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epilogue-and-prologue · 9 months

Text

A Heavy Bargain (Say My Name)

Fandom: North and South (BBC Series)

Ship: Modern!Thornton x F!Reader

Trope: (Business)Enemies to lovers - Angst with a fluffy ending.

Word counts: 5 921

Note: @sorisooyaa I did it again x).

Warnings: Betrayal, SMUT, insults and bad words, incorrect mentions of what being an architect means.

Tag-list: @heilith @asgardianhobbit98 @middleearthpixie @glassgulls @evenstaredits @fizzyxcustard @sotwk

Getting the almighty holier than though Mister Thornton all riled up was fun.

His face was becoming a stern, emotionless mask when he was seeing his opponent beat him at his own game. In which case, you were the opponent. And you were crushing his hopes with a devilish grin.

“As you can see, once the factory is restored, the margins will increase by twenty per cent. And of course, it is without counting the profit made from the museum which will be added at the same time, as well as the branded products we will sell there.”

This project was yours, it was given at this point. Victory tasted awfully good when winning against him. After working for the same firm together for the past six years, the friendly competition you had entertained in the beginning had swiftly turned into a full-blown rivalry. If you were honest with yourself, it had turned you on more than once, seeing him do his absolute best to get the upper hand. Especially, when you knew the cards to be in your favour.

“Thank you for your time, that will be all for now.”

Architecture was a male-dominated field and being the only woman in the office was a feat, day in and day out. Every day you had to fight for a seat at the table and he did not make it easy on you. Not that you’d want him to.

After the meeting, Thornton approached you, ever so leisurely, to give himself a sense of control. It suited him. The confidence radiating from him. A pristine shirt he had to have bought a size too small, his three-piece suit a work of art along the lines of his shoulders, his pants taunt against his thighs. And that was just the front.

“Good work today.”

You stopped gathering your computer and portfolios. Was he joking ? You arched a brow, your arms instinctively crossed over your chest.

“What do you want Thornton? Snarl at me, like you usually do?”

He chuckled, leaning his hips against the table, looking at you intently. You could see him eying you from head to toe, ranking up your legs, stopping at your hips, then your chest - accentuated cleavage in your fitted white shirt, before meeting your eyes.

“No. I want to invite you to dinner. -Pardon? -You heard me.”

What game was he playing? That man always had a motive.

“I fear our little games have to come to an end. Only fitting to have a dinner to celebrate. I have been offered a promotion. Associate.”

You felt your mouth open, but no words came to you. You bit the inside of your cheek. Of course, he had come to gloat and run that tongue of his. What you wanted to do to that man could not be expressed in enough words. He was good at his job, yes, but not good enough to earn the promotion you had been fighting for, for months. Of course, the goddamn CEO’s son had to have it.

“So that’s why you were not trying to jeopardize my presentation today? Fuck, I should have known… You’re never that kind to anyone. Have a good dinner on your own, Thornton. And above all, go fuck yourself.”

His wide hand grabbed your wrist before you could leave. Your breath itched in your throat.

“You did not hear me. I have been offered a promotion. In another firm. -What do you mean?”

He let go of your arm, feeling as if you were less likely to leave now that he had your attention. Thornton’s lips perked in what could be treated as a smile.

“I mean that I am leaving. My sister and I are creating a new firm.”

Oh. Oh. His firm. This situation was taking unexpected turns.

“And what that has to do with me?”

He inhaled slowly, calming down his nerves.

“My sister, Fanny, thought it good to have you with us.”

Your laugh echoed in the empty office. He could not be serious.

“Are you joking? -I wish I were. She can be… very convincing at times.”

Saying those words, he recalled the week Fanny had called him asking about the prodigy he was working with. Not that he would tell you that. Your rivalry was the only thing keeping you in his life. And, even if he would never admit it aloud, the challenge you presented him with was exhilarating. He felt stimulated and pushed to always be on his best game with you around. Probably why Fanny wanted you in the first place. You kept him and his ego in check.

“Listen, you don’t have to make a decision now. Come to dinner with me, we’ll talk about the details then.”

Narrowing your eyes, you shook his extended hand.

“No promises. And give my thanks to your sister. She seems to be a brave woman to handle you every day.”

You smiled at your joke before leaving. In a fleeting dazed thought he wondered what else you could do with that mouth. Shaking his head, he went ahead and called his sister to tell her the news.

- After arranging a place and a date, the worst part of the ordeal was waiting. Wait for the week to be over. Wait for the evening to come. Wait for you to arrive. You had agreed it would be better for you to meet in a neutral place, where people would not recognize you. Sharks were everywhere and if they caught wind of you and him leaving the firm, it would stir more shit than you could handle. The French restaurant he had picked was on a side street, hidden from view by a beautifully decorated garden. You presented yourself and were guided to a table in a corner. He was already waiting for you, even going as far as pulling the chair out for you. You did not know how but this suit was even more enticing than the one he had on a few days before. He was wearing a dark shirt, sleeves rolled at his elbows, and no tie. He almost seemed relaxed, if not for the way his forearms were flexing against the cloth of his clothes.

“Wine?”

You nodded, the waiter pouring a glass for him and then for you. The menu was already on the table. As usual, yours did not have the prices written on them.

“Thornton? -Yes? -Could you pass me your menu, please?”

You reached for it before he could answer. To your surprise, he chuckled at your behaviour.

“What? -Nothing. You… You have a habit of taking what you want. I like that.”

The darkness surrounding you did little to cool the flush of your cheeks. He smiled wider. Then, the waiter came back. After having ordered, you put your credit card on the table, telling him you were the one to pay for tonight’s dinner and that next time his managers should do a better job at hiding their misogyny. The whole time, Thornton did not say anything, looking at you intently, focused like you thought you had never seen him before.

“Now that this is settled, first question: why is your sister not here with us? Second question: what makes you think I’ll join your firm after the hell on earth you put me through? -Simple. My sister is on vacation with her sons. You do know it’s Easter this week?”

He could not give a price to the face you made at that. “And I seem to recall, you gave me the same treatment.” He sipped on his wine, moving carefully, hoping you would not run. It was always the same dance with you. Him chasing you, in the hopes you would give him the light of day. Not always successful, but always worth it.

“Despite what you may think, I value your intellect and your sense of business. You are one of the only architects I know who makes a point of following the project from conception to finish, including regarding the contracts for the workers and the conditions in which they work. Going as far as talking with the unions and siding with them if need be. -Uh, duh? That’s my job. If the workers are unhappy the work is badly done and we lose money, that’s pretty simple math. -I know.”

He leaned over to you, pouring himself some water, spreading the smell of his cologne in your space. The wine must have been a tad too much because you clenched your thighs when he did. Deep into the night, you talked about the future of the firm, what projects you were willing to work on, what percentage you would be getting and who you would be working with. You wanted your work to be as ethical as possible, even in a world where you could lose it all in a heartbeat. The gentleman in him flared when you hailed a cab. He insisted on driving you home. You couldn’t say no to those eyes, pleading with you, an amused “I won’t bite. Unless you ask nicely.” Escaping him, making him blush just as much as you did. Upon arriving, he opened the door for you, walking you up to the door of your building.

“Well, Thornton, for someone who always had a thing against me, you do know how to wine and dine a girl alright.”

He chuckled.

“I do hope it worked at least.”

You stared at him through hooded eyelids. Maybe it was the alcohol in your system, the soft buzz leaving you to fend for yourself against your instincts. Or maybe it was him. The cologne in the air, his fingers brushing against your thigh in the car, the comfortable silence and quick wits exchanged during dinner. You did not know. And, honestly, you did not care.

“It worked like a charm.”

You leaned up, bravery overcoming you, and kissed his cheek. His breath hitched as he gritted his teeth, fighting against himself. Your hand had settled on his shoulder, and he did not stop himself from putting his on your waist. He sensed the shift in the air then. You pulled away before opening the door behind you. In a last attempt at seeing him break - the effect you had on him was visible, rendering his pants, even more, taunt against his ass (it was a sight to see) - you asked:

“So… You are coming or what?”

He followed you in without hesitation.

When you entered your apartment, you barely had the time to take off your coat and light up the room the door behind you was slammed shut and his hands were on you. Your back against his chest, his palms over your breasts, toying with your nipples through your top, no other place on Earth could compete with the one you were in now.

“Do you know what you’re doing to me?” he grunted in your ear, biting down softly on your earlobe, “those dresses stretched over your ass I could barely hide the hard-on under the table… Would have to touch myself in the bathroom thinking of you…”

Breathless, you whimpered “As if your suits were not a size too small just to turn me on… Buttons-up ready to burst…” You could hear the pride in his smirk, his hands pulling your jacket off, pulling your shirt off as well as his own. When he finally turned you around, underwear was the only thing left between you. You lunged forward, meeting him halfway in a hungry embrace, never quite kissing but leaving a trail down his throat of hickeys he’d have a hard time hiding. Once on your knees, he tried stopping you.

“I’ve been wanting to do this for so long, I…”

Your mouth watered at the sight of his cock, once freed of his boxers. Without so much as an afterthought, your mouth was at the tip, then deeper down your mouth, taking more and more of him with each back and forth, the salty taste of precum rapidly coating your tongue, your hands finding a steady place to rest on his hips. His whimpers were sinful. Reaching your ears and eliciting a wetness you never knew yourself capable of before that moment. Your fingers found their way down, between your thighs, toying with yourself. In a desperate attempt not to come, he pulled away from you before forcing you up. You frowned, visibly disappointed.

“Why…”

He stopped you, slipping a finger in your mouth for you to suck on. His eyes had gone dark, he seemed animated by lust only. Not that you would mind. When you complied, he inhaled sharply through his nose, smirking again.

“Bend.”

The order was simple. And you were not one to say no. You found yourself bending over on the table, ass up in the air, waiting for him to move. The warmth of his hands on your hips spread through you like wildfire, a desperate moan cutting through the silence. His fingers were impatient with your underwear, tearing the seams as if they were nothing. Without another moment of hesitation, he pulled a condom out of his discarded coat, put it on and… nothing came. Well, more accurately, you could feel the tip of his cock against your clit, moving in slow motion. In other words: torture. You went to get back up, pissed, when his hand blocked you down, the palm over the expanse of your back, firm, not even straining in his strength.

“Oh, growing impatient are we?”

The smug bastard. He was pushing in you excruciatingly slow until he was completely up in you. Losing control, you clenched around him, your whole body a string ready to snap, your back arching, as you were mouthing a silent plea for him to move. He stayed there, pulling mewls out of you, while he pulled you to him, your back against his chest, leaving breathless mouth-opened kisses down the side of your throat, caressing your shoulders and your back in sinful patience. You were a mess, almost in tears, the temptation too strong when he put you back down, slamming into you with such force, his hips were to leave bruises. Where his cries of pleasure had been enticing, yours were only driving him insane, your warm tongue on him still on his mind. His thrusts quickly became erratic, and his end was met before yours, grunting into your ear. The emptiness he left behind made you whine. He left to drop the condom in your bin. He was heaving and was flushed. You pulled yourself up, coming back to your senses. He looked at the commotion, clearly not done with you. Not even nearly. His hands stopped you, their familiar heat on your hips. Face to face, you could see his eyes on you, ready to devour every parcel of your body. He sucked at the tender skin of your throat, earning a gasp, your hands going around his shoulders. Soon, his hands slipped under your ass, hoisting you up against him.

“Good girl.”

The sweetness in his tone erased every thought out of you. Your hands were pulling on his hair, his nose against your pulse as you stumbled into your bedroom. No words were exchanged as he all but threw you on the bed, knocking the air out of your lungs. He smirked, the effect he had on you glistening down your thighs. He was enjoying seeing you this willing to give him control, all of it for the mere pleasure of having him. It boosted his ego. And you enjoyed greatly as he kept his eyes on you, before kneeling between your thighs, his breath fanning over you, a heated reminder of where his mouth could be. Again, he took his time, pressing his mouth, tongue and teeth against your inner thighs, leaving bruises and deep-coloured stains under your skin.

“You really want this, don’t you?”

The words were hanging in the air between the two of you. He licked his lips, diving in. He went feral. All you could do was helplessly try not to be too loud, but it was damn near impossible. Thornton’s hands were not only good at keeping you down but also at keeping you open and pleased, teasing you in ways only he knew. The knot in your abdomen was gradually coming to a rupture point when he stopped altogether. A deep whine echoed through your chest, fist clenching into the bedding. He climbed his way back up your body, leaving marks on his way there. He murmured against your jaw, leaving traces there too.

“How much do you want this?”

You did not want to give him the satisfaction, yet, the ghost of his fingertips was hovering over your clit, sensitive and ready. He pressed on, his thumb running lazy circles around it now. You bit your lip.

“Please… -Please who? -Please, John, I’ll…”

He grabbed your chin, a frown settling on his face. You had never called him by his name. Well, his last name, all the time and the occasional insult but never his first name. Gradually, he lowered his mouth to yours, stealing your breath away yet again. This felt more sinful and intimate than what you were doing so far. He deepened the kiss, your hands meeting in his hair, nails against his scalp. A deep grunt resonated through you, while he looked at you with marvel in his eyes. He pulled you with him to the side, one of your legs above his hip, the tip of his cock against your entrance, teasing even in these moments. It felt right, being there with him. As if something had been fulfilled inside of you. You felt the stretch of him, his hips meeting yours, while his hand was drawing you in, your lips finding yet again the soft spot beneath his ear. He rocked against you in slow motion, taking his time. The moment you let out his name felt pivotal, a shift had occurred in him when you did and you wanted to know why. The first instants were harsh and to the point. This was tender and careful, almost loving. When his fingers found your clit again, you were at his mercy, nestled against him. He was cradling your face, kissing you still. You never wanted this to stop. Never wanted to stop the fullness he provided you, the care, the utter devotion. The coil in your belly was growing stronger with each passing moment until you could not bear it anymore, your orgasm washing through you like a tidal wave. He pulled out right after, spilling himself over your stomach, his forehead against your collarbone. You pulled the covers over the both of you, silence all-encompassing, neither of you moving basking in the embrace the other was providing.

When you woke up, he was gone. It wasn’t late. Yet, he was gone. Nothing left behind. No note. No text. Nothing. While you showered, doubts started plaguing you. With good reason, you thought. The man was ruthless in business. Here you thought you had the upper hand, knowing him for so long. What if you had been wrong? Was he going to use this night against you? Was the deal he offered you even real? It was a low blow, but you would not put it past him. His intentions were never clear, especially not with you. The pain in your chest would not decline, still. The betrayal you felt was real and you could do nothing about it. Work would have to do as a distraction. The television was playing orchestral music in front of you, while you were lounging on your sofa. It helped soothe your mind. You were studying yet another case of wrongful termination by one of your contractors. It was the fifth this year. The man was starting to get a reputation for not honouring his contracts. Somehow, he was one of the most preeminent manufacturers your firm worked with. It felt odd to keep employing him when he was discharging his employees just because he wanted to and despite your firm’s demands. You were so engrossed in your computer screen, scanning numbers, and taking notes that the door softly opening and closing behind you went unnoticed. Not even the soft chuckle or the coat being hung up startled you. Thornton’s palms on your shoulders, on the other hand, elicited a scream. He laughed. The bastard laughed at you. You turned around in your seat. He was wearing different clothes. Professional ones this time. Not that you’d pay any mind whether he was wearing clothes or not.

“What are you doing here?”

The sharpness in your voice startled him. He gestured to a bag on your kitchen aisle.

“I brought breakfast.”

Oh. Fuck. Realization dawned on him. You bit your lip, anxiety unraveling in you.

“You thought… -Yes. I thought you had left. For good.”

John sighed. Even in your mind, it felt strange to call him that. His jaw clenched, as he exhaled sharply. He joined you on the sofa, sitting next to you.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know what conclusion to come to, you left without a word, nothing… -I did. -No, you didn’t.”

He pointed at your fridge. A small piece of blue paper tucked under one of the magnets with his handwriting on it.

“Oh.”

He could not stay mad at you when you were looking like this. Nothing out of the ordinary. There laid the issue though. Fluid pants, meant to be worn at home, no bra that he could see and a cotton shirt clinging to your skin. Embarrassment making you bite your lip. He could not bring himself to be angry with you. Really, he had no good reason to. Thornton knew of his reputation. He knew you knew about it too. The math would have been the same if he had been in your shoes. He went to get the groceries he had brought with him. Your eyes went back to your screen, his mocking smirk still on your mind. There was no real hurt, but your ego did not like it. You closed your computer before turning towards him. He had started cooking something, pulling his sleeves up his arms the jacket of his suit laid behind you. Your eyes wandered. Down his shoulder to the tip of his fingers. Up his back and to his shoulder blades. His ass, but that was a given. You were losing yourself in him. It scared you and enticed you all the same.

“Are you going to stare or are you going to help?”

Malice appeared in his eyes, a smile playing on his lips. God, you had never seen him smile so much. Not in all the years you had known him, not in the last months you had known him even. It was a sight, the dimples in his cheeks prominent, eyes shining with something new, the crinkles there lined up perfectly. You were indeed losing yourself in him. He chuckled, startling you into getting up. For once, you were the one without words. You, who always had something to say, opinionated and strong-headed. He saw your hands shaking while peeling apples, trying not to meet his gaze and breathing through your nose to keep a straight face. He found you endearing to no end. He had for a long time. You were a skilled liar and an even better architect, yet he could see, sometimes, the mask crack. Especially when it was him taking a jab at it. He never did it to anger you, per se. He did it because he adored seeing this other side of you. Your commanding posture was one he was used to, what he wanted to chase. What he wanted to stay for though, was this. Your natural state of affairs, no lies put up to hide behind. While he was cooking the eggs and pancakes, he could feel your eyes burning, tracing his shape all over. Once done, he turned around to find that you were still peeling the same apple you had been ten minutes before. You felt his hand pull the fruit away from your palms. They were sticky with the apple’s water and sugar. He opened your hand, prying the knife away from you before bringing your fingers to his mouth. Slowly sucking on your fingers drawing each into his mouth, one after the other, moaning around your skin. The bastard. That handsome bastard. Your thighs clenched, while you were trying to stay upward. It proved very difficult. You whimpered, before stepping out of his reach completely as he was sucking on his fingertips, never leaving you out of sight. The look in his eyes was nothing short of sinful.

“No. No, no, no, no. I need to get work done…”

His arms pulled you up, settling you on the counter, eyes boring into yours, his hands toying with the hem of your shirt, slipping under it. God, he was driving you insane. Your hands found their way against his chest, in a motion that could have been treated as resistance, had you not been so weak in the attempt to stop him. He smiled, studying your face. You found yourself smiling too. The rational part of your brain was going to burst. You still had several calls to make and plans to discuss with him - preferably with his clothes on, even more so if his sister was present. Your body was hearing none of it.

“John, please…” you pleaded.

That was a mistake. As soon as his name left your mouth, he made you look at him with a firm hand on your jaw.

“Say it again.”

His lips were right there. Just suspended in front of you, like a forbidden fruit. He was good at this. So, so, so, good.

“I really have to… -Say it again.”

Your hooded eyelids and heavy breathing were only bringing him closer and closer to you, incapable of resisting the pull you had on him. It felt right, to stand between your open thighs, morning light barely shining through the windows, as you were there, breathless and needy at his mercy.

“John…”

Greedily, he claimed your lips for himself, as if to taste them around the letters of his name. He felt the warmth of your hands slip around his neck, burying themselves in the depth of his hair. Your hips were trying to meet his, arching your back more and more into him. He pulled away for some needed air, his forehead resting against yours. Your fingers were digging into his shirt by now, praying to tear it apart.

“What was that for?”

Your breath was soft against his cheekbone, your voice somewhat proud and cheeky.

“No reason. -Come on, John.”

The insistence on his name murmured against the shell of his ear…You knew. You knew and you were doing it on purpose. That new knowledge ingrained itself in his brain and it took everything in him not to ravish you, here and there.

“My name… in your mouth… It sounds like…It sounds like I am yours”

The cheekiness was gone, replaced by a spreading wildfire inside of you. The warmth of it all taking you over by pure force. You pulled away from him, in awe. A few hours prior you could have sworn he was going to leave you hanging, and now he was telling you these sinful things in such a serious tone. He was going to wreck you. And you were going to let him. Your core clenched, empty, waiting to be filled by him. You pulled your shirt over your head, breasts bare before him. Soon after, his lips found their way to them, the nipples getting teased between his lips, warm hands heating your body up. What an exquisite way to start the day.

Somehow, the tension between you had not vaporized. It had gotten thicker. You could not keep your hands off of each other, often working in between intimate encounters rather than keeping said encounters in between hours of work. Although, you did manage to visit new offices, meet his sister - she was a riot of outlandish manners and quick wits - and keep your newly developing relationship a secret from the firm’s employees. After a few weeks and then months like this, you felt that you were getting into a stall. Your relationship was not new anymore, yet whenever you mentioned going public he’d recoil and diverge onto an another subject of conversation. At first, it had been fun. Now, it was getting tiresome. Yet, you could not bring yourself to break it to him. The frustration in you was growing restless.

“Good evening. -Good evening… Oh, you brought food! Thank God, I’m starving! -I figured.”

He rose a brow and smirked knowingly as he passed through your door. You heard the lock click and he joined you in the kitchen, while you were setting the table. Slowly his usual business posture fell. He now had a strange look on his face. Not quite worried. Just so serious. It had you stopping in your tracks.

“John, what’s wrong?”

His breath was altered, and you watched him slowly take off his jacket and put it away. His eyes were driven to look at the floor, finding patterns in the wood more interesting than your face maybe. A dullness settled on your heart, muffling its cries. Something was off, you could see it.

“I have something to tell you.”

Before he could say anything, you sat down preparing yourself for the worst. He did not move.

“Remember when you told me about that contractor who was firing employees and giving bad results for the firm? -Yes, but… -I know who it is. I’ve known the entire time.”

You almost laughed.

“I’ve told you the name of the company, of course you know who the chief is… -No. I mean, I know who signed off on those deals each time. -What? I’ve been tracking that information… -For months, I know…”

You felt him approach and stop in his tracks, his hand settling on the table next to you, fearing he might make you even more angry than you already were. In truth, you were not even angry at him. Disappointed, frustrated, sad because of him? Yes. Angry? That was for yourself. You should have known he was hiding something. Of course, you had been blinded by the sweet words and soft touches and tender times.

“Who?”

The sharpness there was unmistakably strangled. Tears on the verge of collapse. John inhaled slowly, lips pinched.

“My father.”

Finally, you met his gaze. You didn’t even know his father still worked for the firm and wasn’t on a Bahamas coast with luxurious size debts. This was news to you.

“Please, say something. -I… I don’t know what to say… What do you want me to say, huh?… What do you expect me to say? You’ve been protecting your father all this time and I cannot find it in myself to blame you for it… That doesn’t mean that I’m forgiving you for lying to me… Here I thought we were…”

You struggled for a minute, trying to keep the tears at bay, feeling your emotion well up and ready to implode.

“-We were partners. -We were ? -Yes. We were. -Can you not understand why I did this? -Why? You kept the truth from me. His actions could have cost us both our careers, without mentioning the damages he’s done to the workers and the staff on site. How could you keep allowing this to happen?”

His jaw clenched, keeping himself from saying things he did not want to mean but was feeling deeply right now.

“Keep allowing? You really think I would have left my own father to sign those contracts if I had been aware he was still making them? You really think me this careless? -I don’t know.”

The hurt on his face was discreet. The effects limited to his eyes. Steeled and broken.

“What does that even mean?”

Your heart was breaking. You should have known not to trust him. Nor to have faith in him. He had been so dodgy before why stop now that you were fucking, right? A little voice in your head told you it wasn’t true. You didn’t listen.

“It means that even beyond the fact that you did not tell me you father was still working for the company or that he had a soft spot for an idiot without morals, I don’t know what kind of choice you’d make about the people you do care about. I would not know because you do not make them. Or you don’t tell me about them. -What are you talking about? -Why do you not want to share what we are to one another? You keep avoiding the question or diverting my attention to something else. Why do you not want to say that we are together, in a relationship, in a couple, John! Are you that ashamed of me? Or do you care so much about what other people have to say that you won’t be seen with me?”

This time, he did not stop himself from reaching you, his whole body shaping itself around you. You could not stop the tears anymore as he wrapped his arms around you, not a breath separating you two.

“ I am sorry. I have been nothing but a fool. I was scared you would not want me to. I was scared that you were the one who would be ashamed of me. -How could you think that?”

You met his eyes, watery pupils and all.

“I’m in love with you, John. I could never, ever, be ashamed of you.”

A deep smile crept its way onto his face, illuminating an otherwise gloomy evening. He cradled your face in his hands, almost drowning you in his presence with the gesture.

“I love you, too. Please forgive me. -I already did.”

You felt his lips smooth down a path from your temple to your lips, pressing feathered kisses along the way. You both stayed there then, foreheads together, swaying in each other’s arms, to a melody neither of you knew.

“Why did you tell me about your father?”

Without interrupting the moment, he sighed deeply.

“I had him fired today. For malpractice. -What? -He was not very pleased with me.”

The attempt at lightening up the mood went to waste. You put your palm against his cheek, your thumb moving in slow circles against his skin, trying to calm him down.

“You did the right thing. For what it’s worth, I am very sorry that you had to do it. Also, I am glad you did. You would not be yourself without that righteous streak of yours.”

A chuckle passed his lips, finally. He pressed a kiss to your lips, growing stronger with each of your hearts beating. Once thoroughly breathless, he let you go. That night, you agreed never to keep a secret from each other again. Or to hide things from one another. Both parties involved made sacrifices regarding their futures together. As usual, John drove a heavy bargain, with brand new negotiations skills, bribes and promises. You met him at every turn. And he let you, for he had surrendered to you that day and all the days after, wholeheartedly.

#john thornton #north and south bbc #north and south #thornton x reader #modern!au #thornton x f!reader

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wanderingchocolateeclair · 3 years

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Edgejeanist fluff, with their daughter, just having a lovely adorable time!

Gonna tag @ohpleaseiwillendyou @theshisthings @kiriderp and @kure-san because idk, I wanna give you some fluff and thought you guys might wanna see this? ❤️

No warnings! It’s fluff for once, but it’s actually pretty long so ->

I haven’t written fluff for a while (since my edgeshot birthday ramble, I think) and I think that you guys deserve some. Also, it’s based off of the introduction to my angst I was writing, and I just felt that I’d give you an alternate plot and ending than the one in that 👀

——————————————————

Shinya blinked at the light that his phone was emitting as he checked the time.

6:59am- no, 7:00am. He let out a small sigh and turned over to face the sleeping figure beside him. Tsunagu’s face looked so calm and still, and Shinya couldn’t help but smile at how peaceful he seemed in that moment. His husband was always so tense and stressed out from work, but in these rare moments, it made him oh so happy to see him finally relax.

Watching as his partner’s chest moved up and down slowly, he sighed and leaned forward to place a very gentle kiss on his forehead, sweeping the other’s blond hair out of his face slightly as he did so.

Tsunagu instinctively went to hug this source of heat closer to his body and Shinya ended up having to try (but fail) to awkwardly pry himself out of his grasp, their cheeks smushed together as the lanky blond hugged him tighter. His breath brushed across Shinya’s ear, causing him to chuckle slightly. No matter how long they could’ve been together, Shinya still found himself blush a bit at the sight of his adorable lanky husband, who was now pouting due to the lack of things to cuddle...maybe he was just having a cuddly dream...

Shinya slid carefully out of the warmth of the duvets and Tsunagu’s comforting embrace and stood up, shivering as the cold morning air hit his skin. Wow it was chilly, and he noticed the other man curl up at the lack of warmth and huff in a sleepy dismay.

“Why do I have to go to work today?” Shinya grumbled to himself as he stumbled silently into the bathroom and closed the door behind him. “Surely, it didn’t have to be today....of all days? There’s no emergency calls so far, no urgent upcoming missions, Shinji and Yuu are both working today anyway.......and the only thing I’d be doing is patrol.....”

He trailed off, thinking as much as his fatigued brain would let him as he slipped out of his clothes and into the shower. ‘Maybe if I....’

———————————

Tsunagu woke up to the soft sound of his husband’s humming, masked ever so slightly by the sound of the running water of the shower. He blinked slowly as he tried to get his eyes to open, wincing at the sudden brightness of the room and pulling the bedsheets over his shoulders to warm himself up.

He glanced over at Shinya’s phone and watched as it buzzed across the table, showing the time and a couple of new unread messages.

‘7:30. Hm. It’s early.’ He thought as he reached out to move Shinya’s phone to the middle of the bedside table, to stop it from falling off from the constant stream of notifications. He turned back around to face the bathroom door and yawned loudly, listening out for the sudden silence and little taps of Shinya’s feet as he stops the shower and dries himself off.

The bathroom door opened with a little click and the silver haired man emerged from the now rather steamy room, wrapped in a long fluffy jumper and shorts. Toothbrush in hand, he ruffled his long wet hair with a small towel and turned to face the lanky figure that was now sitting up on the bed, smiling tiredly.

“Good morning!” Tsunagu called out brightly, well, as brightly as one could at 7:36 in the morning.

“Ah!” Shinya fumbled around for the toothbrush that slipped out of his hand in shock, startled by the blond man that was laughing at him from across the room. “You’re awake! Already? It’s so early, you didn’t need to be up! It’s....it’s, um, the time....”

“7:37am, dear.” Tsunagu interrupted informatively.

Shinya blinked, taking a second before he actually registered what the other had said, before trying to remember the point he was trying to make. “Yes! 7:37! Exactly. Early. Uh-huh, yes.”

Tsunagu chuckled and shook his head as he listened to his small husband try and rant about him waking up ‘too early’.

“Oi, don’ ‘augh ah ee!” (‘Oi, don’t laugh at me!’)Shinya huffed as he stood there brushing his teeth, putting off the fact that he needed to also get changed before work.

“Hm? I’m sorry, I didn’t get that. You might want to repeat that~” Tsunagu teased, his smile shifting into his usual characteristic smirk as he watched his partner glare at him with revenge in his eyes.

Shinya finished brushing his teeth and stood silently next to the older man, looming ominously as he decided his fate. Tsunagu realised his mistake and quickly regretted it when he noticed Shinya’s hands move very slowly out of his pockets.

Shinya gently but quickly jabbed the taller mans sides and smiled evilly at the harmless panic that he’d caused. He watched as his husband wriggled around,bursting out laughing at the sudden tickle attack.

“I said, don’t laugh at me. Or else you’ll pay the consequences.” He said in a mockingly formal manner.

“Okay- ahahokay, oka- okay! I get, ahaha, I get it! Please, stop- ahaha I’m sorry!!” Tsunagu barely managed to stutter out between laughs.

After surrendering to the tiny ninja, Tsunagu sighed and sat back up, shaking his head to move his hair out of his eyes. “Anyway, you got some messages. They might be important.”

“Oh, really? Who by?” Shinya moved to go and check his phone.

“I think you overestimate my eyesight and attention to detail at this time of day.”

“Oh come on, you could’ve at least read the name of- oh it’s Shinji.”

“Mhm. Anything important, or just a normal text before work?” Tsunagu inquired, pouting slightly at the idea of Shinya having to go to work today. Why couldn’t he just have the day off?

“Hm. Yeah.” Shinya briefly replied, taking in the message with a smile and feeling his shoulders relax a little bit more at the words that he’d just read. Well that was good, amazing even. What a brilliant idea!

Tsunagu looked at his husband blankly before giving a sarcastic reply. “Wow. Well that was informative....”

Shinya blinked at his phone before putting it down and changing into some clean clothes.

Tsunagu looked down at his phone as a slight hope for some explanation or context to what Shinya was so happy about, but shook his head as he yawned again. “Well, have you checked on Izumi? Is she awake yet?”

“Ah, no I haven’t. She is probably awake by now though.” Shinya replied, pulling a blue t-shirt over his head and giving his head a slight shake to get his hair out of it.

Tsunagu hummed in agreement and stretched his arms out, looking towards the open bedroom door in anticipation, and soon enough he heard exactly what he was waiting for.

Tiny but rapid footsteps could be heard thumping lightly against the carpet as they grew nearer to where the two tired pro heroes were, making them share a soft smile as they both turn towards the sound.

“Good morning, Papa!!!” The small bundle of energy yelled as she came bursting into the room and flew straight into Shinya’s open arms.

“Woah!! You’re up early today, petal! I thought you said you were gonna have a ‘nice sleepy morning’!” Shinya laughed as he spun Izumi around, making her giggle in excitement.

Izumi smiled innocently and leaned backwards in her father’s arms, her relatively short hair (that was a lighter shade of grey than Shinya’s) all ruffled and tangled.

“Well,” she pouted slightly, “I woke up and- and I was sleepy, and then I felt fidgety so...so I sat there for a little bit, because, cos I didn’t wanna wake you! But then I heard you and dad talking...and so, so you are awake!! So I wanted to see you before you go to work!!”

“Oh, oh I see! Well I guess we’re all awake now!” Shinya reacted in an over exaggerated manner, ruffling Izumi’s hair even more and placing her on the edge of the bed earning a few more giggles from the happy child.

Izumi looked down at her hands and thought for a moment.

“Papa?”

“Hm? What is it, petal?”

“Do...do you have to go to work today?”

Shinya looked up at Izumi and saw big teal eyes staring back at him. Ouch. He peeked over their daughter’s shoulder to share an awkward hesitant silence with his husband, who was still bundled up in half of the duvet cover, before taking Izumi’s hands in his own.

“Oh ‘zumi........I’m afraid so, petal, but I tell you what,” Shinya motioned for her to get closer and whispered a short message in her ear, causing her face to light up again and making her look excited.

“And,” he made the last part a little louder so that Tsunagu could hear him, “go tackle Dad for me, will ya? He won’t know what hit him!”

Tsunagu smiled in amusement and started to act dramatically in front of his daughter.

“Oh! How tragic! Not even a single ‘good morning’ for me, what sadness is this!” The dramatic blond paused momentarily to peek at his daughters reaction, watching as she snuck closer with a mischievous look on her face. “Have I become invisible?! My own daughter not even giving me a single cuddle- oh nO! I must have been forgotten! Oh poor old me, poor poor little me-”

The lanky noodle’s theatrical performance was interrupted by a enthusiastic hug and a rather loud “Good morning, dad!!!!” and a lot of laughter.

“Augh! Good morning, sunshine!! What a surprise!! You’ve caught me, oh nooooo...” Tsunagu rolled off the edge of the bed in defeat before pulling Izumi into a big hug.

“Ahaha yay!! I got you, I got you!!” The light haired girl exclaimed excitedly.

Tsunagu fixed his hair slightly with a small chuckle. “Yes you did!!! Good job, ‘zumi, how did you sleep?”

“Hm. Good! I had a funny dream, can I tell you?!”

“Of course, sunshine, but maybe after we’ve all woken up first!”

“Okay!”

They all headed downstairs, Tsunagu and Izumi both wrapped in matching fluffy pyjamas as they sat around the living room chatting and giggling. They just wanted to spend as much time as they could together. That’s all. They were just as happy as they could be, talking and playing around as they waited for it to be the time where Shinya had to go to work.

—————————

Their playful mood was cut short by the sound of Shinya’s phone beeping, signalling the time.

“Ah.”

Shinya looked down at the time. 8:00am. Time for work.

Sighing, he looked over to see his husband and daughter pouting with almost identical faces, looking sad and down. ‘And people wonder if they look alike, huh? No no...she is definitely his daughter! Just look at that face!’ He thought to himself, never getting over how much Izumi looked like them both, especially Tsunagu (in his eyes, that is)....and how adorable they both were.

“Well, I guess I better head off then...” Shinya said, trying his best not to dishearten the other two, who were staring up at him with big, round puppy eyes. “Don’t get into too much trouble!”

“Which one of us?” Tsunagu inquired curiously.

“You of course! You know our little petal is always innocent!” He poked his tongue out at his lanky husband and gave his daughter a small wink.

“Haha yeah, okay.”

“It’s true, isn’t it?” Shinya asked the small child that was now approaching him for a cuddle before he walked out the door. “I’m putting you in charge for today!”

He gently flicked her nose, making her giggle in surprise, before burying her head deeper into the softness of his mother’s - her grandmother’s - scarf.

Tsunagu walked over quietly, noticing a suspicious glint in his husbands eyes. Hm. That’s never a good sign, especially with Shinya’s pranking antics. He seemed way too happy to be ‘going to work’, not to mention the texts this morning and the fact that he wasn’t leaving in his uniform like usual....it wasn’t anything bad! His instincts reassured him for that part, but still, it was a hint at some mischief and he was unsure as to whether he’d like it.

But he dismissed these curiosities and went to embrace his tiny husband, who still had an excitable child wrapped around his neck.

“Have a good day....stay safe...” Tsunagu mumbled quietly to the other, planting a small kiss on his cheek and touching their foreheads together in a gentle, familiar manner.

“Of course.” Shinya replied distantly, thinking about what he had planned for the day. “See you in a bit!”

“Bye Papa!!” Izumi waved, holding onto Tsunagu’s leg as she swayed back and forth.

“See you later!” Tsunagu called out, placing his hand on his daughters head as they watched the ninja turn the comer and glide away.

After a short silence, Tsunagu decided that he should start their fun day off and entertain his tiny daughter to the best of his ability, without Shinya there to ruin his plans with his pranks.

“Hey, sunshine...” he slyly poked the top of his daughter’s head.

“Yes, Dad?” Izumi looked up curiously.

“....you wanna make some pancakes?”

Izumi’s face lit up and she expressed her joy through a vigorous little dance.

“PANCAKES!!!”

——————————

After about an hour of very messy pancake making, they finally managed to make a batch that didn’t taste like burnt oranges, or have the texture of an over cooked rubber duck. (He can cook, but it’s a bit difficult when you’re trying to cook with the daughter of a particular prankster of a ninja....)

Rubbing the back of his head, Tsunagu looked back at his daughter with a smile, watching as she swung her legs back and forwards in delight as she munched on her breakfast. Her hair was now bunched into two cute little pigtails (you don’t think, of all people, Best Jeanist would let his daughter have messy hair all day? Haha no way.) and she looked up at her dad briefly, making a silly face in return.

Tsunagu let out a small laugh. “You little ball of sunshine, you! Are they nice? Did your good ol’ dad do a good job this time? I sure hope they don’t still taste like smelly socks!” He joked around, poking his daughters cheek softly.

“Mhm! Of course they’re good!” Izumi replied, her mouth still very full with pancake and her eyes sparkling happily.

“Oh good, I’m glad!” Tsunagu ruffled her hair in response and headed to the kitchen to clean up everything. “Right...what a mess...”

Using his quirk to pull all of the clean mugs and utensils around using the threads that he wove around each of them, he swiftly began to tidy up - his mind drifting slightly, wondering about what his husband could be up to at the moment.

Meanwhile, Izumi had been a little distracted by a ‘mysterious shiny string’...leading her to wander around to find something....

——————————————

After dealing with the mess that was cluttering the kitchen, Tsunagu walked back into the living room to find that Izumi wasn’t sitting there.

“Sunshine?” He called out a couple of times, peeking round some of the doors to try and find his tiny daughter. “Sunshine, where’d you go?”

‘Maybe she’s outside?’ He reassured himself. He’d always been the more paranoid person, and becoming a parent of a child with not only a very very tricky quirk, but also the daughter (and ‘apprentice’) of a very mischievous ninja, did not help at all.

As he went to check, he noticed a small piece of string poking out from the door and hesitantly picked it up, only to notice that it was attached to a small note...which was attached to a much longer piece of string...leading outside.

He read the note and wondered slightly at the familiarity of the handwriting, before following the string to wherever it led.

‘I know you are probably wondering where Izumi is. Don’t worry too much, just follow the string, I’m sure your hunch will tell you all you need to know.

P.s. she is very happy and excited, hurry up you lanky bean.’

Before long, the lanky french fry had reached a small field with a couple of trees dotted around the edges. ‘Oh, I know where this is! Shinya and I used to have little picnic dates here, how cute.’ Tsunagu reminisced happily, still worried as to where his daughter was.

“‘zumi? Izumi?? Hello~ Izumi Kamihara? Sunshine, where are you??” He called out, trying to mask his concern.

“Dad!” A small voice called out from behind a tree and was followed by a series of giggles as the small girl poked her head out to face her worried parent.

“Oh! There you are! I was worried!!” Tsunagu rushed over and scooped his daughter up into his own embrace, spinning her around slightly as he did so.

A light tap was felt on his shoulder and he turned his head rapidly to try and find out what it was, only to be very pleasantly surprised by the face that was hovering in front of his.

“Hello, love!” A certain silver-haired man greeted the confused noodle with his familiar smile. “Sorry for the little surprise!”

“Ah, wha...” Tsunagu started to question.

Shinya laughed, leaning in to peck Tsunagu’s nose, before cupping the puzzled man’s face and kissing him - still laughing at the other’s stumped expression.

“Haha! Oh that’s priceless, you should’ve seen your face! Did ya get that, petal? Wasn’t that funny?” Shinya turned towards Izumi, who had somehow gotten hold of multiple phones and had taken several pictures of her dad’s baffled face. Ah. Blackmail.

“Hahaha!! Papa was right, dad, your face is so funny ahaha!!” The lighter haired child snickered at Tsunagu’s dismay.

“Wh- what is going on? I’m so confused...” Tsunagu questioned as Shinya took his hand in his own and led him to a quiet spot by the river, swinging Izumi with his other arm.

“Well, Shinji messaged this morning, yes? And he said that, since we’ve got no urgent missions today, both him and Yuu decided to do patrol and take care of things by themselves.” Shinya explained, motioning for the other to watch his head on an overhanging branch. “And well....since both of you are off today....and we never get to spend time as a whole family...they just thought that it would be nice to, you know, take a day off.”

Tsunagu sighed as he watched his husband smile gently. He’d always been such a workaholic and never really liked to take days off, though it’s always been obvious when he needed one, and deep down wished for more time with his family.

It’s pretty self-explanatory, but Shinya always, always wanted as much time as he could get to spend with his loved ones, and having a family that was finally with him, and was always there for him to come home to....it was like a dream to him....a dream that he never ever wanted to wake from.

“I see. Well, how nice of them!”

Shinya hummed in agreement. “Yeah....how nice....I’m so glad, I get time to spend with you both.”

Izumi looked up and saw her parents smiling softly at each others words and smiled happily to herself. ‘So exciting!! Time with papa and dad!! We can all be happy and eat food and relax!’

As they reached their destination, Tsunagu gasped at what he saw. There was a small blanket spread across the leaves, sitting next to a stream. On top of the blanket, was multiple snacks and drinks and some little trinkets and items for Izumi to play with.

Izumi squealed happily and immediately ran over to sit on the blanket, picking up one of the small puzzle boxes and giving it a gentle shake. Shinya smiled at her excitement and turned around to face his husband, who looked just as relaxed as he was, for once.

“D’ya like it?”

Tsunagu looked to be deep in thought for a moment before rushing forward and sweeping Shinya off of his feet and taking him into his arms, spinning his tiny husband around and pressing their foreheads together as they both laughed.

“Oh I love it, darling! You a never fail to surprise me, even after all these years!” Tsunagu exclaimed, kissing the other blissfully before setting him back down. “Shinya Kamihara, the man who never fails to make his family happy and proud!”

Shinya blushed at the lanky blond’s flattering words and reached down to ruffle Izumi’s hair. “I-I just thought it would be a nice little surprise, y’know, that it would make you and Izumi happy.”

“Well that it definitely did!” Tsunagu chuckled and embraced the younger man yet again. “Although...I’m still a bit confused as to why you still left the house this morning?”

Shinya let out a small sigh and reached down to pick up a couple of bags that were resting on the picnic blanket. “I decided to get lunch! I knew that I didn’t have to go to work, so instead I went out and bought a few things.”

The taller man hummed inquisitively. “What did you get?”

“Well first I got some meat buns, because we haven’t had any for a while. I also got donuts for our little petal,” the ninja paused, looking down at their daughter’s even more cheerful face looking back up at them, before continuing, “I got noodles for me and some sushi from that shop around the corner that we like because you said the other day that you wanted sushi!”

Tsunagu looked ecstatic as he sat down next to his daughter and pulled his husband down with him into a massive hug. “Oh Shinya, love, you really are the best!”

“Yeah papa’s the best! Papa’s amazing!” Izumi chirped cheerfully.

“You are very right with that, sunshine” Tsunagu laughed.

“Oh you two....” Shinya bashfully looked down before giving them both a loving little shake. “Thank you, petal, you little sweetheart. And you, love, stop being so sappy - it’s almost as bad as your puns.”

“Hey! They’re not that bad!”

“Uh-huh, sure, keep telling yourself that.”

“....you’re lucky I love you...”

Shinya snorted and picked up a couple of meat buns, shoving one into Tsunagu’s face to stop him from talking and nibbling on the other himself. The tall blond pouted at this gesture but sighed as he saw how amused their tiny daughter was.

Looking at them both, he smiled and nuzzled his face into the tops of their heads lovingly. They were all so happy, and thats exactly how it should be.

“What a lovely day!”

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