeling right now. can you imagine if you were the last one to see your daughter before she disappeared? how can i possibly have it in me to be a part of this?”
hotch doesn’t want to think about the question she posed, not at all.
“we’re going to find him. it’s going to be alright,” it was a promise, one hotch intended not to break.
he left the room after that. their only known witness wasn’t much help for the case and there was no point in wasting time.
rossi stops hotch before he can walk away.
“why’d you lie?”
there’s no question on what rossi is asking about. it’s profiling 101 that lying to a suspect, no matter innocent or not, could be dangerous.
hotch glanced at his team.
“i didn’t.”
2. first encounter
you’ve had a really, really, really bad day.
from the second you woke up, everything seemed to go wrong. school wasn’t any better and by the end of the day, the only thing you wanted to do was see your dad. he’s your favorite person and a hug from him always reassures you that things will be okay.
you text him before your last class of the day to ask when he’ll be home. if it’s even possible, a deeper frown appears on his face when he tells you no later than six. 
part of you wants to be happy from that response. no later than six means there’s no cases and he’s on top of his files. but after the day you had, you just need someone and waiting nearly four hours for him to get home is less than ideal. 
can i come to the bau?
your text is a shot in the dark. your dad keeps you out of his profession and you’ve never stepped foot in quantico. you just hope he gets some sort of semblance for what's going on if you're asking to come see him.
he responds back seconds later. ‘i’ll send an agent.’
it’s not that he doesn’t trust you to get there on your own, there’s even a direct line from the train station closest to your school, but you're still young, only 14, and you know he would feel more comfortable having an agent pick you up.
the next time you check your phone, your dad has sent a message with the name of the agent and instructions on how to prove that it’s him. it’s not him being overprotective, it’s him wanting you to be safe. 
agent anderson is easy enough to spot. you run through the procedures your dad wanted and once you know it’s the right person, you get in the car.
he doesn’t say anything when you shove your earbuds in your ears and shuffle your playlist and you’re thankful for that. you’re especially grateful that he doesn’t ask questions when you bite your lip and swipe away stray tears that have fallen down your face.
music is an outlet for you, an escape, and right now that’s all you wanted to do. 
earbuds remain in your ears as you step into the bau building. anderson leads you through security and gets you a visitors badge. you very faintly hear any of his verbal instructions.
he leaves you once you reach the right floor, pointing through the glass doors to show you where to go. with a smile, he’s gone.
you weigh your options for a moment before walking in. you told your dad you're here but you don’t know where his office is. and right now, you really do not want to deal with anyone else. but with a deep breath, you decide to take your chances and head in.
a child walking into the bau is an automatic red flag, let alone one with puffy eyes and red cheeks, a clear sign of crying.
morgan and j.j. are the first two to stand up, wasting no time in circling their desks to walk to where you stand at the bullpen entrance; j.j.’s mouth already open with an “are you alright?” on the tip of her tongue.
but before they reach you, and before j.j. can speak, hotch is out of his office and moving down the stairs.
he steps in front of them when he faces you, thus shielding you from the prying eyes of the team. you look up at your dad, eyes full of a new wave of tears.
hotch doesn’t hug you then, though he desperately wants to, nor does he explain who you are to the team. instead, he places a strong hand on your shoulder, turning you slightly before guiding you up to his office. the door is shut and the blinds are closed. the two of you are cut off from the others and all of them know not to intrude.
“who was that?” rossi questioned after stepping onto the catwalk. the commotion was noticeable.
“i think we just met y/n.”
3. phone call 
on flights home from cases, what the team does onboard genuinely varies with what time of day it is.
during early morning and late night flights, you can find most of the team asleep, trying to make up for the rest lost in the past few days. anything between that is typically a more active time.
hotch is dealt into a game of poker with the entire team. rossi acts as the dealer claiming he’s “not in the mood to get outsmarted at his favorite game.”
the entire group is laughing and chatting among themselves as they play. there’s no reason not to, it was a successful case - worth the positive mood on the jet.
hotch’s phone ringing cuts through emily’s turn.
he holds his hands up in defense and mumbles a quiet apology.
“hi sweet pea,” hotch barely has time to greet you before he gets cut off with your frantic “did you listen?”
his laugh causes the others to bring their heads up from their cards. a hotch laugh is uncommon, rare.
“i did. we finished up here last night so i listened before i went to bed and finished when i woke up,” he answers your question. 
he waits for your response, already knowing that you want to know his thoughts on the album.
“well,” hotch pauses. “if i’m being honest, i liked it more than fearless.”
j.j. and emily are the only two who have any idea what he’s talking about. a record could be set for how fast their eyes snap to each other once it clicks.
hotch is quiet for a few moments. though no one can make out exactly what you’re saying on the other end, they can hear your muffled rambling.
“yeah yeah, i liked that one too,” hotch agrees. “i think my top two are dear john and haunted, though. her songwriting is incredible in those.”
whatever he means clearly pleases you judging by the content look on his face.
“alright i have to get going,” he starts. “but i have the vinyl reserved at the record store. we can go when i get back? should be home by two.”
you agree without hesitation, several “thank you’s” being repeated. hotch won’t admit it ever to anyone besides you, but he’s excited to hear it on vinyl too. it’s kinda your shared thing.
“i’ll see you when i get home, okay? i love you.”
he hangs up after goodbyes, placing his phone back onto the table before picking up his cards. the silence lingers in the air even after he makes the motion that he’s ready to continue. “what?”
“you listen to taylor swift?”
hotch smiles, a genuine one. “my daughter loves her. have to keep up somehow.”
4. vacation 
when hotch doesn’t show up to work for a week, it takes only the first day for the team to panic. it had been a little over a year and a half since foyet had stabbed hotch and hotch had gone missing. no one was going to take chances when their boss, who typically had perfect attendance, showed up without notice.
rossi and morgan went to strauss at the end of the day. 
their interrogation on hotch’s whereabouts is in good faith, but it doesn’t take a profiler to notice strauss’ sigh at their concerns.
“agent hotchner is on vacation,” she starts. “he should be back next week. until then, i am under orders to not assign a new case unless necessary.”
the agents turn to each other in confusion as they leave. “a vacation? come on rossi, when in all the years of knowing him has hotch ever willingly gone on vacation.”
the older man shrugs. “i don’t know. maybe this’ll be good for him.”
there’s no arguing with that.
when hotch returns the following monday, no one hesitates to notice the change in his physical appearance.
his skin is tanned and he has a slight tinge of sunburn on his nose and cheekbones; a clear sign he went somewhere warm.
“hotch!” emily catches him before he can retreat to his office.
all eyes are on him and he knows it. 
“where were you?” she inquired. 
hotch sighs. “greece.” 
this catches the attention of the other team members in the bullpen. rossi seems to have found an empty chair at j.j.’s desk. even garcia had chosen this exact moment to get a new cup of coffee.
“greece?” emily stutters. “like the european country?”
hotch nods. “that’s the one.” 
morgan whistles. vacations in the bau are fairly uncommon. the looming threat of being called back for a case stops most from planning. even if the timing does work out, no one goes far; let alone out of the country. 
“and you just decided to go there for a casual vacation,” j.j.’s tone isn’t condescending, but rather showing genuine curiosity.
“it’s y/n’s birthday in a few months and she’s always wanted to go,” hotch explains like it’s the most casual thing in the world. “jack’s still a little too young so he stayed with jessica.”
he doesn’t mingle around after that, choosing to head up to his office to get set up after his week away.
“huh,” garcia murmurs. “didn’t take him for a greek island guy.”
“guess that shows just how much he’s wrapped around y/n’s finger.”
5. baked goods
you don’t have school today.
despite that, you still get up early to have breakfast with your brother and dad. once jack is picked up by the bus for school, your dad gets ready for work.
you stay in the kitchen, however, moving the cookies you made last night from one container to the other.
when your dad reappears, you wait for his hands to be empty before posing your question.
“is there any way you can give these to agent rossi?” you practically shove the container into your dad’s hand.
aaron raises an eyebrow. “rossi?”
“you mentioned he was italian,” you wait for a nod of confirmation. “these are canestrelli, they’re an italian cookie. i wanted to know if you could give these to him for a taste test.”
he smiles. “trying to expand your baking horizons?”
you match his expression. “exactly.”
with a kiss to your forehead, your dad is out the door and off to work.
“delivery,” hotch’s tone is steady as he knocks on rossi’s office door.
“from who?”
“y/n,” hotch answers as he sets the container down. “she tried to make canestrelli and wanted your opinion. i’m just the messenger.”
rossi takes the container from hotch. he opens it up before plucking a cookie out and examining it. “looks authentic.” 
if he’s being honest, even if the cookie isn’t good, he’ll still love it.
but it isn’t.
of course it isn’t.
rossi takes one bite and his eyes widen.
“i haven’t had canestrelli this good since the last time i went to italy. tell her she should be very proud and i will be happy to pay for more.”
hotch can’t hide his proud expression. “i will.”
+1 first meeting
you always wait for your dad to get home from work. it’s routine.
plus, you made a promise to jack when you put him to bed that you would send your dad upstairs when he got home.
you bake in the meantime. it’s something to pass the time and you figure having something fresh to eat would be a nice surprise for your dad.
music plays from the record you have spinning. you keep it quiet as to not wake jack up upstairs. he’s not a light sleeper, but you don’t want to disturb his rest.
the side door opens as you're mixing the flour to the batter. tonight’s bake is gingerbread. easy enough to make. 
it surprises you when your dad doesn’t call out a hello. he’s come home this late before when you’re still up and he always makes it a point to greet you. plus, you have music playing. there’s no doubt he can’t hear that.
“dad?” your voice is quiet.
you peer around the corner, stepping out a bit further when you see him, though you freeze when you notice the other people following him. 
“hi sweet pea,” his voice is tired, you can tell. you close your eyes when he hugs you and kisses your forehead. if his team is here you know it’s not good.
“what’s going on?”
he turns to you. “i can explain in a few minutes. are you okay for introductions?” his voice lowers for the last part, not wanting the team to hear if you say no.
you nod, though anxiety bubbles at the pit of your stomach at the deflection of the question.
“everyone, this is y/n, my daughter,” your dad starts. unsure what to do, you wave slightly. “y/n, this is my team, that’s dave, derek, emily, spencer, j.j., and penelope.” he points to each of the people as he rattles his name off.
while your dad kept you out of his work, you did faintly know each member of the team. he talked about them in passing and jack rambled often about something “uncle dave” or “uncle derek” did.
“why are they here?” you hope your question doesn’t come off as rude.
your dad squeezes your arm. “can you go back in the kitchen for a few? i’m going to get these guys set up and then i can explain. is jack asleep?”
you nod. “i put him to bed a few hours ago. he was asking for you.”
“thank you,” he starts. “i’ll go see him in a bit.”
the conversation is over. you feel awkward standing in the foyer where you’re clearly the center of attention. you turn and walk into the kitchen. finishing your baking seems like a good idea.
aaron enters the kitchen as you’re pouring the batter into the pans. the music is off by now, though the record stays on the turntable. he waits for you to put the pan in the oven and face him before explaining.
“there’s a mole in the bau. we’re trying to figure it out but we obviously can’t work there. i volunteered our house. we would’ve gone to dave’s but he’s having work done.” you know he’s giving you the most minimal answer possible.
“oh,” you’re honestly not quite sure what else to say.
he continues. “we’re hoping to have it cleared up soon but we don’t have a lot of our normal equipment. i wasn’t expecting you to be up for all this. couldn’t sleep?”
“was waiting for you to get home,” you shrugged. “you know i always do.” 
“yeah i know. i should’ve called.”
you turn to him. “It’s alright. i’m just going to clean up while i wait for the gingerbread to be done and then i’ll go to bed.” 
your dad nods. “let me know when you do.” he disappears out of the kitchen after that.
cleaning up doesn’t take long and you’re still elbows deep in soapy water when the oven beeps. you take it out of the pan and set it on a cooling rack before gathering your stuff. you’re honestly exhausted.
going into the living room takes a moment of mental courage. you know everyone is in there and you don’t want to interrupt them. but, you’ve missed your dad and you want him to say goodnight.
“um, i’m going to head up to bed,” your voice echoes through the room. it was fairly quiet before and you feel embarrassed for interrupting that. the first part is directed at your dad. you turn to the rest of the team. “i made fresh gingerbread if anyone wants any. it’s on the counter, help yourself. i also put on a fresh pot of coffee and that should be ready soon.”
aaron’s heart is so full that he almost forgets the case at hand.
“i’ll be up in a minute,” aaron voices.
you hum, nodding to the team as a non-verbal goodnight.
he dishes out individual assignments within the team. they’ll work as a group to start before taking shifts so others can rest.
jack’s room is his first stop. he doesn’t wake the boy, choosing to instead kiss his forehead before picking up his stuffed dinosaur, a gift, and placing it back on the bed.
you’re just getting under the covers when your dad knocks.
“come in!”
your dad steps inside, shutting the door slightly.
“hi,” you smile.
“hi,” he echoes. “good day?”
you shrug. “yeah, i guess so. i got jack from school and we spent the afternoon together. missed you though.”
aaron frowns. “i’m sorry sweet pea. didn’t think this was going to happen. none of us did.”
“i know you didn’t. i’m not mad.”
you want to continue your statement and wash away any guilt you know he’s feeling. but, your body betrays you and a yawn cuts you off.
“alright, time for bed,” his words make you feel like a child but you know he’s right.
he tucks you in and like with jack, he kisses your forehead.
“goodnight dad, i love you.”
“i love you too.”
his demeanor changes when he goes downstairs and sits with the team. he’s serious, ready to work. right now this case is his priority. he, like others, wants to wrap it up quickly and efficiently. 
emily nudges him when he sits down beside her. spencer and derek’s banter about the case is long drowned out.
“she’s a good kid.”
hotch beams. 
“i know.”
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yellowbunnydreams · 5 months
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The Blood Runs Thicker (part 5) ~vampire!William Afton x F! Reader~
~So I've had a little think and a little looksie at how I want to maybe have this story play out and I have decided that whilst yes, William Afton in this is based off of Movie Afton, I'm going to mess around with some of the dynamics ect to produce what I feel will be a better story. Plus it's FNAF, when has the lore ever made sense?~
Tag-List; @ruh--roh-raggy @randymeeksisafinalgirl @sleepy---head @robin-the-enby @hungrhay @likoplays @slxsher-whxre @nicolezghostz
✧・゚: *✧・゚:* Want more or something different? *:・゚✧*:・゚✧
CW:Minors DNI, (18+ ONLY), Female Reader, legal age gap (Reader- 20's, William - 50's), graphic acts of violence, biting, knife-play, blood, blood-drinking/licking, mention of dead children, anaemia. Graphic description of injuries. The suit stays ON
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Afton hadn't attempted to bite you for a few days. Although he seemed to notice your presence less and less each day also in a strange way. He still cooked for you and would force food and drink down your throat if you weren't compliant, and he did keep rebandaging your wounds. But it was like he wasn't all too bothered that you had begun to walk around his home, even permitting you to sit out on his porch for an hour of sunlight each day. Although you had noticed he wore sunglasses when he went outside in bright weather and seemed snappy and irritable afterwards.
You weren't complaining too much though, his demeanour had be wildly varied since you met him and in ways he reminded you of a large house-cat. Aloof to your presence and only appearing when it was time for food. Though where in the house he went during the time that he disappeared, you weren't sure and you didn't want to know. You had managed to secret away a pen and some sheets of paper that you found in a drawer, and you had began to write down things that you noticed simply by observing him, not sure what you would do with the collated information, but you had a feeling that you would need it at some point.
The first was that William moved fast. Preternaturally so. It wasn't like you blinked and he was there, but he certainly moved with a fluidity and speed that was above human capability, his muscles seeming to barely move as he walked and his steps barely made noise as he moved throughout the house. You had tested it once or twice over the days, testing his name at various volumes to determine what he could hear as well. Resulting in a few growled threats about wasting his time due to not needing anything major and making him move from where he had been.
He seemed to be able to hear if you spoke at a regular level even if he was downstairs or where-ever he disappeared to, but struggled with anything quieter unless he was on the same floor. Conversely, overly loud noises bothered him, leading you to wonder how he had managed when you screamed whilst being attacked.
As you padded downstairs, you decided to peer into the fridge whilst he wasn't around. Opening the box on the top shelf and finding it empty, you frowned and put it back. You could almost feel the weight of the bags under your eyes from a sleepless night, and your whole body felt like it moved sluggishly.
You weren't sure what time you had woken up, but a warm wet sensation against your neck had been what jostled you from sleep. Starting in the bed before a large hand had clamped around your throat and jaw, forcing your head away and for you to lie still. Heart pounding wildly in your chest as you felt William lick up your neck, his knees either side of your hips and his beard scratching at your skin, hearing the low growl in his chest as he pinned you like that for a while. Never biting, but seeming to taste your skin, his tongue almost becoming rough after the same pattern was traced onto the thin skin over and over again.
William was out of blood, and you were sure that the previous night had been a barely contained act of hunger. Perhaps there was something human holding him back from biting you, although you severely doubted it as your hand wandered up to your throat where you had some bruises from his grip dotting your jaw and a red mark across your throat from your shoulder to just under your ear. Shuddering as you thought about how much rougher he would be the worse he got. You hoped he would either bite you or go out and get some more blood soon.
Hearing a clunk on the table behind you made you jump out of your thoughts, turning around and seeing William lugging the hauntingly familiar Spring Bonnie head onto the counter. Your body trembling as you took a step back instinctually, not wanting to be anywhere near the thing as you recalled how the white eyes had bored into yours even as you screamed for mercy. Your hand moving to your leg and touching the now somewhat healed stab wound on your leg.
The action did not go unnoticed by Afton, glancing up at you and running his fingers over his slightly longer scruff. Lips curling into a cold smile as he picked up the head and walked over to you slowly, deliberately. Your body shaking as you tried to move backwards and get out of range, heart pounding faster and feeling your eyes watering as you felt the marble biting into your back. Letting him catch you and suddenly enveloping your head in darkness as he placed the head on yours.
"Aww, is the little bunny scared by a rabbit?" He teased, laughing at the oversized thing almost weighing your head down. It smelt like old iron filings and something organic, rotting mixed with moth-balls. You were sure in the low light you could see remnants of your own blood against the teeth of the mask from where he had initially bitten into your shoulder.
But you realised that the sound inside it was muffled, probably how he put up with the screaming. And that his vision was limited, only a letter-slot sized space visible through the teeth, as the eyes were too clouded and painted over to see through viably. And if the smell was heavy to you, you were sure it was almost overwhelming to him, unless he was blind to the stink inside, which wouldn't have shocked you entirely. You blinked rapidly as he pulled it off, your eyes watering more and tears spilling down your cheeks as you struggled in the change of lighting. His face was close, smiling wickedly as he leaned in, grabbing the back of your head and making you yelp as his long tongue raked up your cheek and followed your tears.
"Such a cry-baby. Don't worry blood-bag, this isn't for you today. Although I can only imagine how good you'll taste all filled up with adrenaline and fear." His voice low and gravelly before he released your head, looking at the bruises across your jaw with a satisfied hum before he glanced at your neck. "You should have heard the noises you made last night before you woke up, absolutely shameful."
You knew that you couldn't have made any, that you woke up as soon as his tongue touched your skin, but you couldn't help your cheeks flushing and feeling embarrassed that he could be right and that you had made some noise or movement that only encouraged the vampire and his appetite.
"Who's it for then?" You asked, watching him place the head back on the table and then bring up the torso piece, turning it onto its back and reaching inside with what looked like a deformed alan-key. Turning it in slow careful cranks as you heard the faint 'click' of things settling inside the suit.
"The new security guard at Freddy's, since you know, the last one just disappeared very inconveniently." William chuckled darkly, his eyes flashing as he looked up at you, making you swallow down the panic and bile in your throat and leaving an acidic taste in it's wake. "You'll be coming with me however."
"What, why? In case you need a little pre-murder snack?" The words slipped out of your mouth before you thought about them. William blinked up at you and laughed, a full bodied laugh that would sound perhaps pleasant, perhaps more like a middle-aged dad laughing at his kid doing something funny if there wasn't a tint of bitterness to it.
"Are you offering bunny? I don't take kindly to people offering things they don't end up following through on."
Placing the key down, he stalked over to you again, making your heart race anew and fill your ears with your own heartbeat. His head tilted to one side as his lip curled up and showed off those fangs as his jaw moved slightly. Every fibre of your being hated seeing those fangs, how animalistic they looked, two long and two shorter ones behind. They looked more like they were designed for ripping flesh from bone than they fit into a human mouth.
If you could call William Afton human anymore.
"W-Wouldn't want to ruin your appetite before hand!" You squeaked out as he reached arms length away from you, your hands raising up like they would be able to defend you should he come closer. The darkness remained in his expression, but he huffed and walked back around the counter, picking up the weird key item and going back to cranking whatever device was inside the suit to his satisfaction.
"I'll save you for dessert then."
~~
Being back at Freddy's was surreal, and you felt somewhat disappointed in a macabre way that there was no pool of blood from where you had bled out, or even the furniture you were sure must have moved in all the fuss. Even passing by the security office, there seemed to be a new door on the hinges. It was like you had never been there, and what had happened to you never did.
William led you to a back room, which you realised is where he must have been hiding when you arrived for your own shift. Looking away as he checked the time and began to pull on the yellow rabbit suit with a practised methodology, making you feel sick as you wondered how many times he had put that thing on. How many lives he must have taken in it.
But you wondered why he was so attached to it.
In the room you noticed plenty of dusty boxes and old animatronic parts, before a flash of yellow in the far back corner caught your eye. Going over to investigate as William checked the sharpness of his blade under the low light, his glasses off and tucked into the bag he had brought with him to keep them safe. It was clear to you that he didn't really need them, he simply preferred to wear them, perhaps mimicking what he looked like before he ended up the way he was.
Creeping closer to the yellow, you could only see a little bit underneath a dust sheet. Carefully picking it up, you swallowed back a scream as you found a pair of empty sockets staring back at you. Realising after a few seconds that it was an animatronic bear, sat down in the corner and slumped, loose like it didn't have a skeleton to support it. The mouth slack jawed and you could vaugely see a patch along the jaw where the fur lining it was thinner and discoloured. Like somebody had scrubbed at it repeatedly and worn down the material. Looking back at William, you could see that the suit was a similar design to the bear on the floor. Making you wonder if this was a variant he hadn't used, or perhaps didn't favour, as it didn't have the wear marks that his did. Simply it looked abandoned.
And you couldn't shake the feeling that you were being watched as you covered it back up.
Turning around, William had opened a laptop onto the table inside the room, face intense as he looked at the screen, the light casting long shadows on his features and making his look gaunt. Hollow cheeked and sunken eyed. You could faintly make out that he was running his tongue against his teeth beneath his lip, hearing him sucking against them occasionally as you approached him.
He was watching security cameras, different to the ones you recognised from your time in the office. That's how he'd known where you were, what exits you would try. He knew this place like the back of his hand. The sinking in your stomach made you feel unsteady on your feet and you sat against the edge of the table, swallowing dryly as you tried not to think about him watching you. Not about the still slightly tender spot against your neck. Not about how many he'd lured here before you.
His hand against your thigh made your thoughts snap back to the present.
"You look sick. Don't tell me I've put all this work into you, just for you to get sick on me." He growled, barely taking his eyes off of the screen, perking up slightly as he watched the hunched figure with their hood up unlocking the front doors and entering the building.
"No sir, I just...I'm nervous being back here." Your voice soft as you felt him taking your hand and his lips brush against the still healing fang marks on your wrist, making you shudder as his warm breath followed.
"Oh bunny.... You don't need to worry about that... I'm going to enjoy tasting you as I stand over this guy's corpse, and hearing those little sounds you try so hard to hide when you feel my teeth in your skin." His tone was sickly sweet, honey like and thick where it made your head feel foggy. Your throat felt clogged at his words, like you didn't even want to breathe.
"Won't putting their blood in me make me sick? I-I mean, if you bite me straight after them?"
"Hm....Never thought about that, I suppose nobody's actually lived when I do it. Better hope you're a matching blood type, bunny."
He let go of your hand and left it feeling weirdly cold. Shivering as you realised your whole body felt like it was slowly being submerged in ice. Grabbing the sweater that he had given you to wear and pulling it on despite the oversized nature of it, tucking your legs into the stomach as you hoped you could maybe get warmer that way, considering that you were still barefoot and in shorts.
Suddenly Afton stood up, glancing at the cameras and grabbing the rabbit head, looking at you with a wicked smile.
"Stay here little bunny, hide away in your burrow until I come back for you." Licking over his teeth again before he placed the head on. Pausing as he clearly adjusted to the change in perspective, grabbing the knife from the table and opening the door slowly. Silently. Slipping into the hallway like a shadow despite the bulk of the suit and the man's raw size.
The room seemed to continue to drop in temperature, making you shiver more as you took a seat in the chair William had been in. Looking over the cameras and seeing the new security guard leaning back in the office chair. Arms crossed across their chest from what you could make out in the static filled monochrome.
But what caught your eyes were the animatronics on stage. Chica was looking at you, just like they had that first night in a way that made an icy finger slide down your spine. Catching a glimpse of William moving in the shadows around the stage, watching as the animatronics moved their heads in his direction briefly before they began to move around.
Again however, they kept glancing at the cameras you were viewing them in, and something settled in the pit of your stomach. It was an uneasy feeling, and you found yourself chewing your lip as you wondered what was happening. Apart from a vampire in a bunny suit running around and murdering anybody who came in.
"How long do you think it will last?"
You spun around, heart pounding as you swore you heard a voice in your ear. Quiet, barely above a whisper, sounding more like rustling wind than human, but something made your stomach turn again as you turned your attention back to the cameras. The hairs standing up on the back of your neck as you noticed Freddy and Bonnie staring into the camera. Bonnie's head tilted to one side, as if regarding you curiously.
"Why did she get to live?"
You stood up quickly, half expecting to see somebody stood behind you. Heartbeat filling your ears as you tried to place where the sound could be coming from. Swallowing softly as you moved to the door, making sure it was shut tight, in case it was the wind moving through the door and making your mind go wild. You were already anxious being there, scared even. The plummeting temperature and darkness making it all the worse.
"Hello?" You whispered, shoulders tense before you relaxed, not hearing anything in reply. Laughing quietly at yourself for becoming wound up, moving to go back to the chair when the sensation of somebody brushing past your back made you freeze and the sound of fabric rubbing against itself as it moved.
Looking around, you felt all the colour drain from your face as the blank eye-sockets of the bear animatronic stared at you from behind the shelf. The maw open as if in a mockery of a laugh, you felt as if it was staring at you, backing yourself into the wall and refusing to take your eyes off of it.
It had been in the corner, tucked away and clearly undisturbed judging by the dust on the cover. And the distance it had moved was not possible for being disturbed, not with it's head peering around the corner and looking at you like it was sizing you up.
"She doesn't have a choice." A slightly different voice whispered. You could hear almost a murmur behind it, like the other tiny voices where whispering with it.
"C-Come on out! Don't do this to me, please. Please I won't tell anybody!" You begged, feeling hot tears prickling at your eyes and threatening to spill down your freezing cheeks, body shaking as you kept looking at the bear. Flinching as you heard a muffled but loud 'bang' from within the restaurant, your head turning towards it and the cameras instinctually before you looked back at the bear.
Your breath caught in your throat and strangled a scream as the bear laid across the floor. Arms outstretched like it was trying to drag itself towards you, the top half of the head slightly off-set from the jaw and giving it that same open mouthed snarl.
You could now see a little purple top-hat ontop of the yellow bear's head. But you felt yourself sinking to your knees as the commotion outside continued and you felt like you were trapped in a perverse game of 'What's-the-time-mr-wolf' with an empty thing. Slowly making it's way closer to you every time you looked away from it. The tears spilt down your cheeks, and you let out quiet sobs, straining to not choke on your tears as it felt like your throat gummed up and made it impossible to breathe.
"Don't cry pretty lady."
"We didn't mean to make you cry."
"Who are you?!" You called out, sobbing harder. The voices sounded a little clearer, the space around you almost sub-zero feeling to your skin as you looked at the goosebumps forming along every inch of you.
"He did the same to us you know."
"William did?" You asked, feeling the air around you moving subtly, a tiny influx of cold and warmth that made you feel sickly. Placing your head in your hands for a moment before remembering the bear. Almost screaming as it was closer still, snatching your legs back as it laid at your feet, the articulate hand an inch away from touching you.
"We didn't know his name back then."
"Yellow rabbit."
"Be good, you'll get your dog back."
"Follow me."
"We can help you see miss."
"See what?" You asked, sobbing more as the noise outside continued. Wondering what was taking William so long to finish it and come back, even if he scared you, it was better than whatever was tormenting you in that confined space.
"Put on the head." The tiny voices spoke as if in union. Your hands reached out shakily after a pause. Feeling the cold air move from you as if it was a living thing as you did so. Body shaking as you stared into the empty sockets, taking a few deep breaths before you slotted the empty head over your own.
The lack of eyes inside it made it a lot easier to see out of. But it was like your vision went fuzzy. Blurred as the lifeless body of the suit laid before you like a sacrifice.
Then you spotted them,
Five tiny faces peering out from around the shelves, some with their hands gripping the edges as they looked back and forth between themselves and you. It was blurred though, vague shapes that you could barely make out apart from the fuzzy scarlet against each of them. Pouring down their fronts from places you couldn't see.
"She sees us."
"She's not like him."
"Maybe she can help?"
"Who are you?" You asked again, receiving a pause before one of the five stepped out from behind the shelf. Seeming to give a shy wave. Your hand automatically waved back, feeling stupid that you were probably waving to a hallucination.
"Can you please help my brother?" The small childish figure asked, you could make out what might have been a black and white striped t-shirt. You shrugged your shoulders, body still shaking as you tried to process it all.
"Who's your brother?"
"He's out there. He'll kill him if you don't help." The whispering sounded desperate, pleading with you. Like it was hoping you would agree. A sinking dread settled into your stomach as you realised that the apparition in front of you was talking about William killing the security guard.
"I'll get killed, I-I'm sorry but I'm not like William. I can't do what he does!" Your voice wavered, feeling a wave of sadness coming over you as you realised you were powerless again. You really were just a bunny hiding in it's burrow for the worst to pass.
"You just have to say his name." The figure came further towards you, and you felt fabric against your feet. The suit had moved a little further forwards as the thing approached, and you realised with a sob that it was a ghost. Moving what it could to reach out. Trying to contact somebody, anybody for help.
You couldn't help it as you nodded your head, and the mask toppled off, leaving you back in the dark with no sign of the child in front of you.
~~
Your feet moved automatically, pausing as you encountered Bonnie stood in the hallway. The animatronic turning towards you with the soft whir of hydraulics and servos inside, hearing the faint 'click' as it blinked and the ears moved from side to side. One arm sticking out and seemingly sweeping wide to allow you to pass.
He made no move to attack you as you drew closer to the sound of fighting. The sound of William's modulated, gravelly voice snarling through the tiny speaker in the suit making the hair stand up on the back of your neck. But you kept pressing forwards. There was a name on the edge of your tongue, and you felt as if the eyes of the animatronics were something more as they watched from the side-lines. There was a sense of malice in the dining area. It was almost thick enough to cut it with a knife.
William clearly had the upper hand, furniture strewn everywhere and some of it broken in the scrap. You could make out dark splatters across once white tablecloths that you didn't want to look too closely at. A wet, meaty sound hitting your ears as you watched William sitting back on his heels for a moment. The front of the suit covered in darkness as you watched a hand come up from the floor, shocking you as it pummelled him straight on the chin. Making you flinch as the security guard and William began to brawl again.
It seemed like neither was coming undone without a fight.
You felt the coldness slipping at your side again, spurring you to spill the secret on your lips. Something that hadn't been uttered in a long time you felt. Sucking in deep breaths, it felt as if your hand was being squeezed between blocks of ice. Strangely comforting, despite looking down at the empty air before your attention was brought back to the fight before you. Hearing William swearing through the modulator.
"AFTON."
Your voice rang out, shaking, desperate and scared as William's fist connected with the security guard's face one more time before he turned his attention to you. Seemingly glancing down at the once-a-person mess underneath him before he stood up slowly. Taking the head off of his and revealing his sharp features.
He was sweating beneath the suit, something you weren't even sure he could do. His nose streamed with blood and when he approached, you noticed his lip as split too, the start of a swollen black eye forming that you wondered how the hell he'd managed to get through the suit before you saw the faint nail marks along his brown bone. The security guard must have reached in when he realised it was a person and inflicted some damage.
"Bunny, I thought I fucking told you to...to stay in there." He had to pause and take a shaking breath. You suddenly weren't sure that all the blood you could see glistening in the low light was the guard's. Taking a step back as he kept his limping pace towards you. "There's not a lot left in him, so I'm glad you got he....here. I'll still get to eat well tonight." He chuckled darkly, licking over his bloodied teeth, noticing that one of his fangs were gone. Knocked out by the torn gum you got a quick look at.
"M-Michael." You whimpered, William cocked his head to one side as he looked at you. Grinning as gooey strands of blood poured from his mouth and stained his greying beard red.
"What was that bunny? I didn't hear you."
A groan came from behind him, making William pause as you watched the shaking, bloody hand raise from between the turned over tables. Gripping tightly onto it as the security guard lumped himself onto the table, half slung over it. Hair matted against his scalp and face with blood, you almost vomited as you recognised that it wasn't the lighting making half of his face look slightly deformed and strange, but rather that it had seemingly been partly caved in. The whole body shaking as it spluttered, coughing up what looked like more blood that splattered across the ground. A flash of mangled teeth in the light as something akin to a gurgling chuckle came from it's crushed throat.
"I knew you may not recognize me at first but I assure you, it's still me.."
"Michael." You breathed, feeling your heart pounding as the almost corpse gave what you supposed was a smile, William turning on his heel and snarling, spittle dripping from his lip.
"Michael."
"Hello dad. Can't say I missed you."
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lemonjoonah · 3 years
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The Garden Thief (M)
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Pairing: Jungkook x Reader Word Count: 9.3K Genre: Hybrid AU, romance/drama/comedy, enemies to lovers Warnings: Unprotected sex, oral sex (fem. rec.), they get down and dirty outside but no one else is there to see them, cum play? (just a little), there’s also a bit of mud (sorry, but also not sorry, they’re outside what do you want from me?!?!), referenced hybrid neglect and oppression (hybrids are wrongfully deemed as pets by law and the majority of society).  
Summary: Your beloved vegetable patch has once again been victimized by a hungry thief in the night. The prime suspect? Jeon Jungkook, your neighbour's rabbit hybrid. But when you finally confront him, he pleads innocent, and proposes a plan to clear his name.
A/N: I wrote this fic’s premise and opening scene for the ‘A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words Game’ that I played oh so long ago and now I’ve finally finished the tale!
...
“Oh for fuck’s sake, not again!” You swear upon seeing the leafy green remains of several carrots lying in your garden, inches from where they used to be buried. This maddening mystery of the vanishing vegetables has been playing out all summer. You’ve set out deterrents for every possible garden pest, rolling out chicken wire and spraying natural remedies to repel anything from bugs to small rodents. Yet you still wake to find that your garden has been robbed in the night. The only possible suspect you haven’t been able to protect against resides just next door, in fact—
You squint up at the boarded fence, spotting a pair of long dark ears peeking out over the posts. “Jungkook, is that you?”
The ears immediately disappear, ducking down behind the barrier. The sound of his hurried footsteps trailing away are followed only by the slamming of a door.
You rush into and through your own house carrying the wilted carrot greens. Exiting out the front, and over to the house next to yours, where you repeatedly press the bell.
The entry whips open on the fourth ring to reveal Jungkook. His face is flushed, beads of sweat racing down his brow, and a shirt that one would normally use to cover their chest, is instead thrown over his shoulder. “Something wrong neighbour?” He asks with a carrot stick in hand. Bringing it to his mouth, he taunts you with a bite and crooked grin.
“Is-is your caretaker home?” You stutter trying your best to swallow your nerves. Concentrating hard on his face, you plead with your eyes not to wander down. That’s exactly what he wants, a reason to put you off your mission, to make you so flustered that you have to walk away. He’s always trying to use his allure against you, and you hate how often he succeeds doing just that...  
“No, he’s at work.”
“When will he be back?”
“Not sure, maybe a week, or two? He’s on a business trip.”
Your gaze falters in it’s determination for a brief second as a drop of sweat descends from his neck to his chest. Holding your breath you watch it’s path, tracing the valleys between his muscles. When Jungkook finally wipes it away your brain catches up and scolds you for your weakness. “And he left you here, alone?”  You ask, while trying to recollect your dignity, reminding yourself of how much grief he has put you through.
“Of course.” Jungkook’s smile grows. “I’m not just some common pet. I know how to behave myself.”
The statement makes your brow twitch, enraging you enough to overcome his tactics. “I know you haven’t been here long, but you should know, people typically don’t like it when someone steals from their yard.” You lecture him, waving the carrot tops in front of his face. “So stop treating my garden like your own personal snack bar!”
“Now why would I take from you? I have plenty of food here, even got another delivery this morning.”  The hybrid kicks at a box next him filled with a vibrant collection of fresh produce and grains.
“I don’t know why. I just know it was you.”
“Prove it.” He prods, while taking the last bite of the vegetable from his hand.
The loud crunching gnaws on your composure, stripping you of any patience you may have had for the hybrid. “This all started when you moved in, and I’ve ruled everything else out!” You shout, but as good as it might feel to finally vent your anger, you feel as though you’re somehow playing into his hand.
“That doesn’t seem like very good evidence. It’s circumstantial at best. If you want to find out who the real culprit is you should have a stake out.”
“A stake out?”
“Yeah, you know, watch over the garden for the night, catch the criminal in the act. I could even help if you’d like.”
You scoff at the ridiculous notion. “You really think I should invite you over to guard my crops?”
“I do, so I’ll come over tonight? Say around seven?” You open your mouth to object, but the rabbit hybrid jumps from one statement to the next casually inviting himself into your own home. “Perfect. See you then.”
“I didn’t-no wait, that was sar-” The door closes between you before you can finish. Leaving you baffled and alone on the doorstep. You ready to knock but stop just before your knuckles hit the wood. Trying again right now is a lost cause, it’ll just play into his game. So why waste your breath when you know it’ll just end the same way? Tonight then, as he suggested, that’s when you’ll be ready to hit him with some hard evidence that he won’t be able to refute.
Admitting defeat for now, you retreat back to your garden to pick the surviving vegetables and contemplate the encounter. You wish your could have just spoken to Jungkook’s caretaker—fuck what was his name again? You’ve only seen the man a couple times since they took the house, but at least he doesn't give you a nervous knot in your stomach, or leave you confused and speechless like his hybrid does.
It’s been three months since they moved in. You were excited at first, to have new neighbours in your almost vacant cul-de-sac. Buyers don’t seem to be interested in the old houses with large lots in your area. Too much work to maintain, and not enough good job prospects to go around. So when you saw the sold sign go up you were beyond thrilled. Greeting the new residents with a fruit basket and a smile.
The rabbit hybrid you now know as Jungkook appeared rather shy at first, you did your best to welcome him. Always greeting him when he was outside, trying to engage him in small chat, but the first time you caught him during his workout everything changed. Until that point you had not considered him as anything but a prospective friend. You were stunned to see him in such a confident state, throwing around his weights like they were nothing. In that moment, with you too nervous to admit that you found him attractive, you became the anxious and blubbering fool in his presence, and he, unfortunately, took note. The once quiet and cute rabbit, became a flirtatious and bratty bunny.
And since then, whenever you would work in your garden he’d be on the other side of the fence grunting and panting. Staying close to the gap in the divider, a missing panel you had yet to replace. On days like today you would often look up from your radishes and accidentally lock eyes with the hybrid, drenched in sweat and showing off his skills.
Out of respect and self preservation you tried your best to not to pay attention, to keep your nose buried in your garden, but as the weeks went by the vegetables under your care started to disappear. The ample crops you tended to in the evening, lessened by morning, with only the refuse remaining to indicate it’s former presence. You didn’t want to point fingers immediately, but today was the final straw, and tonight no matter how hard he tries to distract you, you will find him guilty.
After harvesting the choice crops for the day and watering the rest. You dust yourself off, settling inside and in front of your computer; opening the visitors page for your place of work, the city's greenhouse conservatory. To help promote the centre in the community the staff all take turns writing articles revolving around their own projects or home gardens, and you’re up next in the rotation. You stare at the blank document for several minutes trying your best to concentrate on the task, but you are unable to think of anything other than the mischievous hybrid next door.
Embracing the topic of your aggravation, you start the post off with a title sure to catch the eye of any reader, ‘Garden Thieves.’
‘We’ve all been there, finding a tomato just about to reach its peak ripeness. We give it another day to grow into perfection, only to find it missing later on. In your absence something else has taken it into its own clutches. I myself have been dealing with a vegetable thief for several weeks, so if you are struggling like I am, here are a few things that might help. ’
You proceed to outline several garden pests uploading photos of their damage, along with quick remedies to deter their presence. Netting to block the sparrows, raised beds and fences to keep out most rodents or mammals, and a caffeine solution to stave off slugs.
‘I hope this may help you all in your efforts to keep your plants safe, but I must add a disclaimer. Unfortunately nothing here is completely foolproof. Even if you do follow all of these steps you still might lose some of your crops to a crafty critter. But I wish you the best of luck on all of your backyard battles. I myself plan to face off with my own long-eared menace tonight.’
You finish your post with a smile. Sending it off to your coworker Namjoon to get his approval before you make it public.
He calls a few minutes later, his laughter carrying through the speaker. “That was easily the best article you’ve written all year. You should definitely post it.”
“Thanks.” You chuckle, hitting the submit button. At the very least feeling a bit relieved to have one less task weighing on your mind. “I really appreciate it.”
“No problem. I take it you’re still having trouble with that hybrid neighbour of yours?”
“Yeah,” you groan. You’ve complained to Namjoon about the issue several times in the past month. It must have been all too easy for him to read between the lines and see what set you off to create this specific entry.  “But he refuses to admit it was him. It’s like he’s trying to make me question my skills as a gardener and I hate it! I went over to talk to his caretaker but he’s away on business for a couple weeks.”
“He left him alone for that long? What about food?”
“He’s been getting deliveries. By the looks of it, he has a healthier diet than I do.”
Namjoon pauses on the line giving you only a simple, “Huh...” in a long break.
“What?”
“Well it’s just-” A loud buzzing sound erupts through the phone line cutting off his answer. A noise you know to indicate someone is at the back door. “That’s weird. I didn’t think we were supposed to get anything delivered today. No one else is here.... did you have anything scheduled to come in?”
“No.” You double check the calendar sitting on your desk. “I shouldn’t have anything until next Monday.”  
Namjoon puts you on hold while he checks on the reason for the interruption, returning only a minute later. “It’s a delivery all right, but are you sure these aren’t yours? I’m seeing a lot of tropical species on the invoice. Combretum rotundifolium, Heliconia angusta, Myrciaria dubia-”
You mouth a swear as Namjoon carries on with his list. It’s obvious they are indeed the specimens of your expected batch. You're in the process of redesigning one of the tropical habitats. The lead director was adamant that the conservatory host a butterfly exhibition in the next coming year, and in order to support the grandiose endeavour you are required to introduce a vast amount of new flowering species over the next few months. “How many in total?”
“About two dozen. Looking pretty rough from the journey too.”
You’re not surprised by their current state. This summer is already one of the hottest and driest on record, and all the stock you had received this season was excessively wilted and near death because of it. “Do we have any holding houses with humidifiers available?”
“Not at the moment,” There’s a clatter in the background as Namjoon sorts through what must be the slack of clipboards. “But I’ve got the inspection chart here and your last delivery did just finish it’s quarantine. No signs of pests or illness, so they’re clear to plant. That should free up some space for you.”
“That’ll have to do. Thanks for checking.” Standing up from your desk with a sorrowful sigh. You mourn the loss or your afternoon off as you start to dress for a day of hard labour. Throwing on your work-issued overalls over your t-shirt and shorts. Unfortunately you can’t just leave the new stock to sit out under the beating sun. With little humidity outside and no protection they’ll be burnt to a crisp if you delay too long. But the worst part is that your planting staff isn’t scheduled until later in the week, and that volume of work will put you well into the middle of the night before you complete it. “I’ll be in soon to deal with it.”
“That’s a lot of planting to do on your own. I can help if you-”
“I can’t take you away from your trees, isn’t there a bonsai exhibition next week you have to prepare them for?” He’s been agonizing over this showcase for so long you couldn’t possibly inconvenience him now with your own troubles. “It’s fine, really. I’ll call to see if anyone else is willing to come in today.” You hang up letting Namjoon return to his tasks, and work your way down the contacts for the gardening staff as you prepare yourself to leave. Though as expected, all of those who answer have prior commitments and won’t be able to assist.
Grabbing your badge and plans for the updates to the garden you slip back out into the noon-day sun, so strong it’s turned your car into an oven on wheels. You’re just about to pull it into reverse when you spot the blinds shift in your neighbour’s window. Prompting you to recall the plans he had made for tonight.
With all the work you have, it’s doubtful you’ll be back home for seven. You return to Jungkook’s door to give him the news. He has it open before you can even knock, his usual smirk crawling across his face as he greets you.  
“About tonight... something has come up at work and I really don’t know how late I’ll be.”
His ears perk up. “You’re going into the conservatory?”
“Yeah,” you respond, somewhat shocked that he remembered where you work. It’s been a couple months since you mentioned it while introducing yourself to him and his caretaker. “An order came in earlier than expected. I’ll likely be planting all day and night.”
“I can help,” he offers, already stepping out to join you, and locking the door behind him.
“You want to help?”
“Of course, isn’t that the neighbourly thing to do?”
“Yes, but I wouldn’t want it or expect it from someone who terrorizes my own garden.”
“Allegedly,” Jungkook corrects. “And wouldn’t you rather have me with you, under your supervision, than here, all alone with only a measly fence between me and your impressive bell pepper harvest?”
“Stay away from my peppers!” You scold, pointing your finger at him. “Even if I wanted to take you, what about your caretaker? Don’t you need his permission to leave and work?”
“He’s never paid attention to my whereabouts before, and it’s not work if you don’t pay me. I’ll just be a volunteer. You have people volunteer all the time right?”
“Yes but-”  
“I’ll be on my best behaviour.”
“Alright, fine.” You finally agree though with a heavy dose of reluctance. Namjoon often brings his own hybrid in so it shouldn’t be a problem. “But if I see you nibble on even a single leaf, you’re coming straight back here.”
“Deal.” He rushes past you straight to your passenger seat and buckles himself in. Practically bouncing with excitement beside you as you pull out and head towards the conservatory.
The minutes pass and you try your best to focus on the road but you’ve never been so close to Jungkook in such a small space. And with his built frame taking up most of the car, he’s hard for you to ignore. His ears folded against the roof and his shoulders so wide they brush repeatedly against yours.
“Ever been to the conservatory before?” You ask, trying to divert your mind from the battle which builds inside you. A wavering war between frustration and attraction, with the former trying it’s best to pin down the latter, a move which only arouses the latter more...
“No, I’ve wanted to go ever since you mentioned it but my caretaker hasn’t had the time.”
“Oh.” A sense of pity joins the ranks of your emotions, nudging at you as you pull into the lot. “Sorry, I didn’t-”
“Why are you sorry?” Jungkook asks in a low whisper, snapping back to his flirtatious behaviours. His mouth turns up at the corner as he leans into you, so close that his drooping ears graze the top of your head.  “Would you have taken me earlier if I had mentioned it?”
“N-no,” you choke out. Placing your hand on his solid chest, you push him back and away. As tempting as his advance might be to accept, you know his forwardness to be nothing more than an act to make a fool of you. Why else would he try to both seduce you, and steal from right under your nose?  “You’re only here today because I am in desperate need of help, and I can’t trust you to be alone.”
...
You lead him through the unoccupied greenhouses. The conservation is closed to the public today (as it is every Monday and Tuesday); which usually allows for some time off, but at least now it’ll give you a chance to work unimpeded by visitors. Your own curated section is located in the most humid of all the houses, set in such a way to mimic the tropical environment you are attempting to represent.
The first stop is the holding house where the carts of new stock wait just outside.  Grabbing an empty trolly you enter and start to load up those that are ready to plant. Jungkook following your actions does the same, easily lifting the heavy planters that you yourself struggle with. “Thanks,” you whisper as he relieves you of a particularly burdensome tree. To which he smiles in return.
After making the switch, by placing the recent delivery in the house for it’s quarantine, you lead him to the supply closet. Where you collect a couple shovels, trowels, and two pairs of gloves. As you continue to scan for anything else you might require, Jungkook pops in behind looking at the shelves with a sense of curiosity. He reaches up and over you to a spray bottle labeled ‘slug repellent.’
“We won’t need that, it’s for the outdoor gardens,” You explain. “It’s just a mixture of ca-”
“Caffeine and water?”
You snap your gaze to him. “How do you know that?”
He bites his lip as a snicker starts to escape. “Just a bit of morning reading. I found an interesting article with that particular tidbit. One which also happened to reference the exploits of a long-eared menace.”
“Y-you read the conservatory blog? You read my post? No one reads that, there can’t have been more than ten views!”
“Which is such a shame.” He goads you. “I’ve found your work to be both informative and comical. You really have me rooting for you in your quest to catch your thief.”
You groan in utter fury. “Why must you be so-so-”
“Handsome? Funny? Caring?”
“Antagonizing!”
“Because you seem to take more notice when I am.” Jungkook answers, with a turn of his heel, his tail poking out from under his shirt as he starts to walk away with the cart. “And I like seeing that perplexed look of yours. Your nose is cute when you scrunch it up like that.”
You remain in the shed, your traitorous heart beating erratically over the fact that he called a part of you cute. While your more sensible side grabs your nose and smooths out the wrinkles he referenced.
“Should we get to work?” He calls out after you. “The sooner we finish, the sooner we can go home and expose that bandit of yours.”
You roll your eyes and follow him out, before taking the lead to your tropical glasshouse. The air sticks to your skin the moment you enter. Jungkook lets out a long exhale behind you tugging on the collar of his shirt. “Is it always like this in here?”
“It’s a bit warmer today, but not by much. Are you already regretting your decision to help?” You tease him.
“Nope,” he answers, slinging a shovel over his shoulder. “Show me where to dig, and I’ll get to it.”
Pulling out your plans for the new exhibit arrangement, you select a couple species placing them on the empty plots of garden as directed, careful to allow for future growth. Jungkook follows behind digging out their new homes faster than at least three of your staff members combined.
You stare at him for a second, unable to believe the pace at which he’s going. “Something wrong?” He asks, pausing to lock eyes with you.
“No, I just didn’t think you’d be so quick at digging.”
“I’m part rabbit, what did you expect?” Jungkook boasts with a chuckle and a raised brow. “I share their strengths. Especially when it comes to burrowing and fu-”      
His words are cut short when a fresh breeze from the outside washes over the both of you, a  sure sign that someone must have entered the greenhouse. Your neighbour goes rigid, his nose lifts into the air and his ears fall back flat against his head. “Jungkook what’s-” Leaping up he closes the gap and grabs you. Tucking you into him with his chin resting on your head, where a  warm and earthy scent envelopes you.  His breaths are quick and deep, causing his chest to rapidly rise and fall against your back.
Namjoon’s voice calls out to you. “... are you in here?”
“Over here!” You yell out in reply, before turning back to the hybrid who still has you locked in his clutches. “What the hell Jungkook? Let me go! Now’s not the time for your games.” Sure it might feel nice to be wrapped in his arms, to get lost amidst his aroma. At any other time you might even consider taking a moment before chastising his boldness. But here? Now? And with Namjoon coming to greet you? No, this is too much.
You try to push him away like you have before, but this time it’s as if he’s set in stone, and not registering you at all. He focuses only on the direction your coworker's voice hailed from. “That scent, he smells like-”
“There you are.” Namjoon interrupts stepping around a flowering bush and into view, looking surprised by your guest. “Oh, hello there.”
The point of Jungkook's chin rubs against your head as he grips you even tighter. Embarrassed and confused by the hybrids embrace. “Jungkook, this is Namjoon.” You introduce your coworker while delivering an elbow to Jungkook’s gut. He finally snaps out of his trace and lets you go though he continues to hover behind. “He works with the bonsai of the conservatory.”
“You must be the neighbour I’ve heard so much about, it’s nice to finally meet you.” Namjoon extends his hand to the hybrid, but Jungkook ignores the gesture, choosing to glare instead, with his nostrils flared and his ears pinned back.
“Jungkook?” You whisper trying to chase him from his mood.
Namjoon gives him a nervous smile. “You probably smell my hybrid, on me don’t you?”
“A hybrid?” Jungkook confirms, his eyes narrowed at Namjoon.
“Yeah, sorry, I didn’t intend to scare you. I’m sure the scent of a predator, especially a tiger, is a bit of a shock. He’s harmless, I promise.”
“Is Taehyung here?” You ask, hoping to see his affectionate part-feline companion.  
“Nah, he’s with a friend today. I needed to get some work done and he’d be more of a distraction than a help... but it would seem that didn’t stop him from scenting my shirt before I left.” Namjoon explains, and then turns to your neighbour again. “Jungkook would you mind if I borrow her for a second? I need help with one of my tropical species.”
Jungkook gives a solemn nod. For the first time since you’ve known him, he looks frightened, and somewhat hesitant to release you over to your coworker.
Worried by his current disposition, you reassure him with a squeeze on his arm. “Just keep digging where I’ve placed those pots and I’ll be right back.”
Namjoon leads you into the adjacent greenhouse where you can continue to keep watch of Jungkook through the pains of glass. But the instant the doors close between you, Namjoon starts bombarding you with questions. “Why didn’t you tell me? How long has it been going on? ”
You take a step back having been caught off guard. “Tell you what?”
“About you and Jungkook! Is the feuding neighbours just a cover story?” Namjoon’s eyes are wide and hopeful as he carries on, not letting you fit a single word in. “Don’t worry, I won’t inform anyone you're together. I know it’s not easy having a human-hybrid relationship out in the open. But I think you should be careful about going out into public because he’s far too obvious about it.”
“We’re not- we’re not a couple. Why would you think such a thing?”
“Because the way held you, he looked like he was marking you with his own scent. That’s what rabbits do isn’t it? They rub their chins on what they want to claim as their own.”
“They do what?” You ask, stunned by the possibility, before the realism settles back in. It must just be Jungkook’s idea of a joke. “No, that’s not what he’s doing, our connection is nothing remotely like that. Don’t get me wrong he’s very attractive, and he knows it.” You mutter the last part under your breath. “But-”
“But you really are having trouble with him. It's not a cover?”
“You think I would keep something like that from you?” Namjoon over the years has come to be your closest confidant. A good friend and coworker, you would never dream of hiding something like that from him.
“I suppose not.”
“Is that why you brought me back here, to question my relationship status?”
“Not entirely.” Namjoon shakes his head with a small dimpled smile and changes the subject. “I do actually want to get your help with one of my new acquisitions.” He points out an unusual tree on his work bench, much too big for the pot it’s currently situated in. It’s extensive roots spill out over the top and threaten to swallow the pot whole. “A Ficus microcarpa, far from the most sought after species when it comes to reputable bonsai, but I couldn’t pass this one up. It has such good character.”
“What made it grow in such a way?” You examine the plant and it’s container with care, prying between the roots and taking note of cracks starting to form in the terracotta.
“The last owner neglected it for far too long. It sat hidden in the back of a commercial greenhouse, still under the watering and fertilizing system, but since it was confined to such a small space it tried to root it’s way out. If I were to guess, it probably hasn’t seen a new pot for at least five years.”
“It’s a miracle it survived.” You nod impressed by the tree’s determination. “What’s your plan for it?”
“Give it what it wants, let it leach out. I doubt I would be able to pry it out entirely without causing significant damage to the roots that are gripping the sides, so instead I want to put another bellow to catch it and give it the fresh soil and room it needs.” Namjoon lays the tree and pot down on the table, and asks you to hold and support the trunk, while he taps and pokes at the bottom of the vessel with a metal trowel.  Enlarging the cracks, but not breaking the pot fully. It’s a tedious process. The small chunks of clay are removed piece by piece, giving him access to see and free some of the tightly bound roots inside.
While your coworker continues his task, your eyes are free to wonder. You check on Jungkook through the glass, as he kneels in front of the garden bed digging even faster than before.
Namjoon appears to notice your distracted state. “How's he doing?”
“Fine I guess.” You whisper. “He’s acting stranger than usual today though. He stole from my garden again. Invited himself over to my house, then here, and you saw what he did back there.”
“Huh...” Namjoon mutters, trailing off the same way he did on the phone.
“What is this ‘huh’ you keep giving me? You know I don’t like games Namjoon. If you have something you want to say, say it.”
“It’s about what you said earlier, how his caretaker leaves for extended periods of time. Usually if an animal is alone for too long they look for ways to stimulate themselves and resort to their natural instincts, scavenging and such. But he’s a hybrid and therefore part human, so if you were isolated and restricted to your house what would you do?”
“Probably look for the closest person I could find. So he’s acting out in my garden and teasing me, because he’s lonely?”
“I think so.” Namjoon responds as he extracts another root, freeing it from its confines.
“But why?” You ask, worried for the answer to come. “Why wouldn’t he just say something?”
“There could be a number of reasons. He might not understand what he’s doing on a conscious level, or he might be afraid to show any sign of weakness to you or anyone else. Jungkook is part prey animal, and humans are all too often predators.”
“If that’s the case...” You curse yourself for not realizing it sooner. The fury you held for him slowly fades away as you replay every encounter in your mind. He was literally jumping at the chance to spend time with you, to help you with your work, and you were to blind to see it. Your anger over your missing vegetables is so trivial in comparison to what he must have been going through. The loneliness he must have felt, and the inability to admit it, you can’t imagine how he suffered through it alone. “What can I do to help him? I have no legal claim to him Namjoon. What can I do within such limitations?”
He looks down at his work in progress. “The way I see it  you and he, like this small tree, have three options. You could maintain the status quo, leave him be, but how long will he be able to survive like he is? Creeping over the edge but grasping on to nothingness?”
You shake your head vehemently rejecting the idea while Namjoon continues.
“You could report his caretaker for neglect, breaking the container entirely, but that too could be very damaging to him, tearing him away entirely could put him in a state of shock, and in a home that is no better for him, while the legal battle is decided. Or...” Namjoon grabs another container, slightly wider than the one in which the plant is seated. Filling it with substrate he takes the tree clinging to it’s partial pot and places it on top. Pressing the newly freed roots down into the soil.
“You could support him, give him a better home just outside of his own where he can be himself and access what he needs. I personally think it’s your safest option for now.” Namjoon leads over inspecting the bonsai and lowers his voice to an almost inaudible whisper. “Until the day, when it is possible to fully cast the pot aside.”
You nod, though now left to grapple with what you could possibly have to offer the hybrid.  “I’m not sure I would be the best person to care for him.”
“I think Jungkook would disagree. He was already trying to scent you. That to me, implies his desire for something more in the realm of an intimate relationship.” You choke on your breath as Namjoon comes to an additional conclusion. Upon seeing your distress he makes a suggestion. “Of course you could keep it strictly to friendship between the two of you and I’m sure that will improve his situation, but his other needs will need to be met for him to feel completely at home...”
“His other needs? You think he wants to be with me? Intimately?! No! Surely he would have acted differently if that was his intent! He’s done nothing but tease me when he catches me even remotely looking in his direction.”
“So you have been looking at him!” Namjoon taunts you with a massive grin. Apologizing a second later when you proceed to glare at him. “But to answer your question, no, not necessarily. You have to remember most of society deems him a lesser being. He could be feeling a lot of guilt and pressure not to engage with you in that way. Though he might not outright say it, I bet his instincts will continue to shine through. I’ll even prove it to you.” Namjoon takes off a glove and rubs your head. “I bet this rabbit of yours will take less than a minute before he tries to replace the smell of my hand with his own again... trust me.”
You shake your head in disbelief. “I should probably get back to him.” You are just about to step away when your thoughts return to the long neglected plant. “Where do you plan to house that when you’re finished? Ficuses naturally belong in a more tropical location don’t they?”
“They do, especially if I want to give it a better chance. It’s going to need a place far more humid than this space.”
“Was this all your calculated way of guilting me to store it in my greenhouse too?”
“The thought might have crossed my mind.” Namjoon gives you a sly grin.  “But my logic is still sound in regards to Jungkook. He needs someone, he needs a better home... and it would seem he’s chosen you.”
...
You wander back to your greenhouse, still full of doubt. Finding Jungkook to have finished most of the required digging.
“Sorry for leaving you.”
“You-you okay?” He asks, upon seeing the dazed look on your face and then scowling in the direction that Namjoon led you.
“Fine, he just needed help with one of his plants. Sorry about earlier, I didn’t think you’d be affected by the scent of his hybrid, Taehyung is rather sweet though, you’d like him.”
“You trust him then?” Jungkook grumbles as he pierces his shovel into the ground. “You trust Namjoon and his hybrid?”
“Of course, why shouldn’t I?”
“Because it wasn’t just a tiger that I smelled. He’s been around a lot of hybrids. Every scent on him told me to run, all of them put there by dangerous predators.”
“Oh,” you shoot back in surprise. “I’m sure it’s nothing. Taehyung is rather popular, he has a lot of friends and Namjoon often caters them at his place. You don’t need to worry, you're safe here.”
“It’s not myself I’m worried about.”
Jungkook inches closer as you crouch to place the plants in the holes he dug. His nose twitches as he takes a deep breath, his eyes watching while you bury the root ball in the warm soil, firmly securing the trunk of the young tree.
While you are leaning down, Jungkook reaches across to the other side of you. Grabbing the trowel to your right despite the fact that the same tool can be found on his left. The bottom of his chin grazes the top of your head and lingers for a spell. Your heart stops in that moment while questioning his motives. Though Namjoon said he’d do just this, you still can’t be entirely sure that it proves him correct; Jungkook might just not have seen the other option available to him, and he’s never bothered about invading your space. This could be nothing, though there’s a small growing part of you that wants it more and more to be something.
“He’s a good guy,” you promise, returning to the conversation so as to not dwell on his actions. “He even suggested that I should bring you along more often, if you’re interested in spending some of your days here.”
“He did?”
You nod.  A small white lie, but not entirely incorrect, and if it gets him to accept Namjoon easier you’ll all be better for it. “I wouldn’t expect you to work, but you're more than welcome to just hang around. The staff here could always use some company and I’m sure it would beat staying at home alone all day.”
“I would like that. I would like that a lot, but would you want me to keep you company too?”
“If that’s what you want to do.”
“No, I need to know if that’s what you want.” He looks over to you pinning you down in his line of sight.  
“I suppose I would....” You answer and turn your head, unable to bear the nerves that his gaze brings. The both of you fall quiet. Knowing what you know now, being free of your anger for him leaves you vulnerable, open to his persuasion, and now you are no longer certain of how to act. So you start to rely on what has made him comfortable in the past, and interject with a new condition to bring an end to the awkward silence. “As long as you treat this garden better than mine back home.”
Jungkook lets out a long laugh. “I have nothing but the highest respect for your garden.”
...
When planting is finished your clothes are entirely saturated in sweat and your muscles aching from use. It’s hard to believe how much you’ve both done in such a short amount of time. While carting up the supplies, Jungkook’s eyes catch on something behind you. You look around spotting the newly potted bonsai on a back table. Namjoon must have dropped it off while you both were busy.
Looking at it now you can’t help but notice how even the shape of its leaves remind you of the hybrid’s ears, long, pointed, and reaching up to the sky. You consider your friend's words one more time and while Jungkook leans over to inspect the tree. Reaching out to his back, your hand shakes with hesitation before setting down on a spot just below his shoulder. He softens under your touch, a low hum leaving his lips. His attention turns from the plant to you. With your hand still in place, your arm is now wrapped around him, leaving only an inch between the two of you. You stand there fixed and unmoving, but content in the knowledge, that you seem to have left him speechless this time. His eyes darting away from yours, to your lips, your neck, and finally the hand you place upon his chest.  
Only to have the moment broken when you can hear and feel the rumble from his stomach. His nervous laugh follows as he reaches up to scratch behind his ear.
“Hungry?”
He nods in response, his eyes wide as he remains unusually silent.
“Come on, I’ll buy you dinner.” You offer as you turn him around to head to the car.
...
You both settle on a take out spot, and return home to wash up and eat.
After finishing your meal and tearing off your overalls, you both settle down on the hammock in your yard. With Jungkook’s legs long enough to touch the ground, he slowly rocks the seat back and forth.  He’s been near silent since that close moment together. He’s never had a problem with banter and flirtation, but now you’ve come to notice that any attention which can’t be passed off as a joke causes him to flounder.
Laying back in the hammock, both full and content, your eyes threaten to close after the long day as Jungkook continues to sit beside you. The sound of crickets lulling you to sleep. “Keep an eye out for that thief of mine will you?” You may not like games but if it makes him comfortable, and keeps him talking, you’ll continue to play this ruse with him.
“You trust me to keep watch without your supervision?”
“Are you suggesting I shouldn’t?”
“No, it’s just a lot more credit than you usually give me.”
“I think you’ve earned it.” You whisper as you finally drift off.
It feels like only a few minutes of rest before the sun sets and the air turns cool. Jungkook’s chin comes to rest on the top of your head like it did back in the greenhouse. He shifts his weight, burrowing his arms around and behind to cover you as he takes deep breaths. You lean into him seeking the warmth of his chest. No longer restricted by your childish anger to enjoy his company is a welcome relief, you only wish you could relinquish him of any of his own troubles and doubts.  And then, you feel it, a drop of cold rain hitting your neck. The hammock moves again as he adjusts, the back of his fingers running across the damp spot. Another finds your cheek and he wipes that away too, your skin shivering in response.
But when a speck lands your mouth he stops. You wait, a second, then two. Your anticipation grows with face heating up and your chest tightening as you continue to crave his touch. You want him to wipe it away, to touch you, to act on whatever desires he might be keeping. You part your lips with the desperate hope that he will take the hint. Rejoicing when the warm pad of his thumb spreads the drop across the delicate skin.
He comes down on to you, his mouth catching any and all remains of the droplet as he encases your lips. Jungkook places a hand on your neck while the other grabs the ropes of the hammock, his legs straddle your hips. The scattered rain turns to a downpour as he remains fixed to your mouth, even his form isn’t enough to shield you from the current washing down from the sky.
As your hands reach up to his own damp and curling locks entwining your fingers in the strands he moans and nips. But as quickly as it started, so too does it end. When Jungkook snaps up as though jolted from a dream. His ears point back as an apology flows from him. “I-I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.”
“Jungkook,” you call out to him but he ignores you as he tries to detangle himself. When one foot hits the ground. You grab his waist and try again. “Jungkook, you don’t have to be sorry.” But instead of stopping he merely pulls you off and along with him, sending you both to the muddy ground, but this time with you on top of him.
“Are you okay?” He asks the loud pouring of the rain forcing him to raise the volume of his voice.
You chuckle at his concern considering he’s the one flat on his back. “I think I should be asking you that question instead.” You pause as he mirrors your grin. “Why did you stop? Did I do something wrong?”
“No.” He looks up at you, his brow furrowing. “You did nothing wrong. It was me. I was the one acting on my instincts. I shouldn’t have done that when I know how much you hate me.”
“I don’t hate you...” You explain, trying your best not to be drowned out by the water cascading down. “The things you did might have annoyed me, but I get it now. I’m just sorry it took me so long to notice.”
“Notice what?”
“How fucked up your situation is. For not realizing how alone you must have been. How caged you must have felt. I’ve been so focused on my own little world that I didn’t realize what was happening or why you were acting the way you were. I like you, a lot, but I was too wrapped up in my frustration to say how I felt...”
“It’s not your fault.”
You shake your head. “I am not innocent in this. I should have been paying more attention.”
“Then pay attention to me now.” He begs with his round eyes shining up at you.  
“But in what way? As a neighbour, as a friend, or maybe something more?" Your voice cracks in desperation, trying to find his needs while also hoping they are the same as yours. “Is that why you were always teasing me the way you did? You wanted something more?”
“You really want to know?” Jungkook’s tone is low as it grips on to his every word. “I did it because it was the only thing that could distract me from my incessant need for you. Seeing your reactions and having your attention kept me in check. I’m very different from you and I’m aware it could cause a problem. I wasn’t sure if you could ever fully want me because of that.” He reaches to rub around the base of his ears. “But every day that I looked over I wanted to hold you, to claim you, to take you right here on this very spot. So often I dreamed of jumping the fence and coming for you instead of...”
You smile down at him, noting his near admission. “Instead of?”
“Instead of watching from a distance.” He smirks, catching and narrowly fixing his statement. Pleading guilty only to his longing for you.
“Then do it.” You demand of him.
He groans from his position beneath you. “Don’t tease me like that.”
“I’m not. You weren’t the only one peeking through the fence Jungkook.” Reaching up to your collar you tug off your shirt. He follows your lead with his own to reveal his sculpted chest he’s taunted you with so many times. “I don’t care if we’re different from each other. I don’t care if it causes a problem.” You shift back on his body traveling from your seat near his stomach down to his hips, his clothed dick firm and pressing against you. A moan escapes his lips, confirming that you’ve made your point. “There’s no one else nearby, so if you want me so much that you’re willing to fuck me out here, in the rain and mud-”  
His hands come to grip your waist, and in one swift motion, he lifts you off, maneuvering out from underneath, to fall into place behind you. From there he pushes you down to your hands and knees, his body bent over yours. “You have no idea how much I want to.” He whispers with a kiss to your bare shoulder damp from the rain that continues to pour.
He takes off your bra before his face moves down your back, nose trailing against your skin and pausing at your shorts. Unfastening the button he pulls them down, freeing you of your underwear too before they are both cast aside. “I want to smell you, and taste you.” Jungkook takes in a deep breath, wrapping an arm around your legs, and barring your thighs. He buries his face between your legs, his tongue reaching out to deliver a long lick to your folds pausing after every lap.
Your palms dig into the ground, the cool mud coming to the surface to meet them. You buck against his tongue but the forearm holding you remains firm, sending your squirming downward to bury your elbows in the soggy grass too.
Jungkook chuckles as you inadvertently give him a better angle. From behind you can hear the zipper of his own shorts. Rubbing the head of his cock against your damp folds, he covers it with the slick of your slit, and with a long groan he eases it inside. He’s slow at first, letting you savor the girth and warmth of him. So you start to edge back and forward on his cock. Taking the time to enjoy every inch, along with the sounds that leave him. But when he returns to take control, the first thrust is so powerful, his thighs hit your ass with a loud clap, and every jolt of his hips after, drives you further down each time.
A stuttering groan escapes him as he fills you. Thinking he’s finished you lean forwards and until his cock pulls out, but in response he grabs your waist. Turning you over, back to the ground on top of the discarded clothes and facing him.
He lowers himself pressing his chest against yours. His fingers reach to grab your chin and take a kiss. His cock, despite having come only moments before, is hard once more and poised to enter once again.
“How are you-” You manage to squeeze a few words in the gaps between his kisses as he draws breath. “Ready for more-” Another pass of his tongue. “Already?”
“You have my hybrid traits to thank for that.” He moves to nibble on the side of your throat. “I have more to give you, if you want it.”
You nod unable to emit any noise other than a gasp as his mouth finds a sensitive spot on your neck. His dick forges in again, your slick and his cum dripping out of you as he fills you with himself instead.
You’ve avoided touching him with your own hands as they are patched with mud, but as his thrusts grow more powerful than even before, you’re forced to grab on his arms and chest. Leaving behind streaks of dirt which display the path of your grip. Jungkook doesn’t seem to mind though, in fact looks rather encouraged by your touch, and the marks you leave him.
“What a dirty woman you are, and getting me all messy too.” He scoffs while admiring your handiwork. “Can I return the favour?”
“Help me come first and you can do whatever the fuck you want.” You gasp on the brink of your climax.  
His ears perk up and a grin streaks across his face. “Close are you?” He grabs your calf and wraps your leg around his back, the other follows suit and his hand comes to rest on your lower back pushing you up and into him effectively grinding your mount against him.
You gasp and flinch with the sudden pressure, but he holds you firm as your back arches to meet him.
His hips beat on at a rapid pace, a small whimper escapes him as you reach the peak, tipping you over the edge. The chilling rain can in no way can douse the searing heat that spreads through you. You're still gasping when his jaw clamps down hard, his teeth poised upon your skin. The first pulse of his cock comes inside, but on the second he pulls out to splatter your chest and stomach with the rest. His hand comes to clutch his shaft, spilling more out and on to you with each stroke.
After every remaining drop has been cast on you he smiles, dragging his fingers across the rain drenched mess of mud and cum on your skin. “Never thought I’d ever see you so thoroughly soiled.”
You giggle at his remarks through your deep breaths. “And now that you do, what do you think?”
“I think it suits you, the dirt, the rain, and me...” He lowers himself down onto you, with his head now resting upon your shoulder. “It’s too bad though. Now I just want more, but we’re both far too filthy to carry on like this.”  
You turn to whisper at the base of his ear. “Who says we can’t continue in the shower...”
...
You wake early the next morning with the sun spilling into the room, lighting up your bed, and the hybrid sleeping next to you. His ears and nose twitching as he continues to rest. Slipping out from the covers, and into a set of clean gardening clothes, you exit the room with as little sound as possible.
On the tile floor of your hall, muddy footprints trail from your backdoor to your bathroom.  A smile pulls at your lips as you recall the events which brought them there. Jungkook had been so excited to keep going he picked you up and rushed you inside.
The feeling from the warm water and hands in contrast to the cool rain was enough to bring back the waves of pleasure. He was so thorough in washing you down, you might have to ask him to join you for another this morning and repay the favour.  
Outside in the garden you find all your harvest from the day before present and untouched. You’re pleased by this new development, but it’s not the fact that your crops are intact which makes you happy, it’s the comfort in knowing that Jungkook didn’t feel the need to take them.
A few minutes later the hybrid in question comes up behind you wrapping his arms around your waist pulling with him a blanket he took from the bed to cover the both of you. “Morning.” He mumbles, as his nose finds the crook of your neck where he exhales with a deep and relaxed sigh.
“Morning.” You respond, enjoying the tickle of his breath before you turn around to better see him. “It seems the thief didn’t strike last night. ”
“I guess they found a new garden to plunder and devour?” Jungkook suggests, giving you a sly grin, before he opens his mouth again. It’s easy to see that he’s getting ready to confess, his face shifts to a stern expression as he looks down at the ground, the guilt weighing heavily upon his brow. Placing your index to his lips you stop him. No longer needing to hear those words of admission, you offer a new proposal instead.
“Maybe, but that was just one night. The thief might still come back. So if it’s alright with you I would like you to stay here. Until we can be sure they won’t return.”
Jungkook lets out a satisfied chuckle, pushing aside your finger and pulling you tighter into his warm embrace. “You’re right, I suppose it would be safer if I stayed.” His lips plant a kiss on the top of your head where he then rests his chin. “A temptation as enticing as this, shouldn’t be left alone and unattended.”
...
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ohmyeyesmyeyes · 3 years
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hi, i just wanted to say i loved your charles oneshot :) i was wondering if you could do an enemies to lovers w/ daniel ricciardo? thanks!
DANIEL RICCIARDO ONESHOT
TEMPORARY STRANGERS
( WARNING: swearing, alcohol, blood/injury, little bit of fluff/angst? )
word count: 5.4k
< this is my attempted version lol >
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You’d debated whether or not to go to Theo’s party. For one, it was on a Thursday night, which, in itself, was rather tragic for a party thrown for an adult because surely he had to have thought that most people would be working on a Thursday night? Secondly, you had an early shift at the hospital in the morning, so you weren't sure if staying at a party fit for Blair Waldorf for a couple of hours was entirely worth your presence.
But, after a persuasive conversation on the phone — in which Theo spent the majority of it begging you to make an appearance — you’d caved and now you found yourself standing in the middle of a kitchen sipping on a lemonade, expertly avoiding everyone’s eyes and wondering why you agreed to come in the first place.
The apartment was a large, luxurious one, decked from head to toe in pricey decorations and with an open-plan layout. You even had half the mind to compare it to what you imagined a Royal Palace looked like.
In other words, it was big and incredibly tasteful and fancy, in the most annoying way possible.
Then again, Theo did own a successful Estate Agency, which specialized heavily in selling buildings in the centre of London. The money pooled from that spoke for itself, and it also meant that since university he’d met people in all aspects of his work, all of which looked like they’d been invited to his party, which unfortunately meant you didn’t know anyone, and the couple that you did, you had absolutely zero intentions of actually talking to them.
The guests themselves were glamorous, dressed to the nines and decked with expensive watches and jewellery, and you felt out of place wearing your best dress with your favourite high-tops and a blazer.
On another note, the lemonade and food were delicious. It was almost as if he’d hired a private caterer and then shoved them out of the back door before people started arriving.
“You know, I didn’t think you meant it when you said you’d come.” A smooth voice knocked you out of your reverie, and you whirled around, hastily swallowing the lemonade when you noticed the familiar blonde that you’d befriended in uni.
“I didn’t think I did either if that makes a difference.” You replied, biting the inside of your cheek as Theo rolled his eyes, making his way around the kitchen island to place a couple of collected empty glasses near the sink.
“Well, are you having fun?” He asked, leaning back against the counter next to you, his shoulder judging yours teasingly.
You hummed, narrowing your eyes, “Not as much fun as when you crashed my Grandparents party and scared away the boy they tried to set me up with, let’s just leave it at that.” You breathed a laugh, swirling the lemonade in your cup as if it had suddenly become the most interesting thing.
“Oh, I haven’t had that much fun in ages.” He said, his attention turning to the other partygoers in the near vicinity, his eyebrow raising as he spotted someone trying to sneak one of his clocks into their bags without being caught. It didn’t work; they saw his gaze and turned a suspicious shade of red and pretended as if they’d simply been admiring the thing before walking away.
Theo cleared his throat, adjusting his tie.
“I think I’m just gonna…” he trailed off, his finger pointing in the direction of the culprit, an apologetic look in his eyes. You nodded, breathing a short laugh in understanding.
“I think I’m going to head out anyway—”
“Oh, please stay.” He held out a hand, silently begging for you to stay.
You hadn’t seen each other in at least a couple of months because of clashes with schedules, and it was getting to the point where the odd texts and phone calls and video calls were starting to feel more like a chore than a privilege. You had been close friends for the best part of ten years now, and you were still close, but adult life was more difficult than you expected trying to balance relationships and work.
You breathed in deeply, eyes flashing around the guests, accidentally catching the eye of Daniel and flicking your attention back to Theo hastily.
“I’ll stay for now but I’m going home in an hour, I have an early shift in the morning.” You promised, offering a small smile as Theo nodded, returning the gesture before disappearing into the throwing of people.
It wasn’t long before you were approached by an unfamiliar face. She was — like all the other people in the room — dressed nicely, and she stumbled slightly in her heels, almost running into you.
“Oh, shit, sorry about that.” She muttered, and you could smell the faint, bitter scent of alcohol on her breath, indicating that she wasn’t completely sober.
“Oh, it’s no problem.” You reassured, asking if she wanted something else to drink, seeing as though you were standing next to the drinks table and the fridge.
She shook her head, instead resuming Theo’s place against the counter next to you.
“Do you see that man over there?” She whispered, pointing her finger in the direction of the crowd out in the living area.
You furrowed your eyes, trying to lean slightly to make sure you could see who she was pointing at.
“I think you’re gonna have to be more specific because there’s about thirty people in that general direction.” You said, resisting the urge to laugh as the woman sighed, shuffling closer to the group and standing in her heeled tiptoes to see over the sea of heads.
“Okay, so he’s about 6 foot, brunette, curly hair…” she snuck a glance at you out of the corner of her eye to make sure you were trying to look out for the person she was talking about, “really fit and has an Italian nose.” She concluded.
You pursed your lips, suddenly feeling quite awkward in the presence of a stranger. You averted your eyes back to the pile of drinks on the kitchen island and halted your actions in searching for who could only be Daniel Ricciardo.
She noticed your reaction and gasped loudly, her hand flying to her mouth as if you just spilled the hottest gossip of the season.
“You know him.” She stated, stepping back slightly with an accusatory shine in her eyes.
“I don’t know him, I just know of him.” You lied, trying to brush the topic off as subtly as possible.
“Nuh-uh,” she said, taking your arm and ignoring the cry of protest from your lips as she dragged you away from the kitchen area and into the heart of the party, where the chatter was significantly louder, “I don’t believe that. You can introduce us.” She insisted.
You dug your heels into the floor as best as you could, trying to push away the wave of panic that surged through your veins.
“Lady,” you started, ripping your arm out of her iron grip, “I don’t know him.” You reiterated.
“If you don’t know him, how can you know of him?” She enquired snarkily, arching a perfectly plucked eyebrow in your direction.
“How can you not know of him?” You returned, shrugging. Her face remained blank, and it occurred to you she really didn’t know who Daniel was. “That’s Daniel Ricciardo. Formula 1 driver for McLaren this year.” You told her, straightening out your blazer uncomfortably, unaware of the eyes on you from the other side of the room.
“Formula 1? So he’s, like…a millionaire?” She licked her lips,sultry eyes slipping over the crowd and fixating on who you assumed to be Daniel.
You cringed, resisting the urge to turn your nose up at her. You suddenly regretted telling her about his career because even a blind man could see that his money was the main thing on her mind at that moment in time.
You neglected from answering her question, instead trying to slink back to the kitchen, but you were interrupted by the scuffle of feet and the sound of something shattering before an obvious cry of pain was heard throughout the room, nearly drowned out in the volume of the music pumping from the speakers.
You swivelled back around, and several people had stepped away from the scene leaving an open gap in the crowd as more people gathered around to see what the kerfuffle was.
The girl had disappeared seemingly into thin air and you were about to take the moment of peace as an opportunity to leave, but Theo’s voice called your name over the crowd, laced with urgency.
You furrowed your brows in confusion, heart pounding with anxiety at the panic in his voice. You made your way to the crowd, apologising to people as you pushed your way through to get to the centre of all the attention.
As soon as you edged into Theo’s vision, he dragged you by the elbow into the centre, pointing to the person who’s cry of pain was heard over the music.
Blood was dripping from a deep gash in the palm of their hand, and the person in question looked a little pale, holding their hand up above their head, a permanent wince etched onto their face. Despite that, they looked rather uncomfortable with all the attention, and it was this that caused Theo to turn to the crowd and usher them away.
“I have a first aid kit in the bathroom.” Theo informed you, and you wasted no time in helping the injured person raise their arm higher above their head, guiding them through the crowd with a secure arm around their waist.
“A cut on my hand doesn’t hinder my ability to walk, okay?” They tried, shifting out of your grip.
“No, but if you pass out, it hinders my ability to patch you up.” You retorted, hurriedly passing your glass of lemonade back to Theo.
The person let a weak, sarcastic huff pass their lips, but they let you guide them to the bathroom, keeping an eye on the blood dripping down their arm and creeping into the sleeve of their blazer.
“Toilet or tub?” You asked, kicking the door shut behind you and casting a weary glance back at their hand.
“Depends on the context.” They answered.
You rolled your eyes, settling them on the toilet and quickly rifling through the sink cupboards, locating the first aid kit with ease.
“I’m gonna need you to take off your blazer.” You said, never imagining that you’d say those words to Daniel Ricciardo of all people.
Your relationship with Daniel was weird to say the least. You first met at — surprise, surprise — Theo’s party a few years ago. You’d gotten along swimmingly, perhaps a little bit too well, and it was safe to say he was incredibly charming and cursed with good looks. You were quite good friends, actually.
Until one day he pulled a face at you when you approached him at an award’s evening of some sort. You’d got no idea what happened to elicit such a negative reaction, or any idea on what you could have done, but he’d sneered at you and turned around, making conversation with the person next to you. He’d never explained why, but ever since that day he’d ignored you as much as possible, and it wasn’t exactly hard not to enjoy his company when he was so obviously disgusted with your presence.
Maybe it was the fact that you only managed to snag one piece of cake that night.
“You want a striptease? At least take me out for a date, first.” He muttered, pressing his lips together in obvious discomfort as he peeled his blazer off, being cautious of the blood. “I don’t even know why you’re bothering with this anyway, I’m fine.” He insisted.
You perched yourself on the edge of the bath, placing your bag on the tiled flooring and zipping open the first aid kit.
“Dan, you’re dripping blood…you’re clearly not fine.” You muttered, carefully rolling his shirt sleeve up past his elbow, ignoring the fact that this was the first time in a long time you’d been this close to him. Ignoring the fact that he looked positively fine in a suit, minus the blood.
He let out a shuddering breath, closing his eyes and shifting uncomfortably under your touch.
You turned his hand over, assessed the gash and winced, trying to ignore the tingling, uncomfortable sensation mirrored on your own palm as your eyes ran over the gash. It ran the width of his palm, and it didn’t take a genius to notice that it was quite deep in some places.
“Can we please be quick?” He sighed, his other hand smoothing out non-existent creases in his dress trousers.
You hated to admit it, but his words stung.
“Can you at least pretend like you don’t hate me, for fifteen minutes at least?” You said, an unintentional fierceness to your tone, one that you’d tried your best to dial down in his presence, but it seemed to no avail.
“Only if you do the same.” He muttered, and you took the liberty of ignoring his comment, reaching to fish an antiseptic wipe from the first aid kit, gently dabbing at the edges to clean off some blood so you could see the extent of the damage. You flexed his hand, ignoring his hiss of pain as the cut stretched slightly.
“What was that for?” He asked, his free hand slapping your hand as he fought to take his cut up hand out of your grip.
You opened your mouth in surprise, the skin on your own hand stinging slightly with the sudden contact.
“Don’t slap me! I’m trying to make sure you don’t have glass in it, you twat.” You said, shaking your head, “Which it doesn’t, by the way, so you’re welcome for checking.”
“How did you even know to check for glass?”
“Because there was broken glass on the floor?” You answered, applying pressure to the wound and lifting his hand a little higher again.
He huffed, turning his face away from you, so he was facing the wall, his lip curling into a sneer.
You rolled your eyes, “What did you mean when you said ‘only if you do the same’, anyway?” You murmured, keeping one hand on the wound and reaching to the floor to pick up your bag and unclip the front.
He narrowed his eyes, watching you root around in your bag for something, and he was about to say something, before he was interrupted by a knock on the bathroom door.
“Everything ok in there? Everyone still alive?” Theo’s muffled voice echoed into the room.
“We’re fine.”
“Yeah.”
Daniel grimaced, brown eyes burning through the door as if he was trying to send a telepathic message to Theo through the door.
“Good.” Was all Theo said before the full sound of his shoes against the wooden veneers could be heard on the other side of the door.
You hummed in delight, producing the very thing you were originally looking for in your bag.
“Haribo?” Daniel asked, raising his brows expectantly.
“To get your blood sugar levels up, you’re still pale.” You answered, ripping open the packet, and just as you were about to pour the sweets into Daniel’s outstretched hand, you paused, recoiling.
“What?” He asked, noticeably frustrated that he wasn’t scoffing the sweets.
“Why don’t you like me?” You questioned, biting on the inside of your cheek anxiously as he stared straight at you, his face expressionless.
He was quiet for a while, and you almost told him to forget you even said anything because the simple question looked like it hit home, but he opened his mouth, quickly closing it again. He looked at you from behind furrowed brows, apparently confused by your question.
“Why don’t I like you?” He repeated the question. “Why don’t you like me?”
You gaped at him, your cheeks flushing with irritation at his words.
“I don’t—I never—” you sighed in frustration, the hand clutching the packet of Haribo clenching unconsciously as Daniel looked at you with mild concern, “Why the hell would you think I don’t like you?”
He blinked, casting his sights back to the wall, ignoring your eye contact.
“Theo told me you, and I quote, ‘hate me’,” he answered, swallowing roughly as you continued to stare at him.
His discomfort under your gaze brought a sick sense of satisfaction, but at the same time you were having difficulty wrapping your head around what he’d just admitted.
“Theo? My Theo?” You clarified, arching an eyebrow.
He nodded.
“When did he tell you that?” Your heart was starting to hammer in your rib cage, the power of which was almost painful to endure.
“When we went clubbing a while back,” he shrugged.
“Why would he—?” You muttered, before turning back to Daniel. “Are you sure he said that?”
“Positive.”
“So you’ve been so hostile towards me for months now, all because of something someone else said to you in a dark, loud club when you were — let’s face it — probably drunk?”
Daniel sucked in his cheeks, now realising how there would have been so many chances for misunderstanding in such an environment.
“Yes…” he replied, dragging the word out slowly, trying his best to take his mind off the way your grip on his wound was slowly increasing.
“I never said I hate—”
“So…you don’t not like me?” He interrupted, his eyes wide.
“No…Yes…I don’t know how I’m supposed to answer that, but I never hated you.” You said, ducking your head down at his intense glare, instead turning your attention back to his bleeding hand, carefully peeling off the gauze to take a peak. You suddenly remembered the scrunched up packet of Haribo still clutched in your grasp, and you shoved it in Daniel’s direction, not bothering to even look at him when he took it, humming quietly in thanks.
He didn’t know how to respond to that, the revelation sending his mind spinning about a hundred different directions.
He was mad at Theo, even if what happened wasn’t entirely his fault, but he was mostly mad at himself for not even bothering to try to talk to you and hash it out. The months he spent trying to ignore you were completely miserable, and the worst part is, he put you through hell without even giving you any reason, and all of that ignorance was not even worth it…that is, if what you said was true.
“Oh.” Was all he said, taking to watching you strap up his hand after telling him he (thankfully) didn’t need stitches, but he did need to rest it for a while, which was probably for the best because the F1 Summer Break was currently in full swing.
Once you’d put the soaked gauze in the bin and tidied everything away to how you’d arrived before the bloodbath ensued, you stood up, brushing nonexistent dirt off your dress, and offered Daniel a rather confused smile.
He bit his lip in thought, your eyes unconsciously zipping to his mouth, before steering your gaze back up to his eyes when he caught you, raising his eyebrow slightly, a pale shade of pink tinting his cheeks as he fought back a smirk.
You turned away, looking at the door, which was very much tempting you at that moment in time.
He cleared his throat once he’d noticed your attention flicker away from him, and it was only then he registered he practically craved you to be looking at him. Whenever he was at functions with Theo, he would always unknowingly search for you, even when he thought you hated his guts, he’d still scan the crowd of unfamiliar faces in the hopes that he’d see you again.
He chewed on the inside of his cheek nervously, feeling your eyes on him. It was as if he’d suddenly melted into a teenager again right beneath your eyes. He cleared his throat again, sinking back against the toilet in an attempt to make himself smaller at the revelation he’d just arrived at.
It was weird, seeing him so shy when he was naturally such an outgoing character.
You found a part of your brain secretly admiring his flustering, but you quickly shut that down, reminding yourself that you shouldn’t be having those thoughts, especially since you’d just had to mop up a slice on his hand.
“I think I’m gonna go grab a drink and join the fray.” You said, hating the way your voice sounded so small against the echoing walls of the bathroom tiles.
Daniel snapped his eyes to yours, holding them intently, slightly alarmed at your words.
The last thing he wanted was for you to leave him; call it soppy, but he wanted to make up for lost time as soon as he possibly could, and he knew there would be very few opportunities considering both your careers were so demanding.
“Um…” he cleared his throat, “Yeah, I just want to say, thanks for all of this.” He gestured down to his hand, and you smiled.
“No problem. Just…stay away from broken glass for a bit and you should be fine.” You mumbled, words not registering in your brain as Daniel breathed a small laugh, looking utterly starstruck and sad at the same time.
“I’ll try my best.”
You offered one last smile, checking you still had your bag, and without another word you slipped out of the bathroom door, hearing the handle click behind you.
You could still hear the thumping remnants of the party in the next room, and without really caring who you bumped into along the way, you made a beeline for the kitchen, filling up a plastic wine glass with the nearest spirit and downing it as quickly as possible. You wiped your mouth with the back of your hand, immediately feeling guilty because of the early shift, and hurried to fill the glass back up with water, trying your best to dispel the effects of alcohol before they even had an impact.
It seemed to work.
Your head was spinning, unrelated to the liquids you’d just absorbed, but because of the bathroom fiasco that had just occurred only moments prior.
You were that caught up in your own thoughts, trying to separate fact from fiction and thought from feeling, that you completely missed the very brunette on your mind stride past the kitchen and into the living area, looking like a man on a mission as he tried to seek out Theo.
It didn’t take him long, he just had significantly more trouble trying to shake off a blonde that refused to let go of his arm, and he found Theo leant against a table, looking worn out, his mind absent from reality.
In the time it took for you to patch Daniel up, it looked as if Theo had faced a war and somehow escaped.
“You okay?” Daniel asked, hand clapping into Theo’s shoulder in an attempt to bring him back to reality.
He jumped, immediately relaxing when he registered just who was standing in front of him.
“I’m fine, but if that…person over there takes another step towards my Grandma, he’s not going to know what hit him.” He answered, finger pointing at a rather suspicious looking man.
“I don’t see a Grandma anywhere.” Daniel pointed out, slightly concerned.
Theo rolled his eyes, as if he’d had to answer the question a million times already, “She’s the purple one on the mantelpiece.” He muttered, taking a swig of whatever was in his glass.
Daniel nodded, feeling guilty for even bringing up the topic, but the completely detached behaviour from Theo was giving him a hard time in focusing on what he actually came over to do.
“Sorry about that, mate.” He apologised, breathing in deeply.
Theo shrugged.
“Anyway, does Y/N still have the same phone number or did she change it?” Daniel questioned, attempting to pretend like the question wasn’t that big of a deal by shrugging and avoiding making eye contact with Theo, but the raise of the eyebrow and curious, piercing blue stare proved that his attempt was futile.
“I knew you still liked her.” Theo chuckled.
“Am I that transparent?” Daniel quipped, pressing his lips together in a tight line.
“Only for me.” Theo grinned, patting Daniel’s cheek.
Daniel pulled a face, swiping Theo’s hand away.
“But no, she’s still got the same number. Why’d you ask?”
Daniel shrugged, already backing away, attention flickering around the room, once again searching for something — the action of which didn’t go unnoticed by Theo, who positively cackled inside, “Just curious.”
“If curious means ‘I-fucked-up-with-a-really-good-person-big-time-and-I-need-to-make-it-up-somehow-before-I-ask-her-out-for-real-this-time-instead-of-practicing-it-in-the-mirror’, then, whatever you say.”
“That was ages ago!”
“People don’t forget!” Theo yelled, smirking in triumph as Dan disappeared around the corner, no doubt searching for you.
You were sitting on the cold, stone steps outside the apartment building, your phone in your hand and debating whether or not to call a taxi or walk home before it gets too dark.
Your thumb was hovering over the call button to your local taxi when the building doors slammed open, the sound of shoes slapping against the concrete as a tall figure leapt down the last three steps, running a hand through their curls in frustration as they looked left, then right, and sighed, reaching into their jacket pocket to produce their phone.
You couldn’t see their face, only the back of their head, but you’d recognise that figure anywhere.
You looked down, your heart stuttering at the sudden buzzing of the phone in your hand.
You narrowed your eyes, resisting the urge to laugh at the hilarity of the situation, and answered the call, lifting the phone up to your ear, your eyes fixated on the pacing figure on the pavement, watching him from your spot at the top corner of the stairs.
“Hello?” The person asked, sounding a bit breathless through the phone.
“Hi.”
“It’s Daniel...Ricciardo.” He winced at his own awkwardness.
“I know. You’re still saved in my contacts.”
“I am?” He replied, tone laced with shock.
You were almost embarrassed to admit that you’d held onto a little shred of hope in thinking he’d eventually get over himself, “You had a paddy with me, remember?”
“About that, I’m really sorry. Like, really, really, really,really, really—”
“I get the idea.” You sighed.
“No, I don’t think you understand how sorry I am for it. It was so insanely stupid of me to stop talking to you because of something I thought I heard in a club — a fucking club of all places — without even thinking of talking to you—”
“Why didn't you talk to me?”
He was silent for a while, and you noticed he’d halted his pacing on the pavement. “I know it sounds like I’m making up excuses, but I really thought you hated my guts, and that...it hurt because I kind of had a bit of a crush on you and I pushed you away because I think a subconscious part of my mind thought that if I did that then it would be better in the long run because I wouldn’t be so attached to you if something went weird later on.” He explained, his voice lowering and quieting towards the end, as if he’d just understood what he didn’t understand.
“That’s...a lot to unpack.” You murmured, noticing the way his shoulders had slumped.
“Yeah...we don’t have to do it right now, though.”
“No, I agree, I think we’d need a nicer place to sort though our emotional struggles than outside Theo’s apartment building.”
“Yeah, it’s a bit weird — what?” He caught himself, spinning around on his heels.
You offered a shy wave once he’d tilted his head in your direction, realising you’d been watching him talk to you the entire time.
“I was looking for you.” He said once he’d hung up the phone, meeting you halfway on the steps.
“Why?”
“Can I walk you home?” He resorted to asking.
_____
The journey home took about twice as long as it usually would, and by the time you’d both made it onto your street, night was beginning to creep through, the sky changing to a darker blue, street lamps beginning to turn on.
The conversation flowed remarkably easily, albeit there was a noticeable hesitance in dancing around that subject, but you pretended not to notice it, and you had a feeling Daniel was trying to do the same.
He kept glancing at you out of the corner of his eye, almost disbelieving of that fact that you were in front of him, even after what he’d put you through, and he had to keep catching himself to ensure you didn’t notice him looking.
You did.
“So, how are you feeling about going back after the Summer Break?”
He stifled a smile, “I don’t know why, but I have a really good feeling about going back. You know what? It has to be those Haribo’s.” He breathed a laugh.
“What? I hand out magic Haribo?” You smirked, shaking your head in disbelief.
“Yep.”
“No.”
“You say that now, but you’ll take it back when I get a podium.”
“When you do win, just don’t go around telling everyone about my magic Haribo.”
“Oh, the Haribo are reserved for me and for me only. It won’t have the same effect if you give some to Lando.”
“I’ll just take your word for it, I guess.”
You breathed a laugh, coming to a halt on the pavement, the familiar house standing to your left.
Daniel looked up.
“I thought you had a Fiesta?” He asked, pointing to the blue Hyaundi parked on the driveway.
“I’m sorry, is my car not up to the standard you’re used to?” You questioned, raising an eyebrow teasingly in his direction.
“Oi, I’ll have you know that I learnt to drive in a — I can’t even remember what model it was, but I do remember having to really press down on the brake…and the air con was broken.” He defended, throwing his hands up as if to say he was surrendering.
You bit your lip, “I learnt to drive in a Mercedes.”
His reaction was priceless.
“A Mercedes? You learnt to drive in a—wow.”
“It was just the company car, I didn’t really have a choice.”
“Still…wow.” He paused, feet tapping the pavement agitatedly, “I have a proposal.”
You met his eyes, unable to help feeling slightly anxious by the prospect.
“Go on.” You encouraged, crossing your arms tightly.
“If I win a GP…wait—can we make a deal?” He asked, throwing his hand out.
You nodded.
“If I win a GP, I get to take you on a date.” He offered, raising one eyebrow but somehow maintaining eye contact.
“But…what’s in it for me?” You smirked.
He scoffed, rolling his eyes, “That’s so rude…but, okay…I take you to Monza, and if—when I win a GP, I get to take you out. For my own sake, I’m gonna pretend like I will win one because I don’t know what I’ll do if I don’t.”
“You’ll win one.” You stated simply, shrugging.
“What makes you so sure of that?”
“Because you’re Daniel Ricciardo, when have you ever not been successful in a car?” You asked, pulling a face as if it was obvious from the get-go.
Daniel didn’t say anything after that. He just sort of looked at you, twisting his mouth up in thought. You couldn’t tell what was going through his mind at that moment in time, but you had a sneaking suspicion he was trying to believe your words.
“You really believe that?” He finally said, a hint of what sounded like insecurity laced in his tone.
“You don’t?” You shot back, your heart breaking slightly at his demeanour.
“I never left.” He mumbled under his breath, turning away from you slightly with furrowed brows, seemingly having a conversation with himself.
You knew those words would stick around in your mind for a long time.
But there was something so addictive about ‘Daniel Ricciardo wins the 2021 Italian Grand Prix’.
478 notes · View notes
rogersevans · 3 years
Text
Quarantine Wedding
Pairings: Chris Evans x Y/n Downey - Chris Evans x Y/n Evans
Warnings: just fluff, wedding (if they make you emotional), implied smut towards the end
Summary: Y/n never planned her dream wedding, but in their back garden, surrounded by their families, during a global pandemic seems pretty perfect to her. apart of the evans’ series.
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Sunday mornings were Y/n’s and Chris’s favourite day of the week, the only time they got to stay in bed, tangled in the sheets and each other, going undisturbed from the outside world. Chris currently had Y/n lying between his legs, her back against his bare chest as he rested against the head of the bed.  
Y/n was absentmindedly playing with the engagement ring on her finger, something she had started to do since he put it on, twiddling it with her thumb.
Dodger was at their feet, on his back with his legs spread, snoring away.  
“We should get married.” Y/n mumbled like she was thinking something through in her mind, thumb still playing with the ring.
“We are...” Chris reminded her, placing a small kiss to her temple. “That’s what this is for.” Taking her small hand in his, holding it up to show off the ring as it glistened in the Sunday morning sun.  
“No,” she protested with a giggle, getting up onto her knees and wrapping the sheet around her naked body, turning to face her fiancé. “I mean sooner, like tomorrow.”  
“Tomorrow?”
“Or Thursday if you’re too busy.” Rolling her eyes playfully she scooted closer to him, now in his lap, the sheet now being held up by their bodies, closing the gap. Her hands finding his hair, raking her fingers through it and massaging his scalp. “I want to be Mrs Evans, I want to get married in our back garden, with our families... No one else.” Chris hummed in agreement, letting his hands fall to her hips.  
“You don’t want a big wedding?” Licking his lips, his eyes now open and focused on every detail of her, the small freckle that sat just above the curve of her right breast, the thin chain that sat around her neck with a small diamond C resting in the centre he’d bought her on their second anniversary, the butt dimpled in her chin, something she hated but another thing he adored.  
Truthfully, she didn’t, she never envisioned herself surrounded by 300 people as she said ‘I do’, she just wanted a small, intimate wedding, less than 30 people.  
The pair had been engaged for five months and the pandemic had haltered all of their plans to celebrate, they had various zoom celebrations with their families and friends and when they were allowed to travel back home their hallway was filled with presents and balloons.  
They had managed to keep the news out of the press, wanting to bask in the newness of their engagement privately, it had been blissful but Y/n was becoming impatient.  
Silently shaking her head, she dipped her head her lips just a whisper away from Chris’s, “I just want you, as my husband.” She whispered making Chris’s entire body shiver, and in one swift movement Y/n is on her back with Chris lying on his side next to her, propped up on his elbow and tracing shapes on her are stomach.
She doesn’t stop herself from reaching up and cupping his cheek, booping his nose with her thumb, making them both giggle and then running her fingers over his beard, one her favourite features of her fiancé the way it feels against her skin makes her feel alive.  
“Tomorrow.” Was all he replied with, letting his lips fall down to her nose.  
After another hour of being tangled up in one another, the room filled with her soft moans and Chris made love to her, turned on at the thought of her becoming his wife tomorrow. They started organising everything, never leaving the bed unless it was for Dodger, food or toilet breaks.  
They had delivered the news to their families and the cheers or screams (Carly and Shanna) we’re piercing, even though the speaker of their phones.  
Chris booked flights for his family to be able to attend, they were getting in at around 10pm that night. Y/n demanded that everyone be tested before they stepped foot in their home, so she arranged for someone to come out and test everyone. Y/n’s family were due to arrive tomorrow morning, the nerves bubbled in the pit of her stomach at the thought of her mom and dad being in the same room again, something she hadn’t experienced in years.  
“Baby, it’ll be fine.” Giving a chaste kiss to her knuckles, “we’re getting married tomorrow.” He mumbled against them, his voice raspy and tired after a long day of planning, all doubt or anxiety about her parents leaving her body just from his touch, his words settled her completely.  
“I can’t wait to be your wife.” Standing to her tiptoes she nudged her nose with his, their gaze still looked before her eyes fluttered shut, breathing him in and relishing in the moment before his lips found hers.  
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“What are you going to do about a dress?” Scott asked in a hushed tone, not wanting Chris to hear their conversation, closing the door to their bedroom behind him.  
The house was extremely busy downstairs with everyone completing last minute preparations so Scott and Y/n had snuck away for a quiet moment to get ready, knowing Y/n didn’t function when stressed. He could tell she wanted nothing more than to have Chris at her side, one didn’t move without the other.
But Scott demanded, as the self appointed best man/man of honour, that they be apart for the night before and the day of, still up-keeping some form of tradition.
Unknowingly to Scott, Chris had snuck back into their bedroom last night when everyone was asleep, not wanting to be away from one another with the excitement of the next day bubbling. 
Like children on Christmas Eve.  
The busyness of the day had helped keep them both distracted, not giving them much time to sneak off for a moment of privacy. 
“I bought something a few months ago, thinking ahead.” Y/n rummaged through her and Chris’s shared walk-in closet, plucking a black garment bag which was hidden at the very back.  
Unzipping the bag, Y/n revealed the white, embroidered, floor length cami wedding dress. Scott couldn’t contain his gasp as he softly took the dress in his hands, admiring it silently.  
“Where did you find this?” His eyes not leaving the dress, his fingers running over the patterns.
“ASOS,” she started. “I saw it on there and had to have it, I’m going to wear it with these...” Trailing off as she bent down to pick up her pair of all white, high-topped converses, now beaming from ear to ear.
“You’re joking right?”
“Heels aren’t me,” shrugging her shoulders she took the dress from Scott and disappeared into the en-suite to get ready.  
“What about rings?” Scott asked on the other side of the door, he was sitting on the edge of the bed go through the checklist he had created in his mind.
“I think Chris has that sorted.” Was all she replied too focused on not damaging the dress as she slipped it on carefully, not hearing when Scott said something about checking on the decorations and leaving. 
After ten minutes Y/n stepped out of the bathroom to show Scott, her hair now falling freely over her shoulders and the slightest bit of make-up, the dress hugged her figure perfectly as the flowed around her.  
“Wow.” Chris’s voice sounded, making her jump back behind the bathroom door, shutting it, hoping he didn’t see too much. “Baby, what’re you doing?” Walking over to the bathroom door, trying to push it open.
“I thought you were Scott. You’re not supposed to see me!” Y/n cried from behind the door.
“I don’t care, we’re getting married during a pandemic, in our back garden with less than twenty people... So, I think the traditions are out the window.” His hand still on the door knob, letting a breathy chuckle out. “C’mon gorgeous, I wanna see you.” He attempted to persuade her.
Slowly the door started to open to reveal Y/n stood there, holding either side of her dress as she twirled for Chris, giggling as she did.
Well fuck, the sight made Chris’s heart swell, his palms became sweaty as his eyes trailed over her, drinking in her appearance, his smile never leaving his lips.  
Y/n took the opportunity to take in her fiancé's appearance, he was currently in black dress pants, a white shirt tucked into his pants with the top few buttons undone, and a tie hanging around his neck, untied. Her breath hitched in her throat at the sight, butterflies erupting in her stomach.
“Was gonna ask you to do my tie...” He choked out, his eyes now meeting hers.  
Without word she took a step forward and began fastening the last few buttons before making work of his tie, his hands found her hips, rubbing small circles with his thumbs as he watched her intently.  
“You look...” He started, but was cut off by Y/n.
“Handsome, you look insanely handsome. I’m lucky you’re about to become my husband.” Her eyes still fixated on the tie, her tongue dragging across her bottom lip as she concentrated. Once satisfied her fingers smoothed out his collar and tie. “Now go, before Scott sees you in here. Anyone would think he’s the one getting married.” Both chuckling softly.  
With her command Chris didn’t move away, just one step closer to her, closing the gap between them, his hands now cupping her cheeks, both looking into each other's eyes for a few seconds before he dipped his head down to kiss her.  
This kiss wasn’t like all the others he had sneaked in the past twenty four hours, it was different.
Y/n’s mind casting back to the night Chris told her he loved her for the first time, the kiss matching that. It was filled with adoration, passion and love, making her stomach do flips and her heart hammer against her chest.  
“Go,” Y/n mumbled against his lips after a few seconds, pushing his abdomen. “I’ll see you down there handsome.” Giving her one last kiss before walking away, leaving her now by herself as she jumped up and down in their bathroom, the tiniest squeal leaving her lips.  
The next half an hour rushed by so quickly, now the pair were stood at the bottom of their garden in front of their families, their garden littered with fairy lights hung above them, their families stood watching proudly. 
It was simple and perfect, no fuss. 
Scott was ordaining the ceremony something Chris and Y/n weren’t aware he could do until last night. Too scared to know the reason why he decided to become an ordained minister, “you never know when you might need it” was all he said. 
“Y/n,” Chris started, his hands shaking a little. “I can’t imagine my life without you, since you came barging into it 22 years ago. From the very first day of filming back in 2011, I knew you were it for me, even if I didn’t know it.” That caused everyone to laugh, “I love how you’re always there by my side, how you always tie my tie... Even if I know how to do it myself.” Y/n gasped shocked at his admission, laughing along with everyone. “At first it was a tactic to be near you, but the look of concentration you have every time, drives me crazy.” He laughed as she shook her head, beaming from ear to ear. “You make me the happiest man alive every day, even when you’re beating my ass at guitar hero. I love how passionate and impatient you are... Today being an example of that.” Everyone laughed again, he reached for her cheek and wiped the tears away with his thumb. “I can’t believe I get to call you my wife... I love you.”
Y/n was speechless, wiping away the tears that continued to fall, it was like he’d winded her with his words, her body tingled with excitement and love as the feeling of becoming Mrs Evans drew closer.
“Chris,” she started. “You are one of the most amazing, crazy talented, men I’ve ever known, I’m in constant awe of what you’re capable of... Seriously, it's annoying... I will make it my life mission to find something you’re not good at.” Chris’s loud laughter now echoed over your families laughs, his hand falling to his chest. “Your laugh, is my favourite sound of yours and if I could play it on repeat I would, but I’ll just settle for making you laugh with my terribly bad dad jokes-”
“Oh no!” Chris groaned at her statement, making everyone laugh again.
“Our love consumes me, I knew from the moment Lizzie told me you liked me that I had to have you, no matter what. Everyone constantly tells me how intense our love is, but it wasn’t until someone described it perfectly to me that I understood,” Y/n took the opportunity to side eye Scott, recalling the night they had a very drunken conversation about her relationship with Chris, making Scott laugh. “We’re so in sync with one another, you move, I move, we could be in a room filled with people, on opposite ends and we would still find each other without looking. Being with you,” she had to stop to compose herself, not wanting to cry during her vows. “Is like living a dream come true, especially during the simple times, no plans, no noise, just us doing nothing.”
Chris didn’t hide his tears as they freely fell, the sniffles from everyone, including Robert could be heard now.
After a few more words from Scott, once he calmed down, the cheers erupted as their lips connected, their first kiss as husband and wife. Chris pulling her flush against him, deepening the kiss. “I got you, Mrs Evans.” He whispered against her lips, making her giggle.  
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The rest of the night was spent with their families, basking in the events of the day as they ended the night with the fire pit lit, gathered around it. Y/n was still in her dress and converse clad feet, her hair now tied up as she sat on the floor in between her husband's legs. 
She was currently admiring her wedding band, it was rose gold, slim and had diamonds wrapped around it, fitting perfectly against her engagement ring. reaching for the hand that rested on her shoulder, now playing with his wedding band, his band was thick, black and had a thin, rose gold strip around the centre. 
Chris had purchased them the day he bought the engagement ring and had hidden them in his sock drawer in his bedside, his hiding spots were getting better. 
“I’m so happy for you guys.” Robert softly whispered, puling his daughter into his arms holding her tightly against his chest. “I can’t believe you’re married!” 
“I know... I have to live with a boy!” She quipped back and Robert’s body started to vibrate with laughter, her cheek resting on his should as they continued to hug, not wanting to let go.
“My baby...” Now cupping her cheeks, giving his daughter one last look of pride before letting go. “You’ve always been my favourite child.” He whispered, Y/n knew he was joking but she laughed in agreement anyway. Out of her other three siblings they both shared a close relationship, Y/n was his saving grace when he was younger, having her at a young age bonded them. 
“Chris, I can’t believe you’re my son now... How weird.” Chris smiles broadly at the term son, instead of son-in-law, he knew Robert classed him as part of the family and not because he had to. "Welcome to the family, legally.. Let’s face it you’ve always been apart of this family.” Sharing a quick embrace before slipping past the newlyweds to speak to Lisa.
“Do you want to dance?” Chris bent down to whisper in his wife's ear, his hands finding her hips and back pressed against his chest, only to have her hum in response. 
Guiding her to an open spot in the garden, taking his hand in hers and spinning her so she was now facing him. His large hands resting on her hips whilst her hands snaked around his waist, the music that played from the speakers in the house guiding them. “You’re my wife,” stating softly, his lips finding her forehead.
“That’s right Evans,” the nickname now sounding futile with both being Evans’. “You’re stuck with me, no getting out this.” Her index finger was pointing between them before wrapping back around his neck. 
“Never.” 
It was nearing 2am when Chris and Y/n climbed the stairs to their bedroom, once the click of their door shutting was heard she reached behind trying to unzip her dress but struggled due to her tired state, contemplating just sleeping her dress.
Her thoughts were interrupted by her husband as he guided the zip down slowly, leaving slow, wet kisses on shoulder, using his callous fingers to brush the straps of her dress off her shoulders, the dress pooling at her feet, leaving her in nothing but her panties.  
“My wife, you’re stunning.” He said lowly, the only light in the room was the light of the moon streaming through the windows. Y/n turned to face him, starting to unbutton his shirt which was now untucked, tie long gone and the top two buttons already undone, his collar bones and tattoos poking out through his shirt.  
Pushing the shirt off of him, she traced his tattoos with her fingers, a hiss of pleasure escaping from his throat, making him tighten the grip on her hips she didn’t know he had.  
The C necklace glistening in the moonlight.
That’s how they stood for a few minutes, their eyes never breaking from one another, her arms wrapped around his neck, his hands on her hips.  
Y/n guided her new husband to their bed, the back of his legs hitting the edge and he sat down closely followed by her straddling him. “Mr Evans,” her voice laced with arousal. “I do believe, you’re wearing one too many items of clothing.” She tsked, her finger trailing down his abdomen, his muscles twitching when she did, effortlessly flicking the button of his pants open.  
“That can be fixed... Mrs Evans.” He purred in her ear, sending a shiver down her spine.  
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the-witty-pen-name · 3 years
Text
The Nanny Pt. 3
Lee Bodecker x Nanny!F!Reader
18+
Word Count: 3.3k
Warnings: alcohol/drinking, food, corrupt cop, mentions of prostitution/smut, implied age gap (reader is in her 20s), cursing, mentions of serial killers/murder, mutual pining, 
Summary:
Based on this Request: The reader moves to Meade/Knockemstiff while answering an advertisement for a nanny in the paper. We learn that the ad was posted by Sandy, who has the reader watch her child whenever she and Carl leave to do their secret thing. After one of these trips, Sandy and her husband never return, so the reader is left caring for their baby. With the new investigation into these events, she meets Sandy’s brother Lee, the older, out of shape, alcoholic bachelor, and they are suddenly thrown into each others lives as he begins looking into his sister’s disappearance. Through it all, Lee starts to fall for her, and they slowly become a family.
A/N: I got inspired re-watching one of my favorite shows and I want to know if anyone else gets the reference I’m using! If I missed anything I should include as a warning that I missed please let me know! This is also unedited!
Taglist Form is in my bio!
Series Masterlist
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Your shoulders tensed listening to the radio in the morning. Sitting on your ottoman, you were painting your nails, using the coffee table as your nail station. It was a really bright morning, and you had the curtains pulled open to draw in light. Julie frantically rushed between her room and the bathroom getting ready for her shift at the diner. The newest single from The Beach Boys was playing through the little counter top radio, but at the top of the hour, the melodies playing through the speaker changed to the news. The top story of the morning was chilling.
“Jules,” you said, calling her over hesitantly, putting the cap back on the bottle of polish. “Come listen to this.”
She scurried out of her room while working to tie her apron in the back, and then she stood next to where you sat to listen to the story on the news. The color drained from her face as you both listened to the reporter describe the horrific scene that was under investigation early this morning.
Roy Laferty was an evangelical preacher whose body washed up by the lake very early that same morning. The news report talked about the police investigation, and also disclosed his wife Helen, is also reported missing. They are looking into the disappearance of Helen, as well as opening a full investigation on Laferty’s murder. They also urge individuals with any information regarding the two to call the Sheriff’s department and to provide a statement.
“That’s horrifying,” you mumble, shocked as you try to process the news. Julie nods in agreement but strangely doesn’t seem nearly as affected by the news as you.
“It’s happening again,” she mutters, obviously concerned but her lack of surprise worries you.
“What do you mean again?” you ask.
“There was a string of unexplained murders, all men, like this newest one,” Julie explained, “This was all over the news like two years ago- can’t believe you hadn’t heard about it.” All you could do was shrug; this was all new to you. “Obviously, there was nothing linking their deaths, but there were these five killings a couple of years ago that are still unsolved. There’s no evidence, but the town rumors it was like a serial killer or something. Nothing is confirmed, of course, just a story.”
“What makes people think it was all the same person?” you ask, hesitantly.
“All the people were always the same type,” she shrugs, “Men all in their 20s and 30s. Again, there’s nothing linking them all together. It’s just talk.”
You clicked off the radio, and didn’t know what to do with yourself. Julie patted your shoulder, comfortingly but she had to go on with her day. So did you, and you almost her ability to move about the apartment almost unfazed by the news. You suppose it makes sense, her growing up here she’s probably used to it. You didn’t have the experience or the thick skin she had.
You had decided to go to the library, still preoccupied by the news segment as well as the things Julie had told you about the Sheriff. You spent the better half of the morning looking at the library’s archives of old newspapers. You wanted to read more about the unsolved cases Julie had told you about, so there you sat for several hours looking through the microfilm reader. You even stumbled upon articles that featured the Sheriff.
There he was plain as day on the front page when it was announced he had won the election the first time he ran several years back. You couldn’t help but notice the changes in his appearance and demeanor compared to the man you keep running into. He was a little slimmer, and he looked a lot happier, a little fuller of life, you decided was a good way to explain it. His smile was wider, and you could see the difference in his eyes as well. It was seeing how he was before the stress of the job began to take its heavy toll. He had on the same leather jacket as well, you were fairly certain, even though the one in the photograph hung a little looser.
You continued to skim through articles, piecing your way through the history of Knockemstiff. Little articles in black and white that persevered the history of this dark little town. You were beginning to realize this backwater town was a lot more tangled and complex than you originally believed. It was a tangled history, riddled with crime and unclosed cases, that people seem to have either forgotten or choose to ignore for their own sake. Your mind wandered back to the things Julie had told you about the Sheriff and him being corrupt. You wonder how much of what you read about linked back to him. Though you imagine if he has any sort of political connection, which a man like him must have, the things he was involved in probably didn’t even make it into the paper. The thought made you physically shiver.
You put the large leather portfolios of archives you took and put them back into their proper place on the self chronologically. You grabbed your sweater from the back of your chair, and pushed the chair back into place. Looking up at the clock on the wall, it was only just one in the afternoon. You decided to head down to the diner and grab a bite, and also visit Julie during her second shift. It was a short walk from the library to the diner. Everywhere felt like a short walk here, probably because everything in downtown was not much bigger than a few blocks. The majority of people lived far from the center of town, on their own land and farms.
The little bell on the door rang when you stepped in and Julie waved at you from behind the counter and pointed for you to grab an empty table in her section. You put your bag on the table and took a seat. It was a fairly busy time, most people who worked at the surrounding businesses coming in for their lunch break. Julie brought you over a coffee and then said she’d be back to chat when she got to take her five.
Lee hadn’t been able to go home since the phone call. The symptoms of his hangover were worsening and he was growing more irritable. His five o’clock shadow was still evident on his tired face and his head was pounding. He tried his best to just power through it but the sound of anyone trying to talk to him just made his ears ring.
After leaving the scene, he had to stop by his office and then he was on the phone for the better part of an hour fielding calls from frantic citizens not only of Knockemstiff but also Meade, where Laferty was from. Despite how horribly he felt, he tried his best to keep his temper level and just reassure people he had things under control. He was losing his patience.
He opened up his desk drawer and grabbed his bottle of asprin. Empty. He threw it into the small waste bin and got up abruptly grabbing his jacket off the hook and storming out. He didn’t tell anyone he was leaving and he didn’t care. It was a short walk to the drugstore from the station and he wouldn’t be five minutes. He just needed to do something to stop his head from hurting.
“Afternoon, Sheriff,” the pharmacist greeted when he walked in. He nodded his head upwards briefly to reply without having to talk. He just needed to get in and out. She went back to whatever she was working on when he came in, and he browsed the aisles for what he needed. After paying and walking out, he glanced in the direction of the diner when he was crossing the street. There you were, again. Sitting alone and chatting with the waitress that was refilling your coffee.
He let out a heavy sigh, and then continued walking. He didn’t want you to see him like this, hungover, unshaved, wrinkled uniform and heavy undereye bags from his lack of sleep. You looked- well, Lee thought you were the prettiest thing he’s seen in a while, maybe ever. There was something about you he couldn’t pinpoint. Maybe it was just because you weren’t from here. You were a fresh face, and not ruined by this town. There was a sweetness and an innocence in how you talked to him, because you didn’t know him like the rest of people here did. He liked that.
Even when he left the station for the day, he couldn’t even go home yet. He had a meeting at the bar with one of Brown’s lackeys. He was just supposed to collect his cut so he couldn’t imagine it would take long, but he was still annoyed. Stepping into the bar he looked around as he took off his hat. It was a little more crowded tonight then when he was here last. The red curtain was closed and his eyes lingered there for a moment before directing his attention to the man he recognized who was waving him over.
“Sheriff,” the man greets and Lee slides into the booth across from him.
“Hayward,” he replies. Without even needing to order, the bartender comes over bringing them a bottle of scotch and two glasses.
“You ever go back there?” Hayward asks, watching as a girl came out and brought a man behind the curtain who had been waiting at the bar.
“No,” Lee scoffs.
“They are amazing,” Hayward says, almost giddy. Lee feels sympathy towards the poor woman who had to take care of him. Lee doesn’t acknowledge the statement and just empties his glass and begins to pour himself a second.
“So, my cut?” Lee asks. Hayward frowns and goes into the breast pocket of his sports coat and pulls out an envelope of cash.
“You aren’t getting full,” the man says when Lee cocks a brow at the thinness of the envelope.
“Still?” Lee asks, pissed. Hayward nods. Lee’s jaw clenches.
“You didn’t keep things tidy on your end,” Hayward reminds him, “You got one job. Keep the cops out of our territory. We had two cruisers drive through last week. The only reason you’re getting anything at all is cause you managed to keep your people off us when we did the exchange with Deckard’s crew.”
The man finishes his drink, and then slaps the empty glass on the table. He pulls out his own envelope, which is much thicker than Lee’s and drops down more than enough for the drinks. He chuckles condescendingly and tells the Sheriff to get a dance. Fuck that. Lee takes the extra money and plans to just put it right in his pocket and go home. He finishes his third scotch and suddenly his headache was back. He felt worse than he did earlier today.
“What can I do for you, Sheriff?” a feminine voice asks, making him break his line of thought. He looks to his side and he recognizes her as one of the girls he sees bringing men to the back room, behind the velvet curtain. He shakes his head, and instead of leaving him alone, she slides into the booth next to him. Her hand grazes over his thigh. “You seem awful tense, Sheriff,” she says and then bites her lip.
He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t tempted. He knows she doesn’t actually want him, and it’s just an attempt to get him to spend money in the backroom. If he doesn’t focus his already hazing vision, maybe she could vaguely remind him of you. He can’t do it, but he wants to. Her hand moves up his leg and he pulls away. He adjusts his pants and she shrugs.
“Maybe next time then,” she winks before walking away. He rests his head back on the vinyl seat and sighs. He grabs his hat and jacket, leaving before he changes his mind. “Ask for Cherry when you come in, yeah?” she calls when he walks out.
You are just everywhere. You’re in his head and he doesn’t even know you. He needs to sleep, desperately, and part of him in the back of his mind hopes you’ll be there. When he wakes up, he doesn’t remember.
“Have you heard about the Church fundraiser coming up?” Julie asks. You shake your head. “It’s a pretty big deal here. Everyone participates.”
“What is it?” you ask, kicking off your slippers so you can sit crisscross on the couch.
“Bid-On-A-Basket,” she says casually, like it’s the most obvious thing.
“Never heard of it,” you reply, “It sounds fun. What is it?”
“All us single gals put together a picnic basket with everything for a lunch,” she explains, “and then all the eligible bachelors bid on the basket and a date with the girl who made it. Last year, the dreamiest guy, Bill Whittier, bought mine- it’s so fun. Me and Bill didn’t work out but it was a good time.”
“I don’t know anyone here,” you say hesitantly.
“Perfect way to get a date then,” she teases. You bite your lip. You aren’t sure about this.
“And what if some creep is the highest bidder?” you counter.
“You get a bad date story for your next date?” she poses. “Please,” she begs, “It’s for a good cause, all the money this year is going to help the Sunday school.”
“What if no one bids on it?” You rebut.
“Look at yourself,” she scoffs, “you’ll get bids. Trust me.” You roll your eyes.
“I’ll think about it,” you say finally. She smirks, completely planning to wear you down.
“Remember it’s for the kids,” she reasons, “It wouldn’t hurt to go and participate.”
“I said I’ll think about it,” you laugh.
Time passes and soon enough you get another call from Sandy, and you are suddenly back to taking care of Valerie. You had missed her, a lot actually. You definitely have gotten attached to her, and you think you’ve grown on her too. Sandy was vague this time for how long they’d be gone, but since the previous time went so smoothly, you didn’t worry about it.
About a week after Sandy and Carl left this time, there was another disturbing news report. You were sitting on the floor, changing Valerie and you had the television playing softly in the background. The news told the story of another body, this time found in the woods off of the highway. You finish changing the baby and hold her close, her little chin resting on your shoulder as you watch the news story. It was just like Julie had talked about. Another man, thirty years old. He was shot and his body abandoned. You jump at the knock at the front door.
You peep through the curtains, and you see the Sheriff waiting on the front porch. You wonder if he knows you’re there. Part of you almost wishes he knows it you here and he wanted to see you. It’s incredibly stupid on your part and you know better, but nonetheless, part of you hoped he came here for you. Very stupid. With Valerie on your hip, you open the door.
“I’m sorry, darling,” he says walking into the house. He stops in front of you and presses a kiss to Valerie’s forehead and she squeals happily seeing Lee. You close the door with your foot. “May I?” he asks, and opens his arms. You agree, based on Valerie’s reactions to him whenever she sees him. He takes her in his arms, and she starts playing with his tie. He loosens it so she can play with it and not choke him.
“What can I do for you, Sheriff?” you ask. He reacts in a way in a way you can’t really read, but you don’t press.
His mind just goes back to the woman a couple weeks back in the brothel who asked him the same thing, and that his mind immediately had gone to you. He just clears his throat and snaps himself out of that thought process.
“Um, I just came by to see Sandy,” he says, “But I can fathom a guess that she’s not here?”
“Excellent deduction,” you joke, and he smirks. Valerie has his tie in her mouth and is covering it in drool. He doesn’t even seem to care.
“Are you okay?” he asks, and you nod. “You looked a little scared when you answered.”
“Just watching the news before you showed up is all,” you explain, “They were talking about how there was another man found dead.”
“Ain’t got nothing to worry about,” he says, “We’re on top of it. I’m on my way over there now.”
“Can I ask you something?” you ask hesitantly.
“Of course, darling.”
“My friend, you probably know her- Julie Grady.”
“Yeah, nice kid,” he says, listening but gently pulling his tie from Valerie’s grasp. She starts playing with the flap of the pocket of his jacket.
Kid. You almost grimace. That’s right. Of course, Lee would view someone your age that way. You weren’t. You chastise yourself for even caring, but you decide to continue. You shouldn’t care how he sees you.
“Yeah- well, she told me there have been others,” you continue, “I also read up about it, just the newspapers at the library- but she said people thought it was some kind of serial killer… I just, I want to know what you think.”
“I don’t think know,” he answers honestly, a little taken aback, not expecting you to approach him with something this serious. “I doubt it,” he explains, “Serial killers stay close to home. Now those cases you read about, and these two we are looking at- they sound close together but logistically, they aren’t really. Two of those unsolved were in completely different states- just like this new one.”
“So, no traveling serial killer?” you chuckle, trying to sound lighthearted. He chuckles and shakes his head.
“Most people like that stay in one area,” Lee explains, “They work jobs, they have a home, you know? They tend to stay near where they live.”
“That makes me feel much better,” you answer honestly.
“You got nothing to worry about, and that’s a promise,” he grins, although he supposes coming from him that probably doesn’t mean much. Regardless, it makes you smile.
“Are you sure I can’t get you anything?” you offer again. He bites his lip, taking a moment to think.
“Sandy keeps a bag of candy in her cabinet,” he says, walking into the kitchen with you following close behind. He passes Valerie off to you and he chuckles under his breath at the state of his tie. He reaches up in the cabinet and pulls down a brown paper bag, filled with taffies and chocolates.
Something about this man who has a whole time scared of him playing with his niece and then stealing sweets from the cupboard is something you find so strangely endearing. He unwraps one of the brightly colored taffies and then puts the bag in his pocket.
“I gotta go,” he announces, “let me know if you hear from Sandy, yeah?”
“Of course,” you reply.
“Gonna head out to that scene, and do my report,” he discloses, not really sure why he’s telling you. “Then I have a meeting at the rectory about that fundraiser thing. Figure out security.”
“They need security at Bid-On-A-Basket?” you ask, with an eyebrow raised. He smiles.
“You going?” he asks, flirtatiously.
“Just seems weird to have police at a Church thing.”
“There’s been stupid fights,” he shrugs, “some guy will get outbid and cause a fuss. Nothing serious. Probably just gonna be me and a deputy in case. You going?”
“I don’t know, maybe,” you say sheepishly. “Why?”
He walks towards the front door, and you follow seeing him out.
“Cause I gotta know if I’ll be bidding on a basket,” he winks.
“You gonna start a fight if you don’t win it?” you joke.
“If it’s yours? Absolutely, darling.”
Taglist:
@adelaide-walker @thedepressolit @samanthadegaro @pyronack @greeneyedblondie44  @acciosiriusblack  @weenersoldierr @teenagemutant @witchybarb @iraot @my-love-darling @hold-me-like-a-heart-beat @swiftieandthewintersoldier @letsfly-andbe-free @rebekahdawkins @stiles-stilinski-24-dylan @hersilencedscreams @unsaltedalmonds @dangerdolns @vintagepigeon @bluebouquetcupcake29 @goslytherin @captainofallfandoms @buckistan @aynanasstuff @everything-is-all-clear @rosalynshields @tinynshykitten​ 
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maxismatchccworld · 3 years
Text
Patch Notes
Update 07/20/2021
PC: 1.77.131.1030 / Mac: 1.77.131.1230
Console: Version 1.44
Hello Simmers!
Hope you are well wherever you are in the world and that you are all having a fantastic Summer of Sims! We are excited to share today’s update with you. There is a lot of info, so make sure you have your tea/coffee/beverage of choice ready to read on. You all know I have my coffee ready for this!
As we continue to get ready to explore the countryside charm of Henford-on-Bagley and cannot absolutely wait to play with the adorable animals in Cottage Living, we also have updates and fixes that should improve and complement your Sims’ everyday life. We have something for everyone and we hope that you all enjoy them. Thank you for all your feedback and support.
Cheers!
-SimGuruRusskii ft. SimGuruRomeo and SimGuruJoAnna
What’s New?
Let’s start with some items that we shared in our last Sims 411! For this update, we partnered with two talented artists from the LGBTQ+ community, Ashley Lukashepsky, and Mohammed Iman Fayaz, and they have brought their inspiring and beautiful artwork into the game. We have also included the modernized version of the large afro hairstyle that we showed you. But more than tell you about it in text, let me actually attach a screenshot of everything put together:
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I love everything about this scene, not only it shows you how the artwork looks in a real game setting, but the whole scene with the two Sims and their surroundings is quite magical. Also, look at that hair! The way the light highlights it, perfection! You may also notice the hair of the Sim on the right, which was also added with this update for everyone. I want to personally thank all Simmers for their feedback and recommendations, as we are continuously working on adding more diverse hairstyles and textures to not only packs, but also to our base game.
Now that we are talking about artwork, the last patch notes I forgot to add the artwork made by the wonderful Jupiter Stevens-Hill. I apologize for that, I totally blanked out. However, I’m happy to see that a lot of you are enjoying it and placing it in your Lots! That makes a very happy Russkii =)
To find Jupiter, Ashley, and Mohammed’s paintings in Build Mode, make sure you take a look at the Paintings and Posters sort and filter by Base Game items. These artists are amazing and we hope you enjoy their creations.
Now, without further ado, let’s get to some new features and improvements that are part of this update!
A little bit of Gallery
When you download a lot made with the bb.moveobjects cheat, the game now notifies you about this so you know to activate the cheat before placing the lot. Builders, this means you won't need to mention it in the lot’s description anymore!
A little for Sims
Trying to find the Sims in the current neighborhood? Select their portraits in the Relationship Panel.
"Focus the Camera" moves the camera to the Sim.
"Lock the Camera" moves the camera to the Sim and keeps following them.
Where did the Notebook go?
Found it! The Notebook has moved out of the Phone and into its own button for quicker access.
The "Center on Current Lot" button that used to be there has moved to the top right, adjacent to the Camera Controls.
Water Tool
You now can make natural, organic bodies of water! Just head into Build Mode, make a hole with the Terrain Manipulation tool, and fill it with water. It is that easy! The Terrain Manipulation and Paint Tools also have more brush sizes to enable finer detail.
In adding the Water Tool, we also took the chance to overhaul the related tools and object categories. Why not? Enjoy!
Pond Effects
All sorts of critters are available to complete the look of your pond ranging from ducks and swans to pesky mosquitoes. There is even an alligator!
New Pond Objects
Outdoor Water Décor now has an assortment of new Pond Objects to decorate the perfect pond. Some of these objects such as the Bog Log and Colorful Lily Pads have interactions on them in Live Mode to activate Turtle and Frog effects. The new Fishing Allowed Sign enables you to stock your pond with any fish your Sims have previously caught. Try it out!
New Water Styles
Go beyond the original crystal blue and dreamy magenta water. Additional options range from “Mossy Water” to “Pond Scum” to complete that au natural look.
The Shrubs category includes new plants to complement the water styles: "Green Fern", "Leaning Not-Grass Grass", "Not-Grass Grass Sans Inflorescence."
Gardening with Children
Children now can help out in the garden by planting, watering, and weeding. They build their Mental skill as they garden. The process of purchasing and planting seeds is streamlined as well to make gardening more enjoyable for everyone.
Group Cooking
Cooking no longer is a solo affair. Sims now can cook in groups of up to five Sims including children. Start cooking together by selecting a fridge, stove, or any empty countertop.
Zoomers Food Delivery Service
Are your Sims getting tired of the same old pizza delivery every night? Well, gone are the days of redundant pizza nights. Maybe you are in the mood for pasta primavera or even a fancy steak dinner. All this and more are available courtesy of Zoomer Food Delivery. Order delivery through the phone or the refrigerator and the food will arrive in a jif.
Calendar
The calendar, previously available only with Seasons, now is available with Base Game to see upcoming events such as birthdays, school and work schedules, festivals, and fairs. You even can use it to book events, so it’s time to get to party planning!
Bug Fixes
Consoles
In Snowy Escape, skiing, sledding, and snowboarding on Bunny Slopes now contribute to the Extreme Sports Enthusiast Aspiration.
Also in Snowy Escape, Sims with high enough Skiing and Snowboarding skills now can enjoy the more advanced slopes. Sims also use the Lift to go to the top of the slopes and not go “the hard way.”
Simmers can now rotate Sims downloaded from the Gallery in Create a Sim. Spin them ‘round, ‘round, Simmers ‘round, ‘round -  like a record ‘round, ‘round, ‘round, ‘round.
The Sims 4
We made some improvements that should help our Simulation lag, particularly on the usage of some computer interactions like playing BlicBlock, along with fishing interactions, which should make the game perform a bit better. Note that this doesn’t entirely fix simulation lag but it should help and it is a step in a good direction.
Fixed an issue in which placing Mirrors directly opposite Doors would create a visual glitch in which walls and borders would disappear around them and well it was quite spooky to be honest, glad we solved that one!
Ever wish your food didn’t expire? I know I do, especially when it comes to traveling and coming back to see a fridge in pristine condition, that is a dream… but alas, it is not meant to be in life or in Sims. Fixed an issue in which traveling didn’t let food expire.
Sims stuck sleeping and couldn’t cancel that interaction? Not a product of a sci-fi film as I thought, but I can say that we have fixed this issue, well I hope.
You want to know how to not make my day, have my coffee brew endlessly but without giving me the coffee! Luckily the issue in-game about the Brew Coffee interaction being stuck has been fixed. Wasn’t it odd? Wait… Sleep and Brew Coffee were stuck in a mysterious loop? SUS.
If your Child Sims suddenly interrupted their computer sessions to draw on the activity table when Inspired, worry not, this should not happen after this update.
Fixed an issue that caused the “Items Removed” pop-up to appear when no items were removed from the game.
Fixed an issue in which setting Lots on Slipshod Mesquite would sometimes generate a crash of the game for some Simmers. The Lot couldn’t handle that much flavor.
Some blush and lipstick opacity sliders are back as they were greyed out.
Step-Parent/Child relationships are no longer missing in the Genealogy Panel. Similarly, other cases of broken families in the Genealogy Panel have been fixed as well. It is all about reconnecting or connecting with what is important.
Platforms will no longer raise in height automatically when creating new walls to intersect part of them.
We also fixed an issue in which if you placed platforms in basement levels and a staircase from the floor to the platforms, it would create this gap or hole in front of the stairs and Sims were not able to route correctly. You know, I have played many platformers in my lifetime, but do you imagine Sims trying to jump those gaps? I mean, I am called JumpFail for a reason… glad we fixed this one!
World view Lots that had some off-centered border have been adjusted.
Toddlers will no longer gain negative Sentiments against their parents randomly, especially the Festering Grudge Sentiment. I should not be laughing at this issue as I type it, I should not…<giggles>
We got word that the camera was malfunctioning and bouncing uncontrollably in some Lots across multiple Worlds. We fixed an issue that caused this, but let us know if there are new instances.
Sometimes Ghosts can be part of our Households if we choose to, however, it is really hard to live with Ghosts that constantly break things, it makes it a bit… unlivable. So our expert team of Simghostologists has communicated with these Ghosts in the non-physical realm and they have agreed to not break everything all the time.
Fixed an issue related to flooring glitches while placing the dance floor or crystal clear flooring.
Went through all the trouble in hiring a Nanny only to have your Toddler get sent to Daycare? More than a schedule conflict I imagine having the Nanny show up and there is no Toddler so what does the Nanny do in this case? Do they leave? Do they stay and wait? I must know… However, This should no longer be an issue.
Fixed an issue where using ‘{}’ (curly brackets)  in renaming objects would make these invisible in lists or UI in general.
Fixed an issue in the Likes and Dislikes section in Create a Sim that had some categories displayed incorrectly (either cut off, or words broken apart in new lines incorrectly) for some languages.
There was a clipping issue with the eye preset ymAsian13_Eyes that occurred when Sims were in extreme emotion, like Angry, and blinked. We adjusted this preset so this should not occur.
Toddlers can be picky eaters, but Toddlers not eating any fish recipe? That is suspicious, so we had a chat with the little angels and we have found a way to help them enjoy the complex flavors of our fish recipes.
Our UI team has fixed an issue in which a scrollbar appeared in the Sentiment section in the Relationship Panel when there were no sentiments. The mysterious scrollbar was mysterious. Similarly, they have also fixed an issue in which if multiple Sims gained sentiments together their thought bubbles look quite not right with the incorrect colors, so now they should look proper.
The Likes and Dislikes icon in Create a Sim will no longer overlap its text. It looked weird, honestly.
Droids (if you own Journey to Batuu) and Drones (if you own Get Famous) clipping into all kinds of objects in Build Mode? We saw that too, so there should be a fix for that in this game update. I mean this went beyond just crashing into things…
The option “Join After School Activity” will no longer be available if Simmers don’t have Seasons or Get Famous packs installed.
Sims in deviant paths now can properly reach the Level 4 of the Criminal Career.
Now, this is one that made my day, Cowplants are now able to dance again when Sims play music in front of them. Dance Cowplant, Dance!
Fixed an issue in which relationship points gained by friendly introductions were more than usual if Simmers didn’t have Snowy Escape installed.
We adjusted the color swatches for the S. Cargeaux Counter Island so that when it gets dirty, the counter doesn’t completely change colors. Dirty Counter - who dis?
Fixed an issue where the Scared Emotion UI was displaying a broken pose for Toddlers. The pose was kinda more scary than what the Toddler had been scared of, so glad that is done.
Outfits worn while Purchased and Worn in Festivals/Kiosks/Stalls should no longer remove accessories that were in place for the Sim.
Error code 134:571e5862 that occurred to some Simmers should be fixed now.
We fixed a few hairstyles (yfHair_EP05WavyBob, yfHair_EP01PartedFlat, yfHair_EP05UnderCutDreads, yfHair_EP01ShortSwept, and yfHair_DreamyCrew) that when used with the recently added color options would create splotches in the eyes, change the color of teeth, and/or change the eyelashes color.
As always the Localization team and this author have fixed and improved text across all packs and updates.
Get to Work
Aliens can now enjoy their custom Blush options in Create a Sim. Lewks out of this world!
Retail employees will now appropriately change into their assigned outfits. Listen, I grew up wearing uniforms for school, I get it, sometimes they are not the prettiest… but you have to wear them if you have to go to that establishment. I know the pain too well… but my sense of style grew from that… I think.
We made a fix to some of the swatches from the Barely Better Digital Camera that were missing a description for the item, so now all the swatches will display the text in all its glory.
Get Together
Some of these Sims are not like the others, some of these Sims just don’t belong. Can you tell which are not like the others by the time I finish writing these notes?
Fixed an issue in which some of the rooftops in Winderburg were not displaying Snow (if you own Seasons) correctly.
Fixed an issue where Sims didn’t sometimes change into their Club outfits when a Club Gathering was being held.
City Living
The Scattered Panes window in Build Mode now displays appropriate shadows in all options.
Sims enrolled in the Social Media career will now gain influence at the end of their stream instead of every few Sim-minutes.
Two hairstyles (ymHair_EP03BunHighPins and ymHair_EP03BraidedFlateBun) have been updated to reflect the correct look when choosing the Neutral Black color option.
Your Sims want to shoot some Basketball Close Shots, but they are trying to eat first? Well, now your Sims can finish eating before trying those hoops. Nutrition is important!
Cats and Dogs
We fixed an issue in which whiskers were not being seen applied to Cats. A Cat without whiskers is like Peanut butter without Jelly… or something like that! Just wrong!
Robot Vacuums should all now return to their docks accordingly. I hope this issue was not a sign that they were becoming sentient.
Sims will no longer get a Moodlet referring to the death of their Pet when witnessing the death of another Sim. The loss of a Sim is heartbreaking, but also getting a Moodlet for the death of their Pet when the Pet has not died, that is cold Grimmy, very cold.
Speaking of Robot Vacuums becoming sentient a few lines above, we fixed an issue that made the game crash when Cats would sit on the Robot Vacuum. CatonRobot.exe is now working.
We fixed an issue in which some Simmers experienced a crash with their last played Household loading into Brindleton Bay.
Seasons
Sims were changing into their cold-weather gear… while not in cold weather? We had some conversations with Sims and even though they love their winter outfits, dressing up in full winter gear in the summer was probably not the wisest choice. So the issue in which Sims randomly would change into their winter outfits while not in winter is solved.
Egg Hunts are adorable and fun! But not being able to have the furniture reset after looking for Eggs in them, can be quite the rain on Sims’ parade. But this should no longer occur.
Island Living
Mermaids will no longer keep the “Dried Scales” Moodlet when they are hydrated. Mermaids’ skincare regimen pays off! Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize!
Fixed an issue in which Lots that are placed in the sand looked quite odd displaying all edges of the Lot when it rained.
Sims that have the Collector Aspiration Trait are now able to catch Frogs in Sulani as part of their adventures exploring the island waterfall. Good Luck!
We fixed an issue in which some Simmers experienced game crashes when loading into certain lots in Mua Pe’lam. Happy Exploring!
Discover University
Sims having a hard time in Uni? No matter what they do they keep failing classes? Worry not, Sims will no longer fail classes when meeting all the criteria for course completion. Work hard, pass your classes hard!
Having Roommates can be hard. Have your Sims had Roommates complain constantly and leave even when their needs are met? Yeah, we made it so that Roommates don’t do this any longer.
Fixed an issue in which beds were counted incorrectly when placing an ad for Roommates. I mean, as much as Pets and even Toddlers can live with Roommates, the ad should be truthful to how many beds there are actually in the Lot, not count Toddlers and Pets as needing adult-sized beds.
We fixed Servo animations so that they don’t look like they are walking on one leg when hovering to their destination. Now they will hover properly.
We fixed an issue in which in some instances Professors could not go to work when a Professor NPC is added into that same Household.
Fixed an issue in which removing and adding back Household members as Roommates would create some… inappropriate moments, ahem.
Eco Lifestyle
Evergreen Harbor’s peace has been restored: roads and parts of neighborhoods no longer disappear or turn blue when businesses open in Port Promise while the Modern Development N.A.P is active.
yfBody_EP09DressShirt no longer has a weird texture in some of the footwear from various packs, especially platform shoes and chunky sneakers.
Had you moved to Cypress Terrace in Willow Creek and found you couldn’t really do anything there? We fixed the routing failures and interaction failures on the Mitey-Mitey Home - Insect Farm.
Snowy Escape
Mountain Climbing can be challenging, even for those experienced. But having indecisive moments before a climbing route like getting off and on your bike constantly seems that a lot of doubt is passing your mind… However, we did speak to these Sims that were experiencing this behavior and calmed their fears and doubts, so this should no longer be an issue.
The hairstyle yfHair_EP10BobBluntOmbre now covers all of the Sim’s ears.
For Simmers who own Seasons together with Snowy Escape, rain options no longer affect snow.
Sims no longer have the option to give a respectful or military introduction during activities such as Dancing or Bike Riding. I mean, I’m not sure about you, but I can’t dance and respectfully introduce myself at the same time. So many falls… so many falls.
We made some corrections to the Slippers that came with this pack and they should no longer display a greenish texture on Sims’ toes when selected in Create a Sim. Yikes.
Fixed an issue in which for some Simmers playing with the Yoshida Hall Household would generate a game crash when loading into Mt. Komorebi.
We took a look at our Ramen menu and have updated our cooking menu to label Miso and Egg Ramen as Vegetarian safe options. Buen Provecho!
Want to run a Restaurant in Yukimatsu but also want to enjoy the slopes? Now your Sims can enjoy the slopes and dine in style. However, this action is only directed, and will not be autonomous. In the same vein, Restaurant employees will not be tempted to leave work to enjoy the slopes.
Journey to Batuu
Batuu is an awesome destination for those who want to enjoy something fun and different, but if you bought a Droid from the Droid Depot and never saw it in your inventory, I know how frustrating it can be. Never fear, the Droids you were looking for will appear now in Inventories when purchased.
In Journey to Batuu, the First Order ID no longer disappears from inventory so Sims now can Access First Order Plans for the Top Notch Trickery Mission.
Fixed an issue with the Leveling the Playing Field Mission in which the Scoundrel Informant would not appear on the scene after Sims stole the Prototype Blaster and went to Oga’s Cantina to wait for the informant.
Dine Out
Eggs and Toast sound super basic and easy right? They will continue to be that way for our unassuming Chefs on the Chef Station since we fixed an issue that made them… challenging. Sims can also use the second burner for other recipes without fail or routing out.
StrangerVille
The Decorations and Kid's categories in Build Mode should no longer have a "New" highlight when there's nothing actually new.
Dream Home Decorator
Lighting can change the ambiance of a room, and your mood in a flash. Luckily we have fixed an issue that lighting was not even on sectional sofas to continue to set the right mood for our Sims.
Our stylists fixed the Sleep ‘N’ Study Styled Room to remove the P.R.I.M.A Computer from it as this is not an item that is accessible for everyone, pardon our dust.
Laundry Day
Fixed an issue where an animation clipped when Sims were loading their laundry machines. Because having your clothes go through you is awkward, are Sims made of fabric? I don’t think so.
Bust the Dust
Don’t need Simoleons, don’t need Fame. Don’t need dinner to have this date. It’s strong and it’s sudden and it’s cruel sometimes but it might just end your night… the power of Dust, that’s the power of Dust.
Our cleaning agents have determined that Sims won’t get romantic negative Moodlets related to filthy levels of dust in public places like parks.
179 notes · View notes
svnflowervol666 · 4 years
Text
Ma Petite Chérie: Babymoon (Harry Styles x fem!Reader)
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Read more from this little universe, Ma Petite Chérie, in my masterlist!
Summary: Harry and Y/N go on their babymoon.
Warnings: pregnancy, smut, fluff
Word Count: 6.4k
Author’s Note: Hello! I wrote this in order to cross off a few requests. I promised Harry and Y/N would have a baby of their own, plus I get asks all of the time to write pregnancy sex - specifically awkward, giggly pregnancy sex. I also got one about Harry getting a love boner, so here is my attempt at shoving all of that down your throat at once. Try not to choke :-)  I also just reallllllly love Harry, Y/N, and Tallulah, so I wanted to give them some more love. Also made this one pornstache!Harry, so, there’s that. And one last thing...I know the verb tense is way off in this but I could not be arsed to edit it so plz don’t drag me. I hope everyone enjoys! Take care and TPWK.
“Oh my god,” Y/N huffed as she collapsed on the plush sofa in the living room of the cottage.
“It feels so fucking good out here by the water.”
“Breeze is nice, innit?” Harry replied as he rummaged through the kitchen cabinets to check out how well the place he’d rented for the week was stocked.
“Beats going t’ France at the end of June. Think I’m kinda gettin’ tired of Paris t’ be honest.”
“That is quite possibly the snobbiest thing I’ve ever heard you say, Mr. Styles,” she said with a laugh as she began to flip through the tourist brochures that were left on the coffee table.
Not that they’d be partaking in any of it, no. Their plan was to hole up in the quaint, Scottish cottage that sat right on the coast of the North Sea for the whole week, not even planning on changing out of their pajamas.
It was their babymoon after all - a time of peace and tranquility before the arrival of their first child together.
Harry hummed and he made his way from the kitchen to where Y/N was seated on the couch. He stood behind her, knees knocking against the back of the sofa as he crouched down and wrapped his arms around her very large, very swollen belly.
“If I recall correctly, Mrs. Styles, I sat my injured arse in a stiff train seat to Edinburgh for five hours because someone was too scared to fly even though they were cleared to do so by three separate doctors.”
“’M not Mrs. Styles for another year and a half,” Y/N muttered under her breath, albeit not trying to keep Harry from hearing it in the slightest.
Harry snickered into her neck, then playfully nipped her earlobe with his teeth as he whispered.
“Not my fault yeh got knocked up and we had t’ push the wedding.”
“It is very much your fault, Harry,” Y/N swatted at his face, fingers first brushing his jawline that was covered in a rough stubble and then just barely tracing the full-blown mustache that sat like a caterpillar above his bright pink top lip.
Harry smirked down at her, nostrils flaring wide and lips disappearing inside of his mouth.
“How’s your rib?” Y/N asked suddenly.
“Good. Why?” Harry’s brows quickly furrowed together in confusion as to why she was asking about his injury.
“Might have to ride that later if you’ve got the lungs for it,” she tapped her index and middle fingers along her philtrum, right where Harry’s mustache sat on his own face.
Her blunt lewdness had Harry’s cock immediately growing stiff in his pants. It had been a while. His injury coupled with her being in the last trimester of her pregnancy had left them both feeling unsatisfied for the past several weeks. Maybe this babymoon would prove to be relaxing not only because Harry and Y/N get to spend a week without a rambunctious almost six-year-old screaming at all hours of the day, but for other reasons too.
“Think I’d actually drop dead from happiness if yeh sat on m’ face right now, lovie. But, before yeh get too comfortable with that idea, we need t’ head into town. Kitchen’s only got the necessities, and I doubt yeh want t’ eat homemade bread for a week.”
“I’m sure you’d love to eat homemade bread for a week,” Y/N jested, poking fun at Harry’s latest obsession with the carb-filled food.
“Remind me again why I put up with you?” Harry toyed as he extended his arms out towards Y/N to use as leverage to help her hoist herself up from the couch.
When she regains her balance, she lifts herself up just slightly to press a quick kiss to Harry’s lips that he happily accepts. Y/N hums and jokingly checks the imaginary watch that sits on her wrist.
“How much time do you have? That list is pretty long.”
//
The trip to one of the only supermarkets in the small part of Edinburgh that they were staying in had proved to be rather tiring, because Harry opted to use store-bought pasta instead of making his own - something he never does. Maybe it was his healing rib causing him to be short-winded, but he simply could not bring himself to hand-make the pasta they chose to have for dinner that night. He bitched about it all night, about how it wasn’t as chewy as it should be and how it would have tasted much better if he would have just made it himself, but it still didn’t deter him from helping himself to a second serving.
He claimed it was because while he did use pre-cooked pasta, he didn’t use sauce from a jar and made his own from fresh tomatoes and that was the appeal. Y/N just thinks Harry likes to complain and listen to himself talk.
After dinner, just as the sun was setting and Harry and Y/N were waiting for their pasta to digest before they dove into the box of fresh pastries from a bakery they found along the way, they decided to take a walk around the property. The renovated, stone cottage that was overgrown with vines and leaves sat along a short cliffside that overlooked the North Sea. It was a short walk down the cliff that brought them to the beach, where mist from the ocean whisped around their legs and ankles like a thin veil of smoke. While it was the middle of summer, Scotland’s persistent rain showers and their proximity to the water never made it too hot to bear.
“Lulah would love it out here. We’ll have to bring her when the baby’s older.”
“She realIy would,” Harry agreed as he wrapped his sweater further around his chest.
“Know yeh didn’t give birth t’ her, but I swear you two are just alike sometimes. Absolutely hates bein’ hot and gettin’ sweaty just like you.”
Y/N smiled softly and knowingly at Harry before reaching into the pocket of the patchwork sweater of Harry’s that she’d stolen for their stroll on the beach for her phone.
“I’m gonna call her.”
She picked up on the third ring, Y/N’s phone screen then illuminated with a live image of a gap-toothed Tallulah. Well, it’s Mitch’s phone, but she’d been waiting for this promised FaceTime call all day so of course she’s quick to answer.
“Mummy!”
Both Y/N’s and Harry’s heart swelled in their chest when they heard Tallulah speak. It had been several months since she’d decided to start referring to Y/N as her mother, but neither of them had grown used to it just yet. Y/N felt a sense of achievement in “earning” the title of being Tallulah’s mum after all of the years she’d spent with her, and Harry felt a sense of resolution. His family was a real family now, and not just a patchwork of awkward relationships and trust issues. Y/N was Tallulah’s mum and she was now seven months pregnant with their own child and they’d be married by the end of next year. He was actually there to see his child grow this time, they weren’t a secret kept from him out of spite. He’d be there for all of it, even the gross and bloody and goopy bits. And he’d never felt more complete.
“Hi, baby,” Y/N beamed from ear to ear.
“What are you doing?”
“We’re walking on the beach,” Y/N answered.
“Want to see it?”
The five-year-old (five and three-quarters if you asked Tallulah herself) nodded quickly, and Y/N then flipped the camera around to show her the view of the water. Y/N pointed out their cottage from where they stood in the sand, turning the camera to Harry briefly as he held up a peace sign so Tallulah could see that her dad was also on the beach with her. She told her all about the train ride there and how Harry almost slipped and broke his face when was carrying his and Y/N’s luggage into the cottage.
Harry listened to his two little loves talk back and forth with the biggest smile on his face as he absent-mindedly scoured the beach for rocks he could skip along the water. He noticed whenever Tallulah said something that Y/N thought was funny, she had to cup her bump with her hand and forearm to keep it from shaking her entire body. She told him she hated laughing now, because it made her look like Santa Claus, but Harry thought she couldn’t look more beautiful.
“That’s so pretty! Can we all go when the baby is here?” Tallulah asked, puckering into a pout as she begged.
“I think that’s a great idea, Lulah. We were just talking about that, weren’t we, Harry?”
Harry perked up from where he had been washing a sandy shell off in the ocean and suddenly appeared in view of the camera and took the phone from Y/N. 
“Hmm?” he asked as he studied Tallulah’s appearance.
It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Mitch to watch his baby girl while he went away for a week with his other baby girl, it was that him and Sarah voluntarily asked to babysit Tallulah and that’s what made him so apprehensive to accept their offer. There wasn’t anything out of the ordinary about a sleepover at Uncle Mitch and Aunt Sarah’s every now and then, but to want to watch his daughter for an entire week certainly was. Harry felt like Mitch was plotting against him and that he’d come back to Tallulah with bright blue hair and bangs or she’d be sporting the world’s worst potty mouth when she came home, but so far that didn’t seem to be the case. 
She was wearing Harry’s “Dream Boat” shirt that she’d claimed as her own a few years back when Y/N had taught her to wear her father’s clothes when she missed him because the smell would remind her of him (he had to steal it back and sleep in it a few times every now and then to keep his scent on it), and her long, brown hair was damp and neatly braided into two plaits and hanging off her shoulders. That had to have been Sarah’s doing, because Harry knew Mitch could barely put his own hair into a ponytail without creating several lumps and redoing it eighteen times before it looked presentable - meaning he certainly wouldn’t have been able to make a five-year-old sit still long enough to braid her hair perfectly. 
She looked fine, though. Happy, healthy, certainly didn’t have blue hair or bangs and hadn’t said a single naughty thing since she’d been on the phone with Y/N.
“Lulah wants us to come back here after the baby’s born and take her with us,” Y/N beamed.
“I think we can work that out. Sounds quite lovely, actually,” Harry concurred.
“Yeh bein’ good for Mitch and Sarah?”
“Mhmm,” Tallulah nodded.
“We had pizza for dinner.”
“That sounds yummy,” Harry enthused, trying to let his daughter know he had his full attention.
“It was bery good,” she sighed.
There was a long pause before Tallulah blurted out suddenly in the most serious tone, “When are you gonna shave the rest of your mustache? Mitchy was making fun of you today.”
Harry was caught between a gasp and a laugh, which resulted in him choking on his own spit. Y/N turned on her heels in the sand to look at him with wide eyes. 
“You okay?” Y/N mouthed quietly to Harry, completely oblivious to everything that had happened in the last thirty seconds.
Harry nodded, wiping the involuntary tears from his eyes as he coughed himself back to life and regained his composure.
“What exactly did Uncle Mitch say about my mustache?” he prodded.
Tallulah shrugged, subconsciously wiggling her loose bottom tooth with her tongue.
“Don’t ‘member. Just that you look weird with it.”
“Well that’s not a very nice thing t’ say, is it?”
“Mummy said you look weird, too,” Tallulah spouted without hesitation.
Her comment left Y/N’s mouth agape, covering her smile with her palm as Harry’s raised eyebrows feigned offense in her direction.
“She did?” Harry asked sarcastically, narrowing his eyes at her.
“Yeah,” Tallulah sighed as if it was exhausting having to tell your own father that his facial hair looks off-putting.
“I think you should shave it, too. It’s scratchy when you kiss me goodnight.”
All Harry could offer in return was stunned laughter while Y/N hid her face in Harry’s peck. Her bump pressed lightly into his and even though he was pretending to be mad at her, he wouldn’t dare think about pushing her off of him - not while she was this warm and cozy against his chest. 
“Well, if mummy really hates it I suppose I’ll get rid of it. But,” Harry pauses and pulls Y/N out from where she had burrowed her face into his sweater.
“I think I might know a trick that’ll convince her t’ let me keep i-”
“Enough!” Y/N exclaimed, clamping both of her hands around Harry’s mouth.
Harry chuckled against her palm and poked his tongue through his lips to lick her fingers, which sent her hands flying back down to her leggings so she could wipe them dry.
“I swear to god, Harry. You’re five years old,” she joked with a disgusted expression on her face, to which Tallulah had something to say to that. 
“No, I’m five years old!”
The two adults laughed in unison.
“Alright, Lulah. We’re gonna go inside now. ‘S gettin’ kinda cold out,” Harry said.
“We’ll call you tomorrow before bed. Alright, lovebug?” Y/N added.
“Okay,” Tallulah huffed.
“We love you, Lulah,” Harry spoke softly into the microphone.
“Love you, too...Daddy wait!”
“What is it?” he asked.
“Give the baby kisses for me. And no bikes!”
Harry wanted to laugh, but he also wanted to cry, so he settled on a closed-mouthed smile that was enough to convince Tallulah that he was unbothered by what she said.
“Kisses for the baby and no bikes. Got it,” he nodded.
“Okay, I’m gonna go eat some sweets with Sarah!” the child yelled, suddenly energetic like she had temporarily forgotten that her and Sarah had baked cookies twenty minutes before Y/N called.
“Alright, but it’s almost bed time so not too m-!” was all Harry could answer to before his daughter ended the call and presumably raced to where ever Sarah was in their house. 
“‘S like she doesn’t even miss us,” Harry mumbled as he placed Y/N’s phone in his back pocket and began walking back up to the cottage with his arm wrapped around Y/N’s shoulder. 
Y/N hummed, basking in the warmth that radiated from Harry’s chest as he held her.
“They’re just buttering her up. She’ll be crying to leave by the time we get back.”
“Just don’t really know why they were so keen on keepin’ her t’ be honest.”
Harry positioned himself one step behind her as they walked up the stone steps together, keeping one hand on the small of her back. Y/N peered over her shoulder at him, her tight lips curling up into a smirk as if to say she knew something he didn’t.
“What?” Harry asked.
Y/N shrugged, “Promised I wouldn’t tell.”
Harry clearly didn’t like that answer, because he moved his hand that was supporting her waist and quickly pinched her bum.
“Tell me,” he demanded, eyebrows scrunched together and lips pursed together in what could be considered a childish pout that mimicked Tallulah’s.
Y/N sucked her lips into her mouth, contemplating whether or not she should spill the beans on the news Sarah had shared with her a few weeks prior.
“They’re gonna start trying for a baby soon,” she whispered as if were a long-kept secret told in a room full of nosey people despite the two of them being alone on the otherwise desolate beach.
Harry’s ears perked up, a wide smile adorning his face from ear to ear.
“No fucking way,” he mumbled, and suddenly all of Mitch’s incessant hammering of baby questions he’d sent Harry’s way in the past few months suddenly making a lot of sense.
Harry thought he was trying to be a good friend and stay engaged in Y/N’s pregnancy, but now he understands the real reason behind his behavior.
Y/N nodded deviously as they make their way into the living room of the cottage.
“They’ve been asking everyone they know with kids to let them come over just to see if they can handle it. I mean, if you ask me, I think they’ll do great. Nothing wrong with trying it before buying it, I guess,” she said with a shrug.
“God, he’s gonna be such a good dad,” Harry was practically beaming for his closest friend.
“I know,” Y/N agreed, walking over to Harry to hold both sides of his head in her hands as if he was a disobedient puppy being disciplined.
Her bump prevented her from getting too close to Harry’s chest, the roundest part of her belly nudging Harry’s tummy.
“They’re both very excited. Which is why, when he finally decides to tell you, you have to act surprised. Act like he told you you just won the lottery or something. Alright?”
Harry sarcastically changed his facial expression to mock bewilderment. His eyebrows rose well off into his forehead and his jaw nearly dropped to the floor as he gasped.
“How’s that? Think he’ll buy it?”
Y/N jokingly jabbed him in the shoulder.
“Smartass. I’m going to take a shower. I’m sticky and I smell like the ocean.”
“Guess I gotta keep workin’ on it, then.”
When he’s done cleaning up what was left of their dinner, he heads to the master bedroom with the intention of washing up in the shower after Y/N. He’s messing around with the A/C unit on the window to make sure it’s not set to a temperature that will smother them in their sleep and unpacking their luggage into the wooden dresser, where an antique turntable rests.
Stacked long the side of the record player, there was a handful of old vinyl, most of which Harry either recognized or new very well. He was actually shocked to find a Shuggie Otis album in the collection, to which he quickly slipped the record out of the worn sleeve and set the needle to the edge and waited for the soft sound to fill the room while he worked. 
“That thing works?” Y/N’s voice broke up the old 70s tune as she exited the bathroom with her hair tied up with one of Harry’s scrunchies that she stole out of his toiletry bag, wrapped in only a towel that barely fit around her form.
“I know,” Harry agreed, “Needs a new needle but other than that ‘s in pretty good shape.”
“Leave it to you to find a rental with 70s records in the bedroom,” there was a lighthearted tone in her voice as Y/N poked fun at him.
She padded over to her luggage in the corner of the room for a change of clothes, only to realize Harry had unpacked it all for them. As she’s rummaging through the drawers trying to figure out where Harry had put what, she lets her towel drop to the floor freely.
Harry doesn’t know how must time has passed, but he knows he’s staring. He’s staring at the water droplets that drip from the stray hairs on the nape of her neck and run down her bare back. He’s staring at the swell of her stomach where their baby lies, at the faded, almost-shiny stretch marks on the sides and the newer, darker ones on the underside that had only recently broken through. He’s staring at the bracelet on her wrist, the one that’s braided pink and blue with three beads on it - one ‘H’, one ‘T’ and one heart. Tallulah made it for her at school one day and told her the heart was for the baby and also because she loved her. It was hanging on by its last few threads, threatening to snap as each day passed, but she refused to take it off.
All he does know is that he loves her so much that he thinks none of this is real and that he’ll wake up one day and be in his early twenties again with no direction in life and the insidious feeling that he’ll die alone without ever finding his “person.” It’s when Y/N called out to him and snapped him out of his thoughts that he’s realized his underwear are suddenly feeling incredibly tight.
“Har,” Y/N beckoned him away from whatever had been occupying his brain.
“Hmm?” 
He resituated himself on the bed and crossed his legs in an attempt to hide himself from her.
“I said the hot water in there’s kinda shit, so you’ll probably want to wait a little bit before you get in.”
“‘S alright,” Harry dismisses, “Come ‘ere.”
He draws her towards him with an outstretched hand, navigating her around the bedpost and over to the side where he had been sitting. With the gentlest of touches, he runs his fingers over her bare legs. The coolness of his rings don’t make well with her skin that was still extremely warm from her shower, causing hundreds of tiny goosebumps to erupt around her thighs. Harry raises her shirt, one of his that she stole when her own clothes became too uncomfortable, but even now she’s nearly stretching this one to its limit, and rests it on top of her bump.
She doesn’t question him, doesn’t chastise him. She lets him love on her, lets him press kisses to her skin just above her belly button (making sure to give an extra one from Tallulah per her request) and rest his cheek against her stomach while his other hand feels around on the other side in hopes to feel the baby move or kick or do something to let him know that they’re there. Lucky for Harry, baby knows when their dad is around and is quick to make themselves known, so he takes a second to savor these last few moment he’ll have with his newest bub before they’re earth-side in a little less than two months.
Y/N lets him be because she knows how important this is to Harry. She knows that he never got these moments with Tallulah and that it’s one of the things that plagued him during those nights where he feels lonely despite her being asleep right next to him. He never got to feel her kick in her mum’s tummy and he didn’t get to see her grow from the size of a pea to the size of a melon before she was welcomed by her parents and the rest of her family that had been waiting anxiously for her arrival. 
No, Tallulah was dropped on his doorstep like a wet kitten in the middle of the night. Shivering and crying and just needing someone to hold her and tell her that it was going to be alright because her mother had decided she’d be better off elsewhere. Of course, she was too small to remember, but Harry could never forget it.
So, it’s the least she can do. To let Harry love on her. Love on them.
Her eyes catch his once or twice and she can see the gears in his head turning. There’s something on his mind and he’s hesitant to tell her what it is. Y/N lifts his head by tilting his chin up, her index finger brushing over the healed scar on the underside of his jaw from a few months prior.
“What’s going on in that pretty little head of yours?” she whispered.
Harry shakes his head, a grin on his lips.
“‘M just really, really happy right now. Happy tha’ I’m here w’ you.”
Y/N smiles back at him genuinely before pulling away from his grasp and gesturing to his lap.
“And I’m happy that I’m here with you. Seems like your little friend is really happy, too.”
A soft groan emits from Harry chest, having realized he’d uncrossed his legs at some point and his very prominent bulge had come into Y/N’s view.
“Sorry, lovie. Didn’t mean t’ make it like tha-”
“I’m just messing with you. You know,” she ponders, “I was half-way kidding when I asked about your lungs earlier. But... This will be the last time we’re kid-free for a while,” she taunted.
“Are yeh asking?” Harry jests and points his thumb towards the bathroom door, “‘Cos I was actually plannin’ on just having a wank in the shower.”
“Oh, okay,” Y/N shrugs and moves his hands off of her waist as she pretends to walk towards the living room.
Before she can take two steps, Harry’s standing up and pulling her back into him for a kiss. It’s full of heat and passion and almost knocks Y/N off of her feet. He cradles her head in his large hands and moves to whisper in her ear.
“Really gonna let me fuck yeh?”
A quiet chuckle escapes her lips, to which she replies, “What else did you think we were gonna do all week?”
He’s unable to bite back his own laugh, and it’s the sweetest sound to ever grace Y/N’s ears.
“Then get on the bed and take yeh clothes off.”
They work quickly, as they’ve conditioned themselves to do over the years of squeezing in any time they can together before they’re interrupted. Y/N lies back on her elbows as she waits for Harry to undo his pants and her breath catches in her throat when his boxers hit the floor. 
His cock is hard, not fully, but the sight of the first few beads of glistening precum causes a shiver to run down her spine. She’s blown him a handful of times since he’s been in recovery, but she’s been far too pregnant and he’s been far too injured lately to engage in any kind of actual fun. It’s safe to say that they’re both more than ready. 
Harry scratches at his scalp, unsure of how to word his questions as he looks her body up and down.
“How do you...erm...how do you wanna-?”
“My stomach, please,” Y/N says with a laugh.
She quickly reaches for one of the pillows behind her and gets on all fours, wedging the object underneath her bump to keep some of the weight off of her back. Slowly, she arches her spine down towards the mattress, and the glimpse Harry catches of her pussy through the light of the setting sun is enough to send another jolt straight to his cock.
Harry wastes no time joining her on the bed, caressing her hips and moving back to massage the plump skin of her ass. He leans down on top of her, flips her hair over to one side, and begins sucking on the sensitive skin between her neck and jaw.
“Gonna let me taste yeh first, right?” he mumbles into her skin.
Y/N hums in response, attempting to rock backwards in order to feel Harry’s cock rub against her backside. She hears Harry laugh, presumably because he’s caught on to her neediness, so it only pushes him further to be the tease he’s notorious for being.
He sponges wet kisses down her back, getting a rise out of every audible breath that leaves Y/N’s throat.
“Relax, baby,” Harry says when he feels her growing tenser as his kisses travel closer to where she needs him the most.
“Gonna get yeh there. Just gotta be patient.”
Harry presses one last kiss on the final notch of her spine before using one of his hands to spread her legs open just a little bit further. When he parts the globes of her ass, his mouth waters. Her pussy is shimmering with her arousal, perfect and on display just for him. 
He tests the waters by running the tip of his tongue from her clit up to her center and he hears a sigh of relief leave Y/N’s lungs at the contact. Next, he’s massaging her folds, exploring her and refamiliarizing himself with the way she tasted. Harry feels her relax into the mattress with each lap of his tongue against her, silently begging him for more. His tentativeness allows him to read her body language and he draws back momentarily to spread her lips apart with his middle and index finger.
The cool air against her core stuns Y/N, but is quickly drowned out with a moan when she feels Harry’s warm saliva drip from her ass down to her clit. His mouth is back on her before she can recover from the sensation, lapping her up and flicking at her clit with his tongue and driving her mad. He’s got his nose buried inside of her as he devours her in the way that he’s really been yearning to for months (he doesn’t count the late night or early morning quickies because he claims he never gets to spend as much time taking care of her as he really wants to). The scruff from his mustache is staunch against her soft folds, but Harry’s tongue is quick to soothe the burn and she loves it.
He smirks against her as she lets out a particularly loud moan when his facial hair brushes against her clit. What was that about shaving my mustache? he thinks to himself but does not dare say aloud.
When he senses that she needs even more, his fingers move from spreading her apart to pressing against her opening. Gathering her wetness on his digits, he slowly pumps them in and out of her. Y/N’s mewls and whimpers are like music to his ears and only spurs him on further. He ruts his hips against the comforter, anything to relieve the throbbing between his legs that is a result of how pliable she’s become for him. She’s soaking the rings on his fingers in the most picture-perfect way and Harry truly genuinely can’t get enough of it; and neither can she. Which is why he’s confused when one of her hands swings around her backside to stop Harry from working her open.
“Har-” she pants.
He withdrawals all contact immediately and peaks his head around to look at her face.
“Yeh good?” he asks as she’s stands up on her knees and turns around to face him.
“‘M great. Wanna be on top now,” she says, her lips plump and swollen from biting down on them so harshly that she nearly drew blood.
“You sure? Yeh don’t want me t’ finish yeh first?”
His eyes dart from her lust-blown eyes to her round belly.
“Mhm. Now lay your pretty ass down before I change my mind.”
She doesn’t have to tell him twice and he’s rolling over on his back, working his way to prop himself up against the headboard. His cock is red and leaking against his stomach, excruciatingly waiting to be buried inside of his girl. He wonders why she’s staring at him with an annoyed expression on her face, but then she speaks up.
“Do you see how pregnant I am? Gonna have to lay all the way down, shit head.”
He does as he’s told and he’s honestly scared that he’ll cum in five seconds if she doesn’t get on with it. 
“I swear to god, if you laugh at me,” she grunts as she straddles his waist, “I’ll cut it off.”
“‘M not gonna lau-”
It’s his turn to moan aloud when she grips onto his cock, running it across her folds to collect as much wetness as she can before she allows him to stretch her out. He’s focusing so much on not losing it right then and there that he doesn’t realize she’s stopped and is waiting for the go-ahead. Through his dark, thick lashes, he nods; as if she would have to ask.
Harry reaches for her hands as she lowers herself onto him, the two of them squeezing a bit too harshly when she reaches the last few inches. The burn consumes Y/N from the inside and out, but it’s never felt so right to either of them. 
She’s not moving just yet, but her cunt is pulsing around him and it feels almost as good as the real thing. They’re staring at each other, both with looks that relay more than words.
“Love you,” Harry’s face softens as he looks up at her.
“Love you, too,” Y/N smiles as she leans down as far as she can in search of a kiss.
He meets her in the middle and their lips find one another and mash together in harmony. The rocking of their hips reminds both of them what they’re actually doing, and causes both of them to gasp at the way Y/N pumped Harry half-way in and out of her. 
When she’s settled back down on the base of his cock, she begins slowly rutting herself back and forth. It takes her just a little bit longer than usual to work up a steady rhythm, but when she’s got it, boy does she got it and it feels so fucking good. The tip of Harry’s cock is pressing against the deepest parts of her and before she knows it, there’s a warm coil winding up in her tummy that bounds itself tighter and tighter inside of her.
She needs to go faster and she needs to go faster now, so she braces her hands on Harry’s chest as she continues to fuck herself on Harry’s cock. Harry lets out a sound that she can’t tell apart between a groan of pleasure and one of pain. His hands dart quickly from where they’d been gripping at her thighs to grip at her wrists.
“Can’t do tha’, lovie. Not the ribs.”
“Shit,” she laughs, subconsciously clenching down on his shaft in the process.
“Sorry.”
“‘S okay,” Harry reassures her as he repositions her hands on his shoulders so she can still have something to grab on to.
“Keep going.” 
Her bump is now cradled against Harry’s stomach and it allows her to find relief in the way that her clit is brushing against the trimmed nest of hair that lies around the base of his thick, throbbing cock. He’s twitching inside of her so much that she can feel it alongside her thrusts as they continue. They both won’t last much longer and they know it. 
“‘M getting close.”
“I know,” Harry pants beneath her.
She switches positions, now with her fingers digging so hard into the meat of Harry’s thighs that her knuckles are changing color. She’s able to lift her hips up and down a bit more from this angle, and it allows Harry’s cock to nudge against her sweet spot.
“Feels so good, H,” she whimpers so quietly that almost Harry couldn’t even hear it.
“‘S that it? Right there?” he mocks as he works at meeting her thrusts with his own.
The best he gets from Y/N is a nod as she focuses the best she can on getting herself there. She’s coating him with her juices with each pump and with one glance down at where they’re joined together nearly shoots Harry over the edge.
“Yeh gonna cum f’ me?” Harry asks as his thumb reaches under her to begin rubbing circles on her clit.
“Gonna give me a good one?”
His movements coupled with his words catalyze the tightness within her, threatening to snap at any moment. She’s definitely sweaty and tired of being on top, but she’s so close now that she wills away the pain in her lower back and thighs.
“Come on, bunny. Give it to me.”
He works with that he can and makes sure he’s slamming into her as deep as he can, speeding up the pace he’s making with her clit in the process. 
She cums with a strangled, “Fuck,” and a shrill cry of his name, and that’s all he needs to meet his end as well. The world is black and quiet for the two of them for just a brief moment, and then they’re both seeing all of the stars in the galaxy.
Her walls are coated with the warm ropes of his seed and spills out of her as she milks him, coaxing all she can out of both hers and Harry’s orgasms. Y/N can feel the last few twitches of Harry’s cock inside of her and her movements slow to a stop. 
His cum is splashed along her inner thighs and around Harry’s shaft, and they’re both struggling to catch their breath. Y/N feels sorry for him for a brief second when she sees him clutching onto the left side of his ribs, but then she remembers the situation that put him there in the first place and great incredible fuck she just gave him and so she decides not to dwell on it too much. 
Serves him right.
She collapses on the bed beside him, the two of them staring idly at the ceiling. It’s nearly dark now, the sun having set long ago and only their silhouettes are visible in the moonlight. Harry reaches over to pet her cheek and press a kiss into her hair as their breathing slowly but surely evens out and they come to.
They’re both too tired and fucked out to have a lucid conversation, so they’ll save that for tomorrow. No. Right now was for cuddles and falling asleep to the sounds of each other’s soft breaths and the peace of mind knowing that they can do this every single night for the rest of their lives if they wanted to because they’re getting married and they have a family together and they’re so in love with each other that nothing else matters.
When Y/N finally manages to muster up the energy to lift herself from the mattress and waddle to the bathroom, Harry breaks the silence.
“Hey,” his voice is calm and collected and there’s a smirk on his face.
“Hmm?” she answers as she cranes her neck and braces herself on the door frame of the master bathroom.
Her other hand is caressing her bump, a tick that she’d picked up over the months whenever she wasn’t doing anything important.
“Sit on m’ face in the morning?”
There’s that laugh again. The one that Harry loves and swears came straight from the angels above.
“With pleasure,” she winks as the door closes behind her.
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1plus1kiyoomi · 4 years
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Chapter 13: Thinking of You
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Putting your phone down on the wooden table, you groan in frustration. The piling paperwork and dating life are two different things but are both giving you too much stress. A lot of friends and colleagues had adviced you to stay single and focus on work, but Yaku is right.
You’re meeting all these people just to forget that you met him.
Kita was far from your ideal type. He wasn’t tall. He wasn’t rich. He didn’t give you expesive gifts every day. But he still managed to make you think that he’s the perfect man.
No matter how hard you try not you, you still compare every guy you’ve dated to Kita. He set the bars so high, that even you can’t see the top of it.
You are so desperate to forget Kita that you started dating all these boys and thought that maybe one of them can make you forget him. Relationships only lasted for a day or the most is a week. You’re getting a bad name in industry, but you don’t care.
“Hi, I’m (L/N) (F/N). Nice to meet you.” You introduce yourself to the pilot as you sit on the dinner table he reserved. You take in his appearance and he’s a 10/10. He has blonde hair and golden eyes, and very long lashes. He has wide shoulders and even under his suit, you can tell that he’s well-built.
“Kise,” he answers, flashing a smile your way. 
‘One of those charmers...’ You think as you check him out once again. You’re looking through the menu when the man in front of you clears his throat uncomfortably, catching your attention. “If you don’t want to continue this day, just say so.”
“It’s not that. I just don’t feel comfortable acting fancy and all that,” Kise remarks, loosening the tie around his collar.
“Then let’s go somewhere else,” you tell him reassuringly. The waitress waiting for your orders stand their awkwardly, witnessing how the restaurant will lose a customer just like that. “Miss, order anything you want in this menu. I’ll pay for it.”
“Ah, it’s okay,” the waitress stutters, taking the menu from you and Kise.
“I insist,” you tell her before standing up from your seat. After paying for the waitress’s meal, you and Kise head to his car. He attempts to help you put it on but you do it before he can. “So where do you wanna go?”
Kise looks out of his window shyly before giving you an answer. “I wanted to cook for you...”
“Okay, then bring me to your house?” You chuckle, trying to lighten the mood. The tense that was all over your date’s finally disappears as he brightly smiles at you.
“You’re kinder than from I’ve heard,” he confesses and starts the engine of his car. “I have this recipe I learned from a great friend...”
Kise rambles on about the most random things until you two reach the parking lot of his apartment. Just like he said, he cooked for you. You sit at the dining table as you wait for him to finish cooking. Staring at him from the angle, you remember Kita teaching you how to cook rice.
“How many cups of rice do I need?” You asked him, staring at the sack of rice once again. Kita scooped two cups of rice then put it at the pot.
“After that, you clean the rice by soaking it in water at least twice,” Kita instructed, putting two fingers up. You nodded, following through. “Then you strain the dirty water out. After that use your finger to measure the water. It has to reach the second line on your finger.”
Kita took your hand and dipped your finger in the water. You blushed furiously, containing your squeals from the sudden contact with your crush. After going through the whole process, he made you repeat his steps in making rice.
“And that’s how you cook rice.”
“Hey, (Y/N), it’s time to eat.” Kise shakes his hand in front of your face so you go back to your senses. You nod at him with an sorry smile then start eating. “Does it taste good?”
“It’s spicy,” you tell Kise softly. He stops eating and grabs milk from his refrigerator.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know. But do you like the taste?” Kise asks you, and you just nod. 
“Tell me if you want to adjust any taste or something,” Kita said after you took a bite of the meal. It was your first breakfast together and the first time he cooked for you since Osamu prepared food the night before.
“It tastes good but I don’t really like spicy food,” you answered, taking a sip of water from your glass due to the spiciness of the dish. Kita noticed the discomfort in your face so he stood up and went back to the kitchen to make a new dish for you. “It’s okay. I can take the spice.”
“No. I want you to eat to your heart’s content,” Kita stated, causing you to smile. “If you’re craving for anything, tell me okay?”
“So how’s work?” Kise changes the topic.
You sigh from the spiciness, but continue to eat anyways, not wanting to waste the blonde’s efforts. “It’s tiring, but it’s bearable.”
“Work is hard nowadays,” Kise complains back. “I wish to take a break sometimes, but then I can’t.”
“Why not?” You continue to ask, seeking for an answer that will determine if you like him or not.
“Because I need money to take you out in our future dates,” he answers mischievously, causing you to raise an eyebrow at him. “Though I’m not really enjoying my job-”
You cut him off midsentence. “Then why did you become a pilot?”
“Because it earns a lot of money is looked up to by anymore.”
“Babe...” You called the grey haired man as you laid on the back of his truck. You went with him and Rice to the farm since you didn’t have anything to do. “Atsumu told me you the top university offered you scholarship to college, why didn’t you take it?”
“Because I want to be a farmer,” Kita simply answered. He took the towel hanging around Rice’s neck and wiped the back of his neck using it. Sitting up from your position, you continued to ask him questions.
“Why?”
“No particular reason. I just enjoy it and it helps other people,” Kita replied to you. You put on the spare boots that lying on the corner of the trunk and went over to him. “Do you want to help?”
“Yes, since I want to learn about the things that make you happy,” you told him confidently and he just let out a soft chuckle.
“Then maybe I should learn how to vlog, too.”
Your date with Kise goes on. The two of you finished dinner so he takes out a bottle of white wine.  After several of glasses, Kise scoots close to you.
“(Y/N), I know it’s just our first date, but I really like you,” Kise confesses, scooting close to you. Scoffing, you face him. “I’m serious.”
Kise leans in you and allow him to close the gap between the two of you, his lips colliding with yours.
It was your first breakfast as a couple and being the romantic person that you are, you woke up before him to make him lunch. Rice lied down the kitchen floor, confused on why it’s you cooking and not his father. You gave him his food before going back to making your boyfriend’s lunch.
“You’re just grilling a sausage, don’t fail this,” you muttered to yourself as you roll the said sausage on the pan with so much concentration. You felt arms wrap around you so you flinched in shock, almost dropping the ladle you were holding.
“Good morning,” Kita chuckled, placing his chin on your shoulder. “I should have asked you out the moment you got here if I knew that I would not make breakfast every morning.”
“Good morning, baby,” you giggled, turning off the stove to face him. “How was your sleep?”
“It was not that great since I didn’t see you when I woke up,” Kita answered, causing you to snort. “What?”
“You’ve become cheesy,” you stuck your tongue out, teasingly. Kita quickly moved his body forward, taking your tongue in his mouth. You pushed him away, gasping then laughing. “Babe, what!”
Kita let out a laugh, pulling your body closer again. He leaned his forehead on yours, his grip on your hips tightening. He’s staring at your eyes intensely but lovingly. “If you keep staring at me like that I might think you’re in love with me,” you joke.
Kita just smiled at you then pulled you in for a kiss. You placed your arms on shoulders, letting him kiss you deeper. His lips were soft but moved roughly. His hold was secure but dangerous. He was gentle with you but he was had a strong aura. He made you smile with his pure intentions, and made you moan with his sensual touches. He made you squeal like it was your first time to be in love, but he could also make you cry as if it’s your last time to experience love.
Kita was the best of both worlds. He was the calming moon, and the blazing sun. He was the cold night, and the warming morning. He was the sunrise that said hello, and the sunset that told you good bye.
You were in an axis. You have witnessed all the different planets and met all these people, to try to run away from him. But wherever you travel, you still see him. Maybe because he was not only both worlds, but rather the whole universe.
You are stuck in his axis. You’re sure of it, because even if someone else is holding you, your body craves for his touch. Though someone else is kissing you, your lips want to feel Kita’s. Someone else is making you smile, but only because you remember your happy moments with Kita. No matter who you’re with, you’re only thinking of him.
You push Kise away, thoughts about Kita flooding in your mind. “I’m sorry. I can’t do this.”
“Was I moving too fast?” Kise awkwardly asks, moving away from you.
“It’s not that,” you tell him, thinking of a reason to get out of the situation. Kise then giggles, scratching the back of his neck, so your attention goes to him.
“Is it someone then?” Kise questions, tilting his head to the side. You lower head, nodding shyly and gripping on the hem of your skirt. “That’s hard. Care to share? It looks like a serious case of not being able to move on.”
You chuckle at his statement. “I guess it is since we didn’t have proper closure.”
“Now, that’s complicated,” Kise hums as if he had not kissed you just minutes ago. “But it seems like you don’t seek closure.”
“Do I look like someone who’ll not be able to move on for years?” You sigh and Kise shakes his head.
“You look like you want to get back with him.”
An hour or two of just talking about your exes, you finally say goodbye to Kise. You feel in ease after talking to someone about your situation. Admitting that you are still into Kita is painful but you needed to let it out.
You head to Alisa’s house, where you dropped Rice off. You talk about your date for a while before you head back home. Your driver picks you up just outside Alisa’s apartment. Rice settles on your lap, comfortably sleeping. And then your heart sinks thinking about your dog.
Rice has changed his job from running in the fields to carry Kita’s towel to walking around the office to get paperwork for you. He’s a hardworking dog whose happiness comes from your smile.
Rice works hard. He has a schedule he follows like its a ritual. He’s caring. He’s smaller from other dogs but his dominance shows. He’s loyal to you. He loves you more than anyone in this word.
Rice is your little Kita.
Aside from you and Kita, Rice had a hard time coping up with your separation. The first month, Rice wasn’t able to eat properly since he missed Kita. You thought that a year would make him forget about Kita, but no.
Rice grabs a random towel every morning then head to the front door, a habit he picked up from going with Kita to the farm almost every day. He waits for Kita at the door every night. Every time you go for a drive and pass by a field, he barks and wags his tail excitedly.
It was painful to watch Rice long for Kita. Because unlike you who can speak and let your emotions out, Rice can’t. All he can do is do the same thing over and over again every day and night, until Kita finally shows up at the door. You both are.
“Do you miss your dad?” You ask Rice and he sits up excitedly. He stands on his back legs and his front paws are on your chest, giving you kisses all over your face. “I miss him, too.” As Rice whimpers from the word dad, an idea comes into your mind.
You know you’ll regret the idea, maybe you’ll even hate yourself for it, but you’ve already risked enough for Kita. So just go all the way. Take that fall. How much damage can be done?
“Head to the airport,” you say to your driver. He looks at you questionably but follows your order anyways. You call your secretary and tell her to book a flight going to Kobe and send a copy of Rice’s papers to travel.
As you arrive at the airport, the staff of the airline company you booked in assisted you and Rice to the plane. You turn your phone off, not wanting to receive any messages or calls from anyone. Checking the time, you realize it’s already 10PM, so you’ll be arriving at Kita’s house around 1AM.
You don’t care. You’ll wake him up. Kita needs to hear what you’ve been wanting to tell him for a year.
The flight to Kobe is fast, considering that you fell asleep in the plane due to the alcohol you drank prior to this sudden flight. Rice is dead asleep in his carrier. You take a cab going to Kita’s far. Your heart is pounding way too hard that you can feel your brain vibrating. You want to back out but you’re already too late. The driver has dropped you off the familiar house.
Rice barks at the door, thrilled to be home. You stand there for 10 minutes with still no response. Finally, you hear footsteps coming to the front door. The door finally slides open, revealing the man you’ve been longing for the most.
“(Y/N)?” Kita asks in confusion. Rice jumps to him, and Kita picks him up excitedly but unsurely. “I thought I was hearing things. Why are you here? At 1AM?”
“I was thinking of you.”
“(Y/N) I-”
“No. Let me finish. I’m not sure if you still like me or not, or if you’re dating someone. But I want you to know that I have forgiven you from the whole Ayako incident. I don’t care anymore about what happened to two of you that day. I also don’t mind if you didn’t have feelings for me that time. But I just want to say that I loved you from the moment I saw you in that video. Maybe I still love you until now. And I’ve been thinking of you every day, every moment ever since I met you. I love you so bad that if you ask me to marry you right now, I would. But I know you wouldn’t so it’s okay. I’m willing to give you my whole life. But I’m not asking you to like me back again or-” you ramble, your mind not even thinking of the words that’s coming out of your mouth.
“(Y/N).” Kita stops you, his voice sounding serious.
“Yes?” You’re preparing yourself to be rejected. You have been expecting it since you decided to book a flight going to him. But at least you’ve told him everything you wanted. You can live in peace, knowing that you have nothing left to regret.
“Can we sleep first?” Kita deadpans and your heart flutters, instead of hurting. He’s still the same person you fell in love with, the same man who broke your heart and changed your whole life.
“Yeah. Sorry,” you apologize, unsure of what to do next. “I’ll call a cab. Sorry for disturbing you. I won’t bother you ever again. I’ll take my leave.”
“No. No. You sleep here.” His words came out as an order, not a suggestion, so you just agree.
“Really? I feel guilty for showing up at 1AM. I really don’t mind leaving,” you try to argue, but Kita takes your hand and brings you inside. You then notice that Rice is already inside of the house, his eyes begging you to go sleep.
“Yeah, you should stay here. We have a wedding to plan tomorrow after all.”
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note: was in a good mood so :>
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thesims4blogger · 3 years
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The Sims 4: New Game Patch (July 20th, 2021)
There’s a new Sims 4 update available for PC/Mac and Consoles. If you have auto updates enabled in Origin’s “Application Settings”, the game will auto-update once you open Origin. If you have auto-updates disabled, you will need to manually update by clicking the game in your library.
Your game should now read: PC: 1.77.131.1030 / Mac: 1.77.131.1230 / Console: Version 1.44
Remove all MODS and Custom Content before updating your game
Hello Simmers!
Hope you are well wherever you are in the world and that you are all having a fantastic Summer of Sims! We are excited to share today’s update with you. There is a lot of info, so make sure you have your tea/coffee/beverage of choice ready to read on. You all know I have my coffee ready for this!
As we continue to get ready to explore the countryside charm of Henford-on-Bagley and cannot absolutely wait to play with the adorable animals in Cottage Living, we also have updates and fixes that should improve and complement your Sims’ everyday life. We have something for everyone and we hope that you all enjoy them. Thank you for all your feedback and support.
Cheers!
-SimGuruRusskii ft. SimGuruRomeo and SimGuruJoAnna
What’s New?
Let’s start with some items that we shared in our last Sims 411!
For this update, we partnered with two talented artists from the LGBTQ+ community, Ashley Lukashepsky, and Mohammed Iman Fayaz, and they have brought their inspiring and beautiful artwork into the game. We have also included the modernized version of the large afro hairstyle that we showed you. But more than tell you about it in text, let me actually attach a screenshot of everything put together:
I love everything about this scene, not only it shows you how the artwork looks in a real game setting, but the whole scene with the two Sims and their surroundings is quite magical. Also, look at that hair! The way the light highlights it, perfection! You may also notice the hair of the Sim on the right, which was also added with this update for everyone. I want to personally thank all Simmers for their feedback and recommendations, as we are continuously working on adding more diverse hairstyles and textures to not only packs, but also to our base game.
Now that we are talking about artwork, the last patch notes I forgot to add the artwork made by the wonderful Jupiter Stevens-Hill. I apologize for that, I totally blanked out. However, I’m happy to see that a lot of you are enjoying it and placing it in your Lots! That makes a very happy Russkii =)
To find Jupiter, Ashley, and Mohammed’s paintings in Build Mode, make sure you take a look at the Paintings and Posters sort and filter by Base Game items. These artists are amazing and we hope you enjoy their creations.
Now, without further ado, let’s get to some new features and improvements that are part of this update!
A little bit of Gallery
When you download a lot made with the bb.moveobjects cheat, the game now notifies you about this so you know to activate the cheat before placing the lot. Builders, this means you won’t need to mention it in the lot’s description anymore!
A little for Sims
Trying to find the Sims in the current neighborhood? Select their portraits in the Relationship Panel.
“Focus the Camera” moves the camera to the Sim.
“Lock the Camera” moves the camera to the Sim and keeps following them.
Where did the Notebook go?
Found it! The Notebook has moved out of the Phone and into its own button for quicker access.
The “Center on Current Lot” button that used to be there has moved to the top right, adjacent to the Camera Controls.
Water Tool
You now can make natural, organic bodies of water! Just head into Build Mode, make a hole with the Terrain Manipulation tool, and fill it with water. It is that easy! The Terrain Manipulation and Paint Tools also have more brush sizes to enable finer detail.
In adding the Water Tool, we also took the chance to overhaul the related tools and object categories. Why not? Enjoy!
Pond Effects
All sorts of critters are available to complete the look of your pond ranging from ducks and swans to pesky mosquitoes. There is even an alligator!
New Pond Objects
Outdoor Water Décor now has an assortment of new Pond Objects to decorate the perfect pond. Some of these objects such as the Bog Log and Colorful Lily Pads have interactions on them in Live Mode to activate Turtle and Frog effects. The new Fishing Allowed Sign enables you to stock your pond with any fish your Sims have previously caught. Try it out!
New Water Styles
Go beyond the original crystal blue and dreamy magenta water. Additional options range from “Mossy Water” to “Pond Scum” to complete that au natural look.
The Shrubs category includes new plants to complement the water styles: “Green Fern”, “Leaning Not-Grass Grass”, “Not-Grass Grass Sans Inflorescence.”
Gardening with Children
Children now can help out in the garden by planting, watering, and weeding. They build their Mental skill as they garden. The process of purchasing and planting seeds is streamlined as well to make gardening more enjoyable for everyone.
Group Cooking
Cooking no longer is a solo affair. Sims now can cook in groups of up to five Sims including children. Start cooking together by selecting a fridge, stove, or any empty countertop.
Zoomers Food Delivery Service
Are your Sims getting tired of the same old pizza delivery every night? Well, gone are the days of redundant pizza nights. Maybe you are in the mood for pasta primavera or even a fancy steak dinner. All this and more are available courtesy of Zoomer Food Delivery. Order delivery through the phone or the refrigerator and the food will arrive in a jif.
Calendar
The calendar, previously available only with Seasons, now is available with Base Game to see upcoming events such as birthdays, school and work schedules, festivals, and fairs. You even can use it to book events, so it’s time to get to party planning!
Bug FixesConsoles
In Snowy Escape, skiing, sledding, and snowboarding on Bunny Slopes now contribute to the Extreme Sports Enthusiast Aspiration.
Also in Snowy Escape, Sims with high enough Skiing and Snowboarding skills now can enjoy the more advanced slopes. Sims also use the Lift to go to the top of the slopes and not go “the hard way.”
Simmers can now rotate Sims downloaded from the Gallery in Create a Sim. Spin them ‘round, ‘round, Simmers ‘round, ‘round –  like a record ‘round, ‘round, ‘round, ‘round.
The Sims 4
We made some improvements that should help our Simulation lag, particularly on the usage of some computer interactions like playing BlicBlock, along with fishing interactions, which should make the game perform a bit better. Note that this doesn’t entirely fix simulation lag but it should help and it is a step in a good direction.
Fixed an issue in which placing Mirrors directly opposite Doors would create a visual glitch in which walls and borders would disappear around them and well it was quite spooky to be honest, glad we solved that one!
Ever wish your food didn’t expire? I know I do, especially when it comes to traveling and coming back to see a fridge in pristine condition, that is a dream… but alas, it is not meant to be in life or in Sims. Fixed an issue in which traveling didn’t let food expire.
Sims stuck sleeping and couldn’t cancel that interaction? Not a product of a sci-fi film as I thought, but I can say that we have fixed this issue, well I hope.
You want to know how to not make my day, have my coffee brew endlessly but without giving me the coffee! Luckily the issue in-game about the Brew Coffee interaction being stuck has been fixed. Wasn’t it odd? Wait… Sleep and Brew Coffee were stuck in a mysterious loop? SUS.
If your Child Sims suddenly interrupted their computer sessions to draw on the activity table when Inspired, worry not, this should not happen after this update.
Fixed an issue that caused the “Items Removed” pop-up to appear when no items were removed from the game.
Fixed an issue in which setting Lots on Slipshod Mesquite would sometimes generate a crash of the game for some Simmers. The Lot couldn’t handle that much flavor.
Some blush and lipstick opacity sliders are back as they were greyed out.
Step-Parent/Child relationships are no longer missing in the Genealogy Panel. Similarly, other cases of broken families in the Genealogy Panel have been fixed as well. It is all about reconnecting or connecting with what is important.
Platforms will no longer raise in height automatically when creating new walls to intersect part of them.
We also fixed an issue in which if you placed platforms in basement levels and a staircase from the floor to the platforms, it would create this gap or hole in front of the stairs and Sims were not able to route correctly. You know, I have played many platformers in my lifetime, but do you imagine Sims trying to jump those gaps? I mean, I am called JumpFail for a reason… glad we fixed this one!
World view Lots that had some off-centered border have been adjusted.
Toddlers will no longer gain negative Sentiments against their parents randomly, especially the Festering Grudge Sentiment. I should not be laughing at this issue as I type it, I should not…<giggles>
We got word that the camera was malfunctioning and bouncing uncontrollably in some Lots across multiple Worlds. We fixed an issue that caused this, but let us know if there are new instances.
Sometimes Ghosts can be part of our Households if we choose to, however, it is really hard to live with Ghosts that constantly break things, it makes it a bit… unlivable. So our expert team of Simghostologists has communicated with these Ghosts in the non-physical realm and they have agreed to not break everything all the time.
Fixed an issue related to flooring glitches while placing the dance floor or crystal clear flooring.
Went through all the trouble in hiring a Nanny only to have your Toddler get sent to Daycare? More than a schedule conflict I imagine having the Nanny show up and there is no Toddler so what does the Nanny do in this case? Do they leave? Do they stay and wait? I must know… However, This should no longer be an issue.
Fixed an issue where using ‘{}’ (curly brackets)  in renaming objects would make these invisible in lists or UI in general.
Fixed an issue in the Likes and Dislikes section in Create a Sim that had some categories displayed incorrectly (either cut off, or words broken apart in new lines incorrectly) for some languages.
There was a clipping issue with the eye preset ymAsian13_Eyes that occurred when Sims were in extreme emotion, like Angry, and blinked. We adjusted this preset so this should not occur.
Toddlers can be picky eaters, but Toddlers not eating any fish recipe? That is suspicious, so we had a chat with the little angels and we have found a way to help them enjoy the complex flavors of our fish recipes.
Our UI team has fixed an issue in which a scrollbar appeared in the Sentiment section in the Relationship Panel when there were no sentiments. The mysterious scrollbar was mysterious. Similarly, they have also fixed an issue in which if multiple Sims gained sentiments together their thought bubbles look quite not right with the incorrect colors, so now they should look proper.
The Likes and Dislikes icon in Create a Sim will no longer overlap its text. It looked weird, honestly.
Droids (if you own Journey to Batuu) and Drones (if you own Get Famous) clipping into all kinds of objects in Build Mode? We saw that too, so there should be a fix for that in this game update. I mean this went beyond just crashing into things…
The option “Join After School Activity” will no longer be available if Simmers don’t have Seasons or Get Famous packs installed.
Sims in deviant paths now can properly reach the Level 4 of the Criminal Career.
Now, this is one that made my day, Cowplants are now able to dance again when Sims play music in front of them. Dance Cowplant, Dance!
Fixed an issue in which relationship points gained by friendly introductions were more than usual if Simmers didn’t have Snowy Escape installed.
We adjusted the color swatches for the S. Cargeaux Counter Island so that when it gets dirty, the counter doesn’t completely change colors. Dirty Counter – who dis?
Fixed an issue where the Scared Emotion UI was displaying a broken pose for Toddlers. The pose was kinda more scary than what the Toddler had been scared of, so glad that is done.
Outfits worn while Purchased and Worn in Festivals/Kiosks/Stalls should no longer remove accessories that were in place for the Sim.
Error code 134:571e5862 that occurred to some Simmers should be fixed now.
We fixed a few hairstyles (yfHair_EP05WavyBob, yfHair_EP01PartedFlat, yfHair_EP05UnderCutDreads, yfHair_EP01ShortSwept, and yfHair_DreamyCrew) that when used with the recently added color options would create splotches in the eyes, change the color of teeth, and/or change the eyelashes color.
As always the Localization team and this author have fixed and improved text across all packs and updates.
Get to Work
Aliens can now enjoy their custom Blush options in Create a Sim. Lewks out of this world!
Retail employees will now appropriately change into their assigned outfits. Listen, I grew up wearing uniforms for school, I get it, sometimes they are not the prettiest… but you have to wear them if you have to go to that establishment. I know the pain too well… but my sense of style grew from that… I think.
We made a fix to some of the swatches from the Barely Better Digital Camera that were missing a description for the item, so now all the swatches will display the text in all its glory.
Get Together
Some of these Sims are not like the others, some of these Sims just don’t belong. Can you tell which are not like the others by the time I finish writing these notes?
Fixed an issue in which some of the rooftops in Winderburg were not displaying Snow (if you own Seasons) correctly.
Fixed an issue where Sims didn’t sometimes change into their Club outfits when a Club Gathering was being held.
City Living
The Scattered Panes window in Build Mode now displays appropriate shadows in all options.
Sims enrolled in the Social Media career will now gain influence at the end of their stream instead of every few Sim-minutes.
Two hairstyles (ymHair_EP03BunHighPins and ymHair_EP03BraidedFlateBun) have been updated to reflect the correct look when choosing the Neutral Black color option.
Your Sims want to shoot some Basketball Close Shots, but they are trying to eat first? Well, now your Sims can finish eating before trying those hoops. Nutrition is important!
Cats and Dogs
We fixed an issue in which whiskers were not being seen applied to Cats. A Cat without whiskers is like Peanut butter without Jelly… or something like that! Just wrong!
Robot Vacuums should all now return to their docks accordingly. I hope this issue was not a sign that they were becoming sentient.
Sims will no longer get a Moodlet referring to the death of their Pet when witnessing the death of another Sim. The loss of a Sim is heartbreaking, but also getting a Moodlet for the death of their Pet when the Pet has not died, that is cold Grimmy, very cold.
Speaking of Robot Vacuums becoming sentient a few lines above, we fixed an issue that made the game crash when Cats would sit on the Robot Vacuum. CatonRobot.exe is now working.
We fixed an issue in which some Simmers experienced a crash with their last played Household loading into Brindleton Bay.
Seasons
Sims were changing into their cold-weather gear… while not in cold weather? We had some conversations with Sims and even though they love their winter outfits, dressing up in full winter gear in the summer was probably not the wisest choice. So the issue in which Sims randomly would change into their winter outfits while not in winter is solved.
Egg Hunts are adorable and fun! But not being able to have the furniture reset after looking for Eggs in them, can be quite the rain on Sims’ parade. But this should no longer occur.
Island Living
Mermaids will no longer keep the “Dried Scales” Moodlet when they are hydrated. Mermaids’ skincare regimen pays off! Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize!
Fixed an issue in which Lots that are placed in the sand looked quite odd displaying all edges of the Lot when it rained.
Sims that have the Collector Aspiration Trait are now able to catch Frogs in Sulani as part of their adventures exploring the island waterfall. Good Luck!
We fixed an issue in which some Simmers experienced game crashes when loading into certain lots in Mua Pe’lam. Happy Exploring!
Discover University
Sims having a hard time in Uni? No matter what they do they keep failing classes? Worry not, Sims will no longer fail classes when meeting all the criteria for course completion. Work hard, pass your classes hard!
Having Roommates can be hard. Have your Sims had Roommates complain constantly and leave even when their needs are met? Yeah, we made it so that Roommates don’t do this any longer.
Fixed an issue in which beds were counted incorrectly when placing an ad for Roommates. I mean, as much as Pets and even Toddlers can live with Roommates, the ad should be truthful to how many beds there are actually in the Lot, not count Toddlers and Pets as needing adult-sized beds.
We fixed Servo animations so that they don’t look like they are walking on one leg when hovering to their destination. Now they will hover properly.
We fixed an issue in which in some instances Professors could not go to work when a Professor NPC is added into that same Household.
Fixed an issue in which removing and adding back Household members as Roommates would create some… inappropriate moments, ahem.
Eco Lifestyle
Evergreen Harbor’s peace has been restored: roads and parts of neighborhoods no longer disappear or turn blue when businesses open in Port Promise while the Modern Development N.A.P is active.
yfBody_EP09DressShirt no longer has a weird texture in some of the footwear from various packs, especially platform shoes and chunky sneakers.
Had you moved to Cypress Terrace in Willow Creek and found you couldn’t really do anything there? We fixed the routing failures and interaction failures on the Mitey-Mitey Home – Insect Farm.
Snowy Escape
Mountain Climbing can be challenging, even for those experienced. But having indecisive moments before a climbing route like getting off and on your bike constantly seems that a lot of doubt is passing your mind… However, we did speak to these Sims that were experiencing this behavior and calmed their fears and doubts, so this should no longer be an issue.
The hairstyle yfHair_EP10BobBluntOmbre now covers all of the Sim’s ears.
For Simmers who own Seasons together with Snowy Escape, rain options no longer affect snow.
Sims no longer have the option to give a respectful or military introduction during activities such as Dancing or Bike Riding. I mean, I’m not sure about you, but I can’t dance and respectfully introduce myself at the same time. So many falls… so many falls.
We made some corrections to the Slippers that came with this pack and they should no longer display a greenish texture on Sims’ toes when selected in Create a Sim. Yikes.
Fixed an issue in which for some Simmers playing with the Yoshida Hall Household would generate a game crash when loading into Mt. Komorebi.
We took a look at our Ramen menu and have updated our cooking menu to label Miso and Egg Ramen as Vegetarian safe options. Buen Provecho!
Want to run a Restaurant in Yukimatsu but also want to enjoy the slopes? Now your Sims can enjoy the slopes and dine in style. However, this action is only directed, and will not be autonomous. In the same vein, Restaurant employees will not be tempted to leave work to enjoy the slopes.
Journey to Batuu
Batuu is an awesome destination for those who want to enjoy something fun and different, but if you bought a Droid from the Droid Depot and never saw it in your inventory, I know how frustrating it can be. Never fear, the Droids you were looking for will appear now in Inventories when purchased.
In Journey to Batuu, the First Order ID no longer disappears from inventory so Sims now can Access First Order Plans for the Top Notch Trickery Mission.
Fixed an issue with the Leveling the Playing Field Mission in which the Scoundrel Informant would not appear on the scene after Sims stole the Prototype Blaster and went to Oga’s Cantina to wait for the informant.
Dine Out
Eggs and Toast sound super basic and easy right? They will continue to be that way for our unassuming Chefs on the Chef Station since we fixed an issue that made them… challenging. Sims can also use the second burner for other recipes without fail or routing out.
StrangerVille
The Decorations and Kid’s categories in Build Mode should no longer have a “New” highlight when there’s nothing actually new.
Dream Home Decorator
Lighting can change the ambiance of a room, and your mood in a flash. Luckily we have fixed an issue that lighting was not even on sectional sofas to continue to set the right mood for our Sims.
Our stylists fixed the Sleep ‘N’ Study Styled Room to remove the P.R.I.M.A Computer from it as this is not an item that is accessible for everyone, pardon our dust.
Laundry Day
Fixed an issue where an animation clipped when Sims were loading their laundry machines. Because having your clothes go through you is awkward, are Sims made of fabric? I don’t think so.
Bust the Dust
Don’t need Simoleons, don’t need Fame. Don’t need dinner to have this date. It’s strong and it’s sudden and it’s cruel sometimes but it might just end your night… the power of Dust, that’s the power of Dust.
Our cleaning agents have determined that Sims won’t get romantic negative Moodlets related to filthy levels of dust in public places like parks.
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alwaysbeliev · 3 years
Text
I Can’t Lose You
Happy Valentine’s Day! This is for the @rdr-secret-cupid adventure this year. Thank you for the prompt, @bloodylove3 and I hope you enjoy!
summary: When Dutch asks you and Arthur to pretend you're married for a job, you're nervous that you won't be able to hide your feelings for the outlaw. You manage to keep it in line, but things go wrong fast.
relationship: Arthur Morgan x F!Reader
word count: 3497
link on AO3
“Alright, here’s where we’ll start.”
It was mid-afternoon. The heat from the sun above was overwhelming, burning whatever it touched. Not even the shade was a relief with its cover. Animals all around were burrowed underground, hiding inside of trees, splashing around in the cool river nearby, and doing their best to stay out of direct light. You idly watched a small mouse scurry through the grass, digging at the dirt every now and then before disappearing into a hole. Quietly, you wished you were that mouse. 
For the hundredth time, Dutch was reviewing his next grand plan. There was a tipoff about a decent score, something that would help the gang move to a new camp, and it would be almost easy to pull off. Almost. But he was careful to plan, detailed to a fault, and now you had to sit through another lecture about making sure you were in the right place at the right time. He stood just inside the flap of his tent as he talked. The others were in a loose circle around him and Hosea.
You felt a drop of sweat slide down the back of your neck. What you wouldn’t give to go jump in the rushing water just a hundred feet away, even fully clothed. Imagining the relief alone made you sweat more. You could feel your skin throb, your cheeks turning red, your shirt sticking to your lower back…
“Hey!”
The sharp sound of Dutch’s voice cut through your daydream, snapping you back to reality. Others were snickering as you jerked your head over and tried to pretend you had been listening.
“As I was saying,” the man continued, “there has been a small change of plan.” 
Whoa, Dutch was changing his plan? But the score was just a week away now.
He carried on, “Arthur will be playing the part of your protective, but quiet, husband. You will need to cause a big enough distraction that we can enter without tipping anyone off. Can you handle that?”
“I thought Hosea was providing the distraction?” Your mind was turning, scrambling to remember if that was the original plan or if you were suffering from heat stroke.
“As I had said before, Hosea will be needed outside. It would seem awfully suspicious to outsiders if 5 men all seemed to suddenly rush inside together, don’t you think?”
You supposed he had a point. Outwardly, you agreed with him, but inwardly, your heart was pounding. Arthur? Husband? You barely made it through the rest of the session, managing to excuse yourself as soon as Dutch was done talking. Never before had you felt the palpitations on your chest that you did now at the thought of being with Arthur Morgan. Not just being with him, but pretending to be married. 
To say that you had a crush on Arthur was putting it lightly. From the moment you had met the outlaw, the sight of him caused your heart to race faster than his beautiful horse. You could barely speak around him, let alone carry on any conversation, and you were certain everyone in camp knew about it. Karen, Mary-Beth, and Tilly had approached you just last week to tease you about the way you fumbled over your words when Arthur asked a question. Now you had to pretend to be married?
The group dispersed as Dutch finished his grand lecture, chattering excitedly about the huge score. You felt light-headed and were rooted to the spot. Dutch was right, it should be easy, you had played the actor’s role many times before, but this… This wouldn’t be acting. And surely someone was going to notice that.
~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~
A week passed quicker than any week you’d been through before. You and Arthur had prepared a scene, practicing to get it right, and you were feeling slightly more confident. The cowboy still gave you flutters in your heart, but rehearsed lines were much easier than improvised ones, and you were positive he hadn’t seen the longing in your eyes. It was easy.
But what wasn’t easy was how inseparable the two of you were becoming. Every morning, Arthur approached you near the campfire, offering a small treat, typically a piece of chocolate or a small fruit. The first time, your cheeks had flushed hotter than the summer sun. It hadn’t improved much. You would review your plan for the score, pause for a lunch time meal, and continue in the afternoon. Arthur often seemed to have other ideas, wanting a change of scenery, and you would find yourselves a few miles from camp on some rocky outlook or on a river’s shore, just shooting the breeze while the sun seared high above. Arthur even managed to convince you to leave your horse once, riding behind him with arms wrapped around his chest, content just to be near him. 
Finally, the day arrived. The gang all arose early, gathering their tools uneasily. Nerves always ran high the day of, regardless of how much planning had gone into the score, and your stomach churned. Karen had lent a hat, Mary-Beth a beautiful dress in your most favorite color, and you felt so fluffy and over the top. When Arthur saw you, his face seemed to go slack, a rare smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
“My, my, Mrs. Morgan,” he drawled, taking a few lazy steps to close the gap to you. “Aren’t you lookin’ mighty fine this mornin’.”
Pouting and embarrassed, you waved him off, brushing a tight curl over your shoulder in a weak attempt to mask the color rising to your cheeks.
“Shut up.”
“Hey, now, I’m only tryin’ to lighten the mood.” He laughed before looking somewhat sheepish himself. “Besides, you really do.”
You paused, taking in his sincere compliment.
“Thank you.”
He didn’t have time to respond as Dutch stepped out of his tent, looking the picture of graceful leadership, commanding everyone’s attention. As you turned your body towards him, you saw Arthur’s gaze lingering on your figure, the dress complementing you perfectly. You focused on tugging on your white lace gloves, trying to turn your ears where it mattered.
~_~_~_~_~_~_~
“Alright, Mr. Callahan, now, here we are!”
Your voice pitched up, you pointed out the grandest building in town: the bank. Arthur guided his horse to the hitching post before hopping down, turning to help you down, your big skirt catching slightly and flouncing as your feet landed. Grinning at him, you tugged at his arm excitedly.
“Come on, darling, we gotta go get us a loan! That house ain’t gonna buy itself, you know!”
It was clear you were amusing the man at your side. Your anxiety was causing a jump in your performance, pushing you a slightly uncomfortable bit above believable, but you were pretty and young and the men were watching you. That was all that mattered.
With a grand gesture, you shoved the door to the bank open, stepping into the marbled interior with your boots clicking. The teller glanced up from whatever paperwork he was looking at. For a brief second, he studied the two of you, his eyes lingering on you in particular, before a fixed smile appeared on his face. 
“How can I help you?” he drawled. As practiced, Arthur opened his mouth to speak but you butted in before he could.
“Why, hello, Mr…?” You swept forward, extending a hand for him to shake. He glanced at Arthur in disbelief before gingerly shaking your hand.
“Mr. Monaghan.”
“Oh, Mr. Monaghan, how lovely!” You grinned widely, shaking vigorously. “Yes, me and my new husband here are looking to buy a house! Isn’t that just grand? We just got married, you know, just last week! Oh, we had the most beautiful honeymoon, didn’t we, darling? Traveled to see the ocean, oh it was gorgeous! Simply gorgeous! Have you ever been, Mr. Monaghan?”
He opened his mouth to speak, but he couldn’t. Not the way you planned it.
“The birds were so lovely, there were so many of them! Oh, and the food! Simply divine! Have you had seafood before? Crab, lobster, shrimp, oh it was perfect!”
As you rambled, the doors swung in again, allowing entrance to John and Javier. You didn’t spare a look for them, your energy pointed at the teller, and as planned, he didn’t seem to notice them. Your shrill voice and wild theatrics had his whole attention. You carried on as the men got into position.
“They paired the shrimp with-- What was it, my love? This wine, it was a red, wasn’t it? Or was it a white? Mr. Callahan is just hopeless about these things, you know, I’m glad I’m here to help him. Oh we had the most wonderful time together! I thought it might rain one day, there were these horrible gray clouds, but he told me not to worry, even though I wanted to, and sure enough, the sun was out by dinner time!”
The doors creaked again, allowing the last two men in, Dutch and Bill. All 5 men exchanged a look and, in one swift motion, they pulled their bandanas over their faces and drew their weapons. It was satisfying to hear the clicks of a few hammers. Your grin turned wicked and the teller suddenly realized what had happened. 
“We’ll take that loan to go, if you don’t mind.” You couldn’t help yourself. Arthur quickly stepped forward, shielding you with his body so your face was hidden, and you hurriedly moved towards the back of the men, allowing them to do what they needed. It was relatively painless and quiet, the teller moving hastily and without hesitation, filling bags with money and even allowing them access to the room with the safes. You served as lookout, casually standing at the window to keep an eye peeled for the law. Only when you heard Dutch’s signature goodbye did you turn away from it. Arthur made eye contact with you and playfully raised his eyebrows as he strode towards the door and you, ready to make for the horizon.
Without warning, the doors flew open, banging against the wall from the force behind it. Several lawmen were standing, guns drawn, ready to take out the outlaws. Instantly, shots were being fired. You didn’t know who fired first, but you dove out of the way, gripping your hat tightly so it wouldn’t be left behind. For some reason, your only coherent thought was Karen would have my hide.
Men were shouting, the smell of gunpowder filled the air. Flat on the floor, you couldn’t see anything, only heard Dutch shouting orders, police filling the streets outside, the solid sound of bullets connecting with flesh. There was nowhere to take cover. Somebody stepped on your leg and you gasped from the pain. A hand gripped your ankle and dragged you towards a wall. Panicked, you tried to scramble away until you registered Arthur’s voice trying to reassure you. 
“You boys play nice!” a deep voice bellowed from the porch. “We don’t want no hangings, now, y’here?”
“We will play nice when you play nice, Sheriff!” Dutch barked back. 
“This is a fucking massacre!” John spoke to the room at large. The men that had entered before were all on the floor, blood pooling around them, their guns laying forgotten on the wood. More were shouted outside. They were organizing to block all exits from town. There was no way you were gonna make it out now, you started to fear, and you could see the shared looks of the men with you echoing the same sentiment.
A surprised cry arose from outside as another gunshot cracked through the air. 
“There’s Mac!”
With renewed energy, everyone jumped up and sprang for the door. Feeling marginally brave, you snatched a gun from the floor, hoping you wouldn’t have to use it. Bill led the way out. Javier, John, and Dutch quickly followed, and Arthur made up the rear with you in tow, sticking to him like glue. 
The sun outside was blinding. You barely caught a glimpse of the street before you were rushed down the steps and around the side of the building. Back pressed against the wall, the pounding in your head started blocking out your hearing, and you only felt the vibrations in the air and under your feet. Even with all of Dutch’s careful planning, you were still trapped in this mess…
Arthur shouted your name. He stood, almost pressed to you, eyes burning. You snapped to attention, gun at the ready.
“We gotta make a break for it! Be ready on my count!”
It was all you could do to nod. You saw his horse in your peripheral, antsy and pawing, but waiting. You tried desperately to calm your breathing and gathered your skirts up out of your way. At the mark, you all ran, each in slightly different directions to mount their horses, spurring before fully mounted. Arthur was first and you scrambled after him, latching onto his arm and using the momentum of his horse to swing your leg over, skirts be damned. With a sharp cry, he urged his horse forward and away from town.
For a brief moment, you were free. Pounding hooves sounded behind you but were fading fast. The shouts of men continued to rip through the air, but you realized that they, too, were slowly growing faint.  And then a stabbing pain exploded in your thigh. A scream escaped before you could stop yourself. Trained well, Arthur didn’t stop his horse, but he tried to see what had happened, calling back to you with increasing desperation. You had been shot. The panic, the shortness of breath, and now the pain was too much. In a surprisingly short matter of seconds, black filled your vision and you were gone.
~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~
The rustle of the trees. The soft sound of running water. Crackling of a campfire. Low voices outside your tent. Your hair brushing your face. Dull and throbbing pain in your leg. Heaviness in your chest. And, finally, the realization you were laying on a cot and not your usual bedroll. 
Slowly, your eyes blinked open. This definitely wasn’t your tent. These weren’t your blankets. Only the soft glow from the fire and a few lanterns shone on the one canvas wall. It was enough light to see that this was Arthur’s tent, the small table with his journal and flower, his photographs on the wagon side. His smell on the blankets. You breathed in deeply.
A snort by your feet caused you to startle. Sitting up slowly, you saw Arthur slumped in a chair, his hat drawn over his face, arms crossed as he breathed evenly, the occasional snore breaking the silence. An strong and sharp pain made you hiss and, in turn, woke the outlaw from his slumber. 
“You’re awake,” he mumbled, barely awake himself as he sat up. 
“Regrettably…”
“How’re you feelin’?”
“Honestly? Not great,” you said, chuckling a little. “But I’ve had worse. Why am I here?”
“Thought you might like a real bed. Well, realer than your bedroll. We can put you out for the wolves, if ya like.” His teasing tone was back, but it was more strained than normal. He looked absolutely exhausted. 
“No, this is fine. It’s… nice.”
Silence fell again. You stared at a thread on the sheet while Arthur stared at you. Usually there was a party the night after a big score, everyone drinking and being merry. There was a strange lack of boisterous laughter, though, and you had the weird feeling it was your doing. 
“How did we make out?”
“Oh, we escaped,” he said, leaning back in the chair again. “But we’re trapped here awhile, there’ll be law crawlin’ everywhere for a few weeks.”
“How much?”
Not even your fixation on the money got him to crack a smile.
“Dunno.” Shrug of his shoulders. “I’ve been in here, makin’ sure you don’t die.”
Arthur’s behavior was bizarre. You hadn’t seen him behave this way when another gang member was injured, not even when John had nearly been lost last year, and it was starting to worry you. Was there something else you didn’t know about? Was your injury more serious than he was letting on? For a moment, you studied his face, the ache and shadows clear in the weak light, and your heart skipped a beat when you saw the barest sign of a light track down his cheek.
“Arthur…” 
It was such a soft whisper, you weren’t sure he had heard you at first. He lifted his eyes to meet yours. You tried desperately to read him for a second before finally caving.
“Arthur, what happened? Did someone not make it?”
At long last, he managed a short huff of air that might be mistaken for laughter. Shaking his head, he leaned forward, elbows on his knees as he ran his hands across his face, removing his hat and setting it on his wardrobe. When he looked at you again, he actually had a small smile, and relief had replaced what you had mistaken for grief.
“No, no, nothin’ like that.”
“So what’s the matter?”
He tilted his chin up, exhaling long and low towards the sky, seemingly contemplating something. It was quiet for an achingly long time. Another deep sigh and he brought his chin back down, meeting your gaze steadily.
“I thought I was gonna lose you,” he murmured. “I heard the shot, your scream… I thought you were gone for sure.”
Okay… you thought, still bewildered. We’ve almost lost people before. What makes me special?
“And I didn’t get the chance to tell you…” You had seen him struggle with words in the past, but this was different. It was almost as if his voice was physically fighting him on saying anything. “I couldn’t stand to lose you, truth be told. You mean-- That is, you’re very important-- That’s, well…”
Tears pricked the corner of your eyes as you realized what he was trying to say. You didn’t dare utter a word, hoping, begging him to just spit it out. You weren’t positive this was happening, as now you were almost certain you had actually died and this was the beginning of your personal heaven.
“I can’t lose you, darlin’.”
The tears spilled over and dripped down your cheeks. You couldn’t even feel the pain in your thigh as it felt like a major weight had been lifted off of you. Arthur was startled, concern growing once more on his face at your tears, but when you started to grin and laughter bubbled up, he relaxed and looked as embarrassed as a school boy, dropping his eyes and smiling himself.
“I can’t tell you how happy that makes me to hear,” you finally said, shaking your head at the silliness of it all. “I can’t lose you, either, Arthur. You mean the world to me.”
Slowly, the cowboy rose from his seat and approached the edge of the cot. You gingerly shifted yourself over to allow him to sit beside you, and he took the opportunity. You soaked in the other’s presence for just a moment. With the softest gaze you had seen from him, Arthur returned his attention to you. He lifted a hand to cup your face, his rough thumb stroking your cheek as he drank in your features, looking truly content for the first time. Gracefully and ever the gentleman, he tilted your face up to meet his as he carefully kissed you. It was light at first. He was testing the waters, not pushing too fast. But when you met him eagerly, he leaned in, hard. 
You didn’t dare breathe for the duration of the kiss, your heart a frightening combination of pounding and not beating at all. The taste of whiskey lingered fresh on his lips and left your mouth tingling. When Arthur pulled away, you shifted forward slightly, not wanting it to end. But, courteous as always, he pressed a lingering kiss on your forehead and then sat back again. Your eyes flickered all over his face. You were still unsure if you could catch your breath.
“Wanted to do that for a long time,” he muttered. All you could do was nod. Wow…
“Can you stay with me?” you blurted out. “Tonight?”
“O’ course,” he agreed. He tugged his boots off as you scooted as far over as you could, lifting the sheet for him to crawl into. Warmth radiated from his skin and it was like stepping into a comfortable bath as he wrapped his arms around you. You sighed into his chest, drinking in his smell with your face buried in him, hands gripping his shirt. The dull sting in your leg was in the background of your mind. It didn’t matter to you, though; you were safe here. And this wasn’t going to end any time soon.
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bluejay-jazz · 3 years
Text
ZEKE YEAGER X READER MDNI
Warnings: Nsfw, detailed, reader is female bodied, princess and kitten used, Sir is in here like 2 times. 18+ MINORS DO NOT INTERACT. AGELESS BLOGS DO NOT INTERACT
Word count:+2k
Tagging: @onyxoverride @zekeslut
Summary:it’s a rainy day, you’re stuck in your hotel on what was supposed to be a fun vacation. Needing something to do, you order room service. Only to be met with a new way to pass the time
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Another rainy day, how could so much rain exist? Being on vacation was supposed to be fun, but now you’re stuck in your hotel room with nothing to do. Of course the pool had to be outdoor as well. Feeling hopelessly bored you decide to order room service. Maybe a nice dinner with a good movie could pick the day up. You call down to the desk putting in an order for the tastiest looking thing on the menu, with a bottle of wine.
While you wait you look through the channels in hope of finding something good to watch. Losing time while scrolling you’re startled by a knock on your door followed by a deep “Room service!”. With a huff you got off of your bed and opened the door. “Thanks that was qui-“ you cut yourself off. The man in front of you was tall and handsome. Grey eyes piercing yours, you can’t help but hold your breath. “Where would you like your tray miss?” He asked keeping his eyes on yours as best as he could, occasionally letting them examine you.
You stepped aside and pointed to the small table by the window. While he walked past you, you couldn’t help but inhale, noticing his strong scent of mint and tobacco. You followed suit, still shocked that someone could look so good. “Is there anything else I could do for you miss?” He asked as he looked straight at your chest. “Well maybe there is…uh…Zeke is it?” You ask looking at his name tag. “Yes ma’am my names Zeke, what may I assist you with?” “Well I’m alone up here and I don’t think I can possibly eat all of this by myself”, you say gesturing to the food.
Zeke begins to catch on noticing you ordered a meal for one. “Hmm well I suppose I can help you with that if that’s all you want.” He takes two steps to you, closing the gap between the two of you. “Or is there something else you want me to eat?” He says his polite voice completely gone, replaced with a deep husky one. You couldn’t help but shrink down, not being able to meet his gaze. You wanted a complete stranger so badly but did you have the nerve to act on it. “Look at me beautiful.” He demanded while lifting your head to meet his eyes. You met his gaze with a flushed face. “Look at you, a blushing mess and all I did was ask a question, where did all of that confidence go?”
You went to speak but his grip on your face forced your lips to pucker. “I’ll go if you’d like but you’ll need to be real specific on what you want with me, got it princess”? The pet name immediately made you clench your legs together. He lets go of your face to give you a chance to speak. “Please, I want you.” You speak out quickly. “Well if you insist. Naked. On the bed, now.” His demeanor changed completely. He steps back, eyes never leaving you while pulling a chair to the bed. He sits and eyes you expectantly. You bow your head, a nervous mess but regardless you’re soaked. With shaky hands you undo your pants sliding them past your panties slowly causing chills to run up your body. You kick them off when they pool at your ankles. You slide your hands up your thighs hoping to warm your exposed skin.
Your hands find the hem of your shirt, pulling it over your head you toss it to the side. Meeting Zeke’s eyes, you can’t help but blush more at the sight of his lustful gaze. There’s a large tent in his pants signaling his enjoyment of your shy show. Now standing in front of him clad in your underwear, you creep towards the bed on shaky legs. “Stop right there kitten, I said naked and I meant it.” Zeke states, eyes staring holes into your skin. You nod reaching for the hem of your panties. “Ah ah. Use your words kitten.” He speaks out, a smirk on his face. “Yes, sir.” You speak. Feeling small in his presence the title slipped out of you with ease.
The tent in his pants twitched as he nodded his head to tell you to continue. You’re now desperate for a little release as this exchange has teased you past your limit. You make haste in taking off your panties, throwing them to an unknown part of the room. Eyes meeting his clothed cock, you can’t help but clench your thighs in anticipation. You take your bra off and send it teasingly his way. He chuckles at you, taking note that you’ve gotten more comfortable. You crawl onto the bed and sit on your knees facing him, waiting for more orders. He doesn’t say anything at first, taking time to examine you fully.
He reaches into his pocket pulling out a cigarette and a lighter. “Play with yourself kitten. Show me how much you want to please me.” He finishes by lighting his cigarette and taking a drag. You don’t hesitate to spread your legs for him, set on pleasing him in hopes he’ll fuck you. You take two fingers to your wet hole, dipping them in to show him just how wet you were for him. You cried out softly at the feeling of your fingers inside of you. Eyes closing as you brought your wet fingers to rub slow circles on your clit. Zeke unbuttons his pants reaching in to take his hard cock out, eyes glued to your weeping cunt. He pumps himself a few times, while watching your fingers go back inside of you.
You’re in ecstasy, getting off on being watched by someone in charge. You pump your fingers as fast as you can take. Your head lulls back farther as you feel yourself getting close. “Stop.” Zeke states, the sound of him getting up startles you as you pull your hand away with a reluctant whine. You raise your head and see him step forward, cigarette long gone as he pumps his cock in his hand. He’s big, bigger than you were expecting. A soft pink tip that meets a thick vein on the underside of his dick.
You can’t help but stare in awe as you feel yourself clench around nothing. “Awe someone’s excited. You want me to fuck you kitten?” He asks with a smirk. Fuck you needed him bad, but was it worth letting him take control? “Maybe you want me more than I want you…sir.” You say in a bratty tone, feeling confident in yourself. “Tch, I don’t like brats, kitten.” He says leaning down to meet your face with his. “Do you want me to fuck the brat out of that mouth? You’d like that wouldn’t you, being my cute little fuck thing.” You whimper at his words, regretting acting out almost instantly. However the thought of him using you as his toy made you want it more. “What are you gonna do, punish me? I do believe it was me who started this little exchange. Why should you lead it?” You say rising on your legs to appear taller than him. “Oh hell no kitten.” Zeke grabs your waist pulling you down to kiss you. You can’t help but melt into his kiss. His lips taste like menthol and tobacco. He licks your lips asking for entrance, which you force yourself to ignore.
He lands a quick smack to your ass making you gasp. He took advantage of it slipping his tongue in while rubbing soothing circles over the spot he spanked. He pulled away from the kiss, a string of saliva connecting you both. You look at him with confused cloudy eyes, wanting more but waiting for orders. “You’ll see why I’m leading kitten. Now lay down for me okay.” He spoke evenly but had a slight pant from the heated kiss. He placed a quick peck on your lips which caught you off guard but nonetheless you lay down on your back.
He stands at the foot of the bed, taking his clothes off while watching your face. You try to keep your gaze on his, but the need to admire his toned body took over you. His chest is golden leading to toned abs. His muscles moving each time he shifted his body. Your eyes trailed lower following the blonde trail of hair to his v-line. His dick hard against his abdomen precum forming on the tip. You gulped looking back into his eyes. “Please…” the only word that could escape your lips, need completely taking over your mind. “Alright baby, I’ll give you what you want, but you need to be good from now on.” You nod eagerly, “I promise I’ll be good, please fuck me, please!” You begged, needing to be touched. With that he climbs on top of you picking your legs up and placing them on his shoulders.
“You’re sure you want this right?” He asked tone less demanding than before. Instead of replying, you reach down and line him up with your entrance. He takes your answer and pushes himself in. His cock stretching you so good. It burns a little but the prep you gave yourself helps relieve the pain. He bottoms out, making both of you groan in pleasure. “Fuck kitten you feel so good!” He groans as he starts thrusting his hips slowly, adjusting you to his size. Your hands find their ways to his shoulders, looking for something to cling to. “Fuck Zeke you’re too big!” You cry out, feeling stuffed. Zeke chuckles, taking your helpless moans as a sign to move faster. He snaps his hips hard, testing the waters. When you whimper out a hushed cry of his name he continues the pace. Thrusting into you harshly, he moves your legs into your chest. Pinning you down he pressed into your hips so deliciously.
This new angle has him hitting the deepest parts of your cunt. The room is nothing but skin slapping and your moans. The occasional groans slipping from Zeke's lips as his hips crash with yours. You feel yourself starting to come undone. “Zek- ah- I’m gonna-“ You were cut off as you came hard. Your body started to shake as your walls clenched hard around his cock. That pushed Zeke over the edge as he came deep inside of you, coating your walls with his hot cum.
He stills inside of you, resting inside of you for a moment before slowly pulling out. He disappears into your bathroom without a word, coming back with a wet cloth. He lifts your shaking legs slightly, wiping away his cum that was slowly spilling out of you. “Thank you” you whisper, voice hoarse from your loud cries earlier. “Don’t mention it, kitten.” Zeke says, tossing the now dirty cloth to the hamper nearby. He steps away, looking for his discarded clothes. “As much as I would love to stay with you, I’m still on the clock.” He states with an almost disappointed tone. “It’s okay Zeke.” You say matching his tone without realizing. Now buttoning his shirt up, he looks at you.
“I get off at 9:00 o'clock tonight, I can swing by when I’m done if you’d like.” He states with a smirk. You smile at him, “I’d like that actually.” “Good, I’ll see you then kitten.” He says walking to you, placing a kiss on your head. “In the mean time the weather seems nice, you should go for a swim or something.” He calls over his shoulder as he heads to the door. You look out the window, seeing nothing but clear skies. Maybe rainy days weren’t so bad after all.
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wicked-mind · 3 years
Text
Remember Me: Chapter Six
Summary: Y/N and Bucky were the unlikely match when it came to love, but they were inseparable since they met. After a fight, Y/N left to be a trauma surgeon in the military and returns without her memories. How will Bucky remind Y/N how she is the fire in his bones? Word Count: 4.6k
Warnings: Swearing (I like swearing. Adds character and sounds pretty to me lol), mentions of surgical procedures and idiots, John Walker, drinking.
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Note: Next chapter is gonna be a spiral so strap in.
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*gifs not mine
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Previously
Y/N rolled her eyes a little bit at his comment, giggling softly, “C’mon, Bucky. It’s not like that, don’t get jealous. John’s just a friend and he may be able to fill in some gaps in my memory.” She reminded, knowing that he would know that was important to her.
Bucky sighs and nods reluctantly, “Alright, fine. We can get together for drinks one night.” He said with a smile down to her. He couldn’t say no to her, never could. Except before she left to serve as a trauma surgeon in the military. That was the one time he had tried to tell her no and that backfired pretty horribly, “I got a question for you, darlin.” He stated, “How did you figure out the girl I talked about was you?”
Y/N smiled, lifting her hands to rest on his cheeks as her thumbs brushed across his stubbled cheeks lightly, “Well, you would always look at me when you talked about her like you were talking to her. You call me those cute pentanes quite a lot. And… well, we looked at each other a little too long to be ‘just friends’ like everybody kept telling me.” Y/N watched his facial features turn into a smile towards her, feeling him grip her waist between his large hands and pulling her closer, “I also just felt safe with you. Like the whole world melted away and it was just you and me and it was familiar feeling.” She finished before standing on her toes and planting a kiss to his lips.
Chapter six - Tell me what happened
It was almost midnight as Y/N slept soundly in her own bed. Her pillow was pressed into the soft pillow case as she dreamt about rain. She didn’t remember the last time she saw rain but she knew it wasn’t overseas while she was serving. It was always too hot and there was too much sand. It was like a beach without water. She sat up quickly when she heard a noise awakened her like tapping on glass. She pulled the covers up to her nose as she looked at her window then sighs and rolls her eyes when she saw Bucky tapping at her window with a big grin. Y/N pulled herself out of bed wearing only a large green t-shirt and walks over to window, prying it open as Bucky stepped in, “What’re you doing, Bucky?” She asks with a small smile.
Bucky crawled through the window and shut it behind him before turning to grin down to Y/N, “Figured I’d come through the window, see if it sparked any memories.” He said softly down to her. He used to sneak into her room quite often when they were younger and he always snuck out before he could be caught. Bucky looked her up and down slowly, raising an eyebrow when he saw she was bottomless, “Are you above pants now?” He teased, reaching out and grabbing her waist between his large hands and pulling her closer. He was only wearing a simple grey t-shirt and some black sweatpants, he had already kicked off his boots immediately after crawling through the window no wanting to leave dirty footprints.
Y/N rolls her eyes at him with a smile, snaking her hands up his chest to wrap around his neck as a soft blush appeared on her cheeks, “I didn’t have any clean bottoms. And we are adults now, you know. I’m sure Steve wouldn’t have a problem with you using the door.” She told him with a tilt of her head, “I need sleep, Buck. It’s my first day back at work in the morning.”
Bucky kept his grin on his lips as she spoke, “It’s just so much more fun crawling through your window.” He chuckled down to her, “I know, doll. I won’t keep you up but I can’t sleep without ya.”
Y/N smiled and released herself from his grasp, “Alright.” She said before grabbing his hand and pulling him onto her bed with her. She pulled the covers up over herself and waited for Bucky to take his shirt off before covering him with the blankets also, “I mean it, don’t keep me up all night.” She said to him once he laid down facing her on the pillow beside her own.
“Oh darlin, I’ll be a perfect angel.” Bucky purred out to her, reaching over and wrapping a hand around her to pull her flush against his chest, “I just needed you in my arms.” He murmurs into the top of her head before leaving a small kiss on her forehead.
Y/N smiled gently against Bucky’s shoulder where her face rested. He was warm and as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her head, she felt safe. Everything about him screamed familiarity to Y/N even if she couldn’t exactly remember moments. But something inside her remembered the feeling of Bucky’s arms around her and the way he made her feel-butterflies and all. It wasn’t long until she could hear Bucky softly snoring and she soon followed into sleep safely wrapped in his arms and her blankets.
Steve had heard the small commotion in Y/N’s room and went to check, but as he cracked the door all he saw was Bucky in bed with his sister. He rolls his eyes and shut the door, making his way back to Peggy who was still in bed, “It’s like they’re teenagers still. He’s climbing through her window instead of using the door.” He said with a chuckle and a shake of his head as he crawled into the bed next to Peggy.
Peggy smiled over at him, “I told you it was just James.” She said with a giggle, “It’s nice though. The last time I saw Y/N before she left she was devastated and trying to leave as soon as she could. It’s nice to see her so happy again as well as James.”
Steve nodded in agreement, turning on his side to face his brunette wife, “What if she remembers what he said to her?” He asks gently, worry tinging his voice, “What if she runs again?”
Peggy raised an eyebrow at Steve, “Do you think she would?” She asks simply.
Steve shrugs over towards her, “I don’t know… I only got half the story of what happened. I know what was said between them but there was something else that happened she never told me, the reason it hurt her so badly. I never got an answer about that.” He sighs, “I hope it’ll all work out alright. I’ve never seen her so happy as she is when she’s around Bucky but he is the one who made her run.”
Peggy gently ran her red painted fingers through Steve’s hair comfortingly, “I don’t think James is ever going to hurt her again after what happened last time. He loves her. And if we were in their place, I would forgive you.”
Steve sighs gently again, pulling Peggy close to him and brushing his lips across her’s gently, “Always the optimist. I love you, Pegs.”
Bucky groaned awake when Y/N’s alarm went off at six in the morning. He felt her stir and slip out of his grasp to turn off the alarm on her phone. Once it was silenced he grabbed her arm and pulled her back against him, trapping her in the grasp of his arms wrapped around her body. He kissed the back of her head before nuzzling into her shoulder, “Ten more minutes…” He muttered out sleepily.
Y/N giggled as she was pulled back, moving her hands to try and pry off Bucky’s strong arms from around her, “C’mon, I gotta get up for work.” She said softly over to him. With another groan, she felt his grip loosen and she wiggled her way out of his arms. She stood from the bed, stretching her arms a little as she walked to her closet and pulled out some dark maroon scrubs before disappearing out the bedroom door.
Bucky opened one eye to watch her stretch and leave the room, smiling over at her as he watched. It was a wonderful sight for him to wake up to. He used to see her every morning like this and now it felt like a dream. Except it wasn’t- Y/N was real and here with him again. Once she was gone, he grabbed onto her pillow and pulled it into his chest before falling back asleep.
Y/N came back into her room freshly showered and changed into the dark maroon scrubs. She was running a brush through her hair before pulling it up in a pony tail. She made her way over to Bucky, sitting on the edge of the bed and touching his cheek gently, “Hey, Steve’s gonna take me to work. I’ll see you later, okay?”
Bucky opened his eyes at her touch, looking up at her. God she looked like an angel in scrubs. He smiled up at her, “I’m just gonna stay in your bed, doll.” He said softly to her before sitting up a little and leaning towards her, “When do you get off of work?”
Y/N tilts her head at him, “I work from eight this morning to ten tonight.” She informed him, chuckling when she saw him fall back against the bed with a groan at the hours in a defeated fashion, “Maybe you’ll have to rethink staying in my bed. Don’t you ever work?” She teased before continuing, “You can come visit for lunch though if you’d like around one?”
Bucky looked up to her and nodded, tucking his hands behind his head on the pillow, “I own a mechanic shop, darlin. People work for me.” He grins at her, “I’ll bring you something good instead of that crappy hospital food. What’re you doing tomorrow?”
Y/N thought about it for a moment before looking back to him, “I work five am to three pm.”
Bucky grinned over at her, “After three tomorrow you’re mine for the rest of the day.” He told her, reaching a hand over and pulling her arm until she was leaning in front of him. His blue eyes scanned her face for a moment before he pressed his lips to her’s, sneaking his tongue across her bottom lip slowly before pulling away, “Have a good day at work, pretty girl. I’ll pick you up tonight.”
Y/N’s eyes fluttered open after Bucky separated from her lips. He always left her breathless when his lips touched her’s without even trying to do so, “Okay, you have a good day too and at least try to make it out of bed at some point.” She told him and brushed her hand across his face gently before standing up, snatching her backpack and placing it over her shoulder, and exiting the room with one last glance at him in her bed before disappearing.
The ride to the hospital was pretty quiet on account of Steve barley being awake and groggy but they made small conversation such as Steve commenting and saying Bucky didn’t need to use the window anymore and Y/N replying that she had told him that which earned a shared laugh between the both of them. Y/N told her brother goodbye and that Bucky would pick her up tonight before walking into the hospital. She spend her morning finishing paperwork with the chief of surgery before going to the attending’s lounge to find her locker. She smiled when she saw a white coat waiting for her with her name stitched into it already. Slumping it over her shoulders she gave herself a look in the mirror on the wall and a smile appeared on her lips of pride in herself. Then her day started. Y/N made her way to the emergency room, assigning her residents and interns to their stations and keeping updates on any incoming traumas. It was a pretty slow morning and she had everything pretty much handled. It wasn’t until about eleven she got called to the front desk where she found none other than John Walker waiting for her. She smiled and walked up to him, “You stalking me now, Walker? Making sure I’m not all fruit loops in the head?”
John smiled at her, laughing a little at her joke, “Trying not to. But I heard you got the job and I was headed here anyway. I have a few veterans I bring here for physical therapy. You know I’m big on support.”
Y/N nodded, “I would know that if I remembered anything.” She told him with a small chuckle, putting her hands in the pockets of her scrub pants, “I don’t remember our conversations really, just that I laughed a lot with you and cried a lot to you. That and some fuzzy memory of karaoke?”
John laughed at the karaoke comment, nodding slowly, “Yeah, there was a few karaoke sessions. We got bored at the base sometimes.” He reminded, “You were rushed off the base in such a hurry you left some stuff behind. Notebooks and a few pictures, I’ll have to get them back to you. May help you remember some things.”
Y/N smiled, “That’d be very helpful, Walker.” She told him honestly. Maybe her own writing would bring back more memories. Her pager starts beeping and she pulls it out of her pocket to check it, “I gotta go, incoming trauma. I’m off work tomorrow night, maybe we can go out for some drinks? I think the place is called Joe’s Bar, I’ll invite a few friends and we can make a night of it.”
Walker nodded over to her and offered a smile, “Sounds great, I’ll bring the notebooks and pictures.” He said before walking towards the elevator to return to the physical therapy floor.
Y/N made her way back to the emergency room, putting on gloves and gown as she stood at the entrance waiting for the ambulance. When it pulled up, she immediately jumped into action taking in all the information from the paramedics she could. Turned out it was two idiots testing out bullet proof vests they got off of a website online and they were faulty and both sustained gunshot wounds. She immediately took one to the operating room and worked on him while another surgeon worked on the other. Both of them ended up living and by the time Y/N finished her surgery and got all cleaned up, it was about time for her to meet Bucky for lunch. She found him waiting leaning against the emergency room desk, trying to be friendly to the overly flirtatious nurses.
Bucky stopped mid conversation when he saw Y/N, smiling and walking over to her slightly swinging the plastic bag that held two to go boxes inside, “Hey, doll.” He said, wrapping his free arm around her waist to pull her close so he could press a soft kiss to her forehead, “How’s your day going?”
Y/N smiled up at him, “It’s good so far. Not much really going on, two surgeries. Couple overdoses. The usual.” She told him before looking down to the plastic bag, “Whatcha bring me?”
Bucky held the bag up, tilting his head at her, “Buffalo chicken salads.” He grinned when he saw her smile widen at the smell of buffalo sauce wafting near her, “C’mon hungry eyes, lead me to the cafeteria.” He said, slipping his free hand into her’s.
Y/N smiled and pulled him along the hallways and up a flight of stairs and into the cafeteria. She found a small table against the window to sit at, sitting across from him and pulling out one of the to go boxes and flipping it open, “This looks amazing, thank you.” She said with a large smile on her face toward Bucky who was already spreading his dressing on his own salad.
“No problem, doll.” Bucky told her with a smile before bringing a bite to his mouth.
Y/N bit her lip gently as she poured her ranch over her salad, looking up at Bucky from under her eyelashes, “So, I know you wanted to spend all of tomorrow with me but I ran into John earlier.”
Bucky raised an eyebrow at her, swallowing the bite in his mouth before speaking, “You’re ditching me for blonde boy?” He asks, narrowing his eyes at Y/N slightly. Jealousy once again filled his body. First Walker showed up at her house and now at her work? He was beginning to feel really uneasy about John Walker.
“No, Bucky. I’d never ditch you.” Y/N said, reaching across the table and squeezing his hand encouragingly, “I just invited him to Joe’s Bar tomorrow night. I figure we can go. We can invite Steve, Peggy, Sam, maybe even Natasha. It’ll be fun.” She told him with a smile, “Besides, you can take care of me after I drink again.”
Bucky sighs at her, shaking his head with a smile and making little clicking noises with his tongue, “Darlin, you and your devious mind are trouble.” He said smiling over to her, “Alright, I’ll let Sam and Nat know. I’m sure they’d love to join.” And he could also keep an eye on Walker, figure out a little more of what his intentions were when it came to Y/N.
After Y/N’s shift at the hospital, Bucky picked her up and helped her to bed. She was exhausted and tired of being on her feet. She let Bucky help slip her into some comfortable clothes before falling asleep next to him. The next day of work went by like a breeze. The morning shift was usually never really that bad unless something terrible happened like a fire or a bad car wreck. Bucky picked her up and took her home, stopping for coffee on the way to make sure Y/N would be awake for the plans she had made to go to the bar. After a quick nap and shower, Y/N was all dressed and ready to go. Bucky, Steve, Peggy, and Y/N arrived at the bar in Steve’s car. Peggy never drank too much so she would be the designated driver. Sam and Natasha already had drinks in their hands and were playing darts super competitively. It didn’t take long for Y/N to be dragged away from Bucky’s side for shots by Natasha when she noticed they had arrived. Bucky sat at the bar with Steve, smiling as he watched Y/N and Natasha laugh and take their shots and talk. His smile was interrupted though when John Walker took a seat next to him, placing a large yellow sealed folder on the bar next to him that contained Y/N’s notebooks and pictures. Bucky shot him a glance and took a drink of his beer, nodding towards John as a hello.
John smiled over to Bucky and Steve before raising his hand to the bar tender to get a beer, “How’s it going?”
Bucky muttered out a ‘fine’ in John’s direction while Steve was a little more vocal, “Good, how’re you doing, John?”
John shrugged, “Pretty good. Y/N invited me to drop off some stuff from base that got left behind.” He said, patting the folder, “Thought it may be helpful.”
Steve nodded, looking at the folder before back to John, “That’s nice of you. I’m sure it’ll help.” He said with a small friendly smile. His attention was grasped by Peggy who was waving him over to dance with her, “Excuse me.” He said with a smile before standing and making his way over to Peggy, leaving John and Bucky alone.
Bucky sat in the awkward silence before sighing, looking over at John, “What’re you doin, Walker?”
John cocked his head slightly with a small frown, “What do you mean? I’m drinking a beer.” He said before taking another swig from the bottle in his hand.
Bucky narrowed his eyes slightly, his lips pressed into a stern line, “Showing up at Y/N’s house out of the blue and at the hospital. You trying to worm your way into her heart or something?” He hissed out, “Because she’s perfectly happy curled up next to me.” Bucky had always been a protective man with a little bit of possession, especially when it came to Y/N. She was his and everybody knew it except for John Walker it seemed like.
John rolls his eyes slightly at Bucky, “Look man, I’m just a friend trying to help out a friend that can't remember anything.” He spat back before looking over to Y/N, “Don’t think I haven’t thought about it though. She’s smart, beautiful, funny. But from the moment I met her, her heart was wrapped around your finger.” He paused, looking over to Bucky who was still shooting daggers at him with a glare, “When she arrived, we all thought she was an emotionless robot. She jumped into action and didn’t say much. Kept to herself. It took a long time to get her to talk to be about anything other than how her job as a trauma surgeon was going but then she wouldn’t stop talking about you and I knew I didn’t stand a chance. We are just friends.”
Bucky flinched slightly at his last words, wondering what Y/N had told John about him. Was it the good things like how he made her feel safe and how his whole world revolved around her, or was it how he broke her heart and made her run away from him? Bucky drank the last of the beer in the bottle before speaking, “What she tell you? That I broke her heart?” He asks bitterly, “Thinking I’m just taking advantage of her memory loss to get her back?”
John shook his head, “I don’t think that either. She would’ve came back to you eventually, even talked about it a few times. She just didn’t know what to say or how to face you.” He informed, “She talked about you two like you guys were still together. It wasn’t until I caught her crying behind one of the tents she talked about what happened between you two.” He placed a hand on the yellow folder, “These are her journals Y/N kept overseas and some pictures. Don’t worry, I didn’t read her diary. But I’m sure it’ll help her remember everything between you two. She deserves to know what happened and and how it made her feel to make the choice herself.”
Bucky scowled at John even though a part of him knew it was true. Y/N deserved to know what happened between them, what broke them apart he just didn’t want to tell her. But not when she read those journals, she would know everything. He decided he would need to talk to Y/N before she read those journals, hear it from him instead of reading it. Bucky looked at the bartender and grabbed another beer from him, “Nice talking to you, John.” He said before going over and wrapping an arm around Y/N’s waist who had been talked into another shot by Natasha, “Hey darlin, John brought something for you.”
Y/N smiled up at Bucky after setting the empty shot glass down, “Oh, I better go say hi.” She said with a smile before making her way over to John and taking a seat next to him.
Bucky watched the two closely before being interrupted by Steve patting his shoulder, “I don’t like him.” He muttered over to Steve. Steve nodded, “I know. You’ve never been a fan of Y/N’s guy friends.” He chuckled, “How was the talk between you two, what he say?”
Bucky looked over to Steve, “Brought her some journals from her time serving. Says she deserves to know everything about our relationship, including how we broke up. I need to tell her before she reads those, I think it’ll be better coming from me.”
“I know what was said, but what else happened?” Steve asks curiously.
Bucky’s brow furrowed at Steve, “What do you mean? Nothing else happened, you know what was said and that’s when she left. Why?”
Steve looked over to Y/N for a moment before back to Bucky, “When she finally talked to me about it, she told me everything you said. She was pissed about that for a long time but she said something else had happened that made it worse. So what was it, Buck? Because she’s going to figure it out when she reads those.”
“Nothing else happened.” Bucky said, thinking back to that night, “She came home all excited about her deployment date and I said what I said. She said what she said. Then she was gone. Nothing else happened, we were totally fine before all of that happened.”
“Let’s just hope whatever she knows that you don’t isn’t something that’ll break her.” Steve said, taking another drink of his beer, “I really don’t want her to run again, Buck.”
“Me either.” Bucky said shortly, his eyes fixated on Y/N talking to John and taking the yellow folder from him with a smile before he watched her make his way back over to him. Bucky put on a smile and wraps an arm around her shoulder, “Hey pretty girl.”
Y/N smiled up to Bucky, “Hey.” She said simply and leans up to press a kiss to his cheek, “Having fun?”
Bucky nods, “Better now that you’re over here with me.” He grinned down to her before ordering her a beer.
It didn’t take long for Y/N to be leaning up against Bucky giving him sleepy, tipsy eyes. The ride home was nice and quiet, Peggy driving while Steve held her hand on the center console and Y/N leaning up against Bucky in the back seat as he trailed kisses over her knuckles. Bucky helped Y/N stumble to her bedroom to change for bed while he went to the bathroom and looked in the mirror, debating on how he would bring up the conversation about why they broke up. He had to do it soon because who knows when Y/N would start reading those journals. Bucky was nervous for one of the first times in his life. He made his way back to Y/N’s room to find her curled up under the blankets, reaching out for him when she saw him in the doorway. He chuckles softly and pulled of his shirt as he walked towards the bed followed by his pants, leaving him in his boxers as he slipped under the covers with her and pulled her close, “I thought you’d be asleep by now.”
Y/N giggled, “Couldn’t sleep without my warmth.” She said, pressing her face into the crook of his neck gently and leaving a soft kiss on his skin before pulling away and looking up to him, “I got a question, Bucky. It may be a question caused by alcohol but I’m curious.”
Bucky raised an eyebrow at her, keeping a smile on his lips, “What is it doll?”
Y/N studied his face for a moment, reaching a hand up and brushing her finger tips along his bottom lip softly before her eyes returned up to his blue ones, “You said we broke up because you said things you didn’t mean… What did you say?”
Bucky took a deep breath and pulled away a little from her. Shit. He didn’t want to do this when she was tipsy. He didn’t want to do this at all but there was the question staring him right in the face. He looked back to her and sighed, “They were things I didn’t mean, Y/N. You have to know that.” He waited until she nodded before continuing, “You came home one night excited about your deployment date and I… I told you I didn’t want this for you, for us. I knew it was your dream and I told you if you walked out the door to not bother coming back because I wouldn’t be here waiting for you.” He waited for a reply but it never came, instead Y/N was listening and waiting for him to continue, “I didn’t mean it though, doll.” He whispers out, reaching out to brush his hand over her cheek softly as regret filled his eyes, “I was scared you would come back as damaged as I was… I didn’t want to be left alone without you. And I couldn’t leave, couldn’t move on. I waited for you everyday to come back to me.” He leans close and places a gentle kiss on her forehead, “You’re the love of my life, Y/N. I should’ve never said those things.”
Y/N removed her eyes from his face, listening to the story. Her forehead creased a moment as she thought about all that was said before meeting his gaze once again. A small smile curved on her lips and she leaned towards him, kissing his lips softly before pulling away slightly to look at him, “I forgive you, Bucky."
Bucky felt relief flood through him at her words, smiling down to her. He couldn’t find any words to say to her so instead he returned his arms around her body and pulled her closer, kissing her deeply. Those were words Bucky had waited to hear for so long and for a while he didn’t know if he would ever hear them from Y/N. Everything seemed right in the world for now, and even though he was worried about what was written in those journals John had given her due to what Steve had said, he hoped that whatever else it was would be forgiven also.
Truth was, Y/N always had forgiven Bucky for what was said the moment she left. She knew it was from his own fears. But what had broken her was hidden in the pages of those journals.
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Crown of Thorns
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“What will I be when I grow up, Lady Mother?” Y/N asked, the bed sheets wrapped high under her chin, arms clutching her knees.          
“You will be Queen, my darling,” she cupped her face, and she leaned into her touch, “and a warrior.”
Series Summary: After the need for their alliance during the Battle of Titan, King Stephen asked in return for his services, that King Anthony of the Iron Islands’, first born daughter would be given in marriage, to his sons, Prince Steven and Prince James of the Kingdom of Kamar-Taj. Despite King Anthony’s other offers, King Stephen would only agree to one, or there would be war between their two Kingdoms. Leaving King Anthony with no choice, he sacrificed his first born daughter, in hopes of sparing his people of anymore suffering. Anthony prayed that the men would care for his daughter, and love her as he did, but a sparkly crown can hide a thousand secrets.  
Pairing: Prince!Steve x Princess!Reader x Prince!Bucky
Series Warnings: Strong Language, Violence, Angst, Fluff (There will be some fluffy stuff I promise, I can't resist), Smut: This series will include some aspects of Dub-con/Non-con: Steve and Bucky aren't going to be Prince Charmings. More Warnings will be posted on Chapters.
Masterlist
Part Fourteen: Truth Prevails 
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Chapter Warnings: Bad Language
Word Count: 3.2k
Y/N blew on her hands, as she slowly lost feeling in the tips of her fingers, she worried that they might freeze to the leather of Zeus’ bridle, if she didn’t keep flexing them. The wind had whipped up, into a swirling twist of cold and ice, as the sun had disappeared over the horizon. Night had fallen; and so, had the temperature. Y/N was just grateful that it had not started raining yet, as Zeus began to sag, as he too, grew weary and tired.
She didn’t know where she was going, but the thick black forest was now surrounding her, she had lost sight of the castle within a few minutes of entering the wood. The sound of men calling for her, had died down and became muffled by the thick layer of leaves.
Pushing on, she finally found a dip in the ground, a small cave hidden beneath the surface level. She nudged Zeus in that direction, the horse exhausted, does as he is told. Then once Y/N dismounts, Zeus’ legs fold as he collapses on the floor, letting out a sigh of relief.
“Sorry about that.” Y/N apologised, scratching behind Zeus’ ears, before she settled against his side, using each other for warmth, “I would start a fire, but going by the wetness of this mud, there isn’t going to be any dry wood. Looks like it’s just going to be me and you.”
~~~~~~
“We need men to head north and south, my brother and I will go southeast, Sam move your men northeast, we don’t know what direction she has gone in, our best bet is to guard the ports and harbours, and keep our men moving.” Bucky demanded, as he pointed at random spots on a map of Kamar-Taj. He was surrounded by a hoard of Generals and Colonels, including Samuel and a few other foot soldiers.
Steve was passing back and forth as he pinched the bridge of his temple, his eyes screwed shut as his breaths were ragged and unsettled.
“Sir, we’ve news from the west, they’ve had word from some villagers that a woman has passed them on a black horse. She was dressed in a brown cloak and didn’t appear to be carrying any luggage.” A messenger breathed heavily, as he seemed dishevelled, his cloak was twisted up around his neck, and his boot laces had become untied and wrapped around his ankles.
Bucky froze when the message was finished, his heart hammering in his chest, as he caught eyes with Steve briefly, who’s own face had dropped, his eyes wide.
“Send men to follow that lead-“
“No.” Steve barked, stopping in his pacing.
The room fell silent, as Steve’s voice had echoed around the hectic room.
“Steve-“
“No, this is our mess, we need to go and find her and bring her home.” Steve growled, his voice wavered slightly, as he chewed on his tongue. His chest was puffed out, his face was drained of colour, his lips chapped and slightly split where he had chewed on any loose skin.
Bucky whispered to his men to carry on with his plan, before he walked to Steve’s side, grabbing his arm and pulling him into a corner.
“You need to keep your shit together. If we break now, then it will only add to the rumours that have already started,” Bucky whispered harshly, “We can’t be seen to be weak. Especially not now.”
“I don’t care what people see me as. We fucked up, Bucky, we should have just told her. She could have handle it, we both know that, she’s stronger than we give her credit for, and now she’s about to land right in the middle of our fucking mess.” Steve huffed, keeping his eyes locked on his brother.
Bucky looked to the floor, sighing loudly, before placing his hands on his hip. Shaking his head lightly, then looking back to the men.
“Get my brother and I a horse, we will leave immediately for the west,” Bucky commanded, there was immediate movement again, as men began to shout to each other, obeying Bucky’s demands, “Sam, come with us, and bring a squad to follow with us.”
“Yes, sir.” Sam nods, before rushing to follow the men, who had gone to get Bucky and Steve’s horses.
“We’ll get her back, Steve, I promise you.” Bucky slapped his hand on his shoulder, and Steve only glared.
“You just better pray we get to her, before they do.”
~~~
Y/N’s teeth chattered angrily against each other, as she curled tighter into Zeus’ side, pulling the thin cloth around her shoulder to try and conserve some kind of warmth.
Zeus had turned his head, so Y/N would be as protected as she could be, from the bite of the cold. Y/N listened contently to the sound of Zeus’ heart, thudding softly in his chest.
“D-do you th-think they-are l-looking f-for me?” Y/N asked the horse, who sighed in response, “I-I doubt i-it. If-f they lo-ved m-me they w-would-nt have d-done i-it.”
Zeus just chuffed softly, and Y/N breathed heavily.
~~~~
“Sires, may I suggest-“
“No, you may not.” Steve chides sharply, before climbing onto the horse, that startled forward, slightly, at the sudden weight, waiting for Bucky to do the same.
“But Sir, if the messenger speaks the truth, her highness may not be far from the border, there might be trouble.” The steward stuttered.
“So what?” Steve’s head whipped to stare at the young-looking army officer, “You suggest that we leave her to die at the hand of those bastards?”
“N-no, no Sir.” The man stuttered, holding his hands up in defence.
“Boy, stop talking, before you say something truly treasonous, get on your horse and then follow your commanders.” Bucky yelled, before digging his heels in, stirring the horse into a sprint, immediately followed by Steve and the rest of the company.
Steve drew level with Bucky, and soon the Princes were galloping into the thick trees in search of their brides.
“What do we do if he finds her first?” Steve panics, Bucky only just hearing what he said through the rush of air that was beating into their faces.
“He won’t.” Bucky denies, not taking his eyes off the path.
“You don’t know that Buck, the scouts said they were closing in on the border. Y/N doesn’t know where she is, and she definitely doesn’t know where she is going.” Steve rambled, his mind racing with different thoughts and scenarios.
“We’ll get to her, Steve. We’ll get there.” Bucky whispered the last part more to himself, as his own kind of reassurance.
~~~~
Y/N jolted awake, as she felt the ground beneath her begin to vibrate, twigs and leaves that lay dying on the floor, jumped to the beat of the soft thuds. It took Y/N a split second to realise what was happening.
The way Zeus began to stress, as he stumbled to his feet, knocking Y/N off balance briefly. Eventually grasping what was going on, she grabbed hold of Zeus’ reins and heaved herself onto his back, kicking her heels in desperately.
“Go Zeus, go!” she yelled, Zeus reared up at the sudden fright and yell, but soon broke into a bolt, as he churned the mud below him, trees whizzing past, as he ploughed through the forest.
“Over there!”
Yelling could be heard from behind her, as Y/N looked over her shoulder, she could see small circles of orange light, that glowed in the gloom of the woods.
Y/N turned back to her path ahead, from what she could make out through the darkness of the trees, it appeared she was approaching a clearing. Spurring Zeus on, she headed for the gap.
Once through, Y/N looked ahead as she realised, she was climbing over a big green hill, Zeus was lagging, as the stallion was running on an empty stomach. Poor thing needed some water, needed some food, but he kept going. He kept going as his mistress commanded.
The shouting was growing louder, as the pack of horses and men appeared to be gaining on her. Y/N recognised the horses leading the charge, and her heart clenched in her chest, as she envisioned the riders on their backs. The feeling of betrayal coursing through her veins.
Zeus was stamping his feet into the ground as he got to the top of the hill, just as the other side was growing visible, Y/N’s blood froze in her veins, her feeling of uncertainty being picked up by Zeus, as he began to waver in his course.
“Y/N! Stop!”
Y/N could hear Bucky’s voice carrying over the air, but she didn’t know what to think or do, as Zeus came to a careering stop, as Y/N heaved the reins, when the other side of the hill was fully visible.
She had ended up in a valley, it made sense to the sudden climb she had to do once she left the forest. In front of her lay an enormous stone wall. Spikes decorated the tops of the turrets; the Kamar-Taj crest branded on the walls.
However, the wall hadn’t been the only reason for why Y/N had stopped. The hills laying over the wall, were speckled with small dots of light. The lights were surrounded by darker objects, and white squares broke up the dark green.
Y/N’s heart was hammering in her head, as her eyes scanned over the mass gathering of people. Y/N may have been in the dark about what was going on, but after all these years, she certainly knew what a military camp was.
Her heavy breathing and fast pulse had made her momentarily deaf, as she didn’t hear as Bucky and Steve trotted up the hill to meet her.
“Y/N-“
“Stop.” Y/N snapped, turning her head quickly to the men, “Stop right there.”
“We can explain.”
“Oh damn right you’re going to explain,” Y/N turns Zeus, so that she can face the two men, “You’re going to explain everything, no bullshit.”
~~~
Y/N sat in front of the open fire, Steve knelt at her feet as he rubbed up and down her calves, trying to warm Y/N’s legs up.
“Stop, just stop.” Y/N kicked her feet slightly, Steve leant back on his haunches as he looked up at Y/N, a puppy dog pout making his lips droop. “You told me, you were going to talk to me, you said you would tell me everything.”          
“We will, we just need to get the blood flowing back in your toes and fingers.” Steve explained softly, tucking another blanket around her.
“I can sit and do that, whilst you talk. It’s very simple.” Y/N clutched the blanket, happy that her teeth had finally settled, as her jaw ached from all of the chattering. “Who were the men on the hill?”
Steve looked to Bucky, who had been nursing the jug of wine that the servants had bought Y/N to warm her up, he drew the chair back, before dragging it closer to her, so that he could sit in front of her. Steve went to grab another chair, before long both Princes had sat themselves in front of Y/N. Bucky was resting heavily on his closed fist, whilst Steve was bouncing his leg, as he chewed on his thumbnail.
“They are the reason we have been recruiting.” Bucky mumbled, taking another hefty swig of his cup, his Adams apple bobbing aggressively, as his eyes glared at the flames burning angrily to the side of him.
“Did you hear the bit where I said no bullshit, that right there, what you just said, is bullshit.” Y/N growled, tilting her head to the side, as she plucked at the threads of the blanket and covers the men had laid over her.
Steve sighed heavily before sitting forward, resting his forearms on his knees, as he wiped his face with his hands.
“All we’ve ever wanted to do, is protect you.” Steve mumble, trying to reach forward to touch Y/N’s hands, but she moved them out of his reach, her eyes watching him intensely.
“I’m sorry that we’ve abused your trust in ways that are…unforgivable,” Y/N scoffed at him, “But we did it because we love you, we love you more than you could realise.”
“Is that why it took you less than a minute to crawl back into bed with your whores, going back on the one thing that I asked you not to do. Because you love me?” Y/N spat, her fingernails digging into the wood of the chair, as her eyes continued to flick back and forth between the two of them.
The air in Bucky’s throat got briefly trapped, as he tried to dislodge it, he spluttered, some wine splattering onto his lips. He wiped it off with the back of his hand, as he eyes Y/N nervously.
“How did you-“
“I saw you. Both of you.” Y/N cut Steve off, making him drop his head, as he rubbed at the back of his neck.
“We’re sorry about that too.” Bucky muttered, “We were weak, when you needed strength.”
“Fine. You’re forgiven,” Y/N speaks quickly and bitterly, “Now for gods sakes tell me who those people were.”
“The people on the hill were Baron Zemo’s army.” Y/N could only hear the cracking of the wood in the fire, as she stared at Bucky and Steve emotionless.
“Baron Zemo? As in the leader of the Masters of Evil?” Y/N swallowed hard as her throat felt dry, when Bucky and Steve nodded. “What are they doing here?”
“They are here to invade.” Bucky speaks bluntly.
“But I thought the Masters of Evil had been dismantled, that the members had been scattered across the realms and continents in various high security prisons?” Y/N frowned, as she tried to think about what her father had told her.
“Zemo broke free from the dimension that he was placed in by Prince Thor, quickly freeing his son, the two of them have been breaking into the high security prisons that were holding the other members.” Steve seemed unable to stop himself, as he revealed everything to Y/N feeling relieved he didn’t have to lie anymore.
“If they’ve been performing this continent-wide prison break, why has my father not been informing me of what is happening, I assume that you have not intercepted every hawk that flies to the Islands?” Y/N stands from her chair in front of the fire, the Princes follow her with their eyes, as they watch her pace backwards and forwards.
“No, we’ve not touched any letters to or from your father, apart from the one we showed you, I swear to you.” Bucky promised, placing the wine next to his feet, before standing to meet Y/N half pace, “He was trying to protect you, like we are.”
“Don’t touch me, I may have forgiven you for your lies and betrayal, but I’ve not forgotten.” Y/N snarled, as she pulled away from Bucky’s arms as he tries to hold her gently. He looks at her like a wounded animal but takes a step back.
“How long has Zemo been in Kamar-Taj?” Y/N ignored Bucky, as she looked to Steve, who was sitting back in his chair now, but was gripping the arms, as his chest rose and fell unevenly.
“We had word that his ships would be docking two weeks ago, we knew that he would go to the west of the country, because we have less defence there, as it is miles from the castle. Zemo’s men have been camped there for three days.”
“Three days!” Y/N gasped, “Why haven’t you done anything, they’ve been there for three days, that’s more than enough time to launch an ambush or raid, they would have no chance to prepare.”
“Do not lecture us on the ways of war.” Bucky hissed, “Those bits of metal that we strap to our chest aren’t for decoration like your expensive jewels.”
Y/N’s nostrils twitched as she narrowed her eyes at Bucky, rolling her eyes, as he bared his teeth slightly.
“Very well, you are good warriors, but why have you let him get so close?” Y/N questioned, shrugging the blanket off of her shoulders, she no longer felt cold, as she had gone back to pacing.
“Zemo has more men, more people have joined him compared to last time, our army had been dwindled down to the smallest it had ever been, after the Five Year War, we needed time to build our armies, but Zemo didn’t give us any.” Steve exhaled, it was his turn to stare into the flames, as his fingernails picked at the feeble wood underneath them.
“If you had only told me,” Y/N sighed, “I could have spoken to father, could have gathered you some more men.” Y/N’s eyes moved to Bucky, who’s expression had grown glum, as he leant against the bed post, Y/N felt her heart ache, as she saw the defeated expression on his face, she wandered towards him, tentatively; she reached a hand out to cup his face.
“I could have comforted you.”
Bucky leaned heavily into Y/N’s palm, he pressed his lips to the pulse point on her wrist, before lifting his own hand up to squeeze hers tightly.
“I’m sorry, that I went back on my word, I was just so frustrated and angry, I didn’t want to take it out on you, I didn’t want to hurt you.” Bucky admitted, his eyes were hooded as they watched the floor, he was afraid to lift his head to meet Y/N’s eyes.
“You should have come to me.” Y/N whispered, taking her other hand to cup his other cheek, “You could never hurt me, not really.”
Y/N was surprised when her thumb was pricked with cold, but soon she realised that it was a tear, as another dropped onto his hand. Another and another, and soon Y/N could hear the sob that retched through Bucky’s chest, as he fell in her arms.
“I’m sorry that we’ve let you down. We’ve not done our duty, not really, not to you.” Bucky cried, he clutched at Y/N’s dress, as he blubbered into the fabric.
“You’ve done your duty, for your kingdom, Buck.” Y/N stroked back Bucky’s hair, and he leant back to look up at her face, his own cheeks red and puffy, as he sniffled.
“You are our kingdom.”
Y/N had to stop her own tears from falling, as she looked over to Steve, who had stood up and wandered to her and Bucky. Once he reached them both, he placed his hand on Bucky’s shoulder, catching his attention, before giving the man a look.
Detaching himself from Y/N’s arms, she worried that they were about to leave her, but she was shocked to see Steve and Bucky begin to kneel on the floor at her feet. Each of them took one of her hands.
“We swear to treat our vows to you with the upmost respect and dignity, you will be our priority now and forever, like we promised you, when we made our oaths to you.” Steve kissed your hand, and Bucky did the same.
“Thank you.” Y/N smiled, before kneeling in front of the men, “I admire you, and I adore you. But if you lie to me again, then I will cut your balls off and feed them to the dragons.”
The two Princes bit back a smile, before they both placed a kiss on your cheeks. Each of them rested their foreheads against each other.
“I love you.”
“I love you.”
“I love you.”
Taglist
 @readermia @this-is-a-chilis-drive-thru-dea  @bbywtchh @liakrichards @nisha-misha97 @waywardwifey @xxblueslothxx @randomtails @emma-is-a-nerd @hhxppyyy @viviennebloom @in-a-constant-daydream6 @actualhobbitjenny @sexyvixen7 @roleplay-multifandom @sassysaltyrat @sebastianstansqueen @cltex84 @kmuir1 @lemonadygirl @supernaturalwintersoldier @jbarness @kaithezaftig @superhero-missouri @dance-dreamer @sebbybabie @yesfanficsaremylife @highlyselectiveextrovert @lady-x-red @what-is-your-wish @leahnicole1219 @lokisgoddesofpower @ariesmadness97 @thisuserlovesyouandyouandyou @stuckyismyguiltypleasure @gotnofucks @speechlessxx @yuriewolfhard​ 
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imaeraser · 3 years
Text
Playing With Foxfire Kin’emon x Reader (Modern AU) Ch 1
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TW: power imbalance, cheating, and age gap
(2.1k words)
Kin’emon x reader x slight Sanji
Summary: You have a summer internship at the Kozuki company, and have to stay at Kin’emon’s home. You try to limit your attraction to the married man, but the flame of passion burns bright. And playing with fire can only lead to one thing— getting burnt.
AN: I originally did this for myself and my sister as a joke— since there is little to no fan fiction for Kin’emon— but decided to post it. Hopefully you enjoy and cringe at some parts.
I fumbled my way through the airport. The musk of others smudged onto my shoulders while I bumped down the path as if I were in a pinball machine. The sound of the wheels of my suitcase grounding me on Earth before all of my thoughts flew away.
   I raised my hand to shade my eyes as I stepped out into the open, while my foot jutted back from the force of the wind. I squinted down the road, but there was not an awaiting person in sight.
   I sighed, and sat down on a sun-warmed bench near a smoking man. As I grabbed the side rest, the tacky feeling of day-old gum made my arm jump in revulsion.
   “Ew, that’s so nasty,” I shook my arm as if the action would make the gum magically disappear, and then reluctantly started to pull it off with two fingers.
   “Here let me help you,” another set of arms entered my vision. The stranger pulled out a handkerchief and scraped any residue off of my arm jacket.
   “Thank you so much, you’re a lifesaver,” I turned to him, and stopped mid-thought.
   His eye was staring at me intently, but I could only appear to focus on his swirly eyebrow— his singular swirly eyebrow.
   “I think being a life saver is a bit of an over-statement, but I’ll take it.” He paused and tilted his head, yet the hair that covered one of his eyes did not budge. “Is there something wrong?”
   I paused, “No, it’s nothing. I’m just a bit air-headed sometimes.” I flushed as I rubbed the back on my neck.
   “Well, I think air-heads are cute,” he held out his hand, “Sanji.”
   “Y/N,” I said as I replied with a handshake.
   Once we retracted our arms he leaned over to his side, and proceeded to fill the atmosphere with the rottenly-sweet scent of tobacco. After a large puff, he released a light cloud into the air. The smoke got thinner and lighter as it floated up and died in the sky.
   “What brings you here Y/N?” Sanji held out an unused cigarette and raised an eyebrow.
   “I have an internship this summer,” I said as I shook my head and pushed the offering away.
   “Let me guess...” he paused, “ Kozuki?”
   “Yep,” I nodded. I threw another glance at the street, and the emptiness made my foot begin to tap the floor. “I think there was a guy that was supposed to pick me up.” I looked down at my phone- 4:57- a few more hours and I would no longer feel safe walking the streets alone.
   “If you want, I can drive you. Just give me the address and we’ll be on our way,” Sanji offered a handsome smile.
   My eyes quickly darted to his figure. He was tall and slender, but most of his form was hidden under a finely made suit. He shifted in his seat awaiting my answer, and the movement drew my attention to his abnormally built leg muscles. His demeanor was goofy, but I had only known him for a span of a few minutes.
   As much as I wanted to say yes, there were far too many episodes of true-crime documentaries watched for me to allow this stranger to drive me home.
   “No, I should be okay. I think I’ll wait a bit longer, and if he doesn’t show up I’ll call an Uber or something,” I said as I watched him lean back onto his seat.
   “Well, I’ll wait until you’re out of here safely. I can’t leave a lovely lady like yourself all alone,” Sanji smirked as he crossed his ankles.
   “Are you implying that I am incapable of handling myself?” I raised an eyebrow in  playful contention. He raised his hands as if to calm my rage.
   “Of course not, but it’s better to be safe than sorry,” he said, as I leaned back into the bench.
   Time quickly passed, and before either of us knew it we were watching the sky’s rolling clouds pull back and reveal an assortment of summer-time colors. The falling sun lit up Sanji’s flaxseed hair—spinning each strand into a gold thread. Perhaps it was a mistake to decline his proposal.
   “Don’t you have somewhere to be?” I said, glancing back at my phone.
   “I’m meant to be wherever you are, mademoiselle,” he placed a hand on his chest.
   I picked at my nails, and rolled a strand of my hair between my fingers, “Stop joking, you could do way better than me.” He gently clasped my hands.
   “You’re selling yourself short. From the time I have spent with you I can tell that you really are gorgeous,” he looked me dead in the eye. The intensity and suddenness of his icy-blue gaze made me look away.
   “I’ll take the compliment,” I said, before turning my eyes to the side. To my surprise I saw a man holding a sign with my name on it. “It’s about time,” I shook my head as I looked back over to Sanji. “Thanks for keeping me company, but the dude finally showed up. I have to get going.” I stood up, my knees clicking from being immobile for too long.
   After waving goodbye, I dragged my suitcase across the concrete to greet the man. The closer I walked to him, the taller his looming figure became. As we both stopped our pace, my eyes widened in distaste as I looked at him.
   His top-knot bobbed as he tilted his head, which provided a stark contrast to his worn out graphic tee that was half-way tucked into a pair of cargo shorts. He took a step towards me as he outstretched his hand, and I heard a resounding wooden thunk. My eyes trailed down to reveal a set of wooden clogs and knee-high socks.
   “I am deeply sorry for being late, I was just a bit busy.” He rubbed his neck with his other hand, which revealed a raspberry colored hickey. I bit the inside of my cheek, as I looked to the side in disbelief— trying not to stare at anything in particular. “Oh, you must be looking at my car. It is an antique—”
   “Y/N,” I hurriedly shook his hand. “I believe I am to stay at your house during the entirety of my internship at Kozuki?”
   His heavily lined eyes blinked a few times before he opened his mouth, “You are correct. I am Kin’emon. My wife and I will be hosting you for the few months you are to be staying.” There was a glint of light that flashed as he moved his hand—which was seen with a golden band around his ring finger.
   “Thank you very much for generously allowing me to stay in your home,” we began to walk to his car. “Oh I forgot, the email asked the interns to check the id of the person who is picking us up.” I paused before placing my hand on the sleek metal of the door handle.
   “Yes, thank you for reminding me,” he slipped his black leather wallet out of his pocket and fished for his id. Once he retrieved the card, he placed his driver’s license into my hand.
   I pulled out my phone, to look at the email telling us about our host. After comparing the information, I handed Kin’emon his drivers license back. “Okay, let’s go.” I said as I slid onto the creme colored leather of the backseat.
   My fist supported my head as I watched the scenery meld together through the window. The sky quickly turned darker. My breath formed a little patch of condensation— due to the late hour and dropping temperatures.
   The car ride was quiet, with the exception of some traditional Japanese instrumentals. But before either of us would try and fill the silence with awkward questioning, we arrived at his house.
   I stepped out of the car, and heard the sound of the trunk opening as well as plastic wheels hitting the ground. While handing me my suitcase handle, his calloused hands brushed against mine. I whispered a quiet, thank you, before following him up to his home.
   He opened the frosted glass door, which revealed a quaint home who’s floor was covered in what I perceived as bamboo mats. We both entered the house, and the scent of fried bread crumbs as well as curry swirled around us. I caught myself nearly drooling down my chin.
   The sound of pots, pans, and utensils cluttering stopped as a woman in an apron stepped out of the kitchen. “Welcome home dear,” she said before turning to me. “You must be the intern. My name is O-tsuru, it is a pleasure to meet your acquaintance.” She dusted her flour covered hands on her jeans before offering me a handshake.
   I gave a soft smile as I shook her hand, “I’m Y/N, it’s lovely to meet you as well.” O-tsuru gently grabbed Kin’emon’s hand and led him to the kitchen.
   “Food is almost finished, we would be delighted if you decided to eat with us,” her voice echoed from the kitchen.
   I looked down at my half eaten sandwich from the airport Subway. The bread was chewy like a warm kneaded eraser, and the vegetables had an almost plastic sheen to them. “I would love to eat whatever smells that delicious,” I peeled off my shoes and set them near the door.
   O-tsuru’s head popped out from the kitchen, “Just sit for a bit, and we’ll be out with food in a second.” Following her instructions, I pushed the floor sitting chair out so I could sit on my knees.
   There were no legs to the chair, but seeing as the table was so close to the ground it did not present a problem. My eyes scanned the area of the house that was visible. There were sliding doors and paintings with Japanese characters drawn in sumi ink. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see something reflect the light of the overhead fan.
   I turned to my side and saw two katana’s on display, both identical in looks. Black lacquered wood, with the image of fire painted down the middle. It looked too gaudy for it to be used as a weapon. As I glanced over the other decorations in the house, I decided to place the swords in the same category.
   “Today we are going to be eating Tonkatsu Curry,” O-tusru said, as she clattered plates about to organize the table. I reached out to help her, but she swatted my hands away playfully. “You’re our guest, I can’t put you to work so soon,” she chuckled. I placed my hands back onto my lap, and waited.
   Soon enough Kin’emon brought out the food, and the scent of curry wafted over  from the pot. There was a plate set down that was full of pork chops covered in fried bread crumbs. O-tsuru set down a glass bowl full of lettuce— you could see droplets of water on the leaves.
   “So we have some Tonkatsu here, but if you can’t eat that we also have nato,” O-tsuru sat across from me.
   “What’s nato?” I looked at my bowl of rice, and sniffed it.  
   “It’s fermented beans,” Kin’emon took his seat next to his wife. “And if you’re allergic to anything here just let us know, I’m sure we can find something in the kitchen that suits your needs.”
   As we dug in, the flavors exploded in my mouth creating a lovely blend. The dinner was mostly quiet, with the exception of some basic questions to fill up the time.
   “I’ll let Kin’emon show you to your room. I have to wash some dishes,” O-tsuru grabbed a few plates as she stood up.
   While the sound of water and the clanging of dishes ensued, Kin’emon stood up, and walked over to my luggage. The slight crispy nosies of the mats under my feet amused me.
   “So...are the floor mats made out of bamboo?” I said.
   “They are made out of rice straw, they’re called Tatami mats,” he walked down the hallway, and placed his hand on the door, and cracked it open slightly. “This is where your room is, you can call either of us if you need anything.”
   I watched his silhouette as he turned around to meet back with his wife. Although he dressed like a patchwork dad and samurai, it looked as if he could still be a model for Calvin Klein. As he walked away, his muscles rippled under his skin. His arms were also well defined, but as my eye caught his ring I stopped
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spine-buster · 3 years
Text
The President Wears Prada (William Nylander) | Chapter 32
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A/N: Another ‘friend’ of ours makes an appearance in this chapter (unfortunately for me lmao)
August 2nd, 2020
Aberdeen Bloom was as prepared as she could be for Game 1 against the Columbus Blue Jackets.  
Scotiabank Arena was freezing – more freezing than normal – because of the three-games-a-day and all the hockey being played.  She knew the players and team personnel would complain if the ice was crap (apparently they could tell, though it beat the shit out of her how they could tell), and of course Scotiabank Arena, and the Leafs in general, wanted to make an excellent impression.  They were the centre of the hockey world, so Aberdeen knew they could pull it off.  It just didn’t help that it was August and it felt like early November indoors.
She joined Brendan and Kyle in their usual box – luckily they didn’t have to give that up.  The team was taking their pre-game skate below and Aberdeen watched as William shot pucks towards Freddie in the net, sneaking one past him before skating around their perimeter of the rink a few times.  On the other side of the ice, the Columbus Blue Jackets were doing the exact same thing, though she barely knew or recognized a soul on the team.  One of them could walk by her in the arena and she wouldn’t know better.  
“How do you think it’s gonna go?” Brendan asked from six feet away from her, his black mask covering his face.
Aberdeen shrugged her shoulders.  “You should stop asking me these questions, Brendan.  I know nothing about hockey.”
“That may be,” he said, not letting up, “but you know the boys, on a level far superior than your knowledge of hockey.  So what do you say?”
Aberdeen thought about it.  She knew them on a personal level, but that didn’t matter at all – at least she didn’t think it mattered – when it came to a playoff game.  She knew how much pressure the guys were under.  She also knew that they were still adjusting to the bubble life and how weird everything was.  Make no mistake – they were being taken care of exceptionally well by the staff at the Royal York Hotel, and Aberdeen made sure she said a loud thank you to every worker she came across and interacted with.  She heard every single one of the guys do the exact same thing.  But she didn’t know how that would translate into a hockey game.  They were two different things.  They were to different entities that she had no idea how to join together.  
“I don’t know,” she shrugged, her voice soft.  “When you ask me these questions, I feel like you want me to be Nostradamus or something.  What if I said they were going to lose 2-0?”
“I’d believe you,” Brendan shrugged.
***
The Leafs lost 2-0.
“C’mon Nostradamus,” Brendan said as he packed up his clipboard and tucked it under his arm.  “The social media posts can wait.  You need to go mediate the post-game interviews and press calls.”
Aberdeen packed up her iPad after she rolled her eyes.  She shouldn’t have said anything.  She should have responded ‘They’re going to win 5-0!’ the first time he ever asked her that question and kept that answer throughout the entire season.  She followed six feet behind Kyle, who was in turn six feet behind Brendan, as they made their way to the locker room.  By the time they got there, Sheldon was nearing the end of his post-game speech.  Most of the guys were half undressed – at least at the top – and a few of them were shoving off their elbow pads and chucking their tape from their socks into the bins.  They all looked irritated.  
She made her way into the media room and set up the Zoom call where a bunch of reporters joined.  Morgan and Auston walked into the room, and she quickly typed in the chat which players were there so they could organize their questions accordingly.  Morgan and Auston sat down in their chairs.  
“Is Steve on the call?” Auston asked suddenly while Aberdeen was adjusting the camera.
“Uh, yeah.  Why?” she asked.
Auston pursed his lips together and shrugged it off.  
The interviews were going fine.  She hated hearing the sound of her own voice on recordings but she knew she’d have to suck it up for the sake of the media call.  She called on each reporter by name.  The boys answered their questions.  It was all very routine.  
“Steve Simmons from the Toronto Sun,” Aberdeen called out.  She waited, and while waiting, she saw Morgan’s and Auston’s demeanour completely change.  
“Uhhh, Steve Simmons, Toronto Sun for Auston – it’s one thing to hear about how tight they play, and to even watch the films of how tight they play.  What was it like to experience it?”
Auston took the lead.  “Uh, well I mean first of all, it’s unfortunate that I’mn getting a question from you at this point, Steve, but I just wanted to say I didn’t really appreciate the article you wrote about me a couple months ago.  I thought, uh, it was very unethical to be honest, but…uh, moving along…”
Aberdeen didn’t hear the rest of his answer.  Truthfully, she didn’t care.  All she could feel was a burning sensation shooting up her spine at Auston’s words.  He did it.  He called out Steve Simmons, the most annoying reporter known to mankind.  
She smirked.
***
After the media interviews, Aberdeen found a quiet space and took out her iPad again to post the final score graphic to the team’s Instagram page.  As she finished typing the caption – ‘Battled hard.  Back at it on Tuesday.’ – she heard some fairly loud footsteps behind her before they stopped.  “A girl?” a voice from behind her said.
She didn’t recognize it – and it wasn’t like anybody from the team would refer to her as “a girl” – so she furrowed her brows and turned around.  She saw what had to be a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets staring at her.  She couldn’t see it, but she automatically knew from the way he was standing and the energy he gave off that he was smirking smugly underneath his mask.  “Yeah, we exist,” she shot him a look, not ready to take any bullshit from him or anybody else.  The way these men thought she was a complete novelty astounded her.  “Have you never seen one of us before?”
“So Barzy was right,” the man continued.  “The Leafs have a girl in their bubble.  Incredible.”
Aberdeen could tell by the way he said and emphasized girl that this conversation – if you could call it that – was gonna be a doozy.  The guy was huge but didn’t look any older than she was, so she knew she would be able to put him in his place.  “What are you even doing in this hallway?  You’re not supposed to be on this side,” she said sternly.  “I suggest you leave and go back to your area of the arena unless you want me to complain to the NHL that your breaching protocol.”
From the very end of the hallway, another figure walked by, stopping at the gap when he apparently found who he was looking for.  Aberdeen could at least recognize him – John Tortorella, the head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets.  “Pierre, what the fuck are you doing there?  Come on, we gotta go.”
The man, named Pierre, gave Aberdeen a smoldering look.  She rolled her eyes.  “Must have taken a wrong turn,” he said, loud enough so John would hear.
Dead set on not taking any bullshit, and just really, really wanting to put this guy in his place, Aberdeen didn’t let up.  “Perhaps you should remind Pierre of how to speak to the staff of another NHL team,” she said sternly.  Both men were too far away to notice how red she was getting, but she could see Pierre whip his head to look at her and his eyes go wide in shock.  “And perhaps he should read another copy of the social distancing and bubble protocols tonight in his bedroom so he doesn’t make this unfortunate decision again,” she said, deliberately using ‘decision’ instead of ‘mistake’, because she fucking knew this was no mistake.  She wondered what other rumours were swirling in the Royal York about a girl being in the Leafs bubble.  
Pierre scurried to the end of the hallway.  From her spot, she could hear John chuckle.  “You must be the Aberdeen Bloom I’ve only ever heard good things about,” he said.  “Keep it up.  I might ask you to take my place to keep the boys in line.”
She couldn’t help but smile.  Pierre took one last look between his coach and ‘the girl’.  “I could take ‘em,” Aberdeen commented, getting a nod from John before he and Pierre disappeared.  
She let out a breath.  
***
After the team got back to the hotel, picked up their pre-packaged dinner, and settled into their rooms, Aberdeen showered and changed.  She sat at the desk where she put the meal and took out her phone.  She sent some quick texts to her parents, Siena, and Camden before bringing up William’s name.
U up?
lmao minskatt isnt that what i should be saying to u *wink emoji*
Do you want to eat dinner together?
of course
I’m ready whenever you are babe
She waited for him to start the call.  Not even two minutes later, her phone began to ring and “Head Empty” flashed across the screen.  She accepted the FaceTime call almost immediately.  When it connected and he appeared on her screen, walking in his hotel room with his bathrobe on and his hair wet and tied back, she smiled.  “Hi.”
“Hi minskatt,” he said, his voice low.  She watched as he put a pair of headphones on.  “That’s better.”
Hers were already in.  “I’m sorry about the game tonight,” she said, perching her phone on a high point on the desk.  “Do you want to talk about it?” she asked.
He shrugged.  “Not really.  At least, not right now,” he said, putting his phone down too.  “Maybe later.  Like, after we have dinner.”
“Promise me we will.”
“I promise,” he said, looking into the phone.  He knew she would want him to talk about it, and he made her a promise all those months ago.  He would never break it.  “Right now I just want to have dinner over FaceTime with my girlfriend even though we’re less than fifty feet away from each other.”
Aberdeen chuckled, if only because she agreed wholeheartedly that this whole thing was ridiculous.  The tone of William’s voice made her know that he thought it completely ridiculous too.  “It’s hard.  I know.  At least we get free food,” she held up a forkful of the marinated chicken breast.  “And good food.  It’s not like it’s airplane food.”
William smiled slightly.  “First thing I do when we get out of here is bring you to Canoe or Ardo or Miku and splurge on every meal they have on the menu,” he said.  
“Sounds good to me.  Maybe by then I’ll have a new job to celebrate, anyway.”
“How’s the article coming along?” he asked.
“Fine,” she said.  She’s started in the other day and already had about 1500 words worth of material.  She figured the best way to go about it was keep a sort of diary every day and then edit it down when she could.  “Might talk about how fucking awkward you hockey boys are these days with women.”
“I’m excluded from that, right?” he asked.  “I mean, I totally swept you off your feet when we first met.”
She couldn’t help but smile.  “You did.”
***
August 3rd, 2020
Aberdeen accompanied the team to one of the workout facilities just so she could catch a glimpse of sone sunshine on the day off.  Instead of working out, she sat on the sidelines of where all the equipment was and the boys worked out, furiously typing away on her personal laptop.  Every so often when she’d glance up, she’d see Morgan’s thighs almost ripping through his shorts as he did some lunges; she’d see Auston’s biceps almost bursting through his sleeves as he lifted weights above his head; she’d see William’s thick torso exposed as his shirt rode up from him throwing a heavy medicine ball above his head.  
A million girls in this city would kill her to be in her position.
And here she was, writing 10,000 words about them instead of ogling them.  Well, everyone except her secret boyfriend.
***
August 4th, 2020
Game 2.  
Aberdeen was confident that the boys would respond to Columbus’s win in Game 1.  She could tell in their energy throughout the day and in the arena they were ready and they were ready to win.  
“Hey Nostradamus,” Brendan called out, winking.  Aberdeen saw Kyle chuckle from behind his mask.  “What’s the score gonna be?”
“Oh shut it,” she shook her head, crossing her arms over her chest and smirking to herself.  Except she couldn’t hold her tongue.  “3-0, but this time for us.”
“I believe her!” Kyle piped up.  
Brendan snorted.  “Who’s placing bets?!”
The bell rang and everybody settled down to stand for the anthem.  As the game got underway, Aberdeen could feel rushes of electricity move up her spine every time the Leafs touched the puck.  They were playing phenomenally.  They looked focused, into it, and like a complete team.  It was a night and day difference from Game 1.  Though the first period didn’t have any goals, Aberdeen knew they’d be coming – for the Leafs only.
In the second period Auston scored and Aberdeen jumped out of her seat to celebrate.  And when John scored late in the third period to get a two goal lead, she was even happier.  
Then, with less than two minutes left, disaster hit.  
It was a play behind the net.  Pierre Luc Dubois – the guy from the other day, Aberdeen had learned – basically cross-checked Jake Muzzin, and Jake fell awkwardly, trying to break it, with his head hitting a Blue Jackets player’s leg.  He fell to the ice.  
He wasn’t getting up.  And the referee hadn’t blown the whistle.  
Those fuckers.
“BLOW THE FUCKING WHISTLE!!!” Aberdeen screamed at the top of her lungs, startling Brendan and Kyle.  Her face was turning red.  She was sure she’d been so loud the referee actually heard her, because he finally blew it.  Jake was having a hard time getting up, and then he lay back down.  One of the trainers immediately made his way onto the ice, rushing towards Jake.
The replays began to play from every angle, and Aberdeen watched on the TV screen in the box how his head and neck contorted once he hit the player’s thigh.  She had tears in her eyes as she watched the worst angles.  She looked back out onto the ice to see Jake still lying there.  The trainer was still with him, though more were making their way onto the ice now.  Then, she saw one of the trainers put his hands near Jake’s neck.  They called for a stretcher.  
She bolted out of her seat.
“Aberdeen!” she could hear Brendan call out after her, but she didn’t listen.  She didn’t turn around.  She hurried down to ice level, her mind running a mile a minute, and flashed her credentials to anyone and everyone she needed to, not bothering to stop so they could actually see them.  
By the time she got to ice level, she could hear the distant sound of sticks tapping, letting her know he was being stretched off.  She met all the trainers and the stretcher at the entrance.  “Jake?!” she asked frantically.  
“Aberdeen?” he asked.  
“Are you okay?  Did you break your neck?!”
“I didn’t break my neck.  I can feel my arms and legs,” he said.  Aberdeen let out the breath she didn’t know she was holding in.  “Did it look scary?”
“Is that a joke?” she asked.  “I ran down here the second they called for the stretcher.”
“We’re going to take him to the hospital.  He’s going to have to leave the bubble,” the head trainer informed Aberdeen.  “You need to tell Brendan and Kyle.  Then update us on the protocol of what it will take to get him back into the hotel.”
Before she could acknowledge what was just said, Jake spoke up again.  “Aberdeen?”
“Yeah Jake?”
“You need to call Courtney for me.  Tell her I’m okay,” he said.  “She’s probably worried sick.”
Aberdeen’s heart sunk into her stomach.  Courtney.  “Yeah yeah, of course—”
“—You have her number, right—”
“—We really need to get him to the hospital—”
“—Yeah, I have her number—”
“—Call Courtney, please,” were Jake’s last words before he was stretchered off.
Aberdeen watched until they were out of her line of sight.  For a few moments, the images of what just happened flashed through her mind, and she momentarily forgot about everything.  She felt sick to her stomach.  Jake said he felt okay, but she knew hockey players always just said that.  Morgan had been playing injured for the better part of the year until he actually got injured.  High sticks to the face, lost teeth, blood drawn – these guys just put a bandaid on it and said they were fine.  But this was different.  
When Courtney’s face crossed her mind, she jolted back to life and grabbed her phone out of her pocket, scrolling until she found Courtney’s number.  The phone didn’t even have to ring twice.  “Aberdeen?!” she asked frantically.  “How’s Jake?”
“Hey Court—he’s okay—”
“He’s okay?!”
“Well, they’re bringing him to the hospital right now,” she said.  “But I was able to talk to him because I rushed down to ice level and he told me he was fine and to call you.”
“So you—you were able to talk to him,” Courtney said, her voice much calmer than just moments before.  “You saw him?”
“Yes.  He told me he could move his arms and legs,” Aberdeen informed her.
“Okay.  Okay.  Does that mean he has to leave the bubble though?  I mean can I go visit him?”
Aberdeen cringed.  “I don’t think so,” she said.  As she did, she could hear Luna being fussy in the background and Courtney trying to calm her.  “The NHL has an agreement with Toronto General about potential injuries.  If everything is okay and he comes back into the bubble, all he has to do is pass three negative tests,” she explained, listening to Luna get even fussier.  
“Okay.  Alright.  But they’ll call me, right?”
“Absolutely.  I’m sure Jake will even be able to call you from the hospital.  Our trainers all have their phones on them.”
“Thanks Aberdeen,” Courtney said, and Aberdeen could hear the relief in her voice.  She knew all Courtney wanted was to hear from her husband.  Luna let out a loud cry.  “I’ll talk to you later.”
“Bye Court,” Aberdeen ended the call.  
Families.  So many of them had families.  So many of them had families that were suffering and making do with a prolonged absence and Aberdeen couldn’t take it.  The players were sacrificing so much to be in the bubble.  And their families were sacrificing so much letting them go into the bubble.  She knew most of them had money – to cope, to do whatever, really – but that didn’t compensate for presence.  That didn’t compensate for having daddy around to play and snuggle with.  
She began to cry as she found herself walking towards the locker room, not even knowing whether or not the game had ended.  She didn’t really care at this point.  All she could think about was Courtney and Luna at home, worrying about Jake as he was being taken to the hospital.  To Aberdeen, nothing else mattered right now.  
She heard some commotion from the locker room and she knew the boys were back in.  She didn’t know how long they’d been back for, and didn’t bother to peek in to see.  She didn’t want to when her eyes were still red and welling up with tears.  Instead, she hid herself around a corner, crouching down with her knees against her chest, wiping at her eyes every so often and trying to control her emotions before having to go in, or getting called by Brendan, or by Kyle, or—
“There you are.”
Well, so much for that.
She looked up from her crouched position and saw Jason looking down at her.  He wasn’t completely undressed – he had all his UnderArmour on – but he was still sweaty from the game and his hair was matted against his head.  She wiped her eyes one last time before getting up.  “Hi.”
“Did you see Jake?”
She nodded.  “He’s okay.  He can feel and move his arms and legs or whatever.”
“Why are you crying?”
She knew he wasn’t asking to be insolent, but did she really have to have to spell it out for him?  “Don’t tell me you’re immune to this shit,” she said.  “I just had to call Courtney and explain to her that her husband didn’t break his neck and end his God damn career.  Luna was crying in the background.  It’s a lot, okay?”
Jason nodded his head.  “I know it is.  I’m not trying to…fuck, I know that came out wrong.  He’s gonna be okay, Aberdeen.”
“Thanks.”
“Come on, Aberdeen,” he said soothingly.  “It’s gonna be okay.”
She shook her head, wiping away the last of her tears.  “I know.  I’m just being a big baby.”
“No you’re not,” Jason said.  “You’re not being a big baby.  You’re being a human being.  Someone you cared about got hurt.  Do you want to talk about it when you get back to the hotel?” he asked.
She considered it for only half a second before she shook her head.  “No.  I know you call your girls every night.  I can’t take time away from them.”
“Aberdeen—”
“I’ll be okay,” she asserted.  “I promise.  I’ll be okay.”
“Aberdeen!” Kyle’s voice suddenly called out.  He rushed towards her with his phone in his hand.  “They took him to the hospital, right?”
“Yeah,” she nodded her head, trying to steady her voice and make it seem as professional as possible.  “He’s technically left the bubble, so we have to update the trainers on protocol to get him back into the hotel and how—”
“I’ll handle that with Brendan and Josh,” he interrupted.  “But he was okay?”
“He could feel his arms and legs.  That’s what he told me.  Then he asked me to call Courtney and I did that.”
Kyle nodded his head, looking – really looking – at Aberdeen for the first time in their conversation.  “Were you crying?”
“I’m going to be fine,” was all she said.  
***
“I’m going to come to your room,” William said through the phone in a strained voice.
“Don’t you dare,” Aberdeen chastised him, a new batch of tears having fallen down her face as she lay in bed.  “Don’t you even think about leaving your room, William.”
“Aberdeen, you need me and I need to be with you right now—”
“And you need to stay in your room so you don’t get kicked out of the bubble,” she said sternly.  “I’m being serious, Will.  Don’t come over.”
She watched as he bit his lip and shook his head.  She could see all over his face how conflicted he was.  It was one of the things she loved most about him – to the world, he seemed cool and unemotional and that he didn’t really care about anything or take anything too seriously, but to her, he was the entire range of emotions in one conversation.  He had a heart full of gold and she knew it would always stay that way.  “This is killing me, minskatt,” he whispered, his voice defeated.  “I want to be there for you when you need me.  Always.  I mean…you need me, right?”
Her heart dropped into the pit of her stomach.  She didn’t know where this was coming from, but like some things with William, she felt like it was something that had been on his mind for a while and was only letting out now.  He was still learning to talk to her about his feelings.  He was keeping his promise from February, so she could appreciate that.  “Of course I need you,” she said softly.  “I’ll always need you like you need me.  We’re in this together.  You know that.  But you need to be on this team right now.  You need to help them fight.  This isn’t about me.  It’s about the team.”
“It’s always about you,” William said.  “You still don’t get it, do you?  It’s always about you.”
“Don’t make it about me right now, Willy.  It’s not about me.  It’s about Jake, and the team,” she paused for dramatic effect.  “Make it about me later,” she added, trying to be humourous.
It garnered a small smile from him, and she felt proud of herself.  “I love you, minskatt.”
“I love you too Willy.  Promise me you’ll get some sleep?”
He nodded slightly.  “I promise.”
***
Aberdeen’s iPhone was still in her hands as she woke again from its vibrations.  She jumped at the sensation of being awoken in the middle of the night.  If it was Willy calling her at three in the morning, she was gonna kill him.  
“Hello?” her voice was groggy.
The voice on the other end was not William’s.  “I lived, bitch.”  
***
August 6th, 2020
It wouldn’t be a Toronto Maple Leafs series without some drama, apparently.  And the drama tonight was how the team blew a 3-0 lead, allowing the Columbus Blue Jackets to win 4-3 in overtime, with Pierre-Luc Dubois scoring a hattrick.  That meant the Columbus Blue Jackets were now up 2-1 in the series.
It meant the Leafs could go home tomorrow.
Aberdeen tried not to think about it.  
She didn’t bring it up with anybody as they went back to the hotel, and she knew, judging by the looks on their faces, that they didn’t want to hear about it either.  Nobody would be turning on their TVs tonight, and she doubted they would check the news on their phones, either.  Maybe they’d play video games to take their minds off of it.  Or maybe they’d go right to bed and rest, since they had to do all of this again in less than 24 hours.  Fuck.
Aberdeen took a shower.  She washed her face.  She did her skincare.  She put on a sheetmask.  
Her phone rang.
She knew it was William, so she tucked herself into bed and accepted the FaceTime call.  When he realized that she had a sheetmask on, a smile broke out on his face from ear to ear.  “Nice sheetmask,” he said, biting his bottom lip.
She smiled cheekily and shrugged her shoulders.  “You’re used to it by now.  Shouldn’t come as much of a surprise,” she said.
“I am used to it by now and—oh shit, hold on, I forgot something…” he said, trailing off as he set his phone down so Aberdeen could only see the ceiling in his room.  Knowing William, he probably forgot to turn the light off in the bathroom or something.  But the longer he took, the more Aberdeen became skeptical of his whereabouts.  She barely heard anything on the other end.  “There we are…” she heard his voice.  And then she saw what he had on his face: a sheetmask.  He was still smiling from ear to ear.  “Now where were we?” he asked.
“William!” Aberdeen squealed, letting out giggles she couldn’t hold in at the sight of him.  He looked ridiculous.  It was clearly the first time he’d ever put one on himself.  “What in God’s name are you doing?”
“You love these things!” he tried to justify himself.  “I brought one because I knew I’d catch you at least once in here with one of these things on.  And if we can’t do it together…well, physically, then we can do them together in separate rooms.  Like everything else we need to do.”
Her cheeks flushed red – not that he could see.  He bought sheetmasks and put them on with her.  He gave her time to write.  He encouraged her writing.  He listened to her.  He cared for her.  He was even better than anything she could have imagined in a dream boyfriend.  How did she get so lucky?  How did she let guys treat her like shit before him?  She felt tears well in her eyes.  He was going all out to make the best of the bubble, and she couldn’t be more thankful.  “I love you so much, Willy.”
“I love you too, minskatt.”
“No…I love you Willy.  Like love you love you.  Love you love you love you.  I don’t even have the words…and I’m a writer!  You make me speechless, Willy.  There aren’t enough words in the English or Swedish languages that I can string together that will, like, tell you or show you how much I love you.”
“I get it, minskatt.  Don’t worry.  I feel the same way.”
“I don’t know how I got so lucky with you.”
“I annoyed you enough until I wore you down,” he quipped.
She giggled.  “You seduced me is what I’d call it.”
“I don’t know about that.  If I remember correctly it was you rubbing yourself against my thigh that morning.”
She made a face at him.  He made the exact same face back but crinkled his sheetmask so he had to flatten it with his free hand.  She watched him with complete adulation.  “Willy?”
“Minskatt?”
“Can we listen to our song together?”
William smiled.  He fiddled around with his phone and his ‘Minskatt’ playlist until the familiar chords started playing over the phone, filling the air with the nicest, best, most beautiful sound Aberdeen had ever heard – save for Willy’s laugh, maybe – because she knew this song was about her, about them, and it was still their little secret.
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