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ikeromantic · 3 years

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Piano Lessons

An ObeyMe! Lucifer fic, approx. 1800 words. G/N MC, Fluff.

The infernal grand piano squatted in one shadowed corner of the music room. To any human, at first glance it looked no different from the version in the human world. A dangerous assumption, you knew. If an easy one to make. This instrument was capable of compositions that would drive a mortal listener mad, or even cause death.

You thought that would be reason enough to be given a pass on your Devilish Music I, but Lucifer didn’t agree. In fact, he considered your ignorance of the instrument and its compositions an opportunity. And that was how you found yourself in the House of Lamentation’s music room every afternoon when RAD let out.

Lucifer was already waiting on the bench. He looked up as you came in, lips compressed in an expression of near-constant disapproval. “You’re late.”

“I’m on time!” You glanced at the clock on the wall.

“If you aren’t five minutes early, that counts as late. Now come here and sit next to me.”

Arguing with Lucifer was futile. Besides, you did want to sit next to him. During your time in the Devildom, you’d developed a bit of a crush on the eldest brother. One that had you working hard to be on the receiving end of his rare smiles and sparse compliments.

Today you were hoping to impress Luci with your rendition from Certovski, Faust’s Mistake. It was one of the mortal-safe pieces you could attempt without risking your mind or your soul.

“Fingers on the keys.” Lucifer’s red eyes followed your hands as you tried for the appropriate position. “Elbows out. Move your left hand in.”

You did as instructed, but apparently you were still off. He reached for your hands, positioning them. Part of you wanted to fight him on it. The rest of you just enjoyed the feel of his hands on yours. His skin was always so warm and smooth.

He frowned. “Focus.”

“Sorry,” you mumbled. With your hands in place, you ran through the demonic scale. Some of the tones were too low or too high to hear. You could feel them though, shivering your bones and raising the hairs at the back of your neck.

Your warm-up didn’t get any objection from the Prince of Pride, which meant you were doing well. A quick glance showed he wasn’t frowning any more. Good.

Lucifer stood and began to pace behind you. “What are you going to play for me?”

“I’ve been practicing Faust’s Mistake.” As if he didn’t know.

“Then begin.”

You take a breath. This is it. You try to psych yourself up. All that practice will pay off. All those evenings you gave up gaming with Levi and Mammon, the weekends you stayed in instead of going out with Satan or Asmo. You could play this in your sleep.

Your hands float across the keys, the melody pouring from the hidden strings, describing the terrible bargain Faust made. The fast, tripping notes gave way to the long, slow sounds of regret, and finally, to the clashing finish.

Sweat beaded your forehead as you lowered your hands to your lap. The tension in your chest stopped your breath as you waited for Lucifer’s judgement.

“That was . . . not bad.”

From anyone else, you’d take this as a criticism but from Luci? It was a gold star. You smiled over your shoulder at him.

The left corner of his lip turned up in a slight half smile. “I’m impressed you memorized the whole piece in such a short time. I can tell you’ve worked hard.”

You felt like if he gave you one more compliment, you might completely melt.

“But -”

Your heart sank.

“I didn’t feel the tension, the passion of the moment in your rendition. You were too focused on technical mastery.” Lucifer sat down beside you, his hip brushing yours. “The Faustian epic is classic. It must evoke the emotion of the moment, the story, that birthed it. Let me show you what I mean.”

His hands went to the keys. “This is from earlier in the story. The Fall.” He began playing in a low octave, a heavy, slow rhythm that made your heart pound. Or perhaps that was just from sitting so close to him.

Lucifer kept that going as he began to layer higher, lighter notes atop it. These sounded almost playful, innocent. If not for the ominous beat beneath it. “Here we have naivete. The mortal at play, unaware of the trap laid for him.”

You nod.

“The music is the story, the story lives in the music. Now -” The lighter notes began to slow, creeping closer to the lower octave. “The mortal becomes aware of the nearness of death. The lingering, slow demise that comes to all men.”

Your breath slows in time to the music, and you can almost feel the weight of your years, few though they are. It is as if you lived a century and now your bones are heavy and your body is weary. Your eyelids drift half closed.

Lucifer continues to play, the ominous chords grow louder and the higher tones fade until both melodies close in on each other.

There is a subaudible component now, and though you can’t hear it, you can feel it move with the pulse of your blood. An arrhythmia that pulls you into the moment. The music surges beneath your eyelids, a spiral of red across a dark abyss. A false light.

“Here Faust decides his soul is worth less than his earthly pleasures, and denies Death its due. You can hear the strains of rage from Death’s denial beside the demon’s triumph. And there, Faust’s -”

The music stops but you can still feel it inside you. Something slick and warm slides down your cheek.

Lucifer’s voice, demanding. Trembling. “Wake up. Open your eyes this instant.”

You wish you could obey. You’d like to but the music holds you where you are. Limbo. A space bereft of everything but the music. Death and the demon, Faust’s lust and greed.

“Please.” Lucifer’s voice is gentler than you’ve ever heard it before.

You feel the pad of his thumb against your cheek. A sudden burst of magic like static on a distant radio. Then silence. Your mind slips under a dark, quiet ocean.

The water is warm. Peaceful. You can feel it cradling you. Stroking your hair, your cheeks. The touches become more insistent. Pushing you toward the surface. Toward wakefulness.

“I am sorry. Please. If you open your eyes, I will do . . . I will do anything, anything you want. I won’t make you practice anymore. I’ll give you a - a bigger room.”

The voice belongs to Lucifer, you’re sure of it. But it doesn’t sound like him. When has he ever pleaded, begged, for anything? You realize it is his hands on your skin, stroking your arms, your face. Then it hits you. The music. It wasn’t safe for your mind and now . . . was this real?

You open your eyes.

Lucifer’s face is the first thing you see. He is so close, you can feel his breath on your cheek. His eyes are wide and damp, and full of concern. You are held tight against him, like a child.

“Can you hear me? See me?” His fingertip slides along your jawline, a delicate touch.

“Yes.” Your voice comes out throaty and low. Rough as if you’d been screaming.

His relief is palpable. He squeezes you tighter, pressing your face to his chest. “I . . . I apologize. I got carried away with the music. And you’ve taken injury because of it - because of me.”

The words are halting, stiff. Hard for the proud eldest to say, and yet, for you, he does. “It’s okay,” you croak. “It was beautiful.” And it’s true. Some remnant of the cursed melodies still echo in the chambers of your heart. Haunting you with a promise that has no words.

“I will see you are fully recovered.” The briskness returns to Lucifer’s voice.

You try to push yourself up, off his chest. He doesn’t loosen his hold on you.

“Stop struggling. Are you uncomfortable?” Lucifer adjusts his grip, sliding your head to the crook of his arm. “Is that better?”

It isn’t, really. But at least you can see you aren’t in the music room anymore. Lucifer must have carried you to his chambers. He must have been worried, but you don’t know why. You feel alright. You try to sit up again.

With an exasperated look, Lucifer partially lifts you. He doesn’t release you. “Didn’t I say to stop struggling? You need to relax until you are . . . repaired.”

“I feel fine,” you tell him.

He frowns. “You are still bleeding from your ears.”

You lift a hand to the side of your head. It comes away red and wet. “Oh.”

“It will take a few days for the effects to wear off.” The concern in his scarlet gaze frightens you more than the blood.

“Will I be ok?”

“Mostly.” He looks away. “Until then, I will keep you here and see to your needs. Are you hungry? Thirsty? Does anything hurt?”

You shake your head. This, you discovered, was a mistake. The shadows of the room move with your vision, growing one direction and then the other. Wide swaths of darkness that catch your eye.

“Are you seeing things?” Lucifer looks back at you. His thumb caresses your cheek.

“N-no.”

“Rather, tell me what you are seeing. And don’t lie about it a second time.”

There is a flicker of warning in the crimson depths of his gaze. You tell him about the shadows, and the way the music still sings in you.

He frowns. “If the effects do not fade, I may have to keep you in my rooms forever.”

You note that he doesn’t sound annoyed at this prospect. But he didn’t ask you, and his assumptions don’t sit well. “You can’t lock me up, Lucifer.”

“I can.”

Wrong tactic to take. You amend. “It probably isn’t a good idea to burden yourself with caring for me. You have a lot to do. Diavolo needs you.”

Lucifer knows what you’re up to. He has millenniums on you, after all. He smiles and brushes the hair back from your forehead. “I have informed my brothers, and the Prince, that you fell ill yesterday afternoon. I’ve taken time off to care for you.”

Your mind takes a moment to catch up. “Yesterday?”

“Yes. I cast a spell to knock you unconscious when I realized what I’d done. It helped, briefly. But you started screaming some time in the night and . . .”

You realize he’s been sitting here, holding you, for hours. Warmth blossoms in your chest. A happiness completely out of place, all things considered. But despite the blood loss and possibly permanent madness, you feel loved. Cared for.

Lucifer seems to read your mind. He says nothing, just places a light kiss on your forehead.

Neither of you need to speak. He knows and you know and words just complicate things anyway.

He stands, still holding you, and carries you to bed. When you drift back to sleep, it’s with your head on his chest, his arm around your shoulders to pull you close.

#obey me shall we date #om #om lucifer #otome guys #otome #devildom #obey me lucifer #fanfiction #fanfic #fluff

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shaekingshitup · 4 years

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unintended part two

A/N: ALRIGHTY FOLKS! WE ARE BACK WITH SOME MORE ACTION FOR MR. JACKSON! As of now, the face claim for the reader is going to be Keke Palmer

But, if you’re anything like me. All I did was just post a picture of someone who wishes they were you and in this fic with you and Trevor Jackson haha. Whatever floats your boats friends. Please note that echoic memory is a real thing. It just doesn’t work how I described it haha. More like echoic and As always thanks to @glittermakesmesmile for giving me the first feedback and confidence to even post these things. Also big shout out to @twistedcharismaaa who helped me challenge myself to write more even if I don’t feel like it. So, this series will hopefully get some more chapters coming soon!

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

Pairing: Trevor Jackson x Black OC

Warnings: NONE

Word Count: approx 2500

HERE WE GO!

^ Jayden’s Song Association Fit

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“Let me take my Black ass to the restroom while we got ourselfs a break. ROCKSY, what’s that cam’ra lookin’ like? We need another battery?”

“We’re good. Jayden, you want a snack?” Roxy redirected at their latest arrival. Jayden tried to sneak a look at the biggest one in the room and failed. He smiled at her. Her glance had caught both of them off guard and it made him feel giddy. It was the most beautiful and natural response she'd received from him-or anyone for that matter- in a while.

“I’m good.” she said hiding her own bashfulness behind her steely exterior. She maintained eye contact with Trevor. Roxy opened up a cabinet to pull out an assortment of Lays and refill the chip bowls that Trevor had demolished when he’d shown up

“ Imma keep tryin. Venmo? Paypal? Zelle? CashApp? Damn, I can get it to you in Bitcoin if that’s what you prefer.”

“How have you done on the game so far?” Jayden again completely ignored his attempts to repay her. She wasn’t concerned about a few extra dollars.

“I’m doin alright so far." He also refused to break contact first "So far Song Association has been the easiest game for me to navigate today.” Jayden blinked and conceded for now. Motivated by his win Trevor strolled over to the living room where she was admiring some of Terrell’s music selection.

“Clever.” she tossed over her shoulder as she reached for a vinyl. In one swift motion, Trevor had taken it from her mid-review.

“Al Green?” He smirked. “ You’ve got taste J. Let me guess.. uh, track 5?”

“What?”

“That’s your single. I see it. No worries though. We can work on that.” he said just as he caught a glimpse of Terrell returning back into the room. Trevor placed the album back in her hands and returned to his stool, readjusting his mic.

“Alright, Mr. Jackson. YA READY?! No more stoppin’ this midnight train to Georgia.” Terrell hollered. Jayden giggled at his silliness as she glanced at the tracklist for Al Green’s Greatest Hits.

Track 5: Tired of Being Alone

Damn he cocky. Jayden thought. At least it wasn’t in an overbearing manner. It was a little endearing. He seems a little goofy. That smile was very telling. But she wouldn’t show that just yet. Sitting back in her audience of one, Jayden watched them continue to play.

“If I gave you the word “Never” what hits your mind?” Terrell asked the singer. Trevor starts going into a Jackson 5 single that Jayden honestly didn’t know. But, she knows that he is DOING IT. Her eyes go wide as his Michael impression is spot on and before she can even register her own body's movements, she's vibing with it. Music always had a way of helping her with her emotions and channeling a less.. “feisty”,as it had been put earlier, connection with herself and the rest of the world. She was moving around in her seat and doing her best not to spill her coffee over herself or her new friend’s floor.

"Oh shit!" she said clamping her hand over her mouth immediately. That was louder than she expected. Especially since it hadn't meant to leave her head at all. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"AHA HA" Roxy guffawed. "I tried to warn you. Don't worry Jayden. We'll fix it in post anyways"

"Jayden you good girl. I had the same reACTion the first time I laid my eyes- I meant my ears on Trevor" Terrell stated taking a very pointed sip from his mug. Everyone knew he'd meant what he'd said the first time and it was causing them all to try not to break into laughter so they could push forward.

"Yeah. Very natural response J. Hakuna matata" Trevor confirmed. Jayden playfully rolled her eyes.

"What's the next word? He's a lil too comfortable" she spoke up.

Terrell nodded at Jayden and refocused on Trevor. "WAY. w-a-y"

Without hesitation, he bursted into song. It was another that Jayden was sadly unfamiliar with.

What is in this man's repertoire?

Soon enough Terrell explained that it was an original off of a project called Rough Drafts 2. At once Jayden grabbed her phone and opened her Spotify app. Creating a new playlist, she glanced up at the boys and locking in on Trevor she came up with an idea. "Thotful n Tired 💭" she titled it. She was adding damn near his whole discography when her ears perked up at the fact that he had an additional 200 unreleased singles on his computer at home. The more time spent in his presence the more the question of "Who the hell is this nigga?" rose in Jayden's mind.

Trevor responded to Terrell all the while staring at Jayden and answering her unspoken question as well.

"So any fans that live in L.A. and you wanna just come and listen to new music not recorded.." he trailed off leaving an open invitation for Jayden and the rest of LA.

He really just said: Come find out

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Jayden was both relieved and saddened when Trevor was finished with his Song Association. In a very short time, she'd learned a lot about this person she'd never even heard of until that afternoon. As his song had promised, he truly had her beggin for more. The way they interacted and the feelings she felt towards him had grown quickly but it was familiar. It seemed as if they'd already done this dance before. Jayden was trying to figure out how to rationalize this to herself but she couldn't. It was the way that she and Trevor had silently held private conversations in a room with others. Even as they were learning one another, a lot of the pieces already seemed to be connected.

Trevor was filming his spot for Terrell’s outro. It took every ounce of restraint in Jayden not to cackle out loud when he said “I think we’re gonna queue the rain right now. Mm hmm. You feel that? This is not a joke. It’s a motion in your ocean.”

Trevor had made her feel a range of emotions in their time together. Jayden had laughed, she’d pondered a topic or two she’d never fully considered, she’d felt sexy and above all else- she felt noticed. Truly seen. It was a lot. But, the girl was a hustler by nature. So, she was keeping up with each curveball that day had thrown at her.

“Imma run to the restroom” Jayden announced. She wasn’t certain why she felt the need to do so. But it seemed far more courteous than roaming through Terrell’s halls.

“Alright we gotta get ready for you when ya done Miss Jayden!” Terrell called out.

When she returned, there was no Trevor in sight. Just Roxy and Terrell. Jayden wasn’t disappointed for them being there. Although she was a little put off that Trevor had exited so quickly and without saying goodbye? She wasn’t about to let that show though. Sure, she really thought she’d felt a connection with him. But, she wasn’t going to let it get in the way of the single calendar event of her year- outside of her birthweek of course.

“My turn?” Jayden asked as she returned back into the kitchen where the green screen was.

“Mmmhhmm” Terrell affirmed “I just gotta follow you to this res’room. I dun broke my damn seal. Plus, we waitin on Trevuh to finish his call.” As if he heard his queue, the front door opened and Trevor came back in.

“Oh.” Jayden let out. Trevor studied her as Terrell turned towards his restroom. Roxy was on the balcony getting some air and making a call of her own.

She was feening her cool, unbothered mask. But that one syllable had given her away. “What? You thought I left?” he asked.

“I mean you were gone. So, yeah.” Jayden said shrugging her shoulders and throwing her wrist back dismissively.

“Huh.” Trevor stared back quizzically. “I can’t do that just yet. One: I don’t think it’s fair that you got to see mine and I don’t get to see yours and two: I still need to figure out a way to make sure we’re even.”

“Ahh. So you’re stayin?”

“I got a little extra time. Plus, this is definitely worth it. But look, promise me something real quick.”

“Yeah, what’s that?”

“Since you’re so gung-ho on not taking back the money which is owed to you. Let me pay my debt another way.”

“What if I like the notion of Trevor Jackson being forever indebted to me?” The smolder he returned to her made her feel that someone had pressed play on Puddles again. But she simply crossed her arms and cocked her head at him. They were in yet another staring contest.

Trevor let a beat pass as he wound up his pitch in his mind. “Aight, how about-

“Okay. I hope ya’ll enjoyed.. Ya break,” Terrell trailed off as he walked in on the tension that occupied the room. Jayden took a small step back from Trevor. She hadn’t realized that they were all in each other's personal space.

“Yup. I’m ready.” Roxy re-entered from the balcony and grabbed the mic Trevor had used earlier that day to affix to Jayden. “Feel okay?”

“It does.” Jayden said. All of a sudden all of that calm she’d felt left her. She was getting the nerves again. She wasn’t certain if it was because of the game she was going to play or the one she’d been entangled in since she’d laid eyes on Trevor. He himself was still trying to figure out this woman. She had a hard exterior and a beguiling sexual energy that he couldn’t detach himself from. When she sat on that stool allowing Terrell to compliment her outfit and introduce herself a little bit, she radiated. She also had a pretty good voice too for a Shits and Giggles winner.

“I’m mad at you” Terrell said.

“Why?” Jayden

“I hear it. I hear that there in ya throat box. You got them vocals.” Terrell said. “Why you hidin?”

“Ohmygod. Hush. I can hold a tune here and there. But I don’t know about them vocals. I don’t know how to control it.”

Terrell squinted his eyes. “I don’t believe it. Sing that song again. Because you got the emotion. I can tell you feel these songs here. You haf’way there but you too worried about sounded perfect. Let that go.”

Jayden was quick to adapt. She took that advice from Terrell and moments later you could hear the difference. Closing her eyes she tried again

Have you ever found the one

You've dreamed of all of your life

Do just about anything to look into their eyes

Have you finally found the one you've given your heart to

Jayden tried her best not to get into her head about fucking up and pushed the nervousness down within her. Because when she became tense it would lock up her voice and she would miss her mark altogether

Only to find that one won't give their heart to you

She exhaled from her nose and smiled because she’d clearly sounded better than the first time

Have you ever closed your eyes and

Dreamed that they were there

Jayden opened her eyes and stopped. She may not have control; but, she knew her limit

“Now I know you didn’t stop.” Jayden picked up some of the liquid courage Terrell had fixed her. Her coffee was long gone by this point. She couldn’t keep the fear at bay. She didn’t want to make that big of a fool of herself today and have her voice crack like a pre-pubescent teen.

Trevor was taking it all in. She was a whole party when put on the spot and she easily gave off a coolness that made you certain to never cross her. She was not one to be played with. But it was obvious that music opened up another avenue to Jayden. Trevor had seen it when their roles were reversed. She was empathetic to the emotions of whichever song he sang.

Her music taste was eclectic as well. She’d come through with country, gospel, r&b, showtunes and she seemed to have every Chicago rapper’s discography down pat. Trevor was genuinely impressed by her ability to copy and paste an artist’s essence into her own. She was fucking up the game and had songs for every word Terrell threw her way.

“RIGHT R-I-G-H-T” Terrell announced. Jayden glanced a look at Trevor and then she gave her undivided attention to Terrell.

Just stand right here

Let me show you what I'm about

To do to that body

And come down here

Let me show you where to touch my body

Let the foreplay begiiiin

Bet you never had this before

Cause once I go iiiiiiin

I'm gone have you begging for more

Boy, I'm talking right now, right now, right now, yeah

Right now, oh

Can we make some love right now?

Jayden laughed and when she’d finished, there was silence. It was like someone had pressed the mute button in real life. Then the room erupted with noise at once

“UH UH”

“hOw?”

“Whoa whoa whoa” all crashed on top of each other.

“What?” Jayden asked.

“WHAT?! This heffa really just said WHAT? TUH!” Terrell hollered.

“Wait. You said you’d never heard of Trevor before,” said a very baffled Roxy.

“Before a few hours ago, no. I hadn’t.” Roxy said. Jayden gave a shrug in Trevor’s direction.

“But you just sang his song?” Roxy asked

“Yeah. Because I heard him sing it earlier.

“You mean to tell me, that you heard this negro sang that song one time half an hour ago and you committed it to your memory?”

“Yes. I have perfect echoic memory. Obviously I don’t always process this in a way where I can duplicate it perfectly. But, I can mimic it pretty close.”

Trevor finally spoke up. “So when you hear something you can pull up that audio in your mind and not only play it back for yourself but you’ve trained yourself to be able to mimic it almost dead ass spot on?”

“Yeah. That’s pretty much it.” Jayden said as if she’d just read rattled off the day’s weather report. “You’re pretty sharp.” The compliment rolled off of Trevor in his astonished state of mind. Just then, his phone vibrated in his pocket. “Damn” he muttered looking at the screen. “Aite y’all, that’s my cue.” I gotta head out. Just as his mother had done, Trevor said goodbye to everyone individually. He saved Jayden for last. “Good luck Jayden. It was nice meeting you. Matter of fact, let me get your info so I can follow up with you to see if you really get that perfect score” He offered his phone out to her with the keypad pulled up.

“Oh, you already know that I came to win today.” she tapped some buttons and gave him back his phone. Looking down, Trevor realized that she’d followed herself on his Instagram account. She smiled but her eyes only said one word:

Checkmate.

---

TAG LIST: @twistedcharismaaa @mygirlrenee @glittermakesmesmile @sarcastic-sunshines @chaneajoyyy @shewrites02 @ghostfacekill-monger @raysunshine78 @shewritestheblues @scrumptiouslytenaciouscrusade @fd-writes @eyeknowmywrites @thadelightfulone @yoyolovesbucky

Imma update my tag list and this fic soon y’all. Hold me to it.

#shaekingspeaks #trevor jackson #black oc #trevor jackson x oc #fics n shit #Terrell Grice #song association

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mycupoffanfiction · 5 years

Text

A Real Sweet Guy Part 4

A biker!Bucky x shy!Reader Series

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6

The reader lives on the same street as Bucky, the leader of a biker gang, which everyone in her building is afraid of, except for her. When Bucky makes a simple act of kidness to the reader, she realises she was right to not be afraid of him.

Warnings: So much fluff, **Anxiety/slight panic**, little bit of a creepy dude. 99% of this is fluff/a little bit cheesy, sorry if it’s too cheesy.

Word count: Approx 5600 (oops)

Masterlist

Here is part 4! I’m so so so happy with this part. I did get carried away with it though. It is kiiinda cheesy in some parts, sorry if you don’t like it, but man I just want a squishy Bucky so much urgh. Please enjoy the fluff fest that this chapter is 💕

____________________________

“Hey Gladys.” You automatically greeted her as you passed her on the pavement and immediately regretted it, squeezing your eyes shut. She grumbled something at you and as you passed by her, you felt a sharp whack to your back, right between your shoulder blades. You looked over your shoulder at her and she crossed her arms. “What is your problem?” You ask, feeling a little hurt that Gladys was obviously going to continue hitting you with a paper. She might be a piece of work, but you and Gladys had once seen eye to eye, you’d once been friendly enough to drink tea together and on occasion you’d help her out when you were around. But not since Bucky moved in, since your opinion differed from hers, it was enough for her to start disliking you too and as soon as you got friendly with him, you might as well have broken all of her old crockery from the way she was acting.

“You are unbelievable.” She scoffed, turning to face you. “That man is dangerous. You’re putting us all in danger.” She growled. Seriously? We’re doing this all over again? “Bucky is as sweet as anything and you know it, else you wouldn’t have the guts to throw the paper at him if you were really as scared of him as you claim to be.” You called her out, turning to face her fully. “I don’t care what your problem is with me and Bucky, but whatever it is, mind your own goddamn business.” You frown, poking her sharply in the shoulder. “I got places to be, Gladys.” You spat out her name and stalk away from her in the opposite direction.

Ascending the stairs up to your apartment, you let out a heavy sigh and trudge through the corridor to your flat. You pull out your keys and let yourself in and immediately go for a warm shower to alleviate the effects of the rough shift you had at work. Who knew working at a bookshop was so tiring?

You were almost ready to leave your apartment again when your phone buzzed.

Hey doll, waiting downstairs for ya. The guys will meet us there xx

You smile to yourself and type out a reply, telling him you’ll be down in a few minutes. You finish up your makeup, take the last sip of coffee from your mug and get your boots and jacket on, grabbing your backpack and helmet on the way out. You completely ignored Gladys who was on her way back from somewhere when you bounded down the stairs into the lobby and you shot out of the front door to see Bucky leaning against his bike scrolling through something on his phone.

Bucky was the picture of handsome. If you were to describe the most good looking man on earth to someone, you’d show them Bucky. His long hair was left down today, but it was tucked behind his ears. He wore his usual jacket, jeans and boots along with one of his usual flannel shirts which was a red and grey check one this time. You wondered how many flannel shirts he had, but they looked damn good on him. “Hey.” You squeak out, locking eyes with him. “Hey sweetheart.” Bucky shared a sweet smile with you as he pushed away from his bike, extending his arm to you for a hug and putting his phone away. You stepped forwards and let him embrace you, wrapping your arms around his middle and breathing in his woody, leather scent. “You alright, darlin’?” Bucky backed away a little and lifted your chin with his fingers to see your face. “Yeah, just had a bit of a long day.” You respond. “That’s alright, sweetheart. The show will be fun and I plan on taking you out to this sweet diner on the way home.” Bucky grinned, draping his arm over your shoulder and pressing a kiss to your temple. “That sounds perfect.” You smile at the idea of such a nice afternoon, out in the autumnal weather where the colours of the changing trees made things that much more cosy feeling to you, maybe you could cuddle up to Bucky later or things might even start to move further. You’d have to wait and see. “Let’s get going doll, it’ll take about half an hour to get there.” Bucky lifted his helmet and pushed his hair back one more time before putting it on and you did the same.

Riding the motorbike was going to be different today and you hoped you still liked it as much after you arrived at the show since it was a much longer ride than you were used to. Bucky took you down some roads with much higher speed limits. You’d be lying if you said that didn’t make you nervous and you clutched to Bucky for dear life for the first five minutes of tearing down those roads. You relaxed quickly, knowing Bucky was being careful, he would slow down to go around bends and wouldn’t overtake cars or weave between them, he kept a respectable distance between you two and the cars around you. You felt safe and you trusted him, probably more than you had trusted other people before. Being a shy person and quite comfortable with your own company, it didn’t leave much room for relationships or friends, but Bucky seemed to fill that space beautifully.

Bucky pulled up into a parking space, there were a few trucks around but the majority of vehicles were bikes, as expected. You climbed off the back and pulled your helmet off, your legs feeling quite jelly like from the ride, but you were quick to close the distance between you and Bucky in case you needed to hold onto him. “Where are we meeting the others?” You ask, tucking your helmet under one arm. “Should be a drink stall down near the entrance, we’re meeting them around there.” He replied, taking your helmet from you and leaving it on the top of his bike next to his. “You getting used to the bike now?” Bucky asked, his arm finding it’s way around your shoulders as you walked towards the entrance across the concrete. “Definitely, I didn’t almost fall over after getting off your bike this time.” You laughed, leaning your head against his arm to look up at him.

You spot Wanda in the distance talking to a few people while she leans up against Steve’s chest and you wonder if they’ve admitted their feelings in the past two days or if they’re still dancing around each other. “They’re so into each other.” You sigh, nodding your head towards Wanda and Steve. “Tell me about it, doll. They act like they’re dating all the time, but they refuse to admit there are any feelings.” Bucky chuckles, shaking his head. “How long have they been doing that for?” You ask. “Pretty much since we met Wanda when she started working at the repair shop around two years ago.” Bucky smiled at the memory. “Is that how you met all of your friends?” Bucky scratches his stubble and hums. “A fair few of ‘em, yeah.”

“(Y/n)!” Wanda suddenly spots you as you two get closer as she pushes away from Steve to greet you. Pulling you into a hug, you giggled and hugged her back, not quite realising you were on hugging terms with Wanda yet, but apparently you were wrong, not that you minded. “How are ya?” She asks, bumping Bucky out of the way to replace his arm around your shoulders with hers. You see Bucky grin at you both before moving away to greet the guys as you talk to Wanda.

“Are you two a thing yet?” Wanda asks you quietly as you both sit off to the side, watching Bucky and Steve. “I’m not sure what we are Wanda, we’re definitely more than friends, but not quite dating.” You shrug, you were comfortable with that for now if that’s the pace Bucky wanted to take, but you knew you wanted something more with him. “You like him though, right?” Wanda elbows you in the ribs and you huff out a laugh. “Yeah, I do.” You nod, not even trying to hide your feelings from her. “And you and Steve?” You turn it around on her and she looks at you surprised. “I’ll let you in on something.” She quietens her voice even more. “I love the hell outta that man, I know he loves me too but he won’t admit it. I want him to admit it.” She sighs. “Maybe he just needs a push.” You think out loud and Wanda smirks at you. “I like the way you think, (Y/n). I’m glad we finally have another girl around for me to conspire with.” She laughs. “How are we going to get him to admit to it though?” Wanda turns serious again and you sigh. “I could try talking to him, if that doesn’t work he might need a reason to admit his feelings.” You twirl your hair between your fingers as you talk and Wanda hums in response, smiling deviously across at you.

Wanda pulls you over to the group and Bucky immediately joins you at your side in fear of you feeling uncomfortable. You grip his hand as you’re introduced to everyone. There’s Sam, who appears to be quite extroverted and loud but so kind and friendly, although there seems to be a bit of a friendly feud between him and Bucky, but it all ends in laughter and pats on the back between the pair of them. Then there’s Thor and you wonder if that’s his real name or not, but if you thought Steve and Bucky were muscular and tall, Thor was a whole new level, but he is such a gentle giant and quite excitable. Next to Thor was his brother Loki, a polite and quiet individual who smiles a lot but says very little unless it’s to sass someone or make polite conversation with you or Wanda. And lastly was Peter, the youngest, he looks barely older than seventeen at most, but he seemed like a good kid who mostly stuck by Sam and Steve.

You spent some time talking with the guys, but you mostly got pulled away either by Wanda or Bucky. Wanda was becoming a fast friend of yours and you couldn’t deny that you were loving the fact you two were getting close. It had been a long time since you had a female friend.

After Bucky went off to find you both something to drink and Wanda left your side to go and greet an old friend, you were left with Steve and you knew now was your chance to see if you could get him to admit his feelings for Wanda. “You know, Wanda really likes you Steve.” You break the silence. He sighs and smiles down at you. “I know, I like her too.” He leans up against a wall and you stand in front of him, awkwardly digging your hands into your jacket pockets. “Why don’t you tell her?” You question, hoping you’re not pushing too much. “Honestly, (Y/n), I’m afraid to lose the friendship we have.” Steve looks down at his hands, playing with them a little. You take his hands in your and he looks up from his hands at you. “If you’ve both been in love with each other for as long as Wanda says you both have, you can only gain. If you leave it much longer, Wanda might feel like you don’t want her and move on.” You try to convince him and you let go of his hands, letting yours fall at your sides. Steve heaves and sigh and lets out a low hum. “You’re probably right, (Y/n).” Steve lets his head fall back against the wall. “Fuck it, you are right. I’ve gotta tell her.” He ran his hands down his face and took in a sharp breath. “Wait here for Buck, I’m gonna go and find Wanda.” He claps you on the shoulder and pushes away from the wall. “Thank you, (Y/n).” Steve says over his shoulder before walking away, leaving you alone. Well that was much easier than you expected.

You take Steve’s spot and lean against the wall. You’re not even sure where Bucky went for drinks. You can’t see Steve after he waded through a crowd of people. None of the guys are around, at least not in sight. You pull out your phone, checking for messages, but there’s none. Bucky knows he’s supposed to meet you, Steve and Wanda back here, so there’s no need to worry.

A cold breeze chills you and you shiver under your jacket, why didn’t you wear a jumper? That really wasn’t the smartest decision. You feel a little uneasy and when you look up from scrolling through your phone, you realise why. A pair of eyes are locked on you. A tall, lean looking guy wearing all black, the most smug look on his face. He had black hair that was long on top and was styled carefully. He looks at you hungrily through his dark eyes as they trail down and back up your body and you swallow uncomfortably at the way he’s looking at you. He starts walking towards you and you look around for a familiar face but you see none. “What do we have here?” His voice is deep and gravelly, but it’s not sweet like Bucky’s. “You fresh meat?” He asks, moving a bit closer. You don’t respond to him, you just scowl up at him, but you’re almost too afraid to open your mouth. “You’re a pretty little thing, ain’t ya? What are you doing all by yourself?” He shifts in his step and suddenly puts his hands on either side of you against the wall, trapping you. You start to feel panicked; you’re trapped between a wall and a guy who seems intent on making you uncomfortable. “I’m not alone.” You try to sound confident, but you’re more than intimidated at this point and you’re sure you just sound terrified. “I don’t see anyone but you, don’t lie to me.” He laughs darkly. He reaches up and takes hold of your chin between his fingers and thumb to make you look at him and you try to pull away from him but he doesn’t let you, only pushing you closer to the wall as he gets way too close to your body for comfort and you can feel his breath on your face. You can feel your chest squeeze with panic and you try to keep your breathing calm while your heart races.

“Back off Rumlow.” Bucky’s voice comes from beside you, but its not his usual, gentle but deep tone. He sounds irritated, almost angry and you see him tense his shoulders as he approaches. “She with you, then? Or you just protecting the new blood?” Rumlow quirks an eyebrow as his fingers brush across your cheek and you squeeze your eyes shut, swallowing thickly. “She’s with me, asshole. Back off.” Bucky’s tone gets even deeper as he clutches the paper tray that supports the four cups of coffee he went to buy. “You his girl?” Rumlow runs his fingers down your neck and you gain some confidence, probably from your panicked state and reach forwards, pushing him back with all of your strength and he lets you push him back. “Feisty.” He chuckles. You join Bucky’s side, standing slightly behind him. You’re sure he’s noticed how you’re heaving from breath and shaking a little from the way he looked at you when you joined him. “She is my girl. Stay away from her. She ain’t for you to mess with, Rumlow.” Bucky snarled. Wait, you’re his girl? He’s just saying that to protect you though, right?

Steve and Wanda come into view, holding hands and you look at them both. Wanda has Steve’s jacket draped over her shoulders and she looks so happy, but once they see the standoff between the two of you against Rumlow and how afraid you look, they rush over towards you. “There a problem?” Steve asks, his voice full of authority. As soon as Rumlow sees there’s more than just you and Bucky he backs away by a few steps. “No problem here.” Rumlow chuckles before backing away more and turning to disappear into the crowd.

Bucky thrusts the coffees into Steve’s hand and turns to you. “You alright sweetheart?” His voice is soft again and you nod. “Did he hurt you?” He asks, looking you up and down with his concerned gaze as he rests his hands on your shoulders. “No, just scared me a bit.” You say shakily. Bucky pulled his glove off his metal hand and took your hand in his, letting you run your fingers over the smooth surface as you close your eyes, trying to breath in and out slowly. “You’re alright, doll.” Bucky reassures you. “Fucking Rumlow. I’m so sorry Buck, I shouldn’t have left her alone like that.” Steve steps up to the two of you, Wanda’s hand in his. “It’s okay.” You breathe out before Bucky can respond and you start to feel much calmer, the cold metal in your hand soothes you. Wanda moves to your side and pushes your hair out of your eyes. “Rumlow’s a dick, picks on anyone he thinks is new, especially girls. He did it to me once too, sweetie.” Wanda speaks quietly. “He touched you though, didn’t he?” Wanda asks, tucking your hair behind your ear. “Yeah, it’s okay though, I’m okay.” You’re not sure if your saying that to yourself or your friends but Wanda pulls you against her in a sideways hug and you let her hold you.

“I noticed you get anxious.” Wanda says as the four of you perch on top of a wall, watching a bike race in the middle. Steve and Bucky are quite absorbed in the show while you and Wanda chat. “Yeah, I get panicked easily. I’m shy. I can manage when I’m running my shop because I can fake the confidence for a few hours, but it drains me. But conflict and situations like with that Rumlow guy set me off pretty badly.” You admit to her, warming up your hands on your coffee cup. “Y’know, I get anxious too.” Wanda rests her head on your shoulder as you watched the race, the rumble of bikes vibrated through your chest as you watched the bikes go by, one overtaking the other, the third weaving in and out of its position. “It gets easier.” Wanda continued. You let her talk to you about it for a while and you started to feel at ease. The comforting feeling of friends around you, Wanda talking to you about her own feelings and what makes her feel better while she rested against you and you against Bucky made you feel warm inside.

Bucky’s arm snaked around your back, squeezing your middle while Wanda remained resting on your shoulder, her hand wrapping around your arm. Steve obviously started to feel left out when he scooted a little closer to Wanda and held her with one arm and the four of you watched the race, sharing the odd thing here and there, sipping your coffees and laughing at the odd joke one of you told.

Eventually the races ended and Steve and Wanda left the two of you to do their own thing. You sat with Bucky as another show started, it was a competition about the best bikes in the show and while you didn’t care too much for the competition of it all, the pride and happiness the bikers shared for their bikes was nice to watch. Apart from Rumlow, you’d never seen a more tightly knit community of people, everyone was nice to everyone, except for the odd rival here and there.

You and Bucky start walking down a section of the outdoor area across the grass when a stall in the distance catches his eye and Bucky takes your hand in his, pulling you along with him. “C’mon doll, love when these things are here.” He says to you, but you have no idea what he’s talking about. Being quite a bit shorter than Bucky, you can’t see above the crowd like he can so you keep quiet and wait and see what he’s so excited about. Bucky weaves through the crowd with you in tow until you reach a tattoo stand and he excitedly looks at you. “Don’t worry, I ain’t gonna make you get one, but I want to get one.” He grins. “It’s been a while, I think it’s about time I got a new one, doll.” Bucky speaks softly to you. “What are you gonna get?” You ask. “It’s a surprise, (Y/n).” He smiles and you giggle, knowing he’s probably doing it with you in mind.

He talks to one of the tattoo artists and you sit nearby as he’s getting a stencil applied to his arm. The tattoo itself looks tiny from what you can see and you watch as the artist sets up their equipment to start. You wait for all of about ten minutes, watching the tattoo artist move the needle around on the spot on Bucky’s arm and then it’s finished.

When it’s all cleaned up, before it gets wrapped up, Bucky insists on showing you and you walk over to see his arm. He twists it, pointing at the red patch at the side of his tattoo sleeve where he’s added a new piece and you giggle a little when you see it, grinning up at him as you inspect it. “What? Coffee is symbolic to me.” Bucky laughs as you smile at his new, line art tattoo of a mug of coffee. “Your girlfriend going to get anything?” The tattoo artist asks. “(Y/n), you gettin’ anything, sweetheart?” Bucky knows you’ll say no. You realise he didn’t even deny when you were called his girlfriend. He’s just being polite, right? “Actually, I would like to get one.” You respond and Bucky looks at you surprised. “You sure?” Bucky asks. “Absolutely, I told you it’d be spontaneous, didn’t I?” You grin up at him. “What are you gonna get?” Bucky asks as you move over to the stall to pay for the size of tattoo you want. “It’s a surprise, Bucky.” You repeat his own words and he laughs, kissing you cheek and sits off at the side while you talk to the artist.

Getting a tattoo was quickly added to your list of things that were nowhere near as scary as you thought they’d be. It also didn’t hurt as much as you had imagined. It did hurt, and it was uncomfortable, but it wasn’t as bad as you had expected. You were however quite cold since you had to take your jacket off to have your tattoo done on the inside of your arm, just below your elbow crease on your forearm. It took a little longer than Bucky’s, mainly because there was some basic shading and by the time it was done, you were well and truly over your fear and were more excited than anything else to show it off. “Let me see, let me see.” Bucky comes over as your new tattoo gets wiped over and he peers over to see the new piece of art on your arm. It was a little stack of books with a mug sat on top. Bucky studies it for a moment and shares a grin with you. “See, coffee is symbolic.” He pokes you in the side.

You both met back up with the whole group and you and Bucky showed off your new tattoos, to which Thor was ecstatic about since it was your first ever piece and everyone else in the crew had at least one. “You’re fitting in nicely, small one.” Thor’s voice boomed at you as you showed off your new ink. “Not that you needed a tattoo to fit in, dear. What Thor is trying to say is that you really are starting to become one of us.” Loki interrupted, patting your shoulder gently and flashing you a lovely smile. You felt so welcomed by them all, and you couldn’t be happier about it. Before all of this you had been quite lonely but since Bucky asked if you needed help that day when you bought far too much food than you could carry, your life had taken a turn for the better. It had barely been a full week, but you were coming close to people like you’d known them for months or years and it made your heart swell with happiness that they seemed to instantly accept and embrace you into their fold.

You all made you way out of the show and down to the diner on your bikes. You and Peter were the only two ride sharing while everyone else had their own bikes and after the thrill from today, your interest in bikes and your new friends had you thinking about learning to ride yourself.

It was close to seven o’clock when you all filed into the nearly empty diner. A blonde haired woman stood behind the counter and watched you all come in with a big smile on her face. “Hey, Pep.” Steve was the first to greet her, a chorus of hellos followed his. Her name was Pepper, according to her nametag. You were all squished into a large booth at the back of the diner and you found yourself squished in between Bucky and Thor. Opposite you was Steve, Wanda and Loki and Sam and Peter sat on the end on separate chairs.

“So, when is (Y/n) going to become an official member of the crew, Buck?” Sam asked, everyone falling silent. “Whenever she wants.” Bucky shrugged, looking at you questioningly. “I wasn’t already part of your group?” You ask, confused. “Not officially.” Sam rolled his eyes playfully. “What makes it official? You gonna make me do some crazy dare or a challenge or something?” You ask. Thor chuckles and his giant hand is brought down onto your shoulder. “We’re not like those bikers, small one.” Thor claps you on the back and you lurch forwards and you see Steve stifle a laugh. “A biker ain’t a biker without a jacket, all we gotta do is get you one.” Steve speaks up. “But I’m not even a biker.” Leaning back on the seat, you shift about. “You don’t have to know how to ride a bike to be a biker, doll. You ride mine with me, think of it as being my co-pilot.” Bucky winks at you and you giggle. You’re Bucky’s co-pilot now, apparently, but you liked the title. “Since Buck is the leader, he gets to pick out your jacket.” Steve informs you. “That’s fine, I trust his taste. He always manages to look good.” You blurt out, but you instantly blush and look down, cursing to yourself for saying that out loud. A chorus of aww’s and a few laughs are shared while Bucky drapes his arm around your shoulders. “Do I, doll?” He drawls into your ear. “Didn’t know you thought I looked so good.” He chuckles. Bucky pulls you in close and you keep your line of sight low to avoid eye contact. “Don’t worry, sweetheart, I’m flattered and for the record, I think you always look good too.” Bucky whispers in your ear and you blush furiously. If you weren’t bright red before, you certainly were now.

Eventually the chatter about your verbal slip dies down when your food arrives and you all settle down to eat. Most of the group ordered pizza, including yourself since everyone told you how good the pizza here was and you wolfed down your food while talking to everyone about anything and everything. The conversation went in different directions, people talking about their parents, Wanda sharing stories of her brother Pietro and their adventures together and how she was going to get him to come along some time because she was sure you’d get along with him too. Sam was on a roll with jokes, most of which were responded to with groans and exasperated laughs, but the odd one landed Sam the reactions he was looking for with the whole table collapsing into laughter. Peter got himself tongue tied and was extremely clumsy with his words, even more so than you, which made you feel a little better about the times you embarrassed yourself in front of Bucky when Peter told the table about his slip ups with his crush, MJ.

Eventually you all pay, although Bucky insists on paying for your meal, which you protest about three times before giving in to his chivalrous act, which in all honesty, you didn’t mind, you just wanted to be polite because you didn’t want Bucky to feel like he had to pay for you.

Slowly making your way out of the diner, everyone says their goodbyes and you’re not the least bit surprised anymore when you receive hugs from everyone, including Loki who you had not expected to say goodbye to you that way. Wanda wrapped herself around you and squeezed tightly. “I never got to say it earlier but thank you. Steve finally spoke up about his feelings, we’re going on a date tomorrow night.” She says excitedly into your ear and you beam at her. “I’m so happy for you!” You squeal with delight. “Tell me how it goes.” You hold her by the shoulders and she nods enthusiastically. “I will, just give me your number first.” Wanda pokes you in the chest and you laugh. You pull out your phone to exchange numbers and she squeezes you one last time, pecking you on the cheek as she pulls away. “Have a good night, sweetie.” She grins at you before saying a quick goodbye to Bucky and making her way to her bike.

“So, co-pilot.” Bucky guides you along to his bike, his arm taking its usual place around your shoulders. “How about we make a little stop on the way home? I’ve got one more thing to show you.” Bucky looks down at you, a smirk playing on his lips as you walk together. “You’re the pilot.” You nudge him grinning up at him and you both lock eyes for a moment. God he looks so handsome, even in the low evening light. “Let’s go then, sweetheart.” Bucky presses a kiss to your temple and you make your way to his bike and get ready to go.

You hold onto Bucky as he drives you down the main road and then pulls off onto a little track at the side and you start to wonder where he’s taking you. After a short drive, he pulls up and stops his bike, waiting for you to get off. Taking off your helmet, you leave it on the bike seat and he takes your hand in his. Bucky leads you a few feet forwards to the brow of the hill, overlooking the town you both live in. “It’s beautiful.” You whisper as you both stop to admire the view. “Isn’t it?” Bucky pulls you close.

“I know its early, probably too early to say this, but I gotta get it off my chest.” Bucky says, looking straight ahead. “I’m falling for you, (Y/n). God I think I’m in love with you and I wanna take this slow, whatever this is but I need you to know I’m crazy for you, sweetheart.” Bucky rushes it all out and he struggles to even look across at you properly. Bucky is falling for you and you thought you were weak since you were falling for him so fast, but you’re both just as mad for each other. “Please, say something, doll.” He breaks your train of thought and you feel bad for leaving him hanging while you internally screamed about his feelings for you. “Bucky,” You breathe out. You can’t quite find the words you’re looking for and you pause for a painfully long time. “I’m falling in love with you too.” You finally manage to get out. “I want to be with you. You make me feel so safe and protected, you’re always looking out for me, you understand me more than anyone I’ve ever met.” That was it, the list of things you’d been wanting to say suddenly came spilling out and you had to stop yourself before you blurted out even more. “We can take it as slow as you want. I can wait too, if you don’t want to right now either.” This is the most nervous you’ve ever seen, or rather heard Bucky. He takes in a deep breath and turns to face you, his face slightly illuminated from the glow of the moon. “Will you be my girl?” Bucky asks. You reach up and gently stroke his cheek with you thumb, brushing your fingers over his stubble. “I’d love to be.” You reply and before you can even stop yourself, your up on your toes, your face so close to his and you both slowly lean into one another. You lips gently touch and you feel his soft skin slowly push against yours. You begin to move against his lips, his arms hold you tightly around your middle and you rest your hands on his chest.

You slowly part and you look up at him. All you feel is absolute bliss and awe, your stomach is fluttering with excitement and your heart is beating like mad, but you feel so at ease under his touch. He isn’t just any sweet guy anymore, he’s your sweet guy.

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xfandomwritingsx · 5 years

Text

Reuniting - F!Hawke/Varric

Description: When Hawke comes to Skyhold, Varric notices there’s something just a little bit different in his relationship with her.

Warnings/Labels: Friends to lovers trope. Sweetness. Some self loathing. The usual fun stuff.

Approx. Word Count: 1,700

A/N: Super creative title, isn’t it? This is only part one of a most likely 2-3 part story. Also my first attempt at a Dragon Age fic and the first time in a long time that I’ve written something not in second person POV.

Varric snuck her into Skyhold late at night, when he knew Cassandra was asleep and the men on guard knew him well enough to keep quiet for a while. He waited at the gate, Bianca resting at his leg as he leaned back against the stone wall. He was oddly fidgety; his gloved fingers running over themselves, a foot tapping on the ground, his eyes constantly flitting across the bridge.

He was nervous. It had been, what? Over two damn years since he’d seen Hawke. He had vowed to himself when they parted ways on the Kirkwall docks that he’d do everything he possibly could to keep her out of whatever came next. He had watched the burning city begin to settle into a smolder behind them and silently promised to spin every tale he could to keep her safe.

And yet here he was, smashing that promise to pieces. He had asked her to Skyhold and she had agreed so easily, without question. It practically broke his heart. All he had wanted for her was a quiet life, but whatever Gods were out there had made him throw her back into the thick of it.

He caught movement out of the corner of his eye. He felt himself tense, too used to preparing for a fight. It only took a second to recognize her though. He’d know that walk anywhere. That woman had flare in everything she did, walking being no exception. A slight smile tugged at his lips watching her approach. Maker, did he miss her.

“Hawke!” he called out, bringing himself away from the wall and raising his arms towards her in his typical, friendly greeting. She picked up her pace, approaching him quickly. He opened his mouth to say something more as she came closer, but as she walked into the firelight of the torches, he saw an angry scowl on her face. Before he could ask what was wrong, her hands were on his shoulders and he was shoved back against the stone wall again, Hawke towering over him. “Shit, this is different,” he joked with her, trying to determine if that furrow in her brow was something to truly worry about. “I mean this is the kind of greeting you expect from a pissed off client or a turned on lover, maybe both.” Her fingers squeezed his shoulders, preventing him from shrugging.

“Shut up, Varric,” she cut him off sharply. “What is wrong with you?” He noticed a guard look their way and he made a subtle gesture with his hand to warn them away.

“Well now, that depends on who you ask.” He was confident she was angry, but not pissed off enough to actually cause any harm.

“I didn’t hear from you for weeks!” Ah, so that’s what this was about. He felt his signature smirk fall from his face and a little bit more guilt sank in. “Haven was attacked and buried and I didn’t hear from you for weeks!” She gave him a small shake in her anger. “Do you have any idea how worried I was?” Her voice softened by only a hair, but it was enough to make him feel even worse.

“Listen Hawke,” he started. For only the second or third time in Varric’s life, he couldn’t find the right words. What was he supposed to say? That there had been too much happening? He couldn’t find a messenger? He had started at least half a dozen letters, but couldn’t finish them? That he seriously considered letting her think he had died with the small hope he couldn’t screw up her life anymore? Thankfully, she saved him from having to fumble for a half-reasonable excuse.

“Come here, you bastard.” She gave a hard tug on his shoulders and pulled him into a tight hug. Her arms wrapped around his neck and he allowed his to slip around her waist. He considered for a moment making a joke of their height difference and the way his face fell nearly between her breasts, but it wasn’t the time and quite frankly, she felt too damn good for him to ruin it.

They stayed in the embrace longer than either of them intended to. As fun as the encrypted, snarky banter was in their letters, it wasn’t nearly the same as having the other there in person and it had been a long time since either of them had been comforted by the touch of a friend. When they finally pulled away, Varric caught a glimmer of tears in Hawke’s eyes before she quickly wiped them away and he had to stop himself from getting emotional as well.

“Come on,” he nudged her. “Let’s get you inside before someone tells the Seeker and she tries to hang me from the gate.” It earned a chuckle from her and the sound sparked something deep in his gut. A warmth spread over him and he couldn’t keep the smile off his face. He really had missed her.

He led her the back way to his room, avoiding any areas that risked having more than a couple people. He’d deal with introductions and the awe of the legendary Champion after tomorrow when they met with the Inquisitor. Until then, he wanted to keep her hidden away as much as he could.

“You know, I’ve quite missed a dwarf bed!” she told him as she walked in. Varric closed the door behind them and chuckled. “It’s not such a long way down when I roll off in the middle of the night.” She propped her staff against the wall by her side of the bed. He didn’t even realize she hada side until just then.

“You get hit on the head one too many times recently?” He watched her crouch down and plop onto the bed to undo her boots. “Because I don’t recall you ever falling off the bed.”

Back in Kirkwall, it wasn’t an uncommon occurrence for her to end up sleeping in his bed. Sometimes it was one too many drinks. Sometimes it was late and she was just tired. Other times, especially after Leandra died and Anders started growing distant, it was out of loneliness. Varric never had any problem setting up a makeshift cot on the floor, but towards the end of their time in Kirkwall, Hawke started insisting there was no reason not to share the bed, joking that her long legs didn’t require her to take up both sides.

“Well, there are a lot of people constantly trying to hit me in the head, you know.” The smile on her face didn’t quite seem genuine.

As he approached the bed, ready to settle down himself, he watched her carefully. She looked down, unlacing her second boot before kicking it to the wall. Instead of going to his side, he found himself walking up to her, standing beside her. She looked solemnly down at her hands for a moment and he simply waited.

“Honestly, I guess I’m just used to sleeping on the ground anymore.” She said it softly, quietly and his heart ached for her. She used to live in a Hightown mansion, but now she’d gotten so used to sleeping in the dirt, she found comfort in a dwarf bed resting on the floor?

“Well, maybe once this whole mess is over, we can take you back to Kirkwall and get you one of those fancy beds you liked that practically touched the ceiling.” She flashed him a smile and he felt a little better.

“It wasn’t that high,” she protested.

“I saw your bed in Hightown. I wouldn’t have been able to climb onto that thing if you gave me three stepstools and a ladder!” His exaggeration made her roll her eyes and laugh, a sight that gave him a warm sense of nostalgia.

“Well it’s a good thing you never tried to crawl into my bed then, isn’t it?” she jested back.

“It would have been a little crowded with you, me, Blondie, and a pissed off spirit, don’t you think?” He worried for a moment that he took it too far by bringing up Anders. It had been a couple years, but still. They had ended on pretty bad terms. She put his fears to rest though, raising a teasing eyebrow at him.

“Now, don’t tell me you’re leaving Bianca out of that little get together.” He barked out a laugh, gave half a shrug, then slung the crossbow off of his back to prop it up next to Hawke’s staff.

“She’s not concerned,” he assured. “She knows I don’t go for humans.” He watched as just for a moment, something in her eyes fell.

“I suppose you don’t, do you?” she mused. He didn’t have time to question what it had been for it was gone just as quick as it appeared. “My last human didn’t work out, so maybe you have the right idea.” She shuffled back on the bed a little bit, starting to remove the metal pieces of her signature Champion armor. “I hear you’ve got a Qunari around here somewhere. Maybe I’ll give him a try before I go. I hear they’re fun.”

“The Iron Bull?” Varric felt a swirl of something he didn’t like in his stomach, something negative. A protectiveness, maybe. “I’ve heard stories both from him and about him. Trust me, you don’t want to go knocking on that door.” He finally moved over across the room to his side of the bed and kicked off his shoes. He chose to leave out the detail that he hadn’t heard any necessarily negativethings about Bull. Dissuading her from anything with him just seemed like the better path.

“Well fine,” she sighed a little theatrically and he felt a little relieved she hadn’t been serious about it.

Within a few minutes, they were both down to clothes comfortable enough to sleep in and crawling underneath the rough fabric of Varric’s sheets. They both drifted off quickly and easily, Varric’s eyes closing almost as soon as he lay down.

Just before sleep overtook him, he felt Hawke’s hand reach out underneath the blanket and grab for him. She had probably meant to go for his hand, but instead she ended up at his hip. In the fog of sleep, she didn’t seem to care and just squeezed lightly.

“I missed you, Varric,” she mumbled. He took her hand in his and squeezed it back.

“Missed you too, Hawke,” he whispered before they both fell asleep.

#hawke x varric #female hawke x varric #varric tethras #dragon age

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