#but i was thinking about that cute blue v-neck top that reminds me of a butterfly | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

wasabito · 3 years

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➽ corruption collab masterlist — hosted by @ultimate-astridwriting and @bummie ♥️

➽ note: definitely gonna come back and edit this a bit more because threesomes are hard as fuck, no pun intended lmao happy v-day everyone!

➽ word count: 3.2k

➽ cw/tags: polyamory + body worship + threesome + praise kink + public sex + choking + handjobs/fingering + vaginal sex + squirting + established relationship

➽ pairing: akaashi x fem!reader x bokuto

💿 1. nasty — ariana grande || 2. come on — jhene aiko

With Valentine's Day fast approaching, it becomes rather apparent that love and romance are in the air. Storefronts are decorated in bubblegum pinks and reds. Flower shops promote their special bouquet arrangements at discounted prices. Even your favorite hole in the wall coffee shop has fallen prey to the spirit of cupid as they announce their new strawberry shortcake dessert and heart-shaped scones.

In lieu of staying home for the third night this week, your boyfriends escort you to dinner at an upscale restaurant in the city. They treat you to a five-course meal and a bottle of wine even pricier than the dinner itself. One would think, after three years of dating, you would no longer be caught unawares by their spontaneity. And yet, here they are, once again pulling the rug from underneath your four-inch heels.

Your gaze flickers from Akaashi's tranquil smile to Bokuto's wide grin.

Adjusting the napkin in your lap, you open your mouth to speak, then pause as the right words fail it come. Brain short-circuiting instead, you let out a confused, "Huh?!"

"We're taking you to Italy!" Bokuto repeats, about ready to hop out of his seat with excitement. He looks to Akaashi, "Three nights in Venice, right 'Kaashi?"

"Yes, we decided on Venice after you told us you'd always wanted to visit. Remember Koutarou's birthday last year?"

"But that was like months ago! Did you two honestly hold onto that drunk little confession this entire time?"

"Of course."

"Yup!!"

It's in moments like these when you are reminded of their history together, first as teammates playing volleyball, and eventually close friends. Not much longer after that, you'd met and fallen for Akaashi, then Bokuto, and thus began the relationship of today. While you find it a little ridiculous, it seems neither of them has any qualms about this trip.

After all, you are their lovely girlfriend. Why wouldn't they want to make your wishes come true?

Bokuto claps his hands, eyes sparkling. "Everything's already planned out, babe, so don't worry your pretty little head, okay?"

You can't argue with that. Reaching over, you take Bokuto's hand in your right and Akaashi's in your left. "Alright, since you two went to all this trouble for me, I guess I'll just sit back and enjoy it."

♥️

Venice is just as beautiful as you imagined.

It looks as if it's floating upon blue-green waters with lots of sunshine, beautiful architecture, and a vibrancy that makes it feel like the city has a life of its own. You are grateful you didn't come by yourself. There is no way you would've enjoyed it without Akaashi and Bokuto at your side.

"We're about a ten-minute walk from Piazza San Marco," Akaashi says as he taps his glasses. His sharp gaze is locked on the map in his hands, likely committing most landmarks and details to memory. "Would you like to check it out?"

"Yeah! Let's do it."

"Off we go, go, go!"

Thus, a majority of your first day in Venice is spent sightseeing.

The three of you take a gondola ride through Canale Grande, then have a peek into the Gallerie Dell'Accademia at Akaashi's insistence, though naturally, you wouldn't have come all the way to Italy and not visited at least one art museum. Afterward, the three of you go to the Le Mercerie shopping district and buy gifts for your friends before finally taking a pit stop for the most delicious gelato in the city.

The sunsets sooner than expected, casting the entire block in deep red hues. Bokuto's mood is greatly influenced by it, and the jetlag certainly doesn't help. He props himself against you, nuzzling you in a way that says he's itching for a kiss.

"Tired, Kou?"

Bokuto hums. "A little... More hungry than anything."

He leans in and pecks your lips with a sated smile. "Maybe I should eat you. I mean, how is it my girl's so damn cute? Not fair, I can't resist."

You snort at Bo's silliness but can't help shivering a little at the tiny implication of his words. He always did like to lay his head on your thighs, leaving a trail of kisses and love bites where he could.

So, the thought of him eating you out made you squeeze your thighs together.

Akaashi approaches with your frozen treats held between his long fingers; having overheard Bokuto earlier, he tucks his wallet back into his pocket.

"We'll get some dinner after we drop off these shopping bags. How does that sound?"

You eagerly take your gelato from him with a smile.

"Sounds like a plan."

Akaashi nods, standing at your other side, close enough to brush elbows though not as close as Bokuto, who was nearly hovering.

The three of you are in one of the narrow, maze-like streetways, basking in the warm, early evening glow. The sweet taste of fruit and cream on your tongue fills you with so much contentment, especially while being with your favorite people. You aren't sure if anything could top the way you currently felt, and the trip has just barely started.

Upon arriving at your temporary place of residence, a quaint little villa on the waterfront just along the shore of Punta Sabbioni Beach, Bokuto immediately kicks off his sandals, dumps the bags, and promptly falls asleep on the couch.

"It's so weird seeing Kou like this." You remark. "On any normal day, he's brimming with almost too much energy, but now he's all tired."

"Well, he did stay up an entire twelve hours on the plane. It was only a matter of time before fatigue caught up to him." Akaashi picks up Bokuto's shoes with practiced ease and places them by the others.

There is a fond smile running along the edges of his mouth as he tucks a throw around the man's larger frame. You help him adjust a spare pillow under Bo's head and then set off to explore the rest of the area.

It seemed like everything about Venice was taken straight out of a romance film, with its cobblestone paths, gothic cathedral architecture, crisp ocean waters, and authentic Italian cuisine. It is no wonder the city's known to draw hapless souls together in romance. Even you fell subject to it, and by each passing moment, you crave to be with your boyfriends.

You are standing at the balcony overlooking the beach, satisfied with your inspection of the villa when Akaashi comes to stand behind you. He holds onto the railings, caging you in his arms, and rests his chin on your shoulder.

"He was right, you know." He murmurs. "You do look good enough to eat."

Blunt as ever. Apparently, something's never change.

Though one might say that Akaashi is as he's always been after high school and college, there is no denying his boost in confidence. After all, he had landed not one but two rather attractive partners.

He kisses your cheek, then your jaw, before latching onto your neck.

The sun's scenic view on the horizon, reflecting upon the beach sands of gold and shimmering orange waves, makes for an excellent backdrop.

You turn to face Akaashi and pull him into a heated kiss. His lips convey a sense of devotion to you, and with each press of them against yours, you can feel just how bad he's yearning for more.

"Kei," you whisper. "Let's go inside."

In a moment, Akaashi whisks you off your feet quite similar to how Bokuto would, though you both don't even make it to the bedroom.

Your other partner had sat up on the sofa, hair flat on one side, scrubbing his eyelids.

"Guys, I'm freaking starving!" Bokuto groans. "Let's get some food or something."

He doesn't even notice how you and Akaashi are breathing heavy or how your clothes are sporting wrinkles that were not previously there. Regardless, Akaashi has food delivered while you went ahead to shower the day's journey away. There are still two days left. You'd get your chance with them at some point.

♥️

Sadly, the entirety of day two is spent indoors. Heavy sheets of rain continue to fall, muddying the shoreline. The three of you huddle on the sofa wrapped in blankets with subtitled movies playing in the background.

Even though you would've much rather been out exploring in the city, just sharing in your boyfriend's warmth would suffice for now. Akaashi hands you a steaming cup of something rich in both color and smell.

"What's this?"

"Just espresso." He takes the empty seat beside you.

You savor the taste while leaning against his shoulder. "Mm, nice."

Bokuto keeps his head on your lap, loving how you thread your fingers into his hair.

It is a tranquil kind of peace that soon lulls you to sleep.

Later, when you finally wake up, it's dark, and you're alone. A blanket had been tucked around your shoulders to shield you from the sudden chill. At some point, the television had been shut off along with every light in the room. You might've been a little scared if not for the voices coming from the second floor. Slowly, you creep up the winding staircase, dragging along the blanket around your shoulders.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Bokuto chuckles. "You're finally up!"

His hair is down, wet from his shower, and he holds a thin towel together around his waist. In his hand is a cellphone, and he doesn't hesitate to shove the screen into your face. "Say hi, Tetsu!"

"Hi Y/N, how's it going?"

You blink slowly, still trying to wake yourself up.

"Kuroo, hey… I'm well. How are you?"

"Great, just about to head out for a late lunch. I hear it's almost ten pm over there."

"Yeah, it's an eight-hour time difference."

You and Kuroo continue to chat while Bokuto towels off his hair and puts on clothes. Afterward, you let Bokuto resume his conversation and join Akaashi on the bed. The man had gone full editor-mode with his glasses propped up in his hair as he read through some work documents.

When you approach, he greets you with a kiss on the cheek. "You look well-rested."

"Is that your way of telling me I have drool on my cheek, Keiji?"

He cracks a tiny smile, eyes taking in your features, then he pokes your cheek with his index finger. "Perhaps."

You scrub the corners of your mouth with your sleeve and drape yourself over Akaashi, work be damned. This was supposed to be a special weekend for relaxing.

"I really wanted to go to the beach today." You pout.

Akaashi interlocks his fingers with yours. "Maybe we still can. It stopped raining a few hours ago."

"Really?!"

You hop off the bed and head for the window. He's right, the rain had long stopped, and the beach lay bare, lit by only the moonlight.

Maybe a short walk to the beach would do you some good.

♥️

The grains of sand feel cold against your feet without the sun to beat down on them, but you don't complain. The air is humid enough on its own that you forgo wearing actual clothes and instead wear a swimsuit along with Bokuto's old Fukurōdani windbreaker.

You walk along the shore, toes digging into the sand, letting the ocean waves lap at your feet to wash them clean again.

At first, it's so eerily quiet without a soul around except you, but even that doesn't last long. You hear Bokuto's voice bellow into the night as he jogs towards you in nothing but swim trunks. Behind him, Akaashi trails slowly after with a blanket in hand.

"We thought you might want some company." He says and spreads the cover on the sand several feet away from the water, content with just watching.

Bokuto grabs your hand and you go running to the water with him, but a second later, you both come sprinting back.

"It's freezing!"

"S-So co-co-cold!"

You collapse on top of him, fingers splayed across his bare chest. However, when you try to sit up, Bokuto has other plans. He keeps you pressed to his chest with both arms around your waist.

"Let me keep you warm, baby!"

You know he meant it in the most innocent way, but you can't help but think other thoughts. Your nerves fray at the image that blooms in your head and spreads like wildfire.

And as Akaashi strokes your back, you know he's probably read your mind.

It's the way your eyes seem to glitter with want that gives it away. Akaashi has always been rather observant, and so your silent cues are something he's always been privy to.

His nimble fingers curve around the nape of your neck, and he tilts his head to capture your lips in a kiss. This one is unlike the one from yesterday. There is no rush, no desire to quicken his haste; instead, he savors the taste of you like it's something to be thoroughly enjoyed.

Underneath you, Bokuto stirs, growing aroused at the sight of his two lovers' kiss. He can't decide whether he wants to join in or sit back and watch. But his large hand comes down to stroke your ass, resulting in a moan you breathe directly into Akaashi's mouth.

"You're not usually so forthcoming, Keiji," you whisper against his lips. "Eager, are we?"

Akaashi pulls away just enough to pepper your face in feathery kisses. "Can you blame me? When I have such a lovely girlfriend here."

As if confirming his words, he slips a hand under your jacket and cups your breast. The pads of his thumb brush along the seams of your bathing suit, caressing your nipple.

"Kou, let's show Y/N just how much we love her, yes?"

Bokuto didn't need to be told twice. He had been in entranced by you and Akaashi, completely taken by the way your lips danced upon one another. But now, he wanted more than anything to touch you, kiss you, hold you.

Bokuto cradles you in his lap, propping your legs open with his knees so Akaashi can kneel in front of you. It didn't take much for him to relieve you of your clothing, namely your swimming bottoms. But the second the air hits your bare cunt, you feel tense.

You aren't sure what it was, but the atmosphere is different. Both Akaashi and Bokuto are so focused on you, it feels like you're under a spotlight.

"You're so pretty, so beautiful," Bokuto says while squeezing your thighs. His warm breath tickles your ear as he presses his nose into your neck. Next, his lips follow suit. "Wanna fuck you, so bad baby. You'd like that, right?"

His words earn him a chuckle from Akaashi, who merely licks two of his fingers, wetting them and sliding into you. Your mouth parts, shaky breaths barely expelled from your lungs. You're hyper-aware of the fact that you're literally being fingered on a beach in the middle of the night, and you can't bring yourself to care. It feels good to be pampered by the two men you love.

For every moan, Akaashi gives you double for your efforts, thrusting his fingers just right, curving them in such a way that has your back arching off Bokuto, who has also taken to fondling your nipples. With every roll of his hips, you feel his cock against your ass, and it pushes you further into Akaashi's fingers.

Your impending orgasm sweeps by so close and yet so far away. All you can do is rock yourself faster.

"Please," you whimper. "W-Wanna come."

Akaashi crooks his fingers, pressing into the perfect spot that sends you hurtling over the edge. Your cunt spasms around his fingers, clenching in intervals you have no control over until his hand is coated with your wet, slick juices that keep coming the more you squirt all over him.

"She's so wet 'Kaashi. Look at our pretty girl."

Akaashi places a chaste kiss on your forehead with a smile.

"She's doing well, so far. Let's see if she can keep going."

Bokuto shimmies his shorts off enough to free his hard cock. He had been uncharacteristically patient until now, but that was soon to change as he lines himself up with your cunt, teasing you with just the tip.

Your whining is unintelligible, but both men understand you more or less.

"Give the pretty girl what she wants," Akaashi says. He strokes his own hard-on at the sight of Bokuto's pushing past your wet folds. "I know she can take more than that."

Bokuto has always been girthy, and it takes you more than a few seconds to adjust to his size, but when you finally do, it feels like heaven.

The position you're in gives Bokuto all the power to thrust into you like a ragdoll. But it's only when you make eye contact with Akaashi that you realize that it's, in fact, the other way around for him in particular. From where he sits, stroking his cock with flushed cheeks and choked moans, you see just how much control you have over him.

"Kiss me." You moan.

Akaashi doesn't let you repeat yourself. He kisses you long and hard even as you grip his throat with one hand and his hair with the other. He kisses you until his lips are red and bruised.

"Good boy. Both of y-you."

Bokuto groans loudly. "Say it again. Keep saying it!"

"Y-You're both so good. I-" your hips stutter against Akaashi's fingers that are rubbing circles into your clit. "Good, so good-"

That's all it takes to take Bokuto over the edge, blowing his load. "Perfect, so fucking perfect."

You can feel another orgasm swelling up inside your belly. You try to tell them but can't, too overcome by the feeling of your body tingling with desire. It's too much, overwhelmingly so; your vision blurs with unshed tears as Bokuto continues to pound into sopping pussy. Pleasure floods every fiber of your being until you're limp and every nerve in your body is set alight.

Bokuto slips out of you easily, a string of his semen following.

You can only look on in a drowsy haze as Bokuto leans over and kisses you and then Akaashi, working him over with a tight fist.

♥️

The following morning, you’re the first to wake, but only because there’s a limb jammed into your back and a heavy weight on your chest. It takes you a moment to realize, but it’s Bokuto’s elbow poking you and Akaashi’s head resting on you.

All three of you are a tangle of limbs in bed, but you aren’t sure how you’d gotten there.

��G’mornin’” Bokuto breathes. His lips caress the column of your neck.

“Morning.”

You shift into a more comfortable position. Though doing so presses Akaashi’s morning wood against your thigh.

“Keiji, you awake yet?”

“Mmm barely.” Akaashi looks up at you through his lashes, then smiles and nuzzles closer into your chest.

Bokuto, content with being your big spoon, reaches over to touch Akaashi, hands cupping his cheek. “It’s Valentine’s Day!”

“That’s true, should we do something special.”

Thinking about the previous night, you feel desire stirring in your gut. “Could we just... do it again?”

Both men look to each other then back at you, sporting matching smiles.

“Why not?”

#bokuaka x reader #bokuto x reader #koutarou bokuto x reader #akaashi x reader #keiji akaashi x reader #haikyuu x reader #hq x reader #haikyuu smut

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felswritingfire · 3 years

Text

April Brain Rot #1

Prompts:

19. Elegant

12. “I gotta admit I’m a little surprised”

(Mafia AU) Vil x Reader

Summery: Vil takes you with him on a “business trip” and you talk to Cater Diamond about the names of alcohol. Specifically, the drink you ordered.

TW: Alcohol; suggestive dialogue

Word Count: 2,508

A note from Fel: I don’t speak a lick of French, so I apologize if the French translations are wrong (I used Google Translate)! So, I hope you can forgive me and that you’ll still have a good time reading it! Enjoy!

“I gotta admit, I’m a little surprised. I never thought someone like Vil would bring… someone like you.”

Your nose crinkled, eyebrows furrowing into an angry v. Your gaze shot from your drink to the man sitting across from you, a lazy smirk on his face as he widened the spread of his legs in front of him. He took a sip from his drink (a beautiful electric blue drink where a slice of lemon was wedged on the lip of the cup). “The hell is that supposed to mean?”

His eyebrows raised and a chuckle shook his chest. “No offense meant-” he leaned his elbows on his knees- “I just meant you’re much more of…” he nodded his head back and forth, seemingly trying to find the word he was looking for. “Of the innocent sort I suppose? Though, I don’t think innocent fits you properly. Not with what you're drinking.”

“Drinking? What’s wrong with my drink?” You look down at the whip cream topped drink that you had ordered after Vil and Rook went inside a VIP room with a man (you honestly thought he was a child at first, he had such a cute baby face and the way his red hair framed his face made him almost look angelic- though your view of him was shattered when he had opened his mouth to reveal quite the no-nonsense tone dripping off of each of his words). You had a feeling that the meeting wasn’t going to end anytime soon and Vil had, afterall, given you free reign to enjoy yourself at the fancy club that this meeting was taking place at; so you got the first drink you saw another patron had that caught your interest. It just happened to be the one that you thought might have something sweet in it.

The man- Cater, you recall- tilted his head to the side, his green eyes shining under the bright lights of the club. “You know what it’s called don’t you?”

You looked at it and back at him, your eyes squinting at him.

“Oh, dear, maybe you are more innocent than I thought.” Cater placed a finger against his lips, a smile threatening to break out on his face. “It’s called a Blow Job, darling.”

Your startled expression throws him into a fit of laughter. You feel your cheeks flush as you grip your drink closer to your chest, eyes darting around the room. “I- it still tastes good.”

“Oh, I’m sure.” His shoulders are still shaking from chuckles and he wipes a tear from his eye before that annoying smirk crosses his face and he picks up the drink he placed on the table somewhere in the midst of your conversation. You frown when he stands up and makes his way around the table to sit next to you. “You know what this drink is called, Sweetie?”

You lean back from how close his face is- you can smell his cologne, something mellow yet expensive. You shake your head.

You realize too late that you have no more couch to scoot away on when your back hits the arm of the couch. You feel sweat pool at the small of your back when his smooth lips brush against your ear. “Sex in the Driveway.”

The tips of your ears burn in a blush. “Oh, fuck off.”

Cater throws his head back and another round of laughter leaves him.

“Why do drinks have to have such weird names,” you mumble. Looking away from him and taking a sip from your drink.

“I don’t know-” he throws an arm over the back of the couch where you’re squished against the arm of it- “but they’re good conversation starters, no?”

You sigh. “I guess.”

Cater hums, drinking from his Sex in the Driveway before asking: “so, why did Vil bring you, anyway?”

I don’t know either. You scowled, tapping your nails against the side of the glass. “Didn’t have a babysitter, I guess.”

“Babysitter?”

“Yeah, Vil usually has these two guys watch over me for whatever reason- probably because I’m friends with him or something-” you suddenly stopped talking when you realized where you were and who you were talking with: a really fancy club, that had velvet red seats and a corner for rich old white men to play croquet, that was owned by one of the seven most influential mob bosses in Twisted Wonderland- Riddle Rosehearts- and you were currently sitting with one of said mob bosses cronies. You glared at him, scowling.

He raised his hands shaking his head. “Hey, now, I’m not gonna go snooping for any dirt on Vil- they’re talking about a pseudo-partnership in there currently-” he nods his head to the heart-shaped doors that the three disappeared to earlier- “I don’t want to do anything to- ah- jeopardize that. Riddle’ll have my head, you know?”

“Good.” You say, taking another drink before continuing, “I don’t know anything anyway.”

“Oh? Aren’t you part of the Pomefior group though? They don’t let just anyone in without some sort of knowledge, you know.”

“Yeah, I know that. Might be because I’m one of the only people he trusts with helping him get ready.”

“Oh,” Cater’s eyes shined at that, leaning against your side. “So, you’re like his personal stylist?”

“Something like that. He always comes to my shop when he has time.”

“You have a shop?”

“Yeah, I own a boutique,” you smile. “Vil usually comes and commissions me for his clothes- always so elegant, you know? Really fun to work on and they just fit him. One of my favorite ones to work on was-” you blink, realization hitting you- “the one he’s wearing tonight, actually.”

Cater gasps, he places his drink down on the table, grabbing both of your hands and shuffling so close to you that your chests almost touch. “You’re telling me that you made that suit he’s wearing today?”

You nod, your cheeks warming once again.

“He’s worn that suit more than once you know? I would do anything to get my hands on a suit like that- it complements his waist so well and the colors-” an almost squeal slips from Cater’s throat as he squeezes your hands- “divine. No one can take their eyes off of him when he wears that thing- well, even without the suit people don’t really take their eyes off of him, but- you get what I mean, don’t you?”

A small drop of pride blossomed in your chest, happy that convincing Vil to let you alter the color pallet had paid off. You nod, “yeah.” There’s a brief moment where you tug your bottom lip into your mouth with your teeth before you say, “you know I do take commissions- I can always make you one for the right price.”

“Really?” He reminded you of a puppy in that moment he was practically vibrating with excitement as he half situates himself in your lap. “You’d really do that for me?”

“Well- again- for the right price-”

“No, they wouldn’t. This suit is one of a kind and I do hope it will stay one of a kind. Isn’t that right, my Sweet Potato?”

“I- Vil! I- the meeting! How’d it go?” You feel the blush creep down your neck and over your chest- Cater whining and pressing against you, lamenting the fact that he’d have to commission you something else.

“Incroyable!” Rook declared from behind Vil (who was still glaring down at you and Cater). “Roi des Roses and Roi du Poison have settled upon an agreement-” Rook wiped an invisible tear away with one hand while he placed the other on his chest- “Belle harmonie.”

“That’s great!” You smile at the small group of men. “That means you guys’ll be friends for a bit, huh? How neat!”

Vil’s brow creased and his lips tugged into a frown- expression caught between concern and frustration. “Who told you-”

“Ah, you’re so cute, (Y/N)-chan!” Cater suddenly wrapped his arms around you causing you to yelp, your face flushing a deeper shade of red. His cheek pressed against yours as he began to chatter: “Did you guys know that they didn’t realize they ordered a Blow Job? I thought they were going to be all hardcore and sexy, but no- they’re so innocent- look at them! Blushing because of a hug!” He laughed squeezing you tighter. “You should really try a Sex in the Driveway next! It’s super yummy, also it’s so aesthetic for pictures.” Cater's voice dropped to a whisper when he added: “even special types of pictures- I have a really nice driveway we can take those pictures at, you know?”

You can feel a scream build in your throat when Vil’s voice- too even, too calm- suddenly cuts in: “I do believe it’s time for us to go. I would appreciate it if you would let my Potato go, Mr. Diamond.”

Cater looks up at him from underneath his eyelashes. “Ah, yes, apologies, Don Schoenhiet.” He lets you go but not before leaving a kiss on your cheek as he grabs his drink and skips away with a wave. “Bye-bye, (Y/N)-chan! See you later!”

You sputtered, feeling like you were going to overheat as you stood on wobbly legs and staggered to Vil’s side. Rook’s fighting the urge to giggle at the situation as the two Dons talk between themselves to wrap up a few loose ends before they nod at one another and Vil is dragging you out the door by your elbow.

The blast of cool air that blasted against your face as the doors opened pulled a quiet gasp from you. Vil still dragging you by the elbow, his expression fixed on the sleek, black limo that waited in front, a boy with purple hair leaning against the side of it. Rook waves to Epel and he nods, opening the door for the three of you. Well, you thought it was going to be for the three of you, instead you watched as Rook waved at you through the tinted window once the door shut and followed Epel up to the front of the car.

You chewed on your lip, patting your lap as silence took up the space between you and Vil. He had his legs cross as well as his arms, glaring down at you. You looked up, with a sheepish smile. “So, the meeting went good, right?”

“It went amazing.”

“That’s good.”

The silence was beginning to seep back in again and you went back to chewing on your lip when you heard Vil click his tongue. “Stop doing that.”

“Sorry.” You felt your face flush.

“What were you and Diamond talking about?”

“I- huh?”

“My Sweet Potato, you know I don’t like repeating myself.” His eyes were unwavering and the sound of wind blowing across the frame of the limo seemed to be so much louder with the way the blood rushed to your ears.

You shrugged. “Nothing too interesting, honestly. He told me what my drink was called- which, I will have you know, was a complete accident that I ordered that thing, ok? I saw some guy had one and it had whip cream, that is it.” You rested your chin in your hand as you slouched to lean against your knee, a happy smile on your face, “and then I got to talk about my shop, so that was really nice.” You blink sitting straight again and looking at him: your eyebrows slightly knitted together and an honest shine in your eyes. “If you're worried that he tried to get some info from me about you guys, I didn’t tell him anything! It wouldn’t have worked anyway-” you look almost proud of yourself as you cross your arms over your chest- “I don’t know anything about what you guys do and I told him that to his face.”

“Anything else?”

You looked at Vil, tilting your head. He didn’t seem angry, more like… mildly annoyed? You weren’t completely positive, but the loosening of his eyebrows said that he was at least calming down from whatever set him off. “He… he asked me why you brought me if I didn’t know anything.”

“Oh? And what did you say?”

“I- I said I didn’t know either, probably because I’m your friend and that you couldn’t find my babysitters,” You chuckle to yourself, patting at your lap again.

Vil blinks at you, before leaning back and covering his eyes with an arm. He sighs.

You look up at Vil, concern suddenly tickling the bottom of your heart. “Vil?”

“What a silly potato you are.” You feel your face burst into flames as Vil shows you his face once again: his expression is raw- pure adoration and something that you never expected him to show you; the smile on his face is not one that is beautiful and perfectly maintained- it didn’t have a purpose- instead, it was soft, something so vulnerable that you could feel your breath catching in your throat. He leaned towards you, his hands finding your cheeks, he gently rested his forehead against yours. You feel your eyes flutter as you smell his perfume: apples and cinnamon. “I brought you with me because I remember you mentioning you wanted to go there.”

You gasp, an excited glint in your eyes. “I did, didn’t I?”

The smile stayed on his face as he leaned back. “Did you enjoy it?”

You nod. “It was just as pretty as I thought it was going to be- but I like your club a lot more. It’s just so much more…” you scrunch your nose and giggle when you feel him begin to play with your hair. “More you.” You nod, proud that you finally found the words you wanted to say.

He pauses in twirling your hair, he breaths a laugh. “‘More me’, hm?”

“Yeah! It makes me feel safe,” you laugh, “It’s like being surrounded by your muse you know?” You smile at him.

Vil pulls you into his arms. You feel him shivering and you wrap your arms around, being mindful not to rumple his suit too much. “Never change, my Sweet Potato.”

“I’m not planning to!”

Another breathy laugh as he brushes his nose against the skin of your neck. Your skin warm with a building blush. You two stay like that: happy, content in each other's arms before he speaks again: “you’re not allowed to converse with Diamond ever again, do you understand me?”

“He’s a potential customer though! I have to talk to him! Also, he seemed like an alright guy-”

“Looks can be deceiving.”

You pull away from the hug crossing your arms, forcing your cheeks to cool down as Vil stares at you with sweet eyes. “That’s not fair. You’re not even my boyfriend.”

“I can change that very easily, Sweet Potato.”

Your cheeks begin to burn as you let out the most pitiful yet happy noise out of your throat.

Thank you for reading!

#twst x reader #twst imagines #twisted wonderland #vil schoenheit #twst vil #vil x reader #vil schoenheit x reader #nonbianary reader #gender neutral reader #x reader #reader insert #writing challenge #April Brain Rot #tw: alcohol #tw: suggestive #cater diamond #twst cater #mafia au #sfw

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elrw24 · 3 years

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When I first laid eyes on you...Part 1.

Summary: Your friend/neighbor invites you to a party where he invited Scott Evans and Scott brings Chris Evans along. Chris sees you singing karaoke and feels like there was an instant connection between you two.

Chris Evans x Reader

Fluff, implied smut

*Side Note: this my first post ever, sorry if it’s so long. I’ve just been playing with this idea. Let me know if you guys like where this is going and I’d love to write more :)

It was a bright Wednesday morning and you were walking your French Bulldog, Blue and you could see your friend/neighbor, Mark walking his Frenchie too. He waves at you from afar and you meet him halfway to have your Frenchies play while you two catch up. “Y/N!! Good morning pretty girl!” Mark says. “Morning Mark, I haven’t seen you in a couple of days, how have you been?”. “I’ve been good, I just got back from LA a couple of days ago, that’s why I haven’t been around. Hey, I’ve been meaning to ask you...I’m having a get together on Friday night, I have a couple of friends coming in from LA and some friends from my old hometown in Massachusetts. I wanted to see if you wanted to come over!” Mark asks. “I don’t know Mark, I’ve been feeling bummed since I called off the engagement...” Mark cuts you off and says, “Exactly why you need a night out Y/N. It’s been 6 months....that’s half a year, I think you deserve a night out to let loose and finally leave that bullshit behind. He’s a piece of shit who cheated on you and doesn’t realize what he’s missing out on. So, I’m begging you...please come on Friday! We’re going to have drinks, dinner, some card games, and karaoke. Plus, you never know maaaaaybe you’ll meet someone that night!”. “Yeah...I’m not holding my breath on meeting someone...but I guess you’re right. I deserve this. Just let me know what time you want me over and what you want me to bring.” “You’re a doll, Y/N! Can’t wait to see you on Friday!” Mark says. You guys continue to chat and let the Frenchies play before heading off to your house to go get ready for work.

The week flies by and Thursday night, Mark texts you “Hey doll, just wanna remind you, party starts at 8pm. Don’t worry about bringing food, just bring yourself and your alcohol of choice! And don’t forget...there’s gonna be tons of good looking guys at this party, so get your flirting game back up lol!” You laid in bed and groaned...you loved your friend Mark for wanting to see you happy again and getting you back in the dating field, but you were so nervous to get your heartbroken again. After all, you did spend 10 years of your life with a guy who you thought you were going to marry and grow old with and he turned around and cheated on you. You decided to reply to Mark, “Oh great...I think my flirting game is outta shape Mark...thank goodness for tequila cause that’s what’s going to get me through your party! Can’t wait to hang out though and meet your friends!” You there and decided you weren’t going to think too much about it and just go with the flow.

Your day at work on Friday goes by quickly and before you know it you’re at home by 4pm and with time to spare to get ready for the party. You get home and go about your normal routine of feeding Blue and taking him for his evening walks. You shower and you’re in your room wrapped in your fluffy pink towel, curly hair dripping wet and staring into your closet. What the hell do I want to wear to this party? It’s casual...but you still want to make sure you look good... you pulled a few outfits from your closet and and tried a few on, Blue laid on your bed watching you try on your outfits. You decided on some skinny jeans cuffed at your ankles, a black v-neck shirt and your go-to white low top converses. You decided on your favorite ankle bracelet, you always found it sexy to see a cute bracelet hanging off your ankle. You fix your hair, leaving your curls loose and decided on some light makeup. Your beautiful almond shape eyes stood out with the brown and gold eyeshadow that you had on, light blush and your glossy lips. You spritz on your “Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue” on turn to face your dog, Blue. How do I look bubba? Momma is nervous to meet some new people...tell me I’m gonna be fine. And as if Blue understood you and on cue he barked and licked your nose. You grabbed your jean jacket, just in case it was cold walking back home at night, grabbed your purse, keys, phone and how to forget your favorite tequila.

You walk across the street to Mark’s house, you see a couple of cars in his driveway and parked in front of his house and before walking in you take a deep breath...you’ll be fine...time to let loose. You open the door to Mark’s house and shout his name, you’re instantly greeted by his Frenchie, Lola. Mark comes up, clearly already tipsy, gives you a big bear hug, “Y/N! You look good girlllll, welcome to the party!!!! Come on, let’s go into the kitchen to put your stuff down and let me introduce you to my childhood friend, Scott. He’s making some mixed drinks and let me tell you...they’re the fucking best!!” You laugh and just slap his arm, “Alright, mister party host let’s get that drink.” You walk into the kitchen and see this tall guy mixing drinks and looking so adorable, gives you the biggest smile, “You must be Y/N! Mark couldn’t stop raving about his friend who was about to come over and I’ve heard that you have an amazing voice for when it comes to karaoke. We’re gonna have to do a duet! What’s your poison? What kind of drink do you want?” He asks. “And you must be Scott. Nice to meet you, I’m not a picky drinker, how about some tequila with pineapple juice? But before we start anything...we need to welcome my presence with....TEQUILA SHOTS!!!!” You laugh as you grab your bottle of tequila and pour 3 shots for you guys, you chop up some limes and grab the salt. “Alright boys, here’s to a very fun and much needed night!” You say and you all lift your shot glasses up, lick the salt off your hands, take your shot and then suck your limes. You all shiver and laugh as the shot starts to make your insides feel warm. You start to think, hey this isn’t going to be so bad. This is gonna be a fun night. You see tons of friends in the yard, some in the basement, so many games going on. You stay close to Mark and Scott for the night, you decided to go into the kitchen and make some more drinks for you guys and when you turned your back to make them you hear Mark shout, “AYYYYY! Cap you made it!!”, Scott jumps in, “Bro, I thought you got lost!”. You hear the deep voice say, “Hey man! Thanks for having me, and yeah bro almost got lost...had to swing by and pick up some beer. Hope you all like Heineken!”. Scott says, “Since you made it bro, you gotta have a welcome tequila shot, as my new friend Y/N, likes to call them!” You come back into the dining room with your drinks and stop to look at the tall man standing with Mark and Scott. He was tall, had dark hair slicked back, a perfectly trimmed beard, the most beautiful blue eyes you’ve ever seen. He wore jeans, a blue t-shirt that fit perfectly around his strong arms, classic converses and stood there with his hands in his pocket. When he looked up at you with those deep ocean blue eyes and beautiful smile, you felt like the world was moving in slow motion. It wasn’t until Mark said, “Y/N...this is Scott’s brother, Chris. They’re my good friends I grew up with in Massachusetts. Chris, this is my amazing friend, Y/N.” As you put the drinks down, Chris extended his hand out to you, “Nice to meet you, Y/N.” He gave you the biggest smile, so genuine and sweet. You reached your hand out to his and shook hands, and you immediately felt an instant spark and connection in your handshake, and as if he felt the same thing you looked up and his deep ocean blue eyes looked up and yours and he stared at you. “Nice to meet you too, Chris.” You shyly said back.

Chris POV:

Shit...I’m running late, I still gotta run to grab some beer for the party. Our old friend, Mark is having a party and mentioned that he’s going to have some card games and karaoke, not that I plan on singing karaoke...that’ll be more of Scott’s thing tonight. Maybe if I have enough drinks and the right song is playing, I’ll be bold enough to sing. I pull up to Mark’s house and walk in and immediately hear his voice “AYYYY! Cap you made it!!” and then Scott voice “Bro! I thought you got lost!”. I laugh when I see how they’ve clearly been drinking for a while now and are both tipsy, looks like I’ll have to catch up...I chuckle to myself. “Hey man! Thanks for having me, and yeah bro almost got lost...had to swing by and pick up some beer. Hope you all like Heineken!”. Scott says, “Since you made it bro, you gotta have a welcome tequila shot, as my new friend Y/N, likes to call them!”. As he says this, you see this beautiful Latina woman come out of the kitchen with 3 drinks in hand. She had the most beautiful olive complexion that almost glowed, beautiful dark curly hair, almond eyes, plump glossy pink lips. She had on a black v-neck shirt that showed a bit of cleavage, but in a tasteful way, her skinny jeans and white chucks. She had a little sway to her walk, showing her voluptuous hips that he almost wanted to grab on sight and pull her to him. When she walked up, she made eye contact with me...her eyes were dark brown, almost black, but her eyes had a sparkle to them and they were mysterious, they looked shy but sassy at the same time. She smiled and when she did I swore my heart ached in a way it hasn’t in a very long time... It wasn’t until Mark said, “Y/N...this is Scott’s brother, Chris. They’re my good friends I grew up with in Massachusetts. Chris, this is my amazing friend, Y/N.” As she put the drinks down, I extended my hand out to her, “Nice to meet you, Y/N.”, she took my hand, I could feel how small and soft her hand was in mine, I felt a spark that I can’t explain, it was almost scary how I felt when we shook hands. It was as if I’ve known her all my life or in a different lifetime...Oh my God..what am I talking about? I’ve just met this girl. This can’t anything..Until she finally spoke... “Nice to meet you too, Chris” her voice was so soft, yet strong. She gave me a smile again, that made my heart once again ache. It was a smile that I never want to go away and see everyday. I’ll make it my mission to see that smile for the rest of the night...

Y/N POV:

You instantly snap out of your shyness, by telling yourself...tequila shots...this will make this go better.. “Ah...Chris since you’re just coming in to the party it seems that you’ve earned yourself my famous tequila welcome shot!” You laugh as you grab a tequila bottle, 4 shot glasses, limes and salt. You pour out the shots, pass out the limes and pour salt on everyone’s hands, “Here’s to the rest of the night and new friends!” Scott says as you all lift your shot glasses up to clink. You all take your shots and shiver again. You all begin chatting away, mixing a couple of more drinks, played a couple of card drinking games. It wasn’t until you hear Scott say “Well, Well, Y/N! It’s time...” you laugh, “Time for what, Scott?” “You owe me a karaoke song or a few! Let’s go to the basement guys!!” Chris looks over at you, “You sing karaoke, Y/N? This is gonna be great” as he chuckles. “Well...Mark seems to think I have this great karaoke voice and decided to tell everyone that I was going to sing tonight...I’m starting to think he just thinks I sound good because we’re always drinking when I end up singing karaoke...warning you now Evans...this is probably gonna be the worst singing you’ve ever heard!” You laugh as you grab your drink and follow the guys to the basement for karaoke. He laughs, and you think Oh my God..his laugh is amazing, it’s so contagious “I don’t know, Y/N...you’re gonna be singing with Scott...he can sing amazing when he’s sober, but drunk Scott is hilarious and his singing is more like shouting so you can’t be that bad”...he grabs his drink and follows behind you. You all make your way into the basement along with a couple of other friends and set up the big screen for karaoke. Mark looks at you and says “You’re too humble, Y/N, you have a great voice...and we’ll all be here to witness it”, you look at your friend and give him a sarcastic smile and shoot him your middle finger “Yeah thanks, Mark...you’re just about to set me up for embarrassment!” Chris and Mark start laughing at your comment and sit back ready to watch you guys sing. Scott is searching for a song on karaoke and stumbles across “Kiss” by Prince and says “Yup! This is it...you ready Y/N?” I groan at the song choice, knowing how much you’re about to get into this song... “100% Scott let’s do this!” And you chug down the rest of your beer. The song comes on and you both immediately get into the song, singing at each other and at the rest of your friends. You look over and caught a glimpse of Chris, he was sitting back with his legs spread open, beer in hand, smiling and laughing as both of you were singing and being very animated with the lyrics. You turn to him at one point during the song and sang the lyrics, “...you don’t have to cool to rule my world, ain’t no particular sign I’m more compatible with, I just want your extra time and your kiss!” And as you say the last part you blew a kiss towards Chris and Mark. You see them both laugh, Chris blushes and smiles before they both start singing the rest of the song with you and Scott. You laugh as you see all of them getting into the song.

CHRIS POV:

I followed Y/N down to the basement to meet the rest of them for karaoke. She grabbed a beer, tequila bottle and her pineapple juice as she made her way out of the kitchen. She seemed humble and shy about doing karaoke, but since she promised Scott a duet she intended on keeping that promise. I joked around with her about how Scott’s singing wasn’t the best when he was drunk and encouraged her that her singing couldn’t be that bad. She gave me a breathtaking smile and laughed at my comment. She threw her head back as she laughed and all I could see was her beautiful neck that I wanted to sprinkle kisses on and down to her chest. Her laugh was like music to my ears, it was something that I wanted to hear over and over again. I imagined how the other sound I wanted to hear come out of those glossy plump lips would be her moaning my name...but I shook my head and tried to reel myself back because all I could feel was my pants tightening. I followed her into the basement, watching her beautiful ass as she walked away, she was curvy in the most perfect way, her ass almost begging to be palmed and squeezed. Again, I had to shake my head and stop my thoughts. I sat back on the couch with Mark and a couple of other friends as she and Scott set up their song. Scott went with “Kiss” by Prince. Of course he would pick such a flirty song...it’s like he knew what he was doing, knowing that Y/N would probably sound amazing singing this...Mark looked over at Y/N and shouted at her “You’re too humble, Y/N, you have a great voice...and we’ll all be here to witness it”, she looks over at her friend and gives him a sarcastic smile and shot him her middle finger “Yeah thanks, Mark...you’re just about to set me up for embarrassment!” Her sarcastic comment made me laugh, she seemed so funny, sweet and sassy all at the same time. She definitely had that little Latina spice that I liked...she seemed to keep all of us on our toes. Scott and Y/N began singing to each other, they were so animated as they were singing. Scott definitely shouting at the top of his lungs, Y/N on the other hand, had a beautiful voice. She was actually singing compared to Scott. At one point she turned over to face us, but making eye contact with me... “...you don’t have to cool to rule my world, ain’t no particular sign I’m more compatible with, I just want your extra time and your kiss!” and as she said this, she blew a kiss our way, but it felt like it was meant for me as she stared into my eyes. Her lips looked so kissable and plump and all I could think was how I wanted to pull her on my lap and grab her face and kiss those lips...Mark and I laughed and joined them in finishing the song.

Y/N POV:

Scott and I end up singing a few more songs, from oldies to recent music, upbeat music to some sad/romantic songs. Mark and Scott and a few others all made their way into the yard to play some corn hole and beer pong, leaving you and Chris behind chatting for a few before making your way to play beer pong with the others. Chris looked over at you with those blue eyes, at the moment you don’t know if it’s all the alcohol you’ve had or not but you felt like those eyes were going to turn you into a damn puddle. He was still sitting with his legs open on the couch. I couldn’t help but think about how I wanted to straddle those legs and kiss his lips and feel his hardness under you. He sat there with his beer still in hand and looks over at you and says “Y/N, Mark was not kidding, you have an amazing voice...”. You smile and take a sip of your beer, “Eh, thanks Evans...Maybe you’ve just reached the same amount of drunkness that Mark is at when he tells me that” you laugh. Chris smiles and says “Nope, I’m not drunk yet...but that was the best performance and I must say, your little kiss throwing for Prince’s song was great..”. You feel yourself blush and say “Thank you, I like to keep you all on your toes with my performance” Chris stands up and walks up to you and offers you his hand to help you up from the couch, his hand feels so strong and big in yours and all you keep staring at are his arms, his eyes and those pink lips. His lips looked so soft and so inviting but no way, he’s thinking the same thing. As I stand up all I can smell is his cologne, it smells so fresh and clean, it was almost intoxicating. You looked up to the man who was at least 6 inches taller than you, and looked into his eyes, he was staring at your eyes and back down at your lips, almost waiting for your signal for him to kiss you. It’s been months since you’ve kissed someone else, well, years since you’ve kissed someone else’s lips than your ex-fiancé. You don’t know if it’s the alcohol or this energy you were feeling between the two of you, but in that moment you did something you never would have done before. You leaned up to this man’s lips and pressed your lips lightly on his, to test the waters and see if it was okay to kiss. His lips were as soft as you imagined and you pulled back and looked at him and he smiled, “I’ve wanted to see how your lips felt since I saw you come out of the kitchen, Y/N.” He leaned in and kissed you again, this time he placed his hands on your hips and pulled you closer as he kissed you longer, this kiss felt intense and passionate. You wrapped your arms around his neck and put your fingers at the nape of his neck playing with his hair. You felt his tongue at your lips, wanting to taste more of you. You open your mouth inviting him in. His mouth tasted like mint and beer, in the best way. He lowly groaned into your mouth as he pulled away. He looked at you and said, “I can stay like this all night, kissing your lips, but if I don’t stop myself now I know Scott will probably burst in here looking for us to play beer pong with him.” You laugh and said, “You’re right...the night is still young, Evans..” as you leaned up and pecked his lips, grabbed your beer and walked away.

CHRIS POV:

Scott and Y/N finished up their karaoke and Mark looked over at me and whispered, “We’re gonna go upstairs to the yard and play beer pong, we’ll leave you two alone for a few. Don’t think we haven’t felt how thick the air has been around you two. Talk to her a little, I’ve known her forever and I know her so well, I’m glad she opened up as much as she did. She must really feel comfortable around you, Bro.” My stomach tightened up, was it that obvious that we were into each other? Not that I wanted to hide it, she was beautiful and all I wanted to do was kiss her and get to know her more. Scott, Mark and the others all left little by little to the yard leaving me and Y/N on the couch together, I looked over at her and she had her legs crossed, as she was shaking her foot up and down I couldn’t help but stare at her ankle bracelet and how I wanted to grab her legs and sprinkle kisses from her feet to her ankles, calves, thighs and into her center. I kept thinking how I wanted to see her ankle bracelet on my shoulder while I held her legs up over my shoulders while I pressed my tongue into her center...once again I had to stop my thoughts before I went over to her and pulled her on my lap. She looked over at me with that sweet sweet smile of hers and I had to compliment her singing, it was absolutely beautiful. She blushed, something I engraved into my memory...I told her that I loved her performance for “Kiss” by Prince and that I loved her little kiss at the end. She blushed and told me she liked to keep us on our toes. I decided if we stayed down there any longer it would end up with me pulling her in for a kiss, so I stood up and walked over to her and extended my hand to help her off the couch. She took my hand and we were standing dangerously close to each other. I could smell her fresh, yet floral perfume and I took a deep breath wanting to remember that smell. She looked up at me with those beautiful chocolate colored almond eyes, her lips looking delicious and plump. She looked into my eyes and looked down at my lips as I did the same, she licked her lips and I couldn’t help at how kissable they looked at that moment. I refuse to cross a line and I didn’t want to kiss her without her permission, as I was going to ask her if I could kiss her she gently placed her lips on mine and gave me the most gentle and innocent kiss ever. She pulled away and looked me in the eye, almost to see if it was okay to keep going. I put my hands on those voluptuous hips and pulled her close to me, she wrapped her arms around my neck and put her fingers in my hair...I reached down and kissed her again, this time with more passion, wanting her to know how much I wanted this all night. Her lips felt amazing, soft and everything I imagined them to be. She tasted like mint and beer, so delicious. I touched my tongue to her lips and she invited me in, it was passionate, intense and I wanted to keep going...I lowly groaned into her lips because I knew that I had to break the kiss off before Scott or Mark came bursting in ruining our moment....I pulled away slowly and sadly, looked into her eyes hoping that I didn’t disappoint her and said, “I can stay like this all night, kissing your lips, but if I don’t stop myself now I know Scott will probably burst in here looking for us to play beer pong with him.” She laugh that sweet laugh I liked and said, “You’re right...the night is still young, Evans..” as she leaned up and pecked my lips one more time, she grabbed her beer, smiled at me over her shoulder and she walked away. She swayed those hips that I was just holding and I couldn’t help but stare at her ass and I had to palm my boner down in my pants...I followed her up and out into the yard to meet the guys for beer pong. We all played for a while until I saw Y/N getting herself ready to leave. I didn’t want her to leave without getting her number, kissing her one more time and at least walking her to her house...

Y/N POV:

We all played beer pong for a while, drank a little more. Mark still had good music playing and Chris and I paired up to play, we beat Mark and Scott many times. We definitely made a good team, Chris and I kept up the flirting up throughout the game. Mark looked at me at one point and raised his eyebrow at me, I just laughed and shrugged my shoulders, “Hey, this is what you wanted!” I said, Mark just laughed and said, “Damn right!”. After what seemed like hours I checked the time and noticed it was 3am and that it was time for me to home. I started to help Mark clean up and pack up, there were people passed out on the couch and people who had left hours ago, but I wanted to help as much as I could before I left. After all, I live right across the street. Chris and Scott also helped clean up, they look over cleaning the yard, while Mark and I cleaned the kitchen. He looked up at me and smiled, I said “WHAT?!” Mark said, “I see you and Chris got along really well...” I smiled and said, “He’s sweet, is it weird to say I feel like I’ve known him forever? Oh and he’s verrrrrryyyy good looking....why didn’t you tell me he was that good looking?!” Mark laughed and said, “Oh, he’s an awesome guy, genuinely a good guy. That’s probably the vibe you’re getting from him. He seemed smitten by you, you know? You should see where it goes..” I looked up into the yard and see them cleaning up. You all finish up cleaning and you walk over to them to say bye, Scott leans in to hug you, “It was great meeting you, hope to hang with you again soon! Let’s trade numbers!” You smile and trade numbers, you walk over and say bye to Mark, hug him and thank him for a good night, and tell him to stop by for lunch tomorrow. Lastly, you walk over to Chris, “It was nice meeting you, Chris”, he smiles at you and leans in to hug you. He felt huge in your arms, he smelled amazing. You felt the spark again... “It was nice meeting you too. Can I walk you to your door?” You smile and say, “Sure!” You silently walk together to your door, it was a comfortable silence. “Well, this is me...”, you say. He looks down at you and smiles before leaning in to kiss you again, he grabbed your face gently and gave you a passionate kiss that left you both breathless. He smiles on your lips, “I want to do this again, Y/N. Can we see each other again, soon?” You kiss him one more time before giving him your number, and he waits for you to open your door and walk in safely. You close the door behind you and smile to yourself... Shit!! This guy is amazing...

To be continued...

#chris evans fluff #chris evans #chris evans x y/n #chris evans fandom #chris evans fanfiction #chris evans x latina!reader #chris evans x you #chris evans smut

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honeytama · 4 years

Text

Give Me More

7 Minutes | Part Two

Tomura Shigaraki X Fem!Reader

A/N: Part Two of his section in this post! I recommend reading it for some context, but the fic can be read on it’s own.

Requested by @lilli-chae

Summary: Shigaraki leaves you humiliated and alone after your time together in the closet. Only to sneak into your bedroom at a vulnerable moment to ask for more of your time.

Warnings: Smut (18+), mention of humiliation, squirting, overstimulation, light breath play

Word Count: 1.9k

Pulling your pajama sweats up from your thighs, you hope and pray all of the others outside have left to sleep after hearing your boss defiling your body through the door of the closet. Glancing over your shoulder, you spot Tomura zip up the fly of his dark jeans and press down the front of his black v-neck shirt. He looks up from fixing himself and all you can do is whip your head around to look away. He seems unfazed; he seems upset even.

The entire time, he was so smug and hungry to cum into your tight sex, but now his face is blank. He shifts his body while waiting impatiently for you to leave the tiny room.

You take a deep breath before turning the handle of the door and peeking out the slit to the living area. The room is silent, but all of them are still there.

The League watches in awe while you exit the closet with your head down in shame. Your mouth feels dry, but sweat forms quickly around your neck. You feel totally humiliated that they all heard his hips smack against your ass and you cry out his name. You know he won’t say anything to help the situation. Yet, Tomura follows closely behind you.

“Going to bed, clean the living room up when you’re done,” he hisses while walking past you and the rest of your friends.

You watch your boss climb the stairs with his head down.“Me too, I— uh, I’m tired. Have fun, though,” you say in a soft, broken voice and escape to your bedroom upstairs once you see Tomura’s body disappear in full.

Only once you reach the upstairs, away from the others and Tomura locked in his room, are you able to recollect yourself. You lean your body against the wall of the hallway and search your body with your hands. Subconsciously, you try to make yourself aware of any injuries, or absence of necessary body parts. But, you’re all intact.

Your boss, and eldest one-sided friend, is able to hurt people with the touch of a hand, but even after ravaging every inch of you with his fingers, you’re completely fine. Your mind reels thinking if he was intentional in keeping you safe. He could have used you and then destroyed any trace of the encounter happening. But, you’re fine... and horny.

No way did he think you would cum within that amount of time, especially thrusting so shallowly and frantically. However, thinking about the successes of your boss’s sexual history was not on the agenda for tonight. Going back to your room, and climbing into bed with a toy and fantasies about him are on the agenda.

—

You lie in bed nude. Your soft, cotton sheets tickle your chest and stomach while laying underneath them. The feeling of the material brushing against your nipples with every movement reminds you of his touch.

His fingers pulled and pinched at your nubs roughly while he humped his weeping cock into your cunt. His entire palm, and a couple of fingers, massaged one of your breasts while he took you from behind.

“Mmm,” you reach a hand under the blanket and get straight to work. You don’t feel tired, but the build-up of heat and arousal between your legs begs for release.

While fucking into you, he pulled both of your wrists behind you with one hand while placing the other around the front of your neck. You remember his words after he groaned your name into your ear, “Your slutty cunt feels so good. Do you think about us like this?” You had nodded while your breath was being taken away. “Good girl.”

Your other hand trails up your chest towards your neck. You try to remember how he had done it in the closet. So practiced. He had no plans to hurt you. Your fingers wrap softly around your throat while you rub your puffy clit eagerly.

“Tomura,” you whimper.

“Keep going,” you hear a raspy voice. The man whose name you’d just called out for so lewdly is just inside the door.

“Oh my god,” you squeak while pulling the sheet up to cover your mouth. Anything to hide your embarrassment. “I thought— I locked the door?” your legs feel like they could start shaking underneath the thin sheet. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to ask you a question,” he stalks closer towards the edge of your bed. “I was going to ask if you liked what I had... done... downstairs, but I think I know your answer now,” he gives with a wide toothy smile.

“You know I like you, Tomura, everyone does. So yeah, I liked what we did,” you say in a soft voice.

He’s right in your face now. Hovering over you, he reaches for the cotton sheet and pulls it carefully down your face. “Enough to try some more, darling?”

You search his ruby eyes for any sign of lie or rouse. Is he trying to embarrass you? Humiliate you again? Pushing the thoughts aside, you go for you want, it’s him.

You nod and bite your lip. “I want you.”

He tugs his shirt over his head and unzips his pants quickly before throwing both articles of clothing into the corner of your room. Your eyes lock into several dark circular shapes in his navy blue underwear. A mixture of precum and your juices from earlier that night stain the front.

Lifting the sheet, he moves under it with you. You watch him in awe as he spreads your legs by his hands hooking under thighs so he can kneel in between them. The sheet hangs around his neck while he settles himself between in your opening. The waistband of his boxer briefs is pulled away from his erect prick and then pulled down to let it spring free. The head of his pulsating cock is pink and already forming another bead of clear precum.

He grunts while giving long, overdrawn strokes to his dick to the sight of you beneath him. His long hair drapes the sides of his face, but you can still see his eager smile from underneath. His gaze focuses on your glistening folds spread just for him. With every low moan that escapes him from jerking himself, you feel your hole clench in arousal.

“You want this, huh? I can’t wait to feel you squeeze around my cock,” he hovers above your chest getting ready to insert himself. “Give me your hand, pretty,” he extends his hand to your own. He’s careful with his fingers as he leads you towards his length. “You can lead me in yourself,” he presses your fingers to wrap around the end of him.

“You’re so hard,” you whine. His cock is hot in your hand; almost scorching. You gulp and let him come closer to you before pulling the tip of his member to your aching hole.

Tomura watches your prod yourself with his thick head; you whimper frustrated with every poke that won’t go in with the urgency you’d like. He lends two helpful fingers to your clit. He takes the small nub between his thumb and index to tweak it. “Mhm, that’s it, just stretch your cunt around me, just like that,” he smiles patronizingly. “You can take it, Y/N. I already know you can.”

“Tomura, please,” you gasp as half of his cock enters you all at once.

“I couldn’t have you keep trying. That was painful to watch.”

The other half of his cock slowly presses on into your cunt. Every inch is slightly wider than the last.

“I bet you were so excited to be picked with me for that idiotic game,” he laughs while rocking his hips deeply; the curve up to his tip grinding against your g-spot. “Do you want to know a secret, sweet girl?”

“Wha—what?” you squeak. Your mouth feels dry.

“I was excited to be picked with you,” he starts to thrust at a rhythmic pace. “To get to use your sweet cunt, as I’ve always wanted. And in front of everyone? They know exactly who you belong to now.”

“Yes, I—‘m yours,” you breathe out with a whine. You reach around to the small in his back and pull him in hoping for him to go faster. You lift your hips and grind onto his cock when his pistons into your hole don’t quicken. “Tomura, I need to cum. Please, fuck me.”

“Alright, alright,” Tomura pushes your legs into your chest before grabbing both sides of your waist roughly to bounce your entire body on his cock.

He groans watching your breasts bounce aggressively as he pumps you on himself. Your sloppy pussy is his cocksleeve. Don’t be surprised if he’s the only person to ever play with your cunt ever again.

“So cute, so cute,” he chants with a smile along with heavy, uneven breaths.

“Boss—Shigaraki—Tomu—I’m so close,” you cry out. Tears well up in the corners of your eyes. His cockhead’s plow into your cervix is unwavering and overall—he’s hitting you right where needed. “Oh, right there, right there. Please make me cum.” Drool dribbles out the side of your mouth as you call out to him for a release.

“C’mon do it, pretty, cum on your boss’s cock,” he encourages.

His command spikes your arousal to follow it. “Ahh,” your breath hitches as you become nervous you might make a mess of him. The inside of your little hole feels like someones turned on a faucet. You almost want to push him off of you to rush to the bathroom, but you can’t help it now, it just feels too good.

“Oh, my God!” you scream out to your imminent release. You heave through your mouth held agape as you feel a trickle of liquid escape the top of your slit out onto Tomura’s pumping cock.

When he feels it, he just pumps into you even faster. A rush of clear liquid splashes onto the top of his dick and it only gets fucked back into you as he thrusts wildly. You watch him with blurred vision as he grins madly at your tears. You can't help but almost sob at the overstimulation of your walls and clit.

You feel empty once he pulls out. Your orgasm continues even with him having left your body. A loud, wet clicking sound comes from him while he pumps himself quickly. You lay there drenched in your own cum and arousal until you hear a deep grunt come from his throat.

He gives one more pump until he presses his cockhead to your pulsating entrance. Ropes of thick, white cum seep into your cunt as your hips are held up. Tomura rubs his head around your tightening hole and flicks your clit with it to spread his spending.

“Ah, sensitive,” you whimper.

“Heh,” he chuckles through deep breaths coming down from his release. Moving his hips, his softening cock falls out from you. You feel two lean fingers spread your folds while he uses his other hand to push his leaking cum back into your weak cunt.

You whine and pull your legs out from under him to escape the extra amount of stimulation. You lay on your side and feel his and your own liquids ooze through your lips to create a sheen on your thigh.

Drifting in and out of a haze, clothes rustle around as Tomura attempts to find his pants. You watch him get dressed as your eyes begin to close from exhaustion. You feel the bed’s large wet spot from your surprise ejaculation gets colder against your side as you drift to sleep. The weight of your legs and chest forbid you to care.

Before completely being taken late at night, you feel a kiss press to the top of your head, and then the door clicks closed a few moments later.

Tag List: @knifeewifee @wakaoujisenhime @thedreadthreadanomaly @moodyvoid @lilli-chae @bakatenshii @shiggyisking @gallickingun @tomomoni @bnhabookclub @hawks-senseis @royal-after-dark @sinclairsamess @thotsforvillainrights @keigod @gr0vndz3ro @cannibalchan @sadistiks @mirakumiruku @shoutogepi @tomurasprincess @meximorrita @shinsotired @beauty-in-ferality @ivymemnoch

#tomura shigaraki x reader #shigaraki x reader #shigaraki lemon #shigaraki smut #bnha smut #lov smut #mha smut #bnha #mha #league of villians #tomura shigaraki smut #shigaraki tomura smut #my hero academia #boku no hero academia #mha lemon #bnha lemon #writing #shigaraki tomura x reader

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nightswithkookmin · 3 years

Note

Hi! Goldy, do you know why are jikookers making such a big deal out of jk saying “I’m hyung ‘s copy cat”. I’m I missing something here , why is everyone acting like they just confessed their love , if anything vmin were more sus 😂

Lol shippers...

We are like a bunch of boohbahs on crack every day. We get excited over everything and anything- which I think is the point of shipping though. Lol.

Not sure what you are missing as I haven't seen the show in its entirety yet...

But off the top of my head, I'd say it's probably because of the blushing and the whole Kook's ear turning red bit when JM was addressing him about copying him.

He did the same thing in the Be.TS Vlive when Jimin put him on the spot about posting on his birthday. Jimin makes him shy

It's been several years and Jimin still has an effect on him. I think it's cute.

Also, the bit about them confessing...

You actually not wrong. Lol.

JM used to say JK copies him because JK liked him and so JK would deny that all the time. To accept that he was imitating JM would mean he was admitting he liked Jimin- that he thought Jimin was cool, had impeccable style yadda yadda.

Jimin might as well had asked JK to confess he liked him.

They both had a habit of trying to get the other to confess their feelings for them in the past.

JM: I am Army.

JK: Do you like me that much?

JM: I had blue eyes first.

JK: No. Mine is bluer

JM: Stop imitating me.

Do you like me that much?

Jk: No

It was their way of flirting. So I guess in effect, in admiting he imitates JM, Jimin sort of got JK to officially admit he likes him🤷🏽‍♀️

'Do you like me?'

'Do you?'

And he acted so innocent about it too.

This man! Lol

That innocent pout afterwards my God. Lmho.

There's just a lot of history between those two. A lot, and it's nice to see them remind eachother of that.

And I think it's the history and memories, the nolstagia he evoked in JK with that comment that had JK blushing hard especially if he read double meaning in that request.

From, his reaction I'd say he did.

All these double entendres chilee.

Its intriguing JK had such a strong reaction to something seemingly less intense or even cringe. That comment was supposed to be a safe bet. The safest conversation JM could have with Kook in front of new audience to not make things awkward in the room and yet...

There's no hope for JK. Dude is gone. Bid him farewell to gay boulevard🤧

Jimin was like why are you blushing it's nothing heavy or something like that and that reminded me again of that whole, 'did I scold you" bit from New Jersey.

Jimin had a strong reaction to what JK deemed a trivial issue- Which I gotta smirk at. Smirk.

It's interesting that of all the things he could ask Jk, this is what he chose to ask him. I think he genuinely believed it was a safer conversation to have- Y'all think VMin was wilding, wait till you meet the Jikooknims.

Imagine if JK had said what V said to JM or if JM had said that to JM. Imagine that...

I mean I get it, if they are going to be regulars on traditional SK media now, they have to be able to interact 'normally' within the group without the members or eachother panicking and acting like Jikook be spelling the nuclear codes with their butts.

We've discussed the gradual shift in BigHit's marketing model but it seems with all the Asian hate crimes, racism, stigmatization of Asians and Asian Americans in the wake of the pandemic, it's become imperative that they redirect their focus and attention to SK to solidify their presence and hold in their home market.

I'm afraid we might be seeing a shift towards the company pandering to their roots and adhering to traditional media practices with mostly one foot in the international market, and one foot in their home market.

And if that's the case, Jikook would have to be able to tether the line of their closet without making things awkward for eachother and the members lest they risk exposing themselves to the gay hateration and criticism rampant in Korea.

Bang PD have made it perfectly clear, he is not about the risk taking life. That he prefers as a company to play things safe- I wonder if he's stance on that has changed in recent times.

But I don't think when it comes to it, he'd risk it for them. He's not gonna shove their alternative lifestyle in conservative spaces like that. Chilee.

Anywho, Jimin likes to rile JK up and watch him squirm sometimes but naa I don't think that was the agenda this time around...

Then there was this bit also

Which I think my guy spilled right there😏

I've been saying for the longest time BigHit staff take stock in the Jikook business. There you have it.

They style Jikook. They style BTS. So all the times they've appeared in couple outfits, matching shoes, complimentary hairstyles, all the time they deliberately cut from JK to Jimin or Jimin to JK, all the times they've paired Jikook up, isolated them from the group so Jikook can give them a moment-

When I say BigHit is intentional in the way they brand Jikook within the group and in the way they push those two not as friends but as a 'couple'

And because of this people scream Jikook is fan service blah blah nonsense.

But the question have always been, why does these two grown ass men go along with it. Do they not know what it means when of all seven they are the two that are constantly marketed as 'lovers?" They are not twins, neither are they twelve and so why the need to match their fits?

And how come none of them object to this?

Why don't they ask questions???

Bet. Bet there's a reason for that.

As for Vmin all I have to say is...

Tae Kook who? Tae Kook WHERE?!

Lmho. Vmin, TaeJin, (Tae kook) VHope, Taegi

In that particular order for Tae's ships. The last three are fluid with Tae Kook alternating anywhere from 3rd to the last position lol.

I saw their shippers bust out their go to, 'Tae was being sarcastic" he hates Jimin rhetoric - like

GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE.

Tae talks some strong Vmin agenda.

We been knew. We been said it

He flirts Jimin hard to gay proportions too.

'In love with my Soulmate- a memoir written by Kim Taehyung. Coming soon to a bookshop near you. Lmho.

If Jimin catches feelings for Tae one day it's game over for us all🤣🤣🤣🤣

'We need to stop. This game is dangerous.'

Then he proceeds to gulp on top of it 🤣🤣

Reminds me of when JK was asked if Jimin wasn't his style and JK was fumbling and Jimin said, cut the cameras. Deadass. Lol

'Jk don't answer that' 🤭

Why shouldn't he answer that?

Jimin is a funny guy. A funny gay guy🤭

And did y'all see how hard Yoongi screamed when Tae said that?

Lolololololololololololololololololololololololol

Tae doesn't need to convince me he has feelings for Jimin. I'm convinced all by myself 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

And is it me or did Tae look like he didn't believe Jimin when JM said he liked him too??🤔

I can't wait to watch the whole thing.

I love their relationship. I hate when people invalidate it. VMin does not invalidate Jikook nor does Jikook invalidate VMin or even Tae Kook. They all are, unique and they are beautiful me thinks.

They ought not be compared in this way but celebrated.

It's not a competition.

Talk of celebrating ships, did you see Tae and Kook too??? 🤭🤭🤭🤭

I love seeing them in a good place in their dynamic like this.

It's the look he shot JK when the envelope ended up infront of him for me😂

Tae is hilarious I swear! Lmho.

I kinda lowkey wished it was for him I won't lie.

It's the same energy as when JK grabbed his neck and said he wanted to ride in the car with Tae. (If those subs were correct. Can't trust any unofficial subs on any Tuktuk moment💀)

Tae was like 👀 waeyo? Lmho.

I'm off to ship Tae Kook and VMin.

Keep your eyes on the gays for me.

Bye🤣

💜💜💜💜

Signed,

GOLDY

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beauvibaby · 4 years

Text

The Feeling When...

— • you meet Anthony Beauvillier at your job, and instantly click, but then he sets you up with his best friend, what could go wrong?

word count: 7.8k

a/n: I wrote this whole thing in less than 24 hours, I’m not sure how, but I really put my all into this and I’m proud of it, hopefully I can do it again sometime

The bell above the door chiming made you lift your head, smiling at the guy who just walked in. Basketball shorts and a tight fitting sports top covering his body, a small layer of sweat on his skin, one earbud in and the other hanging around his neck, his phone in his hand. He had yet to see you as you made your way to your spot behind the counter, politely excusing yourself from the lady you had been speaking with. You took in the way his blue eyes lit up when they landed on the muffin in the case, telling you he probably had yet to eat this morning, he ran a hand through his already tousled hair, finally stepping towards the counter as someone walked in behind him. “Good morning.” You spoke softly as he lifted his eyes to meet yours, you could swear his eyes widened slightly before settling into a warm smile. “Good morning.” He had the faintest bit of an accent, you made a mental note of that. You smiled in return, suddenly forgetting your words, “what can I get for you?” You inquired, watching his eyes dart between the muffin and you, he smiled when you laughed softly, grabbing a paper to put the muffin into a bag. “And a coffee, please.” He spoke, pulling his debit card out of his wallet while you whisked around to grab his coffee, a smile graced his face when you glanced back at him. He stepped aside so your coworker could help the next person in line, turning towards him, you took the few short steps, setting the to go cup down in front of him. You typed in his order, allowing the total to come up on the screen for him, “thank you,” he paused, picking up the bag, “Y/N.” He concluded, reading the name off your tag, lifting up the coffee cup. “You’re welcome.” You responded, trying not to seem like you were asking for his name, “Anthony.” He spoke, backing up slowly before turning on his heels, you watched with lingering eyes as he walked out the door.

***

Again, the familiar chime of the bells shook you from your head, except this time you weren’t working, you were huddled up in the corner laptop open in front of you. The internet in your apartment was out, and wouldn’t be fixed for a few days, so you had made the short walk to the cafe, you got an employee discount, and it was free wifi, so at least you had a couple of hours to ponder the internet, catching up on the latest facebook drama, reading gossip about celebrities, the usual. Your eyes landed on a much more put together version of Anthony, you had thought he looked good before, he looked even better now, the grey dress pants leading to the white button up shirt, it was a good look. You awkwardly shifted your gaze down when he started to look towards you. He moved up in the short line, you could feel his eyes landing on you every once in a while, you resisted the urge to look up and meet those blue eyes. When you no longer felt his eyes on you, you glanced up, hearing his voice over the small chatter in the building, he ordered the same as he had the other day. That warm smile on his face, a calm and cool demeanor radiating from him, welcoming even. The type that would have a girl head over heels for him. Surely, he had a girlfriend, the thought ran through your mind, which resulted in getting you caught staring.

The soft chuckle that fell from his lips made a flutter rush through your chest.

“Is this seat taken?” Anthony questioned, voice delicate as he glanced at where you not so gracefully had your feet propped up, you glanced around and saw many open seats, but who were you to turn down a perfectly attractive guy who wanted to sit with you. “Oh, no, go ahead.” You whispered, smiling up at him as you slid your feet off the chair, watching him rest his body against it. You pulled the sleeves of your sweater over your hands, silence overcoming the both of you as you stole glances at each other, completely oblivious to the other doing the same. You decided to bite the bullet and closed your laptop, making his eyes shoot up from the muffin he had been picking at, a closed lip smile on his face as you giggled under your breath. “So, Anthony was it?” You teased, feeling comfortable around him, despite him being a total stranger, because if we’re being honest, knowing his coffee order doesn’t make you acquaintances. “Last time I checked, that was my name.” He responded with a slightly raised eyebrow, eyes scanning over the sweater you had on, it was well worn, but looked nice with the v-neck cut into the front. “Mhm,” you hummed, hiding your smile with a sip of your own drink, “well, Anthony. What’s got you so dressed up?” You inquired, he glanced down at his clothes, like he had forgotten what he was even wearing. He shot a playful smile at you, breaking off a piece of the pastry in front of him. “What do you think?” He quipped, tossing the piece of food into his mouth, nearly missing and bouncing it off his chin, but he played it off.

“I would say a date, but I think you know better than to come talk to another girl when you have one waiting.” You mumbled, watching as he nearly choked on his food, a laugh tumbling from his lips. “No, there’s no girl, I just came from work.” The way he said there was no girl, it made your heart flip in your chest. Pushing it aside, you picked up your conversation, “work?” You hummed, looking to the ceiling in thought. “It’s the middle of the day, so if this was a lunch break, you’re clearly not working in the city.” You spoke, watching as he nodded in agreement, amusement dancing in his eyes. “You could be a manager somewhere, I guess.” You trailed off, peeking under the table at his shoes, they looked fairly expensive. “Not even close, Y/N.” He snickered, the ease of which he used your name, once again sending your heart into a skipping rhythm. You racked your brain for ideas, truly wanting to guess what it was that he did. For a brief moment, you wondered, could he possibly be in the limelight, but you pushed it aside, certainly you’d recognize someone as handsome as him.

“Well, this just isn’t fair, you know what I do,” you motioned to the room you were sat in, “but you’re just letting me humiliate myself with horrible guesses.” You laughed light heartedly, he shrugged his shoulders, sipping on his coffee, “hockey.” He mumbled, watching you cutely tilt your head to the side, confusion covering your features. God, what he would do to get to see you look at him like that all the time, a childlike quality in your demeanor that brought him peace. “Hockey, I play hockey.” He repeated, in a stronger voice this time. You nodded slowly, “oh.” You muttered, the realization hitting you, “oh, oh, you mean professionally?” You gasped, sitting up a little straighter at the sudden epiphany. Anthony nodded, eyes crinkling slightly when he laughed at how panicked you must have looked. “Long Island, oh my god, you play for the Islanders.” You spoke sheepishly, a pink hue rising to your cheeks. “Yeah, I do.” He responded, glancing at his phone as it lit up, he quickly shut the screen down again. “Have you ever been to a game?” He inquired, the way his voice raised slightly caught your attention. “No, I haven’t.” You tucked your hair behind your ear, fiddling with the sleeves of your sweater again.

“You should come, I can get you tickets-unless, uh you have a boyfriend.” He spoke awkwardly, shifting in his seat. “I don’t.” You answered, watching his eyes widen, his lips seeming to move before his brain could catch up with what he was saying. “Oh, great, I have a friend, Mat. I think you two would really hit it off.” He spoke, hiding the way he wanted to curse himself for spitting those words out. You hid the disappointment on your face, “oh, that’s really nice, Anthony-” “Tito, call me Tito, please.” He cut you off, before motioning to continue. “Ok, Tito. That’s sweet but I don’t think that’s a great idea, I hardly know you, let alone this Mat person.” You sighed softly, expecting him to just give in at your words, but you’d come to find out really quickly that he was stubborn. “Please, it’s the least I could do for taking up your time.” He assured you, looking away as you chewed your lip in thought. Worse comes to worse, you’re getting a free ticket to the game, what’s the worst that could happen? “If you insist.” You gave in, he had to hide his excitement, since he blew his chance by mentioning Mat. “Can I have your number?” He questioned, and you shot your eyebrows up, letting out a surprised, “what?” Before you could stop yourself. Tito smiled at your reaction, “so I can keep in touch about the ticket.” He assured you, he made an observation of the way you let out a soft “oh”, something you did quite often when you were caught off guard. “Right, yeah, of course.” You rattled off, holding your hand out for his phone, hating the way you could feel the heat rushing to your face. He handed you the device, open on a new contact, you typed in your name, and number quickly before handing it back to him. You watched him quickly add something before saving it. “I’ll text you? To find out when you can come.” He spoke, sliding out of the seat, only then did you realize how long you had been talking to each other. “Yeah, that works.” You murmured, “Bye, Tito.” You added as he headed towards the door, “bye, Y/N.”

A text from Tito came a lot sooner than you had expected, that same night he shot you a message.

“Hey, It’s Anthony”

You smiled at the screen, before reminding yourself he was setting you up with his friend and not with himself.

“I was told to call you Tito”

“Sorry, let me start again - Hey, it’s Tito. Is that better for you?”

“It’ll have to do, I guess, but I don’t appreciate the sarcasm.”

You watched the reaction pop up on your phone, him sending a haha to it before the dots came up showing he was typing.

“So, there’s a game coming up next weekend, Saturday, if you’re free…”

“That works!”

You thought maybe it came off too excited, when he read it but didn’t respond. Then your phone lit up with a text,

“Great, Mat is very excited.”

A sigh fell from your lips as you typed a robotic response,

“I am too!”

And that was that.

****

Saturday came before you knew it, the whole ride to the arena you were nervously chewing your lip, rubbing your sweaty palms on your jean clad legs. You had done some googling, and watching how they could get slammed into the boards had your skin crawling, how anyone could get enjoyment out of that was beyond you.

Once you arrived, you had hoped your nervousness would die down, but it only grew as you walked to your seat, close to the glass, and became surrounded by people in Islanders gear. You made it to your spot, and sighed in relief, at least you were there and you could try to enjoy the game, keyword being try.

The second the guys skated so effortlessly onto the ice, your nerves shot back up, searching for the only two jersey numbers you cared to memorize, eighteen and thirteen. Of course they skated alongside each other, stopping in front of your section, you waved sheepishly, watching them both grin. “Hi” you mouthed, unable to stop the blush rising to your face when Mat waved back. You couldn’t deny, he was attractive, but your mind kept bouncing back to Tito. The way he caught your attention so effortlessly, you watched as they spoke to each other as they turned to truly begin their warm ups, Tito glancing back at you with this look you couldn’t fully decipher, before shaking his head at his friend, your mind wandered with what it was they had spoken about. Surely it couldn’t be about you, what was there to say? Especially to cause Tito to look at you the way he did, almost in a concerning manner. There was a tap to the glass in front of you, Mat holding a puck for you, he motioned for you to stand and you did, easily catching it as he tossed it over to you. A smile on your face as you saw he had signed it with a silver marker,

“Hi - Mat Barzal”

You shook your head with a laugh as he grinned boyishly at you, the enthusiasm he showed encouraged you to be more open minded to this set up, it’s not very often that someone would end up in the situation you found yourself in. “Thank you” you mouthed, feeling the eyes of girls around you, suddenly realizing you’d need to develop thick skin to be around these boys.

The game flew by and before you knew it you were being pulled to the side by some big burly guy, with a security badge, and you began to panic. “Y/N Y/L/N?” He questioned trailing off, and you nodded, “Mr. Barzal asked me to catch you before you left, he wants to bring you down to see him.” He spoke lightly in contrast to his gruff looks. “Oh.” You whispered, “oh, yeah ok.” You came to your senses, awkwardly following the man, feeling eyes following you as he directed you down a hallway and out a large door. “I-uh-can I ask you something,” You paused waiting for his name, “Jeffrey.” He spoke, his voice still shocking you in comparison to his large build and thick beard. “Can I ask you something, Jeffrey?” You completed your earlier question. “Sure, why not.” He humored you, his face aging for a moment when he smiled and his skin crinkled together. “Does Mat do this often? Bring girls down here after games I mean.” You couldn’t help but ask, some minor worries overtaking your conscience. Jeffrey stayed quiet, giving you a sideways glance. “A lot is a stretch, I’d say sometimes.” He finally chose his words, carefully tiptoeing around the subject, not wanting to put himself in a compromising position. You nodded, deciding against saying anything as the elevator slowed to a stop, the doors opened and Jeffrey stepped out, pointing to a row of chairs down the hall. “Wait there, he should be out soon.” He spoke, walking off like he hadn’t just left a complete stranger outside of the locker room, where anyone could find them.

It felt like an eternity, but in actuality it was only ten minutes until Mat walked out, dressed in his pregame suit, hair combed back after his shower. “Y/N.” He smiled, and you shot to your feet, “Hi.” You smiled, allowing him to give you a short hug, but your mind slipped into thinking what it would feel like to be hugging Tito in this moment. “How’d you like the game?” He asked, the two of you slowly walking down the hall, your heeled ankle boots clicking on the cement. You didn’t know where you were walking to, but you followed him. “It was good! I’d never seen one before.” You answered cheerily, keeping pace with him, he smiled down at you. “Really?” He gasped, faking offence, a hand resting over his heart. “Yes, really.” You laughed softly, feeling his eyes scan you over. You didn’t want to admit that you could tell the sparks weren’t really there, for either of you, as far as you could tell. He was kind, definitely, and attractive, but he seemed more like a friend, or a brother if you will, and that isn’t how any girl wants to feel when they’re on a date. “Did you want to go grab something to eat?” He offered, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. You nodded, deciding to still humor the scenario, “sure.” You gave him your signature smile. He mirrored it, and you could tell you were both being polite, but it was still a nice night. He was a gentleman, of course, paying for your food despite your protests, offering to drive you home, but caving when you insisted on taking an Uber home was fine.

While you were waiting for your car, Mat stayed beside you, his phone chiming with a text from Tito, which he instantly showed you, and the two of you laughed softly.

“Double date, with me and Kylie?”

“Who’s Kylie?” You asked Mat, after hesitantly agreeing, it would be fun, at least, since you got along well with Mat. “Some girl, I don’t know why he even talks to her, she just wants to hook up but get the perks of nice dates.” Mat scoffed, and you had to hide a laugh. “It is pretty funny.” He commented, causing you both to start laughing hysterically on the side of the street. “I’m glad we agree on that.” You giggled, catching Mat smiling at you.

Maybe, had you not known his best friend, you would kiss him in that moment.

“I’ll text you, to set up this sure to be weird double date.” He spoke, as the Uber pulled up to the curb. “Alright, thanks for tonight, it was fun.” You told him, and he could tell in that moment that you both were on the same page, he thought you were beautiful, and kind, and funny, but he didn’t have that chemistry that he could see between you and Anthony. His mind wandered to the question he asked on the ice,

“Are you sure you aren’t interested in her, you look at her in that way.” Mat sighed, skating beside Tito in warmups, he watched his friend glance back at you in your seat, a pink tint on your cheeks from the earlier interaction. “No, I’m sure, you two would hit it off.” Tito sighed softly shaking his head, pushing his thoughts aside, he had royally screwed up, and there was no way he could fix it himself.

Mat came to his senses when you leaned up and gave him a quick kiss to his cheek, “goodnight, Mat.” You mumbled, slipping into the car, “goodnight.” He replied, shutting the door for you.

****

You smiled as you opened your apartment door, Anthony smiling widely from the other side, “I brought cheetos.” He sang teasingly, for a moment you truly wanted to wrap him in a hug, relieved to see him. “You’re the best.” You sighed, snatching the bag from him, it’s been a couple of weeks since your date with Mat, you’ve kept in touch, but haven’t really seen each other since then, he came into your job a couple times, but that's all. You and Tito have been spending a lot of time together, whenever your schedules allowed, and for a while you had thought maybe this double date wasn’t going to happen, but then of course as he stepped into your apartment—like he had grown accustomed too. “So, I don’t know if Mat asked you yet, but I was thinking Friday night for that double date.” He spoke casually, missing the way your whole body tensed at his words. “Uh, yeah that works.” You answered softly, disguising your sadness by offering him a cheeto from the bag he so graciously brought you. “I bought you a whole bag, and I only get one? Must have been a really bad day.” He teased, you nodded silently, “indeed it was, Beau.” You plopped yourself down on your couch, him following suit like the two of you had begun to do, him on the other end of your couch as you laid, feet beside him. He listened intently as you two catched up on things from the past few days, anyone looking in would assume the two of you were together, if not, close to it, but you two told yourselves that it was nothing. You were being friendly, that's all, friends do this all the time, right? Besides, he did set you up with his friend after all.

***

“You look beautiful.” Mat complimented as you opened the door, he was picking you up for the double date, you had your hair curled lightly, letting it fall behind your shoulders, it was early spring, so there was still a light chill in the air, especially at night. So you had opted for a red sweater dress, throwing a lightweight jean jacket over top. “Thank you.” You smiled, smoothing out the material, “let me just grab my bag.” You held up a finger, rushing quickly to grab it off the counter. “Ready?” He smiled when you came back. “Yeah, I think so.” You made sure you had your keys and phone in the bag before locking the door on your way out.

“This should be interesting.” Mat sighed as he pulled up to the valet, Anthony and this Kylie girl, standing on the curb, you shivered at the sight of her. A barely there dress covering her skin, pin straight bleached hair hanging over her shoulders, and way to dramatic makeup covering her face. “Oh.” You let out softly, laughing at the sight of them, Tito looked way to put together to be beside her, “I agree.” Mat sighed, putting the car in park, climbing out as you followed suit, once again smoothing out the material covering your skin. “Hey guys.” Anthony grinned, all but pulling Kylie along to greet you both. You gave him a quick hug, smiling and waving politely at Kylie, who barely repeated the actions, but you could tell her eyes lingered on Mat’s body a bit longer than it should have. Mat and Anthony made small talk as you were led to the table in the restaurant, leaving you and Kylie in awkward silence. She gave you an odd glance when Mat pulled out your chair, you brushed it off, telling yourself there is no way that this was Tito’s type. “How have you been?” You asked, trying to break the silence as you all looked over the menu. “Good.” Anthony spoke, Mat agreeing as he smiled softly at you.

It continued awkwardly, everyone loosened up after the food arrived, and the wine kept coming. You all quickly learned that Kylie was a lightweight, and a flirty drunk. You grimaced as she ran her hand up the back of Tito’s neck, he shifted slightly, almost as if her touch made him uncomfortable. “So, dessert?” Mat piped up, clearing his throat when he jumped in his spot slightly, “you ok?” You questioned sweetly, he leaned over and whispered in your ear. “She just slid her foot up my leg.” He stayed there for a moment as you processed his words, you stifled back a laugh, hand covering your mouth. Tito raised a brow as the two of you pulled away from each other laughing. “Nothing.” Mat brushed him off, “so Kylie, how long have you and Tito known each other?” You asked, glancing up from the dessert menu that you and Mat were looking over. “Who?” She questioned, looking away from Anthony, eyes hazed over, he held in a sigh. “Anthony.” You trailed off, looking between the two like they were insane. “Oh,” she laughed, hand running down his arm, “a couple months.” She spoke, as if he was the light of her world, where we all could tell she wanted to hook up and get on her way. You nodded, leaning closer to Mat as you let a tiny yawn slip, it was more of a reaction thing, after tonight, you and Mat had mutually decided you would stop trying to pursue anything romantic. He slipped an arm over your shoulder, Anthony’s jaw clenched at the sight for a moment, something Mat definitely noticed. You didn’t as you turned to mutter to Mat about the cheesecake, he nodded in agreement, you shut the menu and placed it by the edge of the table.

“OH! Alright,” Mat slid his chair back abruptly, glaring at Kylie, “that’s enough.” He demanded, and you had to hide your laugh by sipping on your wine, Anthony looked between the two with confused eyes. “What’s going on?” Anthony questioned, you all but choked on your wine as Mat shrunk into his seat. “Shall I?” You teased when Mat stayed silent, he nodded, running a hand over his face as he calmed his blush down. “Your date has been attempting to play footsie with him all night.” You spoke with a straight face, Tito just stared at you, like you were joking. He broke out into laughter, taking you both off guard, Kylie huffed dramatically, standing up, “I’m leaving.” She snapped, the three of you looked at each other and began laughing together. “Goodnight, Kylie.” You called, nearly snorting when she gave you a hair flip, you turned to Mat, hiding your red from laughter face in his neck, again making you miss the way Anthony’s face faltered, although, Mat noticed it and shot his friend and apologetic look. “I think I’m going to call it a night.” Anthony announced and you all but shot up in your seat. “Are you sure?” You questioned solemnly, the alcohol in your veins slowing your reflexes, letting the words slip from your mouth before you could stop it. “Yeah.” He muttered flagging down the waiter so he could pay his part of the check, you glanced at Mat who had an unreadable expression on his face. “Have a good night, Tito.” You spoke when he stood after paying his part. “You too.” He answered shortly, taking you off guard, you sunk into your seat, reaching for your wine glass as you watched him walk away. “And we’re not gonna do that.” Mat took the glass from you, shaking his head when you gave him a pleading look.

“Y/N, I don’t think I’ve ever seen two people in this much denial.” He sighed, running a hand through his hair, pulling his card out for dinner, you stopped him, putting your own down instead, he didn’t fight you, not wanting to push you tonight. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” You scoffed, crossing your arms, feeling the heat rush to your cheeks. “Oh please.” Mat groaned, “I could tell from the second you came to the game, he kept looking for you every chance he got, and the way you light up around him.” He trailed off, and you felt guilty, “Mat, I didn’t mean to lead you on, I wasn’t–“ “it’s ok, I knew it from the beginning, but I figured I’d give it a shot anyways.” He cut you off, placing a reassuring hand on your shoulder, “you two have to figure it out, I’ve never seen him like this before.” Mat explained easily, standing once you got your card back and put it away. “Let’s just get you home.” He laughed under his breath when you shakily stood up, a mix of the alcohol and being seated for so long.

****

“Be right with you!” You called from around the wall, not bothering to look towards the front counter as you lugged the oversized bag of coffee grounds towards the front of the store. You huffed as you rounded the corner, nearly dropping the bag on your feet when you spotted Anthony and Mat standing there. “Oh.” You whispered, setting the bag on the counter, “hey.” You muttered, eyes bouncing between the two. “Hi.” Anthony mumbled, awkwardly shifting on his feet, Mat stayed silent watching the silent exchanges you were sharing. “I saw you moved on from Kylie.” You couldn’t help but speak, Mat nearly died trying to hide his shocked laughter, covering it up with a cough as he turned away. You held in a sigh when Tito only nodded, “yeah, I did.” He decided to speak, not sounding like a guy who was interested in her. You’d seen pictures online of him with this girl, not much better than Kylie, which quite honestly disgusted you. How a guy like him would go for a girl who clearly didn’t want anything real. Pushing those thoughts aside, you grabbed their usual orders, Anthony paid for both, and left a nice tip in the jar for you, which made you feel cheap, you knew he was simply apologizing in his own odd way. You pulled the money out of the jar and gave it back to him, he was astonished. He opened and closed his mouth looking for words, “Anthony, I really have to get back to work.” You sighed, looking to Mat for assistance, he shrugged, sipping on his coffee in amusement. “We’re going out to this bar tonight with some of the other guys, some of their wives will be there… if you want to come?” Mat offered.

Why you said yes was beyond your comprehension.

“I’ll be there.”

And there you were, owning your appearance, figuring, if you had to spend the night with the man you were so clearly falling for, and his best friend, you might as well get some attention from someone who wouldn’t deny their feelings.

The skinny jeans hugged your legs just right, giving your butt just a little boost, that paired with your white lace, off the shoulder top, made you look perfectly tan even this horrible bar lighting. You added a simple pair of strappy black heels, holding your clutch in one hand, hair laying curled behind your shoulders. And, of course, we can’t forget the bright red lipstick that—unknowing to you—was going to drive Anthony absolutely crazy all night.

“Y/N! You’re here!” Mat cheered, clearly a couple beers deep already, you laughed at his excitement, making your way over to him, you gave him a quick hug, his presence welcoming, you quickly came to learn that you could tell Mat anything and he would do his best to help you, he cared about you, even more so because his friend was falling for you, and falling hard. “Hi.” You waved to the two ladies, Sydney and Grace, you found out quickly, that they would also be shocked at Anthony and yours interesting connection. “Hey!” They greeted cheerily, all but whisking you off to their table, leaving the boys to be their slightly rowdy selves. “So, you and Tito.” Sydney wiggled her eyebrows, a smirk falling onto her face. You sighed, but you felt comfortable with them, so you started spilling everything.

From the moment you met, to the feeling when he walks into your apartment, the way your heart always skips a beat at the sight of him expertly making his way around. How his eyes still lit up every time you said you saved him a muffin from work, how he knew that after a long day, you didn’t want ice cream or chocolate, you wanted Cheetos. How you could feel him stealing glances at you right now, all the way up to how you’re beginning to think you’re falling in love with him after only two short months of knowing him.

“Oh my god!” Grace gasped, hands going to her heart, “that’s so sweet, Y/N.” She added, looking to Sydney who was sniffling, “hormones!” She defended, referring to her baby born a few months earlier. You chuckled at their reactions, suddenly searching the bar for Tito. You had been speaking for a while, and you knew how guys could be around each other, so when you saw Mat desperately searching for you, you couldn’t help but shoot to your feet. You excused yourself and weaved your way through the over crowded bar, appearing by his side in record time. “He’s hammered.” He whispered into your ear, chuckling when he himself almost tipped over. You caught Tito’s gaze, and instantly you could tell he was angry, about something, what it was, that you didn’t know. Or didn’t want to admit. “Wow there buddy.” You lightly pushed Mat into the barstool, “can he get a water, please?” You called to the bartender, he shot you a smile, you directed Mat to stay in the chair and drink the water when it came. “Yes mom.” He grumbled, lazily smiling, you sighed and made your way towards a spaced out, angry Anthony.

“Tito?” You spoke, placing a hand on his shoulder, he nearly jumped out of his skin, eyes focusing on you, he stepped out of your gentle hold, knuckles white on the handle of the beer glass. “What, Y/N?” He snapped, you hadn’t pegged him as an angry drunk, but maybe you were wrong. “Don’t give me an attitude!” You snapped right back, he was taken back by your force, nodding slowly. “I’m coming over here to check on you, what’s got you in a mood?” You asked, shocked when he ignored you and motioned for another beer, which the bartender hesitantly gave him, shooting you a look that said he was about to be cut off. You sighed, a little too loudly as Anthony picked up the glass and brought it to his lips, he shot you a look. “What is it now?” He retorted, completely ignoring your earlier question, again. “I think you’ve had enough to drink.” You crossed your arms, giving him a pointed look. He scoffed, rolling his eyes for effect, “as if you would know, you’ve stayed away from me all night!” He muttered with a venomous tone. You’d only had a couple of drinks, so your mind was still fairly clear, but your emotions bubbled to the surface before you could stop them. Your eyes burned, you could feel the water reaching the brim, “I stayed away from you because I was letting you have fun with your friends, you didn’t come to me either, Anthony.” His eyes trained on your cherry red lips as you spoke, but he shook himself from the thoughts of kissing you as you spoke his true name with force. He met your gaze, and his anger faltered, but he was too far gone in alcohol to realize what he should be doing, he should be apologizing, he should already be your boyfriend, he should be telling you he loves you, but of course—that’s not what he did.

He chose to be silent, again.

“Right, nothing to say.” You whispered, and he didn’t miss how your voice broke, you shook your head looking to the ceiling, silently cursing yourself for being so dumb, for thinking he would ever be more than just a friend to you. “I’m going home, Anthony,” this time his name was like a faint whisper falling from your lips, “do you need me to call you an Uber?” You had to ask, you’d hate yourself if he didn’t get home safely. He shook his head, to full of his own drunk ego to do anything else. He watched as you went to say goodbye to Mat, patting him on the shoulder, silently thanking him for inviting you, he watched you wave to the other guys of the group, who had all welcomed you with open arms—you fit right in. Lastly, he watched you say goodbye to the ladies, who kept glancing over at him, muttering words to you that he couldn’t decipher in his hazy vision. Then, just like that, you were gone.

You had to have only been home for an hour, nearly asleep in your bed when you heard a knock on your door, your eyes shot to the time, 1:14am flashing back at you. Hesitantly, you stood to your feet, pulling a sweater on over your pajamas, hugging it tightly to your chest as you walked. You flicked the lights on, holding your phone in your hand as well, just in case. The knocking came again, with a heavy hand, which if we’re being honest, made your heart rate pick up, unsure of who was on the other side. You made it to the door and your breathing stopped for a moment when you looked through the peephole, Anthony standing there with a red face and wobbling stance. “Y/N, I don’t know if you’re there.” He slurred, “I need to talk to you.” He continued, getting cut off by a hiccup, you couldn’t let him go on in this state. You swung the door open, watching as his eyes widened, bloodshot, making them look even more blue. “Tito.” You sighed, helping him inside, his legs shaky as he walked. “I thought you would’ve been home by now.” You added, gasping when he nearly fell over, you held onto him tighter, getting him to your couch just in time for him to fall down. You rushed over to the front door, shutting and locking it before returning to him, you squatted in front of him, to meet his eyes. “I’m an idiot.” He whispered, almost as if he forgot it was you he was talking to. “No you’re not.” You murmured, resting a hand on his knee, his eyes landed on it, before moving to your face, slightly puffy eyes, making his heart wrench in his chest, he made you cry. He flickered his gaze to your lips, they were swollen and pink from you scrubbing the lipstick off, the whole time you had been doing that, you thought what an idiot you were for thinking it would pull him in.

“I am.” He said again, nodding as he blinked slowly, the effects of the alcohol kicking in. He was about to speak but you stopped him. “Anthony,” there it was again, the disappointment in your voice as you spoke, you might as well have stabbed him in the heart, “whatever you want to say, I think it should wait until tomorrow when you’re sober.” You explained, carefully pushing his jacket off his body, he watched in awe of your warm nature as you slipped off his shoes. “You can stay here, I’ll go get a pillow.” You whispered, to which he didn’t respond, the second you were gone, he laid on his stomach, one arm hanging off the couch as the tiredness overcame him. His eyes burned with drunken emotion, but he hadn’t realized as he knocked out in your living room that a single drop fell, staying in a pool under his eye. You rounded the corner, stopping in your tracks at the sight of him spread out on your couch, his soft snores filling the otherwise silent space. You made your way over to him, setting the pillow down on the side table, taking the blanket from the corner and moving to drape it over his back lightly. You tiptoed into the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of water and a couple of Advil, placing them both on the coffee table in front of him, as you were placing them down you looked over and caught the single spot of wetness under his eye, now feeling like someone had stabbed you in the heart. You gently reach over, wiping it off with your thumb, sighing when he smiled softly in his sleep. Bending down, you left a light kiss to his cheek, “goodnight, Tito.”

***

Morning came much sooner than you’d like, after spending the whole night tossing and turning, crying once again, overwhelmed by the not knowing of what he wanted to tell you last night.

You woke when you heard a soft crash in the kitchen, “shit.” Tito whispered, you could tell he was trying to get a pan out, but you had them stacked in such a way that it was impossible to not make noise. You stayed silent in your bed, as if he could see through the wall. You listened as he muttered to himself, words you couldn’t quite decipher, the fridge opened and closed, the sound of your coffee pot being turned on. His feet made their way down the hall, you could tell he stopped outside your door, unsure of what to do, he decided against waking you, and you heard him step into the bathroom instead. A sigh fell from your lips as you climbed out of bed, you were still in your pajamas from last night, and the sweater still hanging over your frame, you decided that was good enough. You brushed out your hair and tied it up sloppily, a messy bun with your leftover curls. You caught a glance in your mirror, sighing for what felt like the hundredth time already, your eyes puffy, cheeks pink. Oh well, you thought as you stepped out into the hall, at the same time as Tito. “I didn’t wake you did I?” Was what he decided on, you shook your head staying silent, making your way into the bathroom, “oh.” He let out softly, a habit of yours he had picked up on, something he had started doing himself.

He was back in the kitchen when you came out, standing in front of the stove, flipping over the eggs in the pan, you slid past him to get to the coffee pot. “How’s your head?” You asked, the silence, for once with him, being awkward. “Not too bad.” He answered, smiling softly at you, you returned the gesture as you poured some creamer into your cup. The silence came back, neither of you speaking as he continued cooking, you pulled out some bread and made toast, trying to calm your mind as you thought of how you wanted to do this with him all the time. Something so domestic as cooking breakfast, but it was just the two of you, it was nice.

You placed two plates beside him, both with toast on them, he slid the eggs equally onto the dishes, staying silent as he slid the pan off the burner to cool off. “Thank you.” You mumbled, taking the plate and going to the small table you had, he only hummed in response, sitting adjacent to you. It stayed silent, the only noise being your forks hitting the plate, or coffee cups being set down.

When you finished, you stood, taking the plates, he didn’t protest as he looked lost in thought. Your mind raced as you turned the water on, squeezing dish soap onto the sponge. Was he ever going to say what he came here for? Could it possibly be what you thought it was? Certainly if it was that, he would’ve said it by now.

You hadn’t realized you had let the tears begin to fall until you heard him stand up from the chair abruptly, he was there, in three large steps. He stood beside you, keeping his eyes on you as he turned the water off, he silently pulled your hands from the dishes, letting them lightly fall into the sink, he grabbed the towel and dried your hands. You cried harder as he pulled you into his chest, one arm tightly around your back, his other hand cradling the back of your head. “Don’t cry, please don’t cry.” He whispered after a while, he had begun to rub shapes into your back, noticing how it made your breathing slow slightly. You shook your head, pulling away from his grip, despite his best efforts to keep you flush against him. “What is this?” You asked, keeping your eyes on his, “I can’t keep doing this, why did you come last night?” You asked in more detail, crossing your arms over your chest. Anthony looked at you, trying to find the right words to say, but deep down he knew none of them would make up for how he treated you last night, or for how he had dragged this on for months now. “I came to apologize.” He muttered.

You went stiff as a board, of course it wasn’t what you had hoped for. “That’s all?” You questioned, looking up at him with desperate eyes. He nodded, “I shouldn’t have been so rude last night, you didn’t deserve it–“ “No, I didn’t.” You cut him off, anger rising in your chest, “Anthony, if that’s all you had to say, I really think you should leave.” You whimpered, voice cracking as you pushed past him.

Idiot, he thought to himself, why couldn’t he just say it.

Finally, his brain came to its senses and directed him towards you, he grabbed your hand, tugging you towards him, grabbing your waist to steady you when you crashed into him. Eyes filled with tears once more, he stayed silent as you stared at you. You let your eyes flutter shut as he leaned forward, his lips ghosting over yours, silently asking if this is what you wanted, when you didn’t pull away, he took that as a yes. He fully connected your lips, sighing into you, relief filling him when you reciprocated the action, your arms going around his neck, desperate to keep him close. He took a few steps forward, pressing you against the wall, his body flush against yours. When he pulled back, a soft whine fell from your lips, you opened your eyes to find him already looking at you. Eyes slightly wide, a smile working its way onto his face, “you need to say it, Tito. Please.” You whispered, resisting the urge to pull him in again. “I love you.” His voice was soft, gentle as he looked down at you. “I have ever since I walked into that cafe.” He added, you tugged him back into you, kissing him again, this time pouring emotion into it. The two of you moved in sync, in perfect time with each other, like you already knew everything about one another. Which in a way, you did.

“I love you.” You repeated back to him, pulling away just enough to speak, he nearly whined at your words, not realizing how badly he had needed to hear them. “I’m so sorry, I was so dumb, I couldn’t admit that I fell for you so quick. It scared me.” He whispered, his breath fanning over your face. “It scared me too.” You sighed, hiding your face in his neck. “You’ll just have to tell me all the time now.” You teased, making the both of you relax.

The feeling when he told you he loved you, that was something you’d never forget.

The feeling when he showed you, in all the little things, in all the physical ways, in all the ways he would look at you… it made it all worth the wait.

taglist: @starkeysdunn @kempe @mtkachuk @wtfkie @literarycharleton @starkeyseguin

#anthony beauvillier imagine #anthony beauvillier #Anthony Beauvillier fic #imagine #imagines #requested #nhl writing #nhl new york islanders #the feeling when...

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raibebe · 4 years

Text

Soft core

Genre: Fluff(?) Words: 11,4 k holy shit this is insane Prompt: Jaehyun in his vampire bdsm outfit he wore in the Punch era but make it sfw Warnings: mentions of blood, brief mentions of member x member relationships, brief descriptions of a panic attack

A/N: This was written for Aimee who loves Jaehyun with her whole heart, happy birthday Aimee 💖 I hope you had an amazing day and like this little something. I know you deactivated but I already started writing this a month ago and I’ll post it anyways in the hope you’ll see this someday and a couple of others will enjoy this as well. I have mixed and matched their outfits and tattoos from both the concept photos and the live stages. Also I’m sorry Johnny, but you fit the role of the shameless flirt so well… Bonus points for anyone who spots all cameos. Special thanks to @burtonized who made me keep going with this and listened to all my complaints.

To say you were nervous before starting your first shift at your new job in a reasonably shady bar not too far from your apartment was an understatement. You seriously questioned your own sanity and why you had even applied for the job when you had seen the offer on the beat up wooden entrance door next to an old motorcycle license plate and a bright green neon sign that illuminated the word ‘open’ a couple of days ago. The blue haired man behind the bar had given you a questioning look after you had entered the bar because you couldn’t have looked any more out of place with your soft sweater between the old wooden interior and the leather the barman and a handful of customers were wearing. It had cost all of your courage and a reminder that you needed to find a job for the weekends to walk up to the bar to ask the barman about the job offer. He had asked you a couple of questions like whether you had already waited tables before, which you had (at a place that was lit far better than this one but how different would it be?). The man who had introduced himself as Kun and honestly seemed like a big softie on the inside despite his serious look (it had to be the intense eyebrows) had agreed to hire you on the spot because he had the offer up for a while and no one had come in to ask about it and he couldn’t keep bullying his apparently very chaotic roommates to keep covering the shifts on the busy weekends anymore.

That’s how you found yourself here, a couple of days later on a Friday night, staring at the wooden door yet again (now missing the job offer and not yet illuminated by the neon sign).You took a deep breath and pushed through the door of the bar, this time not looking as out of place as you had before, wearing black skinny jeans and a simple grey v-neck. Kun looked up from where he was wiping down the counter, shooting you a smile. Today he had styled his hair up, exposing his forehead and was wearing a black button up shirt with a bunch of white details that was missing quiet some buttons at the top. “You actually came,” he grinned, “You can put your jacket and bag into the back room.” He pointed to a door with the label ‘staff only’. “We’re opening in half an hour. I’ll introduce you to the others once they decide to arrive.” Nodding you rushed to put your stuff away. You were pleasantly surprised by how clean it was in the back. The beat up interior from the main room was nowhere to be found. So it really didn’t seem too bad if it was only shabby for aesthetic purposes.

After taking a couple of more deep breaths in front of the mirror in the staff room, you felt as prepared as you would ever be and emerged back into the main room of the bar. Next to Kun behind the counter was now another man, clad in the tightest pair of leather pants you had ever seen and a loose, see through black blouse, his long blonde hair tied back into a ponytail, showing off a variety of piercings in his ears that were reflecting the low light of the neon signs. When both men noticed you, the blonde flashed you a bright smile and quickly wiped his fingers on the towel he had used to dry some glasses and held it out for you to shake. “Hi, I’m Ten. Kun told me he had finally found someone willing to help us out on the weekends but he missed to tell me how cute you are. Don’t worry the customers are all nice and if anyone gives you any problems, weird stares or makes inappropriate comments, just tell me immediately and I’ll throw them out,” he introduced himself. You couldn’t help but giggle a bit at the image of this petite man throwing drunken men twice his size out of the bar. “Thank you,” you answered before introducing yourself as well. “Would you please wipe down the tables in the back?” Kun asked, handing you a cloth, “The other waiter should be here any minute, so he can walk you through the process.” “You’re all males working here?” You asked shyly while starting to wipe the tall round tables closest to the bar. “Honey, there’s not many woman brave enough to even set a foot in here even though about eighty percent of our regulars and hundred percent of our staff are big softies hiding behind leather jackets and tattoos,” Ten chirped, disappearing beneath the counter to check the tubes of the beer taps.

Speaking of the other staff, as if on queue the door slammed open to reveal a ridiculously tall man with the biggest brown eyes you had ever seen, his platinum hair swept back from his forehead, a huge grin plastered on his face. “Yooo, the poster with the job offer is gone, did you finally find someone?” The man all but shouted, excitedly bouncing up and down on his way to the bar, shucking off his leather jacket and carelessly throwing it on one of the bar stools to reveal toned arms and a strong chest straining his short sleeved black shirt. “Xuxi, indoor voice please,” Kun groaned, massaging his temples. “Oh sorry,” the other man - Xuxi - answered, flashing Kun big puppy eyes. “We did find someone, please don’t scare her off,” Ten answered Xuxi’s initial question, emerging back from under the counter, smashing the door shut, which caused Kun to groan again. “That thing has a handle for a reason,” he sighed. “It keeps opening itself back up otherwise,” the smaller man shrugged, leaning against the now spotless counter, a mischievous smile on his lips. “Wait, her?” Xuxi asked, eyes wide in either excitement or amazement, “As in she? A girl?” “Yes, hello,” you quietly introduced yourself, stepping out from the corner where you had been cleaning the tabletops.

“Wow, you’re so pretty,” Xuxi said instead of a proper introduction when you walked over to where the three men were standing. You could feel the heat rise to your cheeks, tinting them a rosy color. Sighing, Kun took the dirty cloth from you and rinsed it in the sink. “This is Xuxi, the other waiter for tonight. As you might have noticed he doesn’t have much of a filter, but i swear he is harmless.” “Just call me Lucas at work, it’s easier,” the man in question grinned, not even bothering to correct Kun and extended a hand for you to shake (needless to say because he was unnecessary tall, his huge hand could almost cover your whole fist). “I’ll teach you everything you need to know,” he beamed and even though he had just called you cute, he was definitely the cutest person currently in this room. “Thank you,” you murmured, a smile spreading on your lips because Xuxi’s grin was really infectious and you felt your anxiety disappearing.

In the remaining time before the bar would officially open, Xuxi taught you everything you needed to know. From their system and how you’d take the orders and which tables you would serve to special drinks that weren’t on the menu and what to do if any customers would give you trouble. “There’s probably not much to do for the first two hours or so”, Xuxi concluded, running a hand through his platinum blonde hair, making his muscles dance beneath his shirt, “Like that you can get used to it before it gets packed. Fridays are always busy and there’s a bunch of different people coming. Did any regulars call in before?” He asked the last question to the general direction of the bar. Flipping through a book next to the cash register, Ten nodded. “127 are coming in, they got that big table in the back but other than that, no one called.” “What’s 127?” You asked curiously because that was one of the tables you were supposed to serve. “They’re a group of guys our age, but I’m not really sure what exactly they are to be honest,” Xuxi laughed while fixing the belt that held his wallet before handing you your own one. “I think they are bikers,” Ten supplied, turning around to reorganizing the bottles behind the bar for the third time tonight, “At least some of them have bikes and they sure look the part. Have you seen Johnny’s new tattoo the other week, Xuxi? That must have hurt like hell.” “Yeah, I saw the post with his chestpiece on his Instagram. That man is ripped.” “Well, you’re one to talk,” you murmured under your breath, organizing the contents of the belt to your liking. Laughing out loud, Ten slapped Kun on the chest. “We need to keep her, I like her,” he giggled and Kun just shot you a slightly pained smile, rubbing where Ten’s hand had come down. “Oh come on, old man. I didn’t even hit that hard.” “Stop calling me old, I am literally just two months older than you,” Kun groaned, softly shaking a grinning Ten. Unbothered by the bickering of the two barmen, Xuxi called over from the door: “I’ll switch on the sign!”

Your anxiety came back at full force when the bar started to fill up one hour after it opened. Resisting the urge to hide behind the bar, you approached yet another group of shady looking men to take their orders. Like the other people you had served before, they gave you a weird look while looking up and down your frame once before asking if you were new here. You just nodded and smiled politely while writing down their orders before walking back to the bar where you took out one of the trays and put the note with the order on top so Ten or Kun could put the according drinks on top. “Here, have a little drink, the night is just beginning,” Ten grinned and pushed a glass into your hands before completing the order while somehow also dancing fluently to the music that was playing through the speakers now. You eyed the drink suspiciously, the deep orange color throwing you off a bit. “It’s not spiked, no need to worry,” Xuxi told you, suddenly appearing next to you, placing his own tray with empty glasses onto the counter, winking teasingly before grabbing a colorful bottle to pour a bunch of shots, so Ten and Kun could focus on the other, more complicated drinks on the orders. You drowned the sickly sweet drink quickly and put the glass next to the ones that needed to be rinsed. You mouthed Ten a ‘thank you’ when you picked up your order and he blew you an exaggerated kiss, making you giggle and feel a little more at ease. It was like he had known you were being nervous again.

After checking in with your other tables and earning a big tip from some truckers that actually had been really nice, you made your way back to the bar to help Kun with rinsing the glasses that had been piling up. “You remember those regulars that were coming in tonight?” the blue haired barman suddenly asked, “That’s them.” He nodded towards the door where a group of men were coming in. For a moment, your breath got caught in your throat because Ten hadn’t been wrong earlier when he said that those 127 guys looked like bikers. Honestly anyone of them could have been a model for the leather clothes they were wearing while standing in front of a Harley Davidson or thrashing something with a baseball bat. (Also was one of them wearing a metal harness beneath his leather vest?) “They’re all nice people, no need to worry,” Kun calmed you down, shooting you a reassuring smile before taking the beer glass from your hands that you had started to grip so hard, your knuckles were turning white. “How many are they?” You asked him curiously while eyeing the group as they made their way over to their designated table, greeting other regulars as well as Lucas (one of them was apparently just as incapable of having an indoor voice as him when he loudly yelled ‘Lucas’ before hugging the taller male tightly).

“Yooo, Johnny’s chestpiece looks even more sick in real life,” Lucas said with wide eyes when he came back to the bar. “Also he gave me 20 dollar so I would ask Haechan and Mark if they were even legal when they would order something alcoholic,” he grinned, “I’ll share if you do it.” “How am I supposed to know who to ask?” You asked because even though you were shy, 20 dollars were 20 dollars. “That’s the spirit,” Lucas grinned and threw an arm around your shoulders to turn you in the direction of the table where the men had sat down, not even trying to be subtle about it. “You see the one with the purple hair sitting next to the tall one with half his chest exposed? The purple haired one is Haechan and the tall one is Johnny. Mark is the one on the stool to the left, just ask Haechan for his age first, Mark will be the one to laugh the loudest,” he quickly explained. “You know them quite well,” you said, trying to fight the heat spreading across your cheeks because it didn’t happen any day that you were in such a close proximity to a handsome man like Lucas. “I went to school with Mark,” he shrugged, letting you go when Kun yelled that his order was ready.

Before walking up to their table you took another deep breath to calm your furiously beating heart, repeating in your head how no one had been mean to you yet and that all your coworkers kept on telling you how nice they were supposed to be. “Hi everyone,” you greeted them when you arrived at the table, “Have you already decided what you want to order?” Seeing the chaos that the group was already in, half of them probably didn’t even notice that you had arrived at the table. “Guys!” The pink haired man wearing the harness type thing scolded the others that were bickering in the back of the little booth on the couch. “I’m sorry, they usually behave better,” he smiled and his big eyes combined with his pink hair made him look like he came straight out of an animation. “I’m Taeyong by the way,” the pink haired man supplied, flashing you a genuine smile, “You’re new here, right? I haven’t seen you around before.” “Today is my first day,” you nodded, cheeks heating up under the gaze of the handsome man, nervously playing with your little notepad. “Let’s order, guys!” Taeyong said, the others slowly turning their attention towards you. How all of them were this handsome was beyond your imagination. Shyly you introduced yourself as their waiter for the night for the second time and asked for their orders. One after the other they either ordered plain beer or some really extraordinary cocktails that you had never heard of before. When the purple haired boy, Haechan, ordered his cocktail, you took a deep breath before putting on your best poker face. “Could I see your ID to check your age first?”

As soon as the words had left your lips, the whole table fell dead silent and the boy’s mouth dropped open in surprise. But before you could lose your courage to mutter an apology, the boy that had greeted Lucas loudly before, burst out in laughter, that the others minus Haechan quickly joined and even you couldn’t hold back the grin that spread over your face. “Now that I think about it, could I see yours as well?” You followed up and asked the dark haired boy with the infectious laugh, whose eyes immediately turned into saucers, his mouth wide open while the others couldn’t hold their laughs anymore, the purple haired boy joining in now. “I’m sorry,” you giggled, turning to the last man to order when they all had calmed down, using the napkins on the table to exaggeratedly wipe their tears. “What can I get you?” When the man with the dark hair that was elegantly swept back from his face turned towards you, you could swear that time stilled for a moment. His dark eyes that were accentuated with a bit of eyeshadow fixed yours and you were captivated, unable to look away. When your eyes dipped lower for a second you could see the black ink of a tattoo on the pale skin of his neck. He seemed familiar but you couldn’t quite tell why. Maybe you had seen him around on campus. But even then you should have been able to tell because that tattoo really wasn’t subtle at all. Briefly you were wondering if he could ever work a normal job with something like that. “I think I’ll just start with a beer as well,” he spoke softly, his voice a deep rumble, tearing you from your thoughts. After you had definitely stared at him for way too long than it would have been acceptable, you tore your gaze away from him, quickly scribbling down his order as well, repeating what you had written down for the others to confirm.

“Great, then I’ll be back in a bit with your drinks,” you smiled, after one of them had insisted that they should get a round of shots as well. “Can’t wait,” the tall one with the eagle tattoo on his chest said with a smirk on his lips, adding a cheesy wink that made you way more flustered than you would have liked. You quickly turned to hide your heated face, speed walking back over to the bar to put their order down. “Did you do it?” Lucas eagerly asked, bouncing up and down in excitement where he was helping to dry some glasses behind the counter. “Where’s my money?” You grinned, holding out your palm towards him. “Waaa, you really did it,” he grinned while bouncing up and down excitedly and you could barely hold in the urge to coo at him. He really did resemble an oversized puppy. You barely knew him for more than a couple of hours but he already had wiggled his way into your heart.

“Lucas, you didn’t tell us such a pretty girl would be serving us tonight,” a smooth male voice suddenly interrupted. When you turned around, the tall man from the 127 gang (Were they a gang? Did they do illegal stuff?) came walking up to the counter, leaning against the polished wood. “She’s new here, I didn’t know either,” Lucas pouted, already grabbing two shot glasses to put up on the bar top, putting the third one back down when you shook your head. You weren’t going to drink on your first day of work even though it seemed to be normal when you watched Lucas fill up the two glasses with a shady looking liquid from an unlabeled bottle he had grabbed from below the counter. Clinking their glasses together both men drowned their shots and while the tall biker didn’t even flinch, Lucas broke out into a whole body shiver, squeezing his eyes shut. “This stuff is really fucking disgusting,” he grimaced before refilling one of the shot glasses again, shoving it in front of the other man again, “I don’t know how Ten manages to make these concoctions.” Grinning, the man in question suddenly appeared and snatched the shot glass from below the other‘s fingers, drowning it himself. The blonde only grimaced a little. “I gotta say, I’ve made better stuff but also definitely worse. Lucas, we need a new keg of beer, can you please get one from the back, you’re so much stronger than I am,” Ten pouted, batting his lashes at Lucas and rubbing one of his hands over the other’s muscled arms. “Be nice to her,” Lucas told the man with the big tattoo on his chest and quickly disappeared to the back.

“I’m Johnny by the way,” he introduced himself, running a hand through his dark red hair. “So you’re the one who asked Lucas to embarrass your friends,” you remembered, your eyes getting caught on the intricate feathers of the eagle that spread its wings over Johnny’s broad chest. He smirked when your eyes came back up to meet his. “That would be me. You like the tattoo?” “It looks nice,” you mumbled, embarrassed at being caught staring, “It’s not something you see every day.” “I have some other ones that are pretty interesting as well,” he winked. “Su-Sure,” you stuttered, feeling your face heat up for what must have been the millionth time this night. “You’re cute,” Johnny laughed, the sound bright and inviting, his eyes turning into little crescents. “What did you come over for? Did I miss something on the order?” You tried to move the conversation in a direction you were a little (a lot) more comfortable with. “I just thought I could put my muscles to use and help you carry our drinks, we ordered quite a lot. Also I still owe you money for pulling that prank on Mark and Haechan. Even though their faces were priceless.” “How old are they anyways?” You asked him because you didn’t actually ended up looking at their IDs and Haechan especially did seem quite young. Digging out his worn out wallet, Johnny fished out a twenty dollar bill and teasingly held it up between two fingers. “They’re both of age, don’t worry, they just have baby faces.”

Snatching the bill from his hands, you quickly stuffed it in your pocket. “Thank you,” you grinned, relieved that it really had just been a prank between friends. “How old are you then?” You heard yourself asking after you had glanced at the tray that Ten had been filling up, but a couple of glasses were still missing. The weird cocktails seemed to take quite some time to make (Why there was celery swimming in what looked like tomato juice was a mystery to you). “Let’s pretend I’m in my early twenties,” Johnny grinned, his long fingers playing with the cherries that were stuck to the rim of one of the cocktail glasses. “Pretend?” You were confused. He couldn’t be much older than you were. “It’s improper for old men like me to flirt with such pretty young girls after all,” he winked and stuck out his tongue. “You… You can’t be much older than me though,” you argued, trying to fight your shyness back down. But your furiously beating heart was betraying you. Luckily he couldn’t notice that from his place where he was still leaning against the counter, the long line of his body perfectly shown off; his legs seemed almost endlessly long in the heavy leather pants. Chuckling, he raked his eyes across your body in a similar way you must have seconds ago but you felt like you were burning up wherever he was looking. Within the blink of an eye he was in your personal space, crowding you against the bar. “I’m 25,” he breathed, “How long do you have to work today, honey?”

Before you could even think of an answer, Johnny was shoved backwards by another man dressed completely in black. You recognized him as one of the men from Johnny’s gang, the one with the neck tattoo that had seemed weirdly familiar to you. “Leave her alone, Johnny,” he drawled, his voice barely more than a growl, “There’s someone waiting for you outside.” After a moment of heavy eye contact between the two males, Johnny scoffed and threw you another smile. “See you later, darling,” he chirped before turning towards the exit. “I’m sorry if he made you uncomfortable, he doesn’t know when to stop sometimes,” the handsome man spoke, his voice still deep but way less threatening. “It’s… It’s fine you wouldn’t have needed to step in like that,” you reassured him, “But thank you.” “Yeah, I don’t know, something just didn’t sit right with me when he crowded you like that. Especially when you’re new to this type of environment, it’s pretty different from your usual job.” “My usual job?” You asked, clearly confused, “Do we know each other?” “Oh, I’m sorry, I thought you had recognized me,” the man’s eyes widened in surprise and he averted his gaze as if he was embarrassed. “I’m Jaehyun. You know, the dude who keeps killing his plants.” Now it was your turn to be surprised. “No way. You look so different.” “It’s the clothes, right?” Jaehyun was rubbing the intricate lines of ink on his neck, looking up from between his dark lashes, smiling shyly and now that his dimples were almost showing, you did finally recognize him.

He was somewhat of a regular customer at the flower shop you worked in during the week to help out the old lady who owned the shop, always coming in to buy new plants when he had managed to kill yet another one. Now in the heavy leather jacket with more buckles and straps than you could count, he looked so different than when he came to the shop, his dark hair fluffy so his bangs almost covered his eyes and wearing soft sweaters and jeans. You also somehow had never noticed the big tattoo that stretched around his neck.

You could remember the first time he came into the shop very vividly. It was just after your break that you had spent lazing around in the backyard of the shop in front of the little greenhouse, letting the sun shine onto your face, just basking in the moment for a bit, letting all your worries about money or upcoming exams melt away. The job at the little flower job didn’t pay very well because people these days bought less and less flowers and the old lady couldn’t afford to pay more but you couldn’t just leave her alone in the shop. You really enjoyed her presence and learning about the language of flowers and how to bind pretty bouquets. When the distant chirping of the old cuckoo clock in the shop announced the end of your break, you got up from your place and put your apron back on, so you wouldn’t accidentally dirty your clothes. You came back into the shop just in time to see the big load of new plants that was being delivered. Two boys were unloading a colorful truck while continuously bickering in what seemed to be Chinese about where to put the plants in the shop and on the sidewalk outside so people could still walk past. “Urgh, this sucks why did we let us get talked into helping out?” The one with green hair sighed after they had put the last plant down, handing the old lady the papers she had to sign that the shipment had arrived at her place. She chuckled while handing the papers back. “I’ve made some iced tea, have a little break, boys,” she smiled her kind, wrinkled smile at them, taking them to the little kitchen area in the back to pour each one of them a glass even though the smaller of them had declined her offer at least ten times while his green haired friend gladly took her invitation.

Smiling you reassured the old lady that you would rearrange the flowers and plants so you could fit them all into the shop and the small greenhouse in the back. Maybe her grandson would come in later to help you move the heavier plants. He always came to the shop to laze around without having his parents scold him and his grandmother could never say no to his charming smile that made any girl his age swoon. He had recently dyed his hair a soft pinkish shade and had been hanging around the shop a lot more because his parents weren’t quite fond of his style choices. You gently stroked the leaves of the little pink rose bushes (that had kind of reminded you of the boy in the first place) that seemed rather thirsty to you, making a mental note to water them lots after you had arranged them.

While rearranging the cut roses so you could fit the new bushes in between them, the little bell on the door rang, announcing the arrival of a customer. “I’ll be right over,” you said, detangling yourself from the bush you had tried to fit in the display window. “No need to hurry,” the customer answered with a deep voice. It wasn’t often that men visited your store. And most times they just wanted a quick, expensive looking bouquet to either impress a girl or to apologize to their wife. Putting on your best customer friendly smile, you walked over to where the man was eyeing some cherry tree bonsais, his broad back turned towards you. “How can I help you?” When the man turned around, he immediately politely smiled at you, making your heart beat pick up just a little. He was definitely attractive, you couldn’t deny that. His dark hair was unstyled and hung into his eyes a bit, covering his strong eyebrows that every girl would be envious over. He seemed young, about your age. The pale blue hoodie and the fluffy hair made him seem very soft and gentle despite his strong jawline and prominent cheekbones. “Well I’ve moved into a new space and it looks a little empty, so I thought some plants might be the way to fix that,” he explained, fiddling with the hem of his slightly oversized hoodie. “That’s a great idea,” you beamed, trying to seem reassuring since he seemed rather nervous, “Do you have anything special in mind?” “No, I really don’t but those roses you just put in the display window look very pretty, it’s what made me come in,” he said, motioning to where you had been fighting with the roses earlier. “Roses need a lot of attention though,” you warned him, walking over to where you had tucked the little bushes into a corner. “I have a lot of time and like a good challenge,” he answered, a grin tugging at his lips, a set of dimples just barely showing, “You’re bleeding by the way.” He added, gently touching your hand. Startled, you jerked away, heat licking at your cheeks. “Oh, I’m sorry,” he quickly apologized, “But you should bandage that or it might get infected if something gets into the wound.” “Don’t worry, it’s not even that deep,” you concluded after examining the small cut on the back of your hand where you had lost the battle with one of the thorns. You quickly shot the man another smile that you hoped was reassuring.

“So do any of those roses look good to you?” “The pale orange ones look nice.” You couldn’t hold back a small giggle. “What’s so funny?” He asked, his beautiful brows drawn together in confusion. “The color is called peach,” you still giggled, grabbing the pot to show him the petals in the sunlight. “Well it is orange though,” he shrugged. “Men and colors,” you sighed dramatically but couldn’t help the smile spreading on your lips, “You like them and want to try caring for them?” “Yeah, let’s try it. Anything I should look out for?” While walking up to the cash register and ringing him up, you briefly explained how to take care of the roses the best.

“I hope they brighten up your room a bit,” you smiled when he had paid. “The visit sure brightened up my day,” he replied smiling widely, the set of cute dimples reappearing on his cheeks. Before you could overcome your sudden shyness to reply anything, he had already wished you a good day and disappeared from the shop.

After his visit, the man had crept back into your mind a couple of times. Every time you watered the little twin of the rose bush he had bought, it somehow reminded you of his sweet dimpled smile and his deep, soothing voice. You always scolded yourself when you noticed how you were spacing out, in fact watering the floor instead of the little rose bushes how you were supposed to. (You had been made fun of by a certain pink haired boy one too many times lately.) Your boss had just smiled knowingly and pressed a little bouquet with beautiful yellow Chrysanthemums in the middle, when you had closed up the shop, making your face heat up and furiously deny everything. But like always, the old lady knew you probably better than you knew yourself.

The second time the handsome stranger had visited the shop, he had been wearing a white turtle neck and a simple denim jacket, his hair pushed back with a dark blue hat. “Hello again,” he greeted you, gently smiling when he walked up to the counter where you were currently binding a bouquet with a couple of big purple hyacinths, “I’ll have a little look around. No need to hurry that.” Even though you tried to concentrate on arranging the flowers in the bouquet and picking smaller flowers that would look good with the big center piece, you kept glancing over to the man who was sniffing different flowers, quietly sneezing when he inhaled too deeply.

“Those are really pretty,” he said after he had not so subtly watched you work for a while from his place between the brightly colored geraniums while walking up to the counter. “The man who commissioned them paid a lot of money for them to look pretty,” you smiled, gently tucking smaller white flowers all around the big purple ones in the middle. “Does it mean anything? I’ve never seen this kind of flower,” he asked, seeming genuinely interested. “You’re interested in the language of flowers?” You asked, securely tying the bouquet together, placing them in a vase for the time being. “What languages would flowers speak?” The man asked, sounding genuinely confused. For a moment you could just stare at him, his dark brown eyes widened and his mouth slightly ajar, before you burst out in a fit of giggles. “Hey! What’s so funny?” He asked, trying to sound offended but he couldn’t fight the smile that spread across his lips. “They don’t speak any language, silly. The different types of flowers mean different things. I don’t know all of it but the owner of the shop has been teaching me some of it,” you explained to him. “Ooh, that makes a lot more sense,” he nodded, “What do those mean then?” “They’re hyacinths. The man told me he needed to apologize to his girlfriend. The purple ones stand for sorrow. I doubt she will notice though.” “Probably not,” he chuckled. “What did the rose mean I bought last time? The peach one?” “I’m not quite sure, I’ll ask my boss when she’s back. What brings you back here?” “Well,” he scratched the back of his head and averted his eyes, “I need a new plant, the rose was kind of a lot more work than I thought it was.”

“Oh no.” You felt genuinely sad. You kind of had expected it not to go well but this was honestly a lot faster than you could have imagined. “I should have listened to you when you told me that they were a lot, I’m sorry,” he apologized, “But I really want to try to keep a plant alive. She looked really good for the time she was alive.” “She?” “Well I gave her a name.” You giggled again. “That’s really cute.” “Not as cute as you though.” It was suddenly so silent in the shop, the only noise the soft buzzing sound coming from the air-conditioning. You stared into the man’s eyes, expecting a his face to heat up in a similar fashion yours was, to see a blush creep up his face or his ears, but his face stayed perfectly pale, not a single blotch of color visible. But he had to be embarrassed as well if the way he was chewing on his lips was any sign. “I’m sorry, that just slipped,” he mumbled. “I… Shouldn’t you at least tell me your name before you start complimenting me like that?” You stuttered when you found your voice again. “Jaehyun,” he supplied, still awkwardly shuffling around, “It’s Jaehyun.” “Alright Jaehyun, let’s find you a new plant that’s not as easy to kill.

From that day onward Jaehyun came to the shop somewhat regularly, either announcing the death of yet another plant or telling you how they were on the brink of death and he didn’t know how it happened or what to do to save them. You were really close to either tell him to stick to bouquets or cacti but when you were being honest, you enjoyed his little visits. He’d stay longer and longer every time, telling you little stories about how he suspected that his roommates were secretly killing all the plants. In turn you told him about your boring life between your classes and your job. And sometimes you even taught him about the language of flowers while he was watching you put together a bouquet for yet another desperate boyfriend.

One visit in particular had stuck with you for some reason. Your whole day had just been bad: One of your professors had caught you slacking off in class and called you out in front of everyone, then at lunch a guy had run into you, making you drop half your food on the floor and then it had started to rain on your way to work. And if that wasn’t enough, the old lady hadn’t been feeling well because of the sudden change in weather and you had sent her off into her apartment that was above the shop, so she could rest. So now you were just alone in the shop, watching the people outside hurry past the shop with their umbrellas. When it was raining even less people were coming into the shop because you couldn’t put any plants outside that often lured people in. Sighing, you continued with the inventory that you had started out of boredom. Of course you also hadn’t brought any useful books, so you could have studied a little.

You must have been deep in thought, moping about how much this day sucked, that you didn’t hear the little bell on the door ringing. So when someone touched your arm to get your attention, you of course were startled and let out a small scream before you lost your balance on the stepladder that you had used to count the spare pots on a higher shelf. And if that wasn’t enough, you also pushed one of said pots down as well. But before you could even brace yourself for the fall, a strong arm had wrapped around you, saving you from crashing down onto the floor and possibly cracking your head open. When you opened your eyes, that you had screwed shut, you saw straight into Jaehyun’s deep brown eyes that were full of concern. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” he spoke softly and you could feel how his voice rumbled in his chest from how close he was holding you to his body. “It’s alright, it’s my fault anyways. I wasn’t paying attention,” you sighed, slowly realizing in what kind of situation you and Jaehyun were in right now. His face was so close to yours that you could almost count every single one of his long, dark eyelashes. You could even see the faintest little blush spreading over his cheeks and your own face immediately felt hot as well.

Jaehyun just smiled and released you from his grip, gently setting the pot he somehow had managed to catch with his other hand back onto the shelf. He really must have incredible reflexes and obviously the most charming smile you had ever seen. “Don’t blame yourself, you don’t look too good today,” he spoke softly. “Wow thanks,” you sarcastically said, sighing theatrically while running your hands through your hair in an attempt to smooth it out, but probably messing it up further than it already was. “Hard day?” You snorted. Hard was an understatement. It sucked. But a little voice in the back of your head whispered that now that Jaehyun had come to visit you in the shop, it would get better. “You look like you could use a hug,” he smiled and opened his arms invitingly.

Before you could even think twice about it, you wound your arms around his middle and squeezed him tightly, burying your face in the soft fabric of his cardigan that he wore over one of his many turtlenecks. Chuckling, he grabbed the fabric and stretched it around you, so you were basically wrapped up in it against his chest, before wrapping you up in his strong arms. You were drowning in his by now familiar scent and the way his chest steadily rose and fell with his breath made all stress from your body slowly dissolve. “If you keep holding me like this I will cry,” you mumbled, trying to untangle yourself from him. “I don’t mind, you know? Sometimes you just have to cry to let all the stress out,” he assured you, rubbing soothing circles on your back. “Don’t say that, I will ugly cry in your shirt,” you hiccupped, “I barely know you.” “Oh I think you know me a lot better than a lot of people,” he smiled, “It’s an old shirt anyways.” “Liar, I’ve never seen you wear this before.” “You’re keeping track?” He chuckled. “That’s not what I meant by that,” you mumbled, feeling shy suddenly because how could you not keep track when he just effortlessly looked infuriatingly good every time he walked into the shop.

“You feeling better now?” Jaehyun gently asked after you two had fallen silent, just basking in each other’s presence. He gently tilted your head back from where you had buried it in his neck, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. “Yeah,” you breathed, captivated by him. You had never noticed the tiny mole he had on one of his cheeks but you found it really endearing. “Good,” he smiled, “I brought you coffee from the shop next door.” He motioned to the two cups he had placed on the counter next to the cash register. “You have a heart of gold Jaehyun,” you confessed, a smile slowly spreading on your lips and your heartbeat picking up. You kept the thought that he probably would also make the perfect boyfriend, to yourself. Not that it would matter, you were sure he didn’t see you like that. He just played it off, laughing awkwardly like he always did when he was embarrassed. (Coming to think of it, you really seemed to know him better than you had initially thought.) “Let’s drink it before it gets cold and you can tell me more about your day,” he offered and slowly loosened his arms around you. “Can you tell me about yours instead?” You asked with a small voice. “I’d rather forget all of this stupid day before you walked in here.” “Of course, darling,” he breathed. Your heart skipped a beat before doubling its pace when the pet name rolled of his tongue just like that. Maybe there was just the slightest little chance, he might consider you more than just the friend that worked in the flower shop that he had to visit to get advice on how to not kill his plants. Smiling you loosened your grip on him as well and you two sat down on the counter, dangling your legs and sipping the slightly cold coffee while you listened to Jaehyun ramble about the mess that were his flatmates. Until this day you hadn’t figured out how many people he actually lived with but you couldn’t help but smile at the little stories he told you. And even when he stopped talking, you just enjoyed the silence while watching the people outside. And maybe it was just your imagination but the umbrellas outside seemed just a little brighter with your head resting on Jaehyun’s broad shoulder.

“I’ve never noticed your whole tattoo thing that’s going on,” you said, motioning around your own neck when you came back from your fond memories of Jaehyun. “Yeah, I try to not let it show as much usually,” he replied, almost nervously playing with the collar of his leather jacket. “Did it hurt a lot when you got it?” “Yeah, the skin is kind of tender around your neck,” he answered, his gaze not meeting your eyes but fixating a point right behind you. “You get that question a lot don’t you?” you gently asked, fingers itching to reach out to touch him. “Yeah, it’s all people talk about when they see it,” he shrugged, “I’m used to it by now.” “Oh, I’m sorry,” you quickly apologized. “It’s fine,” Jaehyun reassured you, gently grazing his fingers over your exposed forearm, making goose bumps break out over your skin. “Yes, it did hurt. No I don’t regret it. Yes I probably can’t work a normal job if I’m not wearing a turtleneck. No, I didn’t get it in prison. It was done in a perfectly sanitary tattoo shop by a professional artist. No, I’m not a criminal”, he quickly addressed every typical question he apparently got about the tattoo in a single breath, a smile spreading on his lips, making his dimples appear and your heart beat faster.

“Glad to know I haven’t been talking to a criminal over the past few weeks even though you did kill an unholy amount of plants,” you giggled, checking again if the order was ready only to find Ten engrossed in a conversation with a group of young men that were sitting at the bar, his work forgotten. “Well I guess I am guilty of that,” Jaehyun pouted and it was weirdly endearing seeing him act playful like that with his dark and intimidating clothing. “So you’re not a criminal but a biker?” “Is that what you think our group is?” He asked, tilting his head to the side. “That’s what everyone told me at least. And you do look the part.” “A couple of us do have bikes, but I don’t think that justifies the title. We’re just a,” he bit his tongue for a bit, “We’re just friends. Friends who like to dress in a lot of leather and black clothing.”

It seemed to be a somewhat touchy subject so you decided to not push any further. “You don’t need to explain it to me,” you smiled reassuringly, quickly squeezing his cold hand. “Jaehyun, stop flirting with my best waitress,” Kun teased, adding the little shot glasses to the second tray that completed the order. “I wasn’t flirting, I-“ but Jaehyun didn’t complete his apology when Kun shot him a knowing look and your face heated up on his behalf because Jaehyun didn’t blush like ever. “Stop making excuses and help her carry all this back to the table,” the barman grinned, returning to his work by pulling Ten back by the hairs on his neck from where he was still talking to the handsome customers sitting at the bar. “I would appreciate some help, that’s what Johnny came over for as well,” you tried to push past the awkwardness. “Like hell he was,” Jaehyun grumbled, grabbing the one of the trays maybe a tad too forceful than he needed to, the drinks almost spilling over. “Don’t be angry with him, he was being nice,” you consoled him, gently petting his leather clad arm (wasn’t he warm in that thick jacket?). “I saw just how nice he was being,” he sighed, rolling his shoulders, “He’s such a goddamn flirt.” “Nothing happened Jaehyun,” you tried one last time, looking into his dark eyes, getting lost in the seemingly bottomless obsidian.

Only the thud of the heavy entrance door made you snap out of it and you quickly turned to grab the second tray. You hadn’t even noticed how you had gravitated towards Jaehyun, it was like his eyes had hypnotized you. “Need another pair of helping hands?” A familiar voice asked and Johnny strode over towards you two again, now with an energetic bounce in his step, his red lips curved into a smile. “We’ve got it,” Jaehyun answered, scrunching his nose as if he had smelled something bad before taking a deep breath. “Don’t wait too long, Jaehyun,” the taller said, his tone suddenly stern and his brows furrowed. “I can handle it, Johnny,” Jaehyun gritted out, shoving past the taller man to make his way over to the table where their friends were still waiting for their drinks. Sighing, you followed him back to the table. It was weird how different he was behaving with his friends around. You had never expected to meet him in any place outside of your job at the flower shop and much less in a place like this. The soft man who liked to wear denim jackets seemed to be buried beneath the heavy leather jacket.

“Here’s your drinks,” you smiled when you put the tray down to distribute the drinks. “You’re not drinking with us?” A blonde man with a scratch in his eyebrow asked when everyone had picked up their shot glasses. “It’s my first day, I don’t think it’s a good idea,” you politely declined his offer. “I’m sure Ten and Kun won’t mind,” he grinned, lifting up his own glass to hand it over to you. “She said no, didn’t you hear, Yuta?” Jaehyun growled and shot his friend a dark look. Unfazed by his behavior, the blonde - Yuta - shrugged his shoulders before drowning his shot himself, not grimacing in the slightest even though the liquid had a questionable amount of alcohol in it, judging by the numbers that had been printed on the label. “But I’m sure we can treat you to something else,” he spoke, before shifting in his seat so his poorly buttoned sleeveless shirt fell open even further, revealing smooth skin that stretched over lean muscles and a promise of something metal hidden beneath. “I-“, you stuttered. What were you supposed to reply to something like that? “You’re shameless,” one of his dark haired friends chuckled, a silver chain glistening in the light when he shook his head. “It’s called confidence,” Yuta defeated himself. “Still shameless,” another one agreed, a grin on his face. “He hasn’t had a good lay in a while, don’t mind him,” Taeyong cut in, shooting you a reassuring smile. “Certainly not because I didn’t had any offers, I’m just picky,” Yuta tried to defend himself, looking scandalized. You just giggled when the other’s started picking on him. You noticed that Jaehyun didn’t join in but his posture was more relaxed than it had been before. You really wanted to thank him for defending your choice to not drink but now didn’t seem appropriate. Silently you collected the now empty shot glasses and picked the trays back up. “I’ll be back to check in with you later then,” you smiled before walking back to the counter after checking in with a couple of other tables.

The rest of the night went down in a blur safe for the one occasion where the slender Ten indeed threw out one of the customers that couldn’t hold his liquor anymore and had fallen when he had tried to walk over to the bar to order more because Lucas had already refused to bring him any more drinks. The times when you had checked in on the 127 table, Yuta had still flirted with you only to be either shot down by Jaehyun or Taeyong. You had also noticed that over the course of the night one or two of them would always leave the bar for a couple of minutes before coming back inside with a new energy and a faint blush on their cheeks. You didn’t know what they did out there but you really hoped they didn’t do drugs or anything like that. They didn’t seem as intoxicated as the other customers no matter how much they ordered. If anything Mark was getting giggly after he had come back inside but that was pretty much everything. They all must have incredible tolerance for alcohol.

When the night died down and more and more customers were leaving, Kun waved you over to tell you that you had been a great help and he would be more than happy to see you again tomorrow for your next shift. You had beamed at him and promised to do your best. “I’m sure you will. Thank you for today, I think Lucas and I can handle the remaining customers,” he told you. “What’s with Ten?” You asked. You hadn’t seen him in a while. Kun just sighed and motioned to the 127 table where Ten comfortably sat on Johnny’s lap, the taller carding through the blonde’s hair that he had freed from the little ponytail. “Are they a thing?” You were confused. Johnny hadn’t been subtle about his flirting earlier. “No one really knows,” Kun groaned, suddenly seeming very irritated, “It’s been happening more lately but last week he went home with Taeyong as far as I remember.” “Oh…” “Don’t think about it too much. I want to say that he knows what he’s doing but that would mean that he’s actually using his brain.” Somehow you thought that he sounded sad. “Just tell Ten that you like him, Kun,” Lucas groaned, running a hand through his by now messy platinum hair. “I don’t like him,” the elder gritted out, violently cleaning glasses and slamming them onto a rack to dry. “Sure and I’ve never thought about making out with any of your roommates,” Lucas teased him. “You have what?” “Never mind I said that,” Lucas mumbled, his ears turning red, before he made a beeline to one of his tables.

You chuckled quietly. “I think he’s fond of you as well,” you softly spoke after Kun had thrown another longing look at Ten who was busy admiring the eagle tattoo on Johnny’s chest. “You don’t need to console me, but I appreciate it,” he smiled but it didn’t quiet reach his eyes, “I came to accept him how he is.” “You should at least try to shoot you shout though, don’t you think?” You tried again, stepping closer to the barman to help him clean the last glasses. He sighed deeply. “I’ve known Ten for too long now, I know he won’t suddenly become monogamous just because I tell him that I might not dislike him as much as I sometimes say.” “You can never know for sure, people do crazy stuff because of love,” a deep voice joined the conversation and Jaehyun sat down on the barstool in front of Kun and you, throwing you a quick smile. “He’s right,” you smiled, briefly squeezing Kun’s hand. “If I say that I’ll think about it, will you leave it alone for now?” You eagerly nodded, looking up at Jaehyun to see if he was doing the same. Instead a smirk played on his lips. “If you give me my drinks for free, I’ll even tell Johnny to not take Ten home tonight,” he grinned, holding up his card between two fingers. “You’re paying for everyone?” Kun just gritted out, snatching the card from the other’s fingers. Jaehyun’s grin widened before he nodded. “Isn’t that going to be a lot of money?” You asked worriedly. You had never asked but assumed Jaehyun must be a student like you, so paying the whole bill for nine men (well eight if Kun was giving Jaehyun his own drinks for free) was a lot. “I lost at rock paper scissors,” he shrugged, “Are you done with your shift?”

“She is,” Kun cut in, smacking the credit card back onto the bartop, “Tell Johnny to send him home, I’m not feeding his cats again because they’re screaming for food.” “Sure. That’s the only reason,” Jaehyun joked, pocketing his card with a grin. Kun didn’t answer, instead leaving you two alone to wipe some empty tables. “Are you going home alone?” “It’s not far from here,” you reassured the dark haired man. “I’ll walk you. You shouldn’t go alone this late.” “Only if it’s not a bother for you…” “Keeping you safe is never a bother for me,” he smiled, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind your ear and you barely suppressed a shiver from how cold his hands were against your heated face. “I’ll tell the other’s not to wait for me and will wait outside for you,” he softly spoke before turning to walk out the door where his friends apparently had already left.

You quickly gathered your things and sorted out your tips from the rest of the money, putting everything back into the place that Lucas had shown you before disappearing into the staff room to stuff the money into your designated tip jar, so Lucas and you could share your tips with Ten and Kun. While you were quickly trying to fix your hair in the small mirror a very grumpy looking Ten joined you, groaning loudly. You had to suppress your smile. Jaehyun really had convinced Johnny to not take Ten home. “Men are trash, honey,” the blonde suddenly spoke, “Don’t fall for any of them.” “Did you get dumped?” You tried to act like you didn’t exactly knew what must have happened. “Can’t get dumped if you aren’t dating,” Ten chirped, smoothing out a wrinkle in his silky blouse, “But something similar.” “I’m sorry.” “No need to be darling, I’ll just annoy Kun a little more, maybe he’ll actually pop a vein these days,” he giggled mischievously. “Be nice to him, he seems like an actual sweetheart,” you said while slipping on your jacket and picking up your bag. “He is, darling. But where’s the fun in that?” Ten held the door open for you and followed you back to the main room. “Be safe on your way home.” “Jaehyun is waiting outside for me,” you admitted, suddenly feeling shy under Ten’s intense gaze. “So that’s why Johnny wouldn’t take me with him,” he grinned. “No, no that’s not it. He just offered to walk me home,” you stuttered to explain yourself. It wasn’t like what Ten thought it was, right? Oh god. Not that Jaehyun was expecting anything now. He just had asked to walk you home though. Was it a code word for something you didn’t know? “I’m sure he only has the most noble motives,” the barkeeper snickered, “Go, don’t let prince charming wait for too long.” With that he waved you off, walking over to where Kun was wiping a table to drape his body over the other’s back, probably complaining about being dumped. But Kun didn’t seem to mind a whole lot, judging by the smile that tugged on the corners of his lips.

After you had barely escaped Xuxi’s suffocating goodbye hug, you stepped outside into the cold night, taking a deep breath. It was quiet for a Friday night but that might have just been the time. Worried you looked around when you couldn’t see Jaehyun’s broad figure anywhere. Did he ditch you? That didn’t seem like him. Curious you looked into the little ally beside the bar where the dumpsters were. At first you couldn’t make out anything in the dark but when your eyes had adjusted, you could make out a figure, no two, in the dark. One of them was wearing a familiar leather jacket with way too many buckles and straps to be convenient. The man was clinging to the second, unmoving figure and the whole scene made Goosebumps break out all over your body.

“J-Jaehyun?” you stuttered, your bag falling from your shoulder, landing on the concrete with a soft thud. As if he was electrocuted, the man with the dark clothes shoved the limp body he was holding onto just a second ago away from him, but no sound left the other man’s lips, nor did his facial expression change in any way. “I can explain this,” Jaehyun said, his lips a deep red and smeared with what seemed to be blood and eyes wide, tinted a bright crimson. You felt a shiver run down your spine, the scream that had been stuck in your throat threatening to spill now. But before it could rip free, a palm was pressed over your lips and your body collided with Jaehyun’s solid frame. “Please don’t scream,” he whispered in your ear which made all the hairs on your neck stand up. What was happening? Why was there blood on Jaehyun? Has his eyes changed color? How did he get across to you within the blink of an eye? What was with the other person? In a panic, your eyes scanned the alleyway and another muffled scream ripped from your throat when you saw that the man was still unmoving even though he was bleeding from a wound in his neck. “Please,” Jaehyun begged, his voice sounding strained, “Let me explain this, don’t hate me.” Being pressed so close to him, you couldn’t help but notice that his chest wasn’t moving in the slightest like it should if he was breathing. What was happening? Panic began to rise inside you and you felt like you were suffocating, your lungs not getting enough oxygen with Jaehyun’s palm pressed over your mouth. Panicking, you grabbed his wrist and let your nails dig into his skin, but the skin didn’t break. Desperate, you tried to get more air into your lungs, meeting his eyes in a silent plea. “Please don’t scream,” Jaehyun repeated firmly before he slowly freed your mouth, but kept holding you close.

You heaved a couple of heavy breaths, feeling the panic slowly disappear but your heart kept beating furiously, the adrenaline coursing through your veins making you dizzy. “Let me take care of this and I’ll explain everything, I promise,” Jaehyun spoke once your breathing had somewhat evened out. “I’ll release you now, don’t run away.” Your voice was still lost somewhere, so you just nodded. After confirming with a nod himself, he slowly uncurled from you and walked over to the other man who was still in a daze, staring straight ahead. “You will walk home now and not remember anything that happened from the moment you saw me approach you,” Jaehyun spoke to him, looking into his eyes intensely and if your own eyes weren’t playing a trick on you, Jaehyun’s eyes had turned a bright crimson color. He leaned into the other man again where his neck was still bleeding and when the man turned to leave and walk away, the area was clean. Instead Jaehyun’s lips were smeared with blood that he quickly wiped into his shirt. “What the fuck, Jaehyun?” You whispered, your voice sounding raw as if you hadn’t spoken in hours.

“I can explain this,” he repeated again, turning his palms towards you in surrender when he walked back over. “How can you explain this? You- That- That man was straight up hypnotized and behaved like an actual puppet. And that blood. This is crazy. I’m dreaming. That’s it right? Or someone must have slipped me something in the bar and I’m tripping right now. Because this looks an awful lot like you just sucked that guy’s blood like you’re a vampire and that’s crazy. Vampires aren’t real. And I’ve seen you walk around in the middle of the day. But then again, your hands are always cold and I couldn’t even scratch you with my nails and you have mad reflexes,” you started to spiral, the words just falling from your lips. “Hey, take a breath. A deep breath, here,” Jaehyun softly spoke, gently taking your hands and pressing the palms on his chest, taking a deep breath himself. Even though you tried to breathe with him to calm down, you couldn’t help but notice that his fingers weren’t as cold as they had been before and that you couldn’t feel his heartbeat despite the fact that your palm was sitting right over his heart, just separated by his thin black shirt from the skin. “You… You don’t have a heartbeat,” you whispered, your eyes searching his that were a perfectly normal deep brown shade now while you pressed your palms down on his chest harder. “I don’t,” he spoke carefully, scanning your features for any changes, “I haven’t had one for a while.” “You aren’t breathing right now.” “I don’t need to. I keep forgetting.” “You… You’re forgetting to breathe?” “I usually do when I’m around humans but sometimes I forget.” “You say that as if you’re not…” You couldn’t finish the sentence, it was too absurd. “As if I’m not human myself? I’m not. Not anymore.” “Then what are you?” “You’ve said it before, I’m a vampire,” he confessed.

“A vampire…” You repeated dumbfounded. It made sense, everything was adding up but this couldn’t be the explanation. Vampires were just made up. “And the others are too, they’re my coven. That’s why I didn’t want Johnny to talk to you.” “Would he have..?” Your eyes widened and one of your hands flew to your neck, covering where your pulse was fluttering beneath the skin. “I’m not going to hurt you, I could never,” Jaehyun whispered when he saw the fear in your eyes, gently cupping your face as if to prove his point. “I like you way too much to hurt you. And I won’t let anyone of the others even lay a finger on you.” Your eyes immediately flew to his lips that were still stained red when he leaned in even closer so you would be able to feel his breath mingling with yours if he was breathing. “I really want to kiss you right now, is that stupid?” The vampire whispered. “Don’t hurt me,” you whispered back, letting your eyes fall shut. “I could never,” he breathed before brushing his lips against yours in a chaste kiss that send sparks through your whole body. When Jaehyun felt you relax against him, your fingers uncurling from his shirt, he kissed you again, firmer this time, wrapping his arms tight around you as if he was afraid that you would disappear.

When you felt your head start to get light, you gently tapped his strong chest and he immediately retreated, looking at you with a worried expression. “One of us still needs to breathe,” you giggled breathless. “I’m sorry,” he smiled, carding his fingers through your hair, just watching you breathe for a moment, losing himself in your eyes.

“I have another secret to tell you,” Jaehyun broke the silence, his dimpled smile lighting up his face. “I don’t think you can shock me anymore,” you smiled back. “I didn’t actually kill any of the plants I bought. I just needed to have a reason to keep seeing you. Our house looks like a jungle.” You couldn’t stop giggling, leaning into his (not moving) chest that rumbled with his low chuckle. “You’re cute,” you smiled, snaking your arms around his waist below his jacket, somehow not even missing the warmth that bodies usually gave off. “Shut up,” he chuckled, wrapping you up in a tight hug. “You want to know something else?” You whispered into his chest after a while. The vampire just hummed, gently swaying you. “I looked up what the rose meant that you bought when you first came into the shop… You wanna know what it stands for?” Jaehyun hummed again. “It stands for immortality.” This time it was Jaehyun who was laughing, holding your body tighter to steady himself.

#jaehyun #jung jaehyun #jaehyun fluff #jaehyun scenarios #jaehyun imagines #nct #nct 127 #jaehyun fic #nct scenarious #nct imagines #nct fluff

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emsartwork · 4 years

Note

i forgot to add: how do design ????!?!??????

So I’m not expert but this is how I think of character design! (also sry if you were asking about clothing/outfit design thats a little different)

under the cut because this is long im so sorry

So in my opinion there are three really important aspects for character design!

AESTHETIC: obviously everybody’s aesthetic is different, but this is more about what vibe the character has, what makes them THEM design wise.

INTENTION: who is the character supposed to be? this can range from their personality, their back story, their occupation, or their role in the story, but the design need to fit that intention.

COHESION: does the design go well together? or do certain aspects clash too much? obviously you can have disjointed parts of a character design, and if those serve a purpose then thats fine, but if its so disjointed its distracting from the character as a whole you might need to tweak things.

AESTHETIC: the contrasting part of the design (white flowers in dark hair, dark trim on dress, and dark shoes) provide interest to the eye. The mixing of round and sharp shapes also keeps the design from feeling “boring” even though its relatively simple.

INTENTION: so what role would this little doodle character have? according to her design elements, shes cute and friendly with her round shapes (bouncy balls, babies, etc), but could have a sharp/fast/active or even dangerous edge to her with the triangles (arrows, knives etc). of course the design doesn’t limit her possible roles. She could be a bubbly younger sister who teases the older protagonist, or maybe she’s the villain hiding in plain sight. the shape this character design doesn’t really have is squares(think bricks and rocks), which communicates that she might not be really strong, steady, or reliable.

COHESION: repeating the curves across her whole design builds cohesion, it communicates that “yes, these are all part of the same character”, it also allows the eye to “rest” on a familiar shape or line.

NOW LETS LOOK AT SOME DESIGNS

(Boku no Hero Academia) so both of these characters are super heroes, but have vastly different design elements. so lets analyze them.

OCHAKO(the pink one) is all rounds, with a few pointed shapes in hair mostly, but a little on her costume as well. Her personality is cute, bubbly, and friendly which perfectly suits her soft and bouncy design. Howevre she also has a very slight edge to her, which is seen her determination and drive to improve herself over the course of the anime.

KIRISHIMA(the red one) at first glance, seems to be super pointy!! shapes that are usually seen on villains or really dangerous characters, but while he IS sharp(literally sometimes) and sometimes aggressive, he is also made of squares, which perfectly suits his loyal “i gotchu bro” attitude towards most of the other characters in the anime.

ISSUE AREAS: so the only problems i have with Ochako and Kirishima’s designs is that their costumes each have one area that clashes a little too much for my taste. With Ochako, the belt over the color blocking stripes down her crotch are......questionable taste wise. I think the design would be better if the pink chest ended above the belt in a shallow v. not only would this mirror the triangle aspects of her hair, it would fit the belt outline, and continue the trend her costume has of being “grounded” or “heavy”. Kirishima has those.... gears??? around his shoulders??? and while the gear teeth are technically squares, the gear shape itself is a circle, which is a shape that isn’t present anywhere else in his design. I think changing the gears to something similar to his boots or his mask/headgear would create a more cohesive design(also the gears just look hard to move in)

These two characters are presented as individuals so their costumes don’t have to match at all even though they are still seen as “connected” because of the art style for the face, hair, and body.

In a group giving the outfits cohesive motifs is an easy way to present a strong team image! In Yuki Yuna is a Hero, the girls all have colored lines(usually princess seam placement), armor or fabric hip accents, covered arms, and similar flower shapes in their hair. The Aesthetic of each girl is strong in a monochrome signature color, but not over whelming as the black+white connects them even in color so they aren’t out of place.

Speaking of color! if your characters are all similar looking (like same body for all of them) you can communicate their personality and aesthetic just with color! (only gonna talk about a few of the ponies) Pinkie Pie (the really pink one) is energetic and playful, so her color scheme is a variation of the primary colors(happy, child like), and have one of the more saturated colors(high energy, intense) of these characters in a large quantity. Apple Jack (the orange one) is a down to earth farm girl, and her color palette is accordingly, mostly earth tones, its also warm analogous colors, which makes her appear un-complicated and warm personality wise. the pop of red is a nice touch to add interest, but notice that its uses sparingly in her cutie mark and tail accessory. Rarity on the other hand is elegant and fussy, her high contrast scheme of white and dark blue/purples gives her more visual interest and is something that makes her appear more “complex” in addition to the gradient thats included in her hair. the colors are also all cool colors, bringing to mind cool glass or water which both have connotations of grace and beauty.

however all the characters here are unified by their colors being on the pastel side, which is also important for a cohesive cast.

another, short, note on color; making the color/line/shading of your figure different from the background can help them stand out, this is used ESPECIALLY in children’s media, but can be applied to any illustration or animation as needed.

Color can also help your characters “read” quickly on screen, the powerpuff girls are a prime example, of having a distinct color blocking and silhouette. even the color blobs at the top and my crappy hand silhouettes STILL read as the characters despite being broken down into abstract elements. I also really enjoy the thick outline in the powerpuff girls, it really makes the characters pop to the foreground even though they have pretty simple designs and are often in a colorful setting.

Also, for a lot of animation, silhouette is INCREDIBLY important for your characters, some designers sketch silhouettes and then design the particulars its so important to nail the shape. These examples from Coraline are some of my favorites (though Laika wins in my heart every time no matter what lmao) because the simple shapes are SO CLEAR and indicative of the character, you literally don’t need to have watched the movie to know these are each different characters with different personalities and roles.

silhouette can also help tell the story. In Kubo and the two strings (another Laika film) the above three characters are sisters. One has chosen to leave her home in the heavens to live on earth, and the other two stay in their roles as “heavenly” warriors. This is even shown through their designs, the two sisters are weighted on top and their cloaks don’t even touch the ground, while the first woman has trailing, heavy sleeves, hair, and robes all grounding her and emphasizing her connection with the earth.

another example of shape/silhouette reflecting the story, In The Croods, the family of cavemen are for the most part very top heavy, with large torsos and arms, usually in a more hunched over position, while the newcomer, Guy, is bottom heavy with thin arms and stands more upright. In the plot, the family represents the old ways, the strength and rules that have helped them survive, they look like very stereotypical “cavemen”, while Guy resembles the modern man, and appropriately is associated with new ideas and forward thinking.

MORE SHAPES, in DC super hero girls each girl has a distinct personality emulated by her shape language. Zatana is dramatic curves and edges, Super girl is hard, straight edges against curves, giving her a solid muscular shape. Wonder Woman, though also strong, is taller and leaner, lending to a confident leader type. Green Lantern is slim, her lines all flow into each other giving her a go with the flow look. Bumble Bee is, of course, tiny, but her boots and gauntlets add weight and strength to her otherwise small frame. Batgirl is lanky and has a lot of pointed style lines, reminding the viewer of a skinny cat (ironic what with cat woman i know) or weasel which mirrors her preferred “sneaky” crime fighting style. (also yes this was just an excuse for me to gush abt how much i love the dcshg designs shut up)

so in my opinion, Cartoon Saloon’s The Secret of Kells is PERFECT in aesthetic, intention, and cohesion. Kells focuses very strongly on creating silhouette WITHIN the larger figure shape via color and line, most of the characters pictured here have no neck, the one who does, Brendan, is the main character and the use of negative space that cuts into his shape is used to draw attention to him. Kells is also very strongly inspired by Medieval Illuminated manuscripts (namely, the book of kells lmao). The characters still manage to stand out against outrageously detailed backgrounds via their simple shapes and strong color blocking.

Aisling, a secondary but very important character, is not human, and has a totally different shape language from the rest of the characters. She is thin and pointy, while most of the others are round or square. Aisling also has the most negative space making up her silhouette, compare the triangles made by her arms and legs in the above picture to the figures in the first image where everybody’s body is self contained with no negative space. She is also very different color wise, very pale and cool colored, as opposed to the warm saturated colors of the human characters. (yes this was another excuse to gush abt one of my fave pieces of media deal with it)

hopefully that wasn’t too rambley and actually helps? if yall have more specific design questions lemma know lol

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ethanharli · 4 years

Text

Requested: Nah.

Pairing(s): Asra x Top Male Reader

Warning(s): Some Angst, Flashbacks, Mentions of heartbreak, Sudden confession, Cliffhanger, Long, Sister Nadia.

A/n- I brought this over from my Wattpad, and I edited it a bit but this is the longest One-Shot I've ever made, just fifty words away from three thousand :")).

_______________

A frustrated groan slipped past my lips as I fumbled with the sleeves of my costume, it may sound silly but its true. I refuse to wear anything that could reveal my torso, besides my face of course but that's only because its not covered in ink. Now don't get me wrong, the art adoring my body is nothing but beautiful, yet some of its a bit much for the public eye, and I hate attention. Guess Muriel and I are the same in that regard. After adjusting the sleeves I slipped on my rings and emerald necklace that clung tightly around my throat, which didn't bother me in the slightest bit as I drag my pierced tongue over my bottom lip. Finishing up with a few things I quickly locked up my house and headed on my way to the palace, Nadia had invited me over for the Masquerade this year since the last one ended with Lucio and the Devil trying to take over.

I really have to admire that apprentice, their magic is quiet fascinating. With a small smirk I slipped on my wolfs mask, nothing original but the black and vibrant neon of purple and green helping it stand out, even if only by the slightest. The journey to the palace was quite fun, watching people light up fireworks and drink to their hearts content without a worry in the world. Yet it was a whole new world once I entered the palace gates, making my way towards the ball room in hopes to run into my sister, but Nadia is nowhere to be found. "Should've expected as much, she is the Countess after all" I muttered with a proud smile, if only my familiar where here to keep me company but sadly having a grey wolf in this crowd isn't such a good idea, poor thing would be trampled despite her large size.

Taking a glass of wine I sipped it slowly, enjoying the bubbly feeling of it going down my throat. Yet a slither around my ankle caught my attention, and I froze at the sight of a familiar snake, looking up at me with their cute tilted head. "Friend!" Faust cheered, happily slithering up my body to rest on my shoulders, "Yes Faust, it's good to see you again" A pained smile forced at my lips, scratching softly under Faust's chin. If Faust's here then Asra and his apprentice must be close by, I should've expected as much. "Miss you" My heart tightened at the words, forcing the breath out my lungs painfully, and here I thought I could enjoy the Masquerade without running into anyone else, but I guess even an over packed Masquerade can't hide me from them. "I missed you too Faust-" My words were cut off by a familiar voice, merely a couple feet behind me, yelling for the beautiful creature wrapped around my shoulders.

"Im sorry Faust but I really should be leaving, please don't tell Asra I was here alright?" I asked as worry started to pool in the pit of my stomach, however Faust simply tilted her head, watching me curiously. Nevertheless I made a slow pace to the exit, not wanting to rise any sort of suspicion as Asra yells a bit louder. And there he is, my savior. Putting on a small smile I took a drink from a waiters tray, walking up to Julian without seeming any bit out of place, then once the right moment hit I brushed my shoulder against his and shrugged Faust onto him, not once turning back to look at them. However I knew I wasn't out in the clear just yet since a pair of eyes followed me as I left the room.

Being out in the hall felt a lot better then being so close to him. Especially when I'm not ready to face him just yet, hell I don't even think I have the power to look at him without freezing up, how stupid of me to think I could come back here. "[Y/n]?" The sound of Nadia's voice finally got me to relax a bit, letting the tension in my shoulders drop, "Hey Sis, it's been a while" I smiled down at her, watching as her eyes soften before pulling me into a tight embrace that I gladly returned. "Where'd you go? You told me that you were going to talk to Asra after what happened with Lucio and the Devil but it was only him that came back, he said he didn't know where you ran off to and when I tried to ask what happened he'd never answer!" Her crimson eyes glare up at me as they slowly fill with tears that I quickly brushed away.

"Its okay Nadi, Im back now and I plan to stay, I missed my little sister way to much to be gone for so long" I chuckled, trying to lighten up the mood even only for a second, before she looks at my costume with not very well hidden disgust. "You've really never had an eye for fashion have you?" She sighs, taking my hand and dragging me down the hall where Portia was standing. Once her eyes met mine her face lit up in realization, "[Y/n]! You're back!" She jumped up to hug me, which I returned with a ruffle of her long hair.

"Portia could you please get my dear brother to one of the guest rooms so he can change?" Nadi smiled and Portia couldn't have answered any happier, "Yes milady! Now c'mon [Y/n] lets get you a new costume!" She cheered, dragging me away by the sleeve of my shirt. Somewhere in the back of my mind I knew this wasn't going to end well, and by the time I was pushed in the room with a new set of clothing I knew I was right. The clothing was way to revealing for my liking, even though the color and fabric made me look elegant and right at home. The top exposed my arms and most of my chest, the 'V' stopping right above my waist which the pants hugged tightly, yet the rest of it was baggy except the bottom of it, which also hugged my ankles nicely.

But my tattoos and scars were out in the open. The skulls, flowers, and chains that decorate my body glowed a faint blue color, as if cheering that they were finally free from my always concealed clothing.

I didn't want to wear it, every part of my mind was screaming to tear it off but I couldn't. My sister picked this out for me and this is her party, I'll do it for her if not for myself. Sliding my mask back on I headed out the room, looking down at Portia with a nervous smile as she stared at the art in wonder, "I never knew you had these!" She pouted, looking as If I had betrayed her somehow. I could only reached out and pat her head, trying to ignore the eyes that locked onto me, "Im not very fond of them, so I always hid them, Im sorry for not telling you sooner." She merely rolled her eyes and smiled at me before realization yet again broke on her face, "I need to go tell the rest you're here! Stay put!" My eyes widened as I tried to stop her, but she was already out of reach before I could, and the slithery presence was back at my feet.

"Friend!"

Fucking hell.

At that moment I felt the fight to run away slowly drain from me, I knew I couldn't avoid him forever, no matter how hard I tried. Even so, with what resistance was left in me I headed towards the garden with Faust resting peacefully on my shoulders, and stayed put by the fountain, letting my eyes flutter shut for a mere moment.

_____

My palms started to sweat as I looked down into those mesmerizing lavender eyes that watched me with an amused glint, "Asra I-" The words got caught in my throat for the millionth time now, and even I was getting impatient with myself. But can you blame me? Asra looked so majestic under the moonlight, with the stars that practically glowed in his eye's, I don't think I've ever thought it was possible to feel so relaxed and intimidated at the same time.

"[Y/n], are you okay?" He asked, his voice barley above a whisper as he slowly reached up, softly brushing his fingers against my cheek. A flutter in my chest caused the chains on my body to recoil slightly, and thankfully he didn't notice the change, "No, I just can't hold it in anymore Asra" My hand clenched tightly on my sleeves, nearly causing them to rip while Asra brushed a lock of hair of of my face. "Hold in what?" He smiled, but my eyes drifted to his chest, looking where the mark on his heart is hiding, causing me to reluctantly pull away from his touch.

It was a simple friendly gesture he's always done to calm me down, to bring me back from whatever clouded my thoughts. So when I pulled away he reached out again, slower this time, as if any rushed movement would send me away. "Asra stop" He looked a bit shocked when I grabbed his wrist, but my grip was gentle, cause I'm more afraid of hurting him than anyone else. However the negative thoughts practically swallowed my mind whole as I rejected his magic from flowing into me. The mark on his chest was the only thing I could look at, cause it reminds me everyday that he gave up some of his heart for his apprentice, to bring them back. Jealousy truly is a cruel thing.

"Nevermind, it was foolish of me to think I even had a chance" I whispered with a bitter chuckle, taking a step back I crossed my arms, turning my broken gaze towards the sky. "Forget it, just go back to your apprentice, they need you more than I do" I don't know why my words came out laced in such malice and sorrow, but they did, and that seemed to earn a glare back from him. "What's wrong with you? Ever since you found out about my deal its like all you want to do is run away from me and push me away, if you have something to say to me then go ahead and say it, but do not drag them into this."

The chain around my neck tightened, slowly crushing at my windpipe as I clenched my fists and smiled softly to myself. I knew I'd regret what I did next, I knew it would weigh on me forever, I knew it would cause me much more pain then it did right then, but I did it anyway. Ill have to thank Ilya if this works, putting on my best face I turned towards Asra and scoffed, tilting my head a bit, like I usually do when pissed off, even though this is just a lovely facade. "Don't even bother, its not like you'd care anyways, would you? All you care about is that apprentice of yours, you even gave up part of your heart for them" I let the words flow, nearly letting the tears pool in my eyes when I spat them out.

"Is that really what you think?" He hissed, knuckles turning white from how tightly he was grasping his sleeves, but I didn't let myself falter under his gaze. "Asra I don't have to think it when I know its true, we've known each other since we were kids, you can't fool me" I scoffed, glaring back into his lavender eyes, keeping that gaze was a lot harder then I thought it would be. Before he could speak up I made sure to cut him off, "You love 'em, that's the only reason you'd do it right? Because you love them? Let me guess, you couldn't live without them could you?" I rolled my eyes, looking off to my left, practically feeling his breath hitch for a moment, confirming what I needed to know.

Im sorry Asra.

You don't have to forgive me.

Because I highly doubt these chains will go anywhere, I can never be free. Even with you by my side, the one person that keeps me together, the one person that I'd risk everything for.

Im so sorry.

"Just leave already, its not like you want to be here anyways right? So just leave me alone, I don't want you here."

_____

I don't remember much after that, but I do know he left, and I was left alone to wallow in my own despair. The chains got tighter over the year, so tight that the only thing keeping me breathing is all the techniques I've learned, and the fact I learned how to hold my breath for a long while. A few tears slip past my [E/c] eyes, that Faust happily wipes away with her tail, rubbing her face against my cheek, "Friend!" She smiles, curling against me, it felt so good to have her around again. Even if this'll be the last time.

The chains tighten a slight fraction, forcing me to hold my breath. "[Y/n]?" My body tensed at how my name rolled off his lips, it felt like a distant dream, like this isn't actually happening, but one look at him and I know its real. My god has he always looked so gorgeous? Or am I going crazy? Probably both. Once [E/c] met Lavender I knew I was done, his hairs pushed back like last year though the mask kinda looks the same, with only a few added touches, and his costume definitely gets him to stand out above the rest, just a beautiful array of bright colors clashing against his mixed skin, it hugs his figure perfectly. He looks like a god amongst the light of the fountain.

"Its me" I sighed out, reluctantly turning my gaze back to my feet. I couldn't help the surprise when he moved in front of me, placing both hands on my cheeks, looking into my eyes with such relief that I could hardly believe it. His touch sent shivers down my spine, slowly I started to breathe again as the chains retract a bit, I had clearly forgotten how revealing my clothes are, cause once the chains pulled back Asra's eyes shifted to them. "How long have you had these?" He asked, trailing his hands down to trace the marking with a soft touch, "Asra wait-" Yet the mark appears, the same one he has, just mine glowed a faint blue in the center of my chest.

His eyes widened seeing the mark, keeping his eyes on it as if it were to attack at any moment, "You've never had chains, its always been your skulls and flowers, is it because of this? Why didn't you tell me about this?" He looked hurt, the same hurt in his eyes that he had a year ago when we last talked.

"What was your deal?"

Oh how I wanted to tell him, but the chains tightened at the thought, yet I pushed through it, Im tired of lying, I'm tired of keeping everything in, Im tired of it all, "That I couldn't be open anymore, that I wouldn't be able to speak my mind freely like I once did." A small cough ripped out my throat as a blue glow tried to burn past the chains, failing miserably. "What? Why?" He looked stunned, I don't blame him, I've always been one to speak my mind and tell everyone how I'm feeling, to be honest to myself and them without a care about what others thought.

But..

"I was scared, there's something I've always wanted to say, but I never could because I've always been so afraid about what would happen after, what if it went wrong? What if I messed up? What if I said something wrong? What if you-" My mouth snapped shut as quickly as it could, now I certainly can't avoid this, cause those lavender eyes stare at me with such intensity I might just burn away. His hands slowly moved up to my neck, letting his magic aid in pulling the chain away from my neck, allowing me to breath freely. "What about me?" He asked softly, keeping his gaze fixed on mine as my hands unconsciously travel to his hips.

I guess it's now or never..

Building what up whatever courage I had left, I pulled Asra against my chest, using one hand to push his mask out the way, before claiming his lips with mine.

#asra x reader #asra x male reader #asra the magician #asra the arcana #x male reader #x seme male reader #nadia the arcana #julian the arcana #portia the arcana #x dom male reader #x top male reader #asra x top male reader #asra x you #asra x dom male reader

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chickensarentcheap · 3 years

Text

Never Gonna Be Alone- Chapter 58

Title: Scared.

Warnings: angst, profanity

Tagging: @c-a-v-a-l-r-y, @innerpaperexpertcloud, @tragiclyhip, @miss-smutty, @ocfairygodmother, @ocappreciation

Link on Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28860450/chapters/80937475

She finds him in the kitchen. Standing in front of the coffee bar in a pair of Under Armour sweats that sit impossibly low on his hips and his hair and the back of his shirt visibly dampened by sweat. She’d been stirred awake by the profound need to vomit; morning sickness hitting her hard and quick and finding her throwing off the comforter and rushing for the washroom. For forty minutes she’d stayed there; on her knees in front of the toilet with her cheek resting on the cold porcelain of the lid. It had taken longer than normal for the nausea to pass; accompanied by profuse sweating and the horrific dizziness. And she’d just begun to return to normal and had been in the process of splashing cold water on her face and brushing her teeth when she’d heard the front door click open. When he hadn’t come upstairs, she’d gone in search of him, shoving her feet into a pair of slippers and one of his hoodies.

“What are you doing up so early?” Tyler inquires, when she wraps her arms around him from behind. “ Not like you to be up before the kids.”

“Woke up to an empty bed. Thought I’d come down and check on you.” Her hands slid around to his stomach and slip up to his chest; lingering briefly on broad, hard muscle before retreating to his hips once more. She rests her forehead against his back; enjoying his familiar scent -mixed with the slight tinge of perspiration- that clings to the slightly dampened cotton of his t-shirt. “You worked out? Already?”

“And went for a run.”

“Must have been pretty damn early when you got up.”

“Still dark out. Tried to fall back asleep and when that wasn’t happening, decided to get up and start the day. I didn’t want to wake you up; all the tossing and turning I was doing.”

“Are you feeling alright?” Her hands move to his shoulders, gently kneading the muscles as she presses a kiss to the middle of his back. “ You’ve been getting up crazy early every day for a week now. Don’t you think maybe you’re going a little too hard? With the heavy lifting and the running and…”

“My body feels fine. Couple extra aches and pains and some stiffness, but nothing major. Nothing I can’t handle. I’ve felt worse, that’s for sure.”

“I just don’t want you pushing it, okay? Don’t go past what your body will let you do. I know sometimes you get really into it and you’re in a zone and it’s really hard to stop, but…”

“Didn’t we talk about this?” He turns to face her; leaning back against the countertop as the coffee brews and the kettle boils. “A week and a bit ago? About me not pushing the limits? I said I’d listen to my body. And I am.”

“I just worry. I know what you can be like; when you really start going hardcore with things. I mean, I get that you feel like you need to be bigger…”

“I WANT to be bigger. I don’t feel I need to be. We talked about this.”

“I know, and I’m just reminding you that your skills and your ability to keep us safe? They are not tied to how big you are. I just want you to realize that, okay? Before you totally start busting your ass because you think one has everything to do with the other. It doesn’t. At all. And I don’t want you forcing yourself to get bigger and hurting yourself and…”

“Esme…” He smooths her hair away from her cheeks; looping wayward strands behind her ears and then cradling her face in her palms. “...I’m fine. I’m just trying to maintain. That’s it. You know how hard that’s been; trying to keep weight and muscle on. Ever since...well, you know.”

“I do know. It’s been a challenge; getting back to where you were and staying that way. And I am totally onboard with that; you maintaining how you are right now. Because it’s the healthiest you’ve been. In years. I just don’t want you feeling that you need to be different. Bigger. I don’t want you thinking I want you to be that way.”

“I don’t think that. I’ve never thought that. I know you don’t give a shit; big, small, muscles, no muscles. I know none of that matters to you.”

“It’s not that it doesn’t matter. It does, in a way. Because I want you to be the healthiest you can be. But I love you ALL ways. Your size means nothing to me.”

A grin plays on his lips. “We’re talking over all size and not below the waist, yeah? Because I seem to recall you saying...many times...how much you enjoy the fact I have a huge…”

“You just HAD to go there. You just had to turn around and make this weird. You damn well know what I was talking about.”

“I make it weird when I start to get uncomfortable. You should know that by now. It’s only been twelve years and…” he consults his watch. “...one month…”

“And thirteen days,” she finishes. “What? I keep track too, you know. You’re not the only sappy one in this house. And why DO you get uncomfortable? Shouldn’t YOU know by now that you don’t have a reason to get like that? That I’m the last person you should be that way with.”

“I do know all that.” Pushing his hands through her hair, he allows the dark, silky stresses to slip between his fingers; palms skimming over her shoulders and down her upper arms before sliding around to the small of her back. “ Just sometimes I can’t help it. Guess it’s just years of being that way with other people. Sometimes the past comes back. No matter how far I feel I’ve gotten away from it. What’s the saying? Old habits die hard?”

“I was thinking more ‘you can’t teach an old dog new tricks,” she teases, then gives a yelp when he brings his palms down on her ass cheeks in a ringing slap. “You know, that shorter hair? How blond it looks? Totally hides all your gray. My old man doesn’t look so old anymore.”

“Fuck you, Esme.”

“I wish you would actually. The one morning I wake up really wanting it? You’re nowhere around. Sadly, I had to take matters into my own hands.”

“You didn’t.”

“I so did. I’m sorry, husband. I didn’t have a choice. You have no idea just how badly I wanted it. And when I woke up and you weren’t there…”

“You’re kidding me right now. You’re not being serious.”

“One hundred percent serious.” She gives a dramatic pout. “Sorry.”

“Why didn’t you wait until I got home?”

“I didn’t know how long you were going to be! Some things can’t wait. A pregnant woman’s hormones? They can’t wait. Sorry.”

“You’re bullshitting me right now.”

“There’s two things I for sure never lie about. Sex and orgasms. And seeing as you couldn’t give me the sex…”

“I could have given it to you when I got home. But you couldn’t wait, so…”

“I think you’re underestimating just how bad my hormones are right now. I know it’s been a while, but do you remember how bad things got? During my first trimester with Brookie and Takota?”

“Just with them? You were brutal with all of them. And with them and Millie, I couldn’t really do much about it because Dhaka kicked the ever loving shit out of me. Twice.”

“You held your own. You found ways. But let’s put it this way; combine all my pregnancies together and that’s pretty much how out of control my hormones are.”

A slow, sly grin spreads across his face. “Really? ‘Cause when you’re not pregnant, you’re pretty out there with how much you need and want. I’m older now. I don’t know if I can keep up with pregnant lady hormones.”

“Why do you think I have a whole drawer of sex toys? Take some of the strain and pressure off you.”

His eyes narrow. “Are you fucking serious right now?”

She remains stone faced for several seconds, then bursts into giggles when he scowls and attempts to step away. “I’m kidding! I’m totally kidding, babe. Totally. No!” She wraps both arms around his torso when he tries to side step her. “You’re not going anywhere! I was joking! I didn’t mean to insult you. Or your penis.”

“You hurt it’s feelings.”

“Want me to apologize to it?”

“Do you want to apologize to it?”

“Would it offend your penis even further if I said ‘not right because I’d probably puke all over it’?”

“He acknowledges that as a perfectly acceptable reason. But he also says once you’re feeling better…”

“Once it passes, I promise I’ll be very nice to him. But right now? Right now I need the penis owner to hug me.”

“I don’t know…” he chides, and wraps both arms around her much smaller, slighter frame. “...I guess I could do that.”

“You DO love me.” She perches herself on the top of his feet and curls her arms around his neck. “Although the way I’m feeling? It doesn’t feel like love.”

A palm moves to the back of her head, cradling it to his chest. “I take it you really didn’t wake up horny?”

“No. I didn’t. I woke up to puke. A lot.”

“I’m sorry, Me. That you’re feeling like shit. And for being the reason you ARE feeling that way.”

“You should be sorry. You and your penis and your talented sperm. And your stupid handsome face and your stupid blue eyes and your stupid voice. All the stupid things I can’t say no to.”

“Can’t? Or don’t want to?”

“Both,” she admits, and then giggles against him when his hand slips from the small of her back and travels down to gently squeeze an ass cheek. “I’ve never been able to say ‘no’ to you. It’s a blessing AND a curse, I swear.”

“Well, for what it’s worth…” he drops a kiss on the top of her head, then crooks a finger under her chin and tilts her face up towards him. “...I’m sorry you’re feeling like shit. And that it’s my fault you are.”

“Technically, it’s both our faults. I can’t hold you solely responsible. And I guess it’s a small price to pay; for bringing beautiful little humans into the world. If you ask me, we’re doing society a favour by sharing our genes. We make really cute kids.”

“I can’t argue with that. But is it really a surprise? We’re not exactly hideous.”

“Speak for yourself. You’re the looker in the family.”

He frowns. “I don’t know what the hell you’re seeing when you’re looking in the mirror, because when I look at you? Hideous does not come to me. You are definitely the hot one.”

“I think you underestimate just how good looking you actually are.”

“I think you overestimate how ugly you are. Wait….that did NOT sound right.”

“No, it didn’t,” Esme laughs. “But I know what you were trying to say. I think.”

“Let’s just agree that we make awesome looking kids and that it’s scientifically impossible for us to have ugly ones.”

“I can definitely agree to that.”

“And I am sorry.” Once more cradling her face in his hands, he presses a soft, brief to her lips, followed by one to her forehead. “That you’re feeling like crap. Any better now?”

“A little. I don’t feel like I should be taking up permanent residence in front of the toilet. And I meant what I said; about not caring about what you look like. And how your size has no correlation with the skills you have and the things you can do. You do know that, right?”

“I’m trying. To force myself to realize that.”

“Just be careful,” Esme pleads, as she runs her fingernails along his forearms as his hands linger against her cheeks. “Don’t over do. I don’t want you hurting yourself. I’m not nagging. I’m just worried.”

“Nothing to be worried about,” he assures her, and kisses her a final time. Much deeper and longer; fingers locking together at the base of her neck as she stands on her tiptoes and leans her body into his. “I’m fine,” he promises, and pecks the end of her nose. “If I feel like I’m pushing things, I’ll stop. I’ll even give you permission to give me a kick in the ass if you think I’m going too hard. Sound good?”

“Sounds good,” she agrees, and presses a kiss to the underside of his chin before retreating to the island and sliding onto one of the barstools.

“I’ll make you some of that tea. Maybe that’ll help. Think you can handle eating something?”

“Maybe. What are you going to make me in my delicate condition?” Reaching for the Ipad that sits on the countertop, she slides it towards her; pressing the home button to bring the screen to life and immediately checking her email.

“I’m not a rookie. I know what you can and can’t handle.”

“We’re not talking about sex, Tyler. We’re talking about feeding a horrifically nauseous pregnant woman.”

Grinning, he places a steaming mug of tea down in front of her and then drops a kiss on the top of her head. “And you say my mind is always in the gutter.”

“We don’t have seven kids and one on the way for no reason. Save to say your mind isn’t the only dirty thing you possess. Anything interesting happen while you were on your run? Anything exciting?”

“If you’re asking if I saw Mark, no, I didn’t. And it’s probably a good thing because I definitely would have killed him.”

“Not that he doesn’t deserve it, but I’m glad you didn’t see him either. Last thing I need is you in jail for the rest of your natural born life. I don’t quite feel comfortable bringing my children into that kind of environment.”

“You could always come visit me alone,” he chides, and drops a mixture of crackers onto a plate. “You know, for conjugal visits.”

“How romantic. Getting railed with a guard right outside the door. What’s more of a violation of privacy? What ruins the mood more? That or knowing one of your seven children could come running in any second?”

“For the record…” he opens the fridge and pulls out a block of marble cheese and a bag of grapes. “...my mood is never ruined.”

“That’s because when you’re in the sex zone, everything else ceases to exist. You practically forget you even have kids.”

“My dick forgets I have kids. He’s running the show. I don’t get a say in it. My brain shuts down. I just go along for the ride. And boy, can give you an awesome ride.”

Rolling her eyes, she pushes the ipad away and reaches for her mug; clasping it in both hands and blowing a stream of steady air onto it hopes of cooling it down. She watches him as she sips cautiously at her drink; noticing the way the muscles in his arms twist and bugle with even the simplest of movements. The veins more pronounced and the sleeves of his tee -once fitting with room to spare- now tight around his biceps and through the chest and shoulders. Within the past two weeks alone he’s stepped up the frequency and intensity of his workouts; no rest days and the weights much heavier and two hours in the gym now partnered with an hour run along the river. And while she admires not only the view and his consistency and commitment, it also worries her; the fallacy that his skills and his ability to protect his family are directly tied into his size. Mark’s appearance has only fed into things; turning Tyler’s need to be bigger and stronger into near obsession.

“You know…” she carefully broaches the topic once again. “....you’re built exactly like you were when we first met. And that was a good look. A VERY good look.”

“I put on that five pounds, And more. Nine in total. Doesn’t sound like much, but…” he slides the plate of food in front of her. A mixture of various crackers and cheeses and a handful of grapes; the lone breakfast she could tolerate and stomach during the beginnings of all her pregnancies. Until medication became the only thing that helped with keeping any water and liquid down. “...it’ll take a lot to maintain it.”

“Just have to keep eating like you have been,” she says, and selects a piece of cheese from the plate, nibbling at it as he moves to the coffee bar and begins preparing a mug. “You’re up to what? Five meals a day? High calorie, high protein?”

“Probably go up to seven soon. Maybe add in a few smoothies throughout the day.”

“That’s a lot, don’t you think? That’s what you were during back in Colorado; after we got back together. And you went into that whole lumberjack stage.”

“For the record, you called it that. Not me. And you didn’t complain about it at the time. You said you liked that look; me being thicker.”

“I did. I DID like it. It was a change. But things are different now.. YOU’RE different. You’ve been through a lot since then. Your BODY’S been through a lot. Not to mention you’re older. That was a long time ago. Millie wasn’t even in school full time yet.”

“So because I’m older it means I have to just let myself go? Get fat and out of shape? A dad bod? You should know that’s not me; I’m not the type to just around on my ass and not do anything. I’ve always kept in shape. Even when I was a fucking mess and living in that shack.”

“I know it’s important to you; keeping in shape and being healthy. And I’d never stop you from doing it and I’m not suggesting you shouldn’t stay with it. . I just…” she drums her fingernails against the countertop. “...it sounds like you’re going into a bulk.”

“Maybe a little bit of one,” he says with a shrug, and slides into the stool across from her; coffee mug raised to his lips as he regards her. “Why? Is that a problem?”

“No. It’s not a problem. It’s just…” Sighing, she takes a bite out of one of the crackers. “...I am trying so hard here. To navigate this as carefully as possible. Because I don’t want you thinking I’m nagging or attacking or…”

“Just say what you want to say. What are you worried about? I’m not going to lose my shit. We can have a conversation without that happening, can’t we??

“Usually. Eight times out of ten.”

“Just say what you want to say, Me. I won’t get pissed. Just say it.”

“I’m worried about you. I’m worried that Mark showing up is somehow putting it into your head that you need to be different. That you need to be bigger and stronger and…”

“I do need to be stronger.”

“You’re already strong. More muscles does not equal strength. You know that better than anyone. You’re the gym lover, right? You know more about this stuff than I do. Muscle mass does not equal physical power. Look how strong you were in Dhaka. The first time around. You were built EXACTLY like you are now. Look at the things you were able to do. Especially in that apartment. You were there all by yourself and you had to take down all those guys on your own.”

“I was armed.”

“Until you weren’t. Then you had to rely on your physicality, right? You didn’t have a choice. You had to trust in your skills and the strength you had. And it worked out really well, don’t you think? You got rid of all of them and got Ovi out of there.”

“That was all skill, Esme. Not strength.”

“It was a mix of BOTH. You were strong, Tyler. You were insanely strong. I saw what you were capable of. And you were built exactly the same way you are now. So if you didn’t need to be bigger and bulkier then…”

“I was also younger than. Almost thirteen years younger.”

“And at the risk of pissing you off, you were also an alcoholic and addicted to Oxy-Contin. Wouldn’t those have hampered you? Made you even a little bit weaker? You’re clean and sober now. That’s all out of your system. So if you’re just as big now as you were then and you don’t have addiction issues now….”

“I’m almost fifty fucking years old. You really think I’d stand a chance in that apartment now?”

“Yeah. I do. I do think you’d stand a chance. Probably even a better chance now. Because your mind isn’t all fucked up on booze and pain meds.”

“No it’s just fucked up in other ways.”

“That has nothing to do with this. You had PTSD then, you just didn’t realize it. Or maybe you did and you were just ignoring it and self medicating yourself. Numbing everything. Tyler, you already had the problems you do now. They were already there, babe. It just took a lot of extra fucking trauma to bring them out. Do you really think you didn’t have PTSD already?”

“I’ve never thought about it.”

“You’ve always had it. You’ve had it since you were a kid. Just no one ever gave a shit to get you help for it. And then Austin got sick and…”

“We’re not talking about that. We’re not talking about him.”

“I’m just saying other things happened. And they kept piling up and piling up and it took that fucking prick Nathan to really bring everything out. Those things were always there. It just took something to bring them to the surface.”

“Yeah, it only took getting shot in the back and getting fucking tortured. Hell of a price to pay, don’t you think? To make everything come out? Some fucking psycho slicing my face open and sticking his fingers in the bullet hole in my back. Threatening to rape my wife and my little girl and kill my entire family.”

She frowns. “What are you talking about? You’ve never mentioned that before. Threatening to…”

“I remember, Esme. I remember what happened in that storage locker. Everything he did, everything he said. Everything he told me he’d do to you and the kids.”

“When did this happen? When did you start remembering all that?”

“Couple months ago.”

“A couple months?! And you’re just telling me now? Why didn’t you say something? Why would you keep that from me?”

“I didn’t want you to know. The details. I figured it was just better to keep it to myself. What good does it do? You knowing that stuff? Why should we both be fucked up because of him?”

“What? You think I wasn’t already fucked up? You think seeing you that way didn’t screw me up? I was the one that was there. In the hospital. I was the one that was there when you got out of surgery and I was the one that got you the help you needed and busted my ass to get you sent back home where you’d be more comfortable and you’d heal quicker. That was all me. You don’t think that didn’t fuck me up?”

“I’m sorry it did. I’m sorry…”

“No,” she holds her hand up in a plea for silence. “ I don’t want you to be sorry because you have nothing to be sorry for. You didn’t do anything wrong. You didn’t deserve what happened to you. It wasn’t your fault Nathan was a total fucking sociopath. But I WAS there, Tyler. I was going through it with you. Who HAS been going through it with you. And you should have told me. That you were remembering. You owed me that.”

“I don’t owe you shit, Esme.”

“Really? So everything I did and everything I went through and all the times I fought for you meant absolutely nothing? Is that what you’re saying? That that meant fuck all to you?”

“I never said that. That’s NOT what I’m saying.”

“It’s been twelve years and in some ways you’ve changed, and in some ways you’re still the same. One day you’re a totally different person and the next you’re right back to who you were. When we first met. You go right back to being that guy that put all those walls up to keep everyone out. It’s like two steps forward and a whole bunch of steps back. Why? Why do you do this? Why do you go back to being HIM?”

“Because that’s who I am. That’s who I’ve always been. You’ve just been so caught up trying to make me something I wasn’t to make yourself feel better. Had to change me right? So you could live with yourself for making the decisions you did when it came to me.”

“That’s bullshit and you know it. I didn’t change you. You wanted to change. I didn’t force you. I didn’t demand that you change for me. I didn’t hold a gun to your head and make you become a family man. I didn’t…”

“You were pregnant with my kid. What did you want me to do? Let you walk away? Take my kid with you? Did you really think I’d let you do that?”’

“Holy fuck,” she scoffs, and pushes the mug away with enough force for tea to splash over the rim. “So this is what it took, huh? Almost thirteen years for you to finally tell the fucking truth. I asked you. After Dhaka. I asked you if it was what you wanted. If I was what you wanted. And you were so fucking convincing. I bought it. When you said it was. I actually fell for it. And in the end it WAS all just a bunch of bullshit.”

“No. It wasn’t. It wasn’t bullshit. I wanted you to stay. I wanted a life with you.”

“Because I was pregnant. Because you felt it was the right thing to do. Because you were trapped.”

“I wasn’t trapped. And it wasn’t because you were pregnant. I wanted you to stay BEFORE that.”

“Why didn’t you tell me that before? Why did you wait? Until I told you about Millie. Until I said I’d leave and never bother you again? Why didn’t you before that if I was what you wanted?”

“Because I almost fucking died and I was trying to heal and I was fucked up. I wasn't exactly in the right frame of mind. And maybe I was scared. Because I was feeling all the things for you. Because I’d just met you and suddenly I’m feeling shit that I’ve never felt for anyone in my entire fucking life. I went from wanting to kill myself to having something...someone...to live for. I’m sorry if I was a little fucking overwhelmed.”

“You? You were overwhelmed? I put my ass on the line on that bridge and stuck my fingers in your fucking neck! I stayed there! I stuck around and did everything I could to keep you alive! You were overwhelmed?”

“Well maybe you shouldn’t have. Maybe you should have just got your ass on the helicopter and left. Like everyone else did.”

“Yeah…” she slides off the stool, and angrily shoves it against the island. “...maybe I should have. Considering you just spent the last twelve years building a life based on a FUCKING LIE!”

“That’s not what I did. That’s not true. That’s not…” he captures her by the wrist when she attempts to stomp away, fingers digging into the sensitive flesh. “...where are you going?”

“I need to be away from you. I can’t be here. In this room. With you.”

“Don’t do this. Don’t walk away. If you walk away...”

“Let go of me,” she orders, and struggles in vain to yank her hand out of his grasp. “Let go. Now.”

“I’m not letting you walk away. Not until you listen to me. Not until you…”

“I’m done listening to you. You’ve said enough, don’t you think? What do you want to do? Hurt me some more? I don’t think that’s even possible. Because what you just did….what you just said...what you just admitted to…”

“I never lied to you. Ever. Not about us. Not about you.”

“You just did! You just told me that the only reason you even had me stick around was because I was pregnant. Because you felt obligated to keep me around. Because you felt some sense of duty.”

“I never said that. That is NOT what I said.”

“I asked you!” She manages to yank her hand free, and instead of fleeing the room decides to confront him. Standing between his splayed thighs and jamming her finger into his chest as tears coarse down her face. “I asked you so many times in the past twelve years! I asked you to tell me the truth; I asked you to tell me if you only wanted me to stay because I was having Millie. How many times have I asked you that? Tell me.”

“A lot.”

“Every time you said ‘no’. You said that you asked me because you loved me and you wanted a life with me. You wanted us to be together and have a family.”

“And that’s exactly why! That’s exactly why I asked you to stay.”

“It was a fucking lie, Tyler! You said I wanted to hear. What you knew would keep me there. You never meant a fucking word of it. It was all a lie.”

“No. It wasn’t. None of that was a lie. It’s the truth. I never lied to you, Esme. Not about that. NEVER about that.”

“You just told me! You just said ‘you were pregnant with my kid, what did you want me to do?’. Those words just came out of your mouth!”

“But I didn’t mean them. I just lashed out. All I heard was you say that I haven’t changed and I was still the same and I lost it. I snapped. And unfortunately that’s what came out. But it wasn’t the truth. Everything I said to you back then….about wanting to be with you and wanting a life with you and wanting a family...THAT was the truth.”

“Twelve years. Twelve years and seven kids. And it was all built on a fucking lie.”

“No. It wasn’t. None of it was a lie. You? Us? None of that is a lie. Stop…” He once more grabs her in an attempt to keep her from leaving; fingers curling around her bicep. “...I’m not letting you walk away. Just stop.”

“Leave me alone,” she pleads. “Please. Just leave me alone. Just let me go. You need to let me go, Tyler.”

“I can’t. I can’t do that.”

“You have to. You have to let me go..”

“Esme….”

“Please,” she begs, and tries to peel his fingers away from her arm. “Please just let me go.”

He finally relents; releasing his hold on her and holding his hands up in a show of surrender. Struggling to hold back a flood of tears of his own as he watches her flee the room; heart breaking just a little bit more with every step that takes her further away from him.

******

Tyler gives her a chance to cool down. Nursing his coffee while counting down the minutes on the digital clock on the stove; time passing agonizingly slow as he fights the urge to rush upstairs and pull her into his arms and kiss her until they’re both breathless. Then drop to his knees and grovel for forgiveness. He calls Desi and asks him to come and take the kids for a couple of hours; giving very little details but letting the uncharastically frantic tone of his voice do all the talking for him. And when he finally lets himself into the master, he finds her standing at the side of their unmade bed; an open suitcase and a pile of messy clothes sitting in the midst of the rumbled and tangled sheets.

He closes the door behind him, then cautiously approaches. Resisting the urge to stand behind her and place his hands on her shoulders and instead retreated to the dresser; leaning back against it with his arms crossed over his chest and fear quickly spreading through his entire body. “What are you doing?”

Esme doesn’t look up from the task at hand. “Packing.”

“I thought you were going to leave that stuff until the night before we leave. We’ve still got four more days.”

“You’ve still got four more days. I’m leaving. Today.”

His top teeth dig painfully into his bottom lip; biting back a ‘like fuck you are’ and instead offering, “Where are you going?”

“Home. There’s seats on a flight that leaves in four hours. I’ll call Andy on the way to JFK; see if he can pick me up at the airport.”

“Andy left Australia about three hours ago. He’s flying in for the wedding, remember? Your son’s wedding.”

“Then I’ll take a cab. Or I’ll call Estelle. I’ll figure it out. Don’t worry about it.”

His palms rub at his forearms, attempting to fend off the chill of dread that travels through him. “It’s kind of hard not to. You’re my wife. You’re pregnant with my kid.”

“Just let me worry about that, okay? It’s kinda my body. Not yours.”

“What the fuck is that supposed mean?”

“It means it’s my body. I’m the one carrying this baby. Not you. I’ll take care of it.”

“Take care of it as in make sure it’s okay or take care of it as in…”

She angrily tosses a pair of jeans into the suitcase. “I would NEVER do that to you. You think that little of me? That I would do something like that?”

“No. Of course not. I just…”

“Where’s the kids?”

“Desi came and got them. Took them out for breakfast.”

“How’d you convince him to do that?”

“I told him that some shit was going down and I needed to take care of it. That I needed to bust my ass and make things right.”

“I’m surprised you were so honest. What happened? Use up all your bullshit over the past twelve years? Had nothing left to give? Must have been tiring; keeping the lie up all this time.”

“Esme, stop. I never lied to you. Not about you. Not about us. Not about our life. I’ve never lied about any of that.”

“Our whole marriage has been a lie! Every year, every month, every week, every day. Even every fucking hour.”

“You can’t tell me you actually believe that.”

“I don’t know what to believe anymore. It’s kind of hard to trust anything you hear after you’ve found out your entire life...or a huge part of it...has been nothing but bullshit..”

“None of it was bullshit. I didn’t mean what I said. Downstairs. I didn’t mean….”

She finally turns to face him; hands clutching a t-shirt. “Was any of it true? Any of the last twelve years?”

“It was all true. Every day. All of it. It was all true, Me.”

Giving a derisive snort, she tosses the garment into the suitcase. “Don’t call me that. Things were good when you started calling me that. Things were great, actually. And I loved it; that you had this little nickname for me. Don’t ruin it, okay? At least give me one thing to hold onto.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. You got seven beautiful children out of your lie, Tyler. At least something good came out of it.”

“Okay, you know what…” He finally approaches the bed, snatching the sweater out of her hands and dropping it into the suitcase; picking the latter up and angrily tossing it into the corner of the room. He’s desperate. Frantic. Needing to make that last ditch attempt to keep everything together. He won’t survive if things fall apart; at least not mentally. Losing her means he loses his entire world; the person who taught him what love TRULY is. It’s patience and it’s acceptance and it’s sacrifice and it’s sometimes painful as hell. And it tears him up inside; the thought of his world without his entire world in it. “...you’re going to listen to me. Whether you want to or not. Because I need you to hear what I’m saying. Esme…” he lays his hands on her shoulders, squeezing as hard as her body will allow him to. “Look at me. Please look at me.”

She shakes her head; chin remaining dropped to her chest.

“Please,” he begs, as his hands move to her cheeks; palms cradling her face and fingers pressing into the delicate skin as he tilts her head up towards him. “Just look at me. Don’t do this. Please don’t do this. Don’t shut me out.”

“I don’t know what you want me to say.”

He’s never heard her voice like that before; tiny and broken and lost. The hurt that he’s dealt her has struck extremely deep; the devastation and the heartbreak profound and reaching right into her very soul. Not even in the worst of times had he seen her like this; when she’d kicked him out and they’d spent six months walking on pins and needles around each other while desperately wanting to fix things and not knowing where - or how- to begin. She’s cried many times in front of him; tears of joy and anger and frustration and fear and horrendous grief. And he’s always been able to comfort her and ease some of the pain; his arms able to give her the solace and the escape that she both craved and needed. But it’s far beyond that; no lingering embrace or stroking of hair or whisperings of love will do the trick this time. It’s him that’s caused this; the shimmer of tears in her eyes and the trembling of her body and the look of pure devastation and loss that registers on her face.

“I don’t know either,” he admits. “And I don’t even know what to say. I just know I need you to listen to me. To whatever I DO say. Can you do that? I need you to do that. Please, Esme. Just listen, okay?”

She offers a feeble nod.

“I love you. I have always loved you.”

“No. Don’t you say that. Don’t make it worse. Don’t screw things up even more by keeping up the lie. If there was ever a time for you to be honest with me…”

“I AM being honest with you. I have never...EVER...lied about this. About you. About us. About our life.”

“I asked you, Tyler. More than once. Even after you brought up getting married. I asked you if it was because you actually did want me, or if you felt obligated to be with me. Because of Millie. I ASKED you.”

“And I told you the truth. I didn’t want to get married because of the baby. If there’d never been a baby...had you not gotten pregnant...I STILL would have wanted to be with you. I wanted to get married because I loved you. In a way I’d never loved anyone. That I didn’t even think was possible.”

“So you’re saying Millie had nothing to do with it? The fact I was having your daughter?"

“I mean, yeah, she did. In a way. I wanted us to be a family. I wanted it to be you and me and our kid. Because I knew we could make something of it. Don’t you think it was some kind of sign? If Dhaka couldn’t kill us, maybe things were meant to work out.”

“So if I hadn’t been pregnant…”

“I would have still wanted to marry you. I didn’t ask you to come to Australia because of Millie. I asked you because I didn’t want to lose you. I’d just found you. I wasn’t going to just let you walk away like nothing ever happened.”

“I gave up everything for you,” she snarls. “My entire life as I knew it. I gave it all up. And for what? For you to lie to me for twelve years? To base our entire life together on bullshit?”

“That’s not what I did. I didn’t lie to you. Our life hasn’t been bullshit. What I said downstairs? I didn’t mean it. THAT was bullshit.”

“Then why did you say it? If you didn’t mean it…”

“Because I lashed out. Like I’ve always done. Because all I heard was how I’m still the same person. I’m still the guy I was when we first met. The enormous alcoholic, drug addicted fuck up.”

“That’s not what I meant. I don’t think you’re that person at all. You haven’t been him in a long time. I didn’t mean…”

“You think what I said hurt you? How do you think that made me feel? I have busted my ass to give you a life. A GOOD life. I changed everything about myself. For you. And yeah, I needed to change; I needed to get my shit together and clean myself up. For once and for all. No more slip ups, no more going back to bad habits, no more running. And that’s what I’ve been doing for the past five years! I have done whatever I could to be the man you needed. That you DESERVE.”

“You are that man. I didn’t mean to say you’re not. That’s not what I meant; that you’re the same guy you were.”

“But that’s what I heard. You weren’t the only to give things up, Esme. You’re not the only one who had to adjust to a whole new life. I know the way I was living was pretty shit, but that’s all I knew. The job, the booze, the pills, hating myself, wallowing in my own fucking self pity. Do you think it was easy for me to just stop being that way? To just give up everything I knew for something else? Something totally different?”

“No. I know it wasn’t easy. I was there. With you. We went through all of it together. We helped each other adjust. I mean, we started living together and we barely knew one another. We were having a baby yet we were still learning about each other and trying to make a life together.”

“And that was pretty fucking scary wasn’t it. Jumping into all that and not even really knowing one another.”

She nods in agreement.

“ Everything said it shouldn’t work. That it WOULDN’T work. We were both pretty messed up. Some ways it was the same, some it was different. All the cards were stacked against us. All of them. And we somehow made it...US...work.”

“We had to put the effort in,” she reasons.

“And it was hard, wasn’t it. Nothing was easy about it. We pissed each other off, we disagreed on a lot of things, we had to get used to living with another person. It was damn hard. Wasn’t it?”

“Yeah.” She finally reaches out to touch him; running her fingertips along the neckline of his t-shirt; intently focused on a single loose thread in an effort to keep her emotions in check. And he immediately feels the change in the room; the pronounced shift from having to beg and plead to save his life to having to do damage control. The tension in her body releasing; shoulders relaxed and the tears in her eyes not as prominent and the way she finds it easier to look at him.

“Do you really think if I was lying that I would have put that much work into things? That I would have given everything up for you? For US? Do you honestly think I wouldn’t have run? Like I’d run from everything else before?”

“I never thought of it that way,” she admits.

“You came into my life and turned my whole world upside down. Second I saw you on my porch, I knew that was it. That things were going to change and that there wasn’t a goddamn thing I could do to stop it from happening. And you know what? I didn’t want to. Stop it. And that alone? That should have been enough to send me running.”

“Why didn’t it? Why didn’t you run?”

“I didn’t want to.”

“It would have been so easy. All you would have had to do was tell Nik you’d take the job and then not even show up. Although, I guess that would have made no sense; you would have lost out on a pretty big pay day.”

“Honestly, the money wasn’t even the first thing on my mind. It was there, but it wasn’t the most important thing. Which is weird, considering that’s all that job ever really meant to me. The pay out.”

“So why did you show up? If the money wasn’t the most important thing…”

“I wanted to see you again. I guess I wasn’t that annoyed about it after all; Nik bringing someone there.”

She manages a small smile.

“You were different. You didn’t give a shit about where I lived or what it looked like. You didn’t seem to care about the booze all over the place and the pain meds right out in the open. You didn’t seem to notice I was huge fucking mess.”

“You weren’t a mess. You were hurt. You were holding onto a lot of things. A lot of pain. I could see it; in your eyes. I’ve always said that; you say more with your eyes than you do with your mouth. I knew it when you looked at me; when we were talking after Nik went outside. I knew that people didn’t really know you. That they didn’t really ‘see’ you. That they never took the chance or the time to.”

“You did. You took the chance.”

“I guess I realized you were different too. From everyone that I’d met while on the job. You weren’t like the rest of them. You weren’t loud and obnoxious and bragging about your kills the second I met you. I couldn’t handle it; guys proud of all the lives they’ve taken and not shy about sharing the gruesome details. They GLOATED about that stuff. And the worst part? They thought I’d be impressed by it. That I’d somehow find it attractive and throw myself at their feet.”

“Guess it’s a good thing I didn’t bring out my kill sheet right after I met you,” he chides.

“You’ve never been like that. You’ve never taken pride in what you’ve had to do. You’ve never killed because you wanted to. You killed because you had to. I guess I got that impression right away; you were quiet and soft spoken and like I said, your eyes. They gave a lot away. About who you really were.”

“And that didn’t scare you?”

“There was nothing to be scared of. You may have had your demons, but you were pretty good at keeping them contained. I knew they weren’t something I had to be worried about. You weren’t going to hurt me. You didn’t have it in you.”

“And you could tell all that just by my eyes?”

She shrugs. “You have very expressive eyes. Why did you show up, Tyler? In Fitzroy Crossing. If it wasn’t really the money…”

“Like I said, I wanted to see you again. Girls like you just show up on my doorstep. Figured that was a sign; someone like you just walking into my place like you owned it. And when you didn’t pay attention to the disaster it or I was…”

“You weren’t a disaster. If you were, I never would have gone along with Nik’s plan. I would have ran long before you did, believe me. Had it been anyone else? Any other merc? I wouldn’t have taken that job. You were different, Tyler. In a lot of ways. And especially didn’t hurt that you looked like you did.”

“You would have been really disappointed if Gaspar had still been in the game. Nik called him first.”

“I for sure would have ran. That...HIM...that would have been a ‘no’ from me. I guess I’m lucky. That you even came home that day.”

“I actually briefly considered killing myself. About half an hour before. Something told me not to.”

“I’m glad. That it did. Because if it hadn't…” she looks away, tears once again brimming in her eyes. “...we wouldn’t have any of this. This life, Our kids. Us. We wouldn’t even have existed. And I don’t know about you, but I’m glad we do.”

Smiling, he loops strands of hair behind her ear. “So am I.”

She turns her tear filled eyes back towards him. “I’m sorry, Tyler. I never meant to hurt you. When I said what I did, about you going back to who you were, I didn’t mean it the way it came out. I didn’t mean to say you WERE him. I just mean that you always go back to certain things. Like hiding stuff from me. Because you think you should protect me from it.”

“I should have told you. About Nathan. Remembering the things that happened. I don’t know why I do; revert back to keeping things from you. I guess I am trying to protect you. I guess I figured one of us was already fucked up because of what happened, why should the other one be?”

“But it’s not protecting me. When you hide stuff. It does this. It causes problems. Way more problems than what would exist if you just told me. After everything I’ve been through in the past twelve years, there’s pretty much nothing I CAN’T handle. And I was there too. Five years ago. The aftermath of it. I was the one there with you. And believe me, I’m just as fucked up as you are. Seeing you like that? Seeing you in Dhaka seven years BEFORE that? You have no idea what it’s done to me. The things that are STILL in my head. I can’t get them out of there. And I need them gone. I need them out.”

Laying a hand on the back of her head, he pulls her into his embrace. An arm wrapped tightly around her waist and her fingers tangled in her hair as she buries her face in his chest. “I’m sorry, Me. I am so fucking sorry. That you had to see what you did. That you had to do those things.”

“It’s not your fault,” she sobs. “It’s never been your fault. You didn’t do anything wrong. You couldn’t have stopped what happened. I chose to stay. I couldn’t leave you there, Tyler. I couldn’t. I wasn’t leaving you on that bridge.

He attempts to gently shush her; palm moving to the middle of her back to rub in slow, soothing circles. “It’s okay. Everything’s alright now. YOU’RE alright.”

She turns her face up towards him, tears spilling down her cheeks as her entire body violently trembles. Voice terrified and frantic. “I’m not alright. At all. I am so far alright. And I need to be. I need to be alright.”

“You will be,” he assures her, and uses gentle fingertips to clear away the droplets glistening on her skin. “I’ll make sure of it. You’ll be okay. Right now, I need you to calm down. I need you to calm down and just breathe.”

“I can’t…”

“Yes you can. And you need to. For that baby. You need to settle down and breathe and…”

“I need help. I need help, Tyler. I need to get rid of this. This Dhaka stuff. In my head. I want it gone. You need to help me. Please help me.”

“I will. You know I will. As soon as we get home, I’ll call Doctor Klein and I’ll get you to see him, okay?”

She nods.

“It’s going to be okay. YOU’RE going to be okay.”

“I can’t breathe. I can’t…”

“You need to calm down. You’re thisclose to a panic attack and you need to settle down. Just breathe.”

“I CAN’T! I can’t breathe. It hurts...my chest…”

Muttering a string of profanities, he forces her to sit on the edge of the bed and then clasps her face in his hands. “Listen to me, you’re having a panic attack. I need to try and breathe, baby. Just breathe. I’m going to get you some meds, okay? You’ll be alright.”

“It really hurts...I can’t...take a breath.”

“I’ll take care of you.” He presses a kiss to her sweat slicked brow. “I’ll be right back. Just close your eyes and try to breathe. Can you do that?”

She nods.

Hurrying into the ensuite bath, he tosses open the medicine cabinet and begins violently rummaging through the contents. Various items tumbling off shelves and landing with a clatter in the sink; his own hands trembling and his chest feeling tight and uncomfortable. The blame and the guilt already screaming in his ears; silently berating himself for being the cause of not only her pain and her anger, but kick starting her ‘fight or flight’ response. Had he never said the things he had...had he never lashed out and even insinuated that he’d kept her around solely because she’d been pregnant with Millie...if he’d only…

He clutches the edge of the sink with enough force to crack his knuckles and turn his fingers white. And he drops his chin to his chest and briefly closes his eyes; forcing himself to push all of his own fears and worries and guilt and regret out of his mind. Needing to hold it together for her; be the shoulder to cry and the steadfast support and ‘the rock’ that she needs him to be. And when the sobbing and the gasping for air in the next room becomes even louder and incessant, he locates the bottle of anti-anxiety meds and asthma inhaler -prescribed to her for such events- and rushes back into the bedroom.

“It’s alright now,” he attempts to comfort her, and drops to a knee in front of her and shakes the inhaler before popping the cap off. “Here….take this...take it…”

Her hand covers his as he holds the device to her lips and she inhales shakily when he administers the dose.

“You need to take some meds, okay?” His hands tremble as he fights to open the bottle. “Just a couple. They’ll help. They work quick.”

“Something’s wrong.”

“Yeah, you're having an anxiety attack. You’ll be okay. Just…”

“No!” she interjects, and when she grabs his arm it’s with enough force that her nails cut into his flesh. “Something’s wrong. With the baby.”

The invisible vice tightens around his lungs. “What?”

“Something’s wrong, Tyler.” Her face contorts with pain, her other hand clutching at her stomach. “Something’s really wrong. With the baby.”

“Okay we’ll get you to the hospital and we’ll get you checked out. We’ll get you looked and the baby looked at…”

He doesn’t get the chance to finish the sentence; both of her palms now covering her stomach as she cries out in agony.

#Tyler Rake #Tyler Rake fan fiction #Extraction fan fiction #Tyler Rake fan fic #Extraction fan fic #Chris Hemsworth #Tyler Rake x OFC #Chris Hemsworth Extraction #Tyler and Esme series

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queenxxxsupreme · 4 years

Note

Okay but like a fluffy eskel bit/one shot about a sweet and gentle hearth witch reader who lives in the valleys just south of Kaer Morhen who eskel visits with going to and from Mountain Pass. He brings her books and trinkets from his travels. She restocks his potions and tends to physical and emotional wounds.

Lil Bleater loves her obviously and they joke about her being their “kid” (lol goat humor).

The first time he says he loves her and it’s super sweet and emotional. And maybe he brings her a piece of jewelry that’s super sentimental. Idk I’m just in an Eskel loving mood, you know?

Pleeeeease? 🥺❤️

A/N: Babe you hit me right in my feels with this one. I hope you liked this!!

***

There was a knock at the front door that brought you out of the book in your hand.

You lifted your head, eyes finding the door to your home. You listened for a few moments, wanting to see if you could hear who it was.

Lil Bleater loudly bleated and butted her head against the side of your chair.

“I know. I’m going to get it.” You patted her head then stood to your feet.

You pulled the door open, smiling at the sight of a familiar dark haired witcher.

“Hi, doll.” Eskel smiled softly at you, though it didn’t reach his eyes. He was exhausted, dark circles made their home beneath his honey eyes.

“Hello, love.” You held your hand out. “I wasn’t expecting you for another month or so. It’s still fairly warm outside.”

“I hope that isn’t inconvenient for you.” He placed his hand in yours, brushing his thumb across your knuckles, and stepped into your home.

“You’re never inconvenient to me.” You assured him, squeezing his hand.

Before he had a chance to put down the two bags he carried, Lil Bleater was eagerly ramming into Eskel’s shins, bleating and demanding attention.

“Your daughter missed you.” You sighed, smiling softly at how her little tail flickered back and forth so quickly.

“And I missed her.” Eskel put his bags aside and knelt down to greet the goat. He rubbed her head and then down her back. “Hi, girl. Did you behave?”

“As behaved as she usually is.” You answered, moving to the kettle that hung over the fire. “She hasn’t torn apart any of my dresses when I hang them up on the line outside to dry, so that’s good.”

“Yeah.” Eskel nodded, standing back to his full height. “I still owe you for that.” He thought out loud, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

“Oh, no worries.” You shook your head, peeking up at him through your lashes. “I’m sure I can think of other ways you could repay me.”

His neck and ears flushed red.

“Let me get this tea started and then I will properly greet you.” You poured the steaming hot water into two mugs and then added the tea leaves.

You rubbed your hands together and moved around the table.

Eskel embraced you tightly, arms wrapping around you and pulling you into his body. He tucked his nose into your hair, freezing as he relished in your warm touch.

“I missed you.” You told him, your hand rubbing his side.

“Missed you too.” He exhaled steadily, then kissed the top of your head as he released you. You lifted your head from his chest so that you could look at him. His hand cupped the side of your face, the rough pad of his thumb brushing across your cheek. “I decided to come this way early. Wanted to spend a little extra time with you this time. One week isn’t enough.”

“I’m more than happy to have you.” You turned your head to kiss his palm. “Why don’t you go to the creek around back? Clean up a little and get out of this armor?”

“Are you saying I smell?” He grinned a little.

“No.” You laughed softly. “I just won’t make good company while I’m trying to get dinner ready for us. And you don’t need to be in this armor any longer.”

He nodded, looking down at Lil Bleater, who was curiously nosing through one of his bags.

“I’ll put my bags in the other room.” Eskel dipped his head down to kiss your nose. “Don’t want either of you taking a peek at the things I’ve got for you.”

“I would never.” You shook your head, though the grin on your lips gave away that you were lying.

Though you insisted that Eskel didn’t need to bring you anything back from his journey across the Continent during the warm months of the year, he still did. It had always been that way since you first met. You were always excited to see what he brought for you. Last year, it had been a few books on herbalism and alchemy and a few gemstones.

“Yeah, I’ve heard that one before.” He chuckled. He moved away from you to pick up his bags and take them into your bedroom.

Lil Bleater followed him, her hooves beating against the wooden floorboards as she demanded attention.

“I’ll take her with me.” Eskel told you as he headed for the front door. Tucked underneath one arm were a few articles of clothing, something more comfortable than his armor, no doubt.

“Please do. She’ll tear my door down trying to get to you.” You moved into the kitchen to prepare dinner.

You watched Eskel and Lil Bleater leave, a little smile coming to your lips.

To say you were happy would be an understatement. You were overjoyed, thrilled even. Usually, Eskel only spent two weeks with you a year. Once at the beginning of spring just as he left Kaer Morhen. It was then that he would drop Lil Bleater off to you for you to watch her while he was on the Path, and you would refill his potions. And once again at the end of the warm season before he retired to the keep for the winter. He’d leave you a list of the potions and elixirs he needed that way you’d have all winter to ensure they were refilled correctly. He always insisted you didn’t have to do it, but you were more stubborn than him. You wanted to help him and you refused to take his coin when he tried to pay you. Sometimes, he’d sneak down from Kaer Morhen during the winter to see you. You’d known him for what felt like centuries, but it had only been six years. The relationship you had with him shouldn’t have been so strong.

You knew it was silly to wait so eagerly for a man. However, you were willing to wait for him no matter how long he would be gone. You adored the witcher and admired him. He was a gentle soul scarred by a harsh lifestyle he had no say in.

You knew neither of your lifestyles would allow for the ‘perfect’ life with a family.

You had been a mage at one point in time, advisor to the Temerian royal family. You’d given up the political life a century ago to move to Kaedwen. You settled in the valley beneath the Blue Mountains which Kaer Morhen was nestled into. There, you became known to a village an hour or so away. The humans who lived there would travel to you seeking herbal remedies when one of their own were sick or when their village seemed to be plagued by famine or drought.

And Eskel was a witcher. With his lifestyle alone, a family wouldn’t be possible. He was meant to be in one place for too long.

The way things worked between you two now would be the only way you could be together. You couldn’t abandon your home to follow Eskel around the Continent, and he wouldn’t want you to.

You were content with the life you had.

You were pulled from your thoughts when the front door opened.

Eskel walked in, now in a pair of black trousers and a dark red tunic that wasn’t laced up all the way at the chest.

He smiled at you and you returned the gesture.

“Have I ever told you how much I love that color on you?” You asked him, returning your gaze to the bread you were kneading.

“I think you’ve mentioned it about every time I wear this.” He nodded his head.

Your eyes flickered up briefly to catch sight of him. There was a dark spot you hadn’t noticed before, a bruise on his chest no longer covered by armor. It was where the material dipped down into a V and the laces weren’t pulled together.

“Eskel, what’s that?” You asked him, stepping away from the bread and wiping your hands off.

His eyes followed your gaze.

“Oh. Just a bruise.”

“It looks terrible, Eskel.” You pushed the material of his shirt to the side so you could get a better look. “Eskel.” You murmured his name.

The bruise was dark blue and angry, more than likely fresh since it had yet to turn yellow and heal.

“When did this happen?”

“Early this morning. There was a fiend.” He took your hand from his chest. “It’ll be okay.”

“Shouldn’t it start healing by now?” You furrowed your brows together, looking up at him.

“It kicked me pretty hard, but it’ll be okay. Should be gone by tomorrow night.”

You frowned, looking back down at the mark.

Eskel wouldn’t let you linger on his injury. He took ahold of your chin and tilted your head up, leaning down to steal a kiss from you.

“Don’t worry about it.”

“It’s hard not to worry.” You sighed, leaning into him for a few heartbeats. “I never know where you’re at or what’s happening to you.”

“I’m sorry.” He apologized quietly, dipping his head down to rest his lips on your forehead.

***

He stayed in the kitchen while you made dinner, keeping you company and telling you little stories from his time on the Path this year.

After you both ate, he helped you clean up the kitchen so that he could give you the gifts he brought this time.

He carried a couple different sachets and sat down next to you at the table.

“I got these from Vengerberg.” He passed you a little dark red sachet. “There’s a little shop there that sells a lot of cute little stones and rocks. These ones made me think of you.”

You opened the sachet and carefully poured the contents out onto the table. There was a bright yellow and orange tumbled stone, a deep blue raw stone, and a light purple raw stone.

“Eskel, they’re beautiful.” You picked them up to hold them in your hands.

“Do you want to know why I picked those ones?” He smiled, happy that you liked your gift.

“Yes! Tell me.”

“Purple is your favorite color, isn’t it?”

You nodded, looking up at him to watch him while he spoke.

“The orange and yellow one reminded me of when the leaves turn. That’s when I finally get to come see you.” His voice lowered to a quiet murmur. “And when I first met you, you wore a dark blue dress. It was my favorite dress on you.”

“Eskel, that’s so sweet.” You leaned forward to hug him tightly, wrapping your arms around his shoulders. “Thank you.”

He hugged you back, squeezing you tightly, and then leaned back in his chair as you examined the stones in your hand.

“There’s something else.” Eskel picked up the second sachet made of dark blue velvet.

You put the stones back into the red sachet and took the blue one from him. You opened it up and poured what was inside on to your hand.

It was a thin gold chain with a little rose quartz pendant.

“Oh, Eskel. It’s beautiful!” You brushed your thumb along the stone.

“It’s a rose quartz. But you-I’m sure you knew that.” He chuckled nervously, rubbing his hands along the tops of his thighs. “Rose quartz is the stone of love.”

Your eyes met his, lips parting as your breath caught in your throat.

“Because I-I love you, Y/N.” He whispered, bringing his eyes down to his hands. “I just…. I needed to tell you that. I need you to know.”

“Eskel.” You smiled at him, putting the necklace down for a second so you could hold his hands. “My love, I’ve known it for a while. You show it with your actions, with returning to me when you can. When you smile at me. And your eyes, they’re so soft and gentle. You don’t need to be so nervous about it.”

“I just…. I wasn’t sure how you’d react. Didn’t want to scare you away.”

“You could never scare me away.” You stood up. He did the same after you tugged gently on his hands. “I love you.”

You wrapped your arms over his shoulders, pulling him down to you. His arms slipped around your waist. He tucked his nose into your shoulder, letting out a soft breath.

“I love you.” He whispered, turning his head to kiss your neck.

“I love you.” You repeated, your hand coming up to the back of his head.

Taglist: @pressedinthepages @mishafaye @whitewolfandthefox @wolfyland07 @belalugosisdead @persephonehemingway @keira-hulmaster @dinonuggs69 @greatestauthorofmygeneration @shadow-hunters-lover @dancingwith-thesunflowers @tedi-fach-las @thecomfortofoldstorries @raspberrydreamclouds @natkowaa @disasteren @weathervanes-my-oneandlonely @onlyhenrys @wackylurker @criminaly-supernatural @magpie343 @permanently-exhausted-witcher @hina-chans-stuff @the-space-between-heartbeats @havenoffandoms @carriebee1 @ger-bearofrivia @naominami @writingawaymylife @reaganjenelle @theawkwardpedestrian @scarlettwitcher @badassspaceprincess @just-a-sad-donut @summersong69 @an--actual--human--disaster @rubyqueen819 @omgkatinka @c-a-v-a-l-r-y @vonxcon @mazakeen @bravelittlesunflower @thereagles @awkward-turtles-world @menalliha @cotton_mo @maan24 @she-wolfoftheinquisition @titaniafire

#Eskel x reader fluff #Eskel fluff #the witcher #eskel x reader #Eskel fic #1200 followers celebration #kacey answers

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maybeimamuppet · 3 years

Text

it's me and you

hello friends. happy Wednesday. welcome to the work that inspired 'Tuesday minus five'.

tw for alcohol and a scene that might be triggering to those who struggle with disordered eating.

otherwise, please enjoy.

“Jayjay!” Cady calls loudly, leaping onto her fiancée from above. Janis yelps and catches her.

“Jesus Christ, Peanut, don’t do that,” she breathes once Cady is safely on the bed next to her. “What is it?”

Cady rolls on top of her and hovers over her on her elbows. “We have a wedding to plan.”

Janis grins a little at the reminder. “That we do. I’m guessing you want to do it now?”

“Uhhuh,” Cady nods happily. “Well, not all of it. But I want to start now.”

“Okay,” Janis says, rubbing over the backs of Cady’s arms. “You gonna let me up?”

Cady groans like it’s a terrible inconvenience and flops to the side, but takes Janis’ hand when she reaches out to help her up and follows her to the living room.

They sit on the ground around the coffee table, and Cady pulls her laptop and a notebook seemingly out of thin air.

“How do we even start with this?” Janis asks. They’re not planning on anything crazy, just their families and close friends, but they still have no idea how to approach planning it.

“I don’t know,” Cady shrugs. “I guess we should probably pick, like, a date for it?”

“Yeah, that makes sense,” Janis says. “You wanted spring.”

“Yeah,” Cady says. “Is April too cold?”

“I don’t think so. It gets pretty warm by the end of it,” Janis hums.

“And it should be easy to remember,” Cady says, tapping the end of her pen against her notebook. “What about April thirtieth? That’s as close to the end as we can get, and a round number.”

“Works for me,” Janis says. “So far, we’re nailing it.”

Cady laughs at that, writing the date in large letters on the first line. “You’re cute. Okay, um… location?”

That’s a bit more tricky. They want an outdoor wedding, but where?

“I don’t know,” Janis says anxiously. “All I can think of is the woods again.”

“That wouldn’t be terrible,” Cady hums thoughtfully. “It’s an important place to us, and it’s beautiful. And we wouldn’t have to pay very much, either. We’d have to get everyone to Illinois, but that’s doable.”

“Yeah, we could do that,” Janis says. “Are you sure, though? You don’t want somewhere more fancy?”

“As long as it’s not Las Vegas and I’m married to you by the end of that day, I couldn’t care less where it happens,” Cady says contently, adding their newest bit of information to the notebook. Janis grins affectionately as she nibbles on the end of the pen once it’s written down. “Okay, what now… um… color scheme?”

“Do you have anything in mind?” Janis asks. She’s not terribly fussed about this.

“Yeah. Do you?” Cady asks back. Janis nods. “Same time?” Another nod. “Okay, three, two, one.”

“Yellow,” Janis says.

“Purple,” Cady says at the same time. They both smile when they hear that the other picked their favorite color. “Our first disagreement. Okay, hmm.”

“Compromise color?” Janis suggests.

“Okay,” Cady giggles. “What do you get if you mix yellow and purple?”

“Brown,” Janis says quietly after a beat. Cady scrunches her nose. “Yeah, um… what about green? That’s yellow and blue, that’s pretty close.”

“Green might be nice, but if we’re getting married in the woods everything would blend in,” Cady says. They both think on it more, and suddenly her eyes light up. “What about rainbow? This technically is a gay wedding, and then we could have every color. Everyone could pick which one they want to be. And it would make the flowers a lot easier.”

Janis smiles at her. “That does sound beautiful. I like it.”

“Good!” Cady chirps. “Look at us, communicating.”

Janis laughs and inches herself closer. “What now?”

“We should probably invite people,” Cady realizes. “Okay, who do you want as bridesmaids and… brides…men?”

“I don’t know, I think we’re going to be picking from the same group,” Janis says. “Damian, Aaron, Julie, and the Plastics?” Cady nods. “We could just… share them, I guess.”

“Do you want Damian as your best man? I’ll let you have him,” Cady says, writing down everyone’s names.

“Yes please,” Janis responds. “Who do you want as yours?”

Cady goes quiet. “Would it be dumb to pick Rhys? I know he can’t… be there, but…”

“But you love him, he’s your brother,” Janis finishes. “That’s not dumb at all, baby. We’ll do something special.”

Cady grins at her thankfully. “We’ll do something for your dad, too. What about maids of honor?”

“Juliana,” Janis says. “Mine’s pretty easy.”

“Yeah,” Cady chuckles. “Oh, I don’t want to pick between the Plastics, that’s mean.”

“You don’t have to, necessarily,” Janis says. “You could have all of them, or none of them, if you want. This wedding is already very untraditional, I don’t think anyone would be surprised if we fiddled with that part too.”

“That’s true,” Cady says thoughtfully. “All of them, then. If they want, I’ll let them choose.”

“Good plan,” Janis says. “This is easier than I thought.”

“Don’t say that, you’ll jinx us,” Cady chuckles, looking up how to book the venue and finding caterers. “I have a job I think you should handle alone, too.”

“Oh, Christ,” Janis says anxiously. “What is it?”

“The cake,” Cady says with a cheeky wink. “I trust your judgement. You’ve always liked it more than me, I think you should handle that.”

“Oh,” Janis says in relief. “Yeah, I can do that. But that means you have to handle the flowers, I’m terrible with those.”

“I can do flowers,” Cady agrees with a chuckle.

“Um…” Janis says before she trails off. Cady looks at her and raises an eyebrow. “What are we going to wear?”

“I don’t know. What do you want to wear?” Cady says, pulling up a website for inspiration.

“I want to wear a dress,” Janis says shyly. “But I also kind of… don’t.”

“Me too,” Cady hums. “We could each get a dress and then a… not-dress. Wear one to the ceremony and the other to the reception.”

Janis nods. It’ll be expensive, but they have a pretty solid budget. “That’s a good plan. Do you know Gretchen’s schedule for the next while?”

“I think she said she’s stepping back from the spring scene this year, so she might have a bit more time. I would love to wear her stuff if we can,” Cady hums. “I’ll ask her.”

“Make her let us pay her full price,” Janis insists.

“Of course,” Cady agrees. “We’ve done pretty good, today. I love you.”

“I love you more,” Janis says.

“We’re never gonna get to the end of this,” Cady chuckles. “I love you most. Speaking of, where should we go on our honeymoon? If we don’t go too crazy with the ceremony, we should have a good budget.”

Janis has actually planned out this bit. “I was thinking… Kenya?”

“Are you serious?” Cady asks excitedly. Janis can see her hands shaking. “We’re gonna go to Africa?”

“I don’t see why not,” Janis shrugs, trying to hide her own excitement and joy. “I’ve wanted to go since we met. See your animals, where you’re from. Why not now?”

Cady rockets into her with a squeal, knocking her back onto the rug. Janis wraps her arms around Cady’s back and holds her close against her, laughing at the ticklish sensation of Cady kissing her neck and cheeks over and over and over.

Eventually Cady does calm down, but makes no effort to leave Janis’ embrace. Her face is still tucked into her neck and Janis’ cheek is squished against her curls.

“I love you, Jayjay,” Cady murmurs, muffled against the column of Janis’ neck.

“I love you too, Caddy,” Janis responds, holding her tighter. “I can’t wait to marry you.” She feels a smile against her.

————-

In February, they decide it’s probably time to take everyone shopping for their wedding attire. Gretchen had agreed to designing and making their dresses and outfits, but the bridesmaids and men still need things to wear.

The Plastics all agreed to be Cady’s maids of honor, and all decided to take on different responsibilities. Gretchen’s main one is obviously to focus on designing and sewing. Regina would be handling things on the day of the wedding, and Karen is throwing Cady’s bachelorette party. Cady is a little nervous about that.

Juliana visits for Cady’s birthday, so they decide to take everyone out while she’s in town with them.

“So what color scheme have you guys picked?” Gretchen asks as their crew enters a bridal shop.

Cady and Janis lock eyes with a small grin. “All of them. We picked rainbow.”

“Aww, gay,” Damian coos.

“All of you get to pick your own color,” Cady chuckles.

“That’s a really good idea,” Regina says. “Can I be red?”

“I want orange!” Karen adds.

“Can I be yellow?” Gretchen asks shyly.

“I’ll be blue, I guess,” Aaron says.

“Dibs on purple,” Damian calls.

“Then I guess I’m green,” Julie shrugs. “That was easy.”

Janis and Cady nod confidently and lead them into the store. Aaron and Damian go first since they both get suits, which are a bit easier. Damian’s is a vibrant grape shade of purple, which suits him remarkably well. Aaron picks a sapphire one with a similar style to Damian’s. Both will be tailored to a perfect fit for them before the wedding, so their work is done.

The Plastics go next, heading to different areas of the shop to find dresses in their respective colors. Each of them come back with no fewer than five to try on. Janis slumps down slightly in her seat, realizing this is going to take a while longer than she had anticipated.

Regina eventually settles on a ruby dress with a slit up the skirt and a slight v-neck on the tight bodice. Karen’s tangerine colored dress is similar, but hers has sleeves that loop around her upper arms instead of the spaghetti strap style that Regina chose. Gretchen has a harder time deciding between her options, and eventually gives it up to a group vote. The winner is a beautiful dandelion yellow one, with a higher neckline and only one sleeve.

Juliana is the last one to venture off, and she also returns with several options. After about the tenth, they’re all starting to look rather similar to everyone. Janis goes back to the dressing room with her sister to help weed out some options. Once they’ve sorted it down to three, it’s much easier to handle.

Julie tries on all three no fewer than twice each, before eventually, finally, landing on an emerald green dress with off the shoulder sleeves. It actually looks rather similar to Cady’s dress from their senior prom, just green and with a much less poofy skirt.

“Yay,” Damian cheers happily when they’re all outfitted. Cady insists on getting a picture of all of them together in their ill-fitting outfits for the first time.

“Lookin’ good, guys!” Janis calls from behind her fiancée. “Gay as hell.” She adds under her breath. Cady flicks her gently in retaliation.

“Yes, you are,” she murmurs. “They look good, don’t be mean.”

“I wasn’t! They’re literally a rainbow, that’s gay,” Janis insists. “That’s the whole point!”

Cady kisses her to shut her up, a tactic that always works. “We have to go feed them now, come on. Pick a restaurant.”

“Sushi,” Janis says instantly. Not a restaurant, but something Cady can work with.

“Fine, only because it’s a special day,” Cady agrees. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Janis says. “This was a good idea.”

“Thanks,” Cady chuckles. “They do look good together like that.”

“You’d make a good artist,” Janis suggests. Cady chuckles in disbelief. “No, you would! You just need practice, you clearly already have an eye for colors.”

“I have a good teacher,” Cady says, tipping herself back into Janis’ embrace. “Now come on, we really do have to go.”

————-

The time continues to fly by, and it’s March before they know it. They’ve already heard back from all their family and friends, so they know who’s coming. The florists and the caterers have all been booked, along with the venues. They have Kevin G. as the DJ for the reception, which both Cady and Janis are slightly nervous about. Decorations have been purchased, and Juliana agreed to be the officiate and marry them.

All that’s left is the cake. Janis’ big job. She ordered a large sample box from a bakery nearby, since they’re back home for Julie’s birthday. Damian and Aaron came too, so they get to help.

Cady’s left every little detail up to Janis. The flavor, how it’s decorated, the size. Frankly, she’s put a remarkable amount of trust in her fiancée.

There’s a bit of conflict in the fact that Janis and Cady don’t have the same taste in sweets. Janis prefers chocolatey things, while Cady usually goes for fruity things. Janis got a sample of every flavor the bakery offers.

“Fucking hell, Jan,” is the first thing out of Damian’s mouth when he opens his front door, finding Janis with a box of cake bigger than she is. Juliana has to hold the other end so she doesn’t drop it. It doesn’t even fit on the dining room table, so they rest it on the floor in the living room and sit in a circle around it. Janis feels like they’re about to perform some strange ritual together.

She opens the box of wonders. “Okay, so over here is all the chocolate stuff. Devil’s food, death by chocolate, I think this one might actually just be a brownie. And then this is vanilla cakes, so, like, white and yellow and stuff. And then fruit. Lemon, strawberry, raspberry, I forget what this one is. And then I got carrot cake for fun.”

“In what world is carrot cake fun?” Julie asks. “I swear there’s no way we’re related.”

“Rabbits think it’s fun,” Janis retaliates. “Here’s your forks. Dig in.”

They start strong, but the cake quickly loses its charm. Once you’ve tasted nine different kinds of chocolate cake alone, it’s not quite the same.

Julie is the first to tap out, quickly followed by Aaron. They both lie on the floor in a sugar coma. Janis and Damian are determined to continue.

“I think,” Damian says after a long moment. “That this was a mistake.”

“We definitely should’ve split them up,” Janis agrees, but takes another bite. “This one is… it would be good, under normal circumstances.”

Damian is the next to go, putting his fork down in defeat and collapsing onto the ground. Janis presses on. The fruit flavors provide a nice sort of respite, and she thinks that Cady would really like the lemon.

Janis doesn’t quite make it to the carrot cake. She knows her limits, so she admits defeat and rests herself down with the rest of the group. She pulls out her phone and texts a picture of all of them to Cady.

Cady’s job for the day is to try on her outfits with Gretchen, so it takes a few minutes for a response to come through. Janis gives an involuntary groan when she remembers Cady’s contact name.

caddycakes: Oh no, lovey D: What did you guys do?

jayjay: a terrible thing

jayjay: caddy

jayjay: i have consumed entire worlds and i regret everything

caddycakes: Poor things. Why did you do them all in one?

jayjay: an alarming display of hubris

caddycakes: Ah, of course. Drink water and have protein, it’ll help the stomachache. I’ll be there soon to take care of you

jayjay: ur gonna take care of me even tho i did this to myself ??

caddycakes: Darling, we’re getting married in a month and you’re the most impulsive, clumsy person I’ve ever known. If I refused to take care of you when you’re hurt or sick just because you did it to yourself we’d both be in for a world of misery

jayjay: i love you

caddycakes: I love you too, dearest. Hang in there 📷

Janis clicks her phone off and gives herself a few minutes to recover. She’s dreading the idea of putting anything else into her body at the moment, but Cady is right. Water will help make them feel better.

After about ten minutes she manages to peel herself up from the ground and head into the kitchen. Janis still knows her way around, so she grabs four glasses and fills them with ice water for her friends.

They barely react to her return, so she carefully rests a cup in each of their hands and keeps the last for herself. Carefully, they sip at the cold liquid until their stomachs stop aching quite so much, and they can move to the couch to continue the food coma there.

“I’m getting married. I’m an adult,” Janis mumbles eventually. “What the fuck have I done? I’m nowhere near responsible enough. Look at us.”

“Caddy’s responsible enough for both of you, it’s fine,” Damian replies deliriously. Juliana and Aaron grunt in agreement.

Cady enters after another short while, letting herself in with the key she still has. “Oh no, guys. What did Jay do to you?”

“That death by chocolate stuff was literal,” Aaron complains.

“Poor things. Oh good, you have water. That’ll help a little,” Cady says. She kisses Janis on the forehead gently. “I brought antacid tabs and some nuts. They have a fair bit of protein and they’re salty, that’ll help too.”

“An angel among idiots,” Damian says thankfully, popping a few tabs and taking a handful of the offered snack. “Thank you.”

“Of course. Did you guys pick a flavor or just eat yourselves to death?” Cady giggles, handing the treatments to the rest of them as well.

“The lemon was good,” Janis murmurs.

“I didn’t make it that far,” Aaron says. “But the… the fudge one was the best that I tasted.”

“I liked the white one too,” Julie says.

“Well, that’s something, I guess,” Cady chuckles. “I hope you’ve learned something.”

“Yeah, never let Janis talk you into a dessert tasting,” Damian says. Cady laughs and runs a hand through Janis’ hair gently.

“She meant well. You just need to plan better, love,” she hums. “Can you move yet? We should get you home.”

Janis nods and pulls herself up, then helps Julie. Cady leaves another few of the tablets and the rest of the snacks for Damian and Aaron, then grabs the cake box and follows the sisters to the car.

Cady also drives them home, dropping Julie off at their house but keeping Janis for herself. Janis pouts sadly once she’s in comfy clothes and nestled in bed to recover from the day.

“Caddy?” She asks quietly after a moment.

“Hmm?” Cady hums from above her, stroking through Janis’ hair.

“Are you sure you want to marry me? I’m… I’m such an idiot, sometimes. Why do you want to be stuck with this?” Janis asks sadly.

“Whoa, darling,” Cady hushes. “What? Of course I want to marry you. Of course I’m sure. I love you.”

“But why? Look at me,” Janis whines. “You said it yourself, I’m too impulsive.”

“No, mpenzi, shh for a second,” Cady says gently. “I love you because I choose to. I fell in love with you back in high school because you’re you. And now, every day, I choose to continue. I choose to love you. I love your passion, and your heart, and your mind. I love the things you create and the way you tick. And I love how impulsive you are, even though sometimes I get frustrated. You keep things interesting. And I love you for that.”

“But do you really want to deal with me forever?”

“Where is this coming from, my love?” Cady asks in concern, gently pulling her closer and kissing her forehead. “I’m not dealing with you. I’m loving you. I’m not trying to say I’m never going to get upset with you for being impulsive, just like you know you won’t always be okay with me being so set in my ways. We’re different people, we work differently. We have different minds. But we match pretty well, right?”

Janis nods and cuddles closer, but doesn’t say anything.

“I love you exactly as you are, wild decisions and all. We’ll work through stuff as it comes, but don’t think for a second that I’m ever going to stop loving you. I love the impulsivity because it’s part of you, and I love you,” Cady concludes. “And I hope you’re feeling better, because I’ve already used up a good chunk of my vows here and I still need material for the real ones.”

Janis chuckles into her chest and nods. “I’m better. I love you too. Even though you can be a stick in the mud sometimes.”

“I never understood that phrase,” Cady mumbles. “Like, if the stick is in the way of you having fun in the mud then just… pick it up and put it somewhere else.”

“I don’t think that’s what it means,” Janis chuckles. “But that is a good way to think of it. Does this mean I can pick you up and drag you out to do fun stuff?”

“You can always pick me up,” Cady chuckles, braiding little strands of Janis’ hair together. “And yes, you can sometimes make me do fun things. But I can also be the stick and stop you if you want to do something dangerous or dumb.”

“My ideas are always good,” Janis says defensively.

“Darling, you had the equivalent of about three whole cakes in one afternoon and dragged our friends down with you, sometimes your ideas aren’t great,” Cady says gently.

“Exactly. It was a great idea in theory to get it all out of the way, but it wasn’t good in practice,” Janis says.

“You should be a lawyer, you’re very good at arguing,” Cady says lovingly.

“No way, I’m done with school, thank you very much,” Janis replies.

“You’re a teacher.”

“Shhh. Quiet time.”

“Okay,” Cady giggles, kissing her forehead and drifting off for a nap alongside her fiancée.

————-

The week before the big day, both of their bachelorette parties are thrown. Cady goes off with the Plastics, while Janis gets to spend the night with Damian and Aaron.

Karen is throwing Cady’s, and she’s a little worried that her friend is going to do something crazy. She’s pleasantly surprised to find it’s just the four of them, a lot of alcohol and food, and what looks to be a spa night.

“Aww, Karen! This looks so fun, thank you!” Cady says excitedly.

“You’re welcome! Bride emoji, balloon emoji. I wanted to do something bigger, but I don’t think you would’ve liked that. So, we get to do face masks and watch movies!” Karen says.

“Yeah, this is perfect. I love it,” Cady says.

Janis shows up to Damian and Aaron’s apartment, slightly nervous about what she’ll find. Damian lets her in, and she’s pleasantly surprised to find a painting set up and a fair bit of food and booze.

“Aww, Dame,” Janis says happily. “This is great! What are we doing?”

“Getting fucked up and painting stuff,” Damian replies. Aaron comes out from the kitchen with a tray of even more snacks. “And eating. And then maybe we’ll watch movies, I don’t know yet.”

Janis hugs him tightly. “This is perfect.”

“I know,” Damian jokes. “Let’s get going, you’ll have to teach us your painting extraordinaire ways.”

“I’ll try,” Janis chuckles.

————-

Cady is squished in between Gretchen and Karen on their small couch, soaking her feet in a fancy foot bath and watching Legally Blonde. Suddenly, her phone starts ringing with a Facetime call.

“Damian? What’s up?” She asks confusedly when his face pops into view.

“Um… Janis is kind of… drunk,” he says anxiously. “And crying. Can you talk to her?”

“Oh no,” Cady pouts. “Of course I’ll talk to her, where is she?” The camera flips to show Janis curled up on the ground, weeping into her knees while Aaron awkwardly tries to comfort her. Cady dries her feet off and heads into the bathroom for a bit more privacy. “Poor thing, what happened?”

“Jan, it’s Caddy,” Damian says gently, offering her the phone. “Tell her what happened.”

Janis sobs a couple times before bursting out with a very slurred sentence. “Was-was tryin’ to paint you,” she says miserably. “B-but m’ hand wouldn’ workin’. ‘N then I for-forgot what you look-look like! ‘M gonna be a terrible wife!”

“No, darling, no,” Cady says. “Love, you’re drunk. That’s why your hand wasn’t working. And it’s okay that you forgot what I look like. Again, you’re drunk, and faces are hard to memorize. It doesn’t mean you don’t love me, it’s okay.”

“You-you’re not mad?” Janis asks shyly. Her bottom lip is still jutted out sadly, but she’s not crying quite so hard anymore.

“Of course I’m not mad,” Cady says. “I think it’s so sweet that you were even trying to paint me from memory. How much have you had to drink, mpendwa?”

“Um… six.” Janis says, which explains very little.

“Six?” Damian exclaims in shock from off camera. “Jan, that was vodka, you did six shots? Jesus Christ, no wonder you’re so drunk!”

“‘M not drunk,” Janis insists. “Th’ room’s just spinny.”

“Because you’re drunk, Janis,” Aaron explains. “Let me go get you some water.”

“‘M not drunk!” Janis says again. “Was just little cups. Little baby drinks. Why ‘m I on the floor?”

“Jellybean, those were shots, and you did a lot,” Cady says. “Do what Damian and Aaron tell you to, okay? They’ll help you feel better.”

“Not th’ boss ‘f me,” Janis pouts. Cady tries to hold back a laugh. Janis is cute when she’s drunk, but Cady is glad she doesn’t have to encounter it too often.

“They are for tonight, then I’ll help with your hangover tomorrow,” Cady says. “Behave, or no cuddles.”

“No cuddles?” Janis asks in shock, and her lower lip starts trembling again. Cady mutes herself for a second to give an exasperated sigh.

“Less cuddles. I’ll cuddle you a little bit. But if you listen and actually do what they tell you to, you’ll get more cuddles,” she says. It’s all in the phrasing.

“Oh. Mmkay,” Janis says, suddenly sounding much happier. Cady sighs in relief when she sees her chug down the water. “Caddy, I miss you.”

“I miss you too, Bluejay. I’ll see you tomorrow,” Cady says. “Keep drinking water.”

Janis suddenly sits upright and stares at the screen for a second. “Caddy, I can see you.”

“I know,” Cady chuckles. “I can see you too.”

“No, I can see you! Stay,” Janis says. “Can paint you now.”

“Jellybean, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Cady says gently. “You should be resting. Why don’t you watch a movie with Damian and Aaron?”

Janis pouts. “But you’re not here. How ‘m I s’posed to watch movie with no Caddy?”

Cady grins at her. “I love you. Why don’t you take tonight to watch all your favorite scary movies? I’m sure we’ll be able to watch some other happy ones together tomorrow.”

“Mmkay,” Janis whines. “You’re so pretty.”

“Thank you, darling,” Cady chuckles. “You’re very pretty too. Go get comfy.”

Janis picks herself up from the ground and heads to the couch, cuddling in with a blanket. Damian sits next to her, and Aaron sits on his other side.

“There. Keep hydrated, mpendwa. I’ll see you tomorrow. I love you,” Cady says. Janis pouts when she says goodbye.

“I love you, Caddy,” she says. “G’night.”

Cady blows her kisses and hangs up before heading back to her friends.

“Everything good?” Regina asks, looking up from her phone.

“Janis got drunk and started crying because she couldn’t remember what I look like,” Cady sighs. “Give me something, I need a drink too.”

Gretchen helpfully pours her a shot of their favorite bubblegum schnapps, and Cady downs it like it’s nothing.

“Thank you. Now I really do need this spa, thanks Karen,” Cady says, settling back into her spot.

Janis comes stumbling into their apartment around noon the next day. Cady woke up with a slight hangover, but was right as rain after a few painkillers and some water. Janis doesn’t seem to be faring quite as well.

“Hey, love,” Cady says quietly as Janis takes her sunglasses off. Janis still winces at the volume. “Poor thing. Did you take anything?”

Janis shakes her head. “Did I call you yesterday?”

“Damian did for you, you were pretty upset,” Cady replies as she grabs some more medicine to help Janis’ hangover. “And drunk, so I’m not surprised you don’t remember.”

“I have no idea what happened, I remember trying to paint… you, I think, and then I have a vague memory of watching The Shining, and then I woke up with a hangover,” Janis mumbles, swallowing the pills and downing the water.

“You said you did six shots of vodka, but I don’t know if you had anything else,” Cady chuckles gently. “But yes, you did try to paint me. And I don’t think it went particularly well.”

“I’m not surprised. I haven’t been that drunk since… ever,” Janis says. She refills her own water cup and heads to lie on their small couch, kissing Cady on her way. Cady follows and lifts Janis’ feet onto her lap.

“Why did you drink so much?” Cady asks quietly. “Is everything okay?”

“I’m not planning on doing it again, if that’s what you’re worried about,” Janis jokes. Cady gives her a look. “I know. I don’t know why I did it.”

“You still want to do this?” Cady asks. Janis snaps her head up to look at her.

“What? The wedding?” She asks. Cady nods with a hint of sadness. “Baby, of course. I’ve been looking forward to it for, like, a year. Minimum. We’re gonna be wives next week, I’m so excited.”

“Are you sure?” Cady asks. “I’ve been thinking about… me, I guess. Are you sure you want me, forever? You don’t want someone more… like you? Brave and fun and cool?”

“What? Peanut,” Janis pouts, hauling herself upright with a great deal of effort and pulling her fiancée into a cuddle. “Of course I want you. I want you as long as you’ll have me. I don’t need another me, I need you. I love you. I love your random bits of knowledge that I’ll never understand and that you’re always so worried whenever I get another stupid idea.”

“But I’m so… plain. You dye your hair wacky colors and then cut it off and paint all your clothes yourself and make art and do… cool stuff. I do calculus for fun and go to bed by ten,” Cady says. “I’m so boring.”

Janis lies back down to cuddle Cady on top of her. “You’re not boring, Butterfly. You could never be boring. You’re from Africa, for crying out loud. You tell the best stories, and you help me understand things that don’t make sense. I wouldn’t have gotten through high school or college without you. And I need someone to balance me out, you know? Keep me on a leash when I get some crazy dangerous idea. I love you as you are. You’re perfect.”

Cady nuzzles into her neck. “I love you.”

“I love you too, baby. It’s like you said after the Cake Incident. We’re different people, we work differently. But we work together. We work because we balance each other out,” Janis says. “I need my Caddy.”

“I need my Jayjay,” Cady says, propping herself back up and leaning down to kiss her. Janis rests a hand on the back of her head to keep her close for a long moment. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Man, you took up a lot of my vows, too,” Janis says with a chuckle. “Now you have to cuddle me for the rest of the day, I’m sick.”

“You’re hungover,” Cady retaliates.

“Same difference. You said you’d take care of me,” Janis pouts.

“Always,” Cady whispers.

————-

They fly home to Illinois the next day, both feeling much better. They’ve decided to spend the rest of the week apart, to make their wedding that much more special. Neither of them is particularly looking forward to their separation, but they know it’ll be worth it.

Their friends and family follow them to Illinois over the next few days while Cady and Janis run around town making sure everything is in order. The venue is perfect, Janis managed to get the cake in order, and everything else was handled months in advance. Julie gives them both a practice version of her speech, which they love. For a barely-seventeen year old, Juliana is an excellent writer.

Janis lies awake in her childhood bedroom the night before their big day. She feels almost the way she did the night before an exciting school trip as a child. But better.

She flips onto her other side and looks at the glowing green numbers on her clock. One in the morning. What to do? She’s already not used to sleeping without Cady by her side, and now with the added excitement that comes with tomorrow, Janis may never sleep again.

She only has to think for about two minutes before she makes her decision, rolling out of bed and tugging on some shoes before sneaking out her front door.

Janis zones out a bit on her way to Cady’s house, snapping back to attention when she almost walks past it. She grins to herself as she starts climbing up the same tree she used to climb to get to her girl’s window in high school.

She’s surprised to find Cady already there, sitting on the desk chair she’s pulled over and peering out the window. Cady jumps a little but grins widely as Janis’ face suddenly pops up on the other side.

“I was hoping you would come,” she whispers as she pulls the window open to haul Janis in.

“Couldn’t sleep?” Janis asks once she’s safely inside, closing the window quietly behind her. Cady shakes her head. “I couldn’t either.”

Cady reaches for her, so Janis comes to pull her in for a kiss. They still try to hold back a little bit, to keep something special for tomorrow, but neither can resist the taste and feeling of their love.

They jump apart when a massive crack of thunder booms outside. Cady peeks around Janis to find rain slamming against her window. She grins to herself and takes Janis’ hand, hauling them towards the door.

“Where are we going?” Janis asks in confusion. Cady isn’t a big fan of storms, maybe she’s taking them to hide. Instead, Cady tiptoes them to the back door and slides it open, running into the backyard in her pajamas and bare feet. “Peanut, what are you doing?!”

Cady spins around with her arms far out to her sides like the opening to The Sound of Music, the rain soaking her to the bone. She reaches for Janis, who toes off her shoes and tentatively goes to join her fiancée.

“You’re insane,” Janis says when she reaches her. “What are we doing?”

“Dance with me,” Cady says, reaching for her. Janis comes to her embrace confusedly, holding onto Cady’s waist while she grabs Janis’ neck. They’re only illuminated by the distant streetlights and occasional flash of lightning, and waltzing to the music of the thunder.

Janis thinks she understands after a while. They’re both totally soaked, their clothes dripping and hair clinging to their shoulders. But as she’s held close to her love and staring into her eyes, she feels warmer and safer than she ever has before.

“I love you,” Janis murmurs against Cady’s lips, kissing her tenderly as the raindrops mingle on their cheeks.

“I love you too,” Cady says back. “I can’t wait to marry you.”

Janis smiles against her and scoops her up. Cady squeals in surprise and clings to her tightly as Janis spins them around a few times. Janis tips her face up to see her, and Cady presses their foreheads together to stare into her eyes.

They stay like that for a while, lost in each other while the weather roars around them. After a while, Janis pipes up. “What if it rains tomorrow?”

“Then we’ll dance in it again,” Cady says. “We’ll still be married. We’ll still be with everyone we love. It’ll still be a good day.”

Janis wonders how she found someone so perfect. Little does she know, Cady is wondering the same. They lean in for another kiss at the same time. Janis rests Cady on her feet again and cups her face, while her fiancée holds her waist and inches closer.

“We should-should go in,” Cady says around chattering teeth after a long moment of bliss. “It’s cold out here.”

Janis picks her back up and carries her towards the door. “I’ll keep you warm.”

“You always do,” Cady whispers contently.

She fetches them some towels and clean pajamas and puts their old ones in the dryer. Janis follows her into bed, curling around her in their familiar way. Cady cuddles in close and inhales her comforting scent, this time getting hints of the rain they were just in.

They both drift off with a smile when they remember that this is their new forever, and their last night as just fiancées.

Janis wakes up early and sneaks back to her own house, but gets instantly busted by Julie when she comes down for breakfast.

“How was she?” Julie asks.

“What?” Janis asks with mock confusion. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Those aren’t your pajamas, and you definitely didn’t have them on last night. How is Cady?” Juliana insists.

“She’s fine,” Janis says meekly. “You should be a detective.”

“She’s, like, half your size. I don’t have to be a detective to see those pajamas clearly aren’t yours,” Julie says with a chuckle. “Come eat, stupid, it’s your big day.”

“Julie,” their mother chides as she comes down the stairs to join them for breakfast. “How was Cady, baby girl?”

“You too?” Janis asks.

“You’re not exactly sneaky, honey,” their mom chuckles. “I heard you leave. There’s only one place you would’ve gone. Nice pajamas, by the way.”

Janis groans and smacks her head on the table.

————-

Cady starts pacing once Regina finishes her hair and makeup. She looks killer, she has to admit, but the nerves are starting to set in.

“Cades, chill. Talk to me, what’s going on?” Regina says cooly, helping fix a stray curl of Gretchen’s.

“What if… what if she lied? Or she gets up there and realizes she doesn’t want me after all?” Cady says anxiously, drumming her hands against her crossed arms.

“Cady, have you seen the way she looks at you? The way you are together?” Gretchen asks gently. “She’s still head over heels for you.”

“But… but what if-“ Cady tries, this time getting cut off by Karen.

“Cady, listen for a second,” Karen says, remarkably soothingly. Cady calms enough that she stops pacing for a second. “If this wasn’t happening. If you weren’t getting married today, would you have any doubt that Janis loves you, like, a lot? If this was just another day together for you. Would you be this scared?”

“No,” Cady admits.

“It’s just because this is, like, a symbol of permanence or whatever,” Karen shrugs. “You love each other, but this is still kind of a big adjustment for you. It’s okay that you are, but you shouldn’t be scared.”

Cady blinks as she tries to process the words of wisdom from Karen. “I-yeah, okay. Thanks, Karen.”

“You’re welcome! Now come get dressed,” Karen insists happily, brandishing Cady’s outfit for the ceremony.

Cady takes it happily and pulls it on.

—————

Janis is also panicking in another room a little ways away. Damian is chasing her around with his makeup brushes, trying to finish his masterpiece.

“Janjan, at least stop moving,” he begs.

“There’s no point to the makeup because… there’s… I don’t even know! I can’t do it,” Janis says anxiously.

Damian collapses onto the chair formerly occupied by Janis for a break. “Why?”

“What?”

“Why?” Damian repeats. “Why do you think you can’t do it?”

“Because… because she deserves better,” Janis says. “Someone better.”

“But what does she want?” Damian asks. They’ve had this conversation several times since Cady and Janis got together. “Jan. What does Caddy want?”

“Me,” Janis whispers after a beat. “But-“

“Ah! Ah-ah-ah.” Damian interrupts. “What do you want most for Caddy?”

“For her to be happy,” Janis says immediately.

“And who makes her happy?” Damian prompts.

“Me,” Janis admits with a pout.

“Exactly. You are what she deserves. You are her ‘better’. You’re her best, because you both deserve happiness, and that’s what you give each other,” Damian says quietly. “Today is just supposed to celebrate your love. Now sit your ass down so I can make you pretty.”

Janis pouts harder, but does sit back down in her seat and let Damian finish his work.

————-

An hour later, it’s finally time. Damian heads down first, scattering flower petals down the cloth they’re using for an aisle. Everyone chuckles as he does it in his typically dramatic fashion, adding a personal flair to every handful tossed.

He comes back and grabs Aaron, and they head down together, followed by Julie and Gretchen, and then Karen and Regina. Julie runs back down as well, walking Janis down the aisle along with their mom.

Janis grins slightly as she passes the front row and sees the framed photo of her dad next to another framed picture of Cady’s brother, side by side in the empty seats. There’s a rainbow sash draped over each picture frame, to include them both in the ceremony as they should’ve been.

Janis kisses her mom on the cheek as she stands at the altar, and grins at Julie as she heads behind it to prepare. She’s adjusting her white blazer when the music suddenly kicks off again, and she looks down to see Cady coming down the aisle with her parents.

They’re leaving the dresses for the reception since Gretchen had practically begged them to. The dresses took much more time to design and construct, so she wanted them to get as much wear out of them as possible.

But Cady looks absolutely stunning in her tight white pants and top, complete with a cape that accentuates her shoulders. There’s a positively radiant smile on her face as she makes her way to Janis. Cady hugs her parents tightly as they reach the end of the aisle, before coming to stand in front of her fiancée. They join hands instinctively, giving each other little squeezes.

They’re absolutely lost in each other as Julie begins, staring into each other’s eyes and barely hearing the words being spoken and reactions from the crowd. They also miss the prompt to begin their vows. Cady jumps in surprise when Gretchen pokes her in the back and hands over the ring.

Cady takes the ring with her shaky hands and rests it on the tip of Janis’ finger so she doesn’t drop it, pulling some note cards out of her pocket with her other hand. She clears her throat quickly and begins her vows.

“Janis,” Cady says, squeezing Janis’ hands. “My darling, my Bluejay, my love. When you found me in the bathroom all those years ago, I could’ve never imagined that we’d be here today. But I couldn’t be happier that we are.”

Janis squeezes her back and tries to resist the urge to kiss her before they’re allowed to. Cady takes a deep breath as the tears start flowing and continues.

“One of the last big speeches I made was our junior year Spring Fling. That was… a big day for both of us, but anyway. In that speech, I equated our entire graduating class to stars. I stand by it, but I’ve realized something since then. If everyone is a star, then you are my North Star. You’re the one that shines the brightest, and the one I can always count on to be there. But most importantly, you are the star that guides me home. I just have to follow you, and I’m right where I need to be. You are my home. I promise to love you, always. I promise to help you shine when you feel like you can’t, and to guide you home when you feel lost. We’ll be each other’s brightest star. I love you, more than all the stars in the sky.”

Janis sniffles a few times as Cady slides the rest of the ring on and repeats after Julie, processing the most beautiful words she’s ever heard. It’s her turn then, which she’s violently reminded of when Damian jabs her in the back. She straightens abruptly and pulls out her own cards. Janis re-wrote her vows this morning and quite literally ran them by Damian for a proofread, so she’s desperately hoping they’re suitable.

“Cady,” Janis begins. “That’s the first and last time I’m ever going to pronounce your name correctly, so I hope you enjoyed it.”

Cady chuckles thickly around her tears and squeezes her hands. Janis takes a deep breath and continues, trying to keep the shake from her voice.

“I want to take this time to thank you. For loving me even when I eat too much cake, or get drunk and call you in tears because I can’t work out how to paint you. I want to thank you for being my sunshine. For teaching me how to dance in the rain, and for showing me how good it can be. For showing me what it means to be loved, and letting me know how to love you in return. You light up even my stormiest days, by just being there to weather them out with me. You are the only sunshine I’ll ever need, and I promise to return the favor. I can’t promise I’ll be able to help you through everything we’ll ever go through, but I can promise to love you through everything. I promise to be the light when you feel you can’t show yours, and to help you dance in the rain when the clouds won’t part. I love you more than anything under the sun.”

Cady lets out a choked sob as she finishes, and they both quickly fumble through getting her wedding ring on. Julie coaches them through the other vows and ‘I do’s’ and then says the magic words.

“By the power vested in me by an online class I took in ten minutes, I now pronounce you wives. You can kiss,” Julie says, mumbling an “If you must.” Under her breath afterwards.

Cady practically lunges for her, grabbing Janis’ face and pulling her into the most important kiss they’ll ever share. They both pour all the emotions they’re feeling into it, but break apart after just a few seconds to keep things chaste for their families. Janis smiles wider than she ever has before and rests their foreheads together.

“Hi wife,” she whispers contently, glad to finally be rid of the dreaded fiancée title. Cady grins back at her and wraps her arms around her neck.

“Hi wife,” she says back. “We gotta go.”

Janis is snapped back to reality at that, remembering they’re not alone. She grabs Cady’s hand and leads them back down the aisle, together this time. Once they reach the end of it, Cady leaps into her arms. Janis catches her and spins them around joyfully.

“Janis, you’re my wife,” Cady whispers once the dizzying sensation fades.

“And you’re my wife,” Janis says back. “You look so beautiful.”

“So do you,” Cady says. “I can’t wait to see your dress.”

“Then let’s go,” Janis murmurs, kissing her gently and carrying her wife away.

————-

Their moms each help them put their dresses on, since they take just a bit of wiggling. Cady’s is short sleeved, with a tight bodice and a poofy skirt. The top layer is lace, with rainbow flowers around her neckline that fade out into the white around her waist. She feels like a princess.

Janis’ has long lace sleeves, and the whole thing is more uniform. Her skirt is flowy more than poofy, and her rainbow gradient goes the opposite way. She looks like she’s been walking through rainbow flower petals that gradually fade into the white of her dress as you look up. She feels like a fairy.

They decide to do a ‘first look’ now, in their dresses and technically officially married. Each of them hides behind a tree and pops out when Regina, their photographer yet again, gives them the cue.

Cady gasps when she sees her wife and reaches for her eagerly. Janis shuffles over and lets Cady pull her in.

“You’re so beautiful,” Cady murmurs. “Look at you, my love. How did I get so lucky?”

Janis blushes violently and leans down to kiss her. “You look incredible. And you got your swishy skirt.”

“I know, lookit!” Cady says happily, taking a step back and shaking her hips to show off the excellent swish. Janis chuckles lovingly and snatches her back in.

“You’re adorable. Should we go?” Janis asks, kissing Cady’s nose. She distantly registers a flash from the camera.

“Do we have to?” Cady whines quietly. “Can’t I just be alone with my wife?”

Janis grins. “Later. Don’t you want to see if the cake was worth it?”

Cady perks up a little bit at that. “Oh, yeah! Okay, yeah, let’s go.”

————-

Kevin announces their arrival at the reception, which is happening in exactly the same place at the ceremony but with a new massive tent put up to keep away bugs. Surprisingly, Kevin is doing an excellent job. They gave him the rule of ‘no original material’ which has kept them mostly safe. He’s honestly not a bad DJ.

Janis and Cady enter hand in hand to the cheers of their friends and family and head to the floor for their first dance. They chose Tale as Old as Time from Beauty and the Beast, the first song they ever danced to together as a couple way back in high school.

They sway gently around and stare into each other’s eyes. Janis notices Cady whispering things under her breath as they move.

“What are you saying?” She murmurs gently against Cady’s lips.

“I love you,” Cady whispers back. “In all the languages I know. And the ones I don’t.”

Janis smiles at her. “I love you so much. In all the languages I speak.”

“All two?” Cady chuckles. Janis nods.

“And the rest that I don’t. I love you more than any language could say,” Janis murmurs.

“Stop trying to be cuter than me, it’s working too well,” Cady whines. Janis chuckles.

“I’m not trying to, it’s just happening,” she whispers. Cady rolls her eyes but presses in for another kiss. The song comes to an end and they begrudgingly break apart for their parent dances. Janis dances with her mom and sister while Cady dances with her parents. Janis looks almost longingly at the photos of her dad and Rhys. She and Cady wish their whole families could’ve been present, but they’ve definitely felt them around all day.

After the dances it’s time for cake, Janis’ other big reveal. Cady looks very impressed with what she managed to put together. Even after The Incident, Janis went with three tiers. Lemon on the bottom, chocolate fudge cake in the middle, and white on the top. Janis refused to allow fondant anywhere near it, so the cake is covered in white buttercream and has a rainbow of frosting flowers spiraling up the sides diagonally.

Cady pouts when they have to cut into its beauty. They carefully cut out a piece and grab the forks, feeding each other the first bite. They both independently decide to try to smear the first one on each other’s face, but both laugh and actually taste it with the second.

Cady tenderly wipes some stray frosting off of Janis’ cheek and pulls her in for yet another kiss as the party goes on around them. “Today was perfect.”

Janis nods in agreement, kissing her back gently. “It was. I love you, wifey.”

“I love you too, wifey,” Cady giggles. “So much.”

They chat lightly with their guests for a while as everyone dances and celebrates, until Janis notices Cady slip out of the tent alone. Obviously Janis follows.

It’s sprinkling lightly, just barely a drizzle. Cady stands in the center of the clearing and looks up to the sky. Janis gently comes up to hug her from behind so she doesn’t startle her wife.

“Whatcha doing?” She murmurs, kissing up and down Cady’s neck gently. Cady gives a happy shudder and leans back into her.

“Checking for that,” Cady replies, pointing to the sky. Janis is confused until she looks up and sees a rainbow stretching across the sky. “And I needed a minute.”

“There’s two,” Janis realizes after looking for a second. “Look above it.”

“How fitting,” Cady breathes happily, observing the faint second rainbow just barely visible. “Thanks, nature.”

Janis chuckles and kisses her cheek. Cady turns around to face her, resting her head against Janis’ shoulder and starting to dance.

“I said we’d dance in the rain again, now we have to,” she whispers. Janis sways them back and forth as gently as she can, knowing Gretchen would have to be restrained from homicide if they got the dresses muddy. “Your vows were so beautiful.”

“So were yours, did you not see me crying?” Janis giggles. “I wrote mine this morning.”

“Really?” Cady asks, pulling back to see her. “I thought you said you already had them.”

“I did, I wrote them again. After last night in the storm,” Janis says lowly. “Everything just fell into place.”

“It did. I love you,” Cady murmurs. Janis bends down to kiss her.

“I love you too,” she says when they pull back for a second. They lean in again, before Damian throws the door to the tent open to look for them.

“Stop being cute and romantic in private, it’s time for speeches,” he insists. “And watch the dresses, princesses.”

“Okay, okay,” Cady chuckles, letting him haul them both back to their loved ones.

Regina actually goes first, giving a beautiful speech about their journey together and the things they’ve all been through, with a good smattering of jokes peppered throughout. Julie goes next and tells a story of a time when she and Janis were much younger and Janis used to sleepwalk. Julie had, evidently, woken up one night to find her sister wandering around her room and occasionally staring at her. Janis flushes in embarrassment, and then groans when she realizes that Damian is up next.

He goes on for a while, but he’s such an entertaining storyteller that nobody minds. Damian first tells the story of the time Janis accidentally broke his nose in middle school with one punch, which makes Cady look at her with raised eyebrows. Janis knows she’s going to have to tell her more of the story later. Then, Damian moves on to the story of how they rescued Cady and forcibly led her to join their little duo and become the perfect gay-fecta.

He closes with, “I’ve said for years that I’m too gay to function, so I’d never thought I’d love two women so much. Caddy, Janjan, congratulations. And remember the intervention.”

The ending is a little ominous, but Cady and Janis both laugh and clap for him as he steps away from the microphone.

The reception continues well into the night, and it’s nearly four in the morning by the time they help each other out of their dresses and fall into bed. Cady cuddles into her wife and stares at the rings adorning their intertwined hands.

Janis relaxes against her and nuzzles in, both of them sighing contently as they have their first married snuggle.

Until Janis suddenly sits bolt upright with wide eyes, startling Cady. “What’s the matter?”

“I’m Josh,” Janis says. “My initials.”

Cady is confused, but then she thinks of Janis’ initials. Janis Olivia Sarkisian-Heron does in fact spell Josh. Cady bursts out laughing as Janis cuddles into her with a whine.

“My poor sweet wife,” Cady giggles hysterically. “You agreed to the name.”

“I didn’t think! I didn’t know it would make me a Josh,” Janis moans.

“Do you want to change it?” Cady says, stroking through Janis’ dark hair and twisting little bits together. Janis shakes her head.

“I can live with it,” Janis sighs. “I like it. It’s our name.”

“I like it too. I’m Cady Jane Sarkisian-Heron now,” Cady replies.

“And someday soon you’ll be Doctor Cady Jane Heron and I get to be your trophy wife,” Janis says happily. Cady bursts into laughter again.

“Wouldn’t I be Doctor Sarkisian-Heron?” She asks once she calms down a bit.

“If you really want to, but I am absolutely not going through all the schooling to get a PhD in math,” Janis says. “The Sarkisian part of you has nothing to do with it. I’m just here for moral support.”

“That’s a good point,” Cady admits. “We should sleep, we have a flight tomorrow.”

“To Africaaaaaaa,” Janis replies, stretching the end as long as she can. Cady giggles and cuddles her closer.

“You’re a goof. I love you,” she whispers, tipping them onto their sides and resting her forehead against her wife’s. Janis pouts at the lack of kisses, so Cady peppers a few on her lips until she’s satisfied.

“I love you too,” Janis murmurs back. “Goodnight wife.”

“Goodnight Josh.”

“Hey!”

hope you enjoyed!

request status is still the same, but I am making progress and hope to have them re-opened soon.

thanks for reading!

lots of love,

ezzy

#cadnis #paint by numbers #space safari #cady heron x janis sarkisian #cady x janis #cady heron #janis sarkisian #damian hubbard #aaron samuels #regina george #gretchen wieners #karen smith #mean girls #mean girls broadway #mean girls musical

11 notes · View notes

atinydise · 4 years

Text

Ateez doing a YouTube video with their s/o

❦ Genre: Fluff/Crackhead.

❦ Pairing: OT8.

❦ Word count: 13k5.

❦ Masterlist.

HONGJOONG - Make-up video

You looked at Hongjoong. He was staring at you as well. Without saying anything. After this long silence, both of you laughed out loud. “Stop staring at me like that!” You ordered him playfully. “But it’s weird! We never did this together!” He giggled. “Yes, true.” You smiled. “Anyway! Hello guys welcome back to my channel! Today as a special guest we have…” You pointed at your boyfriend. “Kim Hongjoong! Yaaay!” “This is weird.” He laughed. “Just say hi idiot.” “Hi guys this is Kim Hongjoong!” He introduced politely. “Today, he will do my make up,” you smiled and clapped enthusiastically. You sat down on the chair you brought and tied your hair on a messy bun. Hongjoong was standing in front of you, choosing a foundation. “It’s going to be terrible.”

“Come on… you’re an idol, you put a lot of make up!” “Yes, but I never did it on myself than imagine on you.” He gulped. Your boyfriend applied carefully the first layer of make-up. “You’re doing pretty good.” After that, he looked for a concealer and an eyeshadow. “Gosh, how many palettes you have?” “Just choose 2 or 3 shades.” You pointed at the peach one. “Okay okay, I think I’m doing well.” He complimented himself. “I’m impatient and scared to see the results.” You laughed. “Stop moving!” He scolded you, “I can’t apply it correctly.” You giggled, seeing your boyfriend so focused, “then don’t be so harsh! I feel like my eyeball will roll on the floor!” Few minutes later, Hongjoong claimed that he was done. “Really? You forgot the lipstick.” “I don’t want to.” You stared at your boyfriend, “why?” “Because when I kiss you it goes on my lips.” You chuckled shyly, “okay I got it. Then can I see the final result?” Hongjoong hide his face on his hands. While you grabbed a mirror. “Oh wow. This is actually really good.” You said surprised. “Ah really?” “Yes! You did pretty good.” You stared at your reflection. “Mission accomplished!” You giggled and turned back to your camera. “Well, I hope you enjoyed the video and hit the like button if you want more videos with this boy.” You pointed again at your boyfriend. “See you in another video!” You waved with Hongjoong.

SEONGHWA - Mukbang video

“Hey hey hey*!” You greeted, waving at the camera. “Are you an Itzy member?” Asked Seonghwa. You looked away, ashamed by his joke. “I’ll cut this part out.” He smiled widely, proud of him. “Hello guys! I hope you’re doing well!” You looked at Seonghwa, “we are here today for a Mukbang** video!” He showed all the food in front of you. “I guess that you’re hungry because you forgot to introduce yourself.” “Oh yeah sorry! I’m Park Seonghwa, Y/N’s boyfriend.” He bowed politely. You giggled softly, “So as I said, we are going to do a Mukbang! Of course, we won’t just eat. Seonghwa will talk about his idol life and why not revealing few secrets?” You glanced at him. “I have no secret.” He replied. “Yes, sure. Liar.” You started. He shook his head. “So, what do you want to eat first?” You asked. “Oh, and yeah! Everything here is spicy guys.” “Nice! Let’s start with Ttoekbokki***.” Both of you started to eat, slightly minding about the spiciness. “So, tell us something about your life?” You initiated. “Hum… it’s a totally different lifestyle that I had before. Thanks to KQ, we have our free weekends, except during promotions, but the week is totally full and exhausting.” He wrapped his arm around you. “So full that I can barely see this cutie.” He pouted. “Yeah true.” You ate a piece of meat. “But there’s good points of course. We go on tour all around the world and we have so much people supporting and loving us unconditionally.” “Yeah,” you added grabbing a piece of chicken this time. “Are you listening to me? You’re only eating!” He laughed. “You talk… I eat.” You replied, your mouth almost full of meat. Seonghwa continued to talk about his career and his dreams, picking food sometimes. “So please continue to support us!” he smiled, thumbs up. “Oh my god… I’m full.” You complained, rubbing your belly. “Of course, you are. You ate 60% of the food here, by yourself!” You stuck your tongue out at him. “Anyway, guys this is the end of this Mukbang with Seonghwa.” You pouted. “But like and subscribe to Y/N’s channel if you want more content like this!” He added. “Wow you’re doing pretty good.” “Why are you surprised? We have a YouTube channel too.” He said. “Oh yes, with your failed ASMR.” You teased him. He started at you, outraged. “How dare you!” “Bye bye!” You waved at the camera.

*Reference to Icy intro by Itzy.

**Mukbang: It’s a YouTube trend from South Korea. It consist to eat loads of food while narrating and interacting with their audience.

***Tteokbokki: is a Korean traditional food which has sticks of rounded rice cake as the main ingredient.

YUNHO - Rate My Outfit

Yunho crawled slowly in front of the camera, showing his big forehead. “You look like a thumb.” You claimed behind him. “A what?” He laughed out loud. “I’m sure they will think about this too.” You giggled. “Introduce the video before I quit!” he teased you. You turned to your camera and claimed. “Hello beautiful people! Today I will do a ‘Rate my outift’ with my boyfriend Yunho.” You clapped at him, happily. “Hello guys!” He waved at the camera. “Are you ready?” “More than ready.” He replied. “Okay let’s go.” You went to your room and wore the first outfit you prepared for the video. It was a casual light and long dress. You added a matched shirt underneath. “Close your eyes!” You placed in front of him, posing a little bit. “Open it now.” “Oh! You’re cute with this. It reminds me our first date. You wore something similar.” “Aw, I’m surprised you remember this.” You smiled cutely. “But rate my outfit.” “7/10, I don’t really like the pattern of the dress. Something else will fits you more.” “Okay…” you said a little bit disappointed. “Then 2nd outfit!” You rushed back to your room to wear a blue pants, a light purple top and white sneakers. “Open your eyes.” You hopped impatiently. Yunho stared at you intensely. “I’ll give it an 8,5/10.” “Better than the first one.” You shrugged. “I would like this outfit a little bit more with heels. You would look so good!” “Oh, why not, I didn’t think about that.” “That’s why I’m here.” He added proudly. “Okay another outfit.” This time, you decided to expose more skin to surprise Yunho. You took a tight black dress slightly opened on the right. You added 3 necklaces to decorate your V-Neck. You hesitated to wear heels but finally you did. “Okay…. Open your eyes on 3…2…1” You stood up in front of him. “Now!” You immediately saw the he was shock. And completely froze. “So?” You turned around. “10/10?” “0/10.” He stood up in front of the camera, blocking the view. “What are you-” “No one except me can see this outfit! You’re exposing too much skin young lady!” “Yunho,” you chuckled. “Thank you for watching this video, it will end earlier than excepted! Bye bye!” He waved at the camera, still hiding your body.

YEOSANG - Ateez Answer MV Reaction

“Hi guys! Here’s another video with a special guest to-” you started. Yeosang stared at you, “This is so cliché.” “Here’s another video with a special and annoying guest: Kang Yeosang!” You introduced your boyfriend. “Hello,” he simply greeted. “Hello? Just hello?” “You already introduced me.” You looked at the camera, “Annoying was the good word I guess.” Yeosang smirked lightly. “Today we are going to react to ATEEZ new comeback!” You shouted happily. “Are you exited?” “Not really. I know I’m handsome.” “Oh my god this boy…” you rolled your eyes. “I’m done with you.” “I know.” He smiled proudly. “Anyway, let’s go!” You played the video and waited impatiently. “You don’t ask me why it’s called Answer?” he paused right away. “Why it’s called Answer?” “I don’t know, let’s go.” He played again. You scoffed, “idiot…” The MV started, you were already immersed by the set. “Who’s this?” You asked when you saw the guy in white. “No idea.” He lied. “Wow San!” You clapped happily. “Shouldn’t you clap only for me?” He asked. “There’s no reaction rules.” You tickled his chin. The music video continued, you were already jamming to Mingi and Hongjoong’s rap verse. “This is so good!” Yeosang nodded, proud of his members. “The choreo! Please! This is awesome!” You claimed at the chorus. Just after that, Yeosang had his part. “Look at my man!” You hyped him. “So gorgeous! Visual for sure!” “I know I know… I snapped.” Both of you were focused on the rest of the MV. You were shock when you saw the scene with the real and fake ATEEZ. “How did they do that?” “No idea, but it’s so cool.” You clapped when the MV ended. “This is a BOP! Guys! I’m so proud of you.” “Thank you. I’m proud of us too.” “And the set, the outfits, the choreography, are just incredible.” “We all did a good job but I’m the best.” You looked away, ignoring your boyfriend, “anyway! I hope y’all loved the video. You should really check out their new MV by yourselves!” “Don’t forget to like and subscribe. And give love to us for this comeback. Love you Atiny!” He made a cute heart in front of the camera. “So cliché,” you giggled.

SAN - FAQ (Frequently asked questions)

“1…2…3” you counted. “Hello everyone!” San and you shouted together. “Here a couple FAQ video!” you started. “With San!” Added your boyfriend. “You were a bunch asking me some question about my relationship with San.” You said. “If you guys don’t know, someone uploaded a video of us while we were on a date.” San claimed happily, “so now that it’s official, we can do this video!” You smiled at your boyfriend, “Yes! Let’s start with the first question.” San grabbed your phone, “Okay, who did the first move and why?” You pointed at him, “completely San. I would never flirt with an idol. Or anyone else.” “To be honest, I noticed her a bunch of times at our fansigns. She was always so happy to see us. One day I slipped my phone number on her album.” “Too much charm for you huh?” You smiled widely at him. “Okay next question.” He ignored you playfully. “Who is the most jealous one?” You stared at him. “Don’t look at me like that because you are the jealous one! I can feel your stare on every girl who’s looking at me.” He laughed. “I hate seeing them looking at him.” You confessed. “Your thoughts on couple outfit?” Asked San, reading the question. “Hum… we never tried yet but we bought the same sneakers last month.” You replied. “How the members reacted when San introduced you?” He read. “They were pretty happy for me.” Replied your boyfriend. “They found Y/N really nice and cool.” You smirked proudly. “Who loves each other the most?” You read the question. Both of you stared at each other. “Both. Or maybe me.” Replied San. “What? No!” You turned around to face him. “You can’t even imagine how I love you.” He whispered, giving you this smile which made you melt every time. “Aaw…” was everything you could say. “This is too cute.” “And it’s the truth.” He grabbed your chin to kiss your cheek. You giggled slightly and focused back on the camera. “On these good words, we will end this video for today!” “We hope you enjoyed this video and if yes, then subscribes and like this video.” Said San thumbs up. “What a pro,” you chuckled.

MINGI - ATEEZ album unboxing video

“Do you want to introduce the video?” You asked your boyfriend, sitting on the couch next to you. “Sure!” he replied enthusiastically. “Hello everyone. We are back today with your favorite YouTuber… and Y/N!” he added. “Why are you rapping?” you teased him. “I don’t!” “I’m kidding big baby.” You pinched his cheeks. “So we are back and for an unboxing video!” You grabbed the album on your shelf. “Say hi to ATEEZ new physical album.” Mingi clapped next to you, “it’s so pretty.” You opened carefully the album, “Wow… this is so cool.” “Let’s go straight to my pictures!” claimed your boyfriend. “No! I want to see other members’ pictures too!” You slapped his hand. “Then look at the photocards.” “No! Why are you so impatient?” You laughed. “I want to see if they chose the best pictures.” He stomped. You turned the pages slowly, looking at every member. “Wow look at Yunho! He looks so good.” You showed at the camera. “Yes, yes…” muttered your boyfriend. You continued until your man’s pictures. “Should we skip your pictures and look at Wooyoung and Jongho?” You teased him. “No!” He almost ripped the photobook of your hand and turned the page. “Look how lucky you have this beautiful boyfriend!” he stared at you, proud of himself. You simply shrugged, “yes I guess.” “Yes I guess? That’s all you have to say?” he looked at you. “I’m kidding.” You laughed out loud. “You’re handsome!” You continued to turn the pages, with Mingi who was claiming that he was the prettiest one. “So, for the photocard… we have…” Mingi drummed on his laps. “Tugutugutugutugu-“ “Mingi!” You giggled. “Really?” He grabbed the photocard. “Kidding, it’s Hongjoong.” “I hate you… you’re always mean with me.” “Love you too Princess.” Mingi pouted, “I’m going to ask KQ to put more photocards of me.” “Sure… anyway, it’s the end of this unboxing video. Like & subscribe for another video like this-” “I won’t comeback because you are bullying me.” He looked away. “Big baby…” you waved at the camera, ignoring him.

WOOYOUNG - Jelly Belly Challenge

“I’m scared…” laughed Wooyoung holding the pack of Jellybeans. “Me too, it’s probably a bad idea.” You said. “Let’s do it,” started Wooyoung. “Hello everyone! Welcome back to my channel! Today we are going to do the Jelly Belly Challenge!” You introduce the topic. “For people who ignore what is it, it’s a game where you can get a good taste as peach or a terrible one as vomit…” he explained disgusted. “Let’s go!” You claimed happily but a bit anxious. “Let’s turn the wheel.” “Not white please, not white.” Prayed Wooyoung. “Green!” You shouted. “Pear or grass… not too bad.” You picked 2 green beans and gave one to your boyfriend. “Ready?” “Not at all.” “Go!” Both of you shoved the bean in your mouth. “PEAR!” You shouted. Wooyoung grabbed the bottle of water in front of him, “grass.” He sipped disgusted. “I forgot how unlucky you were.” You laughed at him. “This is disgusting how did they do that?” he asked. “Okay, the next taste.” “Red one,” he said, looking at the wheel. “Strawberry or dead fish.” “Oh gosh…” Once again you gave a candy to your boyfriend and ate it instantly. “Strawberry!” you danced happily. “Straw-“ his expression changed immediately. “DEAD FISH!” Wooyoung rushed to the trash can off camera. You couldn’t stop laughing at him. “I don’t want to play this game anymore.” He yelled from the bathroom. Sadly for him, you had a dozen of rounds after that. Wooyoung was the one who got the most of terrible taste. “Okay last round: peach or vomit.” You said seriously. Without thinking twice, you ate the bean. Unexpectedly, both of you got: “VOMIT!” Wooyoung spitted the candy on the trash again, drinking water while you ran to the bathroom, probably to throw up for real. “What is this game!” Shouted Wooyoung, drinking your bottle as well. “Are you okay Y/N?” He asked, still disgusted. The only sound he heard was you flushing the toilet. “Well. See you guys in another video! Subscribe-” he almost threw up. “and like! And please don’t play this game!” he warned before turning off the camera.

JONGHO - Playlist of my life

“Hello everyone, welcome back to my channel!” You greeted and waved at the camera. “Today, with Jongho we are going to play, ‘compose the playlist of my life’.” You said. “Y/N is going to give me 6 songs and I’ll tell her if it’s on my ‘On repeat’ playlist.” Added Jongho thumbs up. “I think I’ll fail. I don’t even know Korean songs who aren’t K-pop.” You started. “It’s okay, 6 should be okay.” Reassured Jongho. “Okay then let’s go!” You shouted at the camera. You thought a bit of which songs he was listening to these days, but you couldn’t remember even one. “The Weeknd… Blinding lights?” You tried. “Correct!” He said. “I think this is the only one that I will get.” “Just try come on! The one that I listen to every morning.” He gave you a hint. “CANDY! By Baekhyun!” You shouted. “See! You’re doing good.” He smiled. “This is my all-time songs right now.” “Oh wait! I just thought about this one! Grenade by Bruno Mars.” Jongho crossed his arms, “wrong. But nice try.” “I’m sure there’s an ATEEZ song but which one I don’t know…” you bite your lip. “2nd hint… there’s 2.” “Star 1117.” “Correct.” “Say my name?” You hesitated. “Wrong.” “Oh gosh this is too hard.” “Earlier than Say my name.” He gave you another hint. “OH! Treasure!” you exclaimed. “Correct.” “I should have thought about it.” “2 lasts songs.” He smirked. You stared at the camera, desperately. “I wish you could help me guys, I’m pretty sure Atiny would end this game in 2 minutes.” “You can do it. If you guess the 2 songs before the end of the video, I’ll buy you a Boba.” “Lauv! I like me better!” You guessed immediately. “Correct!” “Okay last one… BTS?” You waited for a hint. “Yes.” “Friends?” “Wrong! But it’s in the same album.” “My time!” You shouted sure of your answer. “Yes!” “Yay!” You stomped happily. “I’ll get a Boba after this hard work,” you said, laying lazily on the couch. “See, this wasn’t so difficult.” He smiled. “You listen a bunch of OST too, but I can’t remember even one title song.” “Shame on you,” he pouted. “Hope you enjoyed this short video guys! If you want more videos like this give us a like and subscribe!” You waved at the camera. “Bye bye!” Jongho made a whole heart with his arms. “So kitschy,” you chuckled.

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