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justagalwhowrites · 7 months

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New in Town - Ch. 4: First Cookout

Sarah invites you to Joel's place to celebrate the last night she's in town. A continuation of New in Town chapters 1-3 found on Tumblr here.

Pairing: Best Friend's Dad!Joel Miller x Female Reader

CW: Smut. Because obviously smut. It's these two, they fuck. No use of Y/N. Age gap (reader is 35 Joel is 47, not a focus of the fic). Minors DNI, 18+ only

Length: 5.8k

AO3 | First Chapter | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

“And this is going to be your desk,” you smiled, excited but keeping your voice down. Sarah made a quiet squeal back at you. “See, I can see you from my desk so you can make faces at me while I’m dealing with the boring accounts people. I’m manifesting it, I swear I am.”

“I’m seriously about to make a fucking moodboard if it’ll help,” she sat on the desk, her legs dangling over the edge. “I miss Austin. I didn’t think I’d miss it this much but I really do. Seattle was way more fun when you were there, now all I do is try to convince myself that my job is totally worth the 500 days of rain we get every year.”

You laughed.

“Something tells me it’s not quite that many.”

“Feels like that many,” she rolled her eyes. “Now please. I need BBQ.”

You shook your head and laughed before heading to the elevators to go to lunch with your best friend.

Joel had texted you a warning with his usual good morning text that day.

“Good morning, Beautiful,” he wrote. “Really miss feeling you right before I fall asleep. Please tell me you’re not busy tomorrow night. Heads up, expect Sarah to drop in on you today. I have to be at a site for a few hours and she mentioned stopping by your office. She’ll probably invite you to the cookout we’re having tonight - up to you if you want to come.”

You frowned when you read it. “Up to you if you want to come.” What the fuck did that mean?

“Miss feeling you too,” you added a heart emoji. “Only plans I have for tomorrow night involve you ripping my clothes off.”

You rapped your nails against your phone, waiting to see if he’d text back before you started getting ready for the day but he didn’t. You sighed. He probably had to be on site early and couldn’t use his phone.

“Goddammit,” you muttered, putting your face in your pillow and groaning. How were you supposed to navigate this?

Did Joel want you to come but was trying to keep the pressure off? Did he not want you anywhere near him when Sarah was in town?

Yes, he’d spent a fair bit of time fucking your brains out over the past few weeks but, in reality, he wasn’t anything to you. He was a guy you’d gone out with once, he wasn’t your boyfriend, he didn’t have to invite you over for anything let alone something that might make him feel uncomfortable because you were friends with his kid. Even though, to you, he felt like so much more than some guy you were fucking. So, so much more.

And also your best friend’s dad.

Because fate was a cruel, cruel thing.

You checked your phone every few minutes as you got ready for work but the messages sat on delivered. You sighed and resisted the urge to text again and just kept checking your phone every few minutes in your office, too.

“Wouldn’t argue with some help in the clothing removal department,” he wrote. “I’m going to want you naked fast. Requesting something with easy access so I can get inside you ASAP.”

You smiled and shook your head a little.

“Still warm enough for a sundress,” you sent a winky face emoji with that and briefly considered going to the bathroom to take a selfie that involved an unprofessional amount of cleavage.

“Jesus Christ,” he sent back. “Pull me in a restroom wearing one of those and we’re not stopping at you humping my leg.”

“Counting on it,” you wrote, smiling a little wider before deciding to just bite the bullet. “Did you want me to go tonight? If Sarah asks?”

“What’s go you smiling so big?”

You almost jumped out of your skin when you saw Sarah leaning against the doorframe to your office.

“Good lord, girl, we gotta put a bell on you,” you smiled anyway, being sure to lock your phone before getting up to hug her. “What are you doing here?”

“My dad had some client issue so I figure I’d come visit my bestie,” she gave you a squeeze before stepping back from you. “Plus I’m dying to see where I’m going to commute to every day once they finally let me come here.”

Sarah picked the restaurant, a BBQ place that wasn’t far from your office and only offered wooden picnic tables sitting under a rusted metal awning for seating.

“Oh this is going to be good shit,” you said, taking a deep breath, the smell of smoked meat heavy on the air. “I can tell.”

“Knew you’d love this place,” she smiled. “Kind of surprised my dad hasn’t taken you here already, actually.”

You froze for half a second before regaining your composure.

“We’ve only gone out the one time since the first time we met up,” you shrugged. “Can’t exactly show me the entire city in that time.”

The two of you got in line, the place starting to get crowded now that it was pushing noon.

“I know,” she rolled her eyes. “I just really thought you guys would hit it off I guess.”

Well you’d definitely done that.

“Does it really bother you that I’m not hitting the town with your dad more?” You asked, teasing.

“Kind of, actually,” she laughed. “You know those stupid TV episodes they do where the cast of one show goes on another show?”

“The crossover ones?” You frowned.”

“Right,” she nodded. The line moved and the two of you stepped forward. “This was like… my real life crossover episode and it just kinda flopped. Like my two favorite characters finally were in the same place and just didn’t have the chemistry for good TV.”

Yeah, chemistry? Not your issue with Joel.

“I’ll be sure to lodge your complaint with the writers,” you said dryly. “Tell them to get their shit together.”

You talked Sarah into ordering the meats you didn’t so you could try at least a bite of everything and you were almost uncomfortably full when you dropped your final wet napkin on the butcher paper covered tray in front of you.

“Oh, hey, meant to ask you before,” she said, polishing off her Dr. Pepper. “Did you have any plans tonight? My dad caved and is grilling out. My Uncle Tommy is coming over, his wife Maria, a few neighbors who have known me since I was in diapers and who can tell you every embarrassing thing I’ve ever done…”

“I don’t think they can tell me about the time you got drunk at karaoke night and tried to take the mic from that guy who was making an ass of himself,” you smirked.

Sarah groaned, throwing her head back and laughing.

“Oh my God, I forgot about that!”

You laughed, too, and took a second to check your phone to see if Joel had gotten back to you.

He had.

“Love for you to come,” he wrote. “Just going to be hell keeping my hands to myself all night. But would rather do that than not see you.”

You smiled a little and put your phone down.

“Yeah, I’ll come,” you said. “Just tell me what I can bring.”

You were almost giddy by the time you got home. It’s not like you’d seen Joel every day since you’d met him but the option always felt like it was there. You’d only texted a bit since the phone sex Sunday and it felt like it had been eons since you’d gotten to touch him. You wondered if it would be weird if you gave him a hug when Sarah was there. You could get away with a hug, right?

You pulled out a few outfit options, trying to find something that would make Joel want to check you out but not look like you were trying to get him to check you out. You pulled the shirts out and hung them on your floor length mirror so they were next to each other when you got an idea.

You stripped out of your work clothes and changed into your favorite matching bra and panty set, standing in front of the mirror with the shirts still hanging on it, arranging yourself so you could see your body between the clothes. You took a picture.

“Which shirt for tonight?” You typed, sending the picture to Joel.

He responded while you were jumping into your jeans, the denim tight on your thighs and hips.

“You’re cruel, you know that right?” He wrote. “I vote green. Feel like you’ll cause less trouble in the green.”

The green was a little tamer, you supposed. The v-neck wasn’t quite as low, the eyelet lace softer and almost girlish. You smiled a little.

“You’re right,” you wrote back. “Black it is.”

Black was a wrap top, with a deeper v-neck, something that would highlight your curves even more. And give Joel easy access.

“You’re a menace,” he texted.

“I know :)”

You got dressed and stopped by HEB on your way over, picking up a dozen bottles of Shiner. You’d had to consciously toe the line of trying without trying too hard and you stomach was in knots as you walked up to his front door. What if your hair or your makeup or your shoes or the tightness of your jeans screamed “I’m fucking the man who lives in this house”?

But you took a deep breath and rang the doorbell anyway. It didn’t take long for it Sarah to rip it open with a squeal, pulling you inside.

“I’m so glad you came!” She said, jumping a little as she pulled away from you. “This is going to be so much fun, I promise. See, we’re going to do shit like this all the time when I move down here. We gotta manifest it, girl, I’m telling you. It’s even more fun when it’s summer and people want to swim because getting drunk in a pool that’s not open to every other idiot in your apartment complex is seriously the best pass time.”

“I can only imagine,” you smiled. “And, I brought beer!”

You held up the six packs just as Joel went rushing past, on his way to the kitchen. But he doubled back and stopped, a slow smile spreading across his face as he looked you up and down from over Sarah’s shoulder. You smirked just a little and he shook his head slightly, smiling.

“Good to see you,” he said, stepping around Sarah for a somewhat awkward hug. He lowered his voice, his lips next to your ear, speaking so softly you could barely hear him. “Menace.”

He stepped back and you smiled wider.

“Good to see you, too.”

Joel took the beers from your hands and his eyes lingered a little too long on your chest - not that you were arguing.

“Come on,” Sarah slipped her hand into yours. “I want you to meet everybody!”

She tugged you along behind her to the backyard, you giving Joel an apologetic smirk over your shoulder, people standing in little clusters around the pool. You spotted Joel’s brother immediately, the resemblance hard to miss. He was standing next to a beautiful woman with braids half way down her back, his arm around her waist. You smiled a little. You remembered dropping Sarah off at the airport when she flew down the year before for her uncle’s wedding.

“Have fun!” You said, putting her duffle bag on her shoulder as your car sat with the emergency flashers on in the loading zone.

“Yeah, this is going to be a disaster,” she said. “There’s no way they’re making it down the aisle. I haven’t met Maria but it’s Tommy. He’s jumped from woman to woman since before I was born, the day he settles down is the day hell freezes over.”

When you picked her up again three days later, she had a different story.

“So did they actually get hitched?” You asked as she flopped heavily into the passenger seat.

“Holy shit, they did. She is the only woman on the planet who could actually get him to settle down,” she said. “And by some miracle, she wanted to. No accounting for taste with some people…”

You laughed and headed to your favorite bar to hear all about it. You hadn’t really expected to ever really meet him except maybe in passing at Sarah’s wedding one day. Now you were meeting him in your - boyfriend’s? Fuck buddy’s? Who knows what’s? - backyard.

“Tommy, Maria!” Sarah called as the two of you worked your way around the pool. “Got someone for you to meet, she’s new in town and in desperate need of social contacts.”

She made the introductions and Tommy laughed when he heard your name.

“The infamous best friend,” he smiled, pulling you in for a hug. “She as bad an influence on you as she was on me?”

“Oh shut up,” she rolled her eyes.

“She talked me into grand larceny once,” Tommy said, pointing accusingly at Sarah with the beer bottle in his hand.

“Did she now?” You asked, brows raised.

“Oh yes,” he nodded, smiling cheekily. “She was seven and Joel said she couldn’t have all her Halloween candy on Halloween…”

“A crime, really,” she smiled, grabbing Tommy’s beer and taking a drink before giving it back.

“And she was so cute, these big eyes and her little princess costume and her hair going in about a million different directions…”

“Yeah, Dad hadn’t figured out how to handle that yet,” she laughed a little.

“I caved,” Tommy said. “I put up a valiant fight…”

“You said yes immediately!” Sarah scoffed. “I barely even had to pout…”

“She was a monster,” Tommy cut her off. “I was at her mercy, I swear!”

“And then what happened?” Joel asked, joining your little circle with two beers in hand. He wordlessly pressed one into your palm. You smiled a little at him and he brushed his hand down your spine on his way to putting it in his back pocket. “C’mon, you two partners in crime, finish that story. What happened?”

“Nothing that bad,” Tommy waved him off.

“Yeah, it was fine,” Sarah said. “No lasting damage…”

“For you two maybe,” Joel laughed. “I was the one who was up until 3 in the morning washing all her bedding and scrubbin’ the wall of her room because she projectile vomited three pounds of candy like she was starring in the damn Exorcist.”

You laughed as Sarah and Tommy both tried to downplay it and Maria just lovingly patted her husband’s shoulder, rolling her eyes. While everyone was distracted, you snuck a look at Joel. Just a second to actually look at his face as he laughed and smiled with his family. It was a little unfair, how good looking he was. Somehow both rugged and soft, handsome and beautiful and you had to resist the urge to reach up and twist your fingers in his slightly unruly curls. You looked back at Sarah before anyone said anything and took a sip of beer.

Sarah got sidetracked talking with Tommy and you took advantage of it, leaning in to whisper in Joel’s ear.

“You’re really hot,” you said quietly. “Also, I got you a present, it’s in my purse.”

“Oh really?” He raised his eyebrows, a devious look on his face.

You rolled your eyes.

“Not that exciting,” you said.

“What are you two conspiring about?” Maria asked and you almost flinched as Tommy and Sarah turned their attention to you.

“Just how to get this one to stop meddlin’,” Joel said smoothly, nodding to his daughter.

“I do not meddle,” she replied. “I just nudge people in the right direction. Because I’m smarter than them.”

You got along well with Joel’s brother and sister-in-law. Tommy seemed more like a big brother to Sarah than an uncle, which made sense when they talked about her childhood years. Tommy was six years younger than Joel, just 16 when Sarah came into the world. So while he adored his niece, he wasn’t exactly mature enough to be a parent-like figure. It sounded like he’d helped his brother out a lot but had been more of a friend to Sarah than anything else.

You liked watching her and Joel with their friends and family, the easy familiarity of it all, the comfort of having history with people. It was something that was missing from your life.

Sure, you liked your life. You liked it quite a bit, actually. You had a job you enjoyed that paid you good money, you’d lived in some interesting places - Seattle, three years in New York City, an internship in Chicago, even Washington D.C. for a bit - and you could do just about whatever you wanted whenever you wanted. That was the beauty of not having anything to tie you down. The cost just meant not having roots and, sometimes, that hurt.

Joel disappeared inside at one point and, after taking quick stock of the backyard to make sure no one else was inside with him, you followed. You slipped into the entry and grabbed your purse, pulling out the bag of Fire Sour Patch Kids you’d seen in the candy aisle on your way to grab beer when you stopped at the store earlier that day.

Joel was in the kitchen cutting vegetables for burger toppings and you climbed on the counter next to the cutting board. He looked up at you out of the corner of his eye, trying to hide his smile while he shook his head.

“Meant what I said about you bein’ a menace,” he said, his eyes on the knife. “You’re torture. Beautiful torture but torture.”

“We aim to please,” you smiled, holding out the candy. He frowned for a second, drying his hands on his jeans, before he laughed and took the bag. “Warned you it wasn’t exciting…”

“This is great, Beautiful,” he leaned in and kissed you lightly, like it was an automatic thing, as though you did this in his kitchen all the time. “Been wantin’ to try these and then I never buy the damn things….”

“I’ll help you eat them if they suck,” you smiled. “And you can help me eat them if they don’t.”

He smiled again and moved in front of you, nudging your legs apart so he was standing between your thighs and he leaned in and kissed you - really kissed you. His tongue dipped into your mouth, his hands sliding up your legs to your waist as he tugged you closer. You draped your arms over his shoulders and pressed yourself against him and savored his touch. Fuck, you’d missed this. It had only been a few days but it felt like an eternity of him being out of reach and it was almost reassuring to feel the way his hands fit against your body even after some time apart.

“Fuck, you’re trouble,” he was breathless when he pulled away from you, his hands still on your body. “Just couldn’t wear the green, could ya?”

“And miss out on this?” You teased, running your fingers through his hair. “Never.”

Sarah sat between the two of you at dinner, the best spot for you and Joel to be in when you thought about it. Next to you was too much temptation, you’d end up touching each other and then not be able to help yourselves and that was bad.

Across wasn’t great, either, as you’d discovered at dinner the other night. If you could just check each other out the whole night, that wasn’t the safe way to go. Not to mention the opportunities for playing footsie under the table.

No no, you needed a better way to keep your hands to yourselves and Sarah was a great barrier for that - both literally and metaphorically - and you managed to get through the meal without any big slip ups. Something you were pretty damn proud of, if you did say so yourself.

You excused yourself to the bathroom as things were in that easy after dinner conversation stage of the evening, everyone pleasantly full and a little drunk, Sarah laughing with a neighbor from down the street whose name you’d forgotten. But when you opened the bathroom door to head back outside, Joel was there, pushing you back into the room and closing the door behind him.

“Joel!” You hissed, his hands on your waist.

“You really can’t expect me to wait when you show up lookin’ this damn good,” he growled, boosting you up so you were perched on the edge of the sink. “Everyone’s too busy to even notice we’re gone…”

His mouth found your neck and your chest as he untied your top, his tongue and teeth ranging over your skin and you couldn’t help but moan at his attention, your body already feeling warm and wanting. Joel stepped back from you a he fully opened your shirt, revealing your body to him as though it were some wondrous thing, moaning as he did.

“Fuck Beautiful,” his hands trailed up your exposed skin to cup your breasts through your bra. “Ain’t fair how one person can look this damn good…”

“Had to pull you away from the grill somehow,” you smiled, tugging him back against you and kissing him. He kissed you back, getting more and more desperate as he did. He pulled your breasts free of their cups so he could suck at them and hold them in his large hands, moaning into you. Your hands ran down his body to find his cock hard in his jeans, feeling him through the fabric, desperately wishing you could just rip all his clothes off and get him inside you.

“Think you can come from just your clit?” He asked, breathless, as he licked and sucked your neck.

“Yes,” you moaned. “Think you can come from just my hand?”

“It’d take less than that,” he panted as he opened your jeans and slid his hand inside as best he could, his finger finding your clit quickly. He ghosted over it with his finger, making you squirm and moan. “Fuck, Beautiful, you close already?”

“Maybe,” you panted as he pressed a little harder against the sensitive nub. You reached down to pull out his cock to start jerking him off but he caught your hand. You whined a little.

“Not yet,” he kissed back up to your mouth, holding his lips a fraction of an inch away from yours. “Lemme take care of you…”

He kissed you then, his tongue slipping into you as his finger pressed into your clit. You groaned and rocked your hips on him and you felt him smile against your lips. He started rubbing you in slow, aching circles, adding a little pressure every time around, matching his kiss to the pace of his fingers. You moaned desperately against him and he picked up his pace, working you over until you were gasping into his mouth while you came from his fingers.

“Fuck,” you panted as Joel slipped his hand from your pants. “How are you so goddamn good at that?”

“You’re so pretty when you come it’s easy to remember what does it,” he replied, stepping back from you. You slid off the sink but, instead of fixing your bra and closing your shirt, you dropped to your knees and started unzipping his fly. “Baby…”

“I can be quick,” you said, looking up at him through your eyelashes as you freed his cock. You never really got used to hot big he was - thick, heavy, long. But you’d be fine choking on him if it meant making him come.

You started by licking his head and he let out a shuddering little moan and you smiled a little, lapping at the dripping pre-come at his slit like he was your favorite flavor of ice cream. Which, he kind of was. Heady and masculine and Joel, knowing that he was dripping because of you made you want him even more.

Instead of taking the more gradual route, you took him into your mouth and throat all at once, having to swallow around the head of him as he pushed past your gag reflex. His hand flew to your head, fingers twisting in your hair and sinking into the thin layer of flesh over your skull.

“Oh fuck,” he panted. “Oh my fucking god…..”

You sucked him and moaned, the vibration of your vocal chords working the tip of him as it was lodged in your throat. You pressed your tongue against the thick vein that ran along the underside of him before you started pulling back, his grip on your head relaxing just enough to let you do it. You worked is cock up and down, sucking and licking and taking him into your mouth until you started to cough. He panted and moaned as you worked him until, eventually, he was clinging to the sink to stay upright.

“Fuck, please Baby, I need to come,” he groaned. You smiled as much as you could when your mouth was full of his thick cock. “Lemme… can I…”

You looked up at him, eyes wide, as you slid down him so he was buried in your mouth to the root and you hummed your approval. His hands immediately flew to your head and he started fucking into your mouth. You took it, swallowing past your gag reflex with each deep stroke. He didn’t last long, just a few pumps, before he was spilling into you, moaning quietly as he did. You swallowed it all, his cock so deep in your throat you could barely even taste him as he pumped his come into you.

“Fuck,” he all but collapsed against the sink and you carefully slid his cock from your mouth and got up, wiping your mouth on the back of your wrist. You adjusted your bra and tied your shirt again.

“Worth it?” You teased.

“Jesus Christ woman,” he groaned. “You’re gonna kill me.”

You smiled and kissed his cheek before you went to leave the bathroom but he grabbed your arm, pulling you back against him to kiss you deep and long. You tried to hide your surprise. Other guys you’d been with weren’t huge on kissing you after you went down on them. Joel didn’t seem to mind. But then, Joel just wasn’t like other men. You smiled as you pulled back from him and he laughed a little.

“What?” You frowned.

“We made a mess of your makeup,” he jerked his head toward the mirror, tucking his cock back in his pants as you checked your reflection. Your lipstick had smeared and you laughed a little, too.

“Good thing I have more in my bag,” you said, grabbing a sheet of toilet paper and cleaning up what you could. “See you back out there?”

“Once I remember how to walk again,” he teased.

It was sheer luck that Maria came in to use the bathroom as you adjusted your lipstick in the entryway mirror and not a few minutes earlier and you popped a breath mint so you could think about something besides the fact that the last thing in your mouth had been Joel’s cock when you talked with Sarah.

You left only about an hour later, giving Sarah a long hug as she walked you to your car.

“I’ll be back again soon for Thanksgiving,” she smiled, squeezing you tight. “Just manifest with me!”

“I’m manifesting so hard I might break something,” you smiled back, trying to ignore the knot of guilt in your stomach about hiding something so big from her.

“And seriously,” she said, stepping back from you. “If you need a friend before I get down here…”

“Call the whole Miller clan,” you smiled. “I got it.”

“Good,” she said. “We’ll just make a Miller out of you yet.”

You tried to ignore how your heart skipped a beat at the thought of that.

“Sounds good to me.”

Joel came straight to your place after dropping Sarah off at the airport the next night. You answered the door in a sundress - as promised - expecting to go to dinner.

Which, in hindsight, was foolish.

“Fuck,” you said, looking Joel up and down. He had flowers. He was in a plain, dark t-shirt that was tight around his biceps, his jeans hanging just right on his hips.

“What?” He frowned.

“Just get in here and let me fuck you,” you said, grabbing his shirt and pulling him into your apartment.

The flowers were quickly abandoned on the breakfast bar in your kitchen as you kissed him, tugging his shirt off and casting it aside before you dragged him to the bedroom.

“We gotta eat at some point tonight, Baby,” he said between kisses as you shoved him down on the bed.

“That’s fine,” you panted, stepping out of your panties and casting them aside. “We can do this twice.”

“Fuck, you’re fucking perfect,” he said, lifting his hips so he could slide his pants down a little and sitting so his back was against your headboard. He started working his cock, already hard in the palm of his hand. You straddled him, the skirt of your dress hiding your dripping pussy and his leaking cock from view. He kept one hand on his cock but the other went to your hips as you lowered yourself toward him until your pussy brushed his thick head. “Oh shit, fuck Beautiful, I need… Fuck, need inside you, I need to be inside you…”

“I know,” you breathed before sinking onto his cock with a shaking moan. His other hand flew to your waist, too, pulling you down on him so his whole length was sheathed within you. You panted for breath as your body adjusted to the intrusion. “I need you, too.”

“Fuck,” his head fell back against the headboard. “Fuck, you feel so fucking good every time, s’like I belong in this pussy, like your pussy was made to take this cock.”

“Made to ride this cock,” you moaned, starting to rise and fall over him with a satisfied groan. Joel somehow hit all the right angles inside you, the thickness of his shaft stretching you deliciously, his head finding the sensitive place deep inside you and pressing against it, making your pussy start to tighten around him.

“Oh shit,” his grip on you got firmer, his fingers sinking into the soft flesh of you. “Want you to come on this cock, Beautiful. Want you to use me to get yourself off, fuck, Baby, make yourself come on my cock…”

You buried your face in his neck and breathed in his deep, clean, masculine scent and started riding him harder, adjusting your hips so your clit was leaving an obscene, messy streak of your slick up and down his bare stomach. You licked and sucked at his neck as you rode him, fucking down on him hard and fast and grinding your clit against him. As your body tightened, you sat up straighter, pressing your forehead to his own so you could see his face, the liquid heat in you centering around where he was inside you until you came with a desperate moan around him.

“There we go,” he almost sounded like he was in pain he was so desperate. “Fuck, you come so fuckin’ pretty Baby, so goddamn pretty. Feel so good, coming on my cock, better than anything else, fuck Beautiful, I can’t…”

Joel took control of your hips then, pumping you up and down his shaft and you tried to help as best you could as you rode out your orgasm. His hips fucked up into you hard and fast until he was emptying himself into you, moaning as he did.

You collapsed on top of him, panting for breath and he went from holding your hips to wrapping his arms around you, holding you close to him. You stayed like that for a few minutes, your breaths synchronizing as you both came back down from our highs.

“So,” you said, breathing not quite back to normal yet. “Dinner?”

He laughed.

“Dinner.”

When you fell asleep in Joel’s arms that night, all naked and entwined with him, you were starting to think that you could get used to this. That you wanted to do this all the time, every day. Do all of life’s stupid little things with him, go grocery shopping with him and pay the water bill with him and deal with traffic jams with him.

You just weren’t sure how to talk about that yet.

But that was OK. You were getting there, you could tell.

When Joel kissed you goodbye in the morning, he brushed your hair back from your forehead so he could kiss you there too.

“Leaving already?” You mumbled.

“‘Fraid so,” he said softly. “Need to get an early start at the job site. Can I see you tonight?”

You just hummed in response. He frowned.

“That’s a yes, I hope,” he said. You nodded and you opened your eyes just enough to see him smile broadly. “I’ll text you. Have a good day, Baby.”

“You too,” you mumbled into your pillow.

When you got up an hour later, there was a sticky note on your coffee maker, telling you to check your fridge. Inside was an iced latte from the coffee shop down the street and you smiled so big it was hard to do your makeup as you got ready to go.

You were still on cloud nine when you were getting ready to take a client to lunch that afternoon, doing a last check of your makeup when you got a call from the reception desk downstairs.

“Someone’s here for you,” the receptionist sounded skeptical. “I’m not letting him back without you.”

“No problem,” you laughed. “We’re going off site for lunch, tell him I’ll be down in a minute.”

You went to the lobby, looking for someone who at least vaguely resembled the headshot from your client’s website when you did a double take.

The man sitting on the couch in reception smiled when he saw you and your heart sank into your stomach as he headed for you.

“Hey Angel,” he smiled.

You couldn’t smile back.

“Shit.”

Next Chapter

#fanfic #joel miller x female reader #joel miller x reader #joel miller x you #smut fic #new in town #joel miller x oc

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moonjxsung · 23 days

Text

Well… here we are.

Just about 1 year since I first saw Stray Kids in concert. Which marks nearly a year that I’ve been using Tumblr. Muses. I wanted to write about them.

This blog began with series of short blurbs, ones I sought to create in order to explore the depths of my sexual repression as a result of 5 years of antidepressants. Sex was almost foreign to me by the time I was 20. It wasn’t fun, pleasure was hardly attainable. And my religious trauma led me to believe it was nearly inhumane. What a healing journey it was, to have funneled all my curiosity and personal experiences into short little drabbles for you all. How well-received many of them were, and the requests were fulfilling, to know that I wasn’t alone in my thoughts. I’m thoroughly grateful.

Art theft, simply put, will be the death of this community. I have had 14 of my works stolen in the year 2024 alone. I have been ridiculed and taunted by wattpad bandits, and my shorter drabbles cease to feel like my own most days.

“What is it that you want, money?”

Profound questions from the wattpad bandits early this morning. No, I don’t want money. I wanted to provide a safe space for this community to safely explore kinks and scenarios as they pertain to our mutual attraction of 8 attractive men. I don’t request anything more, just your unwavering cooperation to not steal my work. And apparently, to many ghost readers on here, that’s too large of an ask.

All shorter drabbles have been thereby deleted from this account, my masterlist has been cleaned up, and though requests had been temporarily closed while they were being worked on, they are now indefinitely halted.

Thank you to all who consumed my shorter drabbles and/or requested something. My aim is that one day I can resume fulfilling shorter smutty requests. But I seem to be *incrementally* more respected when my work isn’t so easily digestible in a pornographic format. I am working on longer stuff in the meanwhile, and I understand if longer stuff just isn’t for you. This account was originally meant to be a little bit of both.

Thank you also to those who have helped me get any and all stolen wattpad content taken down. I love you and I appreciate you. If you see something, please do continue to reach out to me and I will provide evidence from my drive that I am the original author. The work still belongs to me and I am still capable of getting it taken down via a DMCA takedown notice. Wattpad thieves, I will continue to report your shitty actions.

Cheers, may their memories live on in your beautiful hearts (and probably also on wattpad until I find them). Ad Astra!

-⭐️

#Moonjxsung’s galaxy #psa #announcement #unfortunately though #don’t cry because it’s over #actually you are permitted to cry a little. I certainly cried #end of an era #<3 #love u all

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ax-y10 · 8 months

Note

Hello hello!

I'm here to make my first official request during my time on tumblr!

All i can think about is going to Disneyland with wilbur (heavily inspired by the Tom Simon's channel 🫢) and the rest of them and being apart of that video.

Like buying wilbur ears and having Tommy gagging at all the couple antics going on and Phil cheering wil on. Wilbur surprising you with a Disneyland sweatshirt and promoting Disney instead of Tommy's merch that was coming out of the time.

I hope all is well for you and I love your latest

Pure Love And Disney Sweaters

In which- a certain "child" wants attention, but you have the most important eyes

A/n: I'm going to try my best fucking hardest to make your first request a really good one. I haven't watched in ages so I'm going to try my hardest to rewatch it. I'm tired pls don't bully me

Chapter info: Swearing, kissing, Tommy wanting attention, Wilbur making silly little jokes at you, fear of rollercoasters, Phil being a darling, Kristin also being a darling, Tommy being a shithead, mention of passing out, mention of panic attacks, mention of throwing up. It's funny because I actually didn't rewatch the vid, and this is all over the place (i'm sad that I didn't include the quirked up white boy thing or the stubble)

Pronouns: None (You/Yours)

Masterlist:

You got so excited when Tommy told you that he was going to Disneyland for a new vlog. You were ecstatic at the idea as you'd never been to Disneyland before, jumping around in your seat. Wilbur heard your little cheers from the room over, and when he peered in, you were spinning your chair around. You yelped when you saw him in the doorway, a fond smile spread across his face.

The very first thing you did upon finding out was ramble to Wilbur about how excited you are, followed by packing. Tom said he got tickets for everyone's flights (you doubt it) and created a groupchat with everyone who was going, made up of Phil, Kristin, Tommy, Wilbur and you.

'Fair group' you thought. But oh my you were wrong.

The entire flight, Tommy was playing his DS, but as soon as Wilbur pulled out his 'You can rest your head on my shoulder move', Tommy was at it with the teasing.

"Oh Wilbur, how could you ignore me?" "How come Y/n gets to rest their head on your shoulder and I don't?" followed by him throwing his head on Wil's shoulder.

And it didn't stop until you finally reached the hotel. The constant teasing and poking fun dying down once you were both laying down on the bed, nuzzled against each other, and tired after a long day full of Tommy.

"Sweetheart?" Wilbur spoke into the silence of the room, snapping you from your anticipation for the day to come.

"Yes?" You rested your head in the crook of his shoulder and neck.

He paused for a moment, contemplating his next words, whispering "I love you" cheekily before turning away from you and curling into a ball.

You reefed on his pajama shirt, getting him to roll back over to cuddle you, the cold of the room finally finding its way under the sheets without your boyfriends arms around you. Complying, you were once again peaceful with the weight of his arms resting on your sides.

And soon enough, you were awake nice and early (against your will, blame Tommy), brushing your hand through Wilbur's curls, and getting ready for the day. An hour passed and you ran down the stairs to the lobby, stuffing up your sweater, and finding a seat next to Kristin.

"How come males always take forever to get ready when their is something important going on?" you whispered to Kristin, before leaning back and smiling cheekily.

"I think it should be the other way around, dear," She replied and laughed quietly.

All of a sudden, you let out a squeal as a warm pair of arms engulf you, followed by a forced weight and a yelp from a familiar boy.

"Ow, Tommy!" You exclaimed, the boy throwing himself down next to Phil.

Arriving at Disneyland, Tommy immediately wanted to go on "Space Mountain", and begged and begged Wilbur to take him over there, him declining each time

And then he got ganged up on by a bunch of presumably eight year olds who could pull the sword out of the stone, bullying Tommy for not being able to pull it out. You had to drag him away from it, all the while Wil was spouting false history facts about the building the group was approaching.

Later, you and Wilbur sat on a bench outside a ride while Phil and Tommy went on a rollercoaster together, and Kristin was getting food for everyone, even though you had offered to go with her. You were talking about how you had never been to Disneyland and how this entire experience was made all the better just by him being by your side. You weren't aware, but he was staring at your face and the excitement plastered over it, admiring you until you turned to him.

"I love you" you whispered, in which you broke him out of his trance.

"I love you too, forever and always, my love," he spoke sincerely, and you saw the genuine emotions behind his eyes.

Que the gag from Tommy and the exchanged smiles between Phil as Wilbur leaned down and pressed his lips to yours.

"Oh fuck off Tommy, you attention-seeking ass" your boyfriend teased, and pulled a small giggle from your lips.

"IT'S YOUR TURN ON THE ROLLERCOASTER, LOVEBIRDS!" Tommy yelled, and your eyes widened in fear. You hated rollercoasters.

A hand was placed upon your shoulder, and you were led into the ride with Wilbur, waiting nervously in line. You weren't ready for the roller coaster, not at all.

"Wilbur, please. I really don't want to do this. I'm terrified of rollercoasters," You begged, desperately wanting to avoid this, scared you'll pass out, have a panic attack or throw up.

"Okay, you head back out to Kristen and I'll get Tommy to come with me for forcing you on here," He laughed, and you quickly walked back out to Kristen and Phil. Thankfully, it was the last ride they were going on for the day, so you three walked back out the front and ordered an uber for when Wilbur and Tommy get back.

But little did you know, Wilbur had bought you a Disney sweater, and surprised you with it when you got back to the hotel. And he was met with a big, warm hug from you and kisses peppered across his face.

And the best part of the day for him? Watching you smile in your sleep, engulfed in the blue fabric of the sweater, accompanied by your sweet noises in your sleep.

#wilbur soot #wilbur soot imagine #wilbur x reader #wilbur #wilbur soot x reader #wilbur soot fic #wilbur soot fluff #wilbur fluff #100 follower event #100 followers #event #follower milestone

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nerdyvocals · 9 months

Text

9 People to Know Better (except I'm not tagging 9 people)

I don't normally do tag games, but I got tagged in this twice (by @jealous-kippen and @remmixx, my beloveds <3) so here I am! (also as I'm writing this out I am realizing that while both posts were titled the same way, it looks like they had different question prompts??? So I'm just gonna combine the two)

Favorite Color: Purple! Any shade will have my heart but I am partial to more red-toned purples. (PV, if that means anything to anyone who sees this other than me, you know who you are)

Currently Reading: Three things! In terms of actual books, I've been slowly making my way through the Riordanverse since my university did The Lightning Thief in my second year (first school in my state to do it once the rights were released!) since I somehow never got into Percy Jackson as a kid, and I'm currently on Son of Neptune. I'm also one like my third or fourth re-read of Eurydice by Sara Ruhl, since that's the play I'm designing the costumes for for my senior project. And in terms of fanfic, I woke up to a notification about this yesterday and Actually Screeched.

Last Song: Dial Drunk by Noah Kahan (ft. Post Malone), which was a bit of an accident. I use siri to request music while I'm driving and I asked for Dial Drunk and was singing along until I got jumpscared by the slight difference before Post Malone's verse. Although if you look at my spotify, the ROTPL album has been on repeat for weeks.

Currently Watching (Series): I've been hyperfixated on ROTPL and have watched it over a dozen times at this point, which is probably not healthy, so I put on NCIS last night for background noise while I ate dinner and accidentally watched like six episodes.

Currently Watching (Movie): Saw the Barbie movie the night before the actual opening with my coworkers (We don't cross picket lines people! I was not asked nor invited by any company, and I paid full price for my ticket. There's a one-screen theatre in the town where I'm doing summer stock, this relic from the 50's, and they were able to get access to the film a day early and did a special first come first serve premiere.) and we all sobbed the entire way through.

Current Obsession: Rise of the Pink Ladies. Full stop. I'd seen clips of it when it first aired in April but I was iffy on it in spite of how good it looked. Like most, I'm a little tired of reboots and remakes, and while I did clock Cynthia as being queer within two seconds, (I believe my exact words were "That's either a very butch lesbian or the eggiest egg to ever egg.") I was Convinced it was a queerbait situation. Plus I was nearing finals and didn't have time to get into a new show. But then Crushing Me was trending on tiktok and I realized this was not queerbait, so I put it on to have something playing while I packed for summer stock and it's been the only thing I can think about since mid May. It got me writing fanfic again for the first time in years, if that tells you anything. Speaking of,

Currently Working On: A follow-up to my previous fic, Steady, Steady! I wanted to have it up this week, but it is a behemoth. I'm a little over halfway through my plot outline and I'm at 10,441 words. Fun fact, this will be my longest single-chapter fic so far. Not just in the fandom, not just on AO3, but ever (so far!)

No-Pressure Tagging: @merely-a-player, @penguin-writes-books, @el-fandom-birb, @marley-barnes112, @isweartheyregayyourhonor, and @look-at-those-niceass-rocks (since I've already dragged you back to tumblr kicking and screaming)

#tag game #this was fun #and also longer than I expected

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pensat-i-fet · 10 months

Text

From one wedding... (Rúben Dias x Reader)

**Naturally, after seeing Rúben at Bernardo's wedding, I got some requests to do a wedding related imagine. The person who requested here on Tumblr was @mountsgirl and I think I managed to do the request as close to what was requested as possible. I already had another wedding imagine from a couple of months ago and my aim was to make them different enough that you wouldn't feel you're just reading the same thing twice. Also, the title is explained in the imagine. Enjoy!! ❤️**

Word count: 1866

Masterlist

Wattpad

“Tomorrow is the big day”.

“You say it as if it was us getting married and not your friends”, you laughed, falling on the bed and wincing.

“What’s wrong?”

“My back still hurts. I knew we should have taken the sunscreen bottle to that cave expedition you wanted us to do”.

“Let me see”.

You took your shirt off so Rúben could see your back and flinched a little when he touched the still sensitive area.

“It looks much better. You can barely tell it’s red anymore”.

“Really?”

“Want me to put some more cream on it?”

You nodded, thankful for his help. Your dress for the wedding showed half of your back and the last thing you wanted was for everyone to see a big ugly sunburn.

“That feels nice”, you said, closing your eyes and enjoying the cooling effect of the cream and the way Rúben’s hand massaged your skin.

“Done”, he said, kissing the back of your neck.

“Thank you! Let’s go to bed now. Long day tomorrow but I can’t wait to see you wearing a suit”.

“I was wearing one the day we met”.

“And that’s how you tricked me into dating you”, you joked, pecking his lips and going to the bathroom to brush your teeth.

Rúben stared at you and then kept staring at the closed door. He had been feeling some type of way lately, and the wedding you were about to attend only made that feeling bigger. But he shook his head and got those ideas out of his head. It was too soon.

Between the slight jet lag you had from your time in America and how early you had to wake up, you began the day already exhausted. Your eyes kept closing and you tried your hardest to stay awake.

“That coffee isn’t helping”.

“Don’t mock me, Rúben. I’m so tired”.

“Yeah, me too. Maybe we could sleep a little. I think we have another hour until we get there”.

“Can’t”, you groaned.

“Why?”

You and Rúben had never been on a long car trip together so he didn’t know. “I get travel sick when I’m on long drives like this one. But it’s better if I don’t sleep. Don’t ask me why”, you shrugged. “It’s how it works”.

“Well, we can’t have that. Is there anything that helps?”

“Funnily enough, looking outside of the car. Apparently, I get sick because I’m moving but I’m also not moving so my brain doesn’t understand what’s going on. And so seeing the outside moving helps. I don’t know, I read that in an article once”.

“You and your I read that in an article once”, he laughed and you hit him in the chest, making him laugh harder.

Once he was done laughing, Rúben moved to sit in the middle of the back seat to be closer to you. He turned you slightly so you could still look outside of the window and he could bring you closer to him to hug you.

“Let’s talk about what we see. Concentrate on that”.

Smiling, you did just that and started to describe the mountains and the little houses you saw sometimes. Not only did it help you not feel bad, but it also made the whole trip go by so much quicker.

“We are here. Let’s find our room”.

Rúben took your hand and a couple of minutes later, you were in your room. You placed your dress on the bed, carefully, and started to unpack all the things you needed to get ready.

“I’m going to need your help, Dias. Don’t get too comfortable”.

“With what? I can’t do your make-up. I mean, I can. But you don’t want me to”.

“Just with little things in general. Please”.

“No need to use puppy eyes. I was going to help you anyways”.

While he was helping you get ready, Rúben couldn’t help but go back to those thoughts he had been having lately. You looked so adorable wearing one of his old shirts and moving around the room getting all the things you needed.

“Last one, please”, you said and he gave you another roller to put on your head. “Rate how sexy I look from 1 to 10”.

“80”.

“Wait until I put the black face mask on. It’ll be a 100!”

“Can I have a kiss first?”

You leaned down to kiss Rúben before running to the bathroom again to put on your mask. The smile on your face couldn’t be bigger and his was matching yours.

"So you had the rollers on but now have to curl the hair anyways. It doesn’t make sense”.

“It actually does, hence why I did it like this”.

“If you say so…what else can I do?”

“Why don’t you start getting ready?”

“I don’t take as long as you. I’m fine”.

You moved the curling iron away from your face to laugh properly. “You don’t take long to get ready…right”.

“So funny! But I mean today. I just have to put the suit on and brush my hair”.

“Can I brush your hair? Please!!”

“Sure”, now it was his turn to laugh.

Once your hair and make-up were done, you and Rúben started to get dressed. You kept trying to look in the mirror to see how red your back looked and Rúben noticed.

“It’s fine. Not red at all. Does it hurt?”

“Not really. Can you take a photo so I see how it looks? I could always wear a jacket to cover the area, even if it would look terrible with this dress”.

He took the photo and showed it to you. And you were so relieved to see the skin was back to a normal colour. It still hurt a bit but no one would know.

“Do you like the dress?”, you asked, spinning around the room.

“I love it. And the colour looks great on you”.

“Thank you. I liked it better in white but obviously had to go for this shade instead”.

“White?”, now Rúben’s mind went back to those feelings that wouldn’t leave. “I wanted to see you wearing the white dress”, he said, almost to himself.

“I can’t wear white to someone else’s wedding”, you laughed, not understanding his comments.

“Of course”.

“Give me the brush now. I want to play with that gorgeous fluffy hair you have”.

Sitting down on the bed, you positioned yourself in between his legs and started to brush his hair gently.

"Ready!", you winked. And you both made your way to the ceremony.

The wedding venue was so stunning you had to remind yourself that you should be looking at the ceremony and not at your surroundings. Rúben noticed and he put his arm around your shoulders, bringing you closer to him so he could whisper.

“We’ll come back here another time so you can see the area better, ok?”

You nodded, smiling. You were having the same idea at the moment. And even if Rúben didn’t know, other ideas he had were also reciprocated by you. But you weren't going to tell him.

Everyone gathered around the newlyweds to congratulate them and take photos. And when it was your turn, Rúben gave Bernardo a little “friendly” push. Bernardo looked as shocked as he always did when Rúben hit him, even if he should be used to it by now, and moved to hide behind his now wife.

"You can't be violent near a pregnant woman".

"Rúben, I told you your wedding gift was not hitting poor Bernardo", you said, slapping his arm.

"But it's fun".

"Psycho", said you and Bernardo at the same time, making Ines laugh.

More photos were taken, some with you in them but most of them with just Rúben and his teammates. You didn’t mind, not really enjoying being seen much on social media. But you did check the photos other people were taking and noticed one of Rúben’s friends added an interesting caption.

“Look”, you said to him, showing him the photo.

“What is it?”

“The caption”.

He read it and when he got to the end, he looked at you quickly. Why were you showing him that?

“Who’s next? Well, Ines didn’t throw her bouquet to the guests so we don’t know”, he laughed uncomfortably.

“You know? There is a saying in Spanish that says “de una boda sale otra”, which is like from one wedding we get another one. The caption reminded me of that”.

“Would you like it if there was another wedding soon?”

You looked up at him, trying to understand the meaning behind that question but he looked away. “I guess. It’s fun to attend them. And I get to see you wearing a suit”.

“It’s fun, yeah”, you wanted to say something to him but he spoke first. “They look so in love”.

You nodded and hugged Rúben’s arm before putting your head on his shoulder. “I like to think that’s how we look when people look at us”.

He kissed your head and kept looking at the band that was playing music, enjoying the moment. And also hoping that you both looked like that when people looked at you.

After a few hours of dancing and chatting with all the other guests, it was time to go back to the room.

“The gifts they got for the guests are so adorable. I even got pyjamas to wear while we’re here with my initials on them. You know how I love those silly details”.

“I didn’t get any pyjamas”.

“You’ll have to sleep naked then, Rúben. Terrible news but what else can we do?”

Rúben slapped your bum when you walked towards the bathroom but there were no more playful looks when you got out, wearing the white pyjamas Ines had picked for the female guests. They looked like something the bride would wear. It was a little inside joke she found funny and so did you. For Rúben…it only made those feelings harder to contain.

“Have you seen a ghost?”, you asked, walking to stand in between his legs while he just stared at you. “Or are you going to be super corny and say you saw an angel?”, you laughed.

“Marry me”.

“What?”

“I’m stupid”, he said, standing and moving away from you.

“Why would you be stupid?”

“I’ve been thinking about proposing for months now. And thinking about all the big gestures I could do because you deserve that. And now I just let these feelings I’ve had all weekend take over and just ask you like that…and I shouldn’t even ask you. We haven’t been dating for that long. I don’t want to scare you away. But…”.

“Stop talking”, you said, standing now in front of him and placing your index finger on his lips. “I’ve been having the same feelings, or thoughts, whatever you want to call them. But I didn’t want to scare you”.

“Really?”

You nodded. “And I don’t need gestures or you getting down on one knee or whatever. I just need you to really mean it when you say you want to marry me. So…do you really mean it?”

“I do”.

“Then let’s do it!”

#ruben dias #ruben dias imagine #ruben dias one shot #ruben dias x reader #ruben dias x y/n #ruben dias fluff #footballer imagine #footballer one shot #footballer x reader #footballer x y/n #footballer fluff

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knightyoomyoui · 4 months

Text

ITZY Ryujin x M & F Reader - "Misa De Gallo"

This wasn't part of my plans at all, but since I was hugely inspired from listening to Ben&Ben's song "Bibingka" (give it a listen, it's a Filipino song but trust me, it's so good.) since it's Christmas, so I got to formulate a plot in my mind and give it an attempt to write it for another one-shot entry.

I originally wanted to add this on the TWICE x Reader one-shot book as a one-shot special but I already published the next entry on my line-up there few days ago so, I decided to instead place this here since I haven't get to update this book for a while now. And lastly, I picked Ryujin of ITZY to feature on this story because she's also another one of my biases from other groups aside from TWICE. Enjoy reading and Merry Christmas everybody!

Here's my Ko-fi account where you can drop your donations or ask for a commission. You can check it out on my Tumblr profile too! Buy knightyoomyoui a Coffee. ko-fi.com/knightyoomyoui - Ko-fi ❤️ Where creators get support from fans through donations, memberships, shop sales and more! The original 'Buy Me a Coffee' Page.

Ten minutes remained until the evening's last mass started. Before you explored, you parked your vehicle properly onto the vacant spot in the parking lot. As you entered the sacred area wearing your formal clothes of choice for attending a mass, you took in the cool, windy evening air that caressed your skin.

Looking around the sacred building and its surroundings, you saw a lot of people, probably less than the batch who were gathered an hour earlier, judging by the number of individuals who left and headed home as you showed up at your destination. That didn't seperated them for a difference that majority of them wears a smile in their faces, it is unknown whether what's going on through their minds but certainly for sure you knew that they're glad that they got to experience having a Misa De Gallo with their loved ones.

Misa De Gallo or Simbang Gabi if you will translate it in Tagalog, is a part of Filipino culture, mainly influenced from the Spanish during their time of colonization in the Philippines, through their intention of implementing and propagating the religion known as Catholic to the Filipino people.

As part of the religious beliefs ingrained in Filipino culture, it is believed that if you attend evening mass on all nine nights—the ninth being known as Misa De Gallo—your one special wish for the upcoming year will be fulfilled. Aside from your enthusiasm to pray to God to express your gratitude and requests for guidance in life, that is precisely your intention for coming to this church. Over the previous several years, you haven't had the opportunity to complete the Misa De Gallo because, either at first, you weren't interested, or after you and your family attempted to go, you established a premise that primarily links your decision to participate to the availability of your family.

However, you haven't been able to experience Misa De Gallo for a long time because of some personal circumstances that they have been going through for the past two years following the lessened strictness of the safety guidelines for COVID a year prior to that, allowing people to attend with more freedom and caution. Not until today.

Knowing that your siblings won't be able to start over again that automatically brought your parents also to remain and check upon them, you've decided to do it alone this time. You're left with no option but to finish the nine night masses by yourself.

Entering the chapel, you could convey how serene and bizarre it is to experience this all by yourself regardless of the fact that you're still being a little bit sleepy along with the people present inside since it was still quite early in the morning when the sun hasn't risen yet. The unexaggerated noises of the crowd sufficient to keep yourself quiet while waiting for the mass to be prepped up, the dazzling decorations around the chapel and the graceful ambience of the holy structure says it all. About almost half an hour later, the mass is ongoing. The priest starts to pronounce his first prayer after the insightful sermon he just recited to the devoted crowd. You tried to admire the view of all of the people politely listening to the wise words from the Bible with grace and when you were looking around, a side profile of a very intriguing woman drew your attention for a while. Throughout the remainder of the time, your eyes never left on the woman sitting beside you, mesmerized at how beautiful her appearance was. Her presence almost created this strange vibe as if the people around became blurry and the only ones that exists are you and her in the midst of the glimmering lights from the divine chapel.

You walked home, successfully finishing your first single night mass with a smile on your face, astounded by it while being curious at the same because of encountering that woman.

On the third night, you were looking for some available seat when you unbelievably spotted again the same woman that you met from the first two nights. Yesterday you have got to see her but unfortunately she was on the other row of the aisle rather.

Noticing that she doesn't have anyone with her yet, you made the initiation on taking the opportunity to sat beside her.

"Let us offer one another a sign of peace." The priest extends his hands to the air, giving the signal for the crowd to follow. Everybody exchanged short messages of "peace be with yous" to those they can set their eyes for. You looked at each your sides, and for the first time; the girl has captured your gaze. "Peace be with you." She bowed at you and flashed her cute grin. You couldn't help but to smile in delight too at how contagious her display was, along with your own words in return for her.

You walked home, successfully finishing your third single night mass with a smile on your face, uplifted by it while being intrigued at the same because of encountering that woman.

On the fourth night, they have once again sat at the same chair, almost got you into wondering if this has became a fate that was casted for you as an additional christmas gift sent from God herself to often meet this woman. You and her both noticed the empty space between them as it was brought by the mutual shyness, prompting you into surmising that she may have started to find it suspicious now too. You could just hope that she won't take it a wrong turn.

A mother with her child appeared on their row, and you had no choice but to adjust yourself closer to her. You didn't look at her to get her out of thinking you may have stalking her everyday, but in your surprise, the woman talked to you for the first time.

"Aren't you the same guy I've seated with from yesterday and the days before that?" You finally heard her voice. It suited her alluring and hypnotizing looks, kind of deep and sultry.

You inclined your head, giving her the look of acknowledgment. "O-oh yeah, wait a second. You do are right.", fakely amazed as you pointed the obvious. "Now it got me wondering the same too."

The girl laughed and my oh my it was so pleasant to hear. "This is beyond just a simple coincidence now, I should say. It's our fourth straight in a row meeting at this point.", she mentioned through her impressive English with a hint of that Korean accent that you have observed, putting you into another observance that she's probably a foreigner too. "I wouldn't be surprised now if we did get to make it happen again for tomorrow." You chuckled. The woman shared the same sentiment and nodded at you.

Through that, it started to provide you a wider sense of recognizing each other praying and listening together respectfully to the entirety of the mass. You walked home, successfully finishing your fourth single night mass with a smile on your face, contented by it while being lucky at the same because of finally accomplishing that you get to communicate with that woman. On the fifth night, they have sat again at the same spot and made a deal that they'll continue this through the remaining masses before Christmas. This also marked your first exchange of greetings with her too, adding a more wholesomeness to it.

As the Our Father (or commonly known as Ama Namin in Tagalog) prayer began, you felt an unusual damp of touch to your free hand. You looked to the side and your eyes widened, realizing that the girl took your hand in her own will.

Your fingers slowly curled and clamped on her grip and nervously sang with her. In your mind was thoughts running in imagination that the heavens might probably singing together with them as they witnessed this lovely spectacle.

Before you and her parted ways, they both decided that in order to make their interaction more comfortable and welcoming, they decided started to get to know each other more at the conclusion of the mass.

Being true to their words, they have indeed continued to do so on the following 6th, 7th, and 8th nights. They've done it through exchanging social media accounts, and it has come to your knowledge that her name is Shin Ryujin, sharing the same age as you in 22 years and she is half Korean and half Filipina from her mother's side.

There were other times that you have done a more daring and challenging attempt to get closer on her, taking the time when you escorted her on her house after she noticed that there's no transportation available due to the stampede and traffic outside the church.

"I-I can take you home if you want to." You offered, remembering that you have your own motorcycle with you. Fortunately, only motors can pass through in this not so tight traffic.

"Y-you sure, YN?" Ryujin checked. "It must be embarassing for me to-"

You interrupted her words, wanting her to feel not shy and guilty that she may have pressuring you to do this. "No, I swear I'm being absolute generous right now, Ryujin. You said that your parents may have been looking now for you, and we don't want them to keep waiting longer in worry, don't we?"

Ryujin sighed and tightlipped. She lowered her head, still a sign of shame atleast that she just had somebody she just newly met had to accommodate and adjust for her sake. "You don't have to do this but... if that's what you want then I won't be resisting much more." She slowly nodded and frowned. "Sure, I'll come with you."

You are thankful for her trust that you have earned, and you have no intentions to ruin and waste it. Quickly setting up your motorcycle, you let her sit first before you do like a true gentleman. Starting your engine, you gripped onto the handles and fixed your helmets properly first before rolling the wheels.

"Hold on to me if you want to so that you may not fall, okay?" You gave her one more tip before leaving the chapel together and finding an alternate way to pass through the traffic.

You were busy on keeping your sight on the road until your body was sent into shivers and beats of your heart almost chasing the speed of your driving when you unexpectedly felt that Ryujin's body is pressed on your back, with her arms wrapped around your waist.

Through her directions, you and her reached her safe haven as you discovered her place for the first time also. Parking in front of her house, you hopped out first so that you can help her also hop out from her seat.

Removing your helmets, she looked at you and bowed down in gratefulness. "Thank you so much for taking me home, YN. I really appreciated sparing me from out there." She felt touched at your kind act.

"No problem, I couldn't just let you there be alone and feeling lost, especially that you haven't been familiar yet around there." You said.

"Take care on your way home, okay?" She patted you in the shoulder. "I still need to see you tomorrow."

You blushed and laughed at her silliness and heartfelt favor. "I will, Ryujin. We will meet again, don't worry."

You and her gave waves of goodbye to each other before you ride your motorcycle and drove all the way now to your home. You then found out on the 8th night that the reason she said that was to treat you for some street foods after the mass as her way of expressing her appreciation more for your kindness.

They made it together at the very end. on the 9th and last night before Christmas arrives, Ryujin detected a glimpse of your uncomfortable and sullen demeanor. She sweared that she could atleast barely see you smiling genuinely through the whole length of the mass, and she hated how you're easily making her sympathy for you without having to know the story behind of it yet.

That's why she decided to ask it straightforward to you, especially that she did felt something's wrong based from your lack of focus to your surroundings. It got interrupted shortly when you invited her to try this famous Filipino delicacy during Christmas season known as Bibingka.

You bought each one for you and her. She didn't ate it yet because of it's too much hotness since it was freshly cooked. You did the same, and Ryujin didn't want to spend another time being uneasy at the silence developing between you and her so she poured her confidence to ask you.

"What's gotten into you? You seemed quiet tonight." Ryujin spoke out her observings. You looked at her with that pale expression. "Cmon don't be like that, we literally just finished all the nine night masses. Do you have a problem? You can share it to me if you want."

Ryujin passed the wrapped Bibingka on the plastic back and forth in her hands to endure its heat before trying to place it on her clothed lap. You sighed and looked at her in sorrow, feeling bad for making her worry. "I'm sorry, I just had this realization since earlier this morning."

"Care to tell?" Ryujin pardoned.

"Well, you just said that tonight's the last Misa De Gallo, and now we're about to greet Christmas later." You said in a melancholic tone. "Doesn't it mean that this might be one of our last or... i don't know, exactly the last time that we'll get to share a moment like this?

Because I must say, it has become awesome for me. So much that I didn't want to end it yet, with you."

Ryujin stares at you, allowing you to speak what's boggling through your heart and mind. She did smiled at your note that you're enjoying her company throughout these 9 nights of meeting her.

"I'm not just speaking it as from what I experience from all those nights I've spent on getting along with you, this is me being the guy whom you managed you steal my attention since the beginning." You said to her, not leaving your sight on her while you sincerely releasing all of the sensation she had caused that is lingering into your insides.

"I'm interested on you, Shin Ryujin."

Ryujin's eyes blinked rapidly, her mouth partly gaped and cheeks reddened on the spot when you declared your admiration for her. "I know it was a bit fast, that I only got to meet you for only less than 2 weeks, that's why I didn't fully recognized it already that I love you already or what, but I know i'll get there. I mean, it always comes to that way when you couldn't get to turn your eyes away at that one person right, and that is you for me, Ryujin."

Ryujin wheezed and scratched her forehead. She sighed and smiled at you. "And now you're trying to get through my feelings, I thought I wouldn't get to witness it at all, but now I did."

You gave her the opportunity to speak on her own behalf now, while albeit nervous at what she's going to say, brought by the fear that this may have cost your shortly built closeness with her.

However, it aged like a milk when her next words made you brought back everything you've thought it'll turn up to be.

"Funny how you just said it, so we're having similar impression stored within ourselves through all this time then?" She chuckled.

"Uhh can you elaborate for me?"

Ryujin knocked your head, making you rub your head at the stinging pain. "Idiot, I-I'm also interested with you too." she pouted and cutely hid her face away from you.

You stopped your movement as your senses malfunctioned after processing what you just heard from her. "H-huh what? You do?"

"Remember that first night? That's when I actually saw you for the first time." She recalled, revealing that she had already noticed you secretly too in the first night. "And I don't know why I can't contain myself to sneak glances at you. Then the second night came, I saw you again, there's a want in me that urged me to sit on you but sadly I couldn't. There's someone beside you already, so I went on to do some couple of watches on you again."

"And finally I got to do it when you sat near from me on the third night." Ryujin formed a satisfied curve on her lips before lightbulb popped in her mind, her face sprung wide and slowly turned towards you.

"Uhh what's with the look?"

"Aha! So that's why you did the first move to sit beside me huh!" She teasingly bumped you on the arm, smirking at your super ashamed state. "Very slick of you, YN."

"W-wait there was this mother and her son who wanted to sat with us o-okay? That why I adjusted myself!"

"But you were thinking of wanting to sit together with me too, don't you?"

You stammered before choosing to shut your mouth as Ryujin finally got you busted. She just laughed at your embarassed condition.

"That was funny... and very cute of you, YN." Ryujin gave a cheeky smile, making you blush intensely again. "Yeah, I'm not gonna make it longer and cheesier. I'm also interested in you, YN LN."

She laid her head on top of your shoulder and started to unwrap the Bibingka on her hand. "And I am giving you a chance to earn my heart more. I expect to see other things you can do for me, YN."

You respectfully took the opportunity she allowed to install on you wholeheartedly for the sake of the emerging love that has begun to develop from the first contact you had with her. "I'd be happy and honoured to introduce it all only for you, Ryujin. Thank you."

The two then happily continued eating bibingka together, with their anticipation for what's more to come between them arises.

1 year later, you and Ryujin attended another traditional Misa De Gallo but this time with their own respective families.

During the offering of peace led by the priest, they instead exchanged kisses to one another, a symbol of your successful and healthy 5 months of relationship with her.

But the most meaningful and unforgettable memory you will ever cherish is your hands holding tightly onto Ryujin's. Little did you know that the true and greatest christmas present you never thought you will be having last year aside from finishing Misa De Gallo without being alone, is her.

Through their desire of not wanting to let loose of their hands anymore after that very first Ama Namin and your intention to give her the Bibingka as a sign of claiming his destiny, they fortunately obtained what they deserved as it all manifested their wishes to come true in the end.

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call-me-copycat · 1 year

Text

I'm so sorry @pink-lemonadae-san ! Tumblr has a nasty problem for me where random drafts of mine go missing for no reason. Luckily I take a screenshot of every ask before saving the draft (since this has happened in the past).

➤ Welcome

Request rules, info about me, and links to all my masterlists

♡ ••┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈•• ♡♡ ••┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈•• ♡

▶ Pairing: Tamaki Amajiki x GN Reader

▶ Genre: Fluff (tiny bit of a slowburn), Romance

▶ Word Count: 11,800 (Exactly!)

▶ Story Notes:

- "Shokupan" is just Japanese for Milk Bread

- I began writing this during Golden Week, but it's over now (Apr 29 - May 5)

- Golden Week is a series of festivals and holidays in Japan, but I didn't go into much detail with it in the story

▶ Warnings: None (Although I might want you warn you that this isn't exactly the best I've written since I'm not very good with romance >///<)

The bell chimed by the door, the light ringing making its way throughout the little bakery. Golden ribbons of sunlight were just barely beginning to peak through the windows, coating the entire shop in its sleepy yet cozy filter.

It was early in the morning, much earlier than when most people got up for the day, but as a baker you saw it as your duty to fulfill the daily tasks for your job - no matter how tedious or dull. It was what got you your job, after all.

Just as any other day customers filed in and out in wide, nearly empty groups, the early morning crowd mainly consisting of office workers, students and teachers, tired night-shift workers ready to rest, and sometimes a hero or two if you got lucky enough.

The syrupy aroma of various pastries, breads, and sweets filled the shop in a warm and inviting atmosphere. The sweet fragrance was something you had enjoyed when you first started working there, but you realized to your disdain you had eventually grown numb to it's smell.

The bell chimed in rhythm with the creaking of the door, accompanied with the sound of the cash register letting out its little clicks and beeps as you paced yourself around the small group of customers. And so the steady rhythm of your everyday life was beginning once again, just as it had done so many times in the past.

Finally, after waving goodbye to a little boy and his older sister you looked up at the clock to realize the early morning rush had finished. It wasn't too bad that day, and since it was the smallest rush of the day it normally helped to wake you up and let you prepare for the bigger crowds that come later on.

Just as you were pulling out a new tray of sweet pastries from where they were sitting in the warm oven, a small commotion gained your attention. The bell on the door rang, and it was quickly followed by three students that came crashing in, clearly in a rush.

Upon closer inspection, you realized that they were most likely around your age. The tallest one had a bright and cheerful smile on his face despite the concern of what time they had on hand, with bright yellow hair to go with his blue eyes.

The girl next to him was also all smiles, with a warm and rather cute expression as she forgot about her surroundings and smushed her face up against the display case that showed what pastries and sweets you sold.

Finally, you didn't even notice the boy standing behind them at first, but after he stepped out to say something to the blond-haired boy you saw that he was much more timid, a shy and nervous expression on his face - some if it being hidden by the indigo colored locks that fell in front of it.

The blonde haired boy was the first that went up to you, the timid boy trying to pry the girl from the case as she went up and down the long glass rows.

"Hey! Is it alright if I get one honey croissant, and- just a sec" he smiled kindly and turned to the other two, a gentle urgency in his voice as he asked them what they wanted.

"Ooh! The mochi! No, wait, the coffee jelly! Wait, wait, wait! I changed my mind, I'm going with the mochi, it looks yummy!" The blue haired girl was ecstatic, jumping around with the energy you felt could compare to an excited 5-year old who wandered in with their mother.

Suddenly, all eyes were on the shy boy, and even as you packaged the orders that were already asked, you could see him visibly shrink under the attention. A small part of you felt a little bad for the boy, so you decided that you'd do something kind to make up for the nervousness he had, especially since you had some extra goodies left over from the night before that you didn't want to go to waste.

"So Tamaki, what's it gonna be?" The blonde asked the shy boy - Tamaki, you learned.

Upon this request, he visibly hunched inwards, stuffing his hands in his pockets and directing his attention to the ground, muttering a simple "I'm fine".

"Nonsense! C'mon buddy, pick something out and then we can head to school - it's on me!" The blonde enthusiastically patted the boy, Tamaki on the shoulder. He seriously didn't seem to want the attention, but nevertheless he still sheepishly pointed at the Milk Bread in the display, a plain yet sweet bread for the less adventurous. You realized he might've just picked something to get the boy's attention off of him for the time being.

Quickly handing the girl her mochi and and placing the honey croissant on the counter, you went to packaging the single piece of Shokupan in its box. Only, before you closed the lid, you got an idea.

The three rushed out of the bakery after paying, and in a way you felt a little accomplished, enjoying the tiny break in routine. It certainly wasn't everyday you met such characters like them, with such contrasting personalities. You could only hope they'd come back for another visit sometime.

As Mirio, Nejire, and Tamaki hurriedly made their way back to UA in order to beat the bell for first hour they snacked on their little pastries, all except Tamaki, who shoved the box into his bag for lunch without even opening it.

It was a typical day at UA, with studying, training, quizzes, and so on. A day that Tamaki felt he could easily handle since the familiar routine with comforting and predictable.

It went this way up until lunch, where he sat confused with a blank look on his face as he started into the box that held his Shokupan he had ordered earlier out of panic. Blinking his eyes, he registered that there wasn't just a single piece of the sweet bread in the box all by its self, but rather it had company.

A cute little cookie sat next to the bread, decorated to look like a little kitty. He normally would've found it charming, but at the moment he felt like a thief.

There was another pastry in the box! What if you put it there by accident?! What was he supposed to do, eat it? Give it back? It had been sitting in his backpack all day, so Tamaki doubted it would still be able to be sold if he gave it back. But he didn't pay for this, was he considered a criminal if the offense was on accident?!

Paranoid thoughts ran throughout his mind, and he struggled to come up with a solution. Mirio looked over, and upon seeing his friend starting intensely at the box with his bread in it, leaned over to check out what was going on.

"Oh, sweet! They gave you an extra!"

Tamaki's eyes flew open at his friends dismissal.

"No! No, they must've put it in here by accident! Mirio what do I do? I can keep this, it's not mine!"

Mirio chuckled reassuringly, patting his nervous friend on the shoulder.

"Well even if it was an accident, I don't think you can give it back-"

Tamaki's panicked expression worsened, but Mirio quickly finished his sentence to avoid being taken out of context.

"- Buut what else can you really do but enjoy it? Besides, there's always the chance they were just being nice!"

Tamaki grimaced as he looked at the little cookie in the box, Mirio's words not reassuring him the slightest. He mentally slapped himself, it was just a cookie! It was probably just 50 yen anyways, why did he always have to overthink everything? Why did he make things so hard for himself?

Before he could decide on what to do, Nejire caught up on the situation and smiled while cheerfully reaching over the lunch table - towards his cookie.

"Hey, it you don't want it I can always eat it for y-"

However, before she could get another word in, Tamaki snapped the little container shut, causing the two pairs of eyes to settle on him due to the unexpected and sudden reaction.

"It's... Fine. It'll be fine"

The two others looked at each other in confusion at Tamaki's sudden change in demeanor, but before either could get a word in, the bell rang and signaled for them to get to class.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•

Later at the end of the day, you were just coming home after your own day of work, tired yet fulfilled. It was a fun aspect of your life, getting to bake for people and all. Seeing people eat your own creations and enjoy them was what made it all worth it

As you got ready for the night, you couldn't help but wonder what happened to that shy boy and his friends that visited earlier that morning. They were so entertaining to see, and in a way you felt the most similar to the nervous boy - Tamaki.

It was silly to realize about, but everytime you thought about the boy, you felt a small tug on your heart. For now, you just decided to chalk it up as pity since the poor guy was a shaking mess when you saw him. Maybe he'd visit again with his friends...

The day after was the exact same, making pastries and sweets, serving people, cleaning some, and so on. Only, a small part of you was hoping to see the unlikely trio again, and everytime the door opened your eyes would involuntarily flicker over with a spark of hope.

The day dragged on, and the further it got the smaller your hope would shrink. At the end of the day with no sign of them, you could only sigh and scold yourself for thinking so foolishly, after all they were only customers that visited once.

Just as you were stacking the used trays so they could be put in the dishwasher, a small knocking on the front door caught your attention. Turning, you saw none other than the trio you were hoping to see - well two of the three, that is.

It was only the blond and Tamaki that were standing there, the girl being nowhere in sight. Admittedly, you chuckled to yourself before gesturing for them to turn the handle, only to have to yell in response to further confusion "It's open!"

The blond chuckled and rubbed the nape of his neck, while Tamaki groaned in either embarrassment or annoyance. Perhaps it was a mixture of both.

The door swung open, the bell chimed, and then they were in the shop. Seeing the place near empty (except the one regular who was eating by his lonesome near the back), both their expressions turned a little apologetic.

"Ah! Sorry if you're closing, we-"

The blond got caught off mid-sentence by Tamaki, and this was the first time you saw the boy speak on his own without being pressured.

"We.. We can go. You look busy- don't th-they look busy, Mirio? L-let's not bother them." He tried turning around to leave, tugging his unmoving friend's arm in the direction of the door. Finally he stilled and his shoulders slumped as he looked at his friend who refused to budge, a pathetic and pleading expression on his face. And that's when you felt it again, that thumping of your heart.

"Actually... It may seem empty, but I don't close for another hour." You gave off the warmest smile you could in hopes of reassuring the both that they weren't intruding. The blonde - Mirio, you learned- smiled in response while Tamaki's expression stayed one of pitiful nervousness.

"That's great! We just wanted to visit again to say how much we liked your sweets! They're great, really. Tamaki especially agrees, don't you buddy?" Tamaki groaned his friend's name as his face blossomed into a shade of red at his friends comment, and once again you tried to defuse his anxiety.

"Oh! That's so sweet of the both of you, I have some extras if you'd like one?"

Tamaki waved his hands in front of him, not wanting to deal with the guilt of more free food, while Mirio was about to ask something.

You cut the both off with a genuine smile, "No, really it's okay! It's technically regulation to get rid of the day's batch since we can't use or sell it the next day, so you'd be helping to not let some of that go to waste. Y'know, only if you want of course"

They both looked at you, watching them eagerly with your hands clasped together and a bright smile stretched across your lips. Tamaki felt his face grow hot and his heart speed up, and in a panic he gasped out and clutched his shirt, confused on this newfound feeling and not knowing what to make of it.

Mirio didn't hear any objections from his friend, so he looked over and assumed Tamaki was just panicking over the social settings again. Taking matters into his own hands once more, Mirio smiled and accepted for the both of them.

And so, that's how they walked out each with a small box of slightly stale (yet yummy) treats, courtesy of you being the kindest baker they've met so far.

They walked across the little town, the rays of the sun slowly lowering, it's golden streaks begrudgingly being torn from the surfaces it once covered. Since it was cool, people were out and about as they pleased, cleaning their shops, playing in the park, going shopping, walking pets, and so on.

The evening was nice and calm, allowing Tamaki's chaotic thoughts to settle down once again. Mirio was already eating his way through the box he was given, while Tamaki could only clutch his tightly in his grip.

He thought back to you in the bakery, with your kind smile and genuine atmosphere. Of course he noticed how everytime he became panicked your eyes would flicker over to him. Only, instead of the typical curiosity or pity, he saw something else in your expression. Relation. Familiarity. You understood how he felt, what his position was like.

The fluttering in his chest grew at the thought, and he could barely restrain this feeling of desire and longing that surrounded him everytime he thought of... You.

It was stressful and chaotic.. but it was pleasant. A feeling that wasn't like any other he's experienced before. After so many years of so much anxiety, finally getting someone who knew what it was like and finally feeling some emotion that was a joy to experience... It a freeing in a way.

The sun glittered where it sat, the golden beams of light stretching over Tamaki's face as he conclusively came to terms with what he was feeling by finally taking a bite of the cookie you gave him. And a newfound satisfaction filled his head, his emotions swirling around in a sweet mixture of chaos and joy.

After that interaction with them, you began to see the trio everyday, and they let you know that they had dubbed your bakery as their new hangout spot since they were there so often. It was never set in stone though, because sometimes you'd see all three, other times you'd just see two or one of them. Either way, it flattered you to have a new set of regulars visiting on the daily.

A new rhythm was put in place as they squeezed their way into your life, and as the weeks passed you slowly saw them less as customers, but more at friends.

You had already talked to most of them individually a few times, but you noticed that Tamaki rarely came by himself, mainly with one of the two. He talked everytime he was spoken to, but you could never get him to speak freely on his own.

Truth be told, each time Tamaki tried to approach you, his emotions would get in the way and he'd second-guess himself enough to bail out at the last moment. He couldn't even look your way without you immediately meeting his gaze and smiling, causing his brain to malfunction and his face to erupt in a shade of red. He hated how hard his heart beat in his chest whenever he entered the bakery, the mere thought of seeing you causing his mind to go into overdrive.

You on the other hand began to think his distancing was probably due to lingering anxiety, and so you wanted to do everything you could to get him to trust you more. Both his friends were naturally trusting and friendly people, so they were easy to befriend. Tamaki however, was much harder for you. He'd never reach past the initial point of politeness that you had already passed with the other two. It was shallow, and you wanted something deeper.

Each time Tamaki visited since then, he'd always be greeted first and he noticed you spoke to him much more than you did before. He couldn't shake you off, your kindness was sticky in a way, and it was hard to avoid. It only served to cause his emotions to rush about his head more aggressively, and as much as he was flattered to have your attention on him, there was only one problem. He wasn't good with attention, whether it good or bad.

Every night he laid on his bed, pondering how he would go about this. He couldn't just tell you about his feelings, what if you were just being kind because of your job? No, that wasn't an option for him, it was unprofessional.

He so desperately wanted to look you in the eyes and pour out everything that he was holding in his heart. To have your eyes set on him while he let his thoughts and feelings loose made him clutch his heart over his shirt, the mere idea thrilling but terrifying.

Every smile given his way caused his heart to thrum with elation, and every pastry you gave him made his head buzz with thoughts, always so loud and overthinking on the inside. It was a contrast only he knew of.

To be so excruciatingly chaotic and loud beneath the quiet and somber surface was nothing but a secret held past closed lips. He wanted to open up everything he held inside and let you in, you being the key to his lock. Truth be told, Tamaki was tired of holding it all in. Your welcoming nature and caring behaviors made him feel safe around you, as if he could just hug you and melt away as all his stress was lifted from him.

His thumping heart and doubtful thoughts made themselves known, and that's when he remembered what was keeping him from you. A chain of his own mind was the strongest leash that held him down. As much as he didn't want to be a prisoner of his own creation, he found that no matter how much he struggled he just couldn't loosen the reigns that his mind held over his heart.

And so, all he could do was to continue visiting the bakery, simply being glad to see your face wherever he could. Your sweet remarks were what made his day, being music to his ears. Tamaki had never met such a kind soul before, and he was absolutely captivated by your charms.

Soon enough, he began visiting more frequently on his own, and you were thrilled with the thought that he was getting more comfortable around you. Each time he visited you'd always send him with a little goodie bag with a pastry or two, something that you normally wouldn't do for just anyone.

There were only a few key encounters that you remembered with him. One was when you were closing up, with Tamaki sitting at one of the tables and keeping you company since you were by yourself that night. You had to walk home since the train was down that day, and Tamaki had offered to walk you there - for safety, of course.

"Are you sure?"

You hadn't wanted to push him so far out of his comfort zone.

"...It's dark. It wouldn't be safe you to walk on your own. Sorry."

And so you accepted, the two of you walking side by side until you got to where you lived. It was the fact that it was something out of the ordinary that made the memory so important to you. Along with the realization that he had come to you on his own advances, surely that could be a sign of acceptance or comfort?

Either way, you cherished the thought, and you held onto it with a rigorous hope blooming in your heart, growing only with each interaction.

As time moved on, the three continued visiting as much as they could, and you even spent some time with them outside of the bakery. Small festivities were being held since the one and only Golden Week was coming up, and they each invited you to come with them to the festivals and parades in the coming week.

The air buzzed with excitement, and the bakery was swamped with cheerful orders as people planned out their celebrations. You even had to go as far as pushing back your closing time just to accommodate all the orders, but you didn't mind too much since it was all in great spirit.

The end of the day approached much faster than you had realized, and you only came to know this due to the trio arriving at their usual time at the end of the day.

"Wow! It's crowded in here! Looks like you're gonna be busy for awhile, huh?" Just the same, Mirio was the first to greet you, with Nejire piping up behind him.

"O-oh, so does that mean you can't hang out?" She asked with slight dejection in her tone, yet it wasn't as prominent as her air of glee that nearly shadowed the small negative moment.

You looked at them with an apologetic smile, promising to take a day off to spend time with them at the festival. They both smiled in response, and Mirio went to Tamaki to hear his thoughts on the idea.

"That sounds fine with us! You can't control work after all, what do you think- ...Tamaki?" Your attention was directed to where the taller boy was looking behind him, and you three were all met with nothing. He wasn't there.

"Hm, I swear he was with us when we arrived!" Mirio's expression was now one of confusion, his brows furrowing.

"Yeah, I wonder- Oh! There he is!" Nejire began, then turned to point outside the door to see the missing boy still standing at the entrance - hands in pockets and trembling slightly.

The three of you turned to see what she was pointing at, and you huffed out a small laugh, realizing that so many people in one area would naturally be Tamaki repellent. So in a way you had no idea what you were expecting, but you weren't upset with the thought - just a little amused.

"Well, I guess that's where he is. I'll be sure to tell him, and we'll come back when it dies down, thanks for having us!" Mirio waved his hand as he held open the entrance door, Nejire skipping out and then waving from behind the glass window (shouting a muffled "bye bye!" that you couldn't fully hear due to the surrounding chatter).

You watched them go for a second, then realized something as Tamaki's eyes sorrowfully met yours, clearly upset with his timidness that caused him to not be able to see you properly due to his apprehensive feelings of being around large crowds.

It was the same look he had in the beginning when you first met him, one of utter powerlessness and regret. You weren't about to undo all the hard work you had built up to befriending him, so you rushed out with a small bag of goodies to help remind him of all your chats and walks.

"Tamaki-kun! Please wait!" The trio all turned almost immediately upon hearing your voice, Tamaki being the quickest to come to a halt and whip around. You were calling out for him, for him. Looking closer, he saw the typical goodie bag and understood your intentions.

"Here." You grabbed his hands and placed the bag gently in them, giving them a squeeze before waving bye to them and rushing back inside to assist your coworkers with the rush.

Tamaki was frozen in place. You held his hands. He couldn't believe it, wouldn't believe it if it didn't just happen in front of him. Mirio and Nejire both looked over, curious at the new information. Mirio then grinned as he realized what was going on, nudging his friend in the side with good hearted intentions.

"So-o~" Tamaki frowned at his friend's teasing voice, directing the gift away from his sight only for Nejire to approach him on his other side and attempt to grab the bag from him with gleeful curiosity.

"It's nothing, seriously" Mirio didn't seem to believe him as he looked at him with a smug grin and waved his eyebrows. Tamaki furrowed his own, and Mirio silently responded with a nonchalant shrug of the shoulders. Before anything else could be said, Nejire turned at Mirio and they both shared a look of understanding before Mirio patted Tamaki and the shoulder.

"Alright, alright, if you say so~"

"I'm serious, Mirio-" He cut Tamaki off with a wave of the hand.

"Yeah, like I said, I get it. We'll just all hang out some other time, 'kay?"

And with that they all walked off, yet Tamaki couldn't forget the expression the two of his friends held, knowing they were always up to something. He'd just have to hope it wasn't anything bad.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•

The next morning things began to slow down because your bakery was taking a day off to restock and prepare for the upcoming influx of orders, one of the biggest times of year - only coming second to Christmas and New Years.

It was your favorite kind of day, a day filled with no orders or customers, just baking and decorations and preparing. It was all hands on deck, the bakery set up to be swarmed with workers in the upcoming hours. You had come early to set things up, seeing as you had nothing else planned that day.

As you reached the entrance, you fumbled around your pocket for the key, the feeling of some unknown paper catching your attention. You huffed to yourself, hoping you didn't forget some wrappers in there again, only to be met with a neatly folded note upon pulling it out.

Catching you off guard, you nearly forgot to open up the bakery if it weren't for the sudden clank of your keys hitting the cement as they fell out of your pocket. Opening the doors and setting your things down, you finally unfolded the note to read its contents.

"Dear [Name],

When I first met you, you were the sweetest person I had ever met. You saw something in me others didn't. Your baking skills are unmatched, and your desserts are like little pieces of heaven. I always look forward to coming to the bakery just to see you.

If you want to find me, follow the upcoming clues. Find the next clue where you usually get your special ingredients.

- Your Secret Admirer"

Red began to coat your cheeks as your face warmed upon reading the note. Rereading it over another two times to make sure you didn't miss anything, you simply stood in shock, not knowing what to make it the sudden event.

It couldn't have been a person playing a prank, right? But then, why would they go through the efforts to write such a sweet note? It didn't make any sense to you... and all of a sudden it hit you. What if Tamaki-...?

Shaking your head, you pushed the thought away. He could've... He wouldn't... Right? But it did make sense with how shy he was... But he's not the type to do that! Right?

For a split second you considered dumping the note somewhere and starting work, when a flicker of curiosity got sparked on by a sliver of hope.

Maybe...

You'd give it a shot, after all what harm could a little game cause? Hopefully it'd be quick.

You read over the note once more, and immediately pinpointed the spot, as the "special ingredients" of yours were simply things that were prepared for the festivals.

You went out to the kitchen, and as you opened the pantry you saw white in the corner of your eye.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•

Meanwhile, Tamaki was getting ready to walk back to his home after training at UA - a daily occurrence on weekend mornings. Packing his things in his duffle bag, he jumped a bit upon hearing a crinkling after shoving a piece of his equipment in the bag. Hoping he didn't forget or damage something important, he took out a few things one at a time until he found the source.

A cute little note was sitting in his bag, surrounded by his clothes and training gear. A shiny red heart sticker decorated the front flap, and it was milk white. Not being able to do anything but stare at it in shock, Tamaki swallowed thickly, the note seemingly weighing heavily upon him.

He gently brought it out, hands shaking as he looked at it. His mind once again went into overdrive, thoughts pushing in and flying out all around his head.

On one hand, he didn't want to raise his hopes up only to be crushed. He was given enough joke letters in middle school to know better, and the memories of it caused him to break into a cold sweat as he stared the note in indecisive agony.

Then again... There was the (ever so small) chance that it could've been real. He didn't want to think about the logic, Tamaki only wanted this to end without anything bad happening. There was no shame in opening it, after all.

He delicately unfolded the note, taking a deep breath before reading its contents.

"My dear Tamaki,

You're always one of my favorite faces to see each day. You light up my day and you have the true heart of a hero!

If you want to find me, follow these clues: To find the next note, go to the spot that's filled with life in the air fluttering around you.

I look forward to seeing you!

~ Your Secret Admirer "

Nope. He couldn't do it. A simple note was one thing, but a whole search was another. What if he was led on? What if it was nothing but a prank? No, he couldn't handle the embarrassment.

He folded it and put it in his pocket, hiking his bag over his shoulder as he left UA high. As he made his way throughout the streets, he couldn't help but continually think about that note.

What if it really was someone that made it for him out of love? What if they were waiting somewhere for him? And how disappointed would they be if he didn't show up?! They'd think he was a jerk!

Tamaki stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and gripped his bag tighter under his hands. Looking down at the ground with an agonized expression, he didn't know what to do. He didn't like drama, and he certainly didn't want to in middle of something like this, completely the dark.

Well.. 'fluttering'...

He had a small idea of where the other note might've been. Maybe taking a small detour wouldn't hurt...

Tamaki breathed in to ease his nerves. If it got to be too much he wouldn't push himself, he'd just quit.

He turned and made his way to the park, heading straight for his favorite area where the butterflies liked to group since there were clusters of flowers over there. He looked around, in no hurry and simply enjoying scenery. That's when he saw a note taped to the large oak tree- right where he liked to sit and do his work sometimes.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•

You turned to see the note that was sitting ever so delicately over the ingredients. You plucked it off from the wall it was taped to, and quickly opened it to read it.

"Dear [Name],

Your bright personality fills my day with joy. The way you treat your customers shows me you have a big heart of gold. You're much too sweet for this world!

The next note is placed where a statue of gold stands with its fist in the air.

See you there! ♡

~ Your ever so loving Admirer "

Gold? Gold... You thought about it for a second before immediately remembering the All Might statue that stood on the center of taken, decked completely in gold paint.

Town square... You knew it'd be quite busy with preparations and festivals, but you still went seeing as it was close by. Your coworkers were doing just fine, and everything was ahead of schedule, so why not?

A quick trip on your bike and you were there. The area was buzzing with activity, and you had to swerve around groups of people just to get to the statue.

Upon arrival, you looked up at the statue standing mighty and towering over everyone. Some people had placed Boy's Day carp streamers on the sides and some necklaces on the neck of the golden All Might. You laughed a little, enjoying how he was always decorated, before circling around to search for the note.

Panic began to seep through you as you circled twice and came across no sign of a note. They said golden, right? You knew of no other golden statue in the area, the only other one being a golden flame all the way in Tokyo.

Your eyebrows creased, and worry gnawed at you as you frantically searched all over the statue. Only to come up with nothing. Was this it?

Sighing, you turned to leave, disappointment weighing heavily upon your heart. Before you could take more than 3 steps, a sudden tap on your shoulder caught you off guard, and you turned to see a friendly looking lady smiling at you while offering you something. Initially thinking it was a free sample, you tried to decline, only for your eyes to widen in realization. Looking closer, you saw that she was holding a white letter with a shiny red heart sticker holding it closed.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•

As Tamaki went over to the tree to pull off the note, he began to hope that all this wasn't some elaborate trick. From all the little notes you put in the bags you gave him that held the pastries, he began to suspect this wasn't even the same handwriting.

He opened the note to read it, hoping this game wasn't going to last too long. It was beginning to get tiring living in a state that was a mixture of hope and worry.

"Dear Tamaki,

I'm so proud of you combating your anxious thoughts everyday, I know it's hard. Your courageousness certainly benefits! You help so many people each day, you're a true hero, through and through!

Go find next note where you took down your first villain. See you there!

~ Someone who admires you with all their heart"

These notes were getting to be too much for him. Why did this have to happen? He finally catches the eye of someone, and he can't even know who they are unless he plays this game.

It was a little enjoyable though, the unfamiliar events causing him to rethink so many aspects he once held about himself and his life. It was eye opening, too bad it had to be shoved in his face for him to see it.

Gently folding the note and placing it with the others in his pocket, he sat back and thought. Now.. where did he take down his first villain? What could be considered his first win?

The more he thought about it, the more shocked he grew at the number of things he's accomplished over the years. He didn't think it all added up to much, but just trying to remember a certain event that happened his first year of secondary school all seemed like so much alone.

Racking his brain, he came up with a small list of villains he took down around the same time.

There were three instances he remembered, but he just couldn't pinpoint the first if asked. Panic ensued, and he started hyperventilating until he calmed himself down.

'Let's think logically now...'

The first one was more of a con-man than a hero, tricking innocent civilians into believing his lies about heroes and trying to get people to buy his quirk supplements. Tamaki scratched that one off the list, the man put up no fight.

The second one was a cult member who believed quirks were the downfall of society. She had set up an elaborate trap in the center of town, where numerous stands, shops, and people were. It was busy, with vendors selling food, ingredients, and supplies.

She had tried building several barricades around the area and blowing it up, but ultimately failed after Tamaki got to her first. Now that he thought about it, he remembered that in a last ditch attempt she had grabbed a hostage and threatened to use her quirk on them. He was sure he had taken the lady down himself.

Then the third was simply a person who could alter photos on any piece of media. They had tried violently assaulting a hero to frame them and pretend that heroes hurt innocent civilians unprovoked. Tamaki was quick to take them down, even with as sneaky and sly as they were with escaping.

Picking through his options, he decided to go with the second one. The one in town square. The place that was currently crowded full of people celebrating Golden Week...

He gulped at the thought.

The white paper crinkled and deformed in his shaking grip as he clutched it tighter unconsciously at the thought. He'd only have this one chance find out if it was worth it...

Truth be told, Tamaki knew he had to train himself on getting better on dealing with crowded spaces, seeing as he going to be a full fledged hero one day. He just didn't think it'd be so soon.

It was now or never...

•°•°•°•°•°•°•

You looked at the note the mysterious lady had given you with a blank expression. It held no letters of affirmation like the others except for an "Almost there!".

On it was a map. A map you weren't familiar with. You recognized the very place you were standing, and decided to break it down into chunks. You saw the statue... And took a few steps in the direction of the arrows until you saw a crooked sign that matched the one on the map. One step at a time, you followed the steps on the map to the best of your ability.

It was entertaining in a way, as it reminded you of the pirates you always on the TV when you were little. In a way, you were also hunting for a treasure - it was just a little different than gold coins and shiny jewels.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•

Tamaki stood frozen. All around him people bustled about, swerving around him, running past him, carrying heavy, hot, or delicate containers. Talking in loud voices, singing songs, placing decorations on things, running around... It was overwhelming.

For a split second Tamaki wondered if he was in too deep and debated on whether or not he should leave.

'No... It'd be silly to give up this far...'

Steeling himself the best he could, he breathed in and tried to ignore the crowd that caused his body to shake with nerves.

He stuck close to the walls, looking around for a clue, any clue. This letter was so vague, he would be lying if he said he wasn't worried about finding it out not. Even if he were to ask for help, the number of people that would actually be able to direct him or do anything helpful would be too tiny to risk sounding foolish.

Sighing out tiredly, he looked at the sky to see sun lowering. Not to the point to where it was dark, but just enough so it surprised him with how long he had been playing this game. No, he definitely couldn't quit now.

A tap on his shoulder caught him off guard, and he almost jumped into the air if he hadn't been on guard all day. Turning around, he saw no one. Now this was confusing. He simply scratched his head and supposed it was someone playing that tap shoulder game.

Well, he did at first. Until he looked down and saw a note left sitting on the edge of the golden statue, almost as if it was waiting for him. He groaned, knowing what he had to do.

Tamaki clenched his jaw, and hesitantly pushed his way through the crowd of people. Slowly... Slowly... A sharp contrast to the hurried, constantly flowing around him.

People pushed and pulled, the crowd moving in an almost hypnotic manner. It was as if it was alive, like a river winding down the roads of the city. A sea of people that threatened to swallow Tamaki in its deep, dark waters. It swelled, it shrunk. It swerved and straightened. It was like he was looking the beast of his fear directly in its glowing eyes.

And it looked back.

What was supposed to be a short walk normally was stretched out beyond, due to the fact Tamaki had to shuffle around so many bodies that brushed against his.

Closing his eyes, he reminded himself.

'I can do this...'

Opening them, he almost didn't believe it as he looked at statue that sat directly in front of him. He had so many worries and anxious thoughts about whether he could, he didn't stop think about what would happen if he did.

And yet, he was there. The white paper in between his fingertips bearing the weight of his struggles.

He opened it, only to be greeted with a congratulations and a map...

•°•°•°•°•°•°•

You had struggled a bit and had to restart after mistaking a certain shop for the one on the map. This time, you decided you'd give it your all.

The sun was setting lower and lower in the sky, the purple color taking place of the bright orange, and the darker blue (that was almost black) taking place of the purple.

Slowly, more and more lights began flickering to life, and you panicked once again, hoping you weren't slowing things down.

Step by step, slowly but surely you eventually followed the landmarks in a chain, one by one. You let the guide lead you up to a grassy hill in the park next to town, right at a point where you could see both the town festivities and what went on in the grassy field on the other side.

It was a beautiful sight. The sun lowering with the creamy beige and pink clouds surrounding it, the flickering lights as they began to be turned on, streamers and kites rising above the city... It was magical.

You stood, simply enjoying view. You had already saw the note sitting on the tree that stated you had reached the final destination. But you weren't too bothered with that anymore.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•

Tamaki grunted, frowning at the map as he nervously sped around the landmarks it read. He didn't know what was expecting him, but he was tired and the anxiety of not knowing what it was drained him further. He clung onto the hope that whatever it was, it was worth the effort. He didn't know what he'd do if it was all a joke. The pain would be monumental.

He passed the statue. He curved around the bent sign. He walked past the shop. Following all these steps diligently, Tamaki was determined to make the most of his time and effort. It had to be worth it. He really hoped so.

As he was walking, Tamaki began thinking. That villain he took down... Memories began surfacing, vague and fuzzy. It was difficult, trying to bring something into sight when you can't even remember what it was you wanted to see. The more he thought, the more a distant shape began to take place, unstable and quick to fall apart if looked at too long, too delicate to handle.

Now that he thought about it, your face looked so favorite familiar...

However, Tamaki didn't have much time to think about it as he looked up to see a grassy hill - the end point of this whole thing.

He stalled, now suddenly feeling shy and timid. He remembered the initial fears he had when he first started this game, and now he didn't know what he should do.

Only, he looked up at the hill, and those fears went away. Because standing at the top, in all your glory... Was you.

You were looking off to the side, looking at the beautiful scene that played out in front of you, the golden and orange colors of the setting sun swathing you in its sheet of light, only serving to further cement the look of grace and elegance that surrounded you. You hadn't noticed him standing at the bottom of the hill, too occupied with the gentle landscape ahead of you, a look of bliss adorning your face.

And at that moment, for the first time Tamaki felt... Calm.

Calm when normally his heart would be breathing out of his chest.

Calm when normally he would've broken out into a cold sweat.

Calm when normally his head would be barraging him with terrible, fearful thoughts.

All he felt was at ease. And it was amazing, astounding even. He normally only felt comfortable whenever he was at his own house, alone.

Yet, looking at you gave him a sense of comfort, a feeling that he couldn't explain, only feel and experience.

And that's when he remembered.

All those years ago during his first year of UA, he had started interning with Fatgum. His anxiety back then was eternally much, much, worse. So much farther behind his peers, Tamaki had wondered if he'd even make it out as a hero. When all his classmates were already being seen as future heroes, when they had already taken down too many criminals and villains to count... He was still hiding his face in the wall.

He wasn't even on the clock that day, he had just been strolling around and enjoying a calm, cool day. It began to get crowded, and naturally he went to leave to somewhere less populated.

And that's when he ran into a shady figure with the same idea. There was a lady who had been walking around, hands in pockets and head down. He knew something was wrong, but he doubted his judgement.

The actual fight was blurry, he didn't remember much of that. Just the fact that he saw her placing what he knew was explosives, and a chase ensued where he also saw her locking in gates, doors, and walls to keep people from escaping.

He had looked around for a hero, nervous about whether or not he could actually do this alone. All his classmates at least had the wisdom of their mentors at their side... He was alone.

He had to steel himself that day for the first time. He had to scream at himself in his head that if he didn't do something because of his anxiety, people would die.

And he fought. And he was ahead. He was winning. The lady wasn't the best with combat, but she still put up quite a fight. Yet, Tamaki was winning, he had the upper hand. It was thrilling, yet terrifying. But still, he'd do it again to prevent the deaths of innocent people.

However at that moment, the lady split off and ran into the crowd, and Tamaki followed her without thought. He only knew something was up when a ring of shouting and worried people started to form, and he had followed the crowd. Only to see the lady holding a random person she had grabbed from the crowd, holding her hand against their head. And that person..

Was you.

It was you.. Tamaki couldn't believe he forgot. He knew your face looked familiar.

He had defeated the lady, and you had thanked him in abundance, a sweet smile decorating your relieved face.

After that, you had walked off. Only, right before that he remembered you had reached into your bag to hand him something.

What was it again?

Tamaki toiled adamantly, trying to piece together the random floating fragments of memories that flew around the vastness of his head. He thought about the past and the present, trying to come to a logical result.

Was it a trinket? No, he would've kept it.

How about a small drawing or something? No, he wouldn't put it in his pocket, and he remembered there was nothing in there.

What was it? You were a baker, so he began to believe it was a treat of some sort...

He gasped lightly to himself. That's why it all looked so familiar.

It a cookie... Decorated to look like a cat.

Too many things clashed together at once, and all Tamaki could do was look up at you in awe and nostalgia. The sounds around the park had subsided as it was getting darker, people all going inside to prepare before going to come out again in some time.

The empty air whistled around, rustling the trees and giving a slight chill to the both of you as the sun lowered even further into the darkness - not quite gone, yet not quite there.

He looked up at you solemnly once more, taking in a heavy breath as he shook at the implications that awaited him. He looked back to the time you rushed out of the bakery just for him. You had run out to still include him, even if he shied away due to his anxious thoughts.

Now it was his turn.

He walked up the hill, step by step. Bit by bit.

The entire way there he didn't take his eyes off you, not even once. His thoughts were screaming at him in his head, and his face was practically lit aflame. Yet he walked up to you with the practiced stride of that of a hero who had a deep focus he intended to complete.

You watched the sun slowly lowering, the light quivering and distorting the lower it got to the bottom of the horizon. The largest stars began to litter the sky, a balance of grey in a black and white world. Where it's not yet day, nor night.

A slight crunching off to the side caught your attention, and it suddenly hit you. You remembered the game you had played, and you stilled for a second in confusion before turning to see the source of the noise.

Eyes widening in surprise, your breath hitched as you came eye-to-eye with the person you had been wanting to see all day.

Tamaki came to a slow halt once he stood directly across from you. Neither had expected to get this far, yet it was equally desired.

Tamaki's hands broke out into a cold sweat as he trembled in place, scared yet still determined. Your heart hammered in your chest, a look of wonder taking hold of your expression.

"I-"

"You-"

Looking at each other with a bewildered appearance, a grin suddenly formed across your face as you broke out into a fit of snickers, Tamaki joining in with that crooked smile of his. He was eternally grateful you knew how to defuse his nervousness, even without particularly trying.

"I suppose... You got the notes too?"

You chuckled a bit, rubbing the back of your neck. "Yeah, I don't suppose you were the one responsible for them?"

He shook his head, a knowing smile growing on the both of your faces as you recalled two particularly mischievous friends of yours.

"No, it wasn't me, sorry."

He swallowed thickly, quickly deciding to get this over with.

"But..."

He choked on his words a bit, the idea and fear of rejection taking hold once again. He loved having you as a friend, and while the idea of being something more was certainly appealing, he couldn't risk losing what he already had. It was terrifying. Even with that small part that constantly screamed for him to get over it.

You smiled softly, a silent understanding. "But..." You parroted, stepping forward and gently taking his hand in yours.

He felt the connection, and you both went silent, only looking at your intertwined hands. He furrowed his eyebrows, trying to force the words out. All that came out was his hand enclosing yours.

Yet it spoke so much more than words could've.

The sun had completely gone down at this point, leaving the two of you to depend on the few surrounding street lights that were placed farther below. The darkness was comforting in a way, and Tamaki felt a little more at ease without his sight constantly worrying him.

If he looked closely enough however, he could trace the outlines of your face, the soft light of the curved moon lighting up the edges of your jaw and nose, along with adding a slight shimmer to your eyes. The darkness took away most of his sight, but it strengthened his other senses. Such as the feeling of your warm, soft hand in his.

The cool breeze blew by once more. A setting that Tamaki knew he was comfortable with.

You were about to say something, when you felt a gentle tug on your hand. Looking back up, you saw the silhouette of Tamaki looking back at you, gesturing gently downwards towards an empty field of grass at the bottom of the hill.

You silently followed, a giddy grin on your face and fuzzy feelings in your stomach. You both stumbled down, softly laughing at the clumsiness caused because of the lack of light. Your laughter rang out like sweet chimes and bells to Tamaki, and he wanted to hear more. He wanted to see you smile more. For you to be more content. All around him, with him, because of him.

You both came to a stop in the middle of the flourishing grassy area, filled with moist plants trying to cling to your legs and the calming aroma that was caused from the rain that fell the night before. You giggled and grabbed Tamaki's other hand, unknowingly giving him a slight confidence boost that was so badly needed for him.

He smiled at your cheerful state, thrilled that this wasn't going bad as he feared. He looked at you directly, silently diverting your attention to him. Tamaki smiled kindly before turning to look at the expanse of grass that grew tall and short all around you.

You turned to try to see what he was looking at, and Tamaki looked at you from the corner of his eye with a tender smile before softly brushing his arm over some of the taller grasses that grew, causing them to gently sway. You were about to ask him the reasoning behind his odd behavior, but your question died out before you could get it out of your throat.

What had caught your attention was little yellow and golden glowing specks that flickered to life before hazily floating around in the air, some almost as if they were half asleep, others shooting around as if they were a coiled spring waiting to jump to life.

They were fireflies. Tons of them.

You looked up around you in awe, and for a split second Tamaki was grateful for his secluded lifestyle, only knowing of this trick after years of visiting this grassy plain since he was a child. It was a secret only few knew of, and he was more than willing to share it with you. The look on your face caused him no regrets - a first in his life.

You continued looking around at the fluttering orbs of light, their soft glows weakly illuminating the area. It was surreal in a way, and the constant feeling that you were floating around in outer space never left you.

Letting out a soft chuckle, Tamaki gingerly squeezed your hand a little, seeing no way in which he'd allow this moment to be ruined by his nervous thoughts.

Laughing in response, you grabbed his hand tighter in yours, and with you leading the way you both walked around the field together, igniting many more of the fireflies to begin flying around at the disturbance in the grass. All around you now they fluttered, their glow flickering and buzzing. It was as if little stars were surrounding you, always in constant motion.

The sounds of the people beginning to come out started trickling in, fading in from small laughs and chatting and growing into an inferno of singing, clanking, yells and screeches of joy from little children and the barking of a random dog every now and then. The festivals were starting, but luckily they were held on the other side of the park, it being split in two by a thick layer of trees heavy with leaves.

Your attention was brought back to Tamaki again as he feebly tugged your hand once more, avoiding eye contact with you when you turned by directing his attention to ground, timidly rubbing the nape of his neck.

Reaching out a hand, you softly brought his head up to look you in the eyes, offering him a kind smile when he followed suit. He felt inside of his mouth grow dry and his heart skipped a beat. You looked too lovely for him to handle, the light caused by the flames of the lamps being set out illuminating you in a dreamlike manner.

"So... About those notes" you started.

His eyes flickered up to yours for a second before just as quickly flittering back away. "I'm sorry if they caused any trouble... "

He looked down further at the ground, the swaying grass helping to comfort him a bit. He liked being outdoors, being one with nature.

"But... Whatever they held... Ne-never compared to how I really feel about you"

Darn, the stuttering was kicking in. He needed to get his words out or it'll get worse. He didn't think he'd be able to bear the embarrassment.

"Tamaki-"

He grabbed your other hand in shaking grip. All inside, his body and mind was going into overdrive, he was melting from the inside out. His brain screamed and his body trembled. Things were falling apart, deteriorating. But he wasn't going to leave without you at least knowing how he felt. He was terrified. But bravery isn't the absence of fear. It's being courageous in the company of fear. Fatgum taught him that.

Time to be brave.

"I can't keep this from you anymore, and-and I'll understand if you don't feel the same. I-I'll get it..."

He took a deep breath before looking you in the eyes.

"I really don't want to lose you... So ple-please, if this is stupid, please tell me now. I want you in my life anyway I can-"

Before he finished you squeezed his hands, cutting him off. "I can never leave you. I never want you to worry about that, okay?" Your voice was soft and serene.

Tamaki gulped and nodded. "I have this weird feeling when i'm with you, I can't explain it, but I know it's a good feeling..."

"...So please... [Name]"

He squeezed his eyes shut tightly, trying to get it out quickly enough before his mind could retort.

"Iloveyousorry.." (I love you, sorry)

He froze in place, not even bothering trying to take his hands back from you to his side. He simply stilled, every inch of him frozen in terror, worry, and anticipation. He's never even felt this anxious over any of the villains he fought.

A thick silence weighed down upon the two of you as you tried to take it all in. It was heavy, the sheer power of three simple words.

You could see Tamaki beginning to shake more and more, and through his shut eyes you saw small tears forming. Quickly jumping into action, you attempted to calm him down.

"Hey... calm down, it's okay." You rubbed his hands in yours with your thumb, trying to urge him to look up at you. He didn't speak, only shaking his head to the side a bit.

"Tamaki..."

You looked down at the ground too, your own stomach fluttering and heart thumping in your chest. Now it's your turn.

"I... I love you too."

Clearly not expecting that response, Tamaki blinked opened his eyes, slowly pulling his head back up to look at you once again. He looked at you in silence for a second, caught off guard by the response.

"You.." he then pointed to himself, dazed. "M-me...?"

You shook your head, chuckling a little.

"Yes, you. Yes, I love you. It's always been you, just you and only you..."

"You're everything I've always wanted and more..." He whispered lightly, stunned and barely holding it all together. He felt lightheaded, and drunk on joy. His heart no longer beat in aching desperation, but rather now for you. His mind no longer screamed at him but rather sat silently, you being the only one that was able to make the painful words disappear.

The wind bristled the leaves of the trees and caused the tall blades of grass surrounding you to flutter and quiver. Someone was cooking something nearby, because the smell of warm cooked foods wafted through the air. Laughter rung about and filled the area with a sense of comfort.

Time seemed to freeze around the both of you, the feeling of being the only ones to exist engulfing you both entirely as you looked each other eye in loving eye.

You both seemed to be drawn in by each other's presence, as if a magnet was pulling you towards each other. Soon enough, you both were barely inches from each other. You looked up at him, simply enjoying each other's company in comfortable silence.

"Can I... Can I hug you?" You broke the barrier with your question, and for the first time Tamaki saw you nervous. You, the one who was just as boisterous as Mirio and Nejire. You, who was friendly with everyone you ran into. You, who was now standing in front of him, fiddling with your fingers in his hands and switching your weight on each foot as you fidgeted from side to side.

He shook his head, a small tender smile growing on face. "I'd like that..."

You leaned in, a little surprised to see Tamaki leaning in as well to meet you halfway. Both your arms wrapped around each other in a loving, silent embrace. He rested his head on your shoulder, and you noticed his grip was light, too afraid of squeezing you too tight.

Staying that way for a couple minutes, you both visibly relaxed at the relief that came with the realization that it was all over. No more games. No more desperate pinning. No more lonely heartaches. You had him and he had you.

Feeling Tamaki begin to pull away slightly, both your faces warmed when you realized just how close you both were. He stuttered a bit, quietly to himself, before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.

"Can I... - no sorry, forget I said anything"

He tried diverting his attention to the ground again, although you noticed he never removed his arms from around you, both not wanting to leave the warmth and comfort of the other. You gently brought him to face you again.

"No, no... You can ask me anything. Please don't worry about any judgment from me, I'm not going to get upset with you."

He slightly brought in some air through his teeth, creating a light hissing sound as he debated over it, ultimately deciding to go for it.

"May I... I-is it if I kiss you?" His voice grew quieter as he spoke, until it was almost unintelligible at the end - which it possibly would've been if you weren't so close to him.

Your face warmed as your heart hammered away once again, a shy smile forming on your lips.

"I'd... Like that. Please"

He nodded, and without any further words leaned in, connecting to you in a quick, sweet peck. He pulled away for a second, but you leaned in and crashed your lips against his once more. He froze for a second, face burning hot, before finally melting into your embrace. His hand moved from around your back to settling on your waist, content and comfortable.

The moment was tender and soft, and the two of you were too wrapped up in each other to pay any attention to the fireworks that blazed across the sky in their colorful glory, marking the peak of the festival.

Pulling away, you both looked at each other for a split second, before Tamaki burst into red, pulling you a little closer and nuzzling his head in the crook of your neck, the red reaching all the way up to his ears.

You simply held him close just as he did to you as well, both reveling in the loving solace you brought one another. The fireworks continued to go off. The fireflies were still flickering. People were laughing, and music was still being played.

You smiled as you turned to Tamaki, the smile growing at how content he was while holding you in his arms.

"Tamaki...?"

He opened his eyes, pulling away to look at you clearly. "Yes?"

"Do you want to go look at to festival with me?"

At that moment Tamaki realized just how drained he was. That game had taken most of the day to complete, and being constantly surrounded by people along with the anxiety that was brought on by his worrying about confessing only served to drain him further.

"I'm a little tired..."

"It's alright, we can get something to eat and then head home."

He smiled softly and held you tenderly, completely enamored by how you were so loving and kind.

"I'd like that..."

•°•°•°•°•°•°•

"So-o ~"

Mirio teased Tamaki as they walked through the hallways to the cafeteria.

"I-it's nothing, Mirio" Tamaki groaned in response, regretting having let his friends in on what had went down only a few nights before.

You had both agreed to start seeing each other officially, and soon enough Tamaki became a regular at the bakery you worked at, much to Mirio's and Nejire's delight.

"Seems like it's something to me!"

Nejire piped, am equally teasing look on her face as well.

Tamaki could only groan and hide his face in his hands as Mirio and Nejire congratulated him, with Mirio patting him in the back with his good hearted nature.

Tamaki was eternally grateful he had you in his life. You helped him see things about himself he never knew before, helping to boost his confidence a smidge along with easing his anxiety levels. In a way, you were his new emotional comfort, no longer needing to hide his face in the walls as much (he'd just go to you for a hug instead).

And it was all because of a little cat cookie.

∴∵∴ ୨୧ ∴∵∴ ୨୧ ∴∵∴ ୨୧ ∴∴∵∴ ୨୧ ∴∵∴ ୨୧ ∴∵∴

BONUS:

"I knew she looked familiar!" The blue haired girl exclaimed.

"Yeah, but he's never going to admit he has feelings for her anytime soon, you have any ideas?" The blond boy questioned, his finger on his chin.

"Ooh! I know! What if we write them confession letters, and sign them from each other!" The girl came up with.

"Hmm, I was going to say Scavenger Hunt, but I like that idea too"

The girl hummed in thought, when a mischievous smile broke out across her face.

"Why don't we combine them?"

The blond chuckled, an equally wily smile growing on his own face as well, his blue eyes sparkling playfully.

"I like the sound of that. They'll be sure to have lots of fun!"

Fun for them, maybe.

A/N:

I'm sorry if that wasn't the best! It's not exactly what I normally write, but it was still such fun writing anyways! ୧꒰*´꒳`*꒱૭✧

Also for some reason a lot of my friends were particularly interested in seeing how this one turned out [probably because it's the first romance I've written wwww ( ´⁠ε⁠｀⁠ ⁠) ]

I hope you liked this at least a little, I tried rather hard with this one because I wanted it to be realistic but not boring, and fluffy but not embarrassing to read ヾ（´▽｀）

Requests are open! Tags are open! Feel free to ask anything or let me know of any feedback/comments you have! I appreciate it a lot! (ृ´͈ ᵕ `͈ ृ )

Thank you all again! I hope you have a lovely day! ⁠♡

年2023/月05/日10

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differenteagletragedy · 4 months

Note

I'm back with my Cliff x adult mc ideas, I just love this man so much. On the idea of mc also being a single parents, what if mc has either a newborn baby or a very young toddler, and after dating Cliff for a little while the baby's first word is 'dada' and directed at Cliff?

LOL I should really know better than to check tumblr while I'm working because it was a STRUGGLE not to stop and write all this, I love him so much, please keep the Cliff requests coming if you like this because I love it and him forever and ever amen

I couldn't do baby's first words, not with my idea of Cliff lol, but it's the same gist!!!

For years, Cliff had figured that he'd spend the rest of his life alone. Well, not alone, not truly -- he had Cove, and he was all he really needed. He had Kyra, who had become a dear friend, and he had Pam and Noelani who had always been there for him. But he'd always known that when his son grew up and moved out, he'd be, most of the time, alone.

Then he met you. And you proved him wrong.

He thought about that as he gently stroked your hair and listened to your breathing getting deeper as you fell solidly asleep, your head on his lap.

Looking back on it, Cliff couldn't figure out if he'd fallen in love with you slowly or if had happened all at once. There was an attraction the first time he met you, but it wasn't unusual at all for him to recognize that a person was attractive and then do absolutely nothing about it. But the deeper connection he felt, the overwhelming affection he had for you -- that was definitely unusual.

You'd met at his shop, over a year before. You'd just moved to the area, it was your first time living by the beach, and you'd wanted to appreciate it fully. He didn't learn all of this the first day, but you'd gotten out of a bad relationship and wanted a fresh start for you and your son, who was just about six months old at the time.

"I was thinking about taking scuba lessons, and I saw online that you offered them?" was what you'd told him that first day.

He'd smiled at you, a wide, friendly grin like he gave all his customers. He gave you the schedule of when the lessons were offered, and his smile faltered a bit when you frowned. You couldn't make any of these times, you'd explained.

"Here's the schedule for next month's lessons," Cliff had said quickly, pulling out another flyer. But those wouldn't work either. You could only take lessons on certain weekdays, and only during the mornings, you'd said. You had a baby who was in day care and you were trying to fit in a few hours for something you'd always wanted to do, but you could figure out something else.

There was the smallest hint of sadness in your voice, and it hit him hard. He remembered those early days when Cove was a baby, the sheer exhaustion, the desperation to do everything right and how hard it was to find the time to do something to take care of himself. It was hard then, and he'd had Kyra. You, it seemed then, and later on he learned, had nobody.

Before Cliff could even think about it, he said, "We could do a private lesson. What time works for you?"

"Oh no, that's all right," you'd said, shaking your head, "I couldn't --"

"My treat," he interrupted, cranking his smile back up to its full power. He could be charming when he wanted to be, and right then, he really, really wanted to be.

And he was, charming enough that you ended up agreeing to a free private lesson. Then you agreed to another. After that, you agreed to dinner.

He thought about all of it as he watched you sleep. How it took so long for you to come together, to conquer your respective fears and hang-ups and admit that you wanted to be with each other. How he wouldn't trade a moment of any of it for anything.

Cliff glanced at the clock, then back down to you. After taking a listen to the baby monitor that sat on your coffee table to make sure your son was fast asleep, he slid a hand down to your shoulder and gently shook you awake.

"Time to get in bed," he said quietly, leaning down to plant a kiss on your temple.

Knowing how sleepy you must be if you'd passed out on his lap during movie night, he carefully slid out from under you and stood. He grabbed your hand and helped you up, despite your protests.

"You can go right back to sleep," he laughed lovingly, placing a steady arm around your waist. "But let's get you more comfortable first."

He grabbed the baby monitor then led you to your bedroom. A quick peek in your son's room showed him that the little boy was sleeping soundly on the new toddler bed he'd assembled last week for him. He smiled at the sight, placed another kiss on your head and continued down the hall.

When you were inside your room, nearly asleep on your feet, he softly shut the door behind him and started undressing you. He'd undressed you plenty of times with more impure thoughts in mind, and though he couldn't help but land little kisses on your skin as he uncovered it, this wasn't that. When you were down to your underwear, he grabbed your pajamas from a drawer and put them on you.

Cliff was so focused on the task that it surprised him when he you wrapped your arms around his shoulders when he was done. You pulled him in for a kiss, on the lips this time finally, and he readily accepted. He let you pull him in closer, and he kissed you harder. Every time you kissed like this, no matter how many times it had happened, he made sure to be completely in the moment, to appreciate how lucky he was. To take you in and savor every single second that you shared yourself with him like this.

He was slipping a hand under the bottom of your shirt to feel the warmth of your skin when you pulled back to look at him.

"Stay?" was all you asked.

How could he say no to that?

He kissed you again, slower this time, happy to have the night to take his time. Before he could really get to work, he heard a little thump coming from the baby monitor.

You stopped kissing him and dropped your head against his chest, letting out a sigh. Your son had been having a hard time sleeping, which is why you'd been so tired. Before Cliff could offer any words of encouragement, the door flew open, and there was your little boy, wide awake and grinning.

"It's supposed to be bedtime," you told him as you scooped him up in your arms. He laughed and hugged you tight, his little fists bunching in your hair, and you smiled.

"I wanna play," he told you. You told him that you'd played all day and now it was time to sleep, and then the boy said something that nearly stopped Cliff's heart.

"Not with you, I wanna play with Daddy."

You froze, then Cliff saw your eyes dart to him. There was concern there, he saw, but before he could say anything else, your son twisted in your arms and started making little grabby hands at him.

"Wanna play with Daddy," he repeated, reaching for Cliff.

"I don't know where he heard that," Cliff heard you mutter -- or he thought that's what he heard, he couldn't be sure because he had burst into tears. The boy looked at him quizzically, then made a dive for him. Cliff caught him easily, and the tears came even faster when it was his turn to receive a hug.

"It's ok," he said, looking back at you. "I don't mind at all."

You started crying as well, which only made Cliff cry more. He reached his free arm over and pulled you into the hug. You buried your face into his chest, and he kissed your head. He'd never pass up an opportunity to kiss you.

After a moment, you pulled back and looked at your son and offered him a smile, telling him, "We'll talk about this in the morning, ok?"

"Don't wanna talk, I just wanna play."

You laughed, then gave Cliff a nod. Knowing what you meant, he hoisted the boy over his shoulder, bringing out a flood of giggles, and took him back to his own room.

For the next little while, Cliff put his all into playing. He lifted your son high in the air, then carefully tossed him down on the bed, earning more giggles. And when the toddler was finally tired out again, he watched you put him back into bed and pull his blankets over him.

Raising Cove was the best thing he'd ever done. It was the most rewarding experience of his life, watching his own son learn and grow and become a person he was so unbelievably proud of. When he'd met you, Cove was almost grown, and part of Cliff was sad that that chapter of his life was coming to an end.

But when he was like this here in your home, with you and your son, he thought he just might get lucky enough to do it all over again.

"I really don't know where he heard that," you told him when you were back in your bedroom. He took his clothes off while you got into bed, and after turning the light off, he joined you.

"I really don't mind," he said as you turned your back to him and scooted backwards up to his chest. Cliff was a big guy, and although it had been ages since he slept with anyone, it didn't take him long to remember how much he loved being the big spoon.

"I understand if you do, of course," he continued, wrapping an arm around your waist to pull you closer against him. "But I don't want you to think it's going to scare me away."'

"It's not?" you asked, so quiet he nearly missed it.

"Nothing would," he said truthfully. He heard your breath hitch as he moved his hand under your shirt again, placing his large hand flat against your bare stomach. He brought a kiss to your shoulder, thinking in passing about how he could never, not for the rest of his life, take being able to hold you like this for granted.

It would have to be a conversation, Cliff knew that. Your son couldn't just slip into calling him "daddy" without one -- he knew at this point that he wanted to be with you for the rest of his life, that he would be honored to be your son's dad one day, but his own life experiences had taught him to be careful. He knew now to go slow and take all the right steps when it really mattered.

But for now, as he felt your breath slow down again under his touch and with the soft sounds of your son's light snores through the baby monitor, he could let himself appreciate this feeling of bliss.

#our life beginnings and always #cliff holden #cliff holden x mc #cliff holden x reader #cliff holden x you #wow wow wow cliff holden the man that you are #i haven't gotten the chance to share my love for this particular fictional man yet but it is there and it is REAL #always open for cliff holden requests please love him

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crownedghostprince · 5 days

Text

Simple Mornings

Loki x Sleepy!Reader

Fandom: Marvel

It's a quiet weekend and all you want to do is stay in bed with your boyfriend after several busy weeks of being an Avenger and fighting Hydra. Thankfully your boyfriend, Loki, knows how to keep the Avengers busy long enough for the two of you to get some rest.

Requests: Closed. Requested: no.

Warning(s): Pure fluff. A self-indulgent 'I just want cuddle right now' fic.

Note: Reader is a woman. Writing little comfort fics like this is my nightly self-care <3

Word Count: 1,008 (roughly).

[Second Person Perspective]

(This image of Loki is brought to you today by tumblr user: lokisninerealms The fic I saw was: 'Memories to Bake'.)

You were exhausted and just wanted to stay in bed all day. You wished you could trade your cat shapeshifter powers for telekinesis and magically bring yourself food and hot chocolate without leaving bed. Unfortunately, you were stuck with your powers and cat ears and had to resort to texting your boyfriend, Loki.

... Hey darling could you bring me some food and maybe a hot chocolate? if you're free. <3 ty ily

Of course. I'm on my way now, dear.

Okay, food and drinks were taken care of. You placed your phone back onto the side table to continue charging and you rolled back over and wiggled right under the warm blanket. A few minutes passed. You suddenly found yourself selling baked goods with googly eyes in a liminal space mall. Luckily your brain reminded you of how normal the situation was because your plant customers needed their googly-eyed cappuccino as soon as possible, so you had no time to think. Business was booming, plants were shaking their leaves. Life was blissfully simple and perfect. Until you woke up from your nice dream to a harsh knocking at your bedroom door.

'God, noo....my bakery business...those plants were just about to propose....' You made no effort to answer the aggressive knocking or to move from your bed. Loki's knocking was always soft and gentle at your door. A contrast to his loud and aggressive knocking when he has to wake Thor up. 'If I stay silent, they'll think I've left my room.' You finally decided.

A voice called from outside the door "Friday, is (Y/N) still in her room?" It was Steve's voice. Of course it was. Steve made sure everyone got up before midday, every. single. day. It was a nuisance. No one got to sleep in and he always woke up before midday so no one could pick on him for it either.

"Yes. (Y/N) has not left her room today." Friday informed the captain.

'Tattletail...' You huffed as Steve continued knocking at your door and calling out to you.

"(Y/N)! It's 11am, it's time to get up. Come on, I know you're in there." There was a pause in his knocking and you had hoped Loki had come to your rescue. But alas, it was just Steve taking a moment to think of something to force you out of your room. "Come on, get up. Let's go do some early morning exercise to get your day started."

"That sounds like an actual nightmare right now..." You grumbled into your soft, cushiony, fluffy pillow of divine soft feathery-ness. There was no natural disaster or villain attack that could convince you to get up from your comfortable position.

"(Y/N)!--" Steve's voice quietened and you swear you could hear whispering from outside your door. Then the whispering got slightly louder until Steve yelled out once more. "Tony!! Is this true??" Steve's footsteps pounded the floor aggressively as he stormed down the hall to presumably find Tony. A soft knocking then came from your door and Loki's voice followed.

"Darling? He's gone now. May I come in?" His voice was soft and melodic. A nice contrast to hear after Steve's wake-up call.

"Please come in." You practically begged, still not lifting your head up from your pillow. The door creaked open and softly clicked shut as Loki came over to sit on the edge of your bed. He sat down a nice plate of leftover pizza, chips and chicken nuggets, a glass of water and a cup of hot chocolate on your bedside table - moving your phone to a safer spot away from the drinks.

With a kiss on your forehead he whispered softly, "would you like to watch something together for a little while? Or perhaps I could read to you?" You slowly lifted yourself up from the pillow, fulled wrapped up in your blanket like a burrito, and gave him an awkward sort of hug by leaning against him with your head on his shoulder.

"I'd like to watch something with you...if you're happy to stay with me for a while." You hummed happily. Food, chocolate, movies and water? This man was spoiling you for sure. You couldn't fathom what you could have done in a previous life to have such a wonderful boyfriend. "We're definitely going to get interrupted at some point though." You sighed.

"Not to worry. I have everything taken care of." Loki smiled with a glint of mischief hidden in his soft, green eyes. You were suspicious now.

"What did you do..?" A smile graced your lips as he chuckled.

"Oh, I merely gave them something to distract themselves with. Nothing to worry about, my love." He reassured you. Almost as if on cue there was distance yelling and arguing heard from far down the hall...in fact it probably came straight from the common room where the kitchen and living room were setup. Loki gave you such an innocent smile as he searched for a movie for you both to enjoy, you almost didn't suspect him at all.....almost.

"Welp." You popped the 'p' as you spoke, "...They're old enough to work it out themselves." Diving into the chips and pizza with a happy sigh, you snuggled up against Loki. He wrapped his right arm around you, leaning back and pulling you against his chest whilst scrolling through various movies with the remote in his left hand until he landed on something you both liked.

...

...It was probably Home Alone, or a Studio Ghibli film, but that's neither here nor there...

...

In the living room Steve and Tony had turned to arm wrestling to sort their issues. Tony lost seven times before saying it was an unfair advantage for Steve unless Tony could have his Iron Man armour on. Steve agreed to these terms and they dueled it out once again with Natasha and Bucky placing bets and Bruce and Clint simply trying to find a movie to watch over the yelling. Steve won 15 - 5.

#fanficton #fluff #sleepy reader #x reader #loki x reader #this is my self care #i'm so tired #i need cuddles

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ejunkiet · 1 year

Text

new instincts

a little more of the dadvid fic hehehehe we’re getting FLUFFY.

redacted audio: davey/angel, rated teen, pregnancy mention.

Of course it would be Asher who clued in first.

READ ON AO3! | part one on tumblr

tag requests: @terrazaurio @interdimensional-chaos

part two: new instincts

Of course it would be Asher who clued in first.

It’s only been a few days since their trip to the doctor’s office, confirming the pregnancy. Just over four weeks. Birth control failures were rare but not unheard of, their doctor had assured them, and the rest of the pregnancy should proceed as normal. Congratulations.

They’d been booked in for their next appointment in a month’s time, and that was that.

The rest of the week had almost felt like a dream. He’d taken a few days off from the office, leaving Asher in charge of running the daily ops while he focused on making plans and settling Angel back at home, even as they teased him about it.

(“It’s still early days, Davey. I’m perfectly able to make my own lunch, thank you very much.”)

It’s late on Friday after work, when Asher comes over to drop off some paperwork, that the secret comes out.

He’d called ahead to say that he’d be coming by - that he had some paperwork that needed David’s signature, that couldn’t wait until next week. He’d been late, but that also hadn’t been unexpected - he always was, unless it was a work event.

But then he'd taken one look at them, his head tilted to the side and nostrils flaring as he inhaled, before his eyes had widened and he’d nearly dropped the messenger bag he was carrying.

“Holy shit.”

A low growl rises from David’s throat before he can bite it back, his mate’s fingers twitching against their side as their eyes widen in turn. He can hear the skip of their heartbeat, their weight shifting from foot-to-foot before they release a snort.

“It’s that obvious?”

They lean into David and he shifts until they can fit more snugly against his side, his arm finding their waist as he resists the urge to flash his teeth at his beta. There’s an aggression in him that he’s not used to, his protective instincts rearing to the surface with Asher’s proximity to his mate.

It didn’t make any sense. This was his pack, his family. But the knowledge doesn’t satisfy his wolf, and it lingers just below the surface of his skin, the same way it had the rest of the week.

“David.” He blinks, glancing down to find his mate looking up at him expectantly, an amused smile playing on their lips, as if it’s not the first time they’ve called his name. “Why don’t we let him in? We can talk about this more inside.”

Right. Releasing a breath, he steps back, catching his beta’s eye. “You heard them. In.”

–

“So. What gave it away?”

Ash offers them a grin from where he’s perched on the far end of the sofa, all long limbs and sharp elbows, a hand running through the wild tangles of his hair.

“David. He smells all…” He trails off, his expression turning contemplative, before he shrugs, as if he can’t find a word for it. “It’s instinct. I can sense it. Probably could even if he wasn’t projecting like a grumpy papa wolf.”

David does flash his teeth this time and Asher snorts, raising both hands. “Look, it’s natural. I saw the same thing with my cousins. My dad’s brother, he got all kinds of territorial before he got his instincts back under control.”

Territorial. The pieces click into place, and shit.

David doesn’t lose control. Not like this. He can’t afford to, not in his role as alpha, and especially not at the expense of his pack. His mate feels him tense up - they’re too close not to - and they squeeze his hand, the contact grounding against the rising tide of guilt.

Asher notices the shift too, his brow creasing with confusion, before it clicks. “David- it’s natural. Something that everyone goes through.”

He takes a breath and holds it, feeling the weight of their eyes on him as he regains control of himself. “I’ll handle it.”

Asher’s still watching him, a twist to the soft curve of his mouth, before he nods. “Whatever you say, big guy.” His attention shifts to his mate then, and he offers them a grin. “How long have you known?”

They match his grin with one of their own, and the tension in the room eases. “Not long. We got it confirmed earlier this week.”

“It has been a long time since there’s been a new cub in the pack…” Asher’s eyes narrow in thought, focused on the floor where his socks clash terribly with the carpet beneath the coffee table, but he doesn’t miss the way Angel reacts to the moniker, flashing them a grin. “Cute, right?”

“Does this mean we’ll need to deck out the whole family in baseball gear?”

Asher snorts once, twice, before he doubles over with laughter, shaking so hard that he almost falls off the end of the couch. David drops his head into his hands, silently asking what he’d done to deserve this as he resists the urge to groan.

Angel sits through it all with a smug smile on their face, looking pleased with themself, and with a low growl, he tugs them closer, wrapping his arm snug around them until they’re pressed against his side.

When Ash can breathe again, he shakes his head. “Never change, little boss.”

Glancing at the clock, he pushes to his feet, offering them a crooked grin. “Looks like I’m out of time. I just wanted to drop off the paperwork and check in.”

“Ash.” David’s voice is a low warning as he makes to leave, but he waves him off.

“I won’t be telling anyone, big guy. Well. Except for my mate, that is.” David releases a low snort, some of the tension in him easing. Ash knew how to keep a secret, when it mattered. “But David… when it comes to the next pack meeting, you know that the rest of them will be able to tell, right?”

His tone is still light, but there’s a seriousness in his expression that he doesn’t show often as he glances at David, a wry smile on his lips.

David releases a slow breath, not missing the way his mate’s hand slips to his side, settling against his hip and squeezing. “I know.”

“Good.” He nods, before grinning again, bright enough to flash his teeth, the tension of the moment dissipating as quickly as it had come. “Keep us updated? Let us know if you need to push anything, we’d be cool with that.”

“We’ll do that,” Angel agrees, matching his grin easily. “Thanks, Ash.”

“Anytime.” He waves two of his fingers in a cheerful salute, his grin as wide as anything, before he heads towards the front door. “Take it easy, both of you.”

The door clicks shut behind him, leaving them both in a comfortable silence. It’s always like this after Asher leaves, a moment of calm, steady quiet after the hurricane of his presence.

Angel lets out a soft breath, squeezing his side briefly again before shifting back to catch his gaze. There’s a gleam in their eye that he recognises, one that promises trouble.

“So. Wolves prefer baseball to basketball, then?”

#redacted audio #redacted asmr #ej writes redacted #redacted david #davey/angel #pregnancy mention #there is at least one more part to this hehehe #writing

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pennytoffee · 1 year

Note

Hello there!! Welcome to the writing community on tumblr! If it's ok, I saw you write for Demon Slayer, may I request headcanons about the hashiras seeing reader as an older sibling figure?? (If it's possible all of them, if not that's alright!) Please and thank you! Have a nice day / night! ^^

- 🌺

Author’s Note: Hello, Anon! So glad that you could be my first request. I’m sorry I was not able to do all of the nine hashiras. I will probably do a part two once I get to know more of them.

Contains: Kyojuro Rengoku, Tegen Uzui, Shinobu Kocho

Warnings: Being mean/slight tesing. (Also, I know that any of this is far from cannon. But we don’t need to talk about that.) Let me know if I missed anything. ^^

Hashira with an Older Sibling Figure

Part 1

Kyojuro Rengoku

You and Kyojuro have been friends since early childhood. However, you were only older by about a month or two. This was something that you held over Kyojuro’s head for a while.

“Can I please just have the meat bun, y/n?” A five(almost six!)-year-old Rengoku pleaded to his friend who held said item the smallest bit out of reach.

“Hmm…I don’t know. Which one of us is older?” You asked, full well knowing what the answer to the question was. A playful smirk started to tug at the corner of your mouth.

Kyojuro sighed as he looked up and mumbled, “You…”

After he said this, his head lowered Kyojuro lightly kicked some of the loose dirt that was about two feet away from you.

“Here,” you tore the meat bun in half and handed your friend the untouched end. Kyojuro’s face lit up as he smelt the aroma of the cooked meat.

Since then, you would set aside part of your Sunday afternoon to make the dish for him to make up for what happened when you were six.

However, when he started his training, the deliveries didn’t become as frequent But if you know Kyojuro is in the area, you always make sure that he gets those meat buns.

You and Kyojuro share a love that one would imagine a sibling to have with their little brother. Even if the two of you wouldn’t see one another as often in your adult lives, you check up on each other from time to time just to see if everything is alright.

Tengen Uzui

You and Tengen have quite literally known each other all of your lives since you were a friend of the family on his mother’s side.

The two of you know everything about one another. You never keep secrets from each other, which makes gift giving extra hard.

One year for the holidays, you decided to give Tengen a rock tumbler. You saw the item at the market one day and immediately thought of the man that you saw as a younger brother.

The next time that the two of you had seen one another, Tengen knew that something was up. He could tell by the way you gave him a cheeky smile now in then or how you’d quietly laugh for no apparent reason.

After many, “What?”’s, and the occasional “Is there something on my face?”, you caved.

“I may have gotten you a rock tumbler for (holiday)—”

Tengen laughs at the reaction that appeared on your face after you spoiled the gift. Not in a mean way or anything. You just sported a funny look, that’s all.

“That’s sweet of you, (y/n). But hey, if you think about it, now we’re even. Remember that time I told you about the birthday party we were going to throw you s few years ago?”

“I guess you’re right. Do you want me to just give it to you now, or just wait for (holiday)?” You ask, still internally kicking yourself.

When Tengen opened the rock tumbler, he almost immediately put it to use. He gathered rocks from around his house and left them in the tumbler for the designated time. Once they were done, and the colors of the rocs appeared, he put them in a little drawstring bag that Tengen keeps with him at all times.

Also, with Tengen, it can be hard for him to talk about his emotions. But he knows that he can talk to you no matter the situation about anything. It’ll take a while for him to open up. And you reassure him that you’d be willing to wait an eternity just to comfort Tengen about something that’s bugging him.

Once he starts hashira training away from your home town, the two of you exchange letters back and forth because the both of you know that you cannot spend a day without hearing from the other.

Shinobu Kocho

You first met Shinobu when she was about seven years old at your village’s library. At the time, you were working there as an intern (plus, your mom said that you needed to get out the house more).

When Shinobu couldn’t find a certain book that she was looking for, she walked over to your desk and tapped the wood to get your attention. You look up and ask, “Is there anything I could help you with?”.

The young girl nodded her head and whispered, “Where can I find books on butterflies?”

“Mhm. Follow me, okay?” You responded, matching the girl’s tone. You got up from behind your desk and lead Shinobu to the non-fiction section. The two of you went in and out of aisles of books.

Once you got to where most of the insect-related books were kept, you told Shinobu that there should be at least two books about butterflies in the area.

As you were about to walk back to your desk, the young girl turned to you and said, “Have a nice day.”

You couldn’t help but smile at Shinobu’s kind words and said the same to her.

Ever since that day, Shinobu would visit the library pretty much every other day just to see you. She would ask where books were, full knowing where they were located, just to spend time with you because she enjoyed your company.

As time progressed and the number of library visits increased, you and Shinobu began to grow very close as friends, And eventually, she would turn to you for guidance when she needed it. Whether it be a homework question she can’t exactly wrap her head around, or what to do after her and a classmate got into a disagreement.

One year for Shinobu’s birthday, you took her to the insectarium to see the butterfly sanctuary. While you were there, she confided in you about her nerves on an upcoming exam at her school. You sat Shinobu down and reassured her that it will be okay and that if she needed help, you’d always be there for her.

Hearing these words, Shinobu turned to you and hugged you. Quite frankly, it was probably one of the best hugs that you had ever received.

#demon slayer #demon slayer hashira #rengoku kyojuro #tengen uzui #shinobu #hashira x reader

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narrators-journal · 3 months

Note

Hi! I am a huge fan of your work! (Especially winter is a lovely season for romance and funerals; you really know how to make a guy cry!)

I wish there was more ryomina content out there, so would it be possible to write a pinning Makoto that’s in denial about his feelings for Ryoji (first love sorta vibes?!?!)? (Crushing on the popular guy?!?). He could have internalised homophobia or he could just straight up just be in denial, but I’ll leave that up to you!

Thank you for reading this request and I hope you have a wonderful day!

I’m so happy you enjoy my fanfic! WISRF is my baby rn, and I hope you don’t mind the super slow updates, I’m doing my best with it. In the meantime, I hope this holds you over, because! Oh my god, if you want more Ryomina content?? You came to the right lady!! I love these two with such an aggressive love. For example! When I finished this one, I had to click off of Tumblr so I didn’t post it too early. I ITCHED to post it. I don’t care if this is super polished, it’s not the fanfic. I can be a bit more lenient. I just wanted to have fun and enjoy the change of pace.

So! It’s a bit vague, but I went ahead and implied Minato’s a bit of a yandere for Ryoji as well as in denial.

Winter was probably Minato’s favorite season. The way the sunlight made blankets of snow sparkle like a sea of diamonds, the crispness of the air, the excuse to wear comfier clothes and stay under warm blankets, how peacefully quiet everything was due to the birds and animals either hibernating, hiding from the ice, or south for the season. It was all a blissful reprieve from the torturous heat of summer or the pollen-choked air of the spring months. Not to mention, Ryoji mochizuki had transferred to gekkoukan in those colder months.

Ryoji Mochizuki. Tall, around 5’11, with dark brown hair that was brushed back from his round, cheerful face as if his styling routine included putting his face in front of a high power fan. Paired with gorgeous blue eyes like two pools of the world’s most refreshing water, and it wasn’t a surprise that the charming trasnfer student had become Gekkoukan’s most popular student in the few weeks he’d been there. Which, was a feat, with how beloved Akihiko was. Yet, even with the fighter’s adorable, oblivious charms, when Ryoji had come to school, he’d taken the hearts of the student body like an expert phantom thief.

Or, well, at least, 99% of the student body adored the man. Minato Arisato was no stranger to charming playboys and their faux innocent, lovey-dovey antics, so Ryoji’s sugary magnetism was useless against the deadpan emo. No matter how soft those lovely sapphire eyes got when the brunette looked at him.

Or...that’s what Minato told himself each day when he heard one of his classmates whisper about some new facet of sex appeal the boy had. Irritation was what he claimed as the cause for how much he hated when he saw Ryoji out on a date with a classmate. Jealousy? No. Minato Arisato hated other people, they grated on his nerves without fail, so there was no way in hell he had any warm feelings that would stem something like jealousy. Right?

But, if that’s so, why does the mention of Ryoji going out on dates make you so aggressive? Orpheus asked, the epitome of that little voice in the back of your head that you fought to ignore. Although, does a crush really explain your feelings? What about how possessive you are of him? “Aren’t you cold, Funeral lily?” The words all but ripped the blue-haired teen away from his persona’s musings and brought him back to reality. The reality where Ryoji Mochizuki waited beside him for the train. Close enough for the shaggy-haired teen to smell how the various scents of food that had permeated the white dress shirt and black vest of his work uniform mingled with Ryoji’s peppermint-and-oleander-scented cologne. Which, meant he was too damned close. “I’m fine.” Minato said flatly before he stepped away to put a bit of distance between them. Some distance between himself and the irrational urge to brand the brunette’s cute ass. Yet, Ryoji didn’t seem to get that memo, because in the time it took the persona user to flick through a few of his songs, he became aware of the pretty boy’s body heat once again breath-tak- annoyinglyclose. “Personal space, Mochizuki.” “Are you sure? I didn’t see you grab a jacket after work tonight, and, I mean, it’s winter.” Ryoji pointed out. As if the midnight-haired teen hadn’t even spoken, and had somehow also missed the delicate flakes that drifted down from the darkened sky outside. “Yes I’m sure, and I don’t see youwith a coat either, so get off of my ass about it.” He snapped, yet when he looked back to glare at the teen who had stumbled into the shaggy-haired emo’s part time job, and just so happened to choose to work there as well, Ryoji’s blue eyes met his evil look with nothing but a warm sense of concern. The fact that the most popular boy in school had the absolute gall to look at him like that made Minato’s stomach churn. Though, that may have been caused by the swarm of butterflies he ignoring whenever he saw that addictive, sweet look.

Regardless of whatever confused feelings he harbored though, Ryoji still looked at him with undeniable softness in his gaze. A softness that Minato recognized from their first encounter outside of the very train station that they now stood in. A softness that drew Minato in like a warm hug in the chilled air of the winter night and blurred the prickly, hostile thoughts into simple white noise on that near-empty, slightly smelly boarding platform.

In fact, Minato had plenty of time while they waited for their train to notice just how soft Ryoji himself was. From that round face and dark, fluffy hair that looked feather-soft even before the blue-haired teen reached up to gently touch a stray strand that dared to fall into Ryoji’s sapphire eyes, to the warm body that he’d heard from the many girls was great to hold. And, that spark of jealousy was the dose of ice water that pulled Minato out of the trance he’d fallen into. So, the proximity of Ryoji’s face to his crashed down like a precariously balanced box at a sharp gust of wind and hit Minato right in the impulses. "Ah! Mina! What the hell?!” Ryoji yelped, his hand on his cheek as he stared at the midnight-haired emo who’d let those jealous, vicious urges slip just a bit. “I-I-I…” Sadly, when he tried to speak, shame choked the persona user worse than the stale, dank air of the dark hour, but he pushed the words out regardless. “I-I told you, personal space, god damn it! Listen!” “Motherfucker, you’rethe one who leaned in! I just met you in the middle!” Ryoji pointed out, but what was Minato to do? Confess to the jealousy he harbored towards all of the girls he heard talk about the brunette?

No. If he tried to explain the intricacies of his ‘jealousy’, he’d be forced to explain why the mere memory of his classmates harmlessly gossiping about Ryoji had driven him to sucker punch the man. He’d have to confront whatever those disgusting, squishy feelings were that Ryoji’s presence always seemed to dig up. And, the violent possessiveness that followed.

So, instead of doing any of that, Minato snarled, “I did not! Get your mind out of whatever pipedreams you have rattling around in that shallow ass head of yours.” And, while the look of hurt in Ryoji’s eyes stung, it stung far less than the humiliation of explaining himself. Especially since the train came along to rescue him from marinating in the kicked-puppy aura the captivating man gave off.

So, he simply ended the conversation with a huff, and put his music back on to drown out any other chance to converse.

Minato hated people. That included Ryoji Mochizuki as well.

#Persona 3 #Persona 3 Reload #Ryomina #Ryoji Mochizuki x male!Persona 3 protagonist #ask #MinaRyo #Persona #Ryoji Mochizuki #scenario #Male!Persona 3 protagonist #Makoto Yuki #Yandere!male!Persona 3 protagonist #implied yandere #Minato Arisato #yandere

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mikalara-dracula · 2 years

Note

Hello, sorry for asking again but I really loved your post and thanks for making it. 💕 So this time can we get Reiji, Ruki, and Azusa's thoughts when they saw their s/o for the first time?

💕 Their thoughts when they saw their s/o for the first time—

(ft. Ruki, Carla, Shin, Reiji, and Azusa)

Warning: 18+ content below; don't read if you're a minor and aren't comfortable with slight NSFW. This is a fictional work and should not be taken seriously.

Caution: Unfortunately, Tumblr has a history of admins quarreling over completing carbon copy asks due to users sending the same request(s) to multiple admins, thus, resulting in unintentional plagiarism. With this, please DO NOT send the same request to multiple blogs as it can cause unintended plagiarism discord to other blogs across Tumblr. The word “plagiarism” stems from the early 17th-century Latin word, “plagiarius,” meaning “kidnapper.” So please, do not send in the same request to multiple blogs and make admins appear to be “kidnapping” other people’s work when it isn’t their intention. If this is to occur with any of my posts, please contact me so we can work something out.

Hi there, @just-looking-at-stars + Anons!

Thank you all so much for requesting! Oh my goodness, it looks like all of you requested the same thing practically lol. I figured I'd include it all in one post since it's the same scenario. Thank you so much for requesting. Feel free to request again any time. :)

Ruki:

Oooh vampire Christian Grey activated.

And you’re his Anastasia Steele xDD Jk.

When Ruki saw you for the first time, he was taken back.

And I mean REALLY taken back, and it was honestly so bad that his mind went blank.

He was getting some books out of his locker for next period, his brothers standing by as they hung out for the few minutes they had left to spare, but that was until he saw you walk by.

The way your hair style framed around your face, your fingers delicatly tucking a small strand of hair behind your ear, the small strut you gave while walking—it was all enough to keep him entranced.

Yuma noticed the crane of Ruki’s neck in your direction as you continued to walk on, a smirk on his face as he took in the situation. “Heh, sounds like someone’s interested.”

“Woah, she’s quite the looker. Hey Ruki, you should give it a shot.” Kou would comment, Azusa standing side him watching what was happening.

Ruki snapped out of his trance due to his pride, finding this moment foolish.

“Don’t be silly. There’s much more important matters to attend to.” He’d say, closing his locker and heading off to class.

And to his surprise, he found out you were actually in his next class since you were new at Ryoutei High.

He couldn’t help but sneak stares at you during class. You took notice, but played sly considering you didn’t know him, plus, you were in the middle of class and didn’t want anyone else to notice anything.

You were new, so the last thing you wanted was drama of any sort.

And with you glancing back and playing along with his stares, it only riled him up more to get to know you because your mysteriousness was driving him mad.

“Hm, seems you’re the playing type . . . alright, I’ll play your little game.” He’d think, slightly smirking to himself as he eyed you.

Reiji:

The day he met you, the chemistry loving vampire was doing a favor for the school he had done quite a few times considering he was an honors student—playing tour guide for the new student.

He honestly found this part about his academic status annoying because even though Reiji was known to demonstrate his intelligence and be known for it, he was honestly just so done with everything (me and @liannelara-dracula have headcanoned this).

It never failed to annoy him whenever he had to show a new student around, especially if they weren’t to his liking, it was even worse in that case.

Plus, it always frustrated him when people couldn’t understand his explanations when it came to directions or where to go if students encountered an issue of some sort.

In short, he just doesn’t have much patience for this job and he hates it when the honor faculty requests him to do it.

He waited in the hall outside the admissions office like he typically did whenever he was expecting a new student, his arms crossed in annoyance.

And it was here where the school’s secretary came out with you and introduced you to Reiji.

While she introduced the both of you, you couldn’t tell but Reiji was definitely resting his gaze on you longer than he typically would with anyone, and his mind was too preoccupied to think any thought since he was checking you out.

He introduced himself as well, and from there, he began to show you around.

And you can best bet that the entire time was spent with him taking in your presence, more so your figure and strut as you walked beside him.

But of course, he concealed this manner of attraction as he didn’t want to come on strong.

He was honestly amused by quite a few things about you, more specifically how fast you were catching on to the school’s whereabouts since most of the time people were just confused by his instruction like I mentioned before.

“I’ll admit, it’s quite surprising to see that someone is comprehending how things work around here the first time around.” He thought.

By the time the tour was over, Reiji even went out of his way as to extend his help to you, something he never does for anyone.

Shh! Don’t tell no one!

He told you where you could typically find him on school grounds in case you ever needed anything and was actually willing to follow through with this commitment.

And part of him honestly wanted you to scope him out.

Rest assured, because Reiji was interested in you, he was going to find one way or another to cross pathes with you again.

And he’d make damned sure of it.

“My, it makes me wonder how she has such an effect . . . she is undeniably stunning, I suppose that’s why.”

Carla:

Mmm, the first time this man saw you, he was caught off guard.

No, literally, he was.

In fact, you were thrown off as well considering the abrupt circumstance.

You were running late to school and let’s just say things were getting quite hectic on the way to class.

You ended up losing track of time over the break between your third and fourth period, and were now late for your next class.

Like, really late.

So, you took off running, your figure sprinting through the halls, making it to one of the school’s staircases since your class was on the second floor.

You began to run up the steps, seeing a tall figure descending down them on the opposite side of your own, but a turn of events made things take a turn for the worst.

Through being in such a hurry, to your dismay, you missed a step and started falling backwards.

You awaited for the painful impact, but you soon felt a pair of arms around your form holding you firmly, preventing you from falling further.

Opening your eyes, you looked up to see a male student, long, white hair framing his complexion rather nicely as his gold orbs stared down into your own, a silence resonating around you both.

“Um, sorry.” You said, quickly getting out of his arms as the moment felt quite awkward, soon rushing back up the stairs again in order to head to class.

As for Carla, he honestly found the event amusing as it wasn’t every day that someone magically fell into his arms.

It was enough to get him thinking, plus, he had gotten quite the view of your face in such a vulnerable state, along with the feel of your body in his grasp.

“Hopefully, she’s a little careful next time . . . I’d hate to see her get hurt.” He thought to himself, an ever-so-slight smile twisting on his lips.

Shin:

As for Shin, it all started with his usual shenanigans of pranking his brother Carla.

He was planning to have his locker rigged with confetti and paint, that way when Carla would open his locker door, it would explode in his face.

However, things didn’t go quite like Shin had planned.

Shin peeped his head into the corridor and awaited for his brother to show. When Carla finally arrived, Shin was on the edge of his seat, counting down to the moment of when Carla would open his locker.

When Carla did, Shin was honestly confused as to why his prank didn’t work.

You soon showed and were a few lockers down from Carla.

“That’s strange. Is there something wrong with the wiring?” Shin thought, his eyes shifting to you as you were about to open your locker.

And it was here where he realized his mistake. Because the dumbass got his brother’s locker and yours mixed up, you can imagine what happened.

It all happened in the blink of an eye. Upon opening your locker door, it exploded, paint and confetti on your face as you stood there aghast, not knowing how to take it.

You were so upset and it was honestly humiliating.

And here, Shin couldn’t hold back a laugh, leading him to expose himself as the culprit who set it up.

A fire burned in your eyes, your gaze turning towards him as you threw a flurry of insults towards him.

Shin grew up in times where women held their tongue, and was taken back seeing you express such an outburst towards him.

And dare he say it, he was actually turned on by your anger, the way the words slurred off your tongue, the rage behind them along with their power that asserted dominance over the situation.

You stalked off to the nearest bathroom to clean yourself off, leaving him flabbergasted.

“You never fail to cause trouble, do you?” Carla said a few feet behind, having witnessed the entire site.

And literally, Shin’s first thought about you, which he admitted out loud to his brother was, “Damn . . . she’s hot when she’s hot.”

No seriously, just ask @liannelara-dracula. We’ve hc’ed this lol.

Bear in mind that deep down, Shin has a thing for women getting angry at him, like it totally riles him up and finds it hot for some reason.

And from there, Shin didn’t stop bothering you.

He kept pestering you to forgive him in the weeks that came after the incident.

He kept telling you that this was all a big misunderstanding, and would throw a few minor flirts in in between because he’s an ass. Plus, because it would annoy/irk you, he only found it amusing, let alone a turn on.

“Oh c’mon, love. How much longer are you going to be crossed with me?” He’d smirk.

But you didn’t budge, he was going to have to work hard in order for you to accept his apology.

Azusa:

To be honest, his mind went blank when he first saw you.

He was just so thunderstruck that it felt like his soul left the world for a mere second.

Believe it or not, you two met in the school’s nurse’s office.

You started feeling awful around fourth period because an unexpected monthly visitor showed up days before it was actually due.

A migraine now throbbed the right side of your head, not giving you the strength left to continue the day at school.

You were just waiting for your ride since you knew you couldn't continue on, your hand resting a small ice pack on your head the nurse gave you to ease the pain.

Azusa sat on the bed opposite from your own, tending to his bandages as he had not looked up once since you arrived.

You noticed your ride was running late, the migraine being unbearable as you just wanted to go home. It felt tiresome at the moment to pull out your phone from your backpack, so you figured you’d ask the student nearby.

“Excuse me,” you asked, his hands still attending to his bandages. “Do you know what time it is?”

He gave no answer, his attention still on his wounds. You got up from your bed and went over to him, approaching him gently as you tapped his shoulder.

“Um, sorry to bother you, but do you know what time it is?”

Azusa looked up at you, his eyes taking in your genteel features, the way your hair fell into your face and rested against you, the delicate curves of your lips forming into a lethal asset that left him dumbfounded on the spot.

He felt like time had stopped, your gentle voice continuing to echo in his ears despite it being silent.

After a moment, he answered, “I don’t . . . know . . . sorry.”

You smiled, “It’s okay.”

Azusa smiled in return, your figure sitting down on the bed in front of his again, continuing to wait for your ride.

The silence was k!lling the boy in front of you as he twiddled with his fingers. And from there, he decided to make minor conversation with you, just about little things while you waited for your ride, such as what your name was, why you were here and whatnot.

Soon enough, your ride came, but before you left, he offered you the lollipop the nurse gave him.

You refused since she had given you one as well, but he insisted that you take it anyways, a smile on his face as he placed it in your hand.

You smiled back at his sweet gesture. “Bye, guess I’ll see you around.”

“Bye . . . I hope you . . . feel better.”

Giving him one final wave, you were off, feeling eager to go home and rest.

“She’s . . . cute.” He thought, a small smile on his face after you left.

And deep down, he just hoped he’d see you again, even if it was just from a distance.

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willshipanything-blog · 1 year

Text

Breaking the Rules- Chapter 7

Next chapter is here!! As always, Minors DNI and check trigger warnings! This is especially relevant this time, as new ones have been added regarding past trauma, child abuse, etc.

And thanks also to my lovely anon request which I fit in near the start of the chapter- needed something cute to offset the anguish of the rest of the chapter! 🙃

Full tags on AO3, along with the new chapter here.

Complete Tumblr Chapter Index here.

Enjoy my lovelies! ✨💜

Chapter 7- Naughty Boy

It was always after a sudden, jarring change that things got better. Sometimes, it was those jarring events that were the very catalyst for betterment. Like your early escape attempt that ended in punishment so bad, Al had started to feel remorse for the things he was doing to you. Or your decision to try and block out feelings for Al completely (both desire and hatred) that had made you realize you wanted to pick the path that led to Al. And more recently, the worry that Max would arrive and spoil the fragile fallacy of you and Al, that his presence, his recognition would raze what the pair of you had built. But Max had come, and the only things that he had demolished were your needless worries.

It was true; he had collided head-first into your lives. A proverbial bull in the china shop of your carefully constructed relationship, one that had so many fragilities that could be so easily upended and shattered by a presence as strong and wild as Max Shaw’s. But that presence hadn’t smashed a single thing. It hadn’t destroyed the cocoon you and Al had been hiding in all these months. In fact, it had been re-molded, just a little, to accommodate him, too. There would always be a little room, a place in both of your lives for a brother, or for a friend.

The first day of Max being in your lives was (unsurprisingly) a shock to your system, but each successive day became more easy and enjoyable than the last. Barely a week since Max’s arrival, and you couldn’t easily picture a time before you’d known him at all. Such was his charisma: his warm, dark eyes, roguish smile and contagious free-spiritedness made you feel so at ease, as if you’d been friends all your life.

He made Al better too- not that you didn’t love Al just the way he was. But you saw it in little moments; both of them sharing an inside joke from their childhood, reliving a memory of their mother, that brought out a certain boyish air in Al. Nothing had been so brilliantly embarrassing as ‘The Great Alberto’ revelation, but you now had plenty of fodder to take the Shaw brothers down a peg or two if they tried to involve you in the playful humiliations. The way they quibbled over the smallest things might have been infuriating to you, but you couldn’t be truly mad at their childish antics; Max’s innocent charm, and the way Al indulged in the little pranks and jokes that his younger brother loved, ensured that.

You were glad that their sibling bond had rekindled after a lengthy absence, but realized you may have been struck by the smallest twitch of jealousy. How easily Al relaxed around Max, when it had taken months of blood, sweat and tears for you and Al to slip into something akin to that. It was a family tie, you supposed, once there but then extinguished and forgotten by absence, suddenly re-lit again. Max’s sharp resolve-like flint to Al’s stony exterior, lighting a flame between the brothers once more. Blood was thicker than water, after all. But you hoped ‘family’ included you too now. You thought of your own family, your past one. This new one wouldn’t ever be the same, it couldn’t be. But it still felt as it should; loving and warm and real, and you wanted to hold onto it even tighter now Max had found his way into that definition: ‘family’.

The last few days had been good, unhampered by any anxieties about your own past or that of the Shaws’. You had heeded Al’s warning. Even a warning made in jest, in the throes of one of your games, was still a warning. Al could joke, but his words always held weight, and (as he had probably hoped), you hadn’t pried since. Without you poking into the past that had darkened the doorway to this very house years and years ago, a quiet calm had settled over the home, like a soft blanket of snow. Hiding things, yes, covering those blemishes with a clean, white slate- but giving the illusion of something beautiful and pure. What good could of reopening old scars that had surely healed by now? Al now had both yours and Max’s best interests at heart by keeping those things concealed, protecting the people he cared for most from the harm it would surely cause.

“Al, wait!”

Al turned towards you, his hand still planted on the doorknob where he was about to leave for work. You’d stumbled through the house after him, having barely redressed in your silky pajama set, readjusting the straps on your shoulders as you paced towards him. You wanted a proper goodbye, after all, but when you saw the state of Al’s hasty morning routine, you were glad you’d stopped him before he left. Looking around quickly, you noted Max’s absence, and gave a silent thanks for him sleeping in this morning.

“What would people think, Al Shaw,” you chided playfully, stretching up on tiptoes before grabbing the uneven, rumpled collar of his polo shirt, tucking it neatly back into place with nimble fingers “If you turned up at work looking so…disheveled?” With his collar fixed, you brushed your hands along his broad shoulders. It was such a domestic little gesture. Both sincere in intent, but still playful. Like the two sides of Al. Like the two sides of you too, now.

“People would probably think I rushed to get dressed, because a certain lecherous little creature wanted a morning treat.” He smirked down at you, that damn sideways smile not allowing the afterglow of your illicit little morning act to lighten a shade. Al took ahold of your waist, seemingly forgetting he was going to be late for work.

“Oh, you’re gonna tell people about me?” you dared, looking up into those dangerous blue eyes, palms braced against his chest, feeling the firm muscles even beneath the shirt.

“Course not, dove,” he cooed, leaning down to brush his mouth against yours. As he leaned, your elbows buckled and bent, your resolve all too easily broken by that winsome smile and gravelly voice. When he spoke, his warm breath ghosted over your lips. “You’re my dirty little secret, aren’t ya?” With a quick, harsh kiss slamming into your lips, a tight squeeze of his large fingers on your delicate waist, and a final wink, he was out of the door before your heart rate could slow back to anywhere near normal. That bastard. You knew that kind of behavior affected Al just as much as it did you, yet he always played it cool, leaving you flustered and lightheaded.

The sound of tires peeling out of the driveway had you turning back into the house, only to be met by Samson. Obviously, your little goodbye hadn’t been as private as you’d first thought.

“You heard him, boy. Our little secret,” you trilled, leaning forward to pet the huge dog.

“A secret?”

You choked a gasp at the sudden emergence of Max’s voice. He came shuffling into the living room, barely awake and blinking slowly through half-lidded eyes, but you’d clearly piqued his interest with your remark. You straightened, coming up with a lie on the fly.

“Well, I wasn’t gonna tell you, but I’m Samson’s new favorite,” you hummed, giving the cane corso a welcome little scratch behind a short, cocked ear. For a spontaneous lie, it wasn’t bad, though you cursed how easily they seemed to slip from your mouth these days. Practice made perfect, you supposed. Looking over to Max, he didn’t look placated. He looked a little horrified.

“Uh, Scout…” he trailed off, his hand reaching up to his chest, his eyes trailing your own chest with a worried look. It was a gesture that told you he’d seen something ominous there. You looked down slowly with a trembling gaze, realizing that, still in your pajamas, the scar below your collarbone was visible. Not the whole thing, but enough that the top of the marks in your skin could be seen above the décolletage of your silk camisole. It looked like what it was: a purposeful mark written into your flesh, runes written in blood. You fumbled to sweep your hair over the scar, arms folding over your chest in an instant, though much too late to hide the wound now.

Max had seen a hickey on your neck, which- although a little juvenile- was within the remit of ‘normal’ sexual proclivities. But the bite marks on your collarbone? The bruises littering your hips and thighs? The name carved, branded into your skin? Max was easygoing, but those things would absolutely be ‘Not Okay’ in his book. Telling the truth? Out of the question. But if you said it was nothing, it’d be an obvious lie. As evidenced, you weren’t above telling Max lies. But to speak at all would be to open a dialogue about it, which was not an avenue you wanted to explore. He hadn’t seen the full extent of the marks, wouldn’t know the faded scars were an eponymous signature of Al’s on your heart. So instead, you stayed silent, pulling up your nightshirt to cover the scar, and walked brusquely past him into your bedroom, avoiding his gaze. You didn’t want to read pity or fear or anger in those dark eyes.

Slamming the door closed behind you, you sunk to the floor, trying to steady your heavy, labored breathing. Al wasn’t here to soothe you this time, so you closed your eyes and rubbed your hands up and down your thighs in long strokes, trying to create some semblance of the soft, assuaging caresses in lieu of the real thing. You thought a little, keeping those repeated, consoling movements brushing your skin, steady and constant as lapping waves. It helped, and you kept the tears at bay, slowing your breathing as your thoughts formed a coherent rationalization of events.

You were more than explicit in your intentions that you did not want to talk about what Max had seen. He’d been warned already not to ask about your past, and had followed Al’s orders more closely than you had so far. Max would probably think the scars were from a time before Al. A time which, according to your version of events, painted your own family and boyfriend as the villains. Even if that fiction pained you, it did help to alleviate your current anxiety, and the tight knot in your chest, right under the scar that had caused it, had begun to loosen already. You heaved yourself up, got dressed, and readied yourself to fall back into that comfortable routine that had eclipsed any worries over the last week or so. Without Al to reassure you, Max was surely the next best thing.

It was quiet as you left your room, though even Max was self-aware enough to not run amok when you were clearly upset. He was probably waiting to talk comfortably with you, even joke with you- anything to relieve the tension that had weighted the golden morning with such a heavy black cloud. Max’s bedroom door was ajar, but vacant when you poked your head inside, seeing only his usual unmade bed and scattered clothing in the room. The living room was equally empty. Had he taken Samson for a walk whilst you had barricaded yourself in the bedroom? Finally, the kitchen; Max wasn’t in sight, but the dog had planted himself at the far end of the room. Samson looked up at you as you entered, giving a soft whine before laying his head back down between his massive paws, his snout pointing towards the closed wooden door. The door that led to the basement.

You didn’t want to. You had no desire, no curiosity whatsoever to open that door again: the door that led to a descending stairwell, that led to another door, that one metal and bolted shut. And beyond that door, in the deepest bowels of the house, the basement room. Hiding the worst secrets, the worst memories. But Max had (for whatever stupid, arbitrary reason) ventured beyond the wooden door. He’d grown up in this house, and knew it led to a basement. Even though Al had, in no uncertain terms, forbidden Max from going down there. It was one of the rules, alongside the prohibition about prying into your past.

As much as the thought of opening that door terrified you, the possible consequences of Max seeing too much terrified you considerably more. If he found things down there, if they implicated Al in any way, if Max worked out what Al had done, why you were here…

You clasped the cold metal doorknob with shaky fingers, ignoring the sickly feeling invading every cell in your body. The door clicked and opened with a whisper and you dared a peek into the dim stairwell.

“Max?”

On hearing your voice, Max’s form at the bottom of the stairs visibly bristled, and he slammed the metal door closed without a word. The force of him pulling shut the door had him falling onto one of the lower steps, where he stayed sitting. He didn’t turn, not initially, instead opting to keep his gaze on the door ahead. Was he silently working out what he’d seen there, the pieces in his head clicking together to see the full picture of what that room had borne witness to?

It was a small mercy that, from the top step, you hadn’t seen into the basement room yourself. It was less merciful that Max surely had all the pieces now to solve this sick puzzle. He had opened the door, seen the hidden cell that, though disused now, had held five different victims of the Grabber’s. It all seemed so painfully obvious. A metal, soundproof door with a complex lock. Literal bars on the window. A fucking mattress bolted to the floor. The room, together with all the things Max already knew: you, a girl on a missing poster who suddenly turns up, no longer wanting to be found. Your disappearance around the same time as the spate of other kidnappings. There were too many glaringly obvious fucking variables that anyone seeing that room would surely think-

“I can’t believe it’s still there.” Max’s voice was small in the oppressive confines of the narrow stairwell.

“Max?” you repeated your first question, unsure of what Max meant, or what else to really say. He turned slowly where he sat, backing up against the stone wall. Towards you, but with an eye still on the door a few feet away.

“It’s the same. The bed. Everything. I can’t believe Al didn’t rip it all out.”

“Rip it- the bed? What?” This wasn’t what you thought at all, and you were struggling to form questions, simply because you had no idea about the answers Max was currently trying to give in his indecipherable speech.

“Just the same. As when we were little.”

You braced yourself on the doorframe trying to figure this out. Think about this, Y/N. Step by step. Max wasn’t piecing together the truth about the Grabber at all. But he was remembering, or really, recounting, events from his past. The mattress- you knew it was old, but Jesus. If it had been down here since Max was… then Al hadn’t installed it there when he became… then that would mean…

You exhaled slowly, gathering your thoughts before speaking.

“Your father.”

Max nodded, almost imperceptibly at the conclusion you’d correctly landed on. As promised, you weren’t going to pry. But you also weren’t going to abandon Max if he needed to talk. If Al dealt with his problems by clamming up, so be it. Max wasn’t the same as his brother. You descended down a couple of the wooden steps before sitting, bringing your knees up to your chin and clasping your hands around your ankles. It was an invitation for Max to speak if he wished, but as close as you were willing to get to that metal door. You glanced towards it briefly, mentally willing it to stay closed. As if someone- or something- on the other side might escape. But those were your fears, and now was the time for Max’s story. You clenched your jaw, looked straight into his large brown eyes and nodded resolutely. Max understood your implicit meaning, and began.

In many ways, the things he told you were unsurprising. Hideous as they were, you’d been expecting some of the details that were now confirmed. Al and Max had hinted at their father being abusive, and the revelation about the basement prepared you somewhat. How their father would beat them for even minor misbehaviors, preferring the belt over all else. And, if either of his boys were especially bad, how he’d lash out at them in the basement, where their screams wouldn’t be heard, before being left downstairs overnight to think on their misdeeds.

It was the newer revelations that Max told you that shattered your heart like glass when you heard. How their mother, despite the bruises fresh on her wrists, her stomach, her jaw, would plead to stop the violence inflicted on her boys. Pleas that fell on deaf ears, and ended with the back of his hand meeting her cheek with a crack. If the details of his mother’s desperate yet futile attempts to step in had shattered your heart, when Max introduced Al in this story, the shards inside your body were truly crushed under the weight of his words.

“He still looked out for me. Even then, you know.”

“Al-” Again, no questions. After all your earlier inquisitiveness, you weren’t even sure if you wanted to know anymore. But Max continued, and your voice rescinded to let him speak.

“I was only down there a couple times,” he nodded in the direction of the locked door without looking up. “When my report card was especially bad. Al couldn’t take the blame those times. But every other time, Y/N. He’d push me outta the way, square up to the old man- make it really seem like it was his fault, ya know?”

“He fought back?” You couldn’t help but ask, your interest piqued by that statement. That was the innate goodness inside him, something you once thought absent within Albert Shaw. Putting himself through the worst torments for someone else’s sake. Self-sacrificing was not a trait he’d picked up through loving you, you realized. He’d had that within him since boyhood.

“Not exactly. Not then. But if he gave the bastard hell, he’d be so mad he’d forget he was gonna hit me too. Though- I guess that meant he went harder on Al. I’d hear him, being dragged through the house, that belt whipping him all the way. Our father saying that’s what happened to naughty boys.”

Your stomach roiled. Naughty Boy. This was…something. Some explanation for it all, right? You needed more.

“Max, how old were you?”

“At the worst of it? I dunno, maybe like, seven? But, like I said- I didn’t have it all that bad, not compared to Al.”

Consoling Max could come soon- but you were desperately, selfishly trying to work this out as you sat on those steps. That would have put Al at… 13? 14? When he himself was a

Naughty Boy. The same age, roughly, as most of the children he’d taken. If they were to become the new Naughty Boys in his place, then Al would no longer fit that mold. It would be a punishment reserved for other, more deserving misbehaving kids. You were deflecting, of course- what Al had done was infinitely worse. But a new, fiery hatred was simmering within you, for this nameless man you’d never met, and thankfully never would. He’d clearly helped fuck up his kids. Helped create The Grabber, probably contributed to Man’s issues, too- how he left home early, had started abusing drugs.

Maybe those nightmares Al had had weren’t just about the things he’d done-but the things that had been done to him. Perhaps both. The parallels between them were obvious- you didn’t need to be some expert in psychology to see that, even if you couldn't untangle the link between the two completely. Things hadn’t changed- the past was still the past, each insidious event over the past three decades had remained unchanged. The way you felt- that was unchanged too. You loved Al the same, if not a little more. Though he’d see that as pity and reject the reasoning behind your newfound sympathies. But your understanding had changed, even if your understanding was tenuous at best.

“You know what always upset me most?” It was so quiet, so timid the way Max was speaking. Not the same childlike playfulness he usually displayed, but one that spoke volumes to how much these events had really affected him.

“What’s that, Max?”

“That Al would come upstairs the morning after, and he’d come and make sure I was doin’ ok. You believe that? He was the one spending the night in there, but he’d always come check on me, first thing. He was a good brother. The best.” He was a good man, too. It helped cement the idea that Al was not evil, or at least, hadn’t always been that way. He'd been warped into The Grabber by evil that had come before him. You knew, deep inside your soul, that you were clinging to the idea that it was someone else’s fault for Al’s hideous crimes, that his father could be a scapegoat for Al’s actions. Guilt probably wasn’t so easily transferred, but surely some of it could be shifted elsewhere?

It was a little sickening to realize the feeling you were experiencing- relief. Just a small wave, a little proof that not everything was on Al, not all the horror and bloodshed and blame could be laid at his feet. Only you would ever know the full picture, and only you would ever justify it in those terms, but it was a small comfort in a situation borne from so much ugly destruction.

You shifted focus back to Max, who right now needed more comforting than your own twisted mind. You’d been terrified to go too near the door for fear of reminding yourself of things that had happened within the basement. But that seemed insignificant and cowardly in this moment: if Max could bear being here, then so could you. Gathering your courage, you stood and made your way slowly down the steps.

Though you hadn’t known the details or the extent of Max’s admission, you had assumed it would be a slow process to extract it in full. Even slower once you’d promised Al to stop asking questions. But Max- whether purposefully, or in an emotionally-charged accidental confession, had bled his heart out in front of you. As he unfurled his story before you, a visceral tableaux of truly awful abuses, you could do nothing but listen. Even as his voice cracked and slow, hot tears slid down his face, you sat wordlessly, matching tears falling down your cheeks in silence.

How easily Max revealed this dark past for you. Not eagerly, but told as clearly as if those events were yesterday. Fresh in his mind, like he’d pictured them a thousand times, running through those memories like a rehearsal until he could recite them by rote. It wasn’t like that for you; the darkness had been eclipsed by the light, all the awful things inflicted on you forgiven by Al’s transformation, his redemption. Things were so good now, it was hard to remember the time before. If Max was so easily reminded of events decades earlier, how little happiness had he encountered in his life, nothing good to cancel or even balance out the agonies he’d endured? Your heart had broken for the child that had gone through that torment, but it was breaking for the man in front of you now.

You squatted down next to the younger Shaw brother at the bottom of the staircase. He looked to you as your knees connected and when his tear-stained eyes met yours, he smiled. He actually smiled, still trying to be the brightest spark in the room, to keep his cheerful disposition up, even after the bleakest of confessions. So stubborn in his attempts to be chipper, but you’d break down that wall- Max was allowed to not be ok. What had happened to him was not ok. You gripped one of his hands in yours, stroking his knuckles in a motherly gesture. When was the last time Max had been treated in such a way?

“Max. Thank you. For telling me, for feeling like you could. I know that was hard to talk about- I’ve never got it out of Al. But I’m glad you’re ok now. Al is too. I care about both of you, you know.”

You sprung forward to grab him in a tight embrace and held him, your hands clasped behind his back, offering your shoulder. It took only a moment for him to rest his head there, to bring his own hands around you, to let go entirely as his sobs echoed in the narrow stairwell. You would hold on as long as it took, and promised yourself to hold Al even tighter tonight.

The hug reluctantly broke after a long while. Max sniffled, wiping his nose on the back of his hand. You pulled away and gave a small, reaffirming smile.

“Hey Scout, I know Al didn’t tell you much about all this shit-” he paused, seeming to want to ask a question of his own now. “But you didn’t seem all that surprised by some of that stuff I said.” He phrased it as a statement, rather than the accusatory question that was obviously on his mind: Did you know what was down here?

“I’ve.. been in the basement, yeah. I’ve seen what’s in that room,” you said. Again, not a lie, just a statement with some pretty glaring omissions. “But it’s an evil place, and I don’t come down here now. Neither does Al.”

Max gave a wary look, and you couldn’t be sure, but thought he glanced towards your collarbone, the spot where that hidden scar had been partly revealed to him just a little earlier. You didn’t think there was an expression of knowing in Max’s stare, but maybe just one of remembrance. Perhaps the evidence that you’d been through a troubled past reminded him of his own, his morbid curiosity wanting a peek at the basement after all these years. Everything the basement symbolized for him and Al (and though he didn’t know it, for you too). The violence, the terror, the pain of the past. But that’s what it was, right? The past. Their father who had beaten them- gone. The Grabber, who had hurt and violated you- dead. Or, at the very least, dormant.

Memories could be painful, and though some scars were still visible, on your skin or in your mind, they were healing. For you. For Max. And you hoped for Al too.

Well, shit.

Max seriously couldn’t believe he’d just told her all that. He’d never told anyone those details before. The only other person in the world who had any idea of all that was Al, and he was wound up tighter than a camel’s ass. Trying to talk to him about it would be like getting blood from a stone. He felt useless- because really, Al had had it so much worse, and he always seemed to be doing better than Max. Al had so much strength, holding it together over the years despite the punishments he’d taken, for himself and for Max. And how had he repaid the favor? By running away the first chance he got, and ending up in some rough spots over the years- addiction, debt, even couch surfing when he was technically homeless for a while. Coming back to Denver only after their parents had gone- and only then to borrow money. Even now, when he was trying to rebuild the life that had crumbled around him, it was Al helping him get there. Always there for him. Even if he couldn’t talk about the terrible things they’d endured.

But talking to Scout was easy as pie. Calm- that’s how she made him feel. She made him feel looked at, listened to. She cared, and that sincerity read on her face so clearly. She didn’t even need to say much- just a few questions, encouraging nods, and Max had let loose his worries. Even her hug was soothing- motherly and reassuring. Just like the ones he’d half-remembered from decades ago. He cursed that: how easily he could remember the fucked up parts of his childhood, but how memories of mom were always so fuzzy and difficult to summon.

Max had never really had a friend like Scout before- one that stuck around, who really listened. Who he felt a strong enough connection with to really open up. His “friends” before had been wasters, hanging around if they knew he’d scored a hit, or if they were in the mood to sleep with him. But then, he realized- he’d been that type of friend too, before he’d gotten clean. He hoped he could start being better at it now; if anyone needed a friend, he’d put her at the top of that list.

He marveled that Y/N didn’t seem lonely (or at least, didn’t admit to being lonely) after leaving her family, her old relationship. However shitty the situation was, and despite the fact she’d found Al, surely she missed the freedom she had. Right now? She barely left the house, and never alone- it was like she’d locked herself up in the house away from any dangers outside its walls. But, Max surmised- as brave a face as she put on each morning, as much as she comforted Max, and as much as she’d obviously captivated his big brother- there was still fear in her eyes. He’d seen it this morning, when he saw part of some old scar on her chest. Her reaction to him spotting it was pretty extreme, and Max kicked himself afterwards for pointing it out for always being so fucking tactless. It must have been a nasty cut, to still leave a scar months and months after running away. Maybe in time she’d talk to him about her past. Max would happily return the favor and listen to her story. But maybe he hadn’t yet proven himself that good a friend. He was still getting the hang of how to do it well.

#the black phone fanfic #the black phone #the grabber #the grabber x you #the grabber x reader #albert shaw x you #albert shaw

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