#but having an old couple or a kid dance as they walk past

[theelvishscribbler]

I was so unaware of the power I wielded back when I was a street musician. I made an elderly man cry by playing a beautiful track from a very silly videogame. He didn’t even know. I MISS THE POWER

#i also miss the live reactions #art is great but I miss the Expressions #people in the tags are so amazing #but having an old couple or a kid dance as they walk past #amazing 10/10 #anyway can you tell i'm playing fiddle again #rambles

[supernovafics]

requesting for the ill be there for you universe! the kids are coming over so steve and r plan a lil dinner party… well they make the dinner together… and its just a little too domestic…. bonus if they end up dancing to some silly song on the radio because arent we all a sucker for dancing in the kitchen 😭😭😭😭😭 the kids walk in on them and are like 🤨🤨 those two need to get together now so baddddddddddd

𝐌𝐀𝐘𝐁𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐑

"i'll be there for you" universe masterlist

pairing: bestfriend!roommate!steve harrington x fem!reader

word count: 1.6k words

warnings: explicit language

summary: in which a new year’s dinner at the apartment sparks a bet— that you and steve are completely unaware of— among the friend group 

author's note: thank u for the request !! happy new year<33

general note: everything in this universe/series can be read as standalone oneshots but to understand the full “lore” it would prob be best to read the other stuff too<333

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Winter 1986

Steve heard the knock on the door first; you were way too engrossed in singing along to the song that was loudly playing to notice the sound. 

He maneuvered around you in the kitchen to go answer the door as you took a quick peek in the oven to check on the lasagnas. 

It was your idea to have this “New Year’s dinner” at the apartment— since you and Steve had been sick during the holidays and couldn’t see anyone, this was to make up for that— and Steve agreed. Of course, Robin and Eddie said that they would come, and then the kids were an immediate yes as well. 

Even though your and Steve’s collective cooking skills were not the best, you both still wanted to attempt and cook something for everyone, instead of simply ordering a couple of pizzas or takeout from some place. So, you got a lasagna recipe from Miss Johnson that she promised was very basic and couldn’t really be messed up; and so far, she’d been right. Although you did initially have to remake the sauce because of a mess up that you fully blamed on Steve and he fully blamed on you. But, after that, everything else luckily went fine. 

When Steve opened the door and you looked over to see everyone bounding into the apartment, it was then that you remembered just how big the friend group was— you could only imagine what that elevator ride up to the apartment had been like. 

“Is this The Breakfast Club soundtrack?” Robin asked, laughing as she slipped off her coat.

“Yes,” Steve answered. “This is what I’ve been subjected to for the past week.”

You immediately rolled your eyes at his words, which you somehow managed to hear over the loud music. “Oh, shut up, you were just singing along to the last song with me.”

“There’s only some truth to that,” He said as he walked over to the record player to turn the music down a bit. 

Everyone settled at the dining table that Steve’s mom bought for you two for the Thanksgiving dinner that you’d been forced to have here with your parents— that was still somehow a memory that lingered harshly in the back of your mind, like most interactions with your parents did. The table was only meant to fit six people, so the desk chairs that normally sat in your bedrooms were pulled out and placed at the table, and then two foldable chairs were borrowed from your other next door neighbor; this guy in his mid-sixties who would have weekly poker nights with his friends. You would continuously joke around with Steve and tell him that he should join in on the poker nights. In response, he’d always simply roll his eyes at you because you knew that he was bad at poker and he’d also rather not spend his Tuesday nights with random old men. 

Mike walked over to you and handed you a tupperware full of what you could tell were gingerbread cookies. “Since you missed the Christmas party, my mom wanted me to give these to you.”

You immediately smiled. “Holy shit, God bless that woman. Please tell her I said thank you.” 

He nodded at that and then went over to the table, sitting down next to El. 

Steve went back over to where you were in the kitchen and started reaching for the tupperware, but you immediately shooed his hand away. When he simply pouted at you, you rolled your eyes and then opened it so that he could grab a cookie, which he did and then broke it in half so that he could give a piece of it to you. 

“Is it just me or have they been acting extra old married couple lately?” Dustin asked, looking away from the interaction that just happened. 

“Oh, yeah, definitely,” Max answered almost immediately and pretty much everyone else simply nodded in agreement.

Neither you nor Steve were paying any attention to the conversation that was currently taking place barely ten feet away from you; instead you both were focused on finishing up the food. You were pulling one of the lasagnas out of the oven and Steve was grabbing the other before putting the store bought garlic bread in the oven— you both had figured that if the lasagna did end up turning out bad, there would at least be bread that neither of you had a hand in making to somewhat save the day. 

“I fully believe that this will be the year that they finally get together,” Lucas said, sounding very certain.

Robin shook her head at that. “No way. If they were gonna date, it would’ve happened already. Years ago, probably.”

She thought back to this past Halloween where you and Steve were dressed up in your Batman and Robin costume, and at some point during the night he ended up giving you a piggyback ride while you all were walking to some party, and she and Vickie were trailing a bit behind the two of you. She thought about how certain she had felt when answering Vickie’s question about if you two had ever dated. “They seem like they’d be perfect together, but I also think the world would implode if they ever tried something.” For the most part, that still felt entirely true. Even though it would’ve made complete sense if something happened, it still didn’t seem necessarily “possible” at this point— it felt like such a far-fetched idea.

“I’m gonna have to agree with Rob on this one. I don’t think they’ll ever actually get together,” Eddie said and then started laughing a bit as he said his next words. “Or it’ll happen twenty years down the road after they’ve both been married to other people and then divorced, and then they’ll finally realize that all they needed and wanted was each other.”

“Wow, that sounds like the most depressing movie ever,” Will told him. 

“I guess it wouldn’t be that sad since they would end up together in the end,” El said with a small shrug.

Eddie nodded. “Exactly.”  

“Okay, yeah, maybe that could happen, but I don’t think it would take that long anymore because things are so different now,” Dustin said. “They’re living together, they have a child together.” He gestured to Harold the Hamster’s cage that sat on the coffee table in the living room. “They’re practically already a couple. It’s inevitable now. Soon they’ll be married and there will be actual children involved, not just Harold.”

Robin rolled her eyes at his final statement. “They’re best friends. They’ve known each for like ten years.” 

“Yeah, which is just another reason why they’re definitely gonna end up together,” Lucas said. “Also, I can’t even remember the last time either of them went on a date, and Steve usually always talks about his dates.” 

“Actually, he was just going out with that girl last month,” Will chimed in. “Vanessa or something?”  

“And that ultimately led nowhere,” Max reminded him. 

Mike took a brief look over at you and Steve to make sure that you two still weren’t listening to the current conversation. “Okay, I have an idea. We should make this a bet. We each say when we think they’ll get together, and if it does end up happening we all give whoever got it right or was the closest five bucks.”

Eddie laughed before nodding. “I actually kind of like that idea.” 

“It’s a great idea,” Dustin said with a nod, and it didn’t necessarily surprise anyone when he pulled out a small notebook and pen out of his pocket because it somehow made sense that he would be the one to bring a notebook and pen to a dinner party; he was probably prepared for anything. 

He started off by saying February– because even though it was only a month away, it was in fact, the month of love— and then everyone started going around the table saying their guesses. Lucas said April, Max and El both said March, Mike said July, Will said August, Robin said a very certain “Never,” and Eddie finished by saying a playful and only slightly serious, “Twenty years.”

It was almost comical how oblivious you and Steve were to what was happening not that far away from you both. Instead, your attention was on grabbing enough silverware for everyone since the plates were already set on the table and Steve was pulling out some cups. 

“I think both of our moms would scold us for not setting everything out before they came,” You told Steve, laughing a bit.

“Very true. I guess our years of being forced to eat at fancy restaurants with them have truly taught us nothing,” He joked back and you smiled at that as you both walked over to the dining table. “We’re gonna bring over the lasagna in a second. What are you guys talking about?” 

“Nothing,” Eddie said casually as Dustin slipped his notebook back into his pocket, which was a subtle action that neither of you noticed. “Just some movie.”

Once everything was set on the table, you two went back to the kitchen to grab the lasagnas.

“The bread will be done in a couple minutes, so if the lasagna sucks we’ll eat that,” You said as you sat down in one of the two empty chairs left, which just so happened to be your desk chair. “Also, if it sucks, blame Steve, not me.”

He shook his head as he rolled his eyes at you and playfully poked your side before taking a seat in the other empty chair on the opposite side of the table. “If it sucks, blame both of us because this was a very mutual effort.”

Robin nodded. “Okay, got it. If this turns out to be the worst meal all of us have ever eaten we’ll make sure to hate both of you equally and not talk to either of you for at least a week.”

Luckily, the lasagna actually turned out pretty great.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

let me know ur thoughts<333

(requests are open for stuff you wanna see in the universe/series!🫶🏾)

#steve harrington x reader #steve harrington fic #steve harrington fluff #steve harrington smut #steve harrington x you #steve harrington imagine #steve harrington x fem!reader #stranger things fluff #steve harrington imagines #steve harrington series #steve harrington x reader smut #steve harrington x y/n #stranger things fic #stranger things series #stranger things imagine #stranger things smut

[sillysillygoofygoose]

Nanami Kento is the type of man you grow old with.

He could prepare your morning tea with his eyes closed after doing it daily for roughly 50 years. A lovely use of 18,000 days if you ask him.

Although you two have been married for more of your lives than you haven't, you never had the "old married couple" dynamic. Sure, there have been arguments over the years but you cherish each other more than anything. Finding no use is impractical bickering, just to pass the time.

He has always been a reliable husband, a reliable father. He always brought the kids to soccer practice and showed up to every single one of their concerts, no matter what was going on at work. All three of them, he raised with nothing but absolute adoration. Kento even helped your daughter with her first period because you were out of the house. He threw a box of pads into the bathroom, explaining how the wings are supposed to stick to the underside of her underwear. He was always protective of her, his only daughter. He rubbed her back for hours as she sobbed over her first breakup. He was furious.

Kento helped the kids study as they got older, guiding them through the entire process of picking a college or trade to work in. He promised them he would be proud no matter what they do, as long as they tried their best and worked hard.

As much as he loves them, there was a newfound peace in the house after the youngest moved out. A bittersweet silence filled the mostly empty home. However, he always had you to fill the missing pieces in his heart.

He retired at 65 after working a long, draining career. You were so happy for him, seeing him finally be able to let himself sleep past 6 am even though he still grunted the same as he got out of bed.

Years passed as did memories, and Kento loved you more and more every day. He still woke you up with a kiss on the forehead every morning. He thinks you're beautiful. As you aged, you worried. Worried that Kento would fall out of love with you. That couldn't be further from the truth. Wrinkles, shaky hands, gray hair slowly turning white... he loves it all. Your smile never changed.

Kento enjoys the simplicity of his older years. He sits with his glasses on, playing sudoku as you sort out both of your pills for the week. To stay active, you go for walks around the neighborhood, holding his arm while you enjoy the fresh air. Sometimes there's conversation, sometimes there's not. Comfortable silence is never condemned, never taken personally.

The two of you end every day sitting on the porch watching the sunset, sometimes with your sweet grandchildren, but usually just the two of you.

After dinner, you still put on your favorite record and slow dance in the kitchen, just like you did in your very first apartment. He holds you the very same.

Hope you enjoyed! Xoxo

#jjk x reader #nanami kento #nanami x reader #jjk nanami #kento nanami #kento nanami x reader #nanamikento #nanami kento x reader #nanami kento x y/n #nanami kento x you

[joelsgreys]

wip wednesday

thank you for the tags angels 🤍 @mrsmando @honeyedmiller @mermaidgirl30 @gasolinerainbowpuddles @thelightsandtheroses

here are snippets of some of the many wips i am actively working on. or trying to anyway.

the gold room - dbf!joel x stripper!reader

“Jesus Christ.” Joel stares at you, using every last ounce of strength he has in his entire body not to let his gaze wander past your chin. He’s trying not to look at the way your skintight, neon pink dress hugs every soft, heavenly curve of your body, how the matching rhinestone garter shimmers around your deliciously plush thigh. “Is it even legal for you to be fuckin’ workin’ here?” Rolling your eyes, you cross your arms and shift your weight from one seven inch heel to the other.  “You can dance at eighteen,” you inform him. “And in case you’ve forgotten, I’m twenty one, Mr. Miller. So with all due respect, chill the fuck out, okay?” “You went to college—“ “College is fucking expensive,” you interject with a shrug. “The job market is shit and I don’t plan on drowning in my student debt for the next ten years. Look, I don’t have to explain myself to you. Don’t stand there and judge me. Don’t act like what I do is so terrible when you have been paying good fucking money for girls like me to dance for you and sit in your lap all night long.” “That’s fuckin’ different. None of those girls are my best friend’s daughter.”

flutter - post outbreak! joel x pregnant!reader

As strips of bacon sizzle in one pan on the stove, you crack a couple eggs into another, knowing the kid was on her way downstairs. You can hear the sound of her old, tattered low top sneakers that you have been trying to throw away for almost a year now squeaking on the kitchen tiles just as you finish plating her breakfast. “Morning!” Ellie pipes, the plop of her backpack into a chair prompting you to turn around. “What’s for—whoa! Holy shit!” Her brown eyes widen in shock when she sees you. “Ellie,” you warn, walking over to the table. “Don’t—” “You’re bigger!” With a playful glare, you set her plate down along with her glass of orange juice. “Thanks, you little jerk,” you say, feigning offense. “You’re making your own eggs from now on.” “Fuck, I’m sorry.” Ellie’s cheeks flush a shade of red and she starts to sputter. “I swear, I don’t mean it like that at all. It’s just, your stomach—you didn’t look like this yesterday. You look great, just different.” She’s lucky your raging hormones decided to take the morning off.

chapter 10 for a safe haven

*this is just a short short snippet because it’s being heavily edited rn so i can post it soon!

He peels off his clothes, being careful not to further agitate his sore, inured hand. After changing into a pair of gray sweatpants and an old, faded black t-shirt, he turns around only to find you sitting in bed under the covers.

“Sorry,” you apologize with a nervous chuckle as you rest your back against the headboard. “It just looked so warm and cozy. I couldn’t resist making myself comfortable.”

Joel pads over to the side of the bed. He leans over, planting one hand on either side of you as he dips his head and brushes his lips against yours. “Ain’t got no reason to apologize, baby,” he assures you in a gentle murmur. “This is your bed now too, peach. This is your room. This is your home.”

np tags! 🤍 @sugarcoated-lame @ozarkthedog @amanitacowboy @sp00kymulderr @ilovepedro @ezrasbirdie and anyone else who’d like to share their wips!

#wip wednesday

[bubbles-for-all-of-us]

Pretty like the wind

Previous chapter / Next chapter

a/n Part three! we return once more to this little tiny Azriel's book like story. ✨ thank for everyone who reads✨

warnings: lots of past trauma, Illyrian camp kind of trauma, anxiety, kids because some of you said it was a warning, I guess that's all...

Not yet proofread

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Azriel just couldn't seem to sleep. No matter what he did, no matter how much he tried to tell himself that he didn't care or that it wasn't in any way directly related to any of his doings, the spymaster still struggled to find his peace. And if it wasn't in the sleep, then his thoughts would just occasionally wander to that night you touched him. He wanted to remember how your fingers felt against his skin. Was your hand warm? Or cold? He was sure your skin was soft. Had to be.

But all Azriel was met with were your terrified eyes. The tears streaming down your cheeks. The choked-out sob you held inside. The way you turned away from him and ran. He called for you. Tried to, at least. But you vanished. Blended seamlessly into the dark and stayed like that ever since. And here he was feeling guilty once more. Proven once more that he wasn't indeed a good man. His desires made him blind. He chose himself. Time after time, put his needs first. He stepped on others' boundaries just so he could gain something.

Azriel ran a hand through his hair. He's been coming to the communal ever since. Frankly, it's only been a couple of days. But Azriel was growing restless because you weren't here. You weren't singing with the kids. Weren't smiling at them. Every time he looked at the bright smiles that flooded the room, Azriel had flashes of horror piercing through them. The camps. The cries. The blood. Suddenly, this place made so much more sense. It was a place for Illyrian females and their children. A haven. A sanctuary to heal. To let the wounds scab over. Every smile Azriel saw now held a bigger meaning. It wasn't just a smile. It was the smile of a survivor. Someone who was beaten down. Walked over. Made into nothing more than a punching bag. But now. Underneath, this roof was slowly flourishing because of the loving hearts that surrounded it.

One of the shadows moved to whisper into Azriel's ear, making the male turn his head to the side quickly. "Axel", the spymaster breathed out. The little boy instantly let go of the priestess's hand. "Soldier", he breathed happily. "That's my friend; I'll be okay", Axel nodded his head at the lady, who frowned slightly but still chose to walk on with the rest of the children.

Azriel suddenly felt a wave of panic rush through him. Axel was left with him. A kid was left in Azriel's care. He had never truly taken care of one. Sure, Nyx was his nephew, but Azriel had never even held the boy. A tug on his pants made Azriel look down, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Have you seen...", Azriel started, but was quick to realize that he had never asked for your name. "Zofie is in a dancing class and Y/N... I'm not quite sure", Y/N, the name, ran through Azriel's bloodstream faster than lightning. Arranging and changing chemicals in his body. "She walked us to class this morning and...", but Axel halted, his face changing as he crossed his tiny arms over his chest. "Did you upset her? Because that would be rude".

A breath hitched in Azriel's throat. When had kids gotten so smart? And why was a five-year-old making him sweat more than a camp leader? "There was a misunderstanding", Azriel said calmly, "Hence, why I'm looking for her". Axel watched him for a moment, then nodded his head. "She's been crying a lot, but she said we shouldn't worry about it", the boy shrugged his shoulders. A pang ripped through Azriel's chest. Crying. You've been crying. Was he the reason for it? Had he awakened an unknown memory? Had he already made you give up on him? Had he already made you not want to deal with him? In a matter of weeks. He had once again become a problem.

"Don't be sad", Azriel felt a smaller hand reach up to grasp his palm just like the very first time. He flinched slightly, not used to that part of him being touched so effortlessly. "We usually have tea and biscuits after class", Axel smiled at Azriel fondly, his messy black hair reminding him so much of how Cassian used to look when he was just a boy himself. "Lead the way, champ", Azriel said, urging Axel. The boy lit up, walking with his head high now that Azriel was walking beside him.

They never really tell you how badly the triggers of the past can jab you. But then, maybe they don't know. Or maybe the pain one endures is so great that it leaves them speechless, barely breathing, just about managing to patch the reopening scars. It's been months since you've been brought back to that place. Back to that night. The pinching coldness of the snow beneath your bare feet. The never-ending screeching. The hands...

"Find the light without it. Search for it", Padme's voice made you draw a sharp inhale. Rapidly blinking, you wrapped your hands around your torso. "Did the nightmares retune?", the high priestess asked you, looking down at the paper in front of her. "No", you said firmly. A lie. One you had mastered delivering - a wolf beneath a lamb's coat. "Well, then we are done here for today", she smiled at you. If Padme hadn't found you in that corridor, all shaking and tense, you would have been able to escape these mind-curing sessions.

"Are you fit enough to continue with field work?", her words were colder, but then they always were when the topic of assignments arose. "I can go right now if you insist", you said, throwing her a look that challenged her stare. Padme held it till she was satisfied, then nodded. "Return to your duties, sweetheart; I'll get you the papers tomorrow". You bowed your head just like you always did. You were so thankful for the dimly lit corridor and the way they hid your trembling hands.

Hands... You had felt Azriel's fingerprints on your skin. You had felt his warmth. An odd song it sang. But then, as if out of nowhere, all the walls came trembling down. Dragging you down. Pulling you back to the night you wished to forget. Wipe it out of your mind. Never return to it. Even if it made you, even if it had shaped the very soul that flicked within you. You still wished a night so dark would never fall upon you again.

With a deep breath, you welcomed the air into your lungs. Slowly dragging your feet down the stairs. Down and down. Clawing at the last bits of strength for the kids. For the females that might want to bask in the warmth you always carried, your feet halted the moment you were about to cover the last handful of stone steps leading to the kitchen.

"You're mixing it wrong", the voice growled slightly. Specks of child-like frustration laced it. And you knew that voice. That voice was well ingrained in your brain. "I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to eat the raw batter", your heart skipped a beat at the sound of the reply. You quickly rushed down the last steps that separated you from the clear view of the place. It couldn't be. There was no way, you told yourself. Just as your eyes fell on the scene in front of you.

"And I'm pretty sure you had never made cookies before", Axel shook his head, reaching for his spoon as he shoved, or more like, tried to move Azriel's hand away from the bowl. They were both covered in flour. You doubted that you wanted to know why an egg stain ran down the wall. Or why was one of the trays burned to a crisp? Something within your chest stretched. Bent and stirred deep within you.

You were sure you would have watched the two of them till the last piece of dough was molded into an odd shape if not for the black, tiny blobs that curled your way. Tiny creatures of the dark yet so full of life. They rubbed against your palms, twirled in the ends of your hair, and brushed the sides of your cheeks. A silent: Are you okay? The unease that left them the moment you nodded slowly.

That's when you met Azriel's eyes across the kitchen. A piece of dough now forgotten in his hand. One that Axel was more than happy to snatch as he formed and misshaped a circle. Neither of you spoke. But the gaze you held was stronger than any conversation could ever be. Words often failed. Or led to unnecessary assumptions. Eyes, on the other hand, were the mirror of one's soul. Eyes could never lie. Forever doomed to give away the truth that lay beneath.

"You should put your cookie here", Axel said, pointing to the tray until his own golden eyes followed Azriel's gaze, a big smile spreading across the boy's face as he hopped off the stool Azriel had pushed closer to the counter for him. Leaping into your hands, his dirty hands and clothes smearing against the white you wore. "I see you have gotten yourself quite a company", your fingers lingered beneath the boy's chin, carefully guiding his face up so he would meet your gaze. "I told Azriel about the cookies we make after class. Can you believe he eats cookies?", the excitement in his voice made you crack up a smile. "That seems like it's secret information", you muttered, and Axel's face grew wide as you pressed your finger to your lips. From the back of your eyes, you could see Azriel slowly shaking his head, but a light smile still lingered.

"Why don't you wash up, huh?", you crouched down, cupping the boy's face, before one of your hands brushed against one of his lip wings, threading golden threads there. Azriel's face went ashen. How did he miss that? The off-balanced leather. The twisted boning. His hand clenched the end of the counter, and he was almost sure he would snap the marble just from the sheer clench his fingers had on it. How many more horrors were unknown to him? What else had these people endured?

"You mean a whole deal to him", your voice sliced through Azriel's fading vision. Making him blink a couple of times. Slowly pulling the world around him to focus. "He already has drawings of you. A mighty worrier...", you let out a low chuckle as you reached for the dirty bowl submerging it beneath the water. "But then maybe I have myself to blame", Azriel felt the cold pain that lashed with your words. In all honesty, Azriel was desperate to say something. Make this better. Somehow make the pain that now drowned you back away.

"I told him stories of a foreign soldier. Who wasn't like the males in...", and you didn't have to finish. Azriel knew. Knew what you were referring to. The sadistic manners some of them bore even if Rhys had banned any wing clipping. "I'm sorry", was all Azriel managed to say. His voice faded to nothing almost immediately. He knew those words had little meaning for pain like that.

"Our minds clashed that night in the attic", the spymaster's words sent a shiver down your spine. You stared ahead of yourself. Not allowing yourself to look at him. You had worn that mask of strength before. This male now standing to the side of you. This man had watched you crumble way too many times already. "I'm sorry that I disrespected this place. I disrespected you", an ache in Azriel's chest eased as he spoke, "I want to learn more about the sanctuary. I want to make my time here meaningful". The bowl in your hands nearly slipped out of your hands. Your body - still the statue. "I can't do any of that if you and I are fighting this silent battle, can't I?", the question twisted something deep within you, but you still blurted in a cold tone, "There are many more people who can guide you". And Azriel didn't doubt it, but at least he still said, "But no one quite like you". Your eyes darted to look at him like that. Your eyes meet his. And then and there, it felt as if you two had seen each other for the first time. Looked and saw.

With a silent agreement settled, Azriel followed you up the stairs toward the room the kids shared. A plate full of cookies in one hand, his shadows holding four glasses full of milk. He questioned your choice to go up the moment you presented it. For Zofie. The hunting gaze of the fear she carried still followed Azriel's mind. But he knew that Axel was waiting. For some reason, the thought of letting him down now felt worse than losing a battle.

"I'm considered their guardian", your voice bounced off the empty corridor. "All orphans have one for the transitioning period", Azriel felt the way you cringed at the words transitional. Even to him, it felt off-putting. Jabbing straight at the wound that bled the most. You told him about Padme. The laws of the sanctuary followed the priestess who ran it. For the most part, at least. Azriel knew that was only the crumbs. But he was glad to learn at least that. To understand at least a small portion.

"Are they still in that period?", Azriel finally asked. He had fallen into a comfortable pace next to you. "Technically, no, but... we bonded too much. I couldn't bring myself to separate from them", you said quietly. As if you were in a way ashamed of the world that left your mouth. He wondered how many kids had been in their place before them. After? His shadows hadn't sensed the presence of anyone new, but he was sure that the mass of faces was growing still, especially knowing the situation in the mountain camps.

Azriel wanted to say just how much it amazed him. The way this place radiated happiness even with the trauma everyone bore. How wonderful was the work you did here. But you had leaned closer to the door. Ear placed on the wooden door as you listened in. Azriel stilled at that; his Illyrian hearing offered him a chance to peer in as well, yet he doubted it was needed. The shrieks and cackling could be heard from where he stood.

He knew it was Axel and Zofie. His mind was engraved with the sound of their laughter from the communal. Yet Azriel couldn't help the dread that pooled in his stomach as you opened the door. The voices halted, but only until the kids were met with your presence. Azriel tried to fold his wings behind him tighter in hopes of appearing smaller. He had never imagined himself doing any of that before, but here he was. The spymaster's eyes instantly landed on the drawing of a winged male standing on top of the mountain with a raised sword. There was more than one too. All plastered on the walls. The blue dots no doubt resemble his sapphires. But... Azriel's heart skipped a beat for a moment. He hadn't worn his Illyrian leather here, so how would he have been able to...

But that familiar force launched at his feet. Azriel's hand instantly reached to mess with the head of black hair. "You came", Axel breathed. "Wouldn't you agree that I earned a cookie as well?", The spymaster teased the youngling slightly, earning a laugh that warmed the deepest parts of his bones. Yet Azriel's eyes scanned the room till he saw a tiny hand gripping your skirt, her body hidden behind your frame, only a tiny side of Zofie's face visible to him.

As Azriel kneeled, he wondered what horrors she had to endure beside him to fear a male so much. He knew this skittishness towards him was the grave he had dug himself, but she—that tiny girl—was a survivor too. Too young to bear a burden so deep. But hadn't Azriel bet too little too? Azriel found Zofie's eyes, and as frightened as she was, she held an unfalteringly tight gaze. Azriel handed a cookie to one of his shadows. The tiny creature slowly lured towards the girl. Zofie hid further behind you, yet her curiosity was too strong, and she peaked almost immediately.

"I can't promise that I haven't mixed up salt with sugar, but... well, you'll have to tell me if they are edible", Azriel said gently. He had a low, deep voice, but it still felt like velvet as it rolled down his tongue. Zofie spared him a look before her eyes fixed on the shadow right in front of her, tiny blobs holding the sugar cookie for her. And to Azriel's surprise, she took it. She took it and dove back to her hiding place. The shadow moved to glimpse over your side, but Azriel pulled it back. "Is it good?", you asked the girl softly. Azriel could hear the munching sound—a light tug pulled at the side of his lips. "Well, I didn't make them; Azriel and Axel did. You should tell them your thoughts", you said to the girl softly. Azriel hadn't hoped for anything in return from her. The fact that she had taken the cookie was more than enough for him. He was going to gain her trust slowly. He was willing to do so. Try. A tiny hand moved from behind you. And Azriel caught a glimpse of a tiny thumbs-up that greeted him. And something shifter within him, something that would stay with him for the rest of his life.

#azriel acotar #azriel acotar imagine #azriel x reader #azriel x you #azriel spymaster #azriel imagine #azriel acotar x reader #azriel shadowsinger #acotar imagine #acotar x reader #acotar x you

[cupid-styles]

aren't you hungry?

the vampy h blurb!!!!! yay!

in which y/n's never been chosen as a feeder before, but harry changes that and things get... messy.

word count: 2.8k

content warnings: vampire h, blood, smut (dirty talk, impact play, thigh riding, slight pain kink)

masterlist | talk to me

fall/halloween blurb masterlist

. . .

"One of our members has requested your presence."

Y/N's eyes widen slightly at the well-dressed man standing in front of her. He'd tapped her shoulder, pulling her from giggling with her friends on a break from the dance floor. She'd expected some guy trying to buy her and her friends drinks, or maybe a drunk girl who lost her own friends — truth is, she'd never expected to see one of them behind her. 

She's only visited this club a couple of times and she wasn't chosen the first time. It was fine with her — she figured she wasn't their taste and she was alright with that knowledge, especially since the kid in her class who mentioned this mysterious spot told her to keep her expectations low. He'd mentioned that he'd only seen a few people get picked before, regardless of how pretty or handsome someone was.

She and her friends kept coming on occasion, though, mainly when they'd had busy weeks and needed somewhere fun to unwind. It was a little far from the college town they lived in, a 30 minute drive or so, and it was less likely to see anyone they knew from school. For that reason, Y/N felt more comfortable letting loose and taking on a persona she normally didn't have.

She felt sexier here. Hotter. More confident.

And there's a twinge of anxiety plucking at her stomach when she realizes that she has been chosen. Her friends are equally as surprised but with raised eyebrows that say you better tell us everything, they encourage her to follow the man out of the main area and up to the private section upstairs. 

He doesn't say anything else — no other details are revealed about who wants to feed on her, instead just guiding her away from the crowded, sweaty room. They step into an elevator and she watches as he presses the only button on the panel, folding his hands neatly in front of him. When they arrive, she follows him down a hallway and finally, stops in front of a closed door. He knocks once and walks away.

With a fluttering heart and sweaty hands, Y/N swallows harshly as the door swings open, revealing a tall man with long, curly brown hair. He looks only a few years older than she is, though she knows the age difference likely teeters on one hundred.

"Hello," he greets curtly, stepping aside to let her in, "How are you?"

She mumbles out a "good" as she nervously brushes past him. She's not sure what she was expected, but it looks like any old hotel room, just a lot darker — there are blackout curtains and plushy bedding in a deep red hue folded onto a large mattress. There isn't a television or any mirrors (she wonders if that old myth about vampires is true, then), and it doesn't look like the man who's requested her has spent any time at all here. Everything looks completely pristine. 

She hears the door click shut behind her and she turns around to take him in. He's beautiful, but she's heard that most of them are. His face is angular, his stature intimidating, but she supposes that's not out of the ordinary for his kind. It's the first time she's ever been alone with a vampire. 

"I take it you know why you were asked up here."

She takes a shallow breath, suddenly self-conscious of her rapid heartbeat, knowing that he can probably hear it from a foot away. 

She licks her dry lips and nods, "I think so." 

He nods, thumbing at the top buttons on his silky shirt, "Can I answer any questions for you?"

She shifts from foot to foot uncomfortably. "You're... you want to drink my blood, right?"

"Yes," he says with a slight smirk, "Anything else?"

"Why me?"

He furrows his eyebrows, a look of confusion painting his face as he sits on the edge of the bed. 

"I'm not sure I understand. You know what this club is for, I'd assume."

"I mean, kind of, I just heard about it in one of my classes," she replies with a shrug, "I've just been here a few times and was never chosen before and I was wondering... like, why tonight, I guess. I figured I wouldn't be picked after that first time."

He nods slowly. "Can I ask for your name?"

"Y/N."

"Y/N, I don't come here often. I don't fancy the thought of feeding on desperate humans in a sweaty club, especially if they're poisoning their bodies with alcohol and drugs and whatever else. And on the nights I do come, maybe once or twice a year, I've never asked for anyone."

She swallows at that, her pulse quickening as he leans back on his elbows, the expanse of his chest shimmering through the soft fabric of his shirt. 

"But the second you arrived tonight... I could hear your heartbeat and smell how sweet your blood is," he murmurs, pinching his bottom lip between his fingertips, "I couldn't fathom the idea of letting you go without getting a taste."

Her heart is beating even faster in her chest now. Everything about this situation should be triggering her fight-or-flight response, but instead, she's entranced. She doesn't know if it's because he has some strange vampire powers over her and yet, even if that's the reason, she can't find it in her to care.

"I apologize if that makes you uncomfortable. I hope you know you're not expected to do anything — to give me anything — if you don't want to."

She shakes her head quickly, the sudden thought of not allowing him to pierce her skin her worst nightmare. "No, I... I just don't understand what's so special about me, I guess."

He shrugs. The quick turn to nonchalantness bothers her.

"It may not be anything that you do or don't do. A lot of it comes down to biology. But if I'm being completely honest... I spent the first hour or so watching you downstairs with your friends," he admits, making her face warm, "You're kind, very considerate and sweet. Gorgeous, of course. It just made me want to know more."

"And you're not just saying that to drink my blood?"

He chuckles. "No, Y/N. I'm not just saying that."

"What's your name, then?" She asks, sitting down next to him and crossing her legs, "Since you know all this stuff about me."

He resists the urge to roll his eyes and laughs lightly. "Harry."

"Harry," she repeats, allowing the syllables to roll off her tongue. She can feel him watching her, his neck turned slightly to keep his gaze on her side profile. "And how long have you been a vampire?"

He contemplates her question, lulling his head to the side as he does some mental math. It's been awhile since anyone asked him any personal questions, especially because the people he does hang out with on occasion have been around just as long.

"I think I turned sometime in the early 1900s, though I'm not entirely sure. The first few years are a bit of a blur."

Her heart speeds again, and his smiles to himself when he hears the swift pitter patter pick up. 

"How do you normally feed? Since you said you don't come here often."

"Vampires have different ways of eating, similar to how humans do," he replies easily, flexing his ring-clad hands out in front of him, "I tend to favor blood banks, but other vampires will feed from animals. And some just prefer this, or having consistent feeders in their rotation."

She nods her head and purses her lips before turning to him, a defiant look on her face.

"Okay, then. How do you go about feeding from me?"

Harry quirks an eyebrow, surprised at the sudden change of subject. She's more... flighty than he anticipated, but he likes that about her. He thinks. 

"Generally... I can feed from anywhere, but the neck is one of the more... sensitive spots that humans enjoy," he murmurs, eyes flicking to the soft skin covering her throat, "Um, it'll hurt at first, when I puncture. But it's quickly replaced with a euphoric sensation. I should warn you, some humans can... orgasm while they're being fed from."

Her eyes widen, "Really? Has that ever happened with people you've bitten?"

"Yes," he nods, quickly blinking away images of her desperately rutting against his thigh as he sucks at her neck. "It depends on the person. It has nothing to do with me, but again, it's a very pleasurable feeling. That's why humans enjoy doing it."

She nods her head and swallows, trying her best to seem cavalier about the situation. In reality, she very much wasn't — it was all very out-of-character for her, but there was still something pulling her in and drawing her to Harry. Thinking about how she was moments away from offering her neck to him and potentially orgasming in front of him was... overwhelming and nerve-wracking, but... what? Intriguing? She wonders if this is scratching some sort of itch she has for a one night stand. She knows Harry is an immortal supernatural creature, but she's only human.

His deep voice breaks her out of her thinking. 

"If that changes things for you, please tell me. I won't be upset."

"No. I want to do this," she suddenly decides, "Aren't you hungry?"

If she thinks she's attempting to be flippant, Harry takes the cake time and time again. He shrugs his shoulders and presses his lips together in a thin line. 

"A little, but I can go without."

A stroke of bravery strums through her body. Harry had wanted her up here. He's the one that made this happen. He requested her.

She understands he's probably fibbing for her sake, and she can appreciate that. But if this was going to happen, he needed to be clear.

Y/N straightens her posture and flips her hair to the side, her neck bare from any jewelry or marks. He notices a few beauty marks smattered along her jaw and chest — he thinks that if he was breathing, the oxygen would've hitched in his throat. 

"Do you need me?" she asks, trying to ignore the twinge of embarrassment she felt at attempting to seduce a vampire, "You had him bring me up here. You watched me. Do you need me?"

If he's stunned, he maintains his composure well. Instead, he clears his throat, running his tongue over his teeth, feeling where his fangs threaten to jut from his gums.

"It's a yes or no, Harry." 

His resolve is quickly crumbling and it warms Y/N's body to know that she finally has the upper-hand. He thinks for a moment, but the selfish, primal side of him that's desperately craving the taste of her blood is stronger than the sensible part he typically relies on.

"Yes." he finally answers, breathing out harshly through his nose, "Yes, I need to taste you."

"Do it, then."

When he receives her consent, everything moves lightning fast, making her head spin. Before she even realizes that he's touching her, she's being pulled into his lap, his strong arms wrapping her thighs around his waist. She gasps and he shushes her, the small expression of dominance making her core flutter.

"You're going to get a little floaty," Harry advises softly, ducking his nose into the crook of her neck. He inhales, using his last few moments of consciousness to counsel her through it. It makes her lips part but he squeezes her hip, bringing her back. "It'll be hard for you to know if it's too much or you need me to stop, and I promise to show as much self-control as I can."

"O-okay," she mumbles, tilting her head back slightly. He scowls into her neck, his other hand forming a tight fist in his lap. 

"If you need me to stop, squeeze me or hit me or do something. Got it?"

She nods, already feeling entirely overwhelmed by his entire being. It's all uphill, she realizes when he noses deeper into her skin, and before she has the chance to process it's happening, he does it — two sharp punctures into her throat, a sting of pain making her gasp followed by the most intense, full-body ecstasy she's ever felt. 

She's immediately floating on clouds of pleasure, whimpers falling from her lips as he sucks at her messily. Her eyes are shut but if they weren't, she doesn't even think she'd be disgusted by her blood trailing down his chin. Everything is lovely, shades of reds and pinks stroking her vision as she squirms in his arms, holding him impossibly closer as he drinks and drinks and drinks.

It all ends too quickly, she feels, but the cloudy sensation prevents her from realizing he'd been drinking from her far longer than he would've liked. When he pops off, licking at the wound to quickly repair it, she's still drifting with hazy eyes, helplessly rubbing her core against his thigh.

"Are y'alright?" he slurs, using the silky sleeve of his blouse to clean off his mouth. She bats her eyes open and nods slowly, unaware of the arousal steadily leaking from her. He can smell it, and it makes him swallow harshly.

"Why'd you stop?" she asks.

"Don't wanna hurt you, angel."

She pouts, wiggling in his lap. "I didn't cum. I would've if you kept going."

He's heard of this before — he knows humans can feel painfully horny after getting bitten, too, but it's never actually happened to him. When he's heard his mates talking about how they just had to get their feeder off after sucking at their necks, he always assumed it was some stupid way to brag about getting laid.

But now he believes them, because Y/N looks desperate with her moony eyes and sodden panties. He can feel her warmth through them and he grits his teeth, wanting nothing more than to keep biting at her skin, even if he knows he can't.

She doesn't say another word before she's grinding her hips against his, riding the thick of his thigh and pressing her clit into it. She gasps from the friction and it makes him feel insane.

"You're rutting against me like you're a puppy in heat," he mutters, steadying her hips with his hands, "Do you really need to cum that bad?"

She nods quickly, moaning when he stops her from moving. "Please. Feels so good, I-I need it."

"Can fuckin' smell you dripping down your thighs," he says, moving her dress up her legs and plucking the width of her panties to the side to reveal her swollen pussy. He groans at the sight, using his thumb to teasingly stroke her sensitive skin. "Go on, then. Make yourself cum. Show me."

It's somewhat humiliating to have him watch her get herself off, but she's not in a mindset where embarrassment exists, so she does as he says. The slick leaking from her pussy makes a mess on his trousers but he doesn't care. How could he, when he gets to watch this beautiful girl chase an orgasm?

"There you go," Harry encourages, separating her pussy lips to expose her clit. He thumbs at it, eliciting a load moan to fall from her mouth. "Did I find your sweet little button, baby? Is this what you need to cum?"

"Yes!" she exclaims, panting desperately. The coil in her tummy is getting tighter, threatening to explode as he presses small circles into the swollen bundle of nerves. It's so good — she's never gotten off so quickly before, her eyes misting at the overwhelming bouts of pleasure funneling through her bloodstream. 

"Show me how pretty you look when you cum," he demands, winding his other hand behind their bodies. He grabs at her ass, giving one cheek a full squeeze before smacking it harshly, the slapping sound echoing through the room. She moans loudly and he smirks, doing it again. "Does my little slut have a pain kink?"

She nods helplessly, broken whimpers falling from her lips. She can barely even speak from the all-encompassing bliss. 

"Yeah, that's what I thought," Harry mutters, switching to her other ass cheek to slap that one, "Getting off on some stranger biting at your neck, sucking your blood. Such a naughty little puppy, hm?"

She squeezes her eyes closed and he growls, shaking his head as he lifts his hand, smacking her cheek and roughly grabbing her cheeks, smushing them together. "Eyes on me, slut. Keep them open while you cum."

It's the final bit of roughness that does her in; her pussy fluttering and contracting around gushes of arousal that seep from her hole and onto the fabric of his pants. He groans out as he watches her, never ceasing the movements on her clit. She's drooling down her chin when her orgasm finally subsides and he smiles, patting her cheek lightly.

"I'm gonna keep you, puppy," he murmurs, nosing at her jaw before pressing a soft kiss to the skin. She nods, panting loudly. "Yeah. You're mine now."

#writing #harry styles #harry styles writing #harry styles blurb #harry styles oneshot #harry styles imagine #harry styles fic #harry styles one shot #harry styles fan fic #harry styles fanfic #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles smut #harry styles fluff #harry styles angst #harry styles x reader #harry styles x you #harry styles x oc #one direction

[ambrozjas]

Could you do anything where you prompt pony to quit smoking, maybe by telling him you don’t like smokers or anything like that? Ty!

spearmint gum ꨄ︎

ponyboy curtis x reader

✧˖*°࿐ notes 🧸ᰔᩚ

this was initially gonna be like a tiny drabble but ended up being a whole thing soooo either way.. hope you enjoy 💕 :)

✧˖*°࿐ warnings ᰔᩚ

mentions of ponyboy smoking and being a heavy smoker, mentions of a guy cheating on his girlfriend, refers to the reader as the barbie to pony’s ken, reader has fem friends, pony being kinda obsessive?? and also eavesdropping on you and your friends’ chisme

✧˖*°࿐ word count ᰔᩚ

1152 words, 6321 characters

. ˚◞♡ ⃗ *ೃ༄ . ˚◞♡ ⃗ *ೃ༄ . ˚◞♡ ⃗ *ೃ༄ . ˚◞♡ ⃗ *ೃ༄

the hall was cluttered with students as they rushed past pony to get to their next class, bumping into him and practically knocking him over with his smaller frame.

through the midst of children, ponyboy spotted your familiar head of hair as you walked with your friends to class.

seeing you was pony’s highlight of the day, you were like the barbie to his ken. even just a glance in his direction could make him swoon. he never had the balls to talk to you—so he settled with admiring from afar.

once ponyboy had made it into class, after almost being suffocated and having to force his way through the plethora of kids in the cramped halls, his eyes immediately darted around the room, looking for you.

and there you were.

pony wondered if you were a dream come true. he patted himself on the back in whatever past lives he’s lived to get an angel like you, and he thanked whoever put you on this earth as it allowed it endless opportunities. especially with the fact that you’re in his class not even five feet away from him.

so what if it was cheesy? at least it was true to pony.

there was a short intermission before the ending bell rang, the bell that prompted everybody to take a seat to avoid demerits for tardiness.

you were at your desk, your friends circling you. pony wondered what you guys talked about that you’d be laughing so much, but he didn’t mind, because he got to see that smile of yours.

it was like a fresh breath of air or a warm blanket that smelled of floral detergent. your smile was so contagious that it almost made pony want to smile as well, forcing him to look away before he’s caught with the embarrassing redness of his cheeks.

he looked up at the blackboard, reading a set of instructions that his teacher had set up while she was away. his eyes scanned the neat chalky white letters that faded the more they shifted to the right, the second direction to grab a textbook.

pony’s eyes trailed off to the left, where you stood right in front of the tiny corner which held the textbooks, the old worn down shelf practically about to collapse with the weight of them.

he took a deep breath, puffing his chest out a little as he held his inhale before swiftly exhaling. it was like a comical white cloud of air flew past his mouth as he sighed, like those characters on tv who made it through near death experiences.

ponyboy made his way over to the wooden shelf, striding at first in an attempt to seem unbothered. why should he this nervous around you? it’s just a simple task, grab a textbook and bring it back to your table.

c’mon pony, he told himself.

the walk there felt agonizingly long, leaving him with enough time to question his every move. did he always breathe like this? oh gosh, did he breathe loud? was he walking funny? was he sweating?

but then suddenly, a sweet ripple of laughter danced its way out your throat and left your lips, your head slightly tilting back as the euphoric sound reached pony’s ears. and boy, did all pony’s worries melt away.

once he had reached the books, he grabbed two for him and his desk partner. however, pony couldn’t help but perk up at the sound of you and your friends whispering. he didn’t mean to eavesdrop, he swears. but once he heard a couple of boys’ name, it’s like his ears enlarged along with his nosiness.

“what about,” your friend said as she dragged out the ‘t’ while she thought, “jamie? he’s pretty good lookin’. has a nice corvair, too.” she said with raised eyebrows to which you rolled your eyes.

“jamie’s rank, all he does is cheat, steal, and have you ever smelled him? he reeks of booze.”

pony noticed how your friends looked at you as if you were crazy. but to be fair, jamie brockton did stink. pony’s locker was right next to his, and he practically gagged every time he got a whiff of him with how strong the scent of alcohol and sweat was. pony wondered if he ever wore deodorant.

“samuel’s pretty cute, though.” your other friend pointedly nodded her head in the other boy’s direction while yours—and pony’s—eyes followed her gaze, falling on a husky guy with sandy brown hair and a cigarette arrogantly hanging out of his mouth.

“he’s a smoker.”

“he’s cute.”

“i’m not into smokers, lorraine.” you stated and pony started thinking. slowly, the worries started sleeping into the crooks of his brain again. pony smoked more heavily than any of his brothers despite only being fourteen. he wondered. did he smell like cigarettes?

then another thought came into mind.

how long had he been standing here? textbooks clutched in his arms as he eavesdropped on you and your friends. it was weird. so awkwardly, ponyboy slinked away back to his desk and slumped in his seat as his foot tapped against the floor, creating ‘clack!’ sounds as his sneakers connected with the tile.

he pondered as he sat in his seat, before turning behind him as his eyes met the girls gossiping behind him too.

“y’got any gum on you?” he sheepishly asked, before the girl shot him a quick smile and reached inside her backpack.

score, pony thought as she handed him a stick of gum, neatly foiled in silver paper. he gave her a quiet ‘thanks’ as he turned around and popped the spearmint stick into his mouth, crumpling the foil and stuffing it into his pocket once the bell rang.

his partner took a break from sucking face with his girlfriend rushed to his seat, disheveled and red faces. but pony spared him no mind, only focused on the gum that exploded its minty flavor within his mouth. ponyboy narrowed his eyes as it burned his tongue and throat, but quickly reveled in the feeling of having a clean minty fresh inhale. and it’d be worth it in the long run, you know? maybe he’d actually have a shot with you.

pony didn’t throw that gum out until he got home, considering it was sixth period when that new information was unlocked. he was concentrated with chewing the gum, his mind replaying your words back in his head.

“i’m not into smokers, lorraine.”

you sounded annoyed at the fact that every time you were in class with them, they tried to play cupid with every single guy that walked through the door. grossly, even mr. jefferson, the assistant principal.

pony read somewhere that it takes twenty-one days to break a habit, and he would gladly spend twenty-one days with sticks of gum if it meant he had a shot with you.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ whys pony such a cutie patootie tho

kiss kiss ˗ˏˋ꒰ 🍒 ꒱

#the outsiders x reader #the outsiders #fanfiction #x reader #ponyboy ​blurb #ponyboy curtis x reader #ponyboy curtis #ponyboy the outsiders #ponyboy x reader #i heart ponyboy #ponyboy is bae #ambrozjas #kiss kiss

[bluewasthecolor]

The Worthwhile Fight

Word Count: 2450

Warnings: None

A/N: Sorry this has taken so long! Hopefully the WC inspires me to write more - I have a few WIPs that should be up in the next couple of weeks, fingers crossed. As always please let me know what you think and send any requests my way!

We are alone with our changing minds

We fall in love 'til it hurts or bleeds, or fades in time

“Like I told you, I don’t know if I can risk getting hurt like that again. But I also don’t know that I can avoid all the pain by not doing this. It might hurt just as much to walk away from this. So here’s what I’m thinking: we try again.” You’ve been trying to stay neutral as Alexia’s talking, but at this you can’t help the smile that emerges on your face. “Hang on, I’m not done. We try again, but we take it slow. We have to start over completely otherwise I’m afraid we’ll fall back into our old patterns.”

Your smile falters slightly and you have to remind yourself to keep breathing. Apparently you’d started holding it at some point. 

“So like…what does that mean exactly?” You ask, confused by what Alexia is suggesting.

“Well, to start, you have to ask me out. I asked you out last time, so it’s only fair. And then we can go from there.”

“Alright then. Ale, would you like to go on a date with me?” You ask, scooching closer to her in an unsubtle attempt to grab her hand. Alexia, however, pulls it away smirking.

“Hmmm…” She pretends to think and you smack her arm, unimpressed by her teasing. “I would love to. Are you free this Saturday?” “I have to wait until then?” You pout for a moment before she nods. “I suppose I’m free on Saturday. Does that mean I have to leave now?”

“Yep. Get out.” Alexia’s tone is light so you know she’s kidding, but you’re still wary of overstaying your welcome. You rise immediately and Alexia trails you to the door as she has so many times prior. This time, however, it’s not after a fight but also not after a date. You’re leaving her place not as her girlfriend, not as her ex, but as someone new. 

You come around and the armor falls

Pierce the room like a cannonball

From the minute Alexia opens the door, you’re fucked. You’d intended to play it cool tonight, not show too much of your hand (although your confession of love had given quite a bit away), but as soon as you see Alexia in that dress it’s all over. You have no chance at all and, by the look on her face, the Spaniard knows it.

“I–you look–wow.” You stammer, suddenly finding yourself incapable of forming a full sentence. Alexia simply smiles and takes your hand. As she leads you out onto the street and you begin your walk to the restaurant, you become lost in thought about how different this feels from the last time. You’re nervous, which is surprising considering you weren’t on your last first date, but you also know Alexia so much better this time. You know that she’ll likely want to go dancing after dinner and that if you skip dessert at the restaurant she’ll take you to her favorite gelato place. Just like Alexia knows that you’re probably going to kiss her when you drop her off (but you’ll refuse to go inside) and that you’ll finish your gelato in a millisecond and then try to steal hers.

When you arrive at the restaurant, you’re led to a small table in a secluded corner of the room, just as you’d requested. As you settle yourselves in your seats and begin to look over the menus, you can’t help but stare at Alexia. She’s radiant–she’s always radiant–but there’s something different tonight. The fatigue that’s been evident in her expression for the past few months, the fatigue that you know you caused, has started to fade.

“What?” She asks, smiling at you from across the table. “Do I have something on my face?”

“No, no sorry, I didn’t mean to stare,” You reach across the table to grab her hand. “I’m just so grateful that you agreed to do this with me.”

As your evening continues, you feel yourself relaxing more. Alexia is still Alexia, despite everything in your past. She still has the ability to make you feel as though nothing else in the world matters, as if you can let everything else go when you’re with her and know that everything will turn out alright. When she smiles at you and her eyes crinkle just so, you feel yourself begin to forget all of your worries. 

When dinner is over, just as you expected, Alexia grabs your hand and leads you to find gelato. When you’ve gotten your cones you sit on a bench outside, admiring the views of Barcelona at night. When you finish eating, neither of you makes a move to leave. You rest your head on her shoulder, she intertwines her hand with yours, and everything feels how it should.

As your night winds down and you find yourselves back where you started, at Alexia’s apartment, you let Alexia lead the way to her front door. When she goes to reach for her keys, however, you snake your arms around her waist and spin her so that her back is against the door. Her arms loop around your neck and you press your forehead to hers. For a moment you pause there, eyes closed, not wanting to break the spell. But then Alexia’s arms are tightening around your neck and she’s pulling you impossibly closer for a kiss that changes everything. It’s not your first, nor your last, but it signifies a change in your relationship. For the first time, neither of you is fighting for control or pushing it beyond a kiss. You’re content to just let it be.

We learn to live with the pain

Mosaic broken hearts

But this love is brave and wild

Two weeks later and everything is going better than you expected–it’s not easy by any means and it feels awkward at times, but it’s also so good. You quickly fall back into a rhythm with Alexia. Date night is on Wednesday, but you have dinner almost every night together at one of your places. One such night, you’ve ended up at Alexia’s flat and are sitting at the table together having just finished dinner. It’s getting late and you know you’ll have to excuse yourself soon. You’ve decided sleepovers are off the table for now, in light of the whole ‘starting over’ situation. That’s not to say you hadn’t found time for sex (you most definitely have) but you never wake up together. 

“Do you have any plans this weekend?” The Spaniard pulls you out of your thinking. When you look up at her, she has a smirk on her face and you can tell that she’s desperately trying to prolong your visit. 

“It’s getting late, Ale. I’ve gotta get going.” Unimpressed by her efforts, you rise from your seat and begin to walk towards the door. Instead of following you like she usually does, Alexia reaches out and grabs your wrist. 

“Stay.” Surprised, you look down at her. Her eyes are sincere and you can tell she really means it, but for whatever reason you still feel the need to protest.

“I don’t have a toothbrush or a change of clothes or anything.” “I have an extra toothbrush and you can wear some of my clothes to bed. Tomorrow is our day off so you don’t have to be anywhere early. Next argument.” Alexia quickly shuts down your excuses and pulls you to sit on her lap.

“Look, Ale.” You cup her hand with your face. “I don’t want to mess this up. We’ve been doing so well and I don’t want to take the chance that I might ruin us again. So if this isn’t really what you want, if you want me to go home–” Alexia cuts your rambling off with a kiss. When she pulls away, she looks up at you sincerely.

“Y/N. I know this is scary, but if we don’t do new things we can’t move forward. I’m sure about this and I’m not gonna pressure you, but if you want to spend the night I’d be more than thrilled to have you.” She presses a kiss to your cheek and you nod, standing before helping her to her feet. 

The Spaniard leads you to her bedroom and passes you a t-shirt. It’s always been one of your favorites of hers to wear: soft and worn from years of use. You brush your teeth together, crawl into bed together, and when you fall asleep that night, it’s in each other’s arms for the first time in months. 

The following morning you extricate yourself from Alexia’s arms slowly, careful not to wake your sleeping girlfriend. You pad slowly to her kitchen and start a pot of coffee before settling yourself on her balcony to watch the city wake up. You’ve always been an early riser, while Alexia is more of a night owl. She says she likes the feeling that she’s the last one awake in the world, a feeling that you’ve hated since you were a kid. You like the earliest hours of the day because it always feels like a fresh start. The previous day’s troubles can be forgotten and you have a clean slate. 

When the coffee is brewed you return inside and pour two mugs before tiptoeing back into Alexia’s bedroom. You place the mugs on her bedside table and crawl back into bed with her, rubbing her back softly. She stirs slightly, groaning and rolling over. 

“Time to get up, my love.” You murmur, continuing to rub her back. “I made coffee.”  

She rolls over, opening her eyes slowly.You pass her a cup of coffee as she sits up and she smiles gratefully at you. You know how important the ritual of morning coffee is to your girlfriend and you revel in the opportunity to take part in it. It’s a simple pleasure but the simplicity of it all is what attracts you to it. Her constant gratitude for the smallest moments in her life is one of your favorite qualities and this routine is one of your favorite ways to witness that appreciation. This morning, however, doubt accompanies your usual contentment and Alexia is quick to notice.

“You’re quieter than usual this morning,” She says, nudging you. “Is everything alright, amor?”

“Yes, yes, everything’s good. I’m just—are you sure about this?” 

“This…” The midfielder looks at you, perplexed. You gesture between the two of you, hoping to demonstrate your meaning. It works and her expression quickly shifts from confusion to concern. “You mean us? Of course I am. Where’s this coming from?” “It’s like I told you last night, I’m just so afraid to mess everything up. Ingrid told me how bad things were last time and I couldn’t bear to let it happen again. Aren’t you afraid I’ll hurt you?” “Y/N. Look at me.” She twists so that the two of you are facing each other fully. “If I were afraid, I wouldn't be this all in. I’d be running and hiding and trying to keep you at an arm’s length. Need I remind you that I asked you to stay the night? I wouldn’t have done that if I thought you were going to hurt me again.” 

You nod, comforted by her words. She does have a point, you suppose, although you’re still not entirely convinced. Only time will tell what will truly happen.

Love is a ruthless game

Unless you play it good and right

Something has to change. She knows it and you know it, but neither of you is willing to admit it. You’ve reached a point of stagnation in your relationship and it’s causing things to fall apart. First it was the weekly date nights. Those quickly morphed into the dinners you share most other nights—nice, but not particularly special as was the intention behind the dates. Next to go was the morning coffee ritual. You both found yourselves rushing in the morning, unable to find time to enjoy each other’s company. You’re dreading to see what changes next and this fear is what forces you to confront Alexia.

It’s after training one night that you finally muster up the courage to have a conversation. You wait until you’re both showered and have eaten, and sit the Spaniard down at the table with you, a serious look on your face.

“We’re not going anywhere, Ale. Everything’s been the same for the past six months. We both know it, we’ve both seen it affect our relationship. We have to make some sort of progress.” “I know. I know, mi amor, we’ve just been busy.” Alexia sighs, reaching across the table to take your hand. “I’ll be better. We’ll be better. We can have our date nights again and wake up earlier. We can make this work.” “No.” You shake your head and your girlfriend’s face falls. “I think we need to make a bigger change than that. I think we should move in together.”

-

After three months of living together, you’re pretty convinced you know everything there is to know about Alexia Putellas. Her quirks, her superstitions, how she takes her tea–you know it all. Today, you’re putting that theory to the test.

“Alright, here’s how it’s going to work, you two.” The social media manager announces. “This is captain vs captain in a head to head trivia battle. The twist? All of the questions are about the other captain. Y/N, let’s start with you. When Alexia wakes up in the morning, what is the first thing she has to do?” 

“Please,” You scoff, hurrying to write on your white board. “If all the questions are this easy there’s no way I’m losing.”

The video continues like this, each of you taking turns answering questions about the other, and eventually you’ve both gotten every question right. When the camera crew clears out, Alexia turns to you.

“Looks like we’re even, huh? We know everything about one another.”

“I guess so. But there’s one thing you don’t know about me.” You can see Alexia’s face morph into confusion at the last part of your sentence, and you take advantage of the distraction to reach into your pocket. It takes her a moment, but when she realizes what you’re holding her breath catches.

“Alexia Putellas. I have loved you since the day I met you. We’ve been through everything together and I wouldn’t change that for the world. You show me every day what I’m capable of and you prove to me time and time again that our love is worth fighting for. Will you marry me?”

#woso x reader #woso imagine #alexia putellas imagine #alexia putellas x reader

[redladydeath]

Some Vox human life headcanons that have been developing in my head over the past few weeks

He was born Vaughn Oxright in the late 1910’s/early 1920’s to a well-off, show-biz couple from Philadelphia

Was a child star from the ages of about 5 to 9, mostly doing live dance acts at mid-sized theaters across the US. That phase of his life was ended by a leg injury that never healed properly (neither he nor his parents wanted to slow down long enough for it to fully heal and he kept dancing on it until long-term damage was done), and his family had no choice but to settle back down in Philly.

First realized he was interested in men at age 11 when he became super attached to an older boy in his church’s youth group. He became very clingy and started sending the boy dozens of increasingly intense totally-not-love letters, which made the boy uncomfortable and got Vox switched out of the group. The fact that this was obviously a crush went unsaid, but not unnoticed by those involved. The rejection was devastating for Vox, and he swung hard into homophobia and petty displays of masculinity afterward.

He stayed out of show-biz during his teen years, but still participated in dozens of events and competitions— any opportunity to perform and receive praise.

Was drafted into WWII as a young man. Never saw combat on account of his old leg injury, but was instead assigned to work as an electrical engineer, building radar tech and other telecommunications materials. It was outside of his intended field of study, but he took to it quickly and became very close with the other men on his team. It was the last time in his life he could remember feeling truly happy.

Realized he was really, embarrassingly into BDSM (or at least the 40’s/50’s equivalent) via pulp novels, plus how excited he was made by the head of his team being cold/condescending towards him when he first joined. Took this secret to the grave, but always kept a stash of retro-style erotica wherever he was living.

After the war, he decided to get back into show business. Started dating and quickly married a girl from a wealthy, well-connected family. Things started off okay, but only took a few years to devolve into simmering animosity. He was self-absorbed and inattentive, she started using pills to cope. Neither of them had any interest in getting a divorce though, given the times and the damage it would do to both their reputations. They had two kids who were basically raised solely by their nanny. Their parents both loved them in their own ways, but were too wrapped up in themselves to pay them very much mind.

Vox quickly got involved in the television industry, using his good looks and charm to rapidly climb the ranks and land a job as a presenter. He was a pain to work with for anyone he deemed beneath him, but he was a great networker and could schmooze with the “important people” like nobody’s business.

Despite running in some pretty elite circles, his TV career never quite reached the heights he wanted it to. He was, objectively, quite successful, making good money and being the face of his own show, but he wanted to aim higher. He managed to finagle his way into a film role, hoping it would kick-start a new phase in his career, but despite being a great performer, Vox just wasn’t an actor. The film bombed. He didn’t take it well.

When he walked into the studio one day in the mid-50’s, ready to shoot another show, he had no idea it was to be his last day on Earth. He was just supposed to introduce a musical performance alongside his co-anchor, that was it. But for whatever reason, the crew decided that this time, they wanted them to do it using standing microphones. However, due to a mistake by one of the tech guys, Vox’s microphone was not properly grounded. When they started counting down and Vox put his hands on the mic, several hundred volts of electricity went coursing through his body. His heart stopped almost instantly. He didn’t have time to even register what had happened to him, just the sound of screams and the faint smell of burning flesh.

#mr tv man is setting up shop in my brain. please help #will probably come back and add early demon life headcanons too in a few days rip #redlady speaks #hazbin hotel #vox #hazbin hotel vox #vox hazbin hotel #hazbin vox #hazbin posting

[watchmegetobsessed]

OUR PAST SELF

A/N: its been foereverrrr since i last wrote for my fac family and im also celebrating 13k followers! im so thankful for all of you, i hope to bring you many more stories!!

PAIRING: husband!dad!Harry X Reader

SUMMARY: Reminiscing about what your past self would say if they saw you married with four kids.

WORD COUNT: 985

MORE FROM THE ANOTHER ONE UNIVERSE | SUPPORT ME!

“Babe!”

“What?”

“You have to see this! Come down!”

For a split second you consider ignoring your husband’s request that came from downstairs. You literally just settled down on the bed, opening your book you haven’t gotten to read all week. Chores are done, the twins are at Anne’s and Ellie peacefully playing in her room. You were supposed to have twenty minutes to yourself, maybe thirty if you’re lucky, but now it seems like you’ll have zero.

But then you think of the excitement you heard in Harry’s voice and you know you won’t be able to just sit and not think about what he got so worked up about.

“Coming!” you call out, placing the book back onto the nightstand where it will probably remain untouched for a couple more days.

Walking down the stairs you hear Harry’s song Satellite playing in the living room and it has you wondering what he is about to show you. But as you come around the corner the music cuts off and you find him with Leo in his arms. That little rascal is all smiles, showing all of his total of four teeth. He is the most adorable tiny gentleman with his curls and extra chubby cheeks. All your kids had cheeks that screamed to be pinched and kissed, but it seems like Leo got more of that gene.

“What’s going on here?” you ask, a smile already tugging on your lips.

“Come on, sit down. You need to see what Leo just learned!” Harry gestures towards the couch and you make yourself comfortable, watching him set the toddler down in the middle of the room. The coffee table has been pushed to the side, giving enough room to have a little dance party.

Leo watches his daddy with bright eyes as he grabs the TV remote and he starts the music again. Satellite starts playing and Leo giggles in excitement. Harry sits beside you, watching him proudly as he takes your hand in his, giving it a squeeze.

“Look, watch him now!” he points at Leo.

The song comes to the part where Harry usually does his iconic arm thrusts, the one that makes all his fans go crazy, because it gives an amazing view of his toned arms. But this time he is not the one dancing, instead, Leo is wiggling his arms that distantly resembles what Harry usually does on stage. It’s absolutely, ridiculously, whole-heartedly adorable, adding his giggles and how he bounces, your heart is bursting in your chest.

“Oh my God!” you squeak, grabbing Harry’s bicep as you lean into him, watching your son dance around to his daddy’s music.

“It’s so freaking cute, right?” Harry enthuses. Jumping to his feet he sweeps Leo back into his arms and starts dancing around, making him laugh even louder and there’s nothing sweeter than a baby’s laugh.

You watch them finish their performance and then they join you on the couch, Leo climbing over to you, settling on your lap. You brush his hair out of his forehead and kiss the crown of his head.

“Can you believe he’ll be one year old next month?” you sigh, snuggling to Harry’s side.

“Crazy, huh?”

“Mind-blowing,” you admit with a chuckle.

“You remember how it went when I told you I wanted another one?” he grins, poking Leo’s tummy playfully.

“Hey, you said you wouldn’t hold it against me!” you protest.

“I’m not, it’s just sweet how hesitant you were and now…”

“Now I couldn’t even imagine life without him,” you finish his thought, kissing Leo’s cheek.

“We’ve made some really awesome babies, huh?” he smirks, clearly so full of himself.

“Well, I did most of the work,” you purse your lips at him, not letting his head grow any bigger.

“You did,” he nods, smiling. “My awesome wife gave birth to four babies. That’s still so insane.”

“Crazy,” you hum, squeezing Leo to your chest gently. “What do you think our younger self would say if they saw us?”

“Like how young?”

“I don’t know. Maybe fourteen. What would fourteen years old Harry say if you told him you have a wife and four kids?”

“He would highfive me, because it means I’ve had sex at least four times,” he answers without missing a beat and you smack his chest as his laugh rumbles through it.

“You’re such a pig!” you tell him off, but then add: “And it’s just three times, because we have twins.”

“Damn, you’re right,” he chuckles. “But jokes aside… He would be shocked and… relieved.”

“Relieved?” you raise your eyebrows.

“I was afraid I might end up alone when I was younger,” he shrugs. “Marriage felt so distant and unattainable. But then came you,” he adds smiling and leaning closer he steals a quick kiss. “What about you?”

“She would be over the moon if she saw how hot my husband is,” you grin at him. “And she would probably ask what it looks like down there after four kids.”

Harry’s laugh roars through the room and Leo starts laughing too.

“I can assure her that you look stunning down there.”

“Oh shut up,” you poke your elbow into his side.

“What? I love your pu–”

“I swear to God if you say that word in front of our son, I’m divorcing you,” you warn him, but can’t stay serious when you look at his toothy grin.

“Oh, you wouldn’t leave the man who gave you the cutest babies,” he scoops Leo from your lap and walks back to the middle of the room. “Come on, Buddy. Let’s give mum a show,”

He turns the music back on and you watch them dance around and you could stay like this forever. You’re so loved and you have even more love to give to your family.

Yeah, your past self would be proud of you if she saw you.

Thank you for reading, please like and reblog if you enjoyed and buy me a coffee if you want to support me!

#harry #styles #harry styles #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles fanfic #harry styles au #harry styles fluff #harry styles x you #harry styles x y/n #harry styles x reader #harry styles oneshot #harry styles one shot #harry styles blurb #dadrry #dad!harry #the another one universe

[buckyarchives]

Metal Arms and Short Skirts [Drabble]

summary: you and bucky run into a small bump when he brings up kids.

word count: 6k

author note: i, personally, have a strong hatred towards the “girlboss has tradwife ephihany after meeting a man” trope so here is me doing the complete opposite

second (sober) note: i wrote, edited and posted this stoned as fuck so tell me if you like this more than usual fics so i can make a note to write high more often

read on AO3 | masterlist

It was a well-known fact after two years into the relationship that you and Bucky were the ‘it’ couple, both inside the compound and outside. Especially due to the rise in the avenger’s popularity, your hobby of walking red carpets and mingling with the rich and famous (you’ve even been over at the Kardashian for dinner once — yes, Sam was beyond upset he didn’t get an invite) helped with that fact too. Many times have you brought Bucky along as your plus one, so much so that he started getting invited and being plastered on magazine covers and Twitter feeds.

So when the news - no, rumors of a breakup came out? Dear god, Nick Fury would have thought the world was ending. 

no one was sure what happened, and no one saw it coming either. you guys had been absolutely thriving since announcing it officially. Steve saw a complete difference in Bucky’s demeanor, he still wasn’t the old Bucky — but a new, healthy, and not despair ridden. He was happy. and maybe Tony wasn’t happy about it in the beginning, considering he saw himself as a sudo-father figure. He couldn’t deny you seemed happier with life, your work sure shows it. 

Natasha noticed it first when Bucky's shoulders sagged more and he was spending more nights in the compound instead of your apartment. as well as the continuous night eating and sleeping in. Then, Wanda, she gossiped a lot. about good and bad, so when you skillfully began to avoid the man in every conversation. she began to realize something was wrong.

Soon everyone noticed it. because once Bucky's depression turned to blind hatred and his sparring partners (Sam) were getting beaten a little too hard. snide comments were being made and he just became a genuinely unpleasant person to be around. Sam and Steve more than jumped to find out what the hell happened.

Wanda and Sam stood before the stove, flipping pancakes and eggs. The morning hue showed on everyone’s face and hair. Natasha's red hair looks wild in her messy bun, if you can even call it that. She sat next to Steve, trying not to publicly flirt since their relationship started to flourish. mostly not to miss Bucky off too. 

and Bucky sat hunched over like an old and angry man, shoveling bacon into his mouth with the seemingly permanent scowl he’s worn for the past few weeks.

they had a loosely put-together plan to figure it out, but Wanda couldn’t help but slip up out of frustration, she missed the days when you sleep over and join them on their team breakfasts. “what happened to breakfast at y/n?”

Bucky visibly flinched at your name, his breath hitching in his throat and almost choking on his bacon. they had danced around the subject of you once figuring out the obvious separation, your appearance at the compound got less and less to the point someone would think you got transferred somewhere else. 

Sam sent a surprised glance towards Wanda, whilst all other eyes were on Bucky as he gaped his mouth open and tried to find a response. Steve was practically on the edge of his seat after not getting a word of you from Bucky for weeks.

clearing his throat, and gulping down both water and his nerves. “we’re not on good terms right now.”

“Well, if that wasn’t obvious” Natasha murmured under her breath, focused on her food. Bucky sent a glare out of the corner of his eyes. rolling his eyes, he threw the now empty plate into the sink. not wanting to be bothered by the looks of the other, he headed for the door.

“ah! not so fast, tin man. we have some serious stuff to talk about.'' Tony popped up from literally nowhere and stood before the exit, blocking Bucky from leaving the kitchen and to his room or the gym.

“move, Stark. I'm going on a run.” Bucky said - a lie - he was most likely wallowing in self-desperation in his room.

“Wake up on the wrong side of the bed, honey?” Tony snarked.

Bucky went to shove his way around him, but then Tony stepped to the side and suddenly the common room was on lock down and the door slammed shut in front of his face.

“no one is leaving this room until I figure out what happened to you and y/n, and fix it,'' Tony said, taking a seat with an annoyed and almost angry face. Bucky’s jaw clenched as he stood awkwardly, half of the avenger's eyes on him, staring at his feet. “because my best worker is lacking in worK and most important — trying to leave the company.``

“What?” the brunette's head pops up, as well as everyone else’s in the room. a matching concerned face was shared through the avengers, wilder on Buckys.

“she won’t tell me why, but I can only assume it has something to do with you so don’t mess up my life anymore and tell me why.'' Tony lectured, the usual blind and comedic annoyance turned to actual anger towards Bucky as he explained. Then everyone soon realized you weren’t just distancing yourself from Bucky, but everyone and it hurt Tony - someone who (despite popular opinion) actively tried to keep the family together at all cost. because he was losing one of his longest friends now.

“He's right, man. we’ve all noticed how this thing has affected you.” Sam spoke up, much more concerned than tony.

Bucky noticed all the eyes on him, stripping him down and making him feel seen and vulnerable. he felt small. Bucky huffed disappointingly as he shuffled to the small couch in the common room. falling dramatically on it as he clenched his jaw, “y/n and I have come to some… disagreements about…” Bucky's words were slow and shaky, trying to figure out how to describe what happened. “our future together so we’ve decided to see other people.”

glances were shared of confusion and concern, and Bucky’s gaze stayed glued to the air. He really, really did not want to talk about this. it sends a cold and painful chill down him that aches.

“what the fuck is that supposed to mean?” Tony shouted, still frustrated and mentally done with Bucky’s grief spared attitude. He just wanted you back at work and happy again or he’ll try choking out a supersoldier today.

“It means she broke up with me, okay?” Bucky choked out, not wanting to dwell on you anymore. 

“But why?”

Bucky groaned, “because we had a disagreement!”

“About what?” Tony shouts back, growing more and more frustrated as Bucky dodges the real question.

Bucky shot up, beginning to grow frustrated as well. He yelled, “I can't tell you if you're going to yell and look at me like a caged animal!”

“Okay, boys. Tony chill, Bucky - sit and just explain to me what happened." Natasha shot up and nudged herself in between the two, breaking up whatever brawl was going to happen.

Bucky was so drained mentally and depressed that he just plopped down and sat next to Natasha, Natasha gave bucky such a warm comfort he didn’t fight against it, he felt safe enough to talk about this with her (and maybe more if Sam, Steve or Wanda didn’t continue to stare down his neck as Bucky mustered up any words)

“I brought up our future… kids and marriage.” bucky started, “and we disagreed on a few things, and it sparked an argument. We both said some very hurtful things and we decided to end it, or at least a break.”

“Like officially breaking up?” Natasha asked.

Bucky wore the pain he felt on his face, he just missed you and felt speaking it out loud would give it a mouth, and then he really would never see you again. “I don’t know, maybe? We were too busy yelling at each other to figure that out.”

“Okay, “ Natasha breathed out, Sam and Wanda were quick to join the impromptu therapy session. Bucky was glad it was them rather than someone like Tony or Thor. The one time Thor gave Bucky relationship advice it was along the lines of having an orgy because “it builds trust and passion.” or something along the lines of that.

“Have you talked to her since?” Wanda asked, approaching the topic gently as he sat across bucky with soft and understanding eyes. Realizing he should have brought this up sooner with the group rather than his therapist, the girls came to him with a much more understanding and comforting approach.

Bucky shook his head shamefully, “the morning after the argument, she said she wanted space and to possibly seek out other people. Told me to explore other options.”

Everyone shared confused looks, either bucky was lying through his teeth or something really weird had gotten into you. None of this sounded like you, “what type of disagreement did you two have for her to come to that?'' Sam perked up.

“Um, well.” Bucky's head fell down as he fidgeted with a loose string on his shirt. “I brought up having kids, and other things like marriage and moving in together, but mostly kids. She didn't want it and I don't even know how the argument started but we were both really frustrated and tired and it did. By the end of it it seemed she practically gave up on us because our idea about the future looked different and now- now, I don't know how to fix it.”

Bucky's voice croaked a little toward the end, showing how absolutely hung up he was on the possibility of losing you. Since the gala he's known that you were it for him, the one secure thing he could come back to at the end of the day and you were stripped away from him so abruptly. 

It didn't help that fact Bucky was very adamant about having a family, since he technically doesn't have one anymore. Not blood anyways, so eventually retiring and starting a family was one of the most important things to him now that he was free.

“She did always says she wasn't going to have kids,” Tony mumbled under his breath, but Bucky heard it and it definitely did not help his mental state.

“Anyways, by the end of it - we both said very hurtful things and I don't think she wants to speak to me right now.” Bucky sighed.

“Did you apologize?

“She hasn't given me a chance to yet,” Bucky admitted, he tried to – not very well. But you've done more than enough to avoid it, it hit bucky in the chest like a spear. So far you were trying to transfer to San Diego and work for Pym. And everyone knew Hank would be more than pleased with the idea of that, so yes - it scared Bucky to death that he was slowly losing you.

Everyone sat silent for a moment, unsure of where to go from here as it seemed Bucky had hit a brick wall with you. Everyone knows how stubborn you can be.

“You are all a bunch of idiots.”

A low and raspy voice snarked from the doorway, and a blonde archer stood with a less than disappointed look as he leaned against the wall.

“How’d you get in here?” Tony perked up. 

Clint decided to ignore the questions, “you’re asking advice from a bunch of single people, a girl who's dating a literal toaster, and don't get me started on Pep and Tony's dynamic. I am the one happily married person with kids on this team.” 

Everyone was left dumbfounded as Clint continued his speech, striding in front of the slouched and sorrow-filled Bucky Barnes, leaning down with his hand on his knees to meet Bucky's face. 

“Do you love her?”

“Yes.” bucky quipped like it was second nature.

“Like, really, really love her. Like take a bullet for her or have to snake the drain every 2 weeks love her.”

Odd questions but Bucky already was snaking the drain frequently for you, for a doctor-engineer you were weirdly squeamish. And Bucky knew he'd step in front of a bullet for you with absolutely no thought, and that didn’t even scare him, as long as you were safe. 

“Yes.”

“Okay.” Clint's voice rose and fell stern, almost in a lecture-type voice he'd only heard from a mother. “Snap out of it, get off your ass, buy her flowers or something, and go get her. Because you are losing her every second you don't.”

“But I don't know how to fix it.'' Bucky realized he was starting to sound whiny and desperate now, but he felt it inside too. He was a complete mess, and Clint was going to shake it out of him one way or another.

“God, you really need help. How have you survived these two years.” Clint mutters, “you compromise! That's like 60% of keeping a long-term relationship. Communicate and compromise, if you love her that much you will do that.”

Bucky felt stupid now, but maybe he would have tried that out earlier if he had the chance. “But she's made it very clear she doesn't want to talk to me.”

“Doesn't matter, she's had three weeks of space and I'm sure the one thing she's waiting for is for you to seek her out.” Clint explains simply like he's gone through the situation before. “I don't care if she’s already found a new place in California, go to her and beg for forgiveness for whatever hurtful things you said and just. Talk.”

Bucky carded a hand through his brunette locks, his hair was getting grease from simply being too depressed to shower and letting his emotions out on the poor punching bag in the gym. He nodded slowly, hyping himself up in his head to do exactly what Clint was explaining. 

“Okay, I'll find her and talk.” was all bucky could say, he still had a lot of thinking to do.

“And shower first, please. You smell like a dog.”

Bucky just nodded. 

/

Three weeks ago.

Maybe it wasn’t the best idea to bring this up now, Bucky had just gotten back from a 2-week-long mission, and being stuck with a fake identity with Sam in Tokyo had made him beyond frustrated but equally happy to come home to you. Bucky didn't know it then, but you'd been working yourself to the wit's end after the new discovery of nanotech between you and tony. Many nights were spent up late and awake early, since Bucky wasn't there to drag you to bed and away from the lab.

But, It's been on Bucky's mind for a moment now, on the tip of his tongue every time he got a moment alone with you. And now as he sat across from you, the kitchen light shining down on you as you went through the new research on nanotech. Your eyebrows furrowed as you concentrated on the words, gently tugging at your bottom lip. Bucky let himself watch you for a moment before bringing up the topic that's hovered over him for the past couple of months.

“Baby?” he stared, your head perking up towards him.

“Hm?” you hummed, closing the file to put your full attention on bucky.

He fidgeted with his thumbs nervously under the table, licking his lips before starting. “We’ve been together for a while and I was just wondering about something…”

You instantly put on a defensive face, many assumptions swirled in your head about what he could be alluding to. Many things but all you knew is that it was going to be a hard conversation to have. “Yeah?”

“I was thinking about trying for kids, you know? If that's something your able to do…” Bucky spoke slowly and cautiously, this was the first time he’d seriously brought this up. Only a few jokes were shared about kids' names and how you'd raise your children, always lighthearted and mostly unserious.

You gulped, unsure of how to exactly approach this topic with bucky. You knew his stance on family and how important that was to him, “yeah, I can get pregnant. but, I'm not too sure about kids, buck.”

“Why not?” Bucky asked innocently, he didn't mean to sound pushy even if it may have translated like that towards you.

“I- I don't know, I just don't think that'd be good for us right now.” 

Bucky tried to bite his tongue, but that had never worked in the past, especially not now. “I think it'd be nice, you don’t want a mini us running around?”

In truth, you were beyond tired, you had been barely keeping your eyes open as you read. Your hazy mind was caught off guard by such a question, especially after work has been so hectic for each of you. Bucky was either away on a mission, or you'd be in the lab or flying out for research and meetings. Barely anytime for each other right now and suddenly, Bucky asking to start a family now?

Frustrated, you sighed. “I didn't say that - I know how important family and kids are to you but I just don't know if I can do that.”

“You don't have to agree because I want to, it's your body – you do what you want.” bucky shot back, growing equally frustrated, he started to regret the timing of this conversation but he opened the pandora's box and he wasn't sure how to close it now. “It was just a suggestion.”

The attitude and words left your mouth before you could even understand how harsh it was, but you were working with half a brain right now. “Well, it kinda feels like you're pressuring me into this, Bucky.” you huffed, abruptly getting up from your seat to put the files away. You'd had enough reading for the night.

“I'm not!” bucky quipped, almost instinctively following you around the apartment. “I just think we’ve been together long enough to seriously talk about our future.”

A headache began to grow and you just wanted to go to bed. “Well, I'm sorry but I can't give you the answers you're looking for, bucky.”

“I just wanted to at least talk about it together.'' Bucky pleaded, he was trying – at least. Yes, he was frustrated and equally tired but somewhere in his head was telling him to stop and finish this later, but maybe the desire of starting a family was too strong. 

He realized soon after he got his mind back that most of his bloodline was killed off by either the war or simply just died off by old age. He remembered the night he looked for nieces and nephews, hoping Becca got married and lived a good life. Only to find nothing and then truly realize he was alone at this time, Steve and you – sure. Maybe he was getting greedy but he wanted someone he could call real family.

But now he realized he shouldn't have pushed.

You threw your hand up, almost angry now as you shouted back. “I’m sorry, but I’m not 100 fucking years old and looking to reproduce right now!”

Bucky's face dropped, “really? You have to bring that shit into it.”

“Yes, because I have other things to be focusing on right now,” you yelled back.

“Like what?” Bucky argued back.

“My job!” you shouted like it was completely obvious, which it sort of was, and that made you even more angry that bucky couldn't see that.

“y/n, your net worth is nearing eight fucking figures! It's not like you're going to starve anytime soon!” Maybe Bucky was bitter, for many reasons. Growing up poor, and the feeling that sometimes you pay more attention to your work than bucky. “What about us?”

You stood back, mouth gaped and utterly taken off guard by bucky. Narrowing your eyes at him, “really? I cannot believe you actually said that.”

“I'm serious. I feel like I've been left in the dark recently and just want to know the endgame with us.” 

“Okay,” you snarked, “we finish this conversation and you figure out I can't give you what you want? What happened then?”

“I don't know but-”

You quickly cut him off, bitterness dripped from your words and your head grew hot from anger. “You find out I can’t give you kids, or marriage or I don’t turn into a 1940s fucking trad wife you expect out of me. What then? You gonna go find someone else?”

“I don't expect any of that out of you! And I don't want anyone else but you.” Bucky shouted, his hands shaking with nerves and anger at your jabs at him. Never expect you to bring up his more than unfortunate past. “Do you want that?”

“At this point, maybe! Because what's the purpose if I can't give you a life you're happy with?” you choked out and the fear that washed over Bucky was unreal, if what you're alluding to is true. 

Bucky's face scrunched up in anger, and confusion and his heart pounded in his chest and threatened to break. “Really? Are you really saying we need to end this?”

“I'm not going to continue a relationship if either one of us is unhappy, no amount of love can fix that crack, bucky.”

Bucky's breath hitched and he can only assume that his heart has broken now. He's been a hopeless romantic since his first crush in elementary. So the words coming from you hit him like a train - and he is not a fan of trains – and caused tears to threaten to spill as he bit back any further hurtful words. 

But the damn was broken and both tears and his words came out with no stopping, he scoffed. “It's great to know how much faith you have in us.” sarcasm and anger dripped from his words and equally hit each other like a knife. 

“Bucky–”

“No,” he croaked out, hurt and defeated by this argument. “I can't do this right now, I'm sleeping on the couch and we can talk about this tomorrow.”

Bucky didn't want to end it like this, you've had arguments before but never like this. Always fixing it before you could leave the room, never leaving words unsaid or arguments hanging unresolved. You two have never gone to bed angry with each other or worse – separated. 

And you let him snatch his pillow from your bed and leave the room, despite the urge to pipe up and ask to stay. But you were stubborn and held grudges, it was a well-known fact and one bucky had too. Which was the last way each of you needed to be acting right now.

Because as each of you woke, the tension in the air was thick and hurt like a fire. Bucky stayed in the kitchen making food for both of you and kicking himself as he heard you successfully avoid him for half of the morning by taking your sweet time getting ready.

It hit bucky like a knife when you shamefully stared him down, arms crossed and jaw clenched. Telling him that this was it and to see other people, he choked on the swarming thoughts and just held his tongue and nodded. Frozen in fear of actually losing you, unable to stop you from walking out the door and going to work.

You had the final word and Bucky cursed to himself as he left the apartment for what he thought would be the last time.

/

“I don't know. Hope.” you sighed, balancing the phone between your shoulder and ear. “I said some mean stuff, and buck wants a kid but I just can't do that right now.”

“I know, but are you really going to separate because of it? Not to be mean, but that seems pretty dramatic.” hope scoffed, slightly distorted as she spoke from the other line.

“He deserves a good and happy life though, after everything he's gone through. If kids and marriage and the white picket fence thing are what he needs, I just can't give him that.” you sighed, “I tried to go on a date with an old classmate, and he tried to kiss me. I felt like I was cheating somehow. I just kept thinking about Bucky.”

“Isn't that like a perfect sign to talk to him?”

“Maybe.” you sighed.

The past few weeks have been a little less than torture, bearable if you threw yourself into work but that also meant going to the compound where you would most definitely run into bucky. This is the last thing you need if you were trying to move on for him, it's for the better – you'd tell yourself at night when you were close to just calling him because you miss falling asleep in his arms. 

Work and money have been the top priority in your life since you got your first job working at a car garage at 15. It wasn't stopped anytime soon and the way bucky spoke made you feel as if he expected you to stop that for him. Which sounds selfish, yeah – but you knew how men thought back in the 40s and you were the farthest thing from that. Your mistake for thinking bucky would understand.

“Well, you know my dads been trying to steal you from Stark for years now so if you need that much space you have a job over here.” Hope offered, referring to moving to San Diego. You lived near the area for a while after college, you didn't like the hot weather and slowness of the city but stayed for work. It would be a sure way to stay away from Bucky and maybe get over him, but that commitment and sureness of it being all over scare you.

“Maybe, I'll think about it.” you rubbed your hand on your neck to soothe your anxiety and nerves, the thought of bucky recently had done nothing besides spring tears in your eyes.

Ding!

The doorbell rings through the apartment and snaps you out of your self-wallowing thoughts. “Hey, hope. I'll call you back.”

“Sure, y/n. Just send me a text if you want the position here, it's open to you anytime you want it.” Hope reassures. 

“Mkay, bye.” you bid your goodbyes and quickly hung up, taking a deep breath as you set your phone down on your bed. Your feed padded as you went for your front door, and whoever was waiting patiently behind it. You hoped it was your new self-indulgent purchase from Prada.

You experience something short of whiplash when you swung open the door, your mouth gapes and you swear you stopped breathing. Definitely not Prada.

Bucky had somewhat planned this appearance, with the help of Clint. He shaved a little, but not full because he knew you liked him with stubbled. His long hair was tucked behind his ears neatly and he wore that one blue sweater you bought him, your favorite. Bucky held your favorite flowers in one hand, a bouquet the size of your head by two. And in the other, if your nose was correct, your favorite food.

Oh, he's good, too good. 

You both stood awkwardly in front of each other, Bucky had to restrain himself from either bursting into tears or dropping everything to hug you as if his life depended on it. 

“Can we talk?” is what he settled on.

You nibbled on your bottom lip nervously, going over your options quickly. But everything in you was telling you to bring him in and never let go, despite how much it hurt. “Using my favorite food against me is cold, sarge.”

Bucky's heart ached and leaped at the nickname, being deprived of your sweet words for weeks did something to him. With a cheeky grin, he held up the pack. “Spicy Thai soup with shrimp. Just for you.”

It was way too hard to be mad at him when he was so attentive and so good-looking.

“Come in.” you sighed and moved out of the way to let him in. 

hesitantly, keeping you at arm's length as he walked in and set the food and flowers on the island. You watched him intensely, he kept his gaze away and bit his cheek. You settled down on a bar stool and watched as he found an empty vase in the pantry.

 With no words shared Bucky cut the ends and put the flowers in a vase of water to be displayed. A routine he knew by heart, getting flowers every week or so was normal and you didn’t realize how much you missed it until now.

You gritted your teeth, shame swelled in your stomach for pushing him away so aggressively, someone who loved so fiercely. You felt like you were going to hurl when his gaze met yours, he looked so sad. 

Looking down at the counter, not moving an itch. “I'm sorry for using the fact you're 100 years old against you.”

The phrase was so comedic and stupid that Bucky couldn't help but stifle a small laugh, it worked in his favor when he saw you bite back a small grin. How could he stay away this long? 

“I think it's actually 102 or 103, I lost count after 90,” he mentions, but you looked at him and his face fell seriously. “And I'm sorry for pressuring you to have kids, that wasn't my intention.”

You nodded, “I'll have kids with you, I want to. Just not right now.”

Bucksy face lit up and nothing could stop you from swooning over him now, biting back a grin as he spoke. “Really? I'm serious, you don't have to go through that just to please me.”

“I want to, I really do,” you reassured, taking deep breaths. “There's just so much going on right now and I panicked because it felt like you were asking that of me now, and I'm sorry for working so much and pushing you–”

Bucky sprung up with a more than sympathetic face and he cut you off by holding your jaw in his hands. You forgot how warm and welcoming his embrace was, you almost collapsed into him there. “Hey, don't apologize for being the badass, genius, hard-working woman you are.” he spoke with an adoring grin, “I shouldn't have put that against you.”

“No but you’re right, I've been putting Stark industries and my projects before you and I shouldn't be doing that.” you leaned farther into his touch. Chasing his comfort, bucky just smiled down at you because he missed this too much, being starved of you is high on his list of torture tactics. “And you are right about needing to talk about our future, it's just that…”

You trailed off, avoiding bucky’s eye contact again and nipping at your bottom lips from nerves. Bucky was quick to run a thumb across your lips to stop you and get your attention once more. His voice was unbelievably gentle and soft, “What is it? Come on, let's talk.”

“I know I don't talk about my family but my mom was a lot like me, you know? Workaholic, always trying to rack up the digits on her paycheck, lavish and indulgent lifestyle,” you explained and bucky was so attentive to your words - it took everything to not kiss him right there. You exhaled a shaky breath, “but then she met my dad and had me and she kinda stopped all of that. Stayed at home and got a small part-time job, letting my dad bring in all the money and there's nothing wrong with that! I could just tell she was miserable like that but kept at it because it was what my dad wanted.”

“Oh.” Bucky sighed, urging you to continue.

“And I think I took your words the wrong way that night and got scared of ending up like her, I know you wouldn't do that but I panicked and pushed you away because of it.” you finished and let your eyes travel to your lap, but bucky was having none of it as he urged you to look him in the eye. 

“Hey, I forgive you and I'm sorry for scaring you like that, but it's important to me that you know I wouldn't force that lifestyle on you.” bucky smiled, a tease to the end of his next words. “If anything, I'm trying to be a stay-at-home dad and live off your paycheck.”

You couldn't help but laugh at his statement, a smile growing from ear to ear. All the past emotions rushed out of you as a few happy-sad tears sprung to your eyes, chasing his embrace when you pulled him close and hid in the crook of his neck. Oh, how you missed his smell, “I love you, James.”

Bucky handheld your back as he pulled you even closer, he felt warmer than ever and smiled to himself. “I love you too.”

You stayed tucked in Bucky's arms for a while, you missed him too much to pull away right away. Bucky’s hand caressed your back as he soaked up your touch. Mumbling into his shoulder, “let's try not to fight over something stupid again and actually talk.”

“Agreed.” bucky nodded to himself, slowly pulling you back to peck your cheek. A mischievous grin fell on his lips that made you quirk an eyebrow.

“What is it?”

Bucky pursed his lips, “so no babies right now, correct?”

“Correct.”

“Okay,” he hummed, his hands falling to your waist and pulling you against him. “Then let's just practice for when we want to, yeah?”

“Bucky!”

/

Bucky's phone began to ring annoyingly from beside him, somewhere hidden in the couch cracks. Gently reaching over to grab it, not moving too much so he doesn't wake the sleeping beauty on his lap. 

After catching up on about 3 weeks of sex, a few rounds on the kitchen counter, and a few more on the couch. You both ended up half-naked and heating up the now-cold Thai food. Bucky was surprised it didn’t get knocked to the ground when he quite literally bend you over and fucked you hard on the counters. You both settled warmingly onto the couch and begged Bucky to watch Pixar movies, and of course, he couldn't say no. 

It was dark now and empty containers of food littered around the coffee table, getting fucked good and hot food sure can wear a girl out as you fell asleep on Bucky. probably the best sleep you've gotten since the fight. 

Steve was calling, definitely to check up on the talks. Bucky glanced back down at you before pressing accept, still sound asleep and slightly snoring. Bucky put the phone to his ear.

“So, how'd it go?” Steve asked.

Bucky wore a warm smile when he replied, gaze not leaving you. “Good, really good. We talked it out and it mostly boiled down to miscommunication.” 

“Just talked or?” Steve teased, something bucky wondered if the blonde could read his mind.

“Oh, zip it,” Bucky said, a chuckle coming from the other line. “I don't want to wake her, so I'll call you tomorrow?”

“Alright, don't get yourself into any more trouble.” 

“Don't plan on it, pal.'' Bucky bid his goodbyes to Steve and hung the phone up, throwing it to the side.

Bucky knew he had to wake you and get you into bed, clean up the apartment, and slip under the covers close to you. But for now, he was just enjoying the safety he felt with you in his arms, and not alone in the compound with you in California. It was more than true that you were it for him, and after getting a taste of what it was like to lose you. 

Well, he'd be damned if anything got in between you two now.

tags; @matchat3a @sebsgirl71479 @heavenswrld @ivywasmaroon

@nt-multi-fandom @michaelfuckinglangdon@fand0mskullfa1ry

@athenabarnes @almosttoopizza @genlovesdcb @mavrellover91

#bucky x reader #bucky fic #james bucky barnes #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes #james bucky buchanan barnes #bucky x female reader #bucky fanfic #marvel fanfiction #marvel #winter soldier #the winter soldier

[nczennie]

summer 1963.

Part One of She's Like The Wind

Pairing: Reader x Stray Kid's Lee Know AU: Summer love, based on the film Dirty Dancing Genre: Angst, Fluff (this part) Preview: “Yeah, I carried a watermelon.” The words tumble out of your mouth before your mind can comprehend them. At this, Minho spares you a judging glance that makes you feel small, not bothering another word before turning and walking back to the dance floor. Words: 7.9k *Warnings under cut

Warnings: Some curse words, mentions of food, eating, and being full, mentions and allusions to drug use and bad side effects of said usage, overall mature themes.

Your head lulls softly to the side, pulling your gaze to the window- the same green stretch of grass stuck in your view for the past couple of hours of your drive. The deep colors seem refreshing even in the summer heat, much more appealing than the grey concrete that you were accustomed to. 

Looking to your right, you see your older sister trying for the fifth time this hour to paint her toes a deep red without messing up with the occasional bumps on the road. In the passenger seat, your mom flips through a home decor magazine- one of the hundreds she brought to keep herself busy during the long ride to the countryside. Driving, your dad stays concentrated on the destination all while humming along to the songs coming from the radio. 

You’ve come to love the idea of spending your last summer with your family at a resort a couple of hours away from the city. When your parents first mentioned the idea, it seemed less than appealing- being more focused on quality time with your friends before everyone moved away for college. But now that you’re here, you’re glad to have this time with them knowing once you leave to the college an hour from home- everything will be different. 

You push those thoughts away for now-  the inevitable change that is making you more nervous by the day but you want to focus on what you have now. 

Not a half-hour later, the car makes its way on the dirt path to the large buildings surrounded by vast fields of green. The many guests loiter around outside, walking to their next destination or sitting, soaking up the sun. The closer you get, you spot a large lake just down the hill, complete with some volleyball nets and kids splashing in the water while their moms try their hand at tanning. 

The scene is so different than the summers you’re used to and suddenly you can’t wait to see what else there is in store here.

Pulling up to the front behind several other cars, your dad parks and gets out, everyone else following in suit. A worker, no doubt a high school student with a summer job, quickly comes to assist with taking your luggage out of your car. You let your eyes wander to him, feeling bad as he’s left to heavy bags by himself as your family follows your father- he’s just spotted the owner of the resort and his old friend and excitedly makes his way to greet him. Staying behind, you make your way to the back of the car and start to hand bags to the boy. He gives you a genuine smile, his eyes nearly closing as he does and you can’t help but return it. 

“You really don’t have to help, it’s my job, ya’know. You’re here to relax.” He claims as he places the bags on the bell cart. You smile softly, “I know, but it’s the least I can do. My sister tends to overpack, that would explain why we have eight suitcases when there’s only four of us.” You chuckle and the black-haired boy joins in. “Well, thank you for your help. I hope you have a wonderful stay.” He says piling up the last of the bags. “Thanks,” you let your eyes wander to his nametag, “Jeongin. Have a nice day.” 

Jeongin waves you off as you make your way to find your family. You’re thankful you don’t have to go far when you see them standing in front of the resort, your dad still talking to his friend. At your presence, your father puts his arm around you bringing you closer into the view of his friend, introducing you as his youngest daughter. 

“And this is here is my roommate and dear friend from college, Max Kellermen. He also owns this lovely place and invited us here for a stay.” Your dad smiles brightly as he talks about his friend. The middle-aged man politely shakes your hand as he smiles just as bright, the two of them clearly excited to catch up. 

“I have no doubt you and your family will have a life-changing experience here. This vacation will be like no other.”

After a slow afternoon of settling in and wandering around the property, you find yourself sat between your dad and sister at the dinner table. One of the nicer dresses you packed feeling much harder to breathe in after the five-course meal that was presented to you.  Dinner at the resort was held in a fancy ballroom-like hall where all the guests gathered to be waited on by the multiple waiters from the kitchen.  The whole thing was enjoyable but the events from the day were starting to wear on you. You quietly stir at your coffee, barely listening to your father who loudly babbles on to Max who has joined your table for dessert. 

“Is there anything else I can do for you all?” Your waiter for the night, a polite, handsome young man with an enjoyable sense of humor, asks checking in on you all once again. Max and your father smile up at him, “I think we’re good, Chan.” 

Chan smiles his charming smile and you speak up before he can leave, “Actually, can I have a box for my leftovers. I wouldn’t want to waste,” You finish off bashfully almost embarrassed by your comment. Your father nearly rejoices by it though, “That’s right, Chan. We could all use some boxes. Wasted food and hunger are the worst problems in our country, could you believe?” You feel second hand embarrassment by your fathers words, clearly being affected by the wine he had for dinner.  “You see,” he speaks to Chan and Max, “My youngest here is going to change the world. She starts college this fall and then after that, the Peace Corps that President Kennedy founded” He smiles proudly at you and you feel nauseous by the statement. You grew up close to your father, whereas your older sister enjoyed tea parties, ballet, and shopping trips with your mom, you tended to golf and volunteer with your dad. You suppose your closeness has allowed for him to push his views on you, so it shouldn’t surprise you at this point how much faith he puts into you and your nonexistent aspirations.

You hate it.

All this he talks of, college, peace corps, those are his dreams not yours. You fear that after all this time you lost a sense of who you are without your father's interference. You love the man to death, but hate the fact that you are living under his idea of a perfect daughter.

Max merely smiles at you before turning to your sister, “Well if she is going to change the world, what are you going to do, Daisy?” Your mother chuckles speaking up, “Oh, she’s going to decorate it.” 

It takes you all by surprise when Chan speaks up as he clears the used dishes, “I think she already does.” He smiles at her before excusing himself. You giggle at the redness of her face and give your mom a look knowing just how much your sister loved it.

The conversation drags even longer between the two and you’ve even ended up asking Chan for another cup of coffee to help keep the sleep off of you. 

Sometime later, a young man comes to your table seeking Max out, “Uncle, there you are. I’ve been waiting at our table or an hour now.” He chuckles and you glance over him.  Max lights up at his presence and stands to wrap his arm around his nephews shoulder, “Everyone, this is my nephew, Neil. He is one of the managers here at the resort.” He proudly smiles at the boy. Neil politely greets everyone before taking an empty seat next to his uncle, “You must be the family my uncle has been talking nonstop about all summer. He’s so excited you all could finally make it out.” He keeps a wide smile on his face, letting his eyes wander over everyone at the table. 

You keep a small smile on your face but inwardly groan at the thought of the conversation continuing any longer.  The next fifteen minutes are spent with your dad being utterly impressed with Neil as he talks nonstop about himself and his accomplishments for being so young. You don’t think you've ever heard one man talk for so long about only his own matters and it didn’t take long for you to be completely put off by the boy. 

Your relief came not long after when the boy stood, “Well, it was so nice to meet you all but I must be going. I’m due in the lounge to watch over the dancing.” He politely smiles. “There’s dancing?” Your sister asks curious about the activity she has yet to see at the resort.  “Oh, yes. Every night we have a live band in the longue and most guests come to dance the hottest dances- from the foxtrot to the mambo. We even have professional dancers staffed that can teach and demonstrate to the guests. It’s really great.” Neil explains the situation and Max nods along proud of the popular activity the resort could provide. 

Your mom and sister look to each other clearly interested in the activity whereas you could care less, never really have been much interested in dancing yourself.  You look up with a start as your dad calls your name, “Doesn’t that sound fun? You know, Neil, maybe you should take her over to check it out, I bet she would love it.” Your dad smiles excitedly and you realize quickly he was so impressed with the boy he’s started to play matchmaker. 

Trying your best to keep your emotions contained, simply looking to your father. “I don’t know, daddy. I’m quite tired from traveling today.”  “We don’t have to stay long,” Neil smiles at you, “You can just check the scene out that way you know where it is for other nights.”  “That’s a good idea, sweetie. Why don’t you go check it out for us and let us know if we should all go over tomorrow night.” Your mom speaks up nodding at you.

The longue is much bigger than you expected and the dimly lit room made for the perfect atmosphere. The live band continuously played upbeat and slower tunes to appease the large crowd of dancing guests.  Though, much to your dismay, Neil insisted on having one dance with you and yet here you both were three songs later.  You were never much of a dancer, not even interested in the deed during your final prom in the spring. Not much has changed as you stand swaying boringly back and forth with your partner. Though all the people around you seem to be having the time of their lives lazily moving to the music, you were bored from the moment you started. 

As Neil continues his nonstop talking, you begin to think maybe it’s your partner that is making the dancing so miserable. The owner's nephew was very polite, but it didn’t take long for you to realize just how full of himself he is. The past fifteen minutes were full of him going on about how amazing he is to have started managing- not one but three resorts, at such a young age. You were able to slip in a few words about how hardworking he must be but other than that, he seemed to be content with you just listening to his whole life story. 

The song finally comes to an end, the crowd stops their movements to applaud the band. You’re thankful for the opportunity to prepare yourself to tell Neil just how tired you were, but the band starts again- playing a much more upbeat tune than that of any you have heard the time you’ve been here. 

You look on with curiosity as the crowd starts to cheer and clap as a couple makes their way into the center of the circle the guests have carved out for them. 

Your eyes follow the couple in awe as they command the spotlight and start to dance, clearly much more advanced than anyone else in the room. 

You’re unable to even find it in yourself to leave Neil as you’re absolutely captivated by the way the pair move across the floor all by themselves. Eyes wandering to the boy as he swiftly and gracefully moves across the floor, effortlessly gliding his partner. 

A smile pulls on your face as he lifts her slightly, spinning her around letting the coral dress she’s wearing flow freely around her. The two were clearly professionals and watching their dance brought you joy as well as all of the other guests who stayed aside to watch their show. You had never seen professional dancers before but watching them now you were allured by their talent, unable to take your eyes off of them. Every part of their bodies seemed to move to every beat, everything about what they did seemed natural and intentional at the same time. “They’re amazing,” you let out as your eyes continue to follow the couple whose looks are as beautiful as their movements.  Neil scoffs from beside you, “Yeah, well they should be we pay them for it.” He shakes his head as he continues to watch their routine, “They’re supposed to be selling lessons to the guests but they’re just showing off.” You want to argue that everyone around them is clearly enjoying the act but you don’t bother using the energy to talk to the boy. 

You stay watching the couple, unable to tear your gaze away from every twist and twirl they make. They eventually end and bow respectively to the crowd who cheers loudly for their talents. Even then, your eyes stay focused on the gorgeous girl and boy who shines just as beautifully. You watch as they go their separate ways, making their way in the crowd to politely dance with some of the guests- a clear part of their attempt to sell lessons. You follow the boy’s head until you can no longer see it, mind wandering to ask your father to pay for dance lessons this summer. That would be a great idea, you thought, if only you liked dancing.

The next couple days of your vacation were uneventful- relaxing but nothing too memorable. You often found yourself wandering the resort by yourself as you parents partook in the multiple activities offered and your sister spent as much time as she could with the waiter, Chan. 

This night wasn’t much different as you wandered around the different paths of the resort after dinner, picking daisies that littered the grass. The sun had fallen long ago but you couldn’t find it in yourself to stay cooped up in the room when Daisy had gone into town with Chan and your parents were watching a screening of a new movie in the small theater within the hotel. So, much like any other time, you found your feet carried you outside and simply walked where you could. 

You hum along to a song that’s tune has been in your head all day as you hop along the rock-paved path going to the bottom of a hill you have yet to explore. Half way down, you notice the presence of another. It was a boy who seemed to struggling to carry something as he walked further in front of you. Squinting your eyes, you notice the boy is familiar. “Jeongin! Hey!” You call out with a smile, happy to see another person you know. You jog briskly down the hill to meet him where he stopped with a smile. You hold your white dress to keep it from flowing too far up and you make your way to the black haired boy, sending him a big smile as you finally reach him. “Hey,” he returns your smile and you look down to see him struggling to keep his grip on a couple of watermelons. You automatically go to grab one with a huff as it’s much heavier than you first expected, “Where are you going? I’ll help take this there.” Jeongin chuckles at you, “What? Don’t you have to go meet your manager boyfriend?” 

You frown at the mention of Neil, the boy clearly having seen your parents attempt of having you spend time with the conceded boy. Rather annoyed by his comment, you roll your eyes, roughly pushing the watermelon back into his arms and turn around to take your leave, disappointed by the boy you were originally pleased to see. 

“Hey! Wait! I was messing around, c’mon I could use your help.” You spin around, sending the boy a glare as you pull the extra fruit from his arms. Jeongin laughs and hoists the fruit he still has further up in his arms, “Well, let’s go then. But don’t you dare even mention what I’m about to show you.” he says the threat with such a light tone that you barely register what he was saying. “What do you mean?” You ask as you follow him further away from where you met. “Where we’re going is only for staff members, so you’re not even allowed to be there.” He says nonchalantly and your confused as to whether he is being serious or not. “And when I say that, I mean only certain staff,” he huffs as you two make your way up a hill, “So don’t mention it to nobody, especially not the manager.” You roll your eyes but refrain from biting back at the comment about Neil once again.

Finally making your way to a small wooden building, Jeongin roughly shoves the two doors open using the back of his body, making sure one of them stayed open long enough to safely let you in. Yet you’re so surprised by your new surroundings you can’t even find it in yourself to thank him.

Though the lighting is dim just like the dance lounge on the main resort - that is the only thing that you find familiar.  The room is hazy and filled with smoke and there is a loud booming from the speakers playing music from the record. A completely different genre from that of the live music you enjoyed at dinner and in the lounge. It sounds much like the music your peers listened to on their own record players when you visited their homes.

As you try to keep your gaze on Jeongin to follow him to the designated destination he had in mind, you find it nearly impossible. The room was crowded with workers who are enjoying their time off, dancing to the loud beat of an unfamiliar song.  And though you try your hardest to keep your eyes on Jeongin through the tight-nit crowd of people, you can’t help them wandering to take in just how the people around you are dancing. 

Never in your life have you seen just- frankly to put it; crude dancing. You weren’t really sure if you could call it dancing at all.

Pairs of people who pressed together so tightly it was nearly difficult to tell where one body ended and the other began.  There was groping with wandering hands and groins pressed and rocking together. Your cheeks flushed as were almost certain these moves were only meant to be done in private. 

Finally reaching your destination, you place the watermelon on an empty table beside Jeongin's. Wiping his hands on his jeans, he chuckles probably taking in your flustered reaction. “Do you like the dancing?” he moves a bit to lean back against the wood, moving his view the the crowd of moving people before you both. 

Following his actions, you move closer to him, making sure he could hear you even with the blaring music, “So they are dancing?”  You aren’t even sure yourself if your question is facetious or not.  Jeongin merely lets out a laugh, “Could you imagine if people danced like this out on the main floor?” He shakes his head just thinking about it, “Max would have all of our asses out on the street.” 

You smooth the fabric of your dress down, suddenly feeling self conscious of how you're dressed. Compared to those around you, you feel like you're dressed for church. "Wanna try?"Jeongin speaks up from next to you, raising his eyebrows, as you swiftly shake your head. There was no way you would dance like that. Not only did you not believe your body would move like that, but you were sure you would be far too embarrassed.

Your attention is drawn back to the crowd when everyone seems to let out a small cheer, looking you notice they make way for a new couple to join the dancing right in the center of the room, where everyone can see them. 

Immediately, you recognize the pair. 

It was hard not to, with the man striking features and the smoothness in which both of them move. Though this dance is completely opposite than that of what they danced to the last time you saw them.  You enjoy watching them nonetheless, you could hardly keep your eyes off of them, absolutely captivated by their swiftness. Automatically, your head starts to bob to music.  “They’re incredible!” You lean closer to Jeongin to express your fondness.  “Right? They’re the best this resort has. That there is my cousin, Minho. And his partner is Momo!” The boy has a smile on his face as though he is proud to introduce you to the talented pair he happens to know very well. 

“They make such a great couple.” You let out, even you could see their chemistry. 

“You would think so, huh? They’re not romantically involved though.”

Pursing your lips, you look at Jeongin after his comment, blown away with the information he just shared with you, “Seriously?”

He nods quickly, crossing his arms, “Oh, yeah. They tried it out once in high school, ended it two days later. Momo actually has a boyfriend who lives in town.”

You let out a small hum of acknowledgment, letting your eyes stay focused on the pair you two talked about, “And what about him, your cousin?”  The younger boy laughs beside you, “Oh he’s single, alright.” The current song comes to an end and some pairs start to break away.  Almost as if he knew you were talking about him, his cousin's eyes wander over to where you and Jeongin are resting. 

And much to your dismay, he starts to make his way over to you both.

As the boy makes his way in front of you both, you realize how intimidating he was. His dark eyes are sharp and unimpressed, sweat lingering on his face from dancing in the hot, crowded room. Maybe it was because you were aware you weren't supposed to be here, but you swear his gaze was intense enough to make you sweat yourself. You do your best to keep your eyes locked on his chest, his arms, his neck, anywhere that kept you from meeting his eyes. All the while you could feel his own locked on you.

“What is she doing here?” The older boy questions his cousin. “Oh, she helped me out on the way here. Saw me struggling and all.” Jeongin trails off as if to observe what his cousin’s reaction would be. “Yeah, I carried a watermelon.”  The words tumble out of your mouth before your mind can comprehend them. At this, Minho spares you a judging glance that makes you feel small, not bothering another word before turning and walking back to the dance floor. And as soon he turns your eyes rolls and you mumble to yourself about your idiotic words, shaking your head with a sigh as you wish you could forget the awkward encounter.

The next couple of songs play without incident; you stay by Jeongin's side, making idle small talk as you enjoy the music. All the songs being played are quite different from those that the live band play on the main floor, but you might even enjoy these songs even more. As each melody goes on you find yourself subconsciously moving and bobbing to the beat, especially as you watch everyone around you flowing along with the instrumentals. 

Continuing your small movements with a small smile upon your lips, your eyes wander around the room, taking in how the crowd changes their movements when a slightly more upbeat song starts to play. As your eyes make their way back to in front of you, the smile you once sported falls just as you still your body. You find a familiar dancer making his way straight towards you. 

He makes his appearance without a word, simply reaching out to grasp your hand with his nimble fingers. Minho gently gives you a tug, head nodding towards the dance floor as he walks you there. You feel your mouth slightly part in surprise but you find yourself unable to protest, head glancing back as Jeongin as he merely gives you a shrug, looking almost as confused as you are.

Minho doesn’t stop until you’re both in the middle of the dance floor, surrounded by the other moving bodies. He makes his way in front of you making sure he has your attention, “Watch.” You swallow deeply as the taller boy starts to move, simply swaying his hips back and forth to the beat of the song. “Go on.” He states again and you bite the inside of your cheek questioning if you would rather run back to his cousin than to attempt to dance in front of him, but you figure you can attempt this basic move he basically saw you doing before he dragged you out here.

You start to move after a deep breath, following along the best you could though you could already tell you were not nearly as smooth as the dancer.

“Good,” he nods his head “Now bend your knees, lower your hips.” He taps his pelvis to draw attention to the next move, his body now lower even as he continues his swaying movements.

Your body awkwardly lowers to try to match him and you suddenly become aware of how foolish you must look. A fish out of water compared to how smooth everyone is around you. Quickly glancing around you, you try to see if anyone else is seeing how awful you’re doing.

“Hey, look at me. Keep your eyes on me.” You draw your eyes back to Minho as he attempts to keep your attention on him. You do your best to keep everyone else around you out of your mind and hope you don’t draw their eyes in with your bad dancing. “Now roll your hips right,” he demonstrates slowly, “And then left.” He smoothly rolls his hips in a circle, alternating sides as he told you. 

When it was your turn to attempt you furrow your brows clearly having to concentrate more to get it done. He chuckles slightly at you but still praises, “Good, that’s it.” 

The two of you continue that for a moment before he creeps closer, grabbing your waist and pulling you flush against him. Your breath hitches in your throat as he holds your hips to his, having to place one of your hands on his bicep to keep you from stumbling, both of you still moving with the flow he taught you moments before. You can feel your face flush at the proximity and the mere movement you both are doing together. The only other time you can think of doing something similar involves the last boy you were with and being between the sheets, the movements could almost be the same you find yourself thinking. Only the thought flushes your cheeks even more.

As the two of you fall into a more comfortable rhythm matching the song, Minho starts to move more. He skillfully sways you both side to side even dipping you back slightly, your hand finding its way to his shoulder to steady yourself. It’s all much funner than you expected and you can’t help the smile that finds its way onto your face along with a giggle that breaks through your lips as he pulls you closer to him.

Unfortunately the fun and the song have to end at some point, Minho separates from you, magically twirling you around as the last notes of the song play. The crowd around you stops dancing and the room fills with claps and cheers end off the music. 

Still giddy, you clap along turning around with a smile only to find the boy was nowhere to be seen. 

Awkwardly stopping your movements, you flatten your hair and start to move through the crowd looking to make your way back to Jeongin, suddenly feeling red and flustered, your heart still pounding in your chest from the small dance you just shared.

It’s only a few short nights later that you find yourself in the presence of Minho once again, but this time the circumstances are very different. 

You stand under a well lit gazebo along with your parents and Max. The large platform acts as a dance floor, many bodies dancing classically to the soft music, a change of scenery from the usual ballroom floor. The fairy lights are bright enough to brighten up the whole area, the music plays from a record player in the corner; a contrast to the live band, and being outside once the sun goes down allows for a coolness to cover the space. It’s not much, but you are glad you decided to wear your cardigan. 

You stand closely to your mother, both of you keeping an eye on your sister who dances in the center of the place with Chan, who had the night off. Glancing up at her you both give each other a knowing smile at the kind boy that has caught Daisy’s eye this summer. 

As they move a bit from out of your sight, you bring your attention back to your father and Neil as they talk of their old college days. 

As the bodies continue to sway and move you can’t help but notice Minho among the crowd, his expert moves sticking out like a sore thumb. You watch as him and his partner move closer to the corner where you stood. You look at the girl in his arms and notice it’s not his usual partner Jeongin introduced to you as Momo. Instead this woman you could immediately tell was much older than Minho in age, that was obvious in appearance. And unlike Momo’s professionalism, this woman seemed much more interested in staying close to the boy rather than any real ballroom dancing. 

“Hello, Ruby. How are you doing?” You turn your head towards Max who speaks to the woman in Minho’s arms. She gives him a cunning smile, resting her head on the dark-haired boy’s shoulder, “I’m doing just fine, Max.” Max keeps a smile and nods as the pair continue their dance moving on along the room.

Once they’re far enough you hear Max sigh, “That’s what we call a Bungalow Bunny here.” This has the attention of both you and your parents, “They come every summer with their husbands, though their husbands only come down on the weekend. Ruby’s husband pays for her dance lessons,” he puts out his head to where she was with Minho. “It’s a difficult situation, she must be lonely.” He states and you swallow at his implications; that Minho is offering much more than dance lessons to this married woman. 

You find yourself getting sleepy the more you stand there, no longer interested in any of the conversation your father and Max find themselves having. And just when you thought your mood couldn’t be more sour, you spot Neil entering the gazebo and make his way over to the corner. You politely greet him but you dread it when he asks you to join him for a dance, “Oh I don’t know, Neil. I’m practically falling asleep here.” You force out a giggle to keep the atmosphere light. “Well how about a walk then? There’s a full moon tonight and the view will be beautiful by the lake.” 

You’re just as ready to turn his offer down again, but you feel your mom slightly push your lower back. You know right away what this means, go on with him. Though you dread it, you know it’s the right thing to do when his uncle is standing right next to you and he being the one to invite your family to stay at his resort. 

So that’s how you find yourself walking along the grass towards the lake, the moonlight being the only form of brightness in the night. Neil has been dragging on about how he got in an argument with one of the lifeguards and you haven’t been able to get a single word in since you started your walk. Finally getting to the dock, you take a deep breath and enjoy the view trying your best to block out Neil’s ramblings. 

Your view seems to almost be ruined though, when you feel the boy place his arm over your shoulder, “And I said, you know what Jimmy doesn’t have? Three hotels!” The boy laughs at his own joke and you give him a tight lipped smile to keep your rudeness at bay. 

But that seems to be getting harder to do when you feel Neil start to play with the ends of your hair, taking it softly in the tips of his fingers. “You know, when it comes time, there are much more important things than looks when choosing a man is involved.”

An unamused laugh leaves your lips as you slip yourself from out of his grip, “You know Neil, I’m actually kind of hungry. Maybe we can head back so I can have a snack.” He smiles at you, not at all fazed by your actions, “No problem at all, there’s actually a small kitchen for the staff in this building, we can grab you something there before heading back.” 

You follow him to the small building by the lake, you look around the dark building as Neil points out the sights. “And here is the kitchen, it’s pretty small but it’s usually just for the staff to have their lunches when they’re working around the lake.” He stands by the doorframe as you walk in the narrow kitchen. The boy continues to talk about some of the different staff schedules as you hear a small whimper coming from the corner. 

Looking alarmed at Neil, he doesn’t seem to notice as he continues his talking. Carefully you move further into the room pretending to look at the different arrangement of snacks. Finally you hear the sound more clearly and look in the corner, someone is hunched between the fridge and the wall. The person looks up and you fight the gasp that threatens to leave your throat. You make eye contact and immediately know who it is, you would recognize his partner anywhere.

Momo looks up from you, whimpering and shaking, clearly having been crying for who knows how long.  

You swallow quickly and trust your gut.

Turning around you make your way back to Neil, grabbing an apple in the basket by the door, “I think it will do, Neil. Thank you for showing me this, and for the snack. I think we should head back now, I wouldn’t want to worry my parents.”

“Of course, let’s go.” He shuts the door behind him and you make your way back to the gazebo as quickly as you can. 

Your heart is in your throat and you consider yourself lucky that Neil has separated himself from you by the time you get back to the gazebo. You try to think of the best way to approach the situation and decide it’s best not to interrupt Minho, whom you still barely know, especially when he’s with his client in the middle of the dance floor. Recalling from earlier in the night, you remember you saw Jeongin in the opposite corner from you, doing his job of handing out drinks to the guests.

Relief floods your system when you see the dark-haired boy in the same spot as before. Rushing over as quickly as you could without drawing attention to yourself, you finally place your arm on his shoulder. A friendly smile starts to form on his face but before he could even greet you, you bring your mouth to his ear, hand cupping around them both in order to tell him of the questionable situation you were in before finding him. 

His eyes widen at your words and he quickly makes his way to Minho in the middle of the floor, obviously not having the same worries as you did about interrupting him. You keep your eyes on the two boys and you notice Minho becomes just as alert as Jeongin when he tells him. There’s a part of you that is relieved you told the boys, it seems as though you made the right decision with how they’re reacting as you watch them rush out of the busy gazebo. 

And before you can tell yourself any better, you follow them.

The adrenaline is still high in your bloodstream as you follow both of the boys as they nearly run to reach Momo. You’ve realized long ago you really have no place to be here but your curiosity gets the best of you once again; you need to know what’s happened to the girl and you can only hope it’s nothing bad. 

“Do you know what happened?” you ask and they get closer to the location and Jeongin looks back as if he’s shocked you’re still there. He answers nonetheless, “She’s having a bad high.” The older doesn’t seem pleased by the information his cousin disposed and he nearly yells back at him, “Fuck, Jeongin! You can’t just go around telling people that shit.”

Your heart is stuck in your throat as you feel you’re being told off, perhaps you now know why curiosity killed the cat.

“Now she’s going to off to tell her manager boyfriend, gonna get us all fired” Minho mumbles even further and you can’t help but your blood to boil at the underming comment. “I would never tell anyone, I’m not some kind of snitch.” You bit back not even getting the chance to explain your nonexistent relationship with Neil before you’ve reached the destination. 

You stay put outside with Jeongin and Minho hurriedly picks up Momo and comes out to continue along the path. 

Figuring you’re already in deep enough, you continue to follow them to where you assume is their home for the summer. 

Further down the dirt road, you’re met with a series of small apartment-like houses; there’s a sign further up the hill reading “Staff Housing”. They’re quaint and obviously not as well taken care of as the main resort. The porch creeks under the weight of you all as you make your way into room numbered 143.

You stay put by the door you’ve closed behind you, keeping your hand on the handle; ready to leave if the hosts deemed your presence unnecessary (though you already knew it was). 

Watching quietly, you take in how Jeongin brings her a glass of water and Minho wraps her in a blanket, sitting beside her on the small couch and urging her to drink.

Momo must’ve had been alone for some time because she already seems to be sobering up and paying attention to Minho who rubs her back comfortingly. 

“You have to do the program, Mo.” He speaks softly to her and you listen carefully to their hushed conversation. 

Jeongin, who had made his way back to stand closer to you whispers to you, “There’s a program she’s found out about that could help break the addiction.” You nod at him, silently thanking him for explaining to you once again. 

The girl finishes her water and the boy beside her repeats himself once again, softly removing the hair from her face in order to look at her properly. She scoffs in return, turning her head away from his hands, “You know I can’t.”

“Why not?” You speak, what you meant to be a whisper where only Jeongin could hear but your voice comes out much louder than you intended. The couple on the couch look at you and your face flushes with the feeling you don’t belong. 

“The program costs a lot of money,” Jeongin murmurs, still answering your question whether the other two wanted it to be known or not. 

Momo, who seemingly just noticed you were here, stares at you for a second before speaking up herself, “Yeah, try three hundred dollars. That’s a whole summer’s worth of paychecks.” She leans back into the couch but keeps her cold gaze on you, “But you wouldn’t understand that, would you? Must be nice to have access to daddy’s money.” 

It’s clear the words are spoken with the purpose to hurt you but you don’t make a move, not giving her the satisfaction. It feels as though you both are in a staring contest until Jeongin makes the first move, “I’ll make you a sandwich, you should eat.” Momo turns her eyes to the younger boy, giving him a smile and you take the chance to quietly leave the room you were never welcome in.

You knew you shouldn’t let the words Momo said affect you so much, she had not been in the right state in the first place. But nonetheless, her comment played through your head as you toss and turn in bed that night. 

The next morning you found yourself trekking to the golf course bright and early to find your father. Walking along in the cool morning you’ve tried to justify your actions by convincing yourself what you’re about to do is for the sake of helping someone else. But no matter how many times you repeat it, you know that’s not the reason at all for your petty actions.

“Daddy!” You call out finally locating your parents practicing their putting. Grabbing his attention, he looks up with a smile, “Good morning, my love. Did you already have breakfast?”. Keeping the bright smile on your face you go to hug him, “I was on my way to but thought I would say good morning first since I didn’t see you last night.” 

He hums, taking another hit at a ball. “Daddy, about last night,” you start recalling the lie you’ve made up, “I made a friend and she’s trying to buy a place ticket. Her mom is sick and she wants to go home and see her but she has no way of affording it.” He silently looks at you and you take the chance to continue, “She’s a worker here and they don’t pay enough for her to buy it herself.” 

He nods and hits another ball, “And what do you suggest we do?” You make your smile a bit smaller, “I was hoping we could help her, daddy. As a doctor I know you always help people in need so I thought this could be my way of helping her, wouldn’t that be nice?” 

Knowing you’ve hit a soft spot with him as he tries to hide his smile, you keep your own bashful. “I suppose you’re right. I’m so lucky that my daughter has a good heart like you. I’ll write you a check at lunch.”

Walking into the workers lounge late that night, you feel almost powerful with the check in your hand. You confidently make your way in, moving through the bodies closely dancing together until you spot Jeongin on the side of the room. 

You make your way to him giving him a smile which he returns. Just to the right you notice Momo dancing with Minho to the calm song playing over the speakers and you take the chance to approach her. Jeongin follows closely, either curious about what you have to say or worried she won’t be happy to see you. 

You slightly tap Momo on the shoulder, grabbing both her and Minho’s attention. Motioning for them to follow you, you go to the edge of the dance floor where they could hear you better. 

The pair follow without question, obviously curious about what you have to say. They stare at you for a moment and you hold out the check to her, “Here.” 

She cautiously grabs the paper and looks shocked when she realizes what it is, “Are you serious right now?” Minho looks just as surprised, grabbing the check to look at it himself. You merely nod at her, keeping your face serious. “How did you get this?” The dancer speaks up as he examines the check and you keep your gaze steady, “It was easy, all I had to do was go ask my daddy.” You look at Momo raising your eyebrows, “Right?” You can’t help but the petty comment to slip your lips but you thought it was the least she deserved. 

She bashfully looks down and takes the check, passing it back to you, “Thanks, but I can’t take it.” 

Your eyebrows furrow, “Why not?” Your confusion grows as even the man beside her looks shocked, “Yeah, why not? You need to take it, Mo.” She merely shakes her head and it’s Jeongin who finally speaks up. “The program takes place on Thursday nights,” at the comment Minho seems to understand, a frown forming on his face. 

“What does that mean?” Jeongin looks at you, “They both have another gig at a hotel a little away from here. If they don’t show up they lose their spot not only this summer but next summer too. They need the money,” he trails off.

You think quickly, “Well can’t someone else take your place?” Minho rolls his eyes at your suggestion, “No, no one can take her place. Everyone works around here but that’s not something you would know about.”

Eyebrows furrowed, you feel fed up with the comments about your work ethic and you’re half tempted to grab the check and leave, never having to talk to them again.

But before you can even process, Momo lights up, “That’s right! It’s perfect, everyone does work but she doesn’t! She can take my place!” You already panic at the weird idea and you can see right away Minho does too, “What, absolutely not! She’s not a dancer!” 

His cousin on the other hand seems to agree with Momo, “I think it’s a great idea! I mean, you were literally just teaching her how to dance the other night, weren’t you?” Jeongin states almost smugly. At this Momo turns her head to Minho, raising her brows, “Well, then that’s that.”

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[necroromantics]

🧺 — Laundry And Taxes

chapter 9. // (masterlist)

Toby stood aimlessly on the train station platform, finally arriving at his destination. With his backpack on his tired shoulders, the boy continued out onto the streets of the small town called Rosbury. Reaching into his pockets, Toby pulled out a crumpled piece of paper which he had previously hastily written down a potential location he could find the girl named Natalie. The area was relatively pleasant — flower pots lined up alongside locally owned businesses, most of the residents were elderly people, it was a farmers town. A warm breeze waltzed past the boy, brushing through his messy brown hair. Rosbury was the type of place where everybody knew everybody, and Toby knew this to be true as he gained himself more strange and cautious looks than usual. A look somebody would give to a stray dog.

Walking through the streets of downtown, he checked the paper once again, and looked up towards the building in front of him. It looked to be a run-down bar with a flickering light-up sign which proudly presented the faded words: “The Bulldog Tavern”. The boy took a deep breath to collect himself as he pushed past the door, hoping they wouldn’t ID him. He looked around the pub, which mostly remained empty besides an old disheveled looking man sipping a beer in the corner and a man tending to the bar. The bartender peered up at the boy and gave him a curious look as Toby approached the counter.

“I’m looking for a girl named Natalie,” Toby said, leaning over to the man, catching a glimpse of his name tag reading ‘Hank’.

“Who’s asking?” The man, supposedly known as Hank, asked. He was a bigger man, his sleeves rolled up to show off his tattoos. He looked to be about in his late 30s.

“An old friend of hers.”

“Our lady bartenders have a lot of ‘old friends’, sport.”

“Well is she going to be here tonight?”

“You’re better off trying your luck elsewhere. I wouldn’t waste my breath on that girl if I were you.” Hank picked up a rag and began to wipe down shot glasses as he continued to brush off Toby’s attempt at getting answers.

“What do you mean by that?” The boy asked, lowering his eyebrows into a fixed glare.

“Couple nights ago some drunkard was causing issues and she threw the bastard out all on her own. She's a tough one, I don’t want to know the mess she’d make of a kid like you.”

Toby’s eyes softened as he listened to the words the man spoke, a grin creeping onto the corners of his mouth.

“That’s my girl,” the boy smiled to himself. Hank put down the glass he had been cleaning and leaned in close to Toby, tilting his head slightly.

“You never told me why you’re lookin’ for her.”

“I just… I haven’t seen her in awhile, and I’ve traveled all the way from Colorado so I could visit her. That’s all.” Toby responded, making it a point to sound more desperate than he was. Playing innocent was a helpful trick the boy had learned back in the old world. He always had a knack for acting.

Hank sighed as he grabbed the pen from his shirt pocket and wrote something down onto a notepad sitting near him. The man tore the paper off and handed it to Toby.

“Cause her any trouble and she’ll put you six feet under, kid.”

“Trust me, I know.”

With the help of directions given to the boy by locals, he found himself walking down a dirt road heading west from the town, out into the country. According to Hank, Natalie had been living with her grandparents in a house a few minutes out of Rosbury, only a 10 minute walk. Toby looked around at his surroundings as he walked, keeping a mental note of the path he was told to take. The autumn trees that lined one side of the road had been visibly overtaken by the early November chills, nearly barren completely, the dry copper leaves piling onto the earth beneath the branches stretching for the blue skies. The few leaves that remained alive danced under the beaming sunlight, creating a landscape of browns and reds. On the other side of the gravel path, a wide green and yellow grass meadow draped across the land. In the distance, Toby could see a small house, painted blue, or gray. His heart began to beat faster as he stepped off of the road and onto the fields to cut across the rolling hills of farmland. With every step he took, his pace quickened. With every step he took, his view of that quiet blue-gray farmhouse became clearer.

He saw her from across the field, sitting on the front porch. He watched as she glided her charcoal pencil across the page in her sketchbook, wearing headphones, unaware of the world around her. She was as beautiful as he remembered. Toby didn’t quite understand why his legs moved as fast as they did, like he was returning home from war. He didn’t understand why he desperately scrambled towards her, calling out her name loudly as he ran.

Natalie looked up at the noise, pulling out an earbud. It took a moment for her to process the appearance of the figure running towards her through the vast green distance between them, but she could recognize those tired brown eyes anywhere, and that lanky boyish frame.

The girl threw aside her art supplies as she quickly brought herself to her feet. A convoluted melting pot of shock, surprise, and relief washed over the two as they both ran to each other, their bodies clashing together like a crackle of a bonfire, embracing each other tightly.

Toby touched her, and touched her, and touched her again. He looked at her as if he had just discovered God. With a shaky breath, he spoke.

“Where have you been?”

“I’ve been here the whole time. You’re the only person who’s been able to find me,” Natalie said, leaning into his warmth, she stopped for a moment, pulling away before continuing, “How did you find me?”

Toby smiled at her, his hands tracing her freckled arms.

“I guess I just know you too well.”

The two sat in comfortable harmony on the front porch of the farmhouse, sharing a cigarette as if there had been no time between them. They looked over at the farmland and meadow. Natalie explained that she had woken up in the new world on a bus headed for North Dakota, with no memory of how she got there. She told Toby she first knew something was different when she realized she had both of her eyes, and no stitches or scars. And that she had been living alone in the farmhouse for a couple of months, having lied about her grandparents. Toby took in every word she spoke, the sound of her voice was enough to make him forget everything that had happened between them.

“Did you ever think of me? Or, I mean, did you ever think about any of the others?” Toby stumbled over his words as he spoke.

“I guess so. I went over some newspaper articles awhile back but couldn’t find shit on you, Jeff, or anyone. So I assumed I was the only one here. I didn’t want to think about it too much, I’ve been focused on just getting by,” Natalie tapped the building ash off of her cigarette before taking another long drag, her arm draped over her legs.

“You didn’t bother looking for a way back home?” Natalie met Toby’s gaze and blinked at him.

“Why the fuck would I do that?”

The boy huffed and turned his head back to stare out at the scenery before them.

“You sound like Tim.”

Natalie rolled her eyes at Toby’s attitude and looked down at the smoke rising from her cigarette, and the charcoal that stained her fingertips.

“I can’t think of anything back there that is any better than what we have here.”

“Freedom,” Toby spoke quietly as he continued to stare out at the afternoon horizon. Natalie burst out in a laugh at the boy's answer as she flicked her finished cigarette to the ground, shaking her head with amusement.

“Freedom? Are you kidding me? You weren’t free, Toby, you were like a fuckin’ puppet.”

“I wasn’t a puppet, Nat. You don’t know shit about what it was like,” he refuted, his tone quickly growing defensive. It seemed as if the girl had a skill at getting under his skin.

“You would’ve killed yourself if you were told to.”

“If it had to be done, yeah, I would’ve.”

“You’re such an idiot,” the girl hung her arms over her knees as she spoke.

“I had the whole world in my hands, Nat. Nobody fucked with me, and if they did, I was allowed to handle it however I wanted to.”

“Oh, so you just wanted the freedom to protect your ego. Got it.”

“Sure, whatever. ‘Cause now I gotta sit here and take whatever bullshit comes at me. I can’t carry my hatchets around, and I don’t even have my mask or goggles anymore.”

“Good, they looked dumb. I like you better without them,” Natalie teased.

“Shut up.”

The pair sat on the porch talking amongst themselves for hours. They had a lot of catching up to do. Natalie fought back a smile as she talked to Toby. She felt warm when she was with him, as if she was surrounded by the sun. They were together in the most brutal sense, like the handshake of two boxers before a fight. Toby had hoped that Natalie got over their last fight on her own, and that the shift in circumstances had allowed her to let him into her life once more. He traveled all that way to see her.

Soon, the skies had begun to fall into a gradient of oranges and pinks as the sun set behind the subtle hills. It was getting dark quickly, and Natalie decided to break the unfortunate news to the boy that she only had one bed, so he had to sleep on the floor.

“What am I? A dog?” Toby complained.

“Do you really want me to answer that?” Natalie placed an extra blanket onto the floor next to her bed, and tossed down a pillow. Toby grumbled to himself as he laid down onto the makeshift bed, watching as the girl crawled under her own covers, on top of a real mattress.

The room quickly fell into a pitch black, overrun by twilight. Crickets outside of the window sung so loudly Toby could hear the melodies from inside. As he laid silently, Toby looked up towards the ceiling. It was an old house that creaked every so often, as if time had been releasing its breath through the wood floors and chipped wallpaper. Some moments had passed, and the boy remained still as he listened to Natalie tossing and turning in her bed. It seemed as though her sleep had been tortured as well. As the two laid in their respective spots, Toby broke the silence.

“Do you ever feel like you’re a virus that the world just constantly tries to reject?”

There was a short moment of silence before Natalie muttered “I guess,” in reply.

“I want to go back to a time where it was easier to survive.”

“That’s just it, Toby. I don’t want to just survive anymore. For once in my miserable life, I want to try living.”

“I don’t know, it just sucks. I want all that excitement and direction again. At least back then I knew what to do with myself.”

“Honestly, I kind of like it here. I haven’t had anyone try to jump or kill me,” Natalie chuckled to herself.

The sound of crickets continued to flood the room as the boy paused for a moment, placing his hands over his chest, rising and falling as he breathed in the dark, quiet atmosphere. He thought to himself.

“If a portal opened up right now that would take us back home, would you come with me?”

“Why would I go back to the past I’m trying to move on from?”

“You gotta, Nat. I can’t leave without you.”

“Then I guess you’re staying here with me.”

Another moment of silence fell over the two as the stubborn boy began to lose himself in thought. Natalie climbed out of her bed, and silently laid herself down beside the boy on the floor, awkwardly curling her body in with his. They rarely ever got this close. Toby’s heart began to beat fast as his chest tightened, he didn’t know if he was nervous or sick. She smelled like pine trees and smoke. Toby ran his hand down her sore back as the girl gently laid atop his chest, listening to the rapid drumming of his heart.

As the two laid on the creaky old floor in comfortable silence, Toby held Natalie close. He didn’t dare to move or speak, terrified he would scare her off. He had lost her time after time. They had a history of fighting, and leaving, just to find each other again. The boy wondered to himself what time they spent together would be their last. Toby closed his heavy eyes and laid a soft kiss on Natalie’s messy hair which tangled along her shoulders. The pair melted into each other as they shared a burning warmth, slowly drifting off to sleep.

When Toby awoke to the bright morning glow shining through the window, he found himself to be alone on that bedroom floor. Natalie was nowhere to be seen. He half-expected it. A sigh escaped his lips, one mixed with relief and disappointment, as he wandered out into the hallways of the house, rubbing his eyes. He made a note to himself of all the things he noticed needed to be fixed. Most of the lights didn’t work, some floorboards were rotting, and the pipes in the kitchen were leaky. Toby wasn’t entirely sure how long he would be staying with her, he was sure he’d be kicked out soon enough, but he thought that he could help fix some small things while he was there.

He made his way out onto the front porch, the sun shone brightly in his dark eyes. The autumn air was chilly, and fresh in his rough lungs. As he stood on that porch, he looked out across the countryside and breathed in. On that November morning, ripe with anarchy, ridden with war, he was alive. He was alive. Toby stretched his body under the blue skies, and shouted out in victory, disturbing the few birds who had yet to fly south for the winter. The boy laughed and threw himself into the fields, rolling into the grass. He closed his eyes as he sprawled his body out under the sun.

“Someone woke up on the right side of the floor,” Natalie teased as she leaned over Toby who was laying atop the meadow. She held a paper bag full of various groceries in her arms.

“Shut up,” he said through a few heavy breaths and a smile as he jumped to his feet. The girl grinned and rolled her eyes in response as she walked towards the house, Toby following closely behind.

Natalie placed the bag on the kitchen counter and began to put the food away. Toby leaned onto the island counter and watched as the girl placed everything in its respective spot. He explained to her that he had noticed some wreckage in the house, and that he intended to fix it for her. Natalie raised her eyebrow at him as she grabbed a few cans of food.

“And how are you going to pay for that?” Toby paused for a moment at her question. He hadn’t planned that far.

“I dunno,” he said, scrunching his eyebrows in thought.

As she continued to place cans of food into a cupboard, the girl smiled to herself.

“You gotta get a job, dumbass.”

“Fuck that! Give me something else, c’mon,” Toby whined as he draped his arms over the island.

“How else do people make money, Toby? Use your head.”

The boy thought for a moment, searching for something to refute her claims. But as always, Natalie was right.

“I don’t know, I’ll figure something out.”

“What about Jack? Didn’t you say he taught you how to chop wood?” Natalie suggested as she finished putting everything away, and turned to face the boy across the countertop.

“Uhh, yeah. We sorta… Fell out before I could get the hang of it,” he admitted, looking away as if to avoid the girl's scolding stare.

“What's it like to burn everything you touch?” She teased, crossing her arms.

“Come here and see for yourself,” Toby grinned slyly, turning his gaze back to meet hers. Natalie leaned in towards the boy and grabbed him by the collar of his sweater, pulling him close over the counter that separated the two.

“I’ve ripped boys like you to shreds.” A red tint flushed Toby’s cheeks as he disregarded her threats. He must’ve been in trouble again, but he paid no mind to that. She was so close to him. She was close enough to kiss. The boy shook the thought out of his head quickly and pulled away from the girl who was now smiling mischievously at him.

Later that evening, the two found themselves in the kitchen once again. This time, they were attempting to cook potatoes and veggies for dinner. Toby leaned against the counter as the two bickered over who was messing up what.

“If you don’t get out of my way, I’m going to stab you,” Natalie half-jokingly threatened the boy who was standing in front of a drawer she needed to get into. Putting his hands up in surrender, Toby backed away. The girl huffed to herself in annoyance as she began to shovel food onto her plate, sitting herself down at a small wooden table in the corner of the kitchen, the boy following. To say their dinner was inedible was an understatement. Natalie gagged at the first bite of her food, causing Toby to laugh out, before taking his own bite, and gagging as well.

“You put too much salt,” he said.

“You’re the one who added the damn salt,” she argued back.

Once they had painfully choked down the disaster of food they prepared, Toby got up to clean the dishes, and Natalie left to take a shower before bed. As the girl locked the bathroom door behind her, she tried her best not to look at herself in the mirror. She ran the water and let it run over her fingers for a moment, testing the temperature. Natalie stood idle for a moment, watching the water trickle down into the drain, before turning it off. Taking showers was always difficult for her, ever since she was a young girl. She didn’t want to spend any time alone with her body, and she couldn’t admit she was unclean. A part of her feared that if she stood bare under that warm running water, only blood would flow off of her. Natalie scoffed to herself for being so weak, and turned the water on once again, quickly taking off her clothing and jumping into the shower. She closed her eyes as she washed, running her fingers through her shampoo-filled hair, brushing through the knots. The girl held her breath for every minute she was under the downpour, only letting herself relax once she had changed into her pajamas.

Natalie exited the bathroom and noticed Toby was finished with the dishes. She wandered into the bedroom, to find that he wasn’t there. Confused, Natalie turned to head into the living room, where the boy wasn’t to be found either. She stood under the doorframe, her hands grasping the bottom of her old gray t-shirt, and thought to herself for a moment. Quickly heading back into the bedroom, she checked to see if his backpack still remained at the foot of her bed. It seemed to have disappeared with him. Natalie furrowed her brow and fought back against a flurry of disappointment and anger. How could he eat her food, sleep in her room, piss her off, and then leave without bothering to say goodbye? The girl scoffed to herself and shook her head at the predictable nonsense of the person she knew too well. This was Toby’s way of getting her back, his way of getting the last word. Natalie picked the blanket and pillow off of the floor and threw it roughly onto her bed. She grabbed a pack of cigarettes from her nightstand table and a lighter before heading outside. She needed a smoke more than anything, the rage was practically seeping off of her.

As the angry girl swung open the front door, she was met face to face with a surprised looking boy, holding a plastic bag in his hand. Toby stared at her for a moment, his eyebrows raised as he eyed the irritated scowl of the fuming girl.

“You good?” He said cautiously. Natalie felt the tension drop from her body as she dropped her shoulders and let out a deep huff of air. She closed her eyes shut for a moment as she collected herself.

“I thought you left,” she admitted casually.

“Yeah, I was buying a couple drinks from the corner store before they closed.” Toby glanced down to the girl's hand which was tightly gripping her pack of cigarettes.

“You’re gonna crush those,” he said.

“Whatever, maybe next time you leave without telling me you can go buy me a new pack.” Natalie pulled out a smoke and placed it between her lips. Toby chuckled at the snarky reply and took a step back as she pushed past him onto the porch.

“I didn’t think you’d be so bothered.”

“I’m not,” Natalie spoke calmly, lighting her cigarette.

“I got you a chocolate bar.”

“I don’t want it.”

“I think you do,” Toby said, digging into his bag and pulling out a candy bar, handing it over to the stubborn girl. Natalie stared unimpressed at the grand gesture as she leaned against the white wooden post holding up the porch roof. The boy waved it around in her face before she ripped it out of his hand and glared, annoyed at his antics.

“Cut it out, dickwad.”

“Or what? Gonna tell me to leave?” Toby teased, a playful grin spread across his face.

“You’re so annoying,” she replied, groaning as she looked over into the dark nightly void surrounding them, her cigarette perched between her two fingers.

Toby followed Natalie inside once she had finished her nightly smoke, and threw his backpack to the ground of the bedroom, quickly noticing his bed on the floor had been put away.

“Wow, you were really mad at me huh,” he said, astonished.

“Shut up, asshole,” she muttered as she climbed into her bed.

“Gonna make me sleep on the couch?”

“Just sleep in my bed tonight, I’m too tired to make arrangements.” Natalie buried herself under the covers and reached over to turn the bedside lamp off. As the light flicked off, Toby stood awkwardly in the dark. It was a small bed, an old twin sized mattress, and Natalie was a tall girl who took up a lot of room. He slowly approached the bed, trying not to brush up against her as he climbed in and laid himself down beside her. Natalie laid on her side, with her back facing the boy. Toby closed his eyes as he listened to the sound of her soft breathing, inhaling the smell of her cheap shampoo that lingered on her still-damp hair. He missed spending time with her, his best friend. He missed their arguments, he missed making her mad. Though he laid beside her, Toby couldn’t help but feel as if there was a wide distance between them that would begin to hurt if it had gotten too far. She was never his, and he was never hers. Yet, despite this, he couldn’t help but agree with Natalie when she made the comment the next morning that she had finally gotten a good sleep for the first time in a while last night.

That morning, Toby laid quietly in the autumn fields, breathing in the air of upcoming winter. A melody of bird calls filled the open blue sky. The girl he thought impossible sat beside him, sketching her charcoal pencil against the paper. He never knew much of peace, but he thought it must’ve been a lot like this.

“When are you wanting me to leave?” The boy asked, listening to Natalie quietly mutter to herself as she erased undesirable lines. She stole glances at Toby’s face every so often, examining his appearance as she continued to draw.

“You can stay if you want, I don’t mind.”

“For how long?”

“Until I get tired of your bullshit,” she grinned. Toby sat up and shook the leaves and dirt from his hair, criss-crossing his legs. He stared at the girl sitting across from him, a large dark green jacket draped over her, a sketchbook propped up on her knees, guarded from his view. Her hazel green eyes looked brighter in the sun, and so did the freckles marking her time-kissed face. She still looked as if he were staring into a 6ft hole in the ground. Her limbs were long and slender, but she was tough. Her hair was a caramel brown, messily dragging over her shoulders. Everything about her appearance felt to the boy as if he had just done something terrible. Everytime he looked at her, he felt sick, like he had robbed a store, or swallowed pills. When she glanced up at him once again, Toby quickly looked away. He hated when their eyes met. He hated when she smiled smugly at him. He hated her bruised knees and the way she looked at him when he made her laugh. He hated her. And more than anything, he was curious to see what she had been drawing.

#tombwrites #tombfic #ticci toby #creepypasta #creepypasta fandom #creepypasta headcanon #ticci toby headcanons #toby rogers #creepypasta ticci toby #ticciwork #clockwork headcanons #creepypasta clockwork #clockwork creepypasta #creepypasta ticciwork #ticci toby headcanon #clockwork x ticci toby #ticci toby x clockwork #ticcitoby #ticciwork headcanons #ticci toby fanfiction #ticci toby fanfic #clockwork #natalie ouellette

[daenysthedreamer101]

HOTD S1 Rewatch

Ep 6 - The Princess and the Queen

Omg I love my Queen so much! Look at her smile 😔

First of all... How TF did Alicent find out so quickly that Nyra gave birth?

Mere seconds after pushing Joffrey out Nyra is told that Alicent wants to see him

At 2:38 she pushes him out. At 3:20 she's told by a maid that A wants to see the baby... Like.... How??

You can see only from a couple of minutes that Nyra already loves her baby boy! 😭😭😭

A is sooo evil for doing that to Nyra! Oh you're going to the Seven Hells for that!

Laenor is so confused but he's got good intentions lol

When he says 'I thought we were past this' it implies A did this with Jace and Luke as well...

The way Nyra is struggling to get up those stairs...Alicent I am in your walls!

Also I don't understand her saying 'you may get one who looks like you' like this baby isn't three minutes old!

I mean I know why she said it but damn, let him develop some features!

HARWIN THE MAN YOU ARE! 😫

Baby Vermax is so cute!

DRACARYS! Poor goat though

It's so obvious that Aegon was the one behind the Pink Dread. Alicent blames Nyra's boys but like Luke is like 5 maybe and Jace 7/8. Your son is the oldest one so shouldn't he know better than to bully his own brother.. Oh that's right he doesn't because you let him bully his brother.. And you call yourself a mother 🙄

DREAMFYRE! THE OG MOTHER OF DRAGONS!

Helaena my little cutie pie... You deserve a better mother btw

'Your obsession with those beasts goes beyond understanding'

He's a Targaryen and his brother bullies him for the fact that he doesn't have one, ofc he wants a dragon, Alicent, pls just say you dont understand anything about the House you married into and leave

'It's a wonder to me their eggs ever hatched' Why? Their mother is a Targaryen....? So what is your point exactly? Oh she's such a bitch I can't stand her!

Like. Your kids are half Targaryen. Nyra's kids are half Targaryen. Also all of Nyra'a kids had their dragons hatch to them.

None of Alicent's did. They all had to claim dragons. Which there's nothing wrong with that it's just why are you talking such bs?

God I wish they kept Rhaenys's hair black. That way you could have plausible deniability for why Nyra's kids have dark hair, smh.

'I have to believe that in the end honor and decency will prevail'. Literally three seconds ago you were talking shit about her out in the open halls... Right, decency, sure...

Alicent yelling at her son and getting in his face - someone give her mother of the year award...

Caraxes and Vhagar having a cute little dance in the sky, oh the foreshadowing 🙃

CRISTON COLE YOU PETTY IDIOT! HARWIN SHOULD'VE SMASHED YOUR FACE THE WAY YOU DID TO JOFFREY!

Harwin, you're so sexy, if only you lived longer 😔😔

Omg Jace's little face, he's so cute little baby 😭

Why is Criston soo agressive? He's manhandling a litteral child? Like bsffr 🙄

The way Harwin holds Jace's face and encourages him - I'm fine.. I'm fine 🙂🙂

'You forget yourself Ser that is the Prince' as if you weren't encouraging Aegon to attack and harm Jace, who's also a Prince and in line for the throne... Right

I know Harwin punching Clumbo in the face was not a good move politically but he was sooo hot doing that ughh😫 I need to stop

Nyra has such a sweet relationship with her maids. You can see they genuinely care for her😭

We stan Elinda Massey in this house!

The way Nyra was looking up at Laenor as he drunkenly talks about the Triarchy, bye! 💀

The way Daemon smiled at Laena when she walked to sit beside him ughh he loved her I know he did!

Alicent pointing out Nyra's milk leaking was such a bitchy move! 🙄

Viserys I need you to grow a spine, you are the King not Alicent. If he said so Helaena would've married Jace and Alicent couldn't do shit about it.

Larys is such a slimy shady rat I hate just seeing him on my screen!

Laena, bestie, you truly died a dragonrider's death! RIP you were a true girlboss 😔

Vhagar hesitating to burn Laena ughhh my feels!

Harwin saying goodbye to the boys and Nyra holding back tears.... Ughh my heart!

I don't even wanna talk about Harwin dying... You're telling me a man called Breakbones couldn't break a door. I call bs on that.

He's alive and well he's alive and well he's-

I'm fine fine fine fine I'm fine 🙃🙃

#asoiaf #a song of ice and fire #house of the dragon #hotd #hotd rewatch #hotd season 1 #rhaenyra targaryen #harwin breakbones #harwin strong #daemon targaryen #anti alicent hightower #anti larys strong #anti team green #pro team black #team black #jacaerys targaryen #anti tg #pro rhaenyra targaryen #hotd ep 6 #can you tell I was angry writing this #anti criston cole #queen rhaenyra #house targaryen #hbo house of the dragon

[lnfours]

summer loving (twelve) ⎸t.h

⌙ summary: your mom and tom’s mom grew up together, swearing that their kids would be life long friends. and it was true, the holland boys were a special part of your life. but on the annual trip to their beach house this summer, everything feels different. and that’s because it is. -> welcome to the official last chapter of the series! last chapter was the end of their story, so this chapter is short because it’s an epilogue, just a way for you to see where the characters are now. plus, a little look into the future is always interesting :

⌙ au: based on the book and tv show ‘the summer i turned pretty’ by jenny han. childhood friends to lovers

⌙ wc: 778

⌙ warnings: fluff. fluff. and more fluff. 

⌙ pairing: tom holland x fem!reader

masterlist ⎸ chapter eleven ⎸ listen

                              ─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

the sun was shining down brightly on the little beach town you and tom had grown to fall in love with. this place was your home for the summer, a home away from home. it was where you two had first met, where you realized you were in love with each other, where he taught you how to slow dance in the living room, all of it.

you smiled as tom parked the car in the driveway, nikki opening up the front door with a smile. you watched as she bent down onto her knees, laughing as she was suddenly trapped in 2 pairs of arms that belonged to your toddlers. 

“grandma!”

“hey, kids,” she smiled, ruffling your son’s hair as she pulled them closer, “miss me?”

you smiled, “we did.”

she smiled back up at the two of you before hugging you both. you laughed into her embrace as she talked about how big the kids had gotten. 

it was true, time flies when you’re having fun. and spending your dream life with the love of your life. 

“c’mon, honey,” nikki said, waving you inside, “everyone’s inside.”

you and tom followed her inside and were immediately greeted with hugs and high fives. you smiled as you hugged your mom, the toddlers letting go as you approached, knowing it was your turn.

“hi, mom,” you smiled, hugging her. she hugged you back tightly, pulling tom in for a hug. he smiled, pulling away shortly after.

you three spent the next couple minutes catching up before the door opened again. you smiled as you watched austin walk through the door, his fiancé following close behind. you smiled at them, greeting them.

however, you were nearly knocked over when your little boy and girl came flying past you, “uncle austin!”

he smiled, crouching down as they both wrapped their arms around his neck, he picked them up, “hey, kiddos. listening to your mom?”

the kids laughed as you shook your head, “less and less everyday.”

“good,” your brother joked, “you two learn from the best.”

you rolled your eyes, playfully slapping his arm. you greeted his fiancé, making sure she felt comfortable before moving to sit back down next to your husband. you watched as your kids played with your brother, smiling as you leaned your head on his shoulder.

“tired?” he asked, putting an arm around you and drawing circles into your arm. you hummed back a response, to which he raised an eyebrow, “hmm?”

you nodded, “yeah, the kids woke me up early this morning because they were too excited.”

he laughed, kissing your hair, “we were them once, y’know. a long, long time ago.”

you smiled, “i know. its just hard to believe we’re not still that young. it’s like it went full circle.”

“well, if it helps, you’re still as beautiful as the day i met you.” he said and you rolled your eyes, pushing him gently as you both laughed.

“no, it doesn’t,” you giggled, turning to face him, “we’re not that old, are we?”

he shook his head, “nah, we’re still young. still full of hope.”

you laughed again, opening your mouth to say something until you were cut off by the sound of the doorbell. you spring up to your feet to answer, pulling open the door and smiling wide.

“hey, kat!” you smiled, pulling your best friend in for a hug. 

she hugged you back tightly, “hey, hot stuff! where’re the kids?”

“outside with austin,” you smiled, “where’s yours?”

your question got answered as soon as you asked it, the little boy running past his mom and up the steps. you squatted down, opening your arms as he wrapped his little ones around your neck. 

“there he is!” you laughed, picking him up as you stood up, “how’re you, bub? being good for mom?”

he gave a little smile as he nodded, “yeah!”

kat’s husband had joined her on the step with the bags. you said hi to him and walked inside with their son on your hip. immediately, he wanted to get down to run to uncle tom.

“uncle tom!” the little boy said. tom laughed as the boy came crashing into his legs.

“hey, brian! what’s up, little man?”

you smiled as you watched the interaction. if it wasn’t for the beach house, none of this would’ve been possible. you and the hollands wouldn’t had gotten so close, you and tom might not have ever ended up together.

and summers would’ve stayed boring forever. but now, they’re full of fun filled days and cozy nights, surrounded with all the people you love. 

nothing could get better than this.

                             ─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

💌  beings my tagged list has gotten so long that tumblr literally won't let me add it, the tagged list is temporarily closed until i can figure it out. in the meantime, be sure to follow and turn on notifications for @toms-gf to be notified whenever i post imagines :)

#tom holland x reader #tom holland x fem!reader #tom holland imagine #tom holland series #the summer i turned pretty au #the summer i turned pretty inspired #summer loving series #peter parker #spiderman #spider man #spider-man #marvel #mcu #mcu imagine #tom holland fluff #tom holland x reader fluff #tom holland smut #tom holland x reader smut #tom holland x reader series #reblog #like

[rev3nanttt]

Closer- Part 1 of ???

Steve Raglan X Female Reader

(this is my first fnanfic on tumblr so let me know if you want more!!)

lord help me

You knew it was a stupid decision, but you walked into it.

And there's no way in hell you're gonna leave now.

______________________________________________________________

"One large pepperoni on table 4!" you hear from behind you, and a steaming dish of pizza comes sliding towards you. You scoop it up and turn around quickly, maneuvering around others working behind the counter. It's lunchtime at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, and you're stuck on kitchen shift. In a hurry, you step over little kids playing with miniature animatronic figurines, and almost break your ankle a couple dozen times getting to the table, but you at last make it to the large family celebrating their son's birthday. Placing the pizza on the table, you holler, "Happy birthday! We hope your day is as good as gold!" and you hand the little boy a small foxy plush. To your delight, he scoops the plushie up in his arms and shyly smiles at you. "Happy birthday buddy," you grin, patting him on the head before heading back to the kitchen for yet another order. You exhale sharply, running a hand through your hair, trying to get your wispy hairs to lay flat. You step over some more kids, some old pizza crust that's been discarded on the floor, gotta pick that up later.....and some weird stain that you don't even want to know where it came from appeared before your eyes as you made your way back into the kitchen.

Through the noise of the children, the loud, garish animatronic songs, and the awful disco lights on the dance floor, you make hear a small whistle to your right. You look around for a few seconds before you realise where that's coming from. Or who it's coming from. You turn around back to where you were originally standing, and you lock eyes with your boss, Mr. Steve Raglan, who's standing a few feet away from you. You smile warmly at him, waving. He nods back and beckons you over to him with a curling finger. Steve's out...you think to yourself. He never cones out of his office when its THIS busy. Huh. weird.

Steve typically doesn't come out of his office too often during the lunch rush. You've noticed after working at Freddy's for well over a year now, he's only come out on lunch once, when a kid climbed the animatronic stage and fell off, hitting his head on the ground. Other than real emergencies, he doesn't really leave the office during this time. Steve tends to walk around the pizzeria silently when the place is a little slower, giving the occasional handshake or friendly 'hello' to a parent thanking him for the "amazing party" or something along those lines, but he never makes the full effort to woo someone or to brag about his success. He always uses the same line when they leave, too. "Always come back, we'd be happy to host you again."

He's charming.

Steve is pretty reserved but incredibly polite during these interactions with his customers, you've noticed, and he tends to only come out when it's not very busy. You've also grown to notice some other things about him, some you probably shouldn't have noticed; he's much older than you, but to your dismay, you've found that charm to be intriguing, and a little...well...attractive. You couldn't lie to yourself and say he wasn't attractive, because he is, at least to you. There's something about him that drew you in, and you have no fucking clue what it is. Maybe its his eyes, adorned with gold framed aviator glasses, or maybe it's his half crooked smile you get to see when he laughs, which is even rarer. Nevertheless, he wants to talk to you, and you have no idea why.

You head past some tables to the corner of the pizzeria, where his office is located behind a wall in the diner. There's a long hall of rented party rooms the establishment offers, and Steve's office is the very last door in the stretch of hallway. Today Steve is wearing a simple button up and a dark purple tie with dark grey slacks. Pretty typical business-casual clothes for him. Stepping in front of him, you feel a little jolt of nervousness flicker through your body. It's always a little exhilarating to be near him, his greyish blue eyes always seem to be observing every little move you do.

"Hey Steve," you say, greeting him with a small smile. He nods at you. "Hey, sorry I pulled you away from your post." Steve says, pushing his glasses higher up his nose to get a better look at you. He smiles a crooked half-smile, teeth barely showing. "I promise I won't keep you away for too long." His eyes gleam with a mischievous hint of humor, and maybe something else, and you can't help but bite your lip when he turns around to lead you to his office. "Follow me," he beckons, leading you to his door. He pulls a large ring of many keys from his pocket and fumbles with the lock for a few seconds before opening the door. It swings open with a loud creak, and Steve holds it open for you. "After you," he insists, holding it open with one arm, watching you step inside. You can feel his eyes burning into you as you step by. As you walk past him into his office, you get a whiff of his cologne. Bourbon, hints of coffee and maybe old cigarette smoke? Fuck. He shuts the door behind you and leans against it, eyes observing every movement.

Steve paces the room for a moment, shuffling with files before settling on brewing himself a cup of coffee. "Coffee?" He questions, glancing at you briefly before rolling up his sleeves and pouring himself a steaming cup. You can't help but watch his large, veiny hands run up his forearms. He's very fit for his age, and you try not to make it obvious you're staring.

You just can't help it...he could have you pinned to the desk in an instant if he wanted to....

"You alright sweetheart?"

You snap out of it and whip around to see Steve staring at you with a little smirk. Your cheeks instantly heated up

"I just wanted you to know that you've been a valuable employee, and you should be rewarded for your work here at Freddy's." Steve smiles at you and hands you a small envelope. It's written to you in all capital letters, and you can't help but stifle a small laugh. His writing is AWFUL. You'd expect a big businessman to write well, but apparently not all. The envelope is heavy, and you are curious to what is inside. "You can open it." Steve prompts, sitting down at his desk and opening up a file absentmindedly. "Here, use this," says Steve, sliding you over a sharp letter-opener. You step closer to his desk to grab it out of his hands, and for a second, just a split of a second, your hands brush his, sending sparks up your body. You inhale sharply and quickly snatch the letter-opener from him, trying to act like you aren't losing your shit. Steve picked up on it, and he chuckles. "Don't worry sweetheart, I don't bite," he purrs, eyes burning into yours as you open the envelope with slightly trembling hands. Sliding the sharp blade under the lip of the envelope, you open the envelope in one fast tear. You pull the paper back and your eyes widen. It's a fat stack of cash. "What? You don't think you weren't gonna get a raise?" Steve says, smiling at you. "You deserve it."

You feel your cheeks heat up, and you tuck some of your hair that had fallen into your face behind your ear. "I....wow. Thank you Steve." You gush, giving him a sheepish smile. "I feel kind of spoiled..." you admit, looking at him across the desk. He raises an eyebrow and smirks. "You are being spoiled, sweetheart. Take it. Get something nice for yourself." He grins, eyes raking over your figure. You blush as his eyes travel to your cleavage. "Maybe get a new bra or something." He teases, raising an eyebrow at you. You feel your cheeks heat up and you look away from his piercing stare. You know that what he said was perverted, but....you liked it. Really liked it. Steve breaks the silence. "Alright, I've kept you here for long enough. You have pizzas to serve." You nod and quickly say goodbye to Steve. "Hey. One more thing." Steve purrs, not looking up from the document he began to flip through quickly as you leave the room. "Tell me what you get with some of that money, sweetheart. I'd love to see." His eyes rake to your cleavage, obviously checking you out. You decide to be bold before leaving the room. "Alright, Steve. Maybe you will." You grin, leaving.

The second the door shut behind you, separating his gaze from you, you sink to the ground, heart pounding. Fuuuuuckkkk....you bury your head in your hands, a blushing mess. You did NOT just do that. "Fuckfuckfuck..... that was hot." But you DID, and what was going on in that office as you continued your shift would never be known to you.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

STEVE's POV:

The second you left, that file left his hands, and he groaned, pushing one hand on the bridge of his nose, adjusting his glasses, and the other on the throbbing tent in his pants. Fuck. The things I'd do to her if she just let me a little closer. Touching the now growing mass in his pants, he groaned again, leaning into his palm, wishing that instead of his hands, it was your plump lips, or even better, your throbbing pussy, begging for someone like him to take advantage of it. He wondered if you'd been treated well by the men your age, and with a sigh, imagined just how much better he'd be for you. He'd make you scream. The thought of him filling your tight pussy with his throbbing member and fucking you hard over his desk made him drawl out a garbled moan. Steve covered his mouth with his other hand to keep anyone from hearing anything from outside. You're intoxicating to him....every little part of you. The way you stare at him with those big bunny eyes...what would they look like if he pinned you against the wall? Grabbed your throat? How pathetic and useable you'd be to him if he just got a little closer....

Steve's hips pushed harder against his palm, and he threw his head back, sighing loudly. If only you knew what you really did to him. You were like a drug he couldn't get away from. As wrong and weird as it was for him to be addicted to you, he couldn't stop. Everything about you drew him closer, and he didn't know why. But who needs to know? He didn't. The way your hips moved as you walked, the small smiles you'd give him as you'd pass, the melodic chime of your laugh echoing across the restaurant into his office. Or the times he'd sneak a peek at your ass, the way it fit so perfectly into your jeans. He could only imagine what it looked like free from those pants, or how it would sound smacking loudly against his hips if he fucked you from the back.

fuck.

Steve could only fantisize about what those eyes would look like drunk on his cock, rolling back into your head from the pounding of his cock. Just imagining your lips grazing the tip of his dick, or how you'd react if he could just grab a fistful of that hair and shove his cock down your throat, causing you to gag and choke on it. What would you do? Those big eyes of yours, tears pricking the corners, begging for him to fuck you again and again. He'd make you cry. He could already imagine the things he'd do to you; some over his desk, some in his car, some back at his place. The contraptions he'd build just for you to torture your little pussy with, and how hard he'd fuck you in the back rooms during work. He could get away with it too. Your eyes were begging for him, begging for his cock, his mouth. Begging to be abused by him.

Steve couldn't take it anymore. Unzipping his dress pants, he let his cock spring free, the tip red and throbbing, precum dripping out of the tip.

If you only knew sweetheart...

Spitting on his hand he ran a thumb over the tip of his sensitive member, causing him to inhale sharply, but he continued rubbing until he wrapped his entire hand around his thick cock and began to pump it slowly. The sensations of his hand were nothing compared to what he could imagine yours felt like. He could teach you everything you needed to know about sex, and how to please him. He would leave the office smelling like your sweet perfume, and only he would know why. Your smell was a drug, he always knew where you were because of that iconic scent. If he could, he'd follow you like a dog just to smell it again and be close to you. He'd make you wear one of his old t-shirts to bed so when you left to go home, his bed and undershirt would smell like you, and he'd wear it to work as a reminder of what he did to you that night. God. He would teach you what you wanted to know, and would please you so, so well. He'd be the best teacher ever. You'd be fucked by a real man, and not those sorry excuses for a man that are in your generation.

"Those boys know nothing about pleasing a woman..." Steve hisses, jerking himself harder, breath getting shallower.

You deserved to be treated right, like his little princess. All his, anytime, anywhere.

"I could teach you so much better than those boys your age..."

Steve whispered, pumping faster and harder on his cock, it twitching wildly in his hand. He could feel the release coming soon, and he gave in.

He could only think about the risk of getting caught. What a sin....fucking your boss right after a paycheck that came out of his own pocket money? What a dirty little slut you could be....horny for an older man like him? Pathetic. He'd make you his someday...he just knew it.

With a loud groan, Steve came loudly on his hand and on his desk, cum spilling on the file you gave him. Coming down from his high, he wiped his hands clean with some wipes in a drawer, throwing them away in the trash. He looked closer at the file and chuckled softly. It was your file. What cruel fucking irony. Your own boss fucking himself dry and cumming all over the file of the woman he just can't get away from?

I wonder if she remembered what I said about showing me what she bought with that money....

#mathew lillard #fnaf #peepaw afton #smut #oneshot #steve raglan #steve raglan x reader #five nights at freddys #fnaf movie #william afton