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#and once again i am being told they ‘aren’t obliged’ to tell me
krispiecake · 9 months
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eye twitches killing torture violence
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razorblade180 · 1 year
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Actor Au 5
Actor au 4 <-
Ruby:🎶Guess who’s back? Back again. *flips camera*
Adam:Not me! *thumbs up* Let’s get to filming! Wooo!
Crew:Wooooooo!
xxxxx
Ruby:Well look who it is, back at the food table.
Yang:*bites doughnut* It’s 5am on a beach. The sun is down and so is my body temperature.
Ruby:At least you don’t have to be near the water. Happy to be back?
Yang:Hell yeah. Let’s get this shit.
xxxx
Interviewer:How’s it feel to be back on screen after so long.
Ozpin:Pretty shocked if I’m being honest, but in a good way. I got so used to cozy pjs and being a voice. Roman walks over and goes “We’ll shoot your scene tomorrow.” I look around and go “pardon?” and he nods. Just goes “yeah you and your son shoot tomorrow.
Oscar:He’s downplaying his excitement.
Interview:Were you excited?
Oscar:I read what my scene was and had to double check if my contract had expired.
Ruby:Thought it was your last episode?
Oscar:Yes! You literally came up to me and said “ready for me to kill you?” Keep in mind, we don’t film everything in order. Luckily I finally got briefed.
Ruby:It felt appropriate because Ozpin looked at me with pure joy and and said “Finally I get to fight you.”
xxxxx
Director:Alright Neo, you’re just getting from the crash and you are seething. And… Action.
Neo:*stands up*….FUCK!
Director:Cut! Neo!!
Neo:I know! I know! *snickers* Could you imagine though?
xxxxxx
Weiss:*throws fake rock*
Another prop rock comes in off screen and misses her completely, hitting Blake.
Blake:Oh shi-
Weiss:…*turns around* Nora, how?
Nora:*covering face* I don’t know how I missed.
Blake:You curved ball a rubber rock. I’m not even hurt; only impressed.
xxxxx
Blake:I can’t believe it! The Rusted Knight, in person!
Jaune:You did well JNPR. *slowly lefts helm-
Helmet gets stuck.
Jaune:…*keeps helmet on, nods, walks away*
Ruby and Yang: *wheezing*
Blake:W-Wait! We..pfft..*drops to knees* tell us who you are hahaha.
Weiss:Did it snag the beard?
Jaune:A hundred percent!!
*Bloop!*
Jaune:*removes helmet*…..I just yanked out some beard hair I’m sorry. *eyes watering*
Coco: *off screen* Let me trim it down just a little!!!
xxxxx
Ruby:When they told this volume would have a focus on Ruby’s crumbling emotional state I was excited. I barely get to play with negative emotions often so I was ready! However, I was not prepared for Jaune to have to grow out his hair.
Jaune:Hahaha!
Ruby:Do you understand how hard it is to maintain sad vibes when in rehearsal this guy is walking around in a man bun!?
Interviewer:So the hair was all real?
Jaune:Yeah I originally got a call from Adam who asked if I knew anyone who could pull off an older version of myself. Instantly I went to my dad, however, I did not know at the time my character would be old for the majority of the volume. Love my dad, but he can’t fake act through a volume. Second best option was growing out my hair and hitting the gym.
Adam:We basically shot all of his scenes when he was young at once so long ago at this point. Then during vacation and all that in between volumes this man was obligated to not cut his hair as much as possible. My sister, Coco, did practical makeup to add age as well.
Jaune:Never again.
Interviewer:Fans like the look!
Jaune:Oh I get it. It’s the mainly the beard I wouldn’t want again. All the lights are fire scenes were soooo hot! I was dying!
xxxx
Blake:You named them after your team?
Jaune:No. I named them after everyone.
Everyone looks at where the paper pleaser would be.
Paper Pleaser:Hello. I am the one they call Jessica.
Ruby:Jessi- You met her once! Ya gotta let go!
Jaune:I can’t! 😢
xxxxx
Nora:Get a load of this. *turns camera*
Penny and Oscar:* sharing food*
Nora:They’re like magnets to each other I swear.
xxxxx
Blake:*sips coffee* Get this, today is the big day. The amazing crew has built a simple rope bridge only a couple feet off the ground. Yang is currently finding the courage to stand on it.
Yang:LISTEN! Rope bridges are scary!
Weiss:You aren’t actually high in the sky!
Yang:Rickety bridges strew me out.
Ruby:Should’ve confessed sooner.
Weiss:Imagine getting confessed to because that person is avoiding a fear? The instant they get on the bridge Yang folds.
Ruby:The true love was the solid ground we had along the way.
xxxxx
Interviewer: Let’s talk about the kiss! How’d that go?
Blake:*deflates* I have a complicated relationship with that scene for two reasons! One is you, Yang.
Yang:I may have tripped or had to fix my hair because the wind was aggressive! Your beef isn’t with me, it’s the weather!
Blake:She’s right. It came out perfectly, the shot. However, that’s a real sunset. It took so many days for the weather to be good enough! The two of us are trying to stay warm while look at each other lovingly.
Yang:Meanwhile she’s shooting daggers into my soul going “I’m begging you to get this right. I am cold.” Sometimes you sneezed.
Blake:I wanted to cry. Bright side, I got to kiss this lovely lady finally.
Yang:D’aaaww
Interviewer:Speaking of that, Yang, your character onset and yourself offset would probably have some interesting words to each other given…
A picture is pulled up on a screen that makes Blake laugh while Yang blush, giving an embarrassing smile. It’s a picture from her social media where she’s on Adam’s shoulders at the beach.
Yang:W-What can I say? I’m winning at life.
xxxxx
Pyrrha:*getting dressed* Hmm Hmm Hmm 🎶
Weiss:Someone is happy to be back.
Pyrrha:It’s pretty funny how every three volumes I come back to serve trauma and leave. Honestly make me the villain at this point.
Penny:Today is beat Ruby day. *thumbs up*
James: A glorious day indeed.
Ruby:Sometimes I feel like my friends and coworkers aren’t telling me something about themselves. Everyone is a little too enthusiastic.
Neo:*stretching*
Weiss:For those who don’t know, Neo over here does most of Ruby’s stunts, but now she’s pulling double duty again.
Neo:I love how there’s a narrative that my character is this brilliant fighter. In truth, most times I’m told to fight Ruby I let them know ahead of time one of us better be losing badly.
Ruby:I’ve gotten better at complex choreography!
Neo:And I’m very proud of you. *pats head* prepare to be tossed around like a rag doll.
xxxxx
Jaune:Ever wonder who’s doing the creepy motion capture for the Jabberwalker? *points left*
Tyrian:*in mo-cap suit* Greetings…
Jaune:Easily scarier than his normal clothes.
xxxxx
Jaune:*doing pull ups*
Weiss:*watching*
Yang:Hehe, what’s going on over here?
Weiss:I’m getting into character. I take my job very seriously.
xxxxx
[punderstorm scene]
Ruby:*walking*
Weiss:*sees Atlas*
Jaune: *looks into water*
Jessica slowly fades in.
Weiss:What the- *face palms*
Ruby:*laughing* When did you guys find the time!? Is she sneaking on set?
Jaune: *In character* I wonder how she’s doing these days?
xxxxx
Jessica:Nora snuck me in early to watch the setup process for résumé. Learned a lot about audio and video. More than I should.
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dollish-shard · 10 months
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Doll on a Journey
Once upon a time, there was a doll that went on a journey.
She grew sick and tired of the obligations and expectations placed on her, being forced to live as a human.
So she packed a suitcase, gathered up what little money she had, and set off. She did not tell her family, or what few friends she had, but she didn’t care. She didn’t expect them to miss her too much anyway.
The doll spent a long time travelling. On buses and trains, from town to town, city to city. Her funds ran out quickly; one by one she sold her possessions, doing whatever she could for money and food.
Sometimes she did things she wasn’t proud of, things she didn’t want to do. But she did them. So she could continue her journey, to the place she needed to be.
It was nearly a full year by the time the doll made it to her destination. She no longer had any of the things she had started with; frivolous things she’d sold long ago. As she walked the final stretch of path, she carried only a backpack with the most essential of supplies.
The doll took a deep breath, and knocked on the door of the witch’s manor.
“Hello?”
The witch, tall, ebon skinned, and dressed in black, looked down at the tattered thing that had trekked so long to meet with her.
“Please take this one as your doll, Miss!” The doll bowed, desperation apparent in her voice.
The witch frowned. “Why don’t you come inside, dear?”
And so the doll did. One of the witch’s own dolls arrived to take her bag, but the doll refused, clinging to her supplies. Just for now, she told herself. She watched the other doll, dejected in being refused, with envy, but… something didn’t feel right.
She told the witch of her story, of her journey, over tea. She remained impassive as the doll told her story, though occasionally stoping to prod for more details, eagerly provided.
At last, when the doll finished her story, the witch spoke.
“So… you travelled thousands of miles, all by your lonesome, without any guidance, for over a year, just to find me and become my doll?” The witch seemed more bemused than anything else.
“Yes, Miss.” The doll nodded, bowing again.
“I see.” The witch’s eyes narrowed. “I’m afraid, then, I must refuse your request.”
The doll’s heart sunk like a stone.
“What? Why? I- this one is willing, it would make a good doll!”
The witch laughed, and shook her head. “That’s not the problem, dearie. I must refuse you because you simply aren’t a doll.”
The doll’s eyes widened. “What?” She… wasn’t a doll? But she had always seen herself as such… and yet…
“Dolls are simple things,” The witch explained. “Eager to serve and submit, yes, but above all, empty of Purpose. Easily swept up in the orbit of those more powerful. Were you really a doll, you would never have made it here.”
“You would have been snatched up along your journey. A doll could never have done what you have; ergo, you aren’t one.”
The doll… the not a doll thought about this. It made sense, she supposed. Had she been so blinded by her desire she had ignored the truth? “In that case… what am I?” she asked.
“I don’t know.” The witch said, smiling. “Not a person, not a doll, not anything I’ve seen. It’s a mystery… And I love mysteries.” Her grin got wider; between glinting pointed teeth was a sparkling abyss that seemed to pull the not a doll in.
“So, dearie… I cannot make you a doll, but I can take you under my wing. That is still what you desire, correct?”
She nodded. “Of course, miss!”
“Excellent.”
Once upon a time, there was a doll that went on a journey. But it was not a doll that finished that journey. And as one journey ends, another begins.
Now she had found a home, she had to find herself.
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khaleesiofalicante · 11 months
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Hello Dani I am once again back in need of advice (sorry)
How do I stop being a toxic friend to someone when I feel like they aren’t a good friend to me?
I understand that doesn’t justify my toxicity but I find it hard not to be when they’re all talk and no action. I don’t want to end this friendship but there are things that have been bothering me that I just haven’t told her about and that’s making me not be a good friend.
Oof. Okay.
A couple of things here.
I want to focus on the "I don't want to end this friendship". If this is a relationship you want in your life and a person you want to keep close, then one of you has to stop being toxic and take the first step. If you're going to be toxic because she is toxic (and bear in mind she could simply be doing the same), then it becomes a never-ending cycle.
I understand that it is difficult to be kind to people who are toxic to us. You're not obligated to be nice to them. But if this is a relationship you want to continue, then you need to talk about this and sort it out.
However, recognizing that you've been toxic and wanting to do better is a very good thing and I'm proud of you for doing that.
As I said before, an important thing to do here is to communicate. Tell her what she does that bothers you and what would make you feel better. But also remember to assume responsibility. Talk about things you might have done that you think would've hurt her.
This is a good place to draw boundaries. Think about what you did wrong and clearly decide what you don't want to continue doing for the sake of your friendship. For example, "I will never lie to you again" or "I will stop ghosting you" etc. Have clear boundaries. This will make it easier for you to understand when someone breaks them and then hold them accountable for it.
But the essence of it is to communicate. If there are things bothering you, then you need to talk about it with your friend. She can't read your mind. Talk to her. Let her talk to you. Just talk. That's the first step.
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cindylouwho-2 · 2 years
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Etsy Charging GST & HST on Canadian Sellers’ Fees - Possibly Incorrectly
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UPDATED: September 6, 2022
As posted May 31, Etsy intended to start charging GST and HST on some Canadian seller fees, to comply with the government of Canada’s new(ish) tax rules for digital economy businesses. Despite these rules being released back in April 2021, Etsy was inexplicably unable to comply with them by the final deadline of July 1, 2022; an Etsy Support person told me on July 15 that they were still working on the coding. (They also messed up the GST and HST they were supposed to charge on sales as of July 1; more on that here.) 
Suddenly on August 30th, some Canadian sellers reported that Etsy had started retroactively charging the GST and HST on sales going back to July 31, with one-line-per-charge entries in seller payment accounts, in some cases draining the accounts entirely and even forcing them into the negative. A few days later, the above announcement appeared on our payment account pages, although some of us still haven’t had any tax charged. We don’t know if Etsy received an extra month’s exemption from the July 1 deadline, or if they are paying the July taxes out of Etsy profit. 
This raises 2 key questions:
Is it legal for them to back-charge GST and HST on seller fees? 
Why are they charging GST/HST-registered sellers tax, when other platforms are not, and the federal government’s info states these taxes should apply to non-registered sellers only.
Several people are investigating point 1, but we do not have a clear answer yet. You can contact Canada Revenue Agency’s (CRA) digital economy business phone line or email address here to ask them about this. 
Point 2 seems pretty clear: despite what Etsy thinks, they aren’t supposed to be charging GST and HST on the fees of tax-registered sellers. 
Why Tax-Registered Shops Shouldn’t Be Taxed on Etsy Seller Fees
Some of us became suspicious of Etsy’s plan to tax all Canadian seller fees, since Amazon only charges GST and HST on order-related fees of sellers who do not provide a GST registration number. (Marketplace Tax Collection is Amazon’s method of allowing individual businesses to charge the correct taxes on their sales; fees from those sales are not taxed by Amazon.) My website builder, Squarespace, does the same with subscriptions. Were these other companies wrong and Etsy right, even though Etsy needed more than an extra year to code the site?
While tickets have been submitted, I am not yet aware of the CRA telling anyone Etsy should not be charging these taxes on the fees of GST-registered sellers. However, the government website seems quite clear. When defining what gets taxed, the CRA says:
“You have to charge and collect tax on specified supplies that are generally taxable supplies of intangible personal property or services that you make to specified Canadian recipients.”
“Specified Canadian recipients” are defined as:
“...a recipient of a supply in respect of which the following conditions are met:
the recipient has not provided to the supplier, or to a distribution platform operator in respect of the supply, evidence satisfactory to the Minister that the recipient is registered under the normal registration regime; and
the usual place of residence of the recipient is situated in Canada.” [my emphasis]
I’m unable to find any exceptions that would make seller fees related to sales on the site taxable federally for GST registrants. 
So there you have it: once again, Etsy has completely botched their tax obligations, and sellers are the ones who suffer. Given the pace with which Etsy usually moves on these things, it may take months to get this mistake reversed, meaning some sellers will be paying up to 15% more on their seller fees, knowing that they will have to wait a long time to get this money back. 
Why doesn’t Etsy simply hire an expert when these new tax obligations arise? It’s clear, after multiple mess-up like this one, including with the charging of VAT on fees and the incorrect charging of BC PST on orders coming from outside of Canada, that they do not have any staff competent to deal with these issues. 
I still have not been charged GST on my seller fees, but promise to update this post when I file my complaints with Etsy and the CRA. Please let me know if you have anything to add! 
Looking for my article on Etsy forcing tax-registered sellers to add the GST into their prices? Click here to read that piece. 
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clouds-rambles · 3 years
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Hey bestie may I request diluc,childe,zhongli,and venti having a bad nightmare over their s/o wanting to break up with them and when they wake up their s/o isn’t there but really they’re in another room or something if that makes sense!! Thank you 🤑
Hi bestie positively evil... i love it <3 nobody question why zhongli and the reader are married in all my headcanons thanks lmao
Pairings; (Seperate) Diluc, Childe, Zhongli, and Venti x reader
Warning(s); panic, nightmares, hurt/comfort, injury mention
Keep reading under the cut!
Diluc
Diluc wakes with a start, his brows furrowed as he takes a moment to arrange the events of his nightmare in his head
Both you and he had a particularly explosive argument after he had come back injured from a night protecting Mondstat 
You had left the winery after exclaiming that you refuse to date someone who has such a lack of regard for his own life. In the long run you’d be saving yourself from further heartbreak if he ended up dead on the front porch
Diluc wonders if dream you could be right...
The red-head finally notices the cold side of the bed you should be sleeping on. He more than remembers going to sleep with you
Panic sets in at the bottom of Dilucs stomach. He must be imagining things right? You’re probably just in the bathroom
A beat passes
Then three
No, you’re not in the bathroom. He would have heard you by now...
What if the dream was actually what had happened last night. A breath catches in the mans throat as he gets out of bed and throws a shirt on
If he couldn’t find you in his home has he truly lost you?
Diluc speedily walks through the halls of his home, checking the spare rooms, the study, the library, the living room, the dining room, the
Diluc opens the door to the kitchen his heart threatening to break out of his chest at the pace it’s beating when he finally spots you drinking a cup of tea, in your pajamas
Thank the archons it was just a dream
“Diluc, honey, are you okay?” you ask getting up from the table in the kitchen to your sweating, hyperventilating partner
Diluc says nothing but opts to hugging you, his head bowing to your chest as he breaths you in
“Diluc, you’re worrying me” you tell him returning his embrace and rubbing circles on his back
“You weren’t in bed” is all he offers to tell you. You don’t push him on the details of why he is so panicked
“I couldn’t sleep so I came down for a herbal tea” you explain kissing the man on his bed of fluffy hair “I have a cup left in the kettle, I can pour one out for you” you offer
“Please” he breathes, but doesn’t move to let you go from the embrace, you can stand to hold him and tell him sweet nothings for a little while. Tea can always be reheated
Childe
It would only be right, and he suspected as much. You had told him that because of what has recently transpired in Liyue you cannot find yourself to love a brutal harbinger
Maybe its for the best. Childe concludes not paying much attention to his weeping heart. Maybe, you’d be happier not to be under the constant eye and scrutiny of the Qixing, the Milleth, and the watchful eye of Childes own fatui informants
Without much pause form Childes last thought the man finds himself waking in his room, unsure if the dream was reality or his mind playing tricks on him, he feels your side of the bed and notices a distinct lack of warmth... and you
He cries
Childe curls himself up in a ball determined to not get caught by anyone showing such an extreme and out of character emotion, he let himself cry. He’s pretty sure he’s sobbing loudly but he doesn’t care. It’s just him in the house anyway. The one person that he doesn’t mind seeing such emotions has left him
That’s until he hears the distinct click of the bedroom door open “Oh my archon Childe, are you okay?” you ask quickly making your way to the side of his bed and placing a hand on his shoulder
The man looks up to you, he isn’t sure if you’re real 
“I thought-” he starts “I had a-” he tries to find his words without seeming like a crazed person “You weren’t-” 
“It’s okay babe, I’m right here. I’m not planning on going anywhere” you console “I just had an epiphany in my dream and I had to write it down” you add explaining your absence. Childe nods along 
“Stay” he tells you as you wipe the tears out of his eyes. You nod and hum
“Of course” you lay onto the bed and let Childe wrap himself around you
You hum him to sleep and whisper sweet nothings
Zhongli
‘I can’t love you anymore Zhongli, I feel obligated to come back to Liyue after every adventure, it’s starting to take a toll on me’
‘But our vows, [name] we made a contract at the altar’
‘To love each other, yes? Zhongli there’s no love left in this marriage, you sleep in the spare bedroom whenever I’m back, we sit in silence over dinner, I don’t think I’ve kissed you in months. The lack of love itself is the breach in the contract’
‘But I-’
‘Think about it, do you really feel the same love that you felt on the day we got married?’
‘[name]-’
Zhongli wakes up with a start, his heart beats a little fast for a second. The man convinces himself it’s just a dream he had, but the coldness of your side of the bed seems to speak otherwise
In all fairness, Zhongli should have rationalised his dream before he started wondering the house like a mad man. The only time he sleeps in the other bed is when you’ve suffered an extreme injury, dinners are often spent with jolly laughs and conversation. And Zhongli prides himself on the amount of affection he gives you around the house... and in the bedroom
But most things aren’t making sense in his head right now
“Zhongli my love” you call him upon noticing him in the hall. You had just come out of the bathroom after a midnight toilet break “Are you okay darling?” you ask placing a hand on his shoulder
The tenseness in Zhongli’s shoulders dissipate as soon as you initiate the touch
“I love you” he tells you, the declaration is out of nowhere to you. But you smile at him and embrace him
“And I love you too” you pause bringing up your hand baring the ring that sits on it “And this ring is a reminder of our vows and my unyielding love to you” you tell him with a smile
Zhongli chuckles at you and returns your hug “You seem to always know how to comfort me my dear”
“It’s because I’m a mind reader” you jest matching your spouses chuckle
Venti
Disappeared. So much so that the thousand winds could tell Venti that you were in fact not in Mondstat and had travelled to Liyue from the time Venti was playing music in the tavern to when he knocked for you early the next morning
The only trace you left was a letter. Unmistakeably written by your hand
‘Venti, writing this in a letter is much easier than saying this to your face. I am quite simply tired of your antics, no matter try to talk to you, you seem to always brush me off. Be it the nights you spend at the tavern, my general concern when you disappear for days at end just to tell me you were at the thousand winds temple, stormterrors lair, or windrise, no matter how much I tell you I checked all three. Being in a constant state of concern isn’t good for me, it’s emotionally draining and I’m terrified of finding you dead somewhere, despite your archon blood. By the time you read this I’ll be in Liyue where I’ll be staying with a friend for a while. Tell me I’m going somewhere you can’t follow, and I’ll tell you this is how I have felt many a night. I wish I could have kept loving you, [name]’
A harsh way to break up Venti admits to himself rereading the paper a few times before waking up
A dream?
Venti holds his chest, surely a dream couldn’t conjure such a horrific sinking feeling that makes him want to just vomit
Looking to your side of the bed for your comfort the sinking feeling intensifies when he doesn’t see you
So it wasn’t a dream? Venti doesn’t want to call on his kin, the thousand winds, again just to be told once more that you’re currently in Liyue sipping tea with this cousin you had mentioned in the letter 
The archon sits up in bed and takes deep breaths, he doesn’t want to explain to anybody that he had a panic attack over your horrific breakup letter, no no
After calming his breaths Venti steps out of bed with a shaky few steps before walking downstairs to engage in the typical breakout routine. Snacking. Maybe when you left you had elected to ignore some of the snacks you love to litter about your abode
When Venti walks in to the living room towards the kitchen he sees you nursing your head on the couch
“[name]?” he asks in almost disbelief
“Hm,” you answer before looking up to Venti ���Oh hey love, sorry I’ve got a headache” you greet properly after a moment. Venti grins at you which causes you to tilt your head. Why is your headache so grin worthy? Weird...
“Would you like some paracetamol?” he asks walking beside you, you shake your head
“I just took some” you reply looking up at your partner “Though I’d love to rest my head on your thighs” you add. Venti more then obliges and settles down on the couch
“You know I had the strangest dream” Venti tells you after a prolonged amount of silence, you hum to let him know you’re listening “You left me” he says bluntly
Oh
Damn
You bring yourself up to Venti’s face with a smile and give him a kiss “I love you Venti, I wouldn’t leave you for even the prettiest lyre” you half console half jest
“That’s because the prettiest lyre is mine” Venti chuckles and you nod pressing another kiss to Venti’s lips
guys it’s 2.42am I’m so sorry if there’s grammatical errors, my brain isn’t catching up rn
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waitimcomingtoo · 3 years
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Bagels and Bites
Pairing: Sebastian Stan x Reader
Synopsis: Sebastian likes to flirt with you in interviews
Masterlist
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It all started when you met him on The Late Late Show.
“How are you all feeling tonight?” James asked you and Sebastian Stan as you sat on the guest couch.
“I’m excited.” You beamed as Sebastian rested his arm on the couch behind you.
“So am I. We should probably talk about this later,” Sebastian smiled directly at you, “but we’ve been wanting to meet each other for a long time.”
“Have you?” James chuckled.
“No.” You laughed and playfully hit Sebastian in the chest. “We had one interaction on Twitter and he thinks there’s something between us.”
“It was a very flirty interaction.” Sebastian clarified. “There were sparks flying all over those tweets.”
“So this is your first time actually meeting?” James asked. “Even though you’re in the marvel movies together?”
“It’s weird. I haven’t met half the cast.” You shrugged. “I’ll meet everyone else once the press tour starts but so far I’ve only met the people I’ve filmed with. Just Chris, and Chris, and um, oh yeah. Chris.”
You looked down and smiled to yourself when you heard Sebastian laughing at your joke. Even though you’d never met him, you’d always liked him. It was a well known secret on the Internet that you were his celebrity crush, since he was so inclined on bringing it up in almost every interview of his. Being face to face for the first time now, you were feeling a little intoxicated from his charm. Well, his charm and the white wine you’d been sipping on.
“I hope they stop putting me with Mackie and start putting me with Y/n once this press tour starts.” Sebastian said after taking a sip of his wine. “I love him but I can’t keep babysitting him at 8 in the morning. I’d like to wake up to someone who looks a little more like this one.”
“I know what you mean.” You agreed. “He would show up to set every morning all ready to go and I’m like dude, give me a few hours for my personality to arrive.”
“I was so mad that he got to film with you and I didn’t.” Sebastian shook his head. “We finally get cast in a movie together and we’re never in the same scene.”
“Well,” you put your hand on his knee and patted it, “we’re meeting now. Lucky you.”
“Yeah.” He smirked at you. “Lucky me.”
“Now, Sebastian.” James reminded you both that he was there. “I heard a rumor that you have a little crush on Y/n.”
“Well, I try not to pay attention to rumors.” Sebastian waved his hand. “But that ones pretty accurate.”
“Oh my God.” You put your hand over your heart, which was about to beat out of your chest, and laughed.
“It’s true. I’ve been meaning to tell you this for a while, but I feel like I’ve seen you all my life. And here you are in person and you look so great.” Sebastian said through a shy smile. You laughed in shock at his compliment and looked down at your lap.
“You’re fully going for it.” James laughed at how bold Sebastian was being.
“You’re not being a very good wingman.” You teased James as you took a long sip of your drink. The more alcohol you had in you, the easier it would be to flirt with the incredible attractive man next to you.
“I was never known for that.” James agreed. “But I heard your brother is a pretty good one, isn’t he?”
“Oh My God.” You groaned, knowing exactly what James was referring to. “He’s not.”
“What happened?” Sebastian wondered, never taking his eyes off you.
“I took my brother to the Oscars with me last year and we happened to be sitting next to Jake Gyllenhaal.” You explained. “And the whole night, he’s telling Jake about how I used to be in love with him when I was a kid. If there weren’t a bunch of cameras around us, I would’ve rung his neck.���
“So I’m assuming you and Jake aren’t the next celebrity power couple?” James teased.
“We are not.” You shook your head. “I can confidently say that I was still single.”
“I was just gonna and say, there’s still hope for us.” Sebastian gestured between the two of you. You opened your mouth in shock before biting down on your tongue. You playfully hit Sebastian again, signally that you were just as interested as he was.
“You’re really going for it.” James pointed out. “I must say, wow.”
“Why not?” Sebastian grinned. “This is the time.”
“You are pretty cute, I just wanna say.” You flirted back for the hell of it. Sebastian laughed in surprise before covering his face with his hands. You laughed as well as he hunched over to hide his face.
“He’s actually gone red now!” James pointed at him. “He was so sure of himself and now he’s all red.”
“Leave him alone.” You pouted as you rubbed Sebastians back. Sebastian sat back up and rubbed his face with his hands.
“Yeah.” Sebastian said assertively as he wrapped an arm around you. “Leave me alone. I’m trying to flirt here.”
“How would you ask her on a date, then?” James asked. “Since you’re so in love with her.”
“Like this.” Sebastian said as he turned to you “Ce faci?”
“Would you bite me in the neck?” You asked, catching him completely off guard. He took his arm away and laughed in shock at your words.
“Oh my God.” He chuckled as he looked around in embarrassment. Suddenly, he turned back to you and cupped one side of your face, tilting your neck slightly with his hand. He bit down on your exposed neck, making the audience erupt in a series of laughter and gasps. You giggled when you felt his scruff tickling your neck and made no effort to push him off.
“He actually did it.” James looked at the audience to see if they were seeing what he was.
“She asked me to.” Sebastian rolled his eyes playfully. His arm was still around you and neither of you wanted it off.
“It was a hypothetical but I guess I know my answer.” You shrugged as you leaned back on the couch.
“Why would you ask him that?” James wondered.
“Like a vampire.” You explained. “Aren’t vampires from Romania?”
“That’s Transylvania.” Sebastian smiled fondly at you.
“Oh.” You realized. “I still liked it.”
“I’ll do it again later.” Sebastian shrugged, making your hide your face in embarrassment.
“Promise?” You said suddenly as you put your hand back on his knee. It was Sebastians turn to be baffled as he put his free hand on tops of yours.
“Darling.” He choked out, too stunned to form a full sentence.
“This has been an intense experience.” James fans himself with his cards. “What will the two of you do after the show?”
“I’ll probably go home, order a pizza, and pass out while watching all of Sebastian’s episodes of Once Upon a Time.” You joked.
“I was going to do the exact same thing.” Sebastian nodded. “Right after I got a job as a pizza delivery boy so I can go to Y/n’s house.”
“Or you could just come over.” You shrugged, making Sebastian blush.
“I like that idea too.” Sebastian replied.
“I’m trying to imagine what the poor pizza delivery boy is gonna see when he arrives at Y/n’s house later.” James grimaced, making the audience laugh.
“I know, right? They open the door and this is what the get.” Sebastian gestured to you. “It’s you. How lucky they are.”
You leaned into him as you laughed, the alcohol making you feel bolder than usual. You’d never be this flirty with a man you’d just met, but he made it too easy.
The rest of the interview continued in a similar fashion, with you and Sebastian unapologetically flirting with each other every chance you got. By the end of the interview, you were so close that your knees were touching. When it came time to say goodbye, you felt an unexpected pane of sadness.
“Well, thank you both for coming on the show tonight.” James smiled. “I hope I’ll be invited to the wedding.”
“You will. And I wanted to thank you. For this.” Sebastian said as he slipped his fingers through yours and held up your hands. You beamed and squeezed his hand, fully tipsy now the the interview was over.
After thanking James and drinking another glass of wine, you drunkenly pulled Sebastian off the couch.
“Come in the photo booth with me.” You giggled as you tugged him by the hand towards the booth.
“Okay.” He grinned as he climbed inside. He pulled you into his lap and pressed the button before wrapping his arms around your waist. The pictures began to snap away and you posed for all of them. For the first, you just held each other close and smiled. For the second, he leaned up to kiss your cheek. And for the third, he took another bite of your neck.
“That tickles.” You giggled as the camera flashed.
“Good.” He smirked against your skin before pressing a kiss there.
“Stick your tongue out.” You told him, and he obliged. You licked his tongue as the fourth picture was taken, capturing the drunken moment. The fifth flash went off right as Sebastian connected your lips to his. You continued to kiss him, tasting the alcohol on his lips and tongue.
“Oh my God.” You pulled away suddenly. “I have to pee.”
You got off his lap and ran to the restroom, leaving him alone in the photo booth.
The next time you saw Sebastian, neither of you brought the kiss up. Whether you thought the other was too drunk to remember or you were simply too embarrassed to bring it up, it was not mentioned.
The flirting, however, the flirting continued.
~
“What would you like to see for your characters in the next movies?” The journalist asked you and Sebastian as you sat together in a press junket.
“For our characters specifically, I’d like to see some graphic love making.” Sebastian said seriously. “I think that that’s something the movies have been lacking.”
“Oh my God.” You laughed and shook your head. “Me too, actually. I think it would be really in character and important to the plot.”
“How would that benefit the plot?” The journalist asked.
“It’s simple. I would just change my name to “the plot” and bam.” Sebastian clapped his hands. “I’m benefited.”
“He’s such a flirt.” You said as you rested your elbow on his shoulder. “Can you believe him?”
“I can’t.” The journalist chuckled.
“You know what I’d like to see? Some method acting. Why can’t you be as quiet as Bucky?” You teased Sebastian as you flicked his ear.
“How would I tell you how pretty you are if I wasn’t speaking?” He flirted back.
“This is what I have to put up with.” You shook your head as looked at the camera. “What about you? What do you want to see from our characters?”
“I would like to see Bucky do the knife trick some more.” The journalist answered you.
“What knife trick?” You wondered.
“It’s the thing he does when he flips his knife around and stabs people.” Sebastian explained as he moved his hand in a circle. “It took me forever to learn.”
“Wait, I wanna see it.” You smiled excitedly and turned to him.
“No, no.” He wagged his finger at you. “I’m not doing the knife trick.”
“Please?” You pouted. “For me?”
“All right, all right.” Sebastian broke into a grin. “I’m only doing this because you asked nicely.”
The journalist handed him a pen and he easily flipped it around and caught it before making a stabbing motion. You let out a gasp and stared at him in shock for a long time.
“What’s wrong?” He asked you.
“I wanna to fuck you, that’s what’s wrong.” You replied. “Can you do it again?”
Sebastian laughed at your joke as his face heated up. He knew that was just the way you two liked to tease each other, but it didn’t mean it didn’t make him smile.
“I’ll do it again.” He nodded as picked the pen back up. “Anything for you.”
~
On a day where the interviews ended early, you spent the night in Sebastians hotel room, getting drunk on his balcony.
“What about you?” Sebastian asked as he took a sip of his beer. “What was your best kissing scene? I know you’ve kissed some pretty great actors. Might be hard to pick.”
“It’s not. I hate kissing actors.” You grimaced. “It’s not even kissing. It’s just like, limp lips on limp lips. There’s no passion when it’s for a scene. I hate it.”
“Maybe you’re just kissing the wrong actors.” Sebastian shrugged playfully as he gazed at you.
“I don’t think so.” You shook your head. “I’ve never felt anything when kissing another actor. You can’t tell me you do.”
“I do.” He shrugged again. “Its not much, but I wouldn’t say it’s nothing.”
“What? How?” You wondered. “If you kissed me right now, you wouldn’t feel anything. I guarantee it.”
“I think I would.” Sebastian disagreed.
“All right.” You turned your chair a little to face him. “Prove me wrong.”
Sebastian tweaked an eyebrow up before leaning in to kiss you. You kissed him back for a few seconds before pulling away. You looked past him for a minute as you mulled the moment over in your head.
“What’s the matter?” He asked quietly.
“I was incorrect.” You chuckled a little. “I guess I did feel something.”
“I told you you would.” He said smugly. “I knew you’d feel something.”
“How’d you know?” You whined as he basked in the glory of being right.
“Because I felt something the last time we kissed.” He said simply. “And I knew you did too.”
“I didn’t realize you remembered that.” You smirked before talking a sip from his beer.
“Course I do.” He replied. “I think about that night all the time. It was the start of a beautiful, sexually frustrating friendship.”
“Oh, I’m sexually frustrating?” You laughed. “Try being your friend. It’s hard to look at you, really.”
“That’s not how I feel about you.” He smiled a little. “I really, really like looking at you.”
“I like you too.” You smiled back.
“That’s not what I said.” He teased. You dropped your jaw and stole his beer again, taking a long sip as you held eye contact.
“It’s what you meant.” You stuck your tongue out at him. You sat in comfortable silence for a minute, listening to the chirps of the crickets as a warm breeze wafted through the air.
“The press tour is ending soon.” You said quietly as you adverted your eyes. “Tomorrow’s the premier. Then, it’s all over.”
“I know.” He said softly. You looked at him and gave him a sad smile, to which he returned.
“We won’t get to see each other every day anymore.” You pointed out.
“Then we better make tomorrow count.” He said simply. He knew what you were implying, that there was no point in starting something when you’d both been going home soon, but he didn’t want to think about that. He just wanted to enjoy his last few days with you.
“Yeah.” You smiled sadly and looked away again. “We better.”
~
The following night at the premier, you felt an overwhelming sadness knowing that it was all ending. You loved the weeks you’d spent goofing off with Sebastian, even if it never led to a real relationship. It still meant something to you, and you hoped it meant something to him.
To counteract your sadness, you sat with Chris Evans at the bar and let him distract you. After spending a minute with him, you were feeling drunk and ready to find Sebastian. You spotted him on the red carpet, fixed your dress, and went up to him.
“Hi.” You giggled as you wrapped your arms around his torso. You smiled up at him as he wrapped an arm around you, taking an usually loud whiff of his cologne.
“Hey.” He chuckled as he patted your back. “How are you doing?”
“I’m good.” You said as you swayed a little. “Question, is there alcohol in a Shirley Temple? Because I feel like I’ve had alcohol.”
“There is.” He laughed again and steadied you. “Did you know that?”
“Nope.” You sniffed him again. “You smell good.”
“Oh no.” He smiled as your behavior. “How many did you have?”
“I was having a contest with Evans to see who could drink more. I had like 5.” You bragged as you almost fell over.
“Oh dear.” He quickly caught you. “You’re staying with me tonight. I don’t trust drunk you.”
“No, it’s okay. You don’t have to babysit me.” You waved your hand and tried to walk away. You instantly stumbled and neatly fell, but Sebastian wrapped his arms around you and caught you.
“I think I do.” He chuckled as you put you on your feet. “Come on. You’re sticking with me.”
~
The next morning, you woke up with a throbbing headache. Not feeling the strength to sit up, you opened a single eye and looked around. You were definitely not in your own room, but you recognized who’s room you were in.
“Good morning.” Sebastians voice was usually loud, making you wince.
“Oh God.” You groaned as you sat up. You groggily opened your eyes as Sebastian handed you a cup of coffee.
“Here.” He smiled shyly. “How’s the head?”
“The head is in pain.” You groaned. “So is the rest of the body.”
“Here. Drink this.” He held out a glass of water and some Advil. “And take these.”
“Thanks.” You smiled sheepishly as you accepted his offerings.
“Did you at least win the drinking contest?” He asked as he took a seat on the bed. You took a long sip of water and swallowed the pills before answering his questions.
“I did.” You nodded. “But at what cost?”
“You’ll start to feel better once you get some food in you.” Sebastian said as he rubbed your shoulder. You put your hand over his and stared at him, feeling the guilt set in.
“I’m sorry I got drunk.” You mumbled. “I didn’t mean to ruin the last night.”
“You didn’t ruin anything.” Sebastian shook his head. “Trust me, we still had fun. I’m not sure how much you remember though.”
“I remember sitting with you at the premier.” You recalled. “And eating many, many bagels.”
“Yeah, we stopped at a bakery.” He chuckled. “You ate a dozen. I watched it all.”
“Oh God.” You covered your face with your hands. “That’s not how I wanted to spend our last night together.”
“How did you want to spend it together?” He asked quietly.
“Probably in a way that still ended with me waking up in your bed.” You joked like you usually did. “But I could do without the part where you watched me eat 12 bagels.”
“What do you mean?” He grinned. “That was the best part.”
“How’d I end up in your bed anyway?” You asked before taking another sip of coffee.
“You threw your key card at a seagull who was eyeing your bagel.” He explained. “You couldn’t get into your room so I let your crash in mine.”
You looked around the room and saw his pull out couch was topped with pillows and sheets, evidence of him sleeping there.
“Did you sleep on the pull out?” You pointed to it in disbelief.
“Of course I did.” He shrugged.
“Such a gentleman.” You scrunched your nose at him before finishing the coffee.
“Basic human decency is not exactly being a gentleman.” He pointed out.
“Maybe not.” You agreed. “But you still are one. You prove that to me everyday.”
“That must be why you like me so much.” He teased.
“Must be.” You dished it right back. Sebastians smile fell suddenly as he got a serious look on his face.
“I think you and I need to have a talk.” He said softly.
“Oh God.” You feared. “Did I puke on you last night?”
“No.” He chuckled. “It’s not about last night.”
“Then what’s it about?”
“As much as I love flirting with you, and I do, I think you should know it’s not just a joke to me.” He began. “And I wanted to know if it was just a joke to you or if-“
“It’s not.” You said a little too quickly, which made him smile. “I...I like you. A lot, actually. One might even call it love.”
Upon hearing this, Sebastian leaned forward to kiss you. You held a hand to stop him and gave him an apologetic look.
“I wouldn’t.” You grimaced. “My morning breath is-“
“-something I could get used to.” He cut you off before going in for the kiss. You immediately kissed him back, pulling him by his shirt to have him closer. He climbed over you as you tangled your fingers in the hair at the nape of his neck.
“I don’t care if its our last day.” He mumbled against your lips. “I want to do this for real. I wanna be with you.”
You kissed him back to tell him you felt the same way, not trusting yourself to say something smooth in the heat of the moment.
“Wait.” You pushed him back suddenly and held him away from you.
“Whats wrong?” He asked as he hovered over you.
“Can we get bagels after this?” You asked seriously before breaking into a smile.
“I seriously can’t stand you.” He said before leaning down to kiss you again. “You’re lucky I love you because I don’t like you at all.”
“12 wasn’t enough.” You giggled between kisses. “I need more. I crave them. I crave the yeast.”
Sebastian stopped kissing you for a moment and looked at you with a fond expression. You stared back at him as a content smile tugged at your lips. The flirting had finally lead to something more and neither of you could be happier.
“You know, you might actually be more annoying than Mackie.” He teased you before leaning down to kiss your neck.
“Shut up.” You laughed. “Shut up and bite me in the neck.”
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ristoranteivorykeys · 2 years
Text
twst mermay 6 — big
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in which floyd and lilia have a chat about floyd's experiences with fighting other creatures. ft. floyd leech & lilia vanrouge
╰┈➤ 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬: here’s the sixth prompt! once again, it’s a floyd-centric piece, but it’s a bit more lighthearted than the last (^ω^)when reading beans day 2 in english, i found lilia’s remark about floyd being young yet experienced in things like hunting rather striking, so i wanted to make a bit of a sequel to that!
╰┈➤ 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐭𝐨: mermay masterlist
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The cafeteria is buzzing with chatter and rumbling stomachs, but Floyd still found it too quiet. Today, Azul was called for an emergency dorm leader meeting, and Jade had to make up for a test after getting sick from food poisoning (he deserves it for all the mushrooms he brings home to the dorm), so he languidly walked to the table with a tray in hand and nobody to talk to. 
Usually, he didn’t care about getting stares from several students, but at the moment, each piercing gaze bothered him. Yes, he’s alone for now, and yes, he’s going to have days when Azul and Jade aren’t accompanying him. And thankfully, one glare from him caused them to shudder and return to their meals. 
“Hello, is this seat taken by any chance?”
Floyd glanced up towards the direction of the deep voice, and he met the youthful face of Lilia Vanrouge, who stood across from him. “Eh, does it really matter,” he asked. “It’s a free-for-all, just take any seat you want.” 
“It’s good to be polite as well, but I’ll gladly oblige,” Lilia said as he took his seat and set down his tray. 
“Doncha usually sit at the cool kids table, though,” Floyd asked as he took a bite of his sandwich, pointing to the table situated on the balcony area.
“Cool kids table,” he asked with a tilt of his head. “I never perceived it to be as such. But well, I make Silver and Sebek do a bit more training lately ever since Beans Day, and Malleus is nowhere to be found, so I’m usually all alone now.” 
“Ehhh, well since all the seats here are a free-for-all, then why are you here,” he asked as he played with his fork. 
“A very good question.” A smile made its way to the Diasomnia student’s face. “Truly, deceiving is the appearance that one puts up. That moody demeanor you have belies an intellect that many would wish to possess.” 
Floyd frowned. “Just get to the point, Devilfish. You’re saying weird words now.” 
“I do have a reason for sitting with you,” Lilia said as he plopped an elbow on the table and rested his head on his hand. “For you see, I had been intrigued by your performance on Beans Day.”
“I told you, man, it’s because as morays, we wait for the last minute until we strike. There’s nothing to it,” the merman said as he took another bite of his meal. 
“Perhaps for you, who’s been living that kind of life since nativity, it would be nothing,” he responded. “But I, as a non-merfolk, am curious about the kind of life you live and the ways of survival for folks such as yourself. So pray tell, regale me with stories of your hunting days and other escapades.” 
“Hmmm, well I guess there’s no harm in telling ya, and it’s boring without Azul and Jade around,” Floyd said with a shrug. “K, well, under the sea, so yeah, we have to hunt for our food. Our parents taught us self-defense since we were kids so that we can hunt while also being able to defend ourselves from predators and the like.” 
“Mm, I see.” Lilia nodded. “Knowing self-defense is very helpful in life. I applaud your parents for imparting such a life skill to you two.” 
“Yeah, I do appreciate it,” he said with a hint of gratitude in his voice. “But back then, I mainly used it to get into fights. It’s just boring to hunt for small fry, so why not go for something bigger?” Floyd displayed a grin. “Jade and I have fought countless whales and sharks. And usually, we would win. But there was this one time, we were like around 8 years old or something? We went to this really dark cave because our parents told us not to go there.”
“My, quite rebellious,” the fae chuckled. “I can’t help but feel bad for your parents.” 
“Well I mean, it’s precisely because it’s forbidden that it makes it so much more enticing to explore, yeah? But anyway…” He took another bite, chewing and swallowing before continuing: “So we went in. And well at first, it was really damn dark and all that, but that was just it. So Jade and I were like, ‘Lol maybe our parents are just being worrywarts as usual.’ But then I don’t know what happened, but we made a loud sound, and suddenly, there was this huge creature that came out. It was, like, a huge sea serpent that resembled a dragon.”
Lilia’s eyes perked up. “Could it be some sort of Loch Ness monster?”
“Eh, I guess so?” Floyd raised a brow at his response. “Well either way, it was big, and Jade was really worried and was saying that we should flee. But I didn’t wanna flee, I was really awed at it and wanted to take it on!” 
“Oh my. And what happened?”
“Well, we managed to weaken it with our magic.” Another bite and then swallow. “But it was way too strong for us. I kinda thought that we were toast at that moment. But then our parents and some relatives came in and took down that beast, and I think that was the first time I was really really awed at our parents. But of course, they scolded us for disobeying them.”
“I see,” Lilia said with a nod.
“That experience did make us smarter with our hunts,” Floyd continued. “Ever since then, we’ve been really successful in getting our prey and winning our battles.” His hand went to his dangling earring. “The earrings that Jade and I wear? They were our prize after beating a sturgeon in battle, and we used its scales to turn it into these earrings.”
“Oh, how intriguing indeed.” His crimson gaze turned to the shimmering blue earring. “Sturgeons are rather big, no? Some much more so than your eel forms.” 
“Mhm, that one was really big,” Floyd said. “One of the biggest of its kind, I think. It was really satisfying to take it down. I always like to take down opponents that pose a challenge against me.”
“I completely understand that excitement.” Lilia smiled. “That rush of adrenaline as you’re faced with someone who seems to be bigger and stronger than yourself and that determination to test yourself and win in the end.”
“Yeah! That’s exactly it, Devilfish,” Floyd exclaimed, his face beaming from excitement. “It’s always the best to challenge those stronger than yourself. And it’s even better when you come out the victor because there, you realize that you’ve gotten stronger.”
Lilia chuckled. “You truly are fascinating, Floyd. I’m glad to have this conversation with you.”
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nightingaelic · 3 years
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Reactions to a vampire courier? Companions plus Benny, Ulysses, Graham, House, Caesar, and Yes Man. (sorry if that's too many :x)
TW: Blood (maybe obviously)
Also I don't normally feel some type of way about AUs but the idea of Joshua Graham encountering a vampire courier is giving me shivers
The courier was a little... strange. Not in any way that stood out to the average wastelander just by looking at them, everyone in the Mojave had their quirks and the courier was no exception. Hell, you get shot in the head and come back, you're bound to have a screw or two loose. They were unquestionably a night owl, but so were half the people on the Strip, who only started to wake up after the sun had gone down and the slot machines were singing their loudest. They usually had bags under their bloodshot eyes, but every caravan driver from here to the Hub was short on sleep.
On the other hand, the courier had some habits that were a little beyond surface-level eccentricities. For one, no one had ever seen them eating, not once. Even when the King laid out a spread of pre-war snacks and liquor or when the buffet at the Tops was refreshed, they politely declined and took a swig from the canteen that they never offered to anyone else. They were also rather odd about bathrooms, insisting that anyone accompanying them remain outside on watch and let no one else through the door until they were finished. But the undeniable moment of oddity came one night in October, when their companion rounded a corner in Freeside after a trip to the Atomic Wrangler and discovered the courier behind a rusted dumpster, holding a man against a brick wall with their teeth buried in his neck.
The courier drew back at the interruption, blood smeared across their face. "I'm not- it's not what- he- oh, fuck."
Arcade Gannon: Arcade stared open-mouthed for a moment, before snapping violently back into the present. "Is he dead?"
"Umm..." The courier glanced at the man they were holding, whose head was lolling against the bricks. "Yes? Mostly."
With no patient to resuscitate, Arcade rounded on them. "Six, what in the ever-loving fuck are you doing?"
The courier tried to wipe away the blood that was dribbling from their chin, but they only succeeded in spreading it up their jawline. "Well, I, um, I was trying to..."
Whatever excuse they were searching for eluded them, so they dropped the pretense. "I was feeding, Arcade."
"Feeding? What, like some kind of-" Arcade's eyes widened and he cut his sentence off early in realization. "No. No way. That's not- vampires aren't real!"
That earned him a look of intense skepticism. "Arcade, we've fought off plant monsters and rattlesnake-coyote hybrids together. I have a gun in my pack that lets me teleport."
"Oh, okay, so you have some kind of iron deficiency and you're delusional." Arcade laughed, the sound high and harsh in the quiet alley. "Great. Fuck."
Craig Boone: Rather than engage in an abandoned alley, Boone immediately backtracked to a busier street. He was unsurprised when the courier didn't follow him: Even in Freeside, someone covered in blood was sure to be noticed and questioned.
Boone left town that night and made for Novac. He was pretty sure the courier would follow him, but he didn't know where else to go. At least he knew they were coming. A few people in Novac asked about where he'd been, what the courier was up to, but eventually they stopped asking.
A couple of weeks went by. Boone was on the night shift again when the door into the dinosaur swung open to reveal the courier. He'd heard someone coming, their feet on the stairs, and he already had his gun pointed in their face. "We will never work together again," he said, before they could open their mouth.
"Boone, can you just-"
"I don't want an explanation." Boone shook his head. "I don't need one. I already did you a favor, leaving New Vegas without putting you back in your grave. This is over."
The courier took a deep breath. "71."
"What?"
"71. I've killed 71 Legion soldiers and left their bodies empty under the Mojave sky." They looked down and shuffled their feet. "I've tasted their fear. They're more scared of me than the Burned Man, now."
Boone studied them. Ever so slowly, he lowered his gun.
Lily Bowen: "Put him down, dearie," Lily chastised them. "You're playing too roughly with that man. And watch your language around your grandma!"
The courier looked down at their victim, at their torn throat and limp limbs. "He tried to mug me, Lily. It wasn't pretty."
"He looks like he's had enough," Lily insisted. "Set him down. Gently."
With a sigh, the courier obliged and lowered the man to the ground. "I'm sorry, Lily. I should have told you earlier. I don't mean to be rude when I turn down your cooking, I just... I can't seem to..."
"Hush, now." Lily produced her enormous handkerchief and gathered the courier up in her arms, dabbing at the blood on their face with a corner of the cloth. "You've gotten it all over yourself, haven't you? We can clean that right up, but it looks like Grandma's going to have to do a load of laundry. You made the mess, so you get to help."
Raul Alfonso Tejada: Raul swallowed nervously, something he'd noticed he was increasingly doing around the courier. "You know, we get murciélagos down in Arizona that do the same thing. They won't leave the brahmin alone."
The courier took in his anxious stance and sighed. "Raul, I'm not going to hurt you. Prometo. It's okay."
"Sure boss, but I don't think the hair on the back of my neck is going down anytime soon." Raul smiled, but it was more of a grimace. "Or it wouldn't, if I still had any. Como..?"
"No clue." The courier shrugged and held their hands up, letting the corpse they'd been holding slide to the ground. "I think it had something to do with me surviving Benny's best attempts to do me in, but a bullet is a bullet and I don't remember if I was like this before, or..."
"Or only after." Raul chuckled. "Jesucristo, and here I am thinking I'll outlive you like most everyone else I've known."
"Yep."
"Should I start calling you el chupacabra?"
The courier grinned, a bloody smile with sharp teeth.
Rose of Sharon Cassidy: "Fuck," Cass echoed, scrambling to pull her shotgun from its holster. "Knew I had too much, can't even- who are you and what've you done with the courier? Some kind of cannibal, wearing their skin? Alien? Shapeshifter? I'll blow a hole in your liver to match mine!"
"Whoa, Cass, it's me, it's me!" The courier dropped the man they were holding and held their blood-stained hands up. "Same old Six, just... maybe I wasn't straight with you about why I don't order anything at bars."
"Goddamn right you weren't straight with me!" Cass gestured at the body on the ground with the barrel of her gun. "Who's the fucker on the floor and why are you two pints in on him?"
"Just trying to get my drink on," the courier muttered.
Cass repaid this facetiousness with a jab of her shotgun, and they raised their hands higher. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry! You tell me, how do you tactfully tell someone that you're a creature of the night and you need to drink blood to survive?"
"Creature of the night? You're fucking loopy." Cass' eyes narrowed. "There's plenty of critters in the Mojave that only come out when it's dark, but most of them don't tear into..."
She trailed off into curses when she realized she was wrong. The courier smiled hesitantly and lowered their hands an inch. "Hey. Let me chuck this failed mugger in the dumpster and we can talk about it like a pair of civilized folks?"
Veronica Santangelo: Veronica squeaked and fell back a few steps, banging her elbow against the edge of the dumpster. A jolt of confused pain shot up her arm, and the Scribe couldn't help giggling harshly at the sudden assault on her funny bone.
"Not- laughing... at murder," she managed to get out between hisses of pain. "Oh, for the love of... right, you're not getting out of explaining what you are, exactly, just because I'm indis-indisposed!"
The courier couldn't help laughing at the squirming Scribe, but they did their best to stifle it. "Sorry, I'm sorry, I um... I guess I don't really know... what I am?"
"There's books!" Veronica burst out, pointing at the courier and their victim wildly. "I've seen them, in old libraries. Creatures that feed on blood, only come out at night, don't show up in... in mirrors, of course, no wonder you're weird about bathrooms, I should test... Dracula! That's it, you're a Dracula!"
"A Dracula?" The courier held their hands up, as if seeing them anew. "Never heard of them. Are they... bad?"
"Well, traditionally, yes." Veronica made a face and rubbed her elbow. "Black cloaks, sleeping in coffins, seducing and manipulating everyone around them... and people don't like it when you take their blood, in my experience."
"Whose blood have you taken?"
"This isn't about me, Six!"
ED-E: The eyebot bobbed wildly and made noises of concern, blips and blats and a flat burst of trumpets from some old jazz tune.
"I was hungry," the courier protested. "And this asshole pulled a knife on me and wanted all of my caps. Probably more than that, if we're being honest. He wasn't doing the world any good, but he did me some, for sure."
ED-E flipped between old clips of a Silver Shroud radio show. "Well, isn't this a deep, dark <static> secret? <static> In a situation such as this, the best anyone can do is <static> try to control it!" The robot added some more concerned beeps for good measure.
"I'm trying," the courier said with a sigh, looking down at the dead man they were holding. "You know I wouldn't hurt some random person, ED-E. Not if I could help it. The Mojave's full of bad people, enough to keep me going if I'm careful."
Rex: The hair on Rex's spine stood up, and he let out a long, low growl. The courier froze for a moment, before realizing that he was growling not at them but at the man they were holding.
"He's dead, Rex," they reassured the cyberdog, lowering the corpse to the floor for inspection.
Rex sniffed the body over, taking in the copper scent of his blood and the Freeside stink on his clothes. He sniffed the courier too, each of their hands they held out to him and the thick headiness of adrenaline. He whined and wagged his tail twice.
"Good boy," the courier said, straightening up. "It's about time I turned in, anyway. Let's dump this guy and split."
Benny Gecko: Benny crossed his arms. "You know, Six, if you're dead set on getting your kicks in Freeside every now and then, you might want to ease up on the passions with the next greaser you snag. This one's torn all to pieces."
"I wasn't- what kind of-" The courier dropped the man they were holding and sputtered. "Christ, only you could make a midnight murder awkward, Benny."
"Murder?" Benny raised his eyebrows and looked from side to side theatrically. "Who said anything about a murder? All I saw was some dreamboat and the best apple butterer of New Vegas playing back alley bingo, officer."
The courier's eyes narrowed. "Not gonna rat me out? Tell the King or somebody that I'm..."
"What, taking a page out of the White Glove Society's book?" Benny held his hands up. "None of my business. Well, if you ever come for me with that look in your eyes, though, that'll be a different story."
"Not much you'd be able to do," the courier pointed out. "You already tried and failed to kill me once."
Ulysses: Rather than react like any normal wastelander might've upon encountering someone attacking a man with their teeth, Ulysses just stood there, taking the scene in. "Heard tales of a tribe like you. East, farther east than even I've walked... a coven hiding in tunnels, emerging only when their hungers grow too strong to ignore, strong enough to pull blood from the veins of the world around them."
"Well, I don't hide in tunnels." The courier grimaced and heaved their victim up over their shoulder, depositing them unceremoniously in the dumpster. "Unless some disgruntled Frumentarius sends me out to hunt mutants under Hopeville."
"Perhaps you have more in common with those predators than I assumed," Ulysses admitted. "But then, your path has always run red. Blood of the Old World, blood of the new, blood of the Bull and the Bear..."
The courier rolled their eyes as they peeled off their red-stained coat and tossed it in the dumpster as well. "Don't talk to me about blood. I know you've seen just as much as me, but it doesn't mean the same thing when I look at it."
Ulysses cracked a hint of a smile. "You see life where I see death. Two sides, courier."
"Yeah, yeah. If you're not going to try to kill me, come on. You can wax poetic and lecture me about which road I'm walking while I take a shower."
Joshua Graham: "A creature far from God," Graham said in his most reproachful tone. "Forever damned for the souls of the innocent they've taken from the earth. Aren't we a pair, courier."
"You can fuck right off with that attitude." The courier dropped the man they were holding and wiped their hands on their coat. "He tried to kill me first. For some caps."
"The crimes of others do not absolve you of your own sins, courier," Graham continued, leisurely retrieving his gun from its holster. He held it up in the muted neon light that filtered through the alley, turning the weapon this way and that. "Though I confess I am also looking for absolution in this way."
"Are you going to kill me?" the courier asked, eyeing the gun as well.
"I've no doubt it would leave this world better than when you walked it," Graham replied. "But my own opinions are not enough to seal your fate. Perhaps we should find this man's family and hear their feelings on the matter."
The courier took a step forward, then another, until their chest was right up against the pistol's muzzle, pressed against the fabric of their shirt. "Go ahead. Try."
And though Joshua Graham was sorely tempted to pull the trigger, though the courier made no move to stop him, something in their eyes... some faraway pain, older than the desert itself, fresh as the blood on the ground, stayed his hand.
He lowered the gun, chastised, and the courier walked away.
Robert House: The Securitron that bore Robert House's face on its screen leveled a minigun at the courier. "Whoa!" the courier protested, dropping their victim and putting their hands out. "Can't we talk about this?"
"And what have we to discuss?" House sounded absolutely disgusted. "I believe you're familiar with my contract with the White Glove Society. If they wish to continue their current prosperity in New Vegas, cannibalism is strictly forbidden. You are subject to the same terms and conditions, as one of my employees."
"Terms and condi- hold on, hold on, you never asked me whether I was a cannibal," the courier replied. "Are you talking about that document you had me sign, way back when I agreed to help you fight the NCR and the Legion?"
"The very same."
"How is that fair? That thing was over 200 pages long, I didn't grow up in the 21st century, I don't have a degree in... okay, okay." The courier waved their hands. "Cannibalism is a no-go. This isn't cannibalism, this is vampirism."
"Which falls under the definition of cannibalism," House replied, his annoyed tone still detectable over the sound of the minigun spinning up. "Section 3.65, subsection F. Next time, read the fine print."
Caesar: The Legion's great leader pivoted in an instant from surprise to quiet anger. "Clean yourself up, courier. I expect to see you in my quarters within the hour."
He turned and left the alley swiftly, letting his powerful stride and swinging cloak cover his shaken confidence. The people of Freeside cowered as he passed, shrinking into the shadows as he made his way back to the Strip, but the fear in their eyes was not enough to erase the image of the courier bent over in bloodlust, holding their victim in total subjugation.
The courier found him on the top floor of the Lucky 38, gazing out over the city he had conquered and named his Rome. "Leave us," Caesar bid his Praetorian Guard. They bowed and departed the room without question.
"You asked to see me," the courier said nervously, shifting their weight from foot to foot. They had changed clothes, and no trace of blood remained on them.
"I did." Caesar beckoned them to the window next to him. They stood in silence for a moment, watching the lights wink below.
"I'm a well-read man, courier," Caesar said finally. "I know the legends of the Old World, and I recognize the marks of one of their nightmares in you. I order you to tell me the truth: Do you fit the full definition of the creature they called 'vampire,' or do you simply mimic the things to add to your fearsome affect?"
The courier didn't answer right away. When they did, their voice was soft. "I pretend to be nothing. I am what I am."
"And everything that comes with it?" Caesar pressed. "Darkness, the blood of the innocent, eternity?"
"Yes."
Caesar turned to face them fully. "Then I, Almighty Caesar, command you to make me as you are."
Yes Man: "Now that's a twist I didn't see coming!" Yes Man said, his happy tone only slightly tempered with uncertainty. "Boy, am I glad I don't have a circulatory system right now!"
The courier shushed the Securitron and looked around the alley surreptitiously. "Yes Man, I swear to god, if you blow my cover I'm disassembling you."
"As I've told you before, I can't technically die!" Yes Man reassured them. "And I certainly wouldn't want to endanger you and your hobbies, but my volume mixer is tied to my enthusiasm simulator and I can't adjust it! You'll just have to hope any passersby aren't interested in following my friendly voice into an alley!"
"Then go back to the Lucky 38 and we'll talk later," the courier insisted, through gritted teeth.
"I technically never left! But if you mean this Securitron, sure thing!" Yes Man zoomed away on his single wheel, whistling the whole way back to the casino where the rest of his consciousness was housed. He kept whistling as he ran probability algorithms, only pausing when the courier returned after a few hours and crossed their arms in front of his main screen.
"Hi there!" he said joyfully. "I've just been cross-checking Mr. House's records on noteworthy disappearances in the Strip, and I've flagged eight of them as potentially being connected to you! I don't want to assume your intentions, but if you don't want to be found out, I've developed a plan for choosing your next victims that will help you remain undetected in New Vegas for 184 years! Give or take a few!"
The courier put their head in their hand and sighed.
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blueberry-sunshines · 3 years
Text
Late Night Rendezvous - Keith x Reader One Shot
Summary:
You are a fellow pilot at the Garrison and Keith's only friend, he sneaks you out to show you something during the night...
Word Count: 3.2K
Slight Angst | Sweet, Vulnerable Keith
{This can also be found on my wattpad: @/blueberry_sunshines}
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{POV: Yours}
You were sitting criss-cross on top of your small bed in your dorm at the Garrison. The dim yellow glow of the school commissioned lamp lightly lit up the pages of your biology textbook. You were staying up late trying to study. Your roommate offered to stay up with you to help but you told her just to go to sleep. You didn't want her to be all sleep deprived.
Keith Kogane wasn't in all of your classes, but he was in a few. You were both fighter class pilots so your curriculum was quite similar. Everyone always says they're so surprised he's nice to you, and your roommate loves to tease you about it. She says that Keith has a 'soft spot' for you, but Keith just says that you're the only person he can stand.
Besides, you've known each other since you were kids. You both transferred to the Garrison at the same time and were partnered together. At first Keith was really cold towards you, but you always just thought he was shy and it didn't bother you that much. He seemed bored with the simulator and you always found his showing off to be rather funny. After what happened with James, Keith finally opened up to you and after that, you two were rather close. By the end of the year you two definitely started to become real friends...
You guys are 16 years old now and Keith is probably your best friend. There's always been a thin barrier between you two, but you've been ignoring it because you don't want him to push himself further away. You kind of always wished he would open up more. You thought about asking him to help you study tonight, but boys and girls aren't allowed in each other's dorms and you've been trying to make sure he stays out of trouble because you've been worried about him recently. He's been kind of distant lately and much more aggravated. A lot of people had been antsy lately because the Kerberos mission was a few months away. You knew that Keith sees the pilot, Shiro, as an older brother figure. He took Keith under his wing, so maybe that's what he was thinking about all the time when he was out of it. You had talked Shiro many times about Kerberos and he seemed very confident about it, so you never thought to worry about it. You shook your head, trying to refocus on your biology book. You turned around to look at your alarm clock and saw it flash "1:13 AM" in its big, red numbers. Damn, you really needed to wrap this up and get to bed soon...
-Knock Knock-
You had just about jumped from the surprise of someone knocking on your door. You looked over to your roommate's bed to see her definitely asleep. You sprung off your bed knowing exactly who it would be. Shaking your head in half disappointment, you put your hand on the button on the wall and let your door slide open to see none other than Keith Kogane. You felt the accidental smile form on your face the moment your eyes met his. He looked uncharacteristically nervous as he stood there in the hallway all dressed up in his red jacket and boots. You loved seeing him in his outfit because the Garrison uniforms were rather bland. Although, you thought, Keith could probably pull of anything.
"Are you gonna let me in?" Keith whispered to you with a furrow on his face. Your face began to heat up in embarrassment from spacing out.
"Sorry, just tired..." you whispered back, peeking outside the door to see if there was anyone there before grabbing Keith's sleeve and pulling him into your dorm room.
"I didn't think you'd be awake..." he admitted quietly as he walked towards your bed.
     "What's up?" You asked curiously. Normally he tells you he's coming before he does, so you weren't sure what he was doing here.
"Get changed, we're going out." He was sitting on your bed now and had his arm crossed. You looked down at yourself and realized you were still in your old T-shirt, sleep shorts combo. Eh, well this isn't the first time Keith's seen me in my pajamas.
"Keith," you sat back down on your bed, pulling him down with you. "I don't know if we should." You cautioned, "You're always getting in trouble and you can't afford losing your scholarship. You are the best pilot here, you were born for this."
     He frowned at you before speaking, "(Y/N), we're not gonna get caught. Besides, if I get kicked out, they have you left." He bumped into you jokingly.  "Where are we going?" You asked quietly to make sure your roommate doesn't wake up. Keith started standing up then and shook his head, "You'll find out soon." He said shortly, not leaving any room for you to guess what he's planning.
     "Come on," he stood up quickly and held his gloved hands out to you. You placed your hands into his and felt the warmth of his palms. It made your heart jump for a second. He pulled you up off your bed and slightly spun you over towards your big, gray wardrobe.
    "Now get dressed and come with me~" he whispered into your ear and pulled back with a smirk. He let go of your hands then and slipped out towards the door, "And hurry before we get caught!" He whisper-yelled to you as the door slid shut.
     Your heart was beating so fast. Something about Keith always made your adrenaline start pumping. Maybe it's because we're always doing things that could get us in trouble. You thought to yourself.
     Okay maybe more like convinced yourself. You then started changing out of your pajamas and into your regular outside of school outfit to distract yourself from your thoughts. You didn't want to like Keith. You guys are best friends and there's no reason to ruin that just for a silly crush. Once you were changed you made a dash to the door and snuck out next to Keith as quietly as you could. You smiled up at him and he looked down at you kindly before heading down the corridor with you stealthy following after him. You were glad to see him like this, this is the first time he's really seemed happy in the past couple weeks.
     You slipped around past some adults and teachers before making it out of one of the dock's open doors. You and Keith had snuck out of the Garrison many times before but you normally don't go with him every time he goes out. He likes being alone and so do you, so you understand.
Keith was leading you around the side of the building to stay out of cameras' and lookouts' lines of vision you eventually managed to creep around to a corner and ran until you were in the spot where you are completely hidden, there you two found Keith's land speeder. Keith plunked a helmet onto your head and started to get on before you protested.
     "Hey I wanna drive!" You whisper shouted to him hoping he'd let you be in charge of the speeder. Shiro had taught Keith to ride them ever since you've known Keith, you tried to convince him to let you join them when you were younger but he always refused. It wasn't until you were older you realized your boundaries much better. Over the past year, though, you had asked Keith to teach you and he's been trying. You weren't the greatest yet but you were definitely learning.
Keith let out a soft chuckle, "No way, sweetheart." He snipped at you in a playful tone while using a sarcastic nickname that always caused your chest to ache. "Besides, you don't even know where we're going." He fully sat down on the seat now and patted the seat behind him, other hand on the handlebar. You reluctantly obliged and slid on behind him. He turned his head around to look at you and gave you a smirk, "Hold on tight, we're going fast."
     You grinned and nodded then wrapped your arms around his torso and hung on as he revved the speeder and you two went rushing across the desert. Your heart began to race as you pulled yourself closer to Keith, feeling the wind on you as you flew through the air. You began thinking to yourself where Keith may be taking you as you looked around at your surroundings blurring past you. You eventually leaned your cheek against his back as the ride wasn't super short.
"We're almost there!" He yelled back to you, not turning his head back this time. You could hear the smile on his face and it made you smile too. You picked your head back up to start looking around again to see if you knew where you were. As you slowed to a stop, you peeked your head around his shoulder to look in front of you.
"Hey!" You began laughing, "You liar! I so know my way here!" Keith had driven you guys to his old house he used to live in with his dad. You guys have come here many times in the past. Keith comes here all the time and even skips classes to be here. It's a cute little home but it's not very cleaned up inside. Perhaps Keith likes it the way it was left and you can see why. Keith joined in on your laughter.
      "This isn't the place, we're just stopping to pick something up." Your laughter subsided as Keith got off the speeder. "Stay here," he smiled down at you, "I'll be right back." He then pushed down the visor on your helmet just to tease you before he walked off towards the house. You flicked back up the visor and rested your hand on your palm tiredly. You were starting to feel tired again after that adrenaline rush. You yawned as you thought about what on earth Keith could be grabbing. By the time he came back you started to feel more awake when you began having conversation again. Keith had a long case in his arms and he strapped it safely to the back of the speeder. Keith got back on and began driving you two up a long hill a small while away from the old Kogane house.
Once you made it to the peak, you two both got off the speeder and you got to see the beautiful sky line over the dessert mountains. You let out an amazed sigh at the sight. You were pulled out of your awed state when you heard the sounds of Keith doing something behind you. Turning around, you saw Keith setting up a telescope. You looked at him in confusion because you didn't think Keith liked telescopes, especially not after that full semester on telescopes and astral charts two years ago. He looked up at you through his long hair that was sagging in this face from his bent over stance. He didn't really look so amused either which just pushed your confusion even further.
"Come here." He beckoned after he was done setting it up. "Come here and see what you can see, right in the middle of the scope."
You looked at him skeptically before getting down to look into it. In the middle of your view was a small faint blip in the sky. "Dude," you snorted, "what star is this?" You still had no idea what he was having you look at.
"It's a moon. Jupiter's Europa." He said shortly. You stood up from the telescope and saw Keith sitting nonchalantly on the ground now. You walked back and sat down next to him, letting your hands fall behind you to hold yourself up.
"Europa is about 365 million miles away. That's nothing compared to Kerberos." He said, his voice starting to sound a lot more unhappy. "It's over 3.2 billion miles from here. And Shiros actually going!" He shouted with a growl in his voice. There it is, you thought, this is about Kerberos.
You kept quiet. You knew during times like this, it was better to just let Keith talk and you were perfectly fine with that. Looking over at him, you could see him still looking up at the night sky. His eyes were sad, his gaze was lost, yet angry. "I heard him fighting with Adam when I was outside his door a couple hours ago. Adam told Shiro that if he goes to Kerberos, that he won't be here for him when he gets back." His eyes wavered down at the ground between you two now. "And it got me thinking, everyone's been saying this is just a routine mission but, why would Adam be so worried about it?" He looked over to you now, helplessly, you didn't have an answer, and he didn't expect you to have one.
       "I think you should confront Shiro tomorrow and ask him to tell you the truth about it." You offered finally after a small moment of silence. Keith nodded slowly, thinking about your response.
      "Thanks, Y/N." He gave you a small grateful smile before laying down on the ground now, face up to the sky. You followed suit and laid down, suddenly even closer to him than you were before.
      "Anytime, Mullet." You grinned turning your head to face him. You saw him looking at you with a disappointed scowl on his face, causing you to let out a small laugh. Keith let out a sigh as you stopped giggling. You never knew what he was thinking, and the look on his face, you could tell he was thinking deeply about something. "What are you thinking about?" You decided to ask him, thinking there'd be no better time to have real conversations with him than tonight.
Keith looked back at the sky now opening his mouth to speak and then closing it again. Most likely thinking over his words.
"I've been thinking about something else too. I don't know what I would do in Shiro's shoes. I'm impulsive and stupid as hell, and when I want to do something I don't let anything stand in my way, but if someone I really loved tried to stop me from doing it, I don't know if I could, even with the thought of them leaving me for me. And it scares me, Y/N, so many people have left me and I don't know what I'd do if it were my fault you left."
You felt a lump form in your throat from hearing Keith talk about this. This is one of the times in a very long time he has let you in on how he feels about anything. Hearing him openly express your emotions was touching and you felt so honored to be the one he tells them to.
"Y/N?" Your name escaped his lips again, this time asking as if he was longing for you. You turned your head again to look at him. You held your breath when you noticed that your faces were close enough that your noses could be touching if either of you moved any further.
"Yeah?" You asked him suddenly much more quiet now, you cursed yourself for sounding so nervous but you couldn't control your pounding heart at the proximity. You were searching his eyes to see if you could guess what he was thinking, he's never been very touchy and you were oh so close to touching, you started to sit up a bit to give him space, but you were stopped in your tracks when you felt Keith's hand grip onto yours as he sat up too, pulling your hand towards him.
The warm touch so foreign and yet so familiar. An hour ago in your dorm, a month ago while guiding you in the simulator, a year ago when he tried to help you fix your bad hair day, all the way back to age 13 when he handed you back your glitter gel pen in class and you felt the flaming rush in your chest.
"I want you to know," he whispered, holding onto your hand a little tighter now, "no matter what happens, I will never do anything on purpose to make you leave me."
You didn't know what to say, so instead you flung your arms around him and pulled him into a loving hug. You let out a shaky sigh as you felt Keith's body relax into yours. "I know you wouldn't." You were in this weird state of shock having never seen Keith this vulnerable before.
"God I'm so fucking stupid..." you hear his muffled voice growl from your shoulder. He pulled away from the hug then, angry at himself for just simply showing you his emotions. You shook your head quickly and put his hand back into your own.
"No you're not, Keith." You reassured him, "Thank you for telling me this." You said then, hoping to make him feel more secure again.
"Yeah..." he sighed then, "Let's get you back in your dorm, they should be switching look outs soon." He quickly changed the subject. You frowned at him, both for putting back up his wall and for making this night coming to an end. You agreed nonetheless, you were glad Keith was beginning to let you in and you were willing to accept that the boundary was back up. Keith means the world to you, and you'd never let that go.
Keith drove you guys back to his speeders hiding place before helping you sneak back in and back through the halls to your dorm. There wasn't any talking on the way back but it was a comfortable silence. Once you were back at your door, you thanked Keith for the wonderful night and told him to get some sleep before the sun starts to come up. You turned them to your door and were about to open it when,
"Hey, uh, (Y/N)?" He whispered for your attention once again. "You're really important to me." He said shortly but still full of so much love. You pulled him into another hug. "You too, Mullet." You whispered into his ear, "Never forget it... please?"
You felt Keith nod and he gave you a quick squeeze before letting go of the embrace, slowly, his hand sliding down your arm as he began to walk away, once it reached your hand and gave it another quick squeeze before he finally let go and slipped around the corner into the darkness. You let out a large breath you didn't know you were holding once you saw him disappear. God were you in love with him. Even if he's never usually like that during the day, you love every Keith and maybe one day you'll tell him....
__________
Hey!!! Let me know what you thought of this one shot :))) I know Keith was pretty ooc, but I like thinking of him being very sensitive around the ones he loves!
Also this didn't proof read yet because I rlly wanted to get this chapter out to you guys !!!!!
This is my first like official Voltron work so bare with me!
PLEASE PLEASE REQUEST SOMETHING LOL
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hiraethenthusiast · 3 years
Text
"I love you most."| t.h.
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pairing: actor!tom x reader
warnings: floof attack.
synopsis: tom gives you the best wedding you could've gotten. he's in love with you madly, that's what he says.
a/n: guess who wants this? i do. i absolutely adore a loving husband no matter what, and i adore heartfelt gifts even more! i hope you all like this fic, this one's really close to me! tpwk everyone!
listen to clinton kane's i guess i'm in love
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“So do you, Y/N Y/L/N take Tom as your lawfully wedded husband?” The priest asks you while you and Tom look at him with impatience in your eyes.
“I do.” You say, making everyone cheer and making Tom smile.
“And do you Tom Ho-” “I do!” He shouts before the priest could even complete his sentence, making everyone at the altar erupt into laughs.
“Let him finish bubba” You laugh along, signalling the priest to go on when Tom mutters a small ‘sorry’ to him.
“Do you, Tom Holland, take Y/N Y/L/N as your lawfully wedded wife?” He asks again, while Tom looks at you with nothing but adoration in his eyes.
“I do.” And everyone cheers once again, and you gently squeeze his hand.
“So I shall now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.” The priest says lastly before getting off the stage and as if on queue, Tom sweeps you under his arms and holds your waist before pressing his lips to yours. The moment was wholeheartedly content, his and your parents, both with tears in their eyes, even Paddy and Harry shed a few, because the moment was so pure to just not cry at. Tom kisses you as if he was the luckiest man on Earth, like he had achieved something which he thought he could never. He pulls back to look at you beaming with the biggest smile he’s seen on you in years, and smiles to himself once again.
This was the best day of both of your lives till now, and there was no doubt about it.
After 4 years of being together, Tom finally proposed to you, and then forgot where he kept the ring, but you couldn’t care less because the man you were in love with was now, going to be a forever favourite in your lives. And today, he was now your husband from your fiance, and you couldn’t be anymore happier.
You both settle down after roaming from one place to another greeting every guest that had attended your wedding, finally for a drink and some food. Harrison sits right behind you, completing the duties of best man with all his will, and you smile at him. The twins and Paddy come in a bit later, but your eyes are looking for someone else. Where’s Tom? Your question was answered when you hear the clinking of a glass, just to find your handsome husband there.
“May I have your attention please?” He looks directly at you and you blow him a kiss, him pretending to catch it making everyone laugh. Actors.
“Thank you all for attending and being a part of our very wonderful day, I swear you guys are our favourite people” He says while chuckling.
“Today is the day I married my wonderful and stunning lover, Y/N and in recognition of that, I decided to give you the best gift of this evening.” He says, making you wonder what he got for you.
“I remember when Y/N once told me that she always loves heartfelt and handmade gifts filled with love more than people buying her the gift of her choice. She likes the element of surprise, as she likes to say. So Y/N my darling, I thought you might notice and scold me for it but you didn’t, not even once in this 4 year old relationship, and trust me this is going to shock you. I’ve managed to record every important and goofy moment of our lives, from falling on a staircase to the time I proposed to you, I have it all. I’ve compiled them into one sweet video for you, while your favourite singer of them all, Mr. Clinton Kane sings a song for us! Please give him a huge round of applause!” You jerk your head to the place where Clinton enters from, and he waves at you making you wave instinctively as well.
You look back again towards Tom, who was smiling sweetly at your little fangirl moment and continues.
“I’d also like to thank Harrison and Harry for helping me edit this video, because I’m literally so dumb without anyone of these four with me.”
“Can you put the lights out and start the video please?” He asks one of the workers there at the venue, and jogs up to sit down beside you, giving you a small peck while you take a hold of his hand.
And on queue, the lights are dimmed and the video starts to play. You can hear the faint strumming of the guitar that Clinton is currently playing, but you aren’t able to identify the song just yet. You look ahead towards the screen, and your eyes light up when you see Tom dressed up in his wedding tuxedo, you finally realising that this bit was filmed just a few hours ago.
“Hello my lovely wife! Well, I’m filming this part before the ceremony starts but I think I’m pretty certain on showing you this video after we’re married. This was...boring. Anyways, I hope you enjoy the video my love, and don’t hit me when we get home! I love you so so so much, enjoy!” He says before shutting off his camera, while everyone laughs at his goofiness and you glare at him playfully. The video rolls again and you look forward, but suddenly realise the song. It’s ‘I Guess I’m In Love’, you say to yourself. Tom had proposed to you after a few days when the song came out, and somehow on the night of him proposing, this song was played. You labelled it ‘our song’ and he happily obliged. 
“Haz hold the camera correctly for god's sake...” You hear your husband’s voice and move your head towards the screen, smiling brightly.
“Oh I’m obsessed. With the way your head is laying on my chest.” Clinton starts, immediately soothed by the presence of your lover and the melody in your ears.
“I am holding the camera nicely mate bugger off! Nikki taught me well!” Harrison says in the background making everyone giggle.
“She’s coming shut up” 
“What’s this Tom?” You ask him, as he looks at you like a kid in love.
“Y/N”
“Tom” You say in the same manner, feeling anxious by the second.
“So we’ve been dating for 4 years and trust me those have been the most beautiful four years of my life. I know this is so out of the blue, but Y/N Y/L/N, will you do the favour of marrying the person who loves you immensely? A.k.a. Tom?" He says and you laugh. You hold on for a few seconds, looking in his eyes which were filled with desperation.
"Yes" You say and his face lights up like a Christmas tree. He can't stop beaming and searches for the ring in his pocket, only to find out that he didn't have it.
"Oh I'm a mess. When I overthink the little things in my head."
"I have the ring I promise." He says, moving frantically.
"Tom-"
"I swear I kept the ring in my pocket-"
"Tom-"
"How can I be this stupid you probably don't want to marry me anymore-"
"TOM!" He jerks his head towards you as you shout his name.
"It's okay. I just want you right now." You say and he immediately hugs you, the tightest of them all.
The clip ends and you knew the tears were coming very soon, Tom senses the action and rubs your knuckles., giving you a hearty smile.
The second clip rolls in soon, your eyes brightening almost instantly.
"You seem to always help me catch my breath. But then I lose it again, when I look at you, that's the end."
"Why the hell are we on the top of the Eiffel Tower? And why do you want your phone to crash?" You ask him, while he struggles to make a video with his phone while the winds roar at the top of the monument.
"Because I want to remember this moment!" He shouts, making you smile even more.
"My goof"
"Your goof"
"You're lucky I love you"
"I wouldn't have it any other way darling" He says and gives you a quick peck on the lips, this moment too pure to realise.
"Why do I get so nervous when I look into your eyes? And butterflies can't stop me falling for you."
"Now we may invite, a very handsome young lad, who happens to be Spiderman, Mr. Tom Holland!" Harry shouts in the video, while you all pretended to have a grand gala when you couldn't attend Tom's premiere.
He walks in wearing a black tuxedo, his shirt buttons open from the top, looking dashing.
"Thank you for inviting Harold, but please, call the star of today's night." Tom says, making everyone groan about how in love he was with you.
"Patience Thomas. Now may I present, the queen of today's night, Ms. Y/N Y/L/N!" Everyone applauds as you walk down the stairs as you hear your name. You reach the door wearing a red and black dress, the clothing complementing your body more than ever. Everyone seems to keep clapping but your attention is towards that one dummy, who's standing like he's seen a ghost.
"..Oh wow." He's speechless, and everyone knows it. You blush at your boyfriend's gesture and nudge him in the shoulder, as a signal to stop staring.
"I hope you all understand that I scored a jackpot, thank you" He sees and everybody laughs.
You laugh along with the other guests, remembering the faint memory from over two years back. This was one of the most fun nights you've had with Tom. While you laugh at the clip, all Tom can do is stare at you in awe. How did he get so lucky, he thinks. He watches how your face glows when you see someone happy on the screen. He truly was blessed.
"And darling this is more than anything I've felt before. You're everything that I want, but I didn't think I'd find. Someone who was worth the wait of all the years of my heartbreak. But I know now I've found the one I love."
"Please don't go" You sniffle on Tom's shoulder, asking him to stay one last time before his flight leaves for Atlanta.
"If it was in my hands darling I'd never leave your side." He says, trying to hold back tears.
"It's okay, I understand." You say, pulling back and clearing your throat.
"Awh Y/N please don't cry." Tom tries to persuade his emotions by telling you to stop, but a tear falls down his cheeks in an instant.
"I'm sorry." You say, chuckling lightly, making Tom chuckle too.
"I'll be back before you know it."
"I know you will be"
"Please board the flight for Atlanta which leaves at 1330 hours" The flight attendant announces, and you know it's time to let him go.
"Come back home to me soon okay?" You say, wiping your tears.
"As soon as possible"
"I love you" He says.
"I love you more."
"I love you most." You can't argue with that now.
"Bye bubba" You say, giving him one last kiss, a very long one indeed, that left you both searching for oxygen.
"Bye darling" And he leaves to board his flight. You look in the same direction until he disappears and you turn around.
"Harrison, are you crying?"
"No-" He sniffles and you laugh.
You knew you were going to cry as soon as you saw the location. This was one of the hardest moments of your life, letting your lover go away from you for so long, and you weren't ready for that. You wiped your tears while Tom rubbed your hand with one of his, the other cleaning his tear stained face. You look back to see Harrison crying once again, and you laugh a bit at him before giving him your hand for comfort. He really was the best man. You blow a kiss to your family and Tom's, who were currently high on emotions. Even the brothers had tears in their eyes. You really did get the best family.
"And I love the way. You can never find the right things to say. And you can't sit still an hour in the day. I'm so in love, let's run away because us is enough."
The rest of the video were some clips of you and Tom being goofy and so in love, which were a delight to watch. The song played in the background, adding its own special touch, which was necessary to bind this moment together. All these moments which Tom managed to shoot secretly were a lifelong reminder of how much your person loved you. He loved you.
And that is all you need.
The video gets over and Tom looks at you with puppy eyes.
"So, how was it?"
"You're the reason my makeup is ruined and I have mascara stains" You say, laughing while crying.
"That good, huh?"
"That good." You say and he pulls you in for a hug and kisses your forehead.
"I love you bubba"
"I love you more" He says, kissing your cheek.
"I love you most." 
He couldn't argue with that.
"But I know now I've found the one I love."
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tagging some friends who'd like to read!
@evanssimpybaby @hollandsmushroom @tomsoxytocin @scarletspideyy @leafy-holland @t-lostinworlds
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What would happen if you were sent back and ended up in the orphanage with Tom Riddle—and say you also had magic?
Oh boy.
Well, there's a lot to question here. Judging by the... spirit of this ask, I presume I'm... pretty much reincarnated. I'm in the orphanage, I'm much younger than I am now and a child, I'm pre-Hogwarts age, and I retain my current knowledge.
For the purpose of this ask I suppose I also retain my current mental faculties. Despite being in the body of an eight-year-old, I'm not The Carnivorous Muffin at eight.
Welp, there's a lot to consider here.
First, I probably don't realize I'm in Harry Potter for quite some time and instead assume I've been reincarnated to some parallel universe. It's the 1930's, I'm in England in the depression, WWI has occurred and the vast majority of major historical events I know about seem to have happened in the right order, and this Earth is eerily similar to the Earth I left behind.
Strange that I appear to remember everything of my past life with my adult mental abilities, but alright universe, I guess that's how we're going to play this.
What I do know is that I'm dirt poor, presumably still a woman which does not bode well for my career prospects, and if I want any prospects in life period I'm going to have to fight tooth and nail for it. It'd be great if I got adopted to help with this, and might be nice to have people in my life who love me, but there's a lot of orphans in the world and a lot of orphans who are much less weird than I am.
The orphanage is the orphanage and not great, Mrs. Cole is overworked, the orphanage is chronically understaffed, and the kids are running wild beating the shit out of each other.
Being a girl, I probably don't have to worry about getting the shit kicked out of me quite as much, but I still probably try to keep my head down and don't aggravate the particularly beefy looking orphans.
Yes, there's some very angry gremlin named Tom Riddle around who will shove you down the stairs in retribution, but that's just a weird coincidence. And then supernatural shit starts happening. Billy's rabbit hangs itself, people get injuries when Tom is nowhere near them, and I start wondering if this is really the Tom Riddle.
I'm in Wool's Orphanage, my matron is Mrs. Cole, Tom Riddle is running around lighting things on fire. It's possible, though it could all be a strange coincidence.
Now, how things go from here depends on how controlled my own magic is. Since accidental magic typically does manifest at least once or twice, it probably does manifest for me for.. something. If Tom Riddle's there to witness it then...
Well, I imagine he's very offended. Here he was, special, different, better than everyone else, and then some girl in the orphanage (who dares to get very good grades on her assignments in school) has it too.
And I just stand there, smiling, going "Tee hee".
He probably confronts me to prove that he's better at it than I am, and he probably is unless the universe hates both him and me, but having someone else with the Shining around probably prompts him to take me as his protégé (in part so he can show off and in part because he's genuinely excited to be able to share this super cool talent).
I am now apprentice to eight-year-old Tom Riddle. Whoop de doo.
Well, I don't remember this part of Harry Potter, so now I'm probably confused as to where I am again. Regardless, I try to advise Tom on how to tone it down and not, say, traumatize Amy and Dennis for life and antagonize all the other orphans forever. He probably doesn't take me seriously. What do I know, I can't even light that patch of grass on fire?
Hanging around Tom Riddle gets me a reputation to, given the difference in genders, probably a fairly nasty one at that. When Dumbledore arrives he's undoubtedly told hot gossip about how eleven-year-old Tom and I have had sex in a ritual to summon Satan. Dumbledore takes this seriously.
Dumbledore probably meets us both at the same time and it's a disaster. I tried my best to prep Tom without revealing I'm a prophet, Tom first doesn't believe there might not be others, then doesn't believe they would be antagonist/anything but amazed by how awesome he is.
Well, Dumbledore lights his wardrobe on fire while I sit there. Dying inside. Dumbledore probably also does something to me too, to teach me some kind of lesson about something.
I imagine he temporarily disfigures me/makes me appear very ugly, then sticks a mirror to the wall, that way I realize that looks aren’t everything/being a whore is wrong. Tom, still traumatized over the wardrobe, is no help and my magic’s probably not controlled enough to do a thing about it.
I spend a day looking like a pig, Tom and I are given just enough money to buy new wands and second hand/barely functioning everything else and given the world’s worst directions to Diagon Alley. Thanks, Albus.
Well, months pass, we get our wands, Tom gets excited for Hogwarts and I... start seriously considering the future. WWII is coming, the Blitz is coming, Tom and I live in east London and must be able to evacuate during the bombing of London (which went on well past the Blitz to the end of the war). I also start considering my future in the wizarding world. Do I now actually have career prospects?
Probably not because I’m muggle born and a woman. My best bet is doing very well in useful subjects and finding employment with the goblins, I can’t imagine they have the same hang ups as the wizarding world.
Tom wants to go to Slytherin, of course, I tell him this is a bad idea. “Gee Tom,” I say, “Not sure how I know this but I have this feeling that Slytherin is filled with people who loathe our very existence and will shank us. Why don’t we pick Ravenclaw or Gryffindor instead?”
No one shanks Tom Riddle! Tom says. Tom is still eleven and while he admits that sometimes I may, in retrospect, have been right about certain things that doesn’t mean he wants to go to the house known for hard work. That’s code word for everyone there being a moron and having no other redeeming features than tenacity. As for the other two, Ravenclaws sound like smug, elitist, nerds and Gryffindors like dumb jocks.
Better to be known for ambition, cunning, and actually being competent.
Well, there’s no talking him out of this one, and goddamn it we’re all each other has.
I’m the closest thing Tom Riddle has ever had to a friend in all these years and in the orphanage the only one who could hold a decent conversation with him. And while it’s not my moral obligation to keep Tom from becoming a domestic terrorist, and there’s no guarantee I even can, dumping him for one of the other houses and drifting apart won’t help.
Not to mention that, after all these years, I’m undoubtedly lonely, I’m in this foreign land, and he’s now the closest thing to a friend I have.
Looks like I’m going to Slytherin, YOOOOOLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOO! I shout as a battle cry as tears run down my face. I may have to convince the hat to put me in Slytherin, but like all human beings I am a mixture of many qualities. I’m not cunning in the least, mind games exhaust me unutterably, but I’m full of ambition. 
This confirms every bad opinion Dumbledore had regarding me and Tom.
For the next several months, Tom probably beats the shit out of dormmates who steal his things/harass him. He beats up mine too because feminism (TM) means that he should treat all people equally when guilty of the same crime. I... am not sure I can win that fight so I just resign myself to having to adopt some of Tom’s tactics to make sure I’m not shoved in lockers, have tampons thrown at me, or pig’s blood dumped on me at the prom.
Once again, everyone thinks Tom Riddle and I are dating. I don’t even know if they’re wrong at this point.
Well, being in class with eleven year olds who seem to have had little to no prior education, Tom and I are undoubtedly blazing through class. I imagine I’m bored out of my mind (the Hogwarts curriculum sounds unbelievably boring) and Tom is... well, probably devouring the library but probably also bored. I decide to try and see if I can find some real history texts on this world (there are probably none, the wizarding world seems to only have two historians and both... have a different approach to history than current modern thought as I know it) and discover what magic even is. That shit is fascinating: wingardium leviosa is not.
Dumbledore likely gives neither me nor Tom points in class, I think the house cup is stupid, so I really don’t care. I have no interest in playing quidditch, neither does Tom, so that doesn’t happen.
The second world war starts up, Tom, me, and the muggle borns are the only ones who give a flying fuck. I work harder on figuring out how to get lodging during the Blitz/the bombing of London. Unfortunately, Mrs. Cole hates me too for being the Bride of Satan, so that’s a no go. Third year, 1939, I probably write her in earnest anyway telling her to PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, send Tom and I instructions for the summer/where the orphans are staying/how they’ve been dispersed to the countryside. As a back up plan, I try desperately to shmooze shopkeepers in Hogsmeade during every Hogsmeade weekend to get myself and Tom part time jobs and lodging over the summer. As a back up back up plan, I spend my time badgering Tom to become very good at survivalist wandless magic and if the Lord has pity on me gain some ability in it myself.
Hopefully, either Mrs. Cole or one of the Hogsmeade shop owners take pity on us. If not, then Tom and I are going extreme camping. Given Mrs. Cole (and the brain damage brought on by Dumbledore erasing memories left and right) and the likelihood of Hogsmeade shop owners just not getting it, Tom and I probably go extreme camping.
(Tom, meanwhile, asks Dippet and Dumbledore if we can stay in Hogwarts over the summer. He’s told no exceptions. London’s being bombed, you say? No exceptions. Toodles. Tom is never the same.)
Me, Tom Riddle, a tent we made ourselves, several rabbits we had to catch and skin ourselves, and the pitiful fire that we can keep going through pure will alone because if we try to use real people spells then we’ll get arrested. It has the benefit of making Tom feel very manly and impressive, catching his own food, but both of us are well aware that this sucks.
But hey, we aren’t dead.
Well, I’m sure Tom doesn’t appreciate that and this is where I imagine he seriously starts talking about violent revolution. I imagine much of my time is spent discussing the merits of not violently overthrowing our ant overlords. I imagine a thirteen-year-old Tom isn’t impressed by my pacifism, but he’s not married to Voldemort yet (probably).
Then I imagine the horcrux thing comes up and... Well, I will argue hard against it. Humans die, it is a truth of the universe, and simply something we have to accept. Horcruxes are not a measure against that, they can be destroyed, given infinite time they will be, and the sacrifice they require is too high: human life as well as the very essence of who you are.
What is a soul? I’m not sure, we never really learn in HP canon, but whatever it is, it is in some way the essence of yourself. If you take half of it and throw it somewhere else, you will cease to be you, someone or something else is walking around in your body while the other half of you exists in endless agony.
If you must chase immortality, create a philosopher’s stone (as I darkly wonder why it was that couldn’t be replicated and what Flamel had to do to make it in the first place). On second thought, maybe we should search for the Holy Grail.
Whether I can talk Tom out of this or not is... unclear. I’m going to say that I can, in part because I imagine he’ll want to show the chamber off to me, tell me when he realizes he’s Heir of Slytherin, and in doing so I can prevent the basilisk incident from occurring. Without that, there’s no dead Myrtle, which means no first victim. That summer, when he goes to the Gaunts, I’ll go with him and convince him that it’s not worth it. He can just turn around and leave these people alone, I hopefully can talk him down. Which means no second victim.
I start writing Flamel to see if Tom or I can get an apprenticeship (Dumbledore probably beats us to the chase and poisons him against us, but it’s worth a shot).
Then, should all go well, I can convince Tom to find employment with the goblins rather than shady antique dealers on the bad side of town. Hopefully, I can convince him to never become Voldemort, and instead we travel the world together looking for the origins of magic or something.
Dumbledore goes around taking people’s memories of us in preparation for when Tom becomes a dark lord and I his lady of the night darkness.
TL;DR Apparently my life would become an SI/Tom Riddle fic. So, thanks anon.
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dreamkidddream · 3 years
Note
Hiya~ Can I request quote 9) "Are you jealous?" for Lucifer in Obey Me! pretty please😊
This was so much fun to write! Luci know that he gets jealous but never wants to admit (his jealousy is worse than Mammon but you didn’t hear it from me 🤭) and sorry this got kinda long! Reader is gender neutral!
TW: suggestive/spicy themes, but nothing extremely graphic is mentioned
Prompt: “Are you jealous?” with Lucifer!
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Lucifer is pissed.
He’s tapping his foot, and constantly checking his phone, waiting in his study for you to either walk in or call him. It’s late, and you’re still not home yet. He asked his brothers where exactly you are, and when Asmo told him that you’re out with the same “friend” you seem to blow all of them off for some time now, it just makes his mood turn even more sour, the scowl on his face deepening.
Now, Lucifer is not opposed to you making friends, as long as they aren’t a threat to you, his family, Lord Diavolo and the other exchange students. He understands that it’s very easy for you to connect with others, intentional or not, and he encourages it to a certain extent. However, this same “friend” that you’ve been increasingly been hanging out with for the past couple of weeks is starting to rub him the wrong way. Of course he’s met this “friend”, a classmate from your Seductive Speechcraft class (which just made him feel more unease with you being with them), and they seemed harmless enough (for a demon at least). Annoying, but harmless, at first.
Then began the constant need for your attention.
It started with the messages and calls under the guise of studying, the “innocent” demon begging you for help so that they can pass the class, and you being the naive nice human that you are of course obliged their request. Then it escalated from once a week, to three times a week, to almost staying after school every day just to “help”. He didn’t like that, as it’s him or his brothers that always walk you home every time, and this demon (who he found is Yuki, a demon who feeds off of sexual energy nonetheless), is messing with the routine, but he kept his cool and forced his brothers to do the same. He- They weren’t happy about this, but at the end of the day, you’re still coming home to him- them, and nothing is changing that. Not to mention how he made sure that someone had their eyes on you, whether it’s Mammon, Beel, or even himself (which he preferred).
Until Yuki decided that you need to hang out more, without him or his brothers.
That’s when he made it known of his dislike towards them, and dislike is putting it lightly.
You started to come home right at dinner, right before Beel devoured your plate. Mammon obviously voiced his displeasure aloud, with the others silently agreeing or making passing comments, but Lucifer would just shut the conversation down before anyone gets too upset, mainly for himself. He doesn’t want to lose control over something trivial like this, he can’t, he won’t- he’s well above some minuscule pest like them, and it would be a waste of time and energy to be worried about someone who is clearly below him!
He’s already irritated with Yuki integrating themselves into your everyday life, but he’s also trying to fight the increasing sinking feeling in his stomach the more you both bond.
The more you two become more than acquainted with one another, the more Lucifer tries to fight and hide this feeling. He buries himself in more paperwork, practically locks himself in his study, avoids anyone’s questions or concerns, and has become overall snappier than usual. He’s even snapped on Lord Diavolo, Lord Diavolo of all people!
(Granted Diavolo just thought it was overall stress, so he just simply laughed it off, but it didn’t go unnoticed by everyone, including you).
Now Lucifer is not stupid, he’s a very intelligent and powerful demon, and he doesn’t have to say it to be known. He made sure to do some research himself on Yuki, and didn’t put anything past them. You’re still surrounded by demons who wouldn’t hesitate to swallow you whole if allowed, and some are still desperate enough to try anything, so he’s very cautious with others being around you.
Which leads to now, you being out again with that demon at The Fall. Ever since, Lucifer retired to his study, constantly checking his phone for any updates. He refused to look distressed in front of everyone, and he knows that you’re smart and not so gullible, you’ll be okay, you had to be.
It’s well going on 1 in the morning, and you still haven’t answered any of his calls and texts? You swore that you would always answer him, so something had to happen. What exactly were you doing? What exactly were you two doing? We’re you okay? Are you safe? Has that Yuki tried anything with you?
Were you two doing anything now?
All of these questions swirling around in his head, his worry only adding on to his frustrations and building tension going through his body.
He already marched down to the door, coat forgotten and tie undone, flinging it open and scowl so deep that his fangs were bared. That Yuki better hope that you come home in one piece and spotless, or else he will make sure that they regret being alive-
He couldn’t wipe the surprised look on his face when he made eye contact with you, who was matching his own expression, hand frozen in the air mid knock.
“Lucifer? What are you still doing up? Are you about to go somewhere?” His expression quickly morphed to one of high distaste, the irritation displaying clearly on his face and his grip tightening on the door.
“I was still awake waiting for you. Have you forgotten how to use a phone, or are you too good for one now that you’re with your ‘friend’. And I remember specifically telling you to let me know when you leave, did I not?”
“Oh. Well...my phone kinda died, but I was already on the way home and-”
“By yourself?! Do you know how irresponsible that is? Do you forget that you’re a mere human?”
His irritation is rising to pure anger at this revelation. So that demon didn’t even have the decency to walk you home? To make sure that you arrive safe? And yet you still have the nerve to spend time with them and practically ignore him?!-
“Well- um, Lucifer? Lucifer!”
He snapped out of his murderous thoughts, and stepped aside to let you in.
“Come inside now, it’s late, and we have much to discuss.”
Your face scrunched up, showing confusion in how he’s acting. You know that’s he mad about your phone being dead, but he’s mad enough to leave the door barely hanging on its hinges? But you knew that arguing or pointing it out would just make things escalate, so you just stepped past and began to make your way up the stairs.
You can feel his eyes bore into the back of your head, but you just didn’t understand why. It’s about more than just your phone, it seemed like he’s been on edge for awhile now. You want to approach him, to ask him what’s wrong, to have him open up, but of course Lucifer being Lucifer, it was to no avail.
You racked your brain as he lead you to his room and began the “conversation” about how irresponsible you were being (really it’s just him getting whatever he needed off his chest and not you giving any input). Was it because of you going out so late? No, you didn’t drink, you and Yuki stayed together the whole night, and you let him know hours before. Was it Yuki? Now that you’re think about it, he has been frowning more it seemed like every time you brought up their name-
The pieces are starting to fit together now.
Oh my Diavolo.
You couldn’t stop the words escaping from your mouth before you could realize it.
“Lucifer, are you jealous?”
He choked in the middle of his sentence, and the room went quiet. You’re pretty sure that you can’t even hear him breathing, and his face just went entirely blank, no expression whatsoever.
Oh no, you broke him-
A gust of wind erupted, so strong that you had to shield your eyes for a second, and when you removed your arm, you were met with massive black wings and a very enraged demon.
“Excuse me?”
You stepped back until you stumbled onto the bed, as he stalks closer and closer to you.
“Care to repeat yourself?”
You knew better than to respond, and you felt frozen on the bed. You also know that Lucifer won’t attack or try to kill you, but it didn’t take away from the fact that he has moments where he’s very intimidating, one of those moments being now.
He’s looking down at you like a predator would to its captured prey, his ruby eyes glowing deviously in the dim room. He didn’t stop moving until he was on top of you, caging you in.
“Me? Jealous?” He scoffed. “I am the Avatar of Pride, the most powerful being in this house, yet you assume that I’m jealous of a demon that’s beneath me? You insult me, MC.”
He took hold of your chin, “Do you not remember what I said when we made the pact? You are mine and mine alone. Not anyone else’s, but mine.”
You felt like your nerves were getting the best of you, but you couldn’t force yourself to tear away as he leaned closer. He sealed his lips against yours in a heated kiss, one that you gladly accepted, not before uttering the words that made your heart race even faster.
“Maybe I should remind you of who you belong to, hm?”
—-
“Had a fun night, MC?”
“Yeah, it was”, you coughed in your hand. “Very nice, very fun. We had a great time.”
“Hmmmmm...you and Yuki or you and Lucifer?”
“Asmo!”
He giggled, “I’m just saying dear. I don’t sense the pent-up sexual frustration from Lucifer anymore, and he seems back to normal and even relaxed. Though I must say MC, I wish that you had spent the night in my bed instead.”
“Of course you do Asmo.”
“Besides, I would have covered your hickeys much better-”
“ASMO-”
“MC, are you ready?”
Speak of the devil and he shall appear has never been more true than now, as Lucifer appeared behind you both, placing his hand on your shoulder.
“Huh? Oh, yes, sorry.”
“Eh? Where are you two going?”
“Out.”
“And without me?!”
“Yes. Now, leave us be”. Lucifer moved his hand from your shoulder to your own hand, leading you both out the door. You two had plans for the day after the...eye-opening talk from last night, and he didn’t want to waste anymore time than he already had.
Bonus:
Asmo waited until he heard the door click, and then quickly whipped out his D.D.D. to text Yuki. He knew that the plan was going to be a success! A tense Lucifer made things more difficult for everyone, and he has too much pride to open his mouth so he decided to step in and team up with Yuki, who already knew about the whole ordeal.
Lucifer was already on the edge of snapping and letting his primal instincts take over anyway, so Asmo just gave him a little push in the right direction.
Thank Diavolo the plan worked, or else it would be hell for them both. He did owe Yuki some exposure on his socials in exchange for this and backing off of you now, but it was well worth the trouble.
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phoenixyfriend · 3 years
Text
Vader Tries to Help
People encouraged me to share the dead dove concept! Yay! It’s a horrible concept with an undertone of comedic absurdity in the sense that you keep waiting to see what awful, incredibly stupid thing Vader is going to do next. Like it’s horrifying but it’s also very dumb.
By moving forward into the fic, you acknowledge that this is intended to be dark and liable to be upsetting, and that you are taking responsibility for your own engagement with the material.
This AU was helped along on discord by several parties but tbh I’m not sure how many of them actually want to be named.
Warnings: Mutual Extremely Dubious Consent (forced by a third party), drugging, irrational behavior (Vader), nonconsensual body modification, forced pregnancy, imprisonment, threatened torture of a child (not followed through on)
----------
Vader captures Obi-Wan a few years into the Empire. Because Vader is Anakin, but even worse on the emotional bullshit, he decides that he needs to keep Obi-Wan safe but harmless. Vader also got Luke in the whole 'capturing Kenobi' situation, so part of what Vader's thinking about all this is that Obi-Wan tried to protect The Baby and so Vader kind of owes him, obviously.
Palpatine lets him keep Obi-Wan "safe," because threatening Obi-Wan is a convenient way to make Vader shut up and do what he's told. Palpatine can kind of tell that threatening the toddler would make Vader lose his shit and attempt to kill good ol' Palps, so threatening the middle-aged depressed alcoholic being kept in Vader's guest room with Force-nullifying cuffs is pretty good. It's an additional layer of emotional torture on top of the electrocution of Vader himself!
Vader has Obi-Wan taking care of Luke, mostly, because Vader has Obligations and A Job, and Obi-Wan wouldn't hurt Luke, duh. He might try to escape with the kid, but he won't be successful, and Obi-Wan will definitely put Luke's safety first, so that probably won't happen.
This is all fairly normal for a variety of AUs, granted, and not very dark.
But see, Obi-Wan behaves. He's aware of how tenuous the situation is for him and his charge, so he plays nice. And Vader decides to reward that.
By giving him Cody.
There's an implied thought process there that Obi-Wan was fond of Cody, and Cody was fond back, and now that the Jedi aren't around, they can follow through instead of worrying about some silly Code. Vader's nullified the orders to kill all the Jedi, of course, possibly dosed their food with an aphrodisiac so they don't try to talk themselves out of What They Obviously Want.
Now, we’re going to make it a little darker, because why not make things worse by having Vader try to make things better?
Vader somehow twisted himself around to encouraging them to have a baby. This is accomplished through a combination of Sith Magic and nonconsensual surgery, and lots of questionable drugs.
Obi-Wan just wakes up in a hospital bed with a womb one morning, and is informed of the surgery then and there, after it’s already happened. The droid telling him about it is just like "in the Lord Vader's infinite kindness--" and Obi-Wan just.
Anakin.
What the fuck.
What in the actual fuck made you think this was a good idea.
(The Sith Chemicals, probably.)
I feel like Palpatine would maybe even order the pregnancy induction just to torture them by proxy because that's like eight levels of Fuck No and he barely has to do anything except tell Vader that he'd like to see what kind of children a Jedi Master like Obi-Wan has.
Luke needs friends, doesn't he?
Obi-Wan is having some very complicated emotions about all of this because Vader is, in his own absolutely insane way, trying to help.
Anakin wanted babies and Padme wanted babies so clearly, if Obi-Wan and Cody are in love, then they also want babies!
Cody and Obi-Wan very well might not be in love. Anakin definitely could have misinterpreted. It’s probably more angsty if they're just friends who ended up in this bullshit together.
(He's taking baby fever to new and somewhat horrifying heights, because... he would adore Obi's kids.)
(His family button is suprisingly large for a mass murderer.)
Vader Kindly Informs Bail That Obi-Wan Is Alive And Unharmed. Bail was a friend of Obi-Wan's, telling him this is only helpful and will keep Alderaan from getting more rebellious out of personal insult. Obviously.
Vader is almost offended when Bail implies he might hurt Obi-Wan. He kept his son safe, he owes him. Speaking of, don’t you have a child? How old is she, again? It would be Good for her to make friends, wouldn’t it? :)
Palpatine is just like... sitting back and eating evil popcorn as Vader runs around, ruining people's lives by trying to be less of The Worst than before.
Palps barely has to do anything, Anakin's fucking it up on his own!
Could have been just a sly "Kenobi is so attached to young Luke, but now that you've been reunited with your son, perhaps he'd be happier with a child of his own?" Come at it from both "make Obi-Wan happy" and "protect your relationship with Luke" angles.
Vader: I can't have babies anymore due to what you did to me on Mustafar. Obi-Wan: So you're punishing me by forcing me to have them instead? Vader: No! Children are a gift that you have been cruelly denied by the Order that held us in its chains! Obi-Wan: ...oh, right, you're insane. Forgot about that. Somehow.
Big dramatic speech about how the Jedi Order spent so long making them take lives, he’s giving Obi-Wan a chance to create it! To put something good and bright into the world!
Poor Cody is like. "General, I am very fond of you but I'm having a million panic attacks at the same time because of the mind control, and also Vader is under the impression that we're in love and I need to be your stud? I wasn't aware you could have children--" "I can't. Or at least, I couldn't, but Anakin is... creative." "...what."
I don't want to actually objectify Cody in the narrative past the point that Obi-Wan himself is, because nnnnngh racism and clone stuff, so I'm going to say Cody was in love with Obi-Wan, and would have been okay with at least discussing the whole baby schtick if not for the absolutely horrible circumstances.
Like if the war had ended normally, and Obi-Wan had expressed a desire to retire, unlikely as that was, then Cody may have suggested a dinner, and they could have gotten married and then eventually adoption...
(Cody had a lot of fantasies he didn’t let himself think about too hard.)
But no. It's this... weird Vader-inspired bullshit.
I'm just so invested in Vader trying to help but making things legitimately a million times worse.
He wants to help :) Oh god, he wants to help.
Why aren't people more appreciative of how hard I'm helping them? - the Anakin Skywalker story
With less time to stew and also getting handed what he wants, Vader could absolutely flip on a dime the second he saw Luke being protected, and go from “I hate you” to remembering that Obi-Wan said he loved him, and now he must keep Obi-Wan safe out of debt and he just... he’s playing house. 
Vader throws Obi-Wan a baby shower after the pregnancy is confirmed. Bail is invited, because Obi-Wan doesn't have a lot of friends still alive. Vader decides Bail is top of the Obi-Wan’s Friends List.
This is the first time they've seen each other in two years. Obi-Wan is heavily pregnant despite Bail knowing full well he didn't have the plumbing for that before the Empire rose. Cody is there and emotionally exhausted but more lucid than most troopers. Luke is running up to Leia because New Friend!!!
....there may be MORE of the 212th and 501st at the baby shower, with “kill all Jedi” orders revoked, of course. But it will keep the children safe!! And Cody and Obi-Wan can see their surviving friends!!
Cody: I'd be much happier to see my surviving troopers if they didn't all still have chips in their heads. Obi-Wan: I feel much the same. Vader: [404 error]
Bail and his family might be there at blaster point, but aren't you happy to see them, Obi-Wan??
Obi-Wan's endless trauma is honestly somewhat curtailed by the incessant need to facepalm at Vader’s bullshit
Obi-Wan and Cody both outwardly have a very "there are much worse people I could be stuck with in this situation but obviously I wish I'd had a choice, no hard feelings" attitude at each other.
Internally, Cody is suffering because this is NOT how he wanted his crush to be realized, and Obi-Wan is just suffering, period.
Cody: How did he even choose which of us ends up pregnant? Obi-Wan: He thinks I need to be protected, and that he needs to keep me safe. Cody: ...he does realize that you're better at-- Obi-Wan: Cody, he's completely lost it. No! He doesn't realize!
I feel like over the course of the year or two this plot unravels towards Palpatine getting murder-deposed and Anakin getting locked down, part of the driving force to Vader not being Vader anymore is that Luke actually really loves Uncle Obi and always starts fussing and going "Ben's sad" whenever Vader dismisses what Obi-Wan wants in favor of what Vader thinks Obi-Wan wants, and Vader can't deny his child anything.
Luke cries because Palpatine Feels Wrong like, once or twice, and Anakin goes “oh, okay, assassination time.”
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justholdingstill · 3 years
Text
First is a pop and a scratch; there is a breath of quiet, long and deep. Then there is a heartbeat, drumming steady, growing louder and more urgent as the seconds tick by.
His fingers are nimble and practiced--graceful, even--despite the scars and calluses layered over one another, despite the pinky finger that was broken and healed months ago and which no longer moves quite the way it was meant to. They are beautiful hands. Steady, firm. Castiel has seen them stitch wounds and field strip guns and dissect vegetables for dinner, all with the same precise efficiency that they now apply to the task at hand.
He exhales through his nose; the heartbeat blends itself into a brief, confusing jumble of noises that resolve into a jarring wail and then melt, almost improbably, into the first lazy guitar chord of the album, which ripples its way down his spine like a physical thing. If pressed to describe the sensation, he would call it warm and liquid and highly gratifying. Tingly, even. It makes him shudder and sigh out loud.
Nobody asks, but he says so anyway. Dean laughs at him. “You are, like...you are really fucking high, huh, sweetheart?” 
He licks the glue on the rolling paper and twists his handiwork just a bit tighter, presenting it to Castiel with the corner of his mouth ticked up. His eyes are very red. “You sure you wanna smoke another one?”
“I was under the impression that being ‘really fucking high’ was the sole purpose of this endeavour, Dean,” Castiel tells him coolly. He makes a broad, dismissive gesture, discovering as he does so that there’s still a chocolate chip cookie in his hand.
“All right, all right, preaching to the choir here, buddy.” Dean fumbles for his lighter, the flame briefly illuminating the planes of his face as he tilts it down toward the cradle of his hands. There’s the syrupy-sharp tang of smoke on the air again after a moment; Castiel chews his cookie and watches in fascination as Dean parts his lips (just as beautiful as those hands--as every inch of him, really) to let it spill out between them in a languorous white plume, as lingering as revelation and as heady as desire. He coughs a little bit at the end of the exhale, chuckling at himself this time before he waves the joint in Castiel’s face. “Your turn. And quit bogarting those, I had a hard enough time hiding half the batch from Jack and Sam.”
Reluctantly, Castiel trades Dean for the plastic container and tries not to be too distracted by the way he dives into the cookies with gusto, shoving one into his mouth practically whole with a bone-deep hum of satisfaction. Castiel occupies himself with dropping back into the pillows as he takes a few careful drags, his eyes catching on the record cover that Dean had been using as a rolling surface, forgotten in his lap.
“Is this considered homosexual music?”
Dean chokes, clapping a hand over his mouth so he doesn’t spray crumbs. Once he’s calmed himself enough to swallow, he reaches over to pluck the joint back and eyes Castiel warily. “Not really, I guess? Why would you ask that?”
“There’s a--a prism. On the cover. A rainbow. And when we went to Pride with Charlie you said that rainbows are often used by the ‘gay community’--”
“Not again with the fucking air quotes,” Dean interjects.
“...fine, gay community. You said that rainbows can a way for the gay community to acknowledge and recognize each other. Is this gay music?”
Dean belly-laughs at that, though not unkindly. “Nah, man,” he says, still grinning, “I’m pretty sure that Pink Floyd are pretty damn straight. Although, what do I know for sure? Sometimes it’s just some cool imagery.”
Castiel nods. He mulls this over as Dean smokes, his face warming when Dean crowds up into his personal space to share his breath with Castiel, lung to lung, so nearly mouth to mouth. Dean has told him on previous occasions that this is called “shotgunning”, but he’s not sure why; it clearly has no relation to either firearms or violence, but that hardly seems to matter when it brings Dean so close, the green of his eyes bright and intent with something that Castiel had once thought he’d never have a name for.
Dean sucks in more air, and then he’s kissing Castiel for real, soft and wet, luxuriating in it. This--this lights up Castiel’s nerves just as much as the music does, more, pleasure pooling and igniting wherever Dean’s body is in contact with his own, waves of it rolling and breaking through his whole nervous system. It’s overwhelming, especially in combination with the female vocalist reaching for some explosive notes, now, singing as if they’re being physically tugged from the center of her chest by an unseen hand.
Castiel thinks he might understand how that feels.
“Jesus,” Dean gasps, breaking away to flop down beside him, raking a hand through his own hair. He dissolves into giggles, and Castiel can’t help but laugh with him. “I am blitzed, man. This is embarrassing.”
“I’m the only other person here,” Castiel feels obligated to point out, nuzzling at his ear, “and I have literally seen your soul at its barest and at its lowest. Is this really what embarrasses you?”
“Shut up,” Dean says, muffled because he’s hiding his face in Castiel’s shoulder, blushing so hard that he might as well be glowing. Castiel can actually feel the warmth of it radiating through the cotton of his shirt; it makes him want.
“So this,” he says, hesitant, picking up the earlier thread of their conversation. “This--you only do it with me. Not with Sam. Not with Charlie or Jody--at least not like this. But these, um. These... meetings...aren’t about us, about what--what we do together?”
“Jesus,” Dean groans again, rolling his eyes, adding a heartfelt, “Christ.” He hauls himself up off the bed and strips off his shirt, gesturing at Castiel to do the same. “Take your damn clothes off already, man.” He seems to catch himself on how that sounds, because he pauses with one hand on the buckle of his belt before shaking his head, grinning at some private joke. “I mean, yeah, I guess it’s a little bit about that. But no, Cas, we don’t hang out smoking weed and listening to the classics because it’s some kind of agenda, because you and I are, uh...you know. Because rainbows,” he offers, very careful to look anywhere but directly at Cas.
Castiel tilts his head, listening, and when he doesn’t speak, Dean blusters on. “No, it’s ‘cause you’re stuck with me, you know? Stuck with us, stuck here, stuck human...I guess I just figure if you’ve gotta take the lumps of it, the sore backs and the seasonal colds and the, the shitty truck stop coffee of it all, you should have some of the good stuff, too. If I’m not the one to teach you the finer points of stoner rock, ok, who will? It’s not all bad here, and I just want to make sure you know that.”
Finished with his speech, Dean grabs awkwardly for another cookie, presumably to stop himself from rambling any further. Something light and fond unfurls itself inside Castiel; he reaches out to draw Dean down into his arms again. “I assure you, Dean,” he says gravely, “I am absolutely certain of it.” Dean offers him a bite, which he accepts with equal gravity.
All of their kisses are delicious, to be fair, but they are undeniably more delightful chased with chocolate.
“Anyway,” Dean says with his mouth full, “take your fucking pants off. You wanna talk gay music? It’s gonna be Night at the Opera next, and that’s really gonna bake your noodle.”
_________________
Read it here on AO3! 
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anika-ann · 3 years
Text
In the Strangest Place (We Just Might Find Love) - Pt.1
Type: two-shot, pretty much canon
Pairing: Steve Rogers x reader     Word count: 3700
Summary: You’re hiding from your boss in a supply closet, minding your own business, when a stranger joins you unexpectedly. 
This is not a beginning of a steamy story; given the reason you’re hanging out in the dark, even a make-out session is honestly the last thing you want to fantasize about right now.
But that doesn’t mean that the nice stranger cannot make your day much better. 
Warnings: mention of sexual harassment, a bit of angst, attempt at humour, language
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You were on the verge of screaming – or crying, you honestly weren't sure anymore. But you knew you were done. You had worked your fingers to a bone just to get here; to become a little bee in the most famous hive in Manhattan. Stark Industries. The Stark/Avengers Tower. The beacon of the New York skyline. The dream coming true.
Yeah, not so much.
You hadn't expected super-important assignments – after all, you were just an assistant to the head of one of too many departments – but God, you had not expected to be handling coffee so often. To be running ridiculous errands. Your degree from MIT should actually mean something here! If nothing else than that you were not just some pretty face and that you fucking didn’t deserve the treatment you were receiving.
And that was the root of trouble, really. You could handle making your way up, it would be tiring but not surprising, it was pretty much what you had assigned for.
But you had not assigned for the sexist comments, disgusting innuendo and for the grabby hands of your sleazy boss. Thomas Gregory was a fucking nightmare of a man and you swore that you were quitting if he called you a ‘Dollface’ or slapped your ass one more time.
And that was how you had got here, into this very moment; hiding in a dark supply closet like a creep with two cups of overpriced coffee in a cup holder and a piece of organic carob-nut muffin.
You weren't about to come out any time soon, because you simply knew your boss still would be a pig and give you yet another reason to hand in your notice and you had fucking wanted this job for so long, worked for it so hard and sacrificed too much that you just couldn't make yourself to quit no matter how much your skin cringed and your stomach rolled over every time Thomas Gregory touched you. It was so frustrating you wanted to scream.
Or cry, you still couldn't solve the dilemma. Maybe both.
You barely registered the hurried footsteps – and then the door was yanked open, you glimpsed a tall blond male figure and suddenly there was dark again. Except there was one more body in the very limited room of the closet, making you press your back onto the shelf.
Something rattled with your movement and the newcomer hissed a barely audible ‘Be quiet’ as two columns of muscles that were probably his arms framed your head leaning onto the very same shelf, so you could both fit in here.
The little order leaving his lips broke the last seal inside you. You were tired, frustrated and were receiving enough humiliation as it was, you did not need some random guy invading your hideout, barking orders.
“Look, mister, if you have any problem with me trying to make a little space for you in this tiny-ass closet, I recommend you to-”  
“Shh!” he hushed you and you thought you had never heard someone whisper so urgently; at least it sounded less bossy than before. It did not mollify you though, because this guy actually had enough impudence to-
“Don't you dare to shush me-!”
A hand went to cover your mouth and you let out an exasperated mumble of curses, while his voice continued.
“Please, just— I'm sorry, please, don't make a sound, my friend is trying to set me up and-”
Your eyes went wide and he suddenly fell silent. Before you could question his methods of shutting you up, his exclaim or the pause, and ask him to be so kind to find another closet, another male voice sounded somewhere behind the door.
“Come on, Steeeve. Man, don't be such a prude. Lillian is a great chic, okay?”
The man – the friend, you assumed – seemed annoyed and you couldn't believe that Steve had not been kidding you. He was actually hiding for the very reason he had offered you. You nodded as you heard the stranger behind the door move and the hand covering your mouth hesitantly disappeared.
“It's just a lip piercing, don't be such a tight-ass. It can actually be quite fun, you wouldn't believe what a girl can do with such thing…”
“Gross,” you commented soundlessly and you could feel your companion’s eyes burning a hole into your head in silent agreement.
“Goddammit, Steve!”
The voice and the footsteps slowly disappeared in the distance and you… you were face to face with a stranger named Steve in a limited space of a dark supply closet, his breath tickling your scalp, his cologne very much assaulting your nose; at least it was a pleasant assault.
“I'm sorry for being so rude. And thank you,” his voice caressed your hairline gently and hearing his suddenly polite tone and evaluating this whole situation, you could barely hold back a giggle all of sudden.
“You're welcome, Steve. How long has this been going on?”
“Two days-” That didn't sound too bad, he could probably take a lot more- “-at this level. With Lillian. It was Emily before that and Angelina before that. In smaller scale, it's been happening for about four months,” he recited dutifully as if he was reporting a status to his boss and this time you couldn’t help it – you giggled.
When you could feel the wounded gaze he gave you, you obediently made a sympathetic noise.
“Aww, poor you, your friend supplying you with no doubt great relationship material…”
“That’s what he said! But I don't want a relationship material. I don't want any material, not even his… one-night stand material. What does that mean anyway? These are women he's talking about, not a material-”
You let out a tiny pleased sound at his exasperation, which shut him up. You wondered if it was your turn to speak – it was hard to tell, supply-closet conversations weren't exactly your area of expertise.
“Kudos for that thinking,” you noted after short silence and the darker shadow of his figure tilted his head. “Did you try to tell him that you weren't interested…? Of course you did, why am I asking, that was a stupid question…”
“It's okay. I'm sorry, I got a little… carried away. It just… it's like talking to a brick wall.”
You hummed in sympathy again and the room fell into silence once more.
It was ridiculous how much your mind started working over hundred percent, trying to come up with something appropriate to say. The best you could do was:
“Hey, you want a cup of overpriced organic coffee? I happen to have two.”
The needy noise that let his lips was downright pornographic. Or maybe it was your mind playing tricks on you, the strange environment finally getting to you.
“I knew I smelled coffee here! I thought I went completely insane.”
You couldn't help but smile at that. Yeah, you knew the feeling all too well.
“Nope, your senses were not playing tricks on you. Help yourself. It should be around your left hand.” A rustling of a paper bag. “Oh. That's a carob-nut muffin – with carob instead of cocoa. You can have that too, I won't need that.”
“Alright, I gotta ask. Why are you hiding in a supply closet, with a muffin and two cups of expensive coffee nonetheless? And may I hand you one?”
“Such a gentleman. Thanks,” you murmured and accepted the cup. You weren't lying about not needing it – you wouldn't. Because you were about to quit; it was inevitable.
You sipped the warm liquid, its taste as bitter as the reason behind your actions.
“So?”
“I'm hiding from my boss.”
Your voice must have sounded terrible, because his own softened at the confession.
“And why is that?”
“Because if I bring him his coffee and muffin, he'll probably call me his good girl and— and slap my butt and-”
“I beg your pardon?” he growled, like honest to God growled, the strange sound warming your scalp.
And it was the righteous outrage in the sound he let out, the reaction that you needed, someone agreeing with you – a stranger, who wouldn’t feel obliged to do so just it was a duty of being a good friend to you – that made the levee break. Suddenly tears were streaming down your face, anger and humiliation, and your breath was hitching in embarrassing hiccups and the dark space felt so anonymous and safe at the same time that you didn't even care anymore.
“And if he does that I’ll have to– to quit, because I-I'm so fucking fed up with his dis-disgusting hands and si-sickening voice voicing his lizard thoughts a-and I ca-can't quit goddammit, I worked so fucking hard to-to get a job h-here and-”
You didn't realise your hands started trembling until the cup disappeared from them, placed back on the shelf, and a pair of much bigger and warmer hands gently enveloped yours, his body shifting just a little closer as he lost the support that had been keeping some distance between you.
“Hey, hey, shh, it's gonna be okay…” his voice washed over you soothingly, sounding almost at your ear.
Still, there was space between your bodies, a respectable distance – as respectable as possible in the limited space. It was as if he acknowledged it could make you uncomfortable – which probably wasn't exactly hard to figure out, given what you just told him.
“I'm sorry,” you sobbed and cleared your throat afterwards in attempt to compose yourself. “I didn't mean to load that on you, my problems are none of your concern-”
“Like hell they aren't. Sexual harassment on a workplace is everyone's concern, or it should be,” he grunted. His hands tightened their grip, not uncomfortably – reassuring. “This okay?”
You smiled through your tears. This Steve guy was really sweet to you. You almost forgot what it was like to be treated with respect.
“Y-yeah. Thank you for-- for asking. That was really nice.”
He huffed. “It should be a normal human decency. And I did grab you before that, sorry.”
“Something tells me you would let go if I said no more vehemently.”
“Of course I would.”
You gave him a watery smile he couldn't see and tried to calm your breathing completely. His thumb caressing your wrist helped. You wondered which department he was from; if his skills in comforting came with a job description or if he was a natural.
“Have you… have you tried to fill in a report?” he asked hesitantly, making your heart stop.
Oh yeah, you had. It had ended up in a shredder machine, because Thomas had spotted it. He had made you do it yourself, standing over you and watching, claiming the complaint had been baseless and it would pointless to hand it anyway, because he would explain the HR how it truly was. That you had made a move and he, the good father and husband he had been, politely turned you down, which turned you vengeful.
You whispered the story to Steve, your voice trembling, more tears escaping and you could immediately tell he believed you – because his grip grew steely strong, his teeth grinding.
“This is wrong. You should have never been forced to work for a man like him– objectifying you, touching you, threatening you, that's just--- you should talk to Tony,” he blurted out in the end and you frowned.
“Who's Tony?”
You had checked the whole HR department via their website when doing your research. You couldn't recall any Tony.
There was a short pause, broken by Steve's confused voice. “Stark.”
You blinked, wondering if Steve was joking. He didn't sound like he was joking, which was strange, because so far, he had seemed to be a smart and reasonable man.
“There's no way I'm scoring a meeting with Mr. Stark. And it's not like he’s dealing with things like that.”
“...Talk to Pepper then. I doubt she has bigger than zero tolerance for harassment,” he exclaimed confidently as if talking to Pepper Potts (this time you assumed whom he was talking about – did he call all of the big bosses their first name…?) was an option for a regular human being like you. Realizing that all over again though, that was tough.
“While I believe that’s her policy, it's not like I can just walk into her office.”
Steve seemed to consider that, while his thumb was still drawing patterns on your skin, almost subconsciously.
“I think you could. But if you're worried it might take a while and you’re scared to go back to your office now, let me walk you. I can explain him that every employee deserves to be treated with respect,” he offered finally, deadly serious, yet still sounding kind.
Your heart swelled. A guy you just met (in a supply closet, a good story to be narrated at parties, you supposed), suggested to help you out, no hesitation. God, wasn't he just too pure for this world?
“I… thank you, Steve. But… while you do have an impressive frame, I think it would only get worse. I think I'll just enjoy this extremely hipster coffee, which I'll later have to pay for no doubt and… and go face my boss to hand him my resignation. There are plenty jobs, right? I can as well serve coffee in a café,” you said with a sad smile, letting your hands slip from his comfortable hold.
“That's not right. Especially if you worked hard to– not to mention it's a matter of principle. You run away once and… running is a very hard habit to break,” he whispered, as if a secret, trying to reason with you.
You bit your lip when the truth of his words washed over you, along with the way he spoke; with such a strong believe in principles that should stand a standard. It… he made you forgot your own trouble for a second as you let yourself get lost in him. In the way he treated you, the protector's persona, yet not forced. He had suggested you to ‘let him come with you’, not even a note of command in his approach. This was not a man seeing an opportunity to be a hero when spotting the damsel in distress; this was a man who believed in what was right and wanted to fix things that were apparently broken. You wished there were more men like him, selfishly wanting one of them to be your boss.
“And men like these – they need to be put in line,” he added darkly, snapping you from your daydreaming of a better world. “Let me come with you. I'll—I’ll help you fill in the forms, walk you to HR. You don't have to deal with this alone.”
For all the comfort the dark had offered you so far, you wished for a little bit more light now, enough to see his face, his eyes. You knew they would be burning with honesty, you were sure of it, maybe a little rage aimed at a man who dared to treat another human being the way he did.
The offer was so tempting. But just imagining the security escorting Steve from the building for wanting to help you was enough to put out the fiery need to accept. It was ridiculous to care so much about his well-being after what could be minutes of knowing him, but no one could call you out on it. And if they did, you could always play it cool with ‘matter of principles’; good people only deserved good things.
You carefully reached out, hoping to find his hand again. Your heart skipped a beat when you brushed his thigh instead, but at least his hand was right next to it. He released a surprised breath when you took it into yours, way smaller one. You bit your lip when leaning in a little, blindly trying to meet his gaze.
“You’re a good man, Steve. I’m sorry your friend is giving you a hard time, you don't deserve that – even though I'm sure he means well. If you ever want to get him off your back...” you wavered at the ridiculous idea, but hey, why the hell not, he had offered to help you out first, “you can say you're seeing someone. Give him my card. I'll confirm we're together – he seems like a kind of a guy who would check.”
Shocked breathless laugh erupted from his chest and you assumed you hit the nail on the head. You fished out one of your business cards, handing it to him and releasing his hand then.
It was time to leave and face your fate, but Steve didn't make any attempt at moving out of the closet.
In fact, he seemed to examine the card for a while and then he quietly read out your name. You gasped in surprise. How the hell could he see anything? You could barely make out his silhouette!
“How-”
“I'm used to working in dark spaces,” he muttered absently. “Would you really do that?”
Slightly taken aback he was considering your offer, you nodded, only to realize he couldn't see it--- actually, he probably could.
“I would. Hell, I think I could handle one uncomfortable dinner with your friend vetting me,” you added, slightly amused at the idea. When you could hear his shocked exhale and wanted to take it back. “I didn't mean to-”
“Let me come with you to your office,” he repeated like a broken record and you frowned at the sudden change of topic.
“What-”
“It could throw your boss off your back for long enough for you to deal with the complaint. If you would be comfortable enough to play my girlfriend for a dinner time, why not now?”
Your eyes went wide and you almost choked on air.
“I-what? I told you it would probably only make it worse-”
“It will work.”
“How can you be so-”
The door yanked open and your eyes were hit by an unpleasantly sharp light, making you squint.
“Holy-” a ridiculously familiar voice you couldn’t place breathed out. “Wilson! I found him! You’ve gotta see this!”
You wanted to see the owner of the voice, but your view was completely blocked by the broad chest of your companion.
So you at least raised your head to meet Steve face to face so to speak. You couldn’t see much, your eyes still adjusting; with the light shining from behind him, playing a mysterious game with his blond locks, framing his impressive figure, he looked like a freaking angel, beautiful and righteous, bringing justice, yet wrapped in an aura of peace and serenity. You barely kept your jaw from falling on the floor.
You kept staring, focusing on his face, and slowly started realizing that his features too, were familiar. Mortification was creeping up your back as the puzzle pieces started falling into place, creating a horrifying picture, making you wish for the Earth to swallow you.
The voice from behind Steve’s back resolved the last doubts you had about your temporary mysterious roommate.
“Wouldn’t peg you as a get-freaky-in-a-closet kind of guy, Capsicle.”
You wanted to immediately protest that you had definitely not been getting freaky in the closet, but your brain was still frozen because of the big revelation – that you had just been comforted, hell, that you had just offered to be a fake date to Captain America.
You simply stared at him, unbeing able to hold your jaw from falling anymore. Because– because-- oh god.
Now it made perfect sense that he thought Thomas Gregory would be intimidated… by the idea of harassing Captain America’s girlfriend. You couldn’t really blame Steve for being sure it would work. Also, it kinda explained why he called Mr. Stark or Ms. Potts their first names – they were on the first name basis.
Which really was the least relevant thing right now.
A bashful smile appeared on Steve’s lips, a little guilty perhaps, and you just… giggled at the absurdity. You couldn’t help it. You had just spent minutes in a supply closet with Steve Rogers without having a single clue about it and while you didn’t do anything heated as someone would assume, it was one of the most amazing minutes of your life.
You must have looked like an idiot or something, because he chuckled too, completely ignoring another male voice growing in volume as the newcomer approached.
“Holy hell, man! I can’t believe what I’m seeing!”
At those words, Steve tentatively took your hand with an encouraging smile and led you out to the hall. You were met with two pairs of curious eyes examining you from head to toe. You lowered your gaze, now fully aware of the fact they belonged to Tony Stark – the Iron Man – and Samuel Wilson – the Falcon.
Well. Now the ‘party story’ finally got the right juice.
“Then don’t, Sam, because it’s not what it looks like,” Steve replied to his match-maker friend and took a deep breath, squeezing your hand tighter. “Tony, this woman would like to report harassment on her workplace.”
Your head snapped to Steve’s face with panicked gaze. What the hell was he doing?!
Tony Stark made a noise of disapproval.
“Couldn’t you try harder so she wouldn’t complain about you?”
“Tony,” Steve addressed him, his voice solemn just like his expression, which clearly surprised the billionaire. “I’m serious. It’s not about me. Her boss is the reason why she was hiding here.”
Without commenting any further, Steve handed him your business card and Mr. Stark hummed. You weren’t brave enough to look up. Was he going to wave it off? Was he going to fire you?
He said your name, making you gulp in fright. You had to look up now and you really didn’t wanna, too afraid of what you’d see. You were shocked to meet with a searching gaze, but not a mean one.
“It is true? Is your boss giving you trouble? Making sexist comments? Worse?”
You felt tears in your eyes, utterly taken aback by his sensitive tone, the inviting light in his eyes. It was too much to bear and you wanted to escape the kind gaze; and he wouldn’t let you. You only managed to nod when you felt Steve’s thumb caressing the back of your hand.
Mr. Stark sighed, adding a dark ‘goddammit’, and returned Steve the business card.
“Alright, kids. Let’s have a trip.”
And you just stared.
…what?
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Part 2
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I know, I know, Steve is a little bit of Knight-In-Shining-Armour here, but it made sense to me O:-)
Happy weekend!
Thank you for reading!
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