#i go on vacation in 2 weeks so i can finally catch up on my missed les mis letters | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

tonyspank · 9 months

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GREEDY

Warnings: Reader being oblivious, i never snowboarded in my life, and i think that’s all

A/N: who r u 2 should be out today or tomorrow

Core Five, a stupid but fitting nickname Chad had given your group of friends. Well, it's less fitting now as Sam wasn't present for the group's France getaway. Sam wanted to stay back in New York, as she finally had free time with Danny, her obvious boyfriend, whom she had been dating for the past few months.

Core Four, more fitting and still slightly stupid, who had just arrived at a ski resort in Chamonix, France, were excited to enjoy their much-needed vacation.

"I don't understand why we're wasting a night here. We don't even know how to ski!" Tara complained, watching as you and Chad unloaded the luggage from the car. You chuckle while Mindy wraps an arm around Tara's shoulders, "We'll see your Eiffel Tower later in the week, plus Y/N knows how to ski."

Tara pouted, crossing her arms. You close the trunk of the car with a satisfied thud and turn to face Tara. "Not just me. Chad said he knows as well." Tara narrows her eyes at you, "How on earth does Chad know how to ski? He's lived in California half of his life!"

Chad smiles. "I watched a few TikToks to learn." Tara raises an eyebrow, clearly skeptical. "TikTok? Are you sure that's even a reliable source for learning how to ski?" Chad shrugs playfully. "Well, it's worth a shot, right? Plus, I've always been a quick learner."

Tara looks back at you, her skepticism still evident. You just shrug before saying, "I have faith in Chad."

Chad grins at you. "Thank you. It's about time I received moral respect from my fellow core members." Mindy lets go of Tara, groaning at her brother. "Shut up, Dingus."

You laugh at the playful banter between Chad and Mindy and start making your way to the ski resort. Tara quickly catches up to you, and the two of you walk side by side in comfortable silence.

"If we don't get them together by the end of this trip, I don't know what will," Mindy whispers to her brother, who immediately nods, eager to play matchmaker. They exchange silly grins, ready to take on the challenge of bringing you and Tara closer together.

"Wait, what? You only want me to strap in one foot?" Mindy asks you, confusion evident on her face. You nod, "Yeah, just until we get off the lift." Mindy raises an eyebrow but obliges, strapping only one foot into the snowboard binding.

"Time to get on the lift!" Chad shouts, trying his best to run, but it's kind of hard with his foot attached to his snowboard. Tara giggles at Chad, finding his struggle amusing. She looks over at Mindy and you, who calls out after Chad.

"Hey, Chad! Maybe you should slow down before you—" before you can finish your sentence, Chad falls face-first into the snow, causing a small cloud of powder to billow up around him. Mindy and Tara burst into laughter, while you wobble over to your friend with a huge smile on your face.

Chad rolls over on his back, "Let's just... get on the lift...please." You extend a helping hand to Chad, trying to suppress your laughter. "Sure, man, whatever you say," you smile, trying to hide your amusement. Chad gratefully accepts your assistance, and together you all make your way towards the lift.

"Wanna ride with me, Chad?" you ask, still chuckling. Chad glances at Mindy, who shakes her head, indicating that she wants Tara to ride with you instead. "Uhh, maybe Tara should ride with you instead," Chad suggests, giving you a sheepish smile.

You nod in agreement, realizing that it might be better for Tara to ride with you since you actually do know what you're doing. Tara joins you in the lift, looking a bit nervous but also excited for the ride. As the lift starts moving, you put out a hand for her.

Tara hesitates for a moment before taking your hand. "I got you, T. Don't look so worried." You reassure Tara with a comforting smile, reminding her that you've been snowboarding multiple times before. Tara's grip on your hand tightens slightly while the lift continues to ascend.

She admits, "I've always wanted to try snowboarding, but I'm a little scared of falling, plus I lived in California." You smile, squeezing her hand through your glove.

"Don't worry, Tara. I'll be right there with you every step of the way. And falling is just a part of learning, it happens to everyone." You encourage her, hoping to ease her fears and make her feel more confident about trying something new.

You and Tara get off the lift in sync, and she instantly grabs onto your arm for support. You breathe out a laugh, guiding her towards the beginner slope. "Here, put your foot here so I can fasten your binding. I'll make sure it's nice and secure so you feel stable on the slope."

Tara nods, her hands resting on your shoulders as you kneel down to adjust her binding. "Thanks for being so patient with me," she says, a hint of nervousness in her voice.

You smile reassuringly at Tara and reply, "Of course! Anything for you." You stand up and give Tara a gentle squeeze on the shoulder. You notice the redness on her cheeks, taking it as a sign of the cold weather. But in reality, it was due to the fact that she was blushing at your words.

"Do you want me to adjust your goggles too? Just to make sure your face protected from the wind and snow," you suggest, reaching for her goggles. Tara nods gratefully, allowing you to adjust them snugly around her head. "There you go, all set for a great day on the slopes!"

Tara smiles and thanks you for your help. You smile back, helping her to the beginner's slope. "Oh my god, is that Chad?" Tara exclaims, pointing towards a familiar face in the distance.

"Wait, what the fuck? Why is he actually good at snowboarding?" You squint your eyes to get a better look and notice Chad effortlessly gliding down the slope with impressive skill. "Looks like those TikTok's worked," you remark, surprised by his sudden talent.

"Okay! Your turn. If Chad can do it, you can do it." You encourage Tara, giving her a reassuring pat on the back. "Just remember to stay relaxed, and I'll hold your hand the entire time," you add, confident that she can conquer the beginner's slope like Chad did.

You hold out both of your hands, ready to guide Tara down the slope and provide her with the support she needs. She takes a deep breath and grasps your hands tightly, her snowboard beginning to move down the slope.

"Bend your knees a bit, T!" you shout over the sound of the wind, reminding Tara of the proper snowboarding stance. "Keep your weight centered and let the board glide smoothly. You've got this!"

She follows your instructions, gradually gaining confidence as she glides down the slope. With each turn, she becomes more comfortable and starts to enjoy the adrenaline-rushing experience of snowboarding.

As she gains speed, Tara's smile widens, her excitement evident in her eyes. The rush of the wind against her face and the grasp of your hands against hers make her heart race and her face flush as she sees the happy smile on your face.

You both reach the bottom of the slope, and Tara brings you into a tight embrace. She pulls away, smiling like an idiot. "Oh my god! I did it!" You nod at the shorter girl, pulling up your goggles.

"You did amazing, Tara! See! It wasn't so bad." Tara's cheeks turn a shade of pink as she takes a moment to catch her breath. "I can't believe I—" Tara's words are cut off by Mindy, who waddles to you, breathless and excited. "Guys, that was incredible! I saw the whole thing from the top of the slope!"

Tara's eyes widen in surprise as she looks at Mindy. "You were watching us?" Mindy nods enthusiastically, "Yes! You looked like a power couple out there. Hashtag go Y/ara!"

Tara blushes even deeper at Mindy's comment, and you furrow your eyebrows, confused. "What is Y/ara?" Mindy grins mischievously. "Your ship name, obviously! Keep up with the times, dude."

You chuckle, realizing what Mindy is referring to. "Ah, I see. Y/ara, huh? That's actually kind of catchy." You turn to Tara and give her a playful nudge. "Looks like we have our own ship now, Tara." Tara giggles and playfully rolls her eyes at your comment.

The three of you go back up the slope, meeting up with Chad, who was impatiently waiting for your return. Chad raises an eyebrow at the sight of the three of you. "What took you guys so long?" he asks, a slight smile on his face.

"We were just discussing our new ship name, Y/ara," you explain, grinning. Chad raises his eyebrow and says, "Oh, but Core Five is a bad name." Mindy nods, "It really is. Y/ara is just superior."

Chad chuckles and shakes his head. "I don't know about that, but as long as you all like it, I guess it works," he says, joining in on the playful banter. You turn your head to see a girl struggling to strap her feet onto the board.

"Hey, need a hand?" you offer, walking over to help her. She looks up at you with gratitude and nods, "Thanks, I'm still getting the hang of this." You smile reassuringly and say, "No problem, we all started somewhere."

The girl gives a small smile and says, "Yeah, I guess you're right. It's just a bit intimidating at first." You nod in understanding and reply, "Yeah, but with practice, you'll be gliding down like a pro in no time."

You finish her left foot, moving onto her right. She smiles at you, "I'm Ariana, by the way." You return her smile and introduce yourself. "Nice to meet you, Ariana. I'm Y/N."

Ariana blushes slightly and says, "Thank you, Y/N. I really appreciate your help." You help her to her feet, holding her arms to keep her from falling. "No problem, Ariana. I'm happy to help," you reassure her. As she gains her balance, you let go of her arms and say, "Just remember to take it slow and steady, and maybe you'll be as good as me." you joke, sending the girl a wink.

Ariana giggles and playfully rolls her eyes. "We'll see about that, Y/N. But I'll definitely give it my best shot." She adjusts her posture and takes a deep breath, ready to take on the slope.

You watch as Ariana pushes off and starts skiing down the slope, gracefully maneuvering her way through the twists and turns. Still, getting the hang of this? She was amazing.

"Hey, Doofus! Gonna snap out of your trance already?" Mindy calls out, breaking your concentration. You blush and quickly turn your attention back to Mindy, trying to hide your embarrassment. "Sorry guys," you mumble, picking up your snowboard from beside Tara, who has her arms crossed and her jaw tightly clenched.

"Hurry, or we'll leave you behind," Tara warns, her tone laced with impatience. You frown slightly, "Sorry. Are we riding the slope again?"

"Tara wanted to go to our room. She said she's tired and wants to take a break from snowboarding for a while. But I'm up for another run if you are." Chad answers, glancing at Tara. "I don't mind taking a break too," you say, trying to diffuse the tension.

You glance at Tara, who doesn't even look your way, before walking in the direction of the lodge. Her jaw is clenched, and her shoulders are tense, indicating her frustration. You exchange a concerned look with Chad, unsure of what has caused Tara's sudden change in mood.

"What'd I do?" you ask Chad, genuinely confused. Chad just sighs, shaking his head as Mindy does the same.

You arrive in your shared room with Tara a few moments later than her, noticing that she has already closed the door behind her. Using your key to unlock the door, your ears pick up on the noise coming from the shower.

You take off your jackets, hang them on the hooks by the door, and sit on the edge of the bed, contemplating whether to address Tara's change in mood or give her some space. You quietly grab your phone and start scrolling through social media, hoping that a little distraction will help pass the time until Tara is ready to talk.

Ten minutes later, Tara walks out with just a towel wrapped around her, her wet hair dripping onto her shoulders. She avoids making eye contact and heads straight to her suitcase to grab some clothes.

Your heart skips a beat. Did she not care that she was basically naked in front of you? You quickly avert your gaze, going back onto your phone to give her some privacy. However, the image of Tara in just a towel lingers in your mind, leaving you feeling both flustered and intrigued.

Quinn messages you, sending you a stupid photo of a funny-looking dog wearing sunglasses.

You let out a sniffle, and Tara mistakes this for a sign of sadness. She turns to you with worry in her eyes, now dressed and throwing her towel on the floor. "Are you okay?"

You raise your head from your phone, smiling. "Oh, yeah. Quinn just texted me." Tara gives you a puzzled look, clearly not understanding why Quinn would even text you knowing you were on vacation. She brushes it off and asks, "What did Quinn send you?"

"Just a stupid photo." You chuckle, putting down your phone. Tara hums in response, making her way towards her own bed. You stand up from yours, standing behind Tara. "Are you okay?"

You ask, concerned about how she acted earlier. Tara turns to face you, a faint smile on her face. "Yeah, I'm fine," she replies softly. "Just a little tired from the long day."

Tara sits down on her bed, staring up at you. "Are you sure that's all?" you ask gently, sensing that there might be something more bothering her. Tara nods, and you narrow your eyes at her, "Mmm...okay."

You decide to trust Tara's response for now, but you can't shake off the feeling that there might be something she's not telling you. Hoping that she will open up when she's ready, you give her a reassuring smile before going to the bathroom to shower yourself.

When you return to the room, you jump on top of Tara, putting your deadweight on her and playfully pinning her down. Tara giggles and squirms under your weight. "Y/N!"

You straddle her, pinning her arms above her head. As you hold her in place, you playfully tease, "Come on, Tara, spill the beans. Is there something you're hiding from me?" Tara's laughter fills the room as she tries to wriggle free from your playful hold.

"I'm not hiding anything." Tara insists, her laughter subsiding as she looks up at you with a mischievous glint in her eyes. You lean down, blowing raspberries on her neck, causing her to erupt in a fit of giggles once again. "Oh, really?" you tease, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes! Really!" Tara protests, managing to break free from your hold and playfully pushing you away. You both collapse onto the end of the bed, catching your breath and still laughing. "Okay, okay," you say, holding up your hands in surrender. "I believe you... for now."

Tara smiles, watching you crawl back towards her. "You know there's another bed, right?" You chuckle, brushing off her comment. "Why would we waste another perfectly good bed when we're having so much fun right here?" you reply playfully, winking at her. Tara's smile widens as she pulls you closer, clearly agreeing with your sentiment.

"What are you ordering?" Tara asks you, looking over the menu. "I'm not sure yet," you respond, scanning the options. "But I might get some crepes."

"You look good today," Chad says to you, admiring your outfit. "Thanks," you reply with a grateful smile. Mindy joins in, "Right! You look like you belong in Paris. Don't you think Tara?"

Tara blushes slightly, taking a sip of her drink to hide it. "I think you've both boosted Y/N's ego enough," she says with a playful tone. You laugh, placing a hand on Tara's thigh to reassure her. "Oh, come on, Tara. It's just a little compliment," you say teasingly. Tara playfully swats your hand away, but her smile tells you she appreciates the gesture.

"Êtes-vous prêts à commander?" The waiter interrupts, asking if you are ready to order. You quickly glance at your friends. "Are you guys ready to order?" you ask, hoping they have made up their minds.

Everyone nods, and you proceed to place the orders for the table. The waiter closes her notepad, smiling at you. "Êtes-vous d'ici? Je ne crois pas vous avoir déjà vu."

You laugh, "Euhhh, non." She tilts her head, edging for you to explain further. "Nous ne faisons que visiter. En fait, je viens de New York." The waiter's smile widens as she responds, "Oh, New York! C'est une ville incroyable. Qu'est-ce qui vous amène ici?"

"Juste pour s'amuser." You reply with a playful tone, causing the waiter to chuckle. Tara furrows her eyebrows. She didn't exactly understand the conversation going on between you two, but she knew you had already given the waiter everyone's order, so why was she still here?

"Je pourrais peut-être obtenir votre numéro au cas où vous auriez besoin de quelqu'un pour vous faire visiter les lieux." You raise your eyebrows. Was she allowed to ask such a thing on the clock?

You hesitate for a moment, unsure of how to respond. However, you decide to play along and give her a friendly smile. "Bien sûr. Je suppose, merci."

The waiter smiles wider, ripping a piece of paper from her notepad and handing you a pen. You glance around your table, looking at everyone's reactions to see if they find this interaction as strange as you do. Chad seems amused, while Tara and Mindy appear indifferent. You quickly jot down your number on the paper and hand it back to the waiter, hoping that this won't lead to any awkward encounters in the future.

"Did you just give the waiter your phone number?" Chad asks, raising an eyebrow. You blush and shrug, unsure of how to explain your sudden decision. 'I didn't know what else to do," you mumble, hoping Chad won't tease you about it later.

"Uhh, I don't know? Decline?" Mindy says, rolling her eyes. Tara stays silent, her expression unreadable.

Breakfast continues in an awkward silence as you all try to move past the unexpected moment. The waiter returns with your orders, and you all focus on enjoying your meal, hoping that the incident will soon be forgotten.

When you exit the restaurant, you stand in the middle of the sidewalk, the group trying to decide where to go next. Chad scrolls through his phone, calculating the distance and travel time to various nearby attractions. Mindy suggests going to a local art gallery, while Tara remains quiet, still seemingly lost in her thoughts.

You lift your sunglasses off your face, leaving them perched on top of your head as you grab Tara's hands. Tara stares into your eyes, millions of thoughts going through her mind. She finally breaks the silence, "Are you going to call her?"

You give Tara a reassuring smile and gently squeeze her hands. "No." You simply say. Tara nods, allowing you to pull her into a hug, your bodies swaying back and forth. Tara wraps her arms around you, holding onto you tightly as if she never wants to let go. You place a kiss on the top of her head, not even noticing the group of girls approaching in the distance.

"Excuse me." One of the girls speaks up, catching your attention. Tara breaks away from the hug. Why is it hard to just have one moment of peace with you? You turn towards the group of girls, feeling slightly annoyed at the interruption.

"Can you be in our TikTok?" You raise an eyebrow, slightly taken aback by the unexpected request. "Umm..." Another girl speaks up, "Please. It's just a dancing video. We really admire your style and think you would add a lot to our video." Tara looks at you, waiting for your response.

You consider their request, weighing the pros and cons of joining their TikTok video. On one hand, it could be fun, and it's not every day someone asks you to join one of their TikTok videos. On the other hand, you were enjoying a moment of peace with Tara and didn't want to be interrupted again.

"I can't even dance." You admit smiling. However, the girl reassures you, "Don't worry! You just move your arms in a funny way, it's all about having fun and being silly." You glance at Tara whose head is in her phone.

You frown and say, "Okay." You reluctantly agree, realizing that it might be a good opportunity to step out of your comfort zone and try something new. The girls squeal with excitement and begin showing you how to do the dance, it was actually pretty easy.

One of the girls set their phone on the ground, positioning it to record the five of you dancing together. The music starts playing, and you do the stupid dance for about fifteen seconds before the video stops recording.

"Y/N! Where's Tara?" Mindy shouts, looking around frantically.

You look around and realize that Tara is nowhere to be seen. A feeling of worry washes over you as you start searching for her, hoping she didn't wander off too far.

Walking away from the group of girls, you walk to the twins, confused. "She was just here a minute ago. I'm not sure where she could have gone," you say. "Maybe if you weren't filming TikTok's with those girls, you would have noticed when she disappeared," Mindy remarks sarcastically.

You feel a pang of guilt, realizing that you were too caught up in the moment to keep an eye on Tara. "I'll call her."

You walk up behind Tara, who is engrossed in taking pictures of the Eiffel Tower, unaware of the panic she has caused. "Tara, we've been looking for you everywhere. We were worried," you say, trying to hide your relief.

"Sorry." Tara mumbles, but you can tell she doesn't mean it.

Tara's nonchalant response only adds to your frustration. You can't help but wonder if she purposely disappeared to get a reaction from everyone.

"Tara, what the hell is your problem?" you blurt out, unable to contain your anger any longer. Tara twists her body, anger flashing in her eyes as she meets your gaze. "My problem? Maybe if you actually paid attention to me once in a while, you would understand," she retorts, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"We're here on vacation, Tara! I'm sorry that I'm not giving you my undivided attention every second of the day!" You yell, feeling your frustration rise.

"Oh, but you can give it to random girls you meet," Tara interrupts, her voice dripping with bitterness. Her words hit you like a punch to the gut, and you struggle to find a response. What?

"...I'm confused?" You stammer, trying to gather your thoughts. "I don't know what you're talking about, Tara. I haven't given my attention to anyone else but you."

Tara scoffs, "Airana? Remember when we were skiing? And then the waiter giving her your number? And just now! Those girls! It's like you're the main attraction in Paris, and it's annoying!"

You feel a pang of guilt as Tara's accusations sink in. The memories of Ariana and the waiter giving her your number flood back, making you realize that perhaps you haven't been as attentive as you thought. But before you can respond, Tara continues to express her frustration, leaving you at a loss for words.

"I wanted to go to Paris and enjoy our time together, but it feels like I'm constantly competing for your attention. I love you, Y/N! And it's so fucking scary because I don't want to lose you, but I also don't want to feel like I'm always fighting for your focus."

"Tara..." you start, walking closer to her. "I love you too. I'm sorry if it seems like I haven't been giving you enough attention, if you didn't notice already, I'm pretty oblivious to things sometimes. It's not that I don't care, it's just that I get caught up in my own thoughts, and I'm a people-pleaser...and maybe a dumbass."

Tara laughs, a small sniffle escaping her. "You're not a dumbass, just a little absent-minded sometimes," she says, wiping away a tear.

"Can I kiss you?" Tara's laughter fades into a warm smile as she nods, her eyes shining with affection. "Of course you can," she replies softly, leaning in closer to meet your lips.

You place a hand on Tara's cheek, feeling the warmth of her skin beneath your fingertips. The kiss is gentle at first but quickly deepens as you pour all of your love and longing into it. The world around you fades away as you lose yourself in the moment, loving the taste of Tara's lips and the softness of her touch.

You pull away slightly, opening your eyes to meet those pretty brown orbs that are filled with desire and adoration. The intensity of the moment leaves you breathless, and you can't help but smile as you realize just how lucky you are to have Tara in your life.

Just as you're about to lean in for another kiss, you hear cheering behind you. "Wooo! Finally!" Mindy shouts, clapping her hands excitedly. You turn around to see Chad and Mindy smiling at the two of you.

You pull Tara into a tight embrace, and she hides her face in your chest. "Are you seriously recording?" You glance at Mindy's phone and see that she indeed has her camera out, capturing the entire moment.

Laughing, you playfully scold Mindy for invading your private moment, but deep down, you're grateful to have such supportive friends who are genuinely happy for you.

#tonyspank #jenna ortega x reader #reader insert #jenna ortega #wattpad #tara carpenter x female reader #tara carpenter x male reader #tara carpenter #tara carpenter fluff #tara carpenter x y/n #tara carpenter x reader #tara carpenter imagine #tara carpenter scream

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heavyhitterheaux · 8 months

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Meet Me At the Atlar Part 2

AN: The time has finally come!

Synopsis: You have to deal with the aftermath of learning that your fiancé has cheated on you with your older sister and has apparently gotten her pregnant

Pairing: Joe Burrow x Reader

Read Part 1 first

Joe Burrow Masterlist

Please Do Not Repost My Content Anywhere

You felt as if you were in the Twilight Zone with what you had just heard Marlene say when there was a collective gasp that filled the room.

All you did was turn around to look at her to see her staring right back at you and not backing down. Both of your parents looked at the two of you in confusion.

"You are literally nothing but a two faced bitch and I hope that nothing good comes to you for the rest of your life." You softly said while shaking your head in disbelief.

"Well it's not my fault he wanted me!" She shrugged and you could tell that she didn't really care about your feelings. She got what she wanted and that was to your surprise your fiancé and a baby.

"You're an adult and you are just as responsible for your actions as he is. So do me a favor, never speak to me again in your life. And as for you…" You started to say as you turned around to face Joe and simply shook your head in disbelief as all of the guests had their eyes on the two of you but not for the reason that you wanted.

You slipped off your engagement ring and played with it in your hands.

"I'm just going to pawn this seeing as there will be absolutely no reason for me to wear it again. Consider this over."

"Y/N, wait a minute! I can explain!" Joe exclaimed while trying to grab your hand, but you quickly snatched it away from him.

"God forgive me. I am in the lord's house about to curse again but HOW CAN YOU EXPLAIN FUCKING MY OLDER SISTER AND GETTING HER PREGNANT AT THE SAME TIME AS ME? HOW?! HOW DOES THAT WORK? PLEASE EXPLAIN THAT TO ME SO THAT I UNDERSTAND."

"I-...."

"Exactly."

All you did was shake your head as you picked up your dress to make a run for it back down the aisle as Camille, Alex, and Raina ran behind you leaving everyone else standing there.

You could hear Joe yelling for you as well as both of your parents, but you just couldn't bring yourself to speak to any of them.

Once you were outside, you were trying to catch your breath in between the tears that began to roll down your face. Camille along with Alex and Raina stood there comforting you as all three of them brought you into a hug.

"I know, let it out." Alex said as she soothingly rubbed your back as you let out a hiccup.

"But come on, I don't want anyone to see you like this." Raina suggested as she already knew that Joe was more than likely making his way outside to find you.

All three of them led you to the limo that was supposed to take you and Joe to the reception and simply told the driver to take all of you back to the hotel. Camille crawled in behind you but before she did, she threw your bouquet on the ground seeing as you didn't need it anymore.

All of you simply rode around in silence before anyone said anything.

"What do you need us to do? What are you thinking right now?" Raina asked as she played with the hem of her dress.

"That I need to get the fuck out of here." You answered as you started to massage your temples.

"Well where do you want to go?"

"A place where I can lay low for the rest of my pregnancy because I want nothing to do with him and nothing to do with her either."

"Oh, I have an idea. My parents vacation house in Denver. No one will look for you there." Camille piped up and said.

"Will they be okay with me staying there?"

"Girl, considering the circumstances without a doubt. They love you and will probably want to kill him when they find out about this because you already know people can't keep their mouths shut."

"I need to go to the hotel and get out of this dress and grab clothes."

"And then we're going to the airport."

"But…"

"We need to at least make sure you get there safely. We'll stay with you for a few weeks and then come back home. There is no way in hell we are letting you out of our sight in the emotional state that you're in. When we get there we'll find an OB/GYN that takes your insurance and get you set up with everything that you need. Your kid is going to be just fine because they have you for a mother. And I will make sure he doesn't find you, so we'll start by getting you a new phone when we get there. And I'm blocking him because I know for a fact he's going to ask me where you are."

"I just… Marlene. I looked up to her and wanted to be just like her all for her to go behind my back when I get a little bit of happiness. I always supported her through every single break up, when she dropped out of college, totaling our father's car, and that's not even half of it. As far as I'm concerned, I don't have a sister anymore."

"Yes you do have a sister. You have us. And we're going to support you through this. You don't need him and truth be told you never did. You've always been amazing in your own right."

Once back at the hotel, you got up to your room and slipped off your dress with the tears still cascading down your face. The clothes that you packed were not appropriate for Denver's weather, but all that could be resolved once you got there and you simply slipped on a Bengals hoodie with one of your black shirts underneath along with some sweatpants before sliding on your shoes.

When you were finished packing up all of your things, your wedding dress was still laid out on the bed and you simply stared at it.

The two of you were supposed to be having your first dance as a married couple at the reception right now, but instead you were about to disappear and pray and hope that he didn't find you.

You took one last look at it before deciding to leave it there on the bed.

You walked to Camille's room and knocked on the door and she answered it having all of her bags in tow too.

"You ready? Where's your dress?"

"I'm ready and I left it on the bed. I want nothing to do with him and besides he's the one who paid for it."

Camille stifled a laugh as she reached over to take your hand and tightly squeezed it.

"Come on, let's go. Hopefully there's a direct flight and we won't have to worry about layovers."

Luck was on your side because as soon as you got to the airport, there were a few direct flights to Denver that would be taking off in two hours or less.

Once settled with your tickets and going through TSA, all of you decided to find a Starbucks since you had been craving a caramel ribbon crunch with extra caramel. This entire time your phone had been going off and not once did you look at it knowing that it was probably Joe along with your parents and the rest of your family. You doubted that Marlene was one of them and you were praying and hoping that she wasn't.

When all of you got to your gate and were waiting to board, you pulled out your phone to find a string of messages and calls and most of them being from Joe which you weren't surprised by. However, there was one from Marlene and you quickly opened it.

Mar- I would tell you that I'm sorry, but the bottom line is that I'm not. He should be with me and not you. So go run along and cry in a corner like you always do when you don't get your way. That's all it seems like you're good for anyway. Can't wait to start my family with Joe and I'll send you pictures of the baby.

"That stupid ass bitch has some absolute nerve." You muttered and Camille quickly took your phone to see what you had been talking about.

"No the fuck she didn't." She said as she grabbed your phone and also showed Raina and Alex.

"Karma is a bitch and I can't wait until it comes for her. How dare she hurt her little sister like that? And you would do absolutely anything for her. I don't know how many times you've bent over backwards for her." Alex piped up and said while sipping on her chai latte.

"I'm just so happy and thankful that I have you three. I just…. I really thought he was the one."

"Well he didn't give you any reason not to think that he was! We were rooting for him! Insert Tyra Banks meme. Like you two are or were perfect for each other. Ever since he kept making eye contact with you at the game we all went to, I knew it was a done deal. We all knew it was just a matter of time before the two of you walked down the aisle. I'm so sorry that he didn't realize what he had in front of him."

"And he's never going to be able to get me back. I don't care what he does, my answer is always going to be no." You quietly said while trying not to cry. You were still so in shock about what just happened, and you did cry earlier but you had a feeling that tonight would be ten times worse and it would hit you like a ton of bricks.

After you had taken off back down the aisle with your bridesmaids following you, all eyes were then on Joe and Marlene.

Both of Joe's older brothers looked at him confused, but your mom was the first to speak.

"I…. Marlene…. How? How in the world did you think that this was okay? And Joseph, don't even get me started on you."

Your father was giving Joe the death glare and had to be held back by your uncles as he was heading straight towards Joe.

"You broke my youngest daughter's heart by going for my oldest? You asked for my permission to marry her and go and pull this shit? And Marlene, why am I not surprised? You can't see anyone be happy except for yourself."

"I…." Joe started to say but was immediately cut off by your dad.

"No explanation is about to save you because there is literally no excuse for this."

"I'm not apologizing because he wanted me instead. It was only a matter of time before he left her for me anyway."

"I was NEVER going to leave her for you and I don't know how many times I have to tell you that. Besides, I don't even know if that kid is mine! I know that Y/N's is!" Joe piped up while running a hand through his hair.

"I mean does it even matter at this point?" Jamie asked while looking at his younger brother.

"But…"

"I mean on the plus side Marlene is pregnant." Your Aunt Diandra said and your mother immediately rolled her eyes.

"You cannot be serious."

"I'm happy for her in that regard!"

"Do me a favor." Your father said as he approached Joe who could admit to himself how intimidated he was at the moment since your father was an ex-NFL player himself.

"Stay away from Y/N and you better consider yourself lucky if I even let you near my grandchild that she's carrying. And as for you Marlene, I taught you better and since you decided to break up what would have been a happy marriage, you can get out of my house until you can learn to show respect to your sister."

You had been in Denver for about three weeks and was settling in as best as you could. It didn't take long for you to find your own place, but it wouldn't be ready until the end of the month so you were still staying at Camille's parents house.

Your daughter was growing at a normal rate and you couldn't have been more excited for her to get here. However, there was one major problem.

Her father.

Headlines broke the next day about what happened between you and Joe and you had gone ghost. You had gotten a new phone and you only had a few numbers. Since you changed your number also, the only people that had your number were your parents, Camille, Alex, Raina, and both of Joe's brothers. You figured that you would at least give them updates to let them know that you were okay, but Joe didn't deserve that.

You were at the point where you didn't want him in the delivery room and quite frankly you didn't want him near you for the rest of your pregnancy. The last thing you needed was for her to sense that something was wrong with her mother and be under stress. You wanted for him to stay far away from you and her for that matter. However, you wanted your daughter to have a good relationship with him, despite what he had done to you.

She deserved to know him and have him in her life even if you didn't want him in yours. When it got closer to your due date, you had to make a decision if you actually wanted him there with you. If course one side of you is saying fuck him, while the other still has a soft spot and want to share that important moment with him.

Camille had just gotten back to Ohio the day before after making sure that you were okay even though she knew you weren't. Her heart broke every time the two of you talked and she could see it in your eyes how much of a struggle this was for you and for good reason.

She had been waiting for her Chinese take out order when she suddenly heard her doorbell ring. She quickly got up to answer it and immediately rolled her eyes when she saw who it was.

"You aren't my Chinese take out." She said while staring blankly at Joe.

"I…. Camille. I need to talk to her."

"Hmm, talk to who? Your fiancé that you betrayed? Do I have that right? What makes you think that you deserve to be anywhere near her?"

"Come on Camille, I know you know where she is."

"What makes you think that Burrow?"

"Because you're one of her best friends! Just… I need to talk to her! She's pregnant!"

"What you need to do is leave her the fuck alone. You weren’t concerned that she was pregnant when you were going around sticking your dick in places that it doesn't belong. You and Marlene can go fuck yourselves. I know exactly where she is and I'm not fucking telling you so get the hell off my doorstep."

"Just… is she safe?"

"What is it to you? She's good. That's all you need to know and as of right now you aren't allowed in the delivery room. Have a good night." Camille finished speaking as she slammed her front door in his face.

Once the door was closed, she immediately sent you a text.

Cami- Your baby daddy is looking for you

You- 🖕🏽🖕🏽🖕🏽

Cami- Lmaoooo he showed up on my doorstep and I promptly told him to fuck off

You- And that's why we're best friends. I love you for this so thank you.

Cami- You absolutely never have to thank me for protecting you. I got you for life, you know this 💕

You- Look at Baby Burrow's Godmother coming through!

Cami- Are you still giving her his last name? 👀

You- I'm on the fence about it to be honest

Cami- Well whatever you decide I'll support you 100%

You- 🥹

After another month and a half and a whole lot of delays, you were finally settled into your condo and currently folding up clothes in the nursery. Just the week before, your parents along with your best friends threw you a baby shower and loaded you up with anything and everything that you might need for her first year of life.

However, you also felt some type of way when you looked on instagram to see that your extended family threw Marlene a baby shower as well despite what she did to you. From the time that you could remember, you were always in her shadow and you never quite felt that you were good enough. They put Marlene on a pedestal no matter how many times that she might mess up while they acted as if you didn't exist. But Marlene used to never let that slide until she decided to be a backstabbing bitch.

But you knew that she was going to get hers in due time, and you couldn’t wait to see it unfold right before your eyes. If you had done your math right, you knew that her due date was coming up soon and wanted nothing to do with her or the baby.

Almost a week later, Marlene was trying to do anything and everything to get into contact with you as tears were streaming down her face as her newborn son cried hysterically in the background.

She messed up and she messed up big time.

She hurt the one person in the world that she knew would have her back through anything and had a feeling that you would never forgive her for the rest of both of your lives and for good reason.

She kept calling your new number that she had gotten from your mother's phone and it was steadily going to voice-mail.

It was the sixth time when she decided to finally leave you a message hoping that you would answer her.

"Y/N, baby girl. I am so so sorry. Please call me back so we can talk. I know I hurt you and I feel terrible about it. I hurt the one person that has always been there for me. I… I'm calling because I got the DNA results. Joe wouldn't take no for an answer to getting them and….. I get it as to why. Um, I said all that to say that the baby isn't his."

Taglist:

@hoodharlow

@nattinatalia

@a-moment-captured

@wickedfun9

@keiva1000

@dandelionwrites8

#joe burrow #joe burrow x reader #joe burrow x black reader #joe burrow angst #joe burrow imagine #joe burrow fanfiction #joe burrow fanfic

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reo-kisser · 1 year

Text

MARRIED LIFE

reo, nagi, chigiri

gn!reader, fluff, hcs

"my love" used once in reo's part. soccer used instead of football.

MIKAGE REO

Life with Reo is oddly peaceful and chaotic all together. There's so much going on, but somehow, there's always some down time for you to spend together- he makes sure of it. While the eyes of the public will never, ever, go away completely, he does all in his power to control where they look (for your safety and comfort, which is also partly his).

Reo is quite the fan of hugs from behind. Even better if you don't notice beforehand, his arms come around your waist as his head rests upon your shoulder. Whenever he sees you, a smile rests upon his expression. Every moment he was away, he missed you, and being able to see you again is his freeing of the cruelties of life. He never fails to give you a kiss, no matter whether it's been 2 minutes or 2 weeks. Just being able to feel you, to have you in his arms (or, perhaps, he in yours) was the antidote to fatigue.

Even though Reo runs towards his dreams, goal in front of him and his eyes locked onto it, he's learned how to take a step back and enjoy a moment of rest- especially with you. As much as he's involved in work, he always tries to put you first, when he's on vacation with you. There will always be calls and emails and unexpected emergencies, but as much as he can, he's there with you. After all, he set away this time for you, not for everyone else who "needs" him.

Let your dreams run wild. If he can, he'll grant it. After all, his motto is "Get everything you want"- and he'll get it for you. You, whom he found meaning in life in, will receive everything you wish for. (If you want it easily, he'll give it to you. If you want it from your own power, he'll let you have that too. After all, he knows all too well the emptiness of no ambition.)

Reo is always a bit "too much"- endearingly so. His words are always just a little bit flowery, a little bit teasing- but it's easy to know he's earnest about it. Whether he calls you, texts you, or is right there by you, it's second nature to him to be full of love for you. He does a lot, but it's because it feels right to him- and it didn't ever take long for him to find what felt right for you too. After all, what's right for you is right for him too.

It is always at the end of the day that Reo is able to finally relax, to move from the constantly moving world into a time of bliss, accompanied by you. This is the time of day he gets to nuzzle his face into your neck, hold you tight, giggle as he whispers a hundred different ways to say "I love you".

You first, always. The first scene that reaches his eyes in a day is you, and he wouldn't have it any other way. Reo is always, always content to be able to feel your breath tickle his skin, as his thumb rubs circles on your cheek. He hopes he doesn't wake you up, but he just can't help it. He feels nothing but love, admiration- and if you're partial to teasing him, now would be the best time.

If possible, he'd love to be next to you when your eyes open to see the world too. He often places a kiss on your forehead, and your ears catch a "Good morning, my love."- whispered, fully for you. At this time, he still feels dreamy, floating on clouds. He giggles from happiness, and he doesn't want to get up. Not yet. The goals won't go anywhere. Nor will you, but he simply just wants to bask in the moment.

Reo adapts quickly. He's aware, he's observant. He knows that the eyes of the public are everywhere, and at this point, he's almost drowned them out- but if you want, he'll keep his ear out, he'll cover you. You're his and his only, and as much as he wants to brag about his wonderful lover, the only who has captured his heart so, your safety and comfort is always at the top of his priorities. No matter what, he wants to bring you happiness, and he'll go through any efforts to do so.

Sometimes, Ba-ya comes over. Now, she knows little Reo has grown into big boy Reo with stable income, independent life, and a wonderful lover, but sometimes, she'll come over to visit, fix up a few things here and there and make something he likes. She enjoys your company too, and even though Reo asks her to leave most of the time, so he can spend that time with you, but he's always grateful that she's fond of you too.

Just because you're married, it doesn't stop him from taking you out on dates. The ring doesn't mean "I'll stop dating you", it means "I'll be together with you forever." Dates on a whim, dates planned, dates you knew were coming, dates you had no idea about. If life was about passion, spending time with you was a big part of it- and that won't ever change.

Sometimes, both you and he didn't know you were going on a date. Sometimes, dates just happen like that, on a whim- not that was ever a bad thing. It isn't always fancy either- maybe he takes you on a stroll through town and you discover things you've never seen before. Maybe something catches your eyes and you decide, on the spot, "let's go there." His hand is always intertwined with yours, as to never lose sight of you.

Reo loves going above and beyond. After all, he dreams big, and he gets what he wants. (Reminder: what you want, he also wants!) If you want, he'll bring you to the fanciest places- Michelin star restaurants, exclusive sights, seven star hotels. He'll plan it perfectly, and the outcome will be perfect. There is nothing he won't do for his beloved.

There isn't a year that Reo doesn't celebrate your anniversary. How could he forget the day you were wed to him? He always is able to take the day off from work to bring you somewhere nice, and every year is nothing short of magical. In fact, if the two of you have time, he'll take a week off and bring you somewhere on vacation, an unforgettable experience.

SEISHIRO NAGI

If there's one way to describe life with Nagi, it would be comfort. There's one truth in life, and that was that Nagi is, and will forever be, in love with you. That is the one, undisputable fact of the universe. Nagi finds comfort in knowing that you love him too, and that's enough for him- of course, there are things he wants, but he's okay just knowing that you're in love with him too.

Nagi never wants to get out of bed- especially in the mornings. Even if he has soccer to practice, it doesn't hurt to stay in a little bit longer, right? He clings to you, just a little. He doesn't want to move; to him, time's almost stopped, as it's not a time of reality but rather a time of bliss for him.

Somehow, you've found yourself with an increasing amount of plants in the house. First, choki was already there. Then, there was another. And another. And until the windows were filled with plants, it was hard to notice just how quickly the plants seemed to multiply. Just one more, that one would be cute, let get that one- they added up, not that Nagi ever minded. It was somewhat like a family- maybe you and Nagi had become plant parents.

Nagi could be with you forever. And that's why he made that promise, but there's rarely ever a moment he doesn't want to be with you. Even if he's playing soccer, he's just as happy just being with you, no matter what he's doing with you.

Even if practice is intense, Nagi always makes sure to come home on time. There are priorities, and while soccer is important, being at home with you is more important. He needs his daily dose of you, and whenever asked, his answer would be, "I can't play soccer unless I go home tonight."

On break days, he's home all day. His mere existence is a constant reminder of "hey, I'm here". His hands might be playing games, but his head rests on you, snuggled against your body. He needs you, he needs to feel you. He feels his ego when he plays soccer, but with you, he feels at peace.

Nagi isn't one to go all out and extra, but on important days, (like your anniverary) he'll do anything you want to do. He always takes the day off, no matter what. (His motivation magically disappears, oddly. He has one priority on those days, and that's spending time with you)

In terms of house chores, Nagi doesn't mind doing it, but he isn't insistent on doing it either. He's rather familiar, especially because he's lived alone for a long time. He'll do whatever you don't want to do, so you have full reigns. Though, if he finds that you're doing too much, he won't think twice before doing some of that himself.

Despite him not having said much at all about being married to you, everyone, even people he had recently met, know he's married to you. Not just because he was famous (and by extention, so were you) but also because no one can deny the absolute affection he shows. It was simply so clear that he was in love with you, not just from his eyes but also the way he sought to simply be by your side.

In the moments that you're alone with him, Nagi always buries his head into your shoulder. It's almost like his resting place, with his arms around you and mumbles escape his lips. His eyes close too, but he doesn't always fall asleep- that wasn't the plan. After all, in what other position could he so easily reach your lips- your cheek and neck too, even your hands?

CHIGIRI HYOMA

It's oddly stable- living with, married to Chigiri Hyoma. Even if he could run the fastest, he kept pace with you, always- your hand intertwined with his. After all, he'd stay wherever you go. It was the sense of consistency, a constant peace that was surprisingly difficult to break.

It was assuringly routine - get up, get ready, eat breakfast, go to work, come home, eat dinner, relax, and fall asleep. Although quite standard, and for some, mundane, it was also special. After all, Hyoma was there, too. There was nothing like hearing his voice at any time of day, intertwining your hand with his, sharing a quick kiss- there was nothing at all comparable to that.

Hyoma has a habit of kissing your wedding ring. It's especially often when he won't see you for a bit, but there really is never a day where there isn't at least one kiss. It's always as calm as ever, but if you look closely, you can see the smile on his lips. His lips are soft- they always are- and it's so easy to feel it as his lips brush your fingers.

You can always sit by him while he does his hair care routine. He'll save a spot for you, scoot over a little when you come to sit. He didn't mind at all; actually, he'd been waiting for you. Even if you simply sit there with him, doing your own thing, or talk to him about anything, he enjoys this time with you, no matter how you spend it with him. It's less lonely; from a time of being alone, which isn't a bad thing in itself, it's more often that he finds himself comforted by the fact that you're there with him. Just that makes it better.

He always lets you know when he's going out of the house. It's like a greeting, always a little "I'm going out to practice" or "I have to get to work", and if possible, he'll leave a little kiss on your forehead and a little smile, especially when you give him a little kiss back. He'll be thinking about you all day, until he can see you again.

Nightly routines are commonplace with Hyoma. He has his self care routine to make sure he's in top shape to play soccer, and he loves doing that together with you- even if yours isn't the same as his. It adds another element to his routine, that it's not just a thing for himself but also time to spend with you.

#blue lock #bllk #blue lock x reader #bllk x reader #mikage reo #mikage reo x reader #reo x reader #seishiro nagi #seishiro nagi x reader #nagi x reader #chigiri hyoma #chigiri hyoma x reader #chigiri x reader

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nrdmssgs · 1 year

Text

John Price meeting civilian reader scenario (part 1)

Ok, our beloved Cap got a lo-o-ng story of meeting the reader. But I guess, the man earned it. Both Price and the reader are just being grumpy but loving work-parents here. The reader is afab here. Part 2 is here.

Masterlist

You were practically counting down the days till your vacation. Of course, you loved your work, but the third year without proper days off and the pressure from constant responsibility for your team made itself felt.

You immediately fell in love with this place when you saw its photos. Each cabin here had its own small pier surrounded by trees and stones so that you can ravish in your happy solitude, even if the neighboring houses were occupied.

So when you finally got the keys to your rented cabin on a forest lake, you exhaled: for the next week it's going to be just you, nature, your gimbal camera and hopefully radio silence on your work smartphone.

You had to give it to your colleagues, they held on and did not call you for almost the entire week.

ALMOST

Two days before the end of your vacation, your work phone came to life. You sat on the pier with your feet in the water and watched the sunset. And why did Kevin need to disturb your peace at this perfect moment?

"Hey, Kev, I sure missed you, but I thought I told you to only call if our office was on fire."

You listen to your colleague and mentally regret that you did not choose the career of an actress. Because the composure and calm tone of your answers are clearly pulling for an Oscar right now. As in reality right now you are screaming deep inside.

By some miracle, you manage to solve Kevins difficulties without access to your laptop and notes. Somehow you even manage to be an angel and not to hint to Kevin that he could easily handle this on his own, because you gave him instructions for just such an occasion...

When he finally thanks you and hangs up, the sun is almost completely hidden behind the trees.

"Oh, the day, they stop acting like kindergartners on their work!" - you loudly groan, leaning back on your elbows.

"To that day I'd gladly drink" - a low raspy voice answers somewhere near you.

You turn your head and understand, that the voice belongs to your neighbor, who is sitting on his small pier, hidden from you by trees and bushes. You apologize for the noise and sit up straight, as if he could see you.

"It's fine, I get you." - he answers, chuckling, "I too have quite a bunch of those... Kevins..."

So not only he heard your last groan - he was there for the entire conversation. Somehow, it makes you feel ashamed.

"Just so that you know, I'm not that ass-type of a boss, who thinks, that their colleagues are just a bunch of idiots. I love my guys. It is just sometimes... I really want to finish them."

"Noted" - he grunts, "So how about that drink?"

"Come over here, I'll bring the glasses" - you say, stand up and head to your cabin, hearing something unintelligible like "Yes, ma'am".

When you return to the pier with two glasses, you are met by a man somewhat older and noticeably taller than you. His blue eyes seem to pierce right through you. A smile slowly blooms on his face.

"Nice to meet you finally, big boss" - he holds out his hand to you, noticing that you are walking down the pier barefoot and your feet are still wet.

"The pleasure is mine, sir" - you reach out for a handshake, but he catches your arm in mid-flight and holds your hand up, so you don't slip on the wet boards of the pier.

He takes the glasses from you and leads you to a bench by the pier. "Name is John" - he takes a flask from his pocket and pours some scotch into yours, and then into his glass.

"Nice to meet you" - you raise your glass and tell him your name, "Here is to two very patient bosses."

He grins and drinks to that, his eyes never leaving yours. "So tell me, what that... Kev of yours couldn't do without you?"

You sigh and start explaining your branch of work and what your team is working on right now. John seems pretty invested in your story. "Oh, you just let me talk to your muppets, I'll teach them..." - he adds quietly and softly, so that the harshness of his words is not lined together with the delicacy of his muffled voice.

When you tell him, it's his turn to share how his team pisses him off, he takes a sip from his glass and smiles, looking up. "Jesus Christ, just when I thought, I'd have one bloody quiet evening without MacTavish on my mind..."

He talks for a long time about his colleagues and curiosities that happened at his work. Somehow, by the end of his stories and the second glass of scotch, you have no idea where he works or what exactly he does for a living.

You don't mind, though. He seems like a decent man. And his smile... Oh, it does things to you. Things, that would ask for release later, when you're alone.

"So tell me, how do you blow the steam off here?" - he gestures around you.

"I'm filming my walks" - you answer guilelessly, "Then I'm releasing videos on YouTube, but I'm like... the only person watching them, so I guess, I could just keep them on my notebook as well."

"You mind?" - He shows you a cigar. You nod, but move further from him. He smirks, gets up, and moves behind the bench, so the smoke doesn't blow in your direction. He lights the cigar and asks, "So it's like those videos with travel-diaries? "Hi, today we are visiting this big-ass mountain, hit that like button and stay tuned", yes?"

"Not quite... it's more like time lapses, soundscapes and just silent walks without any commentaries. I like to keep it simple and minimalistic." - you smile, as you talk, feeling his eyes on your back.

And it hits you. Maybe it is two glasses of his fine scotch, maybe it was his piercing, yet soft gaze, but you say: "I'm going on a new trail tomorrow morning. You are welcome to join, if you want."

"Sounds great..." - He exhales smoke in chilling evening air, "Name the time and place, and I'll meet you there."

You name the time. To film a hike without meeting other tourists, you have to leave early. Not everyone will agree to such a wild adventure on their vacation. But this doesn't seem to bother John. He calmly replies “okay, I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow at the appointed time” and smiles as if you just invited him to dinner at a chic steakhouse, and not doomed him to an early rise and hike along a mountain path.

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writingreadinglurkingandsmirking · 9 months

Text

If There's Bleach In The Hallways (I Can Start Over) - reality tv star!Rafe Cameron x Reader

I Feel You Underneath My Tongue (Next To Every Word That I Should Have Said): Part 1, Part 2

Summary: Topper gets a distraught you home from your disastrous Hawaiian vacation where you proceed to crumble. You’re, understandably, upset and made even more so when about a week later, Rafe shows up at your place. And as much as you didn’t want to at first? There was too much history there. You had to let him in. And you had to hear him out.

CW/TWs: angst, female reader implied, cursing, toxic relationships afoot, implied previous physical violence, verbal harassment/abuse, implied sexual harassment, not the most edited/reviewed (read: at all)

Words: 5.7k+

Note: God help me I just needed this to be done so apologies that if it's not good I simply needed this out of my draftsssss Rounding out this little thing with pretty boy blondie Drew again. Anywayssssss here’s the second part as promised besties.

You’d hardly been aware of your actions when you’d left Oahu. You’d hardly left the stupid resort Are You The One? was filming at when you’d taken your phone out and found the only familiar contact that felt reliable anymore. Topper’s, of course. You wouldn’t say that you’d won him in your break up with Rafe, exactly. But he was one of your only mutual friends who didn’t for a moment question why you’d initially broken up with him. He’d been the one to console you, understanding that no matter how much you loved him—and dear God, you fucking loved him—you couldn’t be with him anymore. Couldn’t enable his bullshit. It hurt too much...you and Rafe both. Way too fucking much. Even through the haze over your thoughts, you’d recognized that as Topper answered the phone when you called, he wasn’t surprised.

“Top,” you said, voice strangely flat and devoid of emotion.

“What’s up?” he asked, immediately worried based on the sound of your voice. You didn’t answer for a moment, swept up in thought and your throat closing against the threat of you crying. He said your name and you snapped out of it, blinking rapidly. “You okay?”

“No,” you said honestly, gripping your bag in hand at your side tighter. “I’m coming to Kona.”

“You just got there like yesterday,” Topper said hesitantly, clearly anticipating that something bad had happened.

“Yeah. And you were right. I shouldn’t have come in the first place,” you muttered. Topper began to ask but you immediately, curtly, cut him off. “I don’t want to talk about it. I’m catching the first flight over. I don’t even care how much it costs I need to get the fuck out of here.” You drew in a haggard breath. “I really can’t do this anymore, Top.”

“Okay, okay, okay,” he hurried to say. “Don’t freak out. I got you. Did you book a flight?”

“Not yet,” you replied dully.

“Okay. I’ll look at them right now,” he said. You heard the sound quality of the phone shifted as he put you on speaker. He was silent for about a minute before speaking again. “Okay. There’s a flight leaving in two hours from Oahu to Kona. Can you get to the airport quick? I’ll book the ticket for you.”

“Yeah,” you replied, voice hoarse and cracking. You sniffled, suddenly flooded with emotion. “I…thanks, Top.” He said your name softly, sadly and you felt your breath hitch in your throat. “Please…don’t. Not…not now. Please?”

Topper sighed, sounding far more tired than you would’ve preferred. “Okay,” he agreed. “We’ll talk about it later. Just get to the airport. I’m not going to book you a second one if you’re fucking around.”

The attempt to make you laugh failed. Miserably. “Thank you, Top,” you said a final time before hanging up.

You took a few shallow breaths in a desperate attempt to steady yourself, but at the end of the day, it didn’t do much to calm your frazzled nerves. So, instead, you used the keyed up—if erratic—energy to focus on getting to the airport as fast as you could humanly do so. Even safety went out the window. In your haze and desire to be left alone in the meantime, and to avoid being on your phone and risk your own weakness letting you go and look at old pictures of you and Rafe, you didn’t let yourself take your phone from your pocket once you’d shoved it in there. So, instead of doing the logical thing like calling a taxi…taking a bus…literally anything normal? You decided to hitchhike your way there.

Miracle of miracles, you made it to the airport untouched and uninjured by all accounts. With your bag in hand, you shuffled through the airport. You checked in and printed a ticket so you wouldn’t have to turn your phone on. You went through security without even being conscious of your movements. You shuffled to your gate and sat, staring blankly with the extra ten minutes you had before boarding. After you were in your seat, still you didn’t seem to fully fathom what was going on…where you were, even.

When the plane took off, it was like you snapped back into your body.

You wished you hadn’t.

It turned out that trying not to cry on a plane was a lot harder when you were being hit with a torrent of emotions that threatened to sweep you entirely away. And, you also were fairly confident that there was nothing in this world that would be worse…would be more humiliating than sobbing in a plane with some fucking stranger next to you. And the guy next to you, dressed in a crisp business suit, severe look on his face, was already eyeing you as if you were a fucking bomb set to go off. So, the flight was terrible…but hey, you’d expected almost nothing less.

When the plane touched down in Kona, you were ready to scream from relief. You got off as quickly as you could and stood waiting for your baggage, your emotions all over the place and nowhere at all again. You jumped when you felt someone touch your shoulder and whipped around. Unsurprisingly, it was Topper standing behind you with a worried look on his face. Your heart skipped a beat and you frowned back at him before folding yourself into his arms in a tight hug.

“Hey, come on,” Topper said, hugging you back tightly, rubbing your back soothingly. “Let’s get your bag and get to the hotel, okay?”

Angel that he was, Topper grabbed your bag for you as it came around on the belt and then guided you to his rental car. He didn’t badger you as he drove to the hotel or even on the way up to his suite. He managed to keep it together until you reached the room. You didn’t offer a word as you got in the room, instead going directly into the bathroom and locking the door behind you. You took a long, almost scalding hot shower, and stayed as long as you could justify. But, you knew you couldn’t stall any longer.

“You gonna talk to me now?” Topper asked calmly when you finally exited the bathroom.

“I don’t…know what to say,” you replied blankly.

“How about you start with what happened,” he suggested. “I’ve…never seen you like this.”

You were silent for a few moments. You tried to think of what exactly you should say. “You…you were right. This was a stupid idea. I shouldn’t have come,” you managed to say. What you’d seen, what you’d heard all ricocheted through your head like a stray bullet and lodged itself in your heart again. You let out a shaky sigh. “It was a fucking terrible idea, Top.”

“What happened?” Topper asked. He moved in front of you, kneeling down. He grabbed your hands and waited until you looked up at him. “It’s me.” He said your name when you looked away to draw your eyes back to him. “Just talk to me. What did he…what happened?” He was cut off for a moment by the buzzing of his phone. He took it out reflexively and looked down. His brow furrowed immediately. “Why did Rafe text me and tell me your dad is there now?” His eyes locked on yours again, his gaze sharper…more concerned now. “Tell me.”

You sighed and briefly closed your eyes at the news. You were glad that Rafe wasn’t alone; that was good news. You still didn’t want to think about…any of this mess. At all. But, you gave Topper a brief synopsis of the mess that had played out. Of Thalia’s psychotic ass. Her hitting Rafe. Rafe being so…downtrodden. You being a mistake, according to Rafe. By the time you were done speaking, Topper looked quite like he was sucking on a rancid lemon.

“Fucking Christ that idiot can never make things easy for himself can he,” Topper muttered. He moved from kneeling in front of you to sit next to you. “That’s fucked. So fucked. I’m sorry.” You shrugged, not letting yourself look over at him. Topper gently nudged your shoulder and said your name softly.

You closed your eyes again and shook your head. “Please don’t,” you said, voice wobbling.

Again, Topper said your name, imploring now. “Come here.”

Despite everything inside you being stubborn, you cracked. You turned into Topper and started sobbing. You sunk into his embrace embarrassingly quickly as you cried, holding onto him like he was your last lifeline in the world; right now he kind of was.

“I can’t believe…” you sobbed, unable to breathe properly, “and he was…”

“I know,” Topper said, running his hand soothingly up and down your back. And he did. You weren’t speaking any coherent thoughts and still it was blindly obvious what was going on—what you were thinking. “I got you.”

And he did. He held you as you sobbed yourself to sleep. He stayed with you as you walked in an emotionless haze through the whole of the following day. He sat by your side in the airport when you were going to be flying home the day after that, monitoring your face for any sign that you were going to break down. He wanted to be there for you. You loved him for it. You…you should’ve loved him more for it. But, you were starting to get to a point of wanting to lash out. It was irrational and it made you hate yourself but you needed to be by yourself for a moment. You needed to lick your wounds and deal with your torched pride. Graciously, you were torn from the reality of Topper’s intense concern by your phone ringing. Less wonderfully, it was your father calling.

“Dad,” you greeted blankly.

“I took care of it,” he said without preamble. “Everything’s being handled. Rafe’s going to be…fine. On the entertainment side, at least.”

“That’s good,” you replied, the words hollow. You stared at the door of your gate, itching for it to open already.

“Rafe’s doing okay otherwise too. I just put him up in a room with me so I could keep an eye on him. He’s been a little out of it, a little quiet. Nothing too bad though,” he explained, unprompted. You bit back the urge to point out that it was probably because he was in the room with your father and not because Rafe was actually okay.

“Oh that’s good,” you repeated. Your dad sighed and then your name slipped from his lips. Immediately you knew you were going to get a pseudo lecture; you tried to stop it. “Dad, just leave it. Please.”

“Listen, honey,” he said softly, ignoring your request. “I just…I need you to know this, okay?” He took your steely silence as a go-ahead to keep speaking. “You don’t understand why he was there, sweetheart. It’s not what you think. He didn’t…he shouldn’t have been. And he didn’t want to be.”

“But he was,” you interrupted, your voice showing emotion for the first time in the conversation.

“And I watched the footage,” your dad rebuked. “I know what was actually going on. I know what was actually said. I combed through hours of footage—any time the camera was on him, confessionals, the house and everything. I read the interviews that went into casting. All of it. I know everything that went on. And, honey, I’m telling you this as your dad. You should hear Rafe out. It isn’t what you think it was. And I know you love him. I know you want to hear him out. Don’t you think you should at least give him the chance to explain without you putting words he never said into his mouth?”

You were saved from having to reply to your father by the gate agent calling for your group to start boarding. “I have to go. My plane is boarding,” you stated curtly before hanging up the phone. You glanced over at Topper who was looking at you with a forcibly uninterested face. You rolled your eyes, cracking a half-smile for the first time in days. You pushed his shoulder weakly before standing up. “Don’t look at me like that, loser.”

“Not looking at you like anything,” Topper lied—poorly, you’d like to add—before rising to his feet as well. “Come on. Let’s get home.”

“Please,” you muttered, following dutifully behind him as you got in line to board.

Despite the brief pockets of joy that you were able to extract on your flight home, when you landed, you were back in this place of despondence and misery. You made your way home in a cab, refusing Topper’s offer for a ride. And when you got home you turned off your phone entirely and laid in your bed in a cocoon of pathetic misery that made you hate yourself all the more. It felt like you were mourning your relationship with Rafe. Just now. After months of not being together. This…this felt final in a strange sort of way. A way that made you sad. It went on for days, you only leaving your bed to do the bare minimum to keep yourself going. Your entire apartment became a den of sadness that you didn’t know when you’d be able to peel yourself out of it.

Often, your mind oscillated between missing Rafe and hating Rafe. Mourning your love for him and longing for it. It was disorienting and infuriating. It felt like it’d never fucking end. You barely were conscious of the fact that people would be concerned that you weren’t answering your phone at all—it didn’t even cross your mind, in truth. You didn’t care. All you could think of was the resigned look on Rafe’s face, the quiet acceptance, when he’d been hit. It wasn’t surprise. It was just…tolerance. It burned you. And if you bitterly contrasted that to the smiles he’d had with you…even when you weren’t together…it made you feel sick.

Reality came knocking again though.

Literally.

When you’d been home and steadfastly ignoring absolutely everything for about a week, there was a knock at your door. As if your brain suddenly registered how long it had been since you’d spoken to…well, anyone…you winced and stood from your couch where you’d settled a few hours earlier. You were certain it was Topper at the door ready to chew you out for scaring him by not answering. And, if you were being honest with yourself, you probably deserved it too. You sighed as you moved to open the door, resigned to being scolded.

“Listen, Top,” you began as soon as you started opening the door.

You immediately fell silent.

That…was not Topper.

That was Rafe.

You were stunned to see him. Far more than you cared to admit it. You glanced him over, feeling a little bit like a computer being forced to reboot. His bleached hair—which had looked annoyingly good on him, even though you hated seeing it—had been cut. Now, with his hair shorter, it looked like he had the frosted tips he’d always made fun of Topper for having when your friend had rocked the look. A stupid detail to focus on by all accounts. But, if you were looking at his hair instead of his face…you might be able to keep it together.

Your name falling from Rafe’s lips was what brought you out of your state. “Can I come in?” he asked, voice strangely gentle.

“I…” you trailed off. You didn’t know how to finish it. I want you to come in and never leave? I don’t think that’s a good idea? I want you to leave? I never want to see you again? No. None of that. So instead you shook your head to clear it. “Umm…sure.” You stepped to the side and let him in, shutting the door behind him. You went back to your spot on the couch and sat, looking at him warily. “What are you doing here?”

Rafe shrugged, not looking at you. He stood awkwardly, shifting from foot to foot in a way that was so unlike him it was jarring. “Topper said you haven’t been answering him,” Rafe explained. “Some, uh, some of your friends called me too. Said you haven’t been answering them either.”

“Phone’s been off,” you replied, shrugging in turn. “Been tired, don’t feel like dealing with everyone else right now.” You gave him a flat look. “Again, why are you here, Rafe?”

“I need to talk to you,” he said, sounding almost apologetic for it.

You blew out a breath and closed your eyes. You leaned your head back against your couch and resisted the bitter urge to laugh. “Here we go,” you muttered. You raised your head and looked at him. “We’re really gonna do this again?” You shook your head. “Rafe I’m tired. Of this. There…what conversation are we going to have that’ll fix anything? Oh yeah. None.”

He bit his lip and shifted, uncomfortable. He looked terrified and it made you feel on edge yourself. “I know. I know…I know you feel that way. But…I…please?” he said. He gave you an imploring look and said your name pointedly. “Please hear me out. This…this whole thing? It isn’t what you think.”

You let out an ugly snort, unable to stop yourself from glaring at him. “Oh, then by all means. Sure. Go ahead and try to sell me on another story, Cameron. This oughta be good, right?” you posed, acidic in presentation. He flinched at the words—the tone—but you couldn’t bring yourself to feel bad for it. You shifted. “And can you sit down for fuck’s sake if you’re gonna tell me some story? You’re making me nervous just standing there.”

Rafe nodded jerkily and immediately sat on the chair next to the couch. His eyes were focused intently on you. “I never wanted this to happen. Any of it. I wanted…I wanted to get better. For…you at first. But…then for me. But that…it didn’t matter at first…when we…when we first broke up,” he began. You didn’t bother reacting, simply raising a brow to prompt him to keep speaking. “In the time that we, uh, weren’t talking after we broke up? When I…when I went on the bender we talked about?” Your nose scrunched up, remembering well the time period that very nearly killed him. “That was when I decided to get clean. When I went to my first meeting. I realized that, uh, not remembering most nights was actually…actually, uh, kind of scary. It wasn’t…helping anymore.”

“Real big of you to realize,” you muttered, shaking your head. You folded your hands tightly in front of you and looked at him. “Look, Rafe, what does this even—”

“Please just let me get through this,” he said, openly sounding like he was begging. “When I was on the bender…I guess I applied to be a contestant. I don’t…remember it. They…I…I only saw my audition tape because of your dad. And I…I was so messed up. Everything on the applications and in the tape were incoherent. I…I don’t know how…” He trailed off, swallowing hard and shook his head. “I didn’t remember applying for the stupid show.” He said your name once more, softer, begging you to hear him and believe him. “I…you know I just wanted you again.”

“I don’t know anything,” you denied, voice cool. “Don’t bring me into this Rafe.”

He sighed and scratched the back of his neck nervously. “They called me and said that I’ve been selected. You…I don’t know. It was going to be a lot of fucking money to get out of it. Money I don’t have. Money that my dad wasn’t gonna front me. I…I needed to go. It was the only way. It…it felt like the only way. I…should’ve just talked to your dad first. There were about fifty clauses that could’ve gotten me out of it.” He shook his head and let out a laugh. “But I went. And…the second I got there I knew how big of a fucking mistake it was.”

His face went sour and he stopped speaking for a moment. His eyes were locked on the coffee table between you two. He wasn’t speaking. Wasn’t blinking. Didn’t look like he was breathing. It went on for a few seconds too long and you shifted.

“Rafe,” you prompted quietly, narrowly resisting the urge to reach out and touch him.

He cleared his throat, snapping out of it. “The second I met…Thalia…I knew she had to be the one for me on the show. The way that she was from the beginning? The…the type of person she was? It was the exact type of person I knew I deserved. And I…it made sense why we’d be a match to the producers. I was…a mess, obviously. But…when you left…as…as you should have…I’m…I’m not discounting that,” he emphasized, “it just changed something. I didn’t think I deserved as good as I got from you. Didn’t think that I deserved anything good. So, when she was awful to me…to anyone in the house? I knew she had to be for me. Because who the fuck else would deserve that?”

You stiffened at his words, looking incredulously at him. “No one!” you interrupted. “Why would you think that way? You…you didn’t…you were not a match the producers are fucking idiots who care about making a show that sells, not about the contestants!”

“I know,” Rafe said quietly. “Doesn’t mean that I deserve good things in life. Because I have been…repeatedly and constantly fucking horrible. I’m…I’m not blind to that. I…there’s a reason people don’t want to help me or give me credit for good things. It’s because I have so much shit to make up for. The tiny slivers of good I do don’t cancel out the heaps of bad I’ve done. I know that. I…I do.”

“What the hell are you saying?” you demanded. “Really! I’m fucking lost here, Rafe! You…you are a fucking idiot, man. All I have ever done is love you and try to get you to let me love you. Literally constantly. Since we were kids Rafe! All I have done is try to make you see that you do deserve credit—that you do deserve help.”

Rafe closed his eyes. “I know you have,” he agreed. “But…that doesn’t make it…right. If I deserved better, don’t you think I’d get it? But you? You? You deserve someone who takes care of you and who loves you. Someone who can stand by your side and be proud and unflinching. Someone who doesn’t care about what other people think.” He let out a laugh—it didn’t sound very amused. “Someone who will actually defend you.” He looked seriously at you. “I couldn’t even step in and say anything when Thalia was bad mouthing you. And you think I’m gonna believe I deserve someone as good as you? Yeah, no. I’m too much of a fucking coward. I never went against her. I deserved to be paraded around that stupid fucking villa by her and…”

He trailed off and you felt sick for a moment. You’d seen the show. It wasn’t hard to guess where she’d dragged Rafe off to or anything of that nature. You clenched and unclenched your jaw, trying to force yourself to relax.

“Tell me something, though, Rafe. Did you…want to be dragged around by her? Did you want anything you…did with her? Just…be honest.” His face scrunched up. “It’s not a trick question. I’m not trying to make you feel bad.” He shook his head. “And how often did she tear into you for no reason? How many times? And…and for that matter, how many times did she put her hands on you and hit you—hurt you?” You gesticulated wildly, trying to help convey your point, but really just helping alleviate some of your frustration. “You didn’t deserve to be paraded around and used. And of course you didn’t go against her!”

“I hurt you,” Rafe said, his tone severe, his eyes dark as he thought of it.

“Dear God,” you groaned. “Yeah, you did fucking hurt me Rafe. Guess what? Normal fucking Tuesday for us when we’re not together, isn’t it? We always manage to fuck up and hurt each other. But guess what, Rafe? You were in an impossible situation. I get that. I know that, even though you apparently don’t.”

“Doesn’t make it okay,” he argued. “I don’t…you shouldn’t forgive me for that?”

You rolled your eyes. “Pretty sure I’m the one who gets to decide that,” you shot back. You sighed and gave him an imploring look of your own. “Rafe…why would I ever hold it against you? Especially when I know you were trying not to get hit? I’m begging you, for once in your life, use the brain in your pretty little head and think. Why would I ever blame you for that?”

He didn’t look sold. “I don’t know, because I hurt you,” he said as if that were the only thing that mattered in the world. “Because I didn’t prioritize your feelings like I should have.”

So, you changed tactics.

“What would you…” you trailed off. “How would you feel if it were me, Rafe?”

The look on Rafe’s face immediately hardened. “Well, I would have killed him,” he said, voice harsh. “No one’s putting a hand on you.” You nodded, cocking your head to the side. His angry face cracked and he sighed, slumping back into the chair. “I wouldn’t hold it against you. I’d just be…I’d just be worried.”

“Yeah, exactly,” you said softly, looking at him, eyes soft and sad. “Now you know how I feel.” Slowly, you scooted down the couch until you were next to him. You reached out and gently grabbed his hand. He looked at it and then up at you, startled. “Listen to me, okay?” He kept looking at you, attention raptly on you. “I love you, Rafe. I love you so much. I always will. The…nothing about this experience was good for you.” He went to add something but you cut him off. “Or me. But that doesn’t matter—not when you’re the one in the most pain here. And no matter what? It doesn’t change that I love you.”

You watched as tears rose in his eyes. He immediately retracted his hand from your hold and leaned away, his head on the back of the chair. He closed his eyes as if trying to stop the tears, but it didn’t work. You saw the tears sliding down his face even with his eyes closed. He let out a small sob and you felt tears rise in your own eyes—impressive when you’d thought you’d run out of tears for the week. Moving slowly, you reached out again and grabbed both of his hands, holding them and giving a reassuring squeeze. He raised his head after a moment and opened his eyes.

He was sad—so sad.

He was in pain—so much pain.

“I…I don’t think that I…don’t think I could’ve stopped it without you,” he admitted, voice shaky.

You frowned. “I don’t think you would’ve, no,” you agreed, hating it even as the words fell out. “You’re too convinced you deserve that. But you don’t. You deserve love. Real love.”

He let out a sigh and closed his eyes again, squeezing your hands. “Thanks for calling your dad,” he said lamely after a moment.

“I hope he tears them several new fucking assholes,” you replied back quietly. Without much thought behind it, you raised your joined hands up to your lips and pressed a soft kiss to his hands. You heard his breath hitch and your brain caught up with the action. You immediately released him, eyes wide. “I’m sorry. I-I’m sorry. Habit. That was…sorry.”

Slowly himself this time, Rafe reached out and took your hands again, squeezing them. “It’s okay,” he assured you. You squeezed his hands back and offered a small smile. “I am sorry. So sorry. I just…you deserved…you deserve so much better.”

“It’s not…not your fault, Rafe,” you said, at a loss for anything else to say. The words were only partially true and you both knew it.

“I’m still sober, by the way,” Rafe blurted out, seemingly out of nowhere. You furrowed your brow and his face flushed. “I mean…I refused to drink anything or take anything. They…they tried to make me but I refused.” His face was grim and drawn, clearly remembering something. And you had no doubt that those conversations had been awful—even with his stubborn nature, you could only imagine what production crew and cast mates had said to try to get him to drink.

You squeezed your still joined hands and shuffled a little bit closer. You already felt terrible for having thrown that in his face when you were pissed—now you just felt worse. “I’m proud of you,” you said, nodding encouragingly at him. “That’s amazing. I can’t…imagine how hard that was. I know it had to be terrible.”

He gave you a shaky smile and then looked down, the look disappearing. “I’m sorry I didn’t warn you,” he said, eyes locked on his lap. “It all…it all happened so fast. Before I knew what was going on really…I was already on a plane to Hawaii. They took our phones the second we got there. I just…I’m sorry. For all of it.”

“Rafe, I don’t blame you for that part at all. I…I wish you would’ve told me…but, I get it. That…they isolate you. I just…I get it,” you said, unable to form your own coherent thoughts as you absorbed that. You had figured it was something like that, but the confirmation just made your irritation spike.

“Do you…” he began, the words seeming to get stuck on his tongue. “Do you think you can forgive me?”

You looked at him, mystified. “What?” you asked.

He looked up at you again, his eyes wide and fearful. “I know it was terrible and I shouldn’t have asked. I’ve done so much to—” he started rambling.

You cut him off by putting your hand gently over his mouth. A habit you’d long since picked up for when he was talking too damn much or running his mouth like an idiot. And he returned with the habit he’d long since picked up of licking your hand to get it away from him. Unlike your usual response to that though, you didn’t move your hand this time.

“After you have undergone…all of that bullshit on that fucking show…of which I know almost nothing and I still know it was bad…after all that…me forgiving you is what you’re worried about?” you asked incredulously.

You moved your hand at that point and watched his cheeks pink at that question. “Yeah,” he admitted easily enough.

“You…Rafe…I need you to get into fucking therapy,” you said, shaking your head. “Why the hell would I be mad at you for getting taken advantage of? Sober you wasn’t the one who applied. It was fifty thousand dollars on the line that you didn’t have. You were being…abused. Why the hell would I be mad at you? What am I supposed to forgive you for? Being an idiot when you’re drunk or high? Well then sure, baby, that’s forgiven as long as you stop doing it.”

“But—”

“No,” you emphasized. “Rafe, I need you to listen to me. Again, I love you. More than anything. I need you to go to therapy. I need you to take it seriously. I need you to get better. Seeing you hurt like this? Seeing you hurt yourself, let others hurt you…thinking you deserve it? I can’t do that. Baby, I need you to understand that you are, independent of everything, worthy of love and affection. Just as you are now. No changes. And I need you to get that I already do love you. Your friends love you. Hell, my friends still love you after all this shit. The whole damn thing. I need you to know that. You are not alone, you should never be or feel alone. You deserve good things. You deserve us all in your life.”

This time, Rafe’s the one to pull his hands away from you. You see his eyes well up again and notice that his chest was moving erratically. He looked away from you, sniffling and your heart shattered. You moved to the edge of the couch, leaning over into his space slowly, giving him ample time to tell you to fuck off or to move himself. He didn’t.

“Baby,” you implored softly, hand on his knee delicately. He let out a shuddering breath and then you moved closer still and wrapped your arms around him. He froze for a moment, but melted into your embrace, going as far as pulling you fully onto him so he could hug you tighter. You responded in kind by wrapping your arms tightly around him. “I got you.”

“I’m so—”

“Stop apologizing,” you urged. “I don’t want you to be sorry. Not for me.” You pressed a kiss to his temple. You pushed your hurt aside, knowing that it wasn’t at this moment, the biggest hurdle—you’d get there when you got there. He was more important in this moment. “We’ll get you through this. We’ll get through this, baby.” You pressed a kiss to his forehead and let out a sigh, tightening your arms. “Don’t worry, baby. I got you.”

“I love you,” he choked out.

Your heart stuttered in your chest and you forced yourself to keep breathing normally. “I love you too,” you assured him.

You really fucking did—God help you, you did.

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vitaminseetarot · 8 months

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PAC: What Does Libra Season Have in Store For You? ☁💗🌆

Happy Autumn folks and welcome back! I'm stoked. I enjoyed my first day of Autumn with some good ol cider. This is looking to be a very busy fall season!

NEWS! Starting tomorrow I will be heading out on a vacation trip for a little over a week where I'll be away from Tumblr for the majority of the time, so things will be pretty quiet on this blog until mid-October. But stick around because when I come back, I'll be bringing some Tarot games with me, sprucing up my page, and more! 🍎

(I also got a new desk which is going to make card spread layouts so much easier! kazoo)

So for now, I thought I would tune into the vibes of the upcoming sun in Libra transit and catch a brief glimpse into what it has prepared for you all this crispy cool season.

(Content warning: there is an image containing blood on one of the cards. It's from the Shadowscape Tarot deck. I will find a way to modify this card in the future.)

Please select one of the three sunset skies below. I will dub them Peach (1), Fuchsia (2), and Violet (3).

Pile 1: Peach Sky

Ace of Pentacles, Page of Cups, King of Pentacles, Six of Cups, Ten of Swords; Compassion, 21. Venus, 6. Sun - Light, Sadness

Hi pile 1! Your Libra season will be filled with a sense of grace. I feel like you've been going through some struggles lately and you're wondering if help is available. Libra season may be a good time for you to reach out to loved ones and anybody who can help you in your current struggle. It could be related to money. You're going to be near those who understand your troubles and may have advice which can re center you. With the open minded Page of Cups, you may receive a nugget of wisdom which can propel you to create something new.

You'll be able to reconnect more with your inner child during this next month. In the midst of struggling, we can often forget or neglect our child side which needs to feel safe in order to come out of hiding. You'll have chances to let small joys assist you in healing. Try watching that movie you've been thinking about, you might end up really enjoying it. These moments can help give you important insights into helping you heal something that's kept you down in the dumps.

You may likely have episodes throughout the month where your energy and drive take a dip and you'll have to sit some stuff out to process your thoughts for a while. I'm feeling a lot of this gloomy Ten of Swords energy is from various past issues. Nothing in your deck suggests rushing through this, if anything the King of Pentacles says "success isn't an overnight thing". Take the time you need to work through old sticky feelings that stop you from moving forward.

A lot of self care will be required for this solar season, pile 1. Give yourself the occasional indulgence, but look closely over your finances this month. Don't use indulgence as a distraction from getting important work done. Libra is a season of balance, and this pile is about the balance between prudence and play. Make time to regenerate yourself with fun, then tend to needed duties. Do what you can and stay open minded to receiving outside help from guides or people.

Pile 2: Fuchsia Sky

XVII Star, King of Cups, X Wheel of Fortune, Three of Swords, Six of Wands; Listening, 29. Ceres, 3. East - Beginnings, Frustration

Hey pile 2, it seems like for the first time in a while things may finally be looking up. During this time, you could meet someone who will be like a counselor figure to you (or an actual counselor). You will have someone who will be there to understand you. I get the impression that you recently went through some form of upheaval and lack the sensation of solid ground. Things are likely still in a state of flux during Libra season, but since the King of Cups has no trouble sailing over choppy waters, you can lean on that wisdom and spiritual strength to get through.

A lot could be changing in your life, or even that you're in the liminal phase of being from one place to another. It's like you're holding a train ticket that lets you visit any city you want. You're beginning to scratch the surface of what possibilities are out there for you. Decisions are hardly in the books right now. The key is to tend to what opportunities you would love more than others and allow the one you want to grow. Ceres wants you to be patient and deliberate with your moves.

Situations may come up where you're made to reckon with your old memories that have caused pain. I'm putting a content warning for blood on this pile and to be honest, even if blood doesn't trigger you there may be times in this month where something may trigger old wounds when least expected. On the flipside, this month also shows that you are undergoing a lot of change as to how you deal with these situations. Your reactions to old stimuli may change and you may find yourself being cool where you were once upset.

Although hope is forecast in your reading, you may not be in the right place to ring any victory bells. Achievement of something major is not likely to happen this month, for you pile 2 this will be a developmental month that will allow you to gently transition into the next phase of your life. Be sure to check in with yourself every now and then to congratulate yourself for the little things, even--no, especially when progress appears slow or all over the place. The time will come where you will feel more focused and determined to tackle something big, but for now appreciate the small victories and rejoice in silver linings of any kind.

Pile 3: Violet Sky

Page of Swords, Five of Cups, Eight of Wands, Ace of Wands, Five of Wands; Mystery, 6. Virgo, 22. Air - Motion, Love

Hello pile 3, This Libra season will likely involve education for you of some kind. You may be a student in school now or you're out of school but looking for something new to try. You could also be looking into new ideas or plans for your next year. I think this pile is really into the autumn season, like you guys are ready to let it go and slide into the next year. This season has you in a contemplative space where you get to weigh options. Though you may find some time to work things out, I think the month will move faster for you than you think. (If you're applying for scholarships or the like, check your emails vigilantly.)

You will definitely be blessed with a feeling of catharsis, as Five of Cups can talk about pure emotional release. Something has likely been an issue either in the front or back of your mind, some kind of long term issue involving relationships and making goals work. Your mind has spent enough time whirling around trying to solve the problem with pure logic. The only way to let go of the scattering thoughts is to allow the emotions locked in to completely flow out. Then the logic will work more effectively, like taking a jammed piece of paper out of a printer.

Some of you could have recently broken up with someone and you're figuring out how to move on with your life. Or there was a recent argument with a loved one. Something like that which creates a need to reevaluate one's path. Since one path didn't work out, what other options could be on the table? You're being given the chance to dive into anything without anticipating results good or bad. Allow yourself to explore and find something that either creates joy or helps you to release old pain (like an artsy workshop).

This month could open up a lot of chances for you to organize and set easier priorities for your life, for this year and the next. The catharsis will finally allow everything to move, both your actions and manifestations. You'll be amazed by how quickly and smoothly the pace will pick up after relationship issues are placed on the backburner (unless there's an urgent issue involved). Note that catharsis doesn't always involve crying it out; sometimes it can be done through a good laugh or even a great workout. You could find emotional release through whatever it is you'd like to learn. For some of you, this is your sign: It's worth looking into.

This reading has not been evaluated by the FDA to diagnose, prevent, treat, or cure any disease or infection. Please ask your physician before going online.

2023, @VitaminseeTarot ™

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bomberqueen17 · 9 months

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uhhhhmuhgawhhhh

ok this has been a long fucking month.

i am back in buffalo. i am in my house. i had to find my pillow, which had gotten misfiled. but i have had a slep, i have gotten catsnuggles, i have gotten *cough* we'll call them dudesnuggles. i have awoken. i have made my coffee the way i like it. i am on a couch on my computer and don't have to do anything for at least an hour.

now i can tell to you the Saga of All Of It.

so like ok August was a really rough month. It was just-- busy, and I had been tentatively on a three-weeks-on, one-week-off schedule at the farm, and had thus managed to visit Buffalo like, well once this summer but you know. Anyway the last time I was home I'd spent the entire time helping Dude's mom clear out his aunt's house, so it hadn't exactly been relaxing or let me do any of my own projects, but it had been something. But I got back to the farm and it was go-go-go-go, and then BIL and Farmsister and Farmkid and my mom went on vacation together for a week so I had to watch the house and fill in some farm duties especially dealing with the farmer's market and such, and then they got back and it was a frantic game of catch-up, and then the Livestock Manager got married so he had a week off before and a week after, prearranged but the amount of work was still the same. And it meant that BIL especially was very overworked and was horribly cranky about it and, I'm not gonna tiptoe around it, was real fuckin mean to specifically me for a bunch of it, so that sucked out loud. And in the midst of all of this there were a couple of events where everybody else was invited to a thing and I had to stay home and cover for the absences. And it all kinda piled up and like, I'm a grown ass woman and can handle not being invited to things but it was a lot of things. And I tried, in the middle there, to celebrate my birthday a little bit? but there wasn't a ton of time, I found out Friday afternoon that I'd be able to have Saturday off, so I did scrape together an expedition for myself to a nearby art museum at least but that was the sum total of it, a flying visit from a friend for which I had like four free hours and then had to return to work, and dude visited for the weekend and I got to spend a couple hours looking at art. That was it.

So I was really tired and really done, and this final week BIL was just like outright shitty to me, yelling at me about things that either 1) went against a policy he'd made up earlier, like using a particular method of cleaning on a particular floor drain which he had specifically told me not to do, clearly changed his mind about, and then was furious i hadn't done, but see I wasn't notified of the mind change there so I didn't know? anyway, or 2) were things that I'm not in charge of and I just happened to be the person closest to him when he noticed that something hadn't been done the way he thought it should have specifically been done today even though there would have been reasons at other times to not do it like that, and in fact in this case later it became useful that it had been done as it was, and-- just anyway. It was stuff normally I'd not be so upset about but at the culmination of this extremely thankless-grinding month I was just distraught.

So I got my work done early enough to leave at midday on Friday. And I did, after lunch I did a tiny bit more work but left the farm before 2pm, absolutely giddy at the thought of getting home to Buffalo in time for dinner.

And traffic was annoyingly heavy on 787, but all was fine and doable and not a problem until some jackass decided to cut into the entrance ramp for the 90 at the last possible second and some even bigger jackass decided that the only way to react to this was by theatrically overreacting by coming to a complete fucking stop and so

well i hit the person in front of me, and the person behind me hit me, and the person behind her hit her, and we all pulled off on the side of the road and had to wait for the cops. My hood was crunched shut, and my exhaust system, already having become noisy from part of a pipe rusting through, snapped clean in half.

But nothing was leaking. And nobody was hurt. The lady in the car behind gave me her number and left, because she had dogs in the car who were likely to overheat in the 90F high humidity, and also recently a woman had been killed on the side of this very road in this very situation and she was too afraid to wait. But the ladies in the car ahead were nice and offered me a drink from their cooler and just seemed tired but not mad, and had already called the cops which was great because I had forgotten how to operate my phone in all the kerfuffle.

So we waited for a state trooper to show up-- and notably, he was actually really nice, very reassuring, understanding of how I was also on the phone with my insurance company (also very nice, and I had to have her on the car speaker because the traffic noise was so much i couldn't hear my phone microphone at all, and I was so distracted I kept being like "you want me to what" and then not hearing the answer-- telling her my license plate number was like the most difficult thing for some reason), and he got us to move our cars to a different off-ramp where there was less traffic, and we filled out all the paperwork and stuff and he gave me directions for how to get back to the westbound interstate. He called the lady from the car behind me, for me, and the two of them explained to me that since there was negligible damage I didn't actually have to report that accident if I didn't want to, and so I was like okay fine let's not even bother, since it has to be a whole separate accident report and none of the damage to my car is from that accident. (Not visibly anyway, though I expect it's probably why the exhaust system did what it did-- still though, not likely to be relevant. Even though surely the accident I did report is going to be determined to be my fault, but this second one wouldn't be-- it wouldn't help anything.)

I took off and immediately realized I wasn't going to be able to drive the car as it was, and helpfully a man pulled up next to me at that light and said "your exhaust system is definitely dragging, do you know about it?" and I said wearily "I was just in an accident so thank you for helping me identify what the problem actually is", and went past the on-ramp into the parking lot of a fire hall right there that happened to also be a pokemon gym in my color. I sat for a moment, put a defender in the gym (thanks, random team instinct person, for having taken that gym half an hour previous, that cheered me up a bunch), and then got out of my car, found a work glove I knew I'd thrown in there, crawled under the car a bit, and tucked the muffler pipe up to sit on top of the catalytic converter so it wouldn't drag on the ground. (I don't know that the glove was necessary but I do know exhaust systems get real fuckin hot so i do recommend gloves if handling any of those parts on a car that's been running lately.)

It worked, it held, and I was like well. Car runs. Hood's all cattywumpus but it's definitely not going to fly open because it's literally crimped shut. Already had some front-end damage on this thing from an accident we mutually decided not to report a couple years back-- very minor but the plastic is cracked and the foglight mount damaged. Well now it's proper fucked, so that's fine. I was going to have to find a mechanic to repair the muffler assemblage anyway, it was already loud as fuck, so now it's just done with the polite fiction of being an exhaust system.

So I walked around the car, open and shut all the doors to make sure they still did, and then got in and got onto the Thruway. Fuck this shit, I was not going to drive back to the farm and then have to rely on a bunch of people of whom I'm slightly tired and who are clearly also slightly tired of me to have to ferry my ass around, and miss my extremely extremely necessary week off of work (because you know if I'm there I'm going to fucking do work on the farm, that's how it works, I have no boundaries).

All I wanted was to see a person (and cat) who actually enjoy my company and want to see me.

So I put in earplugs because the noise was not great, and drove 300 miles, and arrived just before dark, and pulled into the driveway and Chita was so surprised to see me that she came right out to me even though i was still sitting in my car. She doesn't like cars, hates them when they're moving and really doesn't like being in them, but she does like to sit under them when they're off.

[image description: a small gray cat with her paws up on the running board of a blue car, peering in the open driver's side door with motion-blurred interest; the foreground is my bare leg and the hem of my dress and my filthy car floor]

So I'm home, and I have already done all the awkward phone calls, and I was expecting I'd need to call the garage my insurance company has set up to do the assessing (that's how my insurance company does it) but the text of it says they'll call me. i still might call them midmorning today to see if they're open. IDK I don't even care what happens now, I'm home and I've had my own coffee and my cat missed me and my dude missed me and i'll just figure the rest out later.

#about the author #car accidents #not graphic don't worry

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nuttytani · 6 months

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Hold my chai, aunty has arrived in the Mansion

(adventures of aunty in the ikemen vampire universe. into the ike-verse!)

It was just a normal day of work for aunty. You know, the usual, kicking her husband and children out for work and school with their tiffin and bags in tow.

Finishing cleaning the house like a sonic with extra energy drinks and taking the rubbish out,

Then finally! A hot shower

She was only left with making her sweet and relaxing lunchtime tea when her doorbell rang.

She opened the door and.....everything turned white and aunty's life turned upside down. Or did it?

Actually it turned up. I mean her life was already up but now it's better-ish?

She's basically on a month-long vacation! Away from her husband and children (I mean sure she's worried about the state of the house but they can manage by themselves right? They won't miss her.....right? Ok fine maybe she's kind of sort of worried about them and missing them but she KNOWS she can go back so haha!)

The mansion people were quite warm and welcoming towards her so it didn't take much time for her to adjust.

Except for the food and... tea.

YOU CALL THIS FOOD? DEAR SEBASTION, WHERE ARE YOUR MASALAS? WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU HAVE SALT AND PEPPER-- THAT'S NOT MASALA

And the tea! How…. she won’t even describe how she feels except for pure disappointment. These people had no ingredients for chai

Comte had no choice but to order some.....groceries for dear aunty. He couldn't say no to her. Especially with how disappointed she looked while eating food or having her tea.

He also had to turn the wine cellar into a grocery store room. But he sure had great company with aunty! Joining her outside in his garden.

Smoking who? Comte got rid of his cigar and now constantly has a cup of chai in his hand (mostly because aunty would yell nonstop for him and leonardo to stop smoking. Because 1) she doesnt want to be a chain smoker 2) smoking is bad for your health and makes you look like a gangster…. Aunty’s words, not mine!)

(Psssst she also taught Sebastian how to make chai 101 until he got the recipe right till perfection.)

The other mansion residents weren't having that much....fun tho. It felt like having a mom after many years. Which is funny because technically, they’re wayyyyy older than her, and they’ve told her so many times, and each time she replies with a: but you all act like children, that’s not my fault is it? Now my dears, would you please pass me that newspaper?

One day, Arthur was walking around half naked around the mansion only to receive the MOST judgemental stare in his entire life

“Put some goddamn clothes on, child! You’ll catch a cold at this rate.”

“Aunty, that's not possible for vampires….”

“Do I look like I care? Put some clothes on.”

Or the first week in the mansion, practically staring daggers at everyone

“Shoes inside the house? Who’s going to clean this… Sebastian? Mitsuki? Your mom? Me? Well definitely not any of us.”

House slippers became a thing ever since and now NO ONE dares to wear shoes inside the house.

Vincent had to learn cooking as well, like proper cooking.

Aunty found it shocking that even her daughter's terrible cooking wasn't as bad as his. So that was saying something.

Dazai stopped using the windows as a way to enter the house

Actually there were a lot of positive changes in the house, at least for Sebastian and Mitsuki

They had SO much help in the kitchen. They wouldn’t let aunty do the cleaning and laundry though, that’d be rude and she’s basically on a vacation. She needs to relax!

Her favourite weapon of choice to discipline the mansion boys is her handy dandy jharu (broom).

She'd pass it to Mitsuki or Sebastian when they'd go wake up Napoleon. If he tried to do his sleep-kissing thing- he'd get one smack on his face with the broom.

Idk how she got it but she somehow has it so we roll with it okay?

random thoughts that had to be written down. they don't really make much sense but heyyy who cares?

I've brought back my taglist, fill it in if you're interested!!!

here's the link

#ikemen vampire #ikevamp hcs #ikevamp #ikevamp sebastian #ikevamp dazai #ikevamp arthur #ikevamp comte #ikevamp mitsuki #ikevamp vincent #ikevamp napoleon #ikevamp leonardo #ikevamp headcanon #ikevamp headcanons #tani writes!!#ikevamp oc #well i think she's an oc????

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magicalyaku · 11 months

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Ok ok, let's get back on track. Work was draining these past weeks, but I'm on vacation now, so time to catch up! June was the month of the library books. I put a bunch on hold in April and May and they all came in at the same time. And after up to 10 weeks of waiting I was not about to push a single one back further, so I had to work a bit there. 8D Also, according to my list I've read 51 books in the first 6 months of the year. I seem to remember wanting to read less this year? Yeah. Not going well.

Gwen & Art are Not in Love (Lex Croucher): I read it in the very first days of June, which was basically an eternity ago, so my memory is a bit wonky. I do remember I had lots of fun! It was funny and sweet with a solid story and serious times when needed, nice characters, good adventure. The female lead did not get on my nerves! There was a cat! And a girl with a (legendary) sword! I think, though, it's a bit unfair that both boys ended up with permanent bodily harm while the girls got away scratchfree … Go read it!!

Thief in the Night (KJ Charles): I didn't know anything about this other than the summary when I put it on my waitlist in the library. After 10 weeks it finally came in and my first thought was "Is it broken?!" because it's only about 100 pages! It is a full story, mind you, I was just so suprised by it (and because I waited for so long!). It's a companion story to The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting, featuring the brother of the protagonists of that one. It's pretty cute. Super short, but just the right length for a simple story. We can have a simple story once in a while. I had a good time reading this.

The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting (KJ Charles): I borrowed this right after Thief in the Night. This is a full-length novel, so it has a lot more time to dive into characters and intricacies. It's nice. Like not groundbreaking, but very enjoyable. There's this thing about (pseudo-historic) British aristocracy that just calls for mocking them. I liked a lot how the climax and ending played out!

Flowerheart (Catherine Bakewell): Now this was another difficult book for me. I thought with time I'd get a little more chill with YA fantasy heroines. Seems I'm not there yet. The heroine here has these whiny self-pitying phases that really annoyed me. She's like "Oh maybe he never liked me in the first place" just because the guy didn't want her help at one thing. But: 1) He was her very close childhood friend, that was not a lie. 2) She has like one day of training in and can't control her magic, so her help would be … probably no help at all. And 3) when he told her before that he needs her on the weekends she said no, she can't … So why is she getting upset?! I hate characters like this. /D But thankfully, this is only half of the time, the other half she's pretty ok (the guy as well) and I actually found myself liking the book. The romance is acceptable and it does have some nice imagery going on with all the flower magic and stuff.

Sounds Fake But Okay (Sarah Costello & Kayla Kaszyca): My one non-fiction book of the year. :D It's about seeing the world from the perspectives of a_spec people. Like taking apart all that amatonormativity and all these ideas about romance and family and stuff that most of our world sees as right and normal. So it's not just a "let me tell you what aromanticism and asexuality are"-book but dives a bit deeper. I found it insightful. I think, both a_spec and allo people can take something away from reading this. Challenging our social constructs in thought at least can't hurt after all. Regarding the ebook library edition I read I didn't quite like the layout as the incorporated community quotes where not well marked and I stumbled over them a few times before realising it's another quote. That's probably no issue in the paper version though. I also struggled to tell the authors Sarah and Kayla apart. They introduce themselves and their stories in the beginning but I immediately jumbled them up ...

Captive Prince Trilogy (C.S. Pacat): I borrowed the English edition from the library … and didn't want to return it! Which is stupid because I own the German version in paper. But that kinda sums up how I feel about these books. Captive Prince was not the very first gay fantasy book I read almost two years ago but the first one I liked. (The actual first was Rowan & Ash by Christian Händel which had a terribly selfish love interest and shied away from all the important conflict. (And yeah, long before that I did read The Raven Cycle but I picked that one up for the Ley lines and the no-kiss-promise. The gay was just a pleasant surprise, so I don't count it.)) Which is funny, because especially the beginning is so filthy! I remember being quite put off by this the first time around, but apparently it was intriguing enough to continue reading. I like the incredible slow-burn of Damen's and Laurent's relationship. The slow building of trust in a surrounding where trust is so rare. How shit happens between them and they have to sort it out on page before progressing. How you only catch glimpes of Laurent's true self for a long time. I like it when authors feel smart through their writing and writing Laurent's and the Regent's intrigues and all the different settings with war strategies etc. sure does feel smart to me. I like the slow-burn in stories as well when things start at some point and only get important much later and all weaves together beautifully. It's so rewarding. Look, where we started - look, how far we've come! Hah. u3u

Riley Weaver Needs a Date for the Gaybutante Society (Jason June): For the end of the month I went for something light and funny. Of all the authors I read last year F.T. Lukens and Jason June stuck with me the most. Lukens for the cozy charming fantasy and June for the slightly silly noisy onea. Riley Weaver is no exception to that. It does have a serious undertone and message, though, but due to the framework of the story it manages to never feel dull or preachy.

I also tried to read Dragonfall by L.R. Lam, but gave up after just 50 pages. I can't even say if it's good or bad, because I don't know. I couldn't stand the viewpoints. Like, there's three people. The first one is a 1st person narrator, who refers to the second person as You, but in the narration, not dialogue! That put me off so much. It was so … icky! The second person narrates 1st person as well. If there's another "you" I don't know because I didn't make it to the point where they meet for real. And then the third person comes along and … it's 3rd person?! And I screamed! God, I hate that. I mean, it can work and I have read books that I like with inconsistent viewpoints but there was nothing here for which I was willing to endure. To be fair, I don't like dragons in the first place, so maybe we never were a good match from the start. :'D

That's it for June!

#yaku reads #books #bookblr #lgbtq books #queer books #queer lit #kj charles #the gentle art of fortune hunting #thief in the night #cs pacat #captive prince #riley weaver needs a date #gwen and art are not in love #flowerheart #sounds fake but okay #dragonfall

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billetwoes · 7 months

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The Boring Introductory Stuff (and the interesting...) Billet Woes Part 2

Disclaimer: This is my first attempt at fanfic. Constructive criticism is always appreciated, rudeness is not.

Word Count: 5,537

So, you had finally met your assigned guest and...so far, so good! However, he thinks that you are uneasy around him. What are you (or what is he) going to do about it?

Yep, this is the boring introductory part with lots of planning, but there's also a lot of food :D I hope you enjoy!

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In the following days, you had prepared yourself and your place for your guest. Your contact information was stored in a secure database at the Outworld Investigation Agency, and always with consent, was given to the Clans/Agencies of future guest. In your case, you were contacted by the wife of the Shirai Ryu’s Grandmaster, Harumi, via encrypted e-mail two days after Lord Liu Kang paid you a visit. You were informed that you will be billeting one of their warriors.

As Lord Liu Kang had mentioned, it is estimated he would be staying for a month. He will be arriving in exactly one week from today and you are instructed to meet him at a specific muster point; the date, time, and address where you will be picking him up were provided in the email.

You asked if there are any allergies to food and cats that you need to be aware of, as you suddenly thought that you had nobody who be willing to look after your kitties for a month. She denied any food and cat allergies. You thanked Harumi for the information.

At work, you had requested for a few Fridays off, two of which were granted for the last two weeks,

including the Mondays for those weeks to boot. This would give you time to catch up on orders and time

for cleaning. It was a good thing that your workplace was unionized so that any vacation days taken were

paid. You used a personal time off day towards the day that you are to pick up your guest.

You are a planner and a perfectionist, even though you hate that term and tend to interpret that as a slight when being called one to your face.

The longer of your two couches can be unfolded and made into a guest bed and you had sets of clean

bedding and a down duvet ready. You also deep cleaned both the guest bathroom and your

bathroom.

You had a pad of paper in front of you and began to list all the food and toiletry items. Once that is done, you began to meal plan for 3-weeks worth of food most with simple enough recipes or one that you can quickly assemble and throw in the slow cooker or oven to do the work for you. The rest of the days you reserve for taking your guest out to good restaurants in your city with a few of your close and trusted friends, if the circumstance permits it. You didn’t know what his shift or days will look like, but you want to have Plans A-Z just to be as flexible as you can.

While you were cleaning the apartment and your Roomba was doing its daily job, the kitties were staring at you with interested and curious eyes while meowing loudly and nearly making you trip a few times. They can sense a change in your behavior and energy while moving and rearranging things and vacuuming their cat trees and dusted the cat shelves that decorated the living room walls. Luckily, you don’t have to move the kitties’ litter box, as you had the large robot kitty litter box that the girls share with no issues, and it is in your bathroom. You made a point to install a cat flap on your bedroom door and were willing to pay to replace the door if you decide to move somewhere else.

You made a Costco run for the first week of your guest’s stay with you during the weekend. Once you got home and organized the snacks and fruits in baskets and set them on the island counter in the middle of your kitchen so that they are easily accessible and put away the meats and vegetables in the fridge and freezer, which you have deep cleaned a couple days prior.

You did all this while juggling your job, pushing out orders from your small business, and looking after the kitties. Once a hard day’s work is done, you went through your nighttime rituals and hit the sack.

All night, you heard the never-ending flapping of plastic as the kitties were going in and out of the cat door and pawing at each other by pushing the plastic door repeatedly. You had wondered whether you made a mistake with that modification while resisting the urge to scream at the cats.

The day arrived when you are to pick up your guest. You are to meet outside an abandoned building in an industrial area at 4 pm. You were glad that you had the day off so that you are relatively relaxed and had lots of time to grab a coffee from Tim Horton’s. When you arrived there, you droved into a parking lot where there was a group of around 20 people with Lord Liu Kang. Also, there were two ladies. The first one wore a black trench coat with her hair in a neat ponytail and comfortable flat leather boots. She also had what looked like a sheathed katana strapped to her back. The second lady wore what looked like a black leather vest with a wide belt with pink and white garments underneath the leather vest. Her boots and fingerless leather gloves also matched the color scheme of her clothing, and her hair had small side braids that were tied up into a high ponytail.

As you parked in a stall, you and a few other billet hosts walked towards the group, some with their children, and once everybody was present, Liu Kang raised his hands to get everybody’s attention. The crowd of people shushed each other, and all turned their eyes towards the Fire God.

“Good afternoon, everybody. Thank you for coming here today,” he began, “Most of all, we are grateful for your dedication to look after our warriors and protectors. You honor all of us.”

He then turned to the first lady in the trench coat and motioned to her, “This is Harumi, the co-leader of the Shirai Ryu.”

She nodded solemnly and addressed the hosts, “We are truly grateful for supporting our warriors. Your roles are of the utmost importance. As you have been informed, there is a suspicious area with a portal appearing and disappearing identified outside of your city that needs to be monitored for threats. We suspect that this portal is from Outworld, but it could be from the Netherrealm or the Chaos Realm. Constable Li Mei from the Sun Doh District of Outworld is working with us to investigate this anomaly.” She gestured towards the second lady.

The second lady stepped forward, “We suspect that one of our generals named Shao is responsible for this, as he is guilty of insurrection against our kingdom. There have been talks and rumors in our realm about a group of rebels under this general to invade your realm. I give you my word that I will not rest until all threats are neutralized.”

There were concerned and slightly panicked murmurs in among the billet hosts. You listened attentively with held breath, which you only let out now. Many people asked questions and raised concerns. Fortunately so far, this was the only one known to date and nothing of concern by way of a serious threat has arose.

Harumi stepped forward to speak, “Your willingness to aid us by opening your doors to our warriors that are strategically close to this area makes it convenient for us to respond to any emergencies. Be assured that you are far enough that you are safe. Should any of you be endangered, our warriors will protect you.”

“On behalf of Outworld, we are in your debt,” Li Mei said gratefully, “Harumi and I will not be joining you, as we have to attend to matters concerning our clan and people.”

The billet hosts, including yourself, nodded in support and expressed heartfelt gratitude for the warriors, and they returned the gesture.

“And now, we will begin assigning your warriors to you,” Liu Kang announced, “Harumi and Li Mei will separate in to two groups. Once your name is called, please step forward.

On queue, the Outworlders, who were dressed in their traditional garb grouped together behind Li Mei and the Shirai Ryu, who were dressed in t-shirts, zip up hoodies, leggings, dark washed jeans and sneakers. One by one, Harumi and Li Mei took turns calling names and people stepped forward to be paired with their guests. Greetings and handshakes were exchanged, and smaller groups began to walk away towards cars as pleasantries and excited chatter from children faded.

“Y/N,” Harumi called.

You stepped forward and walked towards her.

“Tomas,” she called turning to her left.

A tall man carrying a couple of medium sized duffel bags stepped forward. His hair was gray, which surprised you, but you did your best to keep a pleasant expression. Is that his natural hair color? The next thing you noticed was his demeanor. He wore a serious expression on his face and his piercing silver-gray eyes had an intense look. There ere a couple of scars above his left eyes and his eyebrows were shaved, at least you though they were, in such a way that made him look intimidating. The image of a rattlesnake came to mind because its top eyelids were slanted above it eyes that made them look perpetually angry and mean all the time.

“Y/N, this is Tomas,” she gestured towards the man, “also known as Smoke. He is our second in command. I trust that he is in your capable hands.”

‘Smoke’ in reference to his grayness??

“I will do my best,” you replied humbly, nodding then turning to Tomas, “Hello, Tomas.” You shook his hand.

He smiled and shook it back, “Hello Y/N. Thank you for having me.” He sounded friendly(!) which kind of threw you off guard.

“Oh, you’re welcome,” you replied, letting go.

“I will take my leave, Harumi,” He bowed respectfully.

Harumi nodded, “Stay safe, both of you.”

You both walked towards your car.

“Is this your first time in Canada?” You asked starting a conversation.

“No, it isn’t,” he replied, “I’ve been billeted before in Quebec and the Yukon. This is my first time in Alberta.”

“Welcome to Alberta! Have you eaten, by the way?” You asked him, wanting to make sure he’s comfortable.

“No, not yet” he replied.

“Would you like to go grab a bite first? We can discuss the details when we get home,” you offered, “Do you have a preference?”

“Whatever you recommend, I’d love to try the food here,” he replied happily, smiling, “Thank you!”

“Alright, then! I’ll take you to one of my favorite spots,” You started the ignition and set up Google maps and entered the address of one of your local favorites, which is a French-Scandinavian style restaurant. The Elder Gods forbid that you get lost on your way out of this deserted location and spend time driving around in circles. Though friendly enough, the mental image of a happy rattlesnake in Peter Parker’s voice made you laugh internally.

Your dinner was light-hearted enough and you kept conversations casual and asked each other surface-level questions about each other. He touched on his experiences with the Shirai Ryu and his relationship with Harumi and her husband, Grandmaster Scorpion. Turns out, he was his adopted brother.

“Oh,” you exclaimed, “That’s something!” As if your insides weren’t chaotic enough with the knowledge that he was the second-in-command, he was THE ADOPTED BROTHER of the GRANDMASTER of the Shirai Ryu. The pressure! Before your brain had time to process that, your nervous system had decided that you’re screwed.

“What’s wrong,” he asked, looking concerned, “You look scared?”

“Uh,” you laughed nervously, “Well, I guess I’m dealing with precious cargo! Ha ha! Yeah, a little.”

“Don’t be! I’m human, like you,” he reassured, “I don’t bite.”

You nodded, still laughing nervously. Your perfectionist brain, otherwise known as the brain that took over your Asian Parents after you left them, went into hyperdrive. ‘Smile!’ ‘What are you doing?! Fix your face! You are making a bad first impression!’ ‘Say something intelligent or you will make him lose face!’ ‘He’s more important than you, watch your manners!’ For those of you who had Tiger Moms, you know the PTSD that comes from that upbringing. You raised your eyebrow while rubbing your forehead to try and soothe yourself.

“Ok,” you replied, still with an incredulous smile, mentally beating yourself with a wooden stick to get yourself to calm down, “I’m sorry. I-uh, I just got…” You feel embarrassed because you probably made a fool out of yourself.

“Wow, this duck is really good!” He praised, taking another bite of his dish. It felt like he was distracting you from your chaotic thoughts by redirecting your attention towards the food, and you were grateful for it. “I can see why you like this place. What other dishes have you had?”

“Oh,” your thoughts snapped back to the present moment, “I love their cod dish, which is unfortunately a seasonal item. I often come here for brunch, especially during weekends, so I’m more familiar with that menu. I love the Oeuf en Cocotte and their Grav Lax. If time permits, I’d love to take you here again for brunch and to other hot spots!” You had forgotten how nervous you were moments ago because any mention of food and restaurants will get you excitedly talking and making recommendations.

“I’d like that very much!” He took another appreciative bite of his food.

“I’ll stop talking now and let you eat,” you muttered, “I tend to talk a lot when I’m nervous.”

The both of you ate the rest of your meals in silence. Once your empty plates were cleared, your desserts came, which was a salted caramel chocolate cheesecake with candied pecan and toffee crumble on top with crème fraiche vanilla bean ice cream on the side and a couple of macarons.

You paid for your dinners and drove home in a happy mood. Once both of you entered in your apartment, you introduced him to your kitties, and always the social butterfly, Minou immediately rushed to smell your guest for a couple of minutes before she decided that Tomas was worthy of being marked as a friend. She meowed, purred, and rubbed her body and head against his legs.

“Well, hello there!” Tomas smiled and greeted in a high voice that sounded like how someone would talk to a cute toddler, “You’re so friendly! I’m Tomas, your new friend!” Minou flopped on her back and exposed her belly in response.

Bijoux on the other hand, stood a few feet away staring at Tomas warily. When Tomas finally noticed her and went to introduce himself, Bijou took a couple of steps back and hissed.

“Bijoux,” you scolded in a stern tone, “Be nice!” You went to pick her up, but she bolted and hid in your room. “I’m sorry!”

“Don’t worry, I’m sure a stranger in her space must be uncomfortable for her,” he chuckled, “We have a few stray cats in our compound, so I’m familiar with their behaviour.”

You gave Tomas an orientation of your apartment, starting with the kitchen, showing him the food that he can help himself to and the appliances that he can freely use. Next was the living room, where you explained about the couch that you will unfold to make his bed; then you showed him the guest bathroom where there was a new set of toiletries and shower items, which he can choose not to use if he brought his own stuff; you showed him the closet outside the guest bathroom where he can access clean towels, and the laundry room beside it; finally, you briefly showed him the room that you have set up as a work shop and explained that you will be keeping this shut during times when you will be working on orders. You gestured to your bedroom, which you didn’t show because that is your space.

Finally, you lead him to the counter where you keep your keys on and where your landline is. You pulled open a drawer and pulled out a laminated envelope labeled “Emergency”.

“If you ever need it, there is money in here for emergencies,” you explained, “Do you have any questions?”

Tomas shook his head with an expression of approval, “So far, I have none! You really went out of your way to make sure that I’m looked after! I am impressed…and grateful.”

Humbled, you briefly bowed your head before responding, “Thank you, I appreciate the kind words. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.”

“I will!” He was smiling. You had decided to sharply nudge your jerk brain to cut out the jerk-talk and your nervous system is still on amber alert. You breathed a sigh of relief, and Peter Parker rattlesnake is behaving like Minou and rolling in rainbow.

“Anyway, I want to discuss our schedules so that I can plan on accommodating you,” you gestured towards the dinner table, “Would you like something to drink?”

“I would like some tea please. I’ll try the triple berry please.” This you made for him, and you made yourself a chamomile tea. You offered cream, milk, sugar, honey, or Stevia, and he refused all of them.

You discussed how the both of you would be coordinating your schedules. As Lord Liu Kang had mentioned, both schedules were close enough, which makes it easier for you to accommodate him. The large group was broken into three smaller group that would be covering the morning, evening and night shifts. It was very important that all the warriors had time to rest, maintain their training, communicate with their superiors, and just as equally important, socialize and maintain relations with their hosts. It is also important for the hosts to be close by just in case they need to take the warriors to the site to do their jobs.

Tomas was assigned to the morning shift. You start work at 8:00 am and the morning shift started at 6:00 am. This means that you would have to get up at 4:00 am to make breakfast then take him to the site, which will take 20 minutes if there is no traffic, as per Google Maps on your laptop. That meant that you have to hit the sack at 8:00 am in order to get a full 8-hour’s worth of sleep. Once you dropped him off at the muster point, another host will take the entire morning group to the site, then you can head home to work on orders before driving to work. He ends his shift at 2:00 pm and you end your shift at 4:30 pm, which meant that he had to wait for you for 2 ½ hours. To complicate things, you didn’t know what the traffic situation was like driving to pick him up at the muster point.

You then asked him if he knew of any of his group mates that were being billeted in your city, and he knew of two. Tomas had proposed to have a Zoom call to see what their situation looked like with their hosts, which was arranged after he contacted them. While one of the hosts was in the same situation as you, the second host, a lovely lady named Lisa who appeared to be in her thirties, fortunately worked from home and can pick up the three warriors and, with consent, can bring them to a friend’s place that has a large space dedicated to workout. There, the three can train there until you and the other host get off work to pick them up at the friend’s place. This was a stroke of luck which lifted a heavy burden off your shoulders. All of you in the call exchanged contact information, got the address of the friend’s place, thank Lisa for the kind accommodation and hung up. One major problem solved.

You wouldn’t have any issues with making dinner once you get home, which lead to the next question of what his food preferences are. You were told by Harumi that he had no allergies, which he confirmed. He said that he had no preferences and would be happy to eat whatever you made. You also wanted to know what his typical meals were like (ie. How much protein, how much vegetables, what time he typically eats, etc.). He gave the basic information and told you not to worry about following the regimen to a tee.

You asked about his lunches and whether you needed to pack food for him, and it sounded like you did as there was no mention of any arrangements for lunch. Noted.

You also took account the time difference between Edmonton, your city, and Japan, which was 15 hours, so you worried about jet lag. Tomas explained the Shirai Ryu’s current situation with the Lin Kuei and how they are always on a state of being on red alert around the clock, and therefore must be ready to respond at any time, even if they must wake up in the ungodly hours of the morning. You made a comment about how exhausting this sounds, which he agreed saying it was an understatement. He reassured you that you didn’t need to worry about his sleep schedule, as he is able to adapt easily.

“So, you guys are pretty much more than first responders,” you said, shaking your head, “dealing with your personal feuds and protecting us at the same time. Thank you for your service! To say that we appreciate you would be an understatement.”

“Kind words, Y/N,” Tomas replied humbly, “And we likewise thank you for your service. We would be in a much more difficult position if it were not for what you do for us.”

The rest of the conversation involved tying up loose ends about your arrangements and during this time, Minou decided to jump on the table make friends with Tomas some more by exchanging head bonks and purrs for scratches and praises.

You offered Tomas more tea, which he accepted. Once this was done, you decided to set up his bed. You unfolded the couch, put on the bedding sheets, two pillows (you made sure to buy memory foam ones, and the down duvet, which had its own duvet covers.

It was an hour before you went to bed so you decided to lay out the ingredients for breakfast on the counter (save the eggs and bacon, because heaven forbid you inconvenience your guest with food poisoning!).

For his lunch, you made something quick, but made sure that it was as nutritious as hell, because, neurotic much? You cut some herbs and vegetables to be roasted with two chicken legs which you seasoned well and with olive oil and chicken rub. You threw that in the 400 F preheated oven for an hour. While that was in the oven, you made some pilaf which you flavoured with minced garlic, mushrooms and chicken stock. Once this was done, you scooped the piping hot rice into one side of a large two compartment container and washed the pot and some utensils. Once the chicken was done, you first scooped the roasted veggies on the other side, then the chicken legs on top of the rice and veggies. You set the lid on top but not fully covered to let steam escape so that it would cool down before you put the whole thing in the fridge.

Boy do you have A LOT to get used to for the next month! No more being a night owl for the next month or so, and thankfully, you had a week’s practice to sleep earlier, even though you obviously needed more than that.

You noted that Tomas was observing you with a smile. Deep down, you felt scrutinize, but pushed the feeling down, as you were most likely overthinking things.

“You are taking this far too seriously, Y/N,” he chuckled, “I can see that you enjoy cooking. I am excited to try your food, it smells great!”

Maybe it’s how you’re perceiving things. On first impression, he seemed polite and friendly; in fact you felt that he was too polite that it was making you uneasy. You were a suspicious person by nature, especially when it comes due to having been surrounded by polite people in the past that showed their true colors down the road. You didn't think that he was like this, as you have just met him and so far there were no issues, so you concluded that you were overthinking things to prevent yourself from seeing him through that lens.

You shrugged it off and replied in a nonchalant tone, “I haven’t billeted one of you guys in a while, so I need to be on my A-game. I’ve been accused of being neurotic at times, but I feel it’s justified.”

“I like your attention to details and how focused you are. I’m a little concerned, as you seem…how do I say this, uneasy,” he explained, piercing eyes staring at you.

“What do you mean?” You asked, trying to hide the fact that you are due to fighting your own internal thoughts. You made yourself continue to clean to avoid his eyes, “I’m ok.”

There was an uncomfortable pause and when you raised your head, he kept his eyes on you still.

“WILL YOU STOP STARING AT ME???” You mentally screamed at him, “YOU’RE MAKING ME UNCOMFORTABLE!!”

“What?” You asked, still scrubbing the glass dish under the running water. Being stared at and scrutinized irritates you in general, and you can feel yourself starting to head there.

“I see…,” he said gingerly, followed by another silent pause, “Anyways, who was the last person you billeted?”

Saved.

“Ashrah. She’s a doll!”

“A “doll”?”

“It’s one way of saying she’s amazing with a great personality, like, she’s a peach or she’s a gem.”

Tomas nodded, “Ah, yes, she is amazing.”

You washed the rest of your dishes and cleaned up the kitchen. Once the dish with the chicken has cooled down enough, you secured the lid and placed it the fridge after asking if that amount was enough for lunch.

“Goodness, that’s plenty!” He exclaimed, eyes brightening appreciatively.

“Good.” If you had guests, you have the quirk of cooking way more food to make sure that nobody starves to death.

After cleaning the kitchen, both of you decided to call it a night. Minou did not curl up between your legs that night like she usually does, and Bijoux was still hiding under your bed with her ears flat against her head when you tried to coax her out.

******************

The next week was the week of settling into your routine. You found that getting up at 4:00 pm after being disciplined enough to sleep at 8:00 pm was no problem at all, mainly because your psyche won’t allow you to jeopardize Tomas’ mission. Negative reinforcement has usually worked when something important is involved.

The both of you went about as planned, having the first breakfast of his stay. You’ve made scrambled eggs, bacon, and banana blueberry pancakes with oats, the latter which in your opinion was ok as you normally don’t eat breakfast, let alone make it. You went overboard with the assortment of fruits, nuts, granola bars and Greek yogourt. Plus, there was an assortment of juices, milk, almond milk, oat milk, and your lactose-free milk.

You had to warn Tomas about keeping the bagels in the bread box as Bijoux, the grumpy calico, was obsessed with bagels. The two cats were kept in your workshop while you had breakfast, to their disappointment, and their miserable meows serenaded your ears, which you apologized for, assuring Tomas that you weren’t an abusive cat mom.

You cleared the table once done, reheated his lunch and packed it in an insulated lunch bag. The cats were let out once their wet food and automatic dry food feeder has been filled and had full water dishes. You drove him to the muster point.

You went about your workday and once done, you picked up Tomas from Lisa’s friends place once work was done and went home for dinner. Rinse, repeat.

The week went by smoothly with no problems (thank the gods!) and there were no complaints coming from him. Again, he remained polite and respectful.

While the weekends were more relaxing for you, as you had no work, the warriors worked 7 days a week. You hoped that they got compensated well for that, and that is also part of the reason why you always go above and beyond when you billet them.

On Sunday evening, you passed an area of the living room where Tomas was having a private phone conversation with someone; he had his back towards you.

“It has been uneventful so far, Kuai Liang. No threats yet.”

As you didn’t want to eavesdrop, you went about preparing dinner after locking the kitties in your workshop. Again, the miserable meows filled the air.

When the pot of vegetables that you had cooked in a pot filled with vegetable broth and coconut cream started to boil, you pureed the mix with your immersion blender until the pot magically turned a beautiful vibrant orange. You added more salt, sugar, cracked pepper and spices to taste until you had achieved a desired balance.

You then proceeded to make a simple apple salad with a sweet and tart citrus vinaigrette that paired well with a large pork roast that you had in the oven, and then toasted slices of sour dough with the roasted garlic and herb compound butter that you made a few days ago. There was also gravy ready made on the stove. Since it was the fall, you wanted to make something season appropriate.

Once that was done, you set the table and started to bring out the food. While you were doing so, you overheard this:

“There have been no problems with my host so far. I have been properly spoiled with home made meals…………Well, she is nice enough, but she’s too serious. Cagey. I’ve been observing her and my first impression is that she seems uneasy around me, like she’s scared of me!” This was followed by loud laughter by the person on the other line.

You stopped moving and were taken aback.

“………Actually, in fairness to her, I do remember her reaction when I mentioned being……(more laughter on the receiving end)…....no, it’s not funny!.........What?? Since when am I intimidating??.....(……….”yeah, man!”).....I also look too serious? It’s never my intent to…………..Cut it out! I do NOT look like a Russian villain!”

You kept moving and managed to finish setting the table and let slipped a silent stifled giggle. You couldn’t help but wanted to eavesdrop, even though you know you shouldn’t.

“I don’t know how to get her to be more comfortable around me,” Tomas hissed quietly, “…………Oh, really?..............That’s the thing, I’m not, though!” He let out an exasperated sigh, “You know what? I’m hanging up now!”

You decided to hang out in the kitchen and pretended to finish up.

There was a delightful exclamation of “Oooh! This looks amazing!” from where the dining table is.

“What would you like to drink?” You asked from behind the counter, opening the glass.

“Lemonade, please.”

You filled a tall glass with his juice of choice and you settled for a hot apple cider and took the glassed to the table.

“By the way, you don’t have to lock the cats in. I am fine with them roaming around,” he said reassuringly.

“I didn’t want them jumping on the counter while I’m making food, nor do I want them on the table while we’re eating, because, you know? Litter paws. Germs.”

“Fair enough. I feel bad for them, though.”

You began carving the pork roast while Tomas bowed his head and said, “Itadakimasu!”, and then helped himself to the salad and toast. All the while, you gave no indication that you overheard the conversation he was having with Kuai Liang, but in the back of your mind, you were dying to know what they were saying about you.

#tomas vrbada #tomas x reader #mortal kombat #mk1 #harumi hasashi #li mei #li mei mk #mk1 liu kang #liu kang #mk1 tomas vrbada #mk1 smoke #smoke #funny #kuai liang #mk1 kuai liang #scorpion #mk1 scorpion

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xirayn · 11 months

Text

Stonathan Week Day 7: Forced Proximity - One the drive home from university for winter break, Steve and Jonathan get stuck in a snowbank.

written by @xirayn

part 2

This is another 'screenplay wasn't done in time' ficlet that is turning into a whole thing. Here is a snippet so that I (technically) complete the week.

When It's Cold

Jonathan didn't plan on spending his winter vacation in a snowbank, but here he is. He snaps a picture of Steve hitting the steering wheel of the Bimmer in frustration when the squealing and revving stops. It earns him a murderous glare. Jonathan shrugs.

"I'm documenting our final moments," he states flatly before taking another picture of Steve's pursed lips and furrowed brow.

"Do you want me to break your camera again?" Steve practically growls.

Jonathan shrugs. He's still feeling pretty good from the joint he smoked before they left Indianapolis where they are attending university, him for photography and Steve for exercise science. Irritated Steve also does things to high Jonathan - well, sober Jonathan, too, but that guy pushes those thoughts back because of all the what-ifs he buries his trust issues under.

"We could call someone."

The look Steve gives him is not amused and that little bit of bitchy that is actually kind of hot. Jonathan takes another picture.

"Are you kidding me?" Steve snaps. "We're going to freeze to death and you are too high to know there isn't a phone in the damn car!"

Jonathan snorts. "That actually sounds better than the other deaths we've faced. We just fall asleep and drift away."

Steve slumps in his seat, staring blankly up at something Jonathan doesn't see when he looks. The attempt puts his head on Steve's shoulder. It's nice and he doesn't get pushed away, so he decides to stay. A thought strikes him, and he sees no reason to deny it, so he reaches up to comb his fingers through Steve's hair.

"What are you doing?" Steve asks.

"Calming you."

"Sure." He sounds resigned rather than annoyed, which is enough permission for Jonathan to continue. His nails scratch gently against Steve's scalp and watches in fascination as Steve's jaw and throat work.

"I can be your blanket if you get cold," Jonathan suggests.

A frown pulls at the corner of Steve's lips. Jonathan gets momentarily transfixed on their fullness and the bits of chapped skin caused by the dry air.

"We'll share body heat," Jonathan continues when his suggestion is met with silence. "I'll open my coat and you open yours, then I'll sit in your lap and we'll snuggle."

"Snuggle?"

"Yeah. Unless you're afraid of catching my queer," Jonathan responds, feeling clever even though he knows he's not.

Then he realizes he said that aloud and the pleasantness abruptly vanishes from his high. His hand stills in Steve's hair. It's fine. This is fine. He could say it was just a dig at Past Steve. Bringing that up would at least make Steve shy away from the topic

"Hard to catch what I already have."

Oh-

Oh!

To be continued...

#stonathan #stonathanweek2023 #steve harrington #jonathan byers #wip whenever

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garciaasfluffypen · 2 years

Note

prompt list #12

numbers 1 and 2

with Jennifer Jareau 😫

i love you, but shut the fuck up

wc: 696 pairing: jj x gn!reader warnings: secret relationship! jjxreader, mentions of a homophobic unsub (nothing happens i promise), men are creepy assholes,

“jesus fuck, jennifer!”

your head rolled back as your “wife” started to massage your shoulders, the tension you felt from the past few weeks immediately leaving your body.

the two of you had gone undercover to try and catch an unsub who was targeting lgbt couples vacationing at the hotel you two were currently sitting at. the pool, you figured, would be the best place to do some recon and to get yourselves out in the open and visible to said unsub.

“you’re being quite loud, sweetheart. people are staring.”

“i’m aware, jj, that’s the point.” you turned to look back to her. “how else are we going to get their attention if we’re not being obvious? we probably look like two best friends. we have to act more like a couple.”

“darling...”

“and i mean yeah, we don’t want the team to know but we’re not mic’d up and anything so we can be open as we want.”

“baby.”

you leaned back into her touch. “and i’m just saying, you could totally kiss me right now and nobody would be none the--”

“y/n. ten o’clock.”

your eyes automatically scanned the pool deck as jj went back to massaging your shoulders, noticing a weird looking man staring you two down. that must be him. the discomfort you had felt slowly creeped its way back into your shoulders as you leaned back into jj’s touch, trying to reach slyly for her knee to give your secret code- three taps to the knee to get the fuck out of there.

as if on cue, you realized the man was walking by you and you tensed up, aggressively tapping jj’s knee. but like you, she was frozen to the deck chair, watching him come closer and closer. as he walked by you two, he made eye contact with you specifically, licking his lips.

“oh no, please, by all means…. continue, don’t let me stop you.”

as he walked away, you cowered back into your girlfriend, trying not to let your emotions get the best of you. her arms wrapped around you and pulled you close, whispering sweet nothings into your ear as you did your best to calm down. by the time you had gotten your breathing slowed down, jj had already one-handedly packed your guys’ bag and got you out of the chair and had started to drag you closer to the building. your mind was racing a mile a minute as you made your way to the team’s room they had rented out, jj doing the special knock for derek to let you two in.

you let jj do all the talking as you sat in the corner playing with your necklace- the one that jj had gifted you for christmas the previous year- waiting for her to come back over to you so you could go back to the room you two were staying in and waiting for him to come. all you wanted to do was just go back and watch a fluffy and fun movie, maybe order some room service and just forget everything had happened.

garcia had come to sit next to you after they had gotten a good view of the unsub in the security feed, talking your ear off to try and distract you. you really appreciated it, you did, but you didn’t want to talk to anyone right now. you had just gotten eye-fucked by a creepy sixty plus year old man, and you did Not want to be hearing about the new disney movie coming out.

“garcia, i love you, i love you so much, but i swear to god, i’ll beat you to death with my high heels, if you don’t shut the fuck up.”

jj locked eyes with you and looked back to derek, silently signaling that you two were going to go back to your room. fucking finally. she grabbed your hand and pulled you up from where you were sitting, slipping one of her oversized shirts over you before you two stepped out into the hallway, ready to make your way back to your room.

“you good?”

“no,” you started. “but i will be.”

#jj x reader #jennifer jareau x reader #criminal minds x reader #criminal minds fanfic #an i (queue) of 187

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lavenoon · 1 year

Note

I have nonstop been thinking about the newest chapter of AU for a few hours and now its officially Brain Rot hours (1 am).

Sun and Moon getting transferred because of a promotion to get more money to help out their brother is something I absolutely love! The boys having to move out and Robin learns of their identities is just icing on the cake.

But I raise you this: Instead of a young couple moving in, its Eclipse.

Eclipse had been wanting to pay a visit to his brothers after being away for so long that he begged for a transfer to their building that he got under the condition of doing a big secret project along with being unable to transfer back for a few months.

Sun and Moon are unaware that Eclipse has been transferred and Eclipse is unaware of the two's promotion.

Eclipse is sad to not see his brothers and struggling to find a place to live only to see Robin's listing for a tenant/resident (idk how it works/what it's called).

Robin is shocked to see another celestial animatronic but doesn't turn them away. Maybe Eclipse mentions his failing battery and that this place is his best bet at safe traveling to and from work; not to mention that because of the battery his work hours constantly change. Robin agrees because maybe this will help them overcome their sadness of the boys (it doesn't but hey new friend maybe).

A week later Robin is at work and catches on to whispers of a new lab guy and decides to visit the sector to see how good this new tech is (maybe they can get an upgrade they couldn't do themselves) only to see Eclipse making another explosion of a prototype.

Eclipse is so proud of their little explosion writing down his findings only to see Robin and introduces himself as Eclipse then remembers "Wait its Horizon".

Robin is a deer in headlights like "what do I do, this guy is my neighbor". They talk a bit with them to see how different he is only to see that Eclipse is just the same, if just a tad bit more explosive.

Maybe they talk and one night they both walk home late from work together (Robin revealed they were neighbors and Eclipse is just so happy to have a genuine friend) and it's a good thing too since Eclipse has a crash in front of them and Robin panics. Give it a few minutes and Eclipse is back online and explains that that is what he meant by safer route home.

Robin makes it a point from now on to keep an eye out for Eclipse when out to make sure he gets home safe. Maybe they hangout a lot more during the day so Eclipse can go explore the city more once they find out what's happening.

Sun and Moon don't learn about Eclipse moving/transferring until they try to contact him about his battery upgrade only for him to gush about his new neighbor and how great of a friend they are (whether he reveals its Robin along with their identity or not is up for debate. Honestly if he hasn't revealed who his brothers are to Robin yet would be a miracle)

At this point my brain has died from needing sleep since its now 2 am and I am 90% sure none of this makes sense.

Sorry for the long rambles in your inbox.

Hope you have a wonderful day/night dear! Take Care!

This is amazing and while it wouldn't quite work in canon, I'm eating this up!

Just. Oh my god. The higher ups finally got their asses into gear to prevent the identity leak of three agents living next to each other, trick two into transferring, and then their brother moves into their vacated home? The absolute irony. The hilarity. HQ is just twitching at this point.

A reveal with Eclipse that early on would go over a lot smoother - mostly because Eclipse just makes any secrecy impossible from the start. He recognizes his landlord, sees they recognize him, and just goes "Hey! Well that's a funny coincidence! :D" while Robin is caught between dynamics - currently they're the star agent, but in front of them is their giant golden retriever of a neighbor and it's just.

It's a lot.

But they're kind of used to "a lot" by now. Click the door shut for some privacy, and make sure they're alone, before just heaving the deepest sigh and asking "Let me guess, you have two brothers?"

"Oh, yes! I actually came to see them, but I haven't caught them yet."

And Robin kind of... They feel for him. They don't know much about him, but he got left behind (unbeknownst to Sun and Moon) just like they did. The communication between the three of them seems to be lacking, and that pisses them off, too.

Protective Robin, activate.

It distracts them from their own pain, too.

So they're still angry at their boys - but they just mentally adopted another, and boy did that go fast. Despite everything, befriending Sun and Moon lowered their walls, and if Eclipse comes in soon enough after the transfer, they haven't built them up again yet.

Gently (as gentle as they can be) they explain. The two transferred - got a promotion, and everything else. Eclipse listens, not quite sure what to make of it all, and just lets their name slip -

Robin immediately winces and shushes him - "Call me Robin when we're at work" "Wait, you're Robin?" "What do you mean, I'm Robin?"

Cue more realizations, when it clicks for Eclipse just how stupid his brothers were - he's a little nicer to his newest friend, who seems pretty angry at them themself, and doesn't ask why they didn't notice for over half a year

(*Sun and Moon worked there for a few months before moving in with Y/N - they had a temporary accommodation, and rose the ranks to already establish a rivalry with Robin before Sun every visited the place)

It gets even funnier should Sun/ Moon come back - the absolute terror of asking Eclipse for his new address ("When did you transfer??" "You didn't tell me about yours, why should I tell you about mine?") and getting their old one in return.

And then there's Y/N, somehow in the know about their messed up little family, bristling and ranting at them for not even telling their brother they're transferring - there's not even any need for secrecy, they're all three agents!

Wait.

They know that, too?

"Oh yes, Robin helps me out in the lab sometimes during slow days!"

"Well. I sit there with the fire extinguisher and we talk."

"That's more than the others do."

And Sun (bc it's probably him) just stands there, staring blankly, internally screaming loud enough to wake up Moon, who is VERY confused and then sees the situation at hand - and oop, now he's screaming too.

They got a lot to apologize for, now - and it's very awkward to suddenly have your brother and former crush rival/neighbor be besties and getting chewed out by the latter while the former stands behind them with the smuggest grin because, well... He didn't leave them. Will have to, at some point, yes, but not suddenly and not in a "leaving you behind" way, and there's no secrets anymore so they can just keep in touch.

There's still a happy end for them all, with Eclipse speeding that along, too, because he just keeps nagging Sun and Moon about "You're treating them right, yes? You're not being idiots again?" "No, Eclipse, we're being nice and we still apologize every day. Pretty sure they're sick of it by now, actually" "Do it again just to make sure"

In parallel, Y/N is texting Eclipse to "STOP TELLING YOUR BROTHERS TO BE SO APOLOGETIC IT'S WEIRDING ME OUT IF THEY KEEP LOOKING LIKE KICKED PUPPIES I WILL HAVE TO KICK THEM AT SOME POINT" "Glad to be of service (:" "If you want to be of service, send me one of those modified smoke bombs you made. I'm feeling vengeful." "Done!"

So it's a little awkward, and there's still some bitterness to address, (and also some realizations about the true nature of the promotion), but they'll all be okay <3

#answer let luce #darklighthedgehog #accidentally undercover #aaaa I wanted to say so much more but #spoilers for the sequel drabble AND I'm on a timer gfhdjs #but this is very much fun and swings it all around to the comedy this is supposed to be #bc. uh. AU *was* supposed to be a comedy GFHDJS #whoops sorry about that #sleep well!! Hope you didn't wait for this oh my god

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alexkellersgymshorts · 10 months

Text

The Mechanics of Hope (Chapter 2)

[Chapter 1]

Kyle "Gaz" Garrick x Alex Keller

Single Parent Omega Gaz x Mechanic Alpha Alex Keller

Alex Keller is ready to find love. He's doing everything in his power to find it, too. He's dating, he's looking around, but... nothing seems to stick. Oh well, there's plenty of omegas to chase.

Until Kyle Garrick comes into the mechanic's shop he works at. The omega is gorgeous, he's funny, and Alex wants him so bad, falling hard and fast.

However, the omega doesn't really seem that interested.

Warnings: ABO, fem leaning terms for omegas

Alex rolled his eyes, listening to Farah complain about how slow it was. “You could ask Price to order us lunch. You know he won’t order himself any unless we ask.” He pointed out.

Farah sighed, seeming to consider it and then she sighed, leaning against the counter before unzipping her jumpsuit and tying it around her waist. “I knew there were going to be slow days, but he could at least put a TV out here instead of watching soccer in his office.”

“Football, Farah.” Alex jokingly corrected, putting on his best impression of Price’s voice. “It’s football.”

“Whatever.” Farah rolled her eyes and finally plopped down into the chair she’d been standing in front of. “How did your date go?”

“Well, considering she hasn’t called or texted…” Alex winced and then shook his head. “It’s alright. There are other omegas out there.”

“There are.” Farah agreed, though she still looked sympathetic. “I’m sorry, Alex. I’m sure you’ll find someone.”

Alex shrugged, trying not to appear too broken up over it. He was upset, he’d really liked that omega, but… he was sure he’d find another. They hadn’t really clicked that much, anyway. They didn’t have too many things in common and it sounded like, from her brief bit of talking about herself, that she may end up having way too busy of a schedule for Alex. Alex wanted someone who he could frequently see, who he could dote on…

He shook it off and sighed. There would be other omegas, other opportunities. He was only 24, he had time.

“Alright, you two, I’m taking my lunch.” Price said, coming out of his office. “Watch the shop, though… there likely won’t be anyone for a while.”

Alex couldn’t help snorting softly, waving him off, and turning back to the counter. When Price had left, Farah groaned. “I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but I think I’ll take inventory.”

Inventory was… one of the tasks they hated. Usually, Soap did it since lists and counting off things was like crack for him. Alex and Farah despised it, and since Soap was meant to be on vacation that week while he transitioned to taking classes, they had to do it.

“Yeah, good luck with that.” Alex laughed, before both were immediately perking up as someone came into the store.

An omega came in, looking a little frazzled. Not in a crazed way, more in a very stressed way. Alex did his best, he did his very best not to immediately look over the omega’s body, but, fuck, Alex was definitely an alpha.

Tall for an omega, slim, but all legs, even though he was dressed very conservative, a long sleeved shirt and fitted jeans that hugged him in very nice ways. Alex met Farah’s eyes, seeing they were very amused and she just shrugged before they both turned back to the omega as he finally made it fully up to the counter.

Alex put on his best charming grin, leaning against the counter so he could look at the omega properly, his eyes catching on the omega’s own eyes, which were a deep brown, but held a sort of… fuck, Alex didn’t have a word for it, but they drew him in and he imagined himself drowning in them.

“I…I uh…” His attention was lost faster than Alex considered fair as the omega immediately turned to Farah and disappointment took over Alex’s head. Damn. “Is Price in?”

“He is!” Farah answered, giving Alex a sympathetic smile before nodding to the omega. “He’s in his office. Do you need to speak to him? He is on lunch right now. Maybe we-”

“Oh, I can wait, then.” The omega answered, almost appearing to shrink in on himself. “Um, my name is Kyle-”

“Oh, don’t give that shit, Gaz.” Price was out of his office a moment later and Alex tilted his head at seeing that his chair, in his office, was backed up almost to wall, like Price had flung it out in an attempt to get up.

So, Alex immediately knew who this omega had to be. Kyle Garrick, which was the omega that Price had taken over a sort of fatherly role for, if Laswell was correct. Apparently, Price had quite the soft spot for this omega.

Price continued, elbowing his way in front of Alex. “You don’t have to wait. I forgot the damn sack at home, anyway, so I was watching football.” Right, that was one of the reasons they’d considered trying to convince Price to buy lunch.

Deciding to try to rile Price up, and hopefully make Kyle laugh, Alex turned to Price and crossed his arms. “Don’t you mean soccer, sir? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you watch American Football.” Maybe rugby, but not their football.

He couldn’t help grinning as Price slowly turned to glare at him. “I mean football, Keller. The right football.” Price muttered and Alex laughed, softly, since he’d succeeded in his task. However, the omega didn’t seem to find the joke funny, instead Kyle appeared to be working something out in his head.

Price rolled his eyes. “Just bring in his car, would you? It’s the shitty Kia.”

That got a laugh and Alex had to admit, he felt a little jaded. Of course the old man succeeded where Alex failed. “Hey!” Kyle exclaimed, crossing his arms and continuing to laugh. “It’s my shitty Kia and it’s been pretty reliable. When… it’s not breaking down, that is.” His voice dropped to a mumble at the last sentence. “It’s making that noise again.”

Alex’s thoughts ended up being echoed by Price’s words. “Probably the belt, again.” Price sighed, shaking his head. “That bloody thing goes through more belts than I do around Christmas.”

Alex and Farah shared a confused look. What does that even mean? Alex mouthed to Farah, who just put her hands up.

“Farah, can you-”

Farah cut Price off. “On it!” She gave a thumbs up and then turned to Gaz. “Can I have your keys, please?” Her eyes were soft and Alex had to resist not to groan, because if he had to compete with Price and Farah for Kyle’s attention, he might lose his fucking mind.

“Thanks.” Kyle said as he gave her the keys. “I have some errands to run, so I’ll be back in a few hours.” He then turned to Price, again. “Please let me pay this time.”

Price just laughed and Alex almost did as well. “For a slipped belt?” It was hardly more than a few minutes of effort, though he was sure Price would have them do a full inspection on it. Oh well, something to do. For Farah.

Poor Alex would be stuck, continuing to be bored, and watching the counter. Maybe he’d just tell the old man to suck it and play solitaire on his phone or something. Hell, maybe he’d even watch “football”, but American Football.

He suddenly became aware that Price was talking to him. And that he’d been accidentally staring at Kyle while he’d zoned out. Fuck. “Well, don’t fucking dawdle, Keller! There’s shit to do!”

Alex didn’t get a chance to respond before Price was huffing and going back into his office. Rolling his eyes, he moved fully back behind the counter and shook his head. “There really isn’t.” He told Kyle, trying to find an excuse to keep talking to him. “Hence why he took his lunch. Well…” He seized another opportunity to try to make Kyle laugh again. “Actually, he took it because Nik threatened to leave his ass if he kept overworking himself.”

It was the truth, he and Farah had watched the argument that morning, since Price and Nik had stayed at Laswell’s house for the night.

Alex grinned, victoriously, as Kyle finally laughed at his joke, trying not to puff out his chest with pride.

“I don’t think we’ve met.” Kyle started, moving forward a bit. “I’m Kyle, like I said earlier, but… pretty much everyone calls me Gaz.”

Alex noted that and switched to thinking of him as Gaz, since usually people didn’t mention things like that unless they had a preference. However… he was curious. “Why? I uh, sort of fail to see how that fits with Kyle.” He joked.

Gaz laughed, again, and Alex felt like he was on a roll. He’d have to put it on a plaque. Made a Gorgeous Omega Laugh Twice. Alex needed to get a handle on himself. “Price started to call me by it. I’m not really sure why, actually.”

“Ah, well, the old man does funny things.” Alex shrugged. He noticed Gaz’s eyes flicker to the door, so he smiled. “I’ll let you get to your errands.” And he’d return to charming the omega when he returned to pick up his car. Yes. Brilliant Plan.

Already, he had several of his best tactics lined up in his head, trying to remember all of his best witty one liners. God, Ghost would give him so much shit if he knew how much of a dork Alex really was.

“Thanks, I’ll let you… well, be bored I guess. Dawdle.” Gaz chuckled and gestured.

Alex couldn’t help laughing and then, he may have imagined it, he probably imagined it, but he could have sworn he saw the omega blush a little before waving and leaving, going to one of the trucks. Price must have given him his keys.

Well, the brief amount of excitement and entertainment left Alex feeling almost even more bored than he had before as he just sat in the little chair they kept behind the counter, shaking his head and getting out his phone.

Shockingly, even when Price came out to throw something away, he didn’t scold Alex for being on his phone, and instead just chatted to Alex about dinner the night before. Diane had made lasagna, which had been fantastic, so they were talking about the best way to ask her to make it again.

Farah came back in a moment later, shaking her head. “Price, that car is held together by duct tape and hope. Of which I have little.”

“You’re preaching to the choir.” Price sighed. “But, Kyle won’t let me replace it. Insists he doesn’t want me to spend that much money. I’d just buy one but I don’t know if he’d accept it.”

“I’m worried about him driving it!” Farah pushed up her sleeves, having pulled her jumpsuit fully back on. “I don’t even think we could fully fix it. It needs to be junked.”

“I’d love to!” Price gestured. “Would you like to convince him to let me replace it? He can’t afford to buy himself a new one besides… I think it has sentimental value to him.” He sighed and ran a hand down his face.

Alex shared another look with Farah. “How?”

“That’s not my story to tell.” Price shrugged and then sighed. “Just… fix the belt, fix anything else that you can to keep it running, I’ll throw in some-”

“Nah, don’t worry about that.” Farah waved him off. “I’m bored, anyway, it’ll give me something to do.”

“Great.” Alex huffed, since not only would he be stuck in the shop, bored, but Farah wouldn’t even be there so he had someone to talk to. He planted his ass back in the chair, trying very hard not to pout like a child.

Price chuckled and pat his shoulder before frowning as his phone rang and then shaking his head. “I have to go. Laswell needs help with something.”

Both just waved him off and he grabbed some keys and left, taking his second truck. Farah came over, sighing. “I’m worried it will fall apart while he’s driving it.”

“I mean, the truck is old, but I’m sure it’ll be fine. Nik would force him to replace it if it was a safety hazard.” Alex waved her off, about to turn back to his phone before jumping as she snapped her fingers.

“No, Alex! That omega’s Kia! It’s falling apart!” Farah huffed and then crossed her arms before softening. “I understand he can’t afford a new car and I understand pride, but it’s a safety issue.”

“I don’t know. Maybe he’d let him if Price told him it was a safety issue?” Alex offered, a little embarrassed he didn’t pick up on her meaning.

“Maybe.” Farah mumbled and then moved to sit on the counter, sighing. “Everything needs to be replaced.”

Alex winced and then turned back to his phone. “We’re strangers, I doubt he’d listen to us.” God, Alex would love not to be a stranger, though. He was a bit of a romantic. “What did you think of him?”

Farah raised an eyebrow before chuckling softly. “He’s pretty.” She crossed her arms, looking amused.

“Pretty??” Alex laughed in indignance. “He was gorgeous. All legs and his eyes-” He stopped when she was laughing, rolling his eyes. “I saw how you interacted with him.”

“Alex, Price will have your knot if you even think about trying anything with that omega.” Farah chuckled. “He’ll hang you by it.”

“Nice visual.” Alex muttered, unable to help wincing as he thought about that. He dropped his shoulders, realizing Farah was right. “Yeah, you’re right. Still, I-”

“I know. You want to find a mate. You’ve never been one to take life slow.” Farah softened and then shrugged. “Who knows. Maybe you’ll end up charming that omega so well that Price just has to let you keep seeing him.”

“Maybe…” Alex relaxed, thinking about Kyle, again. “He was gorgeous… I would really like to get to know him better.” He really would. He already had several ideas in mind of exactly what he’d like to do with Kyle.

Farah smiled, sympathetic. “I’m rooting for you, Alex.” She said and then nudged him. “You could ask Laswell about him? I’m sure she’d know something.”

“Maybe.” Alex did perk up a little, since that was a more than decent idea. Laswell would definitely tell him, too.

Farah sighed and finally stood again. “Well, I already fixed the belt, but I think I could find a few small things to fix. One of the tires needs to be replaced, so I might do that. Have fun.”

“Yeah, sure.” Alex rolled his eyes.

As it was, she only ended up being a little bit longer before coming back and tossing Alex the keys. “I’m going to go on break and pick us up something to eat. What would you like?”

“I don’t know, just bring me back whatever you get for yourself.” Alex answered, catching the keys and putting them in the drawer.

“Will do.” Farah nodded and grabbed her own keys, leaving.

None of this was fixing Alex’s boredom.

Of course, only a few moments later, Gaz finally came back and Alex practically scrambled to sit up and put his phone away, grinning as the omega came in. “Where’s Price?” Gaz asked, appearing to frown.

Alex got out Gaz’s keys and held them out, while he answered. “Laswell called. Had an issue, I think, so he rushed off, took his other keys.”

He accepted Price’s keys as Gaz gave them and watched the omega frown even deeper. “Oh. Thanks.”

Alex hesitated before deciding to seize his opportunity. “Hey, um… do you want to get coffee? Or… tea?” He joked, blushing as he saw Gaz blush and then laugh.

“I..” Gaz started before his expression dropped and he looked disappointed. “I can’t… I don’t date mechanics.”

Disappointment filled Alex’s chest, but he tried not to show it, brushing it off and deciding to keep joking. “Oh. Well, if that’s the case, I’ll quit right now.” He half grinned. “Actually, I’m studying criminology. You date lawyers?” Look, Alex had to try at least once more.

“Too stuffy.” Gaz answered, his tone teasing, and he leaned against the counter. God, the omega was alluring, the way he looked up at Alex through his lashes, the way he put his hand on the counter while leaning his hip against it. “Too uptight.”

Alex couldn’t help himself as he leaned forward, dropping his voice, and moving his eyes to trace over Gaz’s lips. “I can be anything but uptight.” He promised, maybe pressing his luck a little.

Gaz let out a soft, disappointed sigh. “Sorry, I don’t date.” He smiled, apologetically, and Alex frowned. “You’re cute, though. Tell Farah thanks for fixing my car.”

Fuck. “That’s alright.” He attempted to keep smiling and just nodded, trying not to take the rejection so harshly. Well, Price wouldn’t have to hang him by his knot, it seemed, because Gaz was just not interested. “Have a great day, Gaz.”

“You too.” Gaz gave a little wave and then he was heading off, right as Farah was coming in, having used the side door.

“I uh… heard everything.” Farah winced, coming over. “Sorry, Alex.”

“It’s alright.” Alex mumbled and sat back down. “There are other omegas.”

“There are.” Farah agreed as she set a bag down. “Come on. Dispel your disappointment with food. I got sandwiches from that place you like.”

Alex shrugged and sat up, half grinning. “Hell yeah.”

#kyle “gaz” garrick #alex keller #kyle gaz garrick x alex keller #omega kyle gaz garrick #alpha alex keller #single parent kyle gaz garrick #mechanic alex keller #gaz cod #alex cod #call of duty #call of duty fanfiction #omegaverse #omega kyle gaz garrick x alpha alex keller

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