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#and before unpacking any of my boxes the first thing i did was hung up my art
covenofthearticulate · 4 months
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Got a very special Vampire Wall Update for y'all!! I'm so excited to have @killer-laurent's brilliant art, based on my fic Out, Damned Spot
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My heart is so full of love for all my fandom friends that made this happen— my fellow Louis stan @wicked-felina, who commissioned Laurent, and my love @monstersinthecosmos who gifted me this super shiny metal print that literally pops off the wall.
I feel so honored to have 3 different fan arts from 3 incredible artists on my wall, but this one especially makes me happy dance every time I look at it because I've never had anything made based on my writing so it just feels like such an act of love from all of my favorite people.
ahjsdgbksdahcf okay that's enough sap for now but anyway happy new year and thank you so so so so much to Kacy for this glorious addition to my Vampire Wall :)
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be-co-me · 4 months
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All I Want For Christmas Is You
Levi Ackerman
6.8k words
Summary: The day before Christmas Eve, you happen upon your new roommate's living room calendar and discover that his birthday also happens to fall on Christmas and after a drunken night of meeting his friends and getting to know each other better, also discover he doesn't have a family to spend Christmas with, so you offer him your own.
A/N: The more I wrote this, the more I hated it lol, but please listen to my favorite Christmas song before or while you read as it gives me the floaty happy feeling I desire this fic to have. It's Cold December Night by Michael Buble. Levi may be a bit OOC, but I wanted this ready for Christmas, so I didn't have much time to skim it over and fix things. Thank you for reading and please let me know your thoughts! This isn't yet edited so please don't mind any mistakes! The AO3 curse got me the past couple of days, so this is much more delayed than I would have liked it to be.
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You pulled the last of your packed moving boxes through the front door of your new residence, nudging the door closed with your foot as to not let anymore of the heat inside escape. You had been moving things in slowly the past week, the first few days unpacking consisted of larger and more important items and as the days passed, the less important items made their way into your new home. You let the heavy box cradled in your arms plop to the floor with a thud and sighed heavily, folding over to catch your breath. You quite literally felt a huge weight drop from your shoulders as you realized you were done moving. And not only was it the last box, but the last of your Christmas shopping.
Speaking of Christmas, you noticed the lack of Christmas decor adorning your new apartment. While the shared quarters still held a sense of home and comfort, the decor, you felt, was not up to par for the season near enough for your liking. You would have to ask your new roommate about it and see if you could put more up. You shrugged your winter attire off and made your way to the kitchen for a cup of coffee. It would be a long night of wrapping presents and you could use all of the fuel your peppermint mocha had to offer.
As your Keurig sputtered your drink of choice out, you opted to change into comfortable clothes for the evening. When you reentered the kitchen, you grabbed the steaming mug off the machine and blew on the top of the drink, taking a small sip to test the temperature on your tongue.
As you did so, your eyes wandered the walls and found a relatively large calendar hung perfectly straight. You eyed the current date, December 23rd, and the following days, your eyes widening as you abandoned your warm mug on the countertop and made your way closer to the calendar.
Your fingers touched along the block that held 'Christmas Day' and your eyes roamed the calendar adorned in neat script and back to the unfamiliar scrawl that sat atop the block labeled 25.
'LEVI'S BIRTHDAY!!!!!!' It read, in messy capital letters with an astronomical amount of exclamation points following the words. A quite ugly and cartoonish drawing of glasses sat underneath the script, the manufactured 'Christmas Day' scribbled out, and you assumed one of his friends had written everything inside the box. A feeling of panic set in. You had to get him something. It was his birthday. Did that explain the lack of Christmas decor? Does he despise Christmas?
At that moment, you heard a set of keys jingle outside and the click of the door unlocking. You quickly stepped away from the calendar and your hands encased your mug once again. You took another sip of the drink as Levi walked in, brushing snow off of his shoulders. You looked away, scrunching your face at the still boiling hot temperature of the mocha, cursing your awkwardness around the new man. His face adorned the same look, but only because of the cold.
His eyes met yours with a curt nod in greeting as he removed his shoes and he began walking towards the counter. He set his keys across the countertop and hung his backpack across the back of one of the high top stools lining the island countertop you currently leaned on.
"Sorry it's so late. I'm glad I didn't wake you up." he said, unzipping the bag and pulling his laptop out. You shook your head.
"I just got back as well! I finally have all of my stuff here now, so no more ruckus!" you responded hastily, opting to sip your drink once more. You hadn't yet engaged in many conversations with the man, only those around your mutual friend who shared your own college major, Isabel, who had suggested you as Levi's new roommate. But she wasn't here anymore to guide your conversation and it felt quite awkward.
"That's good to hear." he responded, fingers working to plug in the laptop's charger into the countertop. Something you hadn't yet noticed about the home, but you were glad it existed and were sure it would prove handy for late nights studying. You wondered if he had also felt awkward around you. That would have to end quickly if so.
You continued sipping at the drink in silence and watched as he worked, typing into the laptop. Maybe it would be a good time to retreat to your bedroom and give him his space to mitigate from work. Or make him a warm drink as well? Maybe try to strike up a conversation and get to know more about him? Or-
"Got any plans for the evening?" he asked, cutting your internal rapid firing line of questioning off. Your eyes met his own when he stopped typing. Your cheeks warmed at the steely grey's examining your expression. You quickly looked into the swirl of your drink.
"You're looking at them. Why? Got something in mind?" you asked, jumping at the opportunity to know more about him, or more specifically, what would be his fancy in terms of a gift or two.
"Hmm. I'm surprised Isabel didn't mention it. We're all going out in town tonight for a few hours." he responded, fingers reaching for his phone, also plugged in, and swiping it open. You were also surprised she hadn't mentioned so, but forgetful was one of her more endearing qualities so you were quite sure it wasn't on purpose.
"She's forgetful. I'm sure she meant to ask you about it though." he responded to himself. "So? Would you like to come?" he asked. His voice monotonous. He continued his work as you pondered the question and the task you would be abandoning for the evening.
You nodded, agreeing to go along, but now you would have to get ready. You'd have to give Isabel a call and see what the unspoken dress code of the evening was. You imagined if it went her way, you'd be quite dressed up for the night, which also meant freezing your ass off.
"I'll go get ready!" you responded. He nodded and turned his full attention back to his computer, finishing what you could assume was work for his graduate program he'd be starting the preceding semester at the university you would now also be a part of. You had met Isabel at a club meeting in your old college. An event all the universities had gone to. You had struck up a conversation with her, and were pleased to find she went to the same school you would soon be transferring to and it was history from there.
You pulled your phone from under your waistband, finding Isabel's contact as you closed the door to your bedroom. You set a coaster out onto your desk and set your drink down. You'd definitely need the fuel now. Or maybe the better idea would be to abandon it for water.
"Heeellllloooo?" a perky voice drew out the greeting. You smiled, shaking your head.
"Did you forget to tell me something?" you asked. A loud gasp rang over the other line and you took the phone off your ear in preparation for the yelling that was about to ensue across the other line.
"I'm so so sorry! I totally meant to tell you when Hange planned it! Shit! Did Levi tell you?" she asked. You nodded, laughing.
"Yes he did. Now onto more important details. What are you wearing? Is this more of a dressy going out or just comfy?" you asked, fingers sliding hangers over as you mulled over what you could wear for the evening in either option. You hated to not fit in with the theme.
"Hange wants us to dress up because it's Levi's birthday on the 25th! SHIT! That's another thing I forgot to mention!" she responded. This was a celebration. You felt guilty at not knowing the new man's birthday sooner. You chuckled despite the nervous thoughts that began to rapid fire your brain again.
"It's alright! FaceTime me so you can help me pick an outfit out!" you told her. You removed the phone from your ear, awaiting the video call and answering as soon as she called.
----
Your outfit of choice ended up being much more short and showy than usual; an extremely short velvet cocktail dress and heels that matched the color, much to Isabel's pleasure. You wore your trusty black 'going out' trench coat as it went with everything and kept you as warm as you could be in a short dress.
You finished the minute details of your outfit, leaving your bedroom. You walked into the living room, eyes in search of your new roommate to see if he was ready to go.
He had also changed into something a bit more dressed up; a pair of slacks, dress shoes, a button up shirt, and a blazer. His steely grey's met your own, looking down and up before meeting your own again. You swore your caught the faintest tint of blushing to his cheeks.
"Won't you be cold?" he asked, turning towards the counter, taking ahold of his keys. You shook your head.
"This is my trusty trench coat, either it's never let me down or alcohol warms me up enough." you responded.
"Want me to drive? Or we could walk if you won't be too cold or uncomfortable." he responded. You could only nod before realizing you were given two options in the question.
"Walking is fine." you answered curtly. You made your way to the front door, opening it and stepping into the cold. He followed behind you, his hand meeting your own as he propped the door open. You quickly retracted your hand. Now it was your turn to blush, but at least you could blame it on the cold weather.
You heard the telltale click of the lock on the door and he stepped down the stairs in front of you, turning and offering a hand. You stood still, putting your hand up to take his own in hesitation.
"It would really suck if you fell down the stairs before we got there." he said. You laughed loudly, slapping your hand down into his own and beginning your descent down the stairs. You small talked about your days, his at work and university, despite the off season from the semester, and you about your moving and Christmas plans.
You made it to the first place of the evening, a fine dining restaurant. If this friend group was anything like the one in your hometown, then you'd get dinner first and then get wild at bars and hangout spots the rest of the evening and into early morning.
You weren't quite sure of what anyone looked like outside of Isabel, your eyes scanning the tables for a mop of pink hair, but you couldn't see above anyone even with your heels on, and the restaurant was what you would call 'packed', everyone eager to finish their drinking bouts with heir university friends before returning home to their families.
You looked to Levi, who also struggled to see over the top of patron's heads. His eyes widened lightly and then met your own. He nodded his head a certain direction and you began following him through the throng of people towards your destination, taking ahold of the sleeve of his jacket.
Once making it to the table, Isabel stood, beaming.
"This is the infamous new roommate I've been telling you guys about!" she shouted. You laughed, Levi taking a seat next to Isabel. You opted to take the empty spot next to him at the end of the table.
Isabel sputtered more facts about you to the group before someone cut her speech off, a lean blonde man with bright blue eyes.
"Please, introduce yourself. We at least need a name with the face." he said more politely so than Isabel, who now pouted. You laughed too, proffering your name and a few small details about yourself. Where you came from, what your college major was, although you were sure Isabel had already shared those facts for you in her eagerness to adopt you into the friend group, and more typical introductory details.
The server came around and asked drink orders. You went with your regular drink of choice, something that wouldn't get you drunk after one, but definitely not something to drink on all evening. Everyone else made their orders and you were surprised to find Levi had actually ordered something containing alcohol. Albeit, not much, but it was a start. Isabel had told you he wasn't much of the drinker with he exception of tea and the occasional coffee whilst studying together. Your elbow met his arm and his gaze quickly made its way over to you.
"I thought I heard you weren't much of a drinker?" you chided. He looked down to his hands, which sat clasped together atop the table, then leaned back in his chair, a hand brushing through his hair with a long sigh.
"Hange said if I didn't have some drinks tonight they would cancel the whole thing." he responded, irritation laced in his tone, a stone cold gaze now looking to the perpetrator. You laughed loudly.
"I'm sure that's not true." you responded as your drink was placed into your field of vision. You took a sip right away, savoring the way this restaurant made it. This may be the best variation of the drink you had drank before. You'd have to ask for the recipe they used if they'd give it to you.
As you sipped at your drink, you side eyed Levi, who hesitantly took a sip of his own. His nose scrunched and he stirred into the drink more with the cocktail straws, taking another sip, seemingly satisfied with how it tasted now. You engaged in idle chatter with the group, only ordering appetizers and splitting them all amongst yourselves evenly. You insisted you boot Levi's portion of the bill, but Erwin met that proposition with a strong and resounding 'No'.
After two drinks you began feeling warm for the evening, ready to shed your coat at the next location the night took you too. You only followed his friends, not sure what they had in mind. You were sure they had regular locations they frequented and such.
You walked behind the group next to Levi, noticing the silence between the two of you was much more comfortable than earlier in the evening at your shared home. You found yourself enjoying his company more and more so.
Isabel suddenly came up behind you, tossing an arm over your shoulders and the other over Levi's. You stumbled, laughing. As you regained your footing, you caught the heavy glare Levi pointed her direction.
"Can't yell at me tonight bro!" she shouted, laughing loudly. You laughed along, wondering how their dynamic would usually be in your absence. It seemed her lifelong dream may have been to get on every last nerve roaming through his body you thought, maybe even Hange too. You were almost certain they planned antics to annoy him together.
The group made their way inside the next location and the first thing you did was shed the stuffy coat, draping it across your arm. Christmas music boomed loudly across the speakers as it intertwined with the bar's usual playlist.
You followed the group as they made their way through groups of dancing people to a table tucked in the back corner of the bar. You sat your coat atop a chair, scheming how you would pay for all of Levi's drinks for the remainder of the evening.
"What would everyone like? I'll go grab it!" you asked the group as they attempted to make themselves comfortable atop the booth behind the table. You opened a note in your phone and began writing them down.
"I'll come with you. You can't carry it all." Levi announced, standing. You noticed his blazer now shed off as well, another button undone on his dress shirt. It was now your turn to eye him, down and up. When your eyes returned to his face, his eyes met your own with what you could swear was the faintest hint of a knowing smile.
You walked to the bar, grabbing ahold of his shirt sleeve once more as you followed. You squeezed between two people's shoulders and leaned against the bar to wait your turn for a server. You turned your head over both shoulders to find Levi, his hand perched to your left side on the bar and right on his hip. You felt safely encaged, like no one could hurt you. While he didn't stand much taller than yourself, he definitely held an intimidating aura, something you couldn't say was a quality of your own.
You quickly looked back to the bartender as they were ready for your order and leaned further, allowing them to see your phone's notepad as you explained your new friend's drink orders. She nodded, stalking off to quickly make the requested list and move to the next.
Once she returned, you began handing Levi drinks and carried four on your own, which you were quite impressed with. Maybe your old serving job was useful in some aspects. You carefully walked back to the table as to not cause a mess or drop anything.
"Alright. Here's Furlan's, Isabel's, Hange's, and Levi's." you recited, handing the drinks to each respective person and setting Levi's in front of the seat that held his jacket. You turned to grab the remaining drinks out of his hands, smiling as your eyes met his own. He wasn't one to smile nor show emotion much, always stoic, you noticed. You turned back and set your own drink next to the seat you had discarded your jacket in and also next to Levi's.
"And finally mine, Erwin's, Moblit's, and Miche's." you finished. You clapped your hands together and made your way to your seat after Levi made his way in.
After loud idle chatter about anything and everything, Isabel and Hange insisted that you come to the dance floor with them, and despite your considerable amount of protesting, you ended up in major defeat as both of them grabbed ahold of each of your arms, dragging you out of your chair.
You laughed as you danced with them in a circle, each of you holding one of the other two's hands, skipping around. Some of the classic club songs blared through the speakers and your last drink began creeping into your bloodstream. You laughed harder at the heinous dancing Hange managed to pull off, curled over with your eyes closed, laughing the hardest you think you ever had.
You felt a finger tap your shoulder and you straightened your posture, eyes meeting the perpetrator. Isabel leaned close to your ear, telling you the group wanted to take shots and you should head to the table. You nodded and followed behind her and Hange, all holding hands so you wouldn't lose each other in the now packed and large crowd.
You placed your hands atop the edge of the table as you reached it to steady your balance, laughing as you thought of a silly dance Hange had done on the dance floor, your gaze meeting Levi's. Despite his lack of emotion, he didn't seem to be having a bad time. He seemed the type to enjoy the company of his friends and be hellbent on not showing it.
Shot glasses full of bright red liquid were dispersed and you attempted to ask what it was. The overall consensus was that it was a Christmas themed drink. You shrugged and downed the shot after Hange's loud and enthusiastic countdown.
You returned to the dance floor, more of the group joining along, with the exception of Erwin and Levi, who remained chatting away at the table. You couldn't help it, but you found yourself gazing his way the entire evening. You wished he was the dancing type.
After another shot later in the evening, you all had decided to filter outside in search of your next location. You had also succeeded in paying for all of Levi's drinks, much to Erwin's dismay, who insisted paying the entire bill every place you went to.
You opted to not put your coat back on, allowing the cold weather to sober you. You couldn't help but smile as you watched the group. You hoped to become a permanent part of it.
You felt a nudge to your shoulder and looked towards Levi, his hands in his pockets as he walked. Your cheeks were warm and your smile grew wider as he encased his hands over your shoulders, rubbing lightly. You were a bit cold. Maybe he could tell? You had surrendered your coat to Isabel, who had forgotten her own at home.
"Enjoying yourself?" he asked. You nodded eagerly.
"I should be asking you that question." you responded, nudging him back. He shook his head and you all opted for the last location of the evening to be a small coffee shop cafe, something they apparently did routinely after going out for the night. You never did get to finish your peppermint mocha earlier in the evening.
You walked up to the shop, ordering another of the aforementioned drink. Levi had opted for tea, and everyone else some variation of a hot chocolate or coffee. You filtered out of the door, allowing more patrons to filter in before hearing a screech and howling laughter that could only belong to one person behind you.
Your eyes turned to Hange, who pointed a finger curtly above your head, still laughing. Your eyes widened as they met the bundle of leaves and small white fruit hanging above you. Your eyes met the pair of also widened steely greys in front of you.
"You have to! It's bad luck if you don't!" Isabel shouted. Erwin and Moblit could only shake their heads at the antics of the two troublemakers, who doubled over howling with laughter.
What do you do? You don't want to reject Levi. Nor do you want bad luck during the incoming year. If anything, you currently wanted him to kiss you. You shrugged your shoulders and his eyes scanned your features, down to your lips and back to your own gaze. You wet your lips with your tongue unconsciously, stepping closer to your roommate.
And as if by chance, the cheesy Christmas music playing the entire evening filtered through the cafe doors as they opened. The line in the music gave you a sense of (false?) confidence, a sense of this being fated to happen in your tipsy state.
'So kiss me on this cold December night.'
You lightly placed your hands over his arms and his own met your shoulders hesitantly, circling his thumbs over them once more. His eyes scanned over your face once again, as if asking permission. You nodded, closing your eyes, and soon after felt a pair of warm plush lips capture your own. And like a ghost, they were there one second and gone the next.
You forgot about the group behind you, your eyes opening and meeting the pair in front of you. Your smile beamed once more, the group behind you hooping and hollering at the two of you. He really smiled for the first time that evening.
As you made your way home, the hands that were once shoved into his pockets now held a warm drink and your own warm hand in comfortable silence.
----
You awoke to the smell of coffee wafting through the apartment. Christmas Eve, the day to wrap all of the presents you had meant to wrap the evening prior, a task that needed to be done before you left for your family's home.
You stretched yourself awake, abandoning your bed to make yourself not look such a mess before making your way into your shared living quarters. You eyed your phone, the time still quite early.
"Good morning Levi." you said, pouring yourself a cup of the still hot coffee. He muttered a good morning back to you, typing across the keyboard on his laptop once more.
"Got any plans for the day?" you asked him, elbows leaning atop the counter he currently sat on the other side of. His eyes met yours as he shook his head.
"You're looking at them." he responded, and you remembered your similar conversation the evening prior. Did he have no family to go home to? On his birthday? Maybe they lived close and he'd go the next day.
"How about you?" he asked, eyes still scanning the laptop screen. You shrugged.
"Wrapping presents and driving to my family's house. I haven't seen them in a while. I'm pretty excited." you spouted, rambling on about your family to him. You noticed halfway through he had stopped typing and removed his glasses, fully intent to listen to your words.
"What's your family like Levi?" you asked. Any more hints to get an idea as to what you could get him for his birthday tomorrow may come from information on his family.
"I don't have one." he responded. Your eyes widened, taken aback.
"What do you mean?" you asked in thought. Before he could respond you realized the insensitivity of the question. "Never mind you don't have to answer. I'm prying." you answered yourself.
"It's alright. I don't mind telling you. My mom died when I was young and I don't really know my dad." he said quietly with a small shrug of his shoulders. You nodded, your eyes widening as an idea sprung to mind. His face contorted to one of confusion at your sudden beaming smile.
"Come with me to my family's! We'll be back the day after Christmas!" you shouted, your hands slapping over the top of his across the countertop after abandoning your coffee for the second time in as many days.
"It'll be so much fun I promise. they're a little crazy at times, but I don't think it's fair to spend your birthday alone Levi." you continued, almost pleading. His gaze looked to the ceiling in thought before meeting your own once more.
"Okay. Yeah. I'll do it." he responded. You squealed in happiness, quickly sputtering that you had to call your mom before grabbing your coffee and prancing off to your room, closing the door shut.
You found your mom's contact, calling her to let her know the situation. You knew how your parents were, there with open arms to anyone who needed it. And they'd be damned if they also didn't have something there for Levi as well. You had a small pull out couch in your childhood room you could sleep on, opting to let him take the bed as it was larger.
You eagerly spouted a plan to your mother, different gifts for him you thought he would like so she could purchase them. She was just as excited as you it seemed. She always loved when you brought friends home. She loved your big heart even more, which was the main reason she indulged in the company of your friends.
You wrapped your family's presents quickly afterwards, eager to drive to your parent's house in Levi's company. Once you finished wrapping everything or stuffing it into respective gift bags, you stuffed changes of clothes into your suitcase along with your laptop and other items you may need during your visit.
You re-entered the living room at eleven, Levi also packing up his needed items, a suitcase sat next to the door and you set your own next to his. You filtered in and out of your room, stacking the presents next to your cargo. Once you were certain you had everything, you quickly made a to go coffee in a thermos before grabbing your keys, warming your car up as you packed everything into it.
You talked back and forth on the way about school and the friend group you had been assured you were now a part of. You had received more than enough details about Levi to get him gifts of your own after the drive, allowing your mother to steal the ideas you had learned of him the night prior.
You and your mother decided together she could buy the Christmas gifts, and you the birthday gifts.
----
You made a quick pitstop at the strip mall down the street from your parents that you frequented as a teen. Levi walked into the store behind you, and you made the excuse that you needed to pick up one more present for your mother, Levi didn't fail to mention the large load of presents you had already packed into your car.
He scanned over a rack of clothing and you used that as your chance to hastily escape, picking up a few gifts your mother had told you she hadn't gotten yet over text.
When you were satisfied with your selection, you made your way to the front to pay and found Levi quite easily in the shop, letting him know you were finished.
You ran back to the heat of your car, the remaining five minutes of your drive felt so long.
----
As you pulled into the driveway, you beeped the horn of your car lightly to let your family know you had arrived. You parked and exited the car as your parents and four year old younger brother stepped onto your porch. You little brother beelined it for you and you laughed, kneeling down to his level. He jumped into your arms and shouted your name. You spun him around and hugged him tightly, balancing him atop your hip bone with one arm, leaning in to hug your father.
Your mother made her way to Levi, letting him know how happy she was he could join you to see your family and that he was always welcome. Typical motherly things you always appreciated about her. You watch as she gave him a hug and smiled, a soft smile making it's way across his lips as he conversed with her.
Your father helped you unpack your car, grabbing your suitcases and setting them down. He handed a present to your brother, ensuring him the sole responsibility to make sure it got under the tree safely, allowing him to help in bringing yours and Levi's belongings inside. Your brother nodded eagerly, excited to help. Your mother and father grabbed the rest of what you had in the car and you wheeled your suitcase inside.
It smelled of cookies and coffee inside. Your eyes met the Christmas decor littered across the house. A kids Christmas movie played at low volume on the TV for your younger brother and you grabbed Levi's arm, who had also been admiring the decor, and dragged him to the room you'd both be staying in, your childhood room.
Your mother had already prepared your room to accommodate the both of you and you emptied a few of the drawers in your dresser for Levi. You both unpacked your things and you abandoned the suitcases in your closet.
He sat atop the bed once he was finished and eyed the boyband and more embarrassing aspects of decor littered across your room. You plopped down next to him.
"Seems you were quite the fangirl." he observed. Your cheeks heated and you nudged his arm, muttering something about all kids having a fixation when they were young.
Once done in your room, he followed you to your living room down the stairs and you made your way to the tree, helping your mother sort the rest of the gifts. She went all out every year without fail, and your eyes scanned the group of gifts that listed Levi's name.
You turned to your mother and threw your arms over her shoulders, whispering a thank you to her. She nodded, spouting he was happy to do it all.
Levi made himself comfortable on the couch next to your father, who asked if he would like a beer, the TV channel changed to some sports game that was happening. He nodded, not wanting to turn your father down. You made your way to your younger brother, who busied himself with a halfway built puzzle.
You sat next to him, pulling a cushion off the lounge chair behind you to sit on. Levi eyed you as he sipped his beer, your mother bringing you a drink as well. Homemade spiked cider had become your favorite to drink on when you came home and she made it perfectly every year without fail.
You had talked to your mother about hiding a couple of your share of Levi's gifts for the next day, opting to actually open gifts for Christmas that evening so you could celebrate Levi's birthday to the fullest the next day.
After helping with the puzzle, you stood, plopping onto the couch next to Levi, watching the game with him. His knee shook up and down as he sipped the beer idly, and you set a hand atop his own, wrapping your fingers over it. His knee stopped bouncing and his gaze met yours.
"Don't be nervous. Trust me. There's nothing you could do wrong around my family. They already love you." you assured him in a whisper. He nodded, letting out a sigh.
"Sorry. Fathers make me nervous." he said. You shook his knee side to side, and his hand wrapped tighter around your own, both of your gazes turning back to the game on the TV.
After dinner that evening, gift opening commenced. You found your seat next to Levi once more, your cup of cider hot and full once more, Levi now drinking on the same thing, and watched your brother carefully open his gifts. He was calm for a four year old, not too energetic, something you appreciated about him. Your parents instilled his manners at an early age as they had done with you.
Then it was your turn. You set your cup down, carefully opening the assortment of gifts your family had gotten for you. Some new jewelry you had eyes for right after Christmas the prior year, some little plushes you adored that your brother insisted you had to have when he saw them in the store, nice stationary for school, some in trend clothing, and a skincare brand you always used.
Your mother and father opened their gifts from you, your father's a nice watch, and your mother's a necklace that had your brother's and your birthstone's embedded into it. She instantly had your father put it around her neck and she insisted she would wear the necklace to her grave.
Then it came to Levi's, whose eyes widened at the fact you had gotten him anything at all. You leaned your shoulder to his own and his gaze met yours, hands hesitantly reaching for the wrapped boxes your father handed to him.
He opened them with surprise. You had dug through the kitchen cabinets in his absence to find his favorite teas and maybe those that were of a higher price point to get him more, a nice watch as well, and nice stationary for him too as you mentioned to your parents he attended the same university.
His eyes met your own, still wide, then your parents, smiles across their faces.
"You didn't have to do all this for me." was all he could mutter out. You shook your head.
"Of course we did! Quit being humble honey! Besides, there's more where that came from for tomorrow." your mom said, walking over to embrace him once more, then your father, and finally you. Your little brother wanted in on the action, jumping over the two of you, wrapping an arm around your neck and the other around Levi's, a group hug commencing. He had already become part of the family, much like he had adopted you into his friend group.
----
The next morning, Levi's birthday, you awoke especially early, trying not to stir him from sleep as you exited your room to help your mother decorate the house for Levi's birthday. Before exiting the door, with a soft smile, you whispered a quiet happy birthday, leaving and closing the door quietly.
You had a lot of work to do, your mother already started a pot of coffee, a cup sitting on the counter for you already. You worked quietly to adorn the house in birthday decor, your mother had made a cake already and it cooled outside so you could decorate it.
You blew up balloons, careful to not let them pop. Your brother eventually awoke, helping you blow up the balloons as your mother taped the tops to the ceiling and you worked to wrap and curl ribbon around the bottoms.
Your father then awoke, grabbing the hidden gifts and placing them on your living room table. You made a cup of the tea you had gotten Levi as you were sure he would wake up soon. You changed into your chosen outfit of the day and got ready in your mother and father's room.
Levi appeared five minutes after, and you handed him the tea you had made.
"Surprise!" you shouted. He was taken aback once more, eyeing the littering of birthday decor that now sat covering the Christmas decor.
"You're insane. You really didn't have to do all of this." he said, eyes following along the decor you meticulously placed around for the better part of the morning. You received a side hug from him and something about the whole situation just felt homey and domestic. You wanted to lock it up and keep it forever.
You all worked together to prepare breakfast, your father playing a Christmas parade on the TV that your brother watched intently, already slowly eating on the first pancake that left the pan, his eyes glued to the television.
You all sat around the living room as you ate breakfast, your mother and father drilling Levi with questions about university and his graduate program. Oh no. It sounded like the boyfriend talk was upon you.
You eyed your mother mouthing a heavy 'NO' to her, smiling as your father continued rambling on. She nodded, nudging your father, who seemed to understand. You smiled, shaking your head, as they changed the subject from the impending talk.
You comfortably leaned against Levi, your father bringing the last gift to Levi out. You were most excited for this one. You had drilled Erwin fro information the night you went out together when Levi was away from your table. You sent quite a nice amount of money to your mother to have the jewelry shop expedite your order the previous morning, the main reason you had stopped by the strip mall.
"I hadn't planned on giving this to you till after Christmas, because I didn't know your plans, but here it is." you said, watching as he opened it. It was a ring, gold to match the watch your father had gotten him, with his birthstone set in the center, a script across the band you had gotten out of Erwin, a quote Levi had found in a book that he very much so enjoyed.
'Dedicate your heart." it read across the band
"How do you know about this?" Levi asked, sliding the ring onto his finger.
"Let's just say that I'm pretty amazing at grilling your friends for all of your information without you hearing about it." you responded. His eyes met yours and you smiled, your cheeks warming. You could blame it on the cider your mother made again, but you didn't think you would this time.
The look in his eyes matched that of the evening before Christmas Eve when you had gone out together, and you readied yourself to kiss him. You pulled him by the front of his sweater and captured his lips with your own.
Maybe the boyfriend talk wouldn’t be so bad if it was Levi you were with.
——
A/N: I definitely had a different vision for how this would go but I wrote it in two days in my free time and kind of hate it lol. Just straight cute fluff!! Please let me know what you think!
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the-fiction-witch · 1 month
Text
Red and Blue
Media The Queens Gambit
Character Benny Watts
Couple Benny X Reader
Rating DARK
Warnings - drugs / drug abuse / mentions of SA / adult themes / medical emergencies
Tumblr media
I yawned as I slipped my shoes on and ran a hand through my hair trying to keep my head on straight after only one coffee. I pulled open my door with force as it had gotten stuck again and began to slowly trudge up the muggy stairs, as soon as I got to street level I noticed a car parked behind mine loaded with items I hadn't seen the car before but I didn't think too much about it and just got my mail. Once I got all my mail I headed back down but I noticed the door on the first level was open, I know that apartment's been empty for months so out of curiosity I peeked inside. 
The apartment was much like my own a pretty bare-bones place, slightly nicer than mine given it was not as far down and damp, some boxes littered the place mostly with clothes spilling out, and I saw a girl.
Ooohh... Hello, 
She stood sorting things and unpacking into the apartment, she had this insane pair of platform heels on, tights, some little blue shorts, a white... I think I can call that a top, it's a small top or it's a large bra not confident which I would class it as, with a sheer black top over it, she hadY/H/C hair hung loose and sweet Y/E/C eyes, she was small, really small actually, but that body... holy hell I'd do anything to get my hands on a body like that. 
She spots me looking through her door and jumps a little, 
"Can I help you?" she asked, 
"Uhhh Hello,"
"Hello? Who are you?"
"Ohh uhh Benny Watts, I live downstairs." 
"Oohh." she nodded, "Hi," she offered her hand, "Y/n,"
"Nice to meet you," I smiled giving her hand a shake, "You uhh you just moved in?"
"Yeah today," She nodded, "How long have you been here?"
"A good few years now, it's a nice place I hope you like it. But just be careful when it rains you find the place gets very damp after."
"Thanks," she chuckled, "Luckily I won't be here all that much I'll most be at work, So you won't get any trouble out of me,"
"Yeah I'm away a lot so you likely won't get a lot of trouble out of me either," I laughed, "What do you do if you don't mind me asking?"
"Ohh I work nights," She said, "Uhhh down at glitter bomb," 
"Hu... cool" I nodded,
I could have sworn I'd heard of that place before, it rang a bell but I don't think I've ever really paid much attention,
"Anyway, I uhh... I'm just downstairs if you need anything so, I'll let you get back to unpacking," 
"Thanks, see you around Benny,"
"Yeah see you around Y/n," 
I headed down to my apartment and threw my mail on the side before sitting down at my table and letting out a sigh, 
"Hu... Hot neighbour, Cool," I nodded, before I glanced down at myself, "Oooh yeah... I went up in my kimono and jeans... Cool." 
I Forced myself out of bed trying to get back on a regular sleep schedule after being so jet-lagged from Paris, I headed across the apartment and made myself a coffee. I leaned against the counter as I sipped the sweet coffee and I perked up a little as I heard a noise upstairs, I heard the stiff door to Y/n's apartment opening and the clobber of heels on the floor above me, Hu... I hadn't heard her all night, and actually last I heard her was just before I went to bed I heard her heading out, Well she did say she worked nights which would explain why I don't see her much. But after a while, I heard footsteps coming down and a knock on my door, 
I perked up set my coffee down and headed to the door opening it with a shove,
"Ohh Hi Y/n," I smiled at her as she stood outside my apartment with a large black coat,
"Hey, I hate to be a bother..."
"no no, it's okay what's up?" 
"I just finished a double shift, and my hot water is broken. I just need to clean up I'll be like ten minutes do you mind if I use your shower?" 
"Ohh yeah sure no problem come right in," I told her letting her in and shutting the door behind her,
"Thanks I've called the landlord like six times about the water. I normally shower at work but it was so busy,"
"Yeah, the landlord is a cunt. Don't worry about it. Showers just there,"
"Thanks," she said, 
"You know, you'll never get anything out of the landlord, If you want I can pop up one afternoon when you're at work and have a tinker with your water heater see what I can do?"  
"Thanks but it's okay I'll call a guy next week when I get paid," she said as she slipped off her jacket and revealed her little white dress covered in glitter and shimmer, and her little boots which she then began unlacing, 
"If you're sure, but he'll wanna come while you're there, and you work nights? so do you really want some guy banging around your water heater while you're trying to get some rest before work?" 
"It's fine I sleep like death," she said kicking off her boots,
"Alright, I uhh I'll go sit in my bedroom-"
"It's fine. I don't care."
"You sure?" I chuckled,
"I really do not care," she laughed slipping off her dress and revealing her naked body covered in glitter and body shimmer, my eyes went wide as I tried to take in every single inch of her, as she pulled her hair out of pigtails, 
"Uhhhhhhh... right... okay..." I gulped, as I looked her over. 
She climbed into the shower and turned it on pulling the curtain across as she began to wash, I did my best to not look but FUCK she was hot. God damn, I would sell my fucking car for that ass! I did notice how small she was, I could see her ribs, and she looked weak but beautiful. I felt very strange about it. I wanted to touch her, to throw her on my bed and make love to her, but I also wanted to take her to a doctor and get her a pizza. I mean... If she walked in with a pizza and said we could eat it and then have sex... I'd probably marry her. I'd marry any girl who did that. I sat at my table and did my best to bury myself in my chess board and my coffee trying my best not to stare even if I REALLY wanted to. 
"So uhh how was work?" I asked trying to break the tension,"
"Fine, I worked a double shift so my feet are killing me,"
"Maybe you need some new shoes? maybe get yourself something a little lower?"
"I have to wear six inches or higher," 
"Ahh... for work?"
"Yeah,"
"Ohh... What uhh what do you do exactly?"
"I work at glitter bomb,"
"Yeah, uhh that a clothing store? A resturant?"
"It's a club," she said turning off the shower,
"A club? Ohh you a waitress then?"
She opened the curtain revealing her clean naked body dripping with water, "A dancer." she said, "Could you grab me a towel?"
"oh... Uhhh yeah..." I nodded getting up from my seat fetching her a black towel and handing it over, "Soo uhh you dance? At glitter bomb... in six-inch heels... all night?"
"Yeah," she nodded drying herself off, 
"... This uhhh this club, you uhh you mind I come to see you perform sometime?"
"Awww, no not at all Benny," She nodded, "I'm working again tonight if you want,"
"you are?! You just did a double shift,"
"Yeah I'll be fine," she shrugs getting herself a small dress from her bag which she changed into once she dried off, "Thanks for letting me borrow your shower, Benny,"
"Don't worry about it Y/n, if you want as your heating is down too you can sleep down here?"
"You don't mind?"
"No, no not at all, you can sleep in my living room," I told her,
"Thanks that would be really nice," 
I nodded and fetched the airbed from my bedroom and got it set up on the living room floor for her, "Here you go, and if you need another blanket let me know,"
"I will do," she nodded, "Thank you, Benny," she smiled giving my cheek a kiss which made me blush a little but I stopped short as she sat on the air bed and put two bottles on the table one red bottle and one blue, both filled with little pills, 
"...What are those?" I asked, 
"My pills."
"Pills?"
"Yeah, I take them every day."
"For what?" 
"Well, I take them from the red bottle for energy, they keep me awake, help me dance, make sure I can... function,"
"And the blue bottle?" 
"They help me sleep, calm me down, basically counteract the red ones."
"Uhh... okay... What are they?"
"Just medication." She shrugs, "Why?"
"Just curious," I told her,
she nodded and opened the blue bottle, she took two of the little pills from the bottle and forced them down without even a drink. Once she swallowed them and put the lid back on the bottle, she sighed and laid herself down on the airbed. "Goodnight Benny,"
"Night Y/n," I nodded,
I got back to my board and got on with some work for a while she tossed and turned until I looked up again and noticed she was dead asleep, she lay in the bed the blanket hardly over her as she breaths shallowly and her body still, as if she had fallen into a dead sleep, I picked myself up and walked over she didn't stir or even notice. I pulled the covers up her and again nothing as if I had never even noticed, I put my hand on her neck and for a few seconds her heart seemed strange but not enough to call an ambulance over, so I sat in my chair and kept an eye on her for a good few hours. I couldn't take it any and I grabbed the little blue bottle but the label had no information, no ingredients, no name, she didn't get these from a doctor that much was obvious. So I set the pills back and sat keeping an eye on her. 
I parked up my car and climbed out with a sigh, As I did I saw Y/n all but bouncing down the street in her little plaid skirt and a tie-up shirt, herY/H/C hair in a ponytail, barefoot, and clearly... on fucking mars.
"Uhhh Hi Y/n,"
"Benjamin!" She giggled running over and jumping on me,
"Whoa! Hello... how uhh how are you doing?"
"Tree-men-dous..." she giggled, "tree... men... Benny..."
"Yes?"
"Are you a tree man?"
"A... A tree man?"
"Yes... so tall," She said patting my head, "And so fluffy," She giggled stroking my upper lip,
"Okay... are you alright Y/n?"
"I was meant to work today,"
"why aren't you at work?"
"Work... be clothed...."
"clo- closed? why is work closed?" 
"Mices..."
"Mice? Ra- Rats! Your work is closed today for rats!"
"Big mices..."
"Okay, so why are you in the street?"
"I already took my work pills..."
"...Ahh... okay..." I nodded, "Come on Y/n, I'll get you to bed." I told her putting my arm around her and taking her down to her apartment, I took her inside and laid her in her bed, "You get some rest I'll make you some coffee." I told her before really looking around her apartment, she had no food, no coffee or tea, everything was clean and tidy but her shower which was covered in glitter, her bed was half broken and the sheets hadn't been changed in months, the bed stained without its sheet, she had clearly lost her bladder while in it more then once, she had stacks of her tips and pay on the coffee table, the place was so strange but it was obvious why, she takes her pill goes to work high as a space station and works in this state of altered reality ecstasy, then comes home takes her pills and falls as low as a mine shaft lays in her bed and sleeps until it all starts over. She doesn't cook. she doesn't clean. she doesn't entertain or have friends over. She works herself stupid, comes home and lays herself on her bed too out of it to even make it to the bathroom. I changed her bed for her and made the apartment as clean as I could getting her some groceries and such. All with her bouncing around like a child, before I sat her down and tried to help.
"Y/n?"
"Ummmmmm?"
"Are you okay?"
"Spectacular..."
"Because of your pills?"
"Mhm," she nodded lying around her sofa happily,
"Where do you get these pills, Y/n?"
"Dylan."
"Dylan? Your manager?"
"Dylan says I dance best with my pills,"
"...Y/n how long are your shifts?"
"I work from four to nine," she giggled,
"Four to nine? That's sixteen hours? How are you even able- You're able to dance and work sixteen-hour shifts becuase of these aren't you? If you don't take them you can't stay on your feet?"
"No... I will fall down..."
"Yeah from fucking exhaustion, how many days a week do you work?"
"...All,"
"All? Do you work sixteen-hour days, seven days a week? Y/n that's illegal! let alone unethical! Are all the girls on these?"
"We like to share..."
"Okay..." I sighed, "What about the blue pills? they put you to sleep?"
"Coutnerating"
"Co- Counteracting? So they bring you back down. Can... can you even sleep without them?"
"Nope. Only blue sleeps."
"Y/n... do you... like taking these? They make you manic, make you work your ass off, you don't eat, hardly even able to sleep, you don't have a life outside of this... do you like it?"
".... No... but it's work," 
"Do you want to stop?"
"... I don't know,"
"Would you want me to try and help you to stop?"
"I... I don't know-"
"Well, what do you want Y/n, anything in the world what do you want?" 
"... peace." she said, "for a while,"
"What does peace look like?"
"the sunset... birds in the sky... ocean as it kisses the sand... the warm gentle wind..."
I smiled a moment and took her hand, "I travel a lot, you know that have you travelled much?" I chuckled, 
"I've never left New York..."
"Well... I know that the best most beautiful beach I have ever seen in the world is this little place in Hawaii called Hanauma Bay, there is this beach and it is beautiful the sea is clear, the sky stretches for miles with hardly a cloud, the sand is that sweet golden colour that feels like your walking over pillows," I explained, 
"It sounds like heaven," 
"It's close. You know... I could take you someday? just you and me. Would you like that?" I asked and she nodded, "Okay, How about we make a little deal? You can stop taking these, and I'll help you, and once you feel like you don't need them anymore, I'll take you there. I promise." 
"You mean it?"
"I mean it. I swear it."
"Okay," she nodded, 
I woke to a loud banging on my door I got up and rubbed my eyes slipping my kimono on and forcing open the door where I saw Y/n in her nightie shivering and crying,
"Whoa whoa! Are you okay!"
"I... I can't remember how to sleep..." she shivered,
"It's okay, come on" I let her in and hugged her,
"I need my-"
"No, no I know it's scary. But you promised you'd keep your blue pills down here with me just for this weekend." 
"Please... please Benny I can't sleep,"
"How about just for an hour, you come lay in my bed. if you still can't sleep... you can have one pill. if not you just get some rest and I'll carry you back to your bed okay?
"...okay"
"good girl, come on," I cooed taking her to bed with me, I tucked her in, gave her the best pillow and laid down with her I stroked her hair softly and let her cuddle me as much as she wanted, "You still up from work?"
"Mhm,"
"How many did Dylan make you take tonight?"
"Four..."
"Okay..." I sighed, "Did he come back with you tonight?"
She nodded,
"Okay..." I sighed trying not to groan at the thought, Dylan did this a lot he'd come home with her when she was too off it to say no, 
"You don't mind me staying?"
"Not at all," I cooed, "You're safe here with me. I promise," 
"Benny?"
"yes, Y/n?"
"Could I kiss you?"
"... you don't have to do that-"
"I want to,"
"only if you're sure it's what you want."
"I'm sure,"
"Okay," I nodded 
I didn't move I let her come to me, and she moved close giving my lips a soft kiss, I kissed her back softly and gently, but she tried for more but I moved back,
"No."
"But-"
"Y/n No."
"...don't you want to?"
"I want to..." I gasped, "But not when you're like this." I whispered, "When you feel yourself again, then we will. But not until."
"Okay..." she nodded cuddling up to me and soon enough she began to drift away, "Thank you, Benny,"
"You're welcome Y/n," 
I headed through the city, I promised Y/n I'd pick her up and take her for breakfast, I found Glitter bomb and headed inside. I didn't need to pay the cover as the door guy knew me fairly well now, I headed inside the dark and smoky room, the floor covered in glitter. Men who had been here all night looming like dogs at the bottom of stages, The girls covered head to toe in body shimmer, with chunkier glitter across their breasts as was the gimmick here. I headed to the corner stage popular as always, with the silver pole in the centre. 
Y/n danced there, I admit she looked beautiful as always, Her hair pinned up in a bun with shimmer and iridescent glitter glued in, her pale skin coated with silver body shimmer giving her almost a robotic look as her skin shined and shimmered. Her breasts were covered in iridescent glitter glued to her breasts like pasties, and a pair of white glittery panties all that concealed her, in eight-inch iridescent platform heels, she danced and took her tips quickly. I went over and waved at her, and she smiled and continued her dance part of me was struggling to see if she really saw me, she was out of it as she often was at work, she always took her red pills before work to 'help her have the energy to dance' even if they often meant she was off planet. But her boss Dylan insisted on it, half the time I thought he hated me, and just wanted to undermine me, as I'd get her to slow down for a few days and then he'd take her in for a double shift and pump her full of god knows what. 
Once she finished her dance she went backstage so I went to the stage door luckily he let me in too, so I headed back and found her at her vanity, 
"Benny!" she giggled,
"Hi Y/n," I smiled kissing her head, "Are you ready my little dancer, for a waffle?"
"waffles!" she giggled, 
"come on get changed and we'll get going,"
"Can we have French toast too?"
"If your quick yes."
"whoa- whoa- what's all this then?" Dylan laughed as he came back, "Where are you off to in such a hurry?"
"We're going for waffles!" Y/n giggled,
"Aww honey you have a shift remember," he told her,
"Uhh no she doesn't." I snapped,
"Yeah, she does. she just got here."
"she's been here since four yesterday I know. I brought her."
"no, no she just got here. sit on down and do your make-up so you can get out on time,"
"But... but Benny you said it was time for waffles?" she asked,
"It is time for waffles, I'm taking you for breakfast just as I promised." I told her, "He's trying to make you work a double without telling you. Or paying you."
"Dylan!" she complained,
"How about you back the hell off Benny,"
"How about you leave her the fuck alone." 
"she's my employee,"
"she's my girlfriend."
"Fine. She can go." he sighed, "but you're not having waffles. you need to stay skinny."
"She can have one waffle." 
"No, she can't."
"Yes. she can."
"She puts on a single pound she hasn't got a job here."
"Fine." I glared, "She doesn't need your job. come on Y/n," I told her, 
I sighed as I cradled Y/n in my arms she had gotten the jitters again so I held her tightly to stop her from hurting herself as she shook and trembled, I could feel her crying into my shirt so I kissed her head and did my best to make her feel safe, warm and comfortable. But she was struggling so badly with violent mood swings since she stopped taking the pills completely, I was proud of her, but also very scared for her. She was getting somewhat better, she was going full days without her pills, and she was gaining weight again, but she was having these horrible episodes of panic and violent swings,
"shhh shhh shh... it's okay... it okay Y/n,"
"Benny I'm scared...."
"I know It's okay, I'm going to keep you safe,"
"I love you..."
"I love you too," I told her giving her a sweet kiss, 
I sighed as I sat reading my book when Y/n kissed me and got up heading towards the bedroom. 
"where are you going?"
"To bed," she said sheepishly,
"Alright, have a nice sleep sweetheart,"
"I will," she smiled, and as she headed into the bedroom I heard the clatter of the pill bottle,
"Y/n."
"Yes, Benny?"
"You said you were going to try and sleep without them tonight?"
"Can I just try one more night?"
"you promised," 
"Please!"
"No. You promised not tonight."
"Benny!"
"Y/n No, you are doing so good please just one more night if you can't handle it tomorrow you can have one."
"That's not fair Benny!"
"It's very fair,"
"No! I need them!"
"You don't need them," I told her, "You've slept so well this last week, without your pills,"
"Benny please! I need them,"
"No. You are not having them tonight." 
"Yes, I am!"
"No your not!"
"Benny Let me have my pill!"
"no! You don't need them you not having them!"
"What if I go. then you can't stop me!"
"-what..."
"You can't stop me if I leave!"
"Y/n-"
"I'm going! and you can't stop me!"
"Y/n no..." I began, "You can't just leave,"
"I am going!" she demanded packing a bag,
"No, no Okay! Okay, you can have one pill."
"No!"
"What!"
"No. I am going. Then I can do whatever I want." she said putting her pill bottles in her bag and heading to the door,
"Y/n please," I began chasing after her, "Please just come back you can take them I promise!"
She huffed and rushed up to her own apartment even though she hadn't been in it in months, 
"Y/n!" I yelled but she slammed the door, "Y/n! please..." 
I hadn't seen Y/n in weeks, I was so worried about her, I had tried to call her, tried to see her, even tried going to her old job but I never got to see her. I headed down the street tempted to get myself some pizza for dinner, I cut through an alley and I saw a box and someone shivering inside,  I glanced at them and felt bad, but I froze up as I saw herY/H/C hair. 
"N-Y/n!" I moved to see her,
"B- benny..." she shivered, as she sat protected with a box and blanket around her, 
"Ohh my god- What happened?"
"I- I-"
"It's okay, it's okay. Come on I'll take you home with me,"
"No, I have a shift,"
"A shift? Oh my- You went back to working at glitter bomb!"
She nodded, "Dylan gave me my job back..."
"so you're still taking the pills?"
she nodded, 
"You're still dancing?"
"I am,"
"I thought you wanted something better than this?"
"This is what I'm worth."
"No, you're are worth far far more than this Y/n, You're smart and beautiful, and you deserve so much more than this," I told her, "Come on you can come back and sleep in my bed, I'll run you a hot bath, we can get as much pizza and waffles as you want, just come back. And I swear to you I will keep you safe, give you a life better than this, and we can take that trip? like we always promised?"
"I have a shift... I'm sorry Benny," she said gathering her stuff and heading down the street towards the club, but I was not letting her walk away again, I followed her, all the way to Glitterbomb. 
The bouncer refused to let me in like he used to so I had to pay double cover for him to let me in. 
I tried to go backstage but they wouldn't let me, so I had to wait I sat by her usual stage and I could see Dylan talking to her backstage belittling her, I wanted to run back there and deck him. He forced her to take more red pills and forced her out as the music began. I tried to talk to her, tried to reason with her but she wasn't even in this universe. She must have been taking them while on the street, I can imagine why I imagine it's the only way she'd even sleep out there and now after he shoved her full of even more she was a new level of out of it. I'd never seen her so bad, I tried to reason with her but she didn't even know it was me. 
I couldn't leave her, not like this. 
suddenly as she did a spin she fell to the floor, her body began to contort and tremble worse than I had ever seen,
"Y/n!" I bolted to her side, Dylan came over but I pushed him away, "She needs an ambulance! someone call an ambulance now!" I demanded as I felt her heart jumping and bucking before she suddenly stopped. "No... no no no no..." I muttered I quickly did my best to restart her heart I know I was hurting her but I couldn't stop I felt her heart start again and I cried I was so happy she was okay, moments after the ambulance arrived and whisked her away. I got the name of the hospital from them and bolted home getting in my car and driving to the hospital.
I sat in the waiting room for hours watching people come and go, but no news. I was close to giving up but I just wanted to see she was alive. A nurse came over and I perked up having been sleeping on my jacket.
"Benny watts?"
"Yes!"
"You came in looking for Y/n correct?"
"Yes. yes, that's right is she okay!"
"she's just woken up now."
"...Ohh thank god,"
"she has said you can see her if you'd like?"
I nodded and followed the nurse through to a small room where Y/n sat, they cleaned her up but she looked terrible, barely alive, cables and tubes coming from her, she was so small I could see every bone, her hair thin and falling, 
"Y/n... ohhh sweetheart, what have you done to yourself," I muttered crying as I sat beside her and took her hand, 
"Benny..."
"It's me. It's me I'm right here."
"I'm sorry-"
"You have nothing to be sorry about. you hear me."
"Benny... I don't want a life like this..."
"I promise you if it's what you want. I will throw those pills down the toilet and I will be here and hold your hand every step until you are better. I will give you a proper life, no more dancing, no more pills, no more Dylan, no more street corners, Just you and me. I will keep you safe, and I'll do everything we always promised becuase I love you. But you have to promise to try. to promise to work with me. if you want this life with me I will stop at nothing to give you it,"
"I do..."
"That's my girl," I cooed kissing her forehead, "I won't leave your side, not for a moment my love." I cooed kissing her hand, 
"I love you, Benny..."
"I love you too" I cooed, kissing her lips,
"You'll really help after everything-"
"Of course I will,"
"Will you still take me to that beach you promised?"
"I promise I will, as soon as you're better."
I yawned a little as I was pretty tired, watching the view. The sweet sunset across the sky, the infinite stretching sea, the soft sand below me, my hat on my head to keep out the sun as my elbows kept me up to watch the waves and sky, the heat warm and cosy, everything so happy and content.
I felt Y/n sit down with me and I looked at her with a wide smile, seeing her with her toes in the sand, her little blue bikini, her body nice and smooth so much so I felt a desire to tickle her tummy, herY/H/C hair up in a bun, her sunglasses still on her face. 
"Hi," she giggled,
"Hi," I smiled kissing her, "What have you got there?"
"waffles with strawberries and ice cream," 
"Ooohh May I?"
She smiled and offered me a fork full,
"Ummm that's good," I smiled, "a lot of strawberry syrup though sweetheart," 
"I like it,"
"I'm glad you like it," I smiled pulling her so she could rest on my shoulder, "Worth it?"
"All worth it," she smiled kissing my cheek,
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quordleona03 · 7 months
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Snippet meme
@allcanonisrelative and @impishtubist posted a lovely pair of snippets as an AU to Yes Sir, That's Our Baby, which is of course Hawkeye/BJ babyfic. So I thought I'd share my AU Hawkeye/Mulcahy babyfic. Except, I'm me, so she's not exactly a baby.
This is an AU where Hawkeye was an army doctor drafted in the Vietnam war and Francis was an army chaplain, so they're about twenty years younger than they are in the mainverse.
Hawkeye put the phone down. He looked around the office and the boxes he had barely started to unpack, and closed his eyes, just briefly. Then he punched in their home number.
"Who is it?" Francis said. He sounded pre-occupied and exasperated.
"I have wonderful news," Hawkeye said.
"You're coming home early," Francis said.
"No. I mean, yes," Hawkeye said. "I probably am, but I've still got to talk to at least three people here before I can leave and you'll want me to go to the mall before I get home."
"Why?" Francis said, and then, a moment before Hawkeye said, he got it, from the complicated little noise he made down the phone.
"I'm pregnant," Hawkeye said.
He let himself grin then, as Francis made those noises of surprise, worry, astonishment, panic, and - despite everything - delight.
"You can't be," Francis said. "What - who - ? Why?"
"Caseworker called," Hawkeye said. "Mrs Connolly. Fifteen, troubled, mom died, dad's not in the picture, she's getting into fights at school - "
"She? We're having a girl?"
"Yes," Hawkeye said.
"You need to go to the mall before you come home, we have nothing in the house for a girl - "
"She'll be arriving with a couple of suitcases, caseworker said. Mom died about a month ago. All their things aside from the two cases are in store in Los Angeles. We're getting her because they decided she had to be moved out of the area, into a completely different school district, and they asked around and one of the people they asked was Peg Hunnicutt - "
"Oh," Francis said.
"Yeah, and Peg said, if you want her to have a new start in a good foster home, I know these two guys - "
"Ah," Francis said. In New York City, they had fostered troubled teens over twenty years, mostly boys, though there had been some brother-sister placements. "How long for?"
Hawkeye shrugged. "Depends if dad shows up. If not, and if the placement works out, I guess til she's eighteen. Caseworker said she knew our paperwork wasn't up-to-date for California - " They had only moved here three days ago, and they hadn't been intending to start fostering again " - but she'd rush it and we'd be registered from yesterday by next Monday."
"When is she arriving?" Francis asked.
"Our stork is due - " Hawkeye checked his watch " - in three hours and twenty minutes."
"Oh, Hawkeye - " Francis sounded really exasperated. "Be home in two hours, all right? I'll get her bedroom set up, even if nothing else is ready. Get the basics from the mall, we'll go shopping with her tomorrow."
"Tomorrow is the first day of term, that's why they're rushing it."
"We'll go shopping with her tomorrow after school," Francis said. "Did the caseworker - Mrs Connolly - mention any allergies, any diet issues?"
"Nope."
"Pizza, probably," Francis said. "What's her name?"
"Buffy Summers."
"Buffy?"
"We're in California now."
"Can you - "
"I know what to get," Hawkeye said. "I'll be home in two hours. I love you."
"I love you," Francis said, but he still sounded exasperated. They hung up on each other, and Hawkeye got up to speak to the first of three people he had decided he could not skip speaking to on his first day.
He made three stops at the mall, and was home with an hour to spare. "Or more, if the traffic is bad driving from Los Angeles," Hawkeye noted, kissing Francis.
Their front room had been set up with a sofa and a couple of armchairs, facing their television: some of their books had been unpacked, and boxes stood below part-filled shelves. Their spare room - the girl's room, now - was perfectly in order: bed neatly made with clean plain sheets and pillows and a duvet: chest of drawers by the wall: a clock and a bedside light on the bedside cabinet. Francis had even hung curtains in the windows. Hawkeye handed Francis the bag of things he'd got at CVS, and let Francis deal with that: he hung one set of bath towel, hand towel, and face cloth, and put the other two sets away in the chest of drawers.
"You need to shower and change," Hawkeye said. "You smell like you've been wrestling furniture all day."
Francis glanced at his watch.
"Relax. You have at least half an hour."
"Did you get - " Francis said, sounding pre-occupied.
" - yes, and I can follow a boxed recipe."
Francis stopped, and looked at Hawkeye. "Yes, I know you can," he said, and smiled at Hawkeye. "Thank you."
"I'm so excited I could plotz," Hawkeye said, cheerfully. "But instead, I'm just going to go downstairs and bake brownies." He kissed Francis, and Francis reached up and caught the back of his head and pulled him down and kissed him, and they used up at least five minutes they could not really spare, but Francis was quick in the shower when he wanted to be, and Hawkeye had bought the simplest generic cake mix he could find. The brownies were cooling on a rack, filling the house with a comfortable, homey aroma, and Francis was downstairs, fully-dressed, and filling the coffee maker, when the doorbell rang.
The next half hour was what it always was. The caseworker, Mrs Conolly, had forms to be filled in and signed: she accepted a cup of coffee and a brownie, and so did the girl - Mrs Conolly wouldn't let her leave her sight until both Francis and Hawkeye had filled in the required forms and signed them and provided their ID - and then, she collected the paperwork, and shook hands with each of them, and told the girl she would be back to see her in a few days or you have my number, call me, and left. Hawkeye had gone to show her out: when he came back, Francis and the girl were still sitting either side of the table, each with a cup of coffee in front of them. Neither had drunk very much, and the girl had barely nibbled on the brownie.
"Look," said the girl, "I know the score."
"Is that so?" Hawkeye said.
She had a clear, distinct voice, and sounded very sure of herself. "I can take care of myself. You guys just need to show me where the school is, and I'll be out of your hair most of the day. Anyway, this is just temporary, right?"
"Well," Francis said. "We're very happy to have you here, Miss Summers, however long you stay." He smiled. I'm Francis Mulcahy - you can call me Mr Mulcahy or Francis, whichever you prefer."
"And I'm Doctor Pierce, or Hawkeye."
"Hawkeye?" The girl sounded startled. "Like the - " She made gestures which Hawkeye, who was used to this reaction, understood to be miming a bow-and-arrow. " - from the comics?"
"No," Hawkeye said. "Same spelling, different hero. I'm a doctor - I work at a clinic the other side of the mall from here."
"Can I show you round the house, Miss Summers?" Francis said.
"Buffy," the girl said. She got up. She was eyeing both of them, not exactly warily, but as if she was suddenly less sure of herself. "You guys are gay, right?"
"I'm gay, Francis is delightful," Hawkeye said, solemnly.
She gave him a puzzled look, and Hawkeye smiled at her.
"We've only just moved in ourselves, Buffy," Francis said. "Let me give you the full tour. Hawkeye, could you find those take-out menus?"
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jabbage · 4 months
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trashyocstash · 1 year
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the second chapter of the aran/cadhla fic
Now that Cadhla had landed her job with the WVBA, it was time for her to leave for Dublin. She was thankful at least that the drive was only three and a half hours long, so, she figured, it wouldn't be that bad. But first, she needed to say her goodbyes.
Her parents were both a bit teary eyed.
"Make sure to call us everyday!" Her mother exclaimed.
"Please take care of yourself too." Her father added.
Cadhla smiled at them. "I promise."
She hugged them both, said her goodbyes, and then headed into her car. 
As she placed her hands on the steering wheel, Cadhla thought about how she had never been on her own like this before, away from her home and family. It was kind of scary…but also exciting.
Cadhla took a deep breath, started the car, turned on the GPS, then drove off.
---------------
Eventually, she arrived in Dublin, and continued using the GPS to make her way to her apartment. She didn't know her way around after all, so essentially relied on the GPS to tell her where to go exactly.
As she drove around, Cadhla found herself feeling intimidated by the city. It was huge, and there were…a lot of people. She felt a bit nervous too, but did her best to pull through. After all, she was given the opportunity to work with a huge organization, she couldn't let it go to waste.
Cadhla soon arrived at her apartment,  carrying her stuff inside with her in boxes. She set them down and looked around her apartment, taking it all in. 
The apartment was rather plain, with white walls, light brown hardwood flooring and some pretty basic looking furniture, nothing that really stood out in any way, with the colours being generic. There was no hint of personality anywhere. Still, Cadhla didn't mind, she figured she could really have some fun redecorating the place. Plus, she'd never lived alone before, and thought that it would be nice, if a little scary, but she could deal with that.
She texted her parents to let them know she arrived. As she predicted, they were both ecstatic for her, and also kept asking her questions, such as how her apartment was and if she was alright. While Cadhla felt a slight annoyance at all the questions, truthfully, she was happy that her parents cared as much as they did.
Once she told her parents everything was fine and there was no need for more questions, she began to unpack her things.
The apartment could use a new paint job later, but for now, she took to properly decorating the place with all her stuff. For some background noise, she'd also turned on the TV and saw one of the WVBA's boxing matches, between boxers named Don Flamenco and Bald Bull. Despite her lack of interest in sports, the match was making her feel even more excited to work with the WVBA, a fight between a matador and a guy with a bull themeing was pretty perfect after all. It was overall a pretty entertaining fight.
When she finished unpacking, Cadhla felt tired. It was a long day, she had work tomorrow and needed rest. So, she slipped on her nightgown, went to her new bed and fell asleep. As she drifted off to sleep, her mind was filled with thoughts of her new job..and boxing..
-----------------
The next day, Cadhla made her way to work. The WVBA had a building in Dublin, and that's where she was headed to.
Once she arrived, she saw an official, who walked up to her and greeted her.
"Cadhla Devlin is it?"
She nodded. "Yes..that's me.."
"Good, our main boxer, Aran Ryan, has some matches coming up. You'll be making posters for them, to be hung around the city and uploaded on our official website." The official replied.
Cadhla nodded, feeling a bit nervous. "I'll..do my best.."
Then, Aran Ryan himself walked inside the building. The official saw him and smiled, a little nervously. "Ah, here's Aran now!"
She turned to look at him and her eyes widened. Aran was tall and muscular, with long red hair pulled back into a ponytail, a chiselled jaw, stubble and cheekbones. He was wearing a skin tight tank top, boxing shorts and boxing shoes. Her face reddened as she stared at him, unable to stop thinking about how handsome he looked, albeit unconventionally handsome, but still, she loved it. And this was the guy she was making stuff for? She figured she'd be too distracted by his face to finish anything.
Aran looked at Cadhla, amused by her blushing face. "And who are you?"
"Cadhla Devlin..I'm um..the new graphic designer here..they want me to make posters for your upcoming matches.." She replied shyly.
He smirked. "Ah, well I hope you'll do a good job..cutie.." Then he walked off.
Cadhla's face was even redder at that smirk and him calling her "cutie". Apparently he thought she was cute, well, she certainly appreciated it.
She looked at the official. "Well..I should be going now, where do the graphic designers work?"
"Ah yes, follow me."
He led her to a small room, with a few computers. "You'll work here." Then he left.
Cadhla looked at the room, she was expecting something bigger but shrugged it off and sat down to work.
As she predicted, she was getting distracted by Aran's face, especially when she noticed his striking blue eyes. But she simply couldn't help herself, she liked his uniquely handsome face and couldn't deny she enjoyed the sight of his muscles. Cadhla had never seen one of Aran's matches before, but now she wanted to, her mind wandering to what he'd look like topless, and the sight of his bare chest all sweaty and heaving..
"Focus..you have to focus..you can't lose your job.." She reminded herself.
Eventually she did manage to pull through, focusing long enough to finish the posters, even if it was rather difficult. She sighed in relief when she was done, and hoped that next time Aran wouldn't be so..distracting..
With her work finished, and having let the officials know, Cadhla found herself wandering around the building. She soon saw a door, one that she recalled Aran going into, and opened it slightly.
On the other side was a gym, fully painted green with some shamrock symbols around. Cadhla scanned it, when her eyes landed on Aran. He was lifting weights with ease, and the sight made her red again.
Aran felt he was being watched, and his eyes landed on Cadhla's. She saw him staring back at her, and in her embarrassment, quickly shut the door.
He knew she definitely had a crush on him, and he didn't mind. She was adorable, especially with those freckles on her face…and pretty too..
Aran shook off that thought and went back to working out.
---------------
Cadhla decided to leave, with her work finished, and her embarrassment that Aran had caught her staring after all. So, she got in her car and headed back to her apartment. 
When she arrived, Cadhla just wanted to relax, she still felt embarrassed about Aran catching her watching him, but hopefully things wouldn't be at least too awkward next time she saw him. She did feel legitimately interested in getting to know him, with her crush and all.
For now, she decided to just relax with some takeout and watch a movie. She ordered some pizza after finding a pizza place online, put a movie she wanted to watch on, and tried to distract herself from her anxieties. It wasn't just Aran, it was the fact she was in a new city, away from the life she'd always known. So she wasn't familiar with things here, but hoped that eventually she would get used to Dublin, and the city could truly feel like home.
Later on, Cadhla changed and headed to bed. As she drifted off to sleep, she couldn't stop thinking about Aran, putting a smile on her face as she pushed away her embarrassment and thought about his handsome face and muscular body.
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sluttywonwoo · 3 years
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high-rise || k.sy x reader
Summary: (ceo!au… ish) walking around your apartment naked has never been a problem, since you live in a high-rise and no one can see in, at least that’s what you thought…
Warnings: swearing, alcohol, smut (18+) additional warnings under the cut
Word Count: 9.1k
a/n: reworked this piece originally posted on my tom holland fic account ( @wazzupmrstark )
Masterlist
additional warnings: mutual masturbation, oral (f receiving), unprotected sex, spanking, choking, degradation, sir kink if you squint
Your scarf was the first thing to hit the floor, followed shortly by your blazer. You toed off your heels as you simultaneously fumbled with the zipper on the back of your skirt, cursing when the fabric snagged the metal teeth. You were sweating with effort by the time you started rolling off your tights, making the task at hand that much more difficult. You kept your button-down on and kicked the rest of the clothes to the side, making a mental note to add them to the laundry later.
One of the (admittedly many) perks of living in a New York City penthouse was the view. Your apartment was ninety percent windows, which were a bitch to clean, but the sights you were privy to made it all worth it.
Manhattan was beautiful at any time of day, but you especially enjoyed it in the evenings. By the time you got home from work the late afternoon sun had begun to set, and you got to watch the soft pinks and oranges of the sunset fade into dusk. Rainy days and snowy days were up there on the list too. You were so high up that your apartment sometimes found itself submerged in the middle of a cloud. You could watch the rain fall onto the city below, or try to make out the horizon through the fog.
Even though your apartment was practically a glass box, being so high up offered you the luxury of privacy, which was why you usually didn’t bother with clothes. The only reason you were still wearing your shirt now was to shake off the chill from outside, but it would soon join the pile by the door.
You turned on the gas fireplace in the living room before making your way to the kitchen to pour yourself a glass of the white wine you had opened earlier that week. It was a gift from a client, and not something you would have picked for yourself, but alcohol was alcohol and you wouldn’t dream of letting it go to waste.
You knew you should probably eat something before diving back into the paperwork you had brought home with you, but you were itching to get to it. You would never admit it, but your relationship with your job wasn’t the healthiest. All of your friends knew you were married to your work. Your colleagues and bosses knew it too. And deep down so did you. Maybe that’s why you hadn’t been on a date in... a while. It’s what you told yourself.
Even as you were perusing the options of takeout containers full of leftovers in your fridge you couldn’t stop thinking about the files waiting for you in your briefcase. You had to go over resumès and applications for an open position in your company to familiarize yourself with the candidates before you interviewed them in-person tomorrow.
Your fridge beeped at you, letting you know its door was still open as if you had walked away and forgotten to close it, unaware that you were still standing right in front of it.
“I know, I know,” you sighed and grabbed the styrofoam box of half-eaten sarme from your favorite Albanian restaurant down the street.
As the food warmed in the microwave, you gave in to the urge and retrieved your briefcase from by the door, discarding your shirt with your other clothes while you were over there.
You were just in your panties now, a thong if you were being specific. As much as you hated wearing them, they were the only underwear that wouldn’t show through your skirts and slacks.
You settled on the floor in front of the coffee table with your glass of wine and folder full of documents. The fire burned steadily as you flipped through them and made notes in the margins. Your cabbage rolls were lukewarm around the edges and cold in the middle, but still good nonetheless and you finished the rest. You had been hungrier than you thought.
“Mark Wescott... graduated from Georgetown University in 2013, nice! With a degree in... business admin... real fucking original,” you muttered to yourself, “but he’s got good references and decent experience... so... maybe?”
You uncapped the yellow highlighter in your hand with your teeth and ran it over his name and info at the top. You had a color-coded system for applicants. Pink for top priority, yellow for mid, and orange for low.
“None of these are impressive,” you decided after combing through all of the applications. You shook your head at the stack of papers and pushed them to the side. “Maybe they’ll be better in-person.”
You knew that wasn’t true, but it was getting late and you knew you should get at least a little bit of sleep before tomorrow. You had a lot riding on this hire, so you knew you needed to be coherent enough to sit through eight hours of interviews.
You brought your glass of wine to your lips and downed the last of it. “Here’s to hoping we’ll find the one.”
-
Soonyoung ran a hand through his hair and blew out a sigh. He was already overwhelmed just looking at the stacks of cardboard boxes in front of him, he couldn’t even think about unpacking them yet.
He needed to find the box with all of his suits, at the very least. He couldn’t roll up to his interview tomorrow in the gray sweats and t-shirt he was wearing now, not if he actually wanted the job.
Moving into his new place the day before an interview had been a good idea in theory. But as he grabbed the box cutter from the counter and started slicing open random boxes with no sense of direction Soonyoung was beginning to rethink his decision.
“Why didn’t I label any of these?” he muttered to himself, cursing at yet another box full of DVDs.
It didn’t help that everything was wrapped in newspaper and impossible to identify at first glance. He knew it helped protect things from breaking and shifting around during travel, but it was already making the task at hand twice as long. He had planned to route the walk from the subway station to the office that evening. He wanted to practice the commute and time it so that he wouldn’t be late in the morning, but as the sunlight began to dwindle from the room he knew he wouldn’t have time. He would just have to get up extra early tomorrow.
At least the new apartment was nice. His last job back in Seoul had set him up nicely to be able to afford a place in the heart of Manhattan. It was on the small side compared to what he was used to, but he didn’t need much space since it was just him living there.
Everything was up to date and all of the appliances were brand new. There was an in-unit washer and dryer tucked away in one of the closets, and the dining area had real exposed brick walls. Soonyoung didn’t know what those things meant, but his realtor had told him they were good.
The sun had set completely by the time Soonyoung finally found his suits. He’d had to plug in one of his table lamps and set it on the floor in the middle of searching just to be able to see what he was looking at.
He hung a few options up in his new closet, hoping some of the wrinkles would ease from the fabric overnight.
With that done, Soonyoung figured he might as well unpack some of the boxes he’d already opened. It wasn’t efficient work, seeing as he had neglected to label anything, but Soonyoung managed to put away some dishes, shoes, and miscellaneous sheets and towels before he finally checked the clock again and realized how late it was.
Most of the windows in the surrounding buildings had already gone dark for the night, except for those of the apartment directly across from his. It was in the only other high-rise that was as tall as his, making the illuminated unit at the top stick out even more.
It was then that Soonyoung realized he could see directly into the apartment. He smiled to himself, taking comfort in the fact that he wasn’t alone in being up at such a late hour. He wondered who his night-owl of a neighbor might be. His question was answered moments later when a shadow of movement caught his attention.
A woman who looked to be about his age emerged from a hallway carrying a stack of papers. He couldn’t make out the details of her face from where he was, but as she stepped into the light he could tell that she was naked.
Soonyoung immediately averted his gaze, snapping his head in the opposite direction so fast that he heard his neck crack. He gave it a second or two before looking back, assuming she was gone annnd nope. He squeezed his eyes shut a second time and turned his entire body away from the window. Now she was just... sitting in her living room? Completely naked? He wasn’t one to judge, but the knowledge alone was enough to make being a gentleman harder... amongst other things.
“Focus,” he told himself, resisting the urge to glance at the window. “Don’t be a creep.”
He attempted to resume his unpacking, only to find himself distracted every few minutes, sneaking glances at the window unconsciously. Every time he caught himself looking he was doused in a fresh wave of guilt. He knew it was wrong, but for whatever reason he couldn’t stop himself. The irony of being a peeping tom was not lost on him.
Soonyoung watched as the girl in the window stood from her spot on the floor and stretched, watched as her muscles tensed and relaxed when she raised her arms above her head. A mix of shame and arousal burned in his stomach as his eyes traced the outline of her curves.
All of the sudden it occurred to him that she could also probably see into his apartment. If she were to look over right now she’d see him standing like an idiot in the window practically gawking at her from fifty feet away. He panicked and lunged to turn off the lamp that was still sitting on the floor so that the whole room went dark.
That night as he lay in bed trying to fall asleep, Soonyoung thought about the stranger across the way. He wondered if there was a reason for her state of undress. If she had been waiting for someone, or if that someone had just left. Was that why she was up as late as he was? At least she was getting some. He wished he could say the same for himself.
“This is starting to get sad,” he mumbled and buried his face in his hands. ‘Starting to’ was being generous and he knew it.
He wished the morning would come, wished he was on his way to his job interview already, but every time he checked the time only a few minutes had gone by. He knew he wasn’t going to get much sleep anyway, at least if it was morning he’d be able to do something productive and get his mind off the girl in the window.
Soonyoung rolled over away from his bedroom window and pulled the blankets tighter around his shoulders. He could hear ambulance sirens and car horns from the street down below, the ambience of the traffic lulling the city to sleep.
-
Your morning started like any other. Your alarm went off at six-thirty and you snoozed it until seven, groaning when you finally dragged yourself out of bed. You turned on the shower and brewed a pot of coffee while you waited for the water to heat up.
You had been trying to get into tea recently, slowly working on cutting coffee out of your life completely and making the switch to the much healthier alternative. Tea had less caffeine and offered a whole range of health benefits that coffee didn’t. You’d read endless articles about how much better it was for you, but it wasn’t as coffee
The switch would be going a lot better if you didn’t let yourself make excuses to keep drinking coffee every morning. It would probably also be going a lot better if you weren’t guilt-chugging that cup (or two) of coffee before leaving your apartment six minutes earlier than usual to catch the 8:00 train instead of the 8:10 train just so you could grab a to-go cup of earl gray from the tea shop down the street from your office and drink that as you walked into work so that you could continue to keep up the charade that your tea-drinking endeavors were going well in front of your coworkers.
The glass was already foggy when you returned to take your shower. You wanted to be at the office early today to set up for the interviews so you tied up your hair and quickly rinsed off. The soapy water hadn’t even finished draining from the tile floor before you were out and wrapping yourself up in a towel.
You dried yourself off and dropped the towel in your hamper, not bothering with clothes yet. You walked back into the kitchen and poured yourself a cup of coffee.
You sipped it as you turned on the stove and cracked an egg into a pan. You usually liked to have a bagel or a quick granola bar before work, but when you were feeling fancy you liked to make yourself a couple slices of avocado toast for breakfast. You had decided that today was a fancy day.
You popped the bread in the toaster as the eggs fried and sliced a ripe avocado in the meantime. As soon as you were done with that, it was time to flip the eggs and put the toast on a plate.
You finished your first cup of coffee and went to pour yourself a second, but thought better of it. You’d be sitting in one place for a majority of the day and too much caffeine would make you fidgety and anxious if you didn’t have a way to diffuse the energy.
You ate your breakfast at the bar in your kitchen, looking over the stack of resumes one last time as you did.
“Are you ready for today?” one of your supervisors, Carolina, asked as soon as she saw you walk in the door.
You took a sip of tea from the paper cup in your hand and grimaced. “I’ve been dreading it all week.”
“At least it’ll be over by tonight.”
“Sure, this round will be over, but then there’s still follow-up interviews and training and-”
“Whoa, whoa, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. This is the worst part, and we’ve just got to take it one thing at a time.”
You sighed. “You’re right, sorry.”
Carolina smiled and nodded her head in the direction of the hall. “Conference Room B is all set up for you when you’re ready. Page me to let me know when I can send the candidates in.”
“Got it, thanks.”
You set yourself up with your laptop and paperwork at one end of the table, and left the seat across from you open for the interviewee.
The morning dragged by at an agonizingly slow pace. Each potential hire seemed determined to bore you to death with their graduate school anecdotes and corporate buzzwords. They were all the same. Too stiff, too self-absorbed, too-
“Y/n, we’ve got your next one ready for you.”
You cleared your throat before pressing the speak button on the intercom, having been lost in thought when Carolina’s voice began echoing throughout the room.
“Sounds good, you can send them over to me.”
You sat up a little straighter in your chair and brushed yourself off. You’d been interviewing for a couple hours straight already, but you still wanted to look fresh-faced for everyone who came in. You were representing the company, after all, and interviews were just as much about trying to impress the candidates as it was about them trying to impress you.
You reached for your cup of tea before remembering it had probably long since gone cold and grimaced, perking up when you heard the familiar squeak of the door.
The young man offered you his hand before settling in the chair opposite yours with a polite smile.
“Mr.... Kwon,” you said, reading his name off of his resume in front of you. “Nice to meet you.”
“Likewise,” he agreed. “And you can call me Soonyoung.”
You quirked an eyebrow, but nodded. Straight past his last name and right to Soonyoung, interesting you mused to yourself as you scanned his profile again.
“Nice to meet you, Soonyoung. I’m y/n y/l/n. I’m a Senior Associate here and I’m just going to ask you a few questions about yourself, your work, typical interview stuff. Does that sound okay?”
“Sounds perfect.”
You paused and pretended to organize the papers in front of you while you discreetly gave him a once-over, making mental notes to yourself. He wore a Rolex on his left wrist. That told you that his last job had paid well enough to be able to afford one- either that or his parents came from money. You had a lot of trust-fund kids wasting your time today, you hoped he wasn’t another. Your office already reeked of nepotism and you just wanted this new hire to be on your side of things.
He was rather handsome too. Smartly dressed, sharp jawline, hair that was just barely tamed by gel, warm brown eyes that crinkled up in the corners when he smiled- you had to remind yourself not to stare.
“Alright, Soonyoung, why don’t you tell me a little about yourself?” The question always tasted bitter when you asked it and it was hard not to cringe. It was the most basic question in the book, but it was a good way to get to know what kind of an employee someone was.
“Uh, well, I just moved here from Seoul. I got in yesterday afternoon and still have loads to unpack, but I’m hoping to adjust quick. I was an Executive Consultant for five years at my last firm, and had just been promoted to Executive Manager last spring.” He paused to think. “What else... I really love to golf on my days off, and if I’m not golfing I’m usually at home watching movies.”
“A lot of our clients like to golf,” you commented off-handedly. “Are you any good?”
Soonyoung shrugged, smiling humbly. “I’m decent. I haven’t had the chance to play for real in a while.”
“Why’s that?” you were aware you were moving away from interview territory, but you told yourself it was relevant enough to pursue.
“Most of my recent games were taking clients out to golf at my old firm. I had to play like shit on purpose so they’d win and we’d close a deal.”
“Did you ever consider that maybe they were just better than you?” you asked.
Soonyoung narrowed his eyes the tiniest bit, but kept a polite smile on his face. “Trust me, I had to try very hard to lose.”
“So you had a pretty successful closing rate?”
“About twenty-six percent.”
You tried to hide your surprise, nodding as if that was a completely normal closing rate for your company.
“May I ask why you moved?” you continued.
“I’ve lived in Seoul my entire life. I wanted a change of scenery, I suppose.”
“Moving across the globe without the security of a job? That seems like quite a big risk.”
He gave another shrug. “What’s life without a few risks?”
You nodded, writing what he’d said down on the yellow notepad in front of you. Soonyoung shifted in his seat, subtly craning his neck to see across the table at what you were jotting down.
“Moving on,” you said and flipped the notebook over abruptly. The slap of the movement startled Soonyoung momentarily and he only let the deer-in-the-headlights look cross his features for a second before recomposing himself. “Do you consider yourself to be a leader or a follower?”
“I’m a switch,” he answered easily, eyes only widening in realization once the sentence left his mouth. “I mean, I can switch. I was in a management position at my last job, but I still had plenty of superiors to answer to. I started at an entry level in that company and worked my way up, so I have experience with both.”
“And do you have any qualms with being a subordinate to a woman? I ask because if you’re offered the position I would be your boss.”
Soonyoung shook his head in response, giving a small, almost imperceptible smirk. “Like I said.”
The rest of the interview passed by smoothly, and you didn’t realize how much time had passed until you glanced up at the clock above the door. You straightened the stack of papers in front of you to indicate that you were wrapping things up and stood from your chair to shake Soonyoung’s hand again.
“To be completely candid, Mr. Kwon- Soonyoung, you are overqualified for this position. However, our company offers plenty of mobility and your starting salary would be almost equal to your previous one. If you’re interested, I’d like to set up a follow-up interview with you tomorrow.”
Soonyoung smiled, and there went the crinkles of his eyes again, softening the sharpness of his features and making him look a couple years younger. “That sounds perfect. Thank you.”
“Great. On your way out you can schedule a time to meet with Carolina.”
“I’ll be sure to do that,” he assured you. “Thank you again.”
“Of course. I’ll see you tomorrow?” you hoped the question didn’t sound too hopeful.
“See you tomorrow.”
You went home feeling a thousand times better than you had that morning. The rest of the interviews had been a blur, and you couldn’t stop thinking about Soonyoung. He surpassed all of the other candidates in almost every aspect, and it didn’t hurt that he was easy on the eyes.
You knew your attraction to him was a problem. You couldn’t hire someone just because you thought they were hot. It was insanely biased, and extremely inappropriate, yet you couldn’t shake the thought of him from your mind. You would be crossing every line in the existence of lines by sleeping with him- that was, if he even felt the same way about you. It would be an unethical use of power, and totally unprofessional so you resolved not to even think about him in that way. Because there was no way around it. He was the best candidate for the job and a perfect addition to your team. You couldn’t not hire him.
The route home usually took about half an hour, but you walked at a faster pace this time because you were supposed to have dinner with a colleague at your apartment and you needed time to cook so there’d be food on the table when he got there.
You made it home in half the time, and kicked off your shoes by the door like you usually did, but kept your work clothes on.
To say you were unprepared for this dinner was an understatement. You barely had anything in your pantry and your cooking skills were subpar at best. Add the time crunch into the equation and it was a recipe for disaster. You could only throw a pot of water on the stove and crack open a jar of marinara sauce and hope for the best.
-
Soonyoung tried not to smile too wide as he walked out of the interview. He needed to remind himself that the job wasn’t his yet. He still had another interview to get through. Still, he figured a follow-up to be somewhat of a success and a good enough reason to treat himself to pizza.
By the time he made it back to his apartment it was almost dark out. His interview had been in the morning, but after walking two miles to get to the pizzeria he’d found on Yelp, getting on the wrong train twice and missing his stop, it was well into the afternoon. He was glad he’d ordered a whole pizza so he could have the leftovers for dinner, and wouldn’t have to venture out into the city again.
The cardboard boxes sprawled across his living room floor were an unwelcome sight, taunting him with their unlabeled contents, but he tried not to think about it. He deserved at least an hour of rest before he started unpacking again.
He pushed one of the heavier ones into the center of the room to use as a table and set the pizza box on top of it. After changing back into a t-shirt and sweats he settled on the floor with a grunt, twisting the cap off a bottle of beer with the hem of his shirt. He took a sip and let the bubbles soothe his throat.
He stared off out the window, attention snapping to the apartment across from his. Soonyoung realized he hadn’t thought about the girl in the window all day, and silently patted himself on the back for it. Maybe it wouldn’t be so hard to live with, and he wouldn’t have to spiral into a pattern of self-loathing every time he found himself looking. As long as he kept himself in check.
He let himself look for a little longer, promising himself that he would look away if he saw anything he wasn’t supposed to. The lights were on, like they had been last night, but he didn’t see the woman. He scanned the array of windows until he saw her sitting at the kitchen table. She wasn’t alone tonight. There was another person at the table with her, a man.
Soonyoung bit his lip and tried to ignore the way his heart sank. He didn’t even know this person, didn’t even know what her face looked like and here he was getting jealous of another person he didn’t know.
He tore his gaze away from the window and stared down at the floor.
“Stupid,” he muttered to himself and took another bite of his pizza even though he had lost his appetite.
People had crushes on strangers all the time. His would fade and soon he wouldn’t even be thinking of whoever it was in that apartment across the way. And if things went well with tomorrow’s interview, he had you. He hadn’t expected to be interviewed by someone his age, let alone someone as pretty as you. It had caught him off guard in the best way possible, and he found himself hanging onto every word you said.
But he wouldn’t be able to act on his feelings with you either, because if he was hired you would be his boss. And it would be completely inappropriate to harbor feelings like that for a colleague. He’d only lived here for a day. He would meet someone eventually. He just needed to give it time.
-
Joshua Hong wasn’t in town for long. He never was. You wondered why he bothered flying all the way to New York for a few conferences when he could just join them online, but he insisted that having face-to-face interactions were important for interpersonal connections and relationship building and so on.
Secretly, you believed the real reason to be that he missed you and your colleagues on the east coast and used business as an excuse to see you. He had lived in New York for a few years before moving to the LA division of your company. The shift in the dynamic of your team had taken a toll, and it took you months to forgive him for leaving. The first few times he came back to visit were nearly impossible to endure. Everyone was happy to see him, but you. You faked a smile and played along, but your relationship had never fully recovered.
Maybe it was because you’d always had a little crush on him, or because no one was there to take his place, leaving your team dividing his workload amongst yourselves with no additional compensation. The position you were currently hiring for actually used to be Joshua’s. It had taken nine months to convince the CEO to finally fill it, and he only agreed after one of your coworkers threatened to sue over breach of contract.
Even though you were certain that you and Joshua would never be as close as you had once been again, he still had you wrapped around his finger in some ways because you could never say no to him. When he’d asked to have dinner with you under the guise of work, you’d agreed on instinct, not considering how tired you would be or how strenuous it would be to see him again.
“This is really good,” Joshua complimented, twirling spaghetti around on his fork.
“You’re just saying that,” you countered and rolled your eyes as you sipped your wine.
“I’m not!”
“Please, I know LA has ruined you and turned you into a food snob. I watch your Instagram stories.”
“Doesn’t mean I don’t love a good classic.”
“You and I both know this marinara is from a jar.”
He chuckled. “So? That doesn’t change the fact that it’s good.”
“Whatever.”
Joshua gave you an amused smile from across the table and placed his fork back down on his plate. “So I hear they’re finally replacing me?”
You nodded. “They are. ‘They’ being me.”
“Really?” he asked, eyebrows raised. “Anyone promising?”
“There’s this guy, Soonyoung, who might fit.”
“What’s he like?”
“He’s Korean, actually just moved here. He’s pretty charismatic too, but not in a sleazy salesman way. Kind of like you.”
“Is he better than me?” Joshua pressed, leaning forward with his elbows on the table.
“You know there’s no way to tell that yet,” you chided. “But he shows promise.”
“Let me see his profile.”
You shook your head. “Sorry, but you don’t have the clearance to see it.”
Joshua’s eyes widened like he couldn’t believe you were saying no to him, probably because he rarely heard it from you. “What, do we work in a government agency all of the sudden?”
“I have a lot riding on this hire, Joshua. I can’t let anything screw it up.” He seemed to surrender at that, nodding in understanding. “Did you ask me to dinner just to grill me about the new guy?”
“No! I wanted to see you,” he paused, “and make sure that you wouldn’t forget about me when I was replaced.”
You sighed, giving him a tired, perhaps wistful look. “Trust me, I couldn’t forget you if I tried.”
Joshua left around eleven, after several glasses of wine and helping you with the dishes. As much as you hated to admit it, you missed him. But you needed to move on, in more ways than one.
You stripped as soon as you locked the door behind him and threw your work clothes into the laundry basket.
You were a little tipsy from the wine, but you still had work to do before you could go to sleep. There was paperwork to finalize, and you still had to draft a rejection email for all of the candidates who weren’t moving on in the interviewing process.
You grabbed your briefcase and returned to the kitchen table, rolling your neck as you realized you had another long night ahead of you.
-
Soonyoung wasn’t aware that he was staring until the man stood from his seat and took the dishes from the table to the sink. The sudden motion pulled him back to reality and reminded him that he was sitting alone in the dark once again. He cursed under his breath and chugged the rest of his beer.
His pizza had gone cold in the time he’d spent trying to determine the relationship between the man and the woman in the apartment across from his. He couldn’t tell what they were, and not being able to read their facial expressions made it even harder.
He watched as they washed dishes shoulder to shoulder, telling himself that it was no different from people watching, which was untrue since the people in question weren’t in public, but he ignored the guilt twisting in his stomach and continued to watch. At least no one was naked this time.
The woman’s shoulders moved up and down in laughter, suggesting the man had said something funny. But then she was walking him to the door and letting him out, and that was it. Show was over.
So they weren’t together. At least, not yet. Soonyoung hated himself for the conclusion he’d just drawn, and he hated himself even more for feeling relieved.
Soonyoung leaned back to reach the lamp that was still on the floor and flicked it on so that he could see. He shoved the leftover pizza into the back of his fridge and returned to the living room to try and get a little more unpacking done.
He started with one of the boxes he’d opened the day before when he had been in search of his suits, and began sorting through its contents. He allowed himself another glance at the window to check if the man had returned, only to see the woman completely naked. Again.
“Jesus fucking christ,” he groaned and forcefully turned his eyes to the floor. He needed to buy some curtains as soon as possible because there was no way he would be able to be a respectful neighbor otherwise.
He blinked the image of her silhouette from his mind, trying not to dwell on the thought of her sitting at her kitchen table with nothing between her thighs and the chair.
He couldn’t focus. Every time he tried to get back to the task at hand his thoughts went to her. It was getting pathetic.
One more look. One more and then never again.
It seemed like a simple enough resolution and he promised God he would go to confession at the end of the week- even though it had been years since he’d been to mass.
He gave in to his curiosity and gave the window one final, longing glance. The woman was still at the table, concentrating on something in front of her. But something else caught Soonyoung’s attention this time. It was a snakeskin briefcase that sat on the table next to her. He had only noticed it because of the gold details on the bag that reflected the light, just like the one you-
A thousand different emotions flooded Soonyoung’s senses as the realization set in. It felt like a bucket of ice water had been poured over his head. There was no way-
It had to be a coincidence. Had to be. Two people could have the same briefcase... and the same body... and the same hair. As he thought back to his interview earlier that day he saw more and more similarities between you and the girl in the window.
He definitely needed to go to confession now. Not only had he been staring in the window of some naked woman, the woman might just be his future boss.
He felt sick, and despite it all he felt the familiar burn of arousal flicker to life in his stomach. There was no way he’d be getting any sleep tonight.
-
Soonyoung seemed different. Yesterday he had been confident, charming, and on top of every question you threw at him. Today, he seemed nervous. He was fidgety and distracted. He wouldn’t even make eye contact with you. He kept his gaze trained on your briefcase instead, refusing to take his eyes off of it.
You had been so sure that he was the one, but now you were thinking you might have to start from scratch.
“Soonyoung, are you okay?” you asked, your frustration turning into concern when he failed to answer your question for the third time. “Do you need me to repeat the question again?”
He looked up at you finally, eyes wide and cheeks pink. “Sorry,” he apologized.
“It’s okay.”
“No, I- I’m sorry,” he repeated. “I can’t do this.”
“What do you mean?”
“I- fuck,” he paused to take a deep breath and shook his head. “I don’t know how to put this, but I think... we’re neighbors.”
“Oh, you live in my building?”
You didn’t see a problem with that. You weren’t sure why it was something he would be tearing himself up over either.
“No, I don’t.”
“So... then how would we be neighbors?”
He averted his gaze again and swallowed harshly. “I live in the high-rise across from yours.”
You raised your eyebrows in question, feeling your pulse jump in warning. Your fingers inched toward the phone, ready to call security at a moment’s notice.
“And fuck, I really wanted this job, but um, I only know that because my apartment is literally right across from yours. And you have a lot of windows... that I can see into.”
You let his words sink in, hand retreating from the phone. “Oh my god.”
“I’m so sorry. I wasn’t trying to look or anything, I promise. Your windows are just so big. I didn’t even want to come in today because I felt so bad about it, but I figured you should know that it was possible to see into your apartment. Like other people might also be able to see you too. I just came to tell you that because I don’t think I’d be able to live my life just knowing that information and not telling you.” Soonyoung stopped talking finally, giving you an opportunity to respond. The tips of his ears were red with embarrassment and he looked like he wanted to jump out the window.
You were covering your mouth with shock by now, absolutely mortified. “I am so sorry,” you yelped. “I had no idea, oh my god. I hope you don’t feel... violated or anything.”
“Oh, not at all,” he assured you. “I felt the opposite, actually- I mean, I hope you don’t feel violated.” He stood from his chair before you could say anything else. “Anyway, thank you for your time.”
-
Soonyoung kicked himself the whole way to the subway station. That job had been the best opportunity he had at breaking into the industry here in New York and he’d fucked it. He could’ve kept his big mouth shut and pretended like everything was normal- but just the thought of that made bile rise in the back of his throat.
No, he was glad he had been honest. It just sucked that he’d lost such a good position, and ruined whatever nonexistent chance he had with you.
When he got home he threw all of his energy into unpacking. He was determined to make a real dent in the pile of boxes this time, and then maybe afterward fill out some job applications.
His apartment was actually starting to look livable by the time he took a break to eat leftover pizza for dinner. He’d unwrapped the plastic covering and bubble wrap from his couch so that he actually had a place to sit now, and he’d found a standing lamp to replace the table lamp sitting on the floor.
He was about to move on to a box full of clothes when he risked taking a look over at your apartment. To his surprise, you were standing in your living room, wearing nothing but a bra and panties. He furrowed his eyes in confusion, wondering why you were still choosing to walk around your apartment undressed with the knowledge that he could see you. But before he could look away his phone started buzzing in his pocket. It was an unsaved number, but he suddenly had the feeling he knew who it was.
“Hello?”
“Soonyoung?”
He recognized the voice immediately, and snapped his attention back over to the windows where he could see you looking back this time, phone pressed to your ear.
“Y/n.” He realized he had never called you by your first name before, and hoped you weren’t offended by it.
“The job’s yours if you want it.”
He blinked, staring right at you. “What?”
“The position. It’s yours if you want it. You were the best candidate by far and I think you’d make a great addition to the team.”
“You’re joking.”
“I’m not.”
“You’re serious?”
“I am.” He heard you take a breath before continuing. “You have time to think it over, of course. Let me know by the weekend.”
“I don’t need time to think,” he heard himself say.
“No?”
“No. I’ll take it.” “Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.”
“Soonyoung?” you asked, reaching behind you and unclipping your bra. You caught the fabric and pressed it against your chest so that it wouldn’t slip down.
“Yeah?”
“Tell me if I’m overstepping.”
“You’re not overstepping,” he breathed, hand already traveling down to the waistband of his shorts.
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
He watched with a slack jaw as you let the bra fall to the floor. You moved to the couch and draped yourself over it, opening your legs to give him a view of your whole body, from your pussy up to your neck. He pulled off his shirt and shimmied out of his shorts quickly so that you were on an even playing field. It was still uneven in his opinion. You were so beautiful, he felt inadequate in comparison. But the moan you let out upon seeing him shirtless boosted his ego the tiniest bit.
“I shouldn’t be doing this,” you murmured quietly into the phone.
“I don’t want to stop,” Soonyoung admitted.
“Me either.”
His breath caught in his throat as you pulled your panties down and let them join your bra on the floor. He was too far away to see anything in detail, but he could imagine. You brought a hand down in between your legs, spreading your wetness around with your fingers.
“Fuck,” he whispered.
He was hard. He was so hard that it was starting to hurt, and all he could think about was running his cock through your folds. Being the one to make your back arch off the couch like it was now.
He spat into his palm and began working his hand up and down his cock, sighing in relief.
“You sound so pretty,” you echoed, and Soonyoung straight up whimpered in response. He felt his cheeks heat up in embarrassment, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. “God, I wish I had your fingers instead of mine. They’re so much longer.”
“Guess you’ll just have to imagine them,” Soonyoung said, finding his voice out of nowhere. It was your turn to whimper. “Picture them working you open, stretching you for my cock.”
“Soonyoung?” you asked hoarsely.
“Yeah?”
“Come over.”
“Fuck, right now?”
“Yes right now. I need you,” you whined. “Fiftieth floor, the door code is 0716.”
He heard the phone click as you hung up and that was all it took. He scrambled for his pants and shirt that he’d thrown somewhere in the room, tripping when he tried to jump into both legs of his shorts at the same time. He rushed out into the hallway and pressed the down button on the elevator repeatedly, like it would make it come any faster.
He tried to act like he wasn’t out of breath and held his hands together in front of his crotch in an attempt to hide his erection. The other people on the elevator ignored him, only addressing him to ask which floor he was going to.
Soonyoung swore he’d never run so fast in his entire life. He dodged taxis, bikers, and pedestrians as he crossed the street illegally and made it to the elevator of your building right before the doors shut.
-
You had put on a sheer robe while you waited for Soonyoung, not wanting to open the door completely naked, but you were beginning to have second thoughts. You were officially Soonyoung’s boss now, which meant that having sex with him was at the very top of the list of things you shouldn’t do. It would no doubt be considered a gross misuse of power, and to make matters worse he had literally just been hired. His first experience with you shouldn’t be in bed-
You heard the lock click and turned around to see Soonyoung standing in your doorway. He was breathing hard and practically dripping with sweat. All doubts about crossing the line vanished when you looked into his eyes and saw how dark they were. He hadn’t even said anything, yet you knew how much he wanted you.
Even more evident was the outline of his hard cock straining against the fabric of his sweat shorts. You tried not to stare, but you figured it was only fair, given how he was staring at you.
Soonyoung let the door shut behind him before approaching you. His hands trembled as he brought them up to your shoulders, like he was unsure of where to start. He slipped his thumbs under the hem of your robe finally and you shivered at the contact. You bit your lip and nodded at him to keep going.
He pulled the fabric down off your shoulders and let the robe pool at your feet. You looked down at it and then back up at him expectantly. He took the cue to follow and yanked his shirt off over his head, followed by his shorts so that he was in his underwear.
“Can I kiss you?” he asked. His voice sounded an octave lower than it had been over the phone and it made your knees weak.
“Please,” you choked out.
He placed one hand on your cheek and tilted your head to the side, pressing his lips to yours. It was needy and desperate, strung with promises of what was to follow. His peppermint chapstick made your lips tingle and you leaned in, deepening the kiss. His fingers dug into your waist as he took control, slipping his tongue into your mouth. You moaned and wrapped your arms around his neck to pull him closer.
Soonyoung’s hands made their way down to your ass and squeezed, making you yelp in surprise. He chuckled against your mouth and broke away from the kiss.
“Should we move this to my bedroom?” you asked, breathless.
Soonyoung shook his head. “I want to take you here.”
“Where?”
“Here,” he repeated and nodded toward the windows.
“O-okay,” you agreed, a little unsure on the mechanics of how it would work. But Soonyoung seemed confident, beckoning you over with a wave of his hand.
“C’mere,” he said. “I know you said you wanted my fingers, but I’m dying for a taste of you,” he admitted. “Is that okay?”
You nodded desperately as you watched Soonyoung sink to his knees in front of you. He pushed his hair back with his hand and used the other to hike your leg up over his shoulder. You felt his breath on your clit before anything else, felt the way he was hovering inches in front of your cunt like a goddamn tease.
“Soonyoung, please,” you begged.
You jolted when he suddenly buried his face in between your thighs, letting out a strangled moan as his tongue circled your clit. It was all too much and you had to pull on his hair to maintain your balance. Soonyoung didn’t seem to mind too much, in fact it only spurred him on as he moved even further down and began to tongue fuck you.
His nose bumped against your clit as he worked his tongue in and out of you and it was all you could do not to black out from the pleasure. You braced yourself against the window with one hand, trying to hold off the orgasm building in the pit of your stomach.
“Soonyoung, wait,” you cried and tugged him away from your pussy by his hair.
He jutted his lip out in a pout and frowned like he was disappointed he hadn’t gotten to finish you off. His chin was glistening in your arousal and his lips were pink and swollen from sucking on your clit.
“I want you inside of me,” you pleaded. “Please, Soonyoung?”
He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and rose from his knees, smirking as he took the advantage of height back.
“Of course, angel,” he said, pulling you closer so that he could kiss you again. You moaned as you tasted yourself on his tongue, ignoring the way he laughed at your neediness. “Turn around for me, love,” he instructed as he pushed his boxers down. “Hands on the window.”
You did as you were told and bent over. Soonyoung’s hand made contact with your ass just once, the harsh smack echoing throughout the room. You cried out, body shaking even when he ran a hand over the mark to soothe it.
He took his time lining himself up with you, wanting to tease you as much as possible before he finally gave you what you wanted. You tried pushing yourself back against him, but he was having none of it and put you back in your place every time.
“I didn’t take you for a brat,” he mused.
“I didn’t take you for a tease,” you bit back through gritted teeth.
“Yes you did.”
“Fine, but I didn’t take you for someone who was all talk and no follow-through.”
That seemed to work because Soonyoung pushed himself inside you as soon as the sentence left your mouth. You lurched forward, hands on the window slipping as you cursed him out.
“What were you saying?” he taunted, running a hand down your exposed back.
“N-nothing!”
“That’s what I thought.”
He gave you a few moments to adjust to his size, but you were too impatient to wait and began fucking yourself on his cock, desperate for the release that had built up when he was going down on you. Soonyoung brought his hand down against your ass again and stilled your hips.
“Did I say you could move?” he demanded. “Answer me.”
“No!”
“Then why did you?”
“I’m sorry!” you cried.
“That doesn’t answer my question.”
“Your cock-” you choked out, “felt so good. I couldn’t help myself. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay, darling. You’re going to be a good girl for me now, aren’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Yes, what?”
“Yes, sir.”
He seemed satisfied with your answer and thrust into you once, then again, slowly building up to a steady rhythm.
For a moment or two all that could be heard was the slapping of skin and your shaky gasps. Soonyoung’s cock was bigger than you expected, and each time he hit your g-spot you couldn’t help but let your eyes roll to the back of your head in pleasure.
You weren’t even trying to hold back your moans at this point, too fucked out to care. Soonyoung let a hand wrap around the front of your body and travel up to your throat. He rubbed his thumb along your jaw, pressing it against your lips for you to suck on.
You took it into your mouth eagerly, letting him push it further and further until you were practically gagging on it. When he was satisfied with your work he took his finger out of your mouth and wrapped the same hand around your throat, squeezing lightly.
“Fuck,” you whined.
“Are you close?” Soonyoung asked, likely because he was also teetering on the edge.
“Yes, so close.”
“Do you think you deserve to cum?” he pressed, tightening his grip on your neck. “Think anyone watching you get fucked like a slut against the window deserves to see you cum?”
“No one can see me,” you insisted. “It was only you.”
“How do you know?”
“I don’t,” you admitted, feeling like the invisible string inside of you would snap at any second.
“You could have a whole audience and not even know it, y/n. What do you think, should we give them a show?”
All you could do was nod as he continued to pound into you from behind, not trusting yourself to speak.
“Soonyoung, please let me cum I can’t hold it-” you gasped as you tipped over the edge before he could respond, clenching around his cock harder than you knew you were capable of. It felt as if you were falling from the window of your apartment, hurtling toward the ground some fifty stories below.
“Fuck, I’m going to cum,” Soonyoung muttered, his hips faltering.
“Cum inside me, please cum inside me,” you begged. “I’m on the pill you can cum inside me.”
He came with a groan of your name, pumping his cum further into you with every thrust. “So fucking tight,” he sighed as he continued to lazily rock his hips into yours. “Is your poor cunt so sensitive now?” he asked, voice dripping with fake sympathy.
“Yes,” you answered quietly, feeling tears prick in the corners of your eyes at the overstimulation.
Soonyoung pulled out of you finally, making you whimper at the empty feeling. He chuckled and helped you stand up straight, ready to catch you if your legs gave out.
“That’s what you get for cumming without permission,” he said.
“You’re an asshole,” you mumbled, eyes only half open. “I’m your boss. You should let me cum whenever I want.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Soonyoung assured you.
You watched as he picked up his clothes from around your living room and wondered if you had just ruined everything. Once he was dressed he made his way back over to you and kissed you chastely on the lips. The kiss didn’t help you relax at all. It only confused your feelings for him even more.
“See you monday?” you asked hopefully. If nothing else, you hoped he would still accept the position for the sake of your team, even if things between you were awkward and he never wanted to sleep with you again-
“See you monday,” he repeated in confirmation. “And next round’s at my place.”
lmk what you think i always appreciate feedback!!
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imtooscaredforthis · 2 years
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Entrapment
Chapter two: First Day Jitters
Mentions of: A creepy boss + An Asshole Boss, and none really
A/N: Two chapters in two days??? :000 But don’t get used to it hehe
Tags: @autisticpickle @darthwhorecrux @froegis
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You woke up bright and early this morning, at about five, unable to fall back asleep. You tried for a brief thirty minutes or so but ultimately failed, giving in and getting ready for the day. You couldn’t help it, considering the mixture of nerves and excitement you felt.
The other day was just training, but this is the real thing. It’s the beginning of your journey here in Roseville, and you felt restless. So, you passed the time by starting to unpack your things.
You only moved in about two weeks ago, and you’ve barely had any time to get yourself situated, too busy focusing on getting a job and planning things out. After clearing a box or two, you finally began to get ready.
You took a twenty-minute shower, before the water started getting cold. The heater’s always been shaky, and the longest you’ve been able to be in there without the water getting frigid is twenty five minutes. Most of the time, it’s shorter.
Then, you did your hair, and after a long decision-making process, you picked out your outfit. It was very difficult, considering how important first impressions are, but you managed to choose.
It’s a white button-up shirt with a black pencil skirt to go along with it. It’s cute, professional, and it hugs your hips well.
Once again, you’re off to work, preparing yourself for your first day on the job.
--
Setting your purse on your desk, you go to pick up your phone which started ringing once you walked through the door. “Morning, Sweetheart.”
The voice is familiar, and you gazed over into the office beside you, seeing Mr.Jamison sitting at his desk, the phone raised to his ear. He locked eyes with you, a small smile crossing his lips. You smiled back nervously, before breaking eye contact.
“Good morning, Mr.Jamison. What can I do for you?” You replied, sitting down in your chair, making it squeak slightly from your movement.
“I have a meeting I have to go to in a couple of minutes, so I need you to be a dear and do me a favor. In the annex, there’s an office with huge, open windows. Working there is the executive producer, Lois Langley. I need you to give her a message.” He explained, telling you the message.
You scribbled it down on a sticky note, pulling it off and taking it into your hand. “Got it. Is there anything else?”
“Nope, thanks, Darlin.” With that, he hung up. Getting to your feet, you navigated past the maze of cubicles and found your way to the annex.
You pushed through the door, spotting the office Jamison described. Inside sat a woman with long black hair and sharp eyes, which are set on her computer. Her skin’s a creamy pale color, as if she barely even sees the light of day, and she wore a dark blue pantsuit. She looked incredibly professional.
You swallowed thickly, walking up and knocking on the door. This is when impressions really matter. “Come in.”
Her voice sounded stern, and her face looked like it too. Her scarlet-coated lips were turned downwards into a small frown, her eyebrows furrowed with focus. She seems like she doesn’t want to be interrupted, so you know to keep it brief.
But before you could even say anything, she sized you up with a quick look, speaking first. “Get me a Coffee with three creams and two sugars.”
“Um, actually, I’m here to give you this.” She glanced up at you again, seeming more annoyed this time, swiping the note from your hand. “Now, go get me my coffee.”
“Me? But-”
“You’re the new secretary, correct? You do what I tell you, including getting my coffee. Now leave. I have work to do.” She glared at you with her icy blue eyes, shooing you away with her manicured hand.
Well, that couldn’t have gotten worse. You didn’t even do anything wrong and she just bitched out on you. What’s her problem?
Your irritation must’ve been showing, since two employees walking past you noticed, one even saying something. “You coming back from Langley’s office?”
That comment gets your attention, making you look up from the floor and see the brunette woman standing in front of you. She has a confident, curious look on her face, and she seems friendly enough.
“Yeah, how did you know?” You asked with a small, awkward chuckle.
“Most people look pissed when they leave her office. You get used to her attitude after a while.” She remarked.
“She’s always like that?” You blurted out. “I thought maybe it was just the coffee-”
“Yep, unfortunately, she’s always like that. Her caffeine addiction probably worsened it quite a bit though.” The woman replied, making you laugh. She’s funny and friendly. You like her.
“You’re the new secretary, right?” She questioned, changing the subject.
You nodded in response. “I’m _______. It’s nice to meet you.”
“I’m Rachel, and this is my partner, Jed.” She introduced. You barely even noticed him until she brought him up, despite him standing beside her the whole time. Then again, it’s not like you tried making conversation with him.
He’s tall and lean, but athletic. His hair is dark brown and short, but not too short. The glasses he wears are thick brimmed, intense dark blue eyes hiding behind them. He seems observant and less outspoken as Rachel, but kind. “It’s nice meeting you too. Don’t worry, the first day’s always the hardest.”
“Thanks.” You smiled back at him, shaking his hand. His grip is firm, but gentle as well.
“Yeah, except for the part when it’s only going to get worse from here. Being a secretary here sucks. I’m friends with the one who’s out on maternity leave, Janice, and I doubt she’s going to come back.” Rachel stated bluntly, glancing at her nails.
“Rachel,” Jed said, trying to shut her up. She didn’t listen. “What? I’m just warning her. Trust me, _____. Quitting will save you a lot of time and suffering.”
“Well, I’m not a quitter, and I have to go buy some coffee, so, I’ll talk to you guys later.” You turned away from the two, walking off, both of them watching as you left.
“She’s got guts, I’ll give her that, but she’s going to get eaten alive.”
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ohpuckthat · 2 years
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Two for One... (Frederik Andersen)
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Fred and I had been together for just under 5 years. We met after his first game with Toronto at a random bar downtown. Some of the team had decided to bring him out and some of my co-workers had the same idea. Fred and I had talked basically all night and by the end of the night, we had swapped numbers. We texted every day and we hung out whenever he was back in Toronto.
A few months later, we went on our first date. When he asked me to be his girlfriend, he made sure I knew that there was always a possibility he would have to leave Toronto. At that point, he had signed for 5 years and had a pretty good feeling he'd be around for a while.
When those 5 years were up, the way the conversations around his future in the NHL were going, I had a feeling there was going to be a decision to make, both on Freddie and myself. If he did sign somewhere else, was I willing to give up my whole life here? The answer to that was easy. Even before Fred could ask, I had already started packing.
"Are you sure?"
"My last day was Tuesday," I whispered, holding his hand.
"I love you." He whispered back, pulling me onto his lap.
Not long after, we had arrived in Carolina. We had fully moved in and he was already fitting in well with the team. I knew he was nervous for his first start but he had been trying to hide it. We continued with our weekly date nights in between unpacking the house and practice.
The Saturday before his first game, Fred had the whole night planned. Usually, we'd either find a new restaurant or a new recipe to try but Fred had different plans tonight. He picked up some food and packed it up. We got in the car and made the drive to the arena.
"So, how are you feeling?" I asked, rubbing his hand.
"I'm a little nervous but I'm excited. I miss Toronto but I think this will be good."
"I think so too." I smiled, placing my other hand on my stomach.
"I'm glad. I know this has been hard but-"
"Hey," I said, cutting him off. "I knew what I was getting into 5 years ago. And it's not like we were banned from Toronto. I'm pretty sure we'll go back to visit. At least once a year."
"You're right. Well, you ready?" He asked, pulling into the parking lot.
"Let's do this." I picked up my purse which felt incredibly heavy despite only having a few things weighing it down. We both got out of the car and walked in. He held my hand as he showed me around. We finished at centre ice, a blanket set up over the flooring for a concert the next night. "How'd you manage this?"
"I pulled a few strings. I owe a few people some favours now but it's worth it." He set up the food and we both sat down. Once we had both finished our dinners, he pulled out a small container from behind him. He opened it and placed it down, showing it full of chocolate-covered strawberries.
"You didn't."
"Technically, I didn't. I wanted to thank you for sticking by me. I know you said you were with me and I know that for a fact. I was going to do this a while ago but..." He paused, pulling us to our feet. "I thought that since we were starting a new life here, we might as well do it right." He slowly knelt down while pulling a box out of his back pocket. "Will you marry me?"
I felt all the air disappear from my lungs and tears run down my face. Not being able to form any words, I just nodded, knowing he would get the idea.
"Yeah?" He whispered, getting up from his knee.
"Yeah," I whispered back as he slid the ring onto my finger. He pulled me into his arms and kissed me, pouring all the passion and love we had into it. He sat back on the blanket, pulling me into his lap.
"I love you." He grabbed one of the strawberries and brought it to my lips. I took a bite, leaning my head on his shoulder.
"I love you too." I smiled, leaning over to grab my purse. "And I have a gift for you," I said, feeling the tears well up yet again. I pulled out the small box and passed it to him, readjusting myself on his thigh to face him a little better.
"What's this?" He asked, untying the ribbon.
"Just open it," I whispered, leaning my head on his shoulder again. He finally opened the box, revealing the positive pregnancy test inside.
"Is this what I think it is?" I nodded, wiping the tears from his face.
"Bet this wasn't what you thought of when you were imagining that new life huh?"
"No, but it's so much better." He whispered through tears. I wiped his face again, kissing his cheek.
"Like a two for one deal you can't return."
"Never in a million years." He kissed my neck, leaving his head on my shoulder as he turned his attention to the test. "I certainly lucked out."
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helloalycia · 3 years
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girl next door [one] // wanda maximoff
summary: somebody new moves into the flat next to yours and you feel the need to introduce yourself, only to learn she's not very talkative
warning/s: none i don’t think??
author’s note: first part to a three-parter i’ve been working on, hope you like it! (also the masterlist needs to be updated so soz about that)
part two | part three | part four | part five |masterlist | wattpad
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Shopping bags in hand, I returned from the supermarket to my flat when I saw the usually-vacant flat next door to me in use. The front door was slightly ajar, with several moving boxes in front and the sound of someone moving about inside. Huh, so someone moved in. It had been vacant for half a year now – it was nice to finally have a neighbour!
I headed to my own flat, my nosey self taking a peek through the door to see if I could have an idea of who was moving in, but I couldn't see anyone, so I continued to go into my own place and unpack my groceries. After doing so, I decided to head next door and introduce myself, excited to meet someone new in the building.
The boxes from earlier were gone now, probably all inside, and the door was shut like I usually saw it. I sucked up a breath before knocking on, a friendly smile reserved on my lips for whoever would open.
It took a moment, but the door finally opened and revealed a brunette with bright hazel eyes and a mildly confused expression on her face. She seemed strangely familiar, but I couldn't quite pinpoint it.
"Hey! I just wanted to come 'round and introduce myself. I'm your new neighbour." I pointed to my door next to hers and added, "I saw you moving in earlier. I'm Y/N."
She pursed her lips, eyes glancing around subtly before looking me up and down. "Er, hi... I'm Wanda."
I detected a slight accent in her voice with the few words she spoke and became immediately intrigued since everyone in this building was usually the same old American. I didn't ask about it though, as I didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable at our first meeting.
"Nice to meet you, Wanda," I returned with a smile. "I've been living here for a year now, so if you need a hand with anything or need pointers for where to get the best Chinese, I'm your girl." I paused, expecting some sort of reaction, but she didn't move a muscle. Swallowing awkwardly, I added, "Of course, if you just need a hand with unpacking or anything, I'm also happy to help."
She still didn't reply, and in fact, she looked a bit peeved with my presence which made me realise that maybe she just wasn't a talkative person.
I cleared my throat nervously before finishing with, "I'll, er, I'll leave you to it. Sorry to disturb you..."
I chewed on my lower lip as I avoided her piercing gaze and went back to my own place. Not everybody was interested in befriending their neighbours, I got that, so I respected her decision and decided not to bother her in the future. It didn't make me feel any less embarrassed at my intrusiveness though.
I didn't think much of it until the following morning when I was watering my plants out on the fire escape. My fire escape was joined with the neighbour's – the neighbour that usually didn't exist but was now Wanda. The brunette was stood there, drinking some coffee and staring out into the distance. I debated wishing her a good morning, but decided against it as I recalled her being quite introverted. Instead, I awkwardly watered the several plant pots I had, opting to stay quiet so I could be in and out without bugging her once more.
To my surprise, she spoke up and it took me a second to realise she was talking to me.
I held my watering jug upright as I glanced in her direction. She was already staring at me, deep set eyes darkened over the rim of her coffee cup.
"What's that?" I asked, not sure what she’d said.
She cleared her throat, eyes flickering to the plants to distract from her discomfort. "I'm sorry. For being strange yesterday. You were being warm and welcoming and I just..." She paused, releasing a shaky breath. "I've had a bad past few weeks. I didn't mean to take it out on you."
I definitely wasn't expecting that, then realised how many bad days I'd had and taken out on random strangers. I didn't blame her and instead felt bad for her – moving into a new place was supposed to be exciting, so I couldn't imagine what had ruined her past few weeks.
"Well, apology accepted," I said with a small smile. "And I hope things begin to look up for you soon, Wanda."
Her lips twitched into the tiniest of smiles and I noticed how different she looked when she wasn't down in the dumps – she was quite beautiful.
I finished watering my plants before giving her a final smile. I was about to head back inside, but I hung back curiously.
"Er, Wanda, if you don't mind me saying," I started randomly, "you seem familiar. We haven't met before, have we?"
She raised her eyebrows with surprise. "Oh, really? You don't kn–?" She tilted her head to the side, as if expecting me to understand, but I wasn't sure what she wanted. "I... I guess I just have one of those faces."
I studied her curiously, trying to figure it out. But nothing was coming to mind, so I hummed in agreement. "Yeah, I guess so... anyway, enjoy the rest of your day."
She nodded. "You, too."
The next time I saw Wanda was probably a week later, just after I collected my mail from the mailroom. I'd received one of those random free trial boxes for a subscription I must have accidentally signed up for – a box of different flavoured trail mixes – and felt bad throwing it out since it was still food at the end of the day. There were nuts in the mixes, which I was allergic to, so I decided to knock on Wanda's door and see if she wanted them.
I hadn't spoken to her since she moved in, except for the occasional good morning on the fire escape if we saw one another, so I hoped she was a little happier compared to when we last spoke properly. Maybe whatever had bothered her was resolved now.
When she opened the door, she seemed surprised that it was me, probably not expecting me to stop by again after last time.
I offered her a smile. "Hey, Wanda. I, er, hope this isn't a bad time."
She shook her head after recovering from her surprise. "No, no, it's not. Is everything okay?" She paused, glancing around, unprepared. "Do you want to come in or...?"
"It's okay, I'm good here," I said when I saw how uncomfortable she seemed. I wasn't just about to invite myself into her flat because she felt she needed to ask. "I just stopped by because, well, do you want this?" I handed her the box, adding, "I got a free sample in the post. Didn't wanna throw it out because it's food, y'know? And I'm allergic to nuts, so my throat will probably puff up and stop me from breathing which isn't good."
I laughed awkwardly, internally cringing at how I spoke utter nonsense because of her lack of her words and my stupid need to fill the silence.
"Unless you're allergic to nuts too," I added as an afterthought, when she glanced at the packaging with no readable expression. "In which case I should probably throw them right away and this whole thing is stupid."
After what felt like an eternity of me not shutting up, she lifted her gaze, eyes softening with a hint of amusement.
"I'm not allergic to nuts," she assured me, before nodding. "Thank you, Y/N."
I relaxed, not even realising how tense my shoulders were. "That's– that's good... so, how are you settling into your new place? All good, I hope?"
Subconsciously, I chewed on the inside of my mouth, wondering why I was so eager to speak to somebody who clearly didn't want to speak to me. She was so quiet, not a woman of many words, yet I couldn't help but feel responsible for welcoming her.
"It's nice," she said, glancing around thoughtfully. "It's quiet. Private."
I nodded in agreement, eyes falling to her doorframe as I said, "Yeah, that's true. Nothing eventful ever happens here."
She hummed, acknowledging my words. I figured the conversation had ran dry and I'd stayed a little too long, so I tried to think of a way to end it without her feeling forced to. Instead, she spoke up next.
"I like your garden."
I furrowed my brows, wondering what she was talking about.
"The flowers on our fire escape," she clarified, small smile tugging at her lips. "They're beautiful."
I stifled a laugh. "I mean, thanks, but it's barely a garden. I've always wanted a proper space to grow stuff, but obviously I can't have that here."
"Well, you've done a great job with what you have," she complimented, and I was sure it was the most she'd spoken to me since moving in. I suddenly didn't feel like she disliked my presence as much as I once thought.
"Thank you," I said gratefully. "Maybe you can start your own alongside mine some day."
"Maybe," she shrugged, "but probably not. Everything I touch–" She paused, life leaving her eyes momentarily, and head looking down to her shoes. "Everything I touch dies."
I pressed my lips together, not expecting the awkward silence to follow. Wanda seemed stuck in thought and I wasn't sure how I'd managed to bring the conversation down so suddenly, especially with the talk of flowers.
"The lovely thing about flowers," I began, earning her attention and hoping to brighten the mood, "is that they only require a little love, some sunlight and some water to keep going. They tend to take care of themselves. Perfect for even the blackest of thumbs."
She let out a breath through her nose, a half chuckle and half acknowledgment of my comment. It was the closest I'd get to a response, so I ran a hand through my hair and took a step back.
"Anyway, I'm glad you're settling in okay," I concluded with a kind smile. "Again, if you need anything, I'm just next door."
"Thank you," she said, returning the smile, and her eyes sparkled as she did. "Have a good afternoon, Y/N."
"You, too, Wanda."
The apartment complex I lived in rarely had people entering that I didn't recognise – I'd lived here long enough to know who was who, even the postwoman and maintenance guy. So, when I was leaving for the supermarket and saw a suspicious-looking man walking down the hall, eyes checking every door, I grew curious.
"You okay there, sir?" I called out to him after locking my front door.
He looked my way, readjusting his cap lower on his head, casting a shadow over his face. "Er, yeah..." He hesitated, glancing at his phone before looking to me again. "Actually, maybe you can help me. I'm looking for Wanda Maximoff's apartment. Do you know which one that is?"
I narrowed my eyes at the tall stranger. "I'm sure you can understand my concern when I ask who's asking."
"Oh, no, I completely understand," he said with a nod, and I could swear I had seen him before. "I'm an old friend of hers."
I quirked a brow. Strange man who claimed to a woman-who-lived-alone's friend? That had trouble written all over it. And from one woman to another, I was concerned, even if I didn’t know her very well.
"That's not saying much, sir," I said, biting back the annoyance. "I think that maybe you should–"
I stopped speaking when Wanda's door opened and she popped her head out. She looked to me before spotting the tall stranger, shoulders relaxing.
"I thought I heard you out here," she mumbled to the stranger, before stepping out fully and giving me a reassuring look. "It's okay, Y/N. I know him."
I nodded, glancing at the man, before meeting Wanda's eyes knowingly. "If you're sure..."
She seemed comfortable as she crossed her arms, hugging herself. Smiling reassuringly, she nodded. I relaxed when I saw she knew the suspicious stranger.
"In that case, sorry 'bout the interrogation," I apologised to her friend. "But, you gotta understand with the whole getup you have..."
Her friend chuckled deeply, looking to his shoes with amusement. "Yeah, sorry about that, ma'am. Didn't mean to worry you. It's nice to know Wanda here has thoughtful neighbours though."
"I'm twenty-two, not a ma'am," I said with amusement, before shaking my head. "Anyway, I should get going. Sorry again."
Wanda and her friend nodded as I left them; I was just glad it wasn't some creepy perv stalking our building – that had happened once.
I headed to the supermarket to do some shopping when I saw Wanda again, this time in the milk aisle. Well, she actually saw me, her trolley stopping before mine as she got my attention.
"Oh, Wanda, hey," I greeted her with a smile. "Fancy seeing you here."
She cracked a smile. "Yeah, well, I needed to pick up a few things. Milk, actually," she grabbed some from the fridge to prove her point, "when I saw you."
I nodded, before remembering earlier and feeling a little embarrassed. "Hey, er, sorry about before with your friend. I hope I didn't offend them or anything."
"No need to apologise," she said with a shake of her head. "It's actually very nice of you to have my back like that. I mean, we don't even know each other that well, but you watched out for me. I appreciate it."
"It's the bare minimum of a neighbour," I joked, before settling into genuine smile. "Besides, I'd like to think you'd do the same."
"Of course," she agreed, nodding slightly, before her eyes drifted to the fridge.
I noticed that every conversation we shared felt unfinished, like there was more to be said but neither of us had the guts to say it. Like now, for example, I wanted to check in and see if she was okay, but I felt like I was overstepping since, as she'd put it, we didn’t know each other very well. So, I changed the subject instead.
"So, just milk then?" I asked, nodding to her trolley which had a few bits and bobs in.
She was confused for a moment, zoning back into reality, before it registered in her mind and she answered, "Along with a few other things. And you?"
"Pretty much same," I said with a shrug.
Her eyes lingered in my trolley as she stifled a smile. "That looks like a lot more than a few things, Y/N." 
I almost laughed. "Technically, yeah, I guess..." I met her curious gaze, explaining, "I'm having a meal with my sister, her boyfriend and my boyfriend at my place tonight. Cooking a lamb roast." She raised her eyebrows with mild surprise, making me shrug dismissively. "It's not that big of a deal, but there's a lot to prepare and I like things to be perfect, so yeah."
She licked her lips and nodded. "It sounds great. Good luck, I guess. I'm sure it'll turn out wonderful."
"Fingers crossed."
She chuckled, glancing at her shoes, making her dark hair fall in front of her like a curtain. When she looked back up, I couldn't help but smile at how cute she looked.
"I'll leave you to it then," she said, before redirecting her trolley around me. "See you whenever."
"See you." I nodded as she walked past me, shoulder brushing mine and leaving me startled at the weird effect she had on me whenever we spoke.
It didn't last for long though, so I brushed it off and continued to do my shop. The evening couldn't come soon enough, and I soon found myself entertaining my boyfriend, my sister and her boyfriend at my dinner table.
"So I was cooking us a nice meal, as we planned, and she ended up having a go at me because of the mess I made afterwards," my boyfriend, Teddy, was explaining to my sister and her boyfriend, Caleb. "That's why I don't try to be romantic anymore."
I paused from sipping my water, looking over at Teddy with an are you serious? look on my face. Y/S/N and Caleb laughed at Teddy's story, but I wasn't as amused as they were.
"Aw, c'mon, babe, don't be pissed off again," Teddy pleaded teasingly from beside me. "It's a joke. I'm joking."
"But that's not how it happened," I corrected him, before looking to the couple before me. "What Teddy means to say is that I had just cleaned the kitchen and told him that when he cooks, he should try to clean as he goes along so it's easier, but of course, he drops cream everywhere and I had to clean it out of the crevices of the counter. All over again."
Y/S/N and Caleb laughed at my retelling of the story, and Teddy frowned playfully as he looked my way.
"And that's definitely not the reason you're not romantic," I said to him promisingly. "When was the last time you even got me flowers?"
He tried to take lead of the conversation again, straightening up and asking, "When was the last time you got me flowers? Feminism, Y/N. It goes both ways."
He was never usually this obnoxious and it was irking me. Y/S/N and Caleb assumed it was all a joke, so were laughing it off, but I was starting to get frustrated. How could he try and make me look terrible in front of my own family?
"I bought you flowers two weeks ago when you got your promotion, remember?" I answered him with a raised brow.
"Damn, she got you there, Ted," Caleb said like it was a burn.
I subtly clenched my jaw and distracted myself with sipping water. Teddy sighed and tried to wrap an arm around me, but I pulled away slightly.
"Oh, come on, you're not mad, are you? This is all in good faith, babe," he said lightly.
I downed my water and looked between them all. "I think I'm gonna get some air. You guys enjoy your drinks."
They all chorused their disagreements, but I couldn't be bothered dealing with them when they were tipsy and annoying, so I ignored them and headed to the fire escape for a breather.
When I reached the railing, I sighed immediately, feeling like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. Until I heard a creaking noise and jumped with surprise before seeing Wanda sitting on her side of the fire escape, drink in hand.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," she said apologetically.
I breathed out, turning around and leaning my back against the railing so I could see her better. "It's okay, it's not you. I just– I forgot you could be there. Used to living without a neighbour. It's taking some getting used to."
I forced a small smile to reassure her, before looking down and taking small breaths of fresh air. Teddy could get under my skin at times, tonight being one of those times, and it was happening more and more lately. Why couldn't he just be less... annoying?
"Is everything okay?" Wanda asked, and I looked up fo see her green-gold eyes glowing in the dark under the moon light.
"Yeah," I said with a nod. I glanced inside, seeing my three guests laughing it up like I was still there. I collapsed on my chair and stared into the bustling city ahead. "Why wouldn't it be?"
Wanda hesitated. "Didn't you have that dinner tonight?"
I leaned in the palm of my hand, mumbling, "Yeah. It's still going on. I just needed some air."
Wanda must have sensed there was more to my words – it didn't take a genius to see that – but to my relief, she didn't push on. All she said was, "Oh, okay," and stayed quiet.
The two of us sat there, in a comfortable silence, staring into the city and revelling in the moon's presence. It was beautiful out, though not a single star could be seen because of the city's pollution. Instead, the moon hung high above our heads and conflicted with the many street and building lights of New York City, thriving even past dusk.
I probably could have stayed there all night, preferring Wanda's silent yet comfortable presence to whatever was waiting for me back inside. But to my dismay, I was called back in and sighed quietly to myself. 
"I should head back in," I excused myself, standing up to leave. But I lingered by the door, asking Wanda, "Have you eaten dinner yet?" She seemed puzzled with my question, and I continued speaking anyway. "I made a lot of food and have loads of leftovers I can't finish myself."
She seemed to understand what I was implying and shook her head. "That's okay, Y/N, thank you."
"Wanda, I insist," I said with a small smile. "It'll just go in the bin otherwise."
She was still reluctant. "Honestly, it's fine."
i wasn't taking no for an answer though. "I'll stop by in a bit to drop it off."
"Y/N, I–"
"See you then!" I exclaimed before heading back inside and leaving her no choice to deny it.
"There she is," Y/S/N called out to me when I returned. "You feel better?"
"Perfect," I said sarcastically.
She laughed. "C'mon, we're all sorry. Besides, Caleb and I have to go now, so we want to end on a good note."
Was I being too butt hurt? Probably.
"Right, sorry," I said, looking to them all, before saying, "Do you guys want any food to bring back with you?"
"You guys enjoy it," Caleb said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "It was delicious though, Y/N. Thanks for the lovely evening."
"Anytime," I said with a tired smile, before leading them to the door and looking to my sister. "Let me know when you're home, yeah?"
She hummed in agreement, before pulling me into a tight hug. "Love you, Y/N."
"Love you, too," I returned with a playful eye roll.
After bidding them a goodbye, I was left alone with Teddy, who was surprisingly washing the dishes.
"This your way of apologising?" I joked, stopping by the sink.
He glanced at me with apologetic eyes. "Depends. Is it working?"
As I met his brown eyes, I thought back to how frustrating he was acting earlier. He must have been acting out in front of guests for some reason, but he wasn't always like that. Maybe I was overreacting. 
"I'll let you know when you're done," I retorted, making him smile with amusement.
As he did that, I worked on filling some containers with leftover dinner for Wanda, being sure to include a generous amount of everything.
"Who's that for?" Teddy asked, noticing what I was doing.
"Wanda, my new neighbour."
"Never heard of her."
I gave him a knowing look. "Hence the word 'new'."'
He returned the stare. "What I mean is, I've never seen her around."
I shrugged, finishing packing the containers and stacking them to carry. "She prefers to keep to herself."
"What, like a weirdo?"
I rolled my eyes. "No, Teddy. She's just private. Introverted, if you will."
"Sounds like a weirdo to me..."
I chose to ignore him as I left the flat and headed to Wanda's. She opened up quicker than usual, probably since she was expecting me this time.
"Bon appétit," I joked, before holding out the takeaway containers. "It's lamb roast with veg, potatoes, some gravy and bread."
"You really didn't have to," she said, though accepted the food. When she glanced down at it, she added, "This is a lot for one person."
I couldn't help the smile on my face. "Enough for second's. You'll have to let me know if you like it. It's my best recipe."
She snickered, eyes meeting mine. "I'm sure it's delicious... do you want to come in?"
Stepping to the side, she looked to me with what I think was a hopeful expression. I felt bad when I smiled sadly, shaking my head.
"I'd love to, Wanda, but I've actually still got my boyfriend over and I can't really, y'know..."
"No worries," she was quick to reassure. "It's– no, it's okay, honestly. I just thought I'd ask."
It was the first time she'd ever asked and meant it, which meant she was finally getting comfortable with me. I would have preferred to go in, but I couldn't just leave Teddy, nor kick him out.
"Maybe we can hang out tomorrow?" I asked hopefully. "If you want, that is. Because I want to. But I don't want to just invite myself over."
She seemed amused as she nodded. "Tomorrow sounds great. Maybe I can make you dinner, as a thank you for this food."
I grew a little excited at spending a bit more time with the quiet, reserved brunette. "I'd like that."
She nodded, lips pursed into a suppressed smile, and glanced at the food in her hand. "Great. Well... have a good evening, Y/N. And thank you again for the food."
"Good evening," I returned, subconsciously memorising the rare smile she gave me, before leaving her to it.
When I returned to my flat, all I could think about was the next night and getting to know Wanda.
615 notes · View notes
butwhyduh · 3 years
Text
A Date to Remember
Damian Wayne x Superman’s daughter reader
Damian is 20, reader 19, Jon is her little brother at 18 and Kon acts like an older brother to her.
Warning: angsty and kidnapping
You’d always told Damian that the sunset on the Kent farm was the best in the world. Damian smiled a little as he drove down the long road to Smallville. Damian had thought about classic dinner date in one of Metropolis’ fanciest restaurants but you insisted on meeting him in a barn.
He felt underdressed. Blue jeans and a flannel shirt. Why did he let Jon help him get dressed? He felt ridiculous but at least he wore sensible shoes. But deep down Damian knew you world like it. And he was certainly willing to feel a little foolish for you.
Clark was off world and Lois was on a mission. Jon had his own date in the city so it was the both of you alone tonight. How long had it been since the two of you were alone without someone around? Between his half a dozen brothers and your family with literal super hearing... yeah it’s been tough. So being 50 miles from everyone was kind of a dream.
Damian pulled in the driveway with some flowers and walked up to the house. He knocked on the door only for it to swing open. Damian noticed the splintered door frame and his heart sped up. He called your name. Act like the rich billionaire son while working like Robin, even though he wasn’t quite sure he still wanted the name.
He scanned every surface and he noticed a small scratch near the back door after looking through every room. Most people wouldn’t even notice it. You weren’t there. He looked closely and saw drag marks in the gravel path to the barn. His heart was thundering at this point. You weren’t in the barn either.
You were half Kryptonian but the genetic inheritance was complicated. Jon had won the lottery with having most of his father’s powers and not being as sensitive to Kryptonite. You had lost it. Hypersensitive to Kryptonite and only some speed and increased hearing and strength. Barely about the average human. You weren’t a fighter.
Damian pulled out his phone to call Jon.
“Bit busy here, Damian,” Jon said, sounding far from amused. Damian could hear kissing noises in the background and frowned. He didn’t want to hear that.
“Your sister is missing,” he said and he heard a lot of movement on the phone.
“What??”
“The door jam was kicked in and there are scrap marks of her being dragged away. I think she’s been kidnapped,” Damian said. His voice felt tight. He, son of Batman, let his girlfriend get kidnapped. “Whoever it was clearly waited until she had no other Kryptonians around to grab her. It wasn’t a coincidence that she was taken tonight. Can you get out here? I’m calling father to try and trace her. Her phone is missing too.”
“I’m leaving in 5. Damian, if Luther has her, she can’t handle Krytonite,” Jon said, worry bleeding into his voice. “It’s like it poisons her.”
“I know. But we don’t know who has her. Let’s hope they don’t know she’s part Krytonian,” Damian said, already mentally moving on to his next step. Contact Bruce. Get the bat computer to trace her. Look for more evidence. Don’t freak out completely that she might be poisoned by Kyrotonite.
“Okay. I’m about to fly. I’ll see you soon,” Jon said before hanging up.
——————————
You woke up with a cough. You head throbbed and your stomach rolled as you laid in a bed? Maybe a couch? It was a horrible feeling but you knew exactly what it was: Kryptonite. You couldn’t forget what how that stuff made you feel. You tried to look around to see it but the room was completely dark. Night vision would be nice but you got human eyes. Your slightly enhanced hearing heard nothing but the wind outside. Okay, you were ground level or higher.
You tried to twist in the cuffs that bound your hands only to cry out. There was the Kryptonite. It was on the outside of the cuffs and you almost threw up at it touched your skin. You were cuffed with Kryptonite to a hospital bed, you figured. What other bed had areas perfect for cuffs? Your legs were equally restrained and you felt so exposed in the dark room.
Your dad was off world. He wouldn’t hear you if you called for him. But Jon might. But if you yelled, someone might come in and who knows what they would do. You’d wait a little bit longer. You wanted to fall asleep. The Kryptonite made you feel so dull. Like the first time you were exposed to it.
You were all of 4 years old. Your dad had brought you with him to the Justice League meeting. Relatively safe and Batman promised Robin would watch you. Dick was so excited to be a babysitter. You had hugged him tight enough to hurt before running to the climbing wall.
“Hey!” Called the 16 year old. “I brought games instead!”
You warily walked back over to him and card games and board games fell out of a duffle bag as he opened it. Half the stuff you were far too young for. You bent down as he scooped up his gameboy. You pulled out some games and open a side pocket to grab a small metal box. Dick sat down his gameboy carefully before turning back to you.
“Don’t open th-“ he started before you pulled open the box to show a bright green stone. Followed by you throwing up all over his bag of games. You dropped the box and sat on the floor. Dick quickly closed the box with the piece of Kryptonite and put it in his pocket. He had boroughed one of Bruce’s bags that apparently wasn’t fully unpacked.
“Dad, I don’t feel good,” you said as Clark ran over. Dick looked at you so guiltily.
“I didn’t know,” he swore. “I’m so sorry.” Bruce stood by quietly.
“We need to talk later,” Clark had told Bruce and yeah, they were mad at each other for a while.
——————————————
Jon arrived shortly in a dress shirt and slacks and he looked at Damian just as weird as Damian looked at him. They had basically switched clothing.
“Not to judge but that’s date clothing? You told me to not wear flannel,” Jon said accusingly.
“That’s because your sister wanted me to wear this,” Damian said back. “Let’s focus on finding her. Father’s calling me now. We’ll change in a minute.”
“Hello, you’re on speaker phone,” Damian said.
“Her tracker is showing a warehouse owned by Luthor Corp in downtown Metropolis,” Bruce said. “Do you need help? I can see if Dick is nearby.”
“No thanks. Jon will help me. Thank you, father,” Damian said before hanging up.
“Luthor. I knew it,” Jon said with a frown. “Wait, you put a tracker on my sister? Does she know?”
“Now is not the time. Let’s get to Metropolis,” Damian said, changing the subject while both got dressed. Jon nodded and offered his arms. “I’m not being carried like that. I’ll hold on your back,” Damian said. Jon rolled his eyes and nodded again.
As they flew over corn fields and pastures, Jon began to question Damian. “So when did you put this tracker in? Does she even know? Where is it? Do I want to even know?”
“It’s sub-dermal in her forearm and I haven’t told her yet. And it’s irrelevant right now as it might save her life,” Damian said and Jon looked disgusted. “We need to focus on saving her and then you can be her angry brother.”
“Wow...”
————————————
You moved and the cuffs burned your skin. You gasped and screamed “Jon! Kon!” You called out to them hoping one of them would hear you.
“Dad!” you cried frantic. There was no way he would hear you. “Damian! Jonathan! Conner!”
You panted and your head pounded. You were so tired. You’d lose consciousness if no one saved you. Then who knows what they would do to you.
“Superman!” You screamed desperately before finally passing out.
——————————
“Did you hear that?” Jon said as they flew towards the Metropolis skyline.
“No all I hear is wind. What did you hear?” Damian said.
“Y/n. She’s calling for us,” Jon said speeding up.
“Is she okay?” Fear bled into Damian’s voice.
“I can’t tell. I’m trying to hurry,” Jon said flying quickly towards the industrial area of the city. He landed on the roof of a warehouse. Jon’s eyes glowed as he looked through the building.
“7 men. 4 posted outside the door to the room that’s she’s being held on the 2nd floor. Her heart rate is steady and she isn’t screaming any more. Almost sounds asleep,” Jon said after his analysis.
“Probably tranquilizer. Father’s data said this building is used for research purposes. Does that fit?” Damian asked.
“Uh more like research subject holding. Maybe a small lab on the first floor but other than cameras everywhere, there isn’t much science stuff that I can scan. But also the basement is sealed off,” Jon said.
“How?”
“Lead bound. You can check it out while I rescue her. 4 guys is nothing,” Jon said making a fist.
“Hold on. Luthor would probably have her surrounded by Kryptonite. Just in case one of you look for her. And that’s the last thing we need,” Damian said. “I’ll rescue her and you look for the basement. Knowing Luthor, it’s probably an entire facility of experiments below. He just hadn’t gotten her room ready yet.”
Jon looked frustrated. “Fine. You rescue her but be careful. She is the weakest of us. She’s not invulnerable to bullets or anything.”
“Most of the people I rescue aren’t either,” Damian reminded him. “And I’m certainly not taking a chance with my beloved.”
Jon looked over to respond but Damian was already gone. Just like the rest of the bats: silent goodbyes. Jon quietly moved down to the first floor. He was working but at the same time, his ear was trained on his sister’s heartbeat. Jon might be the younger sibling but she didn’t have powers and he felt so protective.
—————————————
Damian rolled his eyes at the 5 ways he could see that the security sucks in the 3 minutes he hung out the window before climbing in. Large rafters and guards who didn’t bother to look up. Not to mention the fact that they let there be a solid wall between the set of guards which meant that Damian was easily able to jump down to knock them out in pairs without the other set knowing. If the security was any worse they would leave the door unlocked.
The door wasn’t unlocked but it was a deadbolt that Damian easily disabled. If he didn’t know any better, he’d say it was on purpose. He gulped before opening the door. What if you were really hurt? Or dead? Ignore and get in there.
Damian opened the door and he felt white hot rage. You were tied to a bed and were unconscious. You were in a nice dressy shirt and sweatpants. They’d clearly taken you while you were getting dressed. Damian wanted to kill them. He had to take a breath to help you. Jon was taking them out and Damian was on rescue. He had to stay level headed.
Even the cuffs on your wrists were inadequate. If they had attempted to restrain Damian, he would have gotten out in 3 minutes. When he was 6 years old. The Kryptonite had left nasty red burns on your skin and he clenched his jaw at the sight. Jon better be punching extra hard.
Damian picked you up bridal style and you groaned a little before turning your head against his chest. The farther he got you from that fucking Kryotonite the better you were. He took you to the roof and you started waking up.
“Damian,” you said softly and a little confused.
“Hey you’re awake. How are you feeling?” He asked looking all over your face for injury.
“Kryptonite. I hate that stuff,” you said. Damian grabbed your hand and you hissed. He looked to see bright red knuckles. You’d clearly fought at some point. He certainly knew the signs of punching someone.
“You fought back?”
“Yeah and hitting someone in a helmet and body armor sucks. I got just a few in before they pulled out the damn rock. I throw up every damn time,” you said shaking your head.
Before Damian could comment on how brave and stupid it was to punch body armor, there was a huge crash down on the first floor as someone flew in the building through the window. You grabbed him tightly.
“What the hell is that?”
“Kon. Conner’s here. I’m up here,” you yelled.
Conner flew up to the roof. “Are you okay? What’s going on?”
“Kidnapped. Damian and Jon saved me. He’s still down there actually. Can you check on him?” You said. Damian suddenly stood up.
“What if you were a distraction and the real problem is downstairs?” Damian suddenly said with clarity. The Kryptonite alone was enough to hold you down. The half ass security was to hold their attention when they rescued you. Jon was already flying back down before Damian could say more. Damian weighed his options: leave you alone, bring you with him, or stay out of it and while the last sounded nice, he’d have to go in case of more Kryptonite.
Before Damian could decide, Kon was back on the roof. “You’ve got to come see this.”
Downstairs was a lead lined basement. That alone had you nervous. Jon stood by the door. Little spattering of blood could be seen on his hands. He had a hard look.
“Warning: this is going to be messed up,” he said and you were even more worried. You walked in to see cages. Kids. Unconscious adults lay around in the hallway. “They were experimenting on them.”
You felt nauseous.
“My father is on the way. This is much bigger than I thought,” Damian said messing with his comms. His free hand was on your shoulder protectively.
There were 8 kids in cages. Bruce was running tests on their blood and investigating the area as you helped to get them out of the cages. What a terrible Valentine’s Day.
“Beloved, let’s get you home. We can stay at the farm tonight. You need sleep,” Damian said worried. You looked at him distracted.
“They’re just kids.”
“Come on. Let’s go. Kon is going to stay there too. Just for the night,” Damian said helping you up. Kon flew you both back to the farm.
“I’m going back to help. You okay, kid,” Kon asked as Damian inspected the house.
“I’ll be alright. Just help those kids,” you said.
“Yeah, of course,” he said ruffling your head. You rolled your eyes. “But seriously, the way you screamed I thought you were being murdered.”
You stiffened. “I’m fine. Thanks.”
Kon knew when to quit. Something he had learned from Tim. He gave you a big hug and flew off towards Metropolis.
“Hey. I made your bed so you can sleep,” Damian said quietly. “And a change of clothes.”
You nodded and went upstairs. Damian helped pull off your shirt and put on a sweater. He looked at the marks around your wrist and red knuckles but didn’t note any more bruises or cuts. You pulled on sweatpants and climbed in small twin bed that Lois kept for guests. The pink and yellow flowery quilt felt warm and comforting on your skin. Damian lay beside you after changing and looked at you seriously.
“What is it,” you asked.
“I was so scared tonight. I have been doing this for years and I’ve never been so worried,” he said softly and you looked down and flushed. If you weren’t so freaking sensitive to Kryptonite this wouldn’t have happened. Damian gently lifted your chin and you looked at him.
“I was scared to lose you,” he said running his thumb across your cheek. “I’m going to drive you absolutely mad because I don’t want to take my eyes off of you.”
“Yeah?” You said with a little smile.
“Uh hm. But first sleep,” he said and your body certainly agreed. You curled into him and rest your head on his chest. His arms held you tightly before rubbing your back. You fell asleep to Damian staring at you. He stared at you all night, not even sleeping when Kon came in a few hours later.
———————————
“I have to know what all that was, Bruce,” you said at the Batcave the next day. “I was in there.”
He looked at you for a minute. “They were experimenting with meta DNA. All of those kids have gifts and they wanted to take you too. There were even plans to inject those kids with your blood to see if it would affect them.”
You shivered a little at the thought. Lex Luthor and his obsession with Kryptonian DNA.
“All the records were burned. Most of the warehouse too. Your brothers were.... thorough. And Clark will be home in a few days,” Bruce added.
“Really?”
“Yes. And he’s furious at Luthor. Probably will call soon. He wanted to let you sleep earlier. We’re just running programs here. Why don’t you and Damian go upstairs,” he suggested.
“Bruce Wayne,” came a stern voice behind you. You turned to see your mother, Lois Lane, looking like she was going to beat up Batman. “You put a tracker in my daughter without her permission?”
“You what?” You said.
“Actually that was Damian. Though I want to point out that it helped save her life,” Bruce added. Lois slapped him soundly across the cheek. Bruce just blinked and rubbed his cheek.
“Damian, you put a tracker in me?” You asked shocked. You’d assumed Jon had heard you or Damian’s detective work brought them to the warehouse. Not an invasive tracker in your body. “What the hell?”
“Well I can explain..”
503 notes · View notes
aetheternity · 3 years
Note
Hello! I’ve read your work and fallen in love! I don’t know if your requests are open, but I really like the Armin x you x Levi post you wrote🥰 may I please request a smut of this? Thank you!
First of all thank you! I'm so glad you're in love with my work. 😊 Second of all I'm sorry this took a while I got sick and writing smut while being sick is honestly disgusting. Plus I recently fell in love with Saiki K and have been binge watching it . 🤭 N e ways! Hope you enjoy this.
Warnings: Polyamory, threesome, Nsfw content.
Ok you'll be honest with yourself four years ago you didn't expect to be as happy as you are now. 
After you'd grown sick of your living arrangement with your parents. You'd left that life behind. Moving into the small empty bedroom your best friend since your last year of middle school had open in his surprisingly tiny apartment. 
And when you said tiny. You meant tiny. 
Some rooms in the apartment weren't even big enough for someone to stand in with their arms outstretched. Not to mention a couple of your nights were spent huddled next to Armin on the couch with a huge blanket around your bodies because the heat randomly shut off. 
You'd think a situation like that would be worse. But weirdly enough it had been the best for both of you as your relationship had always had a sort of looming sexual tension that went unexplored. 
Long lingering touches to your waist got just a little bit longer while trying to squeeze past you in the bathroom. "Sorry I just need my brush." Armin would whisper. Warm palm against your hip. The ghost of his pelvic bone so close yet so far away. Just the realization making you arch in his grasp. You'd hold his gaze and in the back of your mind you could watch the soft slither of his tongue as it wet his gorgeous pink lips so many times over. 
Of course it escalated with neither of you ever saying a word about your feelings. You spraying water from the sink on a shirtless Armin during a heat wave that just wouldn't let up as he walked into the kitchen wearing only grey sweatpants. (Yup.. only sweatpants.) The way they hung so low on his hips practically begging for your tongue to stretch across the expanse of his pelvis. 
Him hugging you tight around the waist for literally any reason he could think of. (And he found a new reason everyday.)
And then it escalated a little further.. you pulling back the shower curtain to "complain" about him eating your leftovers. Him pulling you into his lap while the two of you watched tv. 
And one day it just ended. And by ended it meant you two opened a bottle of wine on New Years and the ball wasn't the only thing that dropped. He had you laying ass up, legs spread and pussy sobbing as he rocked your hips for eight fucking hours with no stop. Did that table break? During hour five but Armin managed. 
And then you guys moved. After a mutual agreement that the two of you were aware of each other's feelings and wanted to be together. You'd both managed to pool enough money together to afford a bigger place with two bedrooms. One unused and one that was immediately broken in with Armin over stimulating you the second the boxes were halfway unpacked. 
Fast forward to a man named Levi moving in across the hall, him developing feelings for you over a long period of seeing you daily thanks to his best friend absolutely adoring you and constantly inviting herself into you and Armin's home.
After a while you'd started picking up on the signs of his affection too. His long glances that sometimes didn't even break when you looked back at him. The little gifts that began to show up at your door. The way he'd bring over food when he knew Armin wasn't home. 
Once you'd started to develop feelings too Armin allowed you a night. One night to see if those feelings were actually real and what they might mean. Cue a night of carriage rides, roses (lots and lots of roses), stargazing and a kiss that damn near floored you and it was more than one night. 
Two nights and Levi had had you on his couch with him snuggled in what would soon become your favorite blanket. Three nights and Levi had you eating his mom's homemade spaghetti. And by a week you were begging for Levi to fuck you harder, fingers shaking on his white tiled kitchen floor. His relentless thrusts still causing your thighs to tremble hours after. 
He looked so lost in bliss in a way you'd never seen him before and you hugged onto him so tight you didn't even go back to Armin that night. Just curled up under your favorite blanket on his couch with his cock nestled deep inside you. His kisses littering your face till the moment you fell asleep. 
It was definitely a cause for fear. An unrelenting kind and you sat down on the couch with Armin the next day explaining how deeply you loved them both. Only to be shocked when he brought up the topic of polyamory. It definitely shocked you a ton when Armin agreed to it after some explanation of his own feelings but the real surprise was Levi explaining how he'd also thought about it and would be up for it. 
And thus began the beautiful bloom of a poly relationship after him and Armin had gotten better acquainted. You know after you guys all moved because Levi hated living in the apartment. 
The three of you left to live in a gorgeous house. (For once you were living in a place with more than one floor and an island in the kitchen.) A place you'd been calling home for over a year now. 
~~~~ 
Your breath hitched soft moans stuttering off your lips. You don't even remember who started it but here you and Armin were, his breath tickling every bit of your face with sweet languid kisses. One hand brushing over every curve you possessed while the other was softly brushing in between your pussy lips. 
Your body perched in his lap as he sat against the headboard. Pillows scattered around the two of you as you writhe and begged for more of his touch. 
You were probably drawing blood where you were grasping his shoulders but you couldn't even begin to think about it. Armin's warm breath tickling your lips in a soft chuckle. The tips of his fingers softly caressing your clit as you let out little whimpers of pleasure. 
"You promise you'll moan nice and loud for daddy's fingers?" He asked, closing the distance between your lips with a much slower kiss. 
"Yes." You could feel his nail brush inside and you almost buried his fingers but his harsh grip on your ass paused your movements. Your thighs shook and you rubbed your forehead against his. Leaned into his broad chest with both hands. "Please daddy.." 
"Good girl." 
With one more small kiss he laid you out flat on the bed free hand coming up to squeeze your areola. With a tap of your outer thigh you spread for him watching the way his spit dribbled off his lips and directly onto your already wet hole. The mixture making a much wetter sound as he pumped two fingers fully inside. 
With a gasp you yanked the sheets hard, almost squeezing your thighs together. His fingers curling, snatching your breath away. The bed creaked a little as he repositioned himself, stomach flat against the sheets with his mouth on your thighs. Spreading a soft array of little open mouthed kisses. 
"A-Armin.." 
"Keep your ankles in the air, love. I don't wanna punish you tonight." He breathed 
You sucked in a breath, reaching out to hold your ankles. Almost immediately you felt embarrassed by the high pitched moan that fell off your lips at the first long slide of his flat tongue over your pussy lips.
And then right in between them in a beckoning motion over your clit that had you biting into your lip. The smile on his lips so evident over your core. 
You lifted your head in time to watch the slow drip of more of his saliva stretch between your clit and his bottom lip. Tongue immediately outstretched with eyes drawn to your features as he lapped it back up again. 
With his free hand he spread apart your pussy lips a little further giving your clit an almost harsh knead with his thumb. The friction making you cry out and almost drop your legs onto his back. 
His fingers carefully slipped out of you to your own dismay. The slow drag against your walls almost painful, that is until his tongue was sliding in to replace them. Giving your inner walls a massage that made your gaze fall white. 
You felt him hum. Sweet vibrations flowing through your cunt as he slurped down every bit of your juices. His arms snaking around your legs to yank you so much closer as he pushed his tongue impossibly deeper. 
"Daddy.." You begged 
"Shh, keep moaning for me baby.." He hummed, flicking your clit with his thumb. 
You obeyed with an arch that probably could've launched you off the bed if not for Armin's tight hold. Your eyes squeezed shut, brain going completely empty. 
"Such a good girl." He breathed "So good for daddy." 
The pad of his tongue stretched over both sides of your lips with little nibbles. Sucking the skin into his mouth roughly. You could feel his eyes on you, practically see those bright blues pop with lust as he pressed his tongue back inside with languid thrusts. 
Your heartbeat pounded in your ear and you felt the hold he had on your legs loosen. His two fingers delving and sliding back into your warm fluttering cunt. The overwhelming pleasure forcing your hands back on the bed holding out for dear life. 
"Daddy.. daddy please.." You cried 
"Getting close baby?" When you nodded vigorously he smirked. "Come on baby almost there." He hummed 
He sped up his tongue, fingers stretching you open quickly adding another. Your breath caught with a high pitched cry that left tears  flowing over your cheeks. An endless chorus of his name flooding off your lips. His own moans sending vibrations through your core. 
Your stomach tightened, toes curling in the air as you tried and failed to steady your breathing. One of your hands unfurled itself from the sheets now sticking to your sweat soaked body. Carding it in the beautiful blond locks between your legs. 
"Baby.. baby I'm about to-" He sucked your clit into his mouth and your eyes went hazy, head falling back. 
"Finish baby, come on.." He whispered 
Your lips spewed curse words between every breath lost. When his fingers tapped smoothly against your g-spot you knew that was it for you. And with one last shudder you came around his fingers, screaming his name as your orgasm racked over you in a loud burst. 
And he licked up every drop, nose buried to collect it all like it was the best thing he'd ever tasted. 
"A-Armin.." You shuddered body flush and hazy. 
His fingers feel wet, a combination of your pussy juices and the sweat between both your bodies. You slowly blinked in the darkness combing strands of his hair back as your lips made contact. The mixture of your taste and his on your tongue, in an almost overwhelming way. 
You tensed under him. Hands stretching over every part of him you could reach only for him to back away a bit. With your nails still gently grazing over your back he pressed his damp forehead into yours, fingers sweeping over every bit of bare skin. 
With barely any warning he hoisted you to your feet next to the edge of the bed. And you reached out for his shoulders as he slipped his boxers down his legs. Inching himself back up to the headboard. 
"Take a seat." He gestures, laying back. 
He's got a hand around your waist in seconds. His cock soon just below you, so so close to where you wanted it. Where you needed it so badly. 
Your knees came down on both sides of him, carefully administering your weight evenly until every inch of his hot cock was stretching you open. His tip soon resting firmly against your cervix like it always did and you both relinquished a sweet gasp. 
"F-fuck.. so full.." You huffed 
It felt like it had been so long when in reality it'd probably only been a week. And yet you were moaning like you'd been starved of him. Rocking your hips like he'd punished you with no cock for months. 
Suddenly his arm wrapped itself around your waist again. He hoisted you up with a strong hold moaning directly in your ear as he thrusted up into you like it was the first time. His knees pressing your thighs open.
A hiss falling off your lips as he kissed over your shoulder and collar. Hands squeezing both your breasts like they were his personal stress balls. 
You hadn't been aware of how hard Armin was going until the rough knocks of the bed hitting the walls finally began to settle in your ear. But you could barely care Armin's cock was hitting every spot inside of you and your leg was starting to twitch where it was forced outward. 
His breath grew more ragged with every thrust. Sweat dripping off your forehead onto his. His sweet murmurs of praise turning you on even harder.
"Love, you take me so well.. You're doing so amazing…." He moaned 
You leaned your head into him, feeling that sweet familiarity deep in the pit of your stomach. You reached around to the back of his head, yanking a little rougher than intended on his scalp. 
The uneven slaps of your skin meeting managed to keep the two of you distracted  until the sound of the door practically slamming into the wall shook you both to a halt. 
Levi's dry sigh filled the once noisy bedroom. "Do you two have to make so much noise? I'm busy with a work project." 
Despite Levi's gripes Armin angled his cock back towards your g-spot barely grazing it but it was enough to force a little mewl from your lips. 
He laughed, pulling you a little closer. "Mm sorry Levi. Didn't know we were being so loud." 
There was a small glint in Levi's eyes. The quick dart of his pupils to where you and Armin were joined and then back up to your face putting a devious grin on your face. 
"You should take a break, daddy." You said 
"Tch." Levi huffed, "This thing needs to be done by tomorrow. I don't have time for this." 
You reached out for him with one arm. An arm that unsurprisingly didn't even reach close to him from his stance near the bedroom door. By this point Armin's thrusts were going at almost the same pace as before. Not as rough but enough to resume the gentle rock of the bed. 
You let out a soft moan as Levi took the bait, slowly walking over to the bed. His finger carding affectionately through your tousled hair. He leaned in, pecking your kiss swollen lips. 
If there was anything you knew for a fact about Levi it was that he always had a hard time saying no to you. 
To be completely honest it didn't surprise you that Levi was already more than a little hard. Though it did surprise you how easily he gave in today. Watching with unchanged expression as you pulled his belt from the loops and buckle, undoing it with a light clatter which quickly followed the almost inaudible sound of his zipper being pulled down.. 
You let out a relaxed hum, lip pressed between your teeth at the sight before you. His thick cock poking out over the hem of his underwear. You grasped at the sheets with one hand a little shaky as you slipped his boxers down over his ass until they pooled at his ankles. 
Armin slipped his hand under you right up against your stomach. Levi immediately followed suit already knowing what he was doing. He stepped over to the edge of the bed as Armin laid you down on your stomach. Levi's wet tip dangling in front of your lips. Before you could even register it Armin had your hips in the air slipping all the way back inside with a loud gasp. 
Meanwhile you were wetting your lips. Hand curving up and down the length of his dick. You inched forward on your elbows to slowly surround Levi's dick in the warm confines of your mouth. The hiss he let out sending shivers over your spine.
"How's it feel? I know how much you love taking two dicks." Levi grunted 
Armin reached forward, tugging your hips in close with one hand. The other hand on your ass as leverage. Allowing him to ease out to his tip before slamming back inside. Your eyes rolling back with pleasure. 
As if it wasn't already difficult enough to take Levi he wasn't even fully hard yet. Just expanding in your mouth as you coaxed your throat into relaxing enough to slide every thick inch down. 
"I know that pretty mouth can do so much better than this." He reaches out with zero warning to grab a fist full of your hair. Yanking you forward with barely any restraint. 
Though you must admit the sound that leaves his throat when he does is almost worth the tears pricking over your hollowed cheeks. 
"Baby I'm so fucking close.. I'm gonna fill your pussy." Armin sighs, his hand comes down to wrap around the base of your throat angling your mouth into Levi's rough thrusts. 
Your heart is hammering but you close your mouth as best as possible without biting to take Levi's cock. Already feeling the effects on your jaw as he presses in a little harder with a deep moan. 
By now his cock is fully hard rocking you back into Armin with deep rough thrusts that almost make you gag. 
"That's my g-irl.." Levi grunts, even though they're small his nails dig into your scalp so roughly you could swear you felt something trickling down to the back of your neck. 
You grip the bed sheets with both your toes and fingers, the creaking around you unmistakable. 
"I'm cumming.. I'm cumming!" Armin cries out and you'd honestly give anything to see his gorgeous blue eyes roll back and the little smile that curves against his lips as he climaxes. 
You finish just a couple seconds ahead of him. Eyes unfocused where they roll into shut. Little sounds muffled by the thick dick stretching open your throat. The feeling of Armin's cum flooding your walls makes you whimper and he lets out the softest moan as his orgasm slowly whittles away. 
Your gaze soon fixes on Levi only to be met with the prettiest tint of pink brushed right up against his cheeks. His eyes pressed tightly closed, lips parted over every harsh breath. 
It didn't take long for the sweet drag of Armin's cock to begin again. His light touches to your spine making you arch a little higher. 
"You look so fucking pretty, you know that?" Armin mummered, cock slamming into your g-spot. "Doesn't she look gorgeous, Levi?" He asked with a little whimper. 
Levi's eyes fluttered open a hint of a smirk cresting on his lips. "Like she's gonna.. pass out.." He combed your hair back again gripping it a little tighter forcing your head up. He paused at the back of your throat. "Can't take it baby? Want me to pull out?" 
You grunted at every slam of Levi's dick until that all too familiar sound flooded your ears, followed by almost every curse in the english language. 
"You're doing so well.. f-uck.." He moaned "Swallow my cum.. swallow it. I'm almost there.." 
Levi hoisted his leg up against the already shaky foot of the bed using as much leverage as possible. His fingers tugging your head forward on every pump of his thick cock. Mixing with the loud gasps of Armin behind you as he also neared his end. 
And with one more deep thrust Levi was spilling down your throat with a choked groan. Cock head nestled deep in your tired throat holding you still as his orgasm flooded from his body. 
You were a little relieved when he stepped back allowing your jaw to relax. The still wet tip pressing sweetly against your lips. 
"Such a pretty girl.." He said, so low you thought you imagined it. 
"Switch with me." You heard Armin say 
You sighed as his cock left you, feeling yourself immediately being flipped onto your back. His large hands coming down from where he now stood over you to perfectly envelop your breasts. Meanwhile Levi was pulling your hips close and sliding in as effortlessly as he always did. 
"Levi!" You threw your head back 
Armin smirked over you, his hands kneading a little rougher. You arched into his touch pressing the balls of your heels into Levi's back, pushing him just a little deeper- 
God it was perfect. The feeling of his dick so much different from Armin's but honestly just as perfect. The moan you let out was downright pornographic and you pressed your head back into Armin's thigh. 
One of Armin's hands came up to your face brushing aside your hair soaked in tears. "You look perfect. But I wanna make you more perfect." 
He pulled himself off the bed, sliding a hand over your cheek. "I wanna paint your face baby. It's so perfect.." He mumbled already pumping his long dick over your face. "You'll let me right.." He whimpered 
When he leaned in again it was to press a little kiss to your lips. "P-please.." 
The curve of his lips made your heart flutter in your chest. "Mm.. let Levi see when I'm finished." 
One of Armin's hands sat rather aggressively on the edge of the bed. And you could see the way every vein in his hand moved. Grip tightening a little with every pump of his cock, back and forth his knuckles practically ripping through his skin. 
You gasped as Levi leaned over you, fat cock pressing into your G-spot. "Stop ignoring me." He grunted 
He slid his teeth beneath your earlobe administering a barrage of sweet nibbles mixed with more aggravated bites. 
"Levi.. Levi!!" 
Armin gasped above you, "Almost there.." He moaned 
A bright white was starting to take over your vision as you shut your eyes, mouth hung open for Armin's cock with absolutely no sound coming out as Levi continued to use your tired pussy. 
Small huffs of fuck littering the air. You bore your nails into Levi's back and chest. His leg shaking against you as he pushed through his last thrusts. 
"I-I'm.. I- shit!" Armin came first, missing Levi's head by a hair (literally) as ropes of hot cum plopped onto your face, you barely registering it as your own orgasm hit you like a two ton truck. Levi's thumb coaxing small spasms from you through your clit. 
Levi huffed, face scrunched, lip bitten and eyes shut as he came for the second time with a hard gasp. 
The room went quiet for what couldn't have been any longer than 2 minutes before Armin was pulling himself up from where he'd slumped over the bed. 
"Levi, look how sexy she looks with my cum all over her face." He cooed 
It stuck to your eyelids as you blinked though ultimately chose to keep your eyes shut. You felt Levi's small chuckle and the brief feeling of him slipping out of you to your own disappointment.
"Open baby." Armin said 
As soon as you did his fingers slipped into your mouth. The salty/sweet residue of his cum littering your tongue. Quickly joined by Levi who swiped his thumb across your eyelids before pressing it into your mouth. 
"How're you feeling?" Armin asked as you opened your eyes slowly. 
You blinked in their faces standing above you with a small smile. "Tired." 
"You can't sleep until you've washed off. It'll be better for you anyway." Levi replied, heading into the bathroom. 
Armin quickly followed after carefully lifting your fatigued body off the bed. It took a couple minutes for Levi to get the temperature to perfect but once he did you slowly felt yourself sinking into perfectly warm water. 
The soreness in every part of your body already beginning to dissipate as you leaned back against the edge of the tub. 
"We did a number on you hmm?" Armin asked, carding your hair back. 
"I'll make you some tea once you're cleaned up. Then we can cuddle under your favorite blanket." Levi said 
"Thank you guys but I feel like I could fall asleep here." You say lifting your thighs for Levi to clean under. 
"I promise I'll pay you back big time tomorrow." Armin replied, rubbing your arm with soap. 
Your lips curled up deviously, "Now that I look forward to." You grab his chin pulling him into you, pecking his lips. 
238 notes · View notes
jabbage · 1 year
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talkfastromance4 · 3 years
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Flowers 4+1// ashton irwin oneshot
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A/N: this is my first ever 4+1 fic so I’m kind of nervous, thank you Angie @littledrummerangie for the idea! This is also SUPER indulgent as being a birthday fic for me and a birthday fic with Ashton😅 since mine is the day before his. This has everything I love in it, flowers, hot tubs, a cabin, christmas, love… This is 4 times Ashton gives you flowers and 1 time you give him flowers
Word count: 6k
Masterlist
Enjoy!💕
*****
One
The first time they met was when Andy and Sarah invited Ashton to help her move into her new place. The movers basically set all the boxes and furniture into her house and then left her to her own devices. She called Andy and Sarah for help and if they had any reinforcements it would be greatly appreciated. 
She was trying to find wine glasses when there was a knock at the door. When she opened it she had to look up at her guest. His copper brown hair fell in waves and necklaces hung perfectly down his neck, his hazel eyes were bright and friendly.
First, she noticed how good looking he is and the second thing she noticed was the mason jar filled with orange and peach flowers. 
“Uh, hi can I help you?” she asks suddenly feeling very self-conscious of her ratty t-shirt and paint splotched shorts. 
“I’m Ashton and I’m your honorary mover,” he smiles. “Andy called me. You must be Y/N.”
“Must be. I mean--yes, I am! And oh, right, wow. Sorry, please come in and thank you for helping,” she says, moving aside to let him in.
“Yeah, of course. These are for you,” he holds out the mason jar. “A housewarming gift.”
“Thank you so much,” she smiles, taking the flowers with both hands. Their fingers brush. “I’ve never gotten flowers before.”
“Really?” his eyes bore into hers and she’s momentarily frazzled. 
“Apart from my mom or grandpa but...um, I’ll put these in the kitchen. Andy’s in the bedroom putting the bed together if you’d like to help in there.”
She escapes into the kitchen where Sarah is wiping down the fridge. 
“Who was at the door? What pretty flowers!” 
“Your friend Ashton and he gave me these,” you touch one of the roses before burying your nose in the plumage. The petals tickle your nose and the scent is wonderful. 
“He’s sweet like that,” Sarah smiles. “Did you find the glasses?”
“No,” Y/N huffs, setting the flowers on the counter by the sink. “They’re probably in the bathroom or something.”
“We’ll find them.”
The four of them continue working on unpacking and it isn’t until about 10 o’clock when Andy and Ashton enter the living room.
“The bed, vanity, and dressers are all assembled,” Andy announces wiping at his brow. 
“We’re the poor man's Avengers,” Ashton laughs. “We put the bed in the middle of the wall and the vanity next to the window. Best lighting to do make-up.”
“That’s...perfect actually, thank you guys,” Y/N smiles, balling up the newspaper and shoving it in a large garbage bag. She just finished placing her books on the shelves, she’ll sort them later in the week. 
“We were thinking of getting pizza,” Andy says.
“Pizza sounds great! Here, I’ll give you some money--”
“No, my treat,” Ashton says, “you’ve been working hard.”
After eating pizza they all went back to unpacking and Ashton made comments about the art pieces she has. He asks where she wants each one hung up. 
“You don’t have to do that, I’ll put them up later,” she waves her hand at him. 
“It’s my job as honorary mover,” he grins. 
Midnight came upon them sooner than she would like. Andy and Sarah headed out because of Pebbles, she’s been cooped up all day so it was just Ashton and Y/N. He asked questions while unpacking to get to know her better and he was very open to her questions. 
He stayed until 3 in the morning but he made sure to get her number before he left. She took a photo of the flowers on the counter before going to bed.
Two
She changed her outfit about a dozen times. Her bed was covered in discarded clothes and she still had to put on her makeup. The clock on her wall ticked reminding her that Ashton would be here in a little less than an hour. 
It’s been six months since he helped her move in and in that time, they became close. He showed her all of the best coffee shops and bookstores he knew of. He introduced her to the rest of his band and they accepted her kindly. 
She accompanied them on outings, parties, and Ashton always made sure to stick close with her. He knew she was shy around new people so he always made sure to include her in conversation. 
One night when he was walking her back to her door after going to dinner with the band and their significant others, he was acting strange. He was unusually quiet and she’d find him staring at her across the table. 
“So, I’ll see you Monday, right?” she asked, shuffling through her purse for her house key. 
“How about Saturday?” 
“This Saturday? I thought we were going to try that new restaurant Monday with Andy and Sarah?”
“I mean, we can do that, too but I was thinking...Saturday could just be us. You and me.”
The air changed between them and she stopped looking for her keys. She turned to face him but she couldn’t quite read his expression. 
“Oh, okay. Did you want to watch that new movie on Netflix?”
“Y/N, I’m trying to ask you on a date here,” he laughed nervously rubbing at the back of his neck.
“Ask me on a...you are? Oh God, and I’m ruining it. I’m sorry, I didn’t realize--”
“You could never ruin anything,” he smiled. “But, would you like to go on a date with me this Saturday?” his hazel eyes were hopeful and Y/N couldn’t believe this was actually happening. 
“I’d love to Ash,” she smiled. 
And now here she is, half naked and indecisive on what to wear. She shouldn’t be freaking out like this, it’s Ashton. But it’s also *Ashton. Ashton who can always make her laugh and he makes her feel safe and they always have fun together. But it’s also Ashton who gives her butterflies whenever he touches her lower back and her heart race when he gives her a hug. 
Her phone buzzes and it’s Ashton letting her know he’ll be there in forty-five minutes. She lets out a loud groan and goes back to her closet, maybe a new article of clothing she’s never seen will just reappear. 
To her astonishment, there was a maroon dress that she wore to a wedding. 
“Might as well,” she sighs and puts it on. It really doesn’t look half bad as she looks at herself in the mirror. 
She rushes to put on her makeup and by the time she spritzes on her perfume, the doorbell rings. She checks that she has everything in her clutch and moves to the door. 
It’s like a deja vu moment from six months ago because he’s handsome as ever and holding a bouquet of flowers in his hand. His necklaces are perched perfectly in the V of his white button up shirt and it contrasts nicely with his skin. These flowers are full of pink and white flowers with a hint of peach thrown in there. The ivory paper crinkles when his fingers squeeze it, his eyes widen at the sight of her. 
“Wow, you look...wow.”
“You’re pretty wow yourself,” she giggles then glances at the flowers. “Are those for me?”
“Um, yes,” he holds his hand out, the flowers bumping your chest. “Shit, sorry.”
“It’s okay,” she laughs, taking them from him and buries her face in the center of it. “They smell wonderful, thank you so much. I’ll just put them in water and then we can go.”
He follows her into the house, she doesn’t see him glance down at her ass in the dress. He’s rubbing his neck again when she looks at him getting a vase from the counter. She fills it with water and arranges the flowers. 
“So, where are we going?”
**
They’re sitting outside the restaurant, it’s a warm breezy summer night. The rustic atmosphere feels comfortable but when she flicks her gaze at Ashton over the drink menu, he’s drinking his glass of water heartily. His other hand is tapping against the table, it’s a thing he does when he’s nervous. 
“Thirsty, huh?” She tries to ease his unusual activity and he shakes his head.
“Yeah, throat’s a little dry,” he clears his throat just as the waitress comes by. 
She takes their drink order and Ashton requests a pitcher of water if it’s available. Their roles are reversed, she’s the one doing most of the talking and he’s the one who’s listening. She can tell he’s still being reserved so she takes out her phone and points it at him.
“Smiiile!” She sings turning on portrait mode. 
“Why?” He laughs nervously but it makes him smile so she snaps the photo. 
“Because, the lighting is perfect and you look cute,” she flirts with a smile.
Ashton laughs again but it’s his real laugh, the laugh that always gets her laughing. She snaps as many photos as she can and it seems to have done the job of making him act like himself. Even though they’ve hung out nearly everyday, the evening still had the air of a first date. 
They even tried each other’s food. She stabbed her chicken and noodle with her fork, blew on it, and fed it to him across the table. 
“Wow, that is really good,” he hums in approval. He swirls his own noodles on his fork and feeds her slowly. 
“That sauce is amazing,” she moans, loving the lemon flavor. 
They share a dessert of chocolate mousse and split the strawberry. After dinner, he took her to the art museum. They're open later in the summertime. There were only a few people meandering in the open space and standing stagnant in front of pieces. 
“This is why I wanted to bring you here,” he says, taking her hand easily in his own. 
Her butterflies returned and he lead her all the way to the back. It was a Claude Monet exhibit and she tried to look at the paintings but Ashton was on a mission to a certain piece. He stops in front of it and she stares in amazement at the painting. It’s of Claude Monet on his boat. She gasps, staring at it and Ashton is staring at her. 
It’s the painting she tried to replicate when she was younger in her art class. It’s the painting that introduced her to Monet because the style was similar and it always stuck with her. She told him she wanted to find the painting when they first met and stayed up until 3 in the morning.
“You remembered this?” she asks, stepping closer to it. She makes sure their hands are still locked together, his thumb is rubbing her skin in soothing circles. 
“Your eyes always light up when you talk about things that matter to you. They’re always so bright when you talk about him...and when I give you flowers.”
“Ashton this is…” she shakes her head at a loss for words. She gazes upon the painting, loving the visibility of the palette strokes and the blending of the colors. Tears formed in her eyes. “This is the best thing anyone has ever done for me.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
“I love it,” she wipes the stray tear that slipped from her eye.
“Hey,” he says softly. His fingers graze her cheek tilting her face towards him. 
His thumb rubs at the leftover tear, his own face inching closer to hers. She closes her eyes, exhaling when his lips brush against hers. He squeezes her hand, his lips controlled and gentle yet also hesitant. As if he’s testing the waters. 
They unabashedly makeout in front of the paintings and in her mind she’s thinking of what they look like to an outsider. Still life man and woman lost in each other.
Three
The holidays arrived faster than she wanted them to. She still had a ton of shopping to do for her family but at least her flight is scheduled. Ashton is accompanying her on the trip and she’s so excited for him to meet her family. 
“Make sure you aren’t doing anything the weekend before the holiday,” he tells her unravelling lights from her box of Christmas decorations. 
“How come?” she asks searching through the tv for the claymation movies she loves to watch.
“That’s when I’m going to give you my present.”
“You need a whole weekend to do that?” she laughs. 
“I won’t say anything more than that,” he smirks at her. 
“I can help with that--”
“I got it sorted,” he waves her off, “you enjoy your movies.”
“Have I told you you’re the most amazing boyfriend?” she wraps her arms around his waist. Ashton shifts the lights into one hand so he can hold her against him with his free hand. 
“You’ve never told me that,” he grins and kisses her. 
“I’m sure I have,” she mumbles between kisses. Her hands slip under his shirt, thumbs grazing over his warm skin causing Ashton to grunt at the contact.
His hand rubs up her back and into her hair, he breaks the kiss with a shaky breath. “Let me finish putting these lights up and we can get back to this, baby.”
“We could get to this faster if you let me help,” she stresses, pinching his skin. “You never let me do anything.”
“You do plenty, baby,” he smiles, kissing her forehead. 
She sighs and retreats to the couch curling up to watch the movie and Ashton wrap and weave the lights around her tree. Two and a half movies later he was finally finished and turned the lights on. The white light reflected on her wooden floor and she beamed at his job well done.
“It’s perfect! Thank you!” she throws her arms around his neck in a big hug. 
“My pleasure,” he chuckles and kisses her temple. She starts to give small kisses to his neck, featherlight and ticklish on his skin. “Get outta here, you know I’m ticklish.”
“What are you gonna do about it?” she teases continuing her small attack of affection. 
Ashton shifts her in his arms making his way to her couch and drops onto the cushions. She situated herself so she’s straddling his waist. His hands smooth over the curve of her ass while his lips suction kisses along her jaw and to her neck. She shivers at the contact, tugging at his curls when he sucks a mark.
“This is what I’m gonna do about it,” he says gruffly and rocks her against his hips. 
“Okay,” she sighs, enjoying his mouth on her neck and the bulge in his pants rubbing against her core with each rock he makes her do. She moans when his hands move to her thighs and gives her a squeeze. 
Needing more of him, she drags his head away from her neck so she can feel his lips on her own again. She rolls her hips against his without his help and his hands slip under her shirt, moaning when he feels she’s not wearing a bra. 
“Damn, baby,” he growls cupping her breasts together. He tweaks her nipples and she squeaks in his mouth. “You like that?”
“Feels good,” she nods nipping at his lip. His phone rings and buzzes in his pocket, the vibration adds another element to her arousal.
“Leave it, they can leave a message,” he pants, sucking another kiss from her. 
His phone stops ringing only for hers to start on the coffee table behind them. She breaks the kiss and turns around trying to see the caller ID.
“Leave it,” he repeats, squeezing her breasts again.
“It could be an emergency,” she reaches for her phone to see it’s Sarah calling. “Hello?” She picks it up staring at Ashton and he smirks, lifting her shirt up. He takes her nipple between his lips and she scowls at him. “Oh, that was tonight? Um, yeah he’s with me. We’ll be right over. Okay, yeah…” she sighs when his teeth tug on her nipple. “See you soon.”
She tosses the phone to the couch and tosses her head back relishing in his mouth on her sensitive bud for a moment longer. Their physical relationship is progressing slowly, they’ve almost had sex three times (now four if Sarah hadn’t called) but she likes the pace they’re going at. 
“We need to go to Andy and Sarah’s,” she strokes his cheek curling his hair around his ear.
“Why? I’d rather stay here,” he shifts his mouth to her other breast, his tongue rolling over her nipple salaciously. 
“Mm, me too but it’s their Christmas party tonight. And we’re late by two hours,” she snickers, fingers still tangled in his hair. She has goosebumps from what his mouth is doing to her.
“I’m sick, can’t go.”
“Ashton!” she laughs pushing his head away from her chest. “We won’t see them until after the holiday. Come on, let’s go.”
She crawls off him, turns her tv off and changes her top, and puts on a bra. When she comes back Ashton is still sitting on the couch. She leans over the back of it next to his head. 
“Do I have to drag you off this couch?” she murmurs in his ear.
“I need a few moments,” he huffs, shifting his legs. 
“Oh,” she giggles, seeing exactly why because he still has a prominent bulge in his pants. “I’m sorry. Can I help?” she kisses down his cheek to the corner of his mouth. 
“You helped make this problem,” he laughs, turning his head to kiss her lips. 
**
The Christmas party was a hit and it’s the weekend before Christmas. Y/N was awakened by Ashton petting her hair and kissing her cheek, he used the spare key she gave him for emergencies.
“What a way to wake up,” she smiles, pulling him on top of her. His strong arms are caged around her head and his body weight makes her feel protected. 
“Your coffee is all ready, now you just have to pack and we’ll be on our way.”
“No breakfast in bed?” She traces his eyebrows. 
“I can make you breakfast in bed tomorrow*,” he nuzzles his nose against hers. “There’s a present by your coffee mug if that will help you get  your cute ass outta bed.”
Then his weight is off her and she’s left scrambling out of bed to follow him into the kitchen where her coffee is already in her to-go mug with a card and a bouquet of red roses and cranberries inside to make it more of a holiday special. He’s standing next to the small gifts with a grin on his face. 
“I love these, they’re so pretty,” she gushes, lifting the bouquet to her nose. She loves the sweet smell of a rose. 
“You’re so pretty when I give you flowers,” he comments, lifting up the red envelope. 
She holds the flowers against her chest and unfolds the envelope. Inside is a white card with writing formed in the shape of a Christmas tree, a star placed on top. The words read:
“TO A 
KIND
STRONG
BRILLIANT
SO BEAUTIFUL
AND TRULY AMAZING
GIRLFRIEND”
Ashton wrote his own inscription inside in his nice loopy script:
‘The past year with you has been one of the best of my life. Our friendship was the perfect foundation for a relationship and I can’t imagine what my world would be like now if you weren’t in it. So this weekend, it will just be me and you in our own little cabin, no interruptions. xx Ash’
“A cabin?”
**
After the 2 hour and 40 minute flight to Seattle, she and Ashton arrived at the cabin where a dusting of snow covered the ground and a wreath was on the door. Y/N was floored at how beautiful it was and Ashton took her hand leading her up the wooden steps. He took a key out and unlocked the door. 
It smelled like cinnamon and Ashton with cozy couches and armchairs, a large rug in front of a stone fireplace and a massive kitchen with a grill attached to a chimney. A Christmas tree was set up with presents scattered underneath and there was a large bouquet of roses on the kitchen table. 
“Ash…” she begins and then can’t find more words. 
“There’s more, c’mon,” he smiles, leading her up the winding staircase and into a loft area where a futon was and empty bookshelves. There were a few guitars on stands placed in the corner and some incense sticks. “What do you think?” He leans against the railing and Y/N ventures into the room.
“I think it’s wonderful, but there aren’t any books. Is this someone’s cabin and you’re renting it? I can chip in--”
“No, no. It is someone’s cabin...mine.”
She whips around from looking out the half circle window overlooking the backyard where she saw another grill and some chairs. 
“This place is yours?”
“Yep. I come here when I need to get away and just let my creative ideas flow. You can fill the bookshelves if you’d like.”
“Ash this is…” she shakes her head then launches herself into his arms for a hug. “This is incredible. And we’re here the whole weekend? Just us?”
“Just us, angel,” he nods, rubbing at her back. “There’s also a hot tub.”
His voice changed at the mention of the hot tub because she didn’t bring a suit. 
***
Ashton’s plan for Friday evening was to unpack and go into town for a nice meal. After dinner, they changed into their sleep clothes and snuggled on the couch with hot chocolate watching the first Home Alone movie because they’re her favorite movies. Her mind was on that hot tub and her stomach twisted with excited nerves at the thought of using it. She wanted to use it now but her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth each time she tried to bring it up. 
She was also thinking of how this would be their first time sleeping together. Ashton never stayed the night because he didn’t want to give her the wrong impression. She found it sweet but it also increased her infatuation for him even more.
When she couldn’t keep her eyes open anymore, he had her lean on him while they walked to the bedroom. The bed was huge with a large comforter and even fluffier looking pillows. It looked heavenly and she slipped inside willingly. She rolled over and became awake again at the look on Ashton’s face. 
She tossed over the blanket on his side of the bed and patted the space below the pillow inviting him in. He crawled in carefully and shut the lights off and they were in darkness. Ashton remained sitting against the headboard and Y/N reached out for him in the dark. His forearm was warm and soft.
“Are you going to sleep like that the whole night?” she whispers, giving his arm a squeeze.
“No,” he whispers back, sliding further down the bed. Her hand now rested on his chest, she could feel his heart beating. He turns on his side clutching her hand in his. “Is it weird I’m nervous? I feel like I’m fifteen.”
“You first slept with a girl at fifteen?” she laughs.
“No, I meant--being around girls at that age made me nervous,” he chuckles. 
“I’m nervous, too. But in a good way. Just warning you, I’m a kicker so I apologize in advance.”
“Why are we still whispering, we’re the only ones here,” he says, raising his voice to a normal level. That only makes her giggle more. 
“I don’t know, it fits the mood with you regressing back to fifteen years old. Our parents could walk in at any moment.” She scoots closer to him, so close that she can feel his breath fan on her face. 
“I hope they don’t,” he murmurs, inching closer in the dark until he finds her lips. It’s a tender kiss, the kind of kiss that took her breath away slowly and made her heart smile. 
She keeps him close with her hand pressed to his cheek. They kiss and talk in hushed tones until she falls asleep and Ashton tickles up her back until sleep finally finds him, too.
Saturday morning did indeed include breakfast in bed. Ashton made pancakes, bacon, coffee and a small bowl of fruit. His itinerary for the day consisted of lounging around the cabin watching holiday movies and then he was going to make her a steak dinner. She insisted on helping him in the kitchen amidst his protests.
“I’m not a good cook but I’m a very good listener. I’m your sous chef.”
“What does ‘sous chef 'even mean?” he asks getting the ingredients out of the fridge. 
“It means ‘under.’”
“Ah, so you’re under me, huh?” he winks. 
“Let me help you cook and I just might be,” she challenged with a smile. Ashton shakes his head, a slight blush rising on his cheeks. 
She followed his instructions with the garlic and mashed potatoes. The dinner was exquisite paired with a delicious white wine. They each had a full glass, their bellies full and face warm from the wine, they were extra giggly and extra flirty. 
“How about that hot tub?” he asks, circling the rim of the wine glass with his finger.
“Did you pack a suit?” She raises her eyebrows. 
 “Nope.”
“I didn’t pack a suit either,” she points to her chest.
“Must have slipped my mind,” he gulps the last swallow of his wine, eyes on her.
“What a shame.”
He sets his glass on the table and takes her hands in his, his eyes looking almost apologetic. “You can wear a t-shirt and shorts. Whatever you’re comfortable with.” He kisses both of her hands. 
“Go get the water ready.”
Twenty minutes later, she walks out of the bathroom wearing nothing but a towel and Ashton is already in the water. His arms are resting on the sides of the tub, his face even redder from the steam, his eyes hold hers steadily. 
The confidence she had in the bathroom is gone. She wanted to come out here and just get in the water completely naked, but now she’s nervous because what if she was reading the signs wrong? What if he doesn’t really want to have sex with her?
“Um, can you close your eyes while I get in?” she asks.
“‘Course,” he closes his eyes.
She takes a deep breath dropping the towel. The air kisses her skin and she climbs up the steps carefully. The water is hot as she descends into the tub, she bends down so only her head is exposed above the water. Ashton remains still and she inches closer to him until their knees touch.
“Hi there,” he smiles softly.
“Hi.”
“Can I open my eyes now?”
First she nods then realizes he can’t see her so she clears her throat. “Yes.”
He opens his eyes slowly, and they look so pretty in the nighttime sky. He’s looking at her like he’s staring into the full face of the moon, his eyes are full of wonder and adoration and her confidence starts to rise within her. 
The longer he looks at her, the more bold she becomes and she rises up from the water. Her breasts are completely exposed. Ashton licks his lips, his eyes lowering over her wet chest. She doesn’t want to break the spell that’s cast between them so she moves towards him slowly, her hands rest on his shoulders. His arms remain on the sides of the tub. 
“Ashton.”
“Yeah?” 
“Touch me.”
In a flash, his lips are on hers and she’s pressed to his chest. His large hands cover her back, one dips over her ass and she gasps when she feels his hard-on against her thigh. He lifts her effortlessly in the water so she’s straddling him. 
Instinctively, she rubs herself against him groaning at how he rubs against her most sensitive area perfectly. 
“Need you,” she whispers against his mouth.
“Bed,” he gasps.
They exit the tub excitedly, drying off as quickly as they can and she presses herself against him in front of the bed. Their bodies are warm from the tub and he lifts her in his arms again. She loves feeling his muscles wrapped taut around her, he knees onto the bed and stays there. Their arms are wrapped around each other and they remain kissing.
“Do you have something?” she asks, pulling away to catch her breath. She twists his chest hair in her fingers.
“Um, yeah. Shit, hang on,” he sighs, slipping her back onto the bed. She watches him appreciatively as he skimpers to the kitchen pulling his coat off the hook.
“You have a really nice butt,” she compliments when he returns with a condom in hand. 
“Thanks, babe,” he laughs then stops at the foot of the bed staring at her.
“What’s wrong?” she asks suddenly self-conscious. 
“Nothing. You’re perfect.”
She smiles and pulls him on the bed with her again, connecting their lips. He rips open the condom and rolls it on his length. He kneels on the bed again and she’s quick to climb on top, moaning at his shaft rubbing between her folds. 
“Such a pretty moan,” he praises, grasping his cock in his hand. He teases her hole with his tip, nudging it inside a few times. Her lower body meets his in a desperate way, small gasps coming from her each inch he goes in deeper.
“Please, Ash...want all of you,” she knocks her forehead against his.
He takes a deep breath and pushes all the way in, his eyes watching her as her mouth opens and her eyes close at being filled. Their bodies tremble together and they remain still, experiencing being connected for the first time. 
“Good?” he asks, rubbing her nose affectionately.
“Mhm,” she nods and starts to roll her hips against him. “Ohhh…” she lets out a shuddering breath.
He follows her rhythm easily, arms wrapped around her, enjoying the way she rides on top of him. He kneads her ass as she moves, her breath picking up and when he can’t take it anymore, he rises on his knees, her legs fall on either side of him and she gasps. 
He rests her on her back gently, resting his chest against hers so that they’re still touching and rocks his hips in even thrusts. He slips his tongue in her mouth just as her legs wrap around his waist. She moans when he picks up the pace, her lower half meeting his thrusts perfectly. 
“Are you close baby?” he pants feeling her walls start to flutter around him. “So good for me...so perfect...taking me so well.”
“Don’t stop,” she moans tilting her head back. Ashton pounds into her faster, each time he thrusts in she clenches around him a bit more tightly. 
“Fuck…” he hisses when she clenches and stays that way. Her moans are loud in his ear and he always wants to be the one that makes her sound like that. He can’t hold his climax off with her sounding like that and he’s coming with her. “I love you,” he groans loudly in her neck.
When they recollect their breathing she holds his face in her hands.
“What did you say?” she gasps out, eyes wide with lust and surprise.
“I love you,” he breathes, stroking her temple with his thumb. “You don’t have to say it back, but I wanted to tell you that this weekend, too. It’s hard for me to say out loud and with just us--”
She kisses him fiercely. 
“I love you, too.”
Four
When she went to work there was a flower arrangement at her desk with a note from Ashton wishing her a great last day before her vacation for her birthday and his birthday. Hers was the day before his and everyone wanted them to do a joint party when they found that out. 
“No, that’s weird,” she scrunched her nose at the suggestion.
“Yeah, we aren’t siblings. That’s gross,” he agreed.
She took the week off for their birthdays so they could maybe go to the cabin or even rent a house on the beach. She loved her birthday but whenever she made plans, they always fell through or people never showed up.
She texted him that the flowers were beautiful and she couldn’t wait to spend the day with him the next day. When she got home, he was already there wearing an all black outfit with his shirt open. He knows how much she likes seeing his chest. 
“Thank you for the flowers,” she holds up the vase of pink peonies showcasing them. “Why are you all dressed up?”
“Kiss me first,” he puckers his lips at her.
“Oops, sorry,” she giggles and steps on her tiptoes to give him a kiss. They always kiss each other hello. 
“Now, go get changed. We’ve got plans,” he grins.
“What kind of plans?” 
“Look on your bed and see,” he nods to her room down the hall. “I’ll put these in the kitchen for you.”
She shakes her head and does what he says. On her bed is a dress she always ogled when they were at the mall, Ashton clearly bought it for her. He spoils her too much. Next to the dress is a black satin blindfold. She narrows her eyes at the blindfold but quickly changes into the dress.
“What is this for?” she asks, stepping out into the living room with the blindfold in her hands.
“For your eyes. Turn around.”
“Are we roleplaying?” she asks, turning her back to him.
“No,” he laughs, placing the fabric over her eyes. 
He helps her walk to his car and she’s asking him so many questions. He refuses to answer them and laughs at her outlandish predictions of taking her away to a private island. 
His hand is firm in hers when they’re walking to wherever they’re going. She stumbles a little because she doesn’t know the terrain but it feels like pavement under her feet. 
“Are we there yet?” she asks.
“Almost. Okay, there’s a few steps. Up, up, up, up, and last one. Good. Okay, I’m going to take it off you now.”
She feels him move behind her. He unties the blindfold slowly and it drops from her eyes. She blinks slowly to get used to the light and is met with all of their friends and family before her. There’s flower arches behind them and they’re all wearing flower crowns on their heads. 
“SURPRISE!” They shout and she gasps when they start to sing Happy Birthday.
Sarah wheels in a cake with flowers sprawled over it and her name in the middle. Y/N grasps Ashton’s hand in her own, tears forming in her eyes. His other arm wraps around her waist, his chin rests on her shoulder as he sings softly in her ear.
“...dear Y/N...Happy Birthday to you…”
She wipes at her eyes overcome with emotion from the surprise and that Ashton went through all this trouble.
“Make a wish, angel,” he murmurs in her ear.
She closes her eyes, thinks of a wish, and blows out the candles. Everyone cheers and she twists around to give Ashton a big kiss. There’s even more cheers for that and then she’s whisked away for hellos and hugs. Flowers are hanging from the ceiling like vines and she’s never been surrounded by so many flowers. 
“Were you surprised?” Sarah asks as a waiter starts to cut the cake.
“Totally surprised. But my birthday isn’t until tomorrow,” she gives Ashton a side eye.
“You told me you wanted to spend it with me, so your party with everyone else is today,” he smiles. 
“And all these flowers? I love it all so much, thank you.”
“Your eyes will have that shine all night,” he grins, kissing her nose. 
One
“Do you even know where you’re going?” Ashton laughs behind her as they trek through the woods by the cabin.
After her surprise party, on her actual birthday they spent the first half watching movies and the second swimming at the beach. They had a late flight to go to the cabin. Upon arrival, Ashton spent the last hour of her birthday pleasuring her with his mouth and fingers. When the clock struck midnight, she flipped him over with a smirk.
“Happy Birthday to you,” she whispered and slid down his body so she could please him. 
She loves hearing his moans just as much as he loves hearing hers. She loves how one hand is fisted in her hair and the other rests behind his head watching her go down on him. 
“Yes, I know where I’m going. Come on birthday boy.” She ducks under a branch then sees the clearing ahead. 
“I’m twenty-seven, I’m not a boy,” he grunts.
“Sorry, old man,” she teases and he smacks her ass playfully. 
When they come into the clearing, there’s a red and white checkered blanket in the grass with a large basket in the center. Wildflowers surround it in purples, yellows, oranges and a few reds. It’s a magical place. 
“Did you do all this?” he asks seeing the set up. 
“I did. Come on, there’s more.”
They kick off their shoes and sit on the blanket. She opens the basket taking out his favorite foods and a wrapped gift. 
“I told you, you don’t have to get me anything,” he sighs while taking the gift. “You’re more than enough.”
“I know, but it’s part of my love language. And it’s homemade anyway,” she shrugs. “Open it up.”
He unwraps the corners before tearing the paper all the way off. He stares at it in his hands for a long time. She made him a shadow box frame with a picture of them when they were at the beach during sunset. It was their favorite picture and surrounding it were dried flowers. 
“Do you know what these are?” she asks, pointing to the flowers.
“Flowers?” he chuckles touching the glass. 
“This one is from the first flowers you brought me when you helped me move in, these are from our first date, this is from Christmas and the small cranberry. These are from work and my birthday, and these are from Valentine’s Day. These are all the flowers you’ve given me,” she smiles and he looks at her stunned.
“You kept them all?”
“You’re the only one who ever bought me flowers and I loved them all so now you have them, too.”
“This is incredible, I love it. Thank you,” he reaches over to give her a kiss. 
“Wait, there’s more,” she grins and reaches into the basket again. She pulls out live flowers arranged in a pretty bouquet. “These are for you.”
“Baby,” he stressed in astonishment and set the picture frame next to him. 
He pushes her back on the blanket kissing her with all he’s got. The flowers get crushed and some stick in her hair but they’re surrounded by love and the sweet smell of flowers and kiss with passion.
“Happy Birthday my love,” she gazes up at him and sticks a flower behind his ear.
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redbeansoups · 3 years
Text
Move-In Day
Cove Holden x Reader
In which Cove Holden helps you move into your brand new dorm, and wishes you farewell before your freshman year.
Takes place after Step 3.
*
Like it or not, your life has always revolved around one Cove Holden. One bright-eyed, silky-haired, infuriatingly endearing Cove Holden. It’s always been him, in everything you’ve done, forever a spectator and participant in one. You have never known a time without him: your classmate, neighbor, best friend and boyfriend-extraordinaire.
Even now, as you edge into adulthood, Cove Holden is all you know: seated beside you with one hand on the wheel, wavy hair tucked behind his ears, his eyes longingly on yours. He catches your gaze, and offers you a smile, full of sincerity as always.
The journey upstate had been a long time coming; a goal, ever-present, but inching along so slowly that you’d opted merely to brush it off. But as the summer of your senior year came to a close, your move-in day had sprung up on you like an unpleasant (albeit somewhat enthralling) surprise.
Cove, forever a gentleman, had insisted on driving you all the way. You’d argued against him, only to be shut down–and quite firmly at that. “If you’re going to be moving so far away,” he’d told you one night, “then the least I can do is go and see you off.” He was a much better driver than you anyway, you’d reasoned with yourself, and it’d be nice to have another pair of hands to unpack. The idea of flying alone didn’t quite appeal to you either, so, after hardly a moment’s hesitation, you’d agreed to let him tag along.
College, all the way up north–you can hardly believe you’d come so far. You’d dreamt of this for years, spent months drafting application essays and crafting resumes. Years of preparation and research, though, hadn't seemed to brace you for the anxiety to come.
Even now, sitting in the car with Cove, hands intertwined, the idea feels more like a dream than your living, breathing reality. But the car trudges along, movements never once faltering for your thoughts.
You’d be on your own soon–a stray left for dead. You’d be nowhere near Sunset Bird anymore.
Lost in thought, it takes you more than a moment to grow cognizant of your surroundings. The scenery has shifted, the sky around you having faded to a pale purple hue. The change in atmosphere is instant. High-rise buildings litter the skyline; the shopping districts, no longer limited to a single street, bustle with activity.
It feels, beyond anything else, unfamiliar.
Isolating.
Realistically, you are far from alone. Derek, having gotten his scholarship, lives right down the hall. Your parents and sister are always a call away, and your friends have never failed to remind you of their presence. And Cove, despite being far from technologically adept, is still a better texter than most–and a relatively consistent one at that.
These thoughts, at least, are reassuring.
But the fear remains–and all you can do is try and work alongside it.
You turn to Cove. The window has been rolled down; you feel the cool evening breeze against your skin, fresh and foreign all at once. His hands are running mindlessly through his hair, detangling the inevitable wind-induced knots. Your eyes flit down to his fingers drumming against the steering wheel, then lower down to his scar, the pale white mark running gently down his forearm.
Sitting there, so unaware of himself, sunset illuminating soft features–Cove is beautiful, in every possible way.
You smile, content.
*
The hours pass, and before you know it, you find yourself on campus for the first time.
You tap the keycard to your door, and it opens with a soft click. The two of you are met with the sight of the dorm, the yellow-tinted wood somehow even less impressive than the photos you’d seen online. Barren walls, popcorn ceilings, worn-down linoleum from decades past. Sparsely decorated as it may be, the room puts you at ease.
You let Cove move past you to enter. “What a joy.” You scoff at the drawl in his voice. “Where’d you say your roommate’s from?” he asks, his shoulders nudging the door wider. His set of boxes is significantly larger than yours, and he looks smaller than ever with the stack cradled against his chest.
“Florida,” you answer, following his footsteps.
“Oh.” He sets the cardboard down on the ground, the impact resounding with a solid thump. “I hope they won’t mind the mess we’re about to make.”
That draws a laugh out of you; you think back to all the times you’ve stepped into his room, only to find it a complete bird’s nest. “They’re not moving in until tomorrow.” Another thump resounds as you drop your own load. “We have time to clean. But don’t mess things up too bad, please. I’d like a good first impression.”
“No promises.”
You roll your eyes, and, cracking open the first box, begin the arduous process of unpacking.
*
“Well,” Cove says finally, brushing dust away from his hands. “I think that was the last of your stuff.”
Setting the last of your books in place, you take a moment to revel in your surroundings. Despite his messy tendencies, Cove had done a pretty good job–with your assistance, of course. All your clothes had been folded neatly up in the closet, and your posters were hung all over the walls, like a delicate reminder of home. On the desk sat two small photo frames; one with you and your family, and one with you and Cove.
“I guess so, huh,” you mutter.
There’s a weight in the air around you, and you bow your head.
There’d been too much to discuss. Hell, even now the topic was one you wanted nothing more than to avoid. The ‘what-ifs’ had littered your mind for months now, hanging over you like a constant reminder. And though Cove had tried his best to dispel them, they’d inevitably come back–and with a vengeance. You didn’t know what the future held, nor did you know whether the two of you would last. Uncertainty riddled your mind: what if he grew bored? What if the two of you lost interest? What if, after all your time together, the physical distance became too much?
His hand comes to rest on your shoulder. The gesture is light, gentle–a welcome pressure.
The tension dissipates.
You sigh, lifting your chin up to meet his gaze. There’s a softness in his eyes you’ve come to recognize as sadness. And there’s a warmth behind your own that threatens to grow hot, to liquify and pool before you. You choke back the urge to cry, stifling yourself by clearing your throat. “You’ll text me, won’t you?”
He chuckles softly at that, thumb stroking circles into your skin. “Of course. I’ll call you so often you’ll grow sick of me.”
“I’m counting on it, Cove.”
You give him one last hug, inhaling his scent and pressing your cheek to his chest. He smells like Sunset Bird, a mixture of the ocean and the beach and all the pleasantries that come along with it. His pulse, slow and steady, beats in your ear.
Devoting the moment to memory, you angle your head to plant a peck on his cheek. “Thanks for helping me move in.”
He grins at you. “Of course.” The expression sparks something strange in you, something equal parts melancholy and equal parts pride. You so badly want him to stay–you want to reach out, pull him down into the bed and sit right atop him so he might never escape your grasp.
“I love you,” you whisper, part-plea and part-farewell; you see the pain in Cove’s eyes. “Don’t get into too much trouble while I’m gone, alright?”
He lets out a breathy laugh and, shaking his head, shoots you a smile. "I love you too."
You smile, and breathe him in just once more. Then, with one last teary kiss, you let go, and wish him a safe journey home.
You’re on your own now–
But you know he’s with you, always.
*
A/N: Another self-indulgent piece as always, because I've fallen in love with one Cove Holden. My freshman year of college starts soon, and I guess my worries culminated in this piece. Thanks for reading, though–I hope this was alright! Any reblogs or likes are appreciated!!
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chil2de · 3 years
Note
Hi!! if possible can i please request yuuta having a girlfriend that’s his childhood friend? (So like instead of rika it’s y/n and she doesn’t die) that loves to dote on him cause that boy needs some love. Thank you!! <3
PLEASEPLEASEPLEASE THIS MADE ME SO SOFT!!!!! ohmygod!!!! growing up with yuuta would be THE best onshdhfsh thank you sososos much anon this was such a pleasure to write! i don’t know why but the “and she doesn’t die” had me screaming LMFAOOOO
enjoy! no warnings, just old fashioned cute fluff and heart wrenching moments! thank you for giving me the opportunity to write for the best boy mwaaah you deserve eternal happiness! hope no insects bite you during these warm months <3
“okkotsu!” you cried out, feminine and shrill voice ringing in the air. the cicadas chirped melodiously, calling out their delightful songs in the spring air.
the young boy staggered around, losing his balance from spinning too fast. his fragile hands reached out, pulling in small grabby motions towards your innocent and joyous face.
you were always so optimistic, even when you were younger. yuuta could only huff and wail as his caretaker hauled him away from the playground, gesturing it was time for him to come home. thick and messy tears spilled out the corners of his eyes which hadn’t yet endured countless sleep devoid nights.
he was so far away, but that was okay because you knew you’d see him the very next day.
“okkotsu! promise to play with me again tomorrow!” you cupped your hands, exclaiming as much as your little lungs could endure. yuuta could see the tears heavy in your gaze, but even then, you prevailed. you grinned, all for him.
ever since the very start. till ‘death do us apart.
-
“okkotsu! come oooon, don’t cry, okay? (y/n)’s got your back! see, see?! look! they don’t bite!” you braved a smirk on your features, beckoning the shy and introverted young man over. his face looked uncertain and his lips wobbled as though he could crack at any moment. he took a few cautious steps, maintaining his distance between you and the furry animal on the floor.
“r-really? it won’t bite?” he coughed, reaching his unstable fingertips out.
“eh?! that’s the first time you’ve spoken to me! your voice is so nice! it’s so cool! hey! can i hear it again? pleaaaase? i know you’re shy but i’d really like to hear it! hey, okkotsu, say my name? pretty please?”
“um- i, uh.. it’s okay.. you can call me yuuta.”
-
“yuuta! you’re going to be late for your first day of junior high! i totally told you to wake up on time too!” you stood with your hands rested firmly on your hips, face stern and tone impatient.
“sorry! sorry- it’s um, my hair. i don’t know how to style it.” he admitted, albeit sheepishly by trailing the last few words off into a murmur. you only gave him a sigh before kneeling down behind him, propping yourself up to take a look at his hair in the reflection of the mirror.
“how on earth are you so tall already? we eat the same food, you know. slouch over a little.” you pinched his cheeks before glossing over his hair.
when you ran your fingertips through his hair, you felt butterflies and anxiety rock your stomach.
that’s never been there before.
you’ve touched yuuta countless times, whether that was accidentally hitting him, holding his hand to cross the street…
so why was it different?
you could feel yuuta’s body tense up and run rigid underneath your touch.
that definitely wasn’t there before.
“relax. it’s me.” you cooed quietly, roughing up his hair into different styles.
“like this? looks like you just woke up, sorta, but i think it’s cute.”
yuuta’s heart rate skyrocketed through the roof and his breath hitched.
“cute?” he reiterated, chewing out the phrase like he’d never heard it before in his life.
“hm? yeah-“
you caught his gaze in the mirror, eyes half lidded and attention averted. the tips of his ears were tainted a deep red with small flicks of blush painting his cheeks.
“eh?! nononono- not like that i’m- i just think it suits you, you know? oh, crap, would you look at the time? okay we gotta go and leave!” you clambered out of his bedroom, thudding the door shut behind you.
yuuta only gawked at you with bewilderment, lips slightly parted and fingertips outstretched in his failed attempt to stop you.
he turned to himself in the mirror, studying his features before running one hand through his jet black locks.
“cute, huh?” he muttered, avoiding his own judgemental gaze.
-
the bittersweet part about growing up with a childhood friend is change.
for all the time that you’d spent with yuuta, you didn’t realise that your relationship with him was something to not take for granted.
especially with those around you who would kill for what you two have.
you’d always get mundane questions from high school girls who thought they could have a shot with him, “what’s his type?” “do you think he likes me?”
meanwhile you only played along with their charades, laughing inwardly when he was actually extremely introverted.
“so? what’s the deal with you and okkotsu-san? you guys dating?”
“no. we’re just friends.”
“seriously? you guys are always glued at the hip. you know he has a picture of you in his locker, right?”
“yeah? so do i. it doesn’t mean anything.”
“it’s kind of a shame, he’s such a nice young man.. gone to waste like that..”
“what’s gone to waste?” yuuta inquired with an indifferent tone, plopping down beside you with his bento box. the classmate sat opposite you only gave him a phony cheerful temperament, twirling her index finger around her hair.
“oh! okkotsu-senpai! we were just talking about you! how was your da-“
“please leave.”
you could only gape at him in your peripherals, sputtering on your sandwich as you watched the life drain from your classmate at his monotony. yuuta didn’t spare you or the girl a glance as he worked to unpack his lunch, hell the guy even murmured a small itadakimasu as if nothing happened.
“wh- okkotsu senpai?”
“listen.” he let out a deep sigh before proceeding.
“whatever shot you thought you had with me? it’s gone out the window. don’t disrespect (y/n) in front of me like that again.”
“you’re making us uncomfortable, so get up and go.” he motioned with his chopsticks, giving her a dead gaze towards another table.
the girl scoffed, mouth hung wide open as she picked up her bag and stormed out of sight.
whilst your face was as blank as a stone, internally, you were only screaming in the depths of piping hot hell visible from the sun itself.
baby girl? that was when you noticed how fucking fine of a man yuuta grew up to be.
“that was seriously nerve wracking.. my stomach hurts so bad right now” yuuta coughed through a bite of his sandwich, refusing to meet your gaze.
you slapped his back, because, holy shit??? awe painted your face like you just witnessed your own child talking or walking for the first time.
“what the shit? yuuta? are you kidding?”
“oh, huh? did i overdo it or something?“
“no?! are you kidding? that was fucking awesome! i swear! this is why i love you-“
oh.
uh oh.
oh no.
yuuta let out a shrill squeak unbeknownst to any human being able to produce such a volume. it was a cross between a floorboard creaking, a mouse sniffing and him choking on his food. the poor boy had to excuse himself to the bathroom, hacking and sniffling in an ugly fit of coughs from the food that got caught in his windpipe.
your blood rushed to your head, veins lit ablaze, bones rattling as you could hear the chatter pound and drill into your skull, scoring you deep and down into your bones.
“did she just say she loves him?”
“i totally knew they were going out!”
“i can’t believe it…”
“do you think he’ll reject her?”
it replayed over, and over, and over. what a fucking fool you felt. did he even feel the same?
that’s why i love you.
i love you.
i love you.
a blob of black clouded your vision and you could hear the glass breaking.
yuuta sat himself back down, excusing himself.
you could hear nothing but the tune of his heartbeat. or was it yours? it sounded too heavy to belong in either of your bodies.
his voice came as a wobble because of his anxiety, but this was the one thing in his life he’d be absolutely certain of.
“that’s okay. i love you too.”
-
“yuuta? you okay? you’ve been spacing out for at least five minutes. something on your mind?” you lightly shake your boyfriend, grip reassuring but firm. it takes a couple of seconds for his gaze to gloss over as he returns back to reality.
“sorry. was just thinking about our childhood, that’s all.” his voice comes out deep and masculine. it doesn’t have that tremor as it used to before, like he’d break down at any minute.
you can say with absolute certainty as you stare up your entire 5’10 boyfriend that he’s matured well.
his hand snakes around to your waist, pulling you into him for comfort.
some ways better than others, you suppose.
“can we stay home today?” he hums, resting his chin on top of your head,
“same as ever, yuuta, aren’t you? it’s fine, i’ll tell nobara my period’s making me act up. she’ll understand-“
“hm? you’re not due for another week though, right?”
you crease your eyebrows as you type out an apology to nobara for cancelling plans, glancing up at yuuta curiously.
“how the heck do you know that?”
“i’m not supposed to? i’d always count your cycle so i wouldn’t irritate you on the wrong day. besides, don’t you think it was too convenient for you to always find snacks in your locker when it rolled around?”
“those snacks were you?! oh my god! i was trying to figure that out for forever!”
“i know. i remember you ranting to me about it.”
“you just sat there?! yuuta! you’re so cheeky sometimes, i swear!”
“only for you.” he chimes, peppering a soft kiss onto your head. you smile against him, though unfortunately pry out of his familiar and welcoming touch.
“i’m gonna step out for a second tho, ‘kay? i think that’s itadori at the door with my chocolate and painkillers” you snort, giving yuuta a bold wink as you put on your best act, keeling over and clutching at your abdomen as though you’re on death’s door.
“you’re awful.” yuuta chuckles, slumping down onto the sofa to hear the events unfold right in front of him.
you clear your throat and slouch your shoulders as you pry the apartment door open.
“(y/n)-senpai! i came as fast as i could and i brought you some of your favourite sna- oh, okkotsu-senpai! hello!”
“hi there.” he leans his head back, giving itadori a small wave.
“i won’t interrupt you guys so get well soon! and fast! cause i wanna hang out with you! bye!”
you cradle the necessities itadori brought whilst gleaming at yuuta with a wicked grin plastered on your face from ear to ear.
“you want anything?” you cock an eyebrow, showing him the arrangement of snacks.
it’s not the answer you were expecting, but it definitely wasn’t unwelcome. it made you feel warm inside, like eating warm and soothing soup on a cold winter’s day. this, for you, was okkotsu yuuta at his best, stripped clean and vulnerable.
you’re the only one who he can relax around, act like the world is carefree. like he’s young again, prancing around in that dingy colourful playground he met you at.
“i want you to kiss me.”
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