#but he definitely went shopping for the ingredients himself

[nervoussagittarius]

a vlog that’s pretty much just y/n’s day in the life

chris sturniolo x reader

summary: your boyfriend and his brothers film a day of their life, including their time with you. request

warning: fluffy, slightly suggestive (if you look hard enough), language

“wake up sleep heads,” nick said focusing the camera on yours and chris’s sleeping frames. “we’re filming our lives today and you guys need to get up.”

a slight groan could be heard from your boyfriend, but you made no efforts to acknowledge it. you were to focused on the deep sleep you were attempting to fall back into. “what nick?” chris’s voice had sleep prominent in it. his words made you more alert than before.

you picked your head up slightly but quickly threw it back down, loudly sighing at the light nick pointed at the two of you. you head came in contact with chris’s arm, slightly scaring him. “nick what the fuck are you doing kid. can’t you see she’s trying to sleep.” chris was less concerned about his own comfort then yours. he turned his body into you, blocking you from the light.

“can you two just get up and start yapping so this video is entertaining?”

“yea nick, just get the fuck out”

with nick leaving the room, chris started getting out of bed as well. becoming more coherent, you looked over at chris as he was picking both of your guys clothes off the floor from last night. “chris, get back in bed with me” you said to him giving him a slight smirk. he smiled at you before launching himself back in the bed.

the boys had a couple meetings that morning, so they picked up the camera again as you all were shopping for ingredients for dinner. since you volunteered to make them food it was the boys job to figure out everything you needed.

nick walked behind you, chris, and matt so he could film what the three of you were doing. matt pushed the cart as chris kept his death grip on your hand, pulling you with him and pointing out every interesting thing he saw. “look at the flowers, baby. do you want flowers? i’m gonna buy you flowers. what kind do you want?” chris dropped your hand walking away from you as he looked intently at the flowers trying to choose the prettiest ones. “you don’t need to buy me flowers” you had to raise your voice a little so he could hear you, but in response all you got was a little hand wave brushing your comment off.

nick turned the camera on you. “your boyfriend is like a child. he doesn’t listen.” you gave his a shrug and a laugh. “i think i have to have a talk with mary lou to see what went wrong with that one” you said pointing at chris, who was now walking back over to you three with two different bouquets of flowers.

“you referring to your amazing boyfriend, who’s buying you flowers might i add, as ‘that one’ is crazy.” chris found his place at your side. he handed you the flowers and pulled a piece of lint off of the fresh love hoodie of his that you were wearing. “i don’t know what you’re talking about, honey. also, i said you didn’t have to buy me flowers.” “exactly that why i’m buying you two.” he said kissing your forehead nodding in matt’s direction for you to start walking.

poor matt had been done most of the grocery shopping himself. none of you were paying enough attention to him, so when you got home to make dinner the ingredients were definitely a suprise. luckily you ended up with chicken and pasta so the rest came easily.

chris came up to you with the camera as you were cooking. “what are you making chef?” before you even got the chance to open your mouth and respond another comment was being made by chris. “vlog, look at how pretty my girlfriend is. she’s actually perfection” he put the camera on the counter so it was facing both of you. he grabbed your hand and pulled you away from the stove so you were in frame. “give them a spin ma. wearing my brand and everything”

you faked annoyance as you spun beside chris. not being able to keep a straight face for long you broke into laughter. when you returned to facing him he pulled you into a hug. he released your shoulders so he could hold your face him his hands. with your arms still around his waist, you leaned up to give him a small kiss.

matt came over to you guys, looked at you in disgust, and grabbed the camera off the counter. “sorry for you had to see that. chef matt is taking over because our original chef has become distracted.” matt tried to take your spot at the stove, but you weren’t going to allow it. “matt do not touch that you’re going to ruin it.” the bickering went on between you two for a while before realizing you could just work together.

that night, after eating and cleaning up the dishes, top golf was suggested by none other then chris sturniolo. his love for the activity was one that you’d never understand, but you went nonetheless.

a few rounds went by before you inevitably realized you’d never win against those three so you took over vlogging for them instead. the camera pointed at nick as he took his swing. “ohhh well that was definitely something.” you said from behind the camera. nick was far enough away that he couldn’t hear your comment, but you’d definitely get shit for it while he edited. the two boys to you left of a kick out of it though.

matt and chris broke out into laughter catching the attention of nick. “what are you two fuckers laughing about? try to do better.” he said, giving them attitude. you held back your laugh as nick sat to the right of you.

for entertainment purposes (and also to annoy him) you started narrating everything matt did. “and… matt sturniolo picks up his golf club. he waves it in front of the sensor. he gets his golf ball. he gets ready to hit. is it going to be good ladies, gentleman, and nonbinaries? we’ll see. and he hits, and it’s…… not as good as nicks shot.” matt side eyes you as chris starts laughing uncontrollably. he falls into your side sending you and the camera to the right into nick.

nick takes the camera from you since your posture has been infiltrated by chris’s body. chris is still laughing when matt gets back to the seats, so like any brother would, matt slaps him upside the head. chris groans as he pokes your shoulder. you’re conversation with nick gets cut off when you look over at him. “matt hit me” chris says with a childish tone. “okay and what do you want me to do about it babe? i’m not your mother. hit him back. i don’t fucking know” you say with a laugh.

the game quickly comes to an end with matt coming out in first place. the four of you decide to call it a night. and start walking back to the van.

when you guys finally got to the car nick started to outrow the video. “alright guys that’s it for this weeks vlog thank you so much for watching” he turned the camera towards the front of the car as you leaned over chris’s shoulder.

“chris can you please play 34+35 remix for nick and i.”

“no y/n” “absolutely not”

and with that the video concluded.

an: i didn’t have much motivation to write the past couple of days but i hope y’all enjoy this 🤍

#nick sturniolo #matt sturniolo x reader #chris sturniolo #chris sturniolo x reader #chris sturniolo smut #matt sturniolo fluff #matt sturniolo smut #sturniolo fanfic #matt sturniolo imagine #matt x reader #matt sturniolo

[sanjisboyfie]

๑ keep safe : his hand on his ankle (12)

one piece x male reader

i think we're like fire and water. 

i think we're like the wind and sea.

you're burnin' up

and i'm coolin' down 

『 prev 』

“oi, pervy cook, stop harassing women!” [name] shouted from across the market stalls, “look this guy has a good deal, give me the bag of beri nami gave you!!”

sanji’s eyebrow quirked up in annoyance, new angry tick marks spawning all over his forehead as well. due to [name]’s shouts, the two beautiful women in front of him ran off.

he didn’t pick up on the fact they just ran away from sanji as a person, not because of [name].

grumbling under his breath about skewering [name] alive, he walked over to the stall and looked at their selection of ingredients. pretty quickly, sanji got over his anger and began bargaining with the sales rep.

[name] looked around as sanji took care of collecting all the ingredients, sighing as he felt himself grow immensely hot at the island’s weather. he had already stripped off his shirt, now donning a pair of knee length shorts while his torso was exposed.

he should get some more breathable clothing soon because the looks the townspeople were giving him were obviously laced with disapproval.

“i really can’t take you anywhere, your manners are nonexistent,” sanji said, backtracking to how [name] yelled earlier.

“they weren’t gonna get with you anyway,” [name] teased, throwing an arm around sanji’s shoulder. sanji easily shrugged the heavy limb off, scowling as [name] got too up close and personal.

the two continued on shopping and as soon as things began piling up, [name] looked around in wonder, “where’s chopper?” he asked, mentally hoping that the chef kept an eye on their newest crewmate.

“ah, i thought he was with you?” sanji said mindlessly, browsing through more selections of clothing for nami and vivi.

“hm, he probably is fine- hey! sanji, don’t buy those clothes, that’s not appropriate attire for the desert, idiot,” [name] said, slapping sanji in the head to rid him of his sudden heart eyes.

the blonde was looking at a beautiful piece of clothing that was definitely not actually made for the desert heat. “get them something more…not flashy,”

“flashy is the best!” sanji cried out, making [name] slap him on the head once more.

“idiot!”

[name] took care of buying actual clothing for the women, and the men — since sanji definitely wouldn’t care about them enough to spend beri on them, and made sure he snagged the whole bag of beri away from sanji. he didn’t need the chef wasting any more money on useless things.

after what felt like hours of shopping, the two rejoined with their group that was in hiding.

“huh? where’s chopper?” nami asked, noticing their missing reindeer.

“well, we don’t know, but!!! before you hit me, he’ll be able to find us with that strong nose of his, if anything we just lost him in the crowd,” [name] said, not really putting nami at ease, but it did stop her from hitting him on the head.

sanji quickly threw food at zoro and usopp, who jumped at it to ravenously eat it since they were starving. then he politely handed the share to vivi and nami. lastly, he didn’t even think twice in throwing a skewer at [name] — who easily swallowed it in one second.

“at least savor it, [name],” vivi said, worried as she saw [name] spit out the wooden stick that went through the meat skewer without a care in the world.

“i did savor it, your country’s food is yummy, vivi,” [name] approved, a thumbs up given to the princess who could only hum in delight.

“and, nami-san and vivi-chan, please put on the gowns i bought you!” sanji said, once again love struck as he spun his way over to nami and vivi. at that cue, [name] rummaged through their newly bought goods and brought the actual clothes out.

he laid them out to zoro and usopp first, the two nodding quickly in thanks before going back to devouring their share of meat. and then he walked over to nami and vivi, giving them an apologetic smile.

“here's some more clothes if you want to change into this instead,” vivi didn’t seem to hesitate in grabbing the cloths. she saved him a thankful look, patting him on the head as well. nami kept sanji’s choice of clothing, telling [name] to put the other robes into the bag for safe keeping in case.

everyone changed into their new outfits, [name] gagging as he felt it become even more suffocating with the layers he put on. the moment he emerged from behind the wall where he was changing, they all stopped and stared at him.

“does it really look that bad? because i feel like shit right now,” he said, not thinking much of their stares.

and there was nothing to make of it anyway as they all erupted with their own comments.

“yeah, you fit the part of a bandit,” sanji insulted, taking a drag of his cigarette.

”don’t have such a pathetic look on your face, [name], it makes you seriously look miserable,” nami advised, sweatdropping as [name] dropped in front of them in exhaustion from the heat.

“you’re gonna eat shit in the desert, aren’t you?! haha!!” zoro laughed at [name]’s personal hell.

“come on, [name], get serious! you need to be in tip-top shape in order to protect us, this isn’t a joke!!!” usopp cried, shaking [name] back and forth by his collar.

meanwhile, [name] was slumped over right next to chopper as they were both suffering immensely from the heat.

“[name], are you going to be alright? you look really, really…” vivi trailed off, seeing the sweat that was practically soaking into [name]’s headpiece. “hot.”

“i’m terrible with hot weather! first we go to drum island, as fucking cold as it was, then we end up in the middle of the desert! i might as well jump into a boiling tub of hot water!” [name] shouted, kicking into the sand in frustration, “i can’t deal with this!”

“you’re awfully affected by the weather, just make sure you pack some water,” nami huffed, shrugging her shoulders, “or take off a couple of layers.”

[name] easily did as told, eager to get the suffocating clothes off of his person. he kept the headpiece on, tying the arms of the robe around his waist to leave his torso bare. he threw the sword over his person to rest on his back, breathing a sigh of relief.

with his muscular back and torso exposed, nami eyed him in interest. something had caught her eye on [name]’s back and she stopped him from moving around when she finally made out what it was.

”you have a tattoo, [name]?”

[name] turned around to look at his back, grinning when he saw the ink that permanently was etched into his skin.

“yeah, you like?”

it was a big tattoo, honestly. the crew was surprised they’d never seen it before. a pair of wings were running the expanse of [name]’s wide shoulders, going on until the ending tips of the wings were a little bit exposed to his deltoids.

“what’s it mean?” nami asked, gently trailing a finger over [name]’s inked skin, flinching back when she felt that the skin was slightly raised as well, “wait…what��s this?”

her hand flattened against [name]’s back, making sanji seethe where he stood, to get a better feel. [name] sighed in content feeling her cool palm cool him down, but then perked up at her actual question.

“what?”

“it’s like, you’ve got a map…of scars,” she breathed out, eyes widening in realization. just as she said, there were linear scars that were trailing over [name]’s back. she looked down and realized that they continued on until his hip, which was as far as her eye could see.

she abruptly turned him around, shock gracing her features as she saw that [name] was thoroughly scarred all over. the lines of his raised marks were very, very thin, and small. very precise work, it looked like.

but no doubt, it was there.

“how have we never seen?”

“well, they’re small, so it only really noticeable when you’re up close,”

in intrigue, usopp leaned in closer and was shocked to see that there really were marks all over [name]’s torso, “woah, they kind of look badass, how far do they go?”

“from my face, all the way down to my feet,” [name] said, shooting a look to chopper, as if a warning to not say anything. the reindeer dropped his head and obediently stayed quiet.

before nami could ask any more questions regarding the scarring, vivi abruptly asked about the tattoo on his back.

“so what is the significance of the tattoo?” she asked, feeling a sense of pressure put on [name] to explain the scarring that even made her uncomfortable. the marks themselves weren’t making her uncomfortable, but rather the incessant questions that [name] may not have wanted to answer.

nami and usopp probably didn’t mean for it to come off as invasive, but either way that was what it felt like, to vivi at least.

“to make me fly!” [name] childishly grinned. his smile was purely innocent, as if he truly believed he could. it was a smile that could easily mirror that of their captain. he looked so carefree as he referenced the large tattoo. and it was easy to miss the longing look in his eyes as he smiled, but a certain few picked up on it.

vivi smiled sadly at [name], sensing there was a deeper meaning to it than just that, but she left it alone. as did everyone else on the crew.

“sounds stupid, humans can’t fly idiot,” everyone besides zoro, as he was always eager to rile up [name]. and it worked as he knocked the swordsman on the head.

“but are you sure you want to walk around like that, [name]? the sun might get to you even more with your skin exposed,” vivi said worriedly, but [name] shot them down instantly.

“i’ll be fine,” [name] said, waving off the worries. “if anything, i’ll put the clothes back on if its really getting too much,”

“put them back on now, no one wants to see it,” sanji and zoro said in a monotonous voice, making another fight between the three of them break out. nami and usopp could only sigh at their antics, chopper watched on in admiration, and vivi couldn’t help but feel secure.

she had such strong people on her side.

well, she still had to ask them to assist her…she swallowed the lump in her throat, looking up with a fierce glint in her eyes.

“everyone, please, i want to save this country. and the journey is going to be treacherous, especially across the desert, there’s no saying what will happen. but, please!! if you could lend me your help, please!”

it was silent for a couple of seconds. nami was the one to break it with her mischievous giggle, “you finally said it! we were waiting for you, of course we’ll help you!”

[name] grinned along with her, throwing an arm around vivi’s shoulder, “you remember my promise, don’t you?” he asked, mindlessly leaning into her. she felt flustered at the close contact with the half naked [name] that her ears and cheeks started burning almost instantly.

sanji took care of her “problem” by kicking [name] down on the head. and with his foot still resting on top of [name]’s head, he grinned at vivi, trying to look charming, “of course, we will help you, vivi-chan! anything to help you my beautiful princess.”

“pervy cook,” [name] said in a strained voice in unison with zoro’s bored one.

“we gotta go through yuba first, right?” usopp checked, earning a hum of confirmation from [name] and nami.

chopper, despite feeling the heat most sensitively, was more than excited to see the vast desert.

everyone raised their marked arms into the air, ready to set themselves out for adventure. but then they all faltered as they realized they were missing someone…their captain.

“where the fuck is that idiot?!”

the only resolution they had to their missing captain issue was searching in the nearest town.

“i’m gonna go check the restaurant,” [name] said, his head held down. just as he was about to walk off, nami grabbed ahold of his ear.

“only to look for luffy!!! do not, i repeat do not!!!, go in there to eat for your own appetite. we have a whole country to save, [name]! don’t even think about getting distracted now!”

“i won’t, now let me go!” [name] whined, running in his spot as nami had a hold on his ear. when she finally let go, he mimicked a rocket taking off with how fast he made a beeline to the restaurant up ahead.

‘coffee!! meat!!! sorry, nami!!!’ he thought in his head as he ran into the restaurant. not waiting a second, he took a seat at the bar’s counter and got ready to be served.

“cup of coffee and three plates of meat, please!” [name] said, grinning from ear to ear at eating a proper meal. he had only eaten that one skewer sanji had secured for him, that piss blonde didn’t pity [name]’s endless stomach one bit!

“[name], we gotta stop meeting like this, it’s feeling a little bizarre,” a voice said from next to him.

[name] turned his head to the side, tears coming into his eyes as he recognized that grin from anywhere, “ace!!!”

he jumped out of his seat, completely tackling ace out from his seat. this landed them both on the floor. he peppered kisses all over ace’s face, whose cheeks dusted pink very quickly at the action, “my ace!!!”

“alright, alright, i get it,” ace said, holding onto [name]’s shoulders to push him back a little from his suffocating attitude. “i missed you too,”

[name] broke free from ace’s grip on his shoulder, leaning back down to press his forehead against ace’s, nudging the freckled nose with his own. even if he was already burning up from the climate outside, he couldn’t help but press himself further into ace’s warm chest.

“we saw each other a couple months ago, [name], get ahold of yourself!” ace said, tired of fighting against [name]’s need to be pressed against him. [name] was stubborn and didn’t let up his pushing at all.

“come on, ace, i never knew when i’d see you again!” [name] said, nuzzling into ace’s neck, a devious grin on his face, “i can be selfish on the affections,”

“i think you were plenty selfish last time we saw each other,” ace mumbled with red dusting his face.

the two got up, or rather, ace sat up and since [name] had all of his limbs wrapped around ace, he too came up with him. ace sat back down on the barstool, [name] sitting on his lap.

it was definitely a sight to see for everyone in the restaurant. [name] wasn’t some small guy, he was tall and imposing with his strong build. to see him so childishly (trying to) fit himself onto ace’s lap, who was significantly smaller than him, made the customers blink a couple of times to make sure they were seeing right.

”i can’t eat with you on me like this!”

“hm, i’ll just feed you,”

ace looked at him in annoyance, “that’s not my point, idiot,”

rolling his eyes, [name] propped himself up on the bar counter, off the side of ace so that the man could eat his food perfectly fine. [name] kept his legs resting in between ace’s, squeezing every now and then around ace’s thigh to keep the skinship.

“you’re oddly clingy,” ace grumbled, not flinching backwards when [name] pressed their faces close to one another again, “you act too young, man up a little,”

“i think we both know you wouldn’t prefer the cold shoulder, though,” [name] smirked, referencing the last time the duo had seen each other, “weren’t you the one who almost started crying when-”

ace shoved a spoonful of rice into [name]’s mouth, “shut up.”

[name] happily ate the food and grinned in utmost pleasure, “say, ace, join luffy’s crew!”

“no.”

“you always were so heartless,” [name] sighed.

“i think it’s obvious why i can’t join,” ace said, scarfing down more food. one of his hands wrapped around [name]’s ankle, the one that wasn’t in between his legs, and he squeezed it gently.

[name] looked up at the action, ace’s firm and warm grip around his foot knocking him out of his daydream. he was greeted by a smirk from the freckled man, “why don’t you join the whitebeard pirates? they’re more in your league anyway,”

“nope,” [name] grinned, putting his fingers in front of his face to form an ‘x’ shape.

“see, that’s what i thought,” ace said, rubbing his thumb up and down [name]’s ankle as he spoke. neither of them paid the action no mind. ace did it to reassure himself [name] was really in front of him and [name] always welcomed skinship with ace, so he definitely didn’t mind.

“well-”

then ace’s grip on his ankle became loose and a loud slamming onto the table made everyone in the restaurant look their way.

“he died mid-chew!?” they cried out, looking at the ravenette who collapsed.

[name] sighed, taking ace’s hat off and placing it on his own head. he buried his hand in ace’s hair, happily taking more food off of his plate and eating to his heart’s content.

“he doesn’t even care!!!”

“eh? he’s not dead,” [name] simply said, looking at the crowd as if they were crazy, “how’d you guys come up with that conclusion?”

“he obviously looks dead, don’t play dumb!” the crowd shouted in unison once more.

suddenly, ace shot up again, looking dazed. wordlessly, he snatched his plate back up from [name] and continued eating.

“he didn’t die?!”

“i told you he didn’t!”

“ah, [name], my hat looks good on you,” ace said cheerfully, a stunning smile on his face.

“ew, ace, you’ve got food in your mouth still,” [name] grimaced, “also around your entire face, hold on,”

[name] grabbed a stray napkin and wiped ace’s face clean, the man presenting himself prettily to [name]. that made him laugh, gently tap his cheek at his obvious posing, and ruffle his hair.

“all clean.”

“you’re so reliable [name], that’s why you should join old man’s crew,” ace said, once again slipping an invitation into the conversation.

“nope!”

ace’s warm hand went back to resting on [name]’s ankle, continuing to finish plate after plate.

”you two are bold to be eating out in the open like that,” a voice said behind ace, making [name] look up in interest.

he saw a man with two thick cigars resting on the corner of his mouth, eye twitching at the sight. the man continued on, “second division commander of the whitebeard pirates, portgas d. ace.” his eyes then trailed onto [name], looking even more angered, “and you, cursed orphan [name]. are you aware that your bounty had shot up?”

[name] sweatdropped, “but i didn’t even do anything,” he said in exasperation, nudging ace, “these guys hate me for no reason, i swear,” this made the freckled man burst out laughing.

“you’re a wanted man, a bounty of 250,000,000 million,” the man announced, making [name] pout, “that’s not even much higher,” and that was enough to send the entire place into an uproar.

“whitebeard pirates?! over 200 million bounty?!” they all shouted in fear and realization. these two men that were casually cuddling up with each other in the middle of the restaurant were fearless, deadly, and intimidating pirates.

“what are you two low lives doing in this country in the first place?”

as ace turned around, [name] leaned his entire body against ace’s, resting his chin on his shoulder. the two grinned devilishly, and the occupants in the restaurant genuinely did fear for their lives. the two answered easily, “i’m looking for my little brother / i’m here to kick some warlord’s ass,”

the marine, [name] assumed, flinched at their confessions, averting his eyes to [name], “you, what did you just say?”

[name] grinned proudly, twirling the ends of ace’s hair with his finger, “i’m gonna beat up some asshole,” he grinned, enjoying the confused look on the marine’s face and laughing in delight.

tension in the room seemed to only fill, almost at its brim.

“so? what do you want from me?” ace asked, biting back laughter as he felt [name] attach to his back as if he were a backpack. if [name] wasn’t sitting on the bar counter, ace would have had to uphold all the weight of him on his back. his legs were wrapped around his torso and his arms were lazily thrown over ace’s front.

[name]’s chin was resting on ace’s head, the orange hat still on top of his h/c hair.

the two looked so casual and comfortable, not to mention smug, for smoker’s liking.

“to capture the both of you quietly,”

“nope, i think i’ll pass. how about you, [name]?”

“i just said i have important business, marine man, i got places to be so no can do!”

“well, i figured,” he sighed, a puff of smoke trailing out of his mouth, “i’m busy trying to find another pirate at the moment. to be honest i have no interest in taking either of you in,”

[name] gave a thumbs up, “great, so leave us alone!”

”can’t,” the marine said in a strained voice, “so long as you’re a pirate and i’m a marine, i can’t let either of you out of my sights,” smoke began to erupt at a much faster pace, this time coming from his fist and [name] already knew that the man in front of him had some sort of devil fruit power.

“that sounded too much like a confession,” [name] hummed in disinterest, leaning into ace’s back even further.

“that’s a pretty bland reason,” ace said, hands turning into clenched fists, “don’t go threatening us, either. you should know - i like showing off in front of [name], so i won’t go easy on you,” ace leaned back a little, raising an eyebrow as he felt nothing but completely relaxed, “so let’s have some fun!”

[name] squinted, seeing past smoker and sensing something very, very, very rapidly approaching. unfortunately, his innate abilities weren’t even fast enough to dodge, so he only took a tight hold on ace, acting as the man’s human shield and braced for impact.

in a second, the front door of the restaurant welcomed a crashing figure — who was shouting about food. ace and smoker were knocked off of their feet, [name] as ace’s backpack, as the mystery person crashed into both of them.

[name] felt several walls break down behind him from the impact, making him grit his teeth in annoyance. he’d kill luffy for sure! moving the rubble surrounding them aside, [name] sat upright with a frown on his face.

“you alright, ace?”

“yeah, just pissed off, who the hell is causing all that trouble?”

”i think we both know the answer…” [name]’s voice trailed off as he stood up and began walking through the many holes his captain caused inside people’s homes and establishments.

as he walked ahead, he could only think of so many ways to make luffy understand he was dead meat.

as [name] and ace came to the restaurant, ace’s eyes widening as he realized who it was, they were about to rush forward, but were slapped down to the ground by the marine that was pestering them earlier.

“you’re fucking with me right now,” [name] cursed into the bricks he got a face full of, feeling nothing but annoyance seep into his bones. “i’ll kill the both of you bastards!”

“straw hat!!!” the marine called out, rushing forward and chasing luffy out of the restaurant.

in a second, luffy was running out of the place, followed by smoker, who was then followed by [name] and ace.

“wait, luffy! it’s me!!! wait up, luffy!!!” ace desperately shouted, running after luffy’s fast figure.

”luffy, come back here so i can kill your dumbass! i’ll send you flying!”

the chase happened for much longer than it needed, but eventually [name] caught up to his captain. and the first thing he did was sucker punch him. ace disconnected from him to stop smoker, who was very close to actually catching luffy.

when luffy finally got up from being punched, he looked up at the scene in wonder.

“ace?!”

“that’s what we’ve been trying to tell you, idiot, idiot, idiot!!” [name] said, knocking some more sense into his captain, “we’ve been running after you like mad men, don’t you have ears to listen!?”

“[name], i was running from that guy there, give me a break!” luffy whined, holding onto his head in fear of getting hit once more.

“luffy, you really never change, do you?” ace asked, smirking at the sight of his little brother and the crew he acquired.

“ace, did you eat a devil fruit?! you have powers now?!” luffy asked in astonishment.

“yep, the mera-mera no mi,” ace easily answered, the smirk on his face not going away for even a second as he stared at the marines ahead, “anyways, we can’t chat like this! i’ll catch up! you guys run!”

that was enough for [name], as he still wanted to knock some sense into luffy, who dragged their captain by his ear and ran off.

”aren’t you a bit too ready to run away from a fight?!” usopp shouted, never seeing [name] so eager to get away.

“come on, don’t fall behind now!!” [name] shouted, smirking at the still crew, “ace’s got it all handled, let’s run now!!!”

“is he an acquaintance of yours, luffy?! [name]?!”

luffy laughed happily, looking back at his crew with that notoriously troublesome smile, “yeah!! he’s my brother!”

the crew would’ve stopped running in shock, but seeing as the marines were hot on their tail they had no other option but to continue rushing forward. the looks on their faces said it all though.

they thought that learning [name] and luffy grew up on the same island was shocking, it still was, honestly but just now finding out luffy had a brother? and the fact luffy and [name] were so casual on the fact, made their faces freeze in shock.

what else was their captain hiding?

[ miniature : BONUS ]

“why are you protecting those two, fire fist?” smoker snarled, watching as the entire strawhat crew got away from him.

“it’s normal for an older brother to worry about his bungling little brother,” ace smirked, the heat that was dancing on his skin becoming flames.

”your brother-? then you mean to say…” smoker’s voice trailed off, but before he could delve too deep into the new information, he demanded ace move once more.

“i’m afraid that’s a no can do,” ace said, the flames growing stronger with each passing second, “i did warn you though, i said i like to show off in front of [name]. so you understand where i’m coming from even more, right?”

“hardly,” smoker grunted, still not understanding how ace was related to both [name] and luffy.

“come on, you wouldn’t wanna put in some extra effort in impressing your lover?”

『 prev 』 ˗ˏˋ꒰ 🌊 ꒱ 『 next 』

-

taglist (lmk if u want to be tagged ! <3 :

@skullr0se , @strawberrii-tea

#≡;- ꒰ ° keep safe series ꒱ #ks #one piece x male reader #one piece x reader #x male reader #x reader #male reader #one piece male reader #one piece imagines #male reader imagines #anime male reader #one piece fanfiction #one piece fanfic #male reader fanfic #male reader fanfiction

[itsplumwriter]

Baking for Bucky

POV: While browsing a small collector’s shop, Bucky finds a vintage WWII magazine from the 40s. He flips through the pages and spots a dessert recipe, asking if you could make it for him.

A/N: Just some fluffsss. I haven't written a fluffy piece in a while so I really hope you'll like this. I love baking, do y'all? It's such a comfort activity and I think it'd be so cute to bake for Bucky.

--- --- ---

“What are we making again?” you ask, pulling out the flour and sugar.

“Gingerbread. It’s a classic from the 40s,” Bucky says, flipping through the old-timey magazine. “Housewives used to pack it in their husband’s box lunches back in the day.”

You raise an eyebrow. “Housewife? I am a housewife now?”

He lowers the magazine, glancing at you. “You can be..."

You nearly trip trying to get the bowl. “Slow your roll, soldier...”

He chuckles as he helps you pull out the rest of the ingredients. You love him, obviously, and you could definitely see yourself marrying him. But you’re both enjoying the dating phase and there’s no need to rush things.

You add the ingredients to the bowl and stir it's contents carefully, noticing a concerned look on Bucky's face. "What's going on in that head of yours?"

Bucky smiles, enjoying the fact you know him so well. "The smell is just bringing me back... Usually sights, sounds, and smells bring me back to bad memories from my past, so it's kinda nice to have a smell trigger a good memory for once."

You smile and nod, hoping he'll say more; Bucky rarely opens up. When he does, you find it best to just keep quiet and let it flow naturally.

"I kinda miss the old days, you know?..." he continues. "Sometimes I hate that I was frozen for so long. That so many years were taken from me. Sometimes I wish I could have lived in the era I was supposed to.”

“I can understand that,” you say, nodding.

He approaches you, hugging you. “But the thing is if I hadn’t been frozen... I never would’ve met you."

He buries his head in the crook of your neck. "And that sorta makes it all worth it."

“Bucky,” you sigh. His words are sweet, but they make you upset. "I don't want you to say anything was worth what you went through..."

Bucky takes your hand, kissing your palm. “I mean it. And I meant it when I said I want you to be my wife...”

You smile. "Let's see how this gingerbread turns out first. You may change your mind..."

Bucky chuckles, rolling his eyes.

--- --- ---

The entire house is filled with the smell of gingerbread. A warm feeling enrobes the air, reminding you of Christmastime. You both curl up on the couch, eating a few slices with milk.

"You're clearly wifey material," Bucky chimes.

You raise an eyebrow. "Where did you hear that term..."

Bucky stares at you. "Sam."

You chuckle, shaking your head.

"No, but seriously... This has got to be one of the best desserts I've ever had."

You roll your eyes. "...Don't exaggerate, Bucky."

“I'm not! It's the loveliest thing I've ever tasted because the loveliest person made it for me."

You fiddle with a few gingerbread crumbs on your plate, blushing.

Bucky smiles to himself. "I remember one of my buddies used to have these all the time in his box lunch. He’d brag all the time to us that his wife made it for him... I can’t believe I had to wait nearly 90 years for my wife to make me some...”

You clench your jaw. “But I'm not your wife, Buckyy... I love you and I can see myself spending the rest of my life with you. But I don't think I'm ready just yet."

He gives you a soft smile. “No rush, doll... I believe I waited my whole life to meet you... It'd be an honor for me to wait a little longer..."

--- --- ---

AAAHHHH the flufffffff <33 love you all so much!! Did you like??

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God bless <3

#bucky barnes #bucky barnes imagines #bucky barnes imagine #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky barnes oneshot #bucky barnes one shot #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes fanfic #bucky barnes fic #bucky barnes fluff #bucky #bucky imagine #bucky imagines #bucky one shot #bucky oneshot #marvel #marvel x reader #marvel x you #marvel imagines #marvel imagine #marvel fluff #marvel fan fiction #marvel fanfic #marvel fic #sebastian stan #sebastian stan imagine #sebastian stan imagines

[hoodharlow]

solamente tú y yo

AN: 🤪🤭🤪🤭🤪🤭

Requested? No

Warnings: THAT question gets asked in the most inopportune moment, smut, slight angst but not really

Word Count: 3k words

Jack leaned against the doorframe watching Miriam layer on clothes. She wore some sweats and a long coat; under her coat she had a thick cardigan, a crew neck sweater, a long sleeve and a tank top. She completed the outfit with a huge scarf that looked like a shawl from Acne Studios and a beanie. Meanwhile Jack wore his signature cargo pants with a puffer coat and only turtleneck underneath. 

They were in London. Miriam was back at work. Jack took a few weeks off from working on his album after his work trip to Bahrain. He went to Louisville for a few days to and to work something out with a jeweler he knew. After that he flew back to London. 

"Okay, I'm ready." Miriam said, dabbing some of her signature pomegranate lip balm on her lips. 

"About time." Jack mumbled loud enough for her to hear. 

She glared at him and slipped her phone in her coat's pocket. She also grabbed her house keys. Sha checked on Daisy one last time then came to the foyer. She walked out with Jack following close behind her and locked the door. They pair made their way to the front gate and she unlocked the door then relocked it. 

They were on their way to get some fish and chips. One of Miriam's favorite spots was just a few blocks from where her parents had their house. They were going to walk since the neighbor was pretty chill and not that many people paid attention to others. Though for an extra measure of safety, their security was going to be tailing them in a SUV. As they walked down the street, in a British accent, Miriam gave Jack a quick tour of the neighborhood, pointing out a few of her favorite shops and even where she went for secondary school, middle school. Ten minutes later they finally reached the fish and chips place. 

Jack reached forward and opened the door for them. Once inside he took in the place. It felt homey and vintage, like an Italian mom and pop. There were several posters of the family and the generations that contributed to the restaurant's legacy. On a separate wall was all the famous people ate from Harry and Meghan Markle to Mateo Dominguez. There was another picture of Miriam’s dad and she was with him. She had to be about twelve years old. Her curls were all over the place and her bright smile was hidden behind braces. 

“Oh god they still have this up.” Miriam groaned seeing the picture Jack was looking at. 

“I like it.” he said. “I would have definitely annoyed the shit outta you in class.” 

“I would have requested to be removed from the class if you were in my class. I just know you would have messed with my expensive pens.” she bluntly.

“I knew a girl like that in high school. She gave me some of the best head at the time. Then I met you and you changed my life.” he smiled adoringly at her. 

“You’re so annoying.” Miriam playfully rolled her eyes. 

They took a table in the back. An older woman came by and she exchanged pleasantries with Miriam then she took their order. Miriam then explained that she’s known the older woman since she was a kid. There weren’t many stores that sold quality Mexican ingredients so it was rare for Mateo cooked for them. They mostly ate out and the fish and chips place was their go to 85% of the time. 

It really hit Jack how differently they grew up. He’s never lived with one parent at one time; much less lived with them in an entirely different continent as his other parent or sibling. He’s always had his parents together. The love they shared for each other was something he always wanted for himself but he knew with the lifestyle he had now it wasn’t something he could find. What he had with Miriam was completely different from what his parents had, but it wasn’t a bad thing. He really was lucky to have found her. She’s changed how he viewed love and what it was like to be in love. He wanted to grow a life and a family with her. 

“If we were to have kids where would–”

“Without a doubt Louisville.” Miriam answered, spreading butter on her bread. 

“You’ve thought about it?” Jack smirked, uncapping his sparkling water.

“I mean…” she trailed off, shrugging. “But like not right now. Like we’re both so busy with work. You have that dropping in April and then White Men Can’t Jump in May. Awards season is starting for me not to mention I’m in the middle of filming. Then I have to promote the mini series with my mom for mothers day–”

“Bro, I’m not asking you to pop kids right now.” Jack cut her off. He reached for hand and gently squeezed it reassuringly. “We’re in our twenties. We have time to add to our family. I was just asking to make sure we’re on the same page.” 

“Oh, okay.” she giggled nervously.

A server came by and set down their food.

Jack smiled to himself, watching Miriam as she used a fork and knife to cut her fish. He looked over at his plate and he was dipping his fried fish like how it came. Their mannerisms were so different, but Jack and Miriam always made it work. They complimented each other. He was nervous about asking her. But after almost two years he knew it was finally time.

*

After lunch they went and did some more sight-seeing. Jack had been to London a few times for work but he never had the chance to do any proper exploring with the packed schedule he had. He even rode on the ‘tube’ which he found out existed. They went back to Miriam’s home and made dinner with some of the things they bought. They were currently cleaning up and putting away leftovers.

“So… where do you really see yourself settling down after all this?” Miriam asked Jack as they finished cleaning the kitchen and dining room.

Ever since he casually mentioned them having kids during lunch. That’s all she’d been thinking about. 

“Wherever you settle down.” He said, carefully placing the glass cups on the shelf she couldn’t reach. 

“I’m being serious.” She giggled, pushing herself to sit up on the counter.

“So am I.” He said, leaning against the counter. He tugged her hand so she could pay attention to him. “Miriam, I’m not kidding. Where you go, I go. I don’t see myself with anyone else. Only you. You’re more than just my partner. You’re someone I see myself still keeping me on my toes by the time I’m 87 and some robot has to give me sponge baths. I see you at my side telling our grandkids that I fucking bagged a baddie. You’re the one I see myself waking up to every morning all bricked up. You got that?”

Miriam blinked away some tears. “Yeah, I love you so much.” 

“I love you too.” He smiled. 

Miriam stood on her tippy toes to kiss him but Jack curved her. “Okay, rude.”

“I don’t want to give your dad a show.” he said, looking into one of the many kitchen appliances. He opened a cupboard and peaked inside.

“I’m telling you he didn’t put cameras in the kitchen.” Miriam facepalmed herself.

“Then how did he know we fucked in here?” he gestured to the kitchen island. 

“Because you don’t have a serious bone in your body and play around too much.” she shrugged. She scratched her head. “I’m gonna go take this shit off and come back so we can watch The Menu.” 

For Poison Ivy, Miriam dyed her hair red. To conserve the mystery of the movie, she wore wigs that matched her natural dark curls. 

Jack nodded and went to the entertainment room. He went around taking the various paintings decorating the walls. They were similar to the ones Miriam’s had in her houses and some her parents’ had in their LA home. In his humble opinion, the paintings represented rich people and their love for obscure art that had no business costing more than $100k. Some were abstract paintings; random paint swatches with figurines, mixed media glued on top for extraness while the others were scenic paintings of places Miriam's family has been to. Each painting was completely different to the one before but at the bottom right corner of each one was ‘MDM’ in gold pen. Miriam's initials.

"You paint?" Jack asked her when she came back to the room.

"Yeah when I'm bored." She shrugged.

Jack got distracted momentarily watching Miriam’s ass as she bent over the armrest of the couch to get a blanket from the basket of blankets. He blinked back to reality and furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

"Since when?" 

"I don't know for a while I guess. I mainly started when I moved here. My dad did best to keep me busy. He would sign me up for a bunch of stuff. It's why I'm so well rounded." Miriam explained.

"And in all of those extra curricular activities, he didn't think of signing you up for dance classes–" 

A pillow came flying at him, hitting his stomach. Jack dramatically fell to the ground like a pro soccer player and groaned in pain. 

"You're not funny." Miriam deadpanned. 

Jack rolled to his side, facing the tall shelf of DVDs and BluRay discs. At the bottom row were a bunch of white boxes with titles of musicals and plays hand written on the spine of the disc box. 

“What are these–”

“Don’t touch those.” Miriam pounced on him.

Jack was faster than her and scrambled to his feet. He held up the disc in the air, way out of Miriam’s reach. He turned the box and in the front was a picture of Miriam on stage. 

“So this is where you have your school plays. Your brother wanted to show me one of you when you were in fourth grade but he couldn’t find them.” he smiled.

Miriam ignored him as she tried her best to climb him. Thanks to her stunt work she was able to do it with ease and snatched the disc from him.

“So you’re a legit theater kid.” Jack teased. 

“Not really.” she shrugged. 

“Bro, there’s at least twenty boxes on the shelf.” His smirk grew even more.asit

“Whatever, so what if I did theater as a kid.” she crossed her arms.

Jack raised his arms defensively. “There’s not thing wrong with it. But it does explain…a lot.” 

Miriam rolled her eyes and got on the couch. Jack put the disc back and joined her on the couch. Fifteen minutes into the movie, Miriam made him spoon her 

Jack got a sense of deja vu as Miriam pressed her ass onto his crotch so she ‘wouldn't fall off’ the couch. It took him back to when she invited him to New York for a few days before her mom and he were on SNL. He couldn’t concentrate on the movie they watched. All he wanted to do was spend his time between her thighs. That was before they revealed their feelings and he was trying to be respectful. Now he had the privilege to not be respectful.

He pulled his arm off her waist and brought his fingers to his mouth, sucking them. 

“Relax for me.” He whispered in her ear. He kissed her jaw. 

He slowly inched his hand in her sleep shorts. 

“So you can’t kiss me in the kitchen because of these alleged cameras but you can finger me in the tv room?” Miriam quirked an eyebrow.

“You don’t seem to mind.” Jack pointed out as he tugged off her now soaked panties.

Before she opened her mouth to make an unserious remark, her phone rang. She reached for it. Miriam made a face, confused why her mom was calling her so late. 

“Bueno…” she said, pushing Jack off her. 

“Baby, I’m so sorry you had to find out this way.”

*

There’s never a day where Jack isn’t impressed with something Miriam did. She was sitting in the shade with a paint kit she brought from London, painting away their beach view. They were currently in Turks and Caicos for a much needed break. Isabela had called Miriam to let her know that DC decided to scrap her movie so that the remaining budget could go to promoting The Flash. Miriam’s heart broke. She’d been working her ass off on the movie for almost four months and they had about eight weeks of filming left. 

Jack didn’t know what to do, all he knew was that he had to get Miriam out of London. He got a recap from last year’s Turks and Caicos work trip and thought the beach was their safest bet. While Miriam went to set to clean out her trailer and sign off some final contracts, he made the arrangements. He was able to reserve the same airbnb he stayed with her last year. Then he booked a flight to New York where he flew out Clay to pick up Daisy so he could watch her while they were gone for the week. From New York they took a direct flight to  Providenciales. His team had a field day when they saw the airport pictures of them in landing in Turks andCaicos, but he didn’t care. His main priority was to distract Miriam from being sad because she was in her ‘unemployed era’. Her words, not Jack’s.

Miriam walked back to the terrace, where Jack was going over his lines. He had booked a part in Dave and when they got back to New York he was going to film a few scenes. She carefully set the canvas down and cleared her throat for Jack to see. 

“Holy shit.” he said, impressed. 

He stretched his hand out, but Miriam smacked it away from the painting. “It’s still wet.”

“You’re still wet?” he asked, with a smirk plastered. 

“You’re not funny.” She looked at him unimpressed.

She went to the house and carefully set down the painting on the table to dry. She set her art tote with all her art supplies on a chair. While she was at it, she removed her shorts, staying in her bikini bottoms. She was sitting on the grass and wore them so her ass wouldn’t get itchy. Now that she wasn’t she didn’t see the point of wearing them. As she walked back to Jack, she unbuttoned the linen shirt, making it known to Jack she wasn’t wearing her bikini top. She sat opposite of Jack and read a book while he memorized his lines. She felt Jack’s eyes on her, as she stretched her arms. The shirt fell off her shoulders and her breasts were on full display. The tiny gold necklace Jack got her with the letter ‘M’ glinted as Miriam pretended to be engrossed in her book.

She watched Jack from the corner of her eye. He moved with cat-like movements, slowly inching his way to her. He reached for her book and laughed when he saw she was on the table of contents and not the actual book. 

"You're not slick." He commented, putting the book face down.

Miriam untied one side of her bikini bottoms, exposing her arousal to him. "Are you sure?" 

That was all he needed to hear. He scooped up Miriam, securing her legs around his waist and carried her back to the house. She squealed and hugged him tight as he ran upstairs to their room. He gently tossed her in bed and scrambled to get naked. He got on top of her and Miriam pulled his neck down to claim his lips. 

With ease, she rolled him onto his back and slowly rubbed her folds over his cock. Jack groaned and reached up for her breasts. He cupped them with his large hands and used his thumb to play with her nipples. Miriam leaned forward and held Jack’s jaw as she kissed him. His hands were on her ass, guiding them along the length of his cock. 

“Fuck!” he groaned. 

He came seconds later while Miriam kept moving her hips. Jack’s stomach was coated with his release.

“Facetime doesn’t do this justice.” Miriam commented while drawing a heart with ‘MD+JH’ on his stomach. “Also I can’t believe all of this is inside me when you come inside me. How deep is my pussy? Do you think–”

“Marry me.” Jack blurted out.

“Okay I know I was rambling, but if you wanted to shut me off you–”

“I mean it.” He said more confidently. He sat up and rubbed her back. “Obviously I didn’t want to ask you after you dry humped me but it slipped out. You’ve been the one since I made you laugh at the soccer game. I meant it when I said I want to be with you even when we’re old and robots have to give us sponge baths. Before you get in your head about how I brought you here to propose I didn't. I wanted you for myself.”

“Oh that’s reassuring,” Miriam snorted and wiped tears from her eyes.

“I love you, Miriam and I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” Jack said.  

“Do you even have a ring?” she laughed as more tears streamed down her face.

“I’m glad you asked.” He grinned, earning an eye roll from Miriam.

Jack got off the bed and grabbed his discarded t-shirt to clean himself off. He slipped on his shorts from earlier and went to his suitcase and grabbed his toiletries bag. He pulled out a small box that Miriam recognized that was from his go to jeweler. He walked up to her and sat next to her, opening the box to the most beautiful ring Miriam had ever seen. 

“Miriam no middle name Dominguez-Miller, will you marry me?” 

•••

GROUP CHAT

Miriam: y'all....

Clauds ☁️: OMFGGGGGG

La Sandalias: 1. 😭😭😭 and 2. Girl it's 12am for you and me

La MILF 🦦: Danny caleld it lmao

Alina 🎤 : SAY SIKE RNNNN

G🥰🥰🥰: 😭🥺😭🥺😭🥺😭🥺😭🥺😭🥺😭

Seesterrrrr: finally, he asked mom and dad since LAST December lmfao

•••

@'jackharlow: went all out on her necklace

@'mdm: you're so unserious

@'claybornharlow: are you sure it's not too big?

@'saintclauds: no is talking about that dragonfly brooch

@'Kehlani: respectfully GOD DAMN

-> @'mdm: you can say it disrespectfully too. I don't mind

-> @'jackharlow: but I do

@'mackshipper: damn for FREE

@'miriamfanbutjackhater: it's so obvious that he's only with her because of her body. It's so sad that she settle for him

View all comments

•••

@'mdm: unemployed era

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•••

Taglist: @sativachilombo @heavyhitterheaux @cherry4everrr ​ @carma-fanficaddict ​ @youngharleezy @youngharleezyxo ​ @babyharleezy ​ @that-90s-girllll ​ @alinaharlow @harlowcomehome @nattinatalia @webinurcloset @gassyandsassy1 @jackharloww @awhore4moree @noescapricho-essentimiento @neon-lights-and-glitter @purecinnamonextract @whywontyoulovemecami @camificrecs @itsyagirljaz @w1ldthoughts @vanwritesfan-fiction

#jack and miriam #jack harlow #jack harlow smut #jack harlow series #jack harlow fanfic #jack ahrlow imagine #jack harlow one shot

[amwife]

90% of these came to me before i went to sleep for my first day back at skl 😭😭 ill b posting some for every member but aj's the one i finished first 🌚

Aj -

1. Loves buying little gifts. He seems like he'd lowkey be scared of you leaving him so if you show interest in something he'd definitely have to get it for you. And if he sees a plushie he thinks you'd like? Best be making room on your bed for it. He'd get you a dumb t shirt or funny looking kids toy just because it reminded him of you. Or when he'd make you mad/upset he would go on to buy you tons of stuff to make up for it with a tiny real apology.

2. Lowkey a bad boyfriend. Something about Aj makes me think he isn't romantic with girls and doesn't know what the hell he's doing in the relationship aspect. He'd probably accidentally ghost you for a day because he spent it all playing games and when you call him super worried he'd be confused. Although he'd be great on valentines, he'd probably ask Chunkz a week before to see what he should do but then he'd end up winging it and having a great time with you.

3. You'd be his uber. He could be doing a challenge for a Beta squad video and call you to pick him up and just act like you were an uber to hide your relationship from his fans. Or if you were at his house he'd always ask you to take him to a shop to buy supplies for a video or just for food and stuff.

4. He'd LOVE your cooking or baking. Since he has said he doesn't know how to cook at all, if you did he would beg you to make food for him. If he finds out you were making something he'd come over to your home just to get some. He would try buy you all the ingredients if you said you didn't have any. And if he were mad at you and you made brownies or cookies or anything? He's over it and on his way to your house to get some food. "Babe, I'm sorry. I made brownies?" "I'll be there in 10."

5. Super protective. You're talking to another guy? Not without Aj wrapping himself around you. You wanna hangout with a guy by yourself? That's crazy talk. "Aj. He has a boyfriend!" "I'd tell you I were gay to get with you." He'd piss you off by talking to other girls if you ever made him mad on purpose. Literally so petty when it comes to jealousy, he'd always one up you but never take it far enough that it's cheating. If any guy ever hits on you, somebody would have to hold him back because he'd go feral.

6. It'd be a secret. He'd probably take a while to introduce you to his friends and family, taking extra long with his friends just incase. Definitely was scared you'd think his friends were better than him, but his fears died after the first couple times you met them. Plus he probably thought it was more fun as a secret and unsuccessfully tried to sneak out of the Beta house a couple times to see you, forgetting he's an adult and doesn't have to tell them what he's doing. He tried to be slick when texting you in front of his friends but they all knew he had a girlfriend probably the day he copped her.

7. Touchy. This man isn't touchy in kisses and hand holding way, this man is touchy in the way it's basically fucking. You've probably had people ask if you were okay since it looks like Aj was groping you in public. Always has a hand on your ass when you both are standing side by side, or has his hand a on your upper thigh. He'll never make you uncomfortable or touch you in public (unless you wanted to) but he just keeps his hands in places to show that the relationship is definitely more than friends between the both of you. It's either you let him hold your ass or the most touch you get is shoulders rubbing together.

8. Matching outfits. He'd think matching outfits was adorable and would love the idea of twinning with his girl. Even just matching hats or jewellery would make him happy. You could buy literal onesies and he'd wear it, despite him getting ganged up on by his friends. He definitely has screenshots of things he might wanna buy that could be matching for the both of you.

9. You cannot tell me this man is not a simp. He definitely doesn't act like it or really show it but he is down BAD. He'd act as if it was a highschool crush and couldn't be seen looking at you even if everyone already knew you both were dating. He probably even has another account on social media just to save edits and photos of the two of you without the posters knowing it was him.

10. Great fuck.

#beta squad #youtube #youtubers #aj shabeel

[hayffiebird]

Taste of Strawberries, chap. 42

Hayffie Post-Mockingjay Multi-chapter, Rated M

Four years have passed since the end of the war when Effie returns in to Haymitch’s life once again. An old friendship is renewed. Will it lead to something more?

Meanwhile Panem has entered a new era. The rebellion’s over, the borders are open but in the shadows, anger and mistrust are smoldering. Something that will affect Haymitch and Effie’s life in a way they never saw coming.

Author's note: As always, thank you for your lovely support! It's almost midnight here, I've been editing for six hours (oh God) and finally had to call it a day even if it ain't perfect. I hope you enjoy the result! Please consider leaving a comment and tell me your thoughts! What do you think will happen next? :)

Slight TRIGGER WARNING for minor mentions like in previous chapters.

Chapter 42

A big big big day

His gift wasn’t among the others. Haymitch turned the presents over. Those big enough to qualify. Squeezed one here, shook one there, holding on to hope that Effie or June or Annabel had signed the delivery while he was passed out.

No such luck. Course not.

Should’ve called the shop sooner.

He ran a tired hand through his hair and poured himself a shaky cup of coffee.

For someone who considered gifts overrated – unless they consisted of food or clothes maybe – he was pretty bloody bummed out about the whole thing. Silly, yeah but … he really wanted the twins to have it and have it on the right day.

Maybe tomorrow. Or the day after. The post office in Eleven was famously slow, according to Annabel.

He was halfway through his cup of joe when the front door opened.

Annabel, smiling and carrying the topnotch chocolate cake. And in her wake, Effie. With one birthday child on each hip.

God, was she pretty! Prettier than usual, if that was even possible. With the strawberry dress gone – thanks to a certain retired mentor – she wore a white and pink plaid dress. A wide skirt just brushing her kneecaps, spaghetti straps and a large flat bow at the side of her waist.

Her hair was gathered in a ponytail for a change. Pink ballet flats. No “yank friendly” jewelry around her neck. No lipstick or lipgloss either. She gave that up after the twins were born since she kissed it all off on them anyway. Around her ankle: a simple silver bracelet. Simple but beautiful.

Yeah, she was gonna kill him for sure.

Amy wore pink too. Pink with ruffles. No matching bow or ribbons though. Even if she’d had any hair to speak of, the little girl would not stand for it.

Her mother had gone and dusted off one of her own princess dresses, by the looks of it, in honor of today. A toned down, less outlandish one but still – definitely more Capitol than district. He counted four different shades of pink. Posy would have loved it.

Ian on the other hand looked just about ready for District 4, dressed up in a little sailor’s outfit. White and dark blue with boats printed on the chest.

Silly ol’ Effs.

She wasn’t usually that all consumed by the whole “pink for girls, blue for boys” ideal. At least not anymore. But even she couldn’t help herself sometimes.

He had to hand it to her though – if this was Capitol it was Capitol low key. He’d seen toddlers back in the old city who looked more like fashion accessories than actual human beings. And sure, Effie wasn’t above wrestling Haymitch into gaudy outfits but she always went easy on the twins. Just like she went easy on Alexander, when she was but a girl herself.

Quite telling, if you thought about it. What kind of person she was at the core.

And contrary to popular belief, Effie preferred the district look for her kids. How was that for ironic? And the clothes he wore as a baby and toddler? Shit, she treasured them like they were truffles – the rarest, most (would be) expensive ingredient Sae used in her cooking, once in a blue moon.

Each night before bed, Effie laid out the children’s clothes for tomorrow and make no mistake! Unless they were currently peed in, pooped at or covered in baby spit-up, she always chose something of his.

“What is it with you and these rags?” he once asked her back in Twelve, while he helped Amy into a patched up romper the color of porridge. “Seriously. Capitol Effie would have shuddered. Called them poor man’s gear. Washcloth outfits.”

“I would not!” Effie protested from the other side of the bed, working the mismatched buttons of Ian’s playsuit. “District Vintage, maybe. And these aren’t rags! Don’t call them that! You know how special they are to me.”

“Why?”

She lifted Ian up. Held him close. With her cheek against the top of his head, she glanced over at Haymitch like he was the biggest idiot in all of Panem.

“Because you are!” she said. “Special. Something you really should know by now. I had your love children, for crying out loud. You’d think that if anything would be a tip off. And every time I see Amy or Ian wearing something you wore, it’s like I get a little echo of you. The child you once were. And since I don’t have any baby pictures of you, this is the second best thing. Well”, she added after a moment’s pause. A smile curved her lips. “Except for the twins themselves. Because of course they’d come out looking exactly like you. That’s just my usual luck.”

“Luck or curse”, Haymitch replied. Amy yawned as he lifted her from the bed. “There we go, baby.” He rested her against the side of his chest, her head on his shoulder. “They have your hair”, he said, pointing out the obvious.

“Mm. Only proof we’ve got that you didn’t actually make them all on your own.”

She never made the connection. Between the clothes and his kid brother. So obvious and yet, the lights never came on.

It was alright though. Really. Sure, he always felt a little pinch every time he saw the kids in Amadeus’s clothes. But not as much anymore. Not as the months passed.

Yeah. By some miracle, that particular gash got to scab over. Become a scar. Tender to the touch yes, but not bleeding, festering.

As time wore on he started to associate the clothes not only with his dead brother and dead mother but with Amy and Ian as well. That was one big reason for it. Plus Amadeus would’ve loved it if he knew that his niece and nephew spent their days dressed in his old stuff.

And Sae – that sharp-eyed ol’ busybody – she much have known this. Predicted his change of heart, or else she never would have given the clothes to Effie in the first place.

When the twins were still newborns he thought Effie might break out Alexander’s old clothes for them. The precious few garments she still had of her stars and butterflies and lady bugs baby after that prick Kane burned the rest or whatever.

But she never did. Too painful. And, obviously, he steered clear off the subject since she wasn’t ready to deal with any of that. Perhaps she never would be.

The reality of that heart-breaking situation only made it easier for him to let her have a field day with “his” old rags. Sorry, his special rags.

You couldn’t be flint-hearted with Effie anyway. Her over the moon excitement. You got to be pretty fucking cruel to take that away. Especially after she blessed you with two children.

Oh God. She’s gonna hold that over my head forever!

Little echoes. Special because you are special. Yeah, he could see what she meant by that. If he reversed their positions in his head.

After she bought the house from June and Annabel and the last of their moving vans had left for District 11 – they arranged for her things to be brought back in. Effie had donated a lot of the furniture to vintage and charity shops when she lost her home but some were kept in storage. As were most of her personal belongings. Like, for instance, the piles upon piles of little kiddie clothes.

Not Alexander’s. Effie’s own.

Now, Haymitch didn’t consider himself a sentimental guy. But when he first got a load of those silly little outfits he was almost overcome with tenderness and affection. As if a kitten – Scotch maybe – just rolled over in his chest, flexing his tiny claws.

They were just so small and so ridiculous.

Princess-pink, primrose yellow, spring green and pale shades of purple like a lilac branch. Effie’s ma and pa had stockpiled the stuff like they had ten kids instead of one. Either they planned on producing a shitload of offspring or they lived by the notion that even a newborn’s outfit was to be worn only once.

“Oh, haha! Look at these!” Effie had chuckled over by the couch, holding out a pair of the tiniest high heeled baby shoes you ever saw. White with black dots and red on the inside. “I forgot I even had them. Say what you will about me, Haymitch. I had style. Right from the very beginning.”

“Yeah, totally”, he said, cross-legged on the floor, surrounded by boxes. “But those Haute Couture diapers were a waste on you. You just soiled them 24-7.”

Effie chuckled and placed the little shoes back in the box. Reached for a soft pink hooded romper instead. Velvet, by the look of it. Patterned with raspberry colored hearts.

“My parents always knew they wanted to have children”, she said. “Especially my mother. She had this romantic scenario in her head that she would be blessed with a baby on her wedding night. Or maybe even more than one. Twins run in my family, did I ever tell you?”

“Noo. Really?”

She brushed the soft fabric against her cheek. “Mama was so disappointed when it didn’t happen at the drop of a hat. They ended up trying for years to get pregnant. You know, the old-fashioned way.”

“What other ways are there?”

Effie smiled.

“Well, I for one am an IVF baby.”

 “A what?”

“IVF. In vitro fertilization. Hospital procedure. They removed one of my mother’s eggs and mixed it together with my father’s sperm. So, unlike you or Katniss or Peeta I was first on a lil’ petri dish.”

Haymitch grinned.

“Created in a lab. I should have known.”

“Just the embryo, silly! Which was then implanted into my mother’s womb. I was carried and born like any other baby. Took a few tries though. Like … half a dozen eggs or so. My father’s juices weren’t too great. It drove my mother halfway up the wall. The hormone injections she had to take.”

“Yeah, well.” Haymitch gave a light shrug. “It was worth the wait.”

Effie looked up from the romper, an amused glint in her eyes.

“Is that your way of saying you feel fortunate to have me in your life?”

“Is there any other way to put it? The way I see it, I got a pretty decent deal out of it. Three for the price of one.”

Effie chuckled and tossed a pair of baby socks his way.

“You darling you.” She folded the romper neatly and placed it in the “let’s keep” pile on the couch. “So, what do we do with all this? I mean, some we can use but the rest? Do we give it away or …?”

“Nah, too cruel. I vote that we keep ‘em. As a memory. A timestamp. ‘Effs Trinket – The early years’.”

In the end though, even the things they did keep – they hardly ever used. Not only were the clothes hella impractical to get on and off. They were also a pain to wash correctly. Shrunk super easily – especially with Haymitch in charge – and 80 % of it had to be hand washed anyway, if you didn’t want the colors to bleed.

Annabel set the birthday cake on the garden table. The soft clink pulled Haymitch out of his reverie. Amy’s eyes landed on June and the one year old instantly held her arms out with a firm whine. The blonde woman’s face brightened and the little girl soon climbed from her mother’s arms and into her auntie June’s.

The sight pinched Haymitch’s chest, immediately bringing on a self-insult.

Grow up. What’s wrong with people lovin’ them?

Nothing. Nothing at all. But he couldn’t help it. It hurt. Hurt that his daughter’s first impulse was to go to June and not him.

Annabel’s wife may have a hard time dealing with him as of late but she adored his children. They both did.

Ian was still with Effie. His little fist keeping a firm grasp on one of her dress straps.

Haymitch ached to hold him. Hug the crap out of him and seek some comfort in his softness and warmth and sweet baby smell.

But Effie wouldn’t want him to. He knew without her saying it. She didn’t trust him with them yet. Not when he was still so hangover he couldn’t even stomach a slice of birthday cake without puking on the lawn.

He downed the last of his coffee. He was going to need a lot of the stuff to get him through today. All the while, ignoring how much better it would taste with a drop or three of hard liquor.

His eyes kept returning to June, holding his daughter. Annabel said something about “sugar dream cookies” and turned for the house but her wife hardly noticed, absorbed as she was by his little girl. She tickled her tummy and the child giggled and squirmed in her embrace.

It was all he could do not to yank his kid out of her arms and yell something like “Get your own!!”

Biting the inside of his cheek, he turned and poured himself some more coffee.

She’s not taunting me on purpose.

It wasn’t June’s fault that he was a stinking hot mess who couldn’t do a thing right. Not even when his kids had a birthday.

June and Annabel had been some of the first to ever meet the twins. Even before Katniss and Peeta. Annabel at the hospital. June, a few days later.

“Want me to bring you anything?” she asked over the phone and Effie said, quick as a flash:

“Coffee. Please, a bucket of it!”

Black. Just the way she liked it. Along with some homemade cheesecake, courtesy of June.

He remembered the way her eyes lit up like a Christmas tree seeing Amy and Ian, sound asleep against Effie’s bosom. That’s where the twins liked it best, especially since their so called father was still too freaked to hold them.

“Oh, I want two myself”, Annabel had smiled, her brown eyes shiny. “Two just like them.”

“Well, don’t look at me”, Haymitch said, stretched out on the hard leather couch. “This factory’s closed.”

Effie and Annabel exchanged a look and they both chuckled.

“That’s unfortunate”, the latter said.

They were just joking around of course. And lucky him. Because after everything the two ladies had done for his family, he’d be hard-pressed to refuse.

For some reason, he never gave it much thought at the time, but seeing June with Amy just now … It got him wondering.

Why didn’t June and Annabel have any children themselves?

Sure, you could be fond of kids and great with them and still choose to be child-free. Happy to be just “mom’s fun friend” – or “mom’s wacko friend” if you were say Johanna Mason.

But June and Annabel, they seemed like the type who’d want a baby of their own. And they’d been together for like forever.

In the districts, there were of course only two ways you could have a kid. Cum shot or adoption. But, as Effie’d told him, in the Capitol – things worked differently when it came to fertility and conception. And being in a same-sex relationship with no immediate sperm producer in the household didn’t make it that much harder either. Not if you had money.

People sold their semen for cash in the big city. The hospital even made ads about it, urging people to contribute. Hell, guys like Priapus took pride in having fathered half the nation one cup at a time – to hear him tell it at least. And if you had a few eggs to spare and wanted to trade them in for the latest handbag, you needed only book an appointment.

So if June and Annabel wanted to make an omelette, they had options.

Maybe they can’t have kids.

Annabel’s story earlier. Her struggles with food. Maybe starving herself had done something to her menstrual cycle? He was no expert. Far from it. But he remembered a conversation he overheard at the Hob once. Between old Cray and some other peacekeeper.

“At the end of the day”, the full-fledged bastard said, “what you want is a real skintight lass. The flow doesn’t go over barren land, if you know what I mean?”

As for June … He couldn’t say he knew a lot about the woman. She was no open book. Not with him and especially not lately. If anything, she was the quiet, observing type. A bit like himself, maybe.

The only really private piece of information he had about her came from someone else. Plutarch. Who never knew when to shut up.

Haymitch were out grocery shopping for a very pregnant Effie and ran into him on the way back. The man had just returned after a prolonged stay in District 7. Apparently they were shooting the pilot of some wildlife documentary that the former Head Gamemaker pitched for Capitol TV. The first of 12 planned episodes. One season per district, starting in the vast woodlands with its mountain lions and coyotes and river otters. Haymitch remembered because of how much the whole project would have annoyed Johanna.

“Panem et Circenses”, Plutarch said with a land out like Whatcha gonna do? “We have to find new and exciting ways to entertain the audience. Now that the Hunger Games are a thing of the past.”

As for Effie, and her precarious situation – he knew all about it of course. Just like everyone else in town.

Haymitch, standing there in the heat with his full bags of soy milk and brussels sprouts, brown rice and melting ice cream just wanted to get the hell out of dodge but there was no stopping Plutarch Heavensbee once he got going. That man sure loved the sound of his own voice.

“… and ah, yes the Summers. Good people. All of them. I’m friends with her father”, he said. “Great polo player! A real blue-ribbon champion during his time at the University. Shame what happened to his family! Such a tragedy! They wanted a second child, you see. A boy this time. So badly. And when they were finally blessed with another pregnancy, his wife suffered a late-term miscarriage when June was about 16. Little Otho Summer Jr. Oh! An awful, bloody affair. Then some emergency surgery and … that’s that. No more children. Poor man. Was never the same.”

Complications during pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum were not uncommon back in Twelve. Before the war. Especially among the starving families of the Seam. Thank God they had Sae and Tessa Everdeen but even in their expert hands mothers and babies were lost during Snow’s long reign.

“It’s a gamble at best”, Chaff once said, when they got to talking about it. “Not a month goes by in Eleven without us hearing the hammer blows of a coffin being made. A coffin meant for two.”

Haymitch remembered this one family. A young girl who broke off her engagement after her ma went through a really bloody labor, stretching out over three whole days. In the end, Sae managed to save both mother and child but the damage was already done.

Now, he saw no reason worth shit why you’d ever want to get married and have kids in a place like Twelve in a world like Snow’s. Some agreed with him on that note. Others didn’t. In this young woman’s case there was definitely a “before” and “after”.

Sae even had a name for it.

Tokophobia. Morbid fear of childbirth.

Maybe that was the case with June?

“Would you look at that”, Effie whispered, cheek against Ian’s temple. The words pulled Haymitch out of his depressing thoughts for a second time.

His son and baby mama were admiring Annabel’s cake.

“With a teddy for a candle”, Effie smiled and kissed the top of his head. “Just like Little Bear in the bedtime story we read at night. You remember Little Bear, my darling? But oh, we forgot the matches! You can’t blow the candle out and make a wish if not first we light it. Come baby, let’s set you down for a bit while I go look for them. Want to play with your letter blocks?”

She settled their son on the picnic blanket. The one under the apple tree. Kissed his soft, downy head a second time and turned for the house. Squeezed Annabel’s shoulder in passing when the brunette re-appeared with the plate of cookies and a jug of water and cucumber slices.

Haymitch watched as Effie bounded up the front steps and was gone.

She’s stressed out of her mind.

No question about it. She hid it but he could always tell. Recognized that stiff upper lip from the Games, covered behind bright smiles and weird exclamations like “You two are in for a treat! Crystal chandeliers, platinum doorknobs.”

As if the Games weren’t bad enough. With Haymitch Abernathy on your “team”, Effie had her work cut out for her. Because of him, her attention was constantly split. Pretty much since day one and especially in the last few years prior to Katniss and Peeta’s Games.

Her mind was in a constant state of, “Time to get them both on the train and where’s Haymitch? How many drinks has he had?” or “Let’s get these children ready for their interviews and where’s Haymitch? How drunk is he now?”

Yeah, he was little more than added stress on her shoulders.

Same thing now.

But I’m not drunk today. Haven’t had a drink since last night. What’s she thinking I’m gon’ do? Get wasted right in front of my kids?

He thrust the thought from his mind. He had exactly zero right to be annoyed today.

Instead, his gaze went to Ian sitting by himself on the blanket. Haymitch set his cup on an empty spot on the garden table and turned for June. June and Amy.

“Mind if I take a balloon? For the kid. I don’t know how to work that thing.” He nodded toward the container.

June eyed him with those green orbs, then nodded.

“Sure. Help yourself.”

With no knife at his disposal, June’s killer double knots were a challenge. Ian watched his struggles and each time the branches rustled overhead, a giggle rose from under it.

Haymitch allowed himself a small smile.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Laugh at your old man.”

He worked the knot loose and extricated the balloon from the tree. Orange. Like Effie’s hair. Once upon a long time ago.

“Here. Got something for ya.”

He crouched before his son, keeping a firm hold on the end of the string. But he was a little too quick about it, wobbled and slumped back on his ass. Tiny black dots swam across his field of vision. Like specks of dust from a fire.

Ian’s round gray eyes followed his every move. Forcing his lips upward, Haymitch struggled to regain his balance. Swallowed a flood of saliva against the summersaults his stomach made.

Please. Not here. Not now.

Feeling the cool grass underneath his palm he breathed slowly through his nose. And he was in luck. For once. The nausea subsided. The ringing as well. His vision cleared, leaving him with goose bumps all over and stinging armpits.

With shaky hands he tied the balloon string around Ian’s wrist.

“There you go, sweetheart.”

The boy shook his arm eagerly. Gave a breathy grin when the balloon bobbed.

Haymitch caressed his hair. His chubby cheek. Reached for the silver baby rattle next, a old gift of Annabel’s, and struggled to his feet with the gracefulness of someone twice his age.

The rattle found a home in Amy’s hand. He gave her strawberry hair a soft caress, just like he did Ian. His eyes went to her auntie.

“I’ll get you a balloon too if you want. Or … maybe a coffee?”

The woman drew a deep sigh.

“Fine”, she said, slightly less up in arms.

Back at the table he poured another cup. Added some cream and sugar. Behind him the front door opened. Effie with the matches no doubt. He set the hot fragrant peace offering in June’s hand. Contemplated if he actually remembered all the verses of “Happy Birthday” when his gaze dropped to Ian again.

He had but ten seconds to see it before Effie did.

The sight closed his throat up, like someone actually kept a choke hold on him. His hand flew to his back pocket, confirming what his eyes were already telling him.

The hipflask.

In his son’s hands.

Ian’s chubby baby fingers grazed against the scratched silver surface while he explored the corked up lid with his mouth. Chewing on it like he did everything.

Haymitch’s feet were already moving but it was too late.

“No!” The shriek escaping Effie’s lips made them all start. She was by Ian’s side in a heartbeat. Pulled him from the ground so fast that Haymitch’s knot unravelled and the balloon floated into the sky. Up and gone.

The boy was bawling, startled by his mother’s sudden cry. Effie clutched him to her chest, holding the hipflask a meter away.

“You brought this to the party?” she spat at Haymitch. “How could you? Take this revolting thing away from the children this instant!”

#hayffie #haymitch x effie #the hunger games renaissance #effie trinket #haymitch abernathy #plutarch heavensbee #fanfiction #district 11 #the capitol #district 12 #my fanfiction

[yoonmeowzz]

ateez ! on your first date

contents: gn!reader x ateez members, fluff and lots of cliché

warnings: mention of food in hwa's, yunho's and woo's (and kinda? in mingi's)

hongjoong

this boy is definitely thrift shopping with you. he would ask your opinion on every piece of clothing that catches his eye, because he wants to look good for you (for himself too ofc but u get me). every now and then he says "this would look amazing on you". and maybe he would try to find matching accessories for the both of you.

"do you like this necklace, y/n?"

    ⠀ ⠀⠀

seonghwa

he either takes you to a coffee shop or you have a movie night at home. maybe both. some nice background music and your dumb conversations as the only sound inside the small café he took you to. and since you both were having the time of your lives, you decided to go to his house, make popcorn (the sweet ones) and watch your favourite movies.

"wanna watch the whole star wars saga?"

    ⠀ ⠀⠀

yunho

picnic date with golden retriever boy! he would even check the weather forecast some days before asking you out. you guys decided to buy your favourite snacks, but he would try to surprise you by making something on his own. like those cute heart biscuits or some avocado makis. yunho would probably play with every child or puppy that approaches your small spot on the grass. and he's definitely cleaning the corner of your mouth with his thumb even if you have nothing.

"wait, you've got something there."

    ⠀ ⠀⠀

yeosang

he would be very nervous so he chose going for a walk with you. that way you both can decide where to go and what to do. you would walk around the city, taking a look at some shops and maybe stopping at some of them to buy whatever. but his fingers would always be linked with yours. once the sky starts to get darker he would insist on dropping you at your place, even if it's on the opposite direction of his. he's just making sure you're safe.

"don't let go my hand, i don't want to lose you."

    ⠀ ⠀⠀

san

since he's really good at videogames (and he may want to show off a little bit), he'd take you to an arcade. he would teach you how to play his favourite ones and once you're used to all the dynamics he would get a little competitive. but he's obviously letting you win some games so he can see your smile on full display. after you've played almost all the games there, he would try to get you a plushie or whatever reward you ask for at the claw machine.

"it's not fair! you're getting really good at this, y/n."

    ⠀ ⠀⠀

mingi

he wanted you to decide where to go on your first date, so you chose a theme park. they're fun and you can get a lot of prizes, what else can you ask for? mingi is very jumpy, so he wouldn't be so excited at first. but he would enjoy your date anyways. you went for the soft rides like the cups or the carousel. but at some point he agreed to go into the haunted house. bad idea, he would be screaming and hiding behind your back (or trying to) all the time. at the end you would buy some snacks and call it a day.

"i really like you, but i'm never going in there again."

    ⠀ ⠀⠀

wooyoung

wooyoung enjoys cooking. and there's nothing better than cooking something for the first time with someone you like. you both searched some new recipes to try out and once you decided what to make you went to buy the ingredients together. you guys would be laughing most of the time. it doesn't matter for woo if it tastes bad in the end, he's happy that you had a great time together.

"let's just order something instead, i don't want us to die from food poisoning."

    ⠀ ⠀⠀

jongho

his voice is really something else, so you would go to a karaoke on your first date just to have a private concert together. at first y'all would sing iconic songs, jumping around and singing your lungs out. just having fun with each other. but at the end jongho would choose a slow love song something like perfect by ed sheeran and he would not stop looking at you while he's singing. once he finishes he'd be kinda embarrassed but glad that you liked it.

"darling, you look perfect tonight."

    ⠀ ⠀⠀

#kpop #ateez #ateez headcanons #ateez x reader #seonghwa x reader #hongjoong x reader #yunho x reader #yeosang x reader #mingi x reader #san x reader #wooyoung x reader #jongho x reader #kpop male reader #kpop headcanons

[pixiemage]

(for the ask game)

Ehhhh you know what

Antidisestablishmentarianism /j

Okay here’s the real word

Crystals

[For the WIP Snippets Ask Game]

Ohhh good pick, good pick! Funnily enough I have two stories with that word in it, one Scarian and the other Flower Ranchers. The Scarian option is a bit more angsty (for now) so maybe I'll leave you with the more lighthearted option 😋

Flower Ranchers AU with Empires S1 lore, where modern-day Tango finds a crystalized statue of Empires!Jimmy and Scott and is surprised when, upon touching it, it turns out to be less of a statue than he first thought...

(...) The guy - Jimmy - seemed to finally get his bearings to a degree, because he raised himself up to a half-sitting position to face Tango more fully - and his eyes went so wide Tango was sure they’d bug out of his skull. He made an inhuman sound - probably piscine in nature - and scrambled backward away from Tango. He toppled off the far side of the plinth before Tango could stop him, tumbling over a bench on his way to the ground, and before Tango had even had a chance to follow him and make sure he was alright Jimmy was in a crouched position on the cobblestone, his tail curled out for balance and his eyes dark and his sharp teeth bared. “Corruption,” he hissed, and Tango blinked at him, not quite sure how to respond. “Uh–” Tango chuckled weakly. “What now?” “Don’t play dumb, I can see your eyes!” Jimmy snapped, his finned tail lashing through the air. “You’re one of the corrupted! You’re with them! Where am I? What’ve you done?” When Tango had woken up this morning, he hadn’t really had much of a plan for the day. A bit of travel, maybe some sightseeing - the rabbit they had appeared along the road into town had been a nice surprise. But this? This? Waking some sort of ancient crystal statue from its slumber only for it to get pissed at him and start spitting weird gibberish words at him? Yeah, that definitely hadn’t been on today’s bingo card.(...)

(And because I can't help myself, a Scarian snippet below the cut :3)

(...)Grian barely stuck the landing, his wings still attempting to catch air as he scrambled up the last few feet of cobblestone path. He shoved the door open, the solid wood bouncing off the opposite wall with a bang - but he was too late. He'd figured it out too late - too late by far. The proof was there before he even saw Scar's face. The crooked tower at the top of the mountain and its shop, usually so full of life - they felt still. Too still. Colorful crystals sat untouched on the countertop, their internal glow dimmed to near nothing, and the spell books and potions and ingredients that often hovered between the shelves of their own accord had gone motionless. The very air was still, stale, eerily silent. Unnerving. Wrong. Grian's wings shuddered against his back and he slowly dragged his eyes to the winding staircase curling its way up the inner wall of the tower. He took to the stairs without much thought, muscle memory guiding him upward though he dreaded what he might find there. The door at the top was cracked by a hair, the living space beyond feeling just as unsettling as the floor below. Grian could feel a light breeze coming from the gap, though it did little to quell his fears. He pushed the door open, his heart hammering in his ears, and– "Scar…" The name escaped him in a hoarse, pained whisper.(...)

...it has a happy ending, I promise ^^;;;

#WIP Snippets Ask Game #Ask the Mage #lady-astras asks #Flower Ranchers #Team Rancher #Trafficshipping #Scarian #Pixiemage Writes #Solidaritek #Ask Game

[hyacinthoideshispanica]

An idea for a Gwynriel college/fake-dating au

Azriel's mother is visiting him at college for the first time, and he wants her to think he's a responsible adult who knows how to cook real, healthy food. Not just ordering pizza and reheating takeout. So he goes to the library to check out some cookbooks, and Gwyn, who works there, helps him out.

Azriel, carrying a stack of at least 15 different cookbooks to the checkout station: I'll take all of these, please.

Gwyn: Ummm....wow. Alright then, if you don't mind me asking, why so many cookbooks? Are you majoring in culinary arts?

Azriel: Not even close, I'm just cooking dinner for my Mom tonight.

Gwyn: Are you making her a 15-course meal with one recipe from each book?

Azriel:... It's too much, huh?

Gwyn: Definitely. Maybe I can help you. What kinds of food does your mom like?

Azriel: She's not very picky, but we tended to eat more simple stuff when I was growing up.

Gwyn: Ok. Well, if you're going for simple, I think we can take out the fancy French cookbooks...

Eventually, they narrow it down to three, and as he's walking away, looking through the recipes, Azriel realizes he has almost none of the ingredients for any of them at home, and he has to go grocery shopping.

Gwyn materializes at his side and hands him a paper and pen.

Gwyn: My shift ends in twenty minutes. Why don't you write out everything you need for tonight, and I'll help you grab it at the store. That way, you'll have plenty of time to get home and cook.

25 minutes later, Azriel is in his car, following Gwyn's little teal blue car with a pegasus decal on the back to the grocery store in town. Azriel had been there before, during the first week of classes, but as time went on, he just found it easier to order takeout, grab stuff from the campus cafeteria, or stop by the small convenience store by his apartment for food instead of going 30 minutes into town.

He parks next to Gwyn, and she's already out of her car, leaning against the hood, waiting for him.

Gwyn: By the way, we never really introduced ourselves. I'm Gwyn.

Azriel introduces himself, and they go into the store and start hunting through the aisles.

Azriel notices Gwyn grab some tea and a few packs of cookies.

Azriel: Those aren't on the list.

Gwyn: Oh, these are for me. You're not the only one who needed to come here today. But you should probably grab some extra stuff, too. After all, don't you want your mom to think you regularly shop? You gotta make it look realistic.

Gwyn tosses a few large bags of chips and a case of beer into the cart to make her point, and Azriel follows through, adding some of his favorite protein shakes and a pack of pudding cups to the cart.

Gwyn: So, I've seen you around campus a few times, but ever really in the library. What's your major?

Azriel: (I can't think of anything), yours?

Gwyn: Norse Mythology. I'm fascinated by the Valkyries.

They talk a little more as they load their bags into their cars, and Azriel gets a text from his mom saying that her flight is actually landing sooner than expected, and she'll be there in a few hours. Azriel panics because he won't have time to finish cooking everything, and again, Gwyn offers to help so things go faster.

They get back to his apartment and start cooking. Azriel prepares a salad while Gwyn makes a quick batch of dinner rolls from scratch. They put the chicken, covered in lemon and herbs, in the oven to roast. And then make some brownies for dessert.

Azriel profusely thanks Gwyn for her help, saying he owes her big time and she shrugs it off, saying she'll gladly accept some leftover brownies as payment, and Azriel promises to bring her some tomorrow. Then, when he opens the door of his apartment to walk her out, they run directly into his mother.

Azriel's mother sees Gwyn and assumes she is her son's girlfriend and immediately invites her to stay and eat with them. Gwyn awkwardly accepts, and an even more awkward dinner ensues.

Azriel's mother: So, how did you meet?

Gwyn: Well, I'd seen him around campus a bit, but we didn't officially meet until he came into the library where I work.

Azriel: I needed some books but didn't really know what I was looking for. She was a big help.

Azriel can't help smiling at Gwyn appreciatively, and she blushes a little while smiling back. Azriel's mother sees and makes a comment about how Azriel never mentioned a girlfriend before, and Gwyn covers for him by explaining that they only made things official recently and she wasn't expecting to meet his mother so soon.

Azriel's mother ends up visiting for, like, a month and the entire time, Azriel and Gwyn fully commit to a fake-dating trope, and of course, real feelings develop.

Bonus idea: This happens freshman year, and the next year, when his mother gets ready to visit again, she says she can't wait to see Gwyn again.

After their month of fake dating last year, Azriel and Gwyn do still talk and hang out sometimes. They even have a class together this semester. So one day, he asks her if she's willing to pretend again. She agrees, she really liked his mom and she knows he'll pay her in brownies.

And so, at least once a year, they fully commit to pretending to be a couple, and during her visit during senior year, she pulls Azriel aside and asks when he's planning to propose.

It's at this point that Azriel realizes just how badly he's fallen for Gwyn over the years, but he thinks she sees him as just a friend (she doesn't). So, one day, he's talking to Gwyn and suggests they "break up," and to his surprise, Gwyn seems very upset by this. He tries to smooth things over by making a joke about how he'll still make her brownies, and that just makes things worse. Gwyn stalks off and ignores Azriel's attempts to talk to her. A few days go by, and Nesta and Emerie, Gwyn's best friends, show up at Azriel's doorstep and scold him for toying with Gwyn's heart for years because he was too much of a coward to tell his mother the truth.

What neither woman realizes is that Azriel's mother is in the next room and can hear every word. She comes out and asks Azriel what they're talking about, and after the girls leave, he sits down and tells his mom the truth. That Gwyn was never his girlfriend. He met her the same day she did, and he just wanted her to think that he was doing fine on his own, so he got Gwyn to pretend for him. But he actually has feelings for her now, but she doesn't feel the same.

Azriel's mom tells him, affectionately, that he's an idiot. Gwyn clearly has feelings for him and encourages him to go fix things with her.

As always, I don't have the talent to write an actual fic, so this prompt is up for grabs.

#fic prompt #gwynriel au #gwynriel fic prompt #acotar au #acotar fanfiction #gwyneth berdara #azriel shadowsinger

[auroraesmeraldarose]

Rafael/Coral Island fanfic p5 (?)

It is almost 1am and I’ve not slept properly for a week. I have to teach 4 of 5 lessons tomorrow. I have lost all confidence in my writing. I’m not even sure I exist rn. This one is kind of boring but it’s setup for the next one which involves me deciding Rafael is a boob guy. Just let me have this my dudes because I have lost my mind. (Also I kind of love the brotherly love/resentment … definitely doing something with that later on.)

//////

Rafael was leaning against the wall of the forge staring at his phone, unblinking. He had composed the message a hundred times in his head, but couldn’t get the words right. How could he say “I miss you” without sounding pathetic? He felt stupid; he talked to Rose a couple of times a week as she swung by with geodes to crack or tools to repair and a million other things that were starting to feel a little too frequent to be completely coincidental... She always came by in the afternoon, too, usually when Pablo had taken the morning shift and already left. Rafael hoped that wasn’t a coincidence, but he knew a farmer’s work did usually get done in the morning, so didn’t dare hope too hard. He had continued toying with the idea of turning the emerald she had found into something beautiful for her, but every time he sat down to work on it he convinced himself it was a bad idea, and he was being stupid, before locking it back in the chest at the foot of his bed. Now, he hadn’t seen her for a week, and he was longing to hear the bell over the door jingle and her calling “Hey, hero!”

He had been busy getting lights and decorations ready for the Cherry Blossom Potluck, and so hadn’t been in the shop as much as usual. He imagined her walking in and seeing Pablo instead, and wondered if she had a nickname for his brother, too. The thought hurt, and he substituted it with a mental image of her looking disappointed at not seeing Rafael there instead. He knew it was entirely imaginary, and probably she couldn’t care less about which of them was there when she turned up… but… he sighed, and slipped the phone back in his pocket, dejectedly. He was being an idiot. She was beautiful and friendly and kind, and honestly maybe a little crazy at times, and he was… nothing. He wasn’t Rafael the hero, he was Rafael the dumb little brother that nobody seemed to remember. He went back to work, with a furious pace that had nothing to do with being busy.

On the other side of town, Rose smiled to herself as she collected her first jar of honey from her very own beehive. She had always, always wanted bees, ever since she was little; her grandma had kept bees on the farm, and taught Rose how to care for them. She didn’t even like honey that much, there was just something about bees that had always made her smile. The first thing she’d done when she’d arrived had been to install a beehive and get her own swarm, and it had finally paid off; honestly, if they had never made any honey at all she would have kept them just for the hum, but this tiny jar felt like a very tangible victory. It hadn’t been an easy first couple of months… She had considered giving up once or twice, but the thought of going back to the city where she had been so deeply depressed was worse than the hard work and constant fear of failure here. And still, there were more victories; she had found a talent for fishing which was mildly ironic given her own distaste for fish, and they sold well here on the island. She’d caught a particularly good salmon that day which she kept on ice ready for the Cherry Blossom Potluck tomorrow. She wasn’t so sure about a big soup made of random ingredients donated by everyone, but Alice had been adamant it was “vital to the culture of the island,” and Rose needed to fit in - so the salmon would be her contribution. Alice had given her a rundown of what the festival entailed, and Rose had laughed at Alice’s description of herself as Rafael’s “personal crowd-shield” during the festival. Rose hadn’t seen him all week, and was trying hard not to give in to the urge to message him… He clearly got nervous at too much attention, and she didn’t want him to feel like she was bugging him. On the other hand… He did seem to enjoy talking to her, and maybe just one, casual, chill message would be okay?

She couldn’t resist. Pulling her phone from the pocket of her jeans she opened a new message and began typing, stopping to think in between every few words.

<Hey hero :)>

She sat in thought for a moment… what was her excuse? Maybe something about the festival? But Alice and Rafael were family, and she could bet that anything she had said to Alice about the festival already could get back to him… If she asked something she had already spoken to Alice about, it might end up looking obvious that she was just finding excuses. On the other hand, it could also corroborate that she did actually want to know the answer, maybe something Alice had mentioned, but not elaborated on? She was overthinking this, she knew.

<Dumb question; do people dress up for the potluck tomorrow? Asked Alice, but you know how she feels about clothes - beige and comfy! Don’t want to look out of place, nervous enough already… x>

She pressed send before she could think too hard about what an idiotic message it was. As if she was asking Rafael for fashion advice… she rolled her eyes at herself. Why didn’t she say something about the food? That would have made way more sense, Rafael loved food! She flushed with shame at her own stupidity, rammed her phone back into her pocket, and tried desperately to lose herself in her work.

Rafael didn’t feel his phone buzz in his pocket, or hear it ping; he was still crashing away at the anvil, looking like a thundercloud filled his head. Pablo had noticed, and wondered what his problem was… He had a suspicion, but didn’t dare voice it, in case he set his brother off even more. It had been a while since he had seen Rafael and Rose together though, and it was painfully obvious how into each other they were, even if they were completely incapable of admitting it.

“Was that your phone, Raf?” Pablo had already looked at his, and anyway, his made a much cooler noise when he got messages, much more frequently than Rafael ever did.

Rafael had grunted, clearly not listening to what Pablo said, and looked up questioningly.

“Your phone, Rafaelito? I thought I heard it… Maybe it’s that cute farmer girl you’re always messaging in the evenings when you think I’m not looking,” he grinned, unable to help poking the bear a little bit. And anyway, it was true! Rafael hardly ever used his phone, but since Rose had arrived it always sat on the arm of the couch of an evening when they were watching TV, and sometimes even distracted Rafael from the horror movies he loved so much. Pablo hadn’t commented on it until now; knowing how painfully shy Raf was, he was glad to see he’d found someone to talk to. He was, he admitted to himself, slightly annoyed that he had managed to bag such a hottie, which was usually Pablo’s territory, but he figured his brother was probably owed some good luck with ladies.

By the time Pablo had finished the thought, Rafael had pulled off his gloves and read the message, a smile finally displacing the thunderous look he’d had all morning. Pablo was impressed; Raf hadn’t even taken the bait and replied to the teasing comment… So it must have been her. She was the only one who could make him do that goofy, pathetic smile. Pablo rolled his eyes and went into the kitchen to grab a drink, and to give the boy some privacy to work on a reply.

<Not a dumb question, I get what you mean about being nervous, I hate crowds. I just wear whatever’s clean, don’t think people really dress up - hard to do a sack race in nice clothes!> He wrote the message, but didn’t send it, and followed Pablo to the kitchen.

“Pab… Help.” Rafael’s face was burning red, and he hated himself for asking Pablo for help, but he hadn’t spoken to Rose in a week, and really didn’t want to screw it up. He held the phone out towards his brother, then sank his face into his arms on the kitchen counter, ready for whatever mocking, teasing, and bullying Pablo would have for him.

Pablo read the message, and the unsent reply. He sighed. They both really sucked at this.

“I’m going to leave the hero thing alone for now, because you are clearly not in the mood for it… But I will be returning to it when you’re least expecting it.” Pablo smiled, and patted his brother’s shoulder. “Little bro, what I would reply to that message is not what you should reply. I, obviously, being a man who knows his way around a woman’s heart… well, maybe not her heart, but y’know…” he grinned a little, then remembered he wasn’t here to remind Raf of what a proficient ladies’ man his big brother was. “If it were me, I’d tell her she’d look amazing in whatever she wore… And even more amazing if she wore nothing at all.” Rafael hadn’t responded in words, but groaned, his face still pressed into his folded arms on the counter. Pablo continued quickly, “but it’s not me, little bro, it’s you, and I think if you typed that you would probably explode into a million fiery little pieces. So, I think you should send what you’ve written.” Rafael looked up, his face redder than the forge.

“Seriously?” He looked desperately at Pablo.

“Seriously, Rafaelito. Just be yourself; she obviously likes you, have you seen the way she blushes at you? But you have to put a kiss at the end. That’s the rules. If a girl puts a kiss, and you like her at all, you put one back. Bet you a beer that her next one has two kisses, because that’s how women work.” He slapped his brother on the back, and handed back the phone. “Add a kiss, press send. And for the love of the goddess, ‘hero’ hurry up and actually kiss her, so I don’t have to deal with this awkwardness much longer!” Pablo laughed at the look on Rafael’s face, and went back into the other room.

Rafael agonised for a few seconds, wondering if he could bring himself to add the first part of what Pablo had suggested… She would look great in anything… He knew there was no way he could say the bit about wearing nothing at all, although it was true. If his face could have been any deeper crimson, it would have been, and he quickly turned back to the message in the hope of getting the image of Rose’s clothes slipping off out of his mind, only for it to be replaced by the thought of him kissing her, his arms wrapped around her unclothed body. He slammed the “x” into the end of the message and forcefully pressed send, before dropping the phone on the counter like it was red hot and going back to the anvil.

Rose read the message the instant it came through… She was trying not to be too keen, but she couldn’t help herself. She had gotten so used to talking to Rafael, and admittedly, thinking about him quite a lot too when she had a chance… There was a kiss at the end! Her heart raced. They had only sent a couple of messages to each other, he wasn’t really one for being on a phone, and she always ended hers to him with a little “x,” but he had never replied with one… until now. She desperately wanted to keep the conversation going, but what to say? He had answered her question, and hadn’t added anything she could really follow up… Maybe blatant sarcasm was the way, that always helped, right? Make a joke, keep things light?

<Thanks! You’ve saved the day once again, hero. So, six-inch heels and a mini-dress, right? Looking forward to seeing you there… xx>

A while later, when Rafael read the message, he laughed and, beaming, went to get Pablo a beer. That evening, after Pablo had gone out, he retrieved the emerald from the chest at the foot of his bed once more.

#coral island rafael #fanfic #rafael coral island #coral island #fluff #send help

[vincanzu]

the scars we share.

genshin impact soulmate au | kazuha x reader, tomo x reader

chapter 1 : hey pretty stranger

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It’s days like this where you feel like slapping the young master of the Kamisato Estate over his head.

Because why, of all days, did he decide to subject Thoma’s poor stomach to another one of his unusual and definitely-should-not-be-eaten hotpot ingredients the day before the estate was receiving a guest for once?! And he had the audacity to spout at you one of his many nonsensical excuses.

“I heard that if cooked under the right conditions, it’s actually quite tasty.”

“What makes you think that fluorescent fungus that was, very clearly, still glowing was cooked under the right conditions?”

He merely offers you a seemingly innocent grin in response, and you want nothing more than to wipe it off of his face.

You knew that Thoma is one of the most patient people you’ve ever known. So despite his attempts to run away everytime he sees the usually stoic Commissioner with a hint of mischief in his eyes, he never really got angry when Ayato successfully and forcefully feeds him another one of his weird “foods” that he probably picked up from the side of the road, even if it renders him immobile for the entire day. But just because he’s had years to get used to Ayato’s antics doesn’t mean that Ayato should take his patience for granted.

Then again, perhaps Thoma’s fondness for his soulmate would dissipate any amount of anger or annoyance he was supposed to feel in the first place.

Thoma’s soulmate mark was a peculiar one, and rather difficult to figure out. As if the chief retainer wasn’t empathetic enough towards anyone he comes across, he was blessed with the ability to feel the current emotions of his soulmate. Although, that connection doesn’t really help him in the slightest when anyone around him could be feeling the exact same emotion at once.

It was also a blessing, then, that his soulmate had one of the simplest soulmate marks given to him. You remember Thoma introducing himself to you and the siblings for the first time, and you all instantly connected the dots between his name and the name written on Ayato’s wrist.

Still, soulmate or not, it was wrong of him to make Thoma go through all that pain! Not that a day without Thoma to do his half of the housework would gather much dust in the dark corners of the estate, he deserves a break every once in a while too. But whenever something like this happens, you’ll have to take over some of Thoma’s errands as a fixer in the city which you’re not… very used to. Especially when you need context prior to meeting up with the person you need to assist.

Fortunately for you though, the person you have to meet up with today is an all-too-familiar and friendly face.

“Oh, (Name), it’s been so long! Thoma’s not coming today?” Yoimiya beams at the sight of you walking up the stairs to the Naganohara Fireworks shop, waving at you excitedly. Unsurprisingly, in the open space in front of her shop, a young kid sat in front of a certain crimson oni you had the pleasure of meeting a while ago, playing cards together.

“Really, Yoimiya? You haven’t seen me in so long, and you’re asking about Thoma?” You frown at her, placing a hand on your chest in mock-hurt. “What kind of a friend are you?”

“You know that’s not what I meant, I thought I was supposed to see Thoma today, okay?!” Yoimiya pouts at you, placing her hands on her hips as you laugh lightly and gently bump her shoulder in reassurance. “Don’t tell me it’s because of Ayato again.”

“When is it ever not because of Ayato?” You sigh exasperatedly, recalling how Ayato went all out with the hotpot ingredients the previous night. It was a miracle that you and Ayaka somehow avoided his more... dangerous additions.

Now that you thought about it, you suppose that you weren’t going to have a lot of opportunities to relax or hang out with your best friends of the Kamisato Clan in the upcoming weeks. There was a reason you’re meeting up with Yoimiya today, after all.

“Right, so how much did you manage to discuss with Thoma last time?”

“Ah, give me a sec!” Quickly, she runs into the shop, coming out a few moments later with some papers in hand. “Thoma said that he— or, uh, in this case, you’d be bringing the usual paper slips for the fireworks you guys request for every year. But! He also said that we could add some new custom designs if we wanted.”

“Yep, we’ll be paying for the new designs too.” You carefully take out the paper slips with some of the Kamisato Clan’s special firework designs, handing them over to Yoimiya who happily takes them.

“Alright! Then, the payment can wait until you come back next week to check the new designs and if it’s all good, we’ll go ahead with producing them!” She explains, and you simply nod at her in agreement.

While Thoma’s ‘fixer’ duties in assisting the general public were not something you were well versed in (considering the vast variety of situations he gets involved with), festival preparations are nothing new for someone who’s been working for the Yashiro Commission for a long time. Yes, festivals also require negotiations here and there, but it was a topic that you were very familiar with.

“Seems like the Tanabata Festival’s gonna be a lot more lively this time around.” She finishes writing down the details of your order and looks up from the papers to you. “Any particular reason?”

“I don’t know why they’re making it a bit more grand this year either, to be honest.” With how Ayato’s exhaustion and stress only seemed to get worse by the day, it was only natural that you all suggested for the Yashiro Commission to take it easy for this year’s Tanabata Festival. But for some unknown reason, Ayato insisted that the commission made it a little extra special this time.

Whatever his reason is, you all gave up on questioning it.

You and Yoimiya proceeded to wrap up your discussion by filling in and confirming some minor details about the fireworks, and you were just about to bid her farewell until she stopped you.

“By the way...”

Sighing, you raise at eyebrow at her inquiringly. “Yes..?”

“How’s Ayaka holding up?”

Ah yes, another one of your closest friends who has already found their soulmate.

In truth, Ayaka and Yoimiya have technically known each other ever since the both of them could learn how to read and write. It wasn’t until Ayaka started doing more work for the Yashiro Commission, and having to go out more often to strengthen the commission’s social ties, did they properly met in person. To say their first meeting was one of the sweetest moments you’ve ever witnessed was an understatement.

Ayaka, too, has been a lot busier recently, to no one’s surprise. She’s certainly doing a better job at hiding her own exhaustion compared to her brother, but as a close friend who lives in the same house as her, you’re not so easy to fool. You couldn’t exactly blame Yoimiya for being concerned as well.

“Why don’t you ask her yourself through writing? Isn’t that what you usually do?”

“You think I haven’t done just that?” She sighs, crossing her arms helplessly. “Obviously, she doesn’t want me to worry so she’s not gonna tell me herself if something’s wrong. Just look out for her for me, will you?”

“Always have, and always will.” You pat her comfortingly on her shoulder, before turning on your heel. “Well then, I’m off! We’ve got a guest tomorrow, so I gotta go buy some ingredients. Still got a lot of work to do back home.”

“Oh, speaking of food,” she waits for you to look back at her before pointing towards the huge tree near the bottom of the stairs, “Could you check up on the cats and dogs underneath the tree Thoma usually goes to? He always feeds them when he comes here. I’d check on them myself right now, but...”

She gestures to the two figures sitting in front of her shop, still locked in on their intense trading card battle. “Somebody’s gotta keep an eye on these two rascals.”

“Sure thing, I was planning to anyway. Thoma asked me to get their food from Shimura-san.” Finally, you wave her (along with Itto and the kid) goodbye with a smile, making your way up the bigger flights of stairs.

—

If you had to name one good thing about taking over Thoma’s errands for the day, it was surrounding yourself with some of the cutest cats and dogs in Hanamizaka.

Sure, you could just go here everyday with Thoma to feed them regularly, but most days you have to accompany Ayaka and help out the other workers at the estate, and end up too exhausted by the end of the day to walk all the way to the city just to see his little friends.

You barely reached the bottom of the stairs in front of the fireworks shop when one of the dogs practically zoomed towards you, which you instantly recognize as ‘Rex’, with his tongue sticking out in excitement. Laughing gleefully, you lead the little guy back to the rest of his friends under the huge tree.

Sitting on the ground in front of them, you place the bag of food beside you and look around to see if all of the cats and dogs were here. Although you knew that sometimes, they liked to scatter and run off exploring somewhere close by.

“Let’s see... Darko’s here, as well as Petal... There’s Cookie and Lily, too. Huh, Goldilocks isn’t around, that’s new.”

Petal begins pawing at your legs, and you promptly take out the fish and meat to put in their bowls. They had warmed up to you a long time ago, letting you pet and stroke them freely, much to your joy and satisfaction.

You were in the middle of playfully rubbing Darko’s belly and cooing at him when you started hearing high pitched mewls. Confusedly, you look around the nearby area. That had to have been a kitten.

Which was weird, because all of the cats here were about a few years, or several months old at least.

‘Is it coming from behind the tree..?’ You let go of Darko and stand up, slowly making your way behind the tree so as to not startle the little one.

As expected, a small, white kitten was curled up into a ball, shaking fearfully while one of the other cats cautiously tries approaching it. It must’ve just woken up, considering you didn’t hear anything from it until now. You try reaching out to it, only to startle it when your hand made contact.

“It’s okay, sweetie, I’m not gonna hurt you...” Carefully, you lift it from the ground and bring it closer to your chest in an attempt to warm it up. It was so tiny in both of your hands, it couldn’t have been more than two weeks old. You tried looking around for any unfamiliar cats, to no avail. Where was its mother?

“That kitty wasn’t here yesterday.”

“AHH!”

Flinching in surprise, you quickly turn around to find the source of the unfamiliar voice, covering the kitten protectively.

Right behind you stood a man with light blonde hair tied into a high ponytail, your eyes trailing down to a scar across the bridge of his nose. He’s wearing a crimson haori over a black nagagi, with a blue scarf wrapped loosely around his neck. You could barely see it, but his Vision peeked out from the top of his scarf, most likely attached to the piece of clothing around his neck.

It wasn’t until your eyes met his lilac ones, and you notice them widening slightly, did you realize that you were staring at him in silence for who knows how long.

Immediately, you turn away from him in embarrassment, feeling your face heat up profusely. Gods, his little chuckle afterwards did not help you in the slightest.

This stranger was, undeniably, very cute.

“Sorry, sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.” Hearing his footsteps approach you, you turn to see him crouching beside you and gently petting Lily on the head, who had walked up to him just as eagerly as she did towards you.

‘Huh, he must visit them a lot for them to be this comfortable around him.’

“I don’t see you around here often.”

He looks up from Lily to you, and you flinch again at his gaze. You clear your throat awkwardly, bringing your attention back to the little guy (or girl, maybe? It’s too early to tell). The poor thing was still trembling, but it wasn’t shaking as badly as it did earlier.

“Yeah, uhh, I don’t really come here a lot. Usually, it’s my friend that visits them, but he couldn’t come so I’m taking his place for today,” you explain.

At that, the man suddenly stops scratching the cat. He seemed to contemplate something for a moment before smiling and resuming his scratching.

“I see,” is all he says in response.

How strange.

“How’s the little fella doing?” he asks, and you look back at the kitten curled up in your hands. Its eyes had fully opened by now, revealing deep blue irises staring up at you cutely.

“It’s warmer now... I don’t have any milk with me to feed it though, it’s probably hungry.”

You consider going all the way back up the stairs to Shimura’s restaurant to buy some milk, but with the hues of orange and purple that were beginning to paint the sky...

“Ah, I need to get back soon!” Reluctantly, you stand up from your spot, still keeping the kitten in your grasp. Its mewls had softened for now, but they still caused a sharp pang of pity in your heart. You turn to the man beside you. “Is it alright if you go buy some milk for it? Shimura-san should be selling some.”

“Oh, of course.” He holds out his hands towards you, and you gingerly hand over the kitten to him before he asks, “You don’t wanna bring it back?”

You shake your head regretfully. “Unfortunately, I can’t. We don’t really have the time to care for pets back home. There’s a reason why my friend hasn’t brought any of them back, either. If it were up to him, he’d probably adopt all of them in a heartbeat.”

“Then, you can leave the little one to me.”

You widen your eyes at him in surprise. “You’re gonna keep it? Really?”

“Yes, really.” He smiles softly, looking down to the kitten and scratching its chin, before continuing, “I don’t wanna leave it here at night when it’s cold, especially when we don’t know for sure that its mother would come back or not.”

You couldn’t help the way your heart swelled at the sight of his earnest smile. Bringing your gaze back to your new little friend, you realize how it looked even tinier in his larger hands and Archons, it was too much to handle. He brings the kitten closer to his face, flashing an even brighter smile, if that was somehow possible.

“Don’t worry, little one, I’ll make sure no harm comes to you when you’re under my care!”

“Meow..!”

Okayyy, time to go before your heart could burst from cuteness overload.

You hastily turn away from the man with a wave, hiding your reddening cheeks from him. “I’ll be on my way, then. Thanks for keeping me comp—AAHHH!”

As if to humiliate you in front of the handsome stranger a bit more, Goldilocks finally decides to show up out of nowhere and happily tackles you to the ground. Hard.

“Are you alright?!” Carefully, the man shifts the kitten’s position and tries holding it in one hand, outstretching his other free arm towards you. The kitten lets out another mewl, as if it was concerned for you too.

“Goodness, Goldilocks, when did you get so heavy?” You gently push the overly excitable Shiba Inu off of your chest, grabbing hold of the man’s arm and hoisting yourself up off the ground. Rubbing your now sore back, you face the Shiba with a huff. “Goldie, the food’s already in the bowl. You might wanna eat before your siblings finish it all.”

She only keeps staring at you, tail wagging and tongue sticking out. You sigh guiltily.

“I have to get back home, okay? I’ll play with you another time.” You lean down to give her a brief scratch behind the ears, smiling fondly as she finally walks away to get her food.

“I didn’t know they already had names,” the man smirks at you in amusement.

“Oh, yeah, my friend does most of the naming. So... you can expect some odd names for most of them,” you respond, sheepishly rubbing the back of your neck. He hums thoughtfully then, lifting the kitten a little higher.

“Then... why don’t you decide a name for this kitty?”

“M-me?” you point towards yourself in surprise.

“Why not?” He brings the kitten closer to your face. “You’re the one who found it after all. It’s only fair.”

Your eyes flickered back and forth between the man and the kitten, his warm smile expectant and the kitten’s gaze adorably confused. It didn’t take long for a suitable name to come up in your head, considering the kitten wasn’t old enough for you to be able to tell its gender yet. You lean in close once more, stroking the feline’s tiny head.

“Yuki. Your name is Yuki.”

—

While on the subject of names, you realize disappointingly when you arrived at the estate that you didn’t even think to ask for the man’s name throughout the whole time you spent with him. But you snap yourself out of your disappointment as quickly as it came. Reassuring yourself that surely, you were bound to bump into him again in the city at some point in the future.

Either way, whether you meet him again or not, it probably didn’t matter.

He couldn’t feel your pain when you fell down earlier, after all.

⬦ TAGLIST (currently open, send an ask to be added! )

@plinkuro @mc-park

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#genshin impact #genshin impact x reader #genshin x reader #kaedehara kazuha #kazuha #kaedehara kazuha x reader #kazuha x reader #tomo x reader #mia writes 📝

[softeninglooks]

tendou satori | tendou’s birthday

"tendou bakes us cakes every year when our birthdays come around. we need to give him something great. especially since we're seeing him 𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯."

ohira was right, there was no point in denying it. tendou needed a great present, and although five former team-mates flying all the way to paris to wish him a happy birthday could be considered big enough of a surprise, shiratorizawa's alumni weren't going to stop at that. tendou's present needed to rival tendou himself in scale and colourfulness.

"i could perform a song," semi suggested eagerly, strumming on an imaginary guitar. "if my guitar doesn't get destroyed in the plane, that is. or i could bring along a ukulele." "i have a feeling tendou would love it," shirabu approved, much less inspired to find a solution for their friend's gift. truth be told, no one on the team was nearly as enthusiastic as tendou when it came to extravagant gifts.

"great, the song will do," ohira decided contentedly. "but there's also something we need to do as a group."

"maybe..." ushijima spoke, his calm, low voice immediately attracting the attention of his friends. "we could bake something for him. it could make him happy that we partake in his interests."

"good idea! but can you bake, ushijima-san?" goshiki inquired, slightly dubious although he appeared convinced by the suggestion.

"no."

"can anyone else?" ohira asked hopefully, looking at his former team-mates in turn. all shook their heads, and shirabu sighed deeply.

"okay. well, this is going to be fun."

"yes." ushijima nodded, much to everyone's amusement.

nobody could really tell whether he truly meant it or simply backed up shirabu's skepticism as regards their baking skills. either way, it seemed like it had been decided - baking it was! and if everything went well, a delicious strawberry shortcake should appear at tendou's table on may the 20th.

*

the plane landed smoothly at paris charles de gaulle airport after twelve long hours. for a professional athlete like ushijima, flying such distances had become common, but most of his friends had spent the first hours of the flight gazing into the windows, amazed by how small tokyo grew underneath them as they went up higher, soon to be surrounded by nothing but the bright blue sky and fluffy hills formed out of white clouds.

they landed in paris on the following day - and first on the agenda was to get all the necessary ingredients to bake a strawberry shortcake. goshiki took care of finding a step-by-step recipe online, while ushijima and ohira were in charge of bribing the hotel staff into lending them cooking utensils and a variety of pots and glasses.

ohira was definitely not above using ushijima's fame to their advantage, and his friend quickly found himself signing autographs and taking pictures with some star-struck employees who had recognized the athelete. wakatoshi's gratefully posed with everyone, and although the incorrigible uneasiness of his smile showed through all the pictures, ohira could tell that he really was doing his best. he patted his oblivious friend's shoulder with a proud smile, and both of them went back upstairs with their arms full of supplies.

meanwhile, semi and shirabu returned from a local supermarket with bags brimming with strawberries, flour, chocolate, and plenty of cream. aprons were tied and whisks were drawn out—for tendou's birthday, they had to give it their all.

*

in the evening, paris came to life in a carnival of lights, the warm hue of lamp-posts merging with the golden headlights of cars. the streets bustled with passers-by and tourists, buzzed with the sound of lively conversations in foreign languages, and vitrines glowed merrily along the boulevards.

"i can't believe tendou gets to work here every day! somehow, it looks even fancier than in the documentary," goshiki commented with stars in his eyes, following ushijima towards the shop tendou worked in. since wakatoshi had been the only one to visit their friend abroad, he steadily led the way.

"moving here sure was a crazy thing to do. but then it's tendou we're talking about," semi chuckled, shaking his head in both admiration and disbelief.

a few minutes later, they were pushing the door of the chocolate shop open and entering a shimmering bubble of warmth and sugary scent. ushijima went up to the counter, clearing his throat softly.

"excuse me," he addressed the cashier in english. "could we see tendou satori? we are friends of his."

"good evening! wait... aren't you..." a small frown creased the young man's brow in spite of his polite smile. "pardon my curiosity, but aren't you ushijima wakatoshi, monsieur tendou's best friend?"

"yes," ushijima's lips slightly curled as he remembered the documentary they had filmed. indeed, tendou and him were best friends.

"i'll go get him. thank you for paying us a visit, monsieur."

"well, isn't it nice, getting recognized like that..." ohira and semi chuckled, exchanging knowing glances. they had always known that ushijima would make it to the top, but seeing it in the flesh was always particularly pleasing. especially in a foreign country.

"wakatoshi-kun! what a surpr-"

tendou emerged from behind a backdoor, all clad in white and wearing his signature toque. but his cheerful exclamation was cut short as soon as his gaze landed on the rest of his former team-mates pressed together in the hall of the shop.

"happy birthday, tendou-san!"

they roared at once, torn between laughter and emotion at the sight of tendou's shocked face. they had not seen each other in person in a very long time, so such a reunion was more than needed.

"everyone..." the usually so upbeat tendou could barely speak, overwhelmed with joy and gratitude.

"happy birthday, best friend," ushijima added stoically—but he truly did mean it—, and handed tendou the carefully packaged gift. "we hope you like it."

"you guys... showing up here..." tendou took the present from wakatoshi, grinning widely as everybody applauded, costumers joining into the unexpected event. "i can't believe you."

tendou set the parcel on a nearby table, untangling the ribbon holding it together, and the open box revealed a creamy white cake more or less decorated with red frosting and strawberries peeking out from the layers of sponge cake. and on top of it, drawn in chocolate, was the image of tendou himself dressed as a chocolatier and holding a volley-ball, with the inscription 'happy birthday tendou-san' written above.

tendou lifted his head back up, looking at his friends and former team-mates, and his eyes shone with tears. of course, the cake could have tasted better had they ordered it in a professional bakery - but nothing could have warmed tendou's heart as much as this. it was the best birthday he ever had.

#tendou satori #ushijima wakatoshi #goshiki tsutomu #semi eita #ohira reon #shirabu kenjirou #tendou satori fanfiction #ushijima wakatoshi fanfiction #shiratorizawa #shiratorizawa fanfiction #haikyuu! fanfiction #hq fanfiction #haikyuu! writing #hq drabbles #my writing #happy birthday tendou

[illfoandillfie]

Midnight Snack

Pairing: Gwilym Lee x Reader

Words: 1,536

Warnings: Food experiments

A/N: This was written in a haze at about midnight. I was hungry and had just watched BDG’s new midnight gourmand video so credit to him for some of these ideas kshfksjdksd

Being married to Gwil you were used to all the events he attended. You didn’t always accompany him, but you’d been to enough to understand how they worked. More importantly, you’d been to enough to know when one was bad. And the one you’d just left and certainly been bad. The presenter was neither comfortable in front of a crowd, nor sober. The technology had failed twice, delaying everything as video feeds were sorted out. And the food on offer was nowhere near a substantial meal. You’d barely touched your champagne since you didn’t want to drink on an empty stomach (you definitely didn’t want to get hammered and cause a scene at one of Gwil’s work functions), so you’d had to suffer through the evening without any alcohol to dull the boredom or frustration. And by the time you got home you were starving.  

“We should have stopped in at McDonalds or something,” you said, kicking your shoes off and heading straight for the kitchen. “We have food here.” “Honey, it’s getting on to midnight, I’m not cooking anything. And if I’m not eating in the next five minutes, I’ll be sending you down the street to that shitty kebab shop.” “We are not nearly drunk enough for that.” “Gwil.” “Okay, okay, I’ll find us something,” he kissed your forehead and then slipped around you to the fridge.   You hummed in disbelief, already thinking about what sort of kebab you wanted, but pulled a stool out from the bench so you could at least watch.

Gwil stood in front of the fridge for a moment, scratching his beard, sometimes reaching in to turn a jar around so he could see what it was. Finally he said, “okay,” and began placing things on the bench. A bag of carrots, a number of jars and sauce bottles, some containers of leftovers from the previous few nights. You didn’t know whether to ask what he was doing or not. It was hard to tell if you wanted to know. When he seemed satisfied with the ingredients, Gwil got out a couple of plates, a chopping board, a knife, and the air fryer.   “Entree first,” he said, flipping a carrot in the air and catching it.   You were just glad he hadn’t drunk much, lest he try the same trick with a knife.   “This,” he said as he began chopping the carrots into sticks, “is based on an appetizer I had at...um...well I don’t remember. I think it was somewhere Ben found. Anyway, they used cucumber but we don’t have any. Carrot’ll be good though.” He kept chopping as he spoke. The carrot sticks were not at all even. Some seemed to have been left as halves while others were nearly thin enough to see through. But Gwil didn’t seem to notice or care as he lay them all out on a plate and gave them a healthy sprinkle of salt flakes.   “Carrot sticks?” you asked, picking one up. You weren’t going to turn them down but you’d have preferred a kebab. “Just wait, there's going to be a dipping sauce. And I said this was an entrée.” “What sauce? I think we’re out of aioli.” “Well I don’t know exactly what the restaurant served but I think I can recreate it.” You ate another salted carrot stick as you watched Gwil experiment. A few spoons of greek yoghurt went ito a bowl along with a few spoons of tahini. Then came garlic paste and lemon juice. After each new addition Gwil tastes it, sometimes adding a little more of one ingredient or another.   “Something’s missing,” he muttered to himself, moving to examin the contents of the pantry.   You dipped another carrot into the concoction and tried it, “I think its pretty good like this.” Gwil chose not to hear you as he brought a few more jars to the bench. In went a tiny bit of marmite, “for the umami,” and then, before you could possibly stop him, a spoon of curry paste. It took a little more adjusting and a bit of salt and pepper to season it before Gwil decided it was done.   “Well it’s nothing like what the restaurant served but it’s not bad. I don’t think they used curry paste to be honest,” he shrugged, “here, taste.” Scooping some of the sauce on one of the thicker sticks, Gwil held it out and you let him feed it to you. It was alright but you had to admit you’d liked it more before his huberis had taken him to the pantry.   “Just you wait,” Gwil said, dunking an entire carrot stick into the sauce, “I could bottle this and make millions.” You rolled your eyes and laughed, “what’s for the main course, chef?” “Chef. Oh I like that,” he winked, “For the main today I’ll be serving up leftovers.” “Oh,” You didn’t try to hide your disappointment but decided at least you’d know what flavours to expect.   “No, it’ll be good. I’m going to make them better.” That was worrying but Gwil seemed so excited to make you something special that you couldn’t bring yourself to do anything but nod.”

Gwil opened a tub of thai leftovers, “What’s better than pad thai?” “I don’t know,” Gwil dug out the last bit of roti from it’s bag and began spreading the pad thai over the top, “A pad thai pizza!” He clicked and pointed a finger gun at you before covering his creation with grated cheese. The whole thing went into the air fryer. “But, wait, theres more.” Gwil continues, removing the clingfilm from the bowl of leftovers from the previous night’s steak dinner. He took the steak off the top and cut it into little cubes before adding it back into the bowl, stiring the meat, peas and corn into the mashed potato. Then went in a few shakes of some herbs and spices (you couldn’t see any of the labels so had to pray that the flavours worked) and then finally and egg and some flour. Gwil had just mixed it all together when the pizza finished. Eagerly he pulled it out and chopped it in half, passing your portion over.   “Here goes nothing,” you said under your breath. But you were pleasantly surprised. The cheese was a little odd with the thai but I wasn’t as bad as it could have been. And using the roti as the pizza base was almost temping you to use the word genius.   Gwil let out a hearty, “Mmm!” and polished his pizza off, “If we had more roti I’d make another. Spose I could use a muffin or some regular bread.” “What about the potato, honey,” you said quickly, needing to distract him before he spent all night making crazier pizza combinations. “Right, yes. Actually, can you help with this bit?” You agreed and let Gwil instruct you on how to form the mash into balls and press them flatter. The mixture made more balls than you’s thought it would so it took a few batches to cook them all. Gwil did consider pulling out a frypan but when you reminded him he’d have to wash it, he decided to just stick with the airfryer. You ate the first batch as the second cooked. They were easily the best thing he’d made so far – crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, tasting like an entire steak dinner in one mouthful. In lieu of gravy he suggested dipping them in the remainder of the sauce from the entrée, but you chose to eat them plain.  

“And dessert,” Gwil suddenly said, as the last batch of potato cooked. “I think there’s a packet of shortbread in the pantry. They’d go well with a nice cuppa.” Gwil looked affronted, “Excuse you but I’m the chef here. And I have the perfect recipe. “Oh alright,” you giggled. The longer you stayed up (and the more you ate) the funnier the whole thing seemed. “Do you need any help?” “Can you core two apples for me?” “Are you doing baked apple?” That was a promising prospect. “Well the microwave version but yes.” A few minutes later the apples were in the microwave. Each was topped with a generous amount of brown sugar that had been mixed with butter, some even pushed into the hole where the core had been. It formed this delightful brown paste that you could have eaten by the spoonful. When the microwave beeped the apples were soft enough to eat with a spoon, swimming in a caramel-y sauce. You hunched over the bench, both of you eating straight from the dish they’d cooked in, and nearly burnt your tongue on the first bite. But it was worth it.   Gwil practically moaned as he ate his. “Okay, this was worth waiting for.” “Mmhmm,” Gwil agreed, “Better than a kebab.” “The apple yes, the rest of it was a bit mad.” The scoffing noise Gwil made was undercute by the fact that he’d had to finish chewing before he could make it, “I thought it was all pretty good. I could be a chef for real.” “Of course, honey. But I think you should focus on desserts.”  

#my writing #my blurbs #gwilym lee x reader #gwilym lee imagine #gwil could cook me any weird shit he wants id just be happy someone else was cooking skfhksjdskd

[lumineescente]

Seungjin drabble (slowtober challenger)

hii im doing a thing called slowtober (made by @/oeildesaturne on instagram, french speaking folks check it out!! although be aware of tw mental health and eds talks) and i’m posting on twitter a seungjin au per word

I’m late in the updating on tumblr but for the eight days (october 22nd - 25th) The word is "ritual"!

I went with an inaccurately historical au, European (France) 17th century Seungmin is a "witch" like they used to call them and Hyunjin is an apothecary/pharmacist

As a personal tmi I really ADOOORE this period of time and if i get to write this au, it'll be inaccurate for several reasons but I did spend a lot of my free time when i was young reading about it and learning about it sooo! This was so fun

Tw: period related homophobia (implied)

AND if you enjoyed this challenge who is now over you can vote on this form for your favorite that I’ll be writing into a full fic on ao3! (“soumettre” is “submit” btw)

if you want to check all the drabbles you can go here

The clock on top of the front door ticks in a familiar motion. Hyunjin does not bother looking at it, silently counting the sounds in his head and when he finally reaches sixty, the door opens. 

He has to stop himself from smiling too brightly. Seungmin is a very predictable person, Hyunjin means it in the most positive way, and with time he had learned with enthusiasm to understand all of Seungmin's rituals. He is not sure if the latter has noticed that. 

"Good evening," Seungmin's voice whispers. 

The shop is empty. It is a late Thursday night and no apothecary should be open at that time, except Hyunjin's definitely not a simple apothecary. 

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything." 

Hyunjin swallows back the fact that he has been waiting for him all night long. He just shakes his head, "of course not." 

The nobleman seems relieved. The lights in the shop are dim, it would be best for both of them if no policemen starts wondering about the shop activities on the side. He knows very well that Seungmin is also a very careful man and would have made sure to come here in a discreet manner, like most of Hyunjin's clients he has as much to lose as he does. Maybe worse. Seungmin puts his hat and coat on the coat hanger near the door. He watches the way he carefully folds the coat, in an inexplicable yet seemingly very important way, because he does it like that all the time. A man of ritual, Hyunjin thinks.

Hyunjin does not need to tell him anything because he knows his way around and they are both comfortable enough by now. After all they both know each other deepest and most dangerous secret. Sometimes Hyunjin can't help but wonder if Seungmin might keep another kind of secret. Sometimes with the way his eyes linger on Hyunjin when he believes he is not seeing him, or when their fingers brush and his cheeks are colored in a pink tint… sure sometimes Hyunjin lets himself think about it. 

“Full moon’s ritual?” Hyunjin asks him, when Seungmin is ready to listen to him, even if once again, he knows that the answer is yes. Seungmin’s practice seems to be mostly oriented toward the moon and its phases so Hyunjin carefully checks it every night. 

“Yes,” Seungmin answers, “and some other things I need. I got a bunch of my, uh, clients asking for my help.” 

He slides a piece of paper on the counter. Hyunjin carefully looks at it. Seungmin’s handwriting is neat and precise. He describes exactly the quantity of each plant and other ingredients he needs. Seungmin was actually the only person Hyunjin has ever met who had more knowledge than himself on the subject. Maybe because Seungmin comes from a higher line, richer and more powerful, he has access to information way before Hyunjin could, receiving books and reports from overseas expeditions, places Hyunjin barely manages to imagine in his own mind. He is not sure why Seungmin still comes to him, in his little shop, in a part of the city which probably takes him a while to go to, and risks being caught. Or maybe he does not let his mind wander in the reasons. 

Hyunjin has already prepared everything for Seungmin, he just needs to take a few other things in his cupboards. Seungmin waits for him patiently, looking around in the shelves to keep himself busy. 

He still remembers the first night Seungmin came to the apothecary. Hyunjin's side practice is not known by many so Seungmin must have been close to one of his most important clients to be there, as there is no way to randomly find about it, Hyunjin always makes sure of it. Seungmin was very shy, and embarrassed, like he was not sure why he had come here at first, or maybe like he was not sure if it was safe enough. Their first talks were mostly in codes, making sure that both of them were on the same page. Hyunjin never ever judges his clients. He has seen it all, and he does not care what they will do with what he gives them. He is far from stupid, he knows the amount of poison murders that has been happening in the high classes and he probably knows he has played a part in those killings, some would say. He sleeps better at night, not asking any questions, only handing the ingredients. What they do with that is far from his worries, once they have closed the door of his practice and he is counting the money. People might die. He gotta live. 

Seungmin seemed different. The shyness first of all had nothing to do with most women or men discretion. None of them were really shy. They were commanding, arrogant, haughty, but they knew what they were to lose if they got caught. Seungmin spoke softly, handed him a carefully folded piece of paper, a very beautiful paper Hyunjin had noticed, and the ingredients written on it had nothing to do with the usual... preparations he has been asked to make. Another thing Hyunjin had noticed immediately was how cute and pretty Seungmin was, he kept that to himself. 

Slowly but surely Seungmin warmed up to him, because Hyunjin always made sure to make Seungmin comfortable and it was obvious that it made the latter happier a bit more every time. More and more Seungmin would smile genuinely at him, dare to look him in the eye, linger a bit longer in the shop when it was not necessary, brush their hands whenever he had to grab for what Hyunjin was giving, explain to him why he would buy this and that, or make a compliment. More and more Hyunjin would stay awake at night thinking about him, making sure to remember all the rituals he was following, in his own practice or in his life. 

Hyunjin looked forward every time he knew Seungmin would cross the back door of the shop. 

“Here,” Hyunjin tells him when he is done measuring everything Seungmin needs. 

He makes sure to let his hand linger near the package and Seungmin does exactly what he expected and his fingers brush the back of his hand. He is happy with the small touch. 

“I have something for you too,” Seungmin says. 

“You do?” 

Seungmin takes something out of his pocket, “one of my own clients offered me this, you might have heard about it… chocolate powder.” 

This time Hyunjin can not hide his surprise, “I’ve heard but…” 

Seungmin has a shy smile, “it’s good, and you can make it sweeter.” 

“I thought only the people of court had access to it,” Hyunjin comments, staring at the powder like it would have been a magic one, “I did not realize those were your clients.”

Seungmin puts a finger over his lips, “I have a few secrets I might tell you one day.” 

Hyunjin stays quiet, when Seungmin winks at him, he giggles. Seungmin puts his own package in his pocket before going back to his coat and hat.

“Good night, Hyunjin,” he whispers softly. 

Before Hyunjin can answer anything, the man is gone. Hyunjin gasps for air, his heart beating faster in his chest, and his cheeks burning red.

#my writing #slowtober #drabble #seungmin #hyunjin #seunghwang drabble #seungjin drabble #seungjin #seunghwang #skz drabble #stray kids drabble #luminee:slowtober challenge

[windowlessatmosphere]

Let It Simmer

Read on AO3

Summary: Prapai convinces Sky they should cook together, despite him having absolutely no idea what he's doing. Sky ends up very fondly exasperated, which is really par for the course given their entire relationship.

“It’ll be fun, c’mon! Skyyy,” Prapai drew the name out, pouting slightly as he leaned towards Sky.

“Do you even know how to cook?” Sky raised an eyebrow without looking up from his laptop, his tone fondly exasperated.

“It can’t be that hard, we’ll just follow the recipe,” he paused, hurrying on when Sky gave him a look, “besides, you know how to cook! So you can just help me learn,” he grinned, leaning further into Sky until he was completely pressed up against his right side. Sky snorted, shaking his head at how clingy his boyfriend was.

“Fine,” he sighed overdramatically, closing the laptop and setting it on the coffee table in front of the couch. “Do you even know where to find the kitchen in this house?” he teased, poking Pai’s cheek at his look of mock outrage.

“Of course!” Pai insisted, setting his chin on top of Sky’s shoulder. “Auntie Li’s always kicking me out of there.”

“Because you sneak in ten minutes before she’s done making dinner and start nibbling on everything,” Sky pointed out, biting his cheek to keep from laughing. “Of course she chases you out.”

“That’s beside the point,” Pai replied, wiggling somehow even further into Sky’s side and wrapping an arm around his waist.

“I thought you wanted to cook?” Sky questioned, gesturing at the way Pai was apparently trying to burrow under his skin.

“You’re warm,” Pai protested, wrapping the other arm around him as well. Sky held back his laughter, poking Pai in the side to get him to let go.

“C’mon, let’s go,” he got up off the couch, holding his hand out to his pouting boyfriend. Pai quickly took it, standing up and plastering himself to Sky’s front.

“P’Pai!”

“Sorry, sorry, we’ll go cook,” Pai placated, taking his hand again and leading him to the kitchen. Sky went easily, pulling up one of his favorite recipes on his phone once they reached the kitchen.

“This should be easy enough,” he mused aloud, skimming the instructions. “We might have to grocery shop first, though,” he frowned, scanning the list of ingredients.

“We should be fine,” Pai was reading over his shoulder, arms wrapped around Sky’s waist. “Auntie Li keeps the kitchen pretty well-stocked.”

“Right, at least someone’s cooking around here.”

“Meanie,” Pai pouted at him and Sky gently whacked his arm in response, rolling his eyes.

“C’mon, let’s get started. I’ll start chopping vegetables, you can get the rice going.”

“…right.”

“What?”

“How do I get the rice going?”

Sky let out a long-suffering sigh at that. “How is it possible you’ve never made rice?” he asked incredulously.

“I don’t cook, you know that,” Pai protested. “Tell me how?”

“Okay, okay,” Sky opened the fridge and grabbed a few different vegetables. “Where’s your rice cooker? And I’ll need a knife and cutting board for these,” he gestured to the vegetables in his hands.

“Ummmm…..”

“Okay, new plan. We just start opening cabinets until we find what we need.”

“Good plan, baby,” Pai beamed at him, pecking him on the cheek before starting to look through the cupboards.

Sky snorted to himself before setting the vegetables down on the counter and doing the same. He found a cutting board and a knife pretty quickly, and grabbed a large wok as well when he came across one.

“Is this a rice cooker?” Pai asked, definitely holding a rice cooker. Sky just nodded, trying not to smile. “Okay,” Prapai nodded seriously. “...how do I use it?”

“P’Pai…” Sky groaned, throwing his head back.

“You said you would teach me! I’m learning,” Pai whined, setting the rice cooker on the counter next to Sky and looking like a kicked puppy.

“I know, I know,” Sky acquiesced. “Just add the water and rice and turn it on, it’ll do the rest. Here, the recipe says how much,” he slid the phone over to Pai so he could see the instructions.

“I can do that!” Pai brightened, swooping in to peck Sky on the cheek before going to get the rice. Sky shook his head fondly and started to chop the vegetables, pausing quickly to set the wok on the stovetop and turn the heat on. Once he finished chopping, he threw the onion into the wok with some oil and salt and started stirring, forgetting he was supposed to be monitoring Pai as well.

“Is this right?” Pai asked, squinting at the rice cooker while pressing buttons.

“Nope, nope, stop that,” Sky swatted his hands away. “Go stir while I do this,” he scolded, giving Pai a light thwack on the back of the head. He fixed the settings Pai had changed while mashing buttons and got the rice started, then turned to check on Pai. “Okay, that looks good, we can go ahead and add the garlic and ginger now.”

“Just put them in?” Pai asked, furrowing his brow at the garlic cloves and ginger root on the counter.

“Not whole,” Sky explained. “You need to mince the garlic and grate the ginger.” He rummaged through a drawer and found a garlic press, handing it to Pai. “Here, you do the garlic. I’ll do the ginger so you don’t grate your fingers.”

“Awww,” Pai cooed, tilting his head and beaming at Sky. “My fingers say thank you, darling,” he lilted, fluttering his eyelashes until Sky lightly whacked him again.

“Okay, once that’s in, we add the vegetables,” Sky glanced down at the recipe on his phone as he grated the ginger into the wok. Then wait like…5 minutes? Then we add the curry paste and cook for 3 more minutes, got it?”

“Got it,” Pai nodded very seriously.

Sky added the vegetables and started stirring, setting a timer on his phone once they were in. “You can measure the next couple ingredients into a bowl if you want, they all go in at once,” he offered. Pai came up behind him and read over his shoulder.

“Okay, so the kale, water, and sugar?”

“And the coconut milk.”

“I don’t see that on here!”

“It’s right above the kale, sweetheart.”

“...Oh. I see it now.”

Sky snorted again, shoulders shaking a bit in silent laughter. “I hope you learn to cook before we move in together,” he teased lightly. “Otherwise, I’ll be stuck in the kitchen all the time,” he added, turning to look at Pai when he was met with silence. “P’Pai?” he questioned, not sure what the look on Prapai’s face was.

“...when we move in together?” Pai eventually asked, tone exceedingly soft.

“I meant—that wasn’t…nevermind,” Sky said quickly, turning his face back towards the stove to hide the blush that had risen on his cheeks.

“When we move in together!” Pai crowed, abandoning the kale in favor of wrapping his arms around Sky’s waist and burying his grin in Sky’s shoulder. Pai’s face safely hidden, Sky allowed himself a smile of his own, feeling the familiar giddiness he always did when he or Pai referred to their future in that way, like it was a sure thing, only a matter of time before each step arrived. “My heart can’t take this, cute boy,” Pai informed him, pulling him closer and pecking him on the forehead. Sky shuffled his feet, suddenly shy and not knowing how to respond.

“Can your heart take adding the kale?” he finally asked, laughing when Pai gave him an exaggeratedly pitiful look.

“Only because my darling asked me too,” Pai vowed solemnly, nodding gently at him. Sky felt a rush of fondness, only amplified by the domesticity of the cooking. Pai added the kale and everything that went in along with it, watching as Sky continued to stir.

“Okay, now we just let it simmer,” Sky explained distractedly, reading through the recipe on his phone.

“Simmer?”

“Um, it’s a little less than a boil. And we leave it for 10 minutes,” he kept scrolling on his phone as he talked. “Then we add some more seasoning, and it should be done.”

“...so we have ten minutes?” Pai asked, immediately breaking into a grin and wiggling his eyebrows ridiculously.

“P’Pai!”

“Sorry, sorry,” Pai laughed, not sounding the least bit sorry. “What do you want to do with our ten minutes?”

“We’re not making out in the kitchen, P’Pai,” Sky insisted. “Other people are home.”

“Of course.”

“It’s rude.”

“I couldn’t agree more.”

“And someone might walk in.”

“You make a very good point.”

“...”

“...?”

“...fine,” Sky eventually grumbled, blushing and avoiding eye contact. Pai immediately perked up, practically bouncing over to him and crowding him up against the kitchen island. “Did you at least set a timer?” Sky asked. “So we don’t forget the food?”

“It’s fine, we won’t forget,” Pai responded immediately, getting his hands on Sky’s waist.

“P’Pai!” Sky scolded. “Timer.”

“Okay, okay, I’m setting one,” Pai agreed hurriedly, grabbing Sky’s phone and messing with it for a moment. “Okay, it’s set, we’re good,” he dropped the phone and immediately buried his face in Sky’s neck. Sky tilted his head to the side, giving him better access, and moved his hands to Pai’s shoulders. He lost himself in the sensations quickly, closing his eyes when Pai finally moved to kiss him deeply. He felt the tension leave his shoulders, relaxing into the kiss. Pai’s hands kept sliding up under his shirt, which he was currently choosing to allow, granted that they didn’t try anything else.

“Hey, do you know where—guys!” came a loud complaint, causing Sky to jolt and instinctively try to move back. He couldn’t go anywhere, though, backed up against the island as he was. He turned to see Phan on the other side of the island, holding her laptop and looking exasperated. “Not in the kitchen, hia,” she scolded her brother, setting her computer on the island and crossing to the other side. “And you leave Sky alone,” she added, pointing at Pai before coming up and playfully pushing him away. She wrapped her arms around Sky from the side, leaving Sky to wonder whether the clinginess could actually be a genetic trait.

“He’s my boyfriend!” Pai protested indignantly. “You’re the one who should leave him alone,” he shot back, pouting slightly as he stuck his arm in between the two to separate them. As soon as he had done so, he leaned back into Sky, sticking his tongue out at Phan.

“He’s part of the family now,” Phan argued. “That means he’s ours, too,” she smiled at Sky, who returned it without hesitation. He had gotten along with both Phan and Plerng almost immediately, which Pai liked to pretend to be offended by. Truthfully, as much as Pai’s siblings liked to tease him about stealing Sky away, he couldn’t have been happier that his family wholeheartedly seconded all his opinions on Sky.

“What did you need, anyway?” Pai asked, wrapping a protective arm around Sky’s side and giving Phan the ‘I’m watching you’ gesture. She just snorted at that, shaking her head at her older brother’s antics and clinging to Sky’s other arm.

“My computer charger you borrowed,” she replied, raising an eyebrow.

“Fine,” Pai agreed. “I’ll give you your charger back if you give me my Sky back.”

“Ugh! He’s our Sky, excuse you, hia,” Phan’s tone was offended. “But I will return him for  the time being if I get my charger back.”

“...fine. It’s in the top drawer of the coffee table in the living room. Now go get it and leave my boyfriend alone,” he reprimanded, wagging his finger in her direction.

“Our boyfriend!” Phan called over her shoulder as she left the kitchen, cackling at the outraged sound that escaped Pai at that.

“He is not!”

“Is too!”

“Is not!”

“Seriously, you two? Stop it.”

“.....Sorry.”

#love in the air #prapaisky #prapai lita #sky lita #lita fanfic #prapaisky fanfiction

[misslavenderlady]

The Boys Who Wouldn’t Grow Up - Chapter 17

Summary: Lucy and Max give their dinner date another shot at the Johnson house. However, will things go smoothly with Marko being there with his vampire hunter friends as well?

WARNINGS FOR THIS CHAPTER: There's a dog-related attack in this, but nobody is hurt (including the dogs)

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Daylight passed by quickly, and each of the men in the Johnson family had their own unique way of using that time. 

  After taking the time to freshen up, Max put his energy into tidying up and preparing some ingredients for Lucy’s arrival for dinner. He had a variety of vegetables and some chicken in the fridge, along with some noodles and rice in the pantry. He wasn’t the most flashy cook in the world, but he figured he’d whip up something delicious and unique for his guest. Not to mention it would be an excellent chance to spend time with his boys after everything that had happened.    Due to his new, vampiric nature, David spent the entire day asleep in his bed. There wasn’t an ounce of energy in his body with the sunlight sucking the life out of him. He just kept a pillow over his eyes and focused on getting his strength back up for when nighttime returned. If he was going to see Maria again, he needed to be at his very best.    Marko had poured hours and hours into studying with Paul and Dwayne, going over every little detail about the problem they had to fix with his brother. They went through numerous cups of coffee while reading all the books the two had collected, talking about the weaknesses his brother could have, how to prepare for an attack and, most importantly, how they could cure him. By the time sunset was approaching, Marko was certain he knew enough to teach an entire class on vampires with the information he had now.

  Still, it wasn’t quite enough to take on this problem. As much as Marko hated the idea of hurting his only brother, Dwayne and Paul made it abundantly clear that he needed proper self-defense training in case he needed to protect himself. Even if David never did end up attacking him, there was still the chance that the one who changed him in the first place would cause trouble.   “We pretty much have every kind of weapon you could possibly use for killing a bloodsucker,” Paul explained, stuffing a duffle bag on top of a shop table. “Wooden stakes, iron rods, garlic blossoms, vials of holy water and some crosses”   “They can be wounded by other stuff like bullets and knives, but they have healing powers that would quickly seal up the wounds,” Dwayne explained. “If you want real damage done, then you’re gonna have to learn how to handle this stuff properly. If you’re off on your mark with a stake to the heart, then you’ll just end up with a pissed-off vampire that wants to kill you even more”   It was all still a lot of information to take in, but at least now Marko felt better prepared for handling it. He was ready for the next step in his training, and considering how it would be dark soon, he’d definitely need it.    “There’s no way we can practice in this shop. There’s not enough room to move,” Marko commented, gesturing to the various tables and bookshelves that lined the area. Even if it had more space, he didn’t want to risk damaging any of his friends’ stuff. “Why don’t you guys teach me some stuff at my house? We have a big yard we can use for a practice area”   Paul and Dwayne exchanged a knowing look with one another, clearly feeling a bit cautious about the idea. David was still living in that house, and they needed more time to prepare Marko in case things went sour.   “My dad will be there, just like you asked me to make sure of before. David is still holding on to his humanity. He hasn’t hurt anyone, I promise. He’ll even go out of his way to stay away from us if the urge strikes. Please, just help me out here,” Marko begged the two. He hated the idea of being away from home for too long, and he wanted to be close to his family if they needed him. It was the most important thing to him right now.   Thankfully, the brothers seemed understanding and sympathetic, feeling genuinely touched by their friend’s devotion to his family. They gave each other a nod before standing up from their chairs.    “Alright. But you better be on your guard, Marko. We’re gonna do what we have to in order to keep you safe,” Dwayne said.    “Yeah. And you better be ready to get all hot and sweaty with all the working out that’s involved~” Paul added, a playful glint in his eye.    Marko tried his best to hide how red his face was getting. If all the stress about his brother wouldn’t be the end of him, then the flirting certainly would be. Still, it was best to keep his focus. If he was going to fix this whole mess, he’d need to keep his head straight. 

The sun had gone down for the day, yet Max was fully bursting with energy. He was completely focused on his cooking, letting the chicken roast in one pan and a colorful array of veggies cook in another. On top of one of the back burners was a pot of white rice to go as a side. It was all coming together nicely, and he was feeling quite proud of himself.    He only hoped Lucy would really enjoy all of this as well.    “Oh Max, it’s so nice seeing you so giddy about a girl! It’s been far too long since you had a special gal in your life,” Grandma said, passing through the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea. She had been quite busy with a new piece she’d recently purchased for her collection, meaning she would be spending the night locked away in her office. She’d only come out for a hot drink and to say hi to Max’s lady friend.   “I’ll say! After the fiasco with David, I’d love to have everyone feel a bit more at ease,” Max explained, tasting a piece of the chicken. It was perfectly juicy, just the right temperature for serving.  Speaking of which, David was getting some preparations done as well, only they had nothing to do with dinner plans. Once the sun had left the sky, he felt like himself again. All the grogginess and physical pain he was in cleared away, and his energy boosted. He didn’t want to waste a single second of the limited time the night granted him, so he dressed in his usual dark clothing and boots, ready to sneak out yet again.   He wouldn’t leave a note this time. He’d be back in a few hours' time. No doubt his father would be occupied in the meantime.    Before he could begin his climb out the window, David spotted a car pulling into the driveway. It was a massive station wagon, complete with wood paneling and plenty of space for passengers in the back. When it came to a halt, a redhead woman dressed in a flowy, silver dress stepped out of the driver’s seat. She looked far too glamorous for a simple dinner at home.

  So that was the Lucy he had heard about. 

  He couldn’t help but wonder why a woman who was apparently single and childless had a car built for a huge family. The more he studied her, the more curious he got about what was going on with her and his father.   A dog hopped out of the car next, standing right by her side as she grabbed her purse. He looked quite focused, no doubt due to his protective nature as a service dog. Lucy scratched his ear as she gazed over the area, taking in the surroundings of Grandma’s house.    Despite the considerable distance between his bedroom window and the driveway, David couldn’t help but notice a rather dissatisfied look on Lucy’s face. As if she didn’t like what she was seeing. Between that and her outfit, he wondered if she was a bit of a snob and was judging his family’s home for its appearance.    If she was going to be a stuck up guest, he wasn’t going to stick around to meet her. He chose to stay hidden until she and the dog started walking along the stone path to the entrance by the kitchen. Once he was certain she wouldn’t spot him, he climbed out the window and down the side of the house to where his bike was parked earlier.    The sooner he got out and found Maria again, the better.  

    Back inside the kitchen, Max was finishing up the last few touches with dinner, ready to plate everything. He was about to grab a few dinner dishes when he was interrupted by a knock at the kitchen door. His heart started beating a bit faster inside his chest from his excitement at seeing Lucy again. Quickly, he switched off the stove burners before throwing the door open.   “Good evening!” Lucy greeted him, a warm smile on her face. Max could have melted into a puddle just from how pretty she looked. “May I come in?”   “By all means! My home is your home,” Max said, gesturing for her and Nanook to enter. She seemed quite happy to be welcomed inside. “I hope you enjoy Chinese style dishes, because I made Chop Suey. Please make yourself comfortable! I’m just going to finish setting the table in the dining room!”   Lucy nodded, happy to let him finish his work. It was so nice getting to spend time with Max again, and in his own home, no less. She admired the delicious-looking spread of food on the stove, eager to try his cooking.    “Sorry, Max! I forgot my reading glasses, I’ll just quickly pass thro-”   Lucy turned to face the source of the new voice that greeted her ears. Max’s mother was face to face with the redheaded woman, but the look on her face quickly shifted from content to confused. She wasn’t sure what to anticipate from the woman her son was having dinner with, but something had caught her off guard.    “Oh hello! You must be Mrs. Johnson! It’s lovely to meet you!” Lucy smiled, sticking out a hand to shake as a proper greeting. The older woman didn’t accept it.

  “Do I know you?” she questioned, her eyes narrowing as she crossed her arms. She carefully examined Lucy’s features, studying each part from head to toe. “You look very familiar…”

  A nervous chuckle came from Lucy’s mouth. This certainly wasn’t what she expected from the possibility of meeting Max’s family. She lowered her hand, choosing to place it on top of her dog’s head instead.    “Oh! Maybe we knew each other in another life!” she said with a playful giggle. There was still a gravely serious expression on Grandma Johnson’s face.    Thankfully, Max slipped back into the kitchen in order to save this moment from getting any more awkward. He grinned at the two, completely oblivious to the tension that had developed since he had left. His mother turned to leave again. She would be in her study, but her mind was just focused on what was going on with Lucy that made her feel so off.    “I hope everything’s alright,” Max said, hoping the two had gotten along. Lucy decided not to worry so much about his mother. All that mattered was a pleasant night with Max. She reached out a hand to cup his cheek before leaning in to give him a quick peck. It was adorable how red his face was getting just from that small act of affection.   “Oh, everything’s perfectly fine!” she said. “Why don’t we go ahead and eat? Everything smells absolutely terrific!” “Well, I’d love to, but maybe I should check on the boys. I don’t want them to feel left out on dinner. I’m still a little worr-”   Max found his words slipping away when Lucy leaned forward to press a finger to his lips. Her smile was still present, albeit a bit more amorous in nature now.    “I’m sure they’ll be fine. I’d love to spend some time just with you, Max”   Something about this woman never failed to leave him absolutely spellbound. He wasn’t used to being desired so much by such a special woman. Lucy was a total catch, and she was going after a goof like him. It was nearly impossible to not follow her wishes.   “Well…I supposed it couldn’t hurt to save them some leftovers. I just hope everything goes right this time around,” he said, feeling a bit more flustered now.   “As long as I’m with you, this night will be perfect, Max. There’s nothing to worry about,” Lucy assured him. How could he possibly have any doubts about tonight when she made things so wonderful?

To both his relief and concern, Marko and his friends spotted David sneaking off with his motorcycle just moments before they got back to the house. Dwayne and Paul each had motorcycles of their own, albeit ones that were smaller and more beat up than David’s ride. Still, Marko was able to ride on the back of Dwayne’s just fine.    It was good that David wouldn’t pose as a threat to the Murray brothers for now, but there was still the worry that he would be tempted in some way to give into his urge to feed while he was out. While he got off the bike and ushered his friends up the driveway, he sent some encouraging thoughts to David.

  Good luck, man. I hope you know what you’re doing.

  The three boys quickly made their way to the backyard of the Johnson house. Just as Marko had promised, there was plenty of room to work and practice with. There was a faint breeze in the warm summer air. Thorn was laying in the grass, watching over Marko while lazily chewing a bone.    “Let’s start with the classic stake first,” Dwayne said, shrugging off his jacket. He grabbed one of the wooden weapons from the bag before tossing it back to his brother. “You wanna keep both hands on it if you can. You can’t risk losing your grip and getting it knocked out of your hand”   Dwayne stood behind the curly-haired boy, wrapping his arms around to help him match the proper hold technique on the weapon. It was a bit of a challenge to focus clearly with Dwayne so close to him, but Marko would do his best to push back any feelings he was currently experiencing.   Paul removed his own jacket as well. Before they all had left, he had packed a piece of chest armor as part of their training tools. He had on a white tank top over the armor, and Marko soon figured out why that was. From his pocket, Paul pulled out a red marker and used it to add small marks on the front of his shirt. He was mapping out the best spots for Marko as a reference.   “You really gotta know all the weak spots. I’ve got a protective layer on so you won’t actually stake me, bud!” he said, getting up close to Marko as well. “Vampire anatomy is the exact same as a human’s anatomy, so this is your best guide. Just follow Dwayne’s lead so he can show you where to hit”   “Wouldn’t using a practice dummy be more practical for this?” Marko asked, feeling a little snarky.   The two brothers each shook their heads. Paul, in particular, was acting a bit more bouncy now, shifting his weight on his feet and shaking his arms out to loosen up a bit.   “A practice dummy doesn’t move. A vampire does. If you’re gonna get this right, you need a moving target. No bloodsucker is gonna stay still while you try to stab it”   Marko couldn’t deny that was a fair point. He just hoped he wouldn’t screw up his very first practice session and accidentally hurt someone. He peaked over his shoulder to get a good look at Dwayne. The brunet seemed so serious. So laser-focused on getting this right for Marko’s sake. 

  “Okay. I trust you guys. Let’s do this”

Lucy was nothing short of charming as a dinner guest in his home. Hearing her talk was absolutely lovely, whether it was about life in Santa Carla or the lounge she worked so hard for. Of course, she was also quite a good listener too. For the first time in quite a while, Max felt a bit more outgoing and excited to talk about himself. He shared his dreams, goals and greatest joys with her, all while being completely lost in her beautiful blue eyes.   He felt so drawn to her, like a sailor to a siren song. So enraptured by her charms.   “So tell me something, Lucy,“ Max began in between bites of food. “You seem to really like children. After helping out with that little boy outside your lounge and letting me talk about my kids, that was the idea I had. Do you have any of your own?”   “Oh, I do love children! They’re so sweet and adorable. I was always the kind of lady who wanted a great, big family,” Lucy said, a dreamy smile on her face. “But…as for my own…it’s kind of complicated…”    Max’s expression changed to something more serious, reflecting his worry that he had said something wrong and unintentionally upset her. She was quick to shake her hands, trying to ward off any negative thoughts Max was having.   “Oh, don’t worry! I’m doing alright and there are plenty of other ways to make your own family. I came to terms with that quite a long time ago,” she assured him. “Besides, Nanook helps me whenever I’m feeling blue”   As if he was given a cue, Nanook raised his head from Lucy’s lap and gave her hand a small lick. She pet his soft fur, silently praising him for being a good dog.   “Well, whatever I can do to help you feel a little less lonely, please let me know,” Max offered. The way her happy shifted into something more flirtatious when he said that only made his lovestruck feelings even stronger. 

  “I’m sure there’s something you can do~”   Max knew what she meant, but he still had to remind himself to take some action. Kiss her, you idiot.

He was so very close to doing just that when the sound of the paws on the kitchen floor interrupted his actions. Thorn had decided to come in from the doggy door and join them out in the dining room. He seemed to be in a fairly happy mood.

  That was until he locked eyes with Nanook. 

  A flip was switched within the pooch and he rapidly shifted into a far more aggressive stance. His ears folded back, his fur stood up on his back, tail was lowered and his fangs revealed. A low growl came from his throat, directing a threat right at the other dog.    “Thorn! What’s gotten int-”   Max didn’t even get the chance to finish his question before the dog lashed out, barking and snarling at Nanook. All hell broke loose as pounced at the Malamute, initiating a chase around the table. Lucy sprung up from her seat, horrified by what was going on. Max desperately had to stop this before one or both of their dogs got hurt.   “STOP IT, THORN! DOWN!” he shouted, trying his best but failing to grab hold of his collar. It didn’t help that in the chaos, Nanook had grabbed onto part of the tablecloth with his teeth, and pulled it down to act as an obstacle for Thorn.    Of course, the entire dinner spread on the table came down with it, food, drinks and dishes crashing loudly onto the floor. Lucy screeched as a reflex, only adding to the loudness of the scene.   Marko had been in the middle of training with Paul and Dwayne when he heard Lucy screaming. He looked at both of them, trading a knowing look of horror. There could be an attack going on inside, and they had to act fast.    The three boys burst through the door of the kitchen, quickly sprinting to the dining room to see what was going on. To their shock, they saw a great mess on the floor, a very panicked Max, a terrified Lucy cowering in the corner and two dogs growling and barking at one another, ready to fight.

  This had to stop immediately. 

  “BAD DOG! HEEL!” Marko snapped at his German Shepherd, grabbing at his collar to hold him back. Paul and Dwayne went for the other dog, cornering Nanook off to the side and getting down on his level to help soothe him a bit. They didn’t really know the best way to help a service dog in distress, but at the very least, they could help keep him safe while Marko pulled Thorn away.    “Marko, put him in the living room and close the door so he doesn’t get out!” Max instructed his son. It was easier said than done, as Thorn was still fighting back to snap at Nanook. Marko pushed himself as hard as he could to get Thorn out of the room as quickly as possible. The two brothers helped guide Nanook over to Lucy so that the two of them could comfort each other. If she needed the help of her service dog, now was certainly the time for it.   It took a bit of time for everything to calm down. Thorn was hidden away and Max was doing his best to comfort Lucy while the boys tried to help clean up the mess that was made.    “Lucy, I cannot apologize enough for all this,” Max said, deeply humiliated by the predicament he had gotten himself into. Marko didn’t like seeing his father like this, especially since it wasn’t his fault Thorn had freaked out like this. After the first instance with David, he couldn’t help but wonder if he had done a bad job at training his dog.   “It’s all my fault, Lucy! I'm really sorry about Thorn!” Marko spoke up. He wouldn’t let Max take the blame for this. Not after all he’d been through recently.    To their surprise, Lucy seemed to be quite understanding about the whole matter. She gave them a soft smile as she pet Nanook, letting him stay by her side until her nerves calmed down.   “Oh, you boys are sweet,” she said in a soft voice. “It’s alright. I probably shouldn’t have brought him to begin with. There are several situations I should have him better prepared for, anyway. Consider this all an important lesson learned”   She stood up from her spot and turned to the two brothers who had paused their cleaning. It was only then that they realized they hadn’t even introduced themselves before everything happened with the dogs. 

  “And you two…”   “Dwayne” “Paul!”

“Yes, Dwayne and Paul. I appreciate you both helping keep Nanook safe. You seem like very resourceful boys,” she complimented them. They each gave her a nod, not entirely certain what else to say in this rather awkward moment. 

  Lucy turned her attention back to Max and Marko. She felt a lot better now, but there was no way to continue with the plans this evening now that their dinner was currently on the floor among silverware and shards of dishes.    “Max, thank you for letting me come over. Why don’t we give this another try tomorrow night? I’ll make arrangements for Star to cover the lounge and we can have dinner over at my house instead. Would that be alright?”   “I would love nothing more than to try that,” Max said. She really was a wonderful woman to have put up with this and still want to spend time with him.   With a quick kiss on Max’s cheek, Lucy turned her attention to his son, smiling at him while holding Nanook’s leash in hand.   “Marko, would you please walk me to my car?”   The youngest Johnson boy gave his father an apologetic look before leading Lucy to the back door. Max would get right back into cleaning up the mess with the help of his son’s friends. He only hoped tomorrow would finally go their way.   Marko wasn’t entirely sure what to say as he led Lucy out the door and to her car. What should one say to their father’s sort-of-girlfriend after a disastrous dinner date? Thankfully, she was the one to speak first.

“You know, I can certainly see that Max has raised quite the little gentleman,” Lucy said to him. She opened the side door in the back for Nanook to hop inside.    “Uh…thanks…” he said. Marko didn’t think being seventeen years old qualified as being considered “little”.    Now that it was just the two of them, he could get a better idea of what Lucy was thinking. She was still smiling, but there was something a bit off. It was like she was holding back a secret. A deep, dark secret that she felt pretty confident about keeping to herself. It was rather strange, especially when she kept going.   “Though, I think it’s about time this place had a bit of a motherly change to it,” she said. Lucy reached a hand out to give Marko’s cheek a gentle squeeze. It didn’t hurt, but he couldn’t help but flinch from the sudden gesture. He really wasn’t comfortable with this.   “Don’t worry, sweetie. I’m not going to steal your father away. I just want you to have a happy family. I’ll make absolutely certain of that,” she promised. Only when she finally let go of him was Marko able to feel like himself. Goosebumps popped up on his arms as he watched her get into her car and head down the driveway.

  Even if he felt bad about what happened, there was something still very off with Lucy. Helping his brother was still the top priority right now, but Marko had a feeling he was going to have to look out for his father now too. 

#the lost boys #tlb #ao3 fic #my fic #david the lost boys #max the lost boys #marko the lost boys #paul the lost boys #dwayne the lost boys #lucy emerson #swap fic #swap au