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spiderlandry · 9 months

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wind — lo'ak sully

Description: You make a matching ionar (rider’s mask) for Lo’ak after he fails the first time trying to tame an ikran. you give it to him after his (successful) second try, but what does it mean?

Pairing: Lo'ak te Suli Tsyeyk'itan x GN!Reader (Na’vi)

Warnings/Tags: mentions of mating/finding a mate(?), use of y/n, actually requited love, reader is a softie, proofread once and barely edited, events probably not canonically correct because i’ve never read the comics

Word Count: 3k

Author’s Note: if anyone has any avatar thoughts or hc/drabble requests feel free to send them in my inbox !! i’m honestly willing to write for most of the characters, so just ask 😇 (any human!jake thoughts are especially welcome)

Everything has fallen away and nothing else matters when Lo’ak is in the Tsahìk’s healing hut, being bandaged by his grandmother after falling off a cliff on his first try taming an ikran.

The disappointment from his father rolls off in waves, and in turn, the shame of it suffocating.

Mo’at interrupts his train of thinking.

“Mawey,” She says in a gentle voice, but its read as a warning nonetheless. “I can feel you burning a hole into the ground.”

“Sorry.”

The curt response is not lost on her, but she doesn’t mention it.

Enter Kiri, the third person who has come to see him since the incident. Her face is etched with worry, eyebrows scrunched but it seems like she’s trying to hide it. She sits cross-legged across from her brother.

“Father was just worried about you.”

That gets a dry laugh out of him, wincing when the exertion stings.

“He’s got a funny way of showing it,” He replies.

Never-mind that. The moment he hit the ground, he knew he would be the other end of their father’s worry. That’s not what he hates. It’s that he feels the disappointment.

But it’s as if Kiri reads his mind.

“He’s not disappointed, either. He doesn’t hold it against you.”

At his quiet, Kiri leans against the wall, keeping him company while their grandmother rubs paste on his shoulder.

It is his third say of ordered rest that he finally notices your absence. Amidst of the chaos and his family practically doting on him with worry, he realizes the empty hole in his heart is in the shape of you.

You, who was there to see him fall. You, who was one of the best hunters in the clan and a great flyer. And you, who he has been in love with since he could remember.

Another wave of shame and embarrassment hits him. It lingers.

If you’d seen his failure, surely that destroyed all his chances with you. Hell, he barely had any after you’d called him ‘a great friend,’ a few weeks ago. But it’s different now: you have witnessed his worst moment, and would deem him unfit to be a mate.

His moping is apparently so noticeable that his own father has to talk to him. It happens before the hunting party leaves.

“Look,” His father—the Olo’eyktan for Eywa’s sake—makes the party wait. “I’m sorry about yelling at you.”

“Yeah, I know. We’re good.” Lo’ak’s lungs are burning. He needs to get away from this conversation, otherwise it will lead to Jake finding out about his affections for you.

“Hey,” His father taps his shoulder, and Lo’ak has to meet his eye. “What’s going on?”

Lo’ak knows that Jake is often misjudged as a father. He hears his friends talk about how being an Olo’eyktan makes him too busy to properly care for his kids. But what they don’t know is that every duty his father fulfills is done with his children in mind. Not too many people give him enough credit, not even Lo’ak.

He pays attention.

“Can we…not talk about this?” Lo’ak nods to the hunting party waiting for their leader. “We can talk about it when you get back.”

Jake gives in, but not without promise. “Later.”

They never end up talking about it, much to Jake’s dismay. Lo’ak avoids him too much. He prays to Eywa hoping his son will solve it soon.

When he sees you again, it had been about two weeks since the incident. He knows you’re close with Kiri, and every time his sister sneaks away he knows she’s with you, but he decided that if you didn’t want to be near him, then so be it. He didn’t anticipate the pain that came with that. The burning in his chest, something his father taught him about heartburn—yeah, that. Probably.

There’s a lot of people in the clan, which is why it surprises him to see you spending time with Ralu of all people.

You’re both far away, but he sees you flash a smile at the man and he begins to see red.

Ralu isn’t a bad person by any means. But he’s arrogant. And you told Lo’ak once that you hated arrogant people. Ralu was named after his great grandfather, one of the most notorious warriors among the people. Lo’ak figures that’s why the guy carries himself with an air of importance.

So when you laugh at his joke, Lo’ak starts to think that maybe you changed.

When did you change?

The burning is quelled for a moment, quickly replaced with an even worse emotion: a soul-crushing, haunting feeling called guilt.

Lo’ak is guilty of many things. He disobeys direct orders, he has the tendency to slip out of important celebrations, he can disappear for days when he needs time to think.

But he has never once felt guilty of loving you.

Until now.

It is not truly just guilt out of loving you, rather, it’s a product of his own cowardice and inability to even strike a conversation with the slightest hint of interest in becoming yours officially.

You don’t know that he is already yours—that you hold his heart in your delicate hands—maybe that is where he went wrong. Was it fair for him to have assumed you knew that? No, not really. But what could he do?

He stalks away, the sight of you and Ralu summoning bile in Lo’ak’s throat. He wants to feel the wind one only gets while flying and let the sting of the air wash his mind of the image.

He decides to take training more seriously this time around. Maybe he’s not too late.

He hopes he’s not too late.

Lo’ak loses himself in the fight. He lets his body carry him on hunts, he climbs the trees with calloused hands, he visits the mountains to study the patterns of the ikran coming and going.

He’s so determined to prove himself to you that he doesn’t pay mind to how you come and go through the home of the clan’s most talented craftsman.

Doesn’t notice when your eyes gravitate toward him as you come back from doing your tasks—he is too honed in on sharpening his blades and fixing his arrows.

You and Lo’ak hadn’t spoken in weeks.

But he wanted to make it worth it for when he finally invites you to watch him try and tame an ikran for the second time alongside his family.

It’s not long until Lo’ak finally approaches you with the proposition.

You receive the invitation with a gentle smile. He’s glad that Ralu is nowhere to be seen. (Bastard.)

It’s early morning, and you have not shown up. The thought of you not being here makes his stomach churn, not only out of shame but also regret. Maybe he really had lost you, but that is going off the assumption that he ever had you in the first place.

Most of his family stands behind him in support as he goes over the plan in his head, watching the ikran screech amongst themselves. Although, Tuk and Kiri are with grandmother—so it is just Neytiri, Jake, and Neteyam. He was so confident your name would be a part of that list.

He shakes off the thought, letting himself feel the vibrations. The rope in his hand burns from his tight grip. He launches himself into action, spotting the dark blue creature about to lunge at him. It’s beautiful. He hopes he doesn’t die.

The skin of the ikran brings him back to the feeling of falling, a flashback to the first time. As he wrangles it from the back, avoiding the claws reaching for him, he shakes his head roughly to rid himself of the image. The earth beneath him scratches at his leg when he falls off and tries to get back on, keeping its mouth tightly wrapped, bruises threatening to form on his hand.

Wind.

Edge. He is at the edge of the cliff.

The wind pushes against him, he pulls forward.

His vision is a tunnel, he grabs his kuru. He doesn’t see who arrives.

He successfully mounts the creature, making tsaheylu at the same time.

They both fall.

He hears the family erupt in cheers from afar when he saves himself from hitting ground, circling upward and letting out a loud cry. He does not hear your cheers amongst them, but it’s there regardless.

That is when he lands back on the cliff’s edge, meeting his parents’ proud smiles and Neteyam’s hard pat on the back.

You emerge from behind his family, and his jaw falls slack.

“Y/N,” He says, breathless. He resists the subconscious urge—the instinct—to run to you and wrap his arms around your figure, as he is reminded that the possibility of you and him have been null for a long time. “I thought you didn’t come.”

You two are inches from each other now.

“Are you kidding?” Your laugh melts him. “I just wanted to see if you’d fall off again.” The teasing isn’t something new, he knows you don’t mean it but even if you did, he couldn’t care less—every corner of his mind is now burned with the image of your smile.

He playfully shoves your shoulder, and you stop him from pulling away by holding his wrist.

You lower his arm. You bring an object out of the satchel you’ve been carrying around and places it on his outstretched hand.

It was an ionar. A rider’s mask.

And it looked familiar.

It is crafted beautifully and carefully—the light leather is cured perfectly, and in the middle, where it would rest on top of one’s nose-bridge, there’s a dark piece of river crystal sanded down to a point.

“I can’t take this,” He shakes his head. “This is yours.”

There’s something mischievous in your eyes, a glint he’d never seen. “Look closer.”

He grabs it and inspects, and his heart drops when he runs his finger over the piece, feeling the letters before seeing them. His name engraved into the side. Your mask had your name. This one has his.

“You…?” He meets your eyes, and you’re looking downward. In a surge of confidence, he puts a hand on your jaw to get you looking at him. “You made this for me?”

You nod. “It is a gift,” you respond. “I finished it this morning. I was not sure if it would be to your liking—”

“Don’t say that.” He cuts you off, and your eyes seem to be searching for something in his. He hopes to Eywa you find what it is you’re looking for. “This is perfect.”

You glance past him and he remembers that his family has been there the whole time. He turns and his eyes shoot daggers at his brother when he can see there must be something at the tip of Neteyam’s tongue. He knows that look, he’s about to get teased.

Luckily, before the brothers can exchange any words, you get Lo’ak’s attention again.

“Go fly with your family,” Your soft voice has him reeling. “I will meet you back home.”

He proudly dons the mask you’d given him, not taking it off when he starts looking for you after getting home. He wants—no, needs—everybody to know that he wears it like a badge of honor. He prays that people notice it matches your mask. In a way, it felt like you were staking claim on him.

Much to his chagrin, he sees you with him. Ralu. You’re nodding along to something he’s saying, and though it’s not a welcome sight, the adrenaline from flying fuels Lo’ak enough to walk over.

Your ears flick at the sound of nearby footsteps, and Lo’ak is relieved to see your smile grow wide when you catch a glimpse of him wearing the mask you made.

Lo’ak raises his brows at Ralu, and his stomach churns when Ralu does not respond to an obvious look of challenge.

You take notice of the fire in his eyes directed at your friend. In response, you place a hand on his forearm, and his gaze softens at you.

“Do you want to fly together?” You ask.

“Just us?”

“Yes,” you say it as though there is no other answer. “Who else?”

“It’s—” His eyes flit to Ralu, who seems to have stricken up a conversation with another clan member. Deciding it’s not worth mentioning, he replies, “Nevermind. Let’s go.”

“Where are you taking me?” He shouts over the wind, following you on his ikran while you fly fast ahead of him. The eclipse hides behind the floating mountains.

“Just wait and see!” You yell back, banking a hard left.

Landing on the cliff, you pet your banshee while Lo’ak’s lands on the ground with a hard thud. You laugh at him.

“I have to work on that,” He dismounts. “Where are we?” There is a wall of vines and moss standing tall behind you, and surface area of the soft grass is too little for both of your creatures to fit. They fly away, finding shelter on a nearby mountain.

“Follow me.” You feel the wall of vines, pushing it aside to make way into a dark passage.

The path is illuminated by bioluminescent flora growing through the cracks of the stone. He hears your footsteps behind him, and he soon runs into a wall, a small crevice with light shining through it, but too small for any Na’vi to fit.

You push past him and put your arms in the gap, putting the force of your body into getting it out of the way. He wants to help, but his eyes trace over your figure and he can only hope you don’t feel him checking you out without shame.

The gap is now wide enough to go through, so he follows you into it.

“Eywa,” He mutters under his breath as he takes in the scene. Though the cave should be dark, there is a clear pond that glows blue. There’s a tiny patch of grass surrounding it. It is not so extraordinary if one thinks about the rest of Pandora and its beauty, but the most remarkable thing is the quiet.

The wind is gone.

Your breaths are the only thing in his ears. You dip your legs in the water, splashing Lo’ak and taking him out of the trance.

“Hey!” He grins, doing the same to you.

There’s a pause while he tries to think of what to say. This place seems sacred, somehow. At least to you. You’re a great warrior—the best one he knows—yet he’s never seen such a content look on your face. It suits you.

“Why did you bring me here?”

You shrug, bashful. “This place is only accessible with an ikran. There is no other way to get up here.”

He stays silent, staring at you to go on. You avoid his gaze, opting to stare at the ripples you create in the water.

“I have been waiting to show you this place since I discovered it.”

“Have you…shown it to anybody else?”

There’s a longing in your eyes. “Neteyam.”

He is taken aback. Why would you take him here? He perks up, trying to look at your face. He sees the smirk.

“That’s not funny.”

You finally turn your head to him. “It is to me.”

“You’re messing with me, right? I just have to double-check.”

“I am,” You chuckle, lips settling into a thin line.

Another moment of silence.

“You will have to go through Uniltaron soon.”

He hums in agreement. He knows you had recently completed yours, he was there.

“After that, you will be free to choose a mate.”

A tiny flame of hope flickers in his chest. “Yeah. Yeah, I will be.”

“Do you have someone in mind?”

He doesn’t hesitate to say yes.

Your shoulders drop ever so slightly, but with the quiet echo, he hears.

“I always had the feeling you were spoken for,” you whisper. “Will you tell me who?”

He contemplates on it. Telling you would be the biggest risk of his life. It would change the nature of your relationship forever.

Before he can say anything, though, the sound of a water droplet reaches his ears. His eyes snap to you, and you have taken off your rider’s mask to wipe at the tears on your eyeline.

He scoots closer, shoulders touching. “Hey,” he puts a hand on your back. “What’s wrong?”

“You know what it feels like for someone to have your heart, don’t you?” You finally look at him again.

“I do.”

“Doesn’t it hurt?”

Since when did someone have your heart?

He wants to know who it is. Who makes you feel the way he feels for you.

He answers with the truth, “It does.” He clears his throat, trying to think of more to say. “But it doesn’t have to.”

“How?” You’re hugging your middle. He can feel you closing in on yourself.

The simple answer is that being with you flips that pain onto its head and it disintegrates. The hurt is never there long as he’s with you. But how can he tell you that if your heart belongs to someone else?”

“What do I do, Lo’ak? Please.” You almost plead for his answer. Your tears have stopped, and you, again, are searching his eyes for something. He has never seen you this vulnerable before. He wants to be the only person to witness you like this.

“You tell them.”

When you don’t respond, he takes his own advice. He bares his heart out to you.

“You’ve always had mine.” He says it so quietly that he doesn’t think you process the words until about three agonizing seconds later.

Yet you don’t say anything.

I’ve made a mistake, he thinks.

But he couldn’t have been more wrong when you finally respond by laying a hand on his cheek.

“You have always had mine, too.”

Here is a reference picture for a rider’s mask !! Lo’ak’s would look different obv, the middle part would have a river crystal that’s actually taken from the river where Y/N realized they loved Lo’ak (my cuties.) The leather would be a bit lighter, and I also imagine some beads from Tuk woven into it on the sides (Tuk found out and insisted on helping. My sweet summer child)

(additional author’s note: i know they don’t technically get a visor until fully completing their rite of passage but let’s pretend that’s not true for the sake of the fic)

#said i wouldnt be able to post until next week but i ended up having a few hours and i felt like writing ✍️#avatar the way of water #avatar #avatar the way of water x reader #atwow #atwow x reader #avatar x reader #loak x reader #lo’ak x reader #lo’ak te suli tsyeyk’itan #loak sully #lo’ak sully #lo’ak sully x reader #loak sully x reader

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butterflydm · 7 months

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wot rewatch (book spoilers edition): 2x6

First, it looks like tumblr refused to actually let my non-spoiler post be in the tags so here is the link: deeper dive 2x6: eyes without pity; hopefully this post will show up in the tags!

Not only is this one going to have spoilers for all the aired episodes plus any teasers (including the trailer for episode 7), it will also have book spoilers through book 14: A Memory of Light

"A few weeks ago I considered hitting Renna over the head with that pitcher, and I could not pour wash water for three days. Once I’d thought of it that way, I not only had to stop thinking about hitting her with it, I had to convince myself I would never, under any circumstances, hit her with it before I could touch it again. She knew what had happened, told me what I had to do, and would not let me wash anywhere except with that pitcher and bowl."

It is a little stunning how the show was able to take that paragraph and make this heartbreaking episode using it as the spine. And by changing it from a wash bowl into a water pitcher, they made it even more of a fundamental torture because Egwene is literally being dehydrated until she gives in to her abuser's demands.

Which, her mention of 'weeks ago' (Egwene is damane for roughly two or three months in the books) is making me wonder about the timeline in the show. Because we were visually shown the brutality of the 'training' process already, I wonder if the timeline is going to be shortened, or if we're going to get a timeskip of some kind next episode. Because Rand is definitely not interested in waiting around for weeks now that he knows Egwene is in captivity, even if he doesn't know the full extend of what's happened to her.

Also, double-checking the books, Egwene hits Renna in the stomach with the pitcher and doesn't hit her over the head like I had remembered; hitting her over the head was what she had thought about but never did. Maybe she'll get to brain her in the show.

2. Note: Renna may be wrong when she says that any pain a sul'dam feels, her damane feels twice-over even to the death, because in the last book when Min comes to rescue Mat and (ugh) Tuon, there is a damane attached to a dead sul'dam. And Min just... leaves her to die in a fire instead of saving her because book!Min kinda sucks but, yeah (she actually screams at the damane to help even though she should know it's impossible for her to help while she's still leashed). Though I wonder if Renna is actually correct but the implication is wrong -- which is that the damane does feel the full pain of the sul'dam's death (twice-over) but just doesn't necessarily die as a result of it.

3. The show is really really evoking book!Tuon in both the characters of Renna and Suroth in this episode, I have to say. Renna makes a point of saying she's a ~kinder softer~ sul'dam because she believes in cultivating a ~friendship~ with her damane and that's basically exactly how Tuon presents herself and her relationships with her ~well-behaved~ damane. And then later in the episode, we get Suroth's scene where she purposefully mocks and degrades Loial for her own amusement, evoking... well, Tuon in many moments tbh -- she laughs at Mat like this frequently in CoT & KoD, because she sees him as her own personal court jester -- but definitely the moment when Tuon steals Egeanin's name from her.

It's... it's an interesting thing because I also feel like the show has deliberately evoked book!Min in some of Lanfear's characterization changes, mostly when she was playing Selene -- pretending that she doesn't want a romantic relationship with Rand but desperately wanting one; pretending that she's not jealous about the other people he cares about but actually being incredibly jealous; trying to make herself his emotional anchor and the one person that he depends on; using their connection to get him to do things for her that he doesn't want to do (in Min's case, it's about using sex to get Rand to take her into dangerous situations, like the fake!DotNM meeting that ends up with Rand losing his hand while trying to protect Min). And taking characteristics that belonged to 'love interest' characters in the books and giving them to villains is... an interesting choice.

4. Is Lanfear questioning Rand near Shayol Ghul in TAR (that large blasted area) or is she just dramatic?

5. Turak's room of curiosities... I really wonder if we're going to sub in the Stone of Tear's storage room from TSR to Turak's room of curiosities and if there is a twisted stone doorway in there. That would give us a chance to do (some parts of) the beginning of TSR in 3x1 next season by having Mat, Rand, and Moiraine potentially all going into the doorway.

@markantonys was talking about how it was interesting that Min's romance viewing didn't come up in her scenes this season and speculated that the show is hedging its bets somewhat with regards to how much time they'll get to play out the storylines. And wondering that if that's the case for Rand's Situation, then it might end up being the case for Mat as well, and the show might hold back on the marriage prophecy (because if s4 or s5 ends up being the final season, they might not want to have to deal with squishing in Mat marrying some random slaver that we just met a handful of episodes ago). Definitely interesting to think about!

I personally love the idea that Avirandlayne could all get together without the viewers actually having heard about Min's viewing (besides the little hint of it we got in s1).

I do wonder sometimes if Jordan regretting sowing Mat's marriage prophecy in so early once the book series really started to stretch out, because it really handcuffed him to a very specific Mat plotline and some of the authorial choices that Jordan made to shackle Mat to that plotline were... very weird and involved characters behaving very strangely to their normal behavior (I have an entire post at the end of my WH reread where I go over how WTF some of Jordan's writing choices were to 'justify' Mat going on his road trip with Tuon).

6. I know that some people take issue with Alanna, Maksim, and Ihvon confronting Lan over potentially being a Darkfriend but... as Pevara says in A Crown of Swords, “You were very brave coming to me, Seaine. I’ve known Darkfriends to kill brothers, sisters, parents, to try hiding who they are and what they’ve done. I love you for it, but you were very brave indeed.”

Holding Lan above suspicion because of his background seems like it would have been foolish for Alanna & co to do, after having found that poem in his belongings. After he and Moiraine have been doing secretive journeys together for twenty years, very soon after Moiraine herself changed to be much colder and much more isolated from her fellow Sisters (especially since she and Siuan likely 'broke up' at that time).

I do think that book readers were potentially so distracted by wondering whether or not Alanna was going to get Lan's bond that they didn't necessarily realize that he was being covertly interrogated all of episode 4 by her and her two Warders, trying to figure out what Moiraine is doing and why she dumped Lan this way. I didn't look at the storyline like that on my first viewing because I was looking at it as a Lan plotline, but on my rewatch, it was actually very clear that Alanna, Maksim, and Ihvon were all trying to get information from Lan in various ways to try to figure out what's up with him and Moiraine. Alanna doesn't want Lan's bond; she wants his secrets.

7. More eye trauma for Mat in Rand's dream here. Both Nynaeve and Rand give Mat eye trauma foreshadowing in their visions, which does imply to me that the show wants to do the 'Finn plotline.

8. "You can travel too, see the world as it really is." hmm, I almost wonder if Rand is going to do what Egwene did in LoC, and use TAR to get to Falme quickly? (but then how do Moiraine, Lan, & Mat all come too? hmm. Might just be set up for a later season)

9. My constant emotional surprise when Randgwene keeps being a thing even though we haven't gotten to the part in the books where they break up For Real: my own personal toxic book reader trait, lol.

10. We once again have it kinda being hammered into Rand that going off entirely on his own and abandoning the people that he loves is a bad thing, actually. It's very very difficult to see the show ending in the same place that the books did, because "Rand off on his own and emotionally isolated" is definitely being shown as a negative.

(of course, it was mostly treated as a bad thing in the books too, until it's suddenly Rand's happy ending. but the show has the advantage of already knowing the journey they need to take to the ending, so I feel like they wouldn't be pressing this button so hard if they planned to end it the same way -- plus, this Rand doesn't even smoke pipes, which was really just Jordan, known pipe-smoker, stapling that trait onto every single male character in the series, no matter what their culture)

11. I really hope that the show is able to find some excuses to let more character reunions happen in the show than happened in the books because the idea of Mat and Rand splitting up in s4 for their respective narratives and then not seeing each other until they get one single scene in s8 is absolutely excruciating. My biggest disappointment with the Sanderson books...

...okay, no the biggest disappointment was Mat magically teleporting to Ebou Dar with zero explanation in the text of how it happened or why he changed his entire set of character motivations in between ToM & AMoL.

One of my disappointments was how... hollow the Mat & Rand reunion was. It happened on enemy territory, while Mat was still in full 'fawn over the slaver' mode and hadn't yet gotten his spine back, and it ends in this weird bro-out one-up competition that didn't really match their previous relationship in the books at all. So if the show could just... do all that differently... that would be great.

12. I wonder if Rafe & co noticed the same thing about Rand and Mat that I noticed in my last reread -- which is that their lives kinda drastically go downhill once the plot forces them to separate for the rest of the book series. Because we really see them being a source of comfort and support for each other here. Which is also very true in portions of the book series -- I think especially of moments like Mat quietly sitting with Rand after Rhuidean, which is literally exactly what Rand needs at that moment in time.

13. So, my current theory re: Mat and the dagger viewing is that he is going to essentially be the 'proof' for show-onlys that Min's viewings are unavoidable. Because Mat does not want to stab Rand and he even knows now that there's (essentially) a prophecy that he's going to do just that. And Mat stabbing Rand anyway, even though he actively does not want to and does his best to avoid it, would serve as a harsh lesson for the viewers and for Mat himself that prophecy cannot be avoided (my money is still on compulsion from Ishy, but we will see!).

Which is relevant to Mat's arc in a lot of ways. In the books, it was really frustrating how he thinks about how he'll run away from the DotNM if he finds out who she is but then once he's face to face with her, he basically rolls over and caves to fate pretty much instantly.

He didn't have to take Tuon with him when he escaped Ebou Dar. He didn't have to stay with the circus once he'd left the city; he literally could have just walked away from her and yet he inexplicably actively courts someone that he never, at any point, wants to marry (even after the final vows are said, Tuon's slave Karede notes how Mat looks miserably resigned to his awful fate), and fawns over her despite her being basically the lovechild of Suroth and Renna, in terms of characterization (Suroth's Mean Girl (TM) behavior towards Loial in this episode vividly reminded me of Tuon's Mean Girl (TM) behavior towards Egeanin; show!Suroth and book!Tuon both have the most fun in life when they have someone to mock and look down on and treat like shit).

If, in the show, he's already learned the hard way that some fates cannot be avoided, then we might get into a more interesting situation where Mat tries to find a way to make the prophecy come true in a way that still helps his friends, and tries to manipulate fate for the better. It's also a way to make the relationship somewhat more palatable for the viewers

Just... the whole way that Jordan played their relationship in CoT & KoD will eternally leave a bad taste in my mouth. Especially since WH set Mat up to challenge Tuon's beliefs. (though probably the worst part is running across that certain variety of 'Mat fans' who either don't notice or don't care that he threw away his morals in between WH & CoT and did a near-complete 180 turn on his attitude about slavery). It's just wild how much shit Jordan makes Mat swallow with a smile for the sake of this terrible prophecy marriage -- and other characters get covered in Tuon's shit too, because of Mat's choice to bring her along in the escape. Joline, Teslyn, and Edesina get tortured because of Mat's choice. Yeah. Pretty much any decision that Rafe & co make about this storyline is guaranteed to be better than the original version.

14. So Siuan coming here is basically the show's version of the scene from Fal Dara, given what we have of the set-up -- fourteen Aes Sedai making a traveling journey to a major city. But that is definitely worrisome news for Moiraine, given the differences in the show vs books.

15. I don't think that Alanna will bond Rand next week (it feels way too early for it) but I do think that the seeds of why she believes that he should be bound might be planted. It depends on if Rand gets publicly outed as a man who can channel & who believes that he's the Dragon Reborn. Because we do have those fires and potentially a riot going on in the Foregate in the next episode, based on the trailers. Rand may do something that 'proves' to Alanna that the White Tower needs to control him so that he doesn't destroy the world. Especially if he disappears from the city after the riot, with them having no idea where he disappeared to.

16. ...I am really looking forward to Egwene putting that damn collar around Renna's throat.

#butterfly watches wot #wot #wheel of time #wot on prime #wot show spoilers #wot prime spoilers #wot s2 spoilers #wheel of time s2 spoilers #wot 2x6 spoilers #wot book spoilers #a memory of light #cauthor

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velvet-cupcake-games · 11 months

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Made Marion June Development Update: Schedule Edition, Straight Talk

[I decided to post our June dev update early, because I have some difficult things to say, but I hope this will get us all on the same page about what's happened with Made Marion since our Kickstarter.]

Hi everyone! I've decided to check in early with a report on our development schedule and some straight talk on some tough stuff. I hope this will help us all get on the same page and be excited instead of worried about Made Marion's development process.

First of all, thank you all so much for your magnificent patience and concern! This is definitely not how I wanted Made Marion's development to go or how it would have gone if things were still the way they were for our team back when we ran our Kickstarter. We have been seriously kicked in the teeth repeatedly, and I'd like to offer a better explanation and our proposed solutions and revised schedule.

I'm also sorry for the lack of pretty pictures this month! There will be many available very soon when Robin's beta test is ready to go!

The Problems:

1. As of fall 2021, things were going pretty well! We'd just run a beta for Made Marion's prologue and my route outlines were shaping up nicely. Then things began to go wrong. I had some issues at home that took up my attention, and then my darn town flooded. Drat it, ok, lost a couple months, but we can get back on track in 2022...

2. Then 2022, for various reasons was a disaster for pretty much our entire team (I'm only going to talk about my problems here, because those are the ones it is mine to share). It ended up being basically a wash for development. Why wasn't that obvious from our development updates? Because of my brain. I contracted Covid in January of 2022 and a few weeks later, the Long Covid symptoms started. I was near-narcoleptic for several months. It was scary and embarrassing and I didn't know how to talk about it. So I was as positive as I could be. Around May, my body started to recover. I was able to live more normally and I figured that meant I could get back to development.

What I didn't know and couldn't effectively communicate was that the brain fog was still there. I was writing, but not in a straight line. I wrote scenes for all the love interests here and there, scribbled a bunch in my notebooks, but a full, logical route for Robin wasn't happening. And the problem with your brain not working right is that it's very difficult to understand that your brain isn't working right. I thought things were cool! So it appeared that I wasn't being honest about the status of development without me realizing it did or even fully understanding that development wasn't going well. I'm very sorry about that.

3. Around November of 2022 my brain started working better again, but I was demoralized and felt like I'd forgotten how to write. I "eased" myself back into writing with a huge fic, along with finally getting back to putting words together for Robin. I wrote words! Lots of words! Good words! Yeah! We pulled together as a team and got our enhanced demo out, which was a lot of work but was super exciting.

4. Feeling guilty about the wash that was 2022 and excited because of how much verbiage I'd put out, I created an ambitious schedule toward an Early Access release of all the Sherwood routes this fall. It was based on the amount of words I'd been putting out, so I was convinced it was doable. Some of you wrote in to Tumblr with concerns that it was overly ambitious. You were wonderful and primarily concerned for my well-being. You were also correct.

The Solutions:

1. I need to accept that I have a disabling condition that currently has no cure and that, although it has greatly improved since last year, means that I can't always work at my peak capacity. This is super tough for a high achiever with general anxiety. I hate even talking about it, but I want to be as transparent with y'all as I can be.

2. The schedule: I still wish to keep a relatively ambitious target schedule for the remainder of development. I think it is helping us all Get Shit Done(tm). I just need to be a little less ambitious. I still plan to release Early Access this fall and I'm still hoping for October (which was always tentative), but November may be more realistic. It depends on how well my body and mind cooperate over the summer, and on the individual situations of our artists. Early Access will launch with Robin and Will's routes. John is going to need to take more time. It will be worth it, because he will get the full attention and care that his wonderful self deserves.

3. The weekly mini-dev updates: I have started posting mini-dev updates on Mondays on Tumblr. This is the place to go if you want a more granular report of the progress we've been making, and I think they're going to be very helpful for maintaining clarity and helping keep us all on-task.

4. Beta: I have more detailed information about Beta in the Kickstarter version of this update.

Conclusion:

Looking back from here, our original release date estimate from Kickstarter was too ambitious even under ideal circumstances. That was my development inexperience speaking. The rest was a lot of IRL horribleness. However, the gang is back together now, and the game is now, actually, truly, progressing nicely once more. Going forward, I'll be able to post much more concrete progress and I think doing so as I write each route is a better choice than posting a bunch of specific completion dates that we may not meet. You'll be able to see our progress as it happens instead.

Notes and Goodies:

Robin's new expressions are in! I love the way he turned out and Arrapso (a fellow perfectionist, err, high achiever) seems happier with him now as well. Awesome! I will post some previews on Tumblr soon, once I have coded a few of the new expressions into the game client.

John's role-playing choice has been re-configured a bit. I was previously calling it "conflict or compromise," but I was getting stuck on the "conflict" part because I didn't want Marion and John to be fighting all the time if you made those choices. It didn't seem like fun, or particularly in-character for John. I am now calling it "challenge or compromise." Because John is kind and wonderful and protective but is also traumatized and stubborn and overprotective. Sometimes he needs to be challenged, and it won't always lead to an argument. I think this makes for more interesting choices and for John to have more room to be John.

I coded in Will's first use of his genuine smile expression (you get to confront him about his attitude early on in Robin's route) and am happy to report that it is SUPER EFFECTIVE.

For any of you Ren'py devs out there, I continue to evangelize matrixcolor. It's relatively new, but you should absolutely check out what it can do. Previously, I used it to tint our characters a bit so they blended in better with evening and night backgrounds. I also used it to sepia-tone memory sequences. I've now used it to make images slowly disappear via transparency and turn our blood animation green instead of red for... spoiler purposes. It is so easy and flexible, you should absolutely play with it!

I'll be reporting in later this month on our Beta test status!

#made marion #made marion dev update #tough stuff #Brains and nervous systems are super duper weird and modern medicine doesn't have a good handle on them yet

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dragonslayer-5fanfiction · 7 months

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Trent Lane x Reader Part 2

Okay not edited, and not my favorite. It is in first person, but I do have this part, and maybe more. Anyways hope you enjoy!

part 1

A few weeks later I was in the middle of writing my next article, when there was a knock on the front door.

“I wonder who that could be?” Dad mused. I simply shrugged my shoulders and went back to writing. A few moments later Daria came in saying her friend was going to stay with us for a while. Jane stepped in a moment later.

“Jane?”

“Charlie?”

“What are you doing here?” I asked, looking between her and Daria.

“I was just about to ask you the same thing.” She just looked at me, seeming a little shocked.

“Well Jane, I hate to break it to you, but I just so happen to live here.” I gestured around me.

“Oh, I didn’t realise..” she trailed off. I replied with hum as her and Daria walked upstairs. I finally finished writing and decided to go to bed. The following day, nothing exciting really happened, until dinner when our doorbell rang.

“I wonder who that could be?” Mom said. I shrugged my shoulders and got up to answer the door.

“Trent?” I asked as I opened the door.

“Hey Charlie.”

“What are you doing here?” I asked as I moved to the side to let him into the house. “We’re just eating dinner.” He followed me into the kitchen.

“Trent?” Jane asked. “What are you doing here?”

“Dad’s home, and Summer showed up as well.” Jane simply nodded. “This smells good. I guess I’ll just go sleep in the Tank.”

“The Tank?” Mom asked.

“It’s a van that the band uses.” Jane explained. Mom simply nodded.

“I’ll just go, it’s nice and cold in there. I guess I’ll figure it out. Is that spaghetti?” He asked. Dad responded with a correction of what dinner really was, but no one really paid attention. I know I didn't because my focus was entirely on Trent.

“Trent, would you like to stay with us?” Mom asked, gesturing to the dinner table. He nodded and pulled up a chair, immediately digging in.

“Yeah, because our house is so empty right now.” I quipped rolling my eyes. When we finished dinner we all started to talk about the sleeping arrangements. I cleaned up my dishes, and headed into the living room, prompting everyone else to follow. The idea of Trent sleeping in Quinn’s room and her sleeping with me or Daria was thrown out there. Daria quickly shot down the idea saying that Jane was already sleeping with her.

“Well I don’t think it’s fair that I should have to give up my room.” Quinn immediately responded. My eyes happened to roll on their own accord.

“It's fine, I wouldn’t want to subject him to that either. I’ll give my room to him.” I smiled and patted him on the thigh, letting it rest there when I was done. He leaned back and put his arm behind me, pulling me a little closer. My hand gripped his thigh a little tighter as I leaned over to whisper in his ear, “You would suffocate in the all consuming pink girly-ness of the room.” He turned and smiled at me. “I’ll show you where it’s at.” I stood up and led him up the stairs. I was just getting ready for bed, and pulling the things I needed out of my room, when there was a call up the stairs for Trent.

“Trent! Your date is here!” Dad called out. Trent headed down the stairs, and us girls headed into Quinn’s room to watch him leave for his date. I sat back and watched Daria’s face fall at the sight of Trent with another girl. My own heart was plummeting at the sight, but I held back because my sister was having a small school girl crush. I listened as Quinn and Jane tried to give her advice about getting over him. They looked at me, but I had nothing to say, thankfully Quinn gave some good advice.

Once we all finished getting ready for bed, I layed down on the floor of Quinn’s room.

“Charlie?” She asked in the darkness.

“Yeah?”

“You like Trent don’t you?”

I felt the heat in darkness and was thankful she couldn’t see it. “No..” I laughed nervously, “..why would you say that?”

“Come on, I can see it. From both of you. What’s going on?” She asked.

“I, uh, it’s-” I let out a sigh. “It’s complicated.”

“Complicated? Why?”

“Because Quinn, it just is.” I snapped at her, but immediately felt bad. “I’m sorry, it’s just that I really like him. Really, really like him, and I think he likes me. Just a couple of weeks ago, he dropped me off, and there was a moment. A moment when I thought he was going to kiss me. He leaned in, acted like he was going to, then unlocked my door and backed off completely. Since then, things have been weird, not quite the same. So yeah Quinn I like him, and it’s complicated.” I let out a sigh.

“Well, what are you going to do, because I know he likes you.”

“You’re forgetting one important thing, he still dates other girls. Why doesn’t he just ask me out?” I let my hand land with a thud at my side. “I think the next time I’m alone with him, I’ll talk to him about what happened.”

“That’s a good idea.” She responded, but I could tell she was fading. Soon she was asleep, but she was snoring as loud as a woodchipper. I tried, and tried, and tried to sleep but I just couldn’t with her snoring. Finally I had enough and moved back to my room. Groaning as I fell into bed, I have never been more thankful for a day off of work. However, if my parents caught me in the room with Trent, I was going to be dead. So I guess when he gets home, I’ll just move back into Quinn’s room. I fell asleep, so exhausted that I quickly fell into a deep sleep. I was stirred awake by my pillow moving.

“What!?” I bolted upright looking around. To my left, Trent was passed out face smushed into the mattress. I smiled at him, relaxing a little until I heard noises flowing up the stairs. “Crap!” I hopped up and scrambled out of my room. In the hallway, there was no one thank goodness. I made my way to the bathroom, and ran into Quinn as she was coming out.

“Oh hey, where were you this morning?” She asked.

“My room.”

“YOUR room?! With Trent?”

“Yeah, but he wasn’t there when I went to sleep.” I responded.

“Why would you go there?”

“Because Quinn, you were snoring so loud I couldn’t even sleep!”

“WHAT?!! I DO NOT SNORE! TAKE IT BACK! TAKE IT BACK!” She insisted. I rolled my eyes and went to the bathroom. When I came out everyone had left, and I was essentially alone, despite Trent being in the house too. I made my way into Quinn’s room and passed out on her bed.

That night when everyone got home from school we were gathered around the table.

“Now Trent, what time did you get home last night?” Mom asked.

“Uh, midnight.” He guessed.

“Try again mister.” Mom replied. I zoned out as they talked about what his punishment was going to be. They finally settled on a grounding.

“I’m just not used to this. At my house no one really cares what time we leave or come home. When I was six, I once slept in a tent in the yard for a month, waiting for someone to come out and invite me in.” Trent explained. My heart ached for him, no one should have to deal with that. Without thinking I reached out and grabbed his hand. I gave a squeeze, and smiled when he squeezed back. There was another knock on the door, and Mom went to answer it.

“I’m sorry that happened.” I said leaning closer to him. He smiled and tugged my chair closer to him.

“It’s alright. I’m over it now I guess.” He leaned in and whispered in my ear. I had a shiver run through my spine. My cheeks heated up, and I refused to look him in the eye.

Mom was there for quite a while talking to someone and finally came back. We had dinner, and we had to endure Quinn talking about her friends, and the stupid things that they do. When everyone was either out or going to bed I made my way into my room. Jane and Daria followed me.

“So why were you out so late last night?” I questioned.

“I’m sorry, but it took me and Monica four hours to break up.”

“But you guys break up every other week.” Jane said. “It’s just not meant to be.” Jane shrugged, and left with Daria, to help Jane pack up her things.

“I guess when put that way, it’s not meant to be.” He muttered. I let a sympathetic smile grace my features.

“Do you want some help gathering your things?” I asked.

“I got it. But I do have a question. Why were you here last night? Isn’t that against your house rules or something?”

“Oh that.” I laughed. “Quinn was snoring like a wood splitter and I wasn’t able to sleep. So I came in here.”

“Oh.” He responded. I sat down and took a deep breath.

“Trent, can we talk about something?” I asked, picking at my nails.

“Of course.” He turned to me, giving his full attention.

“Well, it’s about us, and what happened a couple of weeks ago.” I looked up at him.

“A couple of weeks ago?” He responded. He seemed confused, not sure what I was talking about.

“In the car. I’m just going to come out and say it. That night I thought you were going to kiss me. And you didn’t. It looked like you were and felt like you were, and then you didn’t. Am I imagining it? Were you really going to, or am I just seeing things that aren’t there?”

“Charlie, now isn’t the time for this.”

“Then when is Trent? Because at this point it never will be.”

“I just can’t do this right now.” I opened my mouth, but he held up his hand and cut me off. “Don’t ask me why. Just don’t!”

“But-”

“What did I just say?! Don’t ask! It doesn’t matter or do you not listen? I don’t want you, and I don’t want to talk about it with you!”

My mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water, before finally closing.

“Fine. Fine. Whatever.” I waved my hand dismissively as I headed out the door, before pausing. “I guess I’ll see you whenever.”

“Charlie! Just…wait.” He trailed off as I locked myself in the bathroom.

#trent lane x reader #trent lane imagine #trent lane

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onlyhereforangst · 1 year

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Who fucked the fandom I'm confused? The person who wrote the article?

oh absolutely not, from what i can tell @shelbbswrites is a lovely person & writes about some of my favorite ships & i'd like her to keep writing so i can spiral about jiara in the near future.

as for who fucked the fandom, well. girl. the blog whose gif was linked, @/opponentsheir, is the one who knowingly, willfully fucked the fandom last summer.

it was circa mid-late May 2022 and here was the jiara tumblr fandom, struggling to get through the drought by the scraps of bts we'd scrounge up from filming. blurry ass photos that make you concerned for a tourist's ability to hold their water as they drink, random selfies that tell you next to nothing, and then the occasional "omg this is BIG how does this make sense how does it fit in but omg it's BIG" crumb.

times were rough, bts were tight, and the unsuspecting jiara tumblr fandom was hungry. unbeknownst to us in comes OH who decides. let's have some "fun" let's liven up the jiara fandom because it's clearly dead (false) and idk im bored besties let's play a hehe silly joke! at first, a few handpicked jiara blogs get random anonymous post submissions and each blog has like 2-3 different posts that are all supposed bts leaks. it's never-before-seen photos of what we can only presume are s3 bts. almost all of these blogs were in a jiara discord server together so the photos weren't shared because wtf who is trusting us with these clear leaks we don't want them to stop though. so we sit on these, we get excited, we spiral, all that fandom stuff that we had already. been. doing. but yeah here's a few more bts crumbs to have fun with. then a few weeks later when, to OH's surprise, the fandom hasn't reacted like she wanted, freaked out over her "leaks," hasn't posted them on every platform ever to give her the attention she feels she deserves, she decides oooh let's send more! this isn't sociopathic at all!! and then bam there's a second round of anonymous post submissions followed up by an anon ask sent to one of the blogs saying "you can post them, this is the last you'll get because i've reached my max photoshopping ability do not contact again" (also pardon but how tf are we supposed to contact you if you're anonymous).

ANYWAYS the leaks: we're talking blurry, random characters - sarah, pope, rose, jj and pope, kie, a random dude by a fire, and then jj having his beat-up face held by hands that look just like kie's hands.

and sure enough, we spiral! an actual face hold??? on our screens??? fuck yeah! cannot wait for s3!!! jokes on us we're getting so much more but yeah!!! we're theorizing we're writing whole ass fics we're speculating we've got a discord emoji we've got everything. a few hours later the leaks make it to jiara twt and THEY go wild too. i mean who tf wouldn't? you're starving for content and some mysterious source decides to drop you leaks. like yeah hindsight is 20:20 and who was going to potentially violate an NDA for this, but still.

fastforward several months and now OH is back because i guess she got desperate for attention again and feeling "important" or whatever. she goes on anon and says hey btw those leaks were fake ha ha isn't that funny, here's the photos i used linked here and here and omg isn't this just hilarious bestie such a good time man i love the jiara fandom being active again because god i was so BORED and man i just wanted more fics and edits and omg look it worked i mean i've done it before and i'd do it again (or some shit like that idk i dont have the wherewithal to go look it up and get it 100% correct but yeah, she admitted to doing it for funsies)

rightfully so, the fandom is fucking pissed. it isn't *fun* to get manipulated, it isn't *fun* to get manipulated into making new content???? that we don't get fucking paid to make???????? fuck you?????? you don't manipulate an entire group of people for SHITS AND GIGGLES that's literally sociopathic shit babe, go get help please. so yeah she fucked the entire fandom over Summer 2022 and did it because "i'm bored i want content" like fuck all the way off.

oh and side note: another anonymous poster tried to say oh i know who it is, but also i'm not going to tell you because you guys are clearly mad at her and i don't want you to take it out on her, i know her and it's ok she's ok. like i'm sorry. the fuck? don't insert yourself into this stupid sociopath's deranged manipulative plan. because guess what bitch, we've got detectives in this fandom and while OH never came off anon like the coward she is, the fandom was able to put it together & not only determine her tumblr but also her twt so when she tried a fucking round three several months later with "oh i found these on reddit but the post disappeared hehe" we all saw through that shit a mile away.

in a nutshell, @/opponentsheir fucked the fandom over with her manipulative bullshit & does not deserve a fucking drop of attention from anyone in this fandom.

#thanks for coming to my bitchtalk #like a tedtalk but i cuss a lot and rage #ask #anonymous #go off grace #obx #jiara #outer banks

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tonguetiedraven · 2 years

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May I suggest a lil fic bit thats a tad bit spicy? Maybe smth with a bit of long distance ? Like Ryuuji has to travel for a mission/exorcism and when he gets back a few weeks later neither Rin nor fireball can keep their hands on Ryuuji? That or its the other way around and Ryuuji cant keep his hands off Rin bc he missed him as well, I rarely see any Ryuuji centered fics when it comes to this stuff

Absolutely! I went the Ryuuji route, because you're entirely correct about him not getting to play that role often :D This is the tumblr safe version, but there will be a full scene coming to Ryuuji's Guide for Demonic Boyfriends: Bedroom Edition, soon ;)

-- -- -- -- --

Everyone always assumed it was Rin, which baffled Bon because he had never been subtle about how much he was attracted to the halfling. Hell, his friends and family had been teasing him about it for years, and it was embarrassing but expected.

It was a fact. Rin liked to cook, Kuro liked sunbeams, and Bon was hungry for Rin. Rin was hot as hell (sometimes literally), gifted with his hands, mouth, and tail, and Bon was left satisfied with all aspects of that part of their life together. Fireball or Rin, it didn’t matter which part of his lover was at the forefront, they were fantastic and wild and creative, and Bon was all too happy to get the look from his partner and ditch whatever they were doing in favor of finding a remotish place to respond to that burning hunger.

He got questions about what it was like — people were endlessly curious and it wasn’t like information on sex with demons was easy to find. (Bon knew it was almost impossible because damn it all, he had looked and come up almost dry and he only accepted information from Lewin when he was really desperate, and it was honestly easier to just find out information with Rin than face those conversations.) He got questions about how wild Rin was in the sack and what it was like to ‘tame’ a demon —always in a joking tone that did nothing to hide their obvious curiosity — and he never answered those because it was none of their damn business what his partner was like in the sack.

They always came at it like Rin was the one that would obviously be hungry, and like Bon was the one that would have to bend in some way to satisfy his insatiable appetite.

They were idiots who couldn’t see. Yeah, Bon didn’t exactly go for much more than handholding in public, but he let himself look, and it didn’t take much to realize that he was the one wound around Rin’s fingers, and not the other way around.

He had wanted Rin from the moment he lit up that diseased castle, and yeah, that meant so much more than the kisses and the sex, but that shit was part of it too.

— — — — —

The problem was, they didn’t separate often (they didn’t have to because they worked really well together) but when they did, it was always agony. Rin barely ever remembered to text, and distance didn’t help his focus with that. When he did think about it, Rin’s first instinct would be to try and call to make up for the forgetting but Rin — God love him — had never been able to keep up with timezones, and it would almost always be the middle of the night for Bon. Bon who would get up anyway because he was head over heels for the boy and would take whatever he could get even if it was the dead of night. Hearing Rin’s voice helped to soothe the worry that wouldn’t fully go away until Rin was in his arms again, and even if he wasn’t sleeping, he’d feel calmed while they talked.

Sleeping was always hard when he was alone — even though he’d spent more of his life alone in bed than sharing with Rin — so he was tired and lonely and horny, and it all built up and built up until he was angrily drinking the most caffeinated green tea he could find and glaring at the clock that refused to move faster and bring his partner back.

(Lewin would always notice, and he would tease, and Bon deserved extra vacation days for not just punching that obnoxious smirk right off his face.)

Now…

[Got the ticket! See you soon （*＾3＾）/～♡]

Bon stared at the text and his when?! response and tried to remind himself that he loved Rin dearly and he couldn’t change the things that made Rin… well, Rin. Rin was spontaneous and passionate and absolutely terrible at keeping track of things that weren’t in his direct eyeline.

It had been half an hour, and no response. There wasn’t going to be a response most likely, and he should just be grateful that Rin had sent that much.

Bon chugged the rest of his tea, got up from his desk, put in a request for a sick day, and left the Kyoto office to get some groceries — Rin would want to cook as he rambled about the mission and there wasn’t much in the apartment right now — and to try and work off some of the excessive energy in his own gut so he didn’t just attack his partner the moment he walked through the door.

There was still no text by the time he’d put away the groceries, so he got Kuro and they went out for a run together, Kuro side-eying him the entire way and muttering out a series of teasing meows that had Bon blushing and wishing he could speak cat sidhe just to defend himself.

He wasn’t running only for that reason. He also didn’t like hanging around the empty apartment. It was too quiet and big without Rin. The halfling brought it to life and it just felt incomplete when it was just them.

He got back, still no text and still no Rin, and plopped down on the couch to try and read away his impatience.

It was an hour and half a crime novel later when there was a knock on the door.

“Ryuuji?! I forgot—”

Bon didn’t give him a chance to finish the statement (Rin always forgot where he’d put his keys and couldn’t remember the spell Bon had put on them so he could find them) before he was at the door, undoing the lock, and tugging the door open to see Rin standing in front of him with the biggest of smiles.

“Ryuu—” Bon reached forward and fisted Rin’s coat “—oh!” and used that to jerk Rin into the apartment.

Bon got his other hand on Rin’s face, curling around his jaw and drawing him closer and tilting his face up so he could look at him properly. There didn’t seem to be any bruises or new scars, but it was always hard to tell with how fast Rin healed.

Rin laughed, a delighted little bubble of noise, and wrapped his arms around Bon’s waist, cuddling close as his tail took care of shutting the door and flipping the deadbolt. Bon was thoroughly scented in a matter of seconds as they drew closer.

“Heya, cute stuff,” Rin said, grinning up at him while Bon ran his hand over Rin’s arm to check for any wounds there. “Don’t worry. I didn’t get hit.”

Relief was immediate and had him crushing Rin closer. He took a moment to just breathe in the scent of him, like a campfire with something a little dangerous, and nuzzled his cheek as Rin’s tail wagged cheerfully.

“Promise,” Rin said, and that wall that Bon needed.

“Then in that case,” he used the hand he had on Rin’s face to pull him into a kiss while his other hand released Rin’s uniform to grab his ass instead, squeezing through the fabric of his slacks and trying to decide if he wanted to heft Rin up and get those long legs around his waist, or if he wanted to get him in the living room and on the couch. The bedroom was too far away.

Rin inhaled sharply and flickered with flames as his right hand shot up to tangle in Bon’s hair and pull. Which was not and had never been fighting fair. It pulled a growl out of his throat that had Rin gasping.

Bon hefted Rin up by the back of his thighs and twisted on the spot, getting a bit tangled in Rin’s tail as it swung low and tried to curl around his leg, and Rin’s legs wound tight around his hip, but he managed to avoid falling and only banged the wall a little as he got them out of the entry and into the living room. He made a beeline for the couch, handling Rin’s weight easily as his partner tugged at their clothes, getting them open (there was an almost endless sound of ripping Bon just couldn’t care about) and he kicked out with his foot to find the couch while he shoved his tongue in Rin’s mouth and dug his fingers into his boyfriend’s strong thighs. He didn’t care about his clothes. He just needed Rin closer. Needed him as close as he could possibly get him.

He finally found the couch and fell onto it with a dull thud and a temporary ‘ooph’ from Rin that involved them not kissing for an agonizing moment. He made up for it by kissing the spot under Rin’s ear that had always made him flicker, and it still did. Enough that Bon could feel claws digging into his shoulder, and then shredding away the remaining fabric between their chests.

He’d worn old stuff, and Rin was the one that would have to put in the new uniform request, so he was fine with Rin destroying them. He’d lost countless clothes to his boyfriend.

“Missed you,” he growled, sucking a mark to Rin’s jaw and rocking his hips forward against Rin’s, the clothes frustrating but the friction perfect. Hot hands dragged up his back, gripping tight as Rin’s whines rose up in the air and his flames flared. “So fucking much.”

“Ryuuji,” Rin cried out, trying to get him to move off Rin’s neck and up to his lips, but the mark wasn’t nearly big enough. It had been weeks, and Ryuuji wasn’t leaving until Rin felt every damn second of that time. Rin’s cries were exactly as he remembered them — as if he could possibly forget even one of them — sweet and guttural and needy and aggressive at the same time as they rocked against each other, fumbling at the last of their clothes, trying to get Rin’s shoes off while refusing to break apart.

Rin, apparently done with patience, used his demonic strength to haul Bon back up so they could kiss fervently, hands tangling in hair and groping skin and hips working as Bon finally got one of the boots off and tossed it somewhere to be cared about later, and Rin’s leg hooked over his hip, heel digging into his lower back to push him closer, and—

With a growl, Rin rolled them over. Right off the couch. Bon fell onto his back with a yelp and Rin followed right after, still entirely wrapped up in him and knocked into Bon’s chest, sending most of his air out with a whoosh.

“Sorry!” Rin yelped, struggling to sit up. Bon locked his arms around Rin before he could get away.

“I don’t care,” he wheezed, arching up to reach Rin’s lips again, “I don’t care at all, and you’re not going anywhere.”

He rolled them back over, pushing Rin into the cheap carpet as he found his lips again, kissing him and pulling at Rin’s belt until he finally got it undone.

“Fuck it,” Rin growled, and then the remaining clothes were no longer a problem and Bon finally got Rin fully in his arms and against him again.

— — — — —

Rin was trying to cook their meal, made a bit difficult by the fact that Ryuuji was hanging off him.

Not that Rin minded. He liked when Ryuuji got handsy. He liked it when his boyfriend clung to him and held him and cuddled him. Besides, he was strong enough to drag them both around, and yakisoba was something he could probably make with only one hand.

Though it was kind of hard to keep from burning it when Ryuuji was kissing his neck like that. Bastard knew what that did to Rin’s concentration and how hard it made it to keep the flames in.

A nip had him shivering and tilting his head back with an interested hum as Ryuuji’s arm tightened around his middle, squeezing him back against Ryuuji’s bare chest. The skin on skin was soothing, and had a purr rumbling from his throat. He stirred his noodles absently, twitching a little as Ryuuji nipped his jaw, and couldn’t quite stop his tail from slipping between Ryuji’s legs, curling around his boyfriend’s calf and squeezing affectionately.

Still, he blinked his eyes and forced his mind into gear. Food, and then more. Ryuuji had probably been eating those shitty boxed meals and Rin wasn’t letting that slide. His man was going to eat a real meal.

Ryuuji’s hand slipped under Rin’s apron, palm pressed against his stomach and fingers splayed wide.

“Smells delicious,” Ryuuji said, resting his chin on Rin’s shoulder and peering down at the food for all of a second before seeming to get distracted by Rin’s ear. That had Rin’s shoulders immediately rising in self-defense and a flicker of flames curling over his body as his knees went a bit weak.

“None of that,” he laughed, whacking Ryuuji’s hip with the chopsticks and getting a little sauce and a stray noodle on his pajama bottoms. “Dinner then dessert.”

“Can’t blame me for being hungry, babe.”

“Can and will.” Rin tilted his head and gave his boyfriend a kiss, all light and happy to be home. To be home and wanted. He felt safe — he was never in danger on the missions, not with his powers — but he felt like he could be himself here. He always felt at home with Ryuuji. Like he could be himself. Ryuuji wanted him to be himself. Ryuuji had seen all his bits and liked it. He wanted it.

(That was obvious from the mostly healed hickeys he’d been covered with, and the fantastic greeting he’d received.)

Ryuuji kissed him back, reaching up to cup his face because Ryuuji liked to hold him when they kissed. It had thrilled him when they were young, and now it made him feel grounded. Secure.

He pulled away before Ryuuji could deepen it — he was feeding the boy, like it or not — and grinned.

“Almost done. Just gotta get—” Rin shuffled over, dragging Ryuuji with him, and reached for the cabinet. He was always a little too short for this shelf. “—the—hey, koala. If you’re gonna be hanging around, could you grab that bowl?”

Ryuuji, head still resting on Rin’s shoulder, peered up at the shelf. “The big one?”

Rin nodded and Ryuuji got it without letting go of Rin. If anything, Rin was hugged tighter. He couldn’t help a laugh, happiness all bubbly and bright inside him. Warmer than his flames, but too big to hold in like they usually were.

He added a few finishing touches and poured it all in the big bowl. Then, hefting it up with one hand, he turned in Ryuuji’s arms to push up on his heels and press a long kiss to Ryuuji’s lips before breaking away and sauntering towards their couch.

He could feel Ryuuji’s eyes on his ass, and if he put a bit of an extra sway into his hips, well he’d blame it on his wagging tail.

Ryuuji followed right after him, settling down close on the couch, leaning in for another kiss, and relieving Rin of the bowl. He set it on the table, and then, as if it was just easy, he scooped Rin up and plopped him back down in his lap.

“I said food first,” Rin couldn’t help but point out even as his tail wagged wildly and gave himself away. Ryuuji’s arms looped around his waist, and his boyfriend shrugged as he gave a playful smile.

“I know. I just wanna hold you. I’m not trying anything.”

Rin nodded his approval, still grinning a bit silly, and reached for their dinner.

“Yet.”

Rin whacked him with his tail and barely resisted a laugh. He hated leaving, but God, he loved coming back and feeling wanted. Feeling missed.

He set the bowl in his lap and scooped up a few noodles, lifting them to Ryuuji’s mouth and waiting a beat for him to open his mouth. He did, eyes hungrily locked on Rin as he squeezed him a bit closer.

Rin could really only follow that bite up with a kiss. Ryuuji wasn’t the only hungry one, and it really had been a long trip.

#bonrin #bon x rin #ao no exorcist #blue exorcist #rin okumura #ryuuji suguro #bon suguro #ryuji suguro #bon/rin #aoex #bonfire #ane #aoe

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sergeant-spoons · 1 year

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48. We’ve Been Living On A Fault Line

Leslie Sheppard

Taglist: @thoughpoppiesblow @chaosklutz @wexhappyxfew @50svibes @tvserie-s-world @adamantiumdragonfly @ask-you-what-sir @whovian45810 @brokennerdalert @holdingforgeneralhugs @claire-bear-1218 @heirsoflilith @itswormtrain @actualtrashpanda @wtrpxrks

This batch of updates (47-49) is dedicated in tandem to my wonderful mutuals @mercurygray (for @’ing me in her Thankful Thursday event - I am so humbled and thankful in return) and @thoughpoppiesblow (for making a beautiful edit for Kate August almost immediately after I introduced her with this post-war snippet). Love you both so much!! Thank you!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The eagerly awaited-for concert landed on a Friday a week and a half after Kiko scored the tickets. There had been scattered rain over the last few days, but fortunately, the 31st dawned clear and sunny. As the seven friends piled into the bus Captain Eades had commandeered for the drive to the Swindon train station, they debated their plans for the afternoon before the concert that night. Although they were still bundled up in coats and scarves, they thought it might warm up enough by midday that a few hours outside, walking around London, wouldn't leave them all shivering. Mama E dropped them off at the station and told them to have the time of their lives, and they all promised her they would, shouting over their shoulders as they hurried up the steps to catch their train. Kiko made the mistake of asking Tink if she was planning to see Charlie in London while they were arranging their suitcases on the overhead racks, and Tink deflated. She'd called Charlie to tell him they'd be coming to the city, but he told her he wasn't going to be in London that weekend, instead away on business. He didn't say where he'd be going, and Tink had learned by now not to bother asking.

They arrived in London just after 13:00 hours. Tink was in better spirits after spending most of the train ride chatting with their jovial conductor, and after thanking him for the conversation, she led the charge into the cloudless afternoon. Grinning with excitement, they asked directions to their hotel from a pair of friendly street vendors, who gave them but not before thanking them for their service and congratulating them on the weather—it wasn't often sunny in London, after all. They hoofed it to the hotel only to find out their reservations weren't until late that evening, after the concert. Luckily, the women working the front desk were very accommodating and let them leave their suitcases with the bellhops, then told the merry crew to come back anytime after sunset; their rooms would be ready by then. They left and followed a tourist map one of the front desk workers had given Penk to Big Ben. Since the famous clock was the only location they'd really wanted to visit, they started to wander, skirting streets full of debris until they ended up in Soho, near St. Paul's Cathedral. They stopped to let a caravan of Red Cross vans pass, and Leslie sidled up to Don, poking at his cheek.

"Look at all your freckles," she giggled. "I swear, you wake up with another dozen every morning."

"Oh, shut up," he pretended to grumble, swatting her hand down, and she stuck her bottom lip out at him.

"C'mon, hot stuff, I was only teasing."

He couldn't help the grin creeping onto his lips, and he hooked his arm around hers again.

"Keep calling me that and you can tease me all you want."

"I can tease you all I want regardless," Leslie corrected, and as Don rolled her eyes, she tugged him against her side and added, "But yeah, I will—hot stuff."

A few minutes later, they passed an eclectic band of street musicians playing swing on a cello, a violin, an oboe, a saxophone, and a crate for a drum. Don stepped away from Leslie to make room to twirl her under his arm. She laughed as they started to dance, and he dipped her, his eyes twinkling with warmth.

"Enjoying yourself, doll?"

She nuzzled her nose against his own and brought out that sweet smile of his, the smile she couldn't live without.

"With you? Always."

Once they'd tired themselves out dancing and the others wanted to move on, they resumed their path and crossed the bridge over the Thames. Skip nearly fell into the river from trying to get a closer look over the banister, but Penk and Kiko grabbed him just in time. They kept walking. Their meandering route led them between a small park and a cobblestone street. Although it wasn't very green yet (for Spring was just beginning), there were a few blossoms poking out of the new grass here and there on the park side of the path. Kiko kept stopping to look at them and Penk always hung back with her while the others slowed their pace but kept walking. At one point, Kiko found a whole rosebush, and while they all were waiting for her, Tink investigated the next turn of the path past a copse of scraggly trees.

"Ducks!" she exclaimed, immediately sidetracked off the path. "Look at 'em all!"

She gestured to the pond with eyes wide with delight, scampering down the slope until her boots toed the waterline. When she turned toward her friends, she beamed to see George coming up behind her, having followed her every step.

"Anybody got any bread?" he asked, looking around, and Penk thumbed over his shoulder.

"There's an old lady on the steps back there who's selling bags of crumbs."

George took one step back up the bank, then hesitated, glancing between Tink (who was already crouching, enamored by the first waterfowl to paddle over and greet her) and the old woman on the wide church steps.

"I'll get you some," Leslie offered quickly, shooing George on toward Tink, and he shot her a grateful look before turning back to the cause of his lovesickness.

"I'll come with," Don chimed in, handing his coat to Skip to drape over the bench the other three were now claiming for their own. He matched Leslie's stride, fumbling through his pockets, and as they came up to the old woman, he handed her a few British coins.

"Oh, but-"

"My treat." He winked, then nodded back toward Tink and George. "For them."

A smile crept onto Leslie's lips, and as she turned back to the woman with the bags of crumbs, Don wrapped his arm around her waist and tucked her snugly against his side. She exchanged pleasant small talk with the old Englishwoman, grinning and nodding as she confirmed the two bags she was purchasing were for the pair down by the water.

"They make a handsome pair," the old woman croaked happily. "You do, too, my loves."

Leslie chuckled, and Don expected her to deny it as she always did, but then she said, "Thanks," and he nearly choked on the air.

"A handsome pair are we?" he teased her as they crossed the square, trying to appear nonchalant though he still had his arm around her.

"Hey, she was a sweetheart," Leslie insisted, only half-joking, "I wasn't about to make her feel bad for assuming anything."

"You're too nice, you know that?"

Leslie giggled, bumping her hip against his.

"Maybe she thought we were newlyweds, huh? What about that?"

Don laughed, but his face felt warm, and he was sure Leslie could tell he was a little jittery.

"Hey," he jestingly protested nonetheless, "London's not a bad spot for a honeymoon."

"Better than Arkansas, anyway."

Laughing at the same memory, they rejoined their friends and squished onto the already-crowded bench. Penk, who was still standing in order to cleanse his coat of tree debris with a hearty hand-brushing, volunteered to bring the little bags down to Tink and George.

"I'll be quiet as a churchmouse, they won't even know how they got these in their hands."

Indeed, as Penk made his way back up to the bench half a minute later, George and Tink were already tossing crumbs at the ducks, not a moment of their conversation interrupted. Their friends watched from the bench, jostling for a little more space, pretending their long glances toward the water were in order to admire the scenery rather than spy on their friends' blossoming romance. Serenaded by the quacking of the ducks, Tink and George gravitated closer and closer, drawn into a world of their own.

Quack. Quack-quack.

"Hey, little buddy. You want some bread?"

George crouched and tossed a handful of crumbs toward the duck nosing about his feet. Tink giggled into the cuff of her sleeve. As he rose, she turned toward him with a mischievous expression that had him melting as soon as he saw it.

"Hey. Hey, George."

"Yeah?"

"You wanna hear my duck call?"

"More than anything."

Tink wrapped her hands in a cone around her mouth, took a deep breath, and turned toward the flock floating among the water lilies.

"C'mere, duck."

George burst into cackling laughter and Tink was quick to join in, practically glowing with delight that she'd amused him so. Their amusement inadvertently frightened away a number of the waterfowl at their feet, but by then Penk had returned with the breadcrumbs, so they weren't shy about returning. George tried at an actual duck call and succeeded in bringing a few curious quackers over. Tink applauded him and he took a little bow that made her throw her head back in laughter. George stared at her in endearment and only snapped out of it when he realized she was about to wade into the pond to get closer to the ducks. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back, reminding her that she only had one pair of shoes with her and they were the ones on her feet. He was quick to blush, realizing how fond he'd gotten with her just then and afraid he'd transgressed some boundary, but Tink just laughed at herself and thanked him for saving her. The group must have stayed by that pond for a full hour, but nobody went down to the water to join the merry pairing, leaving them to their wisecracks and wondering looks. By the time they scrambled up the hill, apologizing for delaying their friends so long, both were flushed pink with warmth conjured by the other, and it came as no surprise to anyone that they spent the rest of the afternoon walking at each other's side.

They went to dinner at a restaurant close to their hotel and splurged on Reubens and paninis. The gentlemen insisted on paying and the ladies offered many toasts to their generous companions.

"Bread rolls and real butter!" Leslie exclaimed midway through the meal, holding up the morsel as if it were a trophy she'd won. "We're really dining with the upper crust now, my friends."

As most of her friends groaned at the awful joke, George and Tink burst into laughter, the latter nearly choking on her soda. George rubbed her back, coaching her to breathe, and once she was alright, he turned to Leslie and wiped an imaginary tear of pride from his eye.

If dinner was excellent, the concert was outstanding. It was open admission with seats and standing space scattered throughout the venue, but when Tink spotted the dance floor, her friends knew they wouldn't be seeing much of her or George tonight. The lights dimmed just after 7 p.m. and Judy Garland came onstage to thunderous applause, positively sparkling in a gorgeous blue gown. The friends from the 506th found themselves standing more often than not, either to applaud Judy, sway to an uptempo song, or slow dance in place to a crooning melody. George and Tink hardly ever sat, and when Judy introduced her second-to-last song "For Me and My Gal", they were the first to the dance floor. Leslie and Don joined them but were happy to step aside shortly thereafter as the crowd parted. Realizing the other dancers were giving them the spotlight, Tink and George danced their hearts out, and their enthusiasm paid off. Judy saw them from the stage, and though they were too busy to see her smile, Leslie sure did. Once the song was over, the famous actress applauded them and asked what branch of the military they served in. Tink, vibrating with excitement, shouted up the answer, and Judy said she'd dedicate the next number to all members of the 101st American Airborne. She sang "Singin' in the Rain" and Kiko nearly fainted from excitement, for "Singin'" was her favorite song Judy ever sang (even more so than "Somewhere Over the Rainbow", which Judy sang for a tear-jerking encore). It was quite the show, and as they left, the friends all collectively agreed the night couldn't possibly get any better.

As they followed the flow of foot traffic out through the doors, Tink turned to Leslie, teasing her for the pink of her cheeks despite both of them knowing she was equally flushed with delight. As they came down the steps, the light in Tink's eyes flashed at something over Leslie's shoulder and she completely lost her train of thought. As Leslie turned to see, a trio of strangers bumped into her and Tink, and Tink started to slip. George caught and righted her, but she was still dazed, and they ushered her out of the crowd, worried she'd hurt herself.

"I'm alright, I'm fine," she reassured them, but she wouldn't look any of them in the eye, staring into the crowd.

"Tink?"

and their friend snapped out of it, pinkening and looking down at the street.

"Sorry. I thought I saw..."

Charlie.

Seeing that Tink was about to cry, Skip stepped forth to save the day.

"Well, then!" he exclaimed, stretching his arms up before casually draping them around Don and Leslie's shoulders. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I am tuckered out. Whaddaya say we head back to the hotel and get some sleep?"

The group voiced their unanimous agreement, and as they started to walk, they formed a sort of upside-down triangle, with Don, Skip, and George leading the way, Kiko and Leslie flanking Tink, and Penk hanging back to double-check the map. They were taking a shortcut across an open square, the lightbulb sign of their hotel in sight, when a group of Englishmen started hollering from beside the defunct fountain in the middle of the square. They were swaying on their feet, obviously drunk, and the Americans didn't pay them any mind until one waved at Tink and called her "Yankee love" and Leslie realized they were the ones being catcalled.

"Hey!" she shouted, raising two fists toward the Englishmen, then promptly flipped them the bird. "Fuck off!"

They jeered and laughed at her, and Don and Skip stepped up, urging Leslie and Tink behind them. On edge, Leslie looked around and realized Kiko wasn't with them. Alarmed, she turned and found that Kiko had fallen behind to look at a chipped bust they'd passed a few seconds ago. As soon as the heckling had begun, Penk had gone to get her, but he wasn't quick enough. One of the men had spotted her, with her coiled hair, her pretty heels, and her uniform hidden by her long coat. He whistled and thrust his hips toward her as his buddies cackled, and she and Penk both froze.

"C'mon over 'ere, sweetheart," the drunk whistled. "Pay you a pretty penny for a night."

Leslie took the first swing, and Penk, though he had a farther distance to travel, was only a second behind. Don and Tink rushed toward the fight as soon as they realized it was happening, and while George followed Tink's lead, Skip hung back to get Kiko. The scrap was turning ugly when a forceful yell commanded them all to stop. The sight was almost cartoonish, with Leslie holding onto one of the drunks by his lapel, midway through shaking him, and Penk gripping another drunk's shirt, winding up for a punch. To Leslie's amazement, it was Kiko who had given the shout. As they watched, she pulled Penk into a deep kiss that made several of the Englishmen gasp and go limp. Even Leslie blushed.

"Sorry, kids," Kiko informed the bastards, showing off the engagement ring on her left hand, "I'm taken."

With some reluctance, Leslie and Skip tossed away the men at their mercy, satisfied to watch them land on the ground, flustered and off-kilter from their intoxication. The English bastards scampered off, but one left his handsome cap behind. Leslie picked it up from the cobblestones and dusted it off, looking after the retreating figures, and snorted.

"Well done, Kiko," she praised, turning back to her friend, but Kiko only had eyes for Penk. Not minding much, Leslie turned to Skip and nodded toward the hotel.

"Shall we?"

He hooked his arm around hers and Don did the same on her other side. Tink took the cue to do the same with George (who tried failed to suppress a wide smile), and with Kiko already entwined with Penk, the friends finished crossing the square in peace.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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boredout305 · 2 months

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Marcia

Marcia Clifton is the drummer of Memphis' first punk band, The Klitz. After the group initially disbanded in 1980, she made some home recordings with her boyfriend (later husband) Hans Faulhaber. The duo employed a drum machine and recorded on a Fostex cassette recorder. It was a great session, combining Cleaners from Venus-style lo-fi production with danceable post-punk elements that were a hallmark of 1980-1983 underground music. Spacecase will be releasing a limited-edition lathe cut (25 copies) of two songs from this cassette very soon.

Interview by Ryan Leach

Circa 1983 photo by Marion Keisker (yes, of Sun Records/Elvis Presley fame)

Ryan: The Klitz ended in late 1980 when Lesa (Aldridge) moved to New Jersey. What were you doing in that interim period between then and when you started recording these tracks in the summer of 1983?

Marcia: When Lesa left town and The Klitz disbanded, we decided to either go back to college or get a job that wasn’t in the music industry. I had a job managing a boutique. It was a cool clothing store. And that’s where I met Hans (Faulhaber). Hans had recorded with Gail (Clifton) first at Ardent. That would’ve been early in 1983. Hans and I started dating. He didn’t have a home-recording setup like the ones you think of today. He had a little cassette recorder where you had a few tracks.

Ryan: It was a Fostex cassette recorder, not a reel-to-reel tape recorder, correct?

Marcia: Yes. A Fostex cassette recorder. Most of those songs I had already written. But I wrote them more as poetry. I didn’t necessarily want to put them to music. But Hans is a musician. He said, “Well, I can put some music to these, and I have a drum machine.” So, we recorded those in his apartment early in our courtship. We recorded these songs in 1983 and 1984.

Ryan: I didn’t realize that you weren’t actively pursuing music after the Klitz ended.

Marcia: That’s right. I didn’t do anything with music again until we recorded these songs. “Shy Guy” was about a heartbreak I’d had before I’d met Hans. I was the drummer in The Klitz. I’d written some songs, but I wasn’t like Gail (Clifton) and Lesa (Aldridge) who were always recording material or writing songs that we’d perform. When Hans and I started dating, he was the one who said, “Well, maybe you’ve got some songs in you.” To which I responded, “Well, I’ve got these poems…” Only a couple other songs from the batch of recordings I gave you were written afterwards. “This Love” was one of them.

Ryan: These songs were all recorded in Hans’ apartment, right?

Marcia: Yes, except for “Can’t Decide” and “French Boy.” Lesa wrote “French Boy” and “Can’t Decide” was a song I wrote in 1986. Those two tracks I added later to the recordings you have. The one Sid Selvidge sings was recorded later too.

Ryan: So, you wrote “Week at a Glance,” the song Sid sings on and the one you’re referring to?

Marcia: Exactly.

Ryan: Memphis music has always been underappreciated.

Marcia: Very underappreciated.

Ryan: And an overlooked musician from the Memphis music scene is the late Sid Selvidge. He ran the Peabody label and his record, The Cold of the Morning (1976), is outstanding. How did you meet and get to work with Sid?

Marcia: I knew him from Mud Boy & the Neutrons. Coincidentally, he also had stepdaughters who were my age. His stepdaughter Kathy Spivey was my friend. I went over to their house when I was 14 to hang out. Steve (Selvidge, Sid’s son and musician) was still a toddler. We’re talking about the early 1970s. We always knew Sid as an activist and poet. He was an anthropology professor at Southwestern (now Rhodes College). Sid was always this Midtown enigma to me. I didn’t really get to know him until Mud Boy and The Klitz started playing shows together.

Ryan: Did you ask him to record with you?

Marcia: Yeah, Hans asked him. Sid was the house band for a Memphis bar/restaurant called the North End. He was playing at Jefferson Square first, but unfortunately that place burned down to the ground. This was in addition to Sid’s other musical projects, including Mud Boy. By the time we recorded with Sid, Hans had upgraded from his little Fostex. He was recording more bands. So, he’d invited Sid over. Sid liked the song and the lyrics for “Week at a Glance”.

Ryan: Memphis is a city where music can happen independently, oblivious to what’s happening elsewhere. Nevertheless, bands like the Bush Tetras and Pylon were combining post punk with dance elements and a spartan sound. Were you aware of those bands or do you feel that working with a drum machine had more of an influence on these songs?

Marcia: No. I would say it was more about the technology. I’d heard of those bands, but they weren’t an influence. New wave was definitely going at that time. I think it was more a sign of the times.

Ryan: Did you ever perform these songs live?

Marcia: That never happened at the time, and I thought we would. Much later, our band SuperLo did some of these songs. That was with Hans, me and John Hampton’s wife Robin Robison.

Ryan: That would’ve been the 2010s, correct?

Marcia: Right. 2018. But going back to when we recorded these songs, I was in college. And I was in some ways living the music through Gail (Clifton). After The Klitz broke up, she was the only one who really continued with music. I would hang out and support her. The Klitz got back together in 2014. I enjoyed it so much I wondered why I’d ever stopped playing music.

Ryan: It seems like a matter of life taking over. I know you had your first child, Clover, around this time.

Marcia: Yes. Clover was born in 1991. I did have one short-lived band called Orbit Tomatoes before Clover was born. That was with our neighbor Tommy Foster who coincidentally owned a nightclub, so we became the house band. I played drums and bass guitar, and I did sing “French Boy.” Tommy was (Memphis organizer/musician) Bennett Foster’s father. He was such a wonderful person who died way too young. Anyway, I’m glad these songs are finally seeing the light of day.

#interview #theklitz #marciaclifton #memphis #hansfaulhaber

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z-h-i-e · 4 months

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New Year Fanfic Asks (3/5)

11. Would you like to try any new fanfic genres or tropes this year?

It will be difficult to find something I haven’t done. However, there are many things I have written in the key of two Imladris Advisers, that I have not tried out with the Bling Kings, so perhaps that.

12. Will you change anything about the way you edit or rewrite this year?

Nope, I’ll still be a chaotic buttercup who posts in the middle of the night and sometimes has someone look over my shoulder and make suggestions while I’m writing, but unless there’s a ‘use a beta’ notation, these stories get posted as they are, we die like Men of Gondor, and then like fifteen years later I’ll do a revision and correct the additional typos then.

13. Aside from fanfic, are there any other fan works you’d like to try creating? Fanart, or fanvids, gifsets, or podfic?

I’ve done fanart, will probably do more. (As of last year, I have publicly displayed artwork with one of those fancy engraved nameplates and the description of the work attached to the wall next to it, so I think more art will happen in more than one way.) Videos, unsure. I unearthed some old animations I did for the fandom a long while ago; if you’re in a discord with me you may have seen those shares. Unlikely on gifsets. Podfic – I’m working through logistics. I do a fair amount of live reading, and I have a good microphone (with pretty colors) now, so I really should. I need people to poke me about those.

14. Have you ever lost large chunks of your work in the past, due to not backing up your work? Will you change your methods this year?

The year was…well, it had to be either 2002 or 2003. I’m working part time, and I carry my disks with me (yes disks) that have fanfics on them. And I’ve got a few of them, including the one with the original Little Balrog with me at work. And a student worker picked them up from the desk and set them onto the desensitiser unit–the one that demagnetizes things. And I immediately said, ‘Well, you just ruined all of my disks,’ and we had a lesson on why one does not move things that are not theirs, and why they absolutely put nothing but books on the desensitizer (we had a different unit for the VHS tapes, because it could mess those up, too). So I did rewrite Little Balrog, and it turned out a little different, there’s a whole part in the beginning with Elrond, Erestor, and Glorfindel having a long discussion that I just skipped rewriting. However, that means I have been a backup the backup of the backup person since then – I have so many flash drives of everything, and paper copies, and copies in the cloud, and I don’t trust technology since then, so it’s been a good 20 year run of tech not failing. Now, whether I can FIND the flashdrive, the disk, the CD… >.> They’re around here somewhere… I also did a fair amount of sending fics to Yahoo!Groups and then not archiving them, so that is what I’m working on, is getting things archived on AO3.

15. Do you foresee any personal or professional obstacles this year, that would keep you from creating fanworks?

Yeah, I’m currently trying to make a huge decision between staying in the librarian & professor camp or shifting into management. Pros and cons to both. I have about 11 years left in my plans of how long I anticipate working before retirement (I have been in the workforce since 1995; 40 years of working seems like a fair amount in my opinion). I waffle on this on a daily basis, whether I want to continue what I’m doing for the duration, or to try one more adventure. Strangely enough, I think the latter would actually mean more free time, because what I do now is work a full time job plus a part time job, and that can be 60 or more hours a week, especially during midterms and finals.

#fanfic asks

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thenerdthatwrites · 11 months

Text

A/N; So, I know that some of the time (Well, lets face it, a lot of the time) I won’t upload to a schedule, but with this, I have started a slight schedule. I’ll write Monday - Friday and then on Saturday, I will upload it to wattpad (My username is @-thenerdthatwrites-). From there on the Sunday, I’ll do editing and then upload the finished shiny version on here, and then I’ll also edit the one on wattpad. So, yeah, Kapeesh? Kapeesh.

Chapter Synopsis; After the news about the voices, Kaitlyn and Jameson spend a while down at the lake, before being interrupted by someone unexpected, before an argument breaks out between Kaitlyn and Xander.

part 1 / part 2 / part 3 / part 4 / part 5 / part 6 / part 7 / part 8 / part 9 / part 10 / part 11 / part 12 / part 13 / part 14 / part 15 / part 16 / part 17 / part 18 / part 19 / part 20 / part 21 / part 22 / part 23 / part 24 / part 25 / part 26 / part 27 / part 28 / part ...

Story Masterlist

Words; 1,281

An Eligible Bachelor

3 and a Half Weeks Later

Down at the lake one sunny afternoon a few weeks after my dramatic fainting down here before, I wanted to get some fresh air and get out of the stuffy castle. I was currently ranting to Jameson because, when, if the voices were correct, Father dies, he wants me to be married, and maybe at least with one child, so was having me look at different men Father had hand-picked himself.

“I just don’t get why we can’t tell him!” I ranted, annoyed at the deeply boring process I had managed to escape from.

“You know why darling. We can’t tell your Mother or Father, as there is a very high chance they will banish me from the kingdom,” Jameson said, looking up from his drawing to look at me as I read, my back against a tree nearby.

“So what! I would rather that happen and go with you than stay here and pick which man I should marry,” I said, sticking down my book.

“Well, what would you do then if that supposedly happened?” He asked, getting up from the rock he was perched on and walked towards me.

“I think I would be a hunter maybe? Maybe be like Robin Hood; steal from the rich and give to the poor?” I said, chuckling at what I said.

Jameson sat down beside me and I stuck my head on my shoulder.

“What would you do?” I ask him, looking across the lake as I did so.

“Show my art? Use the craft my Father taught me. I’m unsure just now,” He replied, continuing his sketch.

We sat in silence for a while, enjoying each other’s presence as we sat there, but all was forgotten as Sybil ran down to the lake, and we broke apart quickly.

“Oh thank goodness! Father was wondering where you were and I saw you sneak out this morning,” Sybil said as I stood up.

“Okay, and why did you run down here to just tell me this?” I ask, raising an eyebrow.

“No one could find you, so after Father said at lunch that you hadn’t appeared for quite some time, I thought you may be down here reading, and it seems I was correct. One thing I do wonder is why on earth is the boy that found you when you collapsed-” Sybil said, but I cut her off partway through.

“His name is Jameson,” I say.

“Honestly, Kaitlyn, I don’t care. Anyway, why are you down here with him?” Sybil asks.

As she asks this, I hear the clinking of metal and scraping of feet against the pebbles leading down here and Xander appears before my eyes.

“Lady Sybil, you need to get back up to the Castle right now as your Mother is asking for you. Lady Kaitlyn, your Father has more Bachelors waiting in the Castle, and Mr Dorianna, your Father has appeared at the Castle asking his Majesty if anyone there knows your whereabouts. I would advise you all to come back to the Castle this instant before your respective parents become more worried,” Xander said and I could see he was trying not to yell at either Jameson or me for being so stupid by disappearing for hours.

“Alright, I better see you back in the Castle, Kaitlyn in the next hour,” Sybil said before turning and heading back up to the Castle.

After we were all sure Sybil was gone, Xander turned to us with a harsh glare on his face.

“What the hell were you two thinking! First of all, I was worried, second of all, you two were almost caught by your sister that likes to blackmail you! If you guys want to act like that I will just go and tell his majesty, if not, then you two need to start being more careful!” Xander said, trying not to get to the end of his tether and explode at us.

“If you knew why I was down here, you would understand!” I argued back, grabbing my book and starting to walk back, grabbing Jameson’s hand as I did so.

“Well, I think I bloody well do!” Xander yelled back, running to catch up with my fast pace of walking.

“I don’t care! What I currently care about is the man I want to marry, but can’t because my Father would banish him from the kingdom if I said I didn’t want to marry any duke, but a humble artist who I truly care for! Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go back to getting so bored, I fear my brains may turn to mush and a ball to prepare for!” I say and give Xander one last glare and then run back to the castle, nearly tripping a few times as I did so.

{----------}

When I returned, I ran back to my room to find Alice sitting on my bed, one of my books in hand and sticking down when she heard the door open.

“I thought you said you were going to be out till an hour before the ball,” Alice said, setting the book down as I flopped down onto my bed beside where she sat.

“Well, Sybil came down and almost caught Jameson and I, so I had to come as she said she saw me sneaking out this morning, even with your distraction,” I said, sighing soon after and getting up to change my dress to something I could move more freely in than the dress I was wearing just now.

“At least you got to see him. I wasn’t even sure if I had given you enough time to even get to the front entrance without getting caught,” Alice said.

I laughed before replying.

“It’s safe to say Alice Olivia Lysandral, you are brilliant at distractions. Thank you. I needed it today. Ever since I collapsed, Father has been keeping a watchful eye on me and making sure I’m barely ever out of either his or Xander’s sight,” I say as I readjust my corset, letting myself breathe.

“You’re very welcome dear sister. One thing I will say is that I will need help thinking up ideas for the next distraction needed to get you seeing Jameson,” Alice said.

Alice was one of the first people to find out about my crush on the artistic prodigy as she caught me writing a letter to him. From there, we made a deal. She would help me with distractions and keep my relationship secret if I let her read any book she wanted out of my endless bookshelves.

“Okay then, but we need to make sure that Sybil is distracted big time with the next few. We can’t have something like this happening again,” I say.

“Well, then don’t disappear while Father wants to talk to you about something,” Alice says.

“Fine, I won’t do that again. Anyway, I need to change to go for sword fight training,” I say as I get out a pair of trousers that Mother would not approve of.

“Who’s teaching you this time? Father or Xander?” Alice questions as I stick on the clothing I would need for what I was going to go do.

“Both. Xander’s training me and Father is watching to assess me on my progress,” I say and then turn to leave the room as Alice grabs my arm.

“Kaitlyn, just please be back on time. I need my big sister to help me prepare for the ball tonight,” Alice says as I leave the room, grabbing the sword that was hidden in my room as I did so.

#original fiction #original work #original concept #original content #original story #story #romance #fantasy-romance #forbidden romance #fantasy #forbidden relationship #princesses #painter #ocxoc

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miekasa · 3 years

Text

daylight’s wasting (you better kiss me)

↯ pairing: eren jaeger x reader

↯ genre and warnings: college au, fluff, someone please be gentle with this boy i’m begging you, jean and eren pretending they don’t give a fuck about each other whilst actually being best bros for the win

↯ word count: 2k

↯ summary: based off of that reddit post about some guy talking about his girlfriend washing his hair for the first time + hoping it fills a request for someone asking for reader playing with eren’s hair for the first time :’)

↯ notes: this is cross-posted and edited slightly from another blog in a completely separate fandom, so if you’ve seen it before, no you didn’t </2

Jean can’t say that he immediately noticed a pep in Eren’s step when the green-eyed boy met him in the library, but what he does notice is the stupid, dopey looking grin and starry-eyed gaze in his eyes that he’s sporting while he’s not doing his part for their project. And while Jean considers himself relatively attractive, he knows for sure Eren isn’t shy about making it known that he doesn’t; so the brunette doubts the literal heart eyes Eren has are for him.

“Eren? Eren, bro, are you good?” Jean calls, a dark eyebrow raised above his left eye. Eren barely registers the calls of his name, and it takes Jean waving his hands in front of the shorter’s face for him to wake from his trance, looking up at Jean with that same, longing smile (that’s, admittedly, starting to creep him the fuck out).

“Yeah,” Eren sighs, something reminiscent of a lovelorn cartoon prince, as he rests his elbow atop his notebook and his chin the palm of his hand, “I’m good.”

Jean looks at him, skeptical and confused. He shifts in his seat, but Eren’s eyes don’t follow—he just stares ahead, lost in thought and completely unaware of everything around him. He looks like a lovesick little bitch if you ask Jean. Or completely sloshed.

Slowly, Jean leads forward, eyebrows pinched, looking for streaks of red in Eren’s eyes, “Are you stoned right now?”

“What?” Eren pulls back, almost offended, “No, I’m not high—Jean, what the fuck?”

Jean simply shrugs, leaning back into his seat, “I dunno. Yesterday you were so stressed about your acrobatic salt cycle samples—”

“—Acetylsalicylic acid. It’s basically Asprin, and I wasn’t stressed, they just weren’t crystallizing the they way they’re supposed to—”

“I don’t fucking care. But now you look mellow as hell,” Jean cuts him off, “Just thought maybe you rolled a good one before coming here or something. Not that I’m judging, of course. But you’re much more of a lightweight than you think, so try not to go—”

“‘M not a fucking lightweight,” Eren groans, “You and Reiner are just heavy bodied.”

“Just admit you can’t hold your shit, Jaeger.”

“I’m not admitting shit. Mikasa makes strong drinks, that’s all.”

Jean grits his teeth at Eren’s stubborn antics, but lets it go. It’s not like the conversation was going anywhere, anyways. “If you’re not baked, then what’s got your head in the clouds?”

Eren shifts in his seat now, pulling his hand off the table, and into his lap. Jean’s suspicious eyebrow is quirked again, and that slightly creeped-out feeling is back when he spots Eren’s ears going red.

Jesus Christ, he just asked a simple question.

“Not that I care,” Jean tacks on, feigning disinterest, “But if it’s gonna keep you from doing your half of the project, just spill it already so we can get this shit over with.”

Eren rolls his eyes, but that blush is still there. He looks like he contemplates waving it off for a minute, before he sighs. “(Y/N) and I showered together yesterday,” he finally blurts.

Jean blinks. “Oh. So you got laid—”

“—No, no, it wasn’t like that!” Eren corrects him, the red on his ears spreading to his cheeks slowly, with every word that spills out of his mouth. Eren stutters, a hand coming up to rub at the back of his neck, “She just… She washed my hair.”

Eren sighs, flustered and frustrated, and annoyed that he looks like this in front of Jean’s horse-faced ass of all people; but he knows, that no matter how much shit Jean talks, he can rely on him. For better or (often times) for worse.

And Jean, for as hotheaded as he can get, and for as much as Eren annoys the shit of out him, knows how to read a room; and in this moment, he can see that Eren is actually coming to him with genuine emotions, other than masked anger and abrasiveness. So, the both of them concede; pull back from their usual pointed commentary, and listen to what the other has to say.

“Ah,” Jean comments, lamely; an embarrassed blush of his own growing on his face at his stupidity. The two sit in silence for a moment, before Jean speaks up again, “It’s, uh… It’s nice, right?”

Eren’s eyes snap to him, wide. He almost completely forgot that Jean’s in a committed relationship, too. The two don’t often go to each other for relationship advice, or… relationship venting, but Eren makes a mental note that maybe, just maybe, he should.

“Yeah,” Eren admits, “I don’t, uh, I don’t know how to explain it. It was just—”

“Relaxing?”

“Yeah. Like all the bullshit from school just melted away all of a sudden,” Eren confesses, “All she fucking did was wash my hair and hum for, like, five minutes, but I feel like… I don’t know. Good.”

Jean hums, acknowledging Eren’s words and mulling them over. “Loved,” he chimes in with an awkward cough, “Pretty sure that’s the word you’re looking for, Jaeger.”

Eren chokes on air, his eyes darting around the room. So, yeah, it’s still a little awkward, talking with Jean of all people about his relationship, and love, and all that gushy stuff; but, even Eren can admit, it’s comforting to know that someone knows what he’s feeling—even if that someone is Jean.

“You should tell her. Girls like that shit, when you tell em what you’re thinking, you know?” Jean comments, picking up his pen to resume scribbling in his notebook. He sounds nonchalant, but from the redness on his face, Eren can tell he’s just as flustered, and probably thinking about his own girlfriend. “Besides, you’ve been together for a long ass time now. Don’t know what you’re waiting for at this point.”

“Yeah,” Eren coughs, pretending to resume his own homework, “Yeah, I think I will.”

“Good,” Jean nods, “Now will you fucking paste your paragraph in the Google Doc so I can rewrite it and make it coherent.”

“Fuck you, it’s coherent as is.”

“As if. I’ve read your shit before, and it sounds like it was written by six year old on meth. You science majors can’t write to save your life.”

“Tough talk from someone who can’t do basic addition.”

“Derivatives and shit aren’t basic addition, they were created by a man who died a virgin. Tells me everything I need to know about them and you.”

Three days later, Eren finds himself alone in your off-campus apartment, laying on your bed, stomach to the mattress, while he tries to convince himself to study for his upcoming biology exam. He finds looking around your room to be much more interesting, though, and takes the time to notice things he hadn’t before.

There’s a small strip of images of the two of your in a clear mason jar on your nightstand—the newest addition to your collection—from the photo booth at the ice-skating rink you went to last week. Eren doesn’t know why you insist on going to every photo booth you come across, but who is he to deny you the pictures.

When he looks to your closet, he isn’t surprised to see two of his hoodies, one of his warm-up soccer uniforms, and last season’s hockey jersey hanging up. What does surprise him, is the way they’re all hung up next to each other, like they have their own little section amongst your clothing; like they were reserved, special almost. He bets they’re all probably washed and clean, too; because you take care of his things like that.

He thinks about how he has a few pairs of sweatpants and pajamas—hell, even a pair of slacks and a button-down from one of your fancier dates—all tucked away in his very own drawer in your dresser. The bucket hats thats you claim are oh-so ugly still have their own place in your room, hanging next to your belts. Even his psychology textbook sits on your desk, clearly set aside for him and taken care of, but still integrated amongst your other belongings.

You seem to be the only person who thinks Eren and all his baggage can have a place in your life. You seem to always have space for things to fit in, no matter how stupid, or ugly, or tattered they are; no matter how emotional, or lost, or impulsive he is. Nothing is out of place here, himself included.

Lost in his thoughts, Eren doesn’t register the sound of your front door opening, or your footsteps growing louder. In fact, he doesn’t register that you’re home at all, until you come padding into your bedroom, shaking your backpack off of your shoulders and setting it next to his on the ground.

“Hey, baby,” you greet him, almost offhandedly, as you place your coffee down on your desk. He doesn’t mind—actually the element of practiced casualness in your tone brings a kind of warmth to him, and makes his stomach flutter.

“Hey,” he smiles, a stupidly fond look in his eye as his watched you shimmy your jacket off of your shoulders.

Eren sits himself upwards, shifting so that his long legs dangle off the edge of your bed as he watching your silhouette move throughout your bedroom. When you’re finished removing all your layers and jewelry, you finally look to him, greeting him a second time as you walk towards him and your bed.

Eren cages you in when you reach him, his ankles wrapped on top of each other as he secures you standing between his legs. He wraps his arms loosely around your waist, while your fingers crawl up the nape of his neck.

“Your hair’s dry,” you hum, your fingers raking through his brown locks as if to make your point, “You didn’t shower yet?”

Eren shakes his head lightly, craning his neck forwards to tuck the cold tip of his nose into your collar. He holds you a little tighter when you smooth his hair down, one of your hands resting against the back of his neck, and lightly scraping at the hairs near his nape.

“How come?” you question innocently, “I thought your classes ended a few hours ago—did your lab go late again? You should tell your TA you have a life outside of trying to culture bacteria in a dish, you know.”

Eren chuckles lightly, but feels the concern in your voice tug heavily at his heart strings. You seem to really hate his lab TA.

“Wasn’t him this time,” Eren mumbles against your skin, “Was waiting for you.”

“Yeah? That gonna be a regular thing, now?”

“Wouldn’t mind,” Eren confesses, words barely audible as he buries his face into your neck. He tries tickle you with his eyelashes, shift the heat towards you, but you move out of reach too quickly; your hands on his shoulders, forcing him to sit upright.

He has to look up you, just slightly, and he hopes he doesn’t look like a complete blushing idiot. If he does, you don’t seem to mind, if the way you cup his face between your hands is any indication.

“Well then, come on. I bought two new loofahs yesterday.”

Eren follows you to the bathroom with a smile, borderline giggling with excitement all the way to the shower. When it comes down to it, he relishes in the feeling of your fingertips against his scalp, suds of shampoo cascading down his neck as you find amusement in coiling his hair into a bubbly mohawk.

It’s so mundane, so simple, yet overwhelmingly intimate the way you’re taking care of him—the way you always take care of him. It fills Eren to the brim with emotions he can’t even begin to convey with words.

And when you’ve had you’re fun, and made sure his hair is throughly clean and smells like apples, you take your body wash on the ball of his (his! his very own!) loofah, and scrub away at his back, down his shoulders, across his torso; and Eren can’t stop the tears from falling.

He realizes his must look bizzare, to be standing the middle of your shower, crying like a baby with soap and suds all over his body, but he can’t help himself.

“Eren? Baby, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing, nothing,” he assures you, hiccuping between his words and sniffling away any more tears that threaten to fall. You don’t seem convinced, and once again, Eren feels his heart swell at just the sheer thought at you’d hold even an ounce of concern for him the way you do.

“You’re crying, Eren,” you point out, voice soft, but clearly concerned, as you reach your hands up to cup his face again, “Did I hurt you? What’s wr—”

Eren cuts you off by wrapping you in a hug, hoping—praying—you know that you could never hurt him. The two of you spend nearly five whole minutes like that, your arms wrapped around each other’s middles, with warm water pouring over your naked skin. Eren can feel you pressing shallow kisses into his chest, and he feels his heart physically swell every time your lips make contact with his skin.

It’s on the fifth, quiet press of your lips that Eren knows he can’t hold it in anymore; pulls away from your embrace to look you in your eyes.

“I love you,” he finally confesses, with wet hair stuck to his forehead, and teary eyes. It’s hardly a picture perfect moment, but Eren can’t bring himself to care; he needs you to know.

But, of course, you already did. “I know, Eren,” you say with a smile, kissing his chin, and then on the tips of your toes, his lips, “And I love you more.”

#aot x reader #snk x reader #eren x reader #eren x you #eren smut #eren fluff #aot imagines #snk imagines #levi x reader #jean x reader

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shankss-magnificent-ass · 3 years

Text

Imagine Karl learning you speak German the hard way

Author's note: I took German in highschool and college so I'm rusty at German so I had to look up a few things. If they're not correct, sorry, send me the proper thing and I'll fix it.

Part 2

Edit: everything has been fixed, anything that's not right has most likely been left on purpose. Thank you for the fixes @sweetwizardheart

The first week of knowing Karl

Karl: I asked for the fucking Phillips head not the flat head! *Throws the screw driver across the room*

You: *yelps in surprise*

Karl: *grumbles* Du bist für nichts zu gebrauchen (you are useless)

You: I'm sorry, I'm still learning please be patient with me. *Gets the proper screw driver and puts the one he threw back in it's original spot*

A month later

You: I made sandwiches for lunch! *hands him his plate*

Karl: *takes a big bite* es ist lecker, mein Schatz (it's delicious, my treasure)

You: *stares at him for a second*

Karl: it's alright

You: oh wonderful

Three months later

You and Karl: *on the couch in front of a flaming trash can, cuddling for warmth*

Karl: *his arm around you, and his hand running up and down your arm* (y/n)

You: *looks up at him* yes?

Karl: ich liebe dich, Schöne (I love you, beautiful)

You: *genuinely surprised* what?

Karl: it's nothing forget I said anything

Six month later

You: *infinitely more comfortable with Karl* I take it you'll need the eight millimeter wrench?

Karl: *on a rolling board under a machine* no, the ten millimeter

You: *hands him the wrench but drops it*

Karl: Arschgeige! (Literally means ass violin, but it's a rude outdated way of saying someone is an asshole)

You: *slams your foot down on the rolling creeper, right between his thighs, his testicles practically on your toes, and you pull him out from under the machine* Pass auf, Junge. (Means "watch out, boy" but in this case it's used as a warning)

Karl: Du kannst Deutsch! (You can speak German)

You: die ganze zeit (the entire time) *pushes him back under the machine and leaves*

Karl: *scrambling to get out from under the machine* wait! Warte! Liebling komm zurück! (Wait, darling, come back!)

You: *already in the elevator*

Duke: *hears Karl running after you and is absolutely delighted by the drama* oh my, what's going on?

You: Karl's a dick *exits the elevator on the top floor*

Karl: *floats up on a gear* where is (y/n)?

Duke: what did you do, I don't think I've ever seen them this mad before

Karl: I've been speaking my mind out loud in German, and it turns out they speak it as well.

Duke: I can sell you a box of chocolates and a bottle of champagne for three thousand lei

Karl: *sighs and reaches for his wallet* make it three bottles, and do you have any condoms

Duke: getting a little a head of yourself, don't you think?

Karl: do you have em or not?

Duke: yes *gives him the goods* good luck Lord Heisenberg. It's best to just apologize for whatever you did

Karl: yeah yeah, thank you.

#karl heisenberg #karl heisenberg imagine #karl heisenberg x reader #re8 heisenberg #re 8 village #re8 village #re8 #re 8 #resident evil 8 #resident evil imagine #resident evil village #resident evil #from the depths of the dragon's hoard #tma original #6/25/21

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watchmegetobsessed · 3 years

Text

TO LOVE AND BE LOVED - Part Six (Harry Styles)

a/n: LAST PART OMG!! im a little emotional this story has come to its end but it already ended up like twice as long as i planned it to be haha! thank you so much for reading and loving the story, it means so much to me and i loved seeing your reactions as the plot developped! i hope you guys will be happy with the ending our pair got and i can’t wait to read your thoughts about the series as a whole!!

pairing: CEO!Dad!Harry X Reader

warning: mentions of death, cheating and divorce, sexual content

word count: 14.8k

SERIES MASTERPOST masterlist

Waking up next to Harry is probably your most favorite thing in the entire world right now and you’ve been able to experience it every morning since you dropped Izzy off at Anne’s. You’re missing her like crazy and can’t wait to have her back, but part of you is desperate to stretch these days as long as possible, because you’re not sure if Harry will be comfortable with you sleeping in his room once his little one is back under the roof.

It’s always the same, yet you can’t get enough of it. Harry grumbles as he turns the alarm off, snuggles back to you for just a few minutes before he forces himself to take a shower. In the meantime you start breakfast and his coffee waits for him ready by the time he joins you in the kitchen. You eat together, sometimes talking, sometimes just silently enjoying each other’s presence and it’s the perfect way to start your days.

Then Harry is off to work and you go for whatever shooting you had planned for the day. Luckily, you’ve been keeping yourself busy. If your day ended early, you always found something else to do, you picked Trevor up another time and also managed to have lunch with Harry on Thursday which was such a nice change, even if it was just eating takeout in his office because you were in the neighborhood and he had some time to see you.

Now it’s Friday and you’re spending it with some editing and eventually packing, since you’re leaving to the countryside for Sarah and Mitch’s wedding when Harry comes home. You’ve been looking forward to this weekend all week, you had a few phone calls with Sarah and the two of you hit it off quite well, you can’t wait to finally attend the wedding. And also because Harry is coming with you, so it’ll be a kind of weekend getaway even though the two of you have been alone home all week.

Harry runs a little late from work so you leave about an hour later than you planned, but it’s all good, since nothing is planned for the evening, you just wanted to be at the location on time. It’s going to be a small wedding, nothing extra and it’s held in an inn near the beach, the perfect spot in your opinion, especially because even the weather seems to be celebration the occasion and it won’t be raining cats and dogs.

Heather: A double date? I don’t know, who’s the guy?

You’re texting Heather in the car and you finally bring up the possibility of going on a double date with Niall.

Y/N: Photo attachment

Y/N: He is a cool guy, I think you would like him!

Heather: He surely is hot! Alright, we’ll see. Anyway, have fun with your super hot and rich boyfriend this weekend! Tell me all about the wedding next week!

Y/N: Thanks!

Your eyes scan over the word boyfriend. You didn’t want to correct her and tell her that you are not boyfriend and girlfriend, just dating, because you kind of enjoy the thought of being an official item. It’s been just a few weeks since it all started and you know that Harry needs to take things in his own pace, but that doesn’t mean you don’t like to play with the thought.

You’re aching to finally call him your boyfriend or what’s better, hear him call you his girlfriend. The thought of calling this man yours is making you go nuts but you need to be patient with him. He has gone through so much change lately, you can’t let your silliness ruin it for the both of you.

It’s late by the time you arrive to the Inn and you both feel exhausted from the ride so you want nothing else than to get a good night sleep before the wedding tomorrow.

“I’m so glad you’re here!” Sarah greets the two of you when you walk into the Inn. She envelopes you in a warm hug before doing the same with Harry. IN the meanwhile, Mitch has also appeared and he greets you with a short hug as well before giving a brotherly hug to Harry. “Had a safe ride?”

“Yeah, everything went fine,” you nod smiling.

“Great. Well, here is your room key, made sure you two are getting one of the larger rooms,” Sara smiles slyly, but you’re taken aback by something else.

“We’re sharing a room?” you ask turning to Harry, who seems nervous about your question, though it wasn’t your intention to make him ashamed in any kind of way.

“Oh, yeah. I mean, Sarah asked me this week which room I want and I told her we would be sharing… Is that okay? We-we could ask for a room for you as well if y—“ “Harry,” you chuckles softly, giving his hand a squeeze. “I would love to share, I just wasn’t expecting you to want to do the same is all,” you tell him and you can see the relief in his eyes instantly.

You talk over a few things with Sarah before taking your stuff up to the room and calling it a night. Harry takes a shower first in the small bathroom that’s joined to your room and in the meantime you hang your dress up so it doesn’t get too wrinkly by the morning. Then you just get all your equipment done, making sure everything is full and loaded for the big day tomorrow. When Harry is done you take your turn and the hot shower feels nice, quite relaxing. Walking out you find Harry lying in bed, typing on his phone, he smiles up at you when you join him in bed.

“My mum sent me this. They went to the park today.” He turns the screen towards you and a photo of Izzy is shown with ice-cream all over her face, grinning happily into the camera.

“She could literally live on ice-cream,” you chuckle, making yourself comfortable under the sheets.

“And gummy bears,” Harry chuckles before locking his phone and putting it to the side table. He is quick to wrap his arms around you, pulling you against his side and you smile as you snuggle to him, enjoying the heat of his body. “Good night, love,” he murmurs, pressing a soft kiss to the top of your head.

“Good night, H,” you softly reply before letting yourself drift to sleep within seconds.

You already have a lot of experience with weddings and no matter how big or small it is, the day is always a little bit chaotic, everyone is all over the place, there’s no time for just messing around, especially for you.

Following a nice breakfast with Harry on the tiny balcony that’s connected to your room, you are forced to part since Harry is supposed to be with all the other guys, getting ready in the room that’s reserved for Mitch, while you kind of need to be everywhere at the same time, but you obviously spend the most time with Sarah, wanting to capture all her best moments.

Sometime around noon you get about an hour off while everyone else is getting lunch and Harry texts you to join him on the mole down the beach that runs just below the inn. When you arrive he is already sitting on one of the old wood benches with a pizza box on his lap.

“Hey,” you smile softly and leaning down you peck his lips quickly before joining him on the bench.

“The boy ordered pizza and I got one for us too, hope it’s okay.”

“Of course, I didn’t even think about lunch until you texted,” you chuckle as he settles the box between the two of you and you both take a slice.

“So how are the photos coming up so far?”

“Good, I’ll have a ton of editing to do, but I think they will like the outcome.”

“Can I have a sneak peek of them?” he smirks playfully, but you shake your head.

“No, the first ones to see them will be Sarah and Mitch, sorry,” you chuckle as he pouts his lips at you, but goes back to his slice right after.

You both are just enjoying the quiet for a little, having had a busy day so far, exchanging very few words, but it’s still a nice time spent together. It is just the two of you until a guy approaches you on the mole.

“Hey guys! Mitch wondered where you went, H,” he smirks down at Harry before his eyes land on you. He is tall, but not as tall as Harry, rocking a noticeable beard and he is wearing the same outfit as Harry: maroon pants with a crispy white dress shirt. “Oh, you’re the photographer, right?” he smiles at you.

“Yeah, I’m Y/N,” you answer nicely, holding out a hand for him.

“I’m Landon, Mitch’s cousin,” he nods with a charming smile. “Sorry for interrupting your lunch guys. Just wanted to let you know that Mitch wants to do a round of shots when everyone’s back,” he chuckles.

“He is gonna be so hammered,” Harry chuckles shaking his head. “I’ll be back soon, thanks Landon.”

“No worries. I’ll see you around, Y/N,” he smiles at you before turning around and walking back to the inn. You catch Harry’s eyes for a moment and you have a guess what he is thinking about. Landon seemed to like you, with his flirty smiles and friendly introduction, he was surely thinking about shooting his shot, but he might not know that you’re dating Harry.

However he doesn’t say anything, just continues to eat his lunch in silence and quite frankly, you forget about Landon’s existence pretty fast.

After lunch it gets a bit hectic. The ceremony is starting at 3, so you don’t have much time left. You do the first look reveal thing and this time their son, James is included in it, which is honestly such a pure moment and capturing it feels like a privilege.

Soon enough the guests are starting to arrive and you quickly run up to the room to change into your dress. Most of the time you are not required to dress up for the job, but you like to blend into the crowd so you usually choose to wear a nice dress and you’re doing the same this time as well. You’ve brought a pastel yellow satin dress that teases a little cleavage, and you pair it with a cream colored cardigan, creating a simple but still elegant look for the rest of the day. You’re fixing your makeup in a hurry when the door opens and Harry walks in.

He immediately stops in his tracks upon seeing you in front of the mirror, his eyes traveling down the lengths of your body, a stunned expression adorning his handsome features.

“Sorry, I didn’t know you were… in here,” he mumbles and you can see the blush forming on his cheeks. “You look… You look beautiful.”

“Thank you,” you chuckle softly. He takes a few steps closer to you and reaching up he brushes a loose strand of hair behind your ear, his fingers leaving a trail of delicate touch on the side of your face.

Leaning down his lips hover over yours for a moment, as if he was giving you the chance to pull back, but who are you to deny anything from Harry Styles? So when you stay in place, he finally presses his lips to yours in a slow and tender kiss filled with passion. His hands cup your face in his and you bring yours up to wrap around his wrists as you kiss him back, already craving more than just a kiss.

But it feels like you are not the only one growing hungrier with the seconds, one of Harry’s hands wander down to your butt and you feel his palm’s warmth through the thin layer of your dress, though you wish there was nothing between his skin and yours. When he starts kissing down your jawline and neck, pushing you backwards you hate to break the moment, but there’s no time for any funny business. So painfully, but you pull back, already missing his lips on yours.

“I would really love to continue this, but I need to be with Sarah in about three minutes,” you chuckle softly.

“Yeah, I need to get back to Mitch too,” he sighs, pecking the corner of your mouth before his arms fall from around you.

“I’ll see you later, yeah?” you smile up at him, fixing the collar of his shirt.

“Yeah,” he smiles with a boyish smile before you part ways again.

All through the ceremony you are kind of all over the place, trying to get the best shots, you don’t have much time to spare. Sarah’s entrance with her dad and James walking down the aisle is so beautiful and you get some amazing shots of Mitch’s emotions upon seeing his future wife. They tell their vows, touching every guest with their sweet words to each other and then they finally say ‘I do’ and become husband and wife.

You snap a series of photos of that moment as well, but then you allow yourself to peek over at Harry who is already watching you with a soft smile. You can feel yourself blushing, his gaze is warm but also quite intimidating in this sentimental moment.

And then the party finally starts. You try to follow the newly weds around as much as possible, but you also get around the tent, shooting pictures of the guests as well. You only get to have a few moments with Harry, because either you need to rush off or sometimes someone finds him and wants to have a few words. He is quite popular among the guests, but it’s no surprise. You’d want to have the chance to talk to him too if you saw him.

“Have you even had a bite yet?” A male voice calls out for you when you’re trying to sneak from one point to the other. Glancing over your shoulder you see Landon with a drink in his hand.

“I’ll eat later. The dance is about to happen so I need to be ready for that,” you smile at him.

“Mitch told me they found a really good photographer, but he surely forgot to mention how devoted you are. I’m excited to see the photos.”

“Thanks, I’m trying my best,” you chuckle.

“Save me a dance later?”

“Oh, um, sure,” you nod with a nervous chuckle. “But I really gotta go now,” you excuse yourself before he could even get another word out.

As you slalom between the tables you spot Harry sitting at one of them and he is staring at Landon from across the room, a not too friendly look plastered across his face. You wonder if he has seen you talking to him and now he is feeling jealous or if you’re just seeing things. But you don’t have much time to ponder on it, work is calling you.

As the happy couple share their first dance, soon enough more and more guests join them and you’re standing at the side, snapping the cute dance partners slow dancing to the music with Sarah and Mitch in the middle. You’re adjusting the settings on your camera, when a tall figure appears in front of you.

“May I have a dance?” Harry asks, holding out a hand for you like a true gentleman.

“Oh, I should—“

“If you are about to say you should be taking pictures, the bride told me to ask you,” he tells you with a soft chuckle and as your eyes fall on Sarah, she is smiling in your way happily, nodding her approval to get off duty for just a little.

“Then, I would love to,” you smile shyly, taking Harry’s hand as he takes you to the dance floor. Placing his hands to your waist he pulls you close to him while you rest your arms around his neck, swaying to the rhythm very gently.

“I always get a little emotional at weddings,” he confesses with a small smile.

“Yeah? Why?”

“I don’t know,” he shrugs. “I just… love seeing people in love. Especially when they are my friends,” he adds chuckling.

“It really is a nice thing.”

Harry pulls you tighter against him, his cheek pressing against the side of your head and you let your eyes fall closed for a few seconds, enjoying this moment with him. He starts to softly him the song and his voice flows through your ears smoothly, you’re in awe how good his voice is. He never told you he is a good singer too above being an amazing producer.

When the song ends some couples stay, but some make their way off the dance floor and you have to get back to your job as well. Leaning back you squeeze Harry’s arm as his hands fall from your frame too.

“Save a slice from the cake for me,” you smile at him and he nods with a smirk.

“I will. I’ll have it ready for you at the table.”

You place a short kiss to his cheek before you disappear from his sight, leaving him alone again.

The night carries on as usual, sometime after dinner your phone dies so you leave it on the charger up in your room before running back down. The party starts to unfold as the time passes, more drinks are being consumed and this is kind of your secret favorite part, because the more people drink, the more they are willing to pose for funny pictures. This is the time that births the best group photos, in your opinion.

Though you are having an amazing time, you can feel yourself growing tired. When it’s finally cake time you take some time off to sit with Harry who saved you a slice, just as you asked him. It’s nice to have a breather, just enjoy the evening with him by your side again.

“Mm, didn’t know you could eat icing without getting it all over my face,” you tease him, referring back to the time you made such a mess out of the kitchen when you tried to make cupcakes for him.

“Very funny,” he narrows his eyes at you, before dipping his finger into the icing and wiping it onto your nose.

“Hey!” you pout at him, cleaning it up, but he just smirks at you playfully before pecking your lips shortly. It’s the first time he is kissing you in with so many people around and it surely makes you giddy, knowing that he is not trying to hide you in any way.

Weddings are a lot of fun, but they always stretch so long. The party can last till the morning sometimes and you can’t just decide to call it a night and stop doing your job, you need to be there until the DJ shuts the music off and all guests disappear. And it seems like this wedding won’t be any shorter either.

It’s already past midnight when you decide to sneak out for a short break. You’ve been on your feet for way too long and you stole some food too. You hesitated if you should sit back to your table, but you felt like you could use some quiet so you left the tent and found a bench nearby.

As you sit and eat the food you snatched from the buffet table, you hope the party won’t last until the Sun comes up. You get so into your own little world that you almost don’t even notice the approaching tall figure.

“Having a break, huh?” Landon calls out as the gravel crunches under his fancy dress shoes.

“Ah, yeah. I needed a few minutes away from the music,” you chuckle softly. Landon stops in front of you and hides his hands in his pockets as he blinks down at you with tired looking eyes. It might be from the long night, but you are guessing the drinks he’s been consuming don’t help his energy either.

“May I say that you look really pretty? I haven’t been to many weddings yet, but the photographers went for the more comfortable look since they are not on the photos, but you chose to glam yourself.”

“Thanks,” you chuckle softly. “I like to blend into the guests.”

“Well, you don’t blend in this way either, because you look prettier than most women in that tent,” he compliments you and you’re starting to feel awkward. It’s not that you don’t like it when someone is talking highly of you, but it’s obvious what Landon wants and you are definitely not on the same page.

“Um, thank you.”

“I’m sorry if I come off too brash or pushy, but I promised myself I would never miss a chance to compliment a pretty woman when I see one.”

“That’s nice, but I’m afraid I’m not the right person to spend your energy on,” you answer with a tight-lipped smile. Landon narrows his eyes at you, but keeps his playful manner.

“So you don’t find me good-looking, is that it?” he teases and you shake your head with a soft chuckle.

“That’s not what I was talking about.”

“Then you like to break hearts, right? You must enjoy making men fall for you,” he carries on with his little joke and just as you’re about to speak up to tell him you are seeing someone, Harry’s familiar deep voice interrupts the conversation.

“There you are, I’ve been calling you.” He is talking to you, but his eyes are clearly glued to the man standing in front of you.

“Oh, my phone is in the room, I had to charge it,” you tell him.

“What are you guys doing out here?” he asks, clearly not liking the situation, you and Landon alone outside with no one else around. Jealousy is dripping from his eyes that appear so much darker now in the dim lighting.

“I’ve been dumped by this amazing woman right here,” Landon sighs dramatically and Harry cocks an eyebrow at him before glancing over at you.

“Oh, is that so?”

“Yeah, she is clearly not interested in me, my charm didn’t work on her,” he laughs lightheartedly.

“I hope it didn’t because she is my girlfriend,” Harry answers simply and your lips part at what he just called you.

Landon stumbles back, his smile quickly vanishes from his face as he stares back at Harry. You feel like you’re watching some kind of documentary movie where male animals are trying to win over the female, only that Landon stands no chance in this situation, but you find it quite funny.

“Man, I-I’m sorry, I didn’t—I didn’t know!” he apologizes right away as he realizes why Harry has been kind of spicy around him. Landon then faces you. “Y/N, I didn’t mean to make it awkward and all that, I’m really sorry.”

“It’s fine,” you smile at him nicely. He mumbles something about checking up on Mitch before walking away, leaving you and Harry alone. He joins you on the bench, staring after Landon for a few moments before turning to face you. A much softer expression is showing on his face this time.

“So, you just called me your girlfriend,” you point out, trying your best to hold your growing smirk back.

“I, uhh—I did, didn’t I?” he chuckles nervously. “I’m sorry, it just slipped out, because I didn’t like how Landon was trying to chat you up all night…”

“So you didn’t…. You didn’t mean it?” you ask, furrowing your eyebrows, feeling yourself growing disappointed.

“Well, I… I mean, I didn’t mean to say it like that, without discussing it with you, but… I would love to call you my girlfriend,” he admits shyly and you can’t believe that this nervous man next to you is the same man who owns a record label and manages his million dollars business every day without a problem.

“I like the sound of that,” you smirk, leaning closer to him so your noses are almost touching.

“Yeah?” he smiles, a lot more relieved and playfully than he was a moment ago.

“Mhm,” you nod, biting your lip. You blindly put your plate to the side before cupping his face in both of your hands and pulling him in for a kiss, your first one as boyfriend and girlfriend. Part of you feels silly that it makes you so ecstatic, like you’re a high school girl, but in this moment you couldn’t care less.

What starts as a sweet and innocent kiss quickly turns into something more, something heated. When Harry’s hands find your bare thighs and they slightly slide under your dress you can’t help but yearn for more, pulling him closer as your tongues meet. Your fingers lace through his curls, tugging on them gently and you’re fighting the urge to throw a leg over him and just sit on his lap straddling him. When he starts kissing down your jawline and neck, you have to stop him for the second time today, not that you wanted to do it anytime, but the time and place hasn’t been right.

“We can’t…” you sigh, pulling back even though every fiber in your body is telling you otherwise. Harry lets out a long sigh, nodding his head.

“Yeah, I know.”

“But hopefully, the party will end soon and then we will be all alone in our room,” you smirk at him slyly and it brings back the shine into his eyes.

“I can’t wait,” he mumbles before kissing you one last time.

From that moment, Harry lingers around you at all times for the rest of the night. He is always either right by your side, or within a few feet away from you, keeping an eye on you, but not in an obsessive and intrusive kind of way. His eyes are filled with lust every time you share a look at each other and you can tell he can’t wait for the party to finally be over. Whenever he is next to you, he makes sure to touch you in any kind of way. Placing his palm to the small of your back, your arm or your hips, or when you sit next to each other he rests his hand on your thigh or knee without hesitation. And you are loving all the affection you are being showered with.

By the time the wedding officially ends and you can finally call it a night, you are both touch starved and hungry for each other. Harry pulls you against him on the stairs up to your room, not even giving a damn that you are still out in the public. His mouth attacks you hungrily, kissing you anywhere he can reach as the two of you stumble up your way to the room.

Pushing the door open you basically fall inside, giggling against Harry’s lips as he shuts the door closed and presses you up against it, making you gasp at the action. He is so much more demanding and confident than the last time you shared an intimate moment and though you’re not sure how far he is planning to go, you know you are ready to give him anything he desires.

“As much as I love this dress on you, it needs to go,” he playfully smirks as his hands bunch your dress up on your thigh before grabbing it and pulling it off your body, leaving you only in your underwear so fast.

Your lips find his as your fingers work fast on the buttons of his shirt while you inch further into the room towards the bed. You both kick your shoes off on the way and when you fall to the mattress Harry’s shirt is already gone. He climbs above you as you sink into the way too many pillows and you blindly throw a few off the bed to give you more space. Harry licks into your mouth one last time before he moves down your neck and collarbones, peppering your heated skin with his kisses, his hands already sliding under your back to unclasp your bra. Arching your back you give him space to do the task on hand and a few moments later you are lying under him with your chest completely bare. His name falls from your lips as a whimper when his mouth comes in contact with your left nipple, kissing, licking and sucking on it while his hand kneads your other breast before he switches, giving both sides the same amount of attention. Your fingers lace through his unruly curls as you enjoy his touch that’s burning and soothing at the same time.

When he kisses down your stomach and hips, he hooks his fingers into your lacy underwear, but stop before doing anything, looking up at you for reassurance. You give him the green light by nodding and he carefully pulls the fabric off your body, baring you in front of his eyes completely. His kisses pepper his way up your inner thighs until he finally reaches your dripping wet core.

“Harry!” you moan when his tongue and lips press against your clit, swirling and sucking on it just right, making you shiver under his touch. He curls his arms around your legs, keeping them in place as he keeps working his magic, making you a whimpering mess with each lick.

He does the same thing as last time, teases you with his finger dancing around your entrance until you are basically ready to beg him for more. Then he finally pushes two fingers inside you and starts pumping in a slow pace that drives you nuts, leaving you ache for more of him.

You pull him up before he could get you to the top, because that’s not how you want it now and you need to know if he is ready to take this step with you. He understands what you want from just a look as he hovers above you and you cup his face in your hands tenderly.

“I want it,” he breathes out and you could come just from those three words.

“Are you sure?” you ask, though you just want to jump right at it already. Still, you want to make sure he is completely fine with everything that’s about to happen.

“Yeah. I am,” he nods before leaning down he presses his lips against yours.

Your hands reach down and undo his pants, pushing them down along with his boxers before he does the rest of the job kicking them off. His erection presses up against your thigh as his hips fall down a bit and you moan with just the feeling of him on your skin. Wrapping your hands around his shaft you start pumping him while your kiss never breaks.

“Oh fuck,” he moans in sensation and you grin against his lips, enjoying the thought that you are the one making him feel this good.

“Do you have a condom?” you breathe out.”

“Shit, I don’t…”

“It’s alright, I have one.” You sneak out from under him and rush over to your bag to look for your toiletries, you know you have one somewhere in there. When you finally find the little package you quickly get back to the bed where Harry is now lying on his back. Kneeling next to him you give him a soft, reassuring look.

“Do you want me to…?” you imply, holding up the foil.

“Oh, um, yeah, sure,” he nods and you swear you see him blushing. Ripping the package open you lean closer and roll the condom down his hard length before throwing a leg over his lap and get back to kissing him. You take your time with him, running your hands up and down his toned, inked chest as his palms warm the skin on your waist while your lips move together in sync perfectly. You could tell he needed a moment to get settled and wrap his mind around what’s really about to happen.

“Everything alright?” you ask, a little out of breath as you hold yourself up above him. He nods shortly. “Do you want me on top or you want to switch?”

“C-can you stay on top for now?”

“Yeah,” you smile at him warmly, before capturing his lips in a sweet kiss while your right hand wanders down his body until you reach his hard cock. Harry whimpers against your lips when you wrap your hand around the base, lining him up with yourself.

“Tell me if you want to stop, alright?” you ask him and in any other situation you’d find it a little funny that it’s you asking him that, usually this request comes from the guy, but you just want to make sure he is comfortable with everything that’s happening. Harry nods again and as he gulps hard his Adam’s apple bops up and down. Leaning down you kiss him again as you slowly ease down yourself just enough so that the head of his cock slides inside you. You stop, giving both him and you the chance to get accustomed to the feeling. It’s been quite some time for you as well, and your fingers do not compare to Harry’s size, that’s for sure.

He keeps one hand on your hip while the other reaches up and cups the side of your head, panting against your lips from the feeling of finally being inside you. Once you’ve made sure you both adjusted to the feeling, you allow yourself to sink further down until his whole length disappears inside you. You stay still, shutting your eyes closed as you let your walls stretch around his erection, making that slight pain you feel go away. Adding the length and thickness of his cock to the long drought you’ve had in the field of sex is making it feel like you are having your first time again in a way. It’s not that awkward and definitely not that painful, but still, that’s what it reminds you of.

“Are you good?” he asks, squeezing your hip gently. Your eyes snap open and meet his green ones that are now clouded with a little bit of worry.

“Yeah, it’s just… You’re big, Harry,” you admit with a soft chuckle that brings a cocky grin to his lips as well. “Just give me a moment.”

He just nods again and both his hands start running up and down your sides reassuringly as you take a few seconds to yourself before you start moving your hips. You start off slowly, dragging your movements out, trying to see what feels the best and judging from Harry’s moans and grunts he is enjoying himself no matter what you do. Your hands sprawl out on his chest, fingers digging into his skin as you lean onto him while starting to move up and down his throbbing cock.

“Fuck, you feel so good!” he whimpers, almost as if he was in pain, but you can see the pleasure in his eyes.

Your thighs start to burn, but you keep moving yourself, not wanting to stop, because you’re feeling your orgasm building up inside you. When he starts thrusting up to meet your movements, you moan his name so loudly there’s a chance the people next door heard you, but you couldn’t care about that now.

Harry might have noticed that you’re starting to get tired, so pushing himself up he wraps his arms around you and turns you over until you’re the one lying on the bed and he holds himself up above you on his arms. Your legs circle around his waist as he starts moving in and out of you, the new position making you both moan and gasp at the sensation.

“Harry!” you whine as he keeps hitting that one spot inside you, pushing you closer to the edge dangerously fast.

“Am I making you feel good, baby? You like it?”

“You’re making me feel so good, please don’t stop!” you beg him as he buries his face in your neck, sucking on the soft skin, most definitely leaving a mark on you that you’ll wear proudly tomorrow. You would never want to hide the fact how good Harry fucked you, let the world know that your boyfriend made you feel so amazing!

“Oh my God, I’m getting close. Are you feeling it too? Are you gonna cum for me, baby?” he asks, his lips brushing against your earlobe. Grabbing his face you pull him into a kiss, pushing your tongue into his mouth mercilessly and the grunt he lets out is making your insides tremble. It’s animalistic, so passionate and sexual, you want to hear this every day for the rest of your life.

“I’m close, go a little harder, Harry!” you plead and he does as you asked without hesitation, his hips slamming harder against you, making you gasp for air as your head sinks into the pillow, your back arching in pleasure.

“Cum for me, Y/N. Let it go!”

“Harry!” you whine, as you can feel your orgasm threatening to burst inside you any moment.

“Say my name when you cum, I want to hear who’s making you feel so good, baby!”

Your fingers dig into his hair as you chant his name over and over again with each thrust he makes and then your release finally arrives. You moan and whimper, shaking under his naked, sweaty body, his name falling from your lips as an endless glorification. Your walls clench around his cock and it’s the last straw for him as well, his thrusts become sloppy and uncoordinated as he cries out your name, his hips slamming hard against you while he rides his orgasm out. Reaching down you drag your nails down his back until you reach his perfectly round ass, giving it a cheeky squeeze while he buries his head into the crook of your neck, thrusting into you a few more times before coming to a stop.

Turning your head you kiss his temple, running your hands up and down his back while you both try to catch your breath, coming off your high. Soon Harry pulls out and rolls off of you, his body smashing into the mattress beside you, his face glowing from that post sex euphoria. After a few moments of just panting and blinking into the void you finally feel yourself returning to reality and rolling to your side you cuddle to Harry’s body, his arm instantly coming to circle around you.

“Everything alright?” you softly ask, placing a tender kiss to his chest under one of his swallow tattoos. The last thing you want is to have him freak out now that the deed has been done, but when he gifts you with a tired but genuine smile, your worries vanish into thin air.

“Yeah. I’m all good. More than good,” he chuckles before lifting his head and placing a soft kiss to your forehead. His fingers are dancing up and down your naked back, following the line of your spine and your ribs, his smoothing touch already working as a lullaby on you, but you’re determined to stay awake just a little longer.

“Are you turned on by hearing your own name during sex?” you tease him with a sly smile as you think back to how much he enjoyed you scream his name over and over again.

“I might have a bit of a praise kink,” he admits truthfully with a smirk.

“Mm, interesting.”

“What’s yours?”

“What do you like during sex?”

“You, balls deep inside me,” you bluntly answer, making him laugh at your words. “And I like doggy,” you then add to actually answer his question.

“Yeah?”

“Mhm, and maybe some hair pulling. Not in an extreme way, but I like a little.” “Alright, noted,” he hums nodding.

You both clean yourselves up in the bathroom, moving around each other naked without any shame. Harry then puts on a pair of clean boxers and you change into your night clothes, though the moment you make yourself comfortable in Harry’s arms in bed his hand sneaks up your back under the shirt, tugging the material up. You could have just stayed shirtless, but now you’re too tired to even move. His fingers are drawing little patterns over your skin as you listen to his steady breathing before drifting off to sleep.

Sunday feels like a day after a sleepover in high school, when you’re thinking about everything that has happened the day before, and you’re so happy it happened but you’re kind of tired and just want the comfort of your home already.

Sarah and Mitch leave for their honeymoon early in the morning. You say goodbye and Sarah just keeps thanking you for your work even though she hasn’t even seen the picture yet.

“But I’m sure they are amazing! Can’t wait to see them!” she beams at you when you try to tell her to just wait for the actual outcome.

You leave the inn a little before noon heading to Anne’s to pick Izzy up. You have lunch somewhere on the road and then you sing along to the music in the car, enjoying yet another roadtrip together, making the best out of your last minutes alone. You’re happy to see that Harry hasn’t seemed to spiral after what happened last night, he seems delighted and pleased, maybe even excited. Driving down the highway he keeps a hand on your thigh whenever he doesn’t need to use it on the shifting gear and every time he reaches for you, it turns you into a giddy little girl.

“Daddy! Daddy!” Izzy chants upon running into Harry’s arms the moment you park down on Anne’s driveway. Apparently, she’s been sitting by the window for an hour, waiting for her dad to finally arrive.

“Oh, I missed you so much, baby!” Harry cheers, catching the running girl and lifting her up into his arms, hugging her close. It’s such a sweet sight, seeing the two purest people you know be so happy to see each other after a week spent apart.

“I missed you too!” Izzy sighs, wrapping her short arms around Harry’s neck, nuzzling into her daddy’s embrace and your heart is fluttering in your chest for sure.

Anne invites the two of you inside for a tea, Harry helps Izzy pack all her stuff while she is nonstop blabbering about everything she did with her grandma during the week, and Harry listens to her intently, even though she already shared everything with him on the phone when he called every night.

“How did the wedding go?” Anne asks you cheerfully as you help her in the kitchen.

“Oh, it was amazing! Sarah looked so beautiful and everything went smoothly.”

“That’s great, they are such a cute couple!”

Anne is quick to ask you about photography, how long you’ve been doing it and you even show her a few of your works seeing how enthusiastic she is about the whole thing. You were a little nervous about meeting her, but she is just as sweet and kind as her son, making it so easy to treat her just as a friend, not as the mother of your boyfriend.

Before leaving Izzy insists on showing you all the paintings she made for Anne this week, she has them on the wall in her little home office. While you’re shown around in Izzy’s personal gallery, Harry joins his mother downstairs, finishing up his tea.

“I assume the weekend went well, you two are glowing,” she smiles slyly at him and Harry can’t hide his boyish smile.

“I uhh… I asked her to be my girlfriend,” he admits and Anne gasps happily, thrilled about the news.

“I’m so happy for you, Har. I think she is a really good match for you!” she beams, pulling him into a motherly hug, kissing his cheek as if he was just a little boy, not a grown man.

“Thanks, mum. I’m happy too.” “You deserve it. It’s so good to see you living your life again.” Soon enough, Harry loads the car with Izzy’s stuff and it’s time to say goodbye.

“Bye Anne, it was so nice to see you!” you smile hugging her.

“Come back soon, Darling! Nag this old man to visit me more often!” Anne jokes giving Harry a playful look who leaves her comment unnoticed, giving his mother a tight hug.

“Thank you for everything mum, love you, I’ll call you alright?”

“Drive safe!” she calls after you all as you get into the car and wave her goodbye leaving.

The drive home tired Izzy out, or maybe it’s just the change of settings again. Whatever it is, she can barely stay awake until dinner, so once her tummy is filled Harry decides to put her to sleep early.

Izzy asks Harry to lie in bed with her as he reads her a bedtime story, she is extra clingy now that she is back with her daddy, but Harry is enjoying having his little one back so he doesn’t mind it. Izzy snuggles to his side, playing with the ears of the bunny she chose to sleep with tonight as she listens to his steady, smooth voice talk her to sleep.

“Daddy?” she asks quietly, already half asleep.

“Yes, baby?”

“Are you going to marry Y/N?”

The question catches him off-guard, he was definitely not expecting it especially since Izzy hasn’t even seen the two of you kiss yet.

“Why are you asking?”

“My new friend, Loretta from the park told me that if a boy and a girl live together they are probably in love and want to get married.”

“Loretta seems to know a lot about adult stuff,” Harry chuckles softly. “Well, it doesn’t exactly work like that, Iz. But… would you be happy if I told you Y/N is now my girlfriend?” he asks, feeling a little nervous, as if Izzy’s word on the question could destroy any possible future between the two of you. She stays silent for a few seconds and Harry starts to think she has fallen asleep, but then she finally speaks up again.

“Did you kiss her?” she asks and Harry can’t push down a soft chuckle. Izzy’s idea of relationships probably doesn’t go further than kissing and holding hands so this is how she is trying to put the picture together in her head.

“I did, yes.”

“Oh!” she exclaims. “I like Y/N.”

“Well, I like her too.”

“She can be your girlfriend,” she then replies, giving her blessing. “Are you going to get married?”

“Um, not for a while, no. But… it could happen if things go right,” he chews on his bottom lip, he is definitely not in the phase of thinking about marriage yet, not just because you barely just became an official couple, but that would be a huge step in his way of processing the end of his last one.

“Okay,” Izzy simply nods and that brings the end of the discussion. Harry has been a little nervous to have this talk with Izzy, he was afraid she might get a little confused about the idea of him having a girlfriend and the thought of her mother, but she seemingly didn’t even bring Maggie into her train of thoughts. Luckily.

When Izzy is finally asleep he closes the door and makes his way downstairs where you’re lying on the couch, watching the rerun of the news. You smile up at him upon his arrival and as he joins you on the couch, he is quick to pull you into his arms, making you snuggle into his embrace.

“I just told Izzy that you are my girlfriend,” he confesses and you lift your head up, not even trying to hide your surprised expression.

“Really? And what did she say?”

“Well, she asked if we are getting married,” he tells you chuckling shortly. “I told her that we shouldn’t get that far ahead. But she basically gave her blessing. She said she likes you.”

“Well I was hoping she doesn’t hate my guts after spending almost every day with me,” you chuckle, making him smile too. “But I’m happy she likes the idea of us.”

“Yeah, me too,” Harry nods before pulling you closer for a sweet, innocent kiss.

You finally get around to have that double date with Heather and Niall one month into your relationship. Harry’s weekends have been a little busy these past weeks, he had to go into the office on a few Saturdays, but now he has finally finished a huge project he has been working on so he can actually take some time off.

Ruth comes over to look after Izzy that evening and she keeps looking at you and Harry like a proud grandparent whenever she sees the two of you interact as a couple. Little touches and kisses have been more regular around home ever since Harry told Izzy that you are together. So far, she’s been handling it really well, she doesn’t seem to be confused about you and her mother and it might be because Harry has had a talk with her recently about her mother and where she really is now. His therapist suggested to be open about it with her as early as possible, and though she doesn’t seem to completely understand the idea of life and death just yet, she has definitely started to put the picture together in her head.

You’ve been spending all your nights at Harry’s room, so by now your bedroom is more like an office space for you and a storage for all your stuff, a place where you can be alone whenever you have some editing to do or just simply need some time on your own. Luckily, Harry totally understands the feeling of needing some space, he has his own limits as well and the two of you have been trying your best to coordinate around these lines when it comes to your relationship. After all, it’s been a pretty unusual situation, you were already living together when you became a couple, jumping a few steps in the timeline of a regular relationship.

Just as you were expecting it, Niall and Heather hit it off quite fast upon meeting at the dinner. Niall is in awe of Heather’s confidence and raw sense of humor that matches perfectly with his, while Heather finds him entertaining and somewhat like a challenge, since you honestly told her about Niall’s reputation as a womanizer, but it’s not something that could scare her away.

“He is cute, desperately wants to prove how good he is doing on his own, but I think that’s just a façade,” Heather tells you when you ask her about her date in the restroom. She fixes up her lipstick, staring at herself in the floor to ceiling mirror.

“So you think you want to see him again?”

“I’m not gonna run after him, if he asks for my number I’ll give it to him. But if he doesn’t, I won’t let him see my disappointment.”

“And what if he asks you to go home with him tonight?” you ask, feeling like teenagers gossiping in the girls restroom between classes. Heather smirks at you through the mirror before turning to face you.

“Oh, I’m not going home with him. That would bruise his ego so badly he won’t be able to think about anything else.”

You stare back at her stunned from how big of a genius she is. You would have never schemed like this when it came to men, but yet again, you never really needed to. Before Harry you were busy with Keith and that relationship came so easily to you. There were never really games, it took you about three weeks to get together. But Heather is a player and a very good one, apparently.

“You two look cute, by the way,” she smiles at you quickly washing her hands before the two of you head out, back to the table.

“Thanks,” you blush, eyes finding the guys sitting right where you left them.

After dinner you decide to stay for a few drinks at the bar a corner away and it’s been so long since the last time you were out just having fun, enjoying some time with good friends. If someone told you a few months ago that you’d be sitting here, sipping on a cocktail with Harry who is now your boyfriend, you would have laughed hysterically.

When Harry reaches for you thigh under the table, resting his palm on it, giving it a gentle squeeze just as a sweet gesture, you glance at him and he smiles at you as his eyes meet your gaze. It’s the first time you actually feel like any other couples. Having a nice evening with your friends, touching each other, holding hands, simply living in the moment knowing well that going home he will probably sneak into Izzy’s room, pressing a kiss to her forehead before joining you in bed, falling asleep with his arms curled around your figure.

It’s no surprise when Niall invited Heather over his place for another drink at the end of the night and you can barely hold your smirk back when she refuses and his face completely falls, especially because he was so confident in himself, the evening went well and he was probably sure she would say yes. Instead, she grabs herself a taxi and heads home upon parting ways. Niall is shocked, but he is quick to ask for Heather’s number from you before you say goodbye and you happily give it to him.

On the way home you think about how weird it is that you are still basically working for him. It’s not that you mind being the one who is looking after Izzy, it doesn’t even feel like a job, she has grown so close to you. It’s about getting paid for it when you’re Harry’s girlfriend and even though you know how untraditional everything has been with the two of you, now might be the time to make a change.

Harry checks up on Izzy while you get ready to bed and he joins you under the covers soon. Your thoughts about your possible quitting keep racing in your head and you decide to bring it up, just to see how he sees the situation.

“H?” you softly ask while he is checking a few things on his phone, propped up against the headboard.

“Yeah?” he glances at you, letting you know he is listening.

“Don’t you think it’s weird I’m still working for you?”

He stops and locking his phone he puts it to the nightstand to fully focus on the conversation. He just stares at you for a few seconds before knitting his eyebrows together, that crease between them making an appearance and you fight the urge to smooth it out with your finger.

“You don’t like taking care of her anymore?” Your stomach drops at the way he interpreted your question, because it’s not at all the situation.

“Harry, I love taking care of her!” you smile at him softly and can see the relief in his eyes. “It’s just a little weird that you’re paying me to be with her. I would do it for free,” you explain, hoping he now gets the whole picture.

“Oh!”

“Are you… Are you planning for the long run? With us?”

“Of course,” he nods and now you’re the one relieved at how naturally the answer came to him.

“Then maybe we should look for a solution that doesn’t make me feel like I’m a kept house woman,” you chuckle softly and a small smile tugs on his lips as well.

“What were you thinking about?” Sighing you bite into your bottom lip, not sure what he’ll think about the idea that came to you.

“I’ve been getting a lot of requests for photoshoots. I thought that maybe I could take two more days out of the week to work on them and stay home with Izzy for the rest of them. We could look for a nanny for those days. They wouldn’t have to move in, because I would be home by three probably. I think… I think it could work pretty well.”

Harry takes a few moments to think it through and you know he has to be considerate, the only reason he was so quick to hire you was because Izzy already knew and loved you. Bringing a stranger into the picture is a big change and everyone has to be fine with it to make it work.

“Would that make you happy? Staying home for half of the week with Izzy? I wouldn’t want to ask you to sacrifice your time for her… for us, if it doesn’t benefit you.”

For a few moments you’re just processing his words, but then you finally understand what he meant by that. He is thinking you might take it as if he is using you to take care of his daughter and he doesn’t want you to take responsibility for her if it’s not what you really want. But you see being in Izzy’s life as a privilege, you haven’t truly processed it yourself, but you start to look at her as your own daughter. Having spent the majority of your days with her these past months, it was inevitable to grow so fond of her.

Scooting closer to him you cup his face in your hands as you smile down at him softly, his green irises filled with worry and doubts, probably thinking that he is doing something wrong again, but he is not. He needs to have more trust in himself.

“I would love it, Harry. I love spending time with her and… with you,” you admit and there’s one thing that you’re aching to add.

And I love you.

But you keep that one back, not sure if he is ready to hear it just yet. It’s still so early in your relationship, and it might feel like a bomb if you just dropped it on him. You need to be a little more patient before taking this next step.

Bringing his arms around you he pulls you to his chest, a deep but happy sigh leaving through his nose as he kisses into your hair. Nothing else is said, but no words are needed. It’s been settled that you both are planning for the long run together and you’ll start to alter your life to make it fit into the picture.

You don’t jump into it right away, but a few weeks after the discussion you had about hiring a new nanny, you take the first step. Ruth agrees to cover one day every week, Fridays, so you can have it off for your sessions. Summer brings a lot of events and occasions and your calendar has been getting busier as your circle of customers has been growing lately. Though Ruth is more than happy to spend some more time with Izzy, you all know she won’t be able to do it too long, you need to find someone at last by the end of the summer.

Harry would never admit, but he is very anxious about bringing a new person into Izzy’s life. He is not the toxic kind of parent who wouldn’t let anyone get near his daughter, but he surely is considerate about who he lets to take care of her and it’s understandable.

On an afternoon spent at the park you are chatting with Ava, Yara’s mom when she mentions a nanny agency they’ve tried out before and had a really good experience.

“They hire people with at least three years of experience and many of their nannies have a degree in some kind of field in connection with child care. We had a nice girl from Russia watch after Yara, she is a primary school teacher but she moved here with her boyfriend for a year. She was amazing, really. Yara loved her, Saige and I loved her, it was a good match.”

She gives you a phone number and later that day you look up the agency, presenting the idea to Harry, who seems interested, but a little hesitant.

“We could still have an interview with them, right? Or I would have to just choose someone from the website like from a catalogue?” he voices his concern as the two of you lie in bed with your laptop propped against your thighs.

“I’m sure we can have an interview,” you smile at him.

Harry just nods, ergo he doesn’t reject the idea, but you can tell he has quite a few doubts about it, but there’s not much you can do.

In the course of three weeks you and Harry have five interviews with nannies that the agency sent and at the end of the day, Harry finds something wrong with all of them, even though they are only minor things.

“You rule out people for the tiniest things, Harry,” you sigh after the fifth interview with a kind middle-aged woman, Kaitlyn. “Based on these interviews you wouldn’t have hired me back in the days,” you joke.

“You know it was different with you,” he points it out and you just nod. He has told you so many times how you were just the perfect fit which is very charming, but it doesn’t help the situation on hand right now.

That evening, when you’re lying in bed, reading, while Harry checks up on Izzy one last time, you see that something is on his chest when he walks in and as soon as he is under the covers next to you, but you don’t ask him, instead just wait for him to bring it up himself.

“Y/N, I’m sorry for being such a pain in the ass about the whole nanny thing,” he sighs tiredly. Closing your book you place it on the nightstand before turning to face him fully.

“You’re not a pain in the ass, just very careful and maybe a little picky,” you add with a soft chuckle.

“Do you think I should be the one staying home with her?”

“Most kids spend the majority of their days separated from their parents in daycare, kindergarten or preschool. It’s not a crime that you are not a stay at home dad, not many like to do that or even fit for that role,” you shrug and it’s your genuine opinion. Just because parents don’t devote one hundred percent of their life to their children, it doesn’t make them bad. Parents deserve to be selfish sometimes.

“I just… I can get so into my head about everything I do wrong,” he sighs, closing his eyes and he seem so tired all of a sudden, like he has been carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. Brushing his hair out of his forehead you kiss him gently before his eyes open again.

“You’re not doing anything wrong, Harry. Believe me, Izzy is having the best childhood she could ever wish for. She is secure, loved and taken care of. Everything is going well.” He doesn’t answer, just nods as his arms wrap around you, pulling you to his chest and you gladly snuggle into his embrace.

That evening it felt like Harry was shifting in the right direction, but you can never know what really goes on in someone’s head and you couldn’t see what was coming.

A few days later another candidate comes for an interview, you, Harry and the young girl called Rachel sit outside at the terrace as Harry goes through the same questions he asked every other applicant while Izzy is playing around the swing set.

Rachel just finished her bachelor’s and is now taking a gap year before moving back to her hometown to work at her father’s law firm. She grew up with three younger sisters and took care of them most of the time to help her parents out who worked a lot. She is nice, very well educated and it’s clear she is great with children. Yet again, when you glance at Harry you don’t see him as satisfied as you are and you already know he is going to find something against her.

“Alright, so what is it this time?” you sigh once Rachel is gone and you can finally talk openly about her.

“She basically doesn’t have any official knowledge about kids, she just grew up with kids, that doesn’t qualify her as a professional.”

“Raising children is the best knowledge you can get, Harry,” you argue, feeling a little impatient this time. Rachel is perfect for the job, but any other applicants would have been fine too. You’re running out of time and Ruth won’t be able to help much longer.

“I would just be a lot more comfortable if it was a professional staying home with my daughter,” he answers, marching into the kitchen and you follow him.

“There were plenty of professionals between the previous ones as well. You are ruling everyone out!”

“I’m not ruling them out, I’m just trying to make the best decision for my child!”

“By being absolutely insatiable?!”

“Why is it so bad that I want the best choice?” he growls throwing his hands into the air.

“It’s not, but the best choice is not always one without any flaws, Harry,” you point it out, hoping he gets what you’re talking about.

“But I want this to be flawless!” he snaps and you can see that he has lost his patience at this point, but so did you. “I’m not settling for less than what I want, Y/N!”

“So then what? You lied when we talked about all of this? Because without a replacement, I can’t start working more!”

“I didn’t fucking lie, I’m just asking for more time!”

“Well it seems like you just want to push me into changing my mind about switching jobs and eventually say that I’m staying home, taking the blame off of you!”

“I’m not pushing you into anything, Y/N. We still have time until the end of summer, I just want to find the perfect person, give me some time!”

“Harry, there won’t be a perfect person!” you raise your voice, done with running the same circles at this point. “Any of the previous applicants would have taken good care of Izzy, why are you ignoring it?!”

“Stop telling me what to do when it comes to Izzy!” he then snaps, his voice beaming through the room, taking you by surprise. But what he says after this is what really hits you hard in the chest. “She is my daughter, not yours!”

Part of you knows he didn’t mean it the way it came out. Like you had absolutely no relations to Izzy, like you weren’t partially raising her way before you got together with Harry. You can see that it just slipped out in the heat of the moment, but your anger is making you selfish and not care about that anymore. His words hurt and you’ve stopped making excuses for him.

“Yeah, you’re right. Why am I still even here?” you calmly ask before simply turning around and heading out.

The calm but warning tone snaps him out and he is quick to realize he has crossed a line. He launches after you and almost catches you in the hallway when Izzy runs inside, calling out for him.

“Daddy! Daddy!”

Harry stops and turns around to see if she is alright and it gives you just enough time to escape. You rush out of the house and throw yourself into your car, igniting it and driving away as Harry shows up at the front door, calling after you, but you ignore it, making your way to your mom’s. You need a familiar place to calm yourself down at.

Harry tries to call you several times, and though the first few times it rings out, you send his calls to voicemail almost immediately after a while.

“Damn it,” he growls after another failed attempt to reach you. It’s been almost an hour since you stormed out and he is losing his mind, not knowing where you are, especially after what he said.

He regretted it the moment the words fell from his lips, but he knew it was too late. He let his anger bring the worst out of him and it all crashed down on you when you didn’t deserve any of it. Harry knows you’re right, he’s been trying to find something bad about every applicant because… part of him thinks that he is a bad father for not being the one taking care of Izzy all the time. If it wasn’t enough already, he’s been feeling like a failure for years… ever since he lost his wife because he wasn’t ready to commit more time for his family. He’s been dealing with the thought of being the worst father for so long, sometimes he convinces himself it’s the truth.

If I was ready for another baby, Maggie wouldn’t have had to die. If I put my family first, she would still be alive, he tells himself often when he is feeling the darkness clouding over his mind. Little does he know that it’s all just in his head. It doesn’t make him a bad father that he wanted to wait a little longer before having another baby. He never put his work above his family, he was always there when he was needed and made sure his loved ones are safe and taken care of. Never in his life did he ever put his work before Izzy or Maggie or anyone in his life he cared about.

But sometimes, your mind can play dirty tricks on you. And Harry fell for them.

As time is passing by he is growing more and more anxious when he doesn’t hear from you. No calls, no texts, he has no idea where you went or when you’re coming back. Sitting on the edge of the bed he stares out the window blankly before his eyes wander to the side where you usually sleep and it hits him hard when he realizes how eerily similar the situation is.

Following a fight his lover runs away, doesn’t answer his calls and he can’t get a hold of her. It’s like history is repeating itself all over again and as realization creeps up his spine, his throat tightens and he gasps, tears flooding into his eyes. With shaky hands he grabs his phone and dials Niall’s number, hoping he is not out somewhere at a bar, ignoring his phone.

“What’s up?” he answers the phone delightfully.

“Call Heather now and ask if she knows Y/N’s mom’s address,” he snaps immediately frantically.

“Woah, what happened?”

“Niall! Just do what I asked!” he barks and ends the call, giving his friend the chance to obey. Luckily, Niall feels the seriousness of the situation and does as Harry asked. A few minutes later a text arrives to Harry’s phone with the address.

Putting Izzy into the car he speeds down the streets to Gemma’s house who is shocked to see her brother in this state, but she doesn’t have the chance to ask anything as Harry drops Izzy off and asks her to watch her for the night.

“Okay, yeah, but—“

“Not now, Gemma!” he calls back, already running back to his car, heading to your mother’s house where you sought comfort following the fight.

“Not that I don’t like having you here, but you really should go home and talk it out.” Trevor joins you outside where you’ve been sitting on the steps of the terrace, staring out into the darkening sky. It’s been a few hours since you basically ran away from home and Harry has been blowing your phone up so you put it into airplane mode, sending all his calls to voicemail until you feel like dealing with him.

Trevor sits beside you, his long legs coming up closer to his chest as he sits the same way as you, his arms hug his knees.

“I know, I just… I’m a little tired,” you mumble.

“You don’t have to discuss it, but Harry would want you home for the night, don’t you think?”

“Yeah,” you nod breathing out. “Do you think I overreacted?” you ask him, feeling unsure about the way you acted. Was it too much? Did you have the right to do it? You’re not so sure about it anymore.

“Well, he didn’t lie about Izzy not being your daughter,” Trevor huffs. “Though he could have handled the situation better. I get it that he just wants what’s best for her, but you were right too.”

Sitting in silence Trevor doesn’t try to convince you to apologize or keep holding a grudge. He just lets you figure it out all by yourself.

Not long later you go back inside and grabbing your phone from the dining table you decide to turn it back on, missed calls and texts flooding the device, but for your biggest surprise, not just from Harry.

Heather: Niall just called me to get your mom’s address urgently, everything alright?!

“Oh shit,” you gasp, typing a quick reply to assure her that you’re fine and then you open Harry’s text seeing how frantic he grew over time and you realize what it must feel like to him. The situation is way too similar to the way he lost Maggie and though you didn’t mean to hurt him by putting him through it again, it’s already too late.

Just as you are about to call him to let him know you’re fine a car pulls up on the drive way and you know it’s him. You rush out the front door the moment he jumps out of the car, eyes wide, chest heaving as he finally lays his eyes on you.

“Oh my God!” he breaks down in tears as you smash against him, wrapping him in your arms, he does the same, his strong arms circling around your waist tightly as he sobs into your chest painfully.

“I’m fine, everything is alright. I’m fine. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry for running away like that,” you mumble, kissing the side of his head, holding him for dear life.

“I was so scared it happened again!” he whimpers, his whole body shaking. You slowly start pulling him until you reach the little front porch where there is a small bench kept next to the front door. You sit and pull him with yourself, he doesn’t even loosens his hold around you, as if you would turn to dust if he lets go of you.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t think it through,” you hum, fingers combing through his hair as you try to calm him down. He is still shaking, but his sobs are starting to die down finally, his hands still fisting your shirt at your waist.

“No, I’m sorry for being such a dick. I didn’t mean it. You are doing so much for Izzy and I, I don’t know what I would do without you!” he whimpers and when he finally lifts his head up, your heart breaks at the painful look in his eyes. “I’m so sorry, Y/N. You were right about everything! Please forgive me!”

“Oh Harry,” you breathe out, the tears already welling in your eyes as you brush his messy curls out of his forehead.

“I’m so sorry, baby. I didn’t mean to hurt you, what I said was bullshit! Please forgive me, I can’t… I don’t want to lose you, Y/N,” he stutters with one breath and then he adds: “I love you.”

Your lips part as you stare back at him in total awe at his sudden confession. Though it’s been an emotional ride, you weren’t expecting him to drop this bomb on you. A smile cracks on lips as you cup his face in your hands, feeling a hot tear rolling down your cheek.

“I love you too, Harry,” you answer, both of you letting out a relieved chuckle as he finally presses his lips to yours. His kiss tastes salty from both your tears, it’s needy and a little uncoordinated, but it means the world to you at this moment.

Sitting on the little bench you finally talk everything out once you both calm down enough to speak. Harry admits that he’s been so picky about the nannies because he is still struggling to be the best father he can and is reminded of being alone in this every time he faces a struggle. It constantly reminds him that he is supposed to have his partner with him, solving everything together, but now he is on his own and has to provide the best possible life for Izzy.

“Harry… you’re not alone,” you breathe out, heart aching for the man you love with everything in you. “And I’m not only talking about myself. Your mom, Gemma, Niall, even Saige, Ava and Linda are always happy to help you out with everything. If Maggie was still here, it wouldn’t be just the two of you. Raising a child needs a whole village,” you chuckle softly. “But if you want a partner in it… I’m here. And I really mean it. I see a future with you, I want to be part of your family, of course, only if you let me.” Reaching over your hand finds his on his lap and you squeeze it gently as he looks at you, his expression still a little torn, but it’s not as painful as it was when he arrived.

“I would love to have you be part of my family, Y/N.”

It’s like a rock is lifted off your chest upon hearing his reassuring words. This is all you ever wanted, have a partner in life who is willing to build a future together with you and Harry is offering you just that.

You stay on that old little bench for so long, you don’t even realize how late it has gotten, only when your mom shows up at the door, wearing her nightgown and a fluffy robe.

“Don’t want to bother, but do you want to spend the night? Just asking if I should get you some extra pillows and blankets…”

“Oh! Um, no. We are going home, but thank you mom,” you smile tiredly, noticing it’s nearing midnight now.

Harry stands from next to you and as he steps to your mother you realize they haven’t even met. Harry stands tall in front of your mom, but you notice the nervous flash in his eyes.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t even have the time to introduce myself,” he mumbles with a nervous chuckle. Your mom blushes, most likely finding your boyfriend quite handsome though you already showed pictures of him to her. “I’m Harry,” he says, holding out a hand.

“Oh, no worries! I’m Tina!” she smiles charmingly as they shake hands.

“Nice to meet you, Tina.”

“I know we should have probably had a better introduction, but we’ll come around some other time under better circumstances,” you chuckle softly as you stand up from the bench too.

You say goodbye to Trevor and your mom and finally head home. Harry tries to convince you to ride back in his car, but you don’t want to leave yours here, so you tell him it’s going to be fine. Both of you arrive in one piece and you only realize that Izzy is nowhere to be found when you walk into the house.

“Dropped her off at Gemma’s. I’ll have to explain a lot of things to my sister tomorrow, but it can wait,” he chuckles softly before his hands reach out to you, grabbing your waist gently as he pulls you closer to him. “I’m so sorry for tonight, Y/N.”

“Hey, we agreed that no more apologizing,” you remind him of the deal you made earlier. “It’s all in the past.”

Harry nods, huffing through his nose before leaning down he kisses you softly, as if you were some kind of fragile artwork that needs to be handled with so much care.

“I love you,” he whispers against your lips, his eyes barely open under his thick lashes.

“I love you too,” you smile back, your hands coming to rest at the base of his neck.

“I will never get tired of hearing that,” he chuckles lowly, making you laugh too.

“Good, because I’ll be saying it a lot.”

“Perfect.”

“Stop picking on your lip!” you warn Harry when you catch him fidgeting with his bottom lip. He wouldn’t admit, but he is surely nervous as the two of you are waiting for Izzy to join you downstairs. She just got home from the zoo with Gemma, they had an amazing day together, but it had a purpose. You needed her to be looked after while you went to the doctor. It was your first ultrasound since the time you went to see if you’re really pregnant or the tests just fooled you, but it was one hundred percent legit. You were indeed pregnant.

You and Harry got married a few weeks before Izzy turned six. She was the cutest little flower girl in the small ceremony held at the backyard of your own home. Both of you agreed that you don’t want anything big and flashy, just an intimate little wedding with your close family and friends. It’s been two months of being husband and wife and it’s almost completely sure the little baby growing now in your tummy was conceived on your wedding night…

You’ve been keeping it a secret, wanting to tell Izzy first before sharing the news with your friends and family.

“Do you want to talk first or do I do it?” Harry asks in a whisper, as if Izzy could hear anything from upstairs.

“I have a feeling you wouldn’t be able to get a word out so I’ll take the lead, if you don’t mind,” you chuckle softly and Harry doesn’t argue.

He has been such a nerve wreck thinking about telling Izzy that she is going to be a big sister. These past years she has dealt so well with processing everything about the situation with her mom, you and the idea of her dad having a new wife. You felt like she was a little confused at the beginning, but once you had an actual, mature talk with her, answered all her questions, you could see things shift to place in that cute little head of hers. Now she knows what it means that her mom passed and how you came into the picture. This is why you have no doubt she’ll take the news well, but Harry is still afraid she might flip.

Little feet tap against the floor somewhere upstairs and then Izzy runs down the stairs, joining you at the dining table.

“What’s the surprise?” she asks in excitement. You told her you have a surprise for her when she arrived and now she is pumped for whatever is coming.

“Izzy, you know how Zac has a little brother, right?” you ask, smoothly starting the discussion.

“Yes! His name is Jeremy!”

“Yeah. So Jeremy is a little younger than Zac, they are siblings. Zac’s parents wanted to have more than just one kids and so they decided to have Jeremy.”

“Mrs. Rumbald had him in her belly!” she explains cleverly. The topic of babies has already came up earlier, so now she has an idea of what really happens when a couple decides to have a baby.

“Exactly,” you nod smiling. “You know how your daddy and I are now married, right? We talked about what it meant.” Izzy nods, glancing at her father who is sitting beside you, sweating his balls off even though it’s going smoothly. “Married couples often decide to have babies. This is what your dad and I did too and now there is a baby in my belly too. That means that you’re going to have a little brother or sister soon.”

Izzy blinks a few times, processing your words before her face lights up with excitement as she gasps.

“Can I play with her?” she asks, making you and Harry laugh.

“Might be a boy, baby,” Harry chimes in.

“Okay, then can I play with him or her?” she corrects herself.

“Well, you have to be careful with newborn babies, but I’m sure she or he will love to play with you!”

“What’s it gonna be called?” she asks her next question.

“We don’t know that yet. But you can suggest names if you want to,” Harry offers.

“Can it be Elsa if it’s a girl?” she immediately suggests and you smile at her first thought. Of course she says Elsa, she is going through her mandatory Frozen obsession like every other kid at her age.

“We’ll put it on the list,” you tell her. “Do you want to see a picture of the baby?”

“You can take pictures of the inside of your belly?” she asks with a confused look.

“Well, not with a camera like the ones I use,” you explain as you place the black and white, messy picture of the tiny baby in front of her. She grabs it and starts inspecting it as if it was some kind of puzzle and you can tell she is having a hard time making out where the actual baby is. “That’s right there. It’s still tiny and has to grow a lot,” you tell her, pointing at the right splotch in the picture.

“Can I keep this picture?” she asks smiling up at you sweetly. “I want to put it to my wall!”

A while ago Harry has gotten her a huge frame right above her bed that has wires running across it with tiny clips attached. You’ve gifted her her favorite polaroids from your stack you’ve collected through the years, most of them featuring the three of you. It’s touching to know that she wants her little sibling there already.

“Of course!” you breathe out, touched by the idea.

You follow her up into her room and while she stands on the bed, you put the sonogram next to a photo that was taken of her and Harry on her sixth birthday.

“Can I tell my friends at school that I’m going to have a brother or sister?” she asks, still standing on the bed so now she is almost as tall as you are.

“Um…” glancing over at the door your eyes meet Harry’s who just shrugs, letting you know it’s up to you. “I guess you can, yes.”

“Thank you!” she beams, throwing her little arms around your neck as she hugs you tight and you return it gladly. “Can I watch some TV, please?” she asks with an angelic look she knows you can never resist.

“Yeah, but only for an hour,” you tell her as she jumps in victory before climbing off the bed. Running to the door she gives Harry a hug before disappearing down the hallway. Harry walks in, a proud and soft smile tugging on his lips as he steps to you, his hands finding your waist. He pulls you against his hard chest, pressing a chaste kiss to your forehead.

“This went well, right?” he asks.

“Yeah, you were such a big help, sitting there in silence,” you chuckle teasing him.

“But you handled it so good, baby. I didn’t want to interrupt,” he smirks and you just roll your eyes at him before circling your arms around his neck.

“Uh-huh, sure,” you smirk. “So… are you ready to be a daddy again?” you ask him with a shy smile.

“Technically, I never stopped being a daddy,” he points out. “The real question is, are you ready to become a mommy?” he asks turning it back to you.

“I’m… a little nervous, but very excited. I think I’m ready,” you nod smiling.

“Don’t worry, it’s gonna be alright,” he hums, kissing into your hair.

“Wow, when did you become the emotional support in this relationship?” you tease him and he just rolls his eyes.

“Learned from the best,” he nudges his nose against yours before kissing you softly. “I love you.”

“Love you too,” you smile against his lips, thinking about how long the two of you have become since you first met and you are happy you got to be the person who taught Harry how to love and be loved again.

Thank you for reading, please like and reblog if you enjoyed it!

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simpfornatasharomanoff · 3 years

Text

Tony’s Intern Part Two

A/N: Day six and the final day of my 500 follower celebration! Part two of Tony’s Intern! I feel like this could have a part three? Let me know if that’s something yall want! As of this current moment, I am now on a week vacation! Posting will be limited if I post at all! Again, as I’ve been celebrating 500 followers, I hit 800 followers! Thank you all so much! THIS WASN’T EDITED/LOOKED OVER SO I APOLOGIZE IN ADVANCE FOR ANY MISTAKES!!!

Here’s a link to my Masterlist!

Warnings: Cursing, violence (Let me know if I need to add any!!!)

Word Count: 5,419

Pairing: Natasha Romanoff x Reader

Summary: Natasha teaches you to fight, and you continue your internship with Tony.

Part One

You texted Natasha after your class ended, asking her to pick you up. Natasha was at your campus in an instant. Now Natasha is pulling into the garage under the Avengers Tower. You get off of the motorcycle and pull the helmet off of your head. Natasha gets off of the motorcycle and stuffs the keys in her pocket. You set the helmet on top of the motorcycle.

“I am never getting used to that,” You say, tugging on the strap of your backpack.

“You will,” Natasha says. “It’s also better in the summer when it’s not freezing outside.”

“I bet!” You say, running your hands up and down your arms, pressing your coat tighter against your arms.

You and Natasha step into the elevator and Natasha hits the button for Tony’s lab.

“Maybe I’ll teach you how to drive it one day,” Natasha says.

“Oh no,” You say with a shake of your head. “No way.”

“We’ll see,” Natasha says with a smirk.

The elevator doors slide open.

“I’ll be back in a few hours to pick you up for training,” Natasah says.

“Okay, I’ll see you later,” You say with a smile.

You step into Tony’s lab. You slide your backpack off of your shoulders and set it on the table nearby, doing the same with your coat.

“Good, you’re here!” Tony says, stepping into view. “Let’s get started!”

---

“Tony, I’m telling you, plug it in there!” You say, pointing to a spot on his Ironman suit.

“If I plug it in there, we’ll get shocked!” Tony says.

“No! If you plug it in there,” You point to where Tony wants to plug the wire in. “Then we’ll get shocked!”

“I’m plugging it in here,” Tony says, referring to the spot he wants to plug the wire in.

“Fine, but you can’t complain when we both get shocked,” You say.

Tony rolls his eyes. “Ready?”

“To get shocked? Yes,” You say.

“Okay, attach in one… two… three!”

You plug your end of the wire into the generator and Tony plugs his into the Ironman suit. You both get shocked.

“Fuck!” You curse, immediately unplugging your end of the wire.

“Damnit!” Tony says, unplugging his end of the wire.

“I told you!” You say, rubbing it in Tony’s face.

“That was shocking to watch.”

You and Tony look towards the elevator, seeing Natasha leaning against one of the tables.

“Very funny, Natasha,” Tony says. “Okay, let's try again, and I’ll plug it in the other side this time.”

“Good!” You say.

“Three… two… one!” Tony says.

You plug your end of the wire back into the generator and Tony plugs his into the correct side of the Ironman suit.

You watch as the Ironman suit powers up.

“See!” You say. “I was right!”

“Yeah yeah,” Tony says. “I can finish up here, go ahead with Natasha.”

“Are you sure?” You ask.

“Yeah,” Tony says.

“Okay!” You grab your backpack and fling it over your shoulders. You grab your coat and throw it over your shoulder.

“Ready?” Natasha asks.

You nod, “Yes!”

You and Natasha step into the elevator.

“So, I’m just going to teach you some basics,” Natasha says. “How to throw a punch, how to dodge a punch, that kind of stuff.”

“I really appreciate it,” You say. “It’ll definitely be a helpful skill to have.”

The elevator doors slide open and you follow Natasha out of the elevator as she leads you down a hallway.

“Of course,” Natasha says with a smile. “Anything to help!” Natasha pushes a door open and the two of you step into a training room.

Natasha turns to look at you. “You’re going to have to change,” Natasha says.

You look down at yourself. You’re wearing a red flannel that’s tucked into your jeans and a pair of black winter boots.

“Yeah, I guess it’ll be a little hard to fight in this,” You say, looking back up.

You move to the side of the room and set your backpack down on the floor. You drop your coat over your backpack. You unbutton your flannel and shrug it off of your shoulders, leaving you in your white undershirt that’s also tucked into your jeans. You untie the laces on your boots and slip out of your boots, leaving you in your socks.

You turn back to Natasha. “This is a little better, right?”

Natasha snaps out of her daze and moves her eyes back to your face. “Uh, yeah. The jeans still aren’t the best, but your t-shirt won’t restrict you like your flannel would, so that’s better.”

You take your lanyard off, laying on top of your small pile of items.

Natasha steps onto a mat that’s set up in the middle of the room. “Come on,” Natasha says. “Let’s get started.”

You step onto the mat, standing opposite of Natasha.

“Okay, so hold your hands like this,” Natasha says, demonstrating how to hold your hands.

You copy Natasha, putting your hands up in front of your face.

“Good,” Natasha says. “Now, when you throw a punch, you’re going to put your entire body into it,” Natasha says, slowly demonstrating a punch. She moves back to her normal position after demonstrating. “Go ahead, let’s see yours.”

You throw a punch - you extend your arm forward fast.

“No, no, no!” Natasha says. “You want to hit hard, so you have to plant your feet and use your upper body to put some force behind it.”

You nod and move to try again. You throw a punch.

“Here,” Natasha moves to stand behind you. She sets her left hand on your waist and her right hand your right arm.

You feel your heart stop at her touch.

“You’re going to twist your waist a little bit as you throw the punch, it’ll add some force to the punch,” Natasha says, using her left hand to turn your waist a little and using her right hand to move your arm forward.

You move your left foot forward as Natasha does this.

“That was almost perfect,” Natasha says, turning your waist back into place and pulling your arm back. “I’m going to do that again, but this time, keep your feet still.”

“Okay,” You nod.

Natasha turns your waist and moves your arm forward. This time, you keep your feet in place.

“Good,” Natasha says, taking a step back and moving back in front of you. “Now, try by yourself.”

You turn your waist a little and throw your arm forward.

“Hell yeah!” Natasha says. “That’s how it's done!”

You smile at Natasha’s praise. “Thanks,” You say shyly.

“Now come on, show me some more!”

---

“That’s all for today,” Natasha says, tossing you a bottle of water.

You sloppily catch the water, almost dropping it in the process. You unscrew the lid and start chugging the water.

“Slow down there, geek,” Natasha says.

You immediately pull the bottle from your lips and screw the lid back onto the bottle. “Sorry,” You apologize for the sloppiness. “I’m just really thirsty.”

“You have nothing to apologize for,” Natasha says, taking a sip from her own water bottle. “You just don’t want to drink your water too fast.”

You nod. “Yeah, I don’t want to get a stomachache,” You say.

“Exactly,” Natasha says.

You open your backpack and slide the water bottle into it. You zip your backpack up. You slide your boots back onto your feet, lacing them up tightly.

“Would you like me to drive you home?” Natasha asks.

You pull your flannel onto your shoulders. You turn to face Natasha as your fingers start working on the buttons. “Uh, no,” You say politely. “I should be fine walking. My apartment is a lot closer than my college campus.”

“I mean, I wasn’t really asking,” Natasha says.

You finish buttoning your flannel and lean down to grab your backpack and your coat. You pull your backpack over one of your shoulders and toss your coat over your other shoulder. You smile at Natasha. “Well, then I guess sure, I’d love for you to take me home.” And you really do. You love spending time with Natasha, even when you’re freezing on the back of her motorcycle.

“Alright, come on, geek,” Natasha says. “Let’s get you home.”

---

You step off of Natasha’s motorcycle, pulling your coat tighter around yourself. You pull the helmet off of your head and hold it in your hands.

“Thank you for the ride,” You say with a smile.

“Anytime,” Natasha says. “Do you need a ride to the tower tomorrow?” Natasha asks.

“I actually already told Tony,” You say, tapping your fingers against the helmet. “I can’t make it tomorrow.”

Natasha frowns. “Oh, why not?”

“I have a study group,” You say. “I have a midterm coming up so I’m meeting up with a few classmates so we can study.”

“What class is the midterm for?” Natasha asks curiously.

“Oh, it’s for one of my engineering classes,” You say.

“Have I told you how much of a geek you are?” Natasha asks with a smirk.

“I think you’ve mentioned it once or twice,” You say, mimicking her smirk.

“Well, I think I’ll keep reminding you just in case you forget.”

You playfully shove Natasha’s shoulder. “Well, get home safe, okay?” You ask, placing the helmet onto Natasha’s head, just like the previous night before.

“I will,” Natasha says.

“Good, I’ll see you in two days,” You say, turning to walk into your apartment building.

---

You’re sitting inside your college’s library with a small clutter of your classmates. You’re sitting at a table next to the window, which you’re starting to regret because you feel cold.

“Y/N? What do you think?” One of your classmates asks.

You shake your head, ridding your daze. “Sorry, what?”

“For question twenty-three,” Your classmate says.

You look down at your papers in front of you. You glance at question twenty-three, quickly reading it. You click the top of your pen that’s resting in your hand and quickly do some math on your open notebook. “Five…. Eighteen… no…. Power would surge through there…. And then come out there…. At a voltage of…. Shit no... “ You mutter to yourself as you try to solve the problem.

You classmates watch as you work to figure out the problem. They were all fascinated in how you solved your work but also how smart you are.

“The answer is D!” You say, finishing the problem and circling D on your study guide.

“Can you show us how you got that?” One of your classmates asks.

“Sure!”

You quickly explain how you got the answer to the question.

“Oh! That makes sense!” One of your classmates says.

“Oh! I did it completely wrong!” Another classmate says.

“Let’s move to the next one!” Another classmate says.

You zone out again, staring down at your papers. You feel your phone vibrate in your pocket.

You sit up a bit and grab your phone from your back pocket. You see you have a text notification. You unlock your phone and open your messaging app.

Natasha: You look bored, geek

You look up from your phone and look around the library.

Natasha: I’m not in there

You look over your shoulder and look outside. You smirk when you see Natasha sitting on her motorcycle. You look back at your phone.

You: What are you doing here?

You wait for a text back impatiently.

Natasha: I figured you’d want a ride home after your study group is done. But I didn’t know when you’d be done.

You smile at Natasha’s reply.

You: That’s very nice of you. I am very bored, so I’ll be outside in a few minutes.

“Hey, I’m gonna pack up and head out,” You say, notifying your classmates.

“Awe come on!”

“We still have another hour!”

“I know, I know!” My boss just texted me, you say shaking your phone in your hand.

“Your boss is some hot chick on a motorcycle?” One of your classmates questions, pointing at Natasha outside.

“Yup!” You say, quickly stuffing all of your papers and your notebook into your backpack. “I’ll see you all tomorrow!”

You stand up and pull your coat onto your shoulders. You grab your backpack and pull that onto your shoulders before making a beeline to the library exit.

You quickly make it outside and head for Natasha.

“Hey, geek!” Natasha calls out to you as you approach.

“Hey,” You say, once you reach Natasha.

“How was your study group?” Natasha asks, going to take her helmet off.

You grab her hands gently with yours, stopping her from taking the helmet off. “My classmates are watching us right now, so it might be best to keep the helmet on,” You inform. “As to not cause a scene.”

“Right, don’t want people fangirling over me,” Natasha nods in agreement. “So, you didn’t answer my question.”

“Study group was fine,” You say. “I was mostly zoned out the entire time.”

“So, you didn’t really study?” Natasha asks.

“I don’t even really need to study,” You admit. “I was mostly there to help my classmates study.”

“So you were tutoring them?” Natasha asks.

“Yeah,” You say.

“Well hop on, geek,” Natasha says. “I’ll drive a little bit away and then I’ll pass the helmet off to you.”

You hop onto Natasha’s motorcycle and wrap your hands around her waist. “Sounds like a plan.”

---

Natasha stops in front of your apartment building. You hop off of her motorcycle and slip the helmet off of your head.

“Uhm,” You tap your fingers nervously against the helmet. “Do you… wanna come in?” You ask.

Natasha smirks at you. “Are you inviting me inside?”

“If you want to, yeah,” You say nervously. “To hang out.”

“Sure,” Natasha says. “Where can I park this?”

“Oh, there’s visitor parking right around the corner,” You say.

“I’ll be right back,” Natasha says, before zooming off.

A few moments later, Natasha is walking towards you, shoving her motorcycle keys into the pocket of her leather jacket. Natasha grabs her helmet from your hands and tucks it under her arm.

You lead Natasha into your apartment building. It isn’t the nicest apartment in the city, but you only make so much money.

“Unfortunately, the elevator doesn’t work,” You say, pointing to the elevator that’s got a piece of paper with ‘out of service’ tapped to it. “It’s been out since I started living here,” You say with a small chuckle. “I’m on the fifth floor,” You say, making your way to the stairwell.

“It must have been hell to get all your furniture up to the fifth floor without an elevator,” Natasha says, following you up the stairs.

“Well, I don’t actually have that much furniture, so it wasn’t too bad,” You say.

You reach the fifth floor and walk down the hallway to your apartment. You pull your key out of your backpack and unlock the door.

“After you,” You say, holding the door open for Natasha. Natasha walks into your apartment and you follow after her. You close and lock the door.

“Sorry, it’s a bit of a mess,” You say, suddenly embarrassed at the mess around your small apartment.

Natasha looks around your apartment. There’s papers littered over all surfaces of your apartment - the kitchen counter, your desk, your couch, your coffee table and there’s even some papers laid out on the floor. There’s sticky notes scattered all around too, most of them sticking to your walls.

“Don’t worry about it,” Natasha says, genuinely, setting her helmet down by the door.

You slide your backpack off of your shoulders and set it down on the floor next to your couch. You take your coat off and set it on the back of your couch. You start to shuffle the papers on your couch into a pile.

“You weren’t lying when you said you didn’t have a lot of furniture,” Natasha says.

You look up at Natasha. “Uh, yeah,” You say, setting the stack of papers onto the coffee table. “I don’t really need much.”

“Where’s your bed?” Natasha asks, looking around. She only sees one other door in the apartment and she sees that it’s the bathroom.

“Oh, right here,” You say, pointing to the couch. “Sometimes here,” You say, pointing to the floor.

“You sleep on your couch?” Natasha asks.

“Yeah,” You say with a nod. “It’s the life of a broke college student,” You say with a shrug of your shoulders.

“That seems uncomfortable,” Natasaha says, running her hand on the couch cushions, testing their softness. She sits down. “Yeah, this isn’t super comfortable.”

“It’s what I got,” You say, sitting down next to Natasha. “And it's better than being out on the streets.”

Natasha nods. “You have a lot of papers and sticky notes.”

You let out an embarrassed chuckle. “Uhm yeah. Most of them are just ideas I’ve come up with.”

“I think it’s cool,” Natasha says, standing and moving to your desk. “That you can come up with all these ideas for gadgets and build things,” Natasha says, picking up one of your pieces of papers. “This is a new design for Tony’s Ironman suit,” Natasha says, turning and holding the piece of paper up for you to see. You drew a very rough sketch of Tony’s Ironman suit and wrote down different ideas for it off to the side.

You stand up and walk over to Natasha. “Yeah,” You chuckle. “It’s dumb,” You say, reaching for the paper.

Natasha pulls her hand back. “I think it’s cool.” Natasha looks at the paper. “I think you might be smarter than Tony.”

“Thanks,” You say. “I mean, they’re just ideas anyway. They might not even work, I’ve done calculations on paper, but you never really know until it’s built and you test it.”

“Knowing you, I’m sure these would work,” Natasha says, looking up at you and smiling.

You feel your cheeks get warm and you’re sure they’re as red as a tomato. “Thanks.”

“So, what else does Y/N Y/L/N do for fun?” Natasha asks.

“Well,” You say, looking around your apartment. “Not much. Sometimes I watch movies.”

“So, do you wanna watch a movie?”

You smile at Natasha. “Sure. I don’t have television, so we’ll have to watch on my laptop,” You say, grabbing your laptop from your desk.

“That’s fine,” Natasha says.

You move to your couch and set your laptop on the coffee table. Natasha sits down next to you while you pull Netflix up on your computer.

“Your choice,” You say. “What do you want to watch?”

---

Natasha chose some sort of spy movie. At some point during the movie, you fell asleep. Your head fell against the back of the couch and your mouth hung open slightly. Your head ended up slipping from the back of the couch and it fell onto Natasha’s shoulder. Natasha hasn’t moved a muscle since the movie ended, and that was half an hour ago.

Actually needing to get back to the Avengers Tower, Natasha gently lifted your head off of her shoulder. She slowly stood up and lowered your head to the couch. She grabbed the blanket that is draped against the back of your couch and she places it over you.

Natasha takes one last glance at you before grabbing her helmet and leaving your apartment.

---

You blink your eyes open, your eyes meeting your ceiling. You rub your hands against your eyes, trying to rid the tiredness you feel. You pull the blanket back and sit up on the couch.

“Nat?” You call out, looking around your apartment.

You don’t see her. You look at your open laptop, seeing that the screen has now gone black. You grab your phone from the coffee table and see that you have a text notification. You open your messaging app.

Natasha: Hey! I had to get back to the tower, but I had fun hanging out with you and watching that movie (Even though you totally fell asleep during the beginning). Let’s plan to do it again!

You smile at the text and quickly send a reply.

You: I had fun hanging out with you too! Yes! We definitely need to do it again! I totally did not fall asleep during the beginning of the movie!! I at least made it halfway through!

You set your phone down on the coffee table and smile. But then your frown as realization hits you - you have a crush on Natasha Romanoff, aka, your boss’ coworker.

“Shit.”

---

A few days later you’re running through the Avengers Tower parking lot, quickly making it to the main entrance. You quickly scan your badge. You pull the door open and run into the tower.

Tony told you to take the entire day to train with Natasha today as Tony had to go on a mission. So, you run to the stairwell, having too much energy to take the elevator, and run down to the floor that the training room is on.

You burst into the training room, startling Natasha.

“Y/N, what’s going on?” Natasha asks, stepping back from the punching bag she was hitting and looks at you.

You run up to her and shove the paper you’re holding in her face. “I passed my midterm with an A!”

Natasha looks at your paper, seeing a big A written at the top. “Congratulations! I knew you could do it!”

You take the paper out of Natasha’s face. “Sorry,” You say, suddenly feeling embarrassed for getting all in Natasha’s space. “I just got excited!”

“No need to apologize, that’s something to be excited about!” Natasha says with a big smile.

“Thanks,” You say, moving to set your backpack on the side of the room. You open your backpack and shove your midterm in it. You slip your coat off and set it next to your backpack.

“I see you came dressed for training today,” Natasha says, looking at your outfit.

You look down at yourself. You’re dressed in a hoodie, sweatpants, and tennis shoes. “Yeah, well I didn’t have to work with Tony today, so I didn’t have to dress nicer,” You say.

“Well, let’s get started!” Natasha says. “We’ll be sparring at the end of training today, so get ready!”

---

Your back slams against the mat, knocking the wind out of you. You gasp, trying to get air into your lungs.

Natasha gets on top of you and pins your arms to the ground. She looks down at you. She smirks at you. “Come on, again,” Natasha says, climbing off of you. She holds her hand out for you and you grab it. She pulls you to your feet.

“Again?” You ask. “You’ve already pinned my ass four times!”

“And I’m going to keep doing it until you can pin me!” Natasha says.

You sigh. “Okay, okay.” You pull your hoodie off, leaving you in a tank top. You use your hoodie to wipe the sweat that’s drenching your forehead. You toss your hoodie over to your other items.

“Ready?” Natasha asks, taking her stance.

You mimic her pose, “Yeah.”

Natasha immediately throws a punch at you. You duck down and kick your foot out, sweeping at her legs. Natasha jumps over your leg, kicking one of hers up, hitting you in your face as you're still ducked down. You fall onto your back and quickly roll to the side as Natasha starts to bring her foot down. You quickly get back to your feet, feeling blood trickle out of your nose.

You throw a punch forward and Natasha steps to the side, easily dodging your punch. Natasha grabs your extended arm and pulls you forward. She grabs you from behind and holds you in a headlock.

Natasha knees the back of your knee and as you fall to the mat, she releases you from the headlock. She quickly pins you to the mat.

You groan. “I’m never gonna get this!”

Natasha holds her hand out for you. “You will. You got this!”

You grab Natasha’s hand and she pulls you to your feet. You groan, feeling a bit of pain in your back that you’re sure you’ll feel a lot more tomorrow.

Natasha takes her place across from you. “Remember, you have to think ahead,” Natasha reminds you.

You nod, wiping the blood from under your nose with the back of your hand. “Right.”

Natasha pulls her hands up in front of her face and you do the same.

You throw a punch at Natasha and she catches your fist. You spin, turning yourself around. You thrust your elbow back and elbow Natasha in the face. You spin back around, pulling your fist from Natasha’s grip.

Natasha throws a punch at you and you barely dodge, feeling her fist whiz past your face. You grab her arm as she starts to retract it and pull her closer to you. You bring your other fist and throw it at her face, but before your fist can connect with her face, her knee connects with your abdomen. You gasp and the hard impact. That distracts you enough for Natasha to tackle you to the mat, pinning you yet again.

Natasha’s face is close to yours, you can feel her heavy breath on your face. You look into her emerald eyes.

“It’s like you enjoy me pinning you down,” Natasha whispers with a teasing smirk.

“I… I mean I don’t mind it,” You whisper. You regret it as soon as you say it.

You watch as Natasha’s eyes flicker to your lips before moving back to your eyes. “Yeah?”

You swallow. “I-” You pause, letting your eyes fall to Natasha’s lips.

Natasha slowly moves closer, starting to close the gap between the two of you.

The door to the training room bursts open and Natasha immediately pulls away, and jumps off of you.

“Y/N? You’re Y/N, right?”

You look to the side, seeing Captain America. He’s pointing at you.

“Yeah,” You say, still laying on the mat.

“Tony told me to get you, he said it’s important!”

“What happened?” You ask.

“I don’t know!” Steve says. “Something with his suit!”

You quickly get to your feet.

“Is Tony okay?” Natasha asks.

“Yeah, I think so,” Steve breathes out. You quickly grab all of your belongings. You pull your hoodie on, slip your backpack over your shoulders and throw your coat over your shoulder.

You quickly follow Steve, Natasha following close behind you. Steve runs down the stairs, leading you to Tony’s lab.

You run into Tony’s lab. You immediately drop all of your shit to the floor when you see Tony still in his Ironman suit including the helmet sitting down in the corner of the lab. You run over to Tony and kneel down next to him.

“Tony? Can you hear me?” You ask.

You don’t get a response.

You raise your fist to knock on his helmet.

“Wait, don’t to-”

Your fist connects with Tony’s helmet and a shock immediately runs through your body. “Shit!” You curse, immediately pulling your fist back.

“Are you okay?” Natasha asks from behind you. “Yeah, I’m fine,” You say, brushing off the pain you feel from the shock.

“Anytime someone touches him, they get shocked,” Steve informs.

“I see that,” You say.

“Sorry, kid,” Tony says. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” You say. “What happened?”

“I was hit with some sort of laser,” Tony says.

You think for a minute. The shock. The laser. It doesn’t take you long to think of what the problem is.

“There’s too much power running through your suit,” You say.

“Can you get rid of it?” Steve asks.

You stand up and look around Tony’s lab. You see the wire and the generator you and Tony used to power his suit.

You quickly move to your backpack, pulling out your notebook, a pen, and one of your engineering textbooks. You set the notebook and the textbook down. You open the notebook to a blank page and open your textbook, flipping through some of the pages quickly.

You write quickly in your notebook, so quickly that it’s almost illegible even to you.

Natasha watches you carefully. Loving the way your tongue sticks out of your mouth as you think.

“One hundred… The voltage… That might… No.” You look at your textbook, flipping a few pages before returning to your notebook. “Power would go from there to… there? No. There.” You quickly solve an equation and look at it. You sigh, looking down at your notebook. Whoever helps Tony is going to get a wicked shock that could cause injuries. But it has to be done.

“So, can you do it?” Steve asks.

“I think so,” You say, dropping your pen onto your notebook. “It might cause a power outage.”

“That’s not too bad,” Natasha says.

“A power outage in the entire city.”

“That’s bad,” Natasha corrects herself.

“The power wouldn’t be out for too long. Maybe ten minutes max.”

“I say we do it,” Steve says.

“I agree,” Tony says. “I want to get out of my suit.”

“Okay,” You say nervously.

You run your hands down your face.

“Hey, you got this,” Natasha says, placing a comforting hand on your shoulder.

“I hope so,” You say. “Because if I miscalculated even the littlest thing,” You pause. “A lot could go wrong. Things that are worse than a power outage.” “Everything is going to go according to plan,” Natasha says.

“Right,” You say, taking a deep breath. “You guys might want to stand back. Just in case,” You say to Natasha and Steve.

Natasha and Steve move to the other side of Tony’s lab, still being able to see what’s happening.

You grab the wire and plug one end into the generator and drop the other side by Tony. “What’s your laptop password?” You ask, moving to Tony’s laptop.

“I am Ironman one two three,” Tony says.

You laugh as you type the password. You open a few programs and type some code into them.

“Okay, you ready?” You ask, kneeling down next to Tony.

“As ready as I can be,” Tony says.

You pick up the end of the wire you dropped next to Tony. You hold the wire tightly in your hand. You take a deep breath and plug the wire into Tony’s suit.

The lights quickly flicker before shutting off completely. You feel the gnarly shock on your hand and feel as it surges up your arm. “Fuck!” You curse.

A surge of energy throws you away from Tony and into one of the nearby tables. Your back slams against the table and the table flips over. You lay on your back, looking up at the ceiling. You take a deep breath.

The lights quickly flicker back on.

“Y/N?” Natasha calls, running over towards Tony.

“Over here,” You groan, sitting up.

Natasha turns around. “Are you okay?” Natasha asks, kneeling down next to you.

“I think s-”

“Holy shit, your hand,” Natasha says, gently grabbing your hand.

With all the adrenaline pumping through your body, you didn’t feel the pain of the decent sized burn on your hand.

“Oh,” You say, slightly starting to feel the pain. “Thanks, kid,” Tony says, standing next to you. “I’m glad to be out of that suit, and it’s all thanks to you.”

Natasha helps you to your feet. “You’re lucky you have a smart intern,” Natasha says, lightly hitting you on your head.

“That I am,” Tony says with a smile. “And that’s why she’s my favorite!”

“And your only intern,” You say.

“Exactly!” Tony says.

“Well, I’m going to get Y/N home,” Natasha says.

“Yes, please do!” Tony says.

“Come on,” Natasha says, helping you gather your belongings.

---

You hop off of Natasha’s motorcycle. You slide the helmet off of your head.

“Make sure you keep an eye on that,” Natasha says, pointing to your burn.

“I will,” You say, really feeling the pain of the burn now.

“Text me if you need anything,” Natasha says.

“I will,” You say with a small smile.

“Good,” Natasha says, returning your smile.

You let your eyes fall to Natasha’s lips and you quickly return them to her eyes.

Natasha is smirking at you knowingly. She leans over and kisses you softly. After a few seconds, Natasha pulls back and smiles at you.

You smile back at Natasha. “I’ve been wanting to do that for… a while,” You say with a nervous chuckle.

“Me too,” Natash admits.

“Well, I’ll see you tomorrow?” You ask, sliding the helmet over Natasha’s head.

“Not if I see you first!” Natasha says before zooming off.

You watch her ride off until she disappears. You turn around and walk into your apartment building with a smile on your face.

---

“Can’t you just tell me?” Natasha asks.

“No! You’ll see! Just a few more steps!” You say.

You’re currently leading a blindfolded Natasha into the Avengers Tower garage.

“Okay, aaaaand stop!” You say.

Natasha stops and you let go of your girlfriend’s arm.

“Ready?” You ask.

“I’ve been ready!” Natasha complains.

“Take the blindfold off!”

Natasha rips the blindfold off and looks in front of her. You’re both standing in front of her motorcycle. She sees her helmet and then another one sitting behind hers.

“You got another helmet?” Natasha asks, a smile appearing on her face.

“Yeah!” You say. “You said you’d teach me how to drive it,” You say, pointing to the motorcycle. “I figured we’d both need to be wearing a helmet for that moment.”

Natasha throws her head back as she laughs. “You’re right,” She says, pulling you into her, wrapping her arms around you.

You wrap your arms around Natasha.

“You’re such a geek,” Natahsa whispers.

“I know,” You say. “But you love it.”

“I really do.”

You pull away from Natasha. “Now come on! Let’s go for a ride!” You pull the keys out of your coat pocket and toss them to Natasha.

Natahs catches the keys and smirks at you.

You both hop onto the motorcycle. Natasha revs the engine before taking off.

---

Taglist: @peggycarter-steverogers @womenlovingwomen-imagines @b-5by5 @natasha-danvers @crispykidcookiebasketball @kaitlynroseb @millennial-teenybopper @diaryoflife @haughtlikehell @feescher @marvelwomen-simp @d14n4ol @lilclownx @ymzki-haruki @feescher @hi-i-1 @tbpandtswiftfan @claudiaatje @midnight-lestrange @jellyfishbeansontoast @peabrain112 @supersourlemon13 @madamevirgo @fazebaconneggs @mcytpogmoment @xxromanoffxx @blurryylines @ilovemarvelwomen @natashaandwandaswife @midnight-is-lost @strangegardentaco @bubblegum18 @suki-is-a-queen

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laketaj24 · 3 years

Text

Serotonin II

Author’s Note: Here it is! I am taking requests, and the taglist is open, drop your name under this fic or on this list if you are interested! This does have a prior part but can be read as a standalone.

Pairing: Colson Baker x Reader

Warning: Smut, breeding kink

Inspo Song: Bad Things

Part I

My MASTERLIST

Colson: Busy?

Y/N: Why would I be busy?

Colson: For sure ain’t been answering my texts 🥱

Y/N: You need something, Col?

Colson: You know you only call me Col when you’re half asleep or whimpering my name when you about to cum. Let me come over.

Tongue-tied, his messages left you baffled. They were a smooth variation of sexting mixed with pleading. Every message included a very Colson apology but a rebuttal that followed and reminded you why you couldn’t fall back in the same routine with him. It was easy to picture yourself back with him, nestled against his lean frame - listening to his voice as it rumbled against his chest as he rambled on. You saw it clear as day, but the truth of the matter was he didn’t do what you required to have you back in his life. Fucking you in the bathroom of some club like a whore, giving your body a fix, but your heart and mind still felt that hesitation when it came to Mr. Baker.

“Are you listening?” Dana asked, holding up the soy powder milk for your nephew.

“I heard you clear as day.”

“You sure you didn’t just daydream the entire I talked about not feeding Jaylen after seven?” Dana placed the soy milk on the table and glanced down at her newborn. “If you’re not up to it, I can stay. I hate going out of town so soon after having him.” She tapped her soon on the back a few times and exhaled.

“We will be fine.”

“You say this, but I don’t believe you.”

“Why?”

“You’re head has been shot ever since you broke up with the delinquent.” She rolled her eyes. “And what pisses me off is Tyla loves him!” She whispered and turned her attention to the seven-year-old parked in front of the tv. “I mean worships him.”

“I know. Colson is good with kids.”

“Because he’s childish.” She added. “He’s basically a six variant of one.”

“You can’t say one thing nice?”

“His music isn’t shitty,” Dana added. “I will be back at eight for the both of them, and I swear not to do this again, just my boss needs me, and their dad is busy.” She lied. “So- I love you, sis. Call Eric!” Dana kissed your cheek and sprinted out the door without another word.

Eric, you hadn’t seen him since you left the club a week ago, and you barely responded to his texts. The ride home was awkward; the entire time, he talked about how much he enjoyed the night. And the only thing you could think about was getting bent over in the bathroom by your ex. Good date.

Auntie duty had started. Diapers, Tiktok, YouTube, and some weird pig cartoon lay ahead of you for the next nine hours. Jaylen slept peacefully in his playpen, unbothered by his mother's lack while Tyla consumed her tv.

Colson: I got food open the door.

Y/N: What door?

Colson: Your apartment door. It’s Chipotle.

Fuck, you were hungry.

Y/N: Leave the food on the porch.

Colson: I’m not a god damn door dash.

The abrupt knocking startled Jaylen, soo you took him in your arms and walked to the door, “Stay in the living room Tyla.”

“K,” She answered, not even looking up from her phone.

You opened the door revealing Colson in his pink hoodie and gray joggers. He held bags of food in his hand and garnished a big smile on his face, “You look good with a baby.”

“Why are you here?”

“You wouldn’t come to see me or invite me over, so invited myself over. Can I come in?”

“No.” Jaylen stirred in your arms, his plump little legs kicked, and you sighed. “I am busy today. That’s why I didn’t invite you over. I have to keep my nieces and nephews, and every time you are over here, you either curse too much or we end up fucking.”

“Watch your mouth.” He teased.

“How were you texting with all that in your hands?” You stared at him.

“You know I got talented hands.”

“Colson!”

Why? You grimaced inwardly before looking at your overly excited niece, she loved Colson, and you hated to admit, he might be an asshole sometimes, but he loved kids. He was a wonder with them. You slapped your face, disappointed there was not a way to hide the massive man at your door. “He can’t stay.” You answered before the question left your lips.

“Why? Please!” Tyla pouted her pink lips and threw her arms up in defeat. “We never see him anymore.”

“That’s your aunt’s fault,” Colson added fuel to the fire. “I won’t stay long.” He pushed through, entering your apartment to greet Tyla with a hug at her level and a sly wink to you. Kids were the way to your heart – and his, but he would not win you over with this bullshit today. Not at all. “You hungry, Tyla?”

“Yeah, ten minutes, and you’re out.”

“Damn.”

“Tiktok?’ she held up her phone and the ring light from her purple book bag. “Please.”

“Word, what are we learning?” He raised his brows to you and proceeded to make himself comfortable on the couch; she was ecstatic, immediately standing to do a dance and drag you over to learn it too. Tiktok had become the bane of your existence, but for Tyla and her half a million followers, she was golden.

One hour later and you were tired, you’d perfected the dance, and Colson had convinced her to let him skip the dancing and just be—it was all he had to do though, she’d get one million views just because of who he was, and now everyone would know you were with him. Your heart dropped a little thinking about the exposure while she edited the video next to both of you.

“Why is Uncle Colson never around?” Tyla never looked up from her phone; she just continued her mission of posting that sixty-second video and ruining your life.

“He’s not your uncle.” You corrected.

“That’s your aunt’s fault too.” He added.

“Don’t start with me.” The harsh whisper came out as a warning, waking baby Jaylen from his nap and making Colson chuckle in amusement.

“I like him; I want him in the family.”

“I want a million dollars.”

“I can give you that.” He said.

“And a loyal boyfriend who doesn’t text insta-sluts in his spare time.”

“Don’t use sluts in front of her damn; your mouth is outrageous Y/N.”

The narrowing of your eyes made him burst into laughter again. He was damn good at annoying you like he had it mastered.

The day passed quickly with him making eyes at you, caring for Jaylen while she styled Colson’s hair in four ponytails atop his head, garnished with bows, and she even attempted to give him edges. He didn’t care; as long as she was happy, he was good.

“You look a mess.”

“It’s cool.” Colson snapped a picture. “Been waiting forever to see if ponytail was for me or not; it’s a no.” He sat back on the couch while Tyla disappeared to your room for god knows what else. “You look good with babies, you know?”

“You’ve said that.”

“I meant it; you’re good with them too.” He sighed. “I thought about kids with us, like every damn day.”

“Funny.” You shrugged, and she appeared with your bright pink polish. “What’re you doing, Tyla?”

“Painting his nails.” She plopped down in front of him, and without hesitation, he held his hand out for her. “We did blue last time.”

“Yep.” He exhaled. “Don’t you want this?”

He didn’t have to elaborate; you knew what he was talking about, but a family was the last thing from your mind, no matter how perfect the scenario looked right now. “Do you?”

Colson smacked his lips. “We can talk later.”

“You leaving when they do.” You reiterated.

The door opened thirty minutes later without a knock or doorbell; Dana never announced herself. “I see he found his way back in.” Her mouth dropped as soon as her eyes met him. “Tyla just had her way today, didn’t she.” She laughed. “Oh god, she gave this man braids.”

“Your daughter is talented.” He laughed. “Might be a new look.”

“Ridiculous.” She held her laughter. “Ty, get up and come on, love; we have a long drive.” She took Jaylen from your chest and gave you a look. “How long is he staying?”

“Not long, sis, drive safe.”

“I will. Colson, you leave in ten minutes, or I’m sending our brother over.” She pointed to him.

“I’m not scared of Michael; send him.” Why did his arrogance only make you want him more? He looked to Dana, who, like him, was not bothered.

“I hate him.” She mumbled as she left. “I just fucking hate him.”

“It’s mutual!” Colson laughed as the door shut. “You’re gonna stay over there the whole time?”

“Aint no reason for me to be over there for real.” You thought of three reasons to stay where you were, the drop in his voice, the tension in this room that could be cut with a knife, and when he was alone with you, your willpower was nonexistent. “You have five minutes.”

“We aren’t going to talk about this, are we? You like being evasive and shit? That you’re new persona?”

“I have no new persona. This is me not playing into all the bullshit you bring when you’re with me. This is a wall.”

“I’m about to knock that wall over.” He smirked.

“Stay on your couch.” You warned.

Colson held his hands up, acting defenseless, “I wasn’t moving from this spot.”

“My sister hates you, you know that? She literally said that I would be better off leaving Cali before staying here with your toxic ass.” You found yourself pointing at him and wanting to knock that smile from his face. Colson liked to see you get feisty with him; he called that foreplay, and here you were dancing to the beat of his drum, pissed.

“How am I toxic? I stopped all that shit for you, every ounce of it.”

“Stop lying.”

Colson grinned at you, unwavering in his position and impressed that you were persistent in yours; your usual fights lasted about one day. You’d take him back, and everything went back to how it was before, but that changed nothing; you wanted him to change. “I am not lying to you. Come here.”

You walked over to him, taking his hand and allowing him to pull you down in his lap. Facing him, you admired all the little cuts he’d earned over the years in senseless fights or accidents. Your fingers traced over them before you cupped his face. What the fuck were you doing? Why were the two of you akin to magnets? Drawing one another in half of the time and then at the flip of a side hating one another? You placed your lips on him, parting his lips with your tongue and then flicking playfully over his teeth before he caught your bottom lip with his teeth and tugged. The slight pressure made you moan against him. He cradled your neck with one hand, not allowing you to escape him. Colson deepened the kiss, adding pressure and taking what little breath you had away. “I fucking miss you, Y/N.” He rasped.

"Don't talk.”You murmured back.

Colson didn’t listen; he never listened. “You were good with them today.”

You growled, grinding your hips on him. “Shut up, Colson.”

“I want to talk to you, I want you back Y/N, shit. Like I am trying, I canceled recording sessions, appearances, and other shit all this month so we can figure this out. I don’t want to-,”

You stopped him from talking, gripping his cock through the sweats with one hand and kissing him to shut up.

“Stop.” In one fluid motion, your hands were by your side, and your eyes were on his, “We’re talking; I was not fucking other women. But I was entertaining them, and it’s no excuse. I know you’re hurt; I’m sorry. Like real talk, no joke – I apologize.”

“How do I know it won’t happen again?’

“I'll delete all this shit for you,” He admitted. “Fuck a platform.”

“You’re so dramatic.”

“I’m dead ass right now. Fuck it all. I just want you.”

“If it happens again, I am never taking you back, ever.”

“It won’t.” He whispered, loosening the grip on your hands.

You took advantage of the notion, moving your hand down to his cock, rubbing the hilt through his sweats again.

“Nah,” He gripped your hair, pulling you back, so your eyes met him. “It’s my turn now.” He pushed aside your shorts in seconds, and his fingers plunged into your pussy, curling for a moment and then spinning out of you. He placed his fingers on your lips, “Open up.” You didn’t hesitate to take his fingers, licking your own juices from them, and he tapped your face sending a slight pleasurable sting. “How you taste?”

“Ready.” You pulled him from the sweats feeling him jump at your cool hands, and stood up, wriggling out of the shorts before hovering back over him again.

Colson playfully tosses you on your couch, draping one leg to the ground. “Let me taste.” He whispered as he descended between your legs. Colson’s fingers brushed your swollen clit, before his lips latched on, sucking. You bowed from the couch, the moans and scratched to his shoulders done nothing but encourage. He lapped up your juices before diving his tongue into you and swirling around. You gasped, surprised and pleased as he worked.

“Col-“ You gripped his shoulders, lifting yourself from laying down, and he took full advantage, pulling you onto his face and fucking you with his tongue. Your body coiled, the jolts of pleasure popped around your body, and then you came. The white-hot energy surged through your body, and you panted, shaking, almost collapsing back on the couch. He caught you peppering the wet kisses from your pussy to your mouth.

“You good?”

“Better than.” You whispered, breathing heavily. “ Shit.”

“We’re not done.” Of course, you weren’t; his cock throbbed against his leg, waiting to ruin your life, and here you were still out of breath. Colson gently pulled you from the couch, sitting you in his lap, and he started once again with the kisses. You could taste yourself on his lips, and for some reason, that just made you wetter for him. He took advantage of stroking himself before he lowered you down on him. You took every inch, mouth slightly open and hair swinging the entire time. You pressed your breast against his chest, savoring the warm feeling of his cock inside of you, and then you started moving on him. Your muscles clenched around, gripping him with each stroke. Your clit rubbed against his pelvic bone; you took that added pleasure in stride biting your lip as it intensified every time your skin met.

Colson’s eyes were hooked on you, his fingers dug in your ass, guiding you up and down on his cock, urging you to keep going, and there was no way in hell you were going to stop. You could feel it building once again, this time bigger. “Hold it.” He whispered, knowing you were about once more. “Not yet.”

“Ah,” Impatience grew over you; you slowed your ride, winding your hips slowly, your eyes closed as you took over, fucking up into you, guiding your body to take more. “I can’t.” You whined as you fought to hold the orgasm back.

“Yeah, you can.” He slammed into you harder, knocking the breath from you, your toes curled, and you screamed as you shook against him. “I wanna feel that pussy shake around me when I cum; hold it.” He slapped your clit with three fingers, and your breath hitched. “Hold it.” His hand travels up your shirt to your bare stomach, and he kisses you once more. “Y/N.” His hips rocked slowly, but then he started to fuck you quicker, the tip of his dick hitting your g-spot each time. You were a screaming mess, biting down on his shoulder. That done the trick he spasms against you growling. His warm cum triggered you. You came, sinking down and taking all of it. “Shit, you cheated.”

“You would’ve lasted forever.” You smiled lazily.

“Is that a complaint or a compliment?”

“Both.”

You wince, sliding off him, “right.” He rolled his eyes. “Now we gotta eat reheated Chipotle.” he stood up, fixing his pants. “Can I stay?”

“I guess.” You pulled the blanket over you, snuggling into your favorite place on the couch. He heads into the kitchen, and you reach for your phone, wondering what threat your sister had for you.

Meg: Are you still coming tonight?

This was not your phone; of course, it wasn’t. You unlocked the phone, clicking her name to look at the messages. But there is only red as Colson makes his way back into the living room. You throw the phone across the room, hitting the wall, and he stares at you. “What the fuck?”

“Take you and that Chipotle and get out.”

“Damn, what the Chipotle do?”

A/N: One more part coming. I’ll drop it next week, I think! Thank yall for reading! Let me know what you think!!

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