#every other member needed time to cook in the oven

[maxsix]

Ateez Month: Wonderland 2019

#park seonghwa #seonghwa #ateez #Happy Birthday to the most important Ateez song #and also #you have no idea how important this man and this era and this look was for me #it singlehandedly got me invested in ateez #he recruited me #so blessed and grateful for my Lord and Saviour #he had no glow up period #he was 100% right out of the gate #every other member needed time to cook in the oven #but he came out like a perfect soufflé on debut #tw: flashing lights #tw: flashing gif

[mnnuni]

Marked

Summary: (Y/N)'s relationship with Buck and Eddie is discovered.

Words:

Warnings: smut

Buck and Eddie's relationship was still kinda a secret for the public eye; well kinda because they weren't sure of sharing it yet but they weren't subtle at all with those shared looks and hidden touches. The 118 all knew about them, they were only waiting for them to have the courage to tell them.

The crew of firefighters was so proud of themselves for figuring it out: Hen brought it up one night when they were hanging out at Athena and Bobby's house and the two men conveniently left early together.

"I name it, they're totally involved" Chimney was a little confused, "what do you mean? Of course they are, they're best friends"

Athena smacked him around the head "What Hen means is...", she was thinking of a way of saying it nicely "they get each other steam off" finished Bobby. Hen and Athena nodded, the five different expressions that passed through Chimney's face were hilarious to Maddie "I can't believe you didn't notice".

What they all also didn't notice was that that night there was another person absent: their girlfriend, (Y/N).

She was way more private than them at the station, because she saw how Eddie and Buck acted around each other and let's just say even a blind could catch that they were in love; that's why she was never too close to them to be suspected. When Hen asked her about her romantic life she said "they" and "them", but everyone just assumed it was just a person who would go by these pronouns not that there were actually two people.

(Y/N) also knew that her boyfriends had their fair shares of problems with their closets and she surely wouldn't be the one to out them to their family.

The only 118 member who knew was Ravi. Poor kid caught them exiting the same room, still adjusting their uniform. From that moment (Y/N) avoided every contact with them at work and got closer to Ravi too. He was her true best friend.

"so... what are you doing for them tonight?" Ravi asked her while they were cooking for the team, "huh?" (Y/N) said looking at him from the oven; Ravi looked around, making sure no one was watching them and whispered "you know... today's your anniversary, didn't you do something?"

(Y/N) smiled. Today her, Buck and Eddie were celebrating six months officially together. "I can't believe you remembered" she hugged him tight "of course i did, how could i forget?"

It was funny how Buck was flaring his nostrils at the sign of (Y/N) talking with Ravi while he had his hands on her waist. Eddie had to put his hand on his knee, "you know they're only friends" "still..." he rolled his eyes. (Y/N) was actually describing him the details of the dinner she had planned that night; she was so ecxited to finally go out in public with them. Ravi was really happy for her, so happy that at the end of the shift he went to Buck and Eddie and told them to be careful "she really loves you, both of you, don't screw up tonight"

He knew he only made their nerves worse, but he had to because (Y/N) really deserved the world and he knew those two idiots would give her everything she needed. He was still her best friends tough, it was his job to scare her boyfriends.

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

(Y/N) only texted them the address. "Dress fancy" the sole indication.

Evan stomach was a mess. Eddie was literally sweating. They decided to get ready together; that didn't help them one bit because after getting nearly late for a too long shower together, they were second-guessing everything.

Their anxiety seemed to stop only when they spotted (Y/N) at the bar in the restaurant. She was wearing a long strapless black dress, her hair were down and naturally curled and her lips were tinted red. Buck had to touch Eddie's hand to make sure he wasn't imagining that wonderful woman in front of them. It was the first time Eddie took his hand in his in a so crowded place and just by this (Y/N) knew this would have been a magical night.

They were seated in a corner in the garden, the table was so small that (Y/N)'s legs touched both Eddie and Buck's ones. It was just how she pictured it would be: the light lights illuminated Buck's freackles ever so gently, the roses'perfume made Eddie scrunch his nose in a way that made (Y/N) want to kiss him everytime and the night breeze was a perfect excuse for them to touch her arms or shoulders constantly because of the fact she was withouth a jacket. And it was even better to see Evan and Eddie actually be confortable to act like a couple all together.

Ravi's words really helped.

When Evan put his coat over (Y/N)'s shoulder as she whispered to them "maybe you should come to mine's for dessert", Eddie's eyes sparkled and Buck's hand on her tightned.

Evan didn't drive so fast even in the truck. The air was filled with anticipation but (Y/N) had decided that because this was a special night it would go slow and good. As a matter of fact, when they entered her flat she really had a dessert ready for them and she took it out of the oven swinging her hips ever so slightly.

"Uhm baby, we thought ehm..." Buck looked at Eddie for support while (Y/N) took three forkes "we hoped for another type of cake" the other man finished. (Y/N) chuckled "don't worry my loves, this cake just needs time" she winked and took a bite of the chocolate pastry; she really knew how to turn on her boys.

"Now, eat. I'll come back in five" with that she went to her bedroom and locked the door. Buck and Eddie could only listen to her and wait. They were under the impression she took more than five minutes because when she came back they finished half the cake and were now kissing on the couch, Eddie said he missed Buck's lips and he surely couldn't deny them to him. They already took off their jacket and were starting to unbutton their shirt when (Y/N) cleared her throat and they departed from each other; she was wearing a silky robe and a devious grin on her face. (Y/N) didn't say anything, only took their hands and guided them in the bedroom.

"Because you were so good tonight accepting to go out with me, I want to make it up to you" and with that she took a rope from the pocket of the robe. The guys were having the time of their lives while she tied them to the headboard, she put them in a way they could touch each other's hands, like a way to compensate the fact they couldn't touch her. When she was done (Y/N) finally took off her robe.

"Holy shit" Buck breathed out.

She was wearing a red lace bodysuit and garters and with only this sight Eddie and Evan tried to untie themselves. "I'm a firefighter baby, don't even try", Buck's cock twitched in his boxers. (Y/N) got them naked painfully slow and Eddie started to complain; that's why she started working on Evan first.

She kissed him softly on the lips and got down from the neck to the waist licking him, his breath became heavier when she stopped, eyes on his tip. She kissed it too and then put it in her mouth.

"Oh God". Evan really liked when she worked her magic on him this slowly; Eddie next to him could only focus on her ass and be satisfied but when her hand touched his leg and started going near his balls he grunted. (Y/N) smirked on Evan's cock and he pushed his hips up. She was bobbing her head up and down faster and stroking Eddie's dick too, so fast they were both moaning.

"I-I'm cuming" Evan was practically a mess.

"Come on big boy, you're doing so good"

Hearing Eddie praise him was the last straw; Evan came so hard it made (Y/N) even wetter. When she was done sucking all his cum (Y/N) got up "you're soo good baby" she caressed Buck's cheeck and turned to Eddie "want a taste?", he nodded excited. Buck was trying to catch his breath while (Y/N) straddled Eddie's lap to kiss him. She tasted of Buck. (Y/N) lowered herself on him and Eddie moaned in the kiss at the feeling of his girlfriend pussy on him.

"It's your turn to fell good now honey"

(Y/N) unzipped her bodysuit at a slow pace and while she cupped one of her breast for show, she finished getting undressed. Buck was quickly recovering already.

She lowered her body on Eddie and started grinding her hips to lube his cock with her wetness; when she picked his dick in her hand and came down on it Eddie almost cried out loud. Usually Buck was the loudest, maybe she teased him too much this time. (Y/N) didn't complain tough, hearing her boyfriends moan only added fuel to the fire. Now she was breathing heavily too and really needed their hands on her body, so she leaned over and untied them.

Eddie didn't waste a second and flipped them over to start thrusting into her, "You feel so good mi amor".

(Y/N) tightened her legs to his hips as Buck got in between them to touch her clit. Now (Y/N) was the loudest; she tried to be quite but the stimulation was just too much that she gripped both her boyfriends' shoulder and scratched them. This only made them move faster.

"Come on baby, be a good girl for us"

She whined their names.

"So fucking tight hermosa"

Buck was sucking on her tit while he pinched her clit and made her scream.

It was the best orgasm she ever had, because when she came down her high she felt Eddie's cum on her stomach and it was so fucking hot.

When they got her all cleaned up and ready for sleep -after other two rounds-, (Y/N) told them how grateful she was to have them loving her and kissed them goodnight and Buck and Eddie felt the luckiest guys in the whole world.

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

The next day (Y/N) was the happiest she ever was in at least two weeks (Buck cooked breakfast for her and Eddie made her bag for her) and all the station noticed. Also because she wasn't complaining about anything after one of the most tiring calls of all day;

They were changing in the locker room and Ravi approached her "I'm guessing it went well", she smiled only thinking about it "marvellous" (Y/N) answer.

"What went so good?" asked Hen as she got near them too, "little (Y/N) here had a date"

One of these days she would kill Ravi

"Oh you didn't go out in a while..." intruded Chimney, 'cause of course he would be there too.

"Yeah, that's because it was a special night" she was lost in her locker when Hen spoke again.

"They had a special night too"

"damn"

The confusion on (Y/N)'s face soon washed over when she turned around and understood what they were talking about: at the other side of the room Buck and Eddie were changing their shirt and were unconsciously showing off some big scratches on their back. (Y/N)'s scratches from last night. They were so red and so much; how couldn't they notice?

Then it hit her: they were practically identical, everyone would have known they were from the same person.

At this point every bit of dignity already left (Y/N)'s body when she run off to them.

"put a shirt on, now." She hissed.

Buck was so confused...then he looked at Eddie

"hooly shit". He was fast to cover himself up and Eddie followed him even if he didn't understand yet.

"i May or May not have left some...marks" she tried to say it in the gentlest of ways but the damage was already done.

All of their team was watching them.

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

Ravi thought dinner would have been awkward; he was absolutely fucking right.

Buck, Eddie and (Y/N) were avoiding eye contact with everyone. Hen was waiting for an explanation with a smirk on her lips. Bobby was searching words for a reassuring speech after the inevitable talk, and Chimney was so fucking confused that at some point he bursted "Can somebody talk about it, please?"

(Y/N) looked at Eddie and Buck for permission, if they weren't ready she would have had come up with a lie without questions. They deserved to be out when they felt like it.

But Eddie took Buck's hand in his and started talking "we're together."

Evan felt a rock being left off his stomach, so he then took (Y/N)'s hand and continued "all three of us".

She only smiled at them.

There was a minute of silence when they thought they had made a big mistake, and everything was starting to crumble. But again, Hen spoke "fucking finally"

"Y-you knew?" (Y/N) had to start draw circles on Buck's hand.

"Of you and Eddie? Of course! (Y/N) is... A pleasant surprise" she blushed at this.

"so...you're okay with this?" Eddie was the one to ask the question they feared the most. It was obvious to (Y/N) that the 118 wouldn't have said anything but for two newly queer men... She understood the uncertainty.

"Why wouldn't we?" Chimney answered

"Yeah, you're all happy, that's what matters to us" Bobby finished.

There was another moment of silence after, where everyone was accommodating to the news.

Ravi saw the perfect opportunity to say what he wanted to say for months now: "I knew it first!"

#evan buckley x eddie diaz x reader #evan buckley x reader #evan buckley #eddie diaz x reader #eddie diaz #911 #911 imagine

[wanda-widow]

Plum Croissants With a Side of Sunshine

Private Chef!f!Reader x Avenger!Bucky

Word Count: 1.2k

Summary: Bucky isn't used to people caring for him, much less being persistent with it because they think he deserves it. It all comes to a halt when Tony decided to hire a private chef who also has everyone's best interest in mind.

Warnings: slight angst, Bucky's kind of an asshole, fluff

18+ MDNI

Don't forget to like and reblog 🩷

Bucky's usual afternoon routine was work out, go for a run, and then go to the kitchen to heat up some leftovers as dinner. Simple, easy, and he was left alone. He liked the familiar routine, the limited interaction. And he was perfectly fine with it staying that way.

What he wasn't perfectly fine with was walking into the kitchen one afternoon to find it packed with agents and his fellow team members, the vast dining table filled with fresh food. He took one look and turned the other way, deciding to eat later when Steve saw him.

"Hey Buck, you gotta try some of these dishes, they're almost heavenly" Steve yelled over thx chatter, waving him over as Bucky sighed wearily, turning around to almost smack into you.

"Ah, sorry" you said sheepishly, the platter of food wobbling in your hand slightly before you steadied it. Setting it on the counter, you turned back to Bucky to take in his full appearance. Shorter hair, piercing blue eyes, light stubble around his jaw. Tall. You offered a small smile up at him.

"I'm Y/N, Tony hired me a couple days ago but I haven't seen you around. You must be Bucky, right?" you said, excited to finally meet the super soldier that the team had been telling you about.

"Yeah, it's Bucky" he responded flatly before walking to the table to get some food, cutting off any further conversation.

You frowned to yourself but decided to not take it personally. Natasha had told you he was closed off especially after the whole deal with the Accords. Not that you could blame him, he had been through enough in one lifetime. You went to go wash the dishes, wondering how you could get the surly soldier to open up to you.

A few days passed with no sight of Bucky but you weren't surprised. It was late one evening when on a whim, you decided to bake. Taking out the ingredients you needed, you hummed some song that was playing on the radio earlier, feeling yourself slip into your comfort zone again.

Bucky was up, as he always was during these late nights. Sleep seemed impossible at times, flashes of blood and chaos invading his mind every time he closed his eyes. Scrubbing a weary hand down his face, he got up and pulled on a pair of sweatpants to get some water.

As he padded to the kitchen, he paused at the sight of you dancing to your own tune in the kitchen, cleaning a couple dishes. The faint scent of a pastry layered with something sweeter enticed him but he shook himself out of the trace.

"Can't sleep?" he asked, voice rough with disuse as he slipped past you to get a glass.

"Oh! Bucky, hi. Uh, something like that. Just had the urge to make something and since I am getting paid to cook, might as well make the most of it" you said softly, stretching as you made your way to the oven.

His eyes followed your movements as you pulled out a steaming rack of croissants, the flaky pasty littered with strays of purple streaks.

"Plum croissants" you explained after seeing his furrowed brow. "Wanna try one? Steve told me you liked plums"

"No" he said flatly but his eyes kept straying back to the dessert. Frustrated, he left the kitchen with his glass of water, leaving you wondering if you had messed up.

However, in the next 2 days, the croissants were gone. Of course, the team could've eaten them but whenever you asked around, they said that they never knew they existed.

You were finishing up the last of the dinner dishes when you heard quiet footsteps behind you, freezing when you turned around.

Raising an eyebrow, you fought back a smile at the sight of Bucky holding the croissant jar against his chest, the container clearly empty.

"You liked my croissants" you stated as he scowled, putting the jar on the counter.

"They were okay" he muttered, glancing away as you held back a giggle, taking the jar to wash it.

"You uh... you like baking?" he asked awkwardly, grabbing a napkin to clean the grooves in his metal arm.

"Yeah... I think it's a little more calming than cooking" you replied after a moment, turning back around to lean against the counter, watching him.

"What." he snapped slightly, avoiding eye contact like a guilty child.

"I can't believe you actually liked the plum croissants" you laughed softly, a bright smile blooming across your face. Bucky didn't trust himself to look at you, at the sunshine you radiated.

Coming around the counter, you slid onto the stool next to him, observing his expression for a moment. Troubled.

"You don't like it when people take care of you?" you asked, genuinely curious.

"Stop prying" he frowned, glancing quickly at you before meticulously focusing on one area of his arm.

"I'll take that as a yes" you hummed, yawning and stretching your arms above your head. "You know it's not a bad thing, people are just looking out for you"

He stayed silent, staring at his arm.

"Bucky?"

"I don't need your pity"

There was a strain in his voice, barely, but it was there.

"Bucky-"

"You're just a fucking chef, what would you know" came his biting reply.

"O-oh. Sorry, I didn't... um, it's late so I'm gonna go to bed" you whispered, the words cutting deeper than you'd like to admit. Sure, you were a chef but you also knew people. Knew how to connect with them.

Bucky watched as you hurried off, wondering why his words felt so wrong after he said it. He could almost feel the dimness of your light, like he sucked it out of you.

It was easy to say he hated himself for it.

It was a week later when you found a brown paper bag placed outside your door. You were oblivious to the pair of eyes watching you, wanting you to open it.

You reached out to get it, a familiar faint sweet smell reaching your nose. Opening it, you saw a somewhat attempted plum croissant and bit the inside of your cheek to stop a laugh.

You glanced around the hall before you spotted him lingering in a corner, watching your reaction. You stood there quietly, waiting for him to say something.

"I'm.... sorry... for lashing out" he finally said, shoulders slumping in defeat as he walked over to where you stood. "I'm not used to people being so insistent on caring about me or going out of their way to make... croissants"

"Thank you for the apology. And the croissant" you said, looking back down at the sad croissant before putting the bag down and wrapping your arms around him.

He paused for a moment, not used to the physical affection before wrapping his arms around you, resting his chin on the top of your head. After a moment, he tilted his head down so that he could nuzzle his nose in your hair.

"Can you make some more croissants though?" came his muffled voice.

"Bucky!" you laughed, slapping his shoulder as he continued hugging you while walking you backwards to the kitchen.

#bucky barnes #bucky fanfic #bucky fluff #bucky x reader #bucky x y/n #bucky x you #james buchanan barnes #james bucky buchanan barnes #marvel #marvel fanfiction #bucky barns fanfiction #bucky angst #winter soldier #mcu bucky barnes #marvel mcu #mcu #the white wolf #white wolf #bucky barns x y/n #bucky barns x reader #james bucky barnes #bucky barns imagine #bucky barns x you #winter soldier x reader #bucky imagine #mcu fanfiction #bucky x female reader #bucky fandom #plums

[janesociety]

dinner party

marvel cast x teen!reader

summary: you decide to make the cast one of your family's traditional meals and worry about how they'll react.

warnings: none

notes: this is another old one, so, again, go easy

marvel masterlist

✩ ✩ ✩

You were excited. It was finally your turn to make the cast dinner. Every week, someone volunteered to have dinner at their place with the rest of the cast. Sometimes they cooked, other times they ordered in, but it never really mattered to the cast.

You had been waiting for the right time to volunteer. You grew up in the States, but your parents didn't, which meant your home-cooked meals were rarely of the American variety. You really wanted to make something for the cast, but felt like you had to make sure you could do it right first. So you practiced- you practiced a lot.

Your parents were overjoyed that you were so enthusiastic about learning to make your culture's cuisine. They always wanted you to stay connected to it and you had never shown any interest before. You got the recipes and found the local markets that sold the right ingredients and attempted as many meals as you could. It wasn't just for the cast, you also loved the food and missed it while you were away filming, so the food made you less homesick.

The cast was originally surprised that you had volunteered and especially that you said you would be cooking.

"Just don't burn your apartment down, kid," Anthony had joked, elbowing your side.

You'd been a Marvel cast member since you were fairly young, so once you got a bit older and your parents got more comfortable with you being by yourself, you started renting out an apartment in Atlanta during filming. It was slightly bigger than you probably needed, but you were glad you had it at times like this so you could have the cast over.

On the day of the dinner, you went straight back to your apartment after shooting to make sure you could get everything pulled together in time. You made sure to make somewhat of a variety of foods so that if someone didn't like something, they could most likely find something else. After having cooked the meals so many times before in the past few weeks, it had become muscle memory as you frantically ran around your kitchen trying to make everything right.

When you could smell the first food in the oven, the normally delicious scent started to make you nervous. You worried about the cast not liking it. Most of them were American or at least Western European. Your mind raced with images of grade school when kids made fun of the way your lunch smelled.

At least they'll pretend to like it, you thought to yourself, knowing it was far too late to turn back now.

You were setting the table- which was actually your kitchen table and a folding table that you had borrowed from your building's lobby covered with a table cloth- when the doorbell rang. You quickly set down the plates you were setting out and rushed to the door.

Scarlett, Lizzie, and Chris Evans had arrived together, each of them greeting you as you entered your apartment.

"Take off your shoes!" you reminded them before rushing back into the dining area. You continued to set the table until you walked in and Lizzie started to help you, passing out utensils where you set plates.

"What smells so good?" Chris said, sniffing the air dramatically. You smiled, telling him the name of the dish.

"My parents used to make it home all the time- it's from our country," you explained. "All the food I made is, actually."

"Really?" Lizzie said, sounding genuinely interested. You smiled wider, happy they didn't seem weirded or grossed out. "You made all of it yourself too?"

"Yeah, it took some practice, but I got it," you answered. "I missed it so much too- you Americans know nothing about food." There was another knock at the door and Chris ran to go get it.

Before you knew it, the entire cast that could make it was sitting around your tables with their plates full. No one had said anything disrespectful or rude about the smells, so you hoped they thought it was okay. You sat on the edge of your seat, waiting for everyone else to take a bite as the normal conversations started to set in.

You visibly relaxed whenever they started to bite and either continued talking or made sounds of approval as they ate.

"This is so good, Y/N," Sebastian said with his mouth full. You smiled as others nodded in agreement.

You thanked them, feeling the weight lift off of your shoulders.

"Good, I'm glad," you smiled, finally taking a bite of the food on your plate.

"How did you learn to make all this?" Scarlett asked.

"I picked some of it up helping my mom with dinner back home, but I've been practicing making these for a bit now," you responded. All your nerves were gone at this point, replaced by a feeling of pride.

By the end of the night, everyone was completely full, many of them taking home leftovers in containers they promised to give back the next day on set. A few begged for recipes, which you gladly gave out. You smiled to yourself that night as you laid down to sleep, reminiscing in the feeling of being appreciated for something you had so long been ashamed of.

#marvel cast x teen!reader #marvel cast x foreign!reader #avengers x teen!reader #marvel fanfiction #avengers fanfiction #mcu cast x reader #mcu cast x teen!reader #mcu cast #marvel mcu #teen!reader #foreign!reader #marvel x reader #marvel cast x reader #avengers x reader #the avengers

[project-sekai-facts]

Are there any characters in-game that are notably really good/bad cooks? I know that Toya almost poisoned Rui in Never Give Up Cooking but idk about the rest

Also ty for posting all of these cool fun facts daily! They make my day

Yeah so as you said Toya is abysmal at cooking but he does get lessons from KAITO towards the end of Never Give Up Cooking! and is able to make significant improvement to his cupcakes. According to KAMIKOU FESTIVAL!, he's good at preparing and serving candyfloss.

VBS!Miku also cannot cook for shit (a trait she probably inherited from Toya) and is also given lessons by VBS!KAITO. VBS!Len receives lessons too, but I don't recall it being stated that he was a bad cook beforehand. Oh yeah goes without saying but VBS KAITO and MEIKO are good cooks.

Honami is canonically a good cook. She's part of home economics club and cooks meals for Kanade often. In the 2021 Valentine's voicelines it is mentioned that she taught Saki how to make sweets. An can also cook, as well as prepare coffee and tea, because she works at the cafe. It's also mentioned that Kohane can bake in multiple seasonal menu voicelines.

Airi can cook as demonstrated in Operation♡Secret Valentine! and she is also a member of tea ceremony club. She helps Saki and Emu bake cakes and other sweet treats in the aforementioned event.

Honami and Emu also cooked a BBQ in Let's Have the Absolute Best Summer!.

Akito, Shiho, Haruka and Mizuki can all make chocolate, as shown in The Gentleman Thief's Thrilling White Day!?.

The 2023 White Day voicelines mention that Rui has made appliances for baking specific sweets, meaning that he probably has knowledge of how to make these by hand in the first place. Meanwhile the 2022 White Day voicelines reveal that the base forms of Len and KAITO can bake.

It's mentioned that Mafuyu can cook in the Mirage of Lights event story.

Ena's speciality is listed as "picking the best ingredients for cooking" in her official bio, so presumably she can cook.

Actually, all of Leo/need has some cooking proficiency. 4koma #10 reveals that they can all make apple pies.

And finally, Shizuku can cook as well. She also mentions that she can make chocolates in her 2021 Valentine's voiceline.

And for some assumptions

I don't think Kanade can cook. She can make instant foods but I don't know if she can cook actual meals. We do know that the reason she has pot noodles is because it saves her time, so maybe she can cook and just has priorities. She can be seen helping out Honami in her wedding card come to think of it, so she probably can cook.

Idk about Tsukasa and Nene. It's probably mentioned somewhere but I haven't read every card story.

I still don't trust WxS' island cooking.

Someone in the Wonderland SEKAI can cook. that or they have a magic oven/fridge like in cartoons (always a possibility with the Wonderland SEKAI)

p.s no problem! glad to hear that

#ichika works at a fast food chain and saki (and formerly minori) works at a cafe but i don't know how much food prep they do #sorry this took so long to answer i've been really busy with college work this week #and this required more research than the rest of my inbox #asks #project sekai #i definitely forgot stuff here

[stevesbipanic]

It shouldn't have been hard.

Steve has made hundreds of cookies for the kids since becoming their pseudo mother. Steve is good at baking! Every year he makes Christmas cookies for fucks sake! It shouldn't have ended like this.

"What the actual fuck."

Let's rewind.

Steve had been regularly bringing little treats to Hellfire. He didn't play but he liked spending time with the kids and if it gave him an excuse to look at Eddie then that was his little secret. The problem at first had been the other members of Hellfire not trusting why King Steve suddenly wanted to spend time with the freaks, but a tray full of fresh brownies had smoothed over any old issues. Since then it had become habit.

Eddie had been the one to ask him.

"Stevie, my strong and handsome liege and creator of tasty treats."

Steve had to fight to control his blush, "You don't need to give me hollow compliments, Eds, what do you need."

Eddie's smile had faltered a bit but he continued, "Well, sweetheart, Christmas is coming up and Wayne and I made Christmas cookies the first year I lived with him and I wanted to surprise him with some homemade ones so I was hoping you'd help me?"

Steve smiled, any excuse to spend time with Eddie, plus, wouldn't hurt that he could show off and impress him, "Of course, Eds, come by tomorrow ok."

Steve had gotten out all the ingredients ready to make and then decorate the cookies. Simple sugar cookies shouldn't be too hard to teach Eddie how to make, Steve could make them in his sleep at this point. It had been snowing so when Eddie showed up he looked like an angel with little snowflakes resting in his curls and on his rosy cheeks. Fuck, Steve had it bad.

Steve had decided the best way to teach Eddie was to read out the recipe and let Eddie pour everything in.

"Ok add two sticks of butter and a cup of sugar to the bowl and mix until fluffy." Steve watched Eddie add the ingredients and start to mix them, well, he watched Eddie. Eddie was so cute with his tongue poked out concentrating.

"This look good?"

"Hm? Oh yeah looks great, now add an egg and some vanilla extract and mix those as well." Eddie had a little pinch between his eyebrows, Steve wanted to kiss him right there.

"Ok done."

"Great job, now in another bowl add two cups of flour and half a teaspoon of baking powder and a quarter teaspoon of salt."

"Baking is easy, we should do this more often, Stevie."

"Yeah, we should," Steve said smiling dopily at Eddie, "Ok now mix all of that together."

Steve then helped Eddie roll out the dough and cut out fun shapes to decorate.

"Eddie no dick cookies this is for your uncle!"

Steve put the cookies in the oven and helped Eddie make the icing. They watched a movie while the cookies cooked and then cooled. Steve thought he was pretty subtle cuddling up to Eddie. He was not.

When the timer went off the boys went back to decorate the cookies. With all their icing and candy supplies they sat beside each other at the table. Giggling together they decorated each cookie. Steve's certainly looked better but he thought Wayne would probably prefer his nephews chaotic ones.

"Eddie how did you sneak a dick cookie in!"

Once they were all done they admired their work. "I think we did a great job, Stevie."

"I think we did too, Eds, want to try the dick cookie together since there's no way I'm letting you give that to Wayne."

"Steve Harrington giving me dick, and we're not even dating yet."

"Yet?"

"Well I figured you'd ask me eventually," Eddie said smiling shyly and leaned over giving Steve a soft kiss on his cheek, passing him half of the cookie.

"Maybe we can count this as our first date?"

"I'd like that, Stevie."

The boys smiled at each other and bit into their cookies.

"What the actual fuck."

"Stevie, I know I'm gay and all but dick cookies shouldn't taste salty in my opinion."

"Eddie did how much salt did you add?"

"Quarter of a teaspoon like you said, basically a pinch."

Steve stood up and went into the kitchen, the sugar jar barely empty. "Eddie, baby, can you read?"

"You can't call me baby for the first time and insult me, this is terrible first date behaviour and if anyone is at fault it's your shit handwriting on the labels."

Steve had to admit, his handwriting was terrible. "You're right. Guess we'll just have to have another date to make some edible ones."

Eddie smiled, pulling Steve into a kiss, "I think I can work with that."

"Just no more dick cookies!"

#gift for el my fav lil artist #stranger things #christmas cookies #christmas stranger things #christmas steddie #steddie christmas #stranger things s4 #steve harrington #st4 #eddie munson #steddie #stranger things season 4 #ficlet #fluff #st christmas #the dick cookie is a gift to basil who laughs at all my dumb jokes

[tomorrowxtogether]

SOOBIN: “It’s always been my goal for the other members to be happy”

TOMORROW X TOGETHER The Name Chapter: FREEFALL comeback interview

2023.10.23

SOOBIN, as always, speaks in a calm voice throughout. Whether he’s talking about the happiness that surrounds him, the challenges he faces, the pleasures of everyday life, or the major goals that guide the group, his voice is resolute but relaxed—spirited, but soft.

You kept talking about how you want to watch the new movie Concrete Utopia.

SOOBIN: I never ended up seeing it. It left theaters. (laughs) If someone in my friends’ group chat says, “There’s a movie I want to see,” then someone else asks who can go, and then anyone who can goes to see it. I’m really thankful to have friends who will come with me to see the movies I want to watch.

You took a trip with them recently, isn’t that right?

SOOBIN: I took an overnight trip with them to Gapyeong not that long ago. We had a cooking competition, then they asked me to teach them the dance for “Sugar Rush Ride.” So I showed them and then they spontaneously held a competition and asked me to be the judge. It was really fun and super cute. (laughs)

It sounds like your friends are very important to you.

SOOBIN: It’s fair to say they know me really well. They really love me and look out for me. Usually when they say something like, “Choi Soobin’s eating only this much? Something wrong?”—there really is something wrong. These days they’re so good at seeing through me. It’s almost annoying. (laughs) And if any of us goes too far, we apologize on the spot. And after we take a trip, we even say, I had such a great time thanks to you guys. You really made me happy. It’s always like that. I get carried away in that kind of environment which lets me say embarrassing things, and even though we bicker sometimes, it leads to self-improvement. I guess you could say I’ve become a kinder person overall and I’m capable of being a lot more open now. I really learned how to express myself.

I imagine that you get a lot of energy out of that whole process.

SOOBIN: I started going out way more this year. I was having a lot of personal doubts and feeling confused last year, so it wasn’t an easy time. So I went around looking for help, talked a lot to more experienced artists, and got some advice. I ended up getting really close to a lot of people. After that, I had more reasons to go out. It’s a refreshing change of pace from the same routine every day, so I really need that time these days.

How did you feel during the world tour? Judging by your vlogs from that time, it looks like you established your own little routine for after each concert.

SOOBIN: You hear from a lot of different artists that they sometimes feel empty when they get in after a concert. But not me. (laughs) After seeing all those people in big crowds, coming back, and having some alone time, it’s—I mean, that’s a really full day. I think it’s important to have time to be alone and reflect, and to enjoy your hobbies. I don’t really feel like I need to follow up something as special as a concert with something else exciting. I actually feel more comfortable just spending each day the way I’m used to spending it.

I’m surprised you cherish what’s already comfortable to you so much when you also want to try so many new activities.

SOOBIN: I guess you could say I have a personality like a flame. There’s so many things I want to do, but I also get tired of them pretty quickly. For a while I was learning swimming and boxing, then I had an interest in baking and thought about buying an oven, but I was over it quickly. I also bought a camera and then, after a month, never touched it again. (laughs) Anyway, I’m the kind of person who pretty much goes ahead and does things as soon as I want to do them. I never hesitate to start something and I’ll even skip sleep when I want to try something. I can’t stand when I don’t have a hobby to do. It’s tough for me if I can’t have a good time and break out of my routine with something new. I guess that explains my personality where I have to do whatever I want. I’m the kind of person who tries to enjoy what he wants when I want to because I never know when I might lose interest.

But you have far more endurance doing what you do than other people.

SOOBIN: I don’t think I could’ve put this much into any job other than this one. I can already see myself living a lazy life when I’m much older and retired (laughs) so I want to do everything I can while I can. There’s a lot of people who work to make us shine, especially in a line of work like this, so there’s no way I could just phone it in when they’re putting their all into it.

You must have devoted a lot of time and effort toward getting ready for this comeback. You mentioned several times on Weverse Live how excited you are for the new album.

SOOBIN: It’s about embracing and pushing your way through the pain and the hard times you come up against in the real world, so I felt like it’s something I can comprehend and express well. I was actually worried about the last album because I was nervous I wouldn’t be able to pull off the concept of the album, and that’s why I didn’t feel very confident. But the songs are a little bit more of an “easy listening” songs this time and the choreography’s fun, so I’m more confident this time. At first I thought the single “Chasing That Feeling” was basic, but after listening to it four or five times, I realized how catchy it was and started humming it to myself. It felt like the kind of song you’d never skip over in a playlist and one you can keep listening to over and over.

You also mentioned that the dance moves for “Chasing That Feeling” are more physically demanding than those for “Back for More” (TXT Ver.).

SOOBIN: Everyone would assume that “Back for More (TXT Ver.)” is more tough when you see it, but for me, “Chasing That Feeling” is actually more physically demanding. But I still love the choreography. I had so much fun with it when first learning it and I was full of excitement while dancing, but the dance coaches told me, “SOOBIN, you have to do this one with more tenderness. You’re too hyper right now. You need to tone down your emotions.” (laughs) We stretch our arms out really, really wide in the intro and do moves we’ve never done before, but it was a really good match for me and I had a lot of fun. I think the dance really captures that idea of following your passions and always pressing forward even when it’s sort of painful. I got to like the song more while practicing the choreography.

You said on Weverse Live that you have a favorite track off this album. Can you tell us which it is?

SOOBIN: It’s “Skipping Stones.” Singer-songwriter HANRORO wrote it, and I’m a big fan of her music. The song she gave us is so characteristic of her sound that it feels like a song she would’ve written for herself. I fell in love with it the very first time I heard it. It was fun getting to record a song of a style I listen to and sing all the time, which made the process laid-back. I like HANRORO’s music and voice, but I think it’s her all-Korean lyrics that are really beautiful. “The water that swallowed the scars will become calm someday / And it will have a wide embrace.” Time heals all wounds and I was so amazed how she managed to tie that in with the idea of skipping stones. It made me respect her even more.

You wrapped up your second world tour a little bit before the album came out. Did you enjoy yourself on tour? It seemed like you had a lot on your mind while trying to enjoy yourself on stage before that.

SOOBIN: I started to feel less nervous doing the world tour. Now I’m not even scared or nervous before a concert—I’m just excited. I think I’m more comfortable with it because I feel relaxed now. I’m still not totally loosened up, obviously (laughs) but I can’t force myself to be comfortable with everything. I’ll probably have to wait a little longer for that.

During the world tour, you also put on performances at major venues like Lollapalooza in Chicago and the MTV Video Music Awards.

SOOBIN: I was nervous for the VMAs for sure but it was still fun because there were a lot of people who have been superstars to me ever since I was young and it was amazing to see people with MOA light sticks even though it was an overseas awards show. It was so fun that I felt like I was dreaming. It was like, Am I even supposed to be here? I was extremely fortunate to be able to meet people like Bebe Rexha who were a major motivator for me. Moments like those feel like rewards for all the hard work I’ve put in and they’re a huge motivation. I’m very thankful and lucky.

It’s like you take that motivation and work hard to pay it forward to MOA.

SOOBIN: It’s even hard for me to grasp, for someone who used to be a fan myself. To me, it even feels like what fans are giving is just “pure love.” I was so amazed that they’re willing to come such a long distance for our concerts and you can see fans giving things to each other just because they all share a common interest. It’s not like the love between friends or between a couple—it’s something completely special that can’t ever be explained. I’ve been a fan before, too, but speaking as a singer, “the existence of fans is just pure love.” It’s amazing how unconditional their love can be.

It’s clear how much you love the fans when you talk to them on Weverse Live about somewhat sensitive subjects in a firm but kind manner.

SOOBIN: This is how I feel: Let’s all be gentle and share the love. That way, I can be closer with them and no one will be crossing any boundaries of what is acceptable. The reason I say that is, I’m trying to make it so that MOA and I can love each other more and without having to hold anything back. Sometimes I can ignore the uncomfortable stuff and just move on, but the reason I brought that up is because I wanted to make sure we don’t make each other feel uncomfortable and there’s no hard feelings. My point was to say, Let’s make sure we all feel comfortable, and let’s look out for one another and have nothing but love for each other. I try to be as gentle as possible when I say these things, of course.

You also referred to the other group members as “companions” last year in the video TXT Share House.

SOOBIN: We all went through a rough patch at one point last year together. I felt our companionship was particularly strong while we practiced for the year-end awards shows. We were having a lot of honest conversations about our innermost feelings. We weren’t in Korea that much at the time, so I think we relied on each other a lot.

I was surprised when I found out you get a bigger room during world tours because other members come see you. I thought you would want to have your own space.

SOOBIN: I’m not really bothered by them coming in. We each have our own rooms, but I’m actually thankful and feel good that they come to my room to talk to me because it makes me feel like they trust me and rely on me. And I get more excited and talkative than they do when they come in. (laughs) I’m happy when they come in and I always hope they do.

What do you tend to talk about in that situation?

SOOBIN: They mostly come to me when they’re facing some kind of difficulty, whether it’s personal or something related to the group, or when they just want to talk. And I’m usually the one who goes to the label as our representative when we want to propose an idea to them. But there were a lot of times on the most recent world tour where they came to me saying they wanted to hear what I had to say. “How are you feeling about the tour? No problems?” Stuff like that. I actually tend to keep any baggage to myself if sharing it isn’t going to solve anything. Sometimes the other members feel hurt by that though. (laughs) But I still usually unload when it’s something that can be solved together, of course. It’s not like I don’t like to talk. (laughs)

When YEONJUN and TAEHYUN were on SUCHWITA, they said that all the members agreed on one big goal for the group. Was it those conversations that led you to be able to agree on that goal?

SOOBIN: I’m not someone with any big goals—I just want to enjoy the small things in life. But we talked a lot last year about our members’ dreams, what makes us happy, and what our goals are. Not all five of us shared the same goals, but we got to talking about how some of us want to make it to the top of our field. So I thought, If that’s what makes you happy, and that’s your goal, then I’ll try my best for it, too—because it’s always been my goal for the other members to be happy. I figured, if that’s what will make them happiest, then I’ll work toward the same goal with them.

Why does the other members being happy make you happy?

SOOBIN: It’s not just them—my family, my friends, the staff … Nothing makes me happier than seeing them all happy. That’s why I hope our fans are happy, too. I think the people I care about being happy makes me really happy and is as important to me as my own happiness. At least for me.

Has your attitude toward work changed as the goals you’re focused on have shifted?

SOOBIN: I’m making a bigger, tangible effort. I feel like I’ve always done my best, right from when we debuted, but now it’s like I’m trying to be even better than my best. (laughs) I’m practicing harder, working harder when shooting—everything. I’ll work harder this year than last, and next year I’ll work even harder still.

But there will always be bumps along the road when working toward your goals. How do you keep yourself moving forward?

SOOBIN: It might not be the case for everyone in this field, but I think this work makes me really happy, way more than it brings me pain. I'm not the type to dwell on something painful for too long in the first place. It's not simple to get this much love and support, and the happiness it brings is too important for me to let go just because things get tough. It brings me so much joy that it's worth sticking with, no matter what I have to go through.

#txt #tomorrow x together #231023 #weverse magazine #soobin #choi soobin #weverse #the name chapter: freefall #freefall

[deadlymagicbeans]

May I please request fluffy domestic headcanons for Sparda boys? Just quiet home life with their SO, they deserve it so much :'-)

**Hey Anon! it'd be my pleasure! these boys deserve a long nap and some cuddles as their lives are so chaotic haha. Thanks for requesting this! - Bean**

Devil May Cry: Dante, Vergil, Nero Domestic Headcanons with their S/O

*Gender neutral pronouns for S/O*

Dante:

Considering he's out for jobs a lot to pay the bills, when on his off days he's very laidback and not wanting to do anything at all. Most of the time he's begging his S/O to come lay with him when they're up and about, He's a cuddle monster and will not let his partner go once he has his grip on them.

Loves the quiet moments he gets. whether him and his S/O be cooking (aka forcing him to save money instead of spending it on pizza much to Dante's whining), laying in bed watching old reruns of corny romance movies with them or just spending the day away doing nothing at all, he cherishes them. He's a very busy man and has seen the horrors from literally hell and back, so for him to spend a day doing nothing and to be around the person he loves the most it gives him a glimpse of a life of normality he craves oh so much.

Wants to wake his S/O up with breakfast in bed, as you know it's what a normal domestic couple would do right? but every time this man sleeps in way past 1pm to the point he gets briefly upset if he finds out his S/O was up before him which spoils his plans. (he's catching up on like 20+ years of sleep, he's knocked out cold.)

Loves to take bubble baths, it's a luxury he didn't have until he had his shop (and when his water bill is paid), but only saves them for times when he can share them with his S/O and cause you know water ain't cheap?

Overall he loves the quiet home life him and his S/O have when life isn't constantly trying to throw deadly demonic curveballs at him but he wouldn't change it for the world.

Vergil:

Relaxing? Vergil? no chance, this man is always up and ready to pounce whenever the next threat or fool tries to challenge him. But with a S/O he will calm down just a tiny bit but still always on high guard.

When he's truly comfortable, he seeks to be alone. but the only exception he'll accept is with his S/O, Most of the time it's him sat reading a book with his S/O fast asleep hugging him.

He has a stash like Dante. but this time it's books, piles and piles of Books. You won't find him reading any romance novels anytime soon though as he finds them in his own words "Distasteful".

He isn't the best at a normal domestic life as he's pretty much never had one up until now. The concept of a "day off" is absurd to him, there must be no time off in the seek for greater power... but that can wait for a few hours while he stuck to the bed by his S/O's demanding cuddles (get this man to sleep, he needs it).

He would never say it out loud but he secretly loves to spend time with his S/O alone in those peaceful moments, gives him a small life outside his normal life (if you could call it normal). Heck even over time he might open up to his partner more and more with his physical touch and life. (only alone that is, if anyone else comes in *Cough* Dante *Cough*, Vergil immediately is back to his normal standoffish self)

Nero:

Nero is the only Sparda family member with the most normal balance of hunting and home life than the other two, so overall Nero spends the most amount of time in his off time with his S/O. but it still isn't that much.

Wouldn't confess it it publicly but he loves the closeness of domestic life, too others it may seem mundane but to Nero? it's the closest he'll ever get to a normal life and he'd be damn sure nobody will interrupt it.

Loves doing stuff for his S/O, like cooking (also i see Nero being the only one not to burn down a building by just turning a oven on), chores etc. his outward appearance may him him grumble but this man will want any chance to be around his S/O more.

Nero loves to cuddle or do anything that involves the chance too, sleeping? yes, watching a new series together? also a yes. but ever try to bring it up in front of anyone else and he'll deny any of that happened (Everyone knows he's lying).

Doesn't have a "stash" like the other two but loves video games, he has a small collection of games he personally enjoys but unlike the others Nero is willing to let his S/O play a game or two while he watches them. He thinks it's cute to watch them rage at a boss fight, just don't get him to do it because if he finds it hard then he might have to buy a new remote.

#devil may cry #dmc #dmc5 #dmc nero #nero #vergil #dmc vergil #dante #dmc dante #fanfiction requests #fanfiction #headcanon #domestic life #fluff #open requests #nero x reader #dante x reader #vergil x reader

[writersmilex]

Cooking Lesson

Toki Wartooth X Fem Reader

Summary: Toki is not the best at cooking and after one more mishap during making snacks, (Y/n) decides to teach him how to cook a meal.

_______________________________________

(Y/n) turns up her nose at the smell of burning plastic once she enters the very large kitchen in Mordhaus to get a snack and a drink.

"stop burning the plastic Toki! " she scolds as the burning smell whiffs through her nostrils. "ai!" Toki yelps in surprise as he is snapped out of his daydreaming. Rushing over to look in the oven, which's once again ruined by molten plastic at the bottom of the heat source.

"nei, nei! Nots agains! Fucks!" he yells in frustration and tries to take out the mess from the oven to get rid of with charming pink oven mitts.

"I thought you were in charge of the snacks around here?" (Y/n) wanders over to the double-door fridge to get a cold soda and then approaches the kitchen part where Toki is located. If a fire breaks out, she would be here to help, (Y/n) eyes the fire extinguisher that is hanging in the corner. Not to mention that there are sprinkles installed in the kitchen after a few too many incidents. 

"Toki ams in charges of snacks! But the others don'ts wants to eat the greens!" he explains sadly, throwing away the still smoking and charted piece of plastic with the black-as-coal corpse of some food inside.

"at leasts you dos…" he sighs and looks away almost out of shame. (Y/n) is not a picky eater at all and would eat all the exotic fruit salads that Toki is good at making. It’s cooking foods that he wasn’t very good at, or he loses his patience with cooking foods most likely. (Y/n) opens her can of soda, takes one chug of it and thinks hard. Despite having her own room in Mordhaus, (Y/n) still lives in her own place in a dingy apartment in the nearest town. Completely self-sustainable and independent for years since moving out. The band is fascinated with the fact that (Y/n) is an adult who owns a license and can cook her own food. "you know what Toki? I can help you make snacks. In fact, I can even teach you how to cook." she suggests and helps the rhythm guitarist with cleaning the leftover mess up a bit. Upon the suggestion of assistance, Toki looks at (Y/n) with wonder "You can cooks?" He asks in astonishment, causing (Y/n) to chuckle. She never fails to surprise the band member every time with her domestic skills. "Sure I can!” (Y/n) smiles at him. “And I will teach you the basics if you wanna make good snacks." Toki nods excitedly in response to (Y/n). It is a great opportunity to spend more time with his friend, and she gets to teach him her ways of cooking food! That’s a double win for him. 

"Great! How about we start right away. We're in the kitchen right now anyway. " (Y/n) grins and takes the moment to drink the rest of her soda and throw the can away to get started together with the rhythm guitarist.

~~~~

"First things first, we gather the tools we need to cook. You know pot pans and a spatula of sorts." (Y/n) explains to Toki, opening a low cupboard and taking out the pans that she would need for a dish that she plans to teach Toki. A very simple meal that shows the basics, should be right to teach for the first cooking lesson.

"Okay." Toki inspects (Y/n)’s movements before following and opening a drawer to get some cooking tools.

"We are going to make something basic, just some pork and cooked veggies and potatoes, that should be nice for the very first lesson." (Y/n) says, picking up the ingredients from the fridge that she needs for the tutorial that she is about to perform for the rhythm guitarist.

"If you can get a cutting board for me?" (Y/n) requests politely, Toki goes to look for a cutting plank to cut the green beans. He finds one and brings it over back to her, the smile on his face never fading as he places the cutting board before her dutifully.

"Okay, Here. I'm gonna let you cut the vegetables."(Y/n) instructs while handing Toki a kitchen knife to cut and then places the green beans on the cutting board. "Can you cut these, carefully?" She asks him and he nods in response. Toki stands before the cutting board and gets to work, gingerly cutting the green beans into niche little pieces, just as she had asked. (Y/n) watches for a moment and then retrieves a pot to fill it with water and let it boil for the green beans and potatoes.

(Y/n) lets the water boil while taking a moment to stare at the back of the guitarist’s head and takes notice of something. She digs into her pocket and takes a hair-band from her pocket, she stands behind him and gently gathers his hair in one hand.

"Hm? Whats are you doings." Toki questions while momentarily stopping the knife, trying to turn back to see what (Y/n) is doing with his locks.

"Pay attention Toki! You’re holding a knife.” (Y/n) scolds in a  rather playful tone. We don't want hair in the food do we?" She says, taking the hair-tie and putting all of Toki's hair in a loose ponytail that falls down his back neatly.

"There." She smirks at her accomplishment. It took a lot of trial and error for her to figure out why there was always hair in her food, long hair should remain tied while working with food. Toki is now sporting a low ponytail and It looks rather cute.

(Y/n) turns back to her own work of her own work, gathering the pork burgers and some oil to put in the pan. The stoves in Mordhaus are pretty brutal and they heat things up a whole lot faster than (Y/n)’s own stove at home. 

"Ouchies!" Toki suddenly yelps in pain, the knife clatters on the metal counter as he drops it instinctively. Flinching back from the counter and clutching his right wrist tightly.

(Y/n) jumps at the sound of her friend yelling, seemingly in pain. She already concludes that Toki must have accidentally cut himself while cutting the vegetables. She feels partly responsible for this incident now. 

"Toki, I told you to be careful!" She scolds quietly and gingerly grabs his hands to make him let go of his own wrist to take a look at what he did. It’s not the worst thing in the world that (Y/n) has seen. Then again, a musician’s hands and fingers are sacred. There is only a single cut, that slices over the back of his index and middle finger. Toki hisses as it’s bleeding quite hard.

"Hold it." (Y/n) turns back away and gets the first-aid kit that should be lying around here somewhere. Luckily she was able to find one under the sink. Turning back to a panicked-looking Toki, she waves him over. "Come here." She orders him and Toki doesn’t think twice. She grabs his wounded hand, Opening the water tap and holds his hand under the cold water to clean the cut, letting the water wash it out.

The guitarist hisses in discomfort as the water makes the cuts slightly sting. Once the blood is a bit cleaned up, (Y/n) gets two band-aids and wraps each injured finger up, dressing the little wounds up neatly. 

"There, see? You're still alive." (Y/n) jokes, noticing how sad Toki looked at his now bandaged fingers.

"Shall I cut the vegetables?" (Y/n) asks and Toki nods in response, inspecting the bright blue band-aids on his fingers and stepping aside to let (Y/n) do the cutting and he simply watches. (Y/n) resumes Toki’s work, slicing the green beans into pieces, then she picks up the board and slides the vegetables into the pot with boiling water to the knife.

"I didn'ts knows cookings had so manys steps." Toki looks in awe at what (Y/n) is teaching him, peering into the pot to see the green beans be enveloped by the bubbling hot water. "This is actually a pretty basic thing to know." (Y/n) replies casually, stirring the vegetables with a spoon before returning to the cutting board to get the pre-peeled potatoes to boil as well. Toki manoeuvres around (Y/n) to keep watch, getting out of her way when she turns around. 

"My parents taught me how to cook, they’re supposed to teach you everything. Didn’t yours?” (Y/n) is a little too focused on her cooking to really filter herself. And once she realises what she says, she kind of pales. Turning to look at Toki, he is staring back with a completely empty look. It’s really scary how Toki can suddenly lose all life in his eyes like that. “Oh my god! I’m so sorry. Fuck…” She quickly apologizes for being so insensitive. Toki blinks a couple of times and the life to his pale blue eyes returns, (Y/n) looks back to her cooking out of embarrassment. 

(Y/n) is slightly aware of his childhood, which explains his behaviour today. But she has a hard time relating to him, her own childhood was great. Loving parents and loving siblings, still in contact today. 

"Here." (Y/n) breaks the uncomfortable silence and gently takes Toki's hand, placing the spatula into his hand. "make sure that everything is cooked evenly." (Y/n) instructs as steps aside for him to take charge. motioning for Toki to try and flip over the piece of meat. "see?"

Toki successfully flips the patty over, hearing the meat sizzle from the searing heat. The guitarist smiles brightly a his accomplishment. “Looks! I dids it!” He points at the pan. “Very good! You’re getting the hang of this." (Y/n) praises with glee, patting him on the back of his shoulder. The guitar feels a sense of pride upon receiving praise from his friend. There is nothing like quality time together. "This is funs." Toki replies with a smile, cooking the patty by himself now.. 

"I know right. Eating a meal feels a lot more rewarding when you made it yourself. It's a handy skill to possess." (Y/n) explains, lifting the lid of one of the pots to check in on the boiling vegetables, it’s going good so far.

(Y/n) smiles, blinking at the steam that hits their face. "Alright, it's almost ready." She drops the lid on the pot. "I'll get some plates and then dinner is ready." She then moves away to gather the items she said she’d get. After the plates are prepared for a dinner for two. After baking the potatoes and the green beans were cooked, and The meals were complete. 

~~~~

Once the dinner for two is done and served. Toki and (Y/n) sit down at the nearby table to try the dish that they just made together. In all honesty, for Toki the meal is amazing, probably the best meal he can remember having. he eats the pork patty with glee and (Y/n) looks upon her guitarist friend with amusement as he finishes his meal. he seems to really love it.

Of course, (Y/n) is enjoying the meal herself as well. As she had mentioned before, a meal is way more rewarding when eating. Some people think cooking is a waste of time because eating it takes about 15 minutes. Whoever thinks like that doesn’t take pride in their own creations, which is very sad.

the the green beans are perfectly boiled and the potatoes are well baked and have a crunch to them, in (Y/n)’s opinion, that’s a good thing.

"Wowee! This is so greats (Y/n)!" Toki cheers with a mouthful of food. "Be proud of yourself Toki. We made this together." (Y/n) replies with a smile, taking both hers and Toki's plates and utensils to clean them up.

"cans we do this agains sometimes? Then yous can helps me makes snacks for the others." Toki asks rather sheepishly, standing up and following (Y/n) to help her with the dishes.

"Of course, we can do this again! I'll help you become just as good at cooking as me. Maybe even better!" (Y/n) winks at the guitarist playfully, smiling cheekily at him. Toki turns cherry pink in the face at (Y/n)’s gesture, and then returns the smile.

"it's a deal then."

___________________________________________

I like this one a lot. And I hope you do too! It’s really cute and it doesn’t have a lot of plot to be honest. It’s a simple story. 

Thanks for reading.

- Smilex

#x reader #reader insert #imagines #fluff #metalocalypse x reader #metalocalypse #metalocalypse imagines #dethklok imagines #toki wartooth x reader #toki wartooth

[hagelpoint-3821]

And They Were Roommates

Summary: Brandon Hagel and Anthony Cirelli, both star members of the Tampa Bay Lightning, are living together. After building a strong bond and friendship on and off the ice, Brandon's feelings start to grow stronger for his now roommate. The question Brandon has to keep asking himself? How much longer can he hide his now growing feelings for his roommate? Notes: This is a male/male fic. I have many more things planned for these two in the future, but I want to see how this fic will play out first. Feel free to comment and leave suggestions for what you would like to see! Word Count: 1592

“Ugh why is there never anything good on TV?” Brandon says with a huff as he tosses the remote to the couch and goes into the kitchen. “Because you watch the same three shows and refuse to watch anything different.” Tony says, a slight snicker in his voice as he tries keeping a straight face. 

Brandon gives him an annoyed look, “I do not watch the same shows over and over again thank you very much.” “Then how come when I first started staying here, all you did was watch Austin Powers. I mean my god bagel you went as him for Halloween!” “And your point is? At least I had pants on, Mr. Fred Flinstone.” That comment causes Tony’s jaw to click shut. Brandon has a smirk plastered on his face, “I’m going to go work out since there is nothing else to do. You coming or not?” “No, I think I’ll pass, can actually watch what I want to watch.” Anthony now wears a teasing smirk on his face as he sees Brandon roll his eyes in defeat. “You’re so annoying.” Brandon says with a scuff as he throws his shoes on and walks out of the front door. Brandon made sure his workout was long and intense, not only did he go because he was bored, but because he needed to get out of the house and away from Anthony. The way Brandon started catching feelings for Tony, it scares him. He doesn’t want to lose his best friend if Tony finds out the way Brandon is starting to feel towards him. The way Tony’s calming presents has helped Brandon stay calm, always being there for each other. Anthony was one of the first people to help Brandon get settled in Tampa after the trade. Brandon knew the second he looked into Tony’s soft brown eyes that he was smitten, he was only too afraid to say anything and ruin the friendship that had formed in their time together. As Brandon finishes his workout and takes a shower, he checks his phone and sees there is a message from Anthony on their: C: Don’t grab dinner tonight, made Nonna’s Chicken Parm since it is game day tomorrow. B: You cooked? That’s a shock.

The boys were both a stranger to the kitchen, most of their nights they either ate with the team for pre-game meals or grabbed something on their way home from practice. Neither being what someone would call a cook. But that was okay, that is how they worked and it has been working for a couple months now. When Brandon walks through the front door and kicks his shoes off, the smell of chicken in the oven and his stomach growl at the thought of being able to eat soon. “Thank you Nonna for teaching Tony the only thing he knows how to cook.” Brandon says as he walks to the kitchen and grabs a water from the fridge. “Do you need help with anything?” “Please, since when do you want to be in the kitchen?” Anthony turns from the stove and raises an eyebrow at Brandon. “Uh, never? Just thought I’d be nice.” He gives him a mocking expression. “Get the plates ready, please?” Tony offers him a soft smile, which causes Brandon to relax and grab the plates from the cabinet. As the two settle into the kitchen table, both quietly eating other than the occasional small talk, their dinner was peaceful. And for two star players, peace was hard to find. So when they had even just a moment, they soaked up every bit of it that they could. Brandon finishes his dinner first and pushes his now empty plate away, “I know we don’t cook much, but that is one of my favorite things that we do cook.” A small smile comes across Tony’s lips at Brandon’s praise, “Thanks B.” “Here, give me your plate, I’ll do the dishes since you made dinner.” His hands reach out to take Anthony’s plate. “Are you sure? There isn’t that much to clean, I don’t mind doing it.” “It’s only fair since you made dinner that I clean up the mess.” “You’re impossible some days Hag’s, you know that?” “Oh bite me.” Brandon says dryly as he takes the plates back into the kitchen and gets to work on getting the dinner mess cleaned up.

Once finished, he dries his hands off and sits down on his spot on the couch, he grabs the remote before Tony has a chance to take it. A teasting look on his face. “Brandon James, I swear if we watch another Austin Powers movie..” “Come on, just one? It’s getting late anyways and I know your grouchy ass won’t stay up past 10:30 anyways.” Branon looks at his phone and sees that it is already 8:30, just enough time to watch a movie before Tony heads to bed. Anthony reluctantly sighs and sits deeper into the couch, “fine, but don’t expect me to pay much attention.” “Oh you know you’ll get into it, just like every time that we watch one of them.” About midway through their movie, Brandon would look over at Tony, admiring his features. The slope of his nose, he sees himself leaving gentle kisses on it, especially after Tony would get to feeling self conscious about it. The way his t-shirt fit snugly around his strong shoulders. The curls that fall loosely on his neck, oh what Brandon wouldn’t do to just be able to run his fingers through them after a long day. He signs and tears his eyes away and back to the screen before Anthony notices his staring.

Once their movie ends, it is a little past 10 pm and Tony stands and yawns, “I don’t know about you, but I am heading to bed.” “I think I am going to stay up a little longer.  I am not tired yet.” “Do you ever get tired?” “After dealing with your ass all day long, I don’t know how I am not exhausted by the end of the day.” “Are you always a smart ass?” Anthony rubs his eyes, sleep taking over his body. “Go to bed, old man.” Brandon says and chuckles. Tony flips him off before heading off into his bedroom down the hall. Once Brandon hears his door click shut, he turns on another movie and mindlessly scrolls through his phone, even after his big workout today, his mind doesn’t get as tired as Anthony’s does. Their sleep schedules being the only thing that doesn’t match up between the two. Brandon stays up much later and can function on just a few hours of sleep, where as Tony needed more sleep and more time to let his body recover. Anthony also having a longer career in the NHL than Brandon has, two back to back cup winning seasons and a third trip to the cup finals. Brandon was still getting his feet under him and hasn’t had as many times put on his body yet. As the nights goes on, it is now a little after midnight and Brandon hears the bedroom door open. Odd. Tony usually sleeps through the night. Anthony snuffles out into the living room, “What are you still doing up? It’s late.” “You know I stay up late, I should be asking you the same thing, why are you up? You usually don’t have a problem sleeping.” “Been tossing and turning all night. Hopefully getting some water will help.” Brandon offers him a sad smile, he knows Tony is lonely, so he tries to be there the best he can for his friend. Once Tony returns from the kitchen, he leans against the back of the couch where Brandon is sitting, “this is going to be a long day tomorrow if I don’t end up getting some sleep tonight.” “C, it is one night, it isn’t going to kill you. I will make sure to stop at Starbucks tomorrow before we head to the rink to make sure you get your coffee.” “I appreciate it man,” he lingers on the back of the couch for a few minutes before stepping away, almost awkwardly. Brandon quickly picks up on the sudden changes and gently lifts the blanket up that is thrown over him, “come here.” Anthony gives him a confused look, “Brandon, we can’t. You know how wrong that would be?” “How would it be wrong?” “Because we are teammates and almost brothers.” The worry grows on Tony’s face. 

“I’m not forcing you C, just offering. You can turn it away, go back to your room and fall asleep alone again. Or you can put your pride aside for just one night and let someone hold you while you sleep.”

Anthony’s feet disobeying his mind as he makes his way around the couch, as he lays down against Brandon’s chest, his body instantly relaxing into Brandon. 

“See there you go,” Brandon says softly, covering them both as his hands gently run up and down Tony’s back. 

As they lay together in silence, Anthony realizes just how tired he had become, and Brandon was right, he was tired of sleeping alone every night. Anthony knows he shouldn’t be enjoying this, the tender and loving touch of his teammate. The way their bodies fit perfectly together, the slow steady beat of Brandon’s heart in time with his own, but he also knows Brandon has a point. Plus, it’s a simple cuddle. What more could it possibly hurt?

#brandon hagel #anthony cirelli #tampa bay lightning #hockey players #nhl players #hockey rpf #hockey imagine #hockey romance #nhl imagines

[tartarusknight]

The King of the Freaks | Part 16

Ao3 Link | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 17

CW for child abuse (mentioned), transphobia, and sexual harassment (from the last chapter)  

Eddie, of course, began to notice things about Steve after Monday. Tuesday, he noticed the way Steve almost always had people looking at him. But it wasn’t like when people stared at Eddie. Eddie was used to getting eye rolls, confusion, or disgust. Steve, Steve got looks of want. 

On Wednesday he noticed how always tried to look nice. With his face healing and looking better every day, Eddie was reminded of how good Steve looked. He always thought it was a blessing but maybe… maybe Steve didn’t see it that way.

 He just hated how he couldn’t know for sure. Not unless Steve said something about it. But after Monday, watching how Steve went pale at the comments the girls made. How shocked and then nervous he looked when Eddie tried to help. Then after he ran from the room and Eddie tried to talk to him… how he went from shaking apart to calm in a moment. But the calm was wrong. It was like King Steve was right there in that bathroom.

But Eddie hadn't known what to do and now, with the long weekend starting he couldn’t do anything about it.

 Eddie stumbled out of bed and when he got out of his room, Wayne was sleeping on the couch. He went to the bathroom before he decided to get started on the food. He wasn’t great at cooking but neither was Wayne. So, they weren’t expecting some amazing feast. Still, he did his best to make an egg bake that he’s slowly perfected over the years and a French toast casserole as well.

 It was always easier to make breakfast foods. Especially since Wayne would be heading to work not too long after they ate. After all, they pay double if you work on a holiday. So, Eddie got that in the oven and moved to the coffee machine. Once all of that was done, he moved to the shower. It was a routine for him and he was able to have a quick shower, hoping for the warm water to last long enough, but not expecting it to. His hair touched his shoulders now and he didn’t mind how much more time his hair took, anything was better than the buzz cut he had before.

 By the time he got done and dressed for the day, Wayne was up with a cup of coffee in his hands. “Happy Turkey Day,” he smiled and Wayne gave him one of his half smiles.

“How’d’ya sleep?” Wayne questioned the exhaustion making his accent come out even more. Eddie’s accent only ever really came out when he was overwhelmed. Like scream-crying overwhelmed.

He toweled off his hair, “ehh. Coulda been better. Coulda been worse.” He shrugged, shaking his head like a dog once he felt dry enough. Wayne snorted but didn’t even bother commenting on it, he was used to Eddie’s antics.

 He tossed the towel over the side of the laundry basket before he slid on his socked feet to the fridge. “Careful there Ed, I ain’t taken ya to the doc if ya trip and brain yurself.” He said Eddie flipped him off as he pulled out the orange juice he had bought just for today. It wasn’t even half of a gallon but they didn’t need much between the two of them.

“You’re just jealous you’re not young enough to do-” he started but Wayne cut him off.

“Boy, ‘m sure I member you bruising up ya side just a few months back,” Wayne said and Eddie couldn’t help but laugh even as he flicked Wayne off.

 As much as Eddie loved his Hellfire club and Corroded Coffin, he loved these moments with his uncle. Sure, they might not be alike in many ways but Wayne had been there for Eddie for so long. Showing up at the police station at 5 in the morning, dead on his feet but still moving. He did all the paperwork and tucked Eddie under his arm like they knew each other well. Instead of the truth.

Because the truth was with Wayne in Indiana, Eddie never saw him. He honestly didn’t even know his dad had a brother until his dad had compared Eddie to him. Called him a pussy of a man just like Wayne! Maybe he shoulda had ya! I sure as hell don’t want ya!

 So even before Eddie knew Wayne, he already thought of him as better than his parents. Because if Wayne was like him, then he wouldn’t hold Eddie down on the bathroom counter, buzzing all his hair off. And he was proven right. Cause after his momma died and his dad was thrown into jail, Wayne had come to the rescue. He had dropped everything to drive 8 and half hours to Durbin, West Virginia to pick him up from the police station.

 He had been dead on his feet but still, he had sat there, going through everything to put Eddie in his custody. He had tightened the shock blanket over Eddie’s shoulders before tugging him into his side. And Eddie didn’t know what to do but he had leaned into Wayne anyways. He had slept in the motel room with Wayne halfway between his old home and his new one. Safe in the arms of a guardian for the first time.

 So, yeah, as much as Eddie loved his friends, he’d trade them all for Wayne. And maybe it was the stupid holiday making him softer but he was sure he’d keep that opinion until he died. As he dished up their food and they ate side by side on the couch. Eddie talked about the weekend he spent at Steve’s. Wayne told him about the latest gossip from the mill. Teasing each other but basking in the warmth of company.

 By the time Wayne had to go, Eddie had basically sprawled over his lap. Wayne huffed when Eddie refused to move. “Ed,” he said in that soft tone that meant so much to Eddie. “I gotta go,” he said and he sounded like he didn’t want to. Eddie looked up at Wayne and he couldn’t help but smile.

“One thing I’m thankful for is you,” Eddie said and Wayne blinked, tears forming in the old softie’s eyes, just like every year. “I’m thankful to be here with you where I’m loved and where I feel safe.”

Wayne gripped his hand in a tight grip, “Ed, ‘m thankful for ya every damn day. ‘M so proud of who ya are.”

 Eddie grinned, he thought of failing to graduate. Of selling drugs to get a buck. But then he also remembered how he refused to give up. How he’s trying again. How he’s not dropping out because he got a girl pregnant and turned to a life of illegal shit. He’s doing what he can to help Wayne with bills. He’s trying his best and to Wayne, it’s enough. Eddie knows that Wayne would love him even if he turned out like his dad. But Eddie refuses to disappoint Wayne that much.

 He lets Wayne up and watches him move around, getting the few things he needs before he heads out. He grabs the container of leftovers Eddie had knowingly set off to the side for him and his coat. “Love ya, kid,” Wayne says and presses a kiss to the top of his head. “Give the Emerson’s my hello.” He says and Eddie nods.

“Love you too. And I always do, Wayne.” He calls out as Wayne heads out. “Don’t party too hard!” He yells as he stands and leans in the doorway. Wayne snorts as he gets into his truck. Eddie waves once more before Wayne’s gone.

 Eddie only spent a few minutes packing the food away before he two left the trailer. He locked it behind him before jogging to his van. It was a short drive to Gareth's where he spent a good amount of holidays. It was always Wayne in the mornings and the rest of the day with the Emerson family. He started going only a year after moving here. Derek and he were in the same grade and became fast friends.

 However, like always Eddie had seen the lost spirit in Gareth and tucked him under his wing. He's been with Gareth through a lot. Sure, he had been Derek's friend first but he quickly became best friends with Gareth. Back when Gareth had been trying to be someone he wasn't. Back when he had been too scared to try and be different. Before Eddie had gone through his limited clothes and gifted Gareth what he could. 

 Eddie had been there and he had found himself a place in the Emerson household. They were good people, the Emersons. They had seen what their son needed and helped him as much as they could. Eddie had been ready to give Gareth his bed if it went poorly but he never needed to. Instead, they had invited him to dinner. He had sat down with George and Mildred, Gareth’s parents, and had been thanked for being there for their son. After that, he became a part of their home.

 Eddie grabbed his two dishes and knocked before heading in. “Hi, honey I’m home!” He called out into the house.

“In the dining room,” Gareth’s mom, Mildred, called back.

He grinned and took off his boots before heading over. They had a few more relatives around and Eddie gave them smiles, like always, but he didn’t stop to talk to any of them. “Millie! Lovely as always,” he grinned and Millie grabbed the food from his hands. She pressed a kiss to his cheek, standing on her tiptoes to reach him. “I have brought my breakfast casseroles to add to your feast.” He grinned, getting an eye roll from Derek.

 He plopped down into the seat next to Gareth who gave him one of his tired smiles. It made Eddie's worries rise and he looked around at the family for anything out of place. “Don’t,” Gareth groaned and Eddie’s eyes snapped back to him. “We were gonna play Yahtzee, what color dice?” Gareth asked instead of telling Eddie what was wrong.

Eddie shoved the red dice closer to Gareth before grabbing the pink. Gareth gave him a small smile in thanks. “Okay, Helen you ready to go down?” He said to Gareth’s grandma, getting a small laugh from her. “Der-Bear you gonna play?” He asked and Derek flipped him off before grabbing the black dice. Grandma Helen smacked Derek over the head for the crude gesture, making Eddie grin. 

 It was chaotic as it could be with 11 Emersons and one Munson. Eddie sat between Helen and Gareth, Derek on Gareth’s other side. Millie is across from them. A metaphoric wall around Gareth, like they always tried. “Gabbie could you hand me-” Grandma Doris started but Derek cut her off.

“It’s Gareth and you know it’s Gareth.” He snaps and Eddie’s hand moves to Gareth’s shoulder.

Doris sighed, “It slipped. Honestly, it’s hard to remember.” She said, “You can’t expect me to be right all the time.”

Doris’s son, Raymond, nodded along. “We are doing our best to adapt to this.” He said, coming to his mom’s defense.

 Gareth’s gone stiff and Eddie’s grin turns manic. However, before he can say a single thing Gareth elbows him hard in the side. Then he stands and pulls Eddie along, as Eddie caught his breath. “Honey it was a mistake,” Doris calls out but Gareth doesn’t stop. He pulls Eddie into Derek’s room, waits a few seconds for Derek to join them then shuts and locks the door. Eddie watches with sad eyes as Gareth flops onto the bed with a groan.

 Eddie drops down next to him, “Alright, do you want to talk about it or a distraction?” He offers and Gareth murmurs, distraction, into the covers.

He glances over at Derek who is getting comfortable in the bean bag in the corner of the room. Eddie motions for him and Derek has a look of panic on his face for a moment before mouths, I can’t think of anything!

Eddie flips him off and thinks. His brain drifts to Steve like always. “So, Steve is mad at me right now. Well, not mad. He’s just- well I think I hurt his feelings but it’s Steve so he’s not going to explain why he’s hurt or if he’s hurt. He’ll just smile and shrug it off.” Eddie rambles and Gareth turns his head to look at him.

 “What did you do?” He huffs.

Derek shifts, “who’s Steve? New Hellfire member?”

It takes Eddie a moment to realize no one told Derek. Because Derek’s just home for the holiday. “Steve as in Steve Harrington.”

“What?” Derek asks and he looks so confused. Eddie sighs and explains to the best ability how Steve’s now a partial member of Hellfire even though he’s yet to play. Goes on to talk about how close he’s gotten with Jeff and that he’s actually there today.

 Derek nods slowly, “Okay. Uh, just- if he ever does anything-”

Gareth shifts to sit up and he looks a little better now. “Yeah, I know.” He says softly and Derek nods. Then they both look at Eddie. “Now, what did you do?” Gareth asks and Derek just raises an eyebrow in question.

Eddie sighs, “it was last period,” he says in a dramatic tone. Even though he knows that they know it’s a coping mechanism. “We were sitting together. He’s never actually sat by me in class. But he was definitely feeling more comfortable with me after last weekend.”

“What happened last-” Derek tried to ask.

Gareth waved his hand to shut him up, “Unimportant.”

 Eddie sighs, “Well… he noticed how shit I am at school so he offered to work together. And honestly… it was going great. But then I noticed how tense he was. I looked for the cause and there were these two girls just a few seats away from him, further from me, talking about him.” He tells them what they said and how he had unthinkingly flipped his desk to quiet them. Cause it was bothering Steve so if Eddie could distract them, it could be better. But then when Eddie tried to talk to him, he fled.

 He explains how he dragged him into a bathroom and how Steve changed. How he went from being on the edge of a panic attack to kind of… dull but not. It was like all these walls jumped up and Steve wasn’t there. But the King Steve Act was. He was overconfident in ways Eddie knows aren’t true. And he had felt the way Steve had been shaking then how his hands went limp and fell to his sides. It was like anything Eddie said either made it worse or went in one ear and out the other.

 Gareth looked at Eddie ready to say something, but Derek beat him to it. He cleared his throat “Now, I don’t know this kid like-”

Eddie huffed, "You're one year older!"

"Like you guys do. But, if I had heard people talking about how much they wanted to sleep with me, I'd have let 'em." Derek wiggled his eyebrow, and Gareth whacked him with a pillow. 

 Eddie turned to Gareth, who looked pissed. "If I heard people say how much I was only good for my looks and talent in bed, I'd feel like shit. Steve is a romantic at heart so being told that he's only good for a quick fuck would be heartbreaking! Think about how much love he showed Nancy in the halls, he's not a playboy. He's got so many abandonment issues; I think he'd rather stay single than fool around." Gareth snapped and Eddie shrunk back because fuck that sounded more like Steve than a Playboy ever did.

 “Geez Eddie you’re usually better than that.” Gareth snaps and slips out of the room.

Eddie shrinks back into himself and goes to follow but Derek's hand shoots up. "Give him a minute. He's already feeling like shit.." Derek sighed but it didn’t make Eddie feel any better. "Don't do that shit. Just because you didn't think as Gareth did, doesn't mean you were cruel on purpose." Derek huffed and Eddie flopped back.

"Yeah, but this is the second person I've annoyed with my idiocy." He complains, which makes Derek throw a pillow at Eddie. 

 Eddie sighed, "Should I go to Jeff's and apologize?"

Derek rolled his eyes, "nah. Just call him, you have his number, right?"

Eddie lit up, "Yeah! We talk every night! I'll just ask if he wants to meet up sometime during the break!" He grinned over at Derek, who only raised his eyebrow. "What?"

Derek shifted so he was looking at Eddie head-on, "You talk every night?"

Eddie's face went red, "yeah, well, it's complicated! He has people who call every night over a radio system to check in with each other because of Byers, you remember?" Eddie feels himself starting to ramble.

 He cleared his throat. "Well, I noticed his anxiety so I promised to call him when I got home after we were at his house. But I just kept calling, I guess. It's routine now. Nothing special, sometimes it's only a minute long. Honestly, it's not a big deal. I'd do it from you if you-"

"Were hot? Sweet?" Derek teased and Eddie smothered him with the pillow.

 Gareth came back to Eddie trying and mostly failing to smother Derek. He stopped in the doorway before he ran and jumped into the pile. Derek groaned as both Gareth's and Eddie's weight hit him as Eddie lost his balance and got sandwiched between the two Emersons. "Gare-bear," Eddie tried to sound annoyed but he was too busy laughing. Gareth shifted like he was trying to get comfortable like he wasn't planning on moving soon. But Derek was able to move enough to topple the three of them. They all hit the ground with a thud and burst into laughter. Eddie really did gain a family when he moved to Hawkins. He smiled over at them and knew that if he could apologize to Steve, he'd have one more person in his life. One more person to join the weird family Eddie had.

 @zerokrox-blog @cyranx @adaed5 @the-redthread @lifeisnotsobadonceyoustopcaring @idontgetpaidenoughforthisshit @failedstarsandgoldenclouds  @bisexualdisastersworld @deadlydodos @anythingyouwanttobe @nburkhardtt @bestwifehaver @thehumblefigtree @megzdoodle @swimmingbirdrunningrock @mightbeasleep @bxlthazar @autumnal-dawn @chillichats @nonbinary-eddie-munson @the-daydreamer-in-the-corner @eddie-munson-is-my-wife @a-little-unsteddie @sharingisntkaren @a-huge-nerdy-nerd @0o-queendean-o0 @beckkthewreck @vi-an-te @vampireinthesun @newtstabber @dinosareawesome2137  @spicemallow @hellomynameismoo  @luthienstormblessed @briceslayed @angeldreamsoffanfic @dbquills @prideandsensibility @iwouldsail @ponfarrtimeatthevulcannightclub @spectrum-spectre @the-chilly-kat @yearningagain @loopsmd @starlight-archer @sleepy-time @goodolefashionedloverboi  @crazyshipper67  @sherrylyn628  @bidisastersworld  @v3lnys  @n0connections @pyrohonk  @cherixxx69 @theotalksalot @tailsfromthecrypt @ledleaf @grimmfitzz

(I can’t tag any more people I’m sorry!!! If you want to stay updated pls follow me or go onto Ao3 and subscribe to the story!)

Is there an easier way to keep this story together? I’m not great with Tumblr and was wondering if the only way to keep this story together was with the links of the previous parts. I’m used to Ao3 which is much easier

#ftm Gareth #eddie can be an idiot but we love him #eddie munson #gareth emerson #wayne munson #season 2 au #stranger things #steddie #pre steddie #high school au #the fallen king and the king of the freaks #steve harrington #is derek emerson like derek hale #yes but i didn't mean to make it that way

[charliedawn]

The story of a loud mouse

Aemond x Reader(Original Character)

Warning : Mention of sexual theme, marital abuse and death. Please, be cautious and if you're a minor. Please. Keep your innocence and do not read this. Thank you.

Long fanfic. Slow burn.

This is my first smut. So, do not hesitate to tell me what you think or reblog. It took me a long time to write it. Thank you.

Synopsis : You are a young servant under the service of House Targaryen and are victim of a curse that Aemond Targaryen finds out about and hence, it results in a fascination for you.

You coughed.

It was the fifth time today, and no one was fooled by the way you promptly covered your mouth in the hopes to disguise the results of that awful sickness of yours. Your eyes pricked with tears as you had trouble breathing and could feel the vines growing thicker each day..You breathed heavily—trying to gain back your regular breathing pattern. You were barely bothered by the white petals coated with blood falling down your mouth anymore. You were used to them.

No one tried to help.

People avoided you. As they all avoided Death.

And, it was all for the better. You didn't want anyone to disturb you—or your work. The only work you had known all your life. You were a mere servant and had had no other preoccupation than tending to all of the Targaryen family's needs since the moment you were born.

You swept the floor, rekindled the fire in the great hall, gathered the remaining ashes...And all that, while never having being seen by any family member. You were a ghost between those walls. Nay. A mouse. Even though you had been sick from birth, you had succeeded in remaining unnoticed.

No one knew of your sickness other than your most trusted friends and allies in the castle. Hence, your current post as a servant for the Targaryen family. And as such, it had allowed you to escape many undesirable situations, which you were grateful for.

You thought while shoving the bread dough in the huge stone oven where you hoped it would grow into a satisfying size for the family. You coughed again and buried your noises in your sleeve—biting hard on the already worn down fabric.

Your mother had warned you of the consequences of being born a woman in your family—when she was still here. She had gathered you in her arms and told you about the inconveniences of being born with this curse—of the many symptoms that would follow. There was first the coughing, the black blood, the petals, the cold and you would slowly lose your faculties until there was nothing but this numb feeling in your chest. The time for the symptoms to show varied between the different carriers. Some of the women in your family had succeeded in living a long and fulfilling life—but some had died rather abruptly and with no reason whatsoever—your mother among them..It was painful.

But, the worst part was, not knowing who or what had triggered it..Why were you cursed ? It was a family thing, that was for sure. Your mother, grandmother and great-grandmother had suffered from the same illness. However, none of them had an answer as to what had started it all. One day, one of your ancestors had simply found themselves coughing out flower petals by successive waves, a time clock that had started when their end was near. And since then, all the women in your family had been afflicted with the same fate.

Some were afraid of Death because it was unpredictable and unforeseeable.

But, you knew. You had always known. And, this was the reason you weren't afraid of Death.

Your mother had passed away because of this exact reason.

And now, it would soon be your turn.

Your symptoms had started appearing at a young age and you had been suffering from them every since. It had never affected your work. However, the coughs had been getting worse recently and it was starting to impact your work.

"Ethel ! The bread is burning ! Can't you smell it, girl ?!", Linda—one of the cooks—screeched as smoke was now billowing in the air from the wide mouth of the oven.

You turned around to find that you had—indeed—let the bread dough catch on fire and rushed to it in a hurry. You quickly got it out with your bare hands, but it was too late. The bread was blackened and your hands were red with multiple blisters already forming on the skin.

It seemed that the flowers were now not only obstructing your air ways, but your sense of smell as well. You cast your eyes downwards as your wrung your fingers together in worry. How long until all your senses would disappear ?

"Aww..Ethel. What am I going to do with you ?", Linda lamented as she pulled your hands towards her to examine the blisters. She then applied a cream on them and bandaged them with care as you stared at her with the little affection you allowed yourself. Linda had always been nice to you—she was maybe the only person who had ever loved you—besides your true mother.

Ethel. Your mother had named you that. She had surely found it entertaining to attribute you with a name which significance meant the exact opposite of what you were.

It was laughable really. A mere servant like you being named Ethel—one with no other function than the use of her hands, which knew only one thing: how to scrub the floor. Some were born with a silver spoon in their mouth, while others had to work hard and break their back under the weight of their hard labor. You belonged to the second category. But, you were proud of it. You never sought better—or think it to be necessarily all bad.

True. You were nothing like all those noble ladies upstairs with their perfect unblemished faces and fancy jewels..You were dirty—a mess of a girl with no hope of a bright future other than if you were to open your legs for a couple of coppers more.

But...You had been brought up to be a nice and decent person. You never took anything for granted and the world was your adventure. You had learned to appreciate every second of it—knowing how short it could be for you..

Your thoughts were once more interrupted by another series of coughs and Linda sighed before giving you a cup of hot water with some of the rare herbs she had succeeded in saving for you.

"Here. It won't make it disappear, but it'll soothe your throat."

You nodded to thank her and sipped on the beverage as if it was the most precious elixir in the world. And, maybe it was. For, even if it had no real medicinal benefits for a sickness such as yours—it still made you mentally ready for the long day ahead of you.

"Be careful though, little Ethel. The servants have been rather chatty those days and Aegon seems to be looking for a way to..relieve himself of his inner struggles."

The innuendo was not lost on you as you remembered the number of servants who had ended up traumatized by their encounter with the young and impetuous prince.

You shivered at the thought of the poor girls you had seen walking aimlessly back frome Aegon's room with a glased expression. It was enough a reminder of why you were to never let the prince see you. Linda must have seen the fear in your eyes as she smiled reassuringly at you and squeezed your hand.

"But, do not worry my dear. I'm sure you will be fine. You have always been so very discreet. And, if they see you ? You know what to do."

You nodded in confirmation and remembered the rules of Linda—the ones she had taught you from a young age as you had started working for the family.

"Do not make contact. They aren't your average kind of people who accept mistakes and move on. More often than not, they do kill servants. And you don't want to be on that list, girl. They are Targaryens. Targaryens are not merciful."

Hence, the set of safety measures if they did try to do you harm.

Your first and foremost solution was to simply run for the hills and hide in the closest safest place you could find. Wait for the danger to pass and walk away.

Or, scream loud enough for Linda to hear you. She was quite handy with her pans and had assured you plenty of times that she wouldn't hesitate to use them on the princes if they dared touch you. But, you didn't want her to get in trouble—so you didn't intend on using that solution unless it was absolutely necessary.

And, finally, the most extreme—and possibly the most disturbing—solution. As you were already considered as a natural human repellent with your enigmatic sickness, you could cough blood on them and take the opportunity to run away. Not very hygienic. But it would perhaps save your life.

Linda smiled as you finished your lukewarm water and affectionately shuffled your hair. You laughed and pressed her calloused and gentle hand against your cheek. Yes. You were glad to have the life you had.

"Come on, Ethel. Go fetch some fresh warm water for prince Aemond's bath. There'll be a servant waiting for you upstairs. She'll take care of his bath and you get back down here quick for us to have dinner together, yeh ?", she instructed you and you nodded fervently before picking up two buckets and ran to fill them at the main natural water source situated under the castle. It was warm enough to serve for the family's baths and it avoided the trouble of leaving the castle.

You ran up the stairs—while being careful not to drop a single droplet of water on your way—and stopped in front of the prince's private chambers. You waited..waited..and waited for the servant girl Linda had told you about. But, you frowned as nobody came. You hesitated if you should knock or leave the buckets at the door ? You raised your hand into a fist to knock, but stopped the fraction of a moment. What were you doing ? Linda had warned you not to make direct contact. Never. But, the water would become cold and you doubted the prince would be too happy to have a cold bath..You finally gathered the courage to knock and immediately after, you heard a distinctive 'come in'. The voice was low—and yet—it commanded respect. It intimidated you and was the reason for your second of reluctance before you finally wrapped your hand around the handle of the door and entered.

As soon as you were in however, you almost dropped the buckets as you saw the prince in his long white shirt only—without any pants. You immediately put the buckets down and covered your eyes—feeling a heavy blush spreading from your cheeks to the tip of your ears.

"I..I apologize, my prince. I did not mean to intrude..I'll leave." You still had your eyes closed and hit your head against the door in your haste to leave. Then, you heard a soft chuckle behind you.

"So soon ? A shame. Especially since you have just arrived and went through all the trouble of bringing the water all the way here. It would be a shame to leave—the task half-way done.."

The task half-way...? Your eyes widened as you realized the prince must have mistaken you for the lady who was supposed to take care of his bath. You opened your mouth to dissipate all confusion, but decided to shut it as quickly—information piling up in your brain as a list of the reasons why you should stay formed.

The lady was nowhere to be seen.

Prince Aemond thought you were her.

The water was getting cold.

You had nothing to lose.

Good enough.

You exhaled shakily before tearing your hands away from your face to take a peek. He was still there, staring at you with an amused smile.

"...Well ?"

You nodded sheepishly before picking up the buckets and prince Aemond tilted his head curiously at you—your face was probably still beet red. But, he didn't comment on it. He simply got rid of his last piece of garment—your eyes still staring fixedly at the floor—before he elegantly and gracefully settled in the bath tub. You fidgeted nervously at the prospect of seeing the prince completely naked, but didn't let it stop you from serving him. You took each of the buckets and poured the water in the tub with care. If it was too cold—he didn't seem to mind. He tilted his head back and let out a relieved sigh, his eye fluttering shut at the blissful feeling of the water soothing his body. He looked ethereal. You couldn't help but lose your focus as your eyes traveled from his face to the tip of his long slender fingers..too ashamed to venture downwards.

"...Are you going to keep staring, or are you going to start scrubbing ?"

It took a moment for you to realize he was addressing you and once it hit you, you looked around in a frenzy for the soap.

Scrubbing ? Scrubbing ! Yes ! You knew how to do that ! You finally spotted the sponge and soap nearby and almost fell in your eagerness to retrieve them—which earned you another amused chuckle from the prince. You then tugged back your sleeves and grabbed the sponge and the soap before alternating the use of them on the prince's body. It was so smooth and even though he was too thin for your liking, you had to admit prince Aemond's body was worthy of admiration. He was lean and yet, so very strong. His body had a couple of scars, but nothing too serious to make his body any less perfect. You were so wrapped up in your contemplation—you failed to notice the telltale signs of one of your gruesome episodes. You felt the familiar surge through your throat too late to stop it and when the cough escaped your mouth, you froze.

The horror of what you had just done only dawned on you when the valid eye of the prince snapped open and he searched for the reason of the blood and petals now covering his abdomen. You dropped the sponge in the water and threw yourself on the floor with your face pressed against the cold tiles of the floor in repentance.

"I'm..I'm so sorry, my prince. I'm..Please. I'll wash it and let you flay me as many times as you see fit !", you cried out and expected the prince to scream—or yell at you for your unforgivable act. But, he didn't say anything. There was no scream, no sudden movement of the water parting, no well-deserved slap..

"Fascinating.", he uttered and you looked up with widened eyes at Aemond who was twirling one of the bloody petals between his fingers. For some reason—you felt as if you could actually feel his touch and flushed pink before you asked with uncertainty.

"...Aren't you offended ?"

Aemond cocked his head to the side to peer down at you with a small smirk.

"Why should I be ? I have seen my fair share of blood.", he said in such an unbothered and collected way—you wondered if prince Aemond wasn't the god of war wearing the skin of a human to fool you. He caressed the petal gently and even blew on it softly, making you indirectly tremble—a shiver that didn't go unnoticed by him as he narrowed his eyes at you. "But..I am curious. How come you are coughing blood and petals ?"

Your lower lip was trembling at the realization you would have to admit your deepest and darkest secret to the prince. A prince you weren't even supposed to meet—let alone let him discover what others called your 'curse'.

"I am...sick.", you confessed.

His eyebrows shot up in surprise and he let go of the petal that slowly fell back on the water.

"Sick ?", his handsome face suddenly darkened with worry as he added with concern, "Is it contagious ?"

He leaned forward to get a good look at your face when you answered—making sure you wouldn't lie to him. Your eyes widened at his closeness and you shook your head vividly and immediately sought to reassure him.

"No ! It is not, my prince. I would never endanger you. Only my family has been affected by this plague."

Aemond hummed absent-mindedly before his shoulders slightly relaxed at the news.

"How long have you been sick ?", he then inquired and you kept staring at an invisible dot behind the man's head to calm your racing heart.

"...Since I was little. My family is said to be cursed. As far as I know, a sorcerer quarreled with my family long ago and it was passed down from generation to generation. Now, could I please leave ?", you implored him.

Prince Aemond studied your face rather intently—to the point where you had to lower your gaze in shame and wipe your sweaty palms against the rugged fabric of your apron. You seemed genuine and Aemond sighed. He could see you were about to cry, and even though he was curious on learning more about that strange sickness of yours, he didn't want to frighten you more than necessary.

"Fine. You are dismissed.", he eventually indulged.

You didn't need to be told twice as you bolted on your feet to run out of the room—but was stopped as he called you.

"Wait."

Cold dread filled your whole being as you stopped dead in your tracks—thoughts of torture and death flying in your mind..

"What is your name ?"

The question took you by surprise but, you still turned around to answer him with your eyes still cast downwards.

"Ethel..", you mumbled and this time—didn't wait for the prince's permission before leaving in a hurry. Aemond's smile lingered, even after you were gone as he repeated thoughtfully.

"Ethel.."

Aemond sighed and recalled how her small hands had felt on him—shy and prudish. He licked his lips and allowed himself a few seconds more in the cold bath before finally standing up.

Meanwhile with you :

When you rushed downstairs, Linda was already waiting for you and collected you in her arms in a tight embrace. She smothered your forehead with kisses and prayers of relief. She then apologized to you and explained that the servant who was supposed to be waiting for you had been brought to tend to queen Alicent instead. You told her in turn how you had replaced her, but left out the part of your strange interaction with the prince. You didn't need to worry her.

And when the servant who had previously been tasked to fill Aemond's bath came back and attempted to take the water out—Aemond stopped her. He carefully gathered the precious petals in a jar first before allowing her to do so—examining the petals with unhealthy interest. He had never seen quite a thing like it before and knew he had to learn more about you.

"We shall see each other soon...Ethel."

A few weeks later :

You had not forgotten your interaction with the young prince. He was plaguing your mind with his piercing eye, devilishly handsome features and charismatic little smirks. You didn't want to admit, but it did hurt to think that he must have already forgotten about you.

It was only a bath after all.

No need to think about him. It would only hurt you more to think of things you couldn't have. The story of your life. You sighed and started dusting the main hall, making sure not to leave a speck of dust there.

It was not the time to fantasize. You had more important things to think about, like how to control your cough. It had become a nuisance, as it left you exhausted and you sometimes had problems locating yourself as the vines were little by little taking root in your brain.

Your feet unconsciously danced on the perfectly polished tiles while you attended to your duties. You had scrubbed the floor so many times to give it this sparkling illusion and you knew every nook and cranny of this castle. You knew you still had many rooms to attend to and yet—you took the time to look around at the many paintings of silver-haired men and women, wondering if Aemond had his own portrait there..You sought his familiar face among all the strangers and smiled when you finally spotted him.

You had to give it to the painter, he had done a very good job of catching the prince's essence. His shining purple eye that seemed to follow you accross the room, the slight curve of his lips that drew the tiniest proud smirk on his face and his long silver hair that seemed to frame his face perfectly..It was as if standing in front of the man himself.

You looked around with an air of conspiracy before taking a step forward and attempting a curtsy in front of the imposing figure.

"Hello, my prince."

The portrait remained—unsurprisingly so—unresponsive to your greeting and you smiled. It wasn't as if the real one would ever acknowledge you, even less return your greeting—either. However, you shook the negative thought out of your head and decided to indulge yourself this illusion that he would greet you back and talk to you. You even gasped—as you pretended to have been asked for a dance.

"Me ? Why never ! You can't be serious ! What would people say ?!"

You then pretended to accept—after a lot of coaxing and reassurances from the prince of course. You took your broom and started dancing with it—giggling as you went along with your little fantasy.

Unbeknownst to you, a silent admirer was watching you intently from afar as you danced with your broom and seemed so joyful.

Aemond smiled and decided he would remain hidden for now—in case he would break the spell you currently found yourself under. It was entertaining—to say the least. He saw you twirl and twirl—to the point of dizziness really—before you suddenly stopped and Aemond's amusement turned to worry. Why had you stopped ?

His answer came soon after as you started coughing and black blood ran down your chin, along with petals and leaves. He wanted to act and ask if you were alright—but he knew it to be futile. Even if you weren't, he had nothing to soothe your pain..You simply cleaned up the mess and picked out your cleaning buckets and broom before turning away from him to leave the room.

He stepped out of the shadows at that moment and watched you until you were out of sight before glancing up at his portrait with a grimace of distaste. He had never been fond of that portrait..Of none of them really. But, you had seemed to enjoy it enough. It made him smile and momentarily forget about his obvious disfigurement. It was vile—he knew as much—but it did succeed in striking fear in his enemies.

He had never cared about his appearance—not as long as it served a political or military purpose..But, he had seen something in your eyes that first time. You hadn't been afraid or disgusted, not visibly at least. You had waited for him to get undressed with your back turned and hadn't even mentioned his eyepatch. He had to admit he was most intrigued, and decided that he didn't mind your presence.

He inhaled deeply and recognized the lingering smell of lemon juice and cinnamon. So comforting..So very enticing..

He snapped his eye open when he heard servants come in and left promptly—disappearing the same way he came from.

A few days later :

You woke up at dawn and yawned loudly before crawling out of your bed to get dressed. You braided your hair and tied them securely into a bun in order not to find spiders or other crawlies in your hair that night—an occurrence you had had the displeasure to experience more than once—and went on your way.

Linda had already left you a list of chores that the royals had asked for and you gave it a quick look. You sighed as the list was the size of your arm..It would take you all day. You started with cooking breakfast with the army of cooks Linda was the head chief of. Then, you discreetly entered the king's bedroom for a quick sweeping and change in firewood before taking care of princess Helaena's room. However, when the name of Aegon appeared on your list—you decided to skip it and jump to the other brother's room instead.

When you knocked and nobody answered, you let out a sigh of relief and quickly got to work. You dusted the many shelves and got on your hands and knees to scrub the floor with determination. You knew it wasn't fair playing favorites, but all the servants had theirs. Princess Helaena and Queen Alicent being on the the top of the list. Aemond and Aegon were considered both as bad as the other and you hadn't heard anyone call Aemond other than aloof—or cold..But, it only meant he was only your favorite, and you liked to see it as a way to honor the prince more than by simple principles.

However, when you were doing his bed, your eyelids suddenly felt incredibly heavy. You closed you eyes only for a moment, but that was all it took for you to fall on the bed and enter into a deep sleep. You were exhausted and certainly didn't count on the prince to find you in such a compromising position—but your body had acted on instinct and had shut down all cautionary measures for the sweet release of sleep. You doubted that even if the prince had tried to wake you up with threats and slaps—you would have.

Fortunately, the prince's reaction was not the one you would expect from a normal man finding a stranger in his bed and as he found you with your face buried in his sheets and your legs dangling off the side of his bed, he simply sighed and pretended not to have seen you. He took off his coat and discreetly made his way into his bed, not after having taken off his shoes and yours.

He then laid down next to you, finding comfort in your even and heavy breathing.

If the feeling of comfort was a person, it would certainly be you. He tucked a strand of your hair behind your ear and smiled tiredly at you. He was as exhausted as you were and the mere sight of you had the effect of sharing a bed with the sandman himself. He slowly closed his eyes and unconsciously pressed you closer against him.

He knew it was foolish to find such contentment in the proximity of a person who you had only met twice—or maybe thrice in his life..But, it didn't mean his shoulders relaxed any less, or that the tenseness in all his body seemed to disappear by your sole presence..

He closed his eyes shut and smiled.

A few minutes later :

When you woke up, you felt a weight beside you and froze—cold sweat running down your back at the thought of a stranger in your bed. How long had you been asleep ? Your first thought was for it to to be Linda—as she sometimes came to sleep into your bedroom that was closest to the kitchens than hers. It had the effect of calming your racing heart and your eyes started to close again.

Wait..You snapped your eyes open.

She said she had to take care of errands outside of the city..She couldn't possible be back already.

You slowly looked down at the arm surrounding your waist and gulped as it was clad in black leather and the gold rings certainly did not belong to another servant. You closed your eyes and begged every god known to man that this hand didn't belong to the one you thought of.

You discreetly turned around and just as you had frightfully assumed, you saw the sleeping face of none other than prince Aemond Targaryen himself. You were trembling now. That's right. You had fallen asleep in the prince's bed and for some uncanny reason—he hadn't noticed you and had fallen asleep next to you..However, you still had a chance to make things right.

What were the Linda rules again ? Hide, Flee or Vomit ?

Well—you couldn't exactly hide. There was nowhere to hide and it would make things worse if he had—indeed—seen you.

You then thought about fleeing the scene—but the arm tightly wrapped around your waist quickly convinced you of the impossibility of that solution.

And the last possibility...You turned towards the prince's angelic face and realized you couldn't do it, not to him.

You then sighed in resignation and decided to act against every self-preservation instinct screaming in your head, and wake up the prince.

"My prince..My prince..", you whispered softly and tried to wake him up, but a light squeeze of your hips informed you that he was already perfectly awake. It earned him a small squeal from you as he ushered.

"Quiet."

You obeyed.

The prince still had his eyes closed and you felt a mix of excitement and great shame at being so close to the prince. It was highly inappropriate and—if anyone were to cross the threshold of his bedroom's door—you were sure to die a terribly gruesome death..that it'd be by the king's command, or the queen's own hands ? It remained to be determined. You returned your eyes on the prince's face and couldn't help but marvel at his beauty. He had long white eyelashes that gracefully moved with the fluttering of his eyelids, an aquiline nose situated just above his delicate mouth slightly parted and framed by his perfectly symmetrical cheek bones.

You wanted to lean in and paint every feature of his face in your mind.

But, quickly shook your head.

You were mad.

You were mad, and you seemed to be dragging prince Aemond down with your madness..

"Since the moment you entered my bedroom, you haven't coughed once..", he finally informed you and opened his eye slightly—the dark circles under his eyes the telltale sign of a cruel lack of sleep. Your eyes widened as you realized—he was right. It had surely been a good set of two hours since you had fallen asleep in his room, and you had not spoiled his bed with blood or petals—yet.

He finally opened his valid eye fully and smiled almost cheekily at you.

"Maybe the proximity with a man would solve the problem ?"

You laughed at that and shook your head.

"If that had been the case, my mother would have lived a long and happy life."

At the mention of your mother, the prince seemed to get out of his drowsy state and jerked up with his eye open wide in attention and gleaming with curiosity.

"What happened to her ?"

You were surprised to find the prince's sudden interest in your family, and was then cruelly reminded of the curse. The curse that caused you the loss of the being you had once loved more than anyone..You wrapped your hand around your other wrist and started tracing circles in your inner wrist to calm yourself enough to answer him.

"What will certainly happen to me..The flowers will fill my body to the point where air and blood won't flow through my body anymore and little by little, I will become a magnificent tree."

You stared ahead at that future which seemed so close now and shivered. It was quite frightening..

"You will die.", he concluded rather abruptly and you sighed. You decided to ignore the pain in your chest at the notion and instead of confirming the prince's words—you continued to focus on the beautiful part of your story.

"My grandmother became a peach tree that bears fruit every year, my mother became a vibrant cherry tree...I wonder what kind of tree I will become ?", you mused while the prince laid motionless beside you—his eye flickering slightly from your face to your hands crisped over each other—letting him know that you were trying your best to remain calm. He tried to find what to say. He had never been good with words of comfort, as he had never received many in his life..But, he still tried.

"A flame tree."

You turned towards him with a small frown of confusion, as you had never heard of such a tree before. Prince Aemond sighed before releasing you from his grip to lay flat on his back and look at the ceiling.

"I once saw one as a child. My father called it the fire tree. It had gigantic red flowers and I remember marveling at the contrast between its vivid warm color and the surrounding snow. It is known to bloom in the harshest of environments and I just..It just came to mind."

You hummed understandingly and instead of pouncing to the door and let the prince to his divagations alone, you nodded.

"A flame tree..", you repeated dreamily and smiled at him. "I like it. I hope I do get to become a fire tree. If only for you to come visit me from time to time."

His valid eye widened significantly at your bright smile. It felt so fake and it hurt. He didn't know why it hurt—nor why he cared so much about some little servant's fate. He looked away and cleared his throat.

"Don't you have other matters to attend to ? Isn't it the Winter Festival in less than a week ?"

You seemed to suddenly remember your duties and shrieked loudly before jumping out of his bed in a haste. You put your shoes on and hurried to the door—leaving the prince behind.

Aemond blinked a few times before his eye settled back on the ceiling and he smiled to himself.

He hadn't cared to mention that it was impossible for you to become a fire tree, as they only grew on the outskirts of the Free Cities. He had once accompanied his father on an important business trip—hence his knowledge on the subject.

But, just remembering your bright smile and joy at the thought was enough to make Aemond's lips twitch upward in amusement.

You would have made a mighty fine fire tree, it he had decided to let you die that is. But, prince Aemond wasn't about to let that happen.

A few days later :

It was here. It was finally here..The Winter Festival. The Winter Festival was the only day in the year when people from around the kingdom came together to celebrate the end of the eternal night all those centuries ago, and it was also the only day the servants were allowed a day off to go see the festivities in the streets.

You smiled widely to yourself in excitement as you got out your mask and dress for special occasions. It was also the time for you to wear the costume Linda had sewn for you. There was a reason she called you little mouse after all..You put on your mask and smiled before twirling around on yourself. You felt...pretty. You took a shaky breath and draped your shoulders with a black cape before leaving.

However, a part of you did feel a certain disappointment at not being able to see your favorite prince among the corridors of the castle. But, you quickly dismissed those useless thoughts and picked up the pace. You had succeeded in collecting a silver coin or two..And, you meant to repay Linda for her kindness by offering her a gift worthy of her. However, as you were making your way down the familiar stairwell, you heard footsteps coming your way and froze at the frightening thought it could be prince Aegon.

You took a sharp turn to the left and even though you knew those footsteps to probably only be a result of your exhaustion and your conversation with Linda about prince Aegon; you had no intention of sticking around long enough to find out. In a moment reflexion due to self-preservation, you sought shelter in the one place you knew Aegon wouldn't enter willingly: the library. You had hid there many times before and had a secret place where you would see everyone coming—but none could see you. One of the tables had a hole in the wood from which you could observe the entrance door, big enough to see—while remaining perfectly unseen. You first dropped a cushion on the floor first before quickly lying on top of it—your heart threatening to jump out of your ribcage as the footsteps grew closer and closer. You stayed there for a while, until the footsteps finally rushed past you. You sighed in relief before resting your head against the sturdy material behind you. It must have been one of the servants tending to their duty—or eager to get out and join the festivities. You knew you should be going too, but you then realized it had been a long time since your last visit to the library.

You took the time to look around at the many shelves..The library was beautiful and you had—on many occasions—come over for some quiet time. Your mother had introduced you to the joy of reading and to this day—it remained your favorite activity.

You rested your chin in the cup of your hand while humming to yourself and picked out one specific book you had started, but never finished..You knew you shouldn't linger, but you had all night to go enjoy the festivities. Besides, you had already said goodnight to Linda and knew you were probably the only servant left in the castle at this time of night—if not the only person. You could have a moment to yourself and read to your heart's content..However, as you arrived in one of the most particularly steamy scenes, you flushed and quickly slammed the book shut and looked around frantically—as if awaiting for the gods to strike you down this instant. But, as nothing came of it..You decided it would be best for research purposes to continue your very interesting inappropriate reading. Your eyes swept through the words, as if they were a feast to a starving man. You had read such things before, and it was the perfect way to imagine the wonders of a lover and to learn the pleasures of life.

You didn't think you would be interrupted however and when the door opened, your eyes widened in shock. Thankfully, you were still hidden from view and was surprised to see a man wearing the mask of a snake enter. However, he was quick to discard himself of the mask and you held back a gasp as you recognized prince Aemond. You observed as he gracefully made his way to the armchair closest to the fire and sat there, his eyes staring at the flames dancing in the hearth and he let out a small sigh. You wondered what he was thinking about ? What could men as great as him think about ? In your reverie, you imagined he thought of you..You recalled his slender and yet strong body under your hands and the soothing heat he sent to your freezing palms..He was the embodiment of fire.

And, you desperately wanted to get burned.

You shook your head at the obscene thought.

Prince Aemond was well beyond your reach.

You wouldn't be equals, not in this life—not even in death. You closed your eyes shut as you were painfully reminded that the prince was perfect and you were..You were simply a dreaming mouse.

However, the sound of flesh against fabric brought you out of your negative thoughts. Your eyes reopened as the sound reiterated and you narrowed your eyes at the prince—wondering what he was doing...until you realized. Your eyes widened in shock at the sight and you held your breath.

Prince Aemond closed his eyes and let out a soft gasp as he took himself out and slowly started teasing his..his..You quickly glanced away in shame—being the witness of such an intimate moment. But, your eyes were inexplicably pulled back to the scene and your throat felt dry as prince Aemond gasped once more. He tilted his head backwards, closing his hand over his own throat as he picked up his pace. He was eager to get the satisfaction, but also liked to torture himself by slowing down at unexpected times and giving his cock a couple of careful and languid strokes. He darted his tongue past his lips to wet them and his adam apple bobbed up and down in rythm with his uneven breathing. His back arched slightly at a particular hard tug on his already red appendage.

You followed the movement of his hand and of his hips—moving simultaneously with it—and another pleasured gasp escaped his lips. It was a sin to witness—but you remained there, watching your prince in his most vulnerable time. It was intoxicating.

All thoughts of the Winter Festival had been swept away and all that remained was this urge to make your presence known...If it was to stop this erotic show—or serve your prince. You had no idea.

However, your wish was soon seconded by your body as you felt another cough coming and had to clasp both your hands against your mouth in order to hold it in—to the point of tears really. Futile attempt as a small whimper escaped past your lips and made the prince stop all movement. He suddenly tugged his cock back in his pants and quickly stood up to reach for his sword—his valid eye sweeping the surroundings plunged in darkness for the intruder. And in a matter of seconds, he had disappeared from your sight.

"Do you really wish to stay hidden ? I can hear you breathing—it is only a matter of time before I find you..", he whispered in the shadows and you felt your heart beat faster and faster. Your heart went at an irregular pace, as you hoped you would have the time to get up and run before he could find you.

However, he flipped the table you were hiding under and smirked down at you.

"~Found you."

He attempted to grab you, but you were quick on your feet and bolted for the door. You had your hand on the handle and were about to open it when another hand wrapped around your own and a body pressed itself against your back. Aemond then lifted his sword to your throat—a silent warning of what would happen if you tried to run again. He flipped you around effortlessly and your back collided painfully with the door behind you.

He seemed amused by your costume and then whispered in the shell of your ear.

"Now, what is a little mouse like you doing stalking a deadly snake in the middle of the night, hmm ?"

You didn't know what to answer and the only thought present in your head was—let it not be my last day..You had still so many things to see..So many things you wished to explore. Suddenly, overtaken by this will to live, you licked your own palm and purposefully shoved it down his pants. Aemond almost bolted at the foreign feeling of another hand wrapped around his cock and breathed out with difficulty.

"What are you..?" He hissed at the feeling of your hand suddenly wrapped around his cock and his legs buckled at the pressure. You knew this could lead to a fate worse that death—but f*ck it. You were already dying.

You continued your ministrations—just as you had seen him done a few seconds ago and Aemond's grip on his sword faltered. You were waiting for him to drop it in order to run away. However, as the sword finally clattered to the floor and prince Aemond grabbed your shoulders to steady himself instead. You knew it was your chance to leave and he guessed your intention as he glared up at you in silent warning. A challenge for you to stop when he was so close. His grip on your arms tightened perceptibly as he hid his face from view by resting his forehead against the crook of your neck. He hadn't asked you to do this—but he hadn't asked you to stop either. In a moment of delirium, you could have sworn to feel the pressure of the prince's lips against the side on your neck—but you didn't entertain the thought long. You knew this was a one time thing. A last wish before your inevitable demise.

~Oh..And what a gift it was. To have the prince clung to you—desperate for release as you took your sweet time. Erotic novels had nothing on what it felt to have such power. You lifted your other hand to his eyepatch and—even though lost in pleasure—Aemond grabbed your wandering hand and pinned it to the door behind you.

"N..No..", he breathed out with difficulty as you both knew he was getting close. You frowned at his denial—but obeyed nonetheless. You circled his tip and even though you desperately wanted to kiss him—the thought alone making you rub your legs together—you didn't dare. His nose brushed against yours and he let out a shuddering breath before finally snapping his eye open to stare deep into yours. You were engaged in the most perverted of actions and yet—there was a gentleness there you hadn't expected. The moment he reached his release, prince Aemond momentarily loosened his hold on you.

"Let me..Let me see your face.", he demanded with a shaky breath and tried to reach for your mask. But you shook your head—not even allowing yourself to speak. You then unexpectedly shoved him aside and ran out of the library instead—faster than the wind as it whirled in your ears. You ran out of the castle and it was only when you were far enough that you stopped and smiled underneath your mask. You even let out a small giddy laugh at the absurdity of it all.

You had pleasured the prince Aemond.

Prince Aemond had taken pleasure in being serviced by you..The thought alone made you giddy for some reason. At least, you could say you had the adventure of a lifetime. Who could claim having ever pleasured a prince ?

You blended into the crowd of people and made sure to participate in the festivities while you still could.

Unaware of the snake's vengeful bite that was waiting for you in the days to follow..

A few day later :

You hadn't seen the prince in quite some time and some rumors circulated that he hadn't left the library since the Winter Festival..But, you hadn't tried to verify those claims, as work went on and there was much to attend to.

You panicked as glimpses of that night finally came back to you and your eyes widened as all sorts of scenarios ran rampant in your head. Had he recognized you ? No. You had only seen each other once or twice before and there was no way prince Aemond would have recognized your voice, as you had made sure to stay silent the entire time.

"ETHEL !", you woke up to Linda's voice and fell off your bed—you almost protested as the dream of the many cakes and beverages you had filled you belly with on the Winter Festival's night blurred into nothingness..But, Linda's face was stern and she seemed extremely upset and even worried as she asked.

"Why did prince Aemond ask for you ?! What did you do, you silly girl ?!"

You fidgeted nervously and Linda, who knew she wouldn't get an answer out of you, only tsskd in annoyance before hurrying you.

"Come on ! Don't make him wait ! He's waiting for you in the library !"

You jumped to your feet and quickly got dressed before running upstairs. You were sure your hair was a mess and you had dark circles under your eyes, but you didn't think the prince would mind. However, you frowned when you stopped in front of the library and wondered...Had he really spent the whole week there ? You felt a little guilty for having left him the way you did, but for your defense, you regretted a lot of things that had happened last night..You inhaled deeply to give yourself some courage before opening the door.

You entered discreetly and saw Aemond sitting in the very armchair he had pleasured himself that night. You gulped.

If he noticed your presence, he didn't say anything and just kept staring at the fire crackling in the fire place. You remained still with your hands clasped at your front and your eyes fixed on the floor. You had no intention of making things worse for yourself by looking guilty or disrespectful.

"That girl..It was you, wasn't it ?"

Your eyes snapped up at him and you opened your mouth to stammer.

"W—What girl, my prince ?"

You winced at your own hesitation and you knew how unconvinced you sounded. The prince still didn't look at you, but his jaw twitched as he replied sternly.

"Do not take me for a fool, Ethel. I found some petals underneath the table and I know only one person who can cough out flowers. Besides, don't think for a moment that I am deaf. I know what you friends call you, little mouse."

You felt as if the ground was shaking—even though your legs were the sole cause for your current instability. You didn't know if you ought to fall to your knees and beg for his forgiveness—or pack your things and leave before he decided your worthless life deserved to end..However, what he said next froze the blood in your very veins in horror.

"I found out that your friend..Linda, is it ? She takes from our personal reserve to make the tea you drink for your sickness. It would be a shame if my mother were to hear about this.."

A threat. The prince was threatening you. The night of the Winter Festival seemed a distant and foreign memory of the prince that was now before you. The prince of your previous meetings had been curious, sympathetic and even affectionate. This one was cold and cunning...dangerously unpredictable. You would have to walk on thin ice and tried not to look too desperate as you spoke again.

"I..I apologize. I didn't mean.."

"I don't want your apologies.", he cut you off harshly and you frowned in confusion.

"Then..what do you want ?", you asked warily as the prince still didn't look at you and simply claimed.

"You know what I want."

You had absolutely no idea..And it must have shown on your face as Aemond clarified.

"I want you to admit it was you."

You bit your lower lip hesitantly before finally indulging. You didn't want Linda to have problems and whatever he was going to win out of being right—it only concerned him.

"Yes. It was me.", you finally admitted and it was only then that Aemond met your gaze—watching you intently as he asked.

"Did you get any pleasure out of seeing me desperately seek for answers all week ? Do you even realize I could get you tortured and killed for what you did to me ?", he seethed and you could hear the dangerous edge of a knife against your throat in his words alone. You had to be careful. The prince seemed extremely upset and even though you weren't sure exactly why he was making such a big deal out of it..You had done what you had to in order not to be killed that night.

"And what did I do, my prince—except using whatever I could in order for this sword not to slash my throat ?", you asked and there was a certain coldness to your words. True. Instead of using pleasure to get away, you could have simply kicked his groin and be done with it. It would have been easier for you, but so much more painful for him.."And, I guess I do not want any regrets.."

Okay. You hadn't meant to confess that out loud, and especially not for Aemond to hear..

"...Regrets ?...You feel no regret about that night ?", he repeated in clear disbelief at your sheer nerve.

"Yup. I even have a wish list. I've already crossed many of my wishes. I just have a couple of things left. Like, offer Linda the best gift I can think of. Eat a chocolate cake all by myself. Have a romance..Well, that one can be crossed now I guess. And finally, ride a dragon. But, that last one I am less sure of its probability." You chuckled awkwardly and tried not to sound too dejected of having to abandon one of your projects.

Aemond shook his head and seemed speechless for a moment before he raised his voice.

"Dear Seven..Are you listening to yourself ?! Have a romance ? Do you think what you did that night was about romance ? Do you even find my company...pleasant ?"

Your eyes widened at that last question and you hadn't noticed until that very moment how distressed and unhinged Aemond truly looked. His hair was a mess and his eye was wide open like a mad man and he licked his lips multiple times while pacing around—unable to sit down. It puzzled you.

...Pleasant ? You pondered on the question and recalled for a few seconds all of your brief and rather unconventional meetings with the prince. He hadn't been particularly rude to you—nor had he ever hurt you.

"Yes. I do find your company pleasant, my prince.", you finally confirmed and Aemond—who had decided to sit back in his armchair while you took the time to think—seemed to give up and sighed.

It was prince Aemond's time to ponder on your answer and at the end, he rose up from his seat to walk towards you and stopped a few inches from you—barely leaving you the space to breathe.

"Why ?"

The question took you off-guard and Aemond continued.

"You pleasured me and when I lowered my sword, you could have ran. We both know that. So, why ? Why did you stay ?" There was uncertainty in his eye and this small crack in his impassive figure made your heart ache.

"Because...I couldn't fathom the thought of hurting you, my prince.", you admitted truthfully and Aemond's eye widened one more. You stayed in perfect silence for a moment until Aemond cleared his throat—not expecting such a truthful and bold answer no doubt.

"You..didn't want to hurt me ?", he repeated—as if dumbfounded by the notion alone. "Why ?"

You could feel the clear distrust in his voice and you didn't fail to notice the way his hand twitched slightly towards the hilt of his sword. You sighed. Well, if it was to be your last day on this Earth..Better be at the hand of a prince than in a cold dirty alley with only your dark thoughts for company.

You held yourself steady and didn't shy away from his gaze as you answered unashamedly.

"I guess it's because I like you and want us to be lovers."

Another blunt answer that made Aemond's eye widen in shock and he started truly questioning your sanity. Him ? The lover of a mere commoner ? He wanted to scoff disdainfully at the idea, but he instead heard himself say.

"Alright."

It was your turn to be surprised at his agreement. You hadn't expected him to actually accept. Not in your wildest dreams.

"..Are you sure, my prince ?", you asked with uncertainty—shying away from his intense eye to return your gaze to the floor.

"Are you putting my decision into doubt ?", he asked with an arched eyebrow and loomed over you in all his majesty—waiting for you to contradict him or give him a reason to get rid of you no doubt. You could only submit and bow your head before him.

"No ! Of course not, prince Aemond.", you quickly sought to redeem yourself before the prince.

Prince Aemond was still staring at you and you could feel his very perceptive gaze on you—his calculative eye giving you a long and thorough inspection. You sauntered from one foot to the other nervously—wondering what he was looking for..However, his next words stilled you in shock.

"If we are to become acquainted, you may call me Aemond when we are alone."

You snapped your head up at him and opened your mouth to protest, but he offered you a cold smile and pressed a hand on your shoulder. "I insist."

His smile and placid tone made you understand it wasn't a request and you nodded vividly in agreement. He seemed to be satisfied with your compliance before brushing a strand/curl of your hair out of your face.

"And as of now, you will be attending to my needs and my needs alone. Do you understand ?"

You didn't dare deny it and nodded once more, your eyes fixed to the floor still—something Aemond obviously didn't like. He placed two fingers under your chin to tug your face upwards to meet his blazing eye and you felt as if the air had been knocked out of your lungs.

It unfortunately urged another set of coughs to irrupt in your throat and since you knew better than to dirty the prince's room, you pulled out of your pocket a bag to pour your content inside. Once the episode over, you wiped your mouth on your sleeve and though apologies were in order—you didn't get the occasion to. When you turned towards Aemond, you felt a chill run down your spine at the intense look he was now giving you. He wordlessly asked for the bag by extending his hand towards you and you reluctantly gave it to him. He then examined its contant and frowned as he saw a difference in the color of the petals..

"Aren't they all the same ?", he asked and you shook your head.

"No. They change and depend on many things—including the person's mood. The flowers shift until death."

He hummed absent-mindedly before closing the bag and delicately placing it on the ground next to his bed. He would take a closer look later.

You took it as permission to leave and nodded shortly before running to the door and your freedom. Once the door closed behind you, you let out a breath of relief.

You were alive.

You hadn't been flayed—or thrown to the dragons.

Furthermore, you had made a new friend. Or, you hoped you had..You bit your lower lip nervously as you started walking towards the kitchens. You would have to explain your odd situation to Linda and try to ease her mind somehow. She didn't trust the family—and for a good reason.

You were so deep in thought, you failed to notice princess Helaena coming your way. You involuntarily bumped into her and immediately apologized. However, you didn't hear a peep from her and after a moment of hesitation, you looked up and gasped in horror. The princess' face was but a ghostly apparition with her skin livid and bruises on her neck and red puffy eyes. She had cried and from where she was coming from—you had no doubt on who was to blame. She uttered a whispered apology in your direction and sought to walk past you but—suddenly—your gut told you that you had to stop her. You whirled around and called after her.

"Princess Helaena !"

She stilled and frowned a little in confusion as you gestured for her to follow you. After a second, she finally indulged.

She would follow anyone—as long as it wasn't her dreadful husband.

You guided her to the kitchens and Linda started yelling at you before she even noticed the princess' presence.

"Ethel ! My goodness girl ! I told you to stay away from that family...!" She stopped dead in her tracks as she finally noticed the girl standing there—her eyes already watering and finally, she burst into tears. Princess Helaena was still a girl and she ought to not be left alone at that moment. Linda immediately regretted her words and sent you such a harsh glare—you knew you wouldn't hear the end of it.

"She needs some of the tea you make for me. It cannot help me, but I am sure it will help her.", you explained and Linda's eyes softened as she glanced back at the princess—barely standing.

"Fine." She sighed in defeat and finally brought a chair for the princess.

"Come sit by the fire, my dear. I'll prepare the tea and you can rest here. Nobody will come find you. I promise.", she tried to sound as comforting as possible and made sure not to touch the princess—as Linda knew all too well the consequences of marital abuse and didn't need a shrieking princess in her kitchen. However, she did offer her a blanket and a moon cake she had herself prepared the last day.

The princess accepted gratefully and even though her eyes were staring at the fire, you could see her mind was elsewhere. At that moment, you recognized Aemond in her. The melancholy and sadness in their eyes matched and your heart squeezed as you thought of the pain they must be in.

You sat down next to the princess and offered her your hand. You left her plenty of time to voice her disapproval or to swat your hand away—but she didn't. You held her hand in silence while Linda was preparing the tea. You then remembered you still had some of the cream Linda had used to soothe your burns and stood up to grab it in a haste. Linda had finished brewing the beverage by the time you were back and it was now sitting on the princess' lap as she sipped on it tentatively. It seemed to bring back some red in her cheeks and you showed her the cream—wordlessly asking her if you could apply it to her bruises and scratches. After a second, she nodded once in agreement and you smiled comfortingly at her before spreading the cream on both of your hands to apply it to her sensitive skin.

It took a moment for all the wounds to be covered and night had already settled outside by the time you were done.

The princess' eyes seemed to get back a bit of that dragon fire you knew was inside her as she smiled at you and asked.

"Who are you ?"

Your breath hitched at the kindness in her gaze and you bowed your head deeply before introducing yourself.

"My name is Ethel, your majesty."

She hummed to herself—probably memorizing the name and she finally asked.

"Why are you helping me, Ethel ?"

You shook your head and bit back a bitter smile at the question. The Targaryens and their eternal why. As if you needed a reason to be human.

"Because that's the way she is.."

You turned around to see Aemond standing there. You blushed profusely and stood up to curtsy but then, a loud bang was heard. You looked up and your eyes widened—as Linda had just sneaked behind the prince to hit him on the back of the head with her faithful pan in hand.

"YOU STAY AWAY FROM THOSE GIRLS, YOU NASTY PRINCE ! I AM AN OLD MAIDEN, AND I SWEAR I AM NOT AFRAID TO DIE AND TAKE YOU WITH ME IF I MUST !"

The scene was surreal.

Linda had just assaulted prince Aemond—the best swordsman in all the realm—with a pan.

Linda had just assaulted prince Aemond with a pan.

Linda. Pan. Aemond.

The more your repeated the words in your head—the more it mortified you.

Aemond looked shocked for a moment as well, but it quickly changed when princess Helaena burst out laughing next to you. It wasn't a prime and proper laugh. It was a "My brother was scolded by an old lady with a pan" kind of laugh. You couldn't help but follow her as Linda looked at the both of you, as if you had gone mad.

"Why are you..?!"

"...I think there has been confusion on the person.", Aemond tried to explain and Linda's pan fell to the floor as she threw herself at his feet.

"FORGIVE ME, MY PRINCE ! I THOUGHT YOU WERE THE ONE WHO HAD DARED LIFT A HAND ON OUR PRINCESS ! I AM OLD AND SENILE ! MY EXECUTION WOULDN'T BRING YOU ANY SATISFACTION !"

The scene was worthy of a comedic scene in some theater play. The change in Linda's behavior and Aemond's confusion only fueled both of your hilarity. The princess clutched her waist and even though the bruises were still there—laughter seemed to brighten her mood.

"By the Seven ! You should have seen your face, brother !"

Aemond allowed himself to smile—as it had been a long time since he had last heard his sister laugh.

"I live to serve.", he bowed in a mocking fashion—but you could see his smile was genuine. "Now, would you ladies like to join us for dinner, or shall I be assaulted once more by the head cook ?"

He glanced at Linda who had still not rose to her feet and was imagining all the ways she would be punished..However, princess Helaena finally had mercy on the poor woman and helped her up.

"Come now, good woman. No harm shall be done to you. By me. Or, by prince Aemond."

You didn't fail to notice how she avoided to mention prince Aegon. She then turned towards prince Aemond who seemed to hesitate before indulging.

"Fine. I had the intention to give Vhagar her dinner, but everything for you my dear sister."

You could see by the light curve of his lips that he was joking, but it didn't help Linda as she fainted in a nearby chair. Princess Helaena silently admonished her brother with a disapproving glare, and to which Aemond replied with a small innocent grin.

"What ? I was just being truthful." Princess Helaena rolled her eyes at her brother's mischievous demeanor before fanning poor Linda's face.

"You are insufferable.", she muttered under her breath before you took her place in order to continue to fan Linda's face.

"Is she going to be...okay ?", princess Helaena asked tentatively—throwing a worried glance in Linda's direction.

"She will be fine. She suffered through worse.", you reassured her with a smile. "You should both go. I would feel bad to keep you away from your dinner."

Princess Helaena seemed to hesitate for a moment, but prince Aemond nodded.

"You should go change before mother sees you. I shall keep an eye on them."

You wanted to argue that it wasn't necessary, but then saw Aemond give you a warning glance. You gulped and turned your face away promptly, fanning Linda vigorously in order to forget his presence.

You silently prayed your lady not to leave you alone with him—but your prayers were unanswered as the princess took her retreat from you.

As soon as she was out of sight and you knew Aemond and yourself to be the only remaining conscious individuals in the room—you were tempted to slap Linda awake, just so she may be an excuse for the prince to leave. Unfortunately, it seemed she was passed out cold and wouldn't come back to her senses any time soon.

You almost let out a scream when you where unexpectedly hugged from behind, long and strong arms finding their way around your waist as the prince's hot breath hit the back of your neck.

"...You avoided me.", he accused you and you sighed. You hadn't meant to. You were just afraid of getting too close to the prince.

"Be with your family, my prince. They are far more worthy of your attention than me."

He chuckled against your ear and sounded amused rather than alarmed by your sudden seriousness.

"Well..I would love to disagree. I say that among all the people in this castle—you are the only one worthy of my attention."

His hands went dangerously low and you eyelids fluttered shut at the heavenly feeling of his hands on you. But, you then remembered that Aegon was probably alone with his mother and poor Helaena. You couldn't deprive her of her only protector. She sounded like a sweet girl and you would hate to stand between them. You wrapped your hand around one of his before he could continue and—as difficult as it was to tell him no—you shook your head.

"Stop. Please."

He obeyed and retracted from you, even though you could feel his disappointment. You promptly turned away to leave and managed to reach the corridor, but he called after you.

"I didn't dismiss you yet, Ethel."

You inhaled deeply and turned around—surprised to find him already standing so very close to you. He then grabbed your hand and ignored your protests as he led you to your safe place—the library. You heart skipped a beat as he closed the door behind the both of you and Aemond tilted his head to study your features intently. He noticed the way your cheeks turned a different shade of pink than the one due to the biting cold. He smirked—satisfied.

"I may be one-eyed, but do not take me for a blind man, Ethel."

He gently caressed your cheek and you couldn't help the shiver from taking over your body. Aemond had spent a lot of time wondering about how he would make you open up, how he would get his hands on you. But, he had then discovered that he didn't need to do anything, as one word from him was enough to make you compliant. He didn't think he had so much authority over you, but you had not the slightest idea on how much power you held over him either.

"You desire me.", he uttered knowingly in a whisper and you sighed.

It wasn't a question, but you answered all the same.

"More than life itself.", you muttered in a dreamy whisper and even though you knew it was very unlikely he shared your feelings—you wished he might be merciful enough as to not jeer you for them.

His eye widened at your confession and a smug smile took over his feature—his pupil dilated significantly as he captured your lips. The kiss felt ravenous and forbidden—but oh so right, you didn't dare ask him to stop.

You then wondered to what extent he was willing to go and let your hand wander further down his body, but he took your hands in his and shook his head.

"No. Not tonight. You helped my sister. This is for you. I want to make you feel good. You deserve it.", he said and you flushed red at the clear intentions of the prince. You had read of men pleasuring their lady companion in the books you read, but never thought Aemond would be the sort of man to..

"You—You don't have to." You were quick to dismiss the idea—as if your own carnal desire didn't matter.

"Do you think me incapable of pleasuring a woman ?", he accused you and you were quick to retort. "Quite the contrary, my prince. I'm afraid you might be a little too experimented in that area."

Welp..Calling Aemond Targaryen—dragon rider and best swordsman in the whole kingdom—a whore was definitely not in your to-do list, but by the way he started laughing, you doubted he was offended.

"My my...If I didn't know any better, I would say you are one of those blushing virgins.."

"A book...", you confessed in embarrassment and Aemond's eye widened at the news. His hands were still on your thighs and his head between your legs—staring at you—and suddenly, he laughed. It wasn't a chuckle, or a mild snicker. It was a loud and unbridled laugh of disbelief.

You looked away at his theory and tried not to let Aemond see how flustered you were—which failed. Aemond's face fell into an expression of pure shock as it dawned on him that..he was right. But, he shook his head as he remembered how you hadn't hesitated before taking his cock into your hand and stroking it to complexion. "Impossible..You wouldn't have been so skilled on the first night. Your movements were too precise. It seemed like you knew exactly what you were doing. It can't be. How would you have learned ?"

"A book ?!", he repeated—as if it was the most hilarious thing he had ever heard—and you pouted. He didn't have to be so mean about it. He then looked at the many shelves and gestured vaguely to the many books exposed there.

"Please..Tell me which book. For I have spent almost my entire life in that library and I have never found a single book in which all the profanities or sexual passages hadn't been censured by the maesters."

Your mood seemed to sour the longer the prince lingered on the subject. Aemond seemed to pick up on that and he then regretted laughing. He decided it was best to change courses and looked around at all the books again—surrounding the both of you.

"So..you can read ?", he asked for confirmation and you nodded.

"Yes."

There was another minute of silence before he inquired.

"Would you read to me ?"

It was your turn to be surprised as your lips slightly parted and turned towards the prince who wasn't looking at you, but rather at an invisible spot on the ceiling. He was embarrassed. You understood he was trying to find a way to get to spend time with you and you smiled widely.

"Yes. Of course."

You sounded genuinely excited, but then, the prince's eyes fell on a book nearby—one that you knew all too well.

"Would you read this ?", he asked and your face flushed as you realized he was holding the book you had read the night of the Winter Festival. He had found it. Of course. Of all the books in the library. Your nostrils flared and your eyes closed at the utter humiliation.

Aemond frowned in confusion at your sudden silence before reading the title of the book and quickly realized what it was. He briefly flicked the pages and stopped at a random passage and his smirk only widened as he started reading.

"...He was tall and handsome. The perfect embodiment of masculinity and as the trembling shape of Alienor Herebor stepped closer to him, she couldn't help but marvel at his strong arms and half-naked form. It was the strangest sort of passion, as she found herself enthralled by his savage-looking appearance. She didn't hesitate before dropping to her knees, her white dress pooling around her as the giant made his way to her and..Oh. Oh my.."

He leered as the book kept getting more and more graphic.

"My my..Was it that book that taught you how to pleasure a man ? I must confess, it seems to be excellent reading material."

You refused to answer him and suddenly lurched forward to grab the book—only for the both of you to lose balance and you to fall on top of him. It was almost like one of the passages in the book—said book which had drifted away under another pile of documents. If you hadn't died of embarrassment before—you certainly felt like it now..Your legs straddling him and him—looking almost in a transe as his eye didn't stop staring at you. He seemed to be waiting for something...And that's when you felt it.

It seemed you hadn't been the only one with impure thoughts..

You had read more than your fair share of books with ambiguous subjects. And some had been quite enlightening in certain areas.

So, you knew exactly what it was that made the prince's breeches swollen...And you even took pride in that. You gave him a knowing smirk before leaning forward—your eyes gleaming with mischief.

"Tell me, Aemond. What kind of books do YOU like ?" Aemond chuckled at the obvious change of subject—but indulged nonetheless.

"I'm afraid you will find me quite boring, considering your kind of reading material.", he taunted and you rolled your eyes. It was unintentional of course. But, that small demonstration of attitude caught Aemond off-guard, but made him smile all the same. He knew if he pushed enough, you would show him your true self.

His hands disappeared underneath your skirt and it didn't take him long to find the very place he was looking for and circled it with his thumb, making you shudder under his touch. He peppered your throat with kisses and kept assaulting your cunt while he cupped the back of your neck to pull you closer to his ravenous mouth that left marks along your throat and navel. However he didn't expect your bold move as you rocked your bottom against his strained manhood—making him choke on a grunt at the feeling.

"You didn't answer my question...", you insisted.

"You little minx—", he cursed under his breath.

Another sensuous roll of your hips and he was silenced—his nails digging into the fabric of your dress.

"Philosophy..I love philosophy.", he panted and you bit back a laugh at the clear position of vulnerability the prince found himself in. You were strong and could hold him down if necessary—but he was all too willing to stay under you.

You leaned forward once more to whisper in his ear.

"I think I'm ready to ride a dragon now.."

Aemond's face turned a pretty shade of pink and it was the first time you had ever seen the prince blush in your presence. It was during those moments you were made aware that Aemond was still a boy—deep down.

You kissed him and he didn't hesitate before reciprocating—unaware that you were being watched.

Aegon chuckled darkly to himself before emptying the rest of his pitch of wine and staggering to his room.

Seemed like his little brother was finally having some fun. But, as the responsible big brother that he was—he had to ensure his brother wouldn't have too much of it.

He would have to meet the girl—she seemed to be quite the delight indeed..

A few months later :

You woke up and had this strange apparition of a raven perched over your bed. You blinked several times—wondering if you were imagining things, until you noticed the piece of paper attach to the raven's leg. You delicately unwrapped the letter and read it quickly. It was from prince Aemond—asking you to join him in the library. You frowned—a little confused as to the reason for his sudden summoning, but got dressed nonetheless. You then quickly wrote a note saying Aemond had called for you in the library and left it next to Linda's pillow. You tiptoed your way out of the bedroom in order not wake up Linda and made your way to the library with a small smile on your face at the prospect of finding your prince there.

But there, you were greeted by the wrong one.

When you came in, prince Aegon was there.

He turned around as you entered.

"Ah ! Ethel, is it ? Come on in."

He knew your name. You were screwed.

You took a big breath and smiled as politely as possible at the prince who had dared leave those bruises on beautiful princess Helaena and was so drunk his cock sometimes lost itself in other women..

"Yes, king Aegon. You wished to speak to me ?" Aegon nodded and tilted his head towards the door.

"Yes. Close the door, would you ?"

No...Nononononono...Your brain was begging you not to obey, to run and find a place to hide. But, you knew it would be of no use. Aegon would send guards after you and no one would be able to save you. Not even Aemond. You reluctantly turned around and blinked your tears away as you slowly closed the door shut.

Meanwhile in the kitchens :

Aemond had been in a good mood all morning and it showed as his face was no longer marred with a permanent frown. Many of the kitchen servants noticed and whispered among themselves how he had changed and was more handsome now that he wasn't glaring at everybody.

He sought Ethel with his eye among the servants, but frowned as he didn't see her.. Linda stopped dead in her tracks as she spotted him and came to him with her faithful pan in hand. He could still feel the pain at the back of his neck..

"What are you doing ? Why aren't you at the library ?"

He frowned in incomprehension.

"The library ?"

Linda nodded, but could sense something was terribly wrong as the prince seemed lost.

"Yes. You sent a raven to Ethel this morning. She wrote to me herself that you wanted to talk to her."

Aemond's valid eye flickered in its eye socket as he tried to understand what it all meant and suddenly, his eye opened wide in horror and he let the rose he had picked up for her in the morning fall to the floor.

"No..", he breathed out and ran outside of the kitchens with his heart beating faster at the prospect of what he would find once he would arrive to the library. There was only only one person he knew who would trick you...

He clenched his teeth as he ran even faster.

Damn you, Aegon.

Back at the library :

Aegon tilted his head and started examining you closely—a sick twisted smile plastered on his face as he took a step forward. You took two steps back and Aegon seemed to take satisfaction in your fear.

"So, you are my brother's paramour ? I must say..He always had quite the exquisite taste."

You remained steady, even when Aegon twirled one of your strands/curls around his finger. It made you shiver in disgust as you picked up on the strong smell of wine coming from the young future king.

It was sickening.

You suddenly felt his hand on the small of your back and the touch alone made you want to jerk away from him and slap him. But, the feeling only worsened as he leaned forward to breathe out in your ear.

"Enjoy the time you have..It won't last. It never does with Aemond."

Your eyes widened at his words, but you didn't answer his obvious provocation. Instead, you smiled sweetly at him—your eyes the only hint of the anger you felt inside.

"I will enjoy every single second that shall be given to me..", you replied confidently.

Aegon let out a small disdainful huff before taking a step back from you.

"Do not misunderstand my intentions. I come to you as a friend. I am happy for my brother, but his relationships tend to be short-lived.."

You frowned at that and were about to answer when the sound of the door of the library being slammed open interrupted you. Aemond suddenly barged in—ready to draw out his sword as he rushed in front of you and rested his palm on your stomach protectively—glaring daggers at Aegon.

Aegon chuckled at his brother's nasty stare and shook his head—as if facing an immature child.

"Now now..Do not look at me this way. We were just conversing. Nothing more, I assure you. Seems like you've got yourself a nice lady companion, Aemond. Good for you, brother. Can't wait to see how that one will turn out for you.." There was an ominous smirk that accompanied his brother's words and, even though Aemond was certain he wouldn't do anything drastic right now, he feared if you stayed..His brother would find a way to do you harm.

Aegon patted Aemond's shoulder on his way out before leaving the library.

As soon as he was out, Aemond turned towards you with worry in his eye as he examined you from head to toe—in search for any injury.

"Did he hurt you ?", he asked worriedly and you shook your head negatively.

"No..He simply said he was happy for us."

A half-truth. But, you didn't have the heart to share his brother's 'concerns' with him. Aemond didn't deserve it. He didn't deserve to know his own brother doubted of his fidelity. By the way Aemond was looking at you—it seemed he had trouble believing you. However, he didn't push on the matter any further and instead, wrapped his arms around you with a smile.

"..I wish to hear you.", he whispered in your ear and you laughed at that.

"You heard me plenty last night."

His face went blank for a few seconds before he offered you a wolfish grin.

"Not what I meant. But, I do enjoy the memory immensely."

You rolled your eyes playfully at him.

"Tease."

"I will accept the title wholeheartedly.", he growled in your ear before kissing your cheek. You knew he had a much darker intent with his soft touches, but didn't wish to act upon them just yet. He had told you before that he wanted to take his time before you would both find yourself completely naked and in bed together.

He wasn't about to break that promise.

Instead, he gestured to the books around you and took your hand. He brought you to the many shelves and waited for you to choose one. You settled on a book he hadn't opened in quite some time.

"The tales of the Brothers Grimm.", he read out loud and teased. "Aren't you too old for fairytales ?"

You humphed unhappily at his jeering and turned your face away from him, clutching the prized book in your arms as you pretended to be walking away.

"If you cannot appreciate the classics, I must bide you farewell my prin...!" You squealed rather undignifyingly as Aemond suddenly wrapped his arms around you from behind and picked you up. You kicked the air in an attempt to free yourself, but futile attempt as he sat down and held you firmly against him.

"Fine. Don't sulk. We'll read the book you chose..", he conceded and you humphed again—even though leaning back further against him. He rested his head upon your shoulder and nuzzled the side of your neck with his nose. Like this—you could almost pretend there was no one but you and Aemond. It was one of the rare times you allowed yourself to be happy. In his arms, nothing else mattered.

Aemond held the book open while you read —smiling as you showed him the different pictures present with glee. You loved the pictures, for you always thought them to be the windows of the book. He chuckled at your odd comparison and scooted impossibly closer to you.

You were reading the tale of Rapunzel when Aemond seemed rather interested in it—especially the part where she fled with her beloved.

"We could leave. You and I. Leave them all to their misery..", he murmured against your ear and you giggled at the silly idea.

"To go where ? Your place is here, my prince. Your family. Your life...", you wanted to continue but the prince silenced you with a kiss. His lips curved at your dazed expression and the smug look he gave you snapped you out of your momentary transe as you smiled sadly at him, tenderly stroking the side of his face with all the gentleness of a helpless lover.

"I'm dying, my prince. You have a whole life ahead of you. I cannot ask you to give it up for me.", you reminded him painfully and the prince's smile immediately fell as his hold on you slightly tightened.

"You are not asking. I am offering. We'll go seek the best doctors in the whole kingdom and find a cure. There must be one. There must be. I'll find it. I promise.", he muttered against the back of your neck and peppered it with kisses—surely for you to give in.

You closed your eyes shut and gasped as he nibbled at your skin and you laid the book down to softly card your fingers through his hair.

"Alright. Let's go.", you finally agreed and Aemond stopped his ministrations to smile against your skin.

"Tonight ?", he asked hopefully.

"Tonight.", you confirmed and you had never seen the prince so excited as he smiled brightly at you.

"I'll go prepare Vhagar." He stood up and you followed soon after.

"And I'll go fetch a few of my things."

He nodded in agreement.

"Let us meet again tonight in this very room, once everything settled."

"Let's." You were about to leave when slender fingers wrapped themselves around your wrist and turned you around for Aemond to kiss you passionately.

"You won't try to escape, yes ?", he asked—breathless.

"Never, my prince.", you replied confidently—as breathless as him.

And with those last words of reassurance, you parted ways and hurried. Aemond had never thought of leaving before you, he never thought it worth it. But, with you ? He dreamt. He hoped. He dared to fly away and leave his family to their inevitable demise.

He would miss them of course—but there was no place for him in this game of thrones.

His place was with you—flying and sharing a life of blissful happiness. He could already imagine it. No more prince. No more servant. Just, husband and wife.

He slightly shook his head at the idea and smiled foolishly at the prospect of marrying you..

He picked up the pace.

He couldn't wait.

A few kilometers from the castle :

You had certain belongings you couldn't think of leaving behind—your mother's portrait, your life savings, the very first book you had read with Aemond..You would have to say goodbye to Linda too of course.

You thought of a life with Aemond and couldn't help but let a smile brighten up your face at the future you would have. The house you would have. The matching chairs. The quiet mornings and passionate nights..The children running around the house. You stopped dead in your tracks. Children ? Since when did you want children ? Your face felt heated at the idea of bearing Aemond's children and you took a breath of fresh air to calm you down. It was a beautiful night.

You resumed your rapid pacing towards the castle and even sauntered with happiness. However, you were walking back when you felt your heart squeeze in your ribcage and gripped the fabric over your chest tightly. No. Not now...You collapsed on the snow. You coughed even harder than before and this time—entire flowers started coating the snow red beneath you. Your eyes watered as you looked up at the castle where Aemond was waiting for you..

You couldn't stop here. You couldn't break his heart.

You decided to crawl and used the strength of your arms to move forward.

"I..I need to..I need to be there.", you said to no one in particular and desperately reached forward towards the castle. You needed to be there. You needed to tell him it was him. To tell him he mattered. "A..Aemond.."

Your vision blurred and you felt tears run down your cheeks as your vision blackened entirely. Your last thoughts being for the beautiful prince you knew was waiting for you.

Forgive me...Aemond.

At the castle :

Aemond looked at the necklace in his hand and smiled. He sincerely hoped you would like it. He had carved it in sapphire, so you may always be linked. He had been waiting for this day since you had stumbled upon his bath and his purple eye had crossed your own..He was enthralled. He had a hopeful smile on and tried to contain his excitement. He had come back for you. He had come to take you away—as promised.

He waited...and waited...He frowned as the night started covering the town down below. You were late.

Had you...Had you decided to leave ? Without him ?

He shook his head at the thought and was certain you would enter those doors any second now. But, seconds turned to minutes, and minutes turned into hours...until morning. But, you didn't show up and he clenched his jaw at the idea that you wouldn't come—that you had stood him up.

He closed his eyes and his hold on the necklace tightened.

He should have expected it. You had done your duty and had left—just as expected. The hold on his necklace tightened to the point where he thought it would shatter. He had found yourself to be different than all the other people who served him...But, you weren't. It was all about duty and deception for people like you. You didn't love him. Of course you didn't..He had been a fool.

You had certainly decided to leave soon after his departure to settle Vhagar..Escape the horrible fate of living a free life alongside him. His jaw twitched and his mouth tightened while he stared at the fire before him. He then threw the sapphire to the fire in a fit of rage and left.

It would teach him to trust a commoner's word.

#fandoms #imagine #fanfic #hotd fanfic #aemond x reader #aemond x oc #aemond x you #aemond targaryen #aemond one eye #the loud mouse part 1

[flyiingsly]

The Banquet

Square : Rations

Pairing : Kix x gn!jedi!reader

Warnings : Alcohol, reader being a bit drunk, slight mention of death, war and injuries, fluff and kitchen shenanigans, nothing comestible was harmed during the writing of this fic

Wordcount : 3,5K

Summary : You and Kix team up to prepare a meal for the rest of the 501st, but despite being used to cook together, this time might end a little differently.

A/N : My seventh commission for the @clonexreaderbingo ! This one is packed with real life cooking struggles, and it was fun as hell to write about honestly 😄 (Don't worry, I'm not getting drunk every time I'm cooking !)

For those who are familiar with it, you’ll probably notice that the main course here is inspired by the Pasta Alla Vodka’s recipe, it’s a simple dish but one of my favorite comfort food ever ! If you don’t know it yet, go check it, it’s really worth a try ! 😋

Disclaimer : I'm still struggling to understand English grammar properly, English is not my native language and even if I have proofread my writtings several times, there is probably still typos in it. I'm very self conscious about it and I apologize for it in advance, but I'm doing my best to do better and I'm actively working at improving my writting skills !

So if you spot a typo, feel free to point it to me so I can correct it, it will be much appreciated :)

It was a tradition every time the 501st was returning from a mission, especially the long ones : cooking a real meal. After days of only eating ration bars, it was a much-needed comfort that every member of the battalion dearly waited for and appreciated, a reward for both the body and the mind, and a perfect occasion to spend some time off together. It was a clone thing at first, but you, Anakin and Ahsoka grew so close to your men that you were now part of it as well, even Obi-Wan ended up being invited a few times.

The rules were simple :  you must team up two by two, and each duo had to pick a main course and a dessert recipe. In this way, the whole meal was much more looking like a big banquet were everyone could pick up a bit of the recipes they wanted to try. Those events were true feasts that lasted a large part of the night and often ended at the 79’.

At first, the meals were prepared at the GAR kitchen when the days off appeared to be spent on Coruscant, and it was a very regular occurrence. But the battalion eventually had the chance to get a very special authorization to use some of the Senate’s kitchens for that particular purpose, thanks to Senator Amidala.

It all started at a joke between Rex and Anakin, but then it turned out that the General made it happens for real, much to the surprise of his Captain. And to be honest, there were a LOT of kitchens in that Senate Building, which allowed each team to have their private little space to cook their meals. Since then, it became a thing to keep the recipes a secret until they got served.

You absolutely loved that tradition. You loved to spend time with the clones outside of the battlefield, far away from the violence of the war, and far away from the grief of losing brothers. It nearly felt like all of you were just normal people enjoying good times with your closest friends. It almost felt like you weren’t soldiers anymore and finally able to live and enjoy the real life for some times, just like if the whole world around you wasn’t at war for a moment. You liked that feeling.

You had already paired up with a couple of troopers before, even with Anakin once. It was messy as hell and he nearly set the oven on fire (even cooking with Hardcase was more peaceful), but it was a funny experience, and you definitely had to give it a try.

But most of the time, you ended up pairing with Kix. Both of you loved to cook and were very good at it. You were also very close to each other. In fact, he was the closest from you, even if you were very familiar with every one of your men, Kix was an exception above the others. You always had special healing abilities, so those and the fact that he was the medic of the company led the two of you to work together on most missions. You helped him numerous of times healing soldiers, and he taught you a lot of medical knowledge in return.

You had to face the worst injuries, the death of brothers, and the carnage of the war upon the civilians together. You had saved people together, helped people together, seen people heal together, seen people perish together. And most of all, you had seen each other cry and have mental breakdowns multiple times.

Not being able to save a life and having to face death powerlessly were traumatic events you had both endured side by side, supporting and comforting each other unfailingly. It was hard to go through every time, but it had built a profound and solid bound between the two of you that you couldn’t have formed with anybody else. It was something special and precious.

The choice of your main recipe came from a joke at first. On the flight taking you back to Coruscant, Hardcase told everyone that he’ll gave everything right now to have “a huge bowl of pasta and a glass of spotchka”. To which Fives answered that “there must be a recipe combining both pastas and spotchka existing somewhere in the galaxy”. Little do they knew that, of course, such a recipe indeed existed : the famous Pasta Alla Spotchka. It was a dish you were really fond of that you discovered on one of your previous missions, and even if you couldn’t remember exactly from when it was originated, you had been able to find its recipe and make some a few times already.

You had smiled at the thought, but decided to keep for yourself, only letting out a brief “probably, yes”. Kix immediately noticed your grin, knowing perfectly that it meant that you were up to something. That’s how you submitted him the idea right upon exiting the ship, and he enthusiastically agreed with it. You both couldn’t wait to see Hardcase’s face when he’ll found out !

For the dessert, you decided to keep it simple. There was a chocolate cookies recipe that you were used to do and had already shared with the boys on various occasions. It had become your signature cookies recipe over time, and most of them agreed on the fact that it was the best they have ever eat “in the whole galaxy”, as they like to add to embarrass you. Plus, Kix was head over heels for these, so the choice wasn’t hard to make, even more since it was making your best friend happy.

The campaign had been a complete success this time, and fortunately, no severe injuries were reported, only minor ones. It was an additional reason to celebrate, but it also meant that Kix was free of duty at the moment you landed. It only took a moment to both of you unpack your things and take a shower before heading to one of the many Coruscanti marketplaces.

You bumped into Fives and Echo at the store, teasing them about not forgetting anything this time. You were always extremely well organized when it came to grocery shopping, on the contrary of some other pairs, who sometimes had to borrow ingredients they forgot to buy. It had become a running joke among the group at this point.

***

“We better start with the cookies …”, you tell Kix while emptying your groceries bags on the kitchen counter.

“ …. So we could prepare the pasta while they bake ?” he finishes your sentence with a sly smile.

“Exactly” you pursue, smiling back at him. He couldn’t help it, finishing your sentences. But you couldn’t blame him for that, you were often doing the same. Sometimes you felt like if your minds were connected, always understanding each other only by making eye contact, or having the same ideas at the same time. You loved that connection between you, even though you were glad that he couldn’t read your thoughts for real sometimes, especially the most intimate ones.

“Did you bring your datapad and your speakers ?” you ask cheerfully.

“Of course, what a question !”

You were both music enjoyers and were used to cook while listening to your favorite songs. Soon, a flow of lively music was filling the kitchen, and you couldn’t help but sing and dance along. Your good mood was contagious, and Kix quickly joined you in.

As you were setting up all the needed kitchen utensils, Kix stopped in front the bottle of spotchka that was standing on the counter. You had taken the bigger one from the store, for the amount needed for the recipe was huge. However, there will still be some spare beverage at the end, and he knew it. He took the bottle in his hands, examining its label.

“Don’t you think it could be a good idea to taste it before using it ? We don’t know … If there’s something wrong with it, I don’t want to give my brothers some food poisoning …” he lets out, looking at you with a playful smile.

That poor attempt at justifying the opening of the bottle earlier than planned made you laugh.

“Really ? That’s all you have found to try to cover your alcoholism ?” you ask provokingly.

“Well, at least I’ve tried …” he rolls his eyes, “Can I ?”

“Only if I get some too !” you grin.

“Hehe, I knew it !”

He reached for some liquor glasses in the cupboard above he counter, picking two and filling them with the clear liquid.

“To our successful mission and the best General in the galaxy !” he cheers, offering you one of the glasses with a bright smile.

“Don’t forget the most devoted medic in the GAR.” You add, taking it from his hand.

He rolled his eyes in response, a slight blush passing on his cheeks.

“To the 501st !” he finally declares, raising his glass.

“Yeah, to the 501st !” you chuckle, raising yours too, before you both knock down their content in one go.

***

As you said, you started with the cookies. The longest part of the dough making was the chocolate preparation. You weren’t used to pre-made chocolate chips, for they were way too tiny to your taste. Instead, you preferred to cut bigger chunks from whole chocolate bars with a knife. It was a wearing job, especially for such a big quantity, but it was probably the reason why your recipe was so popular. The fuller of chocolate they were, the better the cookies ended.

You kept that part for yourself, leaving the combining of the other ingredients for Kix, who insisted to use his hands instead of a spatula. He seemed to have a lot of fun with it, even if it made him need your help when adding elements to the mixture, to not make a mess with his dough covered hands.

When you finished cutting the chocolate and added it to the preparation, you were both starting to feel joyfully dizzy. The first batch of cookies was put to bake, and you took a moment to contemplate the huge amount of dough waiting to be turned into small pieces before starting the main recipe.

“We’re a pretty effective duo, aren’t we ?” he says with pride.

“How modest” you let out ironically. He was right, but teasing him was funnier than to rule in his favor. You look at him to see his reaction, catching another roll of his eyes before looking deadpan back at you, feigning to be annoyed by your answer.

You were, indeed, always very effective when working together, either on the battlefield, at the medbay, or at whatever else like cooking. It was sometimes making you wonder in what other kind of way you could complete each other that well.

Now that you were thinking about it, you couldn’t help but find him very attractive that way, wearing his top blacks and civilian pants. But mostly, his eyes were so kind and soft, you could stare at them for hours.

“You know, I mean it. And I think that it wouldn’t have been the same with anyone else, I’m really glad to have you around.”

His comment pulled you out of your thoughts and made your heart instantly melt. If he wanted to make you blush, he won. You were used to talk that openheartedly to each other, but this time, it felt different. You couldn’t describe it, but you could feel that something more was happening. Those words sounded like a disguised confession, but you decided to ignore your instinct and brush the thought off.

“And you know I feel the same about you, I’ll be lost without you by my side.”

You felt your cheeks blushing, realizing that what you had just say wasn’t ringing any less like a confession. The thoughts that you were trying to avoid came back to your mind, but you didn’t push them back this time. You should have, but you couldn’t … You found yourself unable to get your eyes off him as tension filled the air. You felt his gaze become more intense upon you, and you caught his hand slowly and hesitantly moving toward you from the corner of your eye. You hold your breath, head spinning with nervousness. You were frozen on spot, waiting for whatever will happen next, hopping that maybe, just maybe, that strange presentiment wasn’t just your mind fooling you …

Biiip biiip biiip

You both jumped in surprise, letting out a squeak at the unexpected and piercing noise, not understanding, at first, from where the sound was coming from. You quickly got yourself together and realized it was the oven announcing that your first batch of cookies was ready.

You both looked at the oven, then back at each other with an expression of confusion on your face, before starting to laugh nervously.

“Well, seems like it’s time for the pastas !” you throw, trying to create a diversion from your awfully flustered face by running toward the oven to open it.

You weren’t really sure of what had just happened, but you decided to definitely burry your troubling thoughts with another shot of spotchka and by focusing on your main dish.

***

You forgot about that awkward moment as soon as you immersed yourself in the preparation of the pasta sauce. You firstly set a big cooking pot of water to boil for the pastas, and split the different steps of the recipe between the two of you. You picked up the slicing of the garlic while Kix chooses to set a pan with olive oil to heat and to measure the other ingredients.

You couldn’t help but cry abundantly at how strong the garlic was. As soon as you had peeled them and even before starting to slice them, the cloves were already attacking your eyes. Kix made fun of you about it until he had to open the tomato concentrate cans. He barely knew how to use a can opener, and made a mess of the whole counter trying to prevent the can lid to drown into the concentrate while opening it.

You ended up exchanging your tasks seeing how badly you were both struggling to fulfill them, and Kix still had to put his helmet on to be able to cut that stupid garlic without crying his eyes out. It was the first time that you were making such a mess in a kitchen, but paradoxically, even if you had enjoyed every one of the previous occurrences, this one was the funnier so far.   

***

It took you more time than expected, but you still managed to get everything done properly. Most of the cookies were already baked and cooling peacefully on the counter, the pastas were cooked and waiting to be mixed with the sauce, the cheese topping had been grated and reserved in the fridge, and the said sauce was finishing to simmer, close to reach the perfect consistency.

You ended up losing count of how many glasses of spotchka you had, but all that mattered was that you had enough for the recipe. At this point, the atmosphere was relaxed, and the music was still playing, you weren’t overthinking the situation anymore and everything was going on as planned.

While you were both forming the next batch of cookies, you saw him suddenly stop moving to look at the flour covered counter like if he had just discovered the meaning of life.

“Are you ok ?” you ask. He didn’t answer anything, but slowly turned his head to look at you. You noticed that his eyes slowly lowered on your dark shirt, then moved to the counter, then back on your shirt.

You were starting to worry about him when a mischievous smile grew on his lips.

“Oh no … what are you up to again ?”

You didn’t get the chance to anticipate his move, and without a warning, he had dived his hand into the thin layer of flour that was covering the counter, then had slammed it on your shoulder.

You take a step back at the unexpected impact, your eyes widening in disbelief as they looked at the white hand mark now printed on your shirt.

“Are you serious ?” you gasp, but the only answer you got was a burst of laughter.

He obviously found it hilarious, and you started to smile too, for his laugh really was contagious. You knew that he usually wasn’t so inclined at pulling pranks, so you decided to play along.

“Well, if I was you, I wouldn’t be so proud of myself, you are the one wearing black from head to toes, just saying” you warn him with a teasing smile.

“You wouldn’t dare !” he lets out, looking at you right in the eyes. You took it as a challenge, of course.

“Watch me !”

Before he could even protest, you had covered you own hand in flour and had slammed it against his chest, creating a little cloud all around the impact.

Your move was immediately taken as a declaration of war, and the beginning of a monstruous white powdered mess. A big cloud of tiny white particles formed and grew as you run after each other all around the kitchen, laughing and covering every inch of body that could possibly be reached with hand prints. The chase goes on for a couple minutes, until you managed to grab him by the arm to stop him in his tracks and slapped his chest one more time.

But he turned over so fast and with so much strength that your hand, firmly attached to his arm, followed his movement, leading your whole body to be carried away toward the nearest kitchen wall, as you were a bit tipsy and missing your usually perfect balance.

Realizing what was happening, he tried to hold you back, but stumbled upon his own feet and was carried away too by your inertia. Your back came crashing against the wall in a muffled thud. Kix’s chest nearly crashed against you, but he fortunately got the reflex to use his forearms to catch himself.

You instantly stopped laughing and went completely silent, processing what had just happen. You were just inches from each other, both panting and your heartbeats racing fast from the previous run. Kix’s arms were settled against the wall, framing your face.

You stayed motionless, looking at him with wide eyes, stunned and chocked, with no idea about what to do next. The closeness was making you nervous again, and you tried not to stare at his mouth, despite the fact that your brain was screaming you to catch the opportunity to kiss him.

But as you were fully focused on trying to refrain your thoughts, Kix decided to solve the problem by leaning toward you and gently placing his lips against yours. You tensed at the contact at first, taken aback and surprised, but you soon started to relax.

You closed your eyes, all your nervousness quicky vanishing, and you unconsciously wrapped your arms around his neck, pulling him closer until you were completely pinned down against the wall.

“I’ve been wanting to do that for so long …” he whispers between two kisses, unable to let go of your lips now that he had tasted them.

“And so do I …” you breath out, heat and desire burning your cheeks.

You were so lost into each other and the music was so loud that neither of you heard the repeated knocks on the door followed by its opening.

“Hey guys, are you here ? We … may have forgotten to buy something … Nothing much, but, I just needed to ask you, have you some spare …”

You suddenly broke your embrace and turned your head toward the intruder. It was Fives, and it was too late, he had already saw you.

“Oh maker !” he exclaims, his jaw dropping in shock, before a wide smile appeared on his lips.

“ I KNEW IT !!!” he shouts triumphantly. You didn’t even get the time to react that he had already escaped the kitchen, running in the corridor still yelling at the top of his lungs.

“I KNEW IT ! GUYS ! I KNEW IT !” his voice was getting farer and farer, and you both knew that soon every single members of the 501st will be informed about that.

You looked at each other, oscillating between concern and confusion.

“Oh kriff it, we’re caught anyway …” Kix whispers with another roll of his eyes. His resigned expression made you chuckle, but soon, his soft smile was back on his face again. He leaned toward you, passionately kiss you again, making you instantly forget about Fives and the tons of teasing that were about to come your way in the next hours.

#cfb2023 #vi writing #kix x reader #clone medic kix #kix #the clone wars #tcw kix #the clone wars x reader

[absolute-flaming-trash]

Writing from Illumi's POV is as fun as it is challenging

Pairing: Illumi x Reader (x Hisoka if you squint)

SFW

Word Count: 1031

Warnings: Budding yandere behaviour, Stalking, Some blood (very brief at the end), Needles (Illumi's, also brief)

There was something captivating about the way you moved.

Expressive, but with purpose. Each motion created an elegance that was unknown to you as you danced in your kitchen.

Every moment was taken in by a single audience member who watched with enthrallment through your apartment window.

It was something Illumi was incredibly good at. Watching. While it wasn’t something that normally earned praise in his profession, there was a silent acknowledgement throughout the masses of the knack Illumi held for it.

And that was when he was being paid to do it.

When it came to personal interest, there was no amount of currency dictating the amount of effort that would be put into the task. Here, he was without limit or restraint.

In only a few days he knew everything there was to know from a distance. The things such as the routine you went through whenever you came home from an outing, or the order in which you did things before going to bed, were only the tip of the proverbial iceberg.

You were an incredibly predictable creature. In his field that would get you killed.

So it was a good thing he would be there to train that out of you in the future.

“So this is what you’ve been ditching me for these past few nights. ~♤”

A microscopic twitch went through Illumi’s hands as the Magician appeared in his peripheral vision.

“I haven’t required any assistance for my missions as of this time, you will be contacted if the need ever arises.”

“Aren’t you such a tease? ~♡” Hisoka sat on the ledge of the building, resting his elbow on a propped up knee and setting his chin in his hand. Illumi watched him carefully before returning his gaze to your apartment window - his fingers brushing the bulbous ends of his needles in light debate.

“Who is your little target tonight? ~♢”

“Nobody that concerns you.”

The pulse of bloodlust Hisoka let out was as predictable as it was malevolently curious.

“Now you’re really teasing me, dear Illu. ~♢”

It was delayed due to distance, but your small stumble in the aftermath of Hisoka’s lack of restraint caused Illumi to frown. It remained even as you shook it off and resumed your movements - setting a timer on your oven before washing whatever dishes you had just finished using, lips moving in sync with the lyrics of your music.

The fact your neatness only ever presented itself during the cooking process would be something he would have to work on later. In the meantime, he looked back to the meddling Magician.

“Take it how you wish, what I do outside of your presence does not concern you.”

“Ooo, touchy. ~♢” Hisoka’s syrupy lilt was full of mirth, but his eyes held no such emotion. “All lovely games aside, I have been dying to see just what… or really who has been keeping you so busy.~♧”

Illumi’s eyes drooped in boredom. The conversation had already become tiresome, and knowing Hisoka, the night was young.

“I trust your curiosity is satisfied.”

“Oh, quite the opposite!” Hisoka threatened to genuinely smile at his own words, “I want to know each and every little detail about my dear friend’s new… play thing.~♢”

“Then you are destined for disappointment.” Illumi sighed, “And we are not friends-.”

“How did you come across such a lovely creature anyways? ~♡” Hisoka’s interruption was coupled by him making a circle with his thumb and pointer finger and looking through it towards you. A pout quickly formed on his lips. “Pretty, but frightfully boring…”

The temptation of his pins called to him like no other, but he knew Hisoka’s games well enough by now not to rise to such low bait.

“I have no reason to reveal any of that information to you.”

He looked back to you in time to see you dry your hands and throw the dish towel over your shoulder. You looked back at the timer on your oven before pulling out your phone and beginning to type.

If it was a text message being sent he would know soon enough.

When his own phone didn’t vibrate, he concluded it was merely to search for a certain song, as you began to dance again once more after you put your phone away - but in a much different manner than before.

This is where being self-aware was as much a curse as it was intoxicating.

Realistically he knew there was no ulterior motive to your movements. That the sway of your hips to the beat of your music was meant for yourself and, at the very most, the lazy viewership of your housepet, but you had to have known exactly what you were doing when you ran your hands along the length of your form so seductively.

It felt too purposeful to be an accident.

“The fact you have yet to deal out any information at all is why this is so interesting. ~♢”

Illumi sent Hisoka a sharp glare to which he only received a coy smile in response.

“Perhaps I should introduce myself.~♢” Hisoka mused as he stood, brushing idle dust from his pants. “I’d love to hear their side of things. ~♧”

“You will do no such thing.”

“It shouldn’t be too hard of a task,” Hisoka raised his arms above his head in a lazy stretch, a few pops of vertebra accompanying the action, “now that I know where they live-”

The sound of Illumi’s pin cutting through the air and hitting the concrete behind Hisoka terminated the taunting line immediately, and the world stilled for the briefest of moments. A thin trail of blood sprung from the newly formed gash across Hisoka’s cheekbone and flowed quickly down to his chin.

Illumi’s arm remained hovered in the air from the throw, his impassive mask gone as he narrowed his eyes at his associate.

“This is the only warning you will receive. You are not to go near them, is that clear?”

Hisoka raised a hand to the cut, gingerly dabbing at the wound and pulling away red stained fingers with a wicked grin.

Excitement danced in his eyes as he licked the blood from his fingers.

“Transparently. ~♧”

© absolute-flaming-trash 2022. Do not repost, modify, copy, or claim.

Taglist: @prettycutebunny, @sai-my-beloved, @we-are-so-close, @shorkbrian, @biby-24k, @forcefulkitten, @siphite

#riri writes #Illumi x Reader #Hisoka x Reader #tw yandere #tw stalking #tw needles #tw blood #Illumi Zoldyck #Illumi Zoldyck x Reader #Hisoka Morow #Hisoka Morow x Reader #Hunter x Hunter #HxH

[yourbelgianthings]

candlenights at the lodge

this is my gift for @rindomness from the blinkshark discord candlenights exchange, an amnesty fic and i'm posting it here too! 1.7k words

Madeline Cobb was not one for holidays, except when it came to Candlenights. Being a sylph in Kepler could be lonely anyways, but even more so around the holidays, a time meant to be spent with family and loved ones. She felt that she owed the residents of the lodge a celebration as warm and joyful as everyone else got. Putting it together every year was an expression of her care for them, and this year, with the new Pine Guard team, the Amnesty Lodge family had expanded for the biggest Candlenights yet. She wondered how they and the other people that she had considered friends for longer were doing as the evening approached.

Aubrey Little had been dreading the holidays before she settled in Kepler. They always came around eventually, and she wasn't looking forward to spending that time alone. Yes, she had chosen to leave her parents, but nobody planned on her mom dying, and even the most determined and independent woman like Aubrey needed other people sometimes. It was a good thing Mama had been in the hotel lobby for her show gone wrong that night and she had wound up in Kepler from there. It took some adjustment to the small-town environment, but Aubrey loved living in Amnesty Lodge. There was no way to compare it to any other living situation, but if she had to try, it was the best parts of a college dorm, a hotel, a cabin, and a ski lodge all in one. A crackling fire helped warm the lounge area with its piano and cozy old couch across from the bartop. That was what Aubrey liked best about it, the coziness. Her childhood house was far too big for just her and her parents, all its elegance cold and uninviting. It never felt like a home. Of course, there were worse problems to have then living in a mansion, but as an only child, things could be difficult sometimes. At Amnesty Lodge, Aubrey felt like she could really be herself and have space to grow. Nobody (like her dad) was asking "What are you going to do for a living?" and "No, what are you really going to do? It can't just be magic." It was okay now though, here she was, about to celebrate Candlenights with her chosen family and the best friends she'd ever had. With one last glance in the mirror at her outfit (a fair attempt at being festive from a closet that was primarily black, red, denim, and leather), and headed out to the lobby.

Things had sure been different around here lately, but that wasn't a bad thing. Barclay and Mama had been all of the Pine Guard for so long that he had a little extra time on his hands now. It still wasn't much, since abominations continued to appear and he had to play damage control with that damn FBI agent, but he had been able to cook for fun again. His list of new recipes to try was finally getting some use after gathering dust for months. Barclay was surprised that the three new members of the Pine Guard worked together as well as they did when he first saw them. They all brought talents and all had things to work on, but by and large, things seemed okay. Even though he had been upset at Ned initially for causing Agent Stern to come to town, the two of them actually got along the best now. One night, while Barclay was cleaning up from dinner, he'd brought by a six pack as an apology. They sat and talked long after the cleaning was finished, finding that they could each relate to each other as outcasts in their own way. That was the lodge, that was their Candlenights celebration. All the outcasts coming together in a place they made to be welcomed, where they could let their guard down for a bit. Barclay smiled to himself as he took another tray of gingersnaps out of the oven. The kitchen would be the world's biggest pain in the ass to deal with later, but that didn't even cross his mind now as he was filled with Candlenights cheer.

Dani was already sitting in the lobby, snug in a Fair Isle sweater and old pair of jeans, absentmindedly petting Dr. Harris Bonkers. Being early was a good way to get samples from Barclay (if he wasn't too busy rushing to finish everything), but that wasn't her intention. She wanted to keep an eye on the rabbit like usual and had gotten lost in thought. It was hard to be in the Candlenights mood when her family was a world away. Being here brought difficult days for all the sylphs, but it seemed like a lot of the others had managed to adjust and fit in better than her. Jake loved to go snowboarding and made friends with Hollis, Barclay had a lot on his plate (no pun intended), and even Moira, who barely left the lodge, occupied her time with the piano. Dani liked to to write poetry and go for hikes if she had the energy to leave the lodge, let alone get out of bed. Aubrey's arrival changed things, though. Here, all of a sudden, was someone new at the lodge who took a genuine interest in her and wanted to be friends. They even found out that they both left their homes and families, albeit in very different situations. Now, Dani had found her person, like everyone else. Oftentimes Aubrey had to leave the lodge for a while, and she left Dr. Harris Bonkers with Dani. She even took comfort in caring for her friend's rabbit; the routine was helpful to have in her day and he loved getting extra attention. Having someone on earth didn't replace the ache in her heart for her family, but a shoulder to lean on at the end of the day meant a lot. With that thought, she snapped back to her surroundings as Aubrey, Barclay, and Mama called her name all at once from the hall entrance, the kitchen, and the front door. Setting Dr. Harris Bonkers back on the couch, Dani got up to go see what her friends wanted. There were things worth celebrating in Kepler and at the lodge, and she was going to help make Candlenights what everyone here needed it to be.

Duck Newton was far from a loner, he was on good terms with everyone in town (except Muffy and Winthrop), he just didn't have a lot of close friends. He, Aubrey, and Ned didn't have a choice but to get along due to the nature of their work, but despite Aubrey's tendency to disregard rules that existed for a reason and Ned's difficulty with keeping secrets, Duck considered them his friends. Aubrey was only a couple years older than he was the first time Minerva approached him, and when she learned the world was something different than she thought, she seemed to move forward with an enthusiasm that would have been impossible for Duck then. Of course, now he had allowed Minerva back into his life and started taking his role more seriously, but nothing was going to change his outlook on life. Even fighting monsters, there had to be a practical way to deal with the situation. Duck didn't think he knew everything, though, and the Pine Guard had been able to put their strengths to come up with some good plans. He and Juno had some wild days on the job, but those were nothing compared to fighting sentient water at H2 Woah! That Was Fun after hours. They deserved a bit of a break, and the Candlenights celebration would be a perfect opportunity. Jane, his younger sister, was out of town this year, so it also gave him somewhere else to go for the holiday. It was almost time for Duck to leave, and he went to pick up his Tupperware of french onion soup that had just finished cooling. As he headed out the door, he heard the most familiar voice, right on schedule as always, exclaim: "HAPPY CANDLENIGHTS, DUCK NEWTON!"

Ned Chicane hadn't celebrated Candlenights, or any holiday for that matter, in a long time. When he was still in his life of crime, especially with Boyd, he didn't have the time or interest, and afterwards, he had nobody to celebrate with. Well, Halloween was the biggest day for the Cryptonomica, but that wasn't really a "family time" holiday, and besides, he was working. Maybe spending those times alone was making up in some way for his past. Or he was rationalizing, and there was nothing he could ever do to make that poor girl's life better. He deserved his sorrow, but it wasn't atonement. Then their paths crossed again, but this time he met her, learned her name: Aubrey Little, even became her colleague. Duck Newton also came asking for his ridiculous talking sword back and things got crazier than Ned could ever have imagined. Trying to convince himself it was a dream didn't work, but as the days passed, he didn't want it to be anymore. The work the Pine Guard did meant something; they were protecting people, which he had never done before. He didn't have magic fire powers or a mysterious destiny laid out for him, but with his enchanted Narf blaster and his friends by his side, he had the chance to do good. It was unfamiliar, uncomfortable, but well worth it. The prospect of a holiday with friends still felt like something he didn't deserve, but if everyone wanted him there, who was he to decline their love and generosity? As he parked the Lincoln in the driveway of the lodge, the warm glow of the candles Mama had placed in every window warmed his heart too.Once everyone had arrived, Amnesty Lodge was buzzing with the sounds of friends catching up, the clinking of silverware, and carols played by Moira on the piano. Even Agent Stern came out of his room to get a plate and socialize for a bit. Mama looked out over the scene with a content smile on her face. It was only one night, but was what they all needed to carry on for the next year. She clinked her spoon on her glass and all eyes turned towards her. Never one for wordiness, Mama raised her glass with the heartfelt toast: "To our Lodge family!"

#message from mirph #mirph's manuscripts #the adventure zone #taz fanfic #taz amnesty #fanfic #candlenights #amnesty lodge #taz mama #taz barclay #aubrey little #taz dani #duck newton #ned chicane

[the-witch-of-one-piece]

Hihi!!! All the fluffy October prompts sound so damn cute can I please request the cold weather prompt with Sanji?

Hello Anon hun! Awww, thank you!!! :D Yes of course I will gladly do this for you, my dear!!! I hope you enjoy!

TW: none

WC: 500

Rubbing your hands together trying to get them warm as you made your way to the kitchen, you could smell whatever Sanji was making and it smelled divine. When you open the door a rush of warmth comes through and you see Sanji taking out something from the oven. “It feels so good here.” you closed the door. Your cold cheeks and fingers tips began to warm up. Taking a seat at the table. “Must be cold if you're saying that.” he smiled when you saw him going into the cabinet grabbing a cup.  He filled it with a warm beverage to bring it over to you. “Thank you.” your fingertips touching the warm mug noticing it was a bit hot. “Be careful not to burn your tongue, it's hot.”  Sanji taking a seat next to you, he began to light another cigarette. “You and those cancer sticks.” cocking your brow at him, giving him a smirk. 

“I know I know.” he lit the cigarette, “but it's too damn hard to quit.” “I’m just teasin you.” Bringing the cup closer to your lips, you give it a blow to try to cool it down before taking a drink, “ this is really good.” you took another drink. “Only the best for you _____.” Sanji spoke grinning over at you 

After about an hour he was finished cooking. You were helping him with the tray of food bringing it out to the deck. The rest of the straw hats began to attack the food when it was placed down. Sanji sees you rubbing your hands together trying to keep warm once again. He walked towards you wrapping his hands around your waist, his head resting on top of yours. “When every jacket fails you have no fear the boyfriend is to warm you up!” you giggled. You could feel him chuckle. “Warmer I presume?” 

“Oh yeah, I can't wait till we get to warmer weather, hopefully it will be soon.” you responded to him. “I wouldn’t mind it being his cold for a moment just because we can share one another’s body heat.” Sanji spoke in a soothing tone. “You have a point there. The more reason to cuddle at night and to be in your arms.” You added. Some of the other crew members heard the chatting among you both “You guys are so cute!” Nami shouted at you both. Both of you looked over at some of  the crew grinning at you both. “Get a room no one wants to see that.” Zoro taking a drink of his sake. 

“Shut it mosshead!” Sanji hissed at Zoro. “Just because you haven’t found someone,” he added. “Easy stallion, no need to bite his head off this time.” you turned around facing him, you caught his full attention. “Besides, if we get a room we might not be seen for the rest of the night.” 

Sanji's cheeks began to glow a big  “that doesn’t sound like a bad idea.”

#sanji x you #black leg sanji #shokugeki no sanji #blackleg sanji #op sanji #vinsmoke sanji #strawhats #one piece x reader insert #one piece scenario #one piece x reader #the witch of one piece #one piece #fluffy october #fluffy event