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holylulusworld · 19 days

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Gun for hire (1)

Summary: You’re his next target. Nothing else. Right?

Pairing: Lloyd Hansen x fem!Reader

Warnings: hiring a killer, Lloyd being Lloyd, being followed, sunshine reader

Gun for hire (Prologue)

Gun for hire masterlist

Lloyd curses himself once again.

He still didn’t get his money. His newest client is an annoying piece of shit. And on top of the pile of shit, this assignment turned into, the exotic beard wax he wanted to order was sold out.

In other words. Lloyd Hansen is fucking livid.

This doesn’t keep him from following his latest target around town.

So far you went to work, bought a muffin on your way to the library, and talked to the librarian for half an hour.

Lloyd yawns, bored beyond belief. He never followed such a boring person. Most of the people he killed were criminals, or at least interesting. You’re just…too nice.

You made it your mission to visit the elderly librarian every day after work to make sure she gets her extra portion of sugar – hence the muffin you bought. Plus, you try to make her feel needed by asking questions about books you already read.

He’s close to calling it a day when a man walks past you and the librarian. The man bumps into your side and has the guts to yell at you.

Lloyd pokes his head around the shelf he is hiding behind to watch you smile at the man. He can’t believe that you smile at a man yelling at you not moments ago.

“Crazy,” he concludes but decides to watch you for a little longer. Assignment or not, he’s got nothing better to do today.

“Sir,” you carefully pat the man’s arm while you speak to him in a low, but soft tone. “Your day must have been hard.” You batt your eyelashes, and smile again. “Otherwise, you wouldn’t have been so rude, right?”

The man suddenly smiles and apologizes repeatedly. The man’s whole demeanor changed so suddenly Lloyd could not believe his eyes.

“Drugs maybe…or a hidden gun?” Lloyd wonders. No man ever changed their opinion so fast without being under the influence of drugs, or in danger. “That woman must be the devil in disguise or something. She must be more dangerous than I first thought.”

“Come on, do something more exciting,” Lloyd grunts as your daily routine drives him up the walls. He looks at his notes again and sighs deeply.

He rereads his notes and tries to find new information.

“Work. Buying something sweet for Grace, the elderly librarian. Talking to said librarian for half an hour. Going home. Watching TV.”

This is not how imagined his Friday night would look like. He wanted to spend it at his favorite strip club, a pretty girl’s mouth wrapped around his dick.

“She’s so…” he rubs his tired eyes, “boring. I can’t believe someone wants to kill her.” Lloyd ignores the kink in his neck and his burning eyes, or the fact that he’s watching you giggle at something your elderly neighbor said. “I hate her so much.”

He could just end your life or call it a day, but he keeps on watching you smile and giggle. “She’s a fucking ray of sunshine. What the fuck!”

Lloyd shakes his head. Today someone spilled coffee all over your pretty sundress. Your boss yelled at you. And you lost your phone.

Nothing seems to ruin your mood. You are still laughing and joking with your neighbor.

“I should just go over there and kill them both. Less headache for me – a house and a car for my client,” Lloyd is tempted to get his gun and silencer out to shoot you and your neighbor. “Maybe later. I need to unlock her phone first…”

Lloyd rolls his eyes while scrolling through your phone. There are mostly pictures of bees, flowers, and cake on your phone. No interesting or naughty stuff.

“This woman can’t be real. She buys sweets for the librarian; cooks soup for her sick neighbor and has a fucking insect hotel on her veranda. She’s crazy…this must be it.”

He nods to himself. “I need to find out more about her. Maybe some files are password-protected. I know she’s hiding shit from me.”

“Boss, it’s two weeks,” one of Lloyd’s men dares to say. “He didn’t pay.” The man clears his throat. “The woman is still alive too. What is your plan?”

“I need to find out more about her,” Lloyd grunts. He doesn’t need one of his bootlickers to sniff around and find out Lloyd is following you because he’s fascinated and a little grossed out by your bubbly personality.

Your friendliness is hard to stomach, and he wants to find at least one thing you try to hide before he kills you.

“Boss, he didn’t pay,” the man insists. “We don’t work for free. That’s rule number—” A gunshot ends the man’s life.

“Rule number four is to never doubt me and my decisions,” Lloyd sneers at the dead man on the ground. He snaps his fingers at one of the others. “Clean this up. I got a job to do.”

“Boss…” the man nods and goes to work.

“And bring me her boyfriend. He broke our contract and didn’t pay me a single buck. I want to know why he believes he can fuck with Lloyd fucking Hansen.”

“What are you doing at my house?” You take a step back. A stranger is standing in your living room, a gun with a silencer aimed at your head. “Oh…Tommie.” You shake your head and sigh. “He’s such an unhappy man.”

Lloyd cocks a brow at your reaction. You don’t scream or beg. Instead, you are concerned about your ex-boyfriend.

“He doesn’t have the money to pay me back for the house and car,” you conclude and nod to yourself. “But he has the money to pay you?”

You take a step toward Lloyd, taking him by surprise. He backpaddles and aims his gun back at you.

“You don’t look like a guy he found on the street and paid him twenty bucks. You look like a…” You tilt your head to look the man in front of you up and down, “professional.”

“Sorry, but you got to go…” He murmurs, wondering a little about his words. It’s the first time he said more to a target than hello and goodbye.

“Uh-okay,” you wring your hands. “I just ordered takeout. Can I eat it before you kill me?” You cock a brow. “You know, the whole last meal thing and stuff. I got dessert too. Please don’t let me die hungry.”

Lloyd is stunned. No target ever accepted their fate without fighting back. Most of them at least begged and pleaded or offered more money.

“You can have some dessert too,” you softly say. “I guess in your line of business you don’t often get invited.” You giggle. “You know, because you kill all of your clients.”

“I don’t kill my clients,” he sighs. “Fine, have your last meal. You are giving me a fucking headache, sunshine.”

“Aw, that’s a cute nickname,” you point out. “Do you call your girlfriend that too?” You ask while walking past Lloyd. “I’m going to eat now. Please don’t shoot me before I finish my meal.”

“Just shut up,” he grunts and follows you inside the kitchen. “Why are you not screaming or throwing a tantrum?”

You shrug. “We all must die one day. Right?” Watching Lloyd, you smile. “Please don’t shoot me in the face. Someone must identify me, and I don’t want them to see me like that.”

“You always think about others first.”

He watches you prepare two plates of food. You watch him watching you. He cocks a brow, believing you will try to trick him. “It’s not poisoned. I’ll eat it too.”

“Do you want to sort things out first?”

“I got everything sorted out,” you smile. “I’m just worried about my neighbor and the stray cat I feed. They are both old and need help.”

Lloyd shakes his head. “You must be crazy thinking about others while a stranger threatens to kill you.”

“I thought you wanted to kill me, not just threaten me,” you round the counter to place a plate close to him. “I didn’t take you for someone making empty promises.” You run your fingertips over the hand holding the gun and smile. “Right. Mr.…?”

“Lloyd,” he says and drops his eyes to your finger running over his hand. “Are you flirting with me?”

You look him straight in the eyes and smile. “Why would I flirt with my executioner?”

Gun for hire (2)

Tags in reblog.

#lloyd hansen #lloyd hansen x reader #lloyd hansen x you #lloyd hansen x y/n #Gun for hire (1)#x reader

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lemoncrushh · 2 months

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Tattooed Heart - Part II

SUMMARY: You are a cocktail waitress at a swanky lounge. Harry comes in one night, and you instantly dislike him. But another encounter eventually changes your opinion.

PAIRING: Waitress Y/N x Artist/Tattoo Artist Harry

TROPES: Enemies to Lovers

MUST BE 18+ TO READ

WORD COUNT: 3799

STORY PAGE

The pavement was wet from the rain as you stepped onto the curb. You cursed yourself for wearing your best shoes, knowing you’d have blisters by the time you got home. Looking up at the sky, you noticed the rain had let up, so you quickly shut your umbrella, eyeing the cafe in front of you. The HELP WANTED sign in the window caught your attention. With a sigh, you pulled open the door. If you couldn’t find a job today, at least you could dry off with a latte and a muffin.

“What can I get you?” asked the woman behind the counter.

“Yes, I saw your sign up front? What’s the job?”

The older man who had his back to you called out, “You got experience?”

“Uh, yes sir, if you mean waiting tables.”

The man turned around, his face expressionless. “What about cash register?”

“Yes, sir, I’ve done that too. All kinds of retail and customer service.”

“Any days you aren’t available? I need weekends.”

“Yes, sir. I mean…no sir, I’m free everyday.”

“Good. Fill this out.” The man reached behind the counter and pulled out an application, then grabbed a pen from a nearby jar, handing them both to you.

“Thank you,” you grinned. “Oh. And can I get a vanilla latte and a blueberry muffin?”

After paying for your order, you sat down at the nearest table to begin filling out the application. You were nearly halfway through it when a shadow fell over your paper and you heard a familiar voice.

“I don’t believe it.”

Looking up, you saw him standing next to the counter. He wore a black hoodie and shorts, his windblown hair pushed back by sunglasses.

“Oh for fuck’s sake,” you muttered, gripping the pen tightly. If it had been a pencil, it would have snapped. “What are you doing here?”

“Um…it’s a cafe. I’m getting coffee.”

Pursing your lips, you shifted your chair so you were facing away from him. You heard him order a flat white before his sneakered feet squeaked past you to a table by the window. You grimaced as you watched him open his backpack and pull out a laptop.

“Here you are ma’am,” said the woman who had been behind the counter.

“Thank you,” you smiled up at her as she set your coffee and muffin on the table. Then she walked over to Harry, serving him his order.

“I can’t believe this,” you mumbled to yourself, knowing he had no plans to leave any time soon.

Trying your best to concentrate, you managed to get to the last page of the application before raising your head to find Harry staring at you.

“Do you mind?” you asked, narrowing your eyes.

“Looking for a job?”

You couldn’t tell if he was being facetious or genuine.

“What do you care?” you grumbled.

“I…” he began before changing his mind with a shrug. Then he took a sip of his coffee and returned his attention to his computer.

Signing your name at the bottom of the application, you rose from your chair to turn it in.

“Why’d you leave your last job?” asked the man after he scanned your paper.

Your stomach went sour, your throat closing up. You’d dreaded that question all day. Seemed no one wanted to give a smart-mouth cocktail waitress a second chance.

“It just…wasn’t the right fit for me,” you replied.

“After two years? Zelda’s huh? That some fancy joint?”

“Yes, sir.”

“And you think this coffee shop is a better fit?” the man chuckled.

“I don’t know. But I’d like the chance to try.”

Hesitating, the man shrugged. “I’m gonna need a good reference. Is it alright to call your last employer?”

“Oh. Uh…” You thought you might throw up. “I don’t-”

“I can vouch for her, Stan.”

You swung around, incredulous to what you’d just heard. He was vouching for you?

“You know this young lady, Harry?” asked Stan.

“Yeah.” Harry stood up and walked over to you. “Celebrated my birthday at Zelda’s, and she was my waitress.”

“Oh?”

Harry looked you straight in the eye and said, “She was brilliant. Best waitress I ever had.”

If your knees hadn’t just about buckled then, you might have noticed your jaw dropping. What?!

“Well, that’s good enough for me,” offered Stan. “Tell you what. Come back tomorrow. Ten o’clock. We’ll see if it’s a good fit.”

You couldn’t believe your ears. Did Harry just help you get a job?

“Thank you,” you let out a breath and quickly beamed at Stan. “See you then.”

Although he remained standing near your table, you couldn’t bring yourself to look at Harry as you gathered your things, gulping down the last of your coffee. Then swinging your purse over your shoulder, you turned for the exit.

“Y/N,” you heard him say, but rather than make the situation more awkward, you merely muttered a quick thanks.

It wasn’t until you were out the door that you heard him call you again, this time louder.

“Y/N!”

With a deep sigh, you stopped walking. Harry caught up to you, something of yours in his hand.

“You forgot your umbrella,” he explained.

“Oh. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

As you took it from him, your hands brushed, sending an unexpected electric current through your skin. You finally looked at him then, his eyes sincere. For the first time, you noticed they were a light green, a darker circle lining the irises. The wind whipped around you, and you caught a whiff of his…cologne? Perhaps it was just soap or some kind of body wash. Either way, he smelled nice. Clean. Like he’d just showered, though he’d skipped the shave. You noted the facial hair on his top lip and along his jaw, and found yourself wondering how many unshaven days it took to grow.

Suddenly, you stepped back, worried that you’d been staring and that he’d noticed. Surely, he’d noticed.

“Um…good luck tomorrow,” you heard him say as you pretended to check for something in your bag.

“Oh. Yeah. Thanks.” Why was he being so nice?

“Well…see ya,” he gave a slight gesture of his hand before turning back toward the cafe.

“Harry?” you called after him.

“Yeah?”

You took two steps closer to him, but careful to still keep a distance.

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why…did you do that?”

Harry shrugged as though the answer were simple. “I caused you to lose your last job. So I helped you get a new one.”

Unable to respond, you stood still as you watched him reenter the cafe, feeling completely bewildered.

You sat in the small room in the back of the cafe during your break, sipping on a nitro cold brew that your co-worker Jill had taught you how to make. It was only your third day, but so far you liked working there. It definitely wasn’t Zelda’s, but it was better than nothing. The clientele was different to say the least, but you were enjoying the somewhat pleasant and low-key atmosphere.

Stan, the manager, had seemed to take you under his wing. You wondered if it had to do with Harry, and what exactly his relationship was to him. You assumed he was a regular customer at the cafe, though you hadn’t seen him return since you started working there.

As you scrolled through your phone, you suddenly got a text message from Shae.

Look who’s having a special this weekend.

Underneath was a link to Fine Line Ink’s Instagram page. You’d told your roommate about the entire encounter with Harry and how he’d basically helped you get your new job. Shae had wondered why on earth you hadn’t just kissed him right there in the middle of the cafe, but she always was a bit dramatic.

The truth was, you didn’t know how to feel about Harry anymore. Your head told yourself you still hated him, that he was a dick who was feeling guilty and needed to cleanse his aura. But your gut told you that he was something more than that. That he truly was sorry for getting you fired, and wanted to make amends.

You scrolled through the photos on the Instagram page, beautiful and striking images of ink on skin. Everything from delicate bracelet tats to full back tattoos and sleeves, some in basic black ink, and some in a rainbow of colors. They were all exquisite. He truly was a good tattoo artist.

Checking the time on your phone, you realized your break was over. Tossing your phone in your bag, you returned them to your locker. After a quick stop to the restroom, you stepped out into the cafe to find him sitting at the same table as before, beside the window. This time, however, he didn’t have his laptop, but rather an iPad, a stylus pencil in his hand. Jill had just set down his flat white when she gasped.

“Wow, that’s gorgeous!” she exclaimed. Then looking up, she saw you. “Y/N, c’mere, you have to see this!”

You shuffled hesitantly over to Harry’s table where he sat with his back to you. Gazing over his shoulder, you saw that he had drawn a raven. The detail was so intricate, down to the branches, flowers and moon. You almost felt as though if you were to reach out and touch the drawing, you could feel the bird’s feathers.

“Isn’t it amazing?” asked Jill.

“Stunning,” you breathed.

“He’s a tattoo artist. I keep telling him I’m gonna come get a tattoo from him, but I’m too chicken,” Jill laughed as she made her way back to the counter.

A couple at a corner table got up to leave then, so you quickly walked over to clean it. As you moved the sugar container, you heard your name. You looked up at him quizzically, though you didn’t say a word.

“How’s the job going so far?” he asked.

“It’s good,” you nodded sharply.

“I’m glad. I come here at least twice a week. Have been for a long time. Stan and Carol are good people.”

“Yeah…I…I can tell.” Carol, you’d learned the other day, was the woman who had been behind the counter when you’d walked in. She was Stan’s wife.

The door opened then and a young woman entered. You secretly hoped you could go help her as an excuse to stop talking to Harry, but Jill beat you to it.

“Do you…need another coffee?” you asked him as he lifted his cup.

He gave you a smirk. “Just got this one.”

“Oh. Right. Anything else?”

“No, I’m good.” Taking a slow sip, he watched you over his cup.

You gave a curt nod before returning to the counter. It was a fairly slow afternoon, and other than a handful of customers who came and went with their coffees to go, you didn’t have much to do. Jill continued to train you on a few more things, and you were grateful for the distraction. Because even though he wasn’t doing anything other than drawing on his iPad and sipping his coffee, Harry’s presence was getting to you.

Making the rounds, you refilled napkin dispensers and Sweet & Low packets, all while sneaking looks at what Harry was drawing. You didn’t know why it even mattered to you, but something about his art was captivating. You watched as his pencil glided across the screen, how he’d sometimes use his thumb and forefinger to zoom in and out. Once, you caught a view of a scene he was drawing - not just one focal point, but rather a series of buildings along a city street, nightfall in the background. Each building had various windows lit up, as well as street lamps. If you hadn’t known better, you’d have thought it was a photograph.

Sometime in the process, you finally took notice of his fingers, how long and slender they were. You paid attention to the way they moved and flexed as he drew, and most importantly, how nearly each one was adorned with some kind of ring. Lost in thought, you almost missed it when he lifted his head to look at you.

“It’s so easy to watch him, isn’t it?” remarked Jill, saving you from embarrassment as she stood next to you. “Sometimes I forget where I am!”

Clearing your throat, you grabbed the rag you were cleaning with and stuffed it in your apron. Then as you finished with the last napkin dispenser, you caught a small smile curling on Harry’s mouth.

Finally, an hour later - an hour and eleven minutes to be exact - Harry slipped his iPad into his backpack and zipped it shut. Pretending to busy yourself behind the muffins, you watched as he slipped his arms through. Then shoving his hand in his pocket, he pulled out his wallet, grabbing a couple of bills and leaving them on the table. As he made his way toward the door, he gave a small wave.

“Goodnight, ladies,” he said.

“Bye, Harry,” Jill called. As soon as he was outside, she slumped against the counter. “Oh my God, I hate when he’s here. I can hardly function!”

Holding back a chuckle, you asked, “Does he just come here to draw?”

“Mostly, yeah. Or sometimes he works on his website. He doesn’t just do tattoos. Like, that’s his livelihood and he’s really good at it. But he’s like…a legit artist.”

“Oh,” you sounded. “You mean, like in a gallery?”

“Mmhmm. I think he had some sort of exhibit a few weeks ago. It’s on his website if you wanna check it out. Harry Styles art dot com.”

Huh. So there was more to Harry than just some drunk prick at a bar. You were anxious to get your phone and look up his website.

“Oh my God!” Jill gasped from the table Harry had just left.

“What?”

“Harry usually just leaves a couple bucks for tip. He left two twenties!”

“Seriously?” you asked, rounding the counter. Why would he do that? “He only had one coffee, right?”

“Yep. What a sweetie! Here!”

Jill handed you one of the twenties, but you shook your head. “But I didn’t wait on him.”

“Doesn’t matter. We split tips at the end of the night anyway. This saves us time.”

Taking the bill, you mentally added one more reason to your list of why this Harry Styles was more than he seemed. Mysteriously generous. Was it a good thing? Or did he have an angle?

You didn’t know. But you were determined to find out.

Shae had a date. For the first time in forever, you had a Friday night off. It was weird, being in the apartment alone on a weekend night. After making a quick, easy meal and watching a couple of episodes of SVU, you were bored. You thought about visiting your old pal John at Zelda’s, but you didn’t wanna take the chance of running into your former boss.

Tapping on your phone, you opened the last website you’d visited - Harry Styles art dot com. Over the last twenty-four hours, you’d opened it at least half a dozen times. Displayed on the main page were photos from an art exhibit in January, the one that Jill had mentioned. While the art itself had no doubt been exquisite, your eyes kept veering to the photos of the artist. He stood in a suit, much like the one he’d worn at Zelda’a. In fact, he looked very similar to the way he had that night, the main exception being that he didn’t appear to be drunk, nor was he frowning. On the contrary, he was smiling in nearly every photograph. You noted the dimples in his cheeks, the crinkles beside his eyes when he smiled, the five o’clock shadow. Even you had to admit - albeit secretly - he was a very handsome man.

As you had scrolled through the various pictures from that night, you soon came across a handful of him standing next to a woman in a long, champagne colored dress that fit her curves, her hair pulled back in a tight bun. Taking a closer look, you recognized her as the girl at the bar, the one whose ear was attached to Harry’s tongue.

Nicolette.

For some reason you felt a twinge in your stomach. Jealously? Shaking your head free of the notion, you continued to peruse the website. Eventually you came to a link that brought you to the site for Fine Line Ink. There you saw the announcement at the top, advertising thirty percent off all tattoos, and forty percent off body piercing, just like the text Shae had sent you the day before.

Setting down your phone, you thought for a moment. You figured he’d be pretty busy on any Friday, but particularly this Friday with the special. Perhaps it wasn’t a good idea, but somehow you found yourself driving to Fine Line Ink anyway.

The familiar fragrance of incense wafted through your nostrils as soon as you opened the door. Classic rock seemed to be the genre of choice for the evening as Aerosmith pumped through the speakers. You were right in assuming the shop would be busy, as three other customers sat in the waiting area, filling out their forms.

“Hi, how can I help you?” asked a guy who emerged from the back.

“Yeah, um…I don’t really know yet,” you replied. “I just need to talk to Harry…for a second.”

“Oh. Well, he’s in the middle of a tattoo right now.”

“That’s okay,” you grinned. “I can wait.”

“You sure? It may be a while, and he’s pretty booked up. We have other artists who can h-”

“It’s fine,” you held up your hand. “Seriously. I just need to talk to him when he has a minute.”

“O-okay.”

When the guy shuffled away, you took a seat in the waiting area. You scanned the walls, various artwork adorning them until you spotted a large drawing of the Beatles. Had that been there before? Had Harry drawn it? It was really good, the artistic detail spot on.

You watched another man say goodbye to a customer and then bring another one to the back before Harry finally made his way to the front. To call the look on his face surprised when he saw you would have been an understatement. As he chatted a bit with the client he’d just finished, you suddenly felt butterflies in your stomach.

“Hey,” he said when the guy left. “Kyle said someone was waiting to talk to me. I didn’t know it was you.”

“Sorry to disappoint,” you let the words slip from your lips.

Harry shook his head, blinking slowly. “That’s not what I meant.”

You exhaled, hoping your quick response hadn’t offended him. Your reflexes were still on alert. Addressing the other customer who sat next to you, Harry smiled.

“I’ll be right with you, Carlo.”

“Yeah, no problem, man.”

Carlo and Harry both looked at you as Harry gave a tiny grin. “Wanna come back?”

Rising from your chair, you followed Harry through the shop, to the very back where he pushed open a door.

“Come on in,” he gestured.

As he shut the door behind you, you noted the desk in the corner, more artwork on the walls, and bookshelves. Pulling out a chair, Harry asked you to sit.

“Everything going well at the cafe?” he asked you.

“Oh, yeah. It’s fine. Actually, that’s what I came to talk to you about.”

“Yeah?” Harry leaned against his desk, his arms crossed. You noticed how tall he seemed standing while you sat.

“Yes,” you cleared your throat. “I realized I never properly thanked you…for helping me get the job.”

His lips twitched as he held back a smile. Or perhaps a smirk. “Alright.”

With a sigh, you looked up at him. “I’m afraid I haven’t acted very grateful. I let my pride and my ego get in the way when you-”

“Y/N,” Harry interrupted. “It’s okay. You have every right to hate me. Still. I said what I did to Stan because I regretted the way I treated you. You didn’t deserve any of it. It was…the only way I knew to make it up to you.”

“Okay…” you swallowed. “Still…thank you.”

“You’re welcome. But…”

“But what?”

Harry shrugged. “I reckon I should have tried to get you your job back at Zelda’s.”

You smiled, looking down at your hands. “It’s fine.”

“Really? ‘Cause…you can’t possibly be making the tips at the cafe.”

Biting your lip, you lifted your head. “Thanks for that, too, by the way.”

“What?”

“The extra tip yesterday.”

“Who said that was for you?” Harry teased with a smirk.

You couldn’t hide your chuckle.

“Listen…” he continued, placing his hand over his chest. “I feel bad. I was honest when I said that wasn’t me that night.”

You nodded, sliding your palms across your thighs. Were you sweating?

“You’re an artist,” you commented.

“I am.”

“I saw your website. You do beautiful work.”

“Thank you,” Harry grinned.

“I’m sorry I jumped to conclusions.”

Shaking his head again, Harry pulled his chair in front of you and sat down. Then leaning towards you, he seemed to study your face.

“I gave you plenty of reasons to jump to conclusions about me. Can we start over?”

“Start over? What do you mean?”

His dimples dipping in his cheeks, Harry held out his hand. “Hi. I’m Harry Styles.”

Mimicking his grin, you gently shook his hand. “Y/N.”

“Nice to meet you, Y/N. I’m really excited to get to know you better.”

“Really?” you blushed.

“Yes. Do you work tomorrow?”

“I have a morning shift.”

“How about dinner?”

“No, I don’t work the dinner shift,” you shook your head.

Harry threw his head back laughing, startling you. His cackle rang through the office, vibrating every pulse in your body. What was happening? How did this guy suddenly have this effect on you?

“That’s not what I meant, love.”

“Oh,” you blushed again. Damn it.

“Will you have dinner with me tomorrow?”

“Oh.” Oh! “Um…you don’t work here tomorrow?”

“Nope. My night off.”

Though you tried your best to fight it, you couldn’t hold back the smile that spread across your face. “Yeah. I guess I can do that.”

After settling the plans for the next evening, Harry walked you out to the front where Carlo sat patiently waiting.

“By the way,” said Harry. “What happened with your friend? The one who wanted the tattoo.”

Biting the inside of your lip, you hesitated. “She um…went somewhere else.”

“That’s too bad.”

“Don’t be so disappointed, Harry,” you chuckled. “You forgot one thing.”

“What’s that?” he asked, holding the door open for you.

“I haven’t gotten mine yet.”

FEEDBACK IS APPRECIATED

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mandarinmoons · 3 months

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could you maybe write a little fluff/ comfort where fem!reader has had like a bunch of really small things go wrong throughout the day and it just frustrates her and she's super on edge/overstimulated and when she gets home and sees Spencer something small happens and she kinda snaps? spencer realizes it's not really him who she's mad at and he talks with her and eventually is like "let's get you to bed, yeah?" this has been consuming my mind

Thank you for requesting x

For the entire day it felt like the world was against you. From burning your tongue because of the coffee you made in the morning to getting caught in the rain and your feet getting wet from all the puddles you stepped in, today was not your day.

Eventually you arrived home and slumped through the door, the day was done and you could finally relax, or so you thought.

“Spence!”, you called your boyfriend’s name as you tried to take off your soaked sneakers.

A moment later you heard the quick shuffling of sock-clad feet against the floor.

“Y/N! Hey, how are you sweetheart? How was work?”, Spencer seemed nervous, he was fiddling with his fingers and was avoiding your eyes.

“Don’t get me started, it was not a good day,” when you finally managed to get your shoes off you walked past Spencer to head to the kitchen to make some tea, but Spencer got in your way, “Do you need something? I’ll go get it for you, go sit down.”

You furrowed your brows and crossed your arms, “Spencer, what’s going on?”

“Nothing! You just seem so tired so let me take care of you, okay?”

The suspicion wasn’t going away and you walked past Spencer to the kitchen and gasped when you saw your surroundings. The countertops were a mess with flour and you saw dough dripping from the ceiling. You felt tears prick to your eyes and Spencer walked next to you and gently took your hand in his,

“Baby-”

“Spencer, what the hell! Can’t I come home for one day without you making some sort of mess!”

Spencer flinched and looked at you with big eyes, he let go of your hand and took a step back. You sighed and rubbed your hands over your face, you didn’t mean to snap at him.

“I’m sorry Spence I just…”, the tears started to flow from your eyes and before you knew it Spencer took you into his arms and tried his best to comfort you.

“Hey, it’s okay, you’re going to be okay,” Spencer’s hand caressed your back as you rested your head against his chest.

“Do you want to go lie down?”

You nodded and Spencer gently guided you to your bedroom, he pushed the covers aside and helped you into bed as he snuggled up next to you.

As time passed you vented to Spencer about your day as he continued to run his fingers through your hair and made sure to give you small kisses around your face as you got agitated remembering the day’s events.

Some time later you fell asleep and when you woke up and saw that Spencer was no longer next to you. You trudged out of bed and looked around the apartment, only to find him in the kitchen again. The mess from before was cleaned up and Spencer was busy washing the dishes that he didn’t hear you walk in.

You walked over to him and wrapped your arms around him which made him jump, “Good job cleaning up.”

Spencer smiled and dried his hands as he finished cleaning the last dish, “Well I couldn’t leave it all to you, that would be unfair.”

“What were you trying to do anyways?”

“Remember how last week we went to that coffee shop and you really loved the muffins? Well, I got the recipe and thought that I’d surprise you.”

Your lips formed into a pout, “You’re an angel, a messy one sure but,” you chuckled and gave Spencer a squeeze as he looked down in embarrassment.

“I’m not mad though, I could never stay mad at you.”

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harrysmimi · 11 months

Text

Princess Jasmine

Synopsis: Harry hangs out at the cafe his fiance works at by the closing time

Series Masterlist | More of my work

Harry never usually hangs out at his Fiance's work place, it is invasion of her work privacy, plus it's very distracting.

But today he went to see her after he'd just got back to London after his last show, all well rested. He slept all day at home. Came back after YN had already gone to work, so he went to see her. Maybe take her out on a quiet dinner date. He hadn't taken her out in a while now.

So he got ready in casual outfit and left as his hair air dried. He ordered himself a hot chocolate and sat at a table.

The cafe recently made changes, where more seating arrangements were made and self service was an option. Harry sat at ome of the new tables in a corner.

"Here you go." YN placed the mug of hot chocolate in front of him. "You want anything else, Hazza?"

"Yeah, a kiss would be nice." He smiled cheekily.

"Cheeky!" YN gave him a quick kiss on the mouth, "just an hour an half, then we'll leave."

"I'm right here." He assured her.

He sat there replying to all the pending emails he haven't checked since the last leg of his tour began. They were just random written interviews which had longer deadlines so he was good with later replies. Usually it's his team handling the emails for him, but these he preferred to answer himself.

There were not many people just a man with a little boy who'd just entered the cafe, went up straight to the register where YN was now cleaning up the coffee machines. The boy was wearing his Disney princesses shirt and Cars pants, had long brown curly hair. Harry knew YN is going to gush over how adorable that little human was.

She's just so nice around kids. He knows for sure she's going to be amazing mother to their kids.

"Hello, what can I get for you?" YN asked.

"Hi, can I, can I pwease have this muffin?" The little boy pointed to the two last blueberry muffins.

"Of course you can." YN beamed, "anything else you want, love?"

"Oh, and one for my wittle sister too!" He clapped his hand in excitement.

"She's too young, lad, you want anything else?" The man with the boy said laughing at his son's adorable excitement.

Harry paused doing what he was doing as he watched the interaction. He knows YN loves little kids, just the other day she bullied her friend to bring her twins over. Bummer that Harry was still on tour, he loves those twins too. He was bombarded with loads of videos and pictures from her that day.

The boy looked at his dad with a cheeky smile and looked back at YN, "can I have a chocowate milkshake too?"

YN giggled, "of course you can." She added to the bill.

"That's it, fank you!"

"You're welcome," YN found the boy real adorable. "I'll bring it right up to you."

YN quickly packed both of the muffins in a box and fixed a chocolate milkshake. It was a little too late for that in her opinion but his dad was letting him have it.

The boy was very talkative, as he talked his very tired dad's ears off waiting for his muffins and milkshake. YN was quick enough to fix the order and take it over to the table.

"Fank you!" The boy sang in excitement, "I'm going to share this wif mummy!"

"You are? That's so sweet of you!" YN gasped, impresses that he really thinks of his sister and mum.

"Yes." He nodded now looking up at YN as a revolutionary realisation seemed to hit him, "you look like princess Jasmine! Are you princess Jasmine?"

YN's heart was a puddle in that moment, "you're so cute, but no, I am not princess."

"You're very pwetty."

"Thank you, you're very handsome too!" YN shuffled his hair slightly. "You have a great night, okay?"

"You too, fanks!" He held onto the paper bags with the muffins with one hand and with other he held onto his dad's hand. He waved her bye as he walked out of the cafe. YN went flipped the sign to Closed.

That really made her day after a long shift dealing with some rude customers. She got to finishing up her work.

"Harry?" She called for him, "I'm done let's go." She went back to grab her bag and phone and lock up back doors.

Harry waited for her as she switched all of the lights off and locked the front door. It hit him.

She must have done all of this alone the night he asked her out the first time, after bumping into her as she closed the door. He remembered how nervous he was, and now here he is almost three years later, so close to being her husband.

And she really did looked like Princess Jasmine. With the blue shirt she wore, she was gushing over it when she found it at a thrift store it had her favourite cuss word written onit with sparkles. Good thing the boy didn't see it because of her apron.

"Ready to go, Princess Jasmine?" He held out his hand for her. They're going to walk home as both of their cars were at the garage getting fixed.

"Stop it," YN blushed as she grabbed onto his hand, "he was very cute, wasn't he?" She hugged his arm as they walked, with her head on his shoulder-- or you can say his bicep given she's shorter than him.

"Mhmm." He agreed.

"I want one too!"

"We can't just go and buy a kid from a store." He teased her, acting nonchalant about it.

"We can make one." She looked up at him with puppy eyes.

"I bet we'd make pretty good looking babies, eh!" He wondered.

"Hmm, especially if all them look like you." She said, "we already have one who looks like you, and he isn't even the same species."

"Stop!" He scoffed defeated.

Their cat, Milo, is morphing into a feline version of Harry. In everyway. He sleeps like Harry, eats like him, does weird things like his dad. It's a running joke by YN, she loves to tease him like that.

"I am serious, we should talk about it." YN brought up the topic again, she seems very serious about it.

"We will when we're home, yeah?" He assured her, "now I want to take you out on a date."

He walked her to this small Japanese restaurant one of his friend recommended him ages ago. It was small and cosy, perfect for a night he hoped to spend with his love.

And the night went as he imagined it would.

They went home and talked about all things about having a baby planning. It was just a vet domestic evening for Harry, and his fiance.

......................................................................

N O T E :

Are we getting somewhere with this book??? 👀

Leme know what you think of this! I love you xx

......................................................................

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esmedelacroix · 7 months

Text

Coffee Shop Love Pt.3

pairing: miguel o'hara x f!reader

summary: He's as stern and cold as the snow falling from the sky blanketing the bustling streets of Nueva York, Miguel O'Hara stumbles upon a hidden gem of a coffee shop just around the corner from Alchemax. Only problem is the annoying-as-shit smiley-ass barista.

contents: slow burn, no use of y/n, so much fluff, implied age gap, a teeny smidge of angst, suggestive

author's note: Hi lovies, third part! I'm so happy you all like this series! I really like writing it. Please let me know what you all liked its really helpful! Enjoy...

word count: 1.5k

Pt.1, Pt.2, Pt.3, Pt.4, Pt. 5, Pt.6, Pt.7, Sequel: Sweet Tooth

The next morning you got up and got ready to start baking for the morning rush. By the time you got down to the shop your two employees were already baking the muffins and cakes. You said hello and went over the menu for the day. You then started preparing lunch menu ingredients.

Just when you had finished the morning preparation and opened up. You felt your phone buzz in your back pocket. Which was weird because no one ever texted you in the morning. You took your phone out and stared at the message that awaited you.

Miguel: Hey could you make my coffee in advance? I'm running late today...

You: Of course, hurry!

Miguel: Maybe sneak a lil muffin in there...?

You: Sugar? Am I speaking to Miguel or an imposter?

Miguel: 😡

You smiled down at your phone. You had texted Miguel last night for a while before going to bed. Older people using emojis always cracks me up. You thought to yourself. You put your phone back in your pocket and made his order. While the morning rush built up to its usual catastrophic storm of angry city folk. Mr. Smith picked up his order and his rent, just when the morning rush was at peak catastrophe and the line was going out of the shop, you saw Miguel pull up to the sidewalk and step out of his car.

You put on your scarf and earmuffs, along with a puffer jacket and gloves before heading outside. If there was one bad thing about you, it's that you were practically allergic to cold weather. You rushed out to Miguel who was leaning against his car. "Hey, I came as fast as I could," you huffed out smiling at him.

"Thank you, Baby—you look warm," he teased. He noticed the way your eyes watered when gusts of wind carried snow. How the snowflakes fell on nose and eyelashes. The way your nose turned a slight shade of pink, he could already guess that if you didn't have those earmuffs on, your little ears would be pink too. Even though you were wrapped in the warmest clothes, you still looked so chilly Miguel was resisting the urge to wrap his arms around you and warm you up properly himself.

"I'm so sensitive to the cold, my hands and feet are always cold," you explained as you held his drink out to him as well as a little brown paper bag. "I packed you a lemon poppyseed muffin, something tells me you'll enjoy it," you said.

"Hmm, I let you know," he hummed looking away. He was obviously a bit embarrassed to be enjoying baked goods. You chuckled to yourself and shook your head.

"Get inside Baby, or you might freeze right where you stand," Miguel chuckled as he ushered you back into the shop.

You waved goodbye and entered the battlefield of morning brews and muffins. It was a long day but you looked forward to the clock finally striking 9 p.m. because you knew Miguel would walk in, probably get stuck in the mistletoe, and say hello.

So he had walked through the door into the empty shop and got caught in the mistletoe while accidentally knocked over the yuletide, your night was finally complete. You never would have thought that a man as intimidating as Miguel would also be so clumsy. But it wasn't his fault that he was incredibly tall and monstrously muscular.

"Miguel, can you stop trashing my shop?" you teased as you walked around the counter to fix your holiday decor. Just when you have adjusted the yuletide, his broad shoulder bumped into a bell and it fell as well.

"Great, now you're throwing stuff at me," you joked giggling at his clumsiness.

"Oh stop it," Miguel said rolling his eyes. The both of you were so lost in the moment of laughter and bliss that you didn't realize that you were standing at the entrance of the store. You both realized and looked above you to see the mistletoe, you felt the heat rise from your chest to your face all the way to your ears.

You had never been this close to Miguel so you never realized that his eyes which you thought were mahogany brown had a slight hint of ruby in them. They were both whiskey and wine while simultaneously being black coffee and velvet cake.

He smelled like sandalwood, vallina, musk, roses, and cedarwood. In short, he smelled better than sex. His scent drugged you and kept you in his trance while swimming in his eyes. You stared at each other far too long for it to be nothing. You finally broke the tension by clearing your throat. "It's too bad you don't believe in Christmas, I'm a really good kisser," you said as you began to walk back around the counter, hoping that he didn't notice how nervous you were. He walked up to the counter visibly not over what had just happened.

"Well, who said I don't believe in Christmas?" he asked.

"I said I haven't celebrated in a while," he explained correcting you.

"Are you just saying that because you want a smooch? So needy," you said shaking your head at him. You handed him his coffee, which you already started to make. Your question made him blush a bit. Cute.

"Don't worry you don't have to answer that question, but you have to tell me if you liked the muffin I made you," you asked with a shy smile.

"It was actually really good. But don't take that wrong way, I still don't like sweet things," he said.

"Yeah sure, anyway I'm going to drop the extras off at the homeless shelter down the road if you want to tag along?" you suggested

"Okay, I don't really have much to do," he replied rubbing the back of his neck.

You were partially asking so he could help load the stuff into your car. How could he blame you? He didn't have all that muscle for nothing. As you both got in the car and drove the short drive to the shelter, you sparked a bit of conversation. "So, I've never seen you around the area, did you just move here?" you asked.

"I moved recently, I actually work at Alchemax, it's not too far away," he explained. You let out an impressed hum.

"Ohh snazzy, what do you do there?" you asked as you taped the wheel rhythmically to the Frank Sinatra Christmas song playing in the background.

"I'm a geneticist," he answered.

"Yeah, I don't know what that is, but I was born and raised here," she said as Miguel laughed at her earlier comment.

"Tell me more," Miguel said under stifled laughter.

"The coffee shop is kind of a family heirloom if you will, it's been around for decades. Naturally, I followed in my parents' footsteps and went to culinary school. But my parents passed away a while ago so I couldn't finish school," she explained.

"Well, I'm sure your parents would be proud. I think you have this coffee thing down to a T," he said, making you smile like an idiot.

"Thank you, Miguel, that means a lot," you said as you pulled up to the shelter. You both got the stuff out of the trunk. You walked in and took it to the front desk where your best friend Estella was. "Hey, Baby—oh? Who's this? Boyfriend? Hookup?" she asked while sizing him up and giving you a nod of approval.

"This is Miguel and um, he's my uh—" you started trying to find the words.

"We're friends," he answered simply. Estella still looked at us suspiciously before letting the volunteers take the goods off our hands.

"Well you two have a great night, and Miguel, she may not look like it but, she likes it rough," Estella teased throwing a wink at Miguel.

"Oh my god, Estella!" you groaned as you walked out with Miguel and got back into the car. The ride was silent until he said, "Rough huh?"

"Please forget she said that," you said smiling sheepishly at the revelation.

"Oh, so you're not going to deny it?" he asked.

"Well, why deny it when it's true?" you said accepting the shame.

You had parked and looked over at his face for a reaction to this information. But nothing, you couldn't read his expression. The two of you spent the rest of the night chatting it up about everything under the sun(or moon). You have learned so much about Miguel.

You learned that he has a brother named Gabriel, his favorite color is red, he prefers chocolate over gummies(wrong opinion), and he absolutely has to keep eye contact when speaking with someone.

As you both continued to bond over Christmas cookies and brews, your moment was interrupted by a buzz from both of your phones. It was an amber alert that read:

[Blizzard Warning! This area til 9:00 PM EST Mon. All citizens must stay indoors. All roads closed]

Next... Pt.4

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rustedhearts · 1 year

Text

GQ: 12 Rounds with Steve Harrington

Aug. 14th, 2001

by Charlotte Cooper

Former middleweight boxing champion Steve Harrington sat down with GQ Magazine to dish on the reason behind his retirement, his bloody past in the ring, and his twelve year relationship with wife Libby.

I arranged to meet the brooding boxer at a cafe in West Hollywood. The Harringtons settled into a quiet community in California after the birth of their daughter, Jane, in 1997. They're spotted by paparazzi running errands and attending events for fellow famous friends looking like a pair of models.

Today, Harrington cruises up to the cafe in a fiery orange Pontaic GTO (after the interview, I googled the car: a 1969...fat money, Harrington.) Donning his infamous black Ray-Bans, a white t-shirt, and a pair of loose jeans, he walks to our table on the patio like he used to walk into the ring: a confident stride, a professional pokerface.

CC: Steve, it's lovely to meet you.

SH: Yeah, you too.

CC: Are you a big coffee guy?

SH: Huge. I hate these hipster places, though—I don't want anything with a fancy name.

CC: Black coffee for you then?

SH: Yep.

He did, indeed, order a black coffee—iced, the largest size they offered—and, to my surprise, a blueberry muffin. He mumbled something about his wife scolding him for not having enough fiber in his diet as he picked at the sugared top.

CC: Mind if we get started then?

SH: Why not?

CC: I had a fun idea for us. I'm limiting myself to 12 questions. 12 rounds—12 questions.

SH: Clever.

CC: Thank you, I hoped you'd think so. Okay, to start, what's life looked like for you lately? What have you spent the summer doing?

SH: Uh...just hangin' out, really. Libby, my wife, and I have been spending a lot of time with our daughter outside. We've traveled a few places, seen some landmarks. Was that a 2-in-1 question or 2 questions?

CC: I think we can call it a 2-in-1. That sounds lovely, what landmarks have you seen?

SH: I think you're gonna use your 12 up pretty fast. Uh...we saw the Grand Canyon, Mount Rushmore—total waste of time, by the way. Couple a' stone heads. Bullsh*t.

CC: The Founding Fathers weren't your cup of tea?

SH: Nah. Just a couple of old a**holes on a mountain. Nothing special.

CC: What about Libby, any place she favored?

SH: God, anywhere with a f****in' library, and she's over the moon. Bookstores, too.

CC: That's right, she was a librarian, wasn't she?

SH: Still is, though she might not work in one. She's workin' on something special, I won't say too much about it.

CC: I look forward to hearing about it! Does she have a favorite library?

SH: We went to Scotland for our honeymoon, she spent the first afternoon in a musty library somewhere in the country. I lost her in a bunch of Shakespeare manuscripts.

CC: Wow. She's dedicated to her craft.

SH: Yeah, that's true. Shakespeare c**kblocked me, though.

CC: Damnit, Shakespeare.

That got Harrington to laugh. I think I'm the first person to get Steve Harrington to laugh in an interview. This is going on my headstone.

CC: Now, down to some serious matters, and why we're all here. Tell me about the retirement.

SH: Not much to say. Just somethin' I had to do.

CC: You had a pretty gruesome injury in the tenth round of the O'Malley fight in '99. Did this have anything to do with your retirement?

SH: Yeah. Pretty much everything to do with it.

CC: Tell me a bit about that.

SH: I mean...one minute I'm on my feet pounding a guy, the next the lights are off. It was just...noiseless. Totally silent...other than this ringin' in my ears.

CC: What do you remember next?

SH: Waking up in the hospital. Libby was just screaming. I've never heard her scream like that. I think she thought I was dead or something.

CC: To be fair, all of America thought you died in that ring.

Here, Harrington picked up his coffee and took a long sip. He looked off toward the busy road, the cars whizzing by.

SH: You seem to know a bit about it.

CC: My father's a big fan.

SH: Ah. Yeah...I guess. She doesn't like talking about it.

CC: That's valid. Do you?

Though Harrington hadn't been in the ring professionally in half a decade, he seemed as big and wide as ever. His shoulders were massive when he shrugged them.

SH: Not particularly, but...it's been easier to. I don't know, not fightin' anymore...my body feels different, I feel different.

CC: A good different?

SH: I guess.

CC: Do you miss it?

Again, a look off toward the road. I got another ghost of a smile.

SH: Sometimes. But...I don't regret retiring when I did.

CC: Some people in the sports industry claim that you faked the injury because you knew you were going to lose that fight. What do you have to say to that?

A real laugh this time. Two laughs in one interview? This was going down in the history books.

SH: I'd say I bet they'd never say that to my face.

CC: I, for one, saw that match, and can confidently say you weren't faking a thing.

SH: Think my brain bleed would say the same thing.

CC: How many concussions would you guess you had during your career?

SH: Psh...probably more than I even know. Some of those headaches were probably concussions and I just didn't know. I think our 12 round question thing’s done for.

CC: I think so, too. How did Libby feel about all that, the concussions?

SH: Back then? She was a nervous wreck all the time. I really...I really put her through the wringer.

CC: But she stuck by your side. You guys are very dedicated to each other.

SH: Yeah. She's the strongest woman I know.

CC: Did she ever try boxing for herself?

SH: Oh, absolutely not. I taught her the basics—right/left hook, jab, block—but she'd never step foot into the ring.

CC: Too much blood?

SH: Seeing what it did to me. What it did to our family.

CC: The O'Malley fight really altered the course of your life.

SH: I guess. But sitting in that hospital bed, I didn't even have retirement on my mind.

CC: What was on your mind then?

SH: Oh, I wanted to get back out there. I was ready to...maybe prove myself, I guess?

CC: You wanted revenge?

SH: Yeah, that's the word.

CC: For the injury?

SH: It wasn't so much that. I've got nothin' against O'Malley, by the way. He's a fair fighter, he did exactly what he was supposed to do.

CC: Then why the need for revenge?

SH: I guess because...the injury put me in a position where I couldn't take care of my family. I couldn't provide for them. And that pissed me off.

CC: I see. All the frustration, it was because you were immobilized.

SH: Yeah, I guess. And I had f****in' memory loss, so that pissed me off—forgetting sh*t you know that you know. My little girl was still a baby, too, so...it was hard.

CC: You take pride in being able to care for your family.

SH: Yeah. They're all I got.

CC: So when was the moment you decided to retire?

SH: I think...when I couldn't pick my daughter up. I couldn't lift anything heavy, and even though she was this tiny little thing...she was too heavy to move.

CC: That must've been heartbreaking.

SH: I wanted to see her grow up more than I wanted another championship belt.

CC: Yeah, you've got—what?—fifty of those?

SH: Eh, you stop keeping track.

CC: Before you go, I'd like to ask some lighter questions, reminisce about your glory days.

SH: Sure, go for it.

CC: Do you have a favorite match?

SH: Uh...not really? If I had to choose, probably the St.Jude's match with Munson. It was fun, just sparring around the ring with a buddy.

CC: You and Eddie Munson took the 90s by storm.

SH: We were just havin' fun.

CC: Still friends?

SH: Oh yeah.

CC: Lastly, what are your guilty pleasures right now?

SH: Well, I gave up smoking. A direct order from the missus. So, I eat a lot to replace it.

CC: Have a favorite snack?

SH: Honestly, I love Pringles. The pizza ones.

CC: That's a good choice. Well, thank you so much for meeting with me, Steve.

SH: Hey, thanks for makin' the time.

#rolly!#boxer!steve harrington #steve harrington #steve harrington x you #steve harrington x fem!reader #steve harrington x reader #boxer!steve #joe keery #steve harrington fanfic

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daughterofcain-67 · 7 months

Text

𝐄𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 (pt.1)

(Beau Arlen x Female Reader)

(masterlist)

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: Every day the sheriff comes into your coffee shop, and every day you both seem to put a smile on each others face, even when Beau is working his saddening cases. You’d be lying of you said you didn’t have a thing for the sheriff- but what woman with a working set of eyes didn’t? What you didn’t know was who you would meet in your cafe later that day…

𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: mentions of kidnapping because of the case Beau is working on

The smell of coffee was all around you since you were in the process of brewing some pots or some of your early morning customers. You were wearing your cream colored polo with your purple apron. The apron as well as the polo had the name of your business on the top left corner called ‘Morning Glory Coffee’ in cursive on a white mug along with the flowers by the same name beside it.

You heard the bell on the door ringing out, signaling that someone else was walking into your little cafe. Wrapping up your last to-go order, you glanced over to see who was there and you smiled when you saw the familiar stature of the sheriff.

“Sheriff Arlen! You’re here early.” You grinned as you turned around to get his typical order started.

“Ms. L/N, you know you don’t have to be so formal with me.” Beau said as he pulled out his wallet.

“Now you know I can’t do that. And don’t worry about payin’ this time. It’s on the house.” You insisted as you handed him his cup of coffee.

“Well, if you’re insisting on the coffee, I insist that you call me Beau from now on.” You saw the smirk on his face, causing you to grin.

“Alright, Beau.” You said, accepting the little compromise.

When he took the coffee, your fingers grazed and you pulled away when he had a grip on his cup. As he took a sip, he let out a low hum. “My, my, Y/N. I swear you make the best coffee I’ve ever had in my life.”

“Awe, well thanks! I’m glad you like it so much.” You insisted, but honestly you just loved that he seemed to come in practically every day. It was honestly when made your mornings happier, that boost you needed just a little more than caffeine.

“How are things going? Got any new cases you’re working on?” You asked curiously as you grabbed a rag to start cleaning up the counter. It was a slow Wednesday morning so far so every once in a while you liked to talk to your customers when you had the time. No one was even there at the moment since it’s been mostly to-go orders.

“Yeah, kind of a big one. You heard about those missing women?” He asked and you lifted a brow.

“No? Then again I haven’t had much time to watch the news.”

“Well, two women have gone missing. We don’t really have any leads yet but I’ve got some interviews today with the missing persons’ loved ones. Conversations like that are always hard.” He sighed and you frowned, knowing he’s been in those shoes before.

“I can’t imagine having a job like yours. You see a lot of dark things from day to day and it’s gotta be a difficult thing.”

“It can be. But in the cases where I’m actually able to get those families reunited, it makes it so worth it in the end. It’s worth it when the right justice is being served and we get the guy.”

“Well, I won’t keep you from getting one step closer to justice. Just do me a favor and be careful out there, alright?”

Beau smiled at you, that same smile that made you feel oddly warm and fuzzy on the inside, “Will do, Darlin. See you around.”

When Sheriff Arlen left your business partner, your little sister named Cadence, was holding a tray of banana bread and some muffins with some sort of knowing smirk on her face.

“What?” You asked as you went back to cleaning up the counter.

“You have it for him so bad.” Cadence teased.

“What? No I don’t! And even if I did, he’s a cute enough guy that would have more people interested in him than just me. I wouldn’t stand that much of a chance. Plus he hangs out with Cassie and Jenny a lot anyways.” You reminded just to hear the exasperated sigh from Cadence as she set the tray in the display case.

“Are you kidding me?! You both have a thing for each other! ‘Oh Y/N, this is the best coffee I’ve ever had!’ ‘Oh promise me you’ll be careful, Beau, my love!’” Your sister began to swoon dramatically while you shook your head.

“I didn’t sound like that. And Beau just likes the coffee. It’s not a big deal.”

“Oh yeah? Well you guys should at least give it a shot. I mean you haven’t dated in three years ever since… well you know. And Beau’s single too. You guys hit it off just fine and you talk almost every morning every time he comes in here.”

“I can’t date him. He’s got too much on his plate with being the sheriff and all. He sees a lot and he has a lot of things to do and a lot that he goes through and he probably doesn’t even have the time for a girlfriend.” You tried to reason and Cadence lifted a brow.

“Really? You’re trying to use that as an excuse? You realize that when Beau got married he was in law enforcement anyway, right? Clearly he’s done it before and I bet he’d be willing to give it another shot rather than being alone and unhappy.”

You listened and tried to think. You knew she was right, but you also knew men like Beau Arlen didn’t go out with women like you. You’ve gotten your hopes up for relationships before and you knew what it was like to be rejected when you first started dating again after unspoken chapter of your life. You weren’t exactly open for that kind of rejection again.

“What if I talked to Jenny and Cassie to set you up with him? I’m sure they’d love that!”

“Are you insane?! No, I don’t think that’s really a good idea.” You shook your hands in front of you.

Your sister groaned, clearly unhappy that you were being so stubborn about this. You really did appreciate her efforts in trying to get you back in the dating game. Couldn’t she try to set you up with someone that’s more realistic for you in stead of someone like Beau?

The door opened up again and there were more customers coming back in, interrupting your conversation with Cadence about the Beau situation - thank goodness.

Beau strode into the office with his coffee in hand. He enjoyed going to your shop in the morning. Seeing your smiling face always gave him a bit of a jump start he needed.

“Well, well, well! Did you go over to see your girlfriend again?” Hoyt greeted as she put her hands in the pockets of her jeans. She had this smirk on her face like she was trying to tease Beau, who only smirked and shook his head.

“Yeah, you wish.” He said as he started walking to his office, just for Jenny to follow behind him.

“Oh come on, just admit that you have a thing for her! When was the last time you went on a date, huh?”

“Instead of questioning me about my nonexistent love life with the coffee shop owner, can you tell me if we’ve got any more information on those missin’ women? And where’s Pompernickle?”

“Right here, boss!” Poppernack called as he held up a file and made his way to Beau’s office as well.

The three of them walked inside and Beau shut the door, “What do we got?”

“Well, we’ve found the families that way we can ask them if they’ve seen anyone in the womens’ friend groups that were a little peculiar. Maybe the family members noticed something that the missing two didn’t see in them?” Poppernack said.

“Oh if only it was that easy. Yeah, sometimes it’s someone the victim knows - hell half the time that’s the case. But then there’s those small percentages where it really is a complete stranger.” Beau reminded.

“Woah, they aren’t victims yet. They’re captives. Hopefully they’re still alive.” Jenny interjected, Beau nodded.

“Yeah, that’s always the hope that’s why we’ve gotta step on the gas with this before things get worse and someone else goes missin’.’ Is that all we’ve got?”

“No. I’ve got a witness from a gas station that said they saw one of the girls, Sidney Ferguson, filling up some gas in some green SUV.” Hoyt began.

“From what he said, it looked like a Hyundai. Couldn’t tell you the license plates because the manager said the security cameras were out and they’re in the process of replacing them.”

“Great, a green SUV with no plates to track them down with. Are we even sure she drives that kind of vehicle?”

“I’ve seen Ferguson around before she went missing. She didn’t drive that from what I can remember. A white Jeep Wrangler. 2015 I think.” Poppernack said, “Issued a warning once. Speeding.”

“There’s a lead. Pops, why don’t you do some research and see how many of those SUVs are runnin’ around town. Jenny, you take Ferguson’s family this morning and ask some questions and I’ll talk to the other girls family. Hopefully there will be a lead on Ember O’Riley here soon so we have somethin’ to tell that family.” Beau said.

“Maybe one of the families or even some of their friends know something about that SUV. It’s worth a shot to ask about that too.” Hoyt reminded as she started walking towards the door so they could start their morning.

Beau watched as his two deputies left. Then he looked down at the cup you gave him. That was when he noticed you actually left a note for him, ‘Have a good day, Sheriff.’ He had never seen your handwriting before but it was cute that you put a sheriff’s star to dot the ‘I’ in your note.

He smiled fondly to himself before he took another sip and made his way out of the door of his office. Yeah Hoyt may have teased him once in a while about the fact that maybe he liked more than just your coffee, and maybe she wasn’t exactly wrong. It’s just that while he was friendly with people, he didn’t want to get close. Not after losing his partner, not after losing his wife and daughter to Avery. He didn’t want to get attached and lose anyone else no matter the circumstances. Death or otherwise.

Once he snapped out of his thoughts, Beau found himself already outside and he felt his phone buzz in his hand. When he pulled out the device while walking to his car, he saw that Poppernack gave him the address to the O’Riley household.

“And off we go.”

It was noon and your sister just left for her lunch break since you had already come back from yours. You had put out some baked goods in the display case for whoever would stop by and decide they may want something more than something to drink. As you were doing this, you heard the door bell sound out again.

You turned around and you saw someone walking in. You hadn’t seen this person before but he seemed nice. Then again you tried to see the good in all your customers. Everyone had a good quality about them and this man? Well he seemed to have a nice smile.

“Hi there, what can I get for ya?” You asked with a grin.

“Actually, this is my first time coming in here. Can you give me some kind of recommendation?” He asked. He had a kindness in his voice. His hair was dark brown, his eyes were a hazel and his skin was tanned like he tended to spend a lot of time in the sun.

“Well, I have the typical black coffee with an assortment of creamers. I can get you an americano, latte, cappuccino if you want something a little on the warmer side. For some colder options I’ve got cold brews with different flavored cold foams like Irish cream, hazelnut, sweet cream. Then I’ve got some energy drink options. Just a little of everything really. So what’s your poison?”

“A little of everything, huh?” He asked, “I think I’ll take a cold brew. With some of that Irish cold foam if you don’t mind?”

You smiled at him, “Of course. Can I get a name for that order?”

“Andre.”

“Andre… Nice name. Actually you’re the first one I’ve met.” You admitted and he chuckled.

“Yeah, I hear it’s not exactly a common name, especially around here.”

“Let me go ahead and get that drink started for ya, Andre.” You insisted and walked off.

As you got started on making the cold brew, you could hear some of your other customer’s talking in the corner.

“So the police came and talked to your family? What did they want?” Said one teen. You stayed quiet as you continued with your task, “Yeah. They said they may have some kind of a lead to find Sid. But they didn’t say anything about what that lead was. I guess they didn’t want my family to get involved.”

“Yeah, That’s fair. I mean your mom and dad are going through a lot as it is with her going missing and all. I feel bad for the O’Rileys too.. I heard Ember was an expectant mom to be too… She must be terrified.”

“Yeah if she’s not dead already.”

“Guys, it’s only been a week! Mrs. O’Riley and my sister will both be fine, I’m sure. Sheriff Arlen and Deputy Hoyt are really good at their jobs, I’m sure they can find something if they’re the ones on the case.”

Your heart ached at hearing those girls talk about the case. It was even more heartbreaking that one of them had a sister that was missing. You were glad that she was still hopeful and you really hoped that Beau would be able to find this Sid girl as well as Ember as soon as he could before it was too late.

“Here you are, Andre. One cold brew with cold foam.” You smiled once more and handed him the cup and a straw.

“Thanks.” He grinned and you could notice a dimple on his left cheek. He handed you the card and you took it for the payment before he spoke again.

“By the way… can I ask what your name is?” He asked.

You looked up at him. You were a little skeptical as to why he wanted to know your name, but you didn’t think too much of it. Maybe he was just new around here and wanted to make some friends or something.

“Y/N. I’m glad you came in today, and I hope you enjoy.” You grinned as you handed him the card back as well as his receipt.

“Thanks! You have a good one.” Andre said and he left.

“You too!” You called as he walked out of the door just as Cadence was walking in.

You watched your sister do a double take and her gaze lingered before she looked at you, tilting her head and she walked behind the counter again, “So who was that? He’s new to coming here isn’t he?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“He’s pretty cute though. Nice ass too.” She smirked and you rolled your eyes, grinning.

“Don’t you have a boyfriend already?”

“Uh, I didn’t mean cute for me. Even if he does have a nicer ass than Corbin’s.” Cadence said, “I meant for you.”

“What happened to the whole Beau thing?”

“Oh are you kidding me? That’s my number one option for you. He’s totally unbeatable. But since you’re being so stubborn about not going out with him, it’s always good to keep your options open.”

“Cadence, this was literally the first time he’s ever been in this shop. We don’t know if he was visiting town or what his deal is.” You reminded and you watched your sister cross her arms, wanting to sulk like a child.

“Why do you always want to burst my bubble!?”

“Well don’t say I popped it just yet. He did ask what my name is, so maybe he’s moving here, or he already has moved here and is trying to make some kind of acquaintances or something.” Then Cadence’s eyes lit up almost like a Christmas tree.

“He asked you your name!?” She practically squealed, causing you to cringe a little.

“You don’t think it’s odd or anything?”

“What? No. How else are you supposed to meet people if you don’t talk to them or if you don’t know their name! So what was his name?”

“Andre.”

“Andre!? Ugh, that’s so dreamy! If he comes in again you have to take a shot.”

You smiled, shaking your head at your sister’s nonsense, “Oh go clock in now, would you?”

“This is where the love triangle starts, Y/N! I’m tellin’ ya!”

Hi everyone! Here’s the start of a new little series I’m starting and I hope you like it! There’s more to come with this series.

Tag List:

@roseblue373 @deans-spinster-witch @chriszgirl92

#jensen ackles #beau arlen x female reader #beau arlen x you #beau arlen x reader #beau arlen #big sky #big sky fanfiction #jensen ackles big sky #supernatural #spn #jensen x reader #big sky fanfic #beau arlen ff

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plussizefantasia · 7 months

Text

Dr. Encyclopedia

Flufftover Day 26: Coffee Shop

Spencer Reid x reader

Word Count: 1.2k

AN: I kind of went off prompt here, but I really like where it ended up. My requests are still open for things to write after October is done so send them in. Reblogs and Feedback are really appreciated. I'll see y'all tomorrow!

ps. all the facts in here were googled so they might be wrong, but who knows?

divider credit @royallaesthetics

You weren’t planning on spending your entire morning in the quaint little coffee shop that you walk past on your way to work, but the raging storm outside dictated that you wouldn’t be leaving anytime soon. You had your work laptop and could do some of your tasks from pretty much anywhere, minus team meetings but you didn’t have one of those today. You sent off a quick text to your boss letting her know that you'd be avoiding arriving at the office sporting the drowned rat look and would be there when the rain let up. She had told you not to sweat it and that she’d see you when you got there.

A similar story to yours was playing out on the other side of the shop. A very fidgety Spencer Reid was on the phone with Hotch letting him know that he was stranded in the little coffee shop and bakery he went to every morning. Because Spencer didn’t like to drive, he walked this way to get to the train that would take him a block away from Quantico, but like you also was trapped by the torrential downpour lest he soak through his sweater and catch a cold.

“Hotch, it’s raining pretty hard here, I don’t think you want me trying to make it there in this weather.” You were unable to hear the other side of the conversation “Yeah, okay. Yes. Yes. Sir, I will bring you one of the muffins you like.” You let out a little chuckle at the handsome stranger’s negotiating skills.

“Boss man not happy?” you queried.

“Oh,” the man looked between his phone and you, “he’ll be okay. He loved the banana nut muffins from here.”

“Hmm. Did you know that the banana plant is the largest plant in the world without a woody stem? The trunk is just banana leaves intertwined around each other making a strong base.” You offered. You found that fun facts were a great way to break the ice, and if this man was to be your only real company besides the busy-looking barista behind the counter until the rain ended, you wanted to get off on the right foot.

“I did. Did you know that the first discovery of coffee’s stimulant effects was made by 15th-century goats?” He replied, nodding his head at the coffee cup you were holding.

‘Goats?” You asked.

“Yes, they were found by the locals in a small Brazilian town and were more energetic than the average goat, causing the coffee plant to be found and its use deduced.”

“Well, that is just about the funnest fact I’ve ever heard.” You told him, pushing your hand out to offer the man a handshake.

“Oh, I don’t shake hands. You transfer fewer germs by kissing than shaking hands.”

You put your hand down, “what is your name?”

‘Spencer Reid.” He handed you a business card with his name on it from somewhere on his body, you weren't sure. It was like it had just appeared.

You read the card. “FBI, huh? So you’re like real important aren’t you.”

‘I don’t know about that the FBI employs about 35,000 people across the US, I’m just one man.”

“One man, who knows a lot about caffeinated goats.”

“I know a lot about a lot of things.”

“Prove it.” You had challenged. With a raise of his eyebrow, he followed your instructions. For the next hour and a half the two of you sat at a small table in the corner of the shop, the only customers in the whole place. Rain beat against the windows and the light outside dimmed, being replaced with a sort of grey sheen that seemed to bathe the whole interior of the shop in a bittersweet melancholy.

Spencer and you went fact for fact, he was polite enough not to admit that he knew all of the facts you had presented already, or tell you that a few of them were wrong. He was astonished that you were willing to listen to his rambling for so long. The only person who could really stand to listen to him for a long period of time was JJ and her record was 45 minutes, you were going into hour two.

“So, Mr. FBI. How do you know so many wonderful things?”

‘I was kind of a lonely kid, I graduated early from every school I was in, and didn’t have many friends so I turned to books. And when you have an eidetic memory, you learn a lot of things.”

“I didn’t have many friends either,” you reassured him, not wanting him to stew in his vulnerability alone, “I taught myself all kinds of things. How to sew, how to make chicken cordon blue, growing vegetables.” you sighed sort of wistfully. “Looking back, they aren't very impressive skills but I love them growing up.”

‘I don’t know about not impressive, I’ve killed every plant I’ve ever owned.” Spencer admitted. “I think your skills sound pretty great.”

“Yeah? Well, I think being a walking encyclopedia is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen.”

The two of you just sat in the pleasant silence for a little bit. Both are a little shy after so many compliments. Spencer’s phone rang.

“Dr. Reid.” He answered giving you an apologetic look and standing up from the table.

Dr. Reid. He hadn’t told you he was a doctor, you want to know what his PhD was in. YOu wanted to know all about him, you wanted to know him.

“Reid, where are you?” Hotch asked.

“I told you that I was in the shop, I’d be there when the rain was over.

“Reid. The rain is over, the rain has been over for twenty minutes.” Spenser immediately shot his head towards the window of the shop. Hotch was right, there were still water droplets that clung to the glass, but the downpour had stopped. The clouds had passed and several rays of sunlight were beginning to seep into the space.

“I- I didn’t even notice. I’ll be there soon. With your muffin.” Spencer hung up before Hotch could reply. He turned back to the table the two of you had taken up.

“Did you notice that the rain had stopped?” He asked. You also looked out the window. You let out a soft chuckle.

“No, I didn’t. How long has it been done?”

‘According to Bossman, about twenty minutes.”

“Jesus. I guess we really got lost in our own bubble there.” You supplied

‘I guess we did.” Spencer lingered. It had been years since he met someone who was able to keep his attention like that. “Would you um, would you like to get coffee again sometime?” He asked.

You couldn't fight the beaming smile that took up the bottom half of your face. “I’d love to. Dr. Reid.”

“Okay, Yeah. Good. Umm, call me?” Spencer bumbled, reaching for the brown paper bag that held Hotch’s muffin and grabbing his satchel bag from the back of his seat.

“I will.” You lifted up the card he had given you in between your fingers. “I definitely will.”

Spencer backed out of the shop, looking at you the entire time. And only when he was out of your eyeline did he let himself celebrate. He would have to tell Morgan, this would definitely get him off his back.

You saved Spencer’s number in your phone, under Dr. Encycolpedia, and started counting down the minutes to when you’d be able to call him. You really wanted to get coffee again.

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rhoorl · 7 months

Text

Delta Landscaping | Chapter 9: The M Files

Series Summary: In this AU, the boys of Delta Force start a new business post-Colombia.

Series Masterlist | Chapter 9 A03 Link

Rating: Explicit (18+)

Word Count: 5.8k

Chapter Summary: We wrap up the weekend around Mule Fall Court.

Chapter Warning: Swearing. Allusions to cheating and abusive relationships. Reminder, I don’t have a beta for this, so any mistakes are all mine.

A/N: A big thank you to @trulybetty for always listening and being willing to bounce ideas back and forth 😘

Will walked through the front door expecting his little brother to have the biggest shit-eating grin on his face. Instead, he was greeted by Benny’s snores as he was sprawled out asleep, his long limbs hanging off the side of the couch. Smirking Will tiptoed across the living room to the hallway leading to his bedroom.

Once he closed the door, he emptied out his pockets. Glancing down at his phone he saw a missed call from Joel. Since his cousin was only an hour behind, Will decided to give him a call.

“Yeah,” Joel grumbled on the other end of the line.

“Hey man, you called?”

“Yeah. Just checkin’ in…you reachin’ out to all y’alls neighbors to fix shit or just the pretty ones?”

Will rolled his eyes, hearing the smirk coming off from Joel. “We’re helpful to everyone,” he countered. “Just trying to be good neighbors.”

“Mhmm.”

“She’s nice. And funny…and smart…”

“And…” Joel cut Will off.

“And pretty.”

“She’s beautiful, man. Don’t sell it short.”

“Ha yea.”

Joel cleared his throat, “Hey so listen, ah, I meant what I said. ‘Bout comin’ out there to see y’all. Lemme get with Steph and figure some shit out with these jobs we have lined up.”

“Sounds good. You know you have a room here whenever.”

“May even bring Tommy along, give Benny someone to hang with while you show me what Tampa has to offer.”

“I like the sound of that. When’s the last time you let loose man?”

“Shit, how old is Sarah now? 14? So, I guess 14 years,” Joel chuckled.

“I don’t believe that but ok,” Will laughed.

“Guess I’m due.”

___________________________

Melissa sat at her kitchen table drumming her fingers along the rim of her Florida Gators coffee cup, starting at the clock above her oven. She was bursting with information to tell Megan and Katie, but she also didn’t want to bombard them early on a Sunday morning.

To help channel her energy, she got up early, went for a run, took a shower, and made a batch of muffins. She decided to wait until 8:30 before she shot them a text, figuring they’d both be up. Katie was naturally an early riser and Megan had to get up to take Bucky out.

8:29 I feel like it’s been 8:29 for the last five minutes. C’mon c’mon. Aaaaaand…yes!

As soon as the digital clock flipped to 8:30 she grabbed her phone, furiously typing away.

Melissa: I have news to share about Cousin Joel.

She stared at her phone, waiting for Megan or Katie to respond. Minutes went by and she huffed, resting her chin in her hand.

Megan: Ok, shoot!

Melissa: No, I want to show you. I have visuals.

Katie: Mel, seriously why aren’t you in the FBI or something?

Melissa: They wouldn’t be able to handle me 😉 But seriously, do you two wanna come over?

Megan: Sure. Today’s the day I let Connor sleep in so he’ll be out of commission until about lunch lol

Katie: I can be over soon.

Melissa: Cool. I’ll see you in a bit! I made muffins 🙂

_______________________

The light streaming into the living room woke Benny up. He had every intention of waiting up last night to see if his brother made it home, but once his eyes got heavy it was game over. Sleep was difficult for Benny, his mind always racing, so whenever he was able to get some rest, he took advantage of it.

Swinging his legs around, he rested his elbows on his knees, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. His back was sore and stiff from sleeping in an odd position all night. He padded down the hallway, stretching his arms over his head on his way to his bedroom. Sunday was his day to get chores done around the house, a habit developed in his youth when he and Will used to split up the tasks their mom assigned them.

He grabbed his laundry basket, tossing in a couple of boxers and shorts left on the floor. Walking out of his room he heard Will stirring in his. Suddenly the door opened and he saw Will dressed in just a thin pair of black shorts.

“Hey.” Will’s voice was raspy with sleep.

“Hey, champ!” Benny smiled wide, dropping the laundry basket and heading over to Will, wrapping his arms around his brother’s shoulders and playfully shaking him. “How ya feel? Not as wound up?”

“Ha, very funny Ben. I’m…” he looked down, smirking. “Good, I’m good.”

“Oooook, I see how it is. Not gonna tell me, that’s fine. I’ll find out.” He laughed. “Hey, I’m gonna run a load of laundry, wanna toss anything in?”

“Depends, you doin’ lights or darks?”

Benny rolled his eyes, “Psh. I forgot you’re Mr. Organized.”

“Well, if that’s so then your Mr. Throw Whatever In and Fuck Shit Up.”

“That happened one time,” Benny laughed as Will punched him in the shoulder.

Benny and Will were on complete opposite ends of the spectrum when it came to doing laundry. Will, meticulous in nearly all aspects of his life, separated his clothes, routinely opting for dry-cleaning when it came to some of his nicer shirts. On the other hand, Benny threw everything into the wash regardless of fabric or color.

Will let Benny wash his shirts once. Benny put one of his brother’s new white polos into the wash with a bunch of dark colors, including a new pair of dark wash jeans Benny had bought. Needless to say, by the time he moved the clothes from the washer to the dryer, Will was the proud owner of a light blue polo. From that day on, he forbade Benny to touch any of his clothes.

“Yeah well, one was enough. You heard from Fish or Pope? They comin’ over today to hang out?”

“Yeah. Pope and I were texting last night, he said they were gonna come over soon for lunch. “

________________________

“Welcome ladies, to Melissa’s Debriefing Session. Today’s target: Cousin Joel.” Melissa turned her computer around to show a presentation on her laptop.

“You made a fucking PowerPoint?! I’m dying,” Megan cackled as Katie shook her head.

“Well, I have visuals, this is the easiest way to show it all.”

“Oh my god, Mel. You are something else,” Katie rolled her eyes laughing.

Melissa took a deep breath, unfazed by the reaction. “Let’s get started. Okay, so at first I thought this was going to be somewhat difficult. Not impossible, but difficult. He’s almost 40 and has like no social media at all. Did some digging and it looks like Miller Contracting has a Yelp account. Lots of five-star reviews, mostly from women,” she gave a half smile. “Joel this, Joel that. But a couple of reviews mentioned a Tommy. Then I remembered, Santi has a pretty active Instagram, so I scrolled. I saw a photo he tagged Benny in, which took me to Benny’s profile, and then I saw it,” she clicked a button to advance to the next screen.

On it, she placed a few screenshots from Benny’s Instagram including a thirst trap presumably from his fighting days. He was facing a mirror, phone over his face as he lifted his shirt up to show his lean six-pack. There were also a couple of photos of Benny and the guys together, all out at a bar laughing, a fifth man with them none of the girls recognized. He was tall, almost as tall as Benny, and seemed a bit older, but still quite handsome despite his scowl.

“Why are you showing us Benny’s Instagram account?” Katie drew her eyebrows together, biting her the muffin Melissa placed in front of her when she sat down.

“Because this guy was the missing link,” Melissa said, pointing to a photo of Benny with a man with a kind smile and beautiful dark curls. “This is Tommy. Tommy Miller, Joel’s little brother. Who has a very open and extensive social media presence, along with a pretty lengthy rap sheet.”

“Ooo a bad boy,” Megan waggled her eyebrows.

“Well, not as bad as his older brother,” Melissa smirked. “At least, he used to be,” she advanced her PowerPoint to the next screen which featured a series of photos of this new man, Tommy. He looked to be a musician, with several photos of him on stage with a guitar, as well as an athlete. “So it appears the Miller boys were quite the crew back in high school.”

“High school?! Jesus, you went back to high school?!” Megan threw her head back laughing.

Melissa rolled her eyes, “It’s important to the story. Ok, so Tommy seemed to be like the “it” guy in high school. Played a few sports, obviously hot, was Prom King, all that jazz. I started poking around and found this photo right here.”

Katie and Megan leaned forward as Melissa advanced the presentation, both gasping when they saw the next photo which Melissa arranged to span the entire screen. It was a grainy photo of a high school baseball team hoisting a trophy in the air. The first person who stuck out in the photo was a young Benny, who sported a megawatt smile and backward hat.

“Holy shit is that Will?” Megan pointed to the screen at a boy with long blonde hair down to his shoulders.

“Mhmm,” Melissa nodded. “And that’s Tommy next to him.”

“Wait, is that Frankie?” Katie asked getting closer to the screen.

“Yup, wasn’t he so cute with his curly hair? But here look,” she pointed at the middle of the photo to the young man hoisted up on his teammates' shoulders. “That is Joel. Well, a young Joel.”

All three ladies looked at each other, Megan and Katie letting out a simultaneous “Fuuuuuck” at the sight of Joel. The top three buttons of his jersey were undone showing off his chest and a clear view of a silver chain. His hat was askew as he cheered, the camera catching him mid-fist pump with his forearms flexed. His eyes sparkled with excitement and glee and he had a carefree smile that reached his eyes.

Katie leaned back in her chair as Megan let out a breath. “It feels kinda weird to be lusting over a kid,” Megan laughed.

“Oh stop,” Melissa rolled her eyes. “You have to admit that he was kinda hot right?”

“Kinda?!” Katie didn’t mean to say that as loudly as she did, clearing her throat as her two friends whipped their heads around to look at her. “I mean, yeah, he was totally hot.” She sat up straighter in the chair. “Still is,” she mumbled under her breath, loud enough for Megan to hear and snicker.

“Ok, so anyway once I found Tommy I was able to find a treasure trove of photos,” Melissa continued to flick through photos ranging from all of the guys at an MLB game to a few photos of the Miller boys tubing down a river. There was also a series of photos of them all clearly out at bars. “Kinda gave me fuck boy vibes a bit,” Melissa offered as she stopped on a photo of Will and Joel.

Will’s hair was cropped a lot shorter, similar to the way he wears it now, while Joel sported some unruly chocolate curls. Both men were in long-sleeved dress shirts, Joel’s with a few buttons undone, something Megan and Katie sensed was a trend or his signature look. All of the photos were strategically cropped to remove whatever women were next to them.

“So it seems like they all ran pretty wild there for a bit before it abruptly stopped,” Melissa noted stopping at a picture of Will in Army fatigues, his arm around Benny who was dressed in street clothes. She then brought up a photo of Joel holding a tiny baby in his arms.

“Looks like our fuck boy fucked around and found out. He had a baby with this woman,” she advanced the slide to show a few photos of a beautiful woman. “Her name is Stephanie.”

“What happened there?” Katie asked.

“They got married…quickly…but then they got divorced. I couldn’t really find many photos. It seems like she went through and cleared her profile of anything related to Joel. But according to Travis County records, they filed for divorce when their daughter was not even one.”

Megan and Katie looked at each other and then back to Melissa.

“Jesus, Mel. You found all of this out since last night?” Katie arched her eyebrows as she took Melissa’s computer and scrolled through the slides again.

“Uh yea…I mean, it’s not hard to find this shit if you know where to look,” she winked.

_____________________________

“So Fish, how long you goin’ for?” Will asked before he took a bite of the burger Frankie had just grilled.

“Ah, just the week. Leia’s birthday is Wednesday so it actually works out pretty good that I’ll be there,” Frankie smiled as he took a swig of his beer.

“Shit, how old’s she now?”

“Gonna be two. Antonio is already five,” Frankie shook his head chuckling.

“Damn, that’s crazy.”

“Make sure you say hi to Valeria for Will,” Benny could barely get it out before he busted out laughing as Will slapped him across the chest.

Benny and Valeria were in the same grade growing up and were friends. Her sophomore year, she confided in Benny that she had long had a crush on Will. He ended up being her first kiss, a kiss which was interrupted when her older brother came home early from one day from school. The whole situation caused a bit of a riff between Frankie and Will and it took Benny of all people to sit them down to talk it out. Now nearly 20 years later, they could laugh about it.

“I guess she was just that memorable huh, Will?” Santiago laughed.

“That’s my fucking sister, pendejo,” Frankie rolled his eyes, throwing a chip at Santiago.

“Pope, you gonna be ok this week without Fish?” Benny nodded over to Santiago. “Gonna need to stay over here?”

“We aren’t joined at the hip,” Santiago squinted, shaking his head. “I’ll keep myself busy. Actually, I need your help, Ben. Melissa is trying to get some stuff done in her backyard. Think you could go over there with me and sketch something out for her to show Danny? She said they’d be willing to pay us for it.”

“Ha, yea I’m sure she’d be up for repaying you back some way Pope,” Benny scoffed, getting up to go fix himself another burger.

“Why you wanna help her so bad, huh?” Will followed up.

“Could ask you the same about Katie, Ironhead,” Santiago responded in a flat tone.

“Hey fuck off man, at least Katie’s single,” Benny furrowed his eyebrows gesturing towards his brother.

“I’m not trying to do anything like that,” Santiago countered.

Benny crossed his arms in front of his chest and threw his head back in a sarcastic laugh. Frankie and Will exchanged a look silently hoping that things wouldn’t escalate the way they both thought it might.

“I don’t fucking believe you for one second. You kidding me? The way you look at her? Fish? C’mon, tell me you don’t see it too. You of all people should be givin’ him as much shit as me!” Benny looked over to Frankie for some reassurance.

The guys all locked in on Frankie, who sat looking down at his hands before shifting his eyes up to Santiago as he sighed. “Hermano, you have to admit that given your…history…this doesn’t look great.”

“Yeah, no shit! This girl is trying to start a life with someone, don’t go in there fucking it up,” Benny added, getting more and more riled up. The topic of cheating was a particularly sensitive topic for both Benny and Frankie, who each had experienced heartbreak at the hands of an unfaithful partner. Over the past couple of years, Frankie had worked to process and address his emotions as part of his recovery, whereas Benny pushed it aside opting instead to turn to MMA to get some of his frustrations out.

“Plus we all saw what happened with Sofia so don’t go down that road,” Benny’s voice was firmer as he eyed Santiago.

“Fuck off, Ace, don’t talk about her,” Santiago balled his fist and started to move his chair back to get up. Will stepped in to hold him back from lunging at Benny who was being restrained by Frankie.

“Don’t fuckin’ call me that and don’t fuckin’ mess with a married woman…again! Didn’t you learn your lesson?”

“Oh fuck off Benny!”

“Hey! Hey!” Frankie raised his voice to match the other two men and everyone stopped to look at him, catching their breaths. “Ben, go walk it off man, clear your head. Pope, sit down, we’re going to talk about this.”

Benny huffed as he stormed off into the house, the glass sliding door rattling after Benny slammed it shut.

Frankie, Will, and Santiago looked at each other. Santiago took a deep breath and looked squarely at Will, “He needs to deal with that Amy shit before it eats him alive. It’s been, shit, over a year and he’s still going from zero to one hundred in two seconds?”

“Don’t deflect, I’ll deal with him.” Will crossed his arms over his chest. “We’re talking about you.”

Santiago sighed, looking at Frankie who gave him a less than sympathetic look. “Okay. Do I like her? Yeah sure, she’s completely my type obviously. But I’m not looking to cross that line.”

Frankie and Will rolled their eyes in unison. Frankie shook his head and brought his palm to cover his mouth as he rested his elbow on the table.

“I don’t judge you by your past behavior Fish, don’t judge me off mine,” Santiago pointed at Frankie, who took his cap off, running his hands through his hair before returning it back to his head. “Look. I realize it doesn’t look good. I’m not that dense. I can’t help that I like her. She’s a sweet girl. She doesn’t have anyone to talk to about the feelings she’s having. I’m just trying to be a friend.”

A silence sat between the three men for a while before Will’s blue eyes met Santiago’s. “Does she know that?”

“Huh?”

Will sighed, “Does she know that? Just friends?”

“I mean…we haven’t really talked about it.”

“Well, you should,” Frankie’s lips pressed together in a thin line as he shook his head. “And you should do it soon.”

Santiago took a deep breath, chewing his bottom lip. “You’re right. I’ll talk to her.” Will and Frankie’s met, neither making eye contact with Santiago. “What? Do I need a babysitter or something?”

Frankie ran his hand down his face, “Just be honest with her, and don’t string her along.”

Santiago scanned his best friend’s face, knowing that Frankie was trying to keep his emotions in check. “I will, hermano, sorry, didn’t mean to bring up old shit for you.”

_______________________

“Fuckin’ asshole,” Benny muttered to himself as he slammed the front door. He really had no plan on where he was going to go or what he was going to do, but he just knew that he needed to get away from Santiago.

“¿Qué te pasa, cariño?”

Benny looked over to see Lucille out on her lawn pruning one of her bushes, a concerned look visible on her face underneath her wide-brimmed hat as she took off her gardening gloves.

“Discuple Lulu. Didn’t mean to scare you,” Benny’s face softened as he walked over to help Lucille who was trying to get up. “Here, let me help you up.”

“Ah, thank you. Word of advice? Don’t grow old Benny. Your back ends up going to shit,” she laughed, taking his arm to stand up and brushing herself off. “What happened?” She rubbed Benny’s back, feeling him relax.

“Oh, nothing, just went to a place I don’t like to go to very often,” he said with a half-hearted smile.

“Who upset you, mi vida? I’ll go and knock some sense into them,” she winked.

“Ha, well, it’s Pope. He just said some stuff that made me mad. It’s all good. It’s not really him, it’s me and my own sh-, I mean, stuff.”

“Are you hungry?”

“No, we were actually just eating,” he laughed. “I was coming out here to…I dunno, go for a walk, I guess?”

Lucille dropped her gloves to the ground and adjusted her sunhat. “Ok, well, want some company? We don’t have to talk if you don’t want to. I could use the exercise and change of scenery. I can fill you in on the who lives on the other streets,” she chuckled.

Benny’s eyes crinkled as he smiled, pulling the woman into a side hug. “Deal, let’s go.”

They walked in a comfortable silence for a few minutes, Benny’s arm wrapped around her shoulder as she held onto his waist. She didn’t pry or ask questions, she just walked alongside taking in the beautiful day.

As they turned down another block, Benny started to slowly open up. He gave Lucille the high points about what was bothering him – that he had never really dealt with the hurt and pain of his previous relationship, which didn’t end well. He decided to skirt past the aftermath and the parts that painted him in a less-than-savory light. It’s not that he didn’t trust Lucille or think she would judge him, he just didn’t want to go through the pain of reliving it all by sharing the details. He knew he had to at some point, but he wasn’t ready. Will didn’t even know the extent of it all if he was honest with himself.

By the time they started their walk back down Mule Fall Court, they saw Megan and Katie leaving Melissa’s house. He tried to keep a neutral face, not wanting to invite more questions from the ladies.

“Oh hey, you two! Lulu, you ditching me for a new walking buddy?” Megan waved and yelled over to them.

“Never. I just wanted to take a walk and Benny was so nice to give esta vieja a hand around,” she smiled, giving Benny a little squeeze. He gave the women a tight smile that barely reached his eyes.

“You good, Ben?” Megan tilted her head, seeing Benny a bit more reserved than usual.

“Uh y-yea, especially now that I got to spend some time alone with Lulu. It’s hard to get her away from Frankie,” he chuckled as Lucille shook her head.

“What are you girls up to?” Lucille asked when she stopped laughing.

“Oh us? Um, we…” Katie piped up before she realized what she actually wanted to say.

“Just catching up,” Melissa swooped in for the save.

“Chisme, huh?” Lucille gave a knowing look to Megan, who she knew would fill her in later.

“Speaking of, Melissa, have you seen the new neighbors?”

“Yeah, they were here the other day when Santiago and Frankie were here. They seem like a nice family. The wife is gorgeous, and she has a sister too,” she waggled her eyebrows and poked Benny, who looked down and rubbed the back of his neck with a smirk.

“Well, Ethan said they should be moving in soon, which will be exciting! Maybe as early as this week, so keep an eye out.” Lucille smiled. “Mija, you said Santiago and Frankie were here?”

“Oh, yeah. I was thinking of doing some stuff in the backyard…some new additions. Actually, Benny, I may need your help too.” Melissa gave a hopeful look to Benny.

Even though Benny was slightly wary of Melissa, he knew he had to keep up appearances in front of everyone else.“Uh, yeah. Actually, Pope, uh, Santi, mentioned it. Let him know when works best and he and I can come over. I can sketch some ideas out for you.”

“Ah that would be awesome, thank you!”

“Well, we should be getting back. It was good seeing you girls.” Lucille returned her arm back around Benny’s waist as he brought her in for a half hug.

“Great, seeing you ladies.”

__________________________

Will had just put away the last of the dishes as Benny came back into the house, sweaty from helping Lucille move some Fourth of July decorations down from her attic.

Benny looked around the house and then to Will who grabbed a paper towel to finish wiping down the counter, his back to Benny. "Where's Fish and Pope?"

"They left. Fish had to get some stuff for his trip," Will wadded up the paper towel and threw it in the garbage can. He turned around and leaned onto the kitchen island with both hands, scanning his brother's face. "You good?"

"Yeah," Benny walked over to secure their glass sliding door, the one he had slammed shut earlier. "We should really fix this. Maybe this week? Gotta ask J if we need to get a new door or if we shou-"

"Ben," Will cut him off, annoyed that Benny was trying to change the subject rather than talk to him. "If you ever wanna talk about it, I'm here y'know."

"Yup. I know. Thanks, man," Benny knew his brother saw right through his tight, forced smile, but he did it nonetheless. "Hey, isn't the game on? Last game of the Lone Star series isn't it?"

Benny walked to the fridge to grab two beers, handing one to Will before plopping down on the couch. Will shook his head as he took the cap off his beer and threw it in the trash. It frustrated him that he wasn't able to crack this part of his brother's past which clearly caused so much pain. Will wanted to fix it. With time, he knew Benny would open up to someone about it, but, selfishly, a part of Will hoped it would be him.

Will had always been fiercely protective of his brother on all fronts, especially when it related to their father. Benny was similar to their mom, creative, imaginative, expressive, and optimistic to the point of being a bit naive. One trait Will inherited from his mother was her intuitiveness, especially when it came to Benny. He always knew when his little brother was feeling down, and worked to encourage and develop his interests when outside influences told Benny to suppress them.

Will's decision to join the military took everyone by surprise, including himself. He just needed an escape and thought that was the way to do it. He could never have imagined where it was going to take him and what he would see and experience. He will always remember May 29, 2003, the day Benny called to say he would be enlisting too, following his brother’s footsteps. Will felt a pang of guilt, knowing it wasn't what his brother wanted to do but also understanding the choice.

Benny was as much a natural athlete as he was a talented artist. The duality was a bit of a curse. Rather than encourage both aspects of his son’s personality, their father largely overlooked any of Benny's artistic achievements, instead focusing on the athletic. It also didn't help that Benny was good at every sport or game he tried. He also turned out to be an extremely talented soldier too, ascending the ranks quickly and becoming one of the youngest to ever join Delta Force. He was tapped ahead of his 20th birthday but had to wait until 21 before he could officially join the ranks.

Will and Benny were always close growing up and shared a lot with each other, but things changed when Benny met Amy three years ago. Will knew she was trouble from the moment he met her at one of Benny’s fights. He still didn’t know the full extent of everything that went on during their relationship, knowing that whatever was left unresolved still troubled Benny no matter how much he tried to hide behind his jokes and the happy-go-lucky mask he put on. Still, Will stayed patient, knowing that with time his brother would let him in.

“Look I know I don’t smell great, but you gonna stand in the kitchen the whole time or are you gonna sit your ass down?” Benny looked over his shoulder, taking a swig.

“Ha, sorry Ben, I was thinking,” Will snapped out of his thoughts and sauntered over, clinking his beer bottle with Benny’s before he sat down.

They didn’t talk much for the rest of the afternoon into the evening, except to comment on certain plays in the game. When it was over, Benny got up, grabbed a bowl of cereal, and headed to his room leaving Will watching TV.

___________________________

The Sunday scaries were hitting Katie hard, so she settled in for the evening with a glass of wine and a movie, hoping it would ease the anxiety for just a moment. As she sat there on her couch, she decided to scroll away on her phone. Thanks to Melissa's research, she remembered Benny's Instagram handle and decided to poke around. Just as she was looking at a throwback photo from presumably high school, she got a notification of a text from Will.

Will: Hey, sorry I didn’t get to check in much today. The guys were over.

Will: You have a good day?

Katie: It’s all good! 😀 Yeah, pretty chill for me. Saw Megan and Melissa.

Katie: Everything okay with Benny? He seemed kinda off earlier.

Will: Yea, he’s fine. Pope brought up something that pissed him off and he flew off the handle a bit.

Katie: Aw, well I hope he’s ok.

Will: He’s fine. He’s probably drawing or writing in his room.

Will: What are you up to?

Katie: Nothing much, watching a movie, talking to you.

Katie: What about you?

Will: Nothing much, watching TV and talking to you.

Katie smiled as she took a sip of her wine.

Will: Have a busy week?

Katie: Kinda. Month end is always a pain in the ass.

Will: Any plans other than work?

Katie: I don’t know, depends who’s asking. 😉

Will: I’d like to see you sometime. If you’re not too busy.

Katie: I’d like that too. How about Wednesday?

Will: That’s a specific day lol

Katie: Well, tomorrow and Tuesday are back to back meetings and I’ll be a zombie and no fun.

Will: Lol ok that’s fair

Katie: Plus I’ll be a bit more back to normal by Wednesday…

Katie bit her lip, hoping he was picking up on her flirtation.

Will: I see.

Katie: I can make us some food or we can order in. Watch a movie? Just have a chill night?

Will: Yea sounds good.

Will: Well, I won't keep you. Have a good rest of your night.

Katie: Good night Will.

Katie lay sideways on her couch, smiling to herself, giddy at seeing Will later this week. But, she simultaneously felt a pang of anxiety and guilt. She rolled herself onto her back and called Megan.

“Hey hold on. I don’t know, did you check the laundry basket?” Megan pulled the phone away, yelling across the house. “Sorry Kat, Connor is freaking out because Aria is coming over to hang out and there’s this shirt he wants to wear and, ugh I don’t know it’s a whole thing. Hi. How are you? What’s up?”

Katie laughed at the chaos coming through the other end of the phone. “Hi, sounds like you’ve got a lot going on over there.”

“Oh you know, nothing I can’t handle. So what’s up? We haven’t debriefed about what Melissa told us earlier. What did you think about all of that?”

“Um…well…I may or may not have been doing some, ah, supplemental research.” Katie smirked.

“Spill. Tell me everything.”

“I mean, there’s really not much more than what Melissa showed us. I just found more photos and looked around. I ended up finding some more current photos of Cousin Joel”

“He’s really fucking hot right?”

“Oh my gosh Meg, he seriously is, like holy shit.”

“Hey, you already have a Miller,” she laughed.

“Ha, yeah.” Katie took a deep breath, fiddling with the hem of her shirt. Although she had a brief interaction with Joel over FaceTime, there was something about it she couldn’t shake off. She could still see his big brown eyes looking back at her on the small screen.

“Speaking of Will, how’re things going?”

Megan’s question snapped Katie back to reality. “Uh. Good. Fine. He’s so fucking sweet and he actually cares about my stupid shit,” Katie chuckled. “Seb would have had one AirPod in the second I mentioned a project, but Will is like, I don’t know, genuinely excited to hear my ideas. He’s … he’s a really…nice guy.”

“Uh oh.”

“What?”

“There’s something you aren’t telling me. What is it?”

“Nothing, I just. I don’t know Meg,” she sat up on the couch before getting up and starting to pace around her house. “I just got divorced and the idea of starting something serious so soon, I don’t know.”

“Who said it had to be serious? Can’t you both be like friends with benefits or something? Isn’t that a thing people do?”

“I don’t think Will seems like the friends-with-benefits kind of guy.”

“Really? Did you see the photos of him when he was younger? You know the guy was just drowning in,” Megan stopped herself as Connor walked back into the kitchen, having found the shirt he was looking for. “He was probably pretty popular I bet.” She gave a tight smile to her son as he continued on getting himself a Gatorade from the fridge.

“I guess. I mean, I don’t know…with him living down the street and his brother slowly replacing me as your best friend, I just don’t want to make it awkward if things end badly.”

“First of all, I’m not replacing you, ever, and definitely not with Benny. Love the guy, but he would drive me insane if we hung out as much as you and I do,” Megan laughed. “Second, why are you already assuming it’s going to end badly? You like him right? Shit. Are you gonna friend zone the guy?”

“Ugh, I don’t know. I like Will, I really do.”

“...as a friend? Or something more?”

“I don’t know, Meg.”

“Well, you should probably figure that shit out. Maybe,” she brought the phone closer to whisper hoping Connor wasn't overhearing, “maybe see what the sex is like? You know, see if there’s chemistry. If you aren’t feeling it then be honest with him. He’s a nice guy, Kat, I feel like if you’re honest with him he’ll understand.”

“I mean, based on how he kisses I can only imagine how he fucks.”

A/N: For the Frankie fans, thank you for being so patient with me, we’ll focus a bit more on him coming up, including his trip to Dallas.

“There’s my girl!” Megan chuckled, clearing her throat as Connor looked over.

Next chapter

Taglist: @goodwithcheese / @gemmahale / @trulybetty / @patti7dc / @periodtsparadox / @ramblers-lets-get-ramblin / @maggiemayhemnj / @mysterious-moonstruck-musings / @avastrasposts / @meveispunk / @chaoticfestninja / @beboldbebravethings / @casa-boiardi / @katw474 / @linzels-blog / @laughing-in-th3-purple-rain / @pimosworld / @lynnchun / @anoverwhelmingdin /@lilmizmoz / @pedrit0-pascalit0 / @titlee78 / @noisynightmarepoetry / @inept-the-magnificent / @perennialdoll247 / @for-a-longlongtime / @readingiskeepingmegoing / @harriedandharassed / @musings-of-a-rose / @anavatazes / @sherala007 / @midnightraain / @partyofone3414 / @inthedarkestnight / @millennial-teenybopper / @csarab615 / @darkheartgatita / @southernbe / @weho2kcmo / @itspdameronthings

#delta landscaping #triple frontier fic #triple frontier fanfic #triple frontier fanfiction #triple frontier au

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gweninred · 8 months

Text

bakery

larissa weems x reader

fluff, parent larissa and reader later on

the sweet scent from freshly baked muffins filled your nose trills as you pull them out of the oven of your own bakery. setting them aside to cool down i started decorating one of the cakes i baked earlier. i started humming to the music i had on, thinking of the regular customer that comes here everyday. tall, white silvery hair always put up, blue eyed that I get lost in easily and an incredibly hot woman. i wonder what time she would come today. sometimes she's here in the morning, usually getting a coffee. on other days she would come around noon, i asume in her lunch break, then getting a hot choclate with something sweet. i once caught her name when she got a call, larissa. i quickly glance over to the clock, seeing it was already 07:45. i put the cake in the fridge, i deciced to finish it off later. i grabbed the tray with freshly baked cookies with all kind of flavours and brought it over to the counter of the little store, putting them in their place in front of the glass for people to see and choose.

i finished getting everything ready before 8 AM, the time we opened. i noticed the tall woman already waiting in front of the building, I wonder how long she’s been out there. i unlocked the doors, gigling at larissa. "well goodmorning to you, early bird." larissa smiled stepping into my bakery. "i'm not an early bird, i need my coffee." i walked to the counter and started making her coffee. "just a black coffee?" i looked back at her, she hummed in approval. "do you have those blueberry muffins today?" she asks with a smile. "yeah give me a second, they’re still in the back." i placed her coffee to-go on the counter. larissa quickly wrapped her hand around it, her fingers gazing my hand. i looked down at our hands, then i moved my gaze to her face, looking at her bright blue eyes. her hair was put up, just like always. i've noticed i still had my hand on the cup of coffee, i winked a few times, lost in her beauty. "sorry.." i mumble removing my hand. "it's okay." she smiled once again, taking a sip. "i'll be right back." i quickly walked in the back getting the muffins, they were still warm.

i brought them to the front, the tall woman still waiting. "one?" i looked up at her, she nodded. i putted the muffin in a small paper bag, placing in front of her. "anything else?" i asked. "no this was it." larissa opened her purse, grabbing for her wallet. "oh no, it's on me." i quickly said. larissa stopped in track to look at me. "don't be silly." she lightly giggled. "no it's okay, don't worry it's on me." she had happened to reach her wallet. "i can't do that y/n." i liked it when she said my name. the way it falls from her lips sounds like i could hear it everyday.

"would you like to do something with me? go out or something." it slipped out without thinking, i immediately felt dumb, I didn’t even knew if she liked woman. i hit my forehead with my palm. "sorry i didn't mean to say that." larissa's eyes looking like she was staring straight through me, it looked like she was thinking, her wallet still in her hands. "yes." was the only thing she said. "yes?" i repeated. "yes, i want to go on a date with you." i smiled. "sorry again for asking that so dumb-" i went to apologise but she cut me off. "oh shut it, i've liked you since forever." we both giggled, larissa grabbed my hand from across the counter. " butterflies filled my stomach. "okay what about how i pick you up tonight at 7PM for dinner?" she asked, her thumb rubbing the back of my hand. "yeah that sounds great."

"mama was adoreble, she got all shy on me." i heard larissa giggle with our 9 year old daughter ozzy. "when did i get shy on you?" i asked, stepping in the door opening of ozzy's room. "when you asked mommy out for a date! she was telling me about it." ozzy was sitting up in bed, already tucked in. larissa was sitting on the edge of her bed, stroking her blonde hair. i laughed remembering it. "and did mommy tell you how she spilled her drink on my very new dress that night?" ozzy bursted out in laughter. "really?" i walked in the room, kneeling down next to the two. i placed my hand on larissa's lower back. "but she bought me a new dress so it was fine. but i did got a little upset with mommy." i stroked ozzy's cheek, she was still laughing. "you're so clumsy mom!" larissa laughed. "come on darling it's bedtime now." said, placing a kiss on ozzy's forehead, followed by a kiss from me on her lips. "goodnight oz, i love you." i tucked her in just a bit more. "night lamp on or off?" larissa asked. "off." she anwserd sleepy. "okay goodnight baby." larissa turned off the light and we left her room.

we silently walked downstairs to the livingroom, cuddling up on the couch. "oz asked me all about when we started dating, she wants us to get married again so she can be there." larissa told me. "that is so cute and that doesn't even sounds like a bad idea. i want to marry you laris." the tall rubbed my back. "we're already married." she giggled. "can we marry again? for oz?" i looked up at her. "sure darling."

#gwendoline christie #gwendolineuniverse #lesbian #fanfic #principal larissa weems #larissa weems #larissa x reader #larissa x you #larissa x y/n #larissa weems x female reader #principal weems #wednesday netflix

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peqchsoup · 7 months

Note

omg joel calling reader princess and pumpkin made me giggled so hard wtf. JEJDJDJD but like idk why mean joel just gets me like just the idea of him being this grumpy guy but being such a softy for the reader😭 could u maybe do sumn with taylor swift’s I can see you? reader has a crush on joel, always looking at him, making up scenarios, and he’d always see this girl staring at him , smiling to herself FAWK 😭😭😭

hi anon, thank you for requesting!! honestly, I got this request so long ago and started writing this, but had so little motivation bc of mental health and the likes, but I went on a lil rampage and got this finished in like an hour ngl, im not a swiftie so I had a lot of back and forth looking at the lyrics to this song to see how I could incorporate them, so I hope I've done you proud! anyway, here it is and, as always, requests are open <3 no, this has not been proofread :)

I Can See You

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

You tap aggressively at your phone to turn off your alarm.You run through your Monday morning routine of groaning in bed at the thought of having to see Joel Miller after you spent all weekend trying not to think about him.

Being the receptionist at Miller Contracting had its pros and its cons.

Pros:

Good salary

Free coffee all day

Staring at Joel Miller

Cons:

Joel Miller didn’t like you

He was always polite enough when he walked in with Tommy, but he didn’t take nearly as much of a liking to you as his brother did. Tommy always turned on the charm, brought you coffee and breakfast bagels while Joel nodded in your direction before breezing past. And somehow, you were infatuated with him. You would sit behind the desk day in, day out, daydreaming about all of the things Joel Miller could do to you.

You would watch him come to the front desk to greet the more high profile clients and would sneak a glance while he shook hands with them so you could see strong fingers with veins along the back of his hand running to his wrist. You would then watch him through the glass of the boardroom, pointing to his presentation or twiddling a pen between his fingers while he spoke.

You used that material to picture his hands all over you. You daydreamed about his hands starting in your hair, brushing it out of the way of your face before Joel drags them down your sides and to your waist. You thought about his bruising touch on the soft flesh at the tops of your thighs, picturing how they would look while pushing your legs open and parting your slick folds.

You groaned at your second alarm blaring in your ear, getting up and mindlessly following your daily morning routine. You had done it so many times that you were out of the door within 20 minutes.

Your Monday morning was just like every morning: drive to work, open up the office, turn on the lights, turn on the coffee machines, sit at the front desk, check the calendar, and try not to think about Joel Miller. You had accomplished almost all of these things. All but one.

You sat fantasising again, wondering which of the brothers was driving to work today. You thought of Joel’s hands gripping the wheel and how his brow would be furrowed slightly while he was concentrating. You thought of Joel’s other hand resting on his denim-clad thigh. You thought of how his eyes would flicker to the rear view mirror and how, if you were sitting in the back, he would constantly glance at you and mentally undress you. You thought-

“Mornin’ Sunshine!”

Tommy’s voice boomed through the office and had you scrambling to make it look like you were busy.

“Morning Tommy. Joel.” You looked to the older brother who nodded and threw you a tight-lipped smile. You looked back to Tommy who was holding up a brown bag and an iced latte.

“Iced vanilla latte and a breakfast muffin for my best girl.” Tommy placed the items down and winked at you. You thanked him before he moved on towards the boardroom to prepare for their pitch.

When you first started at the company, you thought Tommy was trying to make a move on you. You were awkward and didn’t know what to say when he brought you things. But, over time, you learned that he was looking out for you in a big brother sense. You were there from the beginning, seeing the office become a reality, and had become like a little sister to Tommy. He always asked how things were at home, if you had a pet yet and even asked if you had any dates (with the added bonus of comforting you when you went through disaster after disaster).

Joel followed his brother into the room and let the door click shut. Your eyes followed his movements; shrugging off his jacket to reveal the “Miller Contracting” t-shirt he was wearing that grew taught over flexing biceps. Your eyes traced up his broad shoulders to where you could see his profile. Tan skin met a dark beard that was always well taken care of. You followed his nose from the tip up to the bridge where you found chocolate brown eyes that you could get lost in, and did get lost in every time he was explaining something to you.

The same chocolate eyes that were now looking right back into yours.

You jumped and reached up to grab your breakfast from the counter Tommy left them on. You stared down at your breakfast with laser focus the entire time you ate it and, when you finished, you continued to keep your gaze downward by busing yourself on your computer.

You didn’t look up for a single second until it was time to greet the new clients. You gave them their visitor passes and walked them to the boardroom where Joel and Tommy stood to shake their hands and get them seated. You turned to leave before Tommy whispered your name and pulled you to one side.

“This could be a huge project for us, could you take some notes for us?” Tommy looked at you with his puppy-dog eyes even though he knew you would do anything to help out.

“Of course, let me grab my stuff.”

And that’s how you ended up spending all day with Joel Miller. Whenever there was a break or Tommy was sketching something on the whiteboard, you stole glances at Joel. Your eyes traced his jaw where it met his fists to rest his head on. You looked at his hair and how it was starting to curl up on the ends, waiting to be cut off. What you didn’t notice was the way Joel stared back. You were so fixated on his features that you didn’t catch his own wandering eyes.

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

The day-long meeting concluded with handshakes and smiles as Joel and Tommy settled their biggest deal yet. You wanted to let the brothers celebrate their new project, so you returned to the front desk where you began to type up the notes that you had taken.

Joel was, for lack of a better term, a bit of a grump. He was courteous with clients, of course, but generally around the office and in his own private office, he kept to himself. You had never seen him crack a smile unless a client was in front of him. Seeing that smile in action had a blush creeping up your neck.

Not long after you returned to your desk, Tommy swung the boardroom door open, followed by the grinning clients who were all beginning to remove their visitor passes. You began to sign them out when Tommy called your name.

“Hey, Joel’s staying to do the paperwork but I’m taking these guys out for dinner if you wanna join? Joel can lock up.”

Your eyes flicked to the boardroom behind Tommy where you could see Joel with a stack of paper. Feeling your stare, Joel’s eyes shot up to meet yours. You felt your face begin to heat again and turned back to look at a hopeful Tommy.

“I appreciate the offer, but I think I’ll stay. I’ve gotta finish these notes and I wouldn’t feel right leaving Joel here alone.”

Tommy turned to the clients standing behind him, pointing his thumb at you over his shoulder.

“Didn’t I say she was the best?”

The clients nodded and chuckled along with Tommy and, with a final ‘Goodnight’, the group of men left. It was just you at your desk and Joel in the boardroom.

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

You desperately tried to focus on your work, ignoring everything in your brain telling you to look at Joel and watch him. Thoughts of him flooded your mind. The way his brows furrowed and he rubbed his beard when he was concentrating. When Tommy cracks a cheesy joke and gets a huff out of his older brother.

Deciding you were too distracted to get work done, you decided that a cup of coffee was the perfect thing to get your head together.

You wandered along to the kitchen where you met an empty pot of coffee. Being slightly annoyed but getting on with it, you started getting another pot ready. You pulled the pot out of the machine and gave it a rinse. Throwing out the filter was next, but when you went to grab a new one, they had been pushed to the back of the top shelf of the cupboard.

You reached up on your tiptoes, leaning your hips against the countertop to try to balance yourself. But to no avail, you just couldn’t reach. On your last attempt, you felt a warm body press against yours, a tanned arm reaching past your head and then a hand moving past your own and grabbing the box of filters.

You flipped around at top speed, coming face to chest with Joel himself. He retracted his arm and set the box of filters in your hands. Speechless, you took a filter out of the box and set it in the plastic coffee filter that fitted onto the pot. Joel watched you in silence while you filled the filter with coffee with a shaky hand. Your chest was heaving and you were trying to calm the raging blush creeping up your neck.

The coffee pot was set to work and you turned around to grab a mug, only for Joel to stop your arm mid-reach and spin you back round so your back was pressed against the countertop.

His eyes were hooded, his gaze low.

“I can see you, you know.”

Your eyes darted from his eyes to his mouth, where his tongue ran across his lips. You opened your mouth but couldn’t form a single word.

“I see you waitin’ down the hall for me. I’ve been watchin’ you for ages. I tried to ignore you at first. I kept everything professional, but now something’s changing.”

Joel’s hands came up to rest on either cheek.

“Now, you won’t believe half the things I see inside my head. I can see you up against the wall with me. I can see you being my addiction.”

You were struggling to comprehend the words he was saying; they were coming out before your brain had time to register them.

One of Joel’s hands reached around to tangle in your hair at the back of your head. He leaned in for a tentative kiss. Your lips pressed against his and, in that instant, your hands flew up to meet at the back of his head, pulling him closer and harder against you.

He took that as his signal to deepen the kiss, becoming almost rough with you. His hands moved to your waist to lift you up onto the counter. Instinctively, you hopped with his lift and wrapped your legs around his hips.

His hands grabbed at the flesh of your thighs and kneaded the tender skin. He was everywhere all at once and suddenly, he wasn’t.

Joel pulled away and left the kitchen. You were left sitting flustered on the counter. Hopping down, you decided that you should forget the coffee and just go home to sit and overthink the entire situation.

You went back to your desk and grabbed your bag, taking a risky glance at the, now empty, boardroom. Trying to shake away the disappointment starting to bloom in your chest, you reached to grab your keys and found a sticky note with an address and a small note underneath.

“Meet me tonight.”

#pedro pascal #the last of us #joel miller #tlou #joel miller x reader #joel tlou #joel #the last of us hbo #tlou hbo #no outbreak!joel miller #contractor Joel miller #miller contracting

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noctumbra · 2 years

Text

𝒊𝒗. 𝒎𝒖𝒇𝒇𝒊𝒏

🍂 summary ─ dead on your feet, fear not, you have bucky who’s willing to help you get back on your feet and make sure you’re safe.

🍂 pairing ─ farmer!bucky barnes x reader

🍂 warnings ─ fluff, bucky taking care of youuuuu, small note, a flower bouquet

🍂 a/n ─ i want me a bucky thank u. oh i also want a muffin

You breathed in the freshly brewed coffee smell as you tiredly stepped inside your favorite coffee shop with your tote and laptop bags slung over your shoulders.

When you couldn’t find any empty cabs, you decided to walk, but you didn’t think how tiring it would be to your already exhausted body. You were cursing yourself for wearing pencil skirt and heels today, knowing fully well that you would have some weight to carry around all day. It seemed like a good idea in the morning, but you should have known better to trust your own judgement in the mornings.

You groaned as you placed your bags on the table, breathing out a relieved and pained sound all in one. You rubbed your shoulders, trying to ease the pain, but you knew only a warm bath and hot press would ease the real pain in them. You closed your eyes and rested your forehead against the cool surface of the table.

Your legs were throbbing, your heels were numb at this point, and your stomach was grunting at you to give something to eat for the past two hours. You sighed. If you had even a little bit energy, you’d have already gone up and got yourself a coffee and a sandwich, no, a muffin. You were drained, though, so you opted out from the moving option. You could rest here a bit before you forced yourself to walk over the register.

So, you sighed again but deeply and tried to relax all the muscles in your body. A little break would do you good, you knew that.

─

You see, Bucky was lucky when he decided to be a good boy, and lately he had been the best. As a result, the universe was blessing him with the coincidence of coming across to you on his day off every week.

There was this voice that kept telling him to go out, to get coffee and treat himself ever since he woke up that morning. He almost didn’t listen to it, almost chose to stay in and under his thick duvet with his baby, Alpine, but he was so damn grateful that he indeed listened to that voice and went out.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to see you.

No matter how tired, sleepy and dead on your feet you looked, you were so pretty.

Bucky was kind of worried, though.

“May I take your order?” The girl at the register, Wanda, her name tag said, asked him gently. Bucky blinked and took his eyes away from you although he couldn’t help but sneak another glance: You were sitting at a table with your heavy-looking bags scattered on the large surface while your forehead rested on the table. “She overworks, no matter what we tell her, she does.”

Bucky blinked again and looked at Wanda. “She does this all the time?” Wanda nodded. “She looks like… she’ll sleep there if you let her.” Wanda smiled a little.

“Nothing she didn’t do before,” she murmured. “We told her not to pull any extra shifts if she didn’t have to, but she…” Wanda sighed. “She doesn’t listen. So, we try to get her blood sugar up and make sure she’s at home safely on these sorts of days.” Bucky frowned as his worry grew.

“Blood sugar up?”

“Yeah, her looking like that means she probably didn’t eat anything either since breakfast or lunch,” Wanda explained. Then, her green eyes observed you resting on the table carefully for a couple seconds. “It’s most likely the formal today.”

“Breakfast?” Bucky asked incredulously. Wanda shrugged. “Oh my God,” Bucky whispered and shook his head. “Alright. I’ll, uh, I’ll get a vanilla late, grande. A good ole tea for her, whatever size she prefers usually, and a muffin.”

Wanda hid her smile as she wrote down the orders, preparing the cups. It was nice to see that her friend had this charming, handsome admirer who jumped at the first chance to take care of her. “Anything else?”

“Um, can you add a sandwich into the mix?” Bucky asked. “But, like, cut it in half?” Wanda nodded slowly and added the order. She told him the total, and Bucky quickly paid it. Pietro called out for the orders and placed the muffin and sandwich on a small tray. Bucky thanked him and walked towards the empty table right next to yours.

“Hey,” he called out softly, careful not to cause you flinch. You breathed in sharply and lifted your head. Bucky saw the mark the table left on your forehead, he grimaced lightly. “Hey, welcome back.” You groaned and rubbed your eyes, forgetting that you had mascara on. Bucky went back to the register and asked for a wet wipe which Wanda handed him happily. He thanked her.

“There you go,” he murmured. You looked at the wet wipe Bucky had in his hand, and then looked up at him blankly. Bucky frowned. His worry was visible in his pretty blue eyes. He reached out. “May I?” He asked, and you nodded, feeling dumb and sleepy still. Bucky’s free hand took a hold of your chin, his grip very gentle and hand very warm and smooth, while his other hand slowly wiped the smeared mascara around your eyes. After he was done, he pulled back.

He grabbed the tray and put your tea and muffin in front of you. “Why don’t you eat something?” He said. “Tea will warm you up, and muffin will give you some energy.” You yawned, hiding your mouth behind your hand. Grabbing the big cup full of tea, you sipped it. Your eyes closed as you hummed and took a couple more sips from your tea. “Good, yeah?” You nodded. Bucky pushed the muffin towards you. “Eat a little bit of this, and I’m gonna give you a sandwich.” You placed your cup down, fingers found the muffin and tore it apart gently. You popped a small bite into your mouth, softly moaning at the taste. Your stomach grumbled. Bucky grinned.

“We’ll quite it down, don’t worry,” he murmured, winking playfully. “Eat some more.” You did. You plucked small bites from your muffin, almost inhaling the half of it under a minute, when Bucky placed a half-sandwich in front of you. “Want me to cut it into smaller parts?” He asked you, and you shook your head. “Alright.”

You swallowed your muffin and washed it away with a big sip from your tea. “Aren’t you eating?” You asked him. Even your voice sounded tired, and Bucky did not like that at all.

“I am,” he answered you, showing the other half of the sandwich. You nodded. Pushing the rest of the muffin towards him. Bucky raised a brow.

“’s only fair,” you mumbled before biting down your sandwich. You hummed as you ate it, sipping your tea occasionally. You watched Bucky munching on his own sandwich, saw him drinking his coffee and licking his lips.

Your sleepy self was waking up, albeit slowly, but you were utterly thankful for the sugar and some food he brought. You were still tired, your legs still throbbed and heels and shoulders ached, but you felt better than when you first walked in. It meant a lot. Especially when you thought about all the time you were going to spend going home. You made a soft whining noise, but it got lost in to the sound of blender.

“How do you feel?” Bucky asked. You wiped your mouth, finishing your tea.

“Good,” you said. “Better than before.” Then, you frowned slightly. “Still exhausted, though.” Bucky made a soft, broken sound. He wished terribly that he had come here with his bike or his dad’s car. That way, he could have given you a ride instead letting you slave away in a cab or subway.

“Good,” he muttered. His phone beeped. Sneaking a peek, he saw his mother asking him if he could come home a bit earlier. He tried not to frown. It wasn’t everyday his mother asked stuff from him, so he did not get to whine. “Is there anything I can do?” He asked. You shook your head.

“No, thank you,” you murmured. “I’ll probably have another tea and go home.” You took a deep breath and looked at him. “Thank you for the food and tea.” He shrugged. A shy smile formed on his full lips.

“Anytime,” he whispered. Your heart fluttered like it did back at the park. You cleared your throat. Bucky blinked. “I, uh, I have to go. My mom, she needs me.” He stood up and grabbed his half-full coffee cup. “Please be careful, okay?” You nodded, ignoring your heart’s reaction to his words with your whole will.

“Yeah,” you said. He smiled and sent you a small wave. You waved at him back. As he walked away from you, you slumped on your seat. Closing your eyes as you waited for food to do its job.

You didn’t see him placing a flower into the inner pocket of your jacket with a small note. You didn’t notice it until you came home, actually, since you opted out of wearing your coat because you decided taking a cab.

When you did notice, though, your face split up into a huge smile. All your exhaustion and throbbing limbs were forgotten with a beautiful daffodil bouquet and a small note that said: “You looked very tired and sad, for some reason that I do not know. Hope this will cheer you up and put a smile on your face. Your smile is beautiful.”

#bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes fluff #bucky barnes au #bucky barnes imagines #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes angst #bucky barnes smut #bucky barnes x you #bucky x you #muffin

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buckyalpine · 2 years

Text

Sprinkle

18+ minors dni Bucky x f reader

@cadencejames87 this was adorable, I love shy Bucky, that bb deserves to be protected forever, FOREVER (pic of the whole request posted below💕)

Warnings: FLUFF, Implied smut Word count: 2.6k

You ran down the hall, your arms full of documents you had to print out with information about the team’s latest mission. You’d only been working at the compound for a few months and in all honesty, it wasn’t as stressful as one would expect. You spent most of the day quietly keeping things in order behind the scenes, rarely seeing any of the avengers. Not that it mattered. Maybe it mattered just a little. There was one that you wouldn’t mind seeing more of. Handsome. Gorgeous. Beautiful. Blue eyes. Pink lips. Brunette. Sharp nose. Metal arm. Metal arm.….Dear God, focus y/n.

You laid out the papers in the conference room, restocked the cups for the coffee machine, and set out some snacks. Today you opted for sprinkle donuts, deciding the team could use a drop of happiness in their day instead of the boring bran muffins the previous intern always left. You did a quick once over of the room, making sure everything was in place before the team walked in.

Your heart stopped working as you saw him in his all black outfit, your absolute favourite. You quietly slipped out of the room, your heart racing; the heat on your cheeks could have warmed frozen waffles. He was so fucking handsome. You went about the rest of your day, happily floating on cloud nine; it was rare you got to see him in person. Could you just go up and talk to him? Of course. Did you have the courage of a chicken nugget? Also of course. Happily admiring from afar would have to do…for now.

*****

“These are so cute!” Nat giggled, popping some of the sprinkles that fell off the donut, into her mouth. The donuts definitely made all the difference; most of the meeting went by with everyone giggling at sprinkles that clung to their lips.

“Mhm, that would be y/n’s doing” Tony chuckled, taking an extra donut for Morgan. Bucky smiled at the colourful little sugary confection; he never had a sprinkle donut before and it was delicious. And sweet. And soft. And bright. And bubbly. And adorable. And beautiful. With a cute smile. And so thoughtful. And he was no longer thinking about the donut, for fucks sakes Barnes. Bucky shook his head, trying to focus the meeting again but his mind was still distracted by…something…

Sprinkles.

*****

You shuffled through your closet, deciding to slip on your new dress (it was not a coincidence at all, that it was Bucky’s favourite color). It wasn’t something you’d usually wear to work but was a special day. His special day. You paired it off with your black boots that had tiny gold zippers, touching up your makeup before making your way to the office. With your heart heating out of your chest. Because it was his birthday today. And you had a plan in mind.

As the intern, you always made note of everyone’s birthday’s, sending out reminders for the rest of the team, arranging for catering and organizing the events for them. You never actually had to get anything for them. But Bucky was different. You knew just about everything there was to know about the team; parties were not really Bucky’s thing. He wasn’t big on extravagant gifts. Most of the time he walked around looking like he just needed a hug. Bucky deserved more than that.

You bought a large gift basket, hand picking items you knew he loved. You had his favourite tea and coffee, a box of candies that came from a store that packaged their sweets the same way from the 40’s, new leather gloves (with a note: if you ever need to feel safe; but you never have to hide), a few records of old music he listened to and a bunch of other little items that you hoped he’d enjoy.

You make it to the compound, waddling down the hall way carrying the gift box nearly the size of you. You went to the common room, pausing when you saw him talking to Sam and Steve. That wasn’t part of the plan but fuck it. You took a deep breath, marching right to him, wordlessly handing him the basket before turning away.

Bucky’s cheeks were dusted pink as he held the gift, his mouth opening and closing, words refusing to come out, what the fuck Barnes, say something. The three men stared at you, blinking, mouths gaping as you rounded the corner, disappearing out of their sight.You looked gorgeous. You always looked gorgeous but today was something else, Bucky’s eyes never left you, the colour of the dress complimenting you skin beautifully. Your boots made your hips sway as you walked.

“You’re blushing like a school girl” Sam snorted, looking at Bucky with a shit eating grin plastered on his face, “Just missing a little daisy crown and little pig tails-Ow!”

Bucky flicked Sam’s ear before setting down the giant box, carefully trying to inspect its contents without opening it in front of his best friend and best pain in the ass, though it was already probably too late. His not so secret crush was out in the open and he clearly didn’t hide it well.

“So this is why you keep taking so long to come back to our floor, I was wondering why you spent so much time wandering around that section of the tower” Steve wiggled his eyebrows, his smile growing wider as he remembered more. “WAIT- this is why he started getting coffee from the little French bakery y/n goes to!!”Both Sam and Steve cackled and clapped their hands madly, piecing together every single time Bucky had tried to slyly “run into you”.

Bucky’s heart raced as he contemplated the 101 ideas that were bouncing in his head. He should go after you. Or not. Yes he should. No. You were so fucking pretty. Bucky no. Wait, he didn’t even say thank you. Where were his manners, his ma would have served him on a platter.

He ignored Sam and Steve as they continued to snicker, running after you and jumping in the elevator just before it could close. You felt your heart in your mouth, the both of you standing in the elevator as the door closed. You nervously bit your lip, seeing him holding the large box in his arms, this was not part of the plan. Nope. Nope. No.

“Hi” You squeaked, eyes growing wide, you didn’t anticipate having to actually say anything to him but seriously, who the hell does that. You could have said happy birthday…happy birthday Bucky…you gorgeous, sexy, beefy, so hot you should fuck me sideways super soldier, I think you’re beautifu- nope. Never mind, this is why you didn’t speak.

“Hi” Bucky looked down at you, a shy smile playing on his face “Didn’t you want to see me open it?”

You jumped as the elevator dinged, coming to a stop on Bucky’s floor. Bucky looked to you, grinning when you nodded, his heart racing as you followed him to his room. He opened the door, setting the large box down, unable to control the smile that nearly made his cheeks hurt. It could a have been an empty box and the fact that it came from you would have still been the best gift he’d ever received.

You nervously fidgeted as he tore the paper away, lifting the lid, what if it was too much, what if he wouldn’t like it, what if-

Bucky gasped, stepping back as tons of little brightly coloured balloons flew out of the box, a little note on top of your care package that read

A Box of Sunshine to Brighten your Day

Bucky wordlessly stared at you, his expression unreadable. You bit your lip, worrying you’d over stepped; you were about to apologize when Bucky began speaking.

“Y-you did this all for me?” Bucky whispered, looking down at the little note and back to you. “This means a lot, really. It meant a lot. I- uh, you should come to Stark’s party tonight” He looked at you hopefully, his bright baby blue eyes sparkling. “It’d definitely make it worthwhile for me to go if…if you came?”

You smiled at your feet, feeling your entire body heat up; pinching your skin a little to be sure this wasn’t all a dream.

“I’d love to go but isn’t it your party? I wouldn’t want to impose-

“Every party is a Stark party” Bucky snorted, “But you’re right. And that means I can decide who I want there. I’d really like for you to come..Sprinkle”

*****

“You look fine punk” Steve cocked an eyebrow, watching Bucky nervously fidget with his shirt, a hand running over his beard, the blush of his cheeks growing stronger. “I’m sure your little sprinkle would agree”

“It’s not like that” Bucky groaned, regretting letting the name he had for you slip out in a conversation. You were a sweet heart, but that was just who you were. You were a little drop of sunshine for everyone. Just because you got him the perfect gift with every little detail perfect, right down to his favourite brand of gloves meant nothing special. You would have done that for anyone. Not that you did before but…

“Uh huh, so you changed into ten different shirts for no reason? This coming from the guy who hasn’t enjoyed parties in the past 80 years” Steve gave his friend a pointed look, chuckling when Bucky refused to make eye contact.

“Shut up” Bucky mumbled, poorly hiding his little smirk as they both made their way downstairs.

*****

You fixed your hair for the 8th time, triple checking your dress in the mirror before slipping your heels on. You were excited as hell but also nervous… Bucky had invited you to his party. The very Bucky Barnes. You’d organized hundreds of these parties but you never went to them. This would be the first one. You giggled to yourself, thinking about the puppy like wonder Bucky had on his face when the balloons flew out of the box. The way his face flushed asking you to come. The way he called you sprinkle.

Calm down y/n.

He was just being nice, he’d always been such a gentleman. You decided not to read into anything, failing to keep the little smile off your face, fuck he was adorable.

*****

Bucky sat on a lounge chair, sipping on his whiskey, his heart stopping as he saw you shyly making your way towards him. You were in another perfect dress, the material wrapping around your body perfectly, another thing he’d love to unwrap- stop. Bad Bucky.

“Happy Birthday Soldier” You whispered your eyes unable to move from his handsome form. He was already gorgeous on a regular day but now? His eyes gazing at you, his tongue daring out to lick his bottom lip, those lips…so..soft…stop. His legs were slightly spread apart and what you would do to curl up right on his lap- fuck, stop. You took a seat beside him, keeping some distance between you both, mostly because you were sure his super senses would detect how warm your body was.

“You-you look beautiful y/n” Bucky smiled, swallowing thickly when you giggled, oh god that sound.

*****

The team carefully watched you both from a corner, making sure to keep their distance so they wouldn’t be seen.

“How long till they get together”

“I give it 1 hour tops, they’re both giving each other fuck me eyes”

“Barnes is one second away from combusting; can his old heart actually handle having a crush?”

“They’re both shy, you think they’ll at least hold hands?”

“Y’know he calls her sprinkle? Cause of the donuts?”

“AWWW I ship them”

“What the hell does that mean Parker”

*****

“Did you want to get a drink?” Bucky nervously shifted beside you, you were so precious and you were making it impossible for his nerves to calm down. You smiled, nodding, taking his extended hand, the both of you walking towards the bar. You both took a seat at the stools that were off to a more secluded area.

“I really loved everything you got me” He whispered, not telling you that after you left, the tears fell freely, no one had ever gotten him something so thoughtful. “No one’s ever gotten me something so special”

“You deserve it Bucky” You said sincerely, sucking in a breath, placing your hand gently on top of his. You relaxed a little when he didn’t pull away, your heart racing when he held your hand instead. Don’t over think it, don’t over think it. Conversation started to easily flow between you both, and on the outside, it looked like everything was going great.

On the inside, the both of you shook, unsure of how the other felt, unsure if there were any mutual feelings, unsure if you were reading into things, maybe there was something? No, probably not…maybe?

*****

“Is it everything you ever wanted it to be” You giggled, looking at the wild party that was taking place, a Stark part indeed.

“There’s…there’s one more thing…that I’d like…” Bucky’s eyes shifted, his cheeks blushing as he played with your fingers. You cocked your head urging for him to continue. “Dance with me?”

You both swayed on the dance floor, his hands gently holding your waist, your hands resting on his chest. You were glad he was holding you because if not, you would have definitely collapsed. His cologne and distinct scent that made him Bucky evaded your senses and you nearly felt light headed, nothing would ever smell as good. The warmth of his fingers, playing on the bare skin of your back gave you goose bumps.

“Thank you for coming” Bucky whispered against your ear, his lips gently brushing against your skin. You perfume was driving him inside and it was taking all his super soldier strength not to throw you over his shoulder. The softness of your skin against his lips was something he wanted to feel every night and every morning when he woke up.

“Thank you for inviting me” You smiled up at him, your eyes darting from his lips to meet his eye sand back to his lips fuck they were so perfect. Your heart raced as he hesitantly leaned in, his hands gripping you harder when you stood on your toes to meet his lips. His soft lips moulded perfectly against yours, moving slowly, savouring every second of the kiss, the both of you forgetting you were still in the middle of the dance floor, not that anyone seemed to mind.

*****

“THEY’RE KISSING, I REPEAT THEY’RE KISSING!!”

“Oh shit, he made a move! Get it tinman!”

“They’re so sweet!”

“100 bucks says they bang tonight, who wants in”

“Don’t be gross. I’m in”

“I’m in, but my money’s on Sprinkle”

“Y/n is too sweet for that”

“Whatever you say”

*****

“S-sorry” Bucky pulled away before he went any further, his hands twitching, trying so hard not to grab you. “I just- you’re so- I, I really like-” Your lips cut off his flustered rambling as he moaned into the kiss, his tongue happily exploring your mouth, his hands coming to cup your face. You need more. If he wasn’t going to throw you over his shoulder then-

Fuck it.

Bucky stared at you, wide eyed as you took his hand in yours, dragging him out of the party and to your room. You both look at each other for a moment before clothes were thrown off, his hands flying to pick you up and wrap your legs around his waist, dropping you onto your bed.

“Enjoying your party now?” you giggled breathlessly, biting your lip feeling his body weight rest on top of you, his eyes sparkling as he gazed down at you.

“Best. Birthday. Ever, Sprinkle” Bucky sweetly kissed your nose before trailing kisses down your body, he was going to savour this all night.

Back at the party

“I told you sprinkle would make a move”

Please let me know if you want to be added or removed! (also this is an 18+ blog, I can’t tag nameless/ageless blogs)

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2012aura · 1 year

Text

set up !

summary : continuation of free treats.

warning : disgusting fluff.

pairing : college!ellie williams x black!reader

it had been a couple days since ellie had requested your "finsta" account and you finally decided to post just because. you had recently hung out with dina and another friend from campus and she took some photos of you all during the day, so you just had to post them.

blackmacmiller

liked by elliewilliams, dinawina and 12 others

blackmacmiller beating the poor allegations & no mac miller dress up today! jk i miss you both sm rn @dinawina @jjessiemessy !

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dinawina pls come over i’m BORED! & ellie is hereee!

> blackmacmiller GET OUT MY CMMTS!

jjessiemessy COME OVER IM WITH DINA!

> blackmacmiller are you guys lying rn …

> dinawina no ….

no matter if they were lying you were already packing your bag full of clothes, face masks, and snacks. you tied your hair into a quick puff, not caring how messy it looked and started on your way to dina's dorm room which was only a couple minutes away. you arrived on side b in under five minutes, scanning your keycard on the door and letting yourself in. you walked up the stairs to dina and ellie's dorm and quickly knocked on the door. you heard giggling and running to the door and dina answered it a few seconds later. "beating the poor allegations, cmon now!" dina laughed as she let you in, letting you instantly become at home with the two other familiar faces. you said a quick hello to ellie and jessie, as they sat on the floor playing some video game on the tv. this was nice, everyone just hung around and was friendly, and you could use a break from reality. you emptied your bag out on dina's bed, the snacks you bought falling to the side. "guess what i bought guys," you said with a huge smile on your face.

"ALCOHOL?" jessie yelled, rising to her feet and taking huge steps towards you. "no idiot, i bought baked goods from the shop! they let me take leftovers home today!" you said excitedly as you unpacked the goodies while walking over to the coffee table that was placed in the middle of the room. went back over to the bed, grabbing the shorts and tank top you bring to change into, just to make yourself a little more comfortable. you stripped right there in front of them, it wasn't weird between you, dina, and jessie to just strip and ellie was too distracted by the game to notice. but out of the corner of her eyes, she could see you sliding the shorts up your legs and placing the tank over your head and down your torso. she wouldn't mention it though, it wasn't that big of a deal.

"alright party people, LET'S EAT!" you yelled excitedly, grabbing a fruit tart from the nicely placed baked goods. letting the fruit and dough fill your mouth with its amazing flavor, "you know last week, i worked overtime to help the night shift! it was so fucking fun" you sounded muffed because of the tart still in your mouth, but you dragged the end of your sentence on. "oh my god, does that mean you got to work with the cute junior?" jessie squealed, picking a chocolate muffin from the table and taking a bite. "you mean sam, the guy whos like my cousin? gross jess ... just gross but yes i worked with samual." you jokingly said, watching as dina laughed at jessie. "hey at least i want a dude, you two cant pick someone for the life of you!" jessie defended, letting a sly smirk rise to her lips.

"i see why they call you jessie messy now," dina laughed as her head came crashing on your shoulder, you pushed her off with a shove. making her push you back, you enjoyed this, the unity between you all. you could see ellie grabbing a fruit tart too, her eyes widening with how good it was, "shit i might have to go to bushes more often! this shit is good!" ellie exclaimed, making you all fall into another fit of laughter. "I'm glad you like it ellie, and hey if you come by more often i can slide you more free treats," you said as you smiled at her. jessie and dina made gagging and kissing sounds as you both spoke. you hit the back of their heads, "shut up guys, omg let's do face masks, i bought so many!" you got up and ran towards the bed, grabbing the face masks and then running back.

you laid them all out on the floor, letting the girls pick which one they wanted. dina chose a blueberry-themed one, jessie an apple one, ellie chose the orange and you were left with strawberry. "we are gonna look like ten-year-olds, that's so funny!" you said as you opened the package. you placed the mask on your face and smoothed it with your fingers, and so did the rest of them. "jessie move over, i wanna play too" you said taking the controller from near her feet, they were playing mario cart. "i claim princess peace ellie, don't try to be slick," you said, moving the curls that were now stuck down to your forehead. "alright princess, looks like I'm going with mario,' ellie joked as she took another bite of the nearly gone tart.

by this point you both were six rounds in, jessie and dina were gossiping as you kept beating ellie in this childish game. "damn mario, what happened, ain't you supposed to win?" you joked, elbowing her softly to try to distract her. "cant with those hyenas back there gagging on air" that made you laugh so hard you let go of the controller, letting ellie become first place again. dina and jessie now laughing with you, you realized what ellie had done. oh that sly bastard, "cheater!" you yelled as you grabbed the pillow from behind you and hit her head. making her raise her hands in defense, "i am no such thing!" she yelled back, moving the pillow swiftly and refocusing her character. that's how most of your night was spent, eating baked goods and a bunch of junk and playing stupid video games.

"guys we should play a game, TOGETHER!" dina made sure to include that, making you and ellie's small talk stop and focus on them. "okay d, whatcha got in mind?" ellie said as she scooted closer to the pair, and you did the same. "truth or dare," jessie said evilly, letting a sneaky smirk onto her face. you and ellie both groaned, letting out a mixture of fine's and okay's as you all sat in the circle. your and ellie's knees touched, you never really noticed but ellie was buff. her arms and thighs were muscly, like some sort of eighties eye candy, and you wanted the bait. "okay ill ask first, ms. strawberry shortcake over there, truth or dare." you thought for a second, no matter what, they would lead the question to ellie somehow so you chose the easiest option. "truth," you said confidently, letting jessie think of her question for a second. "is it true that you are super single and ready to mingle" jessie said between breathy laughs.

"way to kill me with the cringe, but yes," you replied, laughing at her idiotic antics. now that, made a smile go to ellie's face, she was so happy you were single. "now my turn, dina, truth or dare?" you asked, patiently waiting for her to answer. "truth," classic dina, never wanting to be a risk taker. "is it true ... you have a super crush on jesse- not our friend but you know ... the dude" you made sure your question was as clear as daylight. "wow getting to the point, okay, yeah sure i do!" she squealed out, hiding her face in her hands. jessie laughed, "dina you have to date him! dina and jesse sitting in the tree-", "enough" dina whined out. "now it's my turn, ellie, is it true you are seeing someone right now?" dina knew it wasn't true, she just wanted to see how you would react. no matter how hard you tried, dina could see right through you, the ways your eyes lost their light quickly.

ellie's eyes widened a bit before answering, "oh shut up dina, you know that's not true." ellie said as dina laughed. "I'm bored dina, can we go to the store" jessie wined out, getting up from the floor and starting to throw a jacket on. "yeah jess lets go, you kids be good." dina said as she quickly threw her jacket on and zoomed out the door with jess. they set you up! you knew it, those sneaky little girls! you looked at ellie, "so uh, do you have any hobbies?" you questioned, moving your body to face hers. "yeah i do, firstly i play sports here but in my free time, i draw and play guitar," jesus you almost melted under her gaze, and she played sports, and guitar? you were like putty in her hands and she didn't even know it.

dina and jessie didn't arrive until the next morning, but your night with ellie was spent talking and playing video games. like a first date kind of, at least that's what you would call it in your mind. in the early morning when dina and jessie came back, she found you both on the couch, with your limbs tangled within each other. being the sneaky devil dina is, she took your phone, snapped a picture, and posted it to your instagram.

blackmacmiller

liked by dinawina, jjessiemessy and 6 others

blackmacmiller a lil surprise for you

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WHY CLARITY JUST CAME ON AW MAN! NOW I GOTTA WRITE AGAIN! also this turned into a social media au quickly .. haha.

part 3

#2012aura ♡#ellie williams x y/n #ellie williams #ellie williams fanfic #ellie williams x black!reader #ellie williams fic #ellie williams fluff #ellie williams x you #ellie williams smut #ellie williams x reader #ellie williams angst #ellie williams x female reader #ellie the last of us #ellie tlou #tlou fic

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