#anyway i think that today as a special little treat i might eat breakfast | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

milkybonya · 3 years

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donut test me

order 017, anon: large honey milk tea with pudding for Junghwan

Warning: swimming/water mentions, food mentions, some angst

Summary: an enemies to lovers!au where Junghwan hates his swimmer!classmate who always skips out on phys.ed, not knowing that they do something else with that extra time. (p.s. i'm sorry if you can't swim or don't like water :( i tried to think of other things but this au was just,, not leaving my brain so please don't read if you think it will make you sad or anxious okay?? take care of yourself first!)

[a/n] hahaha get it donut test me like do not test me but donut cause Junghwan likes donuts.... okay i'm sorry bye T.T

Junghwan sits down with Jaehyuk as they eat ramen in Jaehyuk's room. Noticing Junghwan is shaking his leg and seems to have something to say, Jaehyuk encourages him to speak.

"It's just... so unfair!! Why do they always skip out on phys. ed when everyone else has to run laps and do push-ups and-"

Jaehyuk puts his chopsticks down with a sigh, startling the younger boy.

"How many times have we talked about this already? All you can talk about is this person and how much you hate their guts because they skip phys. ed... is it really that deep?"

Junghwan intakes a sharp breath of air.

"You just don't get it, okay! I'll eat somewhere else," Junghwan says, but the boy leaves his bowl of food behind and slams the front door, going on a walk.

Jaehyuk would follow behind him, but he can tell the boy needs some space to clear his head.

"I'll worry and call him if he's not home in an hour..." Jaehyuk says to himself.

Outside, Junghwan walks slowly, lost in his thoughts and trying to figure out his feelings.

When Junghwan switched schools and entered the school you had been attending, he didn't pay too much attention to you. All he knew was that you sat in the back, were quiet and often dozed off but still tried your best when you weren't asleep. You always wore a tracksuit jacket over your uniform and zipped it up all the way, playing with the zipper when you were lost in your thoughts.

Okay, so clearly Junghwan observed you a lot, but he couldn't help it! There was just something... different about you. And that annoyed him, which made you annoy him.

That's how his hatred for you began, which slowly grew and developed over time, especially when he noticed that you were never in phys.ed. That was his favourite class, and not being able to see you there, breaking a sweat like everyone else bothered him.

What made you so special that you could just skip out on phys. ed? He wondered this all the time and it made him hate you.

You were oblivious. All you knew was that this new kid was a jerk, always bumping into you purposely when you crossed paths in the hallways, always rolling his eyes at you, glaring at you when you weren't looking at him and then looking the other way when you caught him... he was weird. And rude. But you ignored him because you had better things to think about.

The next day, Junghwan wakes up knowing he's decided on a course of action. He'll follow you when you leave after your last class before phys.ed to see where the heck you go.

Smiling to himself as he eats his breakfast, he makes Jaehyuk, who shuffles into the kitchen sleepily to drink water, think that Junghwan has gotten over his hate for his classmate. Little does he know how very wrong he is.

At school, Junghwan does not take his eyes off you, not wanting to keep you out of his sight. You notice someone is staring at you all day, but shrug it off and continue on as you usually do, talking with your friends before and after classes, and doing your best to stay awake during them.

Before phys.ed, you leave the math class just like everyone else does, except you make a right instead of a left. Junghwan does not miss this and carefully follows after you. He watches you pull out a duffel bag from your locker.

Hm, with a bag like that, aren't they going to phys.ed? Junghwan asks himself.

But you then continue down the hall, further away from the gym. When you begin walking down a staircase, Junghwan thinks you might actually be walking to the gym, but again, on the ground floor, you walk in a completely different direction. He's completely puzzled until he notices you walking towards a door that teachers and students alike have told you to never enter. Seeing you open those doors and step inside so comfortably makes Junghwan want to call out and stop you out of fear you'll get hurt or in trouble, but he stops himself, wondering why he even cares about you.

The smell of chlorine fills the hallway, and Junghwan decides to follow after you, not wanting to lose you.

The chlorine stench is even stronger past the doors, and he can hear lockers slamming as you get changed - although Junghwan doesn't realize what's happening. He simply walks straight ahead, not knowing where he's going until he's reached the entrance of a whole swimming pool!

The water glistens before him, completely still. His mouth is agape - why is this pool off-limits?

He hears your footsteps and hides behind a rack of pool items, watching through the cracks as you walk to the edge of the pool, pat yourself down and jump in. It takes a few seconds before you surface, but as soon as you do, you begin to swim slowly.

Junghwan watches you swim lap after lap without stopping, amazed at your endurance and skill. His jaw drops as, after you rest and stretch out of the pool for a bit, you enter and begin sprinting to the other end, swimming so fast that the motion of your arms and legs are like a blur.

"So Junghwan, please report to the gym immediately. So Junghwan, please report to the gym immediately."

Junghwan looks up at the speaker where the P.A sound came from, sighs and quickly leaves the pool.

Just as you finish your last lap, you look up to see someone's back as they leave the pool, not knowing who it is.

"Junghwan, why did you skip phys.ed?! That's your favourite class, you never do that," Hyunsuk tells Junghwan as they sit in the school office side by side.

The school phoned Junghwan's dorm after he was absent for the first 30 minutes of class, and Hyunsuk came rushing to see what was happening.

"I'm so sorry, but Junghwan is never like this, and I promise that it will never happen again," Hyunsuk tells the admin in the office.

Junghwan winces at Hyunsuk's words, knowing that it will indeed happen again because... Junghwan wants to watch you swim again.

From then on, Junghwan makes 3 bathroom breaks every phys.ed class just to watch you swim. He tells him teacher he has a bladder problem - of course the teacher doesn't believe him, but knowing he's a good student, he lets him go anyway.

You start noticing Junghwan after some time but never approach him, wondering if he'll ever speak to you first. He never does, and you never have the energy to talk to him until one day when your condition is bad and you feel embarrassed that you're being watched.

You end your lap and hop out of the pool, staring straight ahead at the wall on the far side opposite you.

"Hey, come out. I know you're there," you say.

After a moment of total silence, you repeat it, but louder, until a shy Junghwan slowly shuffles out from behind the pool equipment rack.

"Why do you always come here and watch me swim?"

"I-I don't-"

You sigh, not wanting to hear a silly excuse.

"Listen I'm not going to scold you or anything cause I don't really care, but my condition is really bad today so I'm extra pissed," you say truthfully.

Junghwan stays silent before mumbling an apology.

You bite your lip while looking at him, then hop out of the pool.

"It's fine. Practice is over for me anyways," you say, but Junghwan notices that you're leaving the pool fifteen minutes earlier than you usually do.

On your way home that day, you feel a little bad. Things weren't going your way and you took it out on Junghwan... but then, why you care? He's always such a jerk to you and deserved it. Still, though, he looked like he really felt bad when you scolded him.

Yet you decide to treat him better if he shows up the next day.

Which he doesn't.

He doesn't show up the next day, or the day after that. You find yourself waiting for him, not being able to focus and checking the pool entrance nonstop. It frustrates you, as your practice time is being wasted. You're a swimmer preparing to join the junior national team, given time out of phys.ed to practice because the school doesn't have a swimming coach and they trust you to figure things out on your own.

Yet Junghwan is present at school - you see him at all of your other lockers. He doesn't follow you around or stare at you anymore, and it makes you angry.

As he's getting his things from his locker a few days later, you slam your fist on the locker next to his, making him jump.

"Where have you been?" you ask.

"What do you mean?" he asks back.

"You haven't been coming... to watch me anymore," you say, feeling embarrassed.

"Because you didn't want me to," Junghwan responds, laughing slightly. You don't know if he's laughing at your embarrassed state or laughing in a way where he's wondering why you would even dare to ask such a thing.

"I never said that. I just said my condition wasn't good that day," you say, truthfully.

Junghwan remains silent, staring into his locker.

You poke his shoulder.

"You better be there tomorrow," you say before walking away.

Junghwan smiles slightly when you turn your back on him, holding his arm in the spot you touched it.

"Junghwan!" you yell from the pool as he approaches sheepishly.

He awkwardly says hi and waves, not used to your excitement. To be honest, you aren't used to it either.

"Come closer," you tell him, and he meets you at the edge of the pool.

"Do you want to try it?" you ask.

"Try what?"

"Swimming."

He stays quiet, thinking it over in your head.

You point at him.

"You're wearing your phys.ed clothes already. Just come in in those," you say.

Junghwan flashes you an awkward smile and he leans to the side, showing he's still not sure.

"I'll help you," you say, smiling up at him.

"... okay," he finally agrees.

He enters through the shallow end of the pool, complaining about the cool temperature of the water as soon as he dips his toes in.

"It's really cold!" he yelps.

All of his squirming makes him lose his balance, and you reach out to hold his hand so he won't fall. Both of you are so focused on making sure Junghwan gets in the pool safely that you don't even pay attention to the skinship. Or your hearts that are racing so quickly because of it

"Careful, careful down the ladder," you say.

He winces as he gets lower in the water until eventually his feet touch the bottom. He giggles and it makes you smile.

"So... what do we do first?" he asks you.

"Well... learning how to float is the most important thing. The way I learned was, I laid on my back like a starfish and my teacher held me from underneath until eventually I could do it without them having to hold me.

"On my back? I'm a little scared," Junghwan admits.

"Look, I'll show you first," you say, floating on your back and demonstrating.

"You just make it look easy," Junghwan says with a pout, but you firmly shake your head.

He gives in with a sigh and leans backward on your hands which hold him up.

"Ahhh the water in my ears sounds so weird!" Junghwan points out, laughing widely.

"You're doing great," you mumble, smiling down at him and moving a strand of hair out of his eye.

His eyes look away and his hands turn into fists as he feels your touch. He feels... loved. And warm even though the pool is so cold.

"I'll move my hands away slightly, see if you can try to float. It's all about relaxing, trusting the water. Don't get tense and don't hold your breath," you say as you slowly move away your hands.

But Junghwan's body reflexively stiffens and he begins to sink until you quickly hold him up again.

"Are you okay?" you ask, your eyes wide with worry.

"Yeah... cause you're here," he says a little shyly.

After teaching a boy you previously disliked for no real reason how to kind of float in water, you realize that all of your practice time has gone to waste, so you quickly sprint a few laps to make up for it as Junghwan watches you from the deck. He dries off his hair as he does so.

The next day, you tell Junghwan to join you again, but he shakes his head.

"You need to focus on your swimming, [y/n]."

"But-"

"I'll only come in for five minutes if you can do 40 laps in 20 minutes," Junghwan says.

Before he even finishes his sentence, you dive in and swim at a steady pace to finish it in time, and of course you do. You are a hidden star athlete after all.

When Junghwan joins you this time, he fills the place with his laughter as he tries to chase after you while running in the water as you swim away.

"Please just let me get you once!" he begs.

So you run with him and you chase each other around the pool until Junghwan tells you your five minutes are up and you have to practice again. You catch him as he says this though, wrapping your arms around the boy's waste and making him blush and stop talking mid-sentence.

Every day passes just like that, with the two of you exchanging nothing but small smiles and nods in class, but spending phys.ed together in the pool, Junghwan cheering you on as you train and you doing your best.

"You'll watch me at my swim meet, right?" you always ask Junghwan as the date begins to near.

"You know I will," he tells you each time.

And when the day finally comes, he's there in the bleachers, watching you walk up standing tall and looking confident despite feeling like a nervous wreck inside. You search for his face and find him, smiling and sending you a small wave.

It's all you need to remind you to breathe as you step up on the block and await the cue to get ready, then go. You dive in smoothly, dolphin kick for as long and far as you can before surfacing and beginning to sprint.

Not focusing on any of the lanes around you, you give it your all and just enjoy the feeling of you moving swiftly through the water as Junghwan cheers you on, and boy does he cheer you on.

He yells so loudly that it drowns out everyone else, and after you touch the wall on your final lap and raise your head, you can hear his booming voice yelling that you've done a good job.

The scoreboard confirms this, as you've come in first, and all you can do it smile down at the water, knowing your hard work paid off.

From the bleachers, Junghwan is ecstatic that you've come in first. He keeps wanting to turn to everyone around him and tell them that you're his s/o and you came in first... but you're not his s/o and now he doesn't even know what's wrong with him - why does he want you to be his s/o? Wait... he wants you to be his s/o?

When you're able to meet Junghwan for dinner at a fast food place later - your first meeting outside of school - he seems dazed and nervous. You keep asking him if he's okay as he fidgets with his hands, and all he can say is 'yes'... but something is clearly on his mind. So you wait for him to speak up first instead, and he does.

"Listen, [y/n], I know this may be really weird because... we don't even properly know each other yet, and I'm worried I'll ruin our friendship if I say this and it doesn't go well but... it's taking over my mind and I can't just forget about it anymore. [y/n]... I've realized that I like you and I want to date you."

Your silence causes him to keep rambling.

"I want to call you mine... like even at the meet I just wanted to tell everyone that you're mine and you won but-"

You put a piece of chicken in his mouth and he blinks at you.

"Let me answer, dammit. Sure, I'll date you. As long as we get to see each other outside of phys.ed class and outside of school," you say, looking down and eating so Junghwan won't see your excited eyes.

Junghwan laughs, poking your knee with his finger under the table.

"Of course we'll see each other outside of phys.ed and school..." he says, giggling to himself with joy.

Later, when he tells Jaehyuk that he's dating the person who he hated for skipping phys.ed, you can bet Jaehyuk teases Junghwan to no end. Why? Because he saw this coming. Of course he'd fall for you, because Jaehyuk knows who you are. You're the school's star athlete, known for using phys.ed time to train. Of course innocent little Junghwan, who very rarely hates anyone, would end up falling for you, hard. And he does, of course.

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sigmaleph · 3 years

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@serinemolecule asked me for hot takes on this 2006 article on Argentinian food, which I am now reorganising into a proper post for y'all's consumption. you're welcome.

First of all: the titular thesis that you should eat two steaks a day. I am forced to clarify that as 'should's go you should eat zero steaks a day, but this is ethical rather dietary advice and I don't follow it as well as I should, so, y'know. I would engage with this on the level it was stated, but I actually have no opinion on it. Moving on...

Argentine beef really is extraordinary. Almost all of this has to do with how the cows are raised. There are no factory feedlots in Argentina; the animals still eat pampas grass their whole lives, in open pasture, and not the chicken droppings and feathers mixed with corn that pass for animal feed in the United States.

This is, as it happens, completely false. There absolutely is plenty of feedlot beef being eaten in Argentina, and this was also the case back when this article was written. There's grass-fed beef too, and maybe the writer structured their life around only eating those, but the claim that there are no feedlots is just not true.

if you let them make the call, you get a two-inch thick of meat[...]The Argentine steak stands alone, towering three inches over the plate,[...]This gorgeous specimen is called a lomito; it's a standard lunchtime steak, clearly so thin that the Argentines are embarrassed to send it out into the world without a protective wrapping of ham and cheese

I have no idea what their obsession with steak thickness is; meat exists at various levels of thick and thin to suit various tastes. If you like yours thick that's fine but quit the projecting, y'know.

As you might expect, vegetarians will have a somewhat rough time here. For most people in Argentina, a vegetarian is something you eat. One's diet will accordingly lean heavily on pastas, gnocchi, salads, and (for the less squeamish ) fish. Vegans will not survive in Argentina.

This is, unfortunately, true (well, hyperbole, but). Rinna had a rather bad time trying to find vegan food when fae came over for visits. The situation is improving slowly, at least.

The homemade cookies bought in the minimarket downstairs taste of steak. [picture of alfajores de maicena[

Jesus. Find somewhere better to buy your snacks.

It should be no surprise that the land of beef also has excellent milk and butter. The milk comes in plastic bags that would give any American marketing department a heart attack. They proudly advertise "GUARANTEED 100% BRUCELLOSIS AND HOOF-AND-MOUTH FREE". One brand even brags that its bacteria count never exceeds 100,000 per mL, and prints daily statistics to prove it (only 82,000 bacteria/mL on Monday! mmm!).

Are you under the impression American milk doesn't contain bacteria and that when it spoils it's because of the molecules' sheer willpower? Or do you just object to the reminder that they exist?

This menu is delicious, but with rare exceptions it is all you are going to get. People coming for more than a few weeks are advised to bring a discreet bottle of Tabasco sauce.

Eat at better restaurants.

With any order from the master menu comes the Bread Basket, which should be treated as you would treat a basket of wax fruit, that is, as a purely decorative ornament. It is considered bad form to actually eat anything from Bread Basket

What are you talking about. Do all your dining companions just suck, eat some bread.

Dulce de leche is a culinary cry for help. It says "save us, we are baffled and alone in the kitchen, we don't know what to do for dessert and we're going to boil condensed milk and sugar together until help arrives". This cloying dessert tar is so impossibly sweet that you wish you were ten years old again, just so you could actually enjoy it. It is everywhere. There is a special dulce de leche shelf in the supermarket dairy case, and the containers go up to a liter in size. Even the churros are stuffed with it - the churros, Montresor!

It is rare that I feel insulted for the sake of my country, but this? How dare you.

Yes, of course we fill churros with dulce de leche; the real question is why anyone doesn't, short of dietary restrictions. Finding out that people do otherwise was like learning that in other countries, "sandwich" just means two slices of bread. Live a little. Eat a real godsdamned churro.

I spent a considerable amount of time trying to figure out how meals work in Argentina, and they remain a mystery to me. Dinner is clear enough: people tend to go to restaurants beginning at ten o'clock (for those with small children), with the main rush around eleven, and dinner is pretty much over at one or so in the morning. And breakfast - or rather, its absence - follows as a logical consequence of eating a steak the size of a beagle at midnight. But I have yet to figure out whether people eat some kind of meal in the afternoon, and if so, when.

At... noon? Like. We eat lunch. Usually somewhere around 12:00. I am eating lunch right now, and I have done so essentially every day of my life. This is just baffling.

I've come to think the culprit in the missing Argentine lunch scene is yerba mate.

how.

Where the ignorant foreigner may see just another kind of herbal tea (yerba mate is a very unassuming shrub that grows in the northern parts of the country) the Argentine sees a taste treat of unimaginable subtlety, and a tonic for all his problems. The Wikipedia article on proper mate preparation should give you a warning of the level of obsessiveness attainable here (the Urugayans are even worse). To the virgin palate, mate tastes like green tea mixed with grass clippings. The beverage is traditionally drunk out of a little gourd, through a metal straw called a bombilla, with hot (but not boiling!!) water poured into it (without wetting the surface!! clockwise!!) from a thermos.

Yeah, this is accurate. Well, not the clockwise part, never heard anyone complain about that and I can't imagine it mattering.

What distinguishes mate from coffee and tea is the social context - two or more people share a gourd, with a designated pourer in charge of refilling it with hot water after each turn. The ritual is low-fuss but indispensible. You can buy mate gourds and thermoses in any grocery store, and get your thermos filled with hot water at any convenience store or gas station, but you will never see mate served in restaurants or sold in little disposable paper gourds, to go. it's not that people refuse to drink mate alone - anyone working a solitary shift will have a gourd in hand - but that the concept of being served mate by someone who does not share it with you seems impossible.

This is also true. Attempts have been made to sell to-go mate but it's never very popular, the social ritual is important. Also unfortunately a disease vector, I haven't had any mate in a year and a half.

Mate aficionados will tell you that mate contains a special compound, mateine, that serves as a tonic and mild stimulant, promoting alertness without making it hard to sleep, reducing fatigue and appetite, helping the digestion and serving as a mild diuretic. Scientists will tell you that mateine bears a suspicious resemblance to a chemical called caffeine. Mate aficionados will then grow indignant, explaining that mateine is really a stereoisomer (mirror image) of caffeine, with different effects, which will in turn irritate the scientists, who will snap that caffeine doesn't have a chiral center, so it can't have a distinguishable mirror image, and why don't the mate aficionados just put a sock in it.

The first part of this is true; some people definitely think "mateine" is different from caffeine and it absolutely isn't. Never heard the stereoisomer claim before but googling it does confirm some people say so.

still have no idea what any of this has to do with lunch, though. I promise you nobody skips lunch because mate is just too filling.

The wine here is very good (something has to stand up to that steak), but Argentina has no liquor to call its own, relying on whiskies like Old Smuggler and the low-maintenance Don Juan cognac to carry the flag.

There's a fundamental omission from this list and it's called fernet.

Beer is ubiquitous and comes in a bewildering variety of sizes, although there is a skittishness about the full-on liter. Things level off at 970 mL. In my case, it means I end up drinking 1940 mL of beer as a kind of personal protest, and all is well with the world. To make up for the abundance of sizes, beer comes in only one variety, Quilmes, which inevitably comes served with a tripartite platter of snacks - nuts, salty cylinders, and aged potato chips.

I never had trouble buying beer by the litre, but I confess I never tried to do so in 2006 on account of being under 18 at the time.

Anyway, beer comes in a lot more varieties today, thankfully, because Quilmes sucks. I'll never be a beer person, but at least these days there's options I tolerate.

[original post]

#dreamwidth crosspost

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themonotonysyndrome · 3 years

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REDACTED verse - A special night

Prompt: Any Fandom | Any Characters/Pairings | Ordering a sweet treat to be delivered to the other person at home/work

Word Count: 2,136

Author/Team: LadyMonotone

Fandom/Original: Redacted ASMR (Gavin/Freelancer. Vincent Solaire/Lovely)

Rating: T

Triggers: NA

Summary: Having an Incubus boyfriend comes with many perks. The Freelancer and Lovely really should have seen it coming.

ConCrit: Y

Well, I guess this can be a sequel to my previous oneshot, REDACTED verse - Those that stood above the rest. I really wanted to write the Freelancer and Lovely interacting after their first, proper meeting so this oneshot suddenly comes to mind!

Exam week is the bane of every student, everywhere — even for the magical ones.

An uneasy atmosphere lingers around D.A.M.N as the current semester hurl the students into an intense week of revisions, study groups, and extra classes; all for the upcoming exams.

The seniors are frantically cramming for their final papers and projects under the watchful eyes of the lecturers. The Freelancer doesn't envy them one bit when they caught a Sonal Energetic screamed into his backpack for a solid ten minutes.

His scream shakes the student lounge, and the windows shattered.

Once he got that out of his system, he focused back towards his textbook, expressionless. The rest of the students around the Energetic hardly bat an eye over what just happened.

On that day, the Freelancer learned to avoid a large group of seniors until the exam week blows over.

"The tension alone in that lounge could make a Serenity Daemon hide underneath a bed." The Freelancer narrates their experience to Lovely. The two of them are currently having their own study session over at the Freelancer's apartment.

It's a beautiful Saturday afternoon, and yet here they are - flipping through textbooks, reviewing and swapping notes and downing cans of coffee and Red Bulls from as early as 9 AM. "Even the janitor wasn't fazed by it. He just snapped his fingers, and the windows were good as new!"

That night after their proper introduction, Lovely and the Freelancer had become quite good friends, much to Vincent's annoyance and Gavin's pleased smirk when the Freelancer told him that Lovely would be coming over for their study session.

"Aww, look you, Deviant. Arranging a little study date with that friend of yours," Gavin teased during breakfast this morning. They both woke up early to prepare meals that could last the Freelancer and Lovely throughout the whole day. When his Deviant absentmindedly replied, "Uh-huh" as they were busy chopping the vegetables, Gavin couldn't help but plant a fond kiss on top of their head. "Anyway, I'll be popping into Aria for a bit today. A few of my, ah, older brothers and sisters called for a meeting. Can I trust that you two won't be having too much fun without me?"

The Freelancer stopped chopping to gave their boyfriend a deadpan stare. "Gavin, we'll be studying." They explained. "Our first paper is literally next week. So I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but there won't be any fucking happening." They then stop themselves. They suddenly recalled something. "I don't want to be on that Solaire Prince's hit list too."

Gavin just cooed at their disgruntled partner, as if the genuine possibility that the both of them being shred to pieces by Lovely's possessive boyfriend amused him.

Nonetheless, Gavin pulled his weight to ensure there was enough food and comfortable pillows and blankets in their shared apartment so that his Deviant and the Electro Energetic would be comfortable for their revisions.

An hour before Lovely arrived, Gavin kissed the Freelancer goodbye and Rifted into his home dimension.

And now we're back in the present.

"I think those students around that guy were his classmates," Lovely commented. They take a quick sip of the lemonade that Gavin prepared to refresh their parched throat. Even in a simple pair of slacks, baggy t-shit, and hair pulled up in a bun, they still look as breathtaking as ever. "They reacted as if it was like a regular Tuesday for them. It's so crazy to think that we'll be seniors like them soon."

The Freelancer pours more lemonade into their glass from the pitcher beside them. Their books, notebooks and snacks are spread all over the dining table. A large and fluffy pillow is propped behind the Freelancer so they can lean back on their chair comfortably. "Urgh, mood. I can already imagine the coursework we'll be forced to do in our final semester." They groan. Their brain is fried from all the information and notes they've been reviewing since this morning. On top of that, the thought that they will be getting even more work once they hit their senior year is starting to freak them out.

Seeing the Freelancer is having an internal crisis, Lovely quickly glance at the time on their phone and decides, "OK, I think we seriously need a break. You look like you're going to pull a stunt similar to that Sonal Energetic, and I don't think your boyfriend appreciates coming back to a half-destroyed apartment."

"Gavin can fix the apartment with his magic, don't worry." The Freelancer is quick to assure Lovely. "He did that after he and Vega trashed the place anyway."

"Uh, what? Who's Vega?"

The Freelancer snapped their attention back to Lovely once they realised the name that they accidentally dropped. "N-Nothing! I didn't s-say anything!" They laugh awkwardly, doing their best to brush off Lovely's concerned expression. "Anyway, break! Yeah! That's a good idea! Are you hungry? We can watch something on Youtube and eat in the living room. You're OK with that?"

Lovely gingerly nods; it's best not to comment or ask about this Vega person since the name alone made their friend jumpy. They push their chair back, stretch their stiff spine, and get up to help set the plates and cutleries while the Freelancer heats the lunch they made in the morning.

They then move to the living room with a tray of food and drinks, where the couch and coffee table are surrounded by pillows and blankets thrown around messily.

"You play video games, right?" The Freelancer asked after Lovely settle down on the couch with a blanket over their lap. "Do you want to watch a playthrough or something?"

"Sure! Do you and Gavin play video games too?"

"Gavin does, though he usually only plays those dating sim games for girls. It's a guilty pleasure of his."

"Oh, Otome Games? My respect for your boyfriend just levelled up. Has he ever played Hatoful Boyfriend?"

"Uh... I don't remember he ever mentioned that title. What is it about?"

"We're watching a playthrough of that game. Right now. You can watch it with me, but you can't tell Gavin anything, OK? I promise you're going to love his reactions."

Lovely's eyes light up with glee and grin widely as the Freelancer switch on the Smart TV. When thumbnails of pigeons with pink hearts in the background pop up on the screen, they immediately throw an incredulous look at the Energetic.

"That top playlist is good to watch. Come on, sit beside me." Lovely pats on the empty spot on the couch beside them, unperturbed at the look the Freelancer is giving them. "I think you're going to like Okosan."

The Freelancer press play on the first video and kick back on the couch with the Energetic. What's better than having a break after a long study session? Hanging out with a friend with some good food while watching a crazy romance video game about pigeons!

However, when the fourth video starts to play, the doorbell rings.

"Uh... are you expecting someone?" Lovely asks curiously; their head is tilting towards the door. Their plate of eggplant pasta and buttered abalones are polished on their lap. The Freelancer internally preened when they enthusiastically complimented on theirs and Gavin's cooking skills.

Anyway, the Freelancer moves their empty tray onto the coffee table and flip over the blanket to get up. "Not really. Gavin said he'll be coming back home at night." They explain and went towards the door when the doorbell ring once more.

A delivery man greets the Freelancer with a stoic face, an armful of flower bouquet, and a thick, rectangular item wrapped in hot red packaging.

"I, uh, think you got the wrong address?" They said, confused to hell and back.

The delivery man blinks, unfaze at the Freelancer's greeting. "Good afternoon. Delivery for..." He pauses to read the card attached to the bouquet. "Deviant? We received a request from Gavin to arrange a flower bouquet and some... special chocolates. He also left a message for you: My Deviant has been working so hard lately~ So I got you something to... help you relax. PS: give some of the special chocolates to that gorgeous friend of yours and their boyfriend."

The Freelancer could only gape when the delivery man finished reciting Gavin's message. From the living room, Lovely is also doing an excellent mimicking of a goldfish. Their stunned expression made the man sigh tiredly. "Look, I'm not going to judge your... bedroom activities. Just take the packages already. I still have more stops to deliver."

"O-Oh my god! I'm really, really sorry about my boyfriend!" The Freelancer finally snaps out of it and stammers an apology. Their face is bright red. They hurriedly accept the flowers and package, shoot a quick thank you and slams the door shut.

Lovely watches as the Freelancer stares into the bouquet with a mixed feeling, something between fondness and extreme embarrassment, before they scream into the large sunflowers.

They patiently wait for the Freelancer to get it out of their system before Lovely delicately asks, "So, uh, does Gavin do these sort of things often?"

"No. This is the first time ever." The Freelancer replies. Their voice is muffled because the flowers are still pressed onto their face. "That's what I get for dating an Incubus, I supposed..."

"Aww, don't be embarrassed, dude! I think it's super sweet how much Gavin loves you. Flowers and chocolates? Boy got some serious game; might even give Vincent a run for his money, and you should've seen how we first met."

The Freelancer peeks through the petals and is relieved to find that Lovely wasn't put off by Gavin's forward nature. In fact, they are very accepting of the Freelancer and Gavin's relationship.

Feeling the warmth on their cheeks slowly disappearing, the Freelancer made their way back to the couch. The rectangular package is tossed onto the couch, and the bouquet is on the coffee table. The Freelancer figured they could put the fresh flowers in a water-filled vase later.

"The guy said that Gavin sent you some chocolates?" Lovely reiterate as the Freelancer began to untie the ribbon and unwraps the box.

"Special chocolates, and knowing Gavin, I kinda have an idea of what kind of chocolates they are." They admit and make quick work of tearing the paper wrappings.

Apparently, Gavin ordered two types of chocolates for his Deviant. One box holds a fancy gourmet assortment of salted almonds dipped in rich Belgium chocolate, double chocolate raspberry truffles, vanilla pieces powdered with light matcha and some white praliné hearts.

Lovely whistle, impressed over the spread. "Your boyfriend really went all out for you!"

The box below it contains rows of heart-shaped chocolates, but the short message written on the card of said box proves it's anything but ordinary treats.

'These are homemade chocolates made by one of my close associates. She's a Succubus, by the way, and renowned for her aphrodisiac desserts. You can try some first if your Energetic friend doesn't mind being a voyeur.'

The Freelancer promptly throws away the card and cues them, and Lovely shrieking in embarrassment. Neither of them expects the second batch of chocolates.

"These are sexy chocolates? Like, legit aphrodisiac chocolates made with magic!? Oh my god, I didn't know they were a thing!"

"I didn't either! I was expecting sex toys below the chocolates!"

"Wait - didn't Gavin wants to give these to Vincent and me!? Dude, does he has a thing for Vincent? Because at this point, I should tell you: he noticed that Gavin was purposely riling us up when they first met, and he's been thinking that your boyfriend is out to get him. But, uh, not in the sexy way, but I'm thinking otherwise now. And if that's the case, then you can warn that Incubus to be ready and catch these hands."

The Freelancer groans and hides their face in their hands. "OK, you know what? I'm going to put the special chocolates in the fridge, and then we'll continue watching a few more videos from the playthrough and get back to studying."

"... You're in denial."

"I'm just trying to keep whatever sanity I have left. It's been a crazy year."

"Urgh, tell me about it."

That night, at Lovely's and Vincent's apartment:

"Vincent, baby? I'm back. Look what I got!"

"Welcome home, Lovely. Dinner's ready if you're hungry. Hmm? What's that?"

"It's homemade aphrodisiac chocolates made by a Succubus. Gavin and the Freelancer gave some to us."

"...I'm gonna punch that Incubus in his smug ass face."

"...Does that mean you don't want them in the bedroom tonight?"

"OK, I'll punch him tomorrow. C'mere, Lovely. I've missed you."

"Yeah, that's what I thought."

#redacted asmr #fanfic #they/them pronouns #gender neutral s/o #freelancer (listener)#lovely (listener)#gavin #vincent solaire

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travellingarmy · 3 years

Text

║Zhongli║Happy Birthday

This is requested by me as a gift for you and Zhongli’s birthday.

A/N: This was posted on Wattpad for Zhongli’s birthday but came here late so it’s late.

Gender-neutral.

Fluff. A bit suggestive.

Word count: 2.5k

---

It was the coldest time of the year as December rolls on by, bringing the gift of white, little snowflakes along with it. This, no matter how beautiful, was cold to the touch and the people of Liyue bundled up for the season, dressing in extra layers. It may not be as cold like in Snezhnaya, but it certainly was cold for the locals.

And during this time, the streets would be less crowded, seeing as they want to be inside a building that gives them warmth and shelter from the snow. The holiday was long gone, leaving as soon as it came. However, there was something else to be more excited about that isn't the New Year-- that's in February. What you're going on about is Zhongli's birthday.

He may be an Archon, but he certainly must have been born into the world-- even if it's just created into the world by little specs of matter.

The sun was just peeking out in the horizon, its light shining through the little gaps of your curtains.

Sounds of fabric against fabric rustles and a deep groan made its way to your ears before feeling an arm wrap around your waist, strong and firm, not wanting to let go of you any time soon. You would shot up wide awake, very alarmed, if you didn't know who it was-- if, might I highlight.

You groan into their chest, just feeling the weight of sleep lift from your eyelids. Slowly just waking up, you were suddenly aware of the cold air that surrounded you and so, you reflexively drew closer to the person that emitted warmth, touching their bare skin that was left exposed from events the night prior.

"Good morning," the person croaks, making you melt at the sound of their voice. You hummed in response, then feeling their lips on your forehead, giving you a good morning kiss. "It's time to get up, my dear."

"Just a couple more minutes," you say, burying your face further into their chest. A low, yet deep chuckle reverberates from them and pulls away from you. "I'm afraid I can't stay much longer, my love. I have to go to work."

You opened your eyes, showing how upset you were. "Can't you call a day off, just for today?" you plead. "And beside that, I think you owe me a massage from yesterday.."

There was no reason to be alarmed, just as said before because the person in bed with you was no other than your lover, Zhongli.

Amber eyes glowed, reflecting in amusement of your attempt, but he was not easily swayed. However, he did lean in for a kiss that you took as another opportunity to make him stay, wrapping your arms around his neck to draw him closer.

You shifted on top of him, trapping him underneath you as you continue to kiss him, slipping your tongue inside his mouth, tongues now intertwining with each other.

His hands started to wander until it got down to your thighs and rubbing it. The heat from last night certainly have not died down just yet, but Zhongli knew better than to let you continue this, pushing you away and leaving a thin line of saliva that connected your lips to his.

You eyes was filled with visible lust from last night just starting a new flame of desire. Zhongli couldn't help but admit that he, too, was feeling his own flame being ignited once again. He would love to pin you down and do you over again, but he must restrain himself. Chuckling, he spoke, "I think you are more than able to walk, my dearest." He kissed your forehead before leaving your warmth.

"So, it's decided then, huh?" You pouted. He smiles down at your bare state, loving every inch of you. "I'm afraid so. And don't you have an errand to run with that boy today?" he says, referring to the ginger who goes by the alias of "Childe".

"Oh, right.. I forgot about him," you mumbled. "Did I possibly cause that?" he jokingly says, making his way to the bathroom. "Yeah, you did, so you owe it to me," you said, though knowing it was hopeless.

He turns the doorknob to the bathroom, but stops and looks over his shoulders at you. "Care to join me, my dear?" he asks and it took you no more than a second to answer happily, joining him in the bath.

After breakfast, you two went your separate ways, but not before kissing each other a good bye for now.

Although it may sound awfully suspicious about how you were going on an errand with Childe, Zhongli has an infinite amount of trust in you and the both of your relationship-- the two of you are married, after all.

"(Y/N), good morning," Childe greets, seeing you approach him. "Good morning. Did I make you wait long?" you ask. He shook his head almost immediately. "I just came. Anyway, what did you call me out here for?" he ask.

"First, did you reserve a table at Luili Pavillion?" you ask. He nods. He was quite curious when you approached him out of the blue to ask for a reservation, but he complied and waited for the day you'll explain. "Good. Thank you so much, Childe. You know, it's Zhongli's birthday today."

"Oh, is that so? I didn't think the Geo Archon would be interested in remembering his own birthday," Childe states quite jokingly. He wad still irritated about the fact that Zhongli toyed with him on his mission to retrieve the Gnosis and it certainly showed in his tone. "He forgets his birthday, so that is why we have to make him remember!" you exclaim.

"The reservation is during dinner time, so we'll have enough time to look for gifts! Come, Childe, we must not delay."

During the long gap until dinner, you had certainly chosen a lot of presents for his special day. Yes, you have given him quite the handful of gifts for Christmas, but that was for then-- the presents of now were for his birthday.

If you think about it, you and Zhongli were similar to your spending habits, but unlike him, you knew how to play to make the price go your way, and you never forget your wallet.

"I'm sure Mr. Zhongli will be fine with one gift as long as it came from you," Childe states, looking at the stack of boxes that were wrapped perfectly in his hands. You called Childe today to join him for Zhongli's birthday, but also because you knew you won't be able to carry the presents with just you alone. "Mm, I guess you're right, but you haven't chosen a gift yet, have you? We'll go choose yours and then we'll wait it out until dinner."

"Ah, but before we do that, could we possibly get lunch?" Childe ask. It was quarter to one and Childe felt like he was about to collapse any time soon if he doesn't get something to eat. "Oh, right, let's go to Wanmin Restaurant. My treat," you say.

"Could I possibly ask for a spoon and fork?" Childe asks Xiangling when the two of you got there. "Eh? Oh, of course!" Xiangling says and made a dash to get a spoon and fork for the male.

You laughed. "If I was Zhongli, I wouldn't dare let you get a spoon or a fork," you state, knowing how cruel Zhongli can be when it comes to teasing. "Yeah, and that's why I'm glad you're here instead of him," Childe admits, scratching his head and awkwardly laughing.

After getting Childe stuffed up, it was his turn to pick a present. To your questioning gaze, he only picks one present. "You're quite excited about his birthday, huh?" Childe says, tone neutral. It was understandable for Childe as he loves to spoil his family as well, being that they are his loved ones.

You nod. "Zhongli didn't get much free time like as now, being occupied of the status as Archon," you confess. "Now, I have much more time to spend every waking day with him.. I want to spoil him just this once."

Childe smiles at your earnest words and turned to face ahead, eyes widening when his eyes laid upon a familiar male.

He was about to tell you, but Zhongli was quick to turn his head and look your way, soon walking up to the two of you.

"M- Mr. Zhongli, hi!" Childe greets, soon getting you to panic. "Greetings, Childe." Zhongli nods to the young Harbinger and turns to you. "Hello, my dear, how are you faring this afternoon? I assume you have had your lunch?" Zhongli greets.

"Oh, ah, Z- Zhongli, fancy running into you here!" you stammered, eyeing the boxes. "Hm? Are you alright, dearest? You are aware that the funeral parlour is right over there, right?" Zhongli points to his workplace that was indeed a few metres away from the three of you.

You and Childe stare at each other from the corner of each of your eyes, eyes questiong the other what to do with the things in your hands, sweat dropping excessively.

Zhongli notices the awkward glares to the other, quite clueless. "I see that you are carrying wrapped presents.. I don't assume that there is a second holiday, one is there?" He examines the presents, finger on his chin as he does so.

"Oh, no, there isn't! These are for um.." you trailed, looking at Childe to urge him to help you. "These are for my siblings!" Childe steps in, saving the day. "Yes, for my siblings.. You know how much I love my sibilings." He chuckles forcefully.

"Ah, I see.." You two let out a silent sigh of relief. You weren't sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing how clueless he could be, but as for now, you think it was a good thing. "So, uh, I'll see you at home, Zhongli." You waved to the male and walk away, Childe trailing just as hastily as you were.

"Right, so, I'll just keep the presents safe and bring them to the restaurant, correct?" Childe asks and you nod. "Thank you for helping out, Childe."

"Haha, it's no problem. I'm quite excited for tonight. Well, I'll see you then," Childe says, and waves you off.

You went home and spent the rest of the time entertaining yourself until Zhongli was finished with work. "Welcome home," you greet, closing the book that occupied your time, and standing up from your seat, making your way to him.

You brought him into a kiss, wrapping your arms around his neck, which he took to a deeper measure by wrapping his around your waist. The kiss was long and loving, but he soon pulls away, smiling.

"Might I ask how you have been, my dear?" Zhongli asks, pulling you close as you both stood at the front door. "Mm, it was okay. Oh, in fact, we should leave right now!" you say, almost revealing your great enthusiasm.

"Oh? Where to?" he asks as you take him by the hand and drag him outside. "You'll just have to find out!" is all you said, making your way to Luili Pavillion.

Upon arriving there, your eyes make contact with Childe who waved you over smilingly. "Hey, it's about time you guys came!" Childe greets, eyes following as the two of you sat down, Zhobgli looking quite clueless.

"I've already ordered the dishes you said, (Y/N), and placed a custom made order to the place you said to go," Childe says, leaving Zhongli in the dark. You nod, thanking him.

"Might I ask for an explanation?" Zhongli asks, turning his gaze onto you. "I knew you'd forget.. But before I tell you, want to take a guess?" You grin at the male.

"Hm, there isn't a second Christmas nor is it the Lantern Rite Festival.." Zhongli hums, bringing his fingers to his chin as he deeply thought it through.

He gave no answer and asks you to tell him. "Nuh-uh, I guess you'll have to wait and find out later," you said, making Zhongli much left out in the secret.

Soon, the dishes came, filling the once empty table with delicious food. The aroma was so strong that anyone passing the restaurant would soon hear their stomach growling. "Ah, but before we eat, there's another one that's still yet to come!" you state, and as if on cue, the last waitress came, holding the most delicious and well decorated cake, placing it in front of Zhongli.

"Hm? Care to tell me now, my dear?" he asks, not connecting the dots. He could be so dumb, but that was sort of his charm. You sighed, though not out of annoyance, and finally helped him out. "Happy birthday, Zhongli!" you cheer.

"Ah, so today is the day of my birth. I quite forgot," Zhongli says, eyes fixed on the candles on the cake that almost emitted the same colour as his eyes. "I can't believe you actually forgot, Mr. Zhongli," Childe laughs at the Archon.

"Mm, come on, make a wish and blow it out!" you excitedly say. "What do I wish for?" he asks, eyes tearing away from the candle and to you.

"Whatever your heart desires," you say. Zhongli stares back at the cake, silent for a while before closing his eyes to mutter a wish in his head. After that, he opens his eyes and looks over to you once more. "Now, you blow out the candles!" you instructed and watch as he does so.

You and Childe claps, smiles adorning both of your faces at the oldest Archon. Before, you'd celebrate his birthday just enjoying a cup of tea and hear him speak, but now that he was living the life of a mortal, you decided to celebrate his special day like that of a mortal.

"Oh, right, the presents!" Childe says, standing up to talk to a nearby waitress who went to the back and soon return with an extra person, both carrying the wrapped presents, bringing it over to the table.

"And you know about the gifts from earlier? Well, they were for you," Childe says. "Most of them are from (Y/N)."

Surprise was seen reflecting in Zhongli's eyes and turns his head away from the presents to you who was smiling. "I thank you, my dear, but you didn't need to spend so much for me," he says kissing your forehead and letting his lips linger on it.

"But I wanted to," you say, melting from his kiss. Childe coughs awkwardly, a bit embarrassed to see two people getting so affectionate in front of him, seeing as he was a bachelor.

You both chuckled at the young male. "Well, let's enjoy the dishes that I know you like!" you exclaim.

After the pleasant evening, you and Zhongli returned home, now cuddling in bed, his head resting on your chest as you played with his hair. "This has been most joyous, and I thank you once again, dearest," Zhongli says.

You hummed. "I'm happy you think so," you said, closing your eyes as a smile spread across your face. "Let me say this again.."

"Happy birthday, Zhongli."

---

#genshin zhongli #zhongli x reader #zhongli imagines #zhongli #this was for zhongli's birthday #posted here late #genshin impact #genshin #gender neutral #genshin impact oneshots #childe oneshot #genshin childe #childe x reader

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monstersandmaw · 4 years

Text

Nonbinary incubus x reader (nsfw)

Edit which I’m including in all my works after plagiarism and theft has taken place: I do not give my consent for my works to be used, copied, published, or posted anywhere. They are copyrighted and belong to me.

"Keep the Tumblr stories to around 3k words, Ghosti."

"So how long is this one?"

"Oh... uh..." *shuffles* "...Five and a half thousand?"

Haha, yes, as much as I tried, this one is also a bit longer than I wanted, but, for the third story available for the $5 tier on early release this month, I give you 5.5k words of nb incubus x reader. We also have a new location to add to Starfall Springs, and it's not quite what you might expect for the sleepy little town...

Contents: our incubus would probably have been assigned male at birth but they use they/them pronouns, gender/body neutral reader, erotic dancing, and come-marking if you squint...

This has been up on my Patreon for a week now on early release so it’s time to put it up here on Tumblr.

“I’m sorry, what did you just say?” you asked, blinking at your friend in open-mouthed incredulity. “Starfall Springs has a… strip club?”

The gnoll grinned, the look absolutely feral for just a heartbeat. “Oh yes. The Silkfoot family tried to have it closed down, especially after their youngest son was seen frequenting it, but Sarrigan actually helped to fund it as one of his business ventures after he started up his antiques company… It’s doing really well…”

“Well… I don’t know what to say! I never would have thought that a sweet, sleepy little place like Starfall Springs would have something so…”

Mako’s brows rose - as much as a gnoll’s could, anyway - and he yipped softly in amusement and dug you in the ribs. “We’re definitely going there now for your birthday.”

“Mako, I’ve never… I… I don’t know if it’s my kind of place, you know?”

“Come on, it’s not as if it’s that wild. As you say, it is Starfall Springs after all…”

You swallowed, not entirely sure you believed him, but in the end, you agreed to go.

Your birthday dawned bright and warm, and before any of your friends or family could message or call, you took yourself off to the dinky little harbour in the town to treat yourself to a takeaway breakfast from the bakery, and a coffee from the tiny little cart that made the best damned coffee in the universe. It was something for yourself, and it had become a sacred ritual back in the city. Now, as you strolled through the quiet streets, with nothing but your own footsteps and the whispering promise of the sea at the end of the cobbled lane for company, you smiled. Moving to Starfall Springs had been one of the best ideas you’d ever had.

“Morning!” Khargrin smiled as you stepped into the bakery and inhaled blissfully, eyes fluttering closed for a moment at the sheer gorgeousness of the scent of bread and sugar in the air.

You returned the smile to the enormous orc, and placed your order for two of their fresh pastries.

“Still warm from the oven,” Khargrin chuckled as he slid them into a paper bag for you. “Here.” He frowned slightly. “Anything special about today? You’re earlier than usual,” he asked, still holding onto the bag as you went to take it.

Laughing, you admitted that it was your birthday, and he promptly refused to take any kind of payment.

“I didn’t tell you that so you’d give me free breakfast, Khar,” you groused.

He let go of the bag as if it had burned him and said with such melodramatic flare that a mummer would have been proud of the display, “You’ve touched it now! You have to take it! Get out of my shop, foul human! Begone! And have yourself a wonderful birthday while you’re at it!”

Shaking your head fondly at the big orc’s antics, you accepted but didn’t leave right away.

“Any plans for today?” he asked as he bustled about, stocking the display with goodies from the back.

“Quiet day, I think,” you said, “But Mako has plans for tonight… I’m wary.”

“Knowing that gnoll, it involves Midnight Aurora, doesn’t it?”

“Midnight Aurora?” The name wasn’t familiar to you. “You mean the club over on the north side of town?”

The orc nodded. “Yup. And before you say anything about it, my sister works there…” he added with a twinkle in his eye and a lopsided grin on his handsome face.

“I will think very carefully before I tell you about my reaction to my experiences there then,” you grinned. “Anyway, see you Khargrin.”

“Enjoy your day,” he said. “And your night. And if it involves my big sister at all, I don’t want to know.”

You snorted and headed out into the brightening day. The fresh wind hit you full in the face, bringing with it the sharp tang of iodine from the sea, and you watched two merfolk spiralling through the water like racing dolphins, breaching the surface and sending sparkling droplets spraying up against the side of a moored fishing boat before they cleared the boundary of the harbour and disappeared out into the wider ocean.

“Gorgeous, aren’t they?” a quiet voice said from beside you.

Tearing your eyes from the horizon, you turned to find someone tall and slim standing beside you. With lilac skin, long, silver-white hair, and elegantly-tapering ears, they might have been a tiefling, but you couldn’t see any horns, and something about the intensity of their ruby red eyes made you wonder.

“Mmm,” you hummed noncommittally.

Their gaze flickered to the pastries in your hand and their Cupid’s-bow lips curved into a smile that made your stomach flip over, revealing double canines, both top and bottom. “Khargrin makes the best almond croissants in the whole world,” they commented.

“Just needs one of Sophie’s coffees to go with, and I’m all set for my birthday breakfast,” you blurted unthinkingly.

At that, their eyebrows rose. “It’s your birthday? Happy birthday.”

��Thanks. I’m not sure how I feel about being another year older, but -” you shrugged. “It is what it is.”

“Well, not to be inappropriate, but you look wonderful. May I get you that coffee?”

Were they flirting with you? You weren’t exactly known for being able to read people all that well. You blinked. “You don’t have to do that,” you said, stepping back. “I mean… you don’t even know me.” People in Starfall Springs were just like that, you knew from first hand experience already, but still, it was… unnerving for someone like you from the city.

That blinding smile never flickered, but they did shift a little. Oh. They had a tail. Perhaps they were a tiefling after all. They also had hooves, dark and shiny, visible beneath the wide cuff of their loose, black linen trousers. Looking a little more closely at them, now that you were no longer distracted by that gorgeous, heart-flutteringly beautiful smile, you realised that they wore a sleeveless vest, white, and that their chest was flat and their stomach obviously toned. Their arms too were slim but muscular, and they bore tattoos in geometric patterns from their fingertips right the way up their arms and neck to their earlobes. You swallowed. You’d never met someone so alluring in your whole life and your skin began to tingle.

At that moment, their pupils dilated visibly and they swallowed, long, tapering ears drooping a little. “Never mind,” they said. “I’m being overbearing. I’ll… leave you in peace. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…”

Before you could call after them, or tell them they’d got the wrong idea, they turned around, their long white hair swinging in a thick plait right down their back to their tail, and hurried away. Halfway across the street, a swirl of dark, inky magic enveloped them, and they disappeared completely.

“What the…?” you hissed.

Even Sophie’s amazing coffee didn’t taste quite as good as it usually did, and for the rest of the day, as you picnicked with your friends on the sloping meadow above the Temple, lounging while music played through a little speaker and chocolate frosting melted in the sun, you kept recalling the way those garnet red eyes had turned from warm and playful to achingly sad.

“What’s up with you?” Mako asked, lolling over onto his back with his front paws bent, like a retriever begging for a belly rub.

Affectionately, you reached over and scratched his upper chest, which still made his hind leg kick. His powerful hyena jaws softened and he moaned. “Oh that’s so good,” he moaned. “You give the best scritches.”

“Hey!” came the disgruntled protests of his boyfriend from beside you. You didn’t stop, and he shook his head fondly. “Honestly, it’s probably true. Good job I can do other things to you, huh?”

Mako growled playfully, but left it at that. “What time shall we come by to pick you up for tonight?” he asked a while later, glancing up at you with his big, brown eyes.

You shrugged. “What time do we have to be there?”

“Nine?” he asked. “We could go for drinks somewhere else first? Or you could come to ours and we could have something to eat and drink there before? Up to you.”

With snacks and a few drinks in you, the three of you left Mako’s apartment that night and headed over to Midnight Aurora. You walked up a narrow, cobbled street to be met by Erin, Aemilius, and Florian - a satyr, vampire, and a cervitaur respectively - halfway down.

Aemilius heard your approach first, turning to face you to clap and cheer. “Happy Birthday!!” he practically sang at the top of his lungs, and you rolled your eyes, trying to hide your smile.

Together, the six of you headed up towards the top end of town, which looked magical that night, bathed in summer moonlight, with the bars and restaurants in the area now lively and bustling where they normally sat quietly during the day. Twinkling strings of fairy lights illuminated the way, and a shop sign swung in the slight breeze as you passed beneath it, showing a triple moon in glinting silver.

Midnight Aurora wasn’t as packed as you’d worried it would be, and honestly it was more of a theatre than a club, though beneath the stage was a dance space on the floor, currently full of tables. Tonight was obviously a more formal night. A bar filled the left hand side of the room, illuminated by LEDs beneath the counter in the shifting patterns and colours of the bar’s namesake, and a drow and a goblin worked seamlessly together to keep patrons happily topped up. Erin was apparently dating one of the bouncers, which was how you’d all been able to get tickets at short-ish notice. Normally they sold out weeks in advance.

Mako dug you in the ribs. “Not quite what you were expecting, huh?”

You had to admit that it wasn’t. It was classy but relaxed, buzzing but not overwhelming.

Currently onstage was a tall, powerful, muscular female orc and you tried not to look too hard at her, knowing that somehow Khargrin would know you’d been admiring his sister because… wow.

Swallowing, you looked away and croaked, “Drinks?”

“Thought you’d never suggest it,” Aemilius grinned. “First round is on me,” he said. “Take a seat and I’ll join you shortly.”

“Do we not get a say in what we have?” you laughed as Mako and his boyfriend steered you towards a table right in the middle of the floor while Aemilius strode away, lost in the low light and crush of people in seconds.

“Just let him have his way,” Erin said. “He probably knows what you want better than you do anyway.”

Deciding, not for the first time that night, just to go with it, you let the entertainment wash over you. It wasn’t all erotic dancing - there was a tap group that absolutely blew you away with their skill and synchrony, leaving you as breathless as had the bovitaur and his set of half-naked orcs that had preceded them.

“I think the variety is going to kill me,” you hissed at Mako and he snickered.

“Glad you’re enjoying yourself. They’re all really good, aren’t they?”

You had to nod. It wasn’t worth shouting over the appreciative audience’s wild applause. An octomer had just begun her set, involving a rope and a tank below, and you watched as she began and her coiling limbs hauled her effortlessly up out of the water by the rope.

Somewhere just shy of midnight, when the final act was announced, however, a strange and excited hush descended on the crowd, and you looked to Mako who just winked at you. “Wait for it,” he said. “Happy birthday.”

“O…kay?” you frowned warily.

The lights cut out without warning, and from the pitch black, two slender spotlights flashed on, illuminating a pair of dark hooves in the centre of the stage. The lights travelled slowly, teasingly, up over smooth purple skin, up a pair of slender, well-muscled legs, revealing a pair of glittering and very tiny silver hotpants, a lashing tail like a whip, a toned stomach with strangely familiar, geometric tattoos going up the dancer’s sides, over their ribs, and up their neck. A long, white ponytail dangled down the dancer’s back, and you gasped as red eyes blinked out at the crowd.

It couldn’t be? The meek and shy person you’d met earlier that morning was… here? Looking like that? They carried themselves with a quiet, contained dignity that drew you in and demanded your entire attention. Where this morning you’d found their bashful, flirtatious shyness alluring, now it was their stance that knocked you breathless as they stood with the self-assuredness of a tango dancer, waiting for the music to begin.

The music started with the slow pulse of a sleeping heartbeat, and they swayed their hips from side to side, eyes now closed. Even from that distance, you could see the way their eyelids had been kohled, adding further length and depth to their already almond shaped eyes, and a shimmering powder had been applied to their high cheekbones to heighten the sculptural quality that their face naturally possessed.

As if they had no idea they were dancing before a crowd, the strange, alluring dancer swayed, sinuous as a banner in the breeze, twisting and turning slowly, caught up in the low, hypnotic beat. You could barely breathe as you stared, transfixed. The energy in the room picked up, thrumming, and everyone seemed to be sitting there with their mouths open and their eyes half-lidded.

The difference between earlier on the seafront and now was almost unbelievable. Gods, they had the most incredible figure, and with the same shimmering powder accentuating every highlight on their bare chest and stomach, their dark purple skin gleamed in the lights.

When the beat changed, becoming faster and more energetic, they finally opened their eyes but their gaze locked above the crowd, as if they were still pretending not to have noticed you all staring in wonder at them. It didn't take an expert to see that they’d been classically trained at some point, and the graceful arrangement of their wrists and hands over their head made you think of meadow grasses blowing in the wind before the tension returned with a snap and they evoked the sheer commanding power of a paso doble dancer. They were mesmeric, and it was easy to see why they’d been placed last in the order for the evening.

Erin leaned over to whisper in your ear, “They’re an incubus…”

“Oh,” you breathed. And suddenly your reaction to them earlier made sense. Your stomach dropped unpleasantly. “Oh,” you said again. Had your reaction just been an accident then? As far as you knew, incubi and succubi could control the way their influence worked on people, but if they’d simply sparked that lust in you, did that make it real? You felt a little sick at that.

The longer you thought about it, the less the show held your attention. They were undeniably exquisite, and an extremely talented dancer, but it lost its magic for you the moment you realised that your reaction probably wasn’t real. The incubus was feeding off the lust in the room, the crowd’s desire for them, and the action of feeding created more lust.

As the dance seemed to be working towards its finale, you found you could bear it no longer. Abruptly, you stood and turned away, heading for the bathroom. You were the only person moving in the room besides the incubus on stage, and no one even noticed you leaving. Mako tried to grab your wrist as you left, but you were gone before he could follow or stop you.

At the door to the bathroom, you glanced back and found that the incubus was looking straight at you while dancing without breaking step. Even at this distance, they were truly stunning. You smiled sadly, and ducked out, remaining there until their set finished.

When you emerged, the theatre was buzzing. The chairs and tables had been cleared as if by magic, and the space had been opened up for the patrons to dance now. Mako and his boyfriend were quietly making out in one corner, though they were being relatively subtle for them, Erin was nowhere to be seen, and, as you looked around, you spotted Florian with two dancers and… was that… underwear dangling from one antler? Well, he was certainly entertained at any rate.

A movement to your right caught your eye, and you saw that Aemilius had found a partner to dance with, drawing the eyes of anyone nearby. With his sense of rhythm, he could probably have worked at Midnight Aurora himself.

“Flashy vampire,” you chuckled fondly as you watched the pair of them dance. The elf he’d found had glowing white skin, which complemented his own extremely dark skin beautifully, and you watched for a while before going over to the bar. Leaning against it, you waited alone for the glass of water you’d ordered to come your way.

To your surprise, when you turned around to pick it up, you found the incubus standing beside you. They were clothed now in a loose, white t-shirt that mostly hid the form of their beautiful body beneath, but anyone who had seen them dancing knew what lay under the shapeless top anyway. Their long legs were still on full display though, covered down to the mid thigh by the white t-shirt, and they wore a pair of platform heels that did obscene things to the muscles of their thighs and drew the attention of passers by.

“Hi,” you smiled, not wanting to be seen as prudish, especially after they’d witnessed your exit during their spectacular performance. “You dance beautifully…”

“Thanks,” they smiled. “Can I get you a drink since I didn’t manage to get you that coffee this morning?”

You tilted your head. “Why?”

Their smile broadened. “It’s your birthday, and I didn’t get to give you your actual present.”

Something anxious twisted inside you. “My actual present?”

“Mmm,” the incubus hummed. “Your friends were hoping I’d give you a private show.”

“They were?” you asked, turning to find Erin graining at you from the other end of the bar. “They already paid you?”

You watched with sinking dread as they nodded. When they saw your evident lack of enthusiasm, however, they said, “I don’t have to though. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

“It’s not that,” you said. “And I don’t doubt your… uh… talents… I just… I’d rather have something… real, you know?”

“It’s just a lap dance,” they said, prickling slightly.

“I know,” you hastened to reassure them in case they thought you were thinking of other things they could be doing to you which the club definitely wouldn’t allow. “I’m not suggesting otherwise. I just mean… this isn’t really my thing, you know?”

That sad expression you’d seen earlier crept back into their red eyes and they nodded. “Not everyone is comfortable with being around an incubus. I understand. Let me use the money to get you a drink, and you can give the rest back to your friends.”

The congealing atmosphere between you suddenly made you want to choke. As they turned away, you reached for them and grabbed their forearm. The tattoos on their arm flared white hot and you gasped, reeling backwards as a short but intense blast of energy sent you staggering backwards. You hit the bar and wheezed as the air was knocked from your chest.

“Fuck,” the incubus gasped, darting over. “I’m sorry. Are you alright?”

This was not going the way you hoped at all. “What was that? I didn’t mean… I wasn’t going to hurt you…”

“They’re protection runes,” the incubus explained, touching you carefully at the elbow to steady you and get you to raise your head a little. “They stop people grabbing me while I’m working…”

“That happens a lot?” you asked, flexing and making sure nothing was bruised. You were fine. Surprised and winded, but fine.

With a wry look, they admitted, “It’s an… occupational hazard.”

A few people were watching the exchange now, tossing you dirty looks, and you wanted nothing more than to leave the place altogether. “Look, I didn’t mean any harm. I was just trying to get your attention before you went.”

“Well it worked,” they grinned, and you found yourself laughing. They glowered over their shoulder, and the small audience bustled off elsewhere.

“Guess it did.”

“Should we start over?”

You looked at them and nodded. “Sure.”

“I’m Ferren,” they said, extending their hand to you. When you eyed it warily, they laughed. “It won’t hurt you.”

Taking it, you saw the black, geometric shapes pulse white for a moment and let the tingling rush of sensation sweep through you at the contact. Then rather hoarsely, you grunted your own name. Their fingers tightened around yours and then they withdrew. “I’m sorry,” you said. “I… I get the feeling like I’ve insulted you, but I didn’t mean to, I promise.”

“Honestly, I understand,” they said. “Some people like the rush that being around an incubus gives them, and for others it feels… unnatural. I’ll be careful with my ‘influence’ around you.”

“Is that what happened earlier today?” you asked as you let them steer you towards the quieter end of the bar.

They shrugged. “I don’t normally have to be so active about controlling it. Normally I actively have to concentrate to turn it on, as it were, you know? To affect people I really have to try.”

“But not with me?”

“Apparently not,” they chuckled ruefully. “Now, please, for the love of all the gods, will you let me get you a drink?”

You nodded.

What began with one drink on your birthday turned into an hour spent at the bar talking with Ferren about everything, from how they began at dance school, and would have gone into the ballet if they hadn’t suffered with a suspensory ligament injury at sixteen, to how they lived in a small, traditional caravan on the edge of Starfall Springs and loved sour apple sweets almost more than anything.

Drinks that night turned into coffee the next morning - despite the late hour at which you’d returned home - and coffee the next morning turned into a long walk along the seafront, lunch, and then takeaway supper, eaten on a bench overlooking the cliffs just outside the small town.

“Ferren,” you sighed, setting your small container down on the ground beside the bench.

“Mmm?”

“How… How did this happen?”

“How did what happen?” they asked, “You mean ‘what geological forces created these cliffs?’ or ‘how does the tide go in and out?’ or —”

“— no,” you snorted and turned to face them. “How did I end up spending the entire day with you when it was only supposed to be coffee this morning? Is this that incubus charm of yours, or is it just… you?”

“It’s just me,” they said a little dazedly, staring into the depths of their own unfinished food box. “I promise I haven’t used even a scrap of my magic on you. I’ve been really careful.”

At that, you sat up and looked at them a little more closely. In the afternoon light, with the softly refracted light from the waves below casting a cool glow on their lilac face and dark red eyes, they looked like a sculpture or even a doll. Their skin was flawless, their lips full but without pout or pretence. They were just… themselves. Not a dancer, not even an incubus, just… Ferren. “You sound… You sound as if that’s not exactly common for you?”

They shrugged. “People expect us to be promiscuous. I’m used to one night stands and quick fumbles in out of the way corners. It’s been a long time since anyone’s just… listened to me like you have. I hope I haven’t bored you.”

“Bored me? Ferren, I’ve never had such a full day go by so quickly in my life! I still just thought that… maybe it wasn’t real somehow… that you’d just made me feel at ease around you…”

“So you’d fall into my arms and into my bed, you mean?” they asked with a bitterness that cut deep.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know anything about your kind. I was wrong to assume…”

They shook their head and a few strands of their white hair wafted into their eyes. On a whim, you reached up and tucked them back behind the tapering line of their ear and they shuddered noticeably.

“Should I not have touched you again?” you asked, glancing at their tattoos which, mercifully, remained dull and dark.

“No,” they hissed, turning to face you fully. “Gods, no, I… I want your touch but… I don’t want to freak you out. I want it to be what you want…”

“Kiss me,” you breathed.

Their red eyes widened and their lips parted. “Are you sure?”

You were. They were beautiful and gentle and sweet, and you wanted nothing more than to kiss them. “Can you sense my energy?” you asked.

In return, you were met with a question of their own. “Are you asking me to use my magic on you?”

“If that means finding out how I feel, then yes.”

Raising their elegant, tattooed hand to your face, they traced the line of your eyebrow with the pad of their thumb, and then circled your temple. Their eyes glowed as if lit by the sunset from behind, and they opened their mouth, inhaling deeply. The light in their eyes flared bright and they gasped, letting go of you suddenly and smiling. Their hand hovered in the space between you like a butterfly caught in amber. That smile though, blinding as always, illuminated their whole face.

Their fingers then moved back and traced your jaw as they leaned in to kiss you, eyes locked on yours until you let them flutter shut against the rising tide of emotion inside you.

Ferren’s kiss began with breathtaking tenderness, but the moment you let slip a groan, it deepened and they let their tongue taste you. You were sure you tasted of the meal you’d just shared, but honestly, it didn’t matter. You reached for them and tugged them closer until they shifted and instead sat straddling you on the bench, their knees on the wood of the seat on either side of your thighs. Their hardness ground against you as they kissed you, and you gasped as they pushed you back against the bench.

The air shimmered around them like a dusty road in summer, and you stared in open wonder at them for a moment as they drew away and tipped their head back. Another shudder ran right through them and their tattoos began to glow again.

“Ferren?” you asked, cautiously trailing a fingertip over the white lines on their neck that had, only a moment before, been black.

“I haven’t felt like this since I was a teenager,” they panted. “Your energy is incredible. I feel… I feel drunk…”

“You need to stop?”

“We probably shouldn’t do this out here on a public bench,” they laughed, their voice breathless and rasping.

“Your place or mine?” you asked.

“Mine’s small,” they said, letting their head roll forward again to let them look at you, “But it’s up to you. You really want to do this?”

“Can’t you tell by now?” you smiled. If this was all ‘you’, it felt fantastic.

Their answer was a smirk, but they clambered off you, hooves clopping on the stone path beneath the bench, and you saw the obvious tent in their trousers. They raised their eyebrows at you and the smirk became a broad, amused grin. “What a state you've left me in, eh? How are you with teleportation?”

“Excuse me?” you asked, surprised by the conversational sidestep.

They held out their hand to you and that inky darkness began to swirl around them, beginning at their hand and working up their body.

“I have no idea,” you said taking the offered hand and standing. “Does it hurt?”

“Not at all,” they smiled as they pulled you close to their chest. “Ready?”

“I have no idea,” you said, “But I trust you.” And you did. Despite having only met them the previous day, you absolutely did trust them, which was rare for you.

The darkness billowed up around you and obliterated your vision, but when it cleared, you were standing in the centre of a small, cosy, colourful waggon, with an arching, painted wooden roof to create a cylindrical space. At one end was a bed that took up the width of the tiny waggon, and it was towards that that Ferren led you, still holding your hand. The whole thing felt extremely personal and intimate in a way you’d not been expecting. This was their home, their sanctuary, and they were sharing it with you.

They lay you down on your back and you rested on your elbows as they undressed you slowly, reverently, revealing your body inch by inch. “You’re stunning,” they whispered once you were completely naked. And, under the vehemence of that ruby red gaze, you actually believed that they meant it. They didn’t waste any time in divesting themselves either, and when they stood before you, you gasped. You’d seen most of them already on stage only recently, but somehow this felt entirely different here. This was just for you.

“I won’t feed on your energy unless you tell me to,” they assured you as they pressed kiss after kiss up your inner thigh until you were gasping and bucking beneath them, begging with your whole body for them to touch you where you truly needed it. “Look at what a mess you’re making of yourself,” they crooned when they finally deigned to turn their attention to your arousal. And it was true.

“Please…” you hissed, head thrown back into the pillow behind you while they still only teased. “Gods, please!”

At the feel of their mouth on you, you bucked, but they held you steady with surprisingly strong hands, and you were nearly tumbling over the edge into orgasm in moments.

“I want… I want you to…” You tried to speak but your mind kept being wiped repeatedly blank by the waves of pleasure that their wicked tongue and devilishly hot mouth sent rolling through you.

Pausing, they hummed their question against you and you yelped a broken cry at the vibration of it, fingers scrunching their sheets to a tangle beneath you.

“I want to feel what it’s like,” you managed, speaking more deliberately this time and trying to focus. It didn’t really work because they started circling their tongue while they stared questioningly up at you with those red eyes. “Oh gods… What it’s like when you… I want you to…”

They licked a long, teasing stripe and you arched again and swore. “You want me to feed on you?” they purred. “Truly? You’ll make me come just from that you know? You’ll make me spill untouched. I can already tell.”

“I want you to come on me,” you said, trailing your fingers up your stomach for emphasis and Ferren inhaled sharply, pupils blowing wide until their irises were little more than a slim halo of ruby, glowing like hot embers.

Without a word, they moved so that they could keep pleasuring you with one hand while lying beside you. They kissed at your neck, raking their twin set of double canines over your skin, slowing the pace until it was too slow for you to come just yet, but more intense than you’d ever experienced in your entire life. You felt like you were going to tear apart at the seams and burst with want. “Ready?” they whispered in your ear and you shivered inarticulately.

Their tattoos pulsed white, then faded, then flared bright again. They opened their mouth and you stared, amazed, as a coiling, shimmering mist began to float towards them from you. At the same time, your body ignited from within and you yelled with pleasure. White hot and searing, the sensations came from everywhere, not just where they touched you, and you convulsed as your orgasm tore through you with a blinding intensity.

You didn’t even notice that Ferren had shifted and was now lying atop you, cock in hand. They spilled over you a second later, forehead coming down to rest on your collarbone as they emptied themselves all over your stomach and halfway up your chest. That strange energy still twisted between you as they jerked and twitched, finally lying still atop you.

“Gods,” they hissed, a good few minutes later. “Gods, I’ve never ever come like that…”

You shifted and grunted softly beneath them, and they slithered off you to lie on the narrow sliver of bed beside you.

“You alight?” you heard them whisper.

“Are you?”

With a little chuckle, they said, “Ask me again in about ten minutes.”

“Ten minutes?” you asked, feigning coy disappointment.

They shot you a sidelong look and laughed. “Alight, five. Tops.”

___

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#exophilia #incubus #incubus x reader #monster x reader #monster lover #non binary monster #non binary character #gender neutral reader

812 notes · View notes

waitimcomingtoo · 4 years

Note

Hey, so never really request things, but I really like your writing so here goes nothing. Would you be willing to write a Tom Holland and Reader fic where the reader has a stalker and her and Tom are best friends, but she’s too scared and panicked to tell anyone until one night when she realizes a cats following her when she’s walking home and she runs to Tom’s instead. Really fluffy and love confessions please? If not, that’s ok too, I love all your work!❤️

Every Smile You Fake

Pairing: Tom Holland x Reader

Synopsis: You can’t tell your best friend about your stalker

Warning: a stalker and an incredibly unrealistic police procedure

Masterlist

“Happy birthday, pretty lady.” The ladies in your office greeted you as you arrived for your internship. You beamed as they enveloped you in hugs, a chorus of birthday wishes eliciting from the group.

“Thank you, thank you.” You smiled as you hugged them back, squeezing whoever’s hand you could reach.

“Your boyfriend left you something on your desk.” One of your co-workers winked at you, making the rest of the girls ‘ooo’ and ‘ahh’.

“We’ve been over this, Tammy. I don’t have a boyfriend.” You reminded her as you brushed some hair out of your face. Tom had been seen around the office too many times for them to believe you were actually just friends, as you claimed to be.

“Oh yeah? Tell that to the giant bouquet in your office.” Tammy turned you around and pushed you towards your desk. You could see a large bouquet of yellow and red roses on your desk and blushed a little at the sight. You looked over your shoulder at Tammy and swatted her hands away before walking over to your desk. You did that thing where you pretend to ignore the gift until you’ve read the card and picked up the note sticking out of the bouquet.

“What’s it say?” One of your co-workers asked as they rest of them leaned in to listen. You rolled your eyes at them before reading the note out loud.

“My love,

Today is the most special day of the year. It’s the anniversary of the day you graced us with your presence. I regard that as the greatest thing to ever happen to this earth. Happy birthday.” You read, earning a series of aw’s from the rest of the office.

“He called you his love.” Tammy gushed.

“Does he know he’s not your boyfriend?” Another co-worker asked and the rest laughed.

“Yes, he does. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have phone calls to be answering.” You dismissed the girls and got to work. The rest of the day went by quickly thanks to the ladies in your office. They surprised you with a cupcake at lunch and walked with you to your car at the end of the workday.

“So how are you celebrating? We’d love to take you out for dinner.” Tammy asked as she unlocked her car.

“Thank you, but I have plans with Tom.” You said, anticipating the reaction it’d get. Sure enough, Tammy put her hand over her heart and grinned.

“Ohhh. Of course she does.” She teased you.

“Stop it. He’s just a friend.” You reminded them. You stopped short when you noticed an unfamiliar car parked next to yours. You’d been working at the office long enough to recognize all the cars in the small lot. “Huh.”

“What’s wrong?” Tammy asked when she noticed your confused expression.

“Did we hire a new employee? I’ve never seen this car before.” You pointed to the maroon car next to yours.

“Me either.” Tammy stared at it for a moment and shrugged. “Probably a new janitor.”

You nodded and let it go, hugging Tammy goodbye for driving to Tom’s house.

You pulled into his driveway and fixed your skirt before knocking on his door. Tom opened it in no time, taking a moment to take in your appearance before pulling you into a hug. He lifted you off the ground and walked into his house, shutting the door behind him with his butt as he hugged you. You laughed in his embrace and he gently put you down.

“Wait here.” He told you, leaving you in his living room as he ran into the kitchen. “And thank you for wearing the pencil skirt.” He called.

“Well I know how much you love it.” You laughed, always flustered by Toms love of your work clothes. Tom reappeared with his hands behind his back and a cheeky smile on his face.

“Happy birthday, darling.” He said as he presented you with a homemade cupcake. Your eyes lit up in delight as you took the cupcake. You took a bite as Tom kissed your nose, getting frosting on both your faces.

“Thank you.” You said as you swiped your finger through the frosting and licked it off. “And thank you for the flowers.”

“Flowers?” Toms tilted his head in confusion as he picked a piece of you cupcake off and put it in his mouth.

“The ones you sent to my workplace.” You laughed at his poor memory.

“I didn’t send you any flowers.” Tom laughed back and you stared at him in surprise. “I did, however, bake you this mediocre cupcake. So, you’re welcome for that.”

“Oh, you know how much I love mediocre birthday treats.” You said sarcastically as you smeared some frosting on his nose. “Did you burn the bottom?” You wiggles your eyebrows.

“You know I did, baby.” Tom playfully slapped you with a towel as he walked back into the kitchen, you following behind him. You shared a happy glance and Tom let his linger a while after you looked away. “So uh, who did send those flowers?”

“I’m not sure. Probably some of the girls at work.” You shrugged as you took a seat on one of his barstools. You knew that wasn’t true judging by their reaction to the bouquet, but you didn’t want Tom to worry. But if Tom hadn’t sent them, who had?

“No secret admirers I might have to fight off? As your best friend, that’s legally my job.” He told you as he leaned across the counter to be closer to you.

“No. I think you’re okay.” You giggled, happening to glance upwards right as a car drove by. The maroon hue reminded you of the one parked next to yours earlier in the day. You shook your head and turned your attention back to Tom, letting the car completely slip from your memory until the following week.

“What’s wrong? You’re quiet today.” Tom put his hand over yours and rubbed it with his thumb. You were meeting him at a cafe for your lunch break, like you often did, but you were particularly quiet, like you often weren’t .

“Breakfast is sick.” You said as you put your cup down. Tom looked at you sympathetically, knowing how much you loved that dog, and tried to cheer you up.

“Sick of that name, I’d imagine.” He teased and you let out a short laugh. “What’s wrong with her?”

“She’s been house broken for 7 years but all the sudden, she’s having accidents everyday. And she won’t eat. I even put little strips of bacon in her bowl and she still won’t touch it.” You sighed and Tom nodded.

“Have you taken her to the vet?” He asked and you looked down at your cup.

“No. I can’t.” You told him. As you looked up at him, you noticed a familiar maroon car parked outside the shop. You quickly looked away, not wanting to get yourself worked up over nothing.

“Why not?” He asked, checking behind him to see what you were staring at.

“Because the last time I took a pet to the vet, I never saw them again.” You answered and he squeezed your hand to comfort you.

“You had another dog?“ he wondered.

“No. It’s was my cat.” You responded. “She had to be put down before I met you.”

“Her name wasn’t Dinner was it?” Tom teased, pleased when it made you smile.

“Sherlock.” You said sheepishly.

“Sherlock?” He leaned closer.

“I was little and a big fan, okay?” You defended yourself and he laughed at your expense.

“What if we take Breakfast to the vet together? Will that make you less nervous?” Tom offered.

“It might.” You shrugged as you sipped your tea.

“Then we’ll go on Saturday.” He patted your hand and withdrew it.

“Thanks, Tom.” You smiled in appreciation at him.

“I got you, girlie.” He smirked and took a sip of his own tea before clinking it with yours. “And come over after we go to the vet. I’ll cook you dinner.”

“I thought you were trying to cheer me up.” You poked fun at his cooking and he opened his mouth in mock hurt.

“I’ll see you at eight?” He raised an eyebrow, knowing you’d be over anyway.

“Yes you will.” You confirmed as you shook a sugar packet and stirred it into your cup. You finished up at the cafe and returned to your office. The rest of the work day went by quickly and before you knew it, you were home.

You threw your keys in the bowl by the door and slipped your jacket off. You walked into your bedroom, kicking off your boots when you noticed a note on your bed. You smiled as wandered over to it and picked it off your pillow.

“My love,

I hate to see you troubled. You will be able to get through this. I believe you can get through anything. That’s one of the things I love about you.” You read from the note. You sighed happily at Tom’s sweet gesture, not even bothering too wonder when he had time to come over and leave the note.

You arrived at Tom’s house a little late that Saturday after you dropped Breakfast off at your apartment. The vet said she was fine, just getting old. You shut the door behind you and locked it, calling out to Tom to alert him of your presence.

“Mm, I love it when you’re half an hour late. Really keeps me on my toes.” Tom teased you as he enveloped you in a hug.

“Shut up.” You laughed as you set your purse on his couch. “Traffic was really bad. The car behind me was totally up my butt. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think they were coming here too.” You blew your hair out of you face and took a seat on his barstool.

“Maybe they heard about my incredible cooking skills.” Tom grinned before giving you a kiss on the cheek to say hello. You began to get plates and cups out and set them on the table. You noticed the candles he had set out, all a different scent, and smiled at his gesture.

“Maybe. But they definitely didn’t hear it from me.” You poked his side and stole a tomato from his pile of ingredients.

“Hey.” He said softly, turning the stove off and transferring the pasta onto the two plates you set out.

“I’m sorry. You know I love your disgusting cooking.” You put a hand in his back and rubbed it for a moment to apologize. “I got your note, by the way. Thanks for cheering me up.”

“Note?” Tom asked as he put a plate in front of you and handed you a fork.

“The one you left on my pillow. It said you loved me and I’d be able to get through this.” You explained, feeling your body chill when his face didn’t show any sign of recognition. “You didn’t write that?”

“I do love you and you will be able to get through this, but I didn’t leave that note.” Tom said as he took a bite of his pasta. You quickly sipped your water, your mouth having gone completely dry. If he didn’t send the flowers and he didn’t leave the note, then who did?

“Oh, okay.” You chuckled nervously. “Must’ve been someone else.”

Only it wasn’t. It couldn’t be. Tom was the only person you told about the problem.

“Someone else is leaving love letters on your pillow?” Tom asked skeptically as he pushed his food around his plate. “Are you seeing someone or something?”

Your mind flashed to the car you had been seeing around lately, making a mental note to check the license plate next time you saw it.

“Something like that.” You said quietly. You didn’t want to worry Tom, especially if there was nothing to worry about yet. You could chalk the car up to being a coincidence, but you had no explanation for the notes. His eyebrows knit together and he stabbed a piece of pasta rather aggressively.

“Who?” He asked, his body language changing to show his insecurity. You but your lip and debated telling Tom about what had been going on, but ultimately decided against it. If you said it out loud, that would make things real.

You thought you had a stalker.

“Nobody.” You said stiffly and gave him a fake smile. He dropped the topic for the rest of your time there, and it slipped your mind as well. You didn’t think about your potential stalker until the next day when you checked your mailbox. Your stomach fell when you found something on top of your usual pile of magazines and bills.

Another note.

“My love,

I hope this note finds you well. You don’t seem to be appreciating my advances as you should be. Is there another in your life trying to take my place? Maybe that brunette I often see you with. Is he a treat, my love? Has he turned your head? Don’t be scared. I only want what’s best for you. What’s best for us. Don’t go to the police or there will be consequences. I love you.”

You crumpled up the note as tears filled your eyes. You looked around for anyone who might have left the note, but found yourself alone. You quickly made your way back to your apartment, locking yourself in there for the next four days.

Tom texted you constantly, but you were too on edge to give him your attention. You told the girls at work that you were sick, not wanting to risk your stalker showing up at your workplace and putting them in danger. You decided the safest move was to stay home, out of harms way. The door was locked, as well as all the windows. To increase your security, you positioned yourself in a chair in front of the door to watch it. You barely slept or ate, only leaving the chair to use the bathroom. On the fifth day of hiding out, your phone ringing made you jump. You saw atoms contact name and shakily raised the phone to your ear.

“Hello?” You said quietly, in case anyone was listening.

“Hello? Four days of silence and that’s all I get? Where have you been girlie?” Tom asked, sounding annoyed and concerned all at once. You kept your eyes on the door, watching the doorknob carefully for any movement.

“I’ve been…busy.” You lied. You knew he deserved a better excuse but you were in no position to give him one.

“Come over” He whined and you stiffened. You’d love to be safe at his house but you were too scared to go outside. You had the blinds drawn and hadn’t seen sunlight in days. You didn’t want Tom to see you like that.

“I can’t.” You stammered, beginning to get emotional. You didn’t want to lie to him, in fact, you wanted nothing more than to cry into his arms and let him comfort you. But that could put him in danger, and you couldn’t have that.

“Why not? I haven’t seen you in days.” He complained and you laughed sadly. “I need my fill. I think I’m going through withdrawal.”

“I’m busy, okay?” You repeated, wishing he’d accept that answer and let it go.

“So come be busy with me.” He said, and you could hear his pout through the phone.

“No, Tom.” You said sternly. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for us to see each other for a while.”

“What? Why?” He asked, the hurt in his voice sending a deep pain through you.

“Because I don’t want to see you, okay?” You snapped, not knowing how else to get rid of him. Tom was quiet for a moment and all you could hear was his breathing.

“Is this about the guy you’re seeing?” He said suddenly and you wanted to cry. He was given you an out, but it was gonna kill you to take it.

“Yes.” You said and bit your lip to keep from crying. “It is.”

“Okay.” He sighed and a tear rolled down your cheek. “Sorry. I’ll leave you alone.”

As soon as he hung up, you let yourself cry. Whoever was stalking you was ruining your relationship with Tom. You stood up and kicked the chair over before retreating to your bedroom.

After a restless night, you woke up around 3 the next day to someone knocking at your door. You hesitantly approached the door, baseball bat hidden behind your back. You looked through the peephole and sighed in relief when you saw your neighbor.

“Hey, Y/n. Are you all right?” Your elderly neighbor asked you.

“Yeah, I’m fine Mrs. Beverly. I’m just getting over a cold.” You lied and she nodded in understanding.

“I need to ask you for a favor.” She asked. “My grandson left his phone at home and he’s playing baseball at the park a few blocks from here. I was supposed to pick him up at 4 but I need to take my cat to the vet. Do you think you could drive down there and pick him up? I don’t know how long I’ll be at the vet and it’s in the opposite direction of the park.”

“That’s no problem, Mrs. Beverly.” You gave her a tight lipped smile. “I hope your cat is okay.”

“Thank you, dear. I’ll see you later.” She waved goodbye and left. You sighed and closed your door, dreading having to leave your apartment. You couldn’t say no to her, but now you actually had to go outside. You decided a quick drive to the park wasn’t lethal and took a quick shower to get ready. You threw on some clothes and by then, it was time to go. As you neared your car in the parking garage, you noticed the maroon car parked next to it. The sight of it struck fear in your heart and you immediately turned on your heel to leave the garage. You walked the short blocks to the park, looking over your shoulder the entire way there. You got to the park as quick as you could and found Mrs. Beverly’s grandson amongst a group of kids. After he told you he was going out with some friends for ice cream, you took a seat on the bleachers to catch your breath. You didn’t blame the strange looks the children were giving you. You knew you looked a mess. After taking a moment to breathe, you began your walk home.

It wasn’t long before you heard a car driving behind you. You slowly turned around and saw the same maroon car that was following you. You felt sick to your stomach when you realized no one was around to help you. You turned back around and kept walking, trying to stay as calm as possible. You could see the car following you out of your peripheral vision and quickened your pace. You got to your apartment but kept walking, not trusting yourself to get to safety in time. The possibility of getting into the elevator or stairwell with whoever was following you was too great. You walked a few more blocks until your reached Toms neighborhood. You ducked behind a giant bush and ran through his neighbors backyards to make a quick escape. When you didn’t see the car behind you anymore, you darted to his house and banged on his front door. He opened it in no time and you rushed inside, shutting the door behind you and locking it. You leaned your back against the door and panted, all while Tom stared at you quizzically.

“Hey.” You said sheepishly. You knew you looked crazy. And you knew the way you spoke to him the day before made the situation even worse.

“Hey.” He said softly. You could tell he was hurt and it broke you into pieces. He turned around and went back to the kitchen, wordlessly inviting you inside. You shut the curtains before you joined him and made sure the windows were locked.

“I was just making some pasta. You’re welcome to join me because I don’t know how to measure things. I’m pretty sure I made enough for a football team and who are you talking too?” The subject of his sentence quickly diverged, making you jump a little.

“What?” You asked, surprised by his assertive tone. The playfulness he usually had with you was long gone.

“You keep mentioning somebody that you’re talking to. The guy who left the note. Probably the same guy who gave you those flowers.” Tom said bitterly and you looked down in shame. “Is he the reason you don’t want to see me?”

“That’s not…no, Tom.” Your voice was weak as you silently pleaded with him not to start something.

“I just want to know, okay? I don’t care if you’re seeing somebody.” He paused, knowing he was lying. “It’s just weird that you didn’t tell me. We’re best friends-“

“-I know.” You cut in.

“I thought we told each other everything.” He looked at you and shrugged.

“We don’t.” You said quietly, feeling fear rise in your throat again.

“Why not? Did I do something? Do you not trust me?” He asked as he leaned on the counter. You rubbed your neck and swallowed hard, glancing over your shoulder out of habit.

“I don’t know who to trust anymore.” You whispered as a tear slipped from your eye. Toms angry body language shifted to that oj sympathy and he walked around the kitchen island to rest his hands on your shoulders.

“Is something wrong?” He asked gently as he rubbed your shoulders. You bit your lip tearfully as you nodded.

“What’s going on? You can tell me.” He said as he took the seat next to you.

“I’ve been seeing someone.” You admitted for the first time.

“I know that-“

“No.” You cut him off in fear of losing your nerve. “I’ve been seeing a car. The same maroon car every day now for a month. I thought it was a coincidence at first but then I saw the license plate and now I see it everywhere. It’s parked outside the stores I’m in, it’s in my parking garage at work,” You welled up with tears as you recalled the sightings and Tom took your hands in his, “and it followed me home tonight. I-I didn’t know what to do. I just panicked and came here. I’m so sorry.”

“What are you sorry for?” He asked as he took a napkin from the table and wiped your eyes. You smiled gratefully and took the napkin from him.

“Because it could be outside right now.” You said lowly, and Tom could see the fear in your eyes.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were being followed?” He asked, desperate to know why you kept something of this nature from him.

“I’m scared, Tom.” You breathed. “I’m scared everyday. Whoever it is, they’re not just following me. They know things about me. They knew about my dog being sick. They sent me flowers on my birthday to my workplace. If I told you, it could’ve put you at risk.”

“I’m calling the police.” Tom said definitively and went to his phone. “Do you remember the license plate number?” He asked as he held the phone to his ear. “Yeah, hi, I need an officer over at 123 Internet Street. It’s about a possible stalker.”

“They told me not to go to the police.” You got out of your chair and pulled him away from his phone. He immediately went into a drawer and pulled out a pad and a pen.

“Well they didn’t tell me that.” He stated. “Here. Write down the plate number.” He slid through pad towards you.

“Tom-“ You tried to get him to stop.

“Write it down. Now.” He slammed the pen down in front of you, making you jump back. You obeyed his orders and took the pen, writing the license plate number down. You sheepishly slid the pad towards him and his eyes softened when he realized he raised his voice at you.

“I’m such an idiot.” He sniffled, feeling himself get emotional over the situation. You were scared enough and he had made you feel even worse.

“There’re no way you could’ve known.” You put your hand on his but he yanked it away and baled it into a fist, banging the table.

“Oh, yeah?” He challenged. “So I couldn’t have asked you why you’ve been looking over your shoulder lately? Or why you stopped wanting to hang out in public places? How about when you stopped wanting to see me? None of those could’ve let me know something was going on?”

“Please, Tom.” You begged him as you took his face in your hands to calm him down. “Don’t blame yourself for this. I could’ve told you.”

“No. I should’ve known.” He shook his head. “I knew you were acting funny but all I could think about was who sent you those goddamn flowers.” He said through gritted teeth and he hit the table.

“Why are you still hung up on that?” You took your hands off his face, angry now that he wasn’t listening.

“Now is really not the time.” He blew out a hot breath and ran his fingers through his hair.

“I’m already full of nerves, Tom. Whatever it is, just tell me.” You pleaded with him. He looked at you, taking you in for everything you were. You raised your eyebrows, asking him tell you what he was feeling, and he obliged.

“Y/n, for the past few years I-“ He began.

“Police. Open up.” A banging on the door interrupted his moment.

“I’ll…I’ll get it.” You said quietly and went to the door. Tom wiped his face, knowing this wasn’t the right time. You opened the door to two female officers.

“We got a call about a 1036M. What seems to be the problem?” The officer asked you. Tom appeared behind you and opened the door wider.

“My friend believes she’s being stalked.” Tom spoke, but the officers eyes never left you.

“Is this your boyfriend?” She asked you, nodded towards Tom.

“No.” You shook your head and she nodded.

“I’m her-“ Tom tried to explain.

“I think you ought to let her speak.” The officer looked at him sternly. “Is there another room we can speak in?” She asked you kindly.

“Oh, sure. We can go in the bedroom, right Tom?” You asked him.

“Yeah, it’s right this way.” He said, beginning to lead you towards the room.

“I’m sure she can show me.” The officer told him. Her tone changed from sweet to sassy when she addressed Tom. If you weren’t so stressed, you might have laughed.

“Come with me.” You told her and the other officer followed. You and Tom exchanging strange looks as you left the room. She shut the bedroom door behind you as you took a seat on the bed.

“You know, he’s a really nice guy.” You laughed softly.

“The 911 dispatcher heard you when he made the call. We hear a distressed woman, we take every precaution.” The officer explained and you smiled in appreciation. “I also like being rude to men.”

You nodded in understanding as he took out her notepad.

“Can you explain your situation, honey?” She asked you sweetly, and you nodded.

“I think I’m being stalked.” You told her. “I’ve been seeing the same car following me around. And I’ve been getting notes.”

“Notes?” She asked, looking up from her notepad where she was writing everything down.

“Like, love notes.” You explained. “They contain personal details in them.”

“Do you have these notes on your person?” She asked you.

“Yes.” You said, digging in your purse and pulling out the notes you hadn’t crumbled. The officer took them and handed them to the other officer, who put them in a plastic bag.

“Can you describe the car for me, sweetie?” The first officer asked you.

“It’s maroon and the license plate is 7TYP256. I think it’s a station wagon or something.” You said as you looked between the two officers.

“Can you run a license plate for me?” The second officer said into her intercom. “Plate number is 7TYP256, over.”

“That should be a few minutes.” The first officer told you. “Have you ever seen the person leaving these notes?”

“No, but one was left in my house.” You remembered, your mouth drying out at the memory.

“Was anything taken?” She asked you. Tom leaned against the wall on the other side, trying to listen in.

“Nothing other than my ability to sleep at night.” You laughed humorlessly as some noise came through their radios.

“We got a hit on your plate.” The other officer spoke up. “The car belongs to an Andrew Whittemore. Do you recognize that name?”

“Yes.” You thought for a moment, trying to think of where you knew that name. “He was in my history class in college.” You realized. “He asked me out once was I blew him off. I didn’t think anything of it.”

“Have you lived in the same apartment since college?” She asked you.

“Yes. He was even over once for a study group.” You began to panic, not knowing if knowing your stalker made the situation more or less scary.

“See here? He’s been convicted of stalking before. We put an APB out for him.” The first officer said as she showed you something on her screen. You looked and saw a picture of Andrew, older and more worn down from how you remembered him from college.

“Thanks.” You said simply, not knowing what else to say.

“That’s what we’re here for, baby.” The officer told you kindly. “Come on, lets go tell your not-boyfriend what’s going on.”

The three of you walked back into the living room, where Tom was seated on the couch. His posture was perfectly straight, something out of the normal for him. You had a feel he had rushed to the couch when he heard you coming and it made you smile. He made his way to you quickly and nodded at the officers, who were busy conversing with each other and listening to their police radio.

“Is everything okay?” He asked you, running his fingers from your elbows to your hands.

“Yeah.” You nodded, your nervous energy dissipating with his touch. “They actually found the guy.”

“They did?” He asked, looking at the officers with hope.

“We did.” She confirmed. “And my guys just found him a few blocks from here. He had a couple notes on him that were enough evidence to convict him. He’s been taken into custody.”

You sighed in relief and Tom pulled you into his body, letting your back rest against his chest.

“Is there anything else you need from me?” You asked the officers and they shook their heads.

“You’ll have to testify before a court, but don’t worry about that tonight.” One of them told you.

“Thank you.” You said sincerely and the leading officer gave you a warm smile.

“Of course. Have a nice night, ma’am.” They nodded at you before leaving. You stayed silent for a moment as Tom softly stroked your arm.

“What do we do now?” He asked, leaning down to press a comforting kiss to your shoulder. You smiled cheekily and looked up at him.

“Didn’t you say you made some pasta?”

A few hours later, you had washed the dishes together and were relaxing on the couch, your feet in Toms lap.

“It’s late.” You realized when you saw the clock under his TV. “I should probably go.”

“Do you feel safe in that apartment?” He asked you as he rubbed your ankle bone.

“I honestly don’t think I’m ever gonna feel safe again.” You chuckled softly, rubbing your hands over your arms. He watched your sympathetically, wishing there was something more he could do.

“He’s in prison, darling. He can’t get to you.” He said softly. You shrugged and looked at him through your lashes.

“What happens when he gets out?” You whispered. “What’s stopping him from driving right over to my apartment and waiting for me?”

“I’ve been thinking of moving.” Tom said suddenly, giving you a playful smile.

“You and me both.” You laughed and rubbed your tired eyes.

“What if we got a place together?” He scooted a little closer to you. “Somewhere in London, maybe, since you like the city so much.”

“Really?” You lit up, liking the idea already.

“Really.” He smiled. “And you can stay here until you feel ready to go home. I’ll swing by your place tomorrow and get some clothes.”

“I’d like that, Tom. Thank you.” You wrapped your arms around him and stayed there in his embrace. He tilted his face a little to place a kiss on your cheek, looking at you for a moment before clearing his throat.

“I’m happy to do it. You don’t have to thank me.” He said as you pulled out of each other’s embrace. Your hand slid off his shoulder and rested on his chest, where you clutched his shirt slightly, bunching up the fabric to keep him close.

“What were you gonna say before the police came?” You spoke softly.

“I don’t remember.” He lied, not meeting your gaze.

“Don’t lose your nerve now.” You urge. Tom studied your face and took a deep breath.

“I really value your friendship.” He began. “And if I’m overstepping, stop me at anytime but, do you ever want more?”

“More?” You asked.

“Yeah. I’m happy with how we are, believe me. But I can’t help from wanting, I don’t know, more.” He repeated, watching closely for your reaction. “Like, when I kiss you on the cheek sometimes, I wonder what would happen if I just moved over just a few inches and actually kissed you. Or when we’re sitting next to each other on the couch, and I’m cold, and you’re cold, what’s stopping me from pulling you into my lap to warm us both up? I know best friends don’t do that stuff but, I’ve always felt like we’re-“

“More than best friends?” You laughed softly as you finished his sentence.

“Yeah.” He smoked in relief when you understood. “It’s hard to explain. Like, I’m not pinning after you, but if you wanted to be more than friends, I’d want that too. Do you get what I’m trying to say?”

“Funnily enough, I do.” You replied as a smile tugged at your lips.

“Good. Because I’m totally pinning after you.” He admitted with a nervous chuckle. You stared at him and made a decision that if you could face a stalker tonight, you could face your best friend that you were crushing on.

“Tom?” You asked, a coy smile on your face.

“Yeah?” He tilted his head, looking at you fondly with his signature soft brown eyes.

“Pull me into your lap.” You instructed. “Let’s find out what really would happen if you actually kissed me.”

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lady-amethyst18 · 3 years

Text

The Best Known Treatment

Leo was walking home from school. The teachers noticed he wasn't feeling well and sent him to the nurse, to which the nurse told him to go home. Despite being warm out today, Leo felt cold, so he wore a jacket and a scarf around his neck. His throat felt like it was on fire, and he felt tired. He lost his voice too. He would never understand why his parents sent him to school today when he wasn't feeling his best.

He felt another coughing fit coming. He hunched over and covered his mouth with his fist as he coughed. It felt like he was getting punched in the gut every time he coughed. When the coughing fit was over, he pulled out a packet of tissues he brought with him. He pulled one out and spat out the phlegm he coughed up into the material. There were no trashcans nearby, so he had no choice but to stuff the tissue into his other pocket. He just wanted to go home and go to sleep in his warm comfy bed at this point. He didn't want to do anything else.

His stomach was growling. He didn't eat breakfast and he refused to eat his lunch. Every time he swallowed, it felt prickly going down his throat. He would rather go hungry than have to endure the pain again. Just a couple blocks away from his home now, he noticed one of the tims were wandering the streets. Which meant that Balan was nearby. Curiosity took over, and he turned a corner to see. Sure enough, the theater was just across the way. The fuzzball turned around to see if Leo was still following it. But he stopped in place. "I would like to say hello, but I don't feel well... Maybe I'll drop by another time." He said in his head. His throat hurt too much for him to say anything out loud. He started walking away until his stomach gurgled again. The door to the theater opened, and Leo heard a warm and inviting voice. "I heard that." It said.

Balan was at the door, smiling as usual. "I thought you'd be out here. Why don't you come inside, Leo? You sound awfully hungry." He gestured for the boy to come inside. What he really wanted was to just go home and lie down. But the maestro's look of generosity was too much for him. So he decided to walk inside.

The warmth of the theater felt refreshing, even though it was warm outside anyway. Leo took off his jacket but kept the scarf on. He still felt mildly chilled. "I can tell you've had a rough day. Long day at school, I assume?" Balan tried striking up a conversation with the boy. Leo shrugged his shoulders, not knowing how to respond as his throat hurt too much. "You're out relatively early. Is there a special occasion going on? If it is, is it that special for you to skip lunch?" He continued to ask questions only to have no answer. At that point, Balan was starting to get confused and concerned. He turned around and knelt down to his level. "Leo? What's the matter? Why aren't you talking to me?" Leo opened his mouth and stuck out his tongue while pointing at his gaping maw. He also rubbed his throat in discomfort, trying to tell Balan what was wrong.

It finally hit him. "Oh! I get it now! Your throat hurts." He exclaimed. Leo nodded in response. "Well, it's no wonder you haven't eaten anything. It's painful going down, isn't it? That would also explain why you're out of school early." Leo nodded again. Balan pulled him closer as he held him under his arm. "Aw, I'm sorry, Leo. I know how much sore throat sucks. Have you tried gargling warm saltwater?" He recommended. Leo stuck out his tongue and shook his face in disgust. "Oh, it's not that bad. It's very helpful, in fact! Have you ever even tried?" Leo looked away from Balan's gaze and just barely shrugged his shoulders. He guessed the boy never tried.

"I'm sure it will make you feel a bit better, Leo. Come on, let's give it a try." He guided Leo to the bathroom, where he grabbed a small cup and filled it with warm water. With a snap of his fingers, a salt shaker appeared in his hand and sprinkled it into the water while grabbing a little stirrer to mix up the solution. "Here you go, Leo. Try it." Said Balan as he offered the glass to him. Leo covered his mouth and shook his head while holding out his hand. He didn't want to drink it. "Come on now, my boy. It's not like you're swallowing it. You just gargle with it and spit it back out when you're done. Sure, it might not taste great, but it'll help relieve some of the pain. I promise." Leo still refused to do it.

Looks like Leo was one of those picky patients that refused to take their medicine. Balan tried to think of a way to get him to take the solution. "Tell you what, Leo." He started. "If you take this solution just this once, I'll give you a treat in the end. Be it a popsicle or hot chocolate. How does that sound?" Balan found Leo's weakness when he mentioned hot chocolate. He remembered his mom saying something about how warm liquids often soothed a sore throat. Plus, how could he turn down hot chocolate? Leo sighed heavily and took the glass. "Very good," Balan said. "I'll go see if there's anything in the kitchen for you to eat. Preferably something warm and soft. Does that sound good to you?" Leo nodded his head. He forgot he was starving as he hasn't eaten anything recently.

One of the tims hopped up on the table, chirping. "Make sure he actually takes it, alright?" Balan told the critter. It nodded in response and started looking at Leo. "Meet me in the dining room when you're done. Ok? You just have to do it once." Leo rolled his eyes but gave a thumbs up anyway. With that, Balan disappeared.

Leo looked at the glass of warm saltwater. The thought of him drinking saltwater disgusted him. But he wanted this sore throat to go away. Besides, Balan never steered him wrong, right? He took a deep breath a took a large slurp from the glass. He gargled as he was supposed to and spat it out into the sink at the end. He admitted it wasn't as bad as he thought it was. The warm water felt lubricating almost, despite it being salty. Oddly enough, it did help. Leo cleared his throat as he was trying to get his voice back. "One... Two... One... Two." He counted. The closest he could get to speaking was at a whisper. Not much progress, but at least he could talk somewhat again.

Leo looked for the dining room around the theater. The tim that was with him guided him through the hallways to find the right room. When Leo finally arrived, Balan brought in a jar with some golden, gooey, viscous liquid inside. "Ah, there you are, Leo. Did you gargle with the solution?" Leo tried to muster whatever words could come out. "Yeah. I did." He whispered. "Sure sounds like you did. Now before you get your treat, I want you to do one more thing for me." He opened the jar and scooped out the liquid with a spoon. "What's that? Cough syrup?" Leo asked, his voice still raspy and sore. Balan chuckled. "Somewhat, yes. It's just honey. It's perfect for sore throat. Just take a spoonful of this, and it will help make your throat less scratchy." He knelt down to Leo's level with the spoonful of honey in his hand. With no other choice, Leo opened his mouth and Balan spoonfed him the honey. After gargling the saltwater solution, it felt good to eat something sweet.

Eating the honey made his throat feel a little better. It felt a little less prickly when he swallowed, and he could raise his voice a tiny bit louder. "There now. How do you feel?' Balan asked. Leo cleared his throat. "That does help. Thanks." Before he could get another word in, Balan stuck a thermometer in Leo's mouth and grabbed a stethoscope to listen to his chest. "Tell me, Leo, when did you start feeling bad?" He asked. Although the sudden checkup caught him by surprise, he answered anyway. "Uh... This morning." He replied. "How do you think you caught this?" Balan took a magnifying glass and looked through his eyes. "I think I caught it from my parents. One of my dad's co-workers got him sick. And then my mom got sick, and now I'm sick. They sent me to school anyway. But the nurse told me to go home." "It didn't really hit you until later in the day, did it?" Leo cocked his head to the side, a sign of saying yes.

Balan took the thermometer out of Leo's mouth and examined it. "Well, the good news is you don't have a fever. Seems to me you've got a touch of laryngitis. But don't worry. It's easily treated." He assured. "Yeah, Balan. This brings me to the question." Leo spoke up. "How did you know saltwater and honey help a sore throat?" Balan chuckled again. "Oh, Leo, I'm no stranger to a sore throat. I've had it before." He paused. "... Uh... Grant it, I can't really remember the last time I've had it, but I know it's a pain in the rear. Plus, I have a friend who's an expert in home remedies. They told me that honey can work wonders for laryngitis." Leo smiled at him.

His stomach growled again, and Balan laughed in response. "Oh my, we can't forget about that, can we? Come, sit down at the table. Do you like macaroni and cheese?" He asked. Leo smiled and nodded his head. It was both warm and soft and wouldn't feel as prickly when going down his throat. He was about to sit at the table until his nose felt itchy. As if the sore throat wasn't bad enough, now he felt the sneezing coming back. He reached into his pocket for his packet of tissues only to find them empty. He used them all up after spitting up so much phlegm at school. Leo held a finger to his nose, trying to prevent the sneeze. Noticing this, Balan pulled out a handkerchief from his sleeve and held it out in front of Leo. "Here, my boy. Sneeze into this." He said. Leo pulled his finger away from his nose and flung himself forward into the rag as he sneezed. "ACHOO!"

"Bless you." Balan said, wiping Leo's nose. Leo took the handkerchief from Balan to clean himself up. "Thanks. Sorry about that. I'll wash it when I get home." He said. "Oh, you don't have to worry about that, Leo. I have plenty more. You can keep that one if you like." Balan gently said. Leo shrugged and stuffed the handkerchief in his pocket. Finally, he sat at the table.

One of Balan's clones came in with the pot of mac and cheese. It ladled some into both bowls and handed Leo a mug that was topped with whipped cream. "This is your reward for gargling with the saltwater, Leo. I kept my end of the bargain, and now you get your treat. I know how much you like hot chocolate. Plus, this will help with your sore throat." Balan said. Leo licked his lips, practically salivating over the beverage. He took the mug and immediately began guzzling it down. Balan couldn't help but laugh as Leo chugged the drink. "Does that feel better?" He asked. Leo stopped chugging his drink and sighed in delight. "Much, thank you. I didn't know how much I needed that." Balan smiled. "That's good to hear. Now eat up before it gets cold. It's a good idea to eat a little when you're feeling sick." He advised. Leo nodded and started eating the pasta.

Balan was surprised by how fast the boy was eating, despite his throat hurting. He was practically shoveling the food in his gullet and not stopping while drinking his mug of hot chocolate as well. The maestro took it as a sign that he was starting to feel better now that his throat hurt a little less. The poor boy was starving because of his ailment. Leo finished his bowl of mac and cheese and his mug of hot chocolate in no time at all. He sighed in relief now that his belly was full. "My, my. You indeed WERE hungry. Need seconds?" Balan asked. Leo just pushed the bowl away from him. "I would love some more, but I really gotta get home. I just want to go to bed at this point." He cleared his throat to help his still raspy voice. Balan nodded and stood from the table. "That sounds like a good idea. I'll escort you to the door." He warmly said.

Leo grabbed his jacket from the coak rack as the maestro lead him to the door. He knelt down to his level and adjusted Leo's scarf. "You take care of yourself, Leo." He said. "Remember to drink plenty of fluids, take the medicine your parents give you, and get lots of rest. Gargle warm salt water and take a spoonful of honey if you need to. It'll help take away the pain for a little bit. I hope your laryngitis will go away and you get well soon." Leo smiled and hugged the maestro before walking out the door. "Thanks, Balan. Who would've thought you were the best doctor." He said. Balan hugged him back. "Not a doctor. Just experienced. Now you go home and relax, ok?" Leo nodded his head as he walked out the door of the theater.

As Leo was about to turn a corner, he stopped a moment to cough and felt his nose itch again. He groped around in his pocket and pulled out the handkerchief Balan gave him. "ACHOO!" He sneezed. "Bless you!" Balan called at the other end. Leo smiled and waved at him as a way of saying thank you as he headed back home to rest.

#balan wonderworld #fanfiction #leo craig #hurt comfort #balan

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bnhabadass · 4 years

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Valentine’s Day Head Canons for 25 BNHA Valentines

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! I wanted to give back to you guys with a few V-day head canons for some of the best BNHA characters. Hope you all enjoy and have a good rest of your day!

Pairings: Various x reader Warnings: A little suggestive towards the end but nothing smutty or anything

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Midoriya

He’s very traditional. He shows up to class with a box of chocolates and a small teddy bear for you.

As for your date, the two of you will make dinner at the dorms later at night and watch a movie in the common room.

Your friends will probably all try to join your movie night, but you get them to leave eventually once you remind them that today is Valentine’s Day and that this is your date.

Bakugo

The two of you don’t do anything big in front of your friends. You talk between classes and eat lunch together (along with the rest of the Bakusquad) as usual, but everyone was a little concerned when no grand gestures were made by either one of you.

But when you got back to the dorms, you both made excuses to get out of whatever activity your friends were doing, and raced upstairs to Bakugo’s room.

The two of you had this planned out for weeks. Act natural during school like it was any other day, and go to Bakugo’s room for a private dinner, cuddling, and massages later in the evening.

Todoroki

He shows up to class with a bouquet of roses and a small card is tucked between two of the flowers.

That night, he takes you out to a very fancy restaurant for dinner. If you don’t have any fancy clothes, Momo will make you some.

At the end of the night you kiss under the digits of Endeavor’s credit card (lol sorry I had to xD)

Iida

Such a gentleman. He doesn’t let you do anything all day.

You wake up to breakfast in bed, cooked by him of course, and he takes you out to dinner after class.

If you try to do anything for him, he pushes your efforts aside and says “no need to do anything for me. This is your day,” as if it’s a day solely dedicated to you. He did accept the chocolates you bought him though.

Kirishima

During class he wishes you a happy Valentine’s Day and kisses you on the forehead, but that’s all during the day.

In the evening he knocks on your door only for you to open in and see that he’s wearing a full blown tuxedo and has flowers for you.

After you change into something nicer than the pajamas you were wearing, he drives you to what you think will be a fancy restaurant, only Kirishima goes to the McDonalds drive through.

You sit in his car and eat burgers and McFlurries in an empty parking lot while wearing fancy attire. Best Valentine's Day in my opinion.

Kaminari

He tries. He tries so hard but everything he does ends up failing. I feel like the world is just against Kaminari.

He bought you chocolate but accidently left them out and Kirishima and Mina ate them. He buys you roses a week in advance just to make sure he is prepared, but they wilt before he can even give them to you.

You end up making him breakfast so he feels better about it. It’s the thought that counts, right?

Sero

If you are someone who smokes the good kush, he waits until after class to give you your present, and I think we all know why.

He takes you upstairs to his dorm after class and he gives you a heart shaped box of chocolates, only half of the chocolates have been eaten and replaced with different strains of weed.

If you don’t smoke, have no fear! He still provides with roses, chocolate and a night full of movies, video games, and lots of cuddles and smooches.

Shinsou

He gives you a valentine card of a cat holding out a heart that says “I love mew.”

He’s super embarrassed as he gives it to you, doing that thing where he scratches the back of his head as a way of reconciling with the situation he has gotten himself into.

The two of you go to a noodle shop after class to celebrate. When Shinsou walks you back home afterwards, he gives you a kiss on the top of your head and calls you his valentine when saying good night.

Mina

She goes all out with the color pink. She has not only made you the biggest bright pink valentine, but she decorated the entire common room in little pink paper hearts.

She gives you your valentine along with a huge stuffed teddy bear that is holding a heart that says “I love you”.

The two of you spend the night eating chocolates wrapped in pink foil while watching cheesy rom coms.

Tsuyu

She gives you a cute little valentine and a chocolate frog

It’s a little awkward because you also bought her a chocolate frog…

The two of you spend the night watching movies and eating your frogs together. It’s wholesome and cutsie.

Uraraka

She’s embarrassed because she can’t afford to get you anything fancy like chocolates or a nice card.

She does make you a card, though, using red, pink, and white construction paper. She looks really embarrassed giving it to you, but homemade gifts are so much better anyways.

You guys eat ramen and watch Netflix together while cuddling. I’d say that’s a pretty good date.

Momo

She spoils you to death with the fanciest gifts, chocolates, and dinner.

She takes you out to a fancy restaurant and if you don’t have anything nice enough to wear she will buy you a properly fitted garment appropriate to the restaurant you will attend.

When you show up to class wearing a diamond encrusted wrist watch and designer clothing, everyone will know that you had a happy Valentines Day.

Jiro

She writes you a love song for Valentines Day.

With encouragement from Momo and Denki, she plays it for you in front of the whole class and accompanies it with your favorite chocolate and candies.

She looks very embarrassed. She’s scared that it isn’t good or that you won’t like it, but she has nothing to be worried about. Her song is beautiful and it’s been your favorite Valentines Day present ever!

Mirio

Mirio loves tacky valentines with horrible puns.

He’ll sneak them to you throughout the day, taping them to your locker or sneaking them inside the vents, passing them to you during or in between classes, taping them to the door to your dorm room. He loves the look on your face reading the stupid puns.

He makes you a nice dinner after class and you spend the night in.

Nejire

Nejire is a fan of all things cute (which is why she’s dating you xP).

You got each other matching teddy bears by accident, but that just shows how cute the two of you are.

You make heart shaped dumplings together and watch romcoms until the wee hours of the morning.

Tamaki

He gives you a card and chocolate during class, and he’s blushing the entire time.

When you give him a kiss on the cheek his face turns beet red and he’s not sure if it will ever turn to the original color again.

After classes, you encourage him to go to a concert with you as a fun way to spend the night out. Tamaki is wary to go, of course, but all in all he’s glad the two of you mixed up your night a little and got some time out of the dorms.

Aizawa

You spend the morning having lazy cuddle time in bed. Lots of lazy kisses, lazy cat naps, and eating breakfast in bed because you are too lazy to get up (breakfast is cereal straight out of the box that you keep by your bedside. Fight me).

During classes when you are supposed to be teaching, you and Aizawa will text each other constantly about how much you miss one another and can’t wait for your plans for that night.

Your plans are a simple dinner date at a restaurant. Aizawa also picks up a bouquet of flowers for you and a bottle of chardonnay for the two of you to enjoy later.

Present Mic

You make heart shaped pancakes with each other in the morning.

Yamada has plans to stay late at the radio station playing love songs, so you’re a little downtrodden when he tells you you can’t have a Valentine’s dinner with one another.

But when you get home at night and turn on the radio, you can’t help but smile, as the song that he plays is your favorite love song. You stay up late and listen to the show. He plays that song for you about ten times. Everyone thinks he just forgets that he’s already played it, but you know that the entire time he was playing it for you.

All Might

Valentines Day with All Might is difficult because the world now knows about his regular form.

You guys keep getting mobbed by his lovesick fans who all want a piece of him.

Toshinori can tell that it’s getting on your nerves and makes you very, very uncomfortable. So he makes it up to you that night with a homemade dinner, glass of wine, and lots of massages and cuddles.

Midnight

The morning starts out with her not wanting to get out of bed, so you tempt her with a homemade breakfast.

You divvy up the day evenly. You make her breakfast in the morning and she cooks dinner.

When the dishes have been taken care of, Nemuri has a very special surprise for you waiting in the bedroom. Have fun you two!

Hawks

As with All Might, Hawks gets bombarded by his fans constantly. He, however, is willing to flirt back with them. He likes seeing you get jealous as he calls his other fans his little birds, because that’s the nickname he calls you.

He makes it up to you by buying you a lot of expensive gifts, flowers, and chocolates.

But gifts don’t always make up for everything. That night, he treats you so well with kisses, massages, and lots of other sexy things.

Shigaraki

He doesn’t really see the point in Valentines Day.

So he was very surprised when you put a bar of chocolate in front of him, wish him a happy V-day, and kiss him on the cheek.

He’s never celebrated Valentine’s Day with anyone before, so don’t be surprised when he reciprocates that same thing you do, but with a half drunk bottle of whiskey. Babe is trying his best.

Dabi

Like the other villains, Dabi can’t take you out or do anything special with you because he has to keep a low profile.

So you spend the night in together. You play poker and drink together like any other night, but there’s something about the aura of the room that makes it feel so special.

The night ends with a drunken hookup, but this time Dabi actually wanted to cuddle after. Looks like the Valentine’s Day spirit is growing on him after all.

Toga

Knife wife doesn’t need a holiday to tell you you’re cute and shower you with love and affection.

Granted, her ways of showing love and affection are a little off, but she gives you a sack of candy she’s robbed from a convenience store.

When you give her a new knife with a sharp blade and her name etched into the side of the wooden handle, she is speechless. She waves it around in everyone’s faces and brags about how she has a better s/o than anyone in the world.

Twice

Twice’s Valentine’s present is making you a clone of yourself to clean your apartment.

He’s a little wary of doing it at first, but your reaction at seeing him make your double and it getting to work doing your dirty dishes was worth it.

While your double is hard at work, the two of you order takeout and watch movies together or the couch.

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mingkily · 3 years

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｡☆✼★━ ‘bring your mingi to work’ day | s.mg ━★✼☆｡

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starring: mingi x reader

fsk-6: fluff & slight angst | language

volume: 4.4k words

vip access: @midnightseonghwa !

additional: schultüte - when children in germany [...] set off for their first day of school upon entering first grade, their parents and/or grandparents present them with this large cone, attractively decorated and filled with toys, chocolate, candies/sweets, school supplies, and various other special treats. the cone is given to children to make this anxiously awaited first day of school a little sweeter.

“there’s ‘bring your kids to work’ day, right?”

“yeah?”

“how about ‘bring your boyfriend to work’ day?”

“love?”

you were currently planning the next day’s lesson, trying to focus, but your attention went to your boyfriend immediately after you heard him speak up, and by the tone in his voice you soon were certain that you should have ignored him, for your own good.

“there’s ‘bring your kids to work’ day, right?”, mingi continued, leaving you completely confused about what he was trying to get at with that question - yes, there was, but you didn’t have any kids, so why did he ask?

“yeah?”, your voice giving away how cautious you were, eyeing him curiously but suspiciously.

“how about”, and by now you knew for sure that whatever he was about to suggest would not be something you liked, “‘bring your boyfriend to work’ day?”

your suspicions had been right, you knew as soon as he finished his question, but when you looked at him and saw his big, pleading eyes you also knew he’d get you to do as he pleased in the end, anyway. so you might as well save yourself the trouble, which was the sole reason why you agreed as quickly as you did.

“but”, you interrupted his joyful cheering, “i have to ask first. especially with the kids, you know i can’t just bring you along when i feel like it. i have to make sure it’s okay with the schedule.”

that was fine with him, it did not at all detract from his excitement, and you were glad you’d agreed because the look on his face was one of happiness in its purest form. he seemed so enraptured by the idea that he settled on your lap without giving you even a second of preparation time and started reading your notes, as if tomorrow’s schedule would be of any relevance to him at all.

“i’ll ask tomorrow, okay? but you have to behave, angel. and let me work”, a hint at how he was currently effectively keeping from finishing your lesson plan, but then again he was acting so cute that you didn’t have it in you to kick him off your lap.

“i hope they’ll let me”, he near whined, way too adorable if you considered the fact that he was almost an entire head taller than you, and it caused you to give his shoulder a small kiss.

“you’re basically a primary schooler, too. i’m sure they will”, voice teasing but so full of love that mingi decided to let it slip just this one time. instead he turned his head to steal a real kiss to his mouth instead of his undeserving shoulder, smiling when you immediately complied with his wish.

“now go to bed already or something, okay? i’ll join when i’m done.”

though he was a little reluctant, enjoying being on your lap and the warmth of your body way too much, your boyfriend got up and settled on the bed, just watching you as you did your work, trying his very hardest to not fall asleep, but that was a fight he could not win.

he woke up again when you joined him in bed, wrapping yourself around him as if he was a giant teddy bear, nuzzling your face in his neck and tickling him slightly with your nose.

“did i wake you up? sorry”, nuzzling closer to him as he wrapped his arms around you, pulling you as close as possible so you wouldn’t be able to escape his loving hold, so you wouldn’t neglect your boyfriend who was so desperately in need of affection in favour of your work again.

he mumbled something in reply that with a lot of effort and imagination could be interpreted as “it’s okay”, and then something that, with equal amounts of effort and imagination, could maybe have been a “let’s just sleep”, which was exactly what you were going to do now that you were all cosy and cuddled up in your big soft baby.

if you’d thought mingi would have forgotten about his request of joining you at work by the time he woke up the next morning, you were mistaken and, in all honesty, you should have known better than that. it was the first thing he hummed into your ear after a tired “good morning”, his deep voice reminding you of the promise you’d made the day before.

“you’ll ask today, right? don’t forget.”

and if his slightly whiny voice as he told you not to forget about it wasn’t enough to convince you the way his hold around you tightened when you hummed in affirmation most definitely did the rest.

“you’re the best”, only refraining from yelling excitedly because it was so incredibly early and he didn’t want to be a person just yet.

but he surprised you when he was actually the one to get up first, rolling over so now it was him on top of you, hovering there for a second before he pressed a quick kiss to your lips and got up, dragging himself to the kitchen to do something that, at this point in time, was still a mystery to you. about as much of a mystery as him voluntarily getting up early - usually he first joined you when breakfast was done, whining and complaining about the fact that you had to go to work so early, more than once saying “i bet the kids would be happy if school started later, too”, which convinced you but would do little to convince the people actually in charge.

“someone’s excited”, you mumbled against his shoulder once you’d joined him in the kitchen, wrapping your arms around his waist from behind and watching him make a few sandwiches.

“someone just loves you”, he informed you, but then, as he felt you chuckle against him, he added: “and maybe someone’s a little bit excited, too.”

“that’s cute”, rocking from side to side slightly, and mingi joined your movements even though it made his sandwich chef tasks a little harder. he just wasn’t able to resist you, not now and not ever.

“get ready, i’m making breakfast”, he then told you, which you did even though you really didn’t want to let go of him just yet. but sadly your job proved to be more important once more, because while cuddling up to your boyfriend made you much happier than having to get ready for work it wouldn’t pay the bills.

so you got dressed, as much as you wanted to keep wearing the oversized shirt that had once been mingi’s but had at some point during your relationship made its way into the part of the closet where you kept your pyjamas, and even though it had been one of his favourites he’d never been able to ask you to return it. you looked really cute in it, anyway, so at least he could still admire the shirt, even if not on himself.

back in the kitchen you saw that he had not only made breakfast but also prepared food for you to take to school with you, and a smile made its way onto your face before you even noticed it.

“you really want to join me, hm?”, you asked him and he nodded, sending a somewhat sheepish grin your way.

“yeah. i think it’d be cute. seeing you with the kids, i mean. and i’m curious about how you manage to build a whole lesson with those lousy notes you always write.”

“they’re not lousy!”, you protested, “you just don’t know anything.”

“i know that i love you”, a reply so sweet that any little bit of annoyance you’d felt at him insulting your notes vanished as soon as he said it. he had way too much power over your poor heart. and that was why you had to make one thing clear about this whole ‘take your boyfriend to work’ day.

“you know i won’t be able to give in to you all the time when you join me though, right? i’ll have to boss you around a little bit or the kids will think they can do whatever they want, too.”

you sounded a bit sorry about that - you were a bit sorry about that, too -, but he just grinned at you, a shit-eating, annoying grin that had you want to smack his arm even before he spoke.

“that’s kinda hot.”

there it was, the slap to his arm that he had coming, in all honesty. and there it was, the loud yelp that you had coming, in all honesty.

“what was that for!”, as if the reason wasn’t completely obvious.

“deserved”, was all you replied before snatching one of the sandwiches he had prepared, munching happily as he rubbed his arm for a second or two before joining you and taking a sandwich for himself.

“i really hope i can join”, he spoke up after a few minutes of the two of you eating in silence, seriously this time, “i always miss you so much when i have to wait for you to get home.”

“you could use that to write sad, longing songs about your love being out of reach”, you teased, to which he countered: “already do.”

“i miss you too”, you then genuinely replied, reaching across the table to pat his sandwich-less hand, “and i’ll miss you again when i have to leave soon.”

“take the day off?”, a suggestion both of you knew was impossible, which you told him with a small, sad smile.

“but at least if i go i can ask if i can bring you.”

this consoled him at least a little, and when you did have to leave roughly thirty minutes after he was back to his usual, cheery self.

“see you this afternoon!”, he chirped, a quick kiss to your cheek and then, as if he’d changed his mind, a longer, sweet kiss to your lips.

“see you”, a wide smile on your face as you left for work with the little lunch box he’d packed you, the only thing on your mind being that if giving in to him made him such an energetic person even in the mornings, made him make you lunch, even, then you’d have to do it a little more often.

though that morning’s cheerfulness was nothing compared to the joy he felt and expressed when you told him that he could join you just three days later, when half of the day would be spent on various projects and the principal, upon your request, had said that it might be good to have one more person to supervise the children because experience had taught that during that day it would be incredibly hard to keep an eye on everyone, and the more eyes, the better.

but mingi proved to be more of a big child himself, incredibly excited and asking for a schultüte - which you had to improvise since it was very much not the time where anyone would sell schultüten - and he’d apparently even used his alone time to get himself dinosaur-patterned socks and matching boxers, which he presented to you proudly, and even though he was standing there near-naked you couldn’t help but laugh and coo at how cute he was. he’d acquired a matching dinosaur-shaped lunchbox, too, which he insisted you had to fill with the tastiest snacks for him because it was his first day at school.

“you’re so adorable”, you told him when he asked you to pick his outfit on the big day, doing so quickly and leaving for the kitchen while he got dressed so you could finish his special school lunch in time.

adorable would be a heavy understatement to describe the way he looked once you left, schultüte in hand - though you had him promise you to leave it in the car because he’d be the only one having one and you didn’t want to cause a riot among the kids - and his usually so dishevelled hair combed neatly, those big round glasses that always had you want to kiss him were on his nose, and you wondered how a man this tall could look so absolutely tiny. his eyes were sparkling, too, and if you didn’t know for a fact that this man was about three months older than you you’d have thought he was a first grader that, for some reason, was already done growing.

“you act like you’ve never gone to school before”, you teased him lovingly while parking the car, to which he countered: “i’ve never gone to school with you before.”

“now you have”, smiling at him as you left the car, and you were glad to see that he had left the schultüte in the car when he got out, too, handing you your bag instead.

he continued being helpful, opening every single door for you because apparently you were unable to do that by yourself, an incredibly wide and happy smile on his face as he did so, and it wouldn't have surprised you if he'd physically burst with excitement once you told him you'd reached your class.

all the little second graders looked incredibly confused when there was not one but two adults opening the door - or rather, mingi watching you in amazement as you unlocked the classroom door as if he'd never seen someone use a key before -, but that confusion quickly faded when you told them that this was mister song and that he'd support you today, so they had to be nice to him, too. there seemed to be something else on the kids' minds about him, though, that they wished to get an answer to before class started.

"i didn't know people could be that tall", one of your second graders told him with wonder in his voice as he looked up to your giant of a boyfriend.

"and he keeps growing, too", you told the little boy conspicuously as you eyed mingi, who informed him with a smile on his face: "that happens if you always eat all your veggies", and that little interaction alone told you that you wouldn't have to regret bringing him to work with you - he was good with kids.

"he always eats mine, too, that's why he's so much taller", you made an excuse for your lack of height because the kids might think you avoided your veggies on purpose otherwise and you had to be a good role model.

your boyfriend proved to be better with the kids than with you, because while they absolutely adored him his need to be useful became a little embarrassing by the point he insisted to wipe the blackboard for you whenever it needed to be wiped because “you’re too short, let the big boy do that”, but he was so endearing that you left it at just rolling your eyes at him.

still, you were glad when you could give the kids some exercises to do by themselves, glad to have a little time to pay attention to your boyfriend exclusively, to ask him how he liked it so far.

“you like the kids?”, you inquired, holding his hand underneath the table to give him at least a little affection, because you felt like it’d be a little unfair to bring him to work with you only to ignore him even when you did have the chance to at least hold his hand.

“they’re so cute, i want seven!”, he told you and sounded entirely serious about it, which again had you roll your eyes.

“we can start with one somewhen. but first we have to check how it’s going with their exercises, want to help?”

mingi did want to help, getting up with you but refusing to let go of your hand, moving from table to table to check your second graders’ addition and subtraction exercises.

“can you do maths too?”, a little girl asked him when he told her that one of her answers was wrong, seemingly new to the idea that people that were not teachers could also do maths.

“i can”, he said proudly, doing some more simple maths with her and you decided that he could help her while you continued checking the other kids’ results.

what you had not expected, however, was that soon not only she but half your class was listening eagerly as your boyfriend went from addition to multiplication and ended up with square roots and more, at which point you decided that you should maybe step in before he completely fried their little brains with maths that was way above their current level.

“mingi?”, you interrupted him boasting his maths abilities, and the kids that had spent more time with you as a teacher rather than a girlfriend were able to tell you were going to scold him, being able to recognise the tone you used, which stayed hidden to your boyfriend because you never used a scolding tone on him.

“yes?”, he asked, and when you motioned for him to come over he did, looking at you questioningly but with a massive smile on his face.

“angel, you can’t talk to these second-graders about root division. they barely even know about regular division, you’re going to confuse them. please stop that, okay?”

you tried to not sound too harsh, because you knew he didn’t actually know anything about teaching, but this was something you’d have to bring up before he’d actually fry their little primary schooler brains.

“i’m sorry”, he said, looking like a scolded puppy and his adorable back-to-school attire did little to help your desire to pinch his cheeks and coo at him, “i didn’t think about that. they just seemed so impressed and i wanted to be smart enough to impress someone for once. i know i can’t impress you, you’re smarter than me.”

“you do impress me, angel. every single day. but you still can’t keep telling those second graders about faculties, okay?”

“okay”, and now he didn’t look like a scolded puppy anymore, giving you a small smile to show that he understood, but he still looked so adorable that you couldn’t help yourself, you stood on your tippy toes and pulled him down a little to kiss him, a small appreciative kiss.

while it wasn’t even a long kiss it was followed by a cacophony of “eww!”s by your second graders, and as if that wasn’t embarrassing enough mingi joined in, “eww!”ing you with a large, shit-eating grin, but you weren’t having this teasing.

“okay, sorry, no more kisses for today!”, you apologised with your hands up in a defensive motion, which in return made your boyfriend look at you with wide, surprised eyes, and as if he wasn’t able to believe you he leaned in again, trying to steal another kiss, but you just turned away and repeated: “no more kisses for today!”

which you managed to keep up until it was time to start the projects, moving over to the atrium where tables were assembled with various project options to choose from. the kids ran around, excited to get out of having to study, and you finally had time to pay attention to your neglected boyfriend again after you’d assigned everyone a project.

“you’re still sad?”, you asked him when you saw him pouting on the stairs, sitting down next to him and grabbing one of his hands to play with his fingers, hoping this would console him at least a little.

“mhm”, resting his head on your shoulder, his eyes focused on where your small hands were playing with his big one, enjoying the affection he got now.

“you kind of made me sad too, you know?”, you admitted now that the kids were busy and you had a little time to talk about it; you knew he hadn’t meant anything bad with it, but it had hurt you that he’d acted as if getting kissed by you was gross when you’d been nervous about doing it, nervous about showing your entire class - that you knew without a doubt was watching the two of you - that you weren’t just a teacher but also a woman with a boyfriend. that you also had a private life, and that he was part of it. you knew that by kissing him you were setting yourself up for teasing, and you knew that his reaction would only make it worse, your embarrassed brain already coming up with options such as “not even your boyfriend wants to kiss you!” and similar things. and it just hurt in general that he’d made you feel like he’d rather you hadn’t kissed him.

“i did?”, surprised, and he lifted his head to be able to look at you while you spoke - something he should’ve maybe done a little sooner, pay attention to your expression, because now he saw the sad little smile on your face.

“yeah. i know it’s stupid, but i… kind of felt like you’d rather i only kiss you when we’re alone. like you thought it’s embarrassing.”

your eyes were still trained on his fingers, bending them back and forth and trying to ignore the silly hurt you felt.

“shit, i- i’m sorry, love, i just wanted to joke with the kids a little. i didn’t think about how it’d make you feel. i’m sorry.”

he took the hand you were playing with and wrapped that arm around your shoulder, offering you his other hand as he pulled you closer against him.

“it’s okay”, you tried to reassure, “i know you didn’t mean anything by it.”

“i made you sad”, he retorted.

then, anxiously: “do you still want to kiss me? i get it if you don’t.”

“why don’t you find out?”

it sounded like you were trying to tease him, but mingi knew you well enough to be able to guess that you just didn’t want to make the first move only to have him react badly again, so he took matters into his own hands - matters being your face, which he turned towards his own before giving you a quick kiss.

“i love you”, he mumbled before giving you another kiss, and when he pulled away he saw a girl whose grade he was not at all able to estimate looking at the two of you with the typical expression kids had when adults dared to be in love, but before she was able to comment he said: “don’t try, you’re just jealous because i have such a pretty girlfriend.”

“she is really pretty”, the girl you knew to be a third grader agreed, and then she informed him: “you’re pretty, too.”

“what’s up?”, you interrupted before you’d get incredibly flustered by this little girl complimenting the two of you, and it seemed like she first now remembered that she’d had a question to start with.

“oh! we need some help with our project”, and off she went, you rolling your eyes at mingi before you got up with him and followed her.

the needed help was using a knife to cut some fabric to decorate their sock puppets with, a task the children knew was an adult task, so that was why they’d come to get you. and since there were two of you it quickly turned into a sock puppet competition, each of you collecting a little fan club that insisted that the sock puppets mingi helped them with were much better, and the same went for your little fan club insisting that mingi’s could never be as pretty as yours. the competition was fierce, but what the kids did not seem to have considered was that the two adults were not at all actually competitive, especially your sweet giant who still wanted to make up for having hurt you, so he made his sock puppet - the children had insisted the two of you made sock puppets, too - kiss yours before proudly declaring: “they’re in love”, and he whispered the same into your ear when he leaned in to kiss you, “we’re in love”.

“sillyhead”, but it was said with the utmost affection, because he was your sillyhead and you loved him so much you could hardly believe that it was physically possible sometimes.

your boyfriend continued to show everyone that he absolutely adored you the rest of the day, having a little drawing competition with two fourth graders and his drawing was you and him and a little dog, which he claimed had to win because the model was more beautiful than anything else in the world, and one of the fourth graders, a girl you’d only had in substitute classes a couple times, told you that when she was big she wanted to have a boyfriend that loved her just as much as mingi loved you, something that left you quite touched and earned him a kiss that you wished could have been longer, but you were aware of the children watching the two of you, so you decided to keep it kid-friendly.

you continued to be proud of the way he was interacting with the kids, too, because even though he completely lacked any of your pedagogics studies he managed to be a help to you simply because he listened to you and seemed incredibly good with kids, them surprising you with how willingly they listened to him.

“thank you, angel”, you told him when you were in your car once the school day was over, smiling at him and placing your hand on top of his on the gear shift.

“thank you for bringing me along”, he replied, smiling at the street because he wasn’t about to risk a car crash to look at you, no matter how tempting it was.

“how could i not when it makes you so happy?”

mingi just hummed in reply, a small smile on his face the rest of the way and when you were home, too, continuously reminding you what a great teacher you were and how much the kids seemed to love you and how much he’d enjoyed getting to spend the day with you.

“i still want seven”, he told you while you were cuddling later that night, and he wasn’t the only one that had fallen in love, your second graders asking you first thing the next morning where mister song was. by the look of disappointment on their faces when you told them he had to do his own work again you figured that maybe you’d have to talk to the principal and make ‘bring mingi to work’ day a semi-regular thing.

not that mingi would mind, though, you knew that much.

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danganronpa-21 · 3 years

Text

Naegiri Week Day 1 - Sweet

Happy first day of Naegiri Week! Today I bring you the most tooth-rotting fluff I have ever written. Like it is excessively sweet. Still, I even managed to make myself get all giggly and excitable during the editing phase, so I really hope you like it. I have no content warnings to issue this time around. Just pure, sweet Naegiri. I hope you enjoy it!

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“No way.”

Kyoko’s lips curled into a smile as she stared at her wide-eyed fiancé, a curt nod punctuating the statement that had caused him the utmost disbelief. Though there were plenty of things that might shock him about her, she never expected for this to be one of them.

“Yes way.”

“No way!” Within a matter of seconds, he’d taken hold of her wrists, shaking them with all of the enthusiasm of a small child. There was a frantic look in his eye as he shook her, clearly too absorbed in his shock to even think about how funny this would look from her end of things. God, her Makoto was a special one. Not that was a bad thing, of course. His little eccentricities were part of the reason why she liked him so much. “No way, no way!”

It was hard to fight off a laugh as she watched his expression; he looked all too serious for the topic of conversation. He always had been a man of rather interesting passions. She had been a witness to many a debate between him and Yasuhiro about seemingly silly things, most of which she did not understand. How he found the energy to argue about flavours of soda pops, which Robocop movie was objectively the best one, and which sitcom had the weirdest actors was beyond her. Still, she found that this one was a bit… much, even for him. On the list of things that she anticipated he might get overly excited about, a topic as childish as candy was not one of them. It was a bit of a strange position to be in, watching the man she loved have a total conniption over her grandfather’s refusal to accommodate her sweet tooth.

“Yes, really,” she did her best to not sound short with him, but she really didn’t see what the big deal was, “I missed out on a lot when I was a girl. I never had a chocoball, or a crunky bar, or caplico… There were even some traditional desserts that I missed out on, too.”

If it were possible for his eyes to open any wider, they would have. He practically gasped at her statement, so horrified that her younger self had been denied the sweets he deemed so precious. “What desserts haven’t you had? I swear, if you’ve never tasted manju, I think I might cry.”

Kyoko chuckled softly, rolling her eyes at him. Had he really forgotten? “No, I’ve had manju before. You made it for me for our first date, remember?”

Makoto exhaled with quiet relief instantly, nodding his head with a nonchalance he hadn’t possessed thirty seconds prior. You’d have thought she had just told him he had not tested positive for a fatal disease or something, with the way his shoulders relaxed. “Right, I did do that,” he paused for a second, “And you liked it, didn’t you?”

She could have laughed at how intense his eyes got over the question. She’d seen troublesome students at Hope’s Peak receive glares less intense than this one. “Yes, it was lovely,” she assured him, brushing some hair away from her face, “The variation of desserts I have yet to taste are more treats like dorayaki, taiyaki, yokan, dango, or coffee jelly.”

To this, Makoto actually cringed. Full-on eyes squeezed shut, teeth clenched, drawing the head back slightly cringed. You’d have thought the man were genuinely pained. “I can’t believe I’m marrying a woman who’s never had dango,” the furrowing of his brows seemed to deepen as the news settled within him, “And coffee jelly! Oh, Kyoko, you would just love coffee jelly!”

“I’ve always thought I would, but I didn’t have much of a chance to try it.”

“Well, that settles it, then.”

“Settles what?” Kyoko blinked, tilting her head to the side.

A new found determination settled in her fiance’s expression; within seconds it seemed his energy had renewed. He practically beamed with elation, a cheery smile stretching across his face. “You and me are going sweet-tasting. Desserts, candies, the whole deal!”

“Wait, Makoto. You don’t have to do this for me,” she fruitlessly attempted to wiggle her wrists out from his grasp, “It’s okay, really-”

“No!” he interrupted her without a second thought, his movements just as dramatic as ever, “I have to. This is a matter of life and death.”

She snickered, finally prying her wrist out from Makoto’s hand with sheer force. “I think that’s a tad dramatic, love,” her now-free hand found her way to her ear, reaching up to tuck some of her lavender hair behind it, “But I suppose… I will indulge you. I don’t imagine you would give me much of a choice otherwise.”

He chuckled. “No, I would not.” His hands rested on his hips as he puffed his chest up proudly, looking a bit like a small child who had just finished tied his shoes for the first time. “Now c’mon and get your coat! We’ve got a shop to visit!”

Kyoko couldn’t help but smile as she and Makoto walked through the crisp winter air, the snowing raining down and settling on top of both of their heads. Fighting off the grin forming on her face as she watched her husband-to-be prancing through the snow was a fruitless endeavour, so she didn’t bother. His fingers were interlaced with her own as he led her down the street, swinging their hands forward together with uncontainable glee. It had been quite awhile since he last saw him ignited with this much energy, and to be honest, she was relishing it. His smile always felt like seeing the sunrise after waiting all night.

“So where is it that you are taking me again?” Though she was not sure whether she should be enthused or slightly fearful, she tried her best to keep up with her fiancé’s delight. It wasn’t particularly hard, getting to see that big smile on his face and hearing the snow crunch cheerfully beneath their winter boots. Admittedly, the promise of many delicious sweets probably had something to do with it, too. After all, her grandfather had been the one to make the choice about whether or not she got them as a child. If a young Kyoko had had things her way, she would have been eating candy and desserts for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Her sweet tooth was unimaginably huge back then, and if she were to tell the truth… it was still pretty big as an adult, too.

She was sure that Makoto’s smile would deepen if it were capable of getting any bigger. “It’s this combination dessert café-candy shop that lets you taste all of the sweets of your dreams. I was thinking we should start with desserts, and then move onto the candies to take home. I hear they have a great selection.”

“I will take your word for it. You are the candy connoisseur.”

Makoto rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly; his face tinged pink. “I’m not sure if I’d go that far…”

Kyoko smirked. “The dessert director.”

“Alright, Kyoko, stop playing around-”

“The chief of confection.”

His lips twitched, telling her just how badly he wanted to smile. Still, he was trying pretty hard to keep that phony scowl going. She could even see that liar biting his cheeks to keep himself from laughing at her jokes! Oh, she would get him for this falsity later. What a cruel, cruel man her lover could be.

“Are you done now?” He asked, his tone betraying the amusement that his expression wanted to hide. She nodded contentedly, happy to know how easily she could get him to grin. With all of his seriousness about the desserts and candy, she figured that she should be able to take her turn to be silly. So, she didn’t think it so wrong that she could joke around with him, and then press a kiss to his cheek.

“Yes,” she affirmed, “I’m done now. Care to continue on with your sweets speech?”

“Hey!” His tongue poked out at her cheekily from between his lips. “You said you were done with the alliteration!”

A gloved fingertip pressed itself against the space just below her lips, batting her eyelashes at him with all of the innocence she could muster. If she truly desired to portray innocence, she would be doing a horrible job of it… but thankfully, this kind of thing would work when playing around with Makoto. “Whatever are you talking about?”

He half-nudged her shoulder before pulling his phone out from his pocket. For a moment, he swiped fruitlessly over the touch screen with his gloved hand. Then, with all of the lacking grace of a middle school boy, he pried the glove from his hand with his teeth. Sometimes, he really could be so boyish. Not that that was necessarily a bad thing, of course. It was actually something that she liked about him. It made him passionate and interesting in the same way that other people just weren’t. She couldn’t count on both hands the number of men she’d met who took themselves far too seriously, denouncing anything childish and writing horrible love stories in their ugly moleskin journals. Try-hards, she remembered thinking about them. Makoto never seemed to feel like that. In a way, she supposed that was why pleasure from his little dessert desperation blossomed so easily.

“Anyway,” she was so lost in thought that she wouldn’t have noticed him pulling up her options if it weren’t for him shoving the phone four inches in front of her face, “They have a big menu of desserts that you can look at online. You should look at their options and see what you want to try!”

A smirk threatened to overtake her, leaving her wondering just how cheeky she could with him before he got fed up. “I was under the impression that I would simply be trying everything I had yet to try, given that you seemed so serious about it when we first set out. I definitely know that coffee jelly is on the list, though. You know how much adore coffee and anything coffee-flavoured.”

Keeping her mind from drifting to a cup of warm coffee was a struggle. In the midst of the frozen air nipping at their noses, a cup of coffee sounded excellent. Just holding it against her gloves, breathing in that rich aroma… Mmmm. Kyoko hoped that they might serve a cup of coffee or two at the shop. You know, to pair with the desserts. Not because of her own fixation on it or anything.

“Well, ideally, you would try everything. I just wanted to know if there was anything you really wanted. If you don’t like it, I can always eat it for you.”

She shook her head. “I’m sensing a bit of an ulterior motive here, my love.”

Blush rose in his cheeks, prompting him to reach up the scratch at them in that awkward habit he never managed to kick. “I mean, that wasn’t my only plan, but… it is one of the perks, heh.”

“So you say.”

“C’mon, don’t give me a hard time!” The luckster whined, pushing out his lip in the fakest pout he’d given her in a while. “You can’t be mean to the guy who’s getting you desserts and candy.”

A smile played at her lips. “Is he paying for all of it out of his own pocket, or is he snagging some of his rich fiancée’s money?” She asked, quirking an eyebrow at him expectantly. She couldn’t help watching intently to see if his blush from before would strengthen. Perhaps doing so was a tad mean, but she liked to tease him. Getting a reaction out of Makoto was always fun, especially with his tendency to get flustered and stumble over his words. If she were to be honest, she found his embarrassment totally adorable.

To her surprise and slight disappointment, he puffed his chest up at her. Prideful little Makoto who would pay out of his own pocket. “He is treating his special lady today, and so she pays for nothing. Although it should be pointed out that he usually pays for dinner anyway.”

“Alright, alright. You got me there,” she chuckled, leaning over to plant another kiss on his cheek, “Now is this dessert shop very far from here? I fear my nose might start to frost over soon.”

He giggled and reached over to place his hand on her nose. “Aww, your poor little nose,” it was hard not to cringe as he rubbed her nose, “Does this help?”

Admittedly, his mitten-clad hand did help her nose become toastier, but having her fiancé rub her nose in public felt a little embarrassing. Like one of those things that others would judge them for. People already tended to stare at them due to their presence in the School Life of Mutual Killing broadcast, so she preferred to avoid attracting extra attention where she could. She briefly considered whether or not she should swat his hand away, but that nose warmth… it was too good to pass up. Her hands reached up to meet his wrist to keep him there, muffling any words she spoke. “Yes, that is good. You still have yet to answer my question, however.”

“It’s just a few more buildings up the street. Something like four,” he tilted his head to the side, “Can you manage that?”

Kyoko mustered up the biggest possible sigh she could manage. “I suppose,” She complained theatrically, batting her eyelashes at him once again. All her partner could do was snort softly and shake his head at her, keeping his hands on her nose as they ventured towards the combination candy-dessert shop.

The rest of their walk seemed rather short in comparison to the first half; the two of them chattering back and forth lazily the whole way there. The pieces of conversation weren’t anything incredibly impressive – Makoto enthused about the snowflakes that settled within Kyoko’s silvery locks, and Kyoko murmured quietly to him about how cute his pink nose looked in the winter’s cold. A more girlish part of Kyoko squealed at how lovingly domestic this all felt. She prayed that after their wedding in the summer, the same happy feelings would persist. The mere thought of getting to go on adventures like this as a married couple made her heart light itself with new flame. Maybe, if today went well, they could even see about having a sweets bar at their reception. Wouldn’t that just be so nice, she said when she told Makoto. Her soon-to-be-husband had lit up at her suggestion, saying that he’d let her pick out all of her favourites to be displayed on the table. Next thing she knew, they were babbling excitedly about their future desserts table, barely even seeming to notice that they had come upon the dessert shop.

“Here it is!” Makoto announced, throwing his arms open wide, “Chieko Chisu’s Confection Cabin!”

That’s a lot of c’s was Kyoko’s first thought. Following that: this is exactly the kind of shop Makoto would pick out. Seriously, the cabin name was almost literal. The whole store appeared as if it could have been made from bulky cherrywood planks, with a pair of frosted-over, white-trimmed windows being the only clue to the inside. The door appeared to have been fashioned from lumber as well, with a forest-green sign hanging on it. The characters for ‘OPEN’ were written across the sign in someone’s swooping handwriting, portrayed by a white marker. They’d even taken the care to doodle little ice cream cones and bonbons along the sign’s edges. When her eyes found the rim of the roof, it met her with a scattering of multi-coloured lanterns, all featuring hand-painted illustrations. From the way it looked, each of the lanterns was intended to advertise its own type of dessert or candy. The purple ones all had a shiba inu snacking on manju, the yellow with an ezo red fox enjoying dorayaki, the pink featuring a deer nosing around a few choco-balls. They were so childishly sweet that she couldn’t help but grin at them, knowing for sure that they had plenty of young customers. Without going in, she could already feel the warmth radiating off of the place.

“It’s adorable,” she told him, leaning her head on his shoulder, “Did you see the lanterns?”

He nodded and pointed up at them; his finger directed her to one of the green ones. “The field mouse struggling to enjoy the hi-chew is my personal favourite. It’s so chewy it gets stuck in his little mouth.”

Sure enough, there was a depiction of a field mouse with a sticky green candy in his mouth, trying desperately to chew it. She could relate to that one – Hi-chew was just fruity enough that her grandfather let her have it as a treat every once in a while, and she had many memories of it getting stuck in her teeth. “At least he has good taste. The green apple ones were always my favourite.”

“Mine too.”

Expectation might have led one to expect the couple to do something other than smile and take each other by the hand, but that is where it would be wrong. In times like those, sometimes the only thing either of them needed was to take the other by the hand, and lead them to a new moment of happiness.

Kyoko refused to fight off her sigh of relief as the door to the Confection Cabin closed behind them, the homely air soothing her chilled bones. Though she would be the first to confess about having complained, she hadn’t realized how much the winter air affected her. Now that she was inside where it was all cozy, she wanted nothing more than to snuggle up in Makoto’s arms and have a nice, long nap… and perhaps peel off the layers of her coat that suddenly felt very hot. Such things would have to wait, of course, for an incredibly bubbly staff member bombarded them the moment they entered the restaurant.

“Hello there!” The girl chirped, waving almost too enthusiastically at them. “Welcome to Chieko Chisu’s Confection Cabin. My name is Kajitani Anzu-san, and I’ll be looking after you today. How might I help you? Would you like to explore our nummy candies or mouthwatering desserts today?”

Kyoko couldn’t help but glance over at her fiancé helplessly; talking with staff always made her uncomfortable. Not due to any snobby rich girl disdain for them, of course – her generally more closed-off behaviour simply made it more difficult for her to be comfortable with someone who was so obviously ingenuine. Makoto tended to handle it better, and certainly much more naturally than she ever could.

“Actually, if it would be okay, we’d like to try both!” Without warning, he threw his arm around Kyoko’s shoulders, taking her entirely by surprise. She hoped the staff member hadn’t seen her tense in shock. The last thing she wanted was for this random girl to get the wrong impression about her relationship with Makoto. “You see, my fiancée here has been very deprived of sweets all her life.”

Anzu’s hands flew to her face almost comically; her brown eyes as wide as a full moon. “Oh no! We can’t have that!”

Her fiancé nodded in agreement. “Exactly. Which is why we were wondering if it would be possible to start with desserts, and end off with some candy shopping. Would that be okay?”

It became Anzu’s turn to nod as she clapped her hands together enthusiastically. “Of course, of course, sir! We can manage many a treat for you and your sweetheart! A table for two, I presume?”

The only thing Kyoko could think to contribute was an awkward snicker. “Yes, please.”

“Excellent, now if you’ll just follow me…!”

At this point, Kyoko was very close to bursting like a balloon.

Well, maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration, but she sure felt like it. After an hour in the café portion scarfing down Makoto and Anzu’s recommended desserts, her stomach already felt full to the point of discomfort. Their insistence on her attempting to choke down all of the candies and chocolates the store had to offer only worsened the strain, and now, she felt a bit like a beached whale.

She supposed she could take some pleasure in the fact that Makoto seemed to be feeling the same way. He’d become so full while enjoying the desserts with her that he insisted that they call a cab to bring them home, rather than force themselves to walk the full way with the weight of their packed bellies. As embarrassing as it was to admit, she felt so overwhelmed that she had to oblige.

Even so, it was a good trip, all things considered. Just as promised, she and Makoto packed themselves to the brim with all kinds of goodies. Mochi filled with strawberry ice cream, dango of every colour they could manage, some beautiful winter’s nerikiri, delectable banana mushi pan, and the definitely-as-good-as-promised coffee jelly… Her mouth could have watered at the thought of all of those foods, had it not been for the fullness. She could still recall sitting in her booth with Makoto, the two of them sliding dishes to one another across the table and popping treats into their eager mouths.

“Oh my god,” Makoto had exclaimed upon taking his first bite of the mushi pan, “I think this is the best I’ve ever had.”

Kyoko had already been in the process of enjoying her half of the bun cake, and could agree wholeheartedly. The texture was so light and fluffy that it felt as if it melted in her mouth; the sweet but subtle flavour of banana dancing across her tongue like a memory. “Me too,” she mumbled through a muffled full mouth.

“You have nothing to compare it to! This is your first mushi pan.”

She smiled at him with chipmunk cheeks. “And it’s the best I have ever tasted. Pass the coffee jelly, please?”

“Of course,” he chuckled, “I knew you’d love it.”

What a surprise, the answer tempted her far too much. Hopefully, as her fiancé, he would know her that well. Still, she held her tongue, instead choosing to take another spoonful of the jelly he’d just slid over. Pure heaven the moment it entered her mouth. Coffee jelly plus banana mushi pan tasted like breakfast but better. Together, she and Makoto had entered a sugary paradise.

And now they were laying at home, flopped on their plush blue couch, lethargic and exhausted. Yet, strangely, Kyoko honestly couldn’t help feeling happy. The grin on her face was effortless as she laid her head on her partner’s shoulder; the two of them doing their best to ignore their aching tummies. Even if this was the worst shape her stomach had been in in a while, she couldn’t find it within herself to care. Honestly, she wouldn’t even be willing to categorize the scenario as a mistake.

“Ugh…” Makoto groaned, sticking out his lower lip into a childish pout. “I ate way too many desserts.”

She found herself nodding in agreement, reaching over to pat his belly. “You sure packed away a lot. You ate much more than I did… Not that I’m surprised. You always have been better at eating than me.”

His shoulders rose and fell; a smirk snaked across his face. Clear intent to be cheeky. “What can I say? You called me the chief of confection. I had to do my best… I’m paying for it now, though.”

“As am I,” Kyoko sighed and nuzzled her cheek into his shoulder, “But if I have to feel like I’m going to regorge a rainbow with someone, I’m glad that it’s you. Today was really special, my love.”

She knew his cheeks started burning without looking at him. In spite of their engagement, she didn’t always have the confidence to use pet names with him. ‘My love’ was his absolute favourite, and she liked to spring it on him at unexpected moments like these. It always seemed to bring him the greatest joy. When he spoke, she could hear the smile in his voice.

“I’m glad you liked it. I had a really good time with you, too. I hope we can keep doing stuff like this for a long time.”

Kyoko laughed and raised her hand to eye-level, wiggling her fingers in front of his face. The rose-shaped diamond on the ring glittered at them cheerfully, as if to accentuate her point. “I should hope so. That is what you gave me the ring for, is it not?”

“That’s true,” he snickered, “So I can have good times with the woman I love for the rest of my life.”

“Well, I can’t promise you that I won’t spend the night regurgitating all of the desserts we just ate, but I can promise you that.”

He leaned his head down to rest upon hers. “That’s more than good enough for me.”

#naegiri2020 #danganronpa #naegiri #thh #kyoko kirigiri #makoto naegi #dr1 #makoto x kyoko #naegi x kirigiri #danganronpa trigger happy havoc #kyouko kirigiri #naegi makoto #kirigiri kyoko

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randomly-a-fan · 3 years

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Malon's First Time At The Hospital Pt. 3

Pt. 1

Pt. 2

At the hospital in Haddonfield, Malon was having her light breakfast before she has her temperature and blood pressure checked. Jason was looking out the window far out from the horizon, thinking about his home; he senses that something is wrong. He wanted to go out there and check, but he has no way to get there, and he didn’t want to leave Malon behind while she’s still recovering.

Malon’s coughs were getting less painful, so the medicine that the doctors gave her are working great. Just then, MJ came in with a ‘Get Well Soon’ balloon. “Hi, sweetie... How are you feeling?” MJ asked in a gentle tone while approaching her. “Hi mom... I’m starting to get less coughs, and my chest is starting to hurt less,” Malon answered. “But I still have to stay in the hospital for another night.” Malon said sadly. “I know you missed being home, but you’ll be going home soon; the doctor told me that you’re making a speedy recovery, and that we might go home tomorrow night if you get your appetite back.” MJ explained. Malon smiled to hear the good news.

***

Back at Camp Crystal Lake, Aquarius took her kids to check the Voorhees’ cabin, to see if there are any plants that needed to be watered. But as Aquarius entered in, she was shocked to see the blood on the walls and the couch. “What the Hel-- hel... hel--li--coptors...” Aquarius didn’t want to cuss in front of her kids, even though Archie has heard worse cusses than Hell, but she didn’t want Kandy to know the word since she’s only a baby. “Archie... Take your sister home... There’s something I got to do.” Aquarius ordered. Archie was shocked by his mom’s reaction, however, he was more surprised by the mess and how loud the music was. “Come on, Kandy, lets go home to daddy.” Archie said to his baby sister.

After Archie took Kandy home, Aquarius decided to clean the place up while observing the cause for this disruption. She was going to clean the couch until her cellphone rang.

“Hello?” Aquarius answered.

It was MJ that was on the phone from the hospital. “Hi Star, I’m just calling to ask you a favor, would you or Pennywise mind checking on Camp Crystal Lake, Jason was having the senses that something is wrong.” MJ explained.

Aquarius didn’t want MJ or Jason to know about the mess in the cabin, since she knew it might infuriate the family, especially Jason. “Of course I will, well heck, I’ll even clean up the place if you liked me to.” Aquarius offered.

While being unaware, Michael approaches the cabin and saw what he thought to be a ‘trespasser’, so he took out his knife and approach to her slowly with his knife raised. Aquarius senses someone’s presence so she had to cut the conversation short. “I love chatting with you, but I must go now, bye.” Aquarius hung up the phone and quickly did the spin attack on her still-on roller-skates; she may have dodged the knife, but the ‘stalker’ did not get knocked out. So she pounced on him. Michael tried to choke Aquarius to death, but she was quick thinking and grabbed a knife that he dropped and stabbed his arm. However, Michael was not affected by the knife stab; which worried her since she’s in a deadly position.

Aquarius tried to remove his hand, but his grip is too strong. As she was slowly perishing, his grip loosened as he was being grabbed. Pennywise came at a nick of time; the truth is that Jason called Pennywise’s place earlier back at the hospital and answered it. MJ called from Aquarius’s cell, so it was strangely ironic. Pennywise lifted Michael in the air with a mad glare. “No one strangles my wife... except me!” Pennywise scolded. Michael did not show any reaction as usual, but whatever Michael is saying in his mind made Pennywise put him down. “You’re an acquaintance of Jason Voorhees?” Pennywise asked while still holding him by the shoulder. Aquarius finished coughing out blood before she spoke up severely. “Ask him why he trashed the place! There better be a promising explanation for his behavior, or else I’ll eat off his face...” Aquarius threatened. “You’re going to want to answer that question, because she’s a sin-muncher, and I’m sensing that you’re responsible for a full amount of sins.” Pennywise said. Michael was surprised that he can read his mind, so if he can read his mind, he can explain his reasons for this mess.

***

At the hospital, Malon was eating her lunch, a lot more than usual; which is a good sign that she’s hungry because it means that she’s starting to get better. “My goodness, Malon, you ate up all of your food like a vacuum.” MJ joked. “Well I was hungry... I’m starting to feel a little bit better each time.” Malon explained. Just then, nurse Linda came in. “Hello Malon, I just thought I come up to see how you are doing; I see you’ve eaten all of your lunch.” Linda assumes. Malon nodded with a smile. “Since you’re getting better, I thought I take you over to the play area; we have a special guest coming today.” Linda explained. “Can I mom?” Malon asked her mom. “Of course you can, and I’m sure daddy will let you as well.” MJ said while smiling at her husband. Jason nodded as he accepts the idea of Malon playing with the other kids, so she wouldn’t have to be cooped up on her bed.

Back at Camp Crystal Lake, Aquarius frustratedly scrubbed the floors while Michael watches. “Michael, will you please stop staring at me? it’s annoying because I can sense you!” Aquarius said in a grumble. “Don’t be a corpse in the weeds Pretty-Blue, at least what Michael told me about him getting rid of the trespassers that broke-in was pretty noble.” Pennywise said. “You know what, that’s great, maybe we can give him a treat; or even better, let’s keep him; Archie has been asking for a pet this morning, Michael would be perfect, we just have to take him to the vet and have him neutered!” Aquarius said in a sarcastic and sassy tone. Pennywise just chuckles and crawled towards her to comfort her. “Don’t be so dramatic, I know what’s best for everyone; no subconscious mind tells a lie.” Pennywise reassures before he kissed Aquarius passionately.

Without realizing, they noticed Michael actually wiping the couch, almost as if there’s something within him that is so toxic and disgusting to his character. “Let’s keep cleaning the place up for the Voorhees, then we shall do something together as a family with our kids.” Pennywise suggested. Aquarius nodded and agreed, even though Pennywise is not the kind of being that likes to do chores, but he does get a lot of TLC afterwards.

***

When Malon was being taken to the Play Area, Jason wrote a note to MJ about what he wanted to do. “I’m thinking of going back home to check on the place, is that alright with you?” Jason wrote. MJ frowned, she thought that her calling Aquarius would calm Jason’s nerves, she even heard from Malon that her dad also called the Gray’s place. However, she can’t really tell him what he can or can not do, but she did gave him a reasonable response. “I can’t really stop you, since it’s my turn to spend the night with Malon anyway, but you should ask Malon and see what she thinks.” MJ suggested. Jason nodded and decided to take her advice.

Jason walked over to the play area to see Malon with the question that he have wrote for her. He was watching Malon drawing and coloring, he tried to get her attention until he saw what she was drawing. “What’s that you coloring?” The little sick girl asked. “That’s me and daddy; he was always there for me whenever I needed him...” Then Malon noticed her daddy and waved at him happily. Jason waved back at his daughter with a tearful smile; he looked at the note and then back at Malon, he decided to not worry about his cabin, his family comes first, especially Malon’s, so he tared up the paper and threw it into the recycling bin. Jason was going to go back to her room, until he spotted a Shetland Pony heading towards the play area, he assumes that the pony was the ‘special guest’ that Linda was talking about.

Malon and the rest of the young patients went out to meet the little pony, Malon has never seen a little pony so tiny that Malon teared up over cuteness. She was going to pet it until the man grabbed her by the wrist to stop her. “Don’t touch him, the sign said to not touch.” The man said, he didn’t mean any harm, but Malon is still tearing up, so she decided to go back to her room. Only to realize that she doesn’t remember where she came from or how to get back to her room; the nurse was preoccupied that she wasn’t paying attention to Malon.

Luckily, her dad was close by, so he caught up to her and gently lay a hand on her. Malon turned around and hugged her daddy while tearing up. “I want to go back to my room!” Malon mumbled into his shirt. Jason rubbed her back to comfort her, he saw the whole situation with the man and his Shetland Pony; if he weren’t in a public place, he’d kill him in a instant for making his daughter cry, but he has to hold himself back and not make a scene. Eventually, Jason guided her to her room and put her up to her bed. “You’re back quickly, everything okay?” MJ asked. Malon shook her head and decided to sleep it through from her depression. Jason wrote a note to his wife and explained to her about what happened. “Aww... That’s not fair... Service animals were supposed to be used for little kids to cuddle, like dogs and puppies... Did she cry?” MJ asked. Jason nodded sadly as he almost cried himself.

MJ got up and walked towards Malon and gave her a lingering kiss by the cheek, which gave Malon a half smile with a dimple; just like when she was a baby. Even though Jason is sad over Malon’s disappointing opportunity, he’s glad he didn’t decide on leaving for home, or else Malon would have gotten herself lost from wandering through the hospital. He’s grateful for listening to his own family instincts and not think too much about his home.

To Be Continued

#IT #IT Chapter 2 #fandom #Fanfiction #Pennywise #pennywise the dancing clown #Aquarius #Aquarius the Singing Clown #Archie #Kandy #Halloween #Michael Myers #Friday the 13th #Jason Voorhees #MJ #Malon

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notveryglittery · 4 years

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birthday prince (5)

summary: happy birthday, roman!!! words: 2,900 / ship: dlampts (deceit/logan/virgil/patton/roman/thomas/remy) author’s note: this is part five of my Giving The Gay Anything He Wants series for roman’s birthday (june 4)! all ships are written implied romantic but i’m not stopping you from interpreting it otherwise. check the end notes on ao3 for credit on these gifts (bc i don’t know where to put them in this post)! i hope you enjoy!!

part 1 (roceit) | part 2 (logince) | part 3 (prinxiety) part 4 (royality) | part 5 (dlampts) | read on ao3

— — —

“Rise and shine, buttercup!”

Roman swatted at the air, as if that would send away the voice trying to wake him. “Five more minutes,” he grumbled, burying his face back into a pillow.

“You said that ten minutes ago, sugar,” drawled another.

If Roman really thought about it, he’d remember that, yes, he was guilty of this charge. That didn’t mean that he would admit to it, of course! Besides, even if he did, today was his day so he should have been able to do whatever he liked.

Oh.

Oh!

Energy shot through him as he jolted up. “It’s my birthday!”

Patton’s laugh was musical, the most beautiful sound Roman could ever ask to start his morning with. “I knew we’d get there eventually.”

“I dunno, I was sure it’d take him at least another half hour,” Remy teased, standing in the doorway.

"Good morning!" Roman exclaimed, swooping in for a kiss from Patton. He happily obliged, taking it also as an opportunity to comb a hand through Roman's tangled hair.

Were it not for Remy clearing his throat a moment later, the two might have lost track of time entirely. They pulled apart, only a little sheepish about it. Patton took Roman's hands in his and gave him a tug, urging him out of bed. Thankfully, now that Roman knew what was being celebrated, he followed easily, lips curled into a grin that seemed it'd never go away.

"What's on the agenda?" He asked eagerly, curious how early it actually was and how long it'd be before his first gift.

"Get yourself dolled up first, hon," Remy told him, tilting his tumbler in the direction of the closet.

"Remy!" Patton hissed, a hint of a scolding reminder in his tone, if Roman was hearing right.

Apparently, this was all it took for Remy to remember whatever Patton was trying to say. They swapped places faster than Roman thought possible, especially with his sleep addled brain not quite keeping up. Remy looped an arm through Roman's and began leading the way to the bathroom.

Patton waved at them as he left, "see you in a bit!"

"You're up to something," Roman accused without hesitation.

"Why I never," Remy said, pouting. "When have I ever been up to anything in my whole life?"

It was, again, thanks to Roman's still half-asleep state that he could level Remy with his best unimpressed look.

"Here I am, just trying to help you look your absolute best, and you're claiming me a criminal. That's just plain unfair."

Roman couldn't deny how wonderful that sounded, actually. Doing his own makeup and hair was a regular occasion, so much so that it almost got boring to do anymore. Remy, without a doubt, could be trusted to make sure Roman's winged eyeliner would be sharp enough to kill a man. Not that Roman would ever admit it, but Remy might have been even a better makeup artist than he was.

"Alright, alright," Roman yielded, "I supposed I'd be lucky to have someone of your talent dress me up today."

Remy looked equally smug and delighted at this. He shooed Roman along to take a shower, ducking back out of the bathroom to, presumably, pick an outfit for Roman for the day. The prince used the hair and body care products that he liked to save for special occasions, singing (of course) various Disney love songs as he did. With what must've been some sort of sixth sense, Remy was on him again as soon as he was wrapped up in a bathrobe and towling his hair dry. He got to work without wasting a moment, making sure that Roman's luxurious locks were fluffy and styled just right. The swoop to his bangs had never been so perfect, if he was being honest! The makeup look was bold, reds and golds and glitter; thankfully, Remy reassured him he'd used all waterproof brands so that Roman could cry all he liked without issue.

They returned back to the bedroom, where Remy had the outfit displayed on a mannequin. It shouldn't have been a shock that he'd picked some of Roman's favorite pieces but he was pleasantly surprised all the same.

"I really do just know you that well, I guess," Remy said, nonchalantly.

Roman, lightning quick, pressed a kiss to his cheek, leaving behind a lipstick print. "You do and I love you so much for it!"

While Remy blushed and stammered at the sudden affection, Roman darted ahead and began to get dressed. Remy didn't need to turn away to give Roman his privacy, all things considered, but he did anyway, fiddling with the jewelry on Roman's vanity. It took some deliberating, but he decided finally that, above all else, the rainbow jewel encrusted crown was a must for today's ensemble.

"How do I look?"

"Babe, I don't even need to—" Remy's words died on his tongue as he faced Roman. Sure, there had been no doubt that Roman would look handsome as hell, but the beaming smile and light in his eyes and bouncy excited posture… He looked so happy and radiant and— "Wow."

"Stop," Roman said, giggling.

Remy took the crown and approached. He gave Roman a half-bow, smirking up at him. "May I have the honor, your majesty?"

“Stop!" Roman repeated, squeaking.

"Never," Remy promised, standing and reaching up to nestle the accessory on Roman's head. Each strand of hair still fell perfectly into place. "Now then," he said, taking Roman's arm in his, "shall we begin the festivities?"

Getting downstairs took no time at all, though Remy did dart ahead and down the steps first, so that he could loudly announce Roman proper. Patton and Thomas cheered for him as he descended, which added only more to the warm blush that he had a feeling might be a permanent addition today to his makeup. The pair ooh'd and ahh'd over Roman's look, showering him in compliments and praise. If this was just the beginning, then he sincerely was unsure whether he'd make it out of the celebrations alive.

They gathered at the dining room table, where Virgil and Deceit were laying the finishing touches on breakfast. The spread looked delectable, every one of Roman's favorite foods, and all of it hot and freshly cooked. Logan joined them last, carrying a plate with a single biscuit on it. There was a lit candle, too, and they'd all started singing before Roman could even catch up. He blew the little fire out and made a wish - though they'd nearly all already come true at this point, anyway.

"We're breaking a record today of how many times we can sing happy birthday," Thomas said with a wink, "fair warning."

Breakfast was full of fun and light chatter. They talked about the rest of their plans (at least, the ones they weren't keeping secret) and reminisced on old milestones. Roman felt full and happy, content to just sit and listen to his loved ones talk and joke around him. He was never left out of the conversation, though, always pulled back into a topic or started one anew with. He was listened to, unequivocally, and the attention was pleasant.

Soon, the food was finished, and the group moved to the kitchen. Patton and Deceit worked together on dishes while Logan presented what would be the first of birthday treats. They were muffins with Crofter's jelly in the middle, a flavor that Roman didn't recognize.

"Roman's Razzleberry," Logan explained, looking mixed on his feelings regarding the name. "It took some experimenting, but this combination of raspberry, strawberry, and dragonfruit came out the metaphorical winner."

"It's delicious!" Roman exclaimed, taking another from the tray. "My own jam! Thank you, dearest."

They gathered in the living room next, where the furniture had been rearranged to give them space for various activities. They did start with a movie, to let their meal settle, all huddled together on the couches. Roman was squished between Virgil and Thomas, the former playing absentmindedly with Roman's fingers while Thomas trailed his hand up and down Roman's arm, leaving tingles along the way. He might have dozed off a little, warm and cozy as he was.

The short nap energized him for their next game. Charades was one of his favorites as it gave him an opportunity to really practice his acting skills. What better way to hone one's craft than by not being able to use all the normal necessary components? Playing a part without any speaking lines and having to hope he'd do well enough that his companions could guess… It was a challenge he always looked forward to!

Virgil popped out and back in shortly with snacks for them all, the apparent second birthday treat: popcorn and candies and chips and soda, all easy and quick but not any less appreciated. They split into teams of two, leaving one to be their referee, and then each round, swapping out so that they all could have a turn to play. Roman ended up the winner, to absolutely no one’s surprise, though Deceit did come in a close second.

Lunchtime had rolled around and this time, they took to each making sandwiches for themselves. Patton and Remy surprised them (well, surprised Roman) with the third and fourth birthday treats: heart shaped cookies with exquisite frosting doodles and red velvet cake pops, respectively. They were sweet and delicious and baked perfectly and Roman only resisted eating more than he could count because he knew he had to save room still for whatever Thomas and Deceit had made. After they were finished and the dishes were washed, Patton led the way back upstairs. They stopped in front of his room.

“Would it be okay if we took a trip down Memory Lane?” He asked, holding Roman’s hands. “I was thinking we could visit some birthdays past!”

Roman looked to the others, nearly overwhelmed with how much affection and love he had for them all. “Whatever you have planned, I’m all in.”

“Nap time,” Remy and Virgil chorused.

Deceit rolled his eyes while Logan stifled a laugh.

“Shh,” Thomas hushed, giving them pats on the head. It was an amusing sight, to say the least, as Remy had a couple of inches on him and Virgil’s hunched over form was shorter than them both.

Memory Lane was as warm and fuzzy as Roman remembered it. He didn’t come through here often, usually only when he and Remy needed something for a Dream, but the consistent feeling it carried of being embraced by Mom or Dad was nice. The memories they visited were nice, too: old visions of time spent with friends, trips to amusement parks, parties that ran late into the night. While they all had their moments, Roman couldn’t help but feel that his birthday today was the absolute very best of them all. By the time they exited, he wasn’t sure he’d ever felt quite so relaxed. Logan and Virgil, on the other hand, looked like they were a little tired from the adventure. He took to their sides, planting himself between them, and grabbing each of their hands. Their quiet, grateful smiles were enough to give him pleasant shivers down his spine.

“Kitchen’s off limits,” Deceit announced as they all arrived back downstairs. “None may enter.”

“Except me!” Thomas piped up.

“Except you,” Deceit agreed, giving him a not-so-secret smitten smile.

Before Roman could ask why, they’d both disappeared. His attention was quickly stolen by Remy anyway, who was dragging him down onto the couch for his and Virgil’s aforementioned nap time. Patton giggled, making sure that they had enough blankets and pillows to be comfy.

“You sleep well, okay? We’ll wake you up in a little bit!” Patton said, taking Roman’s crown for him so that it wouldn’t get in the way, and setting it carefully on the coffee table.

If Roman wanted to ask Logan and Patton to join their cuddling, he didn’t get a chance to. Remy was carding a hand through his hair, draining him of his energy with each gentle scrape of nails against his scalp. He would have declared Remy a cheater for using his powers like this, but Virgil was falling victim to it as well and having his emo nightmare curled up with him was too pleasant to allow any upset feelings, regardless of how joking or serious they were.

Roman did, in fact, nap well, especially thanks to Remy’s presence.

When he woke, his limbs were only a little stiff, but he was overall very warm and relaxed. Virgil was gone but Remy had his face tucked into the crook of Roman’s neck. His sunglasses had been removed and Roman decided it might be worth dealing with the possible attitude of rousing Remy before he was well and ready if it meant getting to see his pretty eyes.

“Pstt,” he whispered, cupping Remy’s hand in his cheek. “My sweet dreamcatcher, it’s time to wake up.”

Remy grumbled, leaning into Roman’s hold. “Sweetie, I know you aren’t trying to coax me out of slumber right now.”

“Why I never,” he teased, echoing Remy’s earlier faux offended tone.

It took a moment longer, but Roman was blessed with getting to watch Remy blink away the lingering sleep. He thought this might be the best present of them all, seeing the swirling and shimmering shades of brown in Remy’s eyes, never one color at a time. It didn’t last long, what with Remy letting his eyelids slip back closed, but that was because he was leaning in to kiss Roman, and that sort of made it worth it.

“I should’ve known better than to leave you two alone,” Virgil groused suddenly, startling them apart.

“You’re just jealous I got to kiss the most handsome prince in the world before you did,” Remy said cheekily, reaching over to grab his sunglasses from the table and sliding them back on.

Roman couldn’t have prepared even if he wanted to. Virgil moved so quickly, thanks largely in part to those flight reflexes, swooping in and capturing Roman’s lips with his own. The kiss was fierce and passionate and even as Virgil pulled away, Roman followed after him. He sighed, disappointed for it to have ended so quickly. Virgil stuck his tongue out at Remy and then shot away as Remy lunged for him. They chased each other around the living room, laughing and throwing playful insults back and forth. Roman watched fondly from the couch, warm still in their nest of blankets.

Hands pressed down on his shoulders, massaging the post-nap aches away. Roman looked up, finding Logan above him. Logan smiled, bending slightly to give him a kiss on the forehead.

“Troublemakers, the both of them,” he said, only pretending to be disappointed.

“You’re one to talk,” Roman pointed out. “I’ve seen what you and Deceit get up to.”

“Shh,” Logan hurried to interrupt. “I haven’t a clue what you’re talking about.”

“Dinner’s ready!” Patton called suddenly from the kitchen.

Roman’s stomach growled, surprising him; he wondered how long they’d slept for. Logan came around to the front of the couch and helped Roman up. Virgil and Remy had already darted away to try and steal bits of food.

“Has your birthday been so far satisfactory?” Logan asked, taking a moment to return Roman’s crown to his head. It was a testament to Remy’s hard work that his hair still looked flawless.

“It’s been perfect,” Roman answered enthusiastically.

Dinner consisted, once more, of Roman’s favorite foods. The cupcakes were courtesy of Thomas, another birthday treat, and while he seemed embarrassed about the messy frosting, Roman thought it overwhelmingly endearing; he especially liked the edible glitter and fondant stars. As they were nearing the end of their meal, Deceit procured the final birthday treat: champagne glasses for them all, filled with bubbly cider. There was another happy birthday song as Patton brought the cake out to the dining room. Roman had definitely started crying by now, as it all came together just how much they’d done for him today.

“A toast,” Deceit began, holding up his glass. The others followed. “To our favorite author, poet, artist, actor.”

“To the prince of our dreams,” Remy chimed in.

“And our hearts!” Patton added.

“To the best Creativity I could ask for,” Thomas continued.

“To the greatest hero,” Virgil suggested.

“To a wise and clever leader, one whom we can always trust to take care of us,” Logan rounded out.

Roman wiped frantically at his eyes, uncertain whether his makeup was smudge proof as well, but not caring one bit. “Thank you,” he said, voice wobbly and thick with tears. “I love you guys more than I can say.”

Deceit, from his seat beside him, used his free hand to take one of Roman’s. He pressed a kiss to his knuckles and then held that hand to his cheek. “How unfortunate for your wellbeing,” he threatened sweetly, “because I think that we can say plenty.”

And they did, praising him on anything to everything: from his appearance to his creations, his traits and what made him tick, and the cute faces he made without realizing, and every tiny simple little thing they adored about him. It was, to say the least, the best way to end what had been the best day.

#sanders sides fan fiction #roman's birthday #roman sanders #sanders sides #dlampts #ts deceit #dani writes #gifts for roman's bday #it's basically dlamp + thomas + remy but focused on the roman ships #IT'S PUBLISHED BEFORE MIDNIGHT PST HALLELUJAH

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hesmygolden · 4 years

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we said forever (ch.3)

ch.1 - ch.2

A/N: thank u so much for reading!! I hope you enjoy this chapter and let me know what you think. I cannot wait to write about Y/N’s interaction with Harry after the breakup...

CHAPTER 3

It was hard to sleep without the image of Harry and Camille coming into your thoughts every few seconds. You tried your best to distract your mind from it and focus on something else, like the upcoming release of your movie, but it just wasn’t enough to drift your mind away from the blonde woman holding the man who was still the love of your life.

You probably managed to get around four hours of sleep before your alarm woke you up. You felt tired and wanted to sleep some more but remembered that today was the day you were meeting with your manager to get your life back on track again.

As you looked at yourself in the mirror, you noticed how different you looked now and thought about how real it is when people say that breakups change you.

Your face looked sad.

There was just something about it that made you look so sad and empty, which made you tear up. You wanted to stop feeling this way and you wanted even more to look better than before.

You covered up what you thought looked bad with some makeup and managed to feel a bit better about yourself. You made yourself a cup of coffee and decided to order bagels once you arrived at your office.

Once you arrived at your office, you were greeted by a very optimistic and happy Andrew, your manager, which was followed by a tight hug.

“So happy you’re back!”

“Glad to be here.”

You smiled and stared at him. You could tell he was genuinely happy you were ready to get back to business and he was also relieved the press for the movie could start now.

“Francesca is arriving in about 20 minutes,” Andrew sighed as he picked up his phone to violently type something, “your bagels are on their way too.”

“Good, I’m starving.”

“You look…” He paused as he stared at you, a look of confusion and surprise all over his face, “different.”

“Yeah that’s probably because I lost a little weight and haven’t been getting any sleep.” You cracked a smile to cover up the mess you had become.

“Oh dear,” he shook his head, “you’ll be alright, you just need to get back to your routine and you’ll recover your power.”

You nodded silently and grabbed your phone, trying your best to not open Twitter in case that picture of Harry and Camille popped up.

busy tonight?

You thought it would be a good idea to hang out with Saoirse to get back in track with the world, have a good chat with a friend and get excited about your movie, so you texted her.

Hey Y/N!! Good to hear from ya… I’m free tonight, what’s on your mind? :)

You smiled at the text from your friend, this was going to help you a lot.

let’s grab something to eat at the Beachwood Cafe.

Sounds good! See you at 6?

see you Saoirse!

The smell of the bagels inside the office made your stomach grumble and you were quick to stand up from the sofa and grab your breakfast. The taste of the cream cheese and salmon making you remember how good life could be sometimes.

“Francesca is here!” Andrew said a little too loud and opened the door to greet the tall, platinum blonde haired woman.

Francesca was your hairstylist, she had been doing your hair ever since your career started and you were always happy with the results. Not that you’d ever done something crazy to your hair (unless it was for a movie, which was usually a wig), but you always loved the results.

“Hello sweetheart.” Andrew kissed her on the cheek.

“How’s life treating you Andrew?” She said with a big smile on her face.

“A bit better now that Y/N’s back to work.”

“Y/N dear!”, she squealed as she walked towards you with a look of adoration on her face, you were like a daughter to her, “I’m glad you’re back!”

You helped her set everything up after finishing your breakfast and heard Francesca and Andrew talk about some recent gossip from Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik. You were so lost with what was going around in the entertainment industry and you honestly didn’t care that much, unless it involved any of your friends.

“So what do you have on mind for me?” You asked Francesca as she mixed colours and grabbed hair brushes.

“I’m bringing back your power dear.” She giggled.

“Francesca-“

“Nothing too different honey, don’t you trust me?”

You sighed and looked at her before nodding and relaxing on the chair. You did not want her to give you a drastic change since you didn’t want to seem like a cry for attention after going through a breakup, it just wasn’t you.

While Francesca did your hair, you went through your schedule for the press release of the movie with Andrew and couldn’t help but feel excited to go back to work even if things were going to be a little different now.

Time went by and you received a text message from Saoirse.

Hey is it okay if Timothée joins us tonight?

yeah, no problem :)

You didn’t think much about it. You had met Timothée Chalamet a few times before and he was a nice guy and a really good actor, but you wouldn’t really call him a friend so you were excited to get to know him better.

“Y/N, I don’t want to bring up this conversation but eventually we’re going to have to talk about this so it’s better to do it now.” Andrew’s words made your heart skip a beat, since you knew exactly what he wanted to talk about.

“Yeah, it’s alright.” You sighed.

“So the press is going to be all over you and they might ask you about Harry, “ he looked straight into your eyes, afraid you would break anytime soon, “do you know.. uh you know…”

“Have I talked to him? No, I haven’t.” You cut him off.

“But do y-“

“Know that he’s with Camille now?” You asked coldly.

Francesca bit her lips and focused on drying your hair while Andrew cleared his throat and nodded.

“I saw something on Twitter last night so I can only assume they’re a thing.” You said and took a sip of your coffee, trying your hardest to not cry.

“Well, they are.”

You knew what Andrew’s response was going to be but it still hit you like a thousand knives.

“They went public a month and a half after your breakup.” He finished.

“What do you mean they went public?” you raised your voice, which caught Andrew and Francesca by surprise, “Did Harry tweet or post something about her or what do you mean by that huh? Because he is not the type to make a relationship public.”

Andrew scratched his neck as he grabbed his phone, trying his best to not make eye contact with you since he did not want to see you cry.

“She posted a picture with him and later he confirmed it on a radio interview.” He said quietly.

You just nodded and felt your eyes getting teary.

“Well,” you fake laughed, “it’s what he and his team wanted anyway right?”

Andrew remained quiet and Francesca noticing the awkward silence, decided to join the conversation.

“Oh honey,” she exclaimed, “who needs a man anyway?”

You smiled at her in a thankful way and stared at your finished hair.

You let a tear fall down your face and brushed it off with a smile as you touched your hair.

You looked really great.

She had darkened up your hair a bit and given it a better form as well as a special keratin treatment which ended up looking amazing. You felt like a new woman and you were definitely ready to get back your life.

After saying goodbye to your manager and thanking Francesca for helping your self esteem get back on track, you headed to the Beachwood Cafe to meet Saoirse and Timothée, clearly not expecting to run into the one and only Harry Styles with his new girlfriend.

#harries #Harry Styles #harry styles one shot #one shot harry styles #harry styles imagine #imagine harry styles #harry styles x reader #harry styles x you #harry styles x actress #harry styles x y/n #harry edward styles #harry styles fanfiction #solo harry #solo harry styles

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imanativeofswlondondahling · 4 years

Text

Becoming A Stark? (27)- Peter Parker x Stark!femReader

Word Count: 4797

Warnings: Swearing probably

Author’s Note: One more chapter after this. It will be going up this Friday. Let me know if you want to be added to the tag list which will turn into the sequel tag list after Friday.

Chapter One || Previous Chapter || Master List

“Wakey, wakey birthday girl.” Your dad’s voice comes from your doorway.

“If you really love me you’ll let me sleep.” You mumble, pulling your blankets towards your chin.

“Loving you has nothing to do with it. You have to get ready for school. But I wanted to be the first to say happy birthday.” You feel the edge of your bed sink in as your dad sits down. You look over, blinking as the bright light hits you a bit too hard. “How does it feel to be fifteen?”

“The same as it felt to be fourteen?” you shrug. “How did you know it’s my birthday?”

“I’ve seen your birth certificate. I’m not going to forget my kid’s birthday.” Tony reaches forward to push the hair away from your face. “You’ve got a busy day ahead of you. So if it were me, I’d get up and get ready.”

“If it’s my birthday shouldn’t I be allowed to do what I want? Like stay in bed all day?”

“Pepper will never allow that. Get up kiddo. You’ve got school to get to.”

“So you’re saying Mom is the one who’s actually in charge?”

“Most definitely.” Tony says before kissing your forehead. “Now get ready so you can have your birthday breakfast before school.”

“Does it involve green juice?”

“Would it be breakfast without green juice?” You roll your eyes, but push your covers back and climb out of bed. Reaching into your dresser, you pull out a pair of black ripped jeans before going digging in your closet for a shirt for today. Sassy shirt or band tee? Which seems right? But then your eyes fall on the blue tie dyed Pink Floyd tour t-shirt. That’s what you want to wear today. It’s slightly cropped, but not enough for it to be a dress code issue. You pull on the shirt and the jeans and then reach for a pair of red high tops. You love how comfy casual this is. The last thing it needs is your favorite jean jacket and you’ll be set. At least clothing wise anyway. You’ll add a couple small pieces of jewelry, your heart pendant and some earrings, and maybe throw your hair into a ponytail just so it doesn’t annoy you throughout the day. After a couple swipes of mascara and a little lip gloss, you feel ready to head downstairs. When you walk into the kitchen, your mom and dad are both waiting for you. A stack of pancakes are waiting for you with a couple candles stuck in them. You look at them puzzled. “Pepper said I couldn’t give you cake for breakfast so I figured this was the closest we could get.”

“Cake would just spike you and then you’d get hungry way before lunch.” Pepper rolls her eyes.

“I love it.” Nana and Pops had always made your birthday special, but this is a completely different kind of special. Your dad takes a lighter and lights the candles.

“Make a wish.” He pulls his phone out and snaps a picture as you blow out the candles. Tony can’t help but smile at you. “So anything you want to do for your birthday?”

“You don’t have today already planned?”

“I have some rough ideas, but I thought I’d get some input from the birthday girl herself.”

“I want to hang out with Peter after school.”

“Sure, invite him over.”

“I mean outside of the apartment.”

“Take Happy with you.”

“Dad-”

“Nope. Dead set on this one.”

“Fine.” You text Peter to see if he’s up for doing something after school. You’d be surprised if he says something other than sure.

“You have to be home by six.” Pepper adds. “Birthday dinner. But Peter can come too.”

“Where are we going for it?”

“Where would you like to go?” Pepper asks.

“Can we go to that Italian place we went a few weeks back?”

“Sounds like a plan to me.” Tony says.

“So what did you want to do?” Peter asks as he finds you after your German class.

“I don’t care. I just wanted to be free from the apartment for a few hours.” You admit.

“Well it’s your birthday, so anything you want to do is on the cards.”

“I could go for coffee?” You suggest.

“Coffee it is for my girl.” Peter takes your hand and walks you to the side of the school but you shake your head. “What? This is the quicker way.”

“I promised my dad we would go with Happy. He’ll be waiting in front of the school.”

“I’m pretty sure he doesn’t like me.” Peter’s nose scrunches as he says this but follows you towards the front of the school.

“That’s just Happy’s personality.”

“He likes you.”

“That’s ‘cause Tony’s my dad. I’m a Stark- he like has to like me or he doesn’t get paid.” You joke. “Did you tell May that my mom and dad said you’re invited to dinner?” Peter nods his head.

“Already texted her about it. She said to wish you a happy birthday.”

“Aw, May’s the best.”

“She is pretty great, as long as you don’t eat her cooking.” Peter says with a smile.

“The vegetarian food she made for me was pretty decent.”

“That’s because most of it was premade.” Peter smirks at you.

“That stuff is pretty hard to mess up.” You admit. You walk outside to the sound of your name being called and feel Peter drop your hand. You both walk over to where Happy is standing.

“How was school kid?” Happy asks you.

“Not bad.” You say as he opens the door for you and Peter to climb into the back seat.

“Where are we heading?” Happy asks as he sits down in the front seat.

“Coffee.” You say, knowing Happy knows where your favorite shop is.

“Anything for the birthday girl.” Happy turns a blinker on and pulls away from the curb. You click open your phone and see that your dad tagged you in a picture from this morning at the breakfast table.

“My dad can’t seem to keep anything private. The whole world knows it’s my birthday now.” You say to Peter.

“It’s just ‘cause he loves you kid.” Happy’s voice flows from the front seat. You roll your eyes, but you know he’s right. Now your notifications are filled with thousands of birthday messages on your dad’s photo. But you also see a few pictures you’ve been tagged in, so you click on your profile to have easier access to them. Some are from people you don’t know, edits of pictures you’ve posted or the paps have, but a few are from Betty, MJ, Ned, and then you see that Peter tagged you in a picture. You click over to peter_p’s profile and see the collage of photos from the few months you two have been dating and some from your snapchat streak before that, but it’s the comment that he posted that gets you.

Happy birthday to the best girlfriend I could have ever asked for @y/nstark. I’m my happiest when I’m with you and I’ve never laughed as hard as I do when you make me laugh. Here’s to fifteen years treating you the best it should. Hopefully fifteen is when I finally get you to watch Star Wars too. You have my <3 babe. Here’s the first of many birthdays together.

You look over at Peter, who is oblivious to the fact that you just read his birthday message. Feeling your eyes on him, he looks up at you. “What’s up?”

“You have my heart too.” Peter takes your hand in his and places kisses on your knuckles. It’s the closest either of you have gotten to saying ‘I love you’ in the almost six months of dating. It feels important.

“I think mine was yours before we even started dating. But I wouldn’t tell your dad that or I might not live to your next birthday.” Peter admits.

“I’m pretty good at keeping secrets.”

“So Peter, how’s your year going at MSST?” Pepper asks after orders have been placed.

“Good. I think anyway. I’m waiting for a couple of midterm grades to come back, but besides that my grades are where I want them to be and I’m taking my SAT and ACT for the third time next weekend.”

“Wanting to score well enough for MIT?” Tony asks.

“He’s trying to aim for scholarship levels. He’s already scored high enough to get in.” You say, unable to not brag about your boyfriend. Peter’s ears go pink at your words.

“Good to hear. If I’m going to talk to them about admitting you next year, then-”

“You’re a year off Dad.”

“I think we could get Peter into college a year early. I went early. I think Peter could do it too. He’s smart enough.”

“I won’t have the necessary classes.” Peter says.

“So we talk to MSST and you could take some extra classes to graduate early.” Tony points out.

“You’re just trying to get him a few states away from me.” You point out before taking a sip from your water glass.

“I think May isn’t ready for me to head off to college for a couple years. Financially.” Peter says with a slight cough.

“Well there’s always the September Grant.”

“Yeah that’s what you told her about when you came over the first time. I don’t think she’ll go for that lie again.” Peter says, reaching for his own water glass.

“The September Grant is a real grant.” Pepper says. “And it is through MIT. Now if somebody,” she looks at your dad, “utilized the name to cover for something else, he’ll have to explain that. But it’s a very real grant.” She lifts her wine glass but before taking a sip she adds, “And whenever you’re ready to head to college, it’s open to you.”

“Wow, um thank you?” Peter says, his cheeks going red. “I think today is supposed to be about Y/N though.” You smile at your boyfriend.

“Right, our birthday girl. How has your birthday been so far?” Your dad asks, taking a sip from his whiskey glass.

“Good. I got a 100 on my English essay. And I passed my Chemistry and Biology midterms. So I won’t have to retake either of those classes next year hopefully.”

“Never doubted you would pass.” Your mom says with a smile. Personally, you don’t love the fact that you have to take two science classes a year at MSST, but you’re doing it.

“A 100 on your essay? That deserves a toast I think.” Tony raises his glass. You roll your eyes but raise your glass too. “To our English scholar and birthday girl.” After clinking glasses, your appetizers were brought out. Bruschetta for you and Pepper, a salad for your dad, and fried cheese bites for Peter. As you all munch on your food, the conversation flows between projects your dad and Peter are working on, SI things, and more school talk from you and Peter. This continues through entrees as well. Your dad offers to order dessert, but Pepper reminds him that there’s cake at home.

Little did you know, there are also a multitude of people waiting for you at home. Uncle Rhodey must have let everyone in, but when you walk into your house there’s a group of people shouting “Happy Birthday!”. You look around the room, seeing your friends- Astrid, Betty, MJ, and Ned- standing near Nana and Pops as well as Vision and, to your and Tony’s surprise, your Aunt Nat standing to the side of the room. Peter’s hand is wrapped around your waist, he knows you’re excited to see your aunt. However, his sixth sense tells him that some of the people in the room, Tony and even possibly Colonel Rhodes, don't seem to like that she’s here. Neither man seems ready to drag her out of the room, at least not in front of you, seeing how she’s part of the reasons that Captain America got away. But you don’t know that. No one except the people who weren't in Germany know that. So he’ll smile and play nice, to make you happy on your birthday.

While you’re over giving hugs to your Nana and Pops, Rhodey and Tony make their way to say something to Natasha. “You’re here just for this. As soon as gifts are opened and cake is cut, you disappear, or-”

“I know. I wasn’t going to disappoint Y/N and miss her birthday.” Natasha says, squaring off to Tony, reminding him that he might be an Avenger but she’s not one to be messed with either.

“You’re still wanted for what happened in Germany.”

“I know.” Before any of them can say anything else, the birthday girl’s arms are wrapped around her aunt’s waist.

“Aunt Nat, you’re here!” Rhodey and Tony step away to give Natasha a moment with you.

“I am. I wasn’t going to miss your birthday.”

“Is Dad and Uncle Rhodey going to send you away to some like prison or something after this?” You ask all worried, but your aunt shakes her head.

“I’m pardoned for one night. It’s a birthday gift I think.”

“I’ll take it.” You pull your aunt in for another hug. “I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you too. But today’s about celebrating you. So…” She trails off, motioning towards your friends and family. Across the room, Betty, Astrid, and Ned all look awestruck at the sight of you talking with the Black Widow.

“Come meet my friends.” You say, pointing towards where your friends are waiting. The room fills with the sounds of you talking with the people you love and who love you. Tony queues FRIDAY to play some of your favorite music and everyone relaxes into celebrating you. You end up on the couch surrounded by your parents to open gifts, the rest of your family and friends sitting in various places in the living room. So far you’ve opened a lot of graphic tees and books. Peter got you a shirt that said ‘The Sass is Strong With This One’ in the Star Wars print as well as a sweatshirt that said ‘Friday is My Second Favorite F Word’ which got a laugh out of everyone, Natasha got you some books you had added to your Goodreads page recently, Betty got you two sweatshirts that read ‘Gangsta Napper’ and ‘I’d Rather Be Sleeping’. You’re now on the gifts from Nana and Pops.

“We thought it was time for you to finally have these.” You unwrap the first of the two boxes, a smaller one. Taking off the paper, you’re surprised to find a jewelry box waiting for you. Inside is a pair of pearl earrings. “These were your mom’s. When she went into rehab, she left them with us, because she wanted to make sure that you had something of hers, one day.” You try to swallow the lump in your throat as you take the paper off the other box, finding a matching necklace. You don’t know what to say. You don’t remember the woman who left these for you as she went off to required rehab after giving birth to a crack baby. When you hear Mom, your thoughts go to Pepper, not the woman who these belong to. But you let the cold, weighted stones drape over your hand as you hold the necklace. “She wanted you to have them one day.”

“Those are beautiful.” Pepper says softly from next to you, breaking the silence that you hadn’t known how to break.

“Right, yeah, thanks Nana. These are gorgeous.” Pepper can tell there’s something about the jewelry that is making you uncomfortable, but she’s not going to just ask you in front of everyone. She can wait until it’s just you, her, and Tony, or even just you and her later. But the Mama Bear in her wants to pull you into her arms and never let you go. You place the two offending boxes on the coffee table.

“My turn!” Astrid says holding a light blue gift bag out towards you. “I’ve been waiting weeks to give this to you.” You pull out the tissue paper and reach a hand in to pull out a pair of Mickey Ears that are sparkling black with a rainbow bow in the center. “It’s the pride ears you talked about!”

“I love them Astrid!” Your friends know how obsessed you are with collecting new Pride stuff to have on hand for Pride Events or just day to day life. “Maybe I’ll wear them to Pride this year.”

“There’s more in there.” You pull out a grey shirt that says ‘To Read or Not To Read, What A Stupid Question’ as well as a baseball tee that reads ‘God Said Adam and Eve so I Did Both’ in Blue, Pink, and Purple ink.

“Astrid, these are amazing.”

Ned gave you a Labyrinth board game, Vision had gotten you some anti-math graphic tees, and now Uncle Rhodey was going to give you gifts before your parents give you their gifts.

“For you Baby Stark.” Your Uncle Rhodey hands you a box and you roll your eyes at the nickname.

“I thought my dad was the one who is supposed to be the one with all the nicknames.”

“Hang around him too long and you start up on them too.” You take the paper off and open the white box to find more graphic tee shirts. The first one you get not even halfway through reading when your dad shouts out.

“Absolutely not.” You finish reading the white print on the black shirt ‘Look Like A Princess Fight Like An Avenger.’

“You don’t like it, Tones?” Your uncle teases.

“Yeah Dad? I thought this would be my motto from here on out.”

“Burn it.” Your dad says angrily and your mom laughs. You turn the shirt around so your confused guests can read it. Everyone laughs as you set it on the coffee table to see what else is in the box. Underneath, there is a black sweatshirt that reads ‘The Trash Get Picked Up Tomorrow. Get Ready.’ Lastly, there’s a tee that reads ‘I’m Allergic to Mondays’. All of the shirts you’ve gotten so far are very you.

“Thanks Uncle Rhodey.” You set the shirts with the growing pile of new ones you’ve received today.

“Our turn.” Your dad says, reaching beside the couch to pull out a few boxes.

“This is way too many.” Most people at the party had limited to one gift. But your dad seems to have forgotten that there is such a thing as limiting one’s self.

“It’s not every day your kid turns fifteen.” You raise an eyebrow, telling him that that excuse doesn’t work. “Plus these are from me and Pep.”

“Fine.” You roll your eyes. He hands you a bigger box first, one that if you had to guess is probably a pair of converse. You take the paper off the box and aren’t surprised to find the familiar black and brown box waiting under the paper. But the shoes you find inside the box, you’ve never seen before. “Galaxy hightops?” You look to your mom, knowing that she had to be the one to find these.

“Thought you might enjoy them.” She says with a smile. You throw your arms around her.

“These are so cool!”

“Wow I see that I’m just chopped liver.” Your dad teases. You wrap your arms around him too.

“Thanks Dad.” He places a kiss on your forehead.

“Open the next one. I think you’ll enjoy that one too.” This box is a slimmer, flatter box and you guess it’s probably some piece of clothing, seeing as it doesn’t weigh a ton. You slide a finger under the tape to open the box open up after taking the paper off and open it up to find another jean jacket looking at you. You’re confused, since you already have one you wear a lot, but you take it out of the box and flip it to the back to look at the jacket before saying anything. And that’s when you see it. The tongue sticking out of a mouth. It’s a Rolling Stones jean jacket. You look between your parents.

“This one was all your dad.” Pepper says softly and the smile grows on your face.

“Even though they’re only subpar?” You ask.

“They make you happy and that’s what matters.” This time, your arms are around your dad before you can stop yourself.

“I love you.”

“I love you too. Always and forever kiddo.” Tony holds you close for a moment, before saying a little louder. “I think you’ve still got a couple more things to open.” He slides another flat box into your lap, saving the most important gift for last.

“Ok, ok.” You say, tearing the paper from the box. You’re guessing this is another clothing item and if it follows the trend of everyone else's gifts, it’s probably a graphic tee. But upon opening the box, you realize your guess is wrong. Sitting in the box is one of the most beautiful dresses you’ve ever seen. It’s a black cotton dress with flowers printed on it. There’s a burgundy trim around the neckline of the dress as well as white iridescent buttons, and at the bottom of the dress is an almost tribal looking print covering the bottom of the dress.

“I saw this in a shop and knew you had to have it.” Pepper admits.

“It’s beautiful.” You breathe out softly. “Thank you.”

“Of course.” Pepper says like it’s no big deal, and maybe it isn’t to her, but it is to you. It’s your mom buying things like this because she thought it was important that you have things like that. It matters to you. Tony grabs the last box and hands it to Pepper instead of you, which throws you off. There’s a moment of conversation that happens only between their eyes. But Pepper takes a breath and then holds the box out to you. You look at her, silently asking if you should open it. She smiles at you and you start to take the paper off the small box. As you take the paper off, Pepper explains. “This is something that has been passed down from mother to daughter in my family for generations and when my mom gave it to me, she told me to hold on to it until the day that I wanted to give it to my daughter.” You open another jewelry box to see a beautiful opal ring with two small diamonds on either side of the gem.

“Wow. You want me to have this?” You can’t help but ask, staring at the ring in your hands.

“Why wouldn’t I want my daughter to have it?” Pepper asks, wrapping an arm around you. You lean into her side. “It’s yours until the day you want to give it to your daughter.” She says, as if passing a family heirloom on to you was no big deal. You take the ring out of the black velvet and hold the gold band between two fingers for a moment before sliding it onto your middle finger, guessing that that finger is the one that it will fit the best on. “We can get it resized if we need to.”

“No, it’s perfect.” You say, looking at where it now sits. You might never take the opal ring off, because it looks perfect where it is. You look up from the ring to look at your mom, when out of the corner of your eye, you spot Nana and Pops. They had given you jewelry too and you hadn’t directly put it on. Are you insulting them? “Thanks Mom.” You say giving Pepper another hug.

Later that night you find yourself looking at the ring as you sit on your bed. Your birthday has been pretty perfect, but you can’t help but think about the situation with the jewelry and wonder if you should have handled it differently. Should you have put on your biological mother’s jewelry instead? Should you have put on both? The questions linger in your head as you stare at the ring that you love because it came from Pepper.

“So all in all how was the big birthday?” Pepper’s voice draws you from your thoughts.

You smile before answering, “Good. I don’t think I could have asked for a better birthday.”

“You know you don’t have to wear it if it makes you uncomfortable or anything.” Pepper says as she makes her way towards your bed to sit.

You don’t understand what she means. “Huh?”

“The ring. It’s yours. But you don’t have to wear it-”

“I don’t think I’ll ever take it off.” You cut her off before she has the chance to finish her thought. “I love it Mom.” You reassure her.

“If I had known your grandparents were bringing you jewelry too, I would have saved it for another day. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable or try to, I don’t know, step over your mom’s place-” Once again you cut her off before she can finish her thought.

“You didn’t.” Pepper looks at you, trying to gauge where you are at with everything that happened tonight. “If anything, I don’t know how to feel about their gift. But I know how I feel about yours.”

“I’m not sure I know what you mean.” Pepper says. You let your hand fall so you’re not staring at the ring, but your fingers of your left hand reach to your right to twist it.

“You know how I told you she left for rehab right after I was born because I was born addicted?” Pepper nods, remembering the story you shared right after you moved in with her and Tony. “Well, that’s a story I heard from someone else. I don’t have any actual memories from her. And I have the quilt she made and now the jewelry, but…” you trail off for a moment, collecting your thoughts. “It’s hard… I don’t know if she actually left those pieces for me to have, or if Nana and Pops took them so she couldn’t sell them for drug money. Nana and Pops have told me the truth about why my biological mother isn’t here. But she was a drug addict. There was a lot of stuff that Nana would mention off hand to Pops about being gone that she missed in terms of jewelry and stuff because my biological mother sold it. So I feel like I only have these pieces because Nana hid them, not because my biological mother wanted me to have them. Getting them as gifts, it… it leaves a sour taste in my mouth. Because it’s something that Nana more wanted me to have than the mother that left me to go back to the drugs that could have killed me.” You take in a shaky inhale before continuing. “But you? You wanted me. You adopted me and you gave me stuff that was meant for your daughter.”

“You are my daughter Y/N.”

“There’s nothing saying that you and Dad won’t have a daughter one day.”

“We already do.” Pepper corrects you. “Can I sit?” She motions next to you. You nod. She sits next to you, wrapping her arm around you. You lean into the scent of lavender that calms you especially when coming from Pepper. “You’re my kid. Whether or not your dad and I have more kids one day, you will always be my first born. That’s why I wanted to give the ring to you. Because it felt the way it did when my mom gave the ring to me. It felt right. And one day, you’ll feel the same way when you give it to your kid. You’re my kid.”

“I feel…” You stop yourself, not sure if you should even voice it.

“You feel…?” Pepper asks, but doesn’t push.

You decide to start it a different way. “I worry that Nana and Pops might hate that I found you to be my mom.”

“If they do, we can sit down and talk with them. With everything else you have on your plate, you don’t need to be worried about anything else. Right now, you just need to focus on staying with the things that make you happy.” Pepper says, running her hand through your hair, hoping it will calm you. “You don’t need to spend your birthday night stressing.”

“I love you Mom.”

“I love you too sweetheart. Always have, always will.”

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