#the ones rolled in chocolate chips!!!!! they’re fucking huge but they’re so good i love ice creammmm

[inkykeiji]

okay someone please come to canada’s wonderland with me ｡：ﾟ(｡ﾉω＼｡)ﾟ･｡

#i haven’t been in years :( #in the summer* #i went just this past december for winter fest tho #the only rides i won’t go on are: drop zone; yukon striker; and any wooden coaster #otherwise i’m all good!!!! #shockwave is my favourite tho 🥺 so u gotta promise to come on that with me #i was showing abbie some of our wild coasters here in canada and now i’ve just got this like INTENSE CRAVING to go to wonderland :( #where are my fellow ontarians #let’s go!!!!!!!!! before it gets too hot!!!! #although tbh i love the water park #no one ever wants to go to the water park with me and it makes me so :((((( because it was my *favourite* as a kid #then again #after covid idk if i ever want to step foot in a water park again LMAO #the bat is my favourite coaster because i just think it’s so rad #also i haven’t had one of those absurdly large ice cream sandwiches in so long #idek if they still sell them there #the ones rolled in chocolate chips!!!!! they’re fucking huge but they’re so good i love ice creammmm #waaah honestly i get so nostalgic when i think about wonderland #it was a huge part of my childhood and it actually kind of creeps me out now (idk why!! it’s like that liminal space between nostalgia and t #trauma yk????) but i still love going even if it inspires mixed feelings in me #anyway if u don’t know what canadas wonderland is look it up #it’s our biggest amusement part in the country!!!!!!! #clari chatters

[jadequeen88]

Accidental Valentine

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This is my fic for The Citrus Dome Server Lover’s Day Literature Collab! Please go check out The Masterlist and support all of the amazing artists and writers that have contributed.🖤

A/N: WHEW guys... I don’t think I’ve put this much work into a fic EVER. I’ve been feeling pretty bad about my body and wanted to write a reader who struggled with it as well. Who better to boost your confidence than DILF Kiri feeding your praise kink?! I was heavily influenced by this amazing drabble by @rat-suki​ and got permission to use it as my inspiration for this fic.🖤 (for reference, reader is 30 and Kirishima is 42)

Thanks to @afictionalwhore and my dear friend Orchid for the beta read!🖤

RetiredProHero!Kirishima x YoungerF!Reader

Word Count: 5.3k

TW: size difference, oral (both receiving), daddy kink, praise kink (lots and lots of praise), TBH the sex is pretty vanilla but very passionate, both are insecure about their bodies.

When you trudged into work this morning, you didn’t ever dream of meeting your childhood idol/crush, but here you are, staring up at a beautiful mountain of a man. Eijiro Kirishima, or retired pro hero Red Riot, had never come into your coffee shop before and you’d never imagined he would. He was huge. Nearly 7 ft tall and built like a brick house. His hair was back to his natural black with flecks of silver at his temples and hung long and wild around his shoulders. He had on a pair of glasses and wore a dark maroon sweater and jeans.

Even though he’s aged, he looks just as handsome as the young man you fell for as a girl.

The year he made his debut, you were only six, and like most other six-year-olds, you idolized the pro heroes. Most of your friends loved Deku or Dynamite, but you always loved Red Riot. His smile, warmth, and his fiercely protective nature made your tiny heart burst with admiration. Throughout his hero career, you kept up with all of his interviews, the battles he’d been in, the awards he’d won, and his hero rankings. You’d also gotten as much merch as possible over the years and still wore your worn-out, oversized Red Riot t-shirt to sleep in. When he retired a couple of years ago, you still scanned articles online trying to gather bits and pieces of information about the hero, but he wasn’t one to seek out the spotlight. You think that’s probably why he’d always been your favorite. He was a true hero. Serving the citizens and keeping them safe was his top priority. You didn’t want to admit it, but you kept up with him for one main reason… You wanted to know if he was seeing anyone.

You remember being eaten up with jealousy when you’d see his arm around another woman going to galas and award ceremonies. Your sixteen-year-old brain knew that of course, he’d date women. He was a grown man and a pro hero. But your heart would ache, wanting to be the one his soft eyes and pointy-toothed grin was fixed on.

Now those same eyes were fixed on you, his mouth moving and forming words, but you were too star-struck to hear what he was saying. When you snapped out of your daze and remembered you were supposed to be taking his order, you were mortified.

“I-I’m so sorry sir! Could you please repeat that?”

“Sure thing!” his bright smile was hypnotizing, “Just a venti-sized flat white. Have you had your coffee yet? Ya looked a little far away there for a second, kid.”

Your heart leaped at the little nickname. “Yeah, sorry about that! I guess I should get a couple of shots of espresso in me before I try to be productive.” You chuckle nervously as you scribble his order on the cup and turn to make his drink.

“Oh, uhh…” he peeks around the counter to get your attention, “Do you need my name? For the order?”

You freeze realizing you forgot basic, barista 101 etiquette…

“Actually,” you face him, a sheepish grin on your face, avoiding eye contact, “I know your name. You… umm, were my favorite hero,” you blush, and your eyes widen in embarrassment, “you know when I was a kid...”

You turn back to your work, kicking yourself for being so awkward. 

“Really? I think you’re the first person to recognize me since ya know,” he circled his head with his pointer finger, “I stopped dying my hair..”

You turned your head to peer up at him through your dark lashes, a light dusting of blush still on your cheeks, “Well, I like it. It looks good on you.”

The retired pro’s heart was bursting at how damned cute you were. Was this pretty, young girl… embarrassed? Over him?! He watched your tiny hands move as they worked on his drink order, wondering how small they’d feel grasped in his massive ones. Your soft hair caught in the sunlight making you look like a literal angel and he sighed. You reached up to grab a canister from the top shelf and a sliver of soft skin between your t-shirt and jeans peeked through. His gaze became far away and he damn near drooled at the sight. Just how long had it been since he’d touched another woman? Kirishima wasn’t one for casual flings. He always got too invested in whoever he was seeing. So when he and his long-time girlfriend broke things off a couple of years ago, he wasn’t rushing back into the dating scene.

However, things were a little more… complicated than just not finding the right girl to commit to. He was getting older and it was starting to show. Over the past few years, he’d lost his confidence. He’s bulkier around the middle no matter what workouts or diets he tries. Overuse of his quirk has caused stretchmarks and scars all over his skin. He was starting to get crow’s feet and he was overall just TOO big and TOO hairy. He felt like some sort of gorilla walking around in human clothing. Kirishima isn’t stupid or trying to fool himself. A young, gorgeous thing like you wasn’t looking for anything from an old, washed-up man like him. But, fuck… It was nearly impossible for him to move his gaze away from your ass… Oh, the things he’d do to you if he were a few years younger...

You turned to look over your shoulder and notice his gaze… and it’s apparent that he’s checking you out. He looks like a man starved, eyes glued to your ass.

“Well, well, well… maybe he wasn’t so annoyed with my fangirling after all.”

When he realized you’d gone still, his eyes met yours and he quickly averted his gaze. His cheeks turned as red as his hair used to be. You busied yourself with the milk steamer to hide your big, goofy grin. With a new burst of confidence, you decide to take a chance and when you go to write his name on his to-go cup, you write

 “Big Red <3” 

You pause, bite your lip, and think to yourself, “why the hell not?” as you scribble your number underneath the nickname. You turn to give him his drink and your nerves almost make you retreat and make a whole new drink. Then he meets your gaze and your world stops spinning. His vermillion eyes crinkle at the edges as his scared lips turn upwards into a syrupy sweet smile.

When Kirishima takes his drink from you, your fingers brush his for the briefest second and he can tell they’re trembling. “Oh no, I hope I haven’t made her nervous or uncomfortable.” He wanted to go crawl in a hole… That was until he saw what you’d written on his cup.

He stammers, looking from the cup to your face like he’s checking to see if you’re pulling a prank on him or not. Before he can say anything, you bite your lip and look up at him. 

“I’m off work this Sunday. Just… if you’d like to hang out or something.” your gaze shifts and you tuck a strand of hair behind your ear. 

After a moment or two, his face lights up in a huge grin. “Y-yeah, great!” he turns and walks a few steps, then turns around and motions at the cup, “So… I should just, ahh… text you?”

You giggle and it’s the sweetest sound he’s heard in a long time, “That would be nice, yeah.”

“Okay, great!... Talk later then!” He waves and leaves the coffee shop, feeling light as a feather and ten years younger.

*****

Sunday rolls around and you spend the morning making sure the place is cleaner than it’s been in weeks. Your place was small but cozy. For a fleeting moment, you’re a little insecure about how modest your apartment is. You don’t know exactly how wealthy pros are when they retire, but you know he’s more familiar with much nicer places than yours. You decide he probably knew just what to expect on a barista’s salary and tried to put it out of your mind. You checked on the cookies baking in the oven. When you found out through your text conversations that he loved chocolate chip cookies with the large chunks of dark chocolate baked in, you went out and bought everything to make them the same day. You kept watching over them like a hawk to avoid burning them. They still looked pretty gooey, so you decided it would be safe to get changed into something a little nicer. Just as you were about to turn the corner into your bedroom, your doorbell rang.

“Shit!” you looked at your phone and sure enough, you let time get away from you. He was here and you were still in your cropped leggings and t-shirt, sporting a messy bun and dirty apron. You groaned as you realized you couldn’t leave him on your doorstep while you changed. Defeated, you hurried to the door.

You opened the door, hoping that you at least didn’t have flour in your hair, and looked up into the much larger man’s eyes. The realization that THE Red Riot was standing this close to you made your stomach flutter and a goofy grin slide across your face. While you stood there star-struck, he broke the silence.

“Wow, it smells amazing in here!”

“Oh!” you jumped a little then promptly ran over to your oven, “Sorry! Please come on in!” you said over your shoulder as you were pulling your oven mitts on. 

Kirishima walked into your cozy apartment and instantly felt at ease. He couldn’t pinpoint just what it was, but something about your place felt more like home than any place he’d ever lived before. As he finished scanning your apartment, his eyes landed on you taking the cookies out of the oven. The comfortable, domestic feel of the place coupled with your ass on full display as you bent down to remove the cookies from the oven had his jeans tightening. You stood up and he averted his gaze before you turned around, not wanting to get caught checking your ass out for a second time.

“Fair warning, I’m not a talented baker by any means,” you removed your oven mitts after placing the cookie sheets on the cooling rack and flashed a sly grin his way, “But when Red Riot tells you what his favorite cookies are… Ya kinda gotta make them, right?”

Oh… If you only knew how pent up this man was… he debated bending you over right then and there and fucking you until you couldn’t walk. He really hit the jackpot with you… a hot, younger woman with the perfect ass who bakes him cookies and for some reason thinks he hung the moon? Kirishima would have given you a ring right then and there if he didn’t think it would scare you off.

“Well,” he radiated warmth as he looked between you and the cookies cooling on the rack, “If you’re not the sweetest thing! I, ahh… might have gotten you a little something too.” he then held up a 6 pack of your favorite cider. “Because when Y/N, L/N tells you what her favorite cider is… Ya kinda gotta get her some.” he winked and you felt your knees buckle and your cheeks burn. You felt like you were in a fairytale.

Then you remembered that the princesses in fairytales definitely did not wear flour-riddled black leggings, old t-shirts, and dirty aprons.

“OH! Umm, I need to go get cleaned up. I’ll only be a minu-” his massive hand wrapped around your wrist as you walked past him. It covered half of your forearm and a shudder ran through you. You wanted those giant hands to roam every inch of your body.

“Please don’t,” his eyes were half-lidded and his voice was low, “...I think you look beautiful like this.” his calloused thumb traced little circles on your skin not meeting your gaze. His deep voice was impossibly tender.

Now that you’d felt his skin on yours, you couldn’t contain your churning desires any longer. You wanted, needed, more. Rising up on your tiptoes, you curled your fist into Kirishima’s shirt collar and pulled his face toward yours.

You felt him tense up for a moment, then relax into the kiss. His massive hands found purchase on your hips, digging into the pliant flesh there. A needy whimper caught in his throat spurring you on to deepen the kiss. 

It was like your bodies were working around each other in perfect harmony… lips parting at a slow pace, like honey dripping from the edge of a spoon and tongues meeting in the middle to taste each other. You both savored the kiss for as long as you could, eyes lazily drifting open and shared breaths causing your hearts to dance out of your chests. 

You saw him falter, his gaze dropping, and you feared that you overstepped. 

“Kirishima I-“

“Ejiro,” he stopped you with a hand against your cheek, “Call me Eijiro…” his thumb caressed your bottom lip slowly, back and forth. His touch held so much devotion in it.

“Eijiro…” you sighed, looking up at him with pleading eyes, “I need you…”

The giant of a man before you swept you up into his arms and began walking down your hallway. You quickly wrapped your arms and legs around his hulking frame as if you were climbing a tree. 

“Second door on the right,” you were panting into his neck, leaving sloppy kisses all over it. 

You blew a cool stream of air along his damp skin and felt him shudder. A giggle bubbled up from your chest at being able to weaken a retired pro-hero known for being a human shield against the worst villains Japan has ever known. Your little stunt resulted in a grunt and a firm, warning squeeze to your thigh.

“So that’s what we’re doing today, huh?” he tosses you on the bed just hard enough to make you bounce up a little… then he’s on you, placing light kisses all along your neck as he prods your sides looking for a ticklish spot. You can’t remember the last time you laughed this hard and the fact that it was your idol drawing it from you made you dizzy with joy.

“Mercy! Mercy!” you were breathless and your abdomen ached from the forceful laughs Ejiro was pulling from you. He blew a raspberry on your neck as a final tease then relented, sitting up to meet your gaze.

You were absolutely smitten. You caressed the lines around his eyes and the scar that split his lips as your eyes roamed across his features. Every crease, every scar… you wanted to kiss them all. When his gaze faltered and he pulled away to sit beside you on the bed, the feeling you’d done something wrong resurfaced. You sat up beside him and placed your hand on his thigh.

“Eijiro…” your voice was barely above a whisper, “I’m sorry, I know I can come on a little strong sometimes, and I don’t want to make you uncomfortable. I just…” your eyes meet and his gaze is unreadable.

“No, no…” his ruby eyes drop to the floor, “It’s just that,” he chuckles nervously, “Well, it’s been a while. I’m not very good with casual flings and the like. So I don’t really date much…”

You rise to your feet and move to stand in front of him. Sitting in front of you on your bed, you’re only slightly below eye level with him. You place your tiny hands on his thick thighs and nudge them apart so you can slot your hips between them.

“When I told you that you were my favorite hero,” you reach for his wrist and remove the hair tie from it, “What that actually meant was that I’d watch the news every day just to make sure you were safe.” 

Slender fingers move through his wild mane of silver-flecked hair untangling any knots, “It meant that when that villain with the sludge quirk put you in the hospital for a couple of days, my mom let me stay home from school because I was so distraught,” you pulled all of his untangled hair to the nape of his neck and began wrapping the hair tie around it.

“It meant that my silly sixteen-year-old heart would ache when I saw you hand in hand with a girl in a magazine going out on a date,” you grinned at how silly you felt admitting that. Once his hair was secured in a low ponytail, your hands trailed along his broad shoulders.

“Now that I’ve thoroughly embarrassed myself, I’ll get to the point.” your intense gaze held years of longing for the hero in front of you, “Nothing about this is casual for me.”

Tears pricked the corners of Kirishima’s eyes. Had anyone ever showed him this much tender devotion? All the years he’d taken beating after beating, a glorified human shield, content with leaving most of the game to his friends. He was all rough edges and bulk. He was the one doing the protecting every time. Even in his romantic relationships, he was the one who would give, and give, and give… never asking or expecting to be taken care of. Being handled with such care was utterly foreign to him and it stirred up a deep need he never knew was there.

“Eji…” his glassy eyes met yours, “Can I take care of you?” you sank to your knees, hands sliding up his thighs.

“Please…”

Your hands made quick work of his button and zipper. He shifted his hips upwards to help you ease his jeans down his thick thighs and you pulled his jeans and boxers down in one slow pull. Nothing would have prepared you for just how huge he was. Your eyes widened for a fraction of a second, wondering how you’d get that thing to fit inside your cunt, much less your mouth… but it was something you were eager to find out.

Looking up at him from under your dark lashes, you made a show of lewdly licking your lips. You flattened your tongue and drug the wet muscle from his base right above his neatly trimmed patch of black hair, all the way to the swollen, red tip of his head. You felt the powerful muscles in his thighs clench as his head rolled back and a delicious moan escaped his open mouth. Making your hero come undone with one lick to his cock was intoxicating. 

“Fuck, baby…” Kirishima fisted the sheets praying he wouldn’t come just from your teasing. He’s not sure his pride could handle it. It became a very real threat when he dared to look down at you kissing and licking all up and down his length. Once your mouth had gotten him wet enough, your soft hands joined your warm mouth in worshiping his cock. You met his gaze as you kissed his tip and licked up the pre that was escaping in pearlescent beads. When you had teased him to your contentment, you swallowed him down as deep as your throat would allow, wrapped your hand around his base, and moaned.

Kirishima had many blowjobs in his life. In fact, he’d had some that he would say were pretty amazing… but in all his adult life, he’d never been so thoroughly and enthusiastically devoured like this. He threaded his fingers of one hand in your loose bun and fisted your bed sheets in his other to ground himself. After a minute or two, he felt his release creeping up much faster than he wanted.

He placed his hands on either side of your face causing you to stop bobbing your head and look up at him. He ran his thumb against your swollen bottom lip and you leaned into his tender touch. He bends forward and places a kiss on the top of your head.

“Lay down on the bed,” he whispers into your hair. Nerves starting to catch up to you, you shook slightly as you stood from your spot on the floor. Before you lay down, you remember to take your apron off then lay on your pillows, heart pounding awaiting further instruction.

Kirishima hovers over you reminding you yet again just how tiny you are compared to him. His warm hand covers your knee and slowly travels up your thigh, stopping right before he meets your throbbing core. He runs his hand back down your thigh to gently nudge your knees apart. Leaning on his forearms, he positions himself between your thighs and you gasp at the friction created where your bodies meet. While planting tender kisses on your neck, he whispers, “I need you to promise that you’ll tell me if I need to stop or if something doesn’t feel okay. Can you do that?”

“Y-yes…” you moan as he nibbles on your earlobe, teasing with his sharp teeth but not breaking your skin.

“Mmm,” he places sweet kisses all along your jaw, your breath catching in your throat, “Good girl.”

Receiving praise from him made your chest swell. You wanted nothing more than to please this man you were rapidly falling for. He sat up, legs folded under his body, and slowly slid his hands under the hem of your oversized t-shirt. You felt his hands still on your stomach and looked up from where you were laying on your pillows to see what had made him freeze.

He met your gaze with a devilish grin, “Baby girl…” his thumbs run small circles on your skin, “Did you wear this for me?” 

When you realize what he’s talking about, you hide your face and groan into your hands. You completely forgot that you were still in your old Red Riot t-shirt that you usually slept in. “Oh my god, this is so embarrassing!” you mumbled behind your palms.

Kirishima chuckled and shushed you, “No, no, no… This is the sexiest thing you could have possibly worn.” He pulls the hem of your t-shirt up to expose your tummy, burying his face in the soft skin there. Gentle kisses were placed all along the waistline of your leggings, every squishy part and every little stretchmark that decorated your skin like tiny spiderwebs were lovingly caressed with his plush lips. Having the part of your body you were the most self-conscious of worshiped like this felt more vulnerable than sex.

As the kisses traveled higher, they became sloppier and more desperate. You lifted your arms to allow him to remove your shirt, exposing your plain white cotton bra. The feel of his stubble against your skin as he moaned into your cleavage sent shivers down your body. Instead of paying attention to your neglected nipples, his warm mouth carved a path up the column of your throat, head thrown back to give him as much access as possible.

Kirishima whispered against the tender skin under your earlobe, “This okay, baby?” two large fingers dip into the front of your leggings. You nod enthusiastically, unable to form a coherent answer, “Mmm… I need words, sweet thing. You can do that for me, can’t you?”

“Yes… it’s more than okay,” your chests are touching as he works his hand down the front of your pants.

When Kirishima’s thick fingers slid between your drenched folds, you arched your back and grasped his forearm. Slowly, he spread your slick around, dancing past your clit with each stroke. His teasing was turning you into a whimpering mess underneath him. 

He had all the time in the world and having you melt underneath his touch was the best way he could hope to spend it. After what felt like an eternity of him gently brushing against you, only slightly dipping into your needy hole and barely grazing your clit, you were openly panting and whining. A steady stream of praises flowed from his lips.

“You’re such a pretty girl… such a pretty little pussy.”

“Look at how wet you are for me. Like this, huh? My pretty girl likes my fingers teasing her?”

“I can’t wait to lick my fingers clean. You’re gonna taste so sweet.”

You were so worked up that tears began to form in your eyes, “Eji… I-“

“Hmm? What is it, baby girl? Need something?” His finger drags around your clit slowly, adding a fraction more pressure. 

“Please, I need more Eji,” your nails digging into his forearm were leaving little crescents in his thick skin.

“Sweet girl,” he meets your mouth with a slow, wet kiss, “you can have whatever you want.”

Without hesitation, he sits up and pulls your leggings down with your panties. A groan rattles his large chest when he sees a thread of your slick attached to the crotch. Once his face is buried in between your thighs, it’s a real possibility he might come just from eating you out. 

All the teasing had brought him to the edge as well and he was out of patience. With a few hurried kisses to each thigh, he dove into your dripping cleft. His tongue plunged into your core as he nudged his nose into your puffy clit. 

You cry out and convulse around his face. His arms wrap around your thighs, firmly but gently holding your legs open to give him full access to eat you as thoroughly as possible. When he moves to suck your clit, you know you won’t last much longer. As he nurses on your sensitive nub, you feel the familiar tightening in your lower body. He picks up on this and moans into your skin as he greedily sucks. 

“Ahh… Ahh, I’m- I’m gonna….”

“Oh that’s it,” he encourages you by praising you and massaging your thighs in his massive hands, “let me have it, baby girl. Come on, I’ve got you, I’ve got you.”

Your toes curl and back arches as you’re thrown over the edge. “Oh FUCK!! Coming, coming…. ooooh god… ahh D-daddy!…”

“Daddy, is it? Goddamn”

Kirishima felt his dick twitch and his breath caught in his throat.

He wipes his face on the back of his hands and makes a show of licking his fingers clean as he leans over you, nose touching yours.

“What was that baby?” His voice was strained as he pressed his dick into the warm, damp skin of your thigh…

You bat your lashes and ghost your lips over his as you whisper, “Daddy… please let me ride you. I need you inside me.” The nail in Kirishima’s coffin was when you licked his bottom lip then quickly followed with a chaste kiss.

You waste no time wrapping your thighs around his waist and twisting. He follows your lead and lays flat on his back letting you straddle him. You grab the hem of his shirt and similarly tease him, leaving a trail of kisses along his broad stomach. Kirishima flinches a little, self-conscious of his skin and how soft his middle had gotten over the years. You meet his eyes as you pull his shirt over his broad shoulders and run your hands back down his body. 

“Mmm, you have no idea how long I’ve wanted this,” hands and eyes roamed over the expanse of skin in front of you, “It’s even better than in my dreams.”

He wondered for the hundredth time how got this lucky. You really loved his body? Maybe… maybe he wasn’t in as bad of shape as he thought…

“No,” his hands rubbed your hips, kneading your soft skin, “You’re better than I’d ever hoped to find.” He sits upon the headboard and pulls you closer into his lap, “Now,” he pulls your hair free of the messy bun, “Can you be a good girl and come on my cock?”

You lift your hips and place his tip at your entrance. That alone caused a delicious stretch and you knew it would be a slow process getting him to fit comfortably.

“Yes, Daddy,” your hands wrapped around his neck and he growled as he pulled you into a rough kiss.

“Good fuckin girl.” 

He helped lower you onto his cock with lots of kisses, praises, and gentle squeezes. When you got closer to his base, the pain was too much for a moment. Kirishima used his thumb to rub circles into your clit, shushing you sweetly against your parted mouth. 

“Are you okay, baby?” He brushes your hair off your sweaty forehead with his free hand while his other is still working your clit over.

“Yes, Daddy,” you whisper, “You fill me up so well. I love your massive cock filling me up.”

“You’re gonna make me crazy, you know that? Huh?” He pulls your lower lip into his mouth and sucks. You both sit for a while, exchanging kisses and whispers while you adjust to his girth.

“Are you ready to move now, sweet girl?” 

“Yes, Daddy…” he helps you move, dragging your hips up and down his shaft.

After a few deep thrusts, you both increase your pace, matching each other’s movements. It’s not long before your head is thrown back, tears escaping the corners of your eyes. Loud moans and curses escape your mouth as one nipple is pulled into Kirishima’s mouth.

“Oh, Daddy! Fuck, fuck! Right there, right there… I… I’m… AHH!” Before you can even say anything, you’ve come undone, spasming around his cock. 

“Oh, good girl, good fuckin girl,” you go limp and bury your face into his neck while he slams your hips onto his, chasing his release. The feeling of him using your body to get off makes you dizzy with joy. You lean into his ear whispering, “Please come inside me. Wanna feel you come inside me, Daddy… please, need your come inside me, Daddy.” 

Your slurred pleas against his ear send him over the edge into a mind-numbing orgasm. As he comes down from his high and looks into your face full of adoration, he knows he’s caught… hook, line, and sinker. 

*****

The rest of the evening is spent eating cookies on your couch, drinking cider, and watching your favorite crime drama. The sweet kisses and touches sprinkled throughout the night feel so natural… Like you’ve been together for years instead of hours. 

You end up with Kirishima’s head in your lap, running your fingers through his hair as he closes his eyes and relaxes into your touch. The clock on your wall reads 12:30 am and it dawns on you what day it officially is.

“Eji?”

“Hmm?” He opens one eye and reaches up to scratch your scalp. 

“Will you be my valentine?” You bite your bottom lip to stifle a silly grin.

He sits up and pulls you into a bear hug. 

“What kinda silly question is that? Of course. I don’t ever want another valentine besides you.”

Your heart explodes and you kiss him, grabbing his cheeks in both hands. 

“Sixteen-year-old me is absolutely losing her shit right now,” you giggle, rubbing his nose with yours.

“Well,” he grabs your ass and raises an eyebrow, “Forty-two-year-old me is losing his shit right now over finding such a sweet girl with such a sweet ass on her,” he nips at your neck and you squeal.

“Ooh, you ready for another round, old man?”

He growls and throws you over his shoulder. A swift spank to your ass causes you to burst into a fit of laughter. 

“Oh, so I’m dealing with a brat now? You want me to show you what this old man does to little brats?” He squeezes your thighs as he makes his way to the bedroom. 

“But I’m your good girl! Remember?!”

“Yeah, yeah… We’ll see about that.”

#bnha #boku no hero academia #mha #my hero academia #bnha smut #kirishima eijirou x reader #kirishima x reader #eijirou kirishima #kirishima smut #dilf!kiri #tw praise kink #tw daddy kink #vanilla #body insecurity tw #jade writes smut

[godofsexdrugsandrocknroll]

Jaune’s Father: “If nothing else, be kind. Kindness costs you nothing, sport”

Weiss: *From underneath many blankets, peeking from behind a comforter* I’m truly sorry, Arc. I had meant to assist you in your dust theory paper, but I’m not feeling terribly well.

Jaune: *Scratches head* Hey, no worries Sn- Weiss. Do you need anything? A hot compress?

Weiss: *Is glad she has a comforter for a shield as she blushes in embarrassment* How! *Coughs, in a normal tone of voice* Excuse me. How did you...

Jaune: I have seven sisters, Weiss.

Weiss: *Nods meekly, still embarrassed* A hot compress would be lovely. I feel awful.

----------------- 

Yang: *Blinks* Is that vomit boy?

Blake: *Reading* You could try calling him by his name.

Yang: You could try acknowledging his existence. *Blake glares, feeling a little guilty*

Cardin: *Walking by* He needed a warm compress.

Yang: What for?

Cardin: *Feeling kinda humbled, a bit envious* Nothin’ serious.

----------------- 

Jaune: *Taking box* Thanks Coco, you’re a lot less scary than Poppy said you were.

Coco: *Lowers her shades* Oh, did snookums slander my good name?

Jaune: *Feels his neck get hot* U-uh, no! Just that you were kinda protective of, um, *lifts box, almost drops it and gives Coco a heart attack* this. Sorry. But really, thanks, it’s really nice of you.

Coco: *Clutching her heart, waves him off* Just tell that leggy blonde she owes me some serious cuddling.

-----------------

Professor Peach: It’s not often I get students actually interested in my hobby.

Jaune: Well, we are all teenagers.

Professor Peach: *Laughs* True enough. Hmm. *Side eyes Jaune* Well, the same can’t be said for you, young man. *Sees Jaune about to protest* I think what you meant to say is you’re all aspiring Huntsmen and Huntresses. Sometimes the future is so bright and shiny to your classmates that they forgot the everyday. It’s quite nice to see that isn’t the case with each of you.

Jaune: *Opens and closes his mouth, shuffles awkwardly*

Professor Peach: *Smiles softly* You have nothing to be embarrassed of, Jaune Arc. Here *carefully hands his request over* exactly as you requested. Have a wonderful day, child.

Jaune: *Nods quickly and walks off*

Professor Peach: And days like today, Rosalie, are why you do this job. *Happily hums as she gets back to work*

-----------------

Jaune: Okay, look, I’m just asking which--

Beryl: *Sighs dramatically* And I’m telling you, kitten *Ignores Jaune’s protests* that they’re all mondo good.

Julie: Like, Bea-Bea’s right. That one *pointing with a fuchsia nail* is just the sweetest thing in the world, will just have you feeling warm and happy inside after.

Cissy: Plus it has just...mmm. Ouch! *Is swatted by Beryl, playfully* You bitch. Anyways, that one right there is just cute and total *squeals* overload. Can’t go wrong with it, it’s a classic.

Beryl: Then that one is probably the safest bet, because who doesn’t love a puppy?

Jaune: A puppy? *Beryl nods* Well, uh, thanks. And I promise I’ll get them back to you by tomorrow. I’ll also see if Ren’s interested, but, uh, maybe keep your semblances ready?

Cissy: *Raises hand* Uh, I haven’t activated mine yet. I’ve just got Nemesis.

Beryl: *Slings arm around Cissy’s shoulders* Don’t worry, kitten, between My House and Julie’s Spit-Spot, plus our weapons we can handle Valkyrie if she gets in a mood.

Jaune: *Deadpan* She was benchpressing one of the academy’s washing machines the other day. No aura.

Julie: We’re good at running away.

Beryl: *Scandalized* Julie!

Julie: Cute boy or not, no way am I getting my face rocked by that monster.

Jaune: *Shrugs, collecting stuff to leave* Um, I don’t know if it’ll work but maybe fill your bags with syrup. Might work as a distraction if Mt. Nora erupts.

Beryl: *Flatly* Really?

Cissy: *Flips platinum blonde hair* I saw her drinking it right out of the bottle once before Lie stopped her.

Beryl: *Sees Jaune’s gone, giggles* Somehow I think kitten got the better end of the deal. *Speculative* Shame he’s super taken.

Julie: Uh, what? Isn’t-

Beryl: Oh you sweet summer child, never change *Ruffles Julie’s hair*

Julie: Ack! Stop!

-----------------

Jaune: Thanks headmaster! This is all really great!

Ozpin: *Working at desk* No need to thank me, mister Arc.

Jaune: Uh, yeah I do. You didn’t have to allow me to do this, but you did and it’s really neat of you.

Ozpin: *Smiles* Well then, you’re welcome. Enjoy.

-----------------

Ruby: You definitely came to the right girl!

Jaune: *Looking at his haul* I’ll say. You’re sure you’re okay with helping? I kinda saw the looks you were giving Crescent Rose back at the forge. *Teasingly* You sure you don’t want some alone time with your baby?

Ruby: *Blushes the color of her cloak* S-shut up! She’ll be fine without me, I was just thinking of trying out some custom dust ammo is all! *Very seriously* I don’t have a problem! You have a problem!

Jaune: Riii-iiight. *Ruby puffs cheeks out, teasingly* Like you don’t have a cookie problem?

Ruby: *Points dramatically, very loud* THAT... *Slumps and sighs* please don’t tell Yang I have a nightly plate of chocolate chip.

Jaune: *Laughs* No problem, Ruby. You know me. How can I turn my back on the girl who actually talked her team into not killing me when I told them I cheated my way into Beacon?

Ruby: Yeah, yeah. So get those babies ready, vomit boy and watch Ruby - I am totally a pro at this and all things wonderful - Rose do her magic!

Jaune: Will do, crater face!

-----------------

Jaune: *Grins* Thanks Cardin. You know, when you’re not being all racist and pushing people around you’re actually a really nice guy.

Sky: Ooooh. What a compliment. The kindness just gently caresses your face like a butterfly’s wings, huh Cardin?

Cardin: *Scowling* Shut it, Sky. I’m still trying so that’s totally fair.

Jaune: I, uh, didn’t mean it--

Cardin: *Rubbing neck* I know dude, no worries. Got a date with my girl coming up and it’s our anniversary, so it’s just a little extra. And don’t worry about paying me back, this is like the very least I can do for you after everything. *Jaune’s about to protest* Nope. I know we’re cool, but I was a huge douchebag. I mean it.

Jaune: Well thanks. It means a lot. *Leaves*

Russel: *Reading motorcycle magazine* You don’t have a girl, bro.

Cardin: *Frowns* I know.

Dove: You know you don’t have to help him out like that. You’re only hurting yourself.

Cardin: *Wipes face with hands, flops on his bed and stares at the ceiling* Yeah, well, too bad for Cardin fucking Winchester. If Jaune’s happy, I’m happy. I wasn’t joking when I said he deserves better than me. *Rolls on side to stare at wall.*

RDL: *All staring at their leader, all of them sad*

-----------------

Jaune: *Cheerfully* I’m back!

Weiss: *Very grumpily glaring at Jaune from beneath her covers, only her eyes visible, her voice is acidic* It’s quite fine, Arc. It’s only been two and a half hours. I know you have better things to do, so don’t bother acting like you were looking forward to coming back to deal with me.

Jaune: *Winces* Yeah, sorry. I was getting the hot towel when I kinda realized that you’ve probably been dealing with this all by yourself. *Weiss growls* It’s just, I remembered how you said you and your Dad don’t really talk and your little brother’s a, a snot, I think you called him? *Weiss feels embarrassed, but says nothing while staring at Jaune* Just hold on.

*Weiss does but when he comes back in the room her eyes go wide in shock*

Jaune: I-I just have a lot of sisters. Four older, three younger and they all have different things they like when they’re on their period. Saphron’s just happy if I’ll bring her things and Coral just wants me to leave her alone. Peri always wants cuddles and movies and *blushes as he realizes how much he’s talking* I just thought instead of whatever you usually do, you might want something more? Just to try something new?

Weiss: *Stares at several hot compresses, an expensive looking box of chocolates, a small boquet of blue Glory of the Snow’s, a stack of films, several unhealthy but delicious looking snacks and a stuffed polar bear with a top hat*

Weiss: *Wide eyed, completely taken aback* W-what?

Jaune: I-I-I don’t mean to assume anything, but I’m guessing you didn’t really have anyone who tried to make your period any better?

Weiss: I have a butler, Klein, who would always check in on me but never, well I never thought to ask for more. *Very softly as she stares at the rolling entourage of goodies* It never occurred.

Jaune: Okay, well, um, how about I bring this in?

*Jaune does, Weiss watching as he sets the flowers near her bed with wide eyes and gratefully accepting the compress, bringing it under her comforter and sighing in relief*

Jaune: We’ll have to set it up on your scroll, but I did bring movies to just so you have something fun to do today. There’s a family film with an apparently super cute actor, another that’s a cute animated movie that’s a staple of everybody’s childhood except mine apparently, *Weiss snorts, watching the covers* and one about a puppy finding his way home--

Weiss: *Eyes glued to the case, speaks immediately* That one.

Jaune: You sure, I checked the fam--

Weiss: *Eyes not leaving the box* I’m certain. *Flushes* Please?

Jaune: Sure. Just let me set this up.

*Jaune also hands over the chocolates, which Weiss stares at curiously and much to her delight, brings over the bags of snacks and she clutches the bag of cheesy poofs to her, very much wanting to try them for the first time*

Jaune: Okay, that should do it. So you’ve got your Cheez-E-Poofs, I grabbed a few sodas, juices that I thought you might like *quickly* but I also got water! Um, here. *Hands Weiss the stuffed animal, which she stares at and brings close to her face, loving how cute it is and how soft it is* Oh, Ruby helped me dip some strawberry’s in chocolate if you wanna try them later. There’s normal ones too.

Weiss: *Touched and doesn’t know what to say* I-it’s all so...umm, thank you. You really didn’t have to.

Jaune: *Scratches the back of his head, looks away* No problem, Weiss. I’m used to stuff like this, so...I’ll go. *Looking very embarassed* You’ve probably had enough of me talking you to death, so I’m just gonna go across the hall--

Weiss: *From behind her bear* Stay. *Jaune stares at her, blinking in surprise* You were going to offer, but you...back home the most I ever got were the occasional visits from Klein. But having someone to be there sounds very nice and I’d like if you would. Very much. I certainly won’t eat all of this anyways, so...please?

Jaune: *Nodding rapidly* Sure. Right. Yeah, I just didn’t wanna assume or impose or *watches Weiss’ eyes light up at the cheesy snack she just tried* I’ll sit.

*Jaune sits next to Weiss’ bed and they watch the film, eat snacks and after the movie, Weiss tries the strawberries as the second film starts. When she wakes up after falling asleep, she discovers the mess she’d made of the comforter is cleaned, Jaune had gathered up her snacks and placed them in a box. Her flowers now have a vase and the bear she had placed on his shoulder is on her pillow*

Weiss: *Smiles and hugs bear tightly*

~~A week later~~

Weiss: *Exasperated* Where is he?

Yang: *Balancing a pencil on her nose on her bed, ignoring her homework* Who?

Weiss: *Notices Berry B. Cold on Yang’s stomach and shoots forward like a bullet, snatching him and hugging him to her abdomen* You know who you bum, Jaune!

Yang: *Grinning like the cat who ate the canary* Oh-ho, finally acknowledging him by his first name after all this time, Weiss Cream?

Weiss: *Blushing* Quiet you.

Ruby: Leave her alone, Yang. But, uh, I don’t really know where he is.

Weiss: Nonsense. I may have missed the chance to help him with his paper but at the very least I can at least explain some of the theory to him, give him better than what Beacon’s textbooks offer.

Yang: Oh yeah, sure, sounds fun.

Weiss: *Bristling* E-even if it’s a boring subject, it is useful. *Hugs bear tighter* And he needs all the help he can get and--

Blake: *Walking in* If you’re talking about Jaune, he’s way too busy Weiss.

Weiss: I beg your pardon?

Yang: Yeah, you didn’t know?

Weiss: *Irritated* No Yang, it’s why I asked you in the first place.

Yang: *Flatly* Oh. I thought you were joking. No, I mean it, don’t look at me like that! Seriously, vomit boy’s been busy the last couple days.

Weiss: *Confused* But why?

Yang: *Staring* Seriously? I mean, he got that whole thing together for you.

Weiss: M-me!? Is that...but he said he was used to it! I-I knew he was talking about his sisters, but he said Ruby helped! H-he...

Ruby: Yup, I did, but I didn’t know Jaune was making them so you could have a nice, comfy that-time-of-the-month. I thought he just wanted a strawberry snack! That he’d finally been enlightened. *Sighs*

Yang: And that whole spread wasn’t just free, he went around and traded a lot of favors to get it together.

Weiss: *Gaping* H-he...what? He traded favors, just... *Uncertain, squeezing her bear while looking distressed* You didn’t know? He hasn’t done that with any of you?

Ruby: Nope!

Blake: Gods no.

Yang: Dad’s sweet like that for me when it’s bad-bad, but if Jaune offered I’d definitely turn him down. *Gives Weiss a look*

Ruby: Yeah, and all I need is my Non-Descript Winter Holiday lights and my guns ‘n ammo mags plus my scroll and I’m happy. *Shrugs* I get really crabby so I prefer being alone.

RWY: *Staring at Blake*

Blake: My ex did it for me once. Never again.

Weiss: S-so he did all that, just for me? Because I was miserable?

Yang: *Sighs, flops back on her bed* I don’t know why you’re so surprised. Ask his team. Jaune’s actually a pretty nice guy. He aimed Neptune in your direction back at the dance even though anybody with eyes knew he was kinda bummed the whole night. After you started talking with him after and started sharing, I think he just wanted you to have, y’know, some normal stuff that we all enjoy because our Dad’s aren’t asshats.

Ruby: Yang!

Blake: *Sees Weiss looking at her, looking upset* He’s been Coco’s personal shopper for the last week, he’s been dodging Nora since Ren agreed to a date with each of those girls from Team SNLT because she is pissed, he’s been doing odd jobs for Ozpin all week, he’s been doing a lot of work outside for Peach and I think he’s also been in the laundry rooms a lot. That stuff wasn’t just free. Plus he’s had to do all his usual leader stuff and his homework.

Weiss: *Gapes, hugs her bear and her eyes drift to her box of treats and she purses her lips* B-but...that’s so much, just so I...

Yang: Um, he likes you Weiss. Even if he stepped aside for Neptune, he’s not gonna just poof whatever he feels for you away just because he doesn’t have a chance. Then he sees you feeling like shit, knows just how bad it is because of all his sisters and gets it in his head that you deserve the princess treatment. *Stretches* He offered for Pyrrha once but she just went really red, yelled ‘NO!’ and apparently pushed him through a wall.

Weiss: *Sits on bed with her knees pulled up, hugging her bear while hiding a wobbling lip as she realizes and RBY just sighs*

~~Four days later~~

Yang: *Grins* Called it.

Blake: Yes, because it was such a mystery that this was gonna happen after Weiss had it spelled out for her that Jaune still has it bad for her even if he was trying to get over her. I’ll admit I still don’t understand the way Weiss thinks or why Jaune would put himself through all of that just because Weiss was having a bad period when it was clear at the time she wasn’t even thinking of him that way, but c’mon Yang.

Yang: *Hand out*

Blake: *Rolls her eyes, puts Lien in her hand* Child.

*Meanwhile Weiss stands on her tiptoes, arms around Jaune’s neck and enjoys kissing her boyfriend*

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Two things: One, I headcanon Cardin as gay and occasionally having a thing for Jaune if it isn’t entirely obvious. Two, I don’t want my Tumblr to be nothing but crack/lewd. I’d also like some occasional romance/wholesome content. This isn’t the best, but hopefully it’s not quite as bad as I think it is towards the end.

#rwby #jaune arc #weiss schnee #white knight #jaune x weiss #rwby oc #d'awww #team rwby #this is what happens when you let a drunk type

[smutsonian]

f*** being friends

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Reader

Summary: Steve is in love with his friend but he doesn't want to ruin their friendship

Warnings: mentions of copulation, making out (it gets heated), jealous steve, awkward steve, lil bit of angst, brief mentions of being bullied (verbally), mentions of game of thrones, i’m hoping for this to be really sweet and fluffy that y’all get diabetes in a healthy way, writing mistakes bby

Characters: Tony Stark, Bucky Barnes, Sam Wilson, Natasha Romanov, Erik Lehnsher (xmen), Cisco Ramon (the flash)

Word Count: 6.5k yikes

an: i have no idea where those characters came from but they’re there. also, hi! im posting something lmao shocker :o ctto of this picture

masterlist

The supersoldier who woke up in the wrong century would’ve been going through a whole lot of hell alone if it wasn’t for the cute scientist who was considerate and patient with him in helping him adjust to his new surroundings after the time-hopping incident. Fury took him to the tower that was owned by the genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist (as he likes to be called) after he tried to run through the streets of the modernized city of New York with his bare feet and that’s where he met her.

 The female scientist contrasted Tony Stark so much that it made Steve wonder how Tony even managed to get someone like her to be his assistant scientist. Steve didn’t have to wonder about how you were able to handle Tony because he was a hundred percent sure that you will be able to get along with anyone because you’re… you.

 While Tony was an obnoxious guy who likes mocking him, you were nothing but sweet to him. Going out of your way to make him feel comfortable and show him how time has changed the past. You taught him everything he should know and anything he wanted to know and in return, he bestowed you stories from his time before, during, and after the war and the supersoldier serum. 

 When you told him embarrassing stories about Tony and confessed that you sometimes get vexed by your boss that resulted in you ‘accidentally’ making one of his suits dance crazily while he’s in it, you and Steve shared a laugh and thus, started a genuine friendship.

Tony groans dramatically when he sees Steve giggling at his assistant while they’re making something in the kitchen. He walks over to them and knocks on the counter to catch the pair’s attention before giving them a faux smile. “As much as I love seeing capsicle giggling like a halfwit, I’m gonna have to ask you to stop stealing my assistant. We’re in the middle of discovering what must be the most important information in the world and you’re out here stealing her for shits and giggles.” Tony looks at the captain with a stern look before noticing your dramatic eye roll. “Hey-” he was about to chastise you when you cut him off.

 “Tony, learning how to bake chocolate chip cookies isn’t the most important thing in the world but I admire you for asking me for help for the sake of Morgan. But please, stop being so dramatic.” you chuckle at the end of your complaint. Tony bites his lip as Steve looks at you with such fondness without you even noticing it and he doesn’t know if he should feel sorry for the love-struck captain or be annoyed at how stupid and juvenile he was being. Just ask the girl out, goddammit.

 You turn to look at Steve before sighing, “Well, duty calls.” you shrug and smile at Steve when he reaches a hand towards your face to fix a stray hair away from your face. You stood frozen, staring at his ocean eyes that were staring right back at you before he started blinking and looked away. “Alright. I’ll see you later?” he asks as he looks back at you and you nod at him with a smile before walking past Tony. Tony rolls his eyes at Steve before pointing at him. “You clearly have it bad for her, cap. Why don’t you do us all a favor and just ask her out?” 

 Steve gawks at Tony, his face tinting a tiny shade of red before shaking his head. “What are you talking about? We’re just really good friends, Stark. I don’t even want to have this conversation with you.” Steve’s jaw clenches before he too walks out of the kitchen.

 Good friends my ass. Tony shakes his head in disbelief, smirking to himself. This is going to be fun.

  Some members of the team were in the kitchen, elbows on the counter, and tired out of their minds. Sam has his head on the counter, Natasha was taking a bite out of her sandwich every now and then, and Clint was slurping the milk from his cereal bowl. There was a mission the day before and everyone was showing how much it took a lot out of them.

 Y/N was putting whipped cream on top of the iced chocolate drink she made when Steve walked in. His face showed how tired he is but it quickly lightened up when he saw Y/N grinning at him with the iced chocolate. Steve made his way towards her and sat beside her, watching her put colorful sprinkles on the whipped cream before sliding the glass in front of him.

 “There ya go! Made with love and all.” she laughs at her own joke and Steve grins at her before taking a sip, earning a mustache made of whipped cream. “So good” Steve closes his eyes as he moans dramatically, making Y/N laugh even more. When Steve looks back at Y/N, she chuckles at him before making a motion towards the space between her nose and her upper lip.

 “What?” Steve smiles as he tilts his head to the side.

 “Here, let me…” Y/N gets a tissue before leaning towards Steve’s face and gently wiping the whipped cream off his face. God only knows how much I want to kiss his whipped cream covered lips. 

 Steve stared at her face, heart fluttering at the closeness of her face and gulps when he sees her looking back at his eyes. Those eyes will be the death of me. I wonder if she’ll look at me like that when I’m giving it to her good. 

 He watches as her eyes flutter towards his lips and then back to his eyes before he’s leaning closer to her face, his lips almost brushing against hers. Fuck.

 A bang interrupted them and they quickly pulled away from each other, awkwardly trying to compose themselves. Bucky seats beside Sam who was glaring at him. “You just have to stroll in here, you armless shithead.” 

 “Not cool, dude.” Clint chuckles before dumping his bowl at the sink. Natasha just sighs before taking another bite off her sandwich. 

 Y/N’s ears perked up when Sam’s words registered to her brain. Armless shithead. 

 She turns to look at Bucky before cursing under her breath. “Oh gosh, Bucky. I’m so sorry! Your arm reattachment scheduled this morning completely slipped out of my mind. Oh god. I’ll bring it up here now. Just give me a sec.” Y/N stumbles out of her chair, earning a concerned look from Steve who held his hand out just in case the fidgeting scientist falls. Y/N successfully runs out of the kitchen unharmed, leaving two supersoldiers confused.

 “What’d I do?” Bucky asks Sam who just shakes his head at him. Nat did the same thing as Sam did when Bucky turned to look at her. Steve still stared at the door that Y/N left in, thinking about how he almost kissed her and realizing how stupid he was. He could have ruined their friendship right then and there. She was so jumpy and awkward right after too. She probably got spooked by his actions. 

 “Why the constipated face, capsicle.” As if he wasn’t suffering enough, Tony enters the kitchen with a smug smile. “Barnes ruined his chances of kissing the little scientist.” Sam scoffed as Bucky gasped. “Oh shit. Sorry, punk. I didn’t know you were making moves already. Thought you would never do it. Sorry for ruining the moment. You’ll get—” Bucky’s teasing words were cut off by Steve’s booming voice. “Will you all just stop it?! We’re just friends. Stop pushing it. I don’t see her that way so please, just stop. We’re friends and that’s that.” Just as Steve’s speech was ending, a flustered Y/N walked in with a huge box. She walks over to Bucky and starts fumbling with his arm.

 Steve curses under his breath as he realized that she just heard his ‘confession’ and it’s not exactly what he wanted her to know. It’s exactly the contrary to what he’s feeling. He wants to be more than just her friend but he didn’t have the guts to do something about it. He also didn’t want to ruin the beautiful friendship that they already have. Relationships are too complicated and he couldn’t risk losing you just because of his stupid feelings. 

 “There! All done!” Y/N smiles at Bucky and Steve finds himself yearning for her to smile at him like that every-fucking-time. Bucky thanks her and winks at her that made Steve’s insides boil with something he didn’t have an idea about. Y/N picks the box up before walking over to Tony who was standing beside Steve. Right before she gets in front of Tony, she slips and before she knew it, her face was falling down the floor- only to be stopped mid-air as firm arms found their way to her waist and her shoulders.

 She was hoisted up and was met with Steve’s face just inches away from hers. “I got you.” Steve smiles.

 Y/N coughed and pulled herself away, making Steve’s smile flutter ever so slightly. “Umm, thanks. I gotta get back to work.” She smiles at him before turning towards Tony and starting a topic about their current topic about using vibranium as something he didn’t have an idea about. He sighed in disappointment as he realized how he managed to fuck up his friendship with her by trying to preserve it. How does that even happen to someone?

 “Is it just me or does the supersoldier serum affect the brain badly?” Sam pipes up after Y/N leaves the room to go back to the lab. Bucky elbows his ribs in response while Tony laughs at Sam’s words.

 “It’s just Steve who’s being an idiot. Don’t drag me into his lack of brain cells” Bucky muttered under his breath. Tony pats Steve on his shoulder before leaning up to his ear to whisper something.

 “Just friends, huh?”

Steve was nervous that you would bail on your weekly movie nights with him in his room where the two of you will watch movies that he missed while he was frozen. His nerves were getting the best of him until you knocked on his door only to greet him with a huge smile and arms full of snacks that were almost covering your face. “Movie night?” Steve swore that your giddy voice sounded like angels singing.

 Steve felt his heart flutter at the sight before shaking his head back to reality and easily grabbing the snacks out of your arms and setting it down on the foot of his bed. You skipped over to the bed and plopped yourself on it before looking at Steve with a raised eyebrow. 

“So… What are we watching tonight?” The anticipation in your voice made Steve smile before scratching the back of his neck.

 “Can we continue the game of thrones?” He asks and Y/N thought that him blushing was the cutest thing in the world so she couldn’t do anything but to nod. I mean, how could anyone say no to that face?

 You opened up a bag of chips while Steve tinkered with the tv attached to the wall in front of the bed. As the opening song started playing, Steve hopped on the bed beside you, grabbing the bowl of popcorn before laying on his back beside you and scooched closer to you. You smiled at that and laid your head softly on his shoulder which he seemed to like because he chuckled before stealing a piece of chip in your bag. You playfully glared at him as he only booped your nose in return, laughing when some powder from the chips were left on the tip of your nose. He leaned closer to your face, pausing for a while before blowing the powder residues on your nose. You felt your heart skip for a moment before turning back to the tv as the show continued to play.

 The room was dark with only the tv being the source of light but it’s enough for you to watch Steve’s every reaction to the show that you’ve already watched yet willing to rewatch it as long as it was with Steve. He was in one of the earlier episodes where Danaerys was betrothed to Khal Drogo. The tv was playing the scene where Danaerys’ handmaid was teaching her how to make love to Drogo. Your body warmed up at the scene, remembering how graphic this series can be and turned slowly to see Steve’s reaction. You expected him to be fidgety and awkward but he seemed to be really focused at the tv screen so you turned your head back towards the screen and continued to watch.

 Steve was trying his best to not have a panic attack right then and there. The scene was making him flustered and the effects of it were going straight to his crotch. He saw you move your head to watch his reaction but he did his best to act nonchalant and he was so relieved when you looked away from him that he almost cried. He thanked all the gods when the scene ended but his eyes widened when the screen showed Khal Drogo entering the tent butt naked and heading straight to Danaerys. When the man started ramming into her, Steve knew that he was fucked.

 Y/N nostrils flared in embarrassment as she watched the screen as it showed a very erotic scene. She turned her head sneakily to see Steve’s reaction once again but was surprised to see that he was already looking at her, their faces just an inch apart. 

 She looked at Steve’s eyes and was shocked to see that they were darker than usual, pupils dilated and his breathing erratic. She stared at him for a brief second before asking if he’s okay, genuinely concerned for the supersoldier. 

 “Steve, are you ok—” Y/N thought that she could’ve died right then and there when Steve closed the space between their lips and kissed her hungrily. Steve’s lips were so soft against her and when he plunged his tongue into her mouth, she almost came right then and there. This was how she’s deeply, madly, and hopelessly in love with the man. 

 Steve couldn’t explain the feeling he felt when she kissed him back. He could almost hear the wedding bells ringing when she moved her hands to caress both sides of his face. He placed the bowl of popcorn beside her head before placing his hands on her waist, easily manipulating her body so he was on top of her as he continued to kiss her lips like a starved animal.

 Steve felt her hands traveling up to his hair as she arched her back. Steve’s eyes went to the back of his head when she felt her grinding against his hard-on and he was thankful that her mouth was on his so she was able to swallow his moans. He responded by grinding his hips down against hers, earning a tug on his hair and a whine from her lips that made his eyes snap open in shock. Shit. 

 Steve stumbled as he quickly pulled away from her, knocking the popcorn by her head off the bed and making popcorn scatter all over the floor. “Shit” Steve looks at the mess on the floor and back to you, lips plumper after his assault. “Shit” he says again. “I’m so sorry.” He whispers. “Shit, Y/N. I’m so sorry! I didn’t—” He cuts himself by cursing at himself again and again.

 Y/N pushes the hurt she’s feeling at the moment. What was he about to say? That he didn’t mean any of it to happen? 

 She places a hand on Steve’s left cheek and it seemed to immediately calm him down. “Breathe, Steve. It’s okay. Everything’s fine.” You smile at him which he returns sadly.

 “I’m sorry, Y/N. I didn’t mean for that to happen, I was just… I don’t know what got into me.” Steve stuttered, almost crying. That’s not how he wanted it to come out.

 Y/N looks at Steve with a faux smile. Ouch. Saw that one coming but it still hurt like a motherfu—

 “I shouldn’t have done that.” Steve shakes his head. 

 Y/N gives Steve an understanding nod. And here I thought things couldn’t get uglier.

 “I mean… I don’t want to ruin what we have. Our friendship, I mean. I love being friends with you and I love what we have and I don’t want to ruin that because of me.” Steve tries to explain. Keyword: tries. “I mean you’re obviously the most gorgeous person in the world but I don't want to lose what we have just because of a kiss or a ruined relationship, do you get what I’m saying?” Steve looks at you hopefully. Clearly, he’s not very good at explaining things but you nod nonetheless.

 “I totally understand. I mean… I’ll be more than fine to try things out with you but I understand where you’re getting from. I wouldn’t want to lose what we have either. I guess being friends is the best idea for you.” Steve flinches at your words. Your tone was sweet but your words were hurting him and it’s his own fault too so that just frustrated him even more. 

 “How about we forget about what just happened and stay as good friends, deal?��� Y/N gives him a friendly smile. How the hell is he supposed to just forget about what happened. That was easily the best thing that’s happened in his life and he drove the woman he loves the most to tell him to just forget about it.

 “Deal.” Steve smiles. I am a fucking idiot. I managed to put myself in the ‘friendzone’. 

 Y/N nods and starts to head for the door before looking over her shoulder towards Steve.

 “Goodnight, Steve.” And then she was gone.

 Steve’s smile fell and he turned around to study the mess left behind. Popcorn all over the floor, game of thrones playing on the screen, and a very hard cock under his pants.

 Fuck

That was it for Steve. He knew he fucked everything up when he barely saw you and talked to you anymore. When you no longer made him the usual iced chocolate with whipped cream and sprinkles that you always made him, it broke his heart. But what really broke his heart is when you started skipping out on your movie nights with him. He’s beginning to think that you’re spending extra hours in the lab with Tony just to avoid him and it did horrible things to his heart.  Y/N cursed at the turn of events. She hated how the movie night incident turned out but she was ready to make things go back to normal but of course, Tony decided to overload her with work. She didn’t blame him though. They were at the peak of their research and they’re almost done with it and Tony wouldn’t stop until they finished. Y/N stayed to help her mentor/boss until they got to finish the work. She couldn’t deny the fact that she too is excited about the outcome of the research so she kept herself busy.

  She saw how it affected Steve though. She saw how his face would light up every time he would catch her taking quick snacks in the kitchen but she would watch that handsome smile disappear from his face when she waved at him to say goodbye and run back to the lab just to continue on her work. She knew that Steve being Steve, he would blame himself for it so she made a little bit of time to explain how things are currently hectic in the lab.

  Steve felt a little bit of weight lifted from his shoulders when she approached him after training one afternoon. She handed him his shield as she talked about a few changes and improvements she did here and there. He was so happy that she was finally talking to him again that he couldn’t help but just admire the way her lips moved and her eyes looked at him with a glint of excitement as she talked about his shield.

  “Steve?” Her smooth voice brought him back to reality and he smiled at her adoringly, patting her shoulder awkwardly before thanking her for the improvements she did on his shield. “I just want to point out that I’m not avoiding you.” Y/N bit her upper lip as she looked at Steve shyly. Steve thought that she could never be more adorable than this.

  “Tony and I are working on this research and we’re both really working our asses off. We’re so hellbent on finishing the research so we’re always working on it over time. I just… I don’t want you to think that I’m avoiding you.” She finished with a breath. 

  Steve looked down at her, processing her words before breaking off into a grin. He leaned down to give her a hug which she gladly returned before pulling away. Steve cursed at himself for immediately missing the way she felt against him. 

  Steve lets out a loud sigh before smiling at her. “Thank, god. I thought I scared you away.”

  “Never” she grinned before looking down at her wristwatch. “Well, I gotta head back to the lab” she gives him a smile before offering him a handshake, saying “Friends?”

  Steve bit the insides of his cheeks as he remembered the position he put himself in. 

  He gripped her small hand with his big ones before nodding. “Friends.”

  Y/N thought that the day she and Tony get to finish their research would never come but here’s Tony now, planning a party for the achievement. He’s also telling you something about introducing and showing you off to an old friend of his that he invited. Max Eisenhardt, you heard Tony say. He was a fellow scientist who specialized in magnets and Tony can’t wait to show him your research about vibranium.

Steve finds Y/N in the kitchen a few hours before the party starts, making her famous iced chocolate milk. “Do my eyes deceive me or is that my most favorite chocolate drink in the world?” Steve walks over to her, placing his elbows on top of her head before placing his chin on them. “Congratulations on finishing the research, Y/N. I’m really proud of you.” He sincerely says and he watches her duck under his arms and looks at him with a playful smile. “Thank you, Steve.” She makes a move to fix her hair before looking back at the glass. “And yes. This is your favorite drink” she winks at him.

“Well, not to be presumptuous or anything but… is it for me?” Steve bites his bottom lip as she pretends to think about it before nodding. “Of course, it is! It’s been so long since I made you one so I figured I’ll make you one before the party starts.” She grins at him before handing him the glass which he gleefully takes before drinking it, not minding the whipped cream that stained his nose and his lips. 

 Steve’s heart leaps in joy when he hears her laugh at him before handing him a towel. “Clean yourself up, captain. I’ll see you later at the party.” She waves at him before leaving the kitchen. Steve would’ve preferred it if she was the one wiping his face but he settled with cleaning his face on his own.

You settled on wearing black slacks, a white button-down shirt, and a pair of black flats. Tony mentioned something about introducing you to his scientist friends so you figured that a formal attire would suffice. You were barely starting on fixing your hair when Tony barged in. He took a quick look at you before smirking and dragging you out of your room and into the elevator. 

 “What the hell, Mr. Stark. I wasn’t done—”

 “You already look amazing. Cap will definitely lose it.” Tony smirks at you and before you could even say something, the elevator door opens. He gently pushes you out of the elevator before pulling you towards a middle-aged man who smiled at you immediately when he saw Tony dragging you towards him.

 “That’s Max Eisenhardt” Tony whispers to your ear before pushing you towards the guy. You stopped yourself from falling onto Max and he was nice enough to steady you by placing both of his hands on your arms. “You okay?” He gently spoke with an accent you couldn’t quite name.

 Y/N cursed at Tony in her mind for putting her in this situation. She manages to give the man a smile before nodding flusteredly. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Mr. Max. I’m Y/N. Mr. Stark’s lab assistant.” Y/N offered a hand for him to shake but he quickly shook his head. 

 “No need for formalities. Call me Erik or Magneto.” He reached for your outstretched hand and pulled on it until you fell onto his chest. He wrapped his arms around you before chuckling and pulling away. You gave him an awkward smile before nodding and sneakily walking away when he and Tony started talking about magnets and whatnot.

 Steve’s blood boiled when he watched the interaction between one of Tony’s friends who calls himself Magneto and Y/N. The way he shamelessly grabbed you and flirted with you made Steve think of horrible things on how to dismantle a man’s arm. He hated this feeling. He was so sure that he’s jealous. He knows that he’s jealous.

 Tony somehow managed to push you towards Magnet—or was it Magneto? Max? Erik?— every time he would find you hiding from the guy and you managed to sneak away every time as well. He seemed like a really nice man but he could learn a thing or two about taking hints. She politely rejected him five times already and he still hasn’t given up yet. Y/N just have another guy in her mind and possibly her heart so she couldn’t be bothered by any other person. She’s got eyes on Steve and him alone.

 Steve felt so proud and giddy whenever you would politely dismiss this Magneto guy’s advances on you. He would watch as you would shake your head with a smile before leaving the guy. He enjoyed watching the guy get rejected over and over again but at the same time, he hated seeing you so uncomfortable. 

 Steve couldn’t do anything but watch as Tony introduced you to a bunch of other threats scientists. He was doing his best to remain calm but when he saw you smiling and getting cozy with one of the younger scientists, he couldn’t take it anymore. He couldn’t do anything and he didn’t have the right to be jealous so what the hell would he do? He also couldn’t just stay and watch as another guy wins her heart.

 Steve settled on ditching the party.

 “Y/N, is that you?” A familiar yet strange voice spoke up from behind her as she was ducking behind a wall, avoiding a certain scientist. 

 Y/N felt like the angels above blessed her when she saw a familiar face when she turned to look at where the voice came from. “Cisco?! Is that really you?” The smaller man with long hair nodded while grinning at her. He spread his arms to his sides before saying, “The one and only!” 

 Y/N couldn’t help but squeal and jump on her heels as she jumped into his arms, hugging him as tightly as she could. She knew Cisco from freshman year in college up until they got their own jobs in very well known industries. “Oh my god, it’s been so long!” 

 The two continued to talk and catch up with each other’s lives until a point where Cisco bid his friend farewell saying something about needing to be home for his family.

 Y/N tries to look for the one person she wants to be with but fails to see his face at the party so she decides to look for him at the compound before a certain Magnet named scientist comes for her again.

“There you are! I’ve been looking for you everywhere!” Y/N groans as she closes Steve’s door. She frowned at him before asking, “Why’d you leave the party?” 

 Steve closed his eyes before letting out an exasperated sigh. “The atmosphere was becoming a little too much for me” he gives her a cheeky smile, patting the spot beside him on the bed. Y/N happily plops herself down beside him before nodding. “Yeah. Tony’s really good at being too much with his parties. Also, I think his friend got mad at me” 

 Steve frowned at that. “Magneto?” his face reddens when he sees her watching him, probably wondering how he knew the scientist. She’s probably thinking how much of a creep I am and how I was watching her the whole time. 

 Much to Steve’s relief, she chuckles under her breath before shaking her head. “So that’s his name! I understand why he got so annoyed now!” Y/N laughs and Steve just watches her with a smile on his face. 

 “Why? What happened?” Steve asks, praying to god that no asshole tried to hurt you. “I kept calling him Magnet instead of Magneto...” Y/N watches Steve as he lets out a laugh, his eyes closing, and little wrinkles forming at the sides of his eyes. Why is he so beautiful?

 “Tony seemed determined to push that guy to me though…” Y/N stares off into the distance and Steve managed to get all the confidence he could get to ask. “Seems like he was trying to set you up with a lot of his scientist friends.” he chuckles but it was so dry, he was scared that she might see how annoyed he was with the idea.

 Y/N tilts her head and looks at him with furrowed eyebrows and at that moment, Steve felt his heartache for not having the guts to just ask the woman in front of her out. How can she manage to make his heart feel like this every single time?

 “What do you mean? Magneto’s the only guy he’s setting me up with” Y/N’s voice cuts Steve's internal battle with himself. 

 “What about that guy with the long hair… I think his name was Cisco?” Steve pretends to not know his name but in all honesty, he’d done every research on the guy as soon as he got to his room.

 “Oh! Cisco!” Y/N’s face lights up at the mention of her friend’s name and Steve felt his heart break a little at her excitement. “He’s an old friend from college. He’s a very nice guy.” Y/N starts and Steve prepares himself for the heartbreak that’s inevitable.

 “We were both freshmen and I used to get bullied by this group of guys. You would think that being in college would stop all the stereotypes and all that but no. These guys would always torment me just because they can but then Cisco, I didn’t know him yet, stood up for me. Even though he was much smaller than the guys and is completely outnumbered, he still fought them and instead of me being bullied, it was us two getting all the torment. It was the start of a beautiful friendship.” Y/N laughs at the end of her story, remembering the event in her mind. 

 Steve’s blood boiled at the thought of people bullying you. If there is anything that he hates the most, it was bullies. As much as he tried to hate this Cisco friend of yours, he genuinely sounds like a nice guy. Kind of reminds him of himself.

 “I can’t believe how we both turned out to be. We’re both scientists now but it looks like he’s doing much better than I am.” Y/N looks down and shakes her head with a smile.

 “What do you mean? If you ask me, I think you’re doing a hell of a job!” Steve’s voice cracks a little and he couldn’t help but blush as Y/N looks up at him with a smirk.

 “I know. I’m working for Tony Stark, for goodness sake. It’s just Cisco is living the complete package of adulthood. Being married, having kids, and all that.” Y/N sighs, standing up from the bed before moving towards the door.

 Oh… Oh!

 Steve stood up from the bed as fast as he could, walking towards her with determination. 

 “Woah, Steve. I’m just going to get some snacks—” Y/N stops talking as Steve pulls out a small velvet box from his slacks and hands it to her. 

 “I uhh… Congratulations on the research, Y/N. I’m really proud of you.” he guides her hands to open the box, revealing a vintage necklace with a scarlet gemstone.

 “Steve… You honestly didn’t have to.” Y/N admires the necklace before running her fingers against the red stone. Steve takes the necklace and moves to stand behind her. “May I?” He asks her to which she quickly nodded.

 Steve stared at Y/N and admired how she managed to look ethereal with or without the necklace. “You know… I bought that necklace for you a few months after I met you.” This was it. Steve couldn’t keep his feelings from her anymore. He might regret it later but at least he got to tell her how he really feels.

 “You did?” Y/N whispers under her breath as she looks up at Steve when he tilts her chin up with his fingers.

 “When you were tasked to babysit me, I couldn’t stop thinking about you. About how you were so understanding. The way you were so patient with me. The way your eyes lit up each time you would tell stories about something you’re passionate about.” Steve gulps before continuing, “I knew I was fucked when you laughed at one of my lame jokes. I remember how angelic your voice sounded and how everything seemed to disappear and all I could see was your face.”

 Y/N stared at Steve with hooded eyes. It felt like she was in a dream. She watched how his eyes glossed and watched him breathe through his lips before he leaned closer to her, lips barely touching.

 “What about being friends?” Y/N watches him as he bites his bottom lip.

 “Fuck being friends” he breaks the distance and kisses her with determination. One of his hands finds its way to her back while the other cradles her face, pulling her closer to him as if he didn’t want any space between them. 

 Y/N’s hands find their way towards the back of his neck, pulling him closer with the same determination. They didn’t pull away from each other until they needed to breathe. 

 Steve goes back in for another kiss, guiding her back to the bed and positioning himself on top of her.

 Their night was just getting started and wouldn’t end any time soon.

  Steve stared at you while you peacefully slept beside him. You looked otherworldly wearing nothing but the necklace he gave to you, rays of sunshine hitting parts of your skin, and his blanket laying on top of your body. He decided then and there that he will always want to wake up to this view. He wants to wake up every day with you beside him. He smiled at the idea. 

 His cheeks tinted red when he remembered how you looked on top of him and how you looked under him. How you became breathless because of him and how your body squirmed under his touch. Just the thought of you makes his cock spring back to life. It doesn’t help that you’re currently staring at him with a small smile and tired eyes. 

 “You’re awake!” Steve breathes out, eyes widening a little.

 “Good morning to you too” Y/N chuckles at Steve's reaction before turning to look at the ceiling.

 “You’re beautiful, you know that?” Steve leans down to kiss your lips, then your nose,  and then your forehead. You smile up at him before kissing his lips.

 “So we’re not friends anymore?” Y/N raises an eyebrow at him before giving him a cheeky smile.

 “I want to do this the right way.” Steve watches Y/N tilt her head in confusion.

 “Let me take you out on a date,” Steve asks. 

 “I think you got your sequence a bit mixed up, Steve.” Y/N grins and Steve retorts with showering her face with kisses making her giggle under him.

 “Okay! Okay! I’ll go on a date with you on one condition.” Y/N straightens up before staring at him seriously.

 “Anything” Steve responds immediately.

 “I’ll go on a date with you if you agree to become my boyfriend” Y/N gives him a toothy smile.

 “I will gladly be your boyfriend… I guess I’m not the only one who got the sequence of dating all messed up, huh?” Steve teases her and she just laughs in return, taking Steve’s dress shirt from the floor and putting it on. It was big on her so it fell just above her knees and she rolled the huge sleeves up to her forearms.

 Steve admires her in his clothes. Another view that he would always want to see. He stands from the bed only to pull her body on top of him as he lays back on the bed.

 “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to let you go.” Steve’s voice was deep and sincere and he loved how her body responded to his voice.

 “I’ll only leave you when you no longer want me but I’ll still be there to watch over you. I’ll always be there when you need me.” Steve turned her body around so now they were chest to chest.

 “I don’t think that’s possible.” Y/N watches Steve as he furrows his eyebrows in confusion.

 “I will never not want you. Besides, I got it bad for you just as you got it bad for me.” Y/N leans her face closer to his, pressing her forehead against his. 

 “How do you know that?” Steve smiles as he looks at her lips before looking back at her eyes.

 “Because I don’t think I’ll ever be able to let you go as well.” Y/N grins before pressing a kiss on his lips and him immediately responding to the kiss by pulling her body closer to his. A kiss that sealed their relationship because they were no longer just friends.

#steve rogers fluff #steve rogers smut #Steve Rogers #steve rogers x reader #steve rogers imagine #steve rogers oneshot #captain america #captain america imagine #captain america fluff #captain america smut #captain america x reader #friends to lovers

[cadence-talle]

Sugar Snow and Peppermint Pathways

Pairing: Fitz Vacker/Dex Dizznee, Sophie Foster/Biana Vacker

Wordcount: 9,587

Summary: Unlike many baking shows out there, the Holiday Bake-Off isn’t elimination-based, which viewers claim makes it all the more interesting. Each competitor, however, is entirely on their own- which means that if the Vacker siblings do attend, they’ll be working against each other for the first time ever.

Dex rolls out the cookie dough again. "I hate them so much."

(Or: nearly everyone is a famous baker, Biana and Fitz are both a little bit in love, and Dex Dizznee does not, under any circumstances, want to interact with the Vackers.) 

Other notes: my Winter Exchange gift for @yeetersofthelostcities! I probably wasn’t supposed to tell you as much about this fic as I did, but it’s also 9k, so I think you can forgive me.

Read it on AO3 (much recommended since this is long and some of the fonts didn’t quite translate to Tumblr) or under the cut!

World-Famous Vacker Siblings Rumored To Be On 2020’s Annual Holiday Bake-Off 

Fitzroy and Biana Vacker have been making a lot of headlines this year, from the opening of their new bakery in Chicago to the millions of dollars they’ve donated to various charities around the globe. The sibling duo seems to have been born with baking skills- and it’s no surprise, since their mother is Della Vacker, author of five bestselling cookbooks. (See our biography of Della Vacker if you’d like to learn more!) 

But this December may mark their greatest trial yet. Netflix’s Happy Holiday Bake-Off garnered more than three million views last year, and it’s set to get even more attention this year now that four-star restaurant owner Edaline Ruewen is hosting. 

For those of you new to the bake-off, the rules are simple: it’s comprised of five different baking challenges, spread out over the week leading up to Christmas Day. Each of the eight competitors will have five different chances to wow the judges- and on the final day, whoever’s made the most impact will win thousands of dollars. Unlike many baking shows out there, the Holiday Bake-Off isn’t elimination-based, which viewers claim makes it all the more interesting. Each competitor, however, is entirely on their own- which means that if the Vacker siblings do attend, they’ll be working against each other for the first time ever. 

--read more--

OTHER NEWS

13 Christmas Cookie recipes to brighten up your winter! 

“It’s All In The Butter”: Edaline Ruewen shares the secret of her famous butterblasts! 

Fintan Pyren opens a new barbeque joint in Upper Manhattan. Its name? Flambé. 

Subscribe to BAKER’S WEEKLY ONLINE today and get a free tote bag! 

-/-

December 12, 2020.

Biana Vacker’s Self-Proclaimed Trash Can Fire

New York City, New York.

“No.”

“Yes,” Biana says cheerfully, leaning over the dining room table to ruffle her brother’s hair. Fitz glares at her. “I’ve already signed the papers.” 

“But-” Fitz sighs, apparently already giving up. “Ugh. I’m busy.” 

“Fun fact: spending thirty hours trying to refine the perfect croissant recipe does not qualify as being ‘busy’. Our croissants are delicious. They don’t need any more work. You, however, need a vacation.” 

“Funner fact: competing against my own sister on a reality show broadcast to the country is less of a vacation than working out apricot croissants would be.” 

“Even more fun fact: ‘funner’ is not a word.” 

“Even funner fact: I literally do not give a single fuck.” 

Della’s laugh crackles over the phone, warm and bright. “Language, Fitzroy,” she says. Livvy snorts. 

“He’s twenty-two years old, Dell. I don’t think you get to say that.” 

Biana giggles. She can almost picture the scene at the other end of the call- her moms curled up on the couch, Della nursing a cup of mulled cider as Livvy talks intently about her patients at the hospital. Their menorah will have four candles lit by tonight, mirroring the one that sits on Biana’s own side table. The whole house will be filled with warmth and laughter. 

Biana misses that sometimes, looking around her empty apartment. Wishes she was still a little girl and could snuggle up next to her mom and watch The Nutcracker because Della knew, without asking, that Biana was sad. Before all this… responsibility.

That’s not really fair, though, because when she was a little girl Livvy wasn’t there, and Della was sad, and Fitz was angry. So maybe she doesn’t miss the old days- maybe she just misses having someone there to understand her. 

Fitz is here, she reminds herself. He’s not leaving. He’s good, and he’s not leaving. 

“... chocolate chips on the ceiling,” her brother is saying when Biana snaps back to the conversation. Over the phone, Della groans. 

“Don’t even mention that. Goodness, I’m glad you’ve left the ‘crazy parties’ stage of your life behind, Fitz. Those were hell to clean up after.” 

“I don’t know, it was pretty funny to watch him try to repair a chair while hungover the next morning,” Biana teases. Fitz rolls his eyes, but he’s smiling. 

“I didn’t-” 

There’s a loud beeping noise Biana registers as an oven timer, and she spins around towards her kitchen before realizing it’s coming from her moms’ end. Della makes an apologetic noise. 

“Sorry, darlings, we should go. I love you!”

“Love you too,” Biana and Fitz echo. There’s a rustling sound, like Della is moving to hang up, and then she pauses. 

“Oh, and Fitz, I think the Holiday Bake-Off is a wonderful idea. Good luck!” 

And then Biana’s phone is flashing the Time Elapsed: 22 minutes screen, and her brother is back to glaring at her. 

“No.”

“I’m not arguing this anymore,” Biana says, moving towards the kitchen and filling up a pot of water. “Do we want spaghetti for dinner?”

“Sure,” Fitz retrieves several cans of tomato sauce and dumps them in a pot. “I just- sorry. What if we lose?”

“Well, at least one of us is going to lose,” Biana points out. “And even if we both get the lowest ratings in the entire show, so what? We don’t need the money.”

“But-” Fitz waves his hands in the air. “We’re going to be- people are going to be watching us. What happens if we fuck up?” 

Oh. Of course that’s what he’s worried about. Fitz has always, always been worried about public appearances. Biana sets the water on the stove and moves over to him, leaning against the opposite counter. 

“Bro. Man. My dude.” She says seriously. Fitz purses his lips in a way that makes it clear he’s hiding a smile. “Fitz, we’re going to be fine. No one’s going to be judging how we do in this competition.”

“Sorry, do you hear yourself?”

“Okay, fair, but you know what I mean. Losing this contest isn’t going to wreck our business. If we can strike up enough of a friendship with whoever does win, we could even stand to grow.”

Fitz stares at her. Biana stares back. The tomato sauce starts to bubble. 

“Fine,” Fitz finally says. “Do we have any veggie meatballs?” 

-/-

December 13, 2020.

The Good Place Bakery

Middlebury, Vermont. 

Dex drops the cookie dough onto the flour-covered counter, smacking it with what’s probably more force than necessary. It holds up, though, and he cuts out two entire trays of tiny snowmen and stars before his co-owner arrives in a blaze of glory. 

“Guess who’s got a date this weekend!” Keefe sings, dumping his coat on a hook and pushing himself up on the counter. He gets a good look at Dex’s face and frowns. “Whoa, who bruleed your creme?”

“That doesn’t even make sense,” Dex rolls his eyes, “and everything’s fine. What poor guy did you pick up now?”

“His name’s Nathan and he’s beautiful,” Keefe sighs. “But don’t try to change the subject. Why do you have your grumpy face on?”

Dex grabs the letter from where he threw it across the room half an hour ago and hands it to the other man. Keefe skims it. 

“You have been invited onto Netflix’s Happy Holiday Bake-Off,” he reads. He glances up at Dex. “Okay… didn’t we already know that? Soph’s been talking about the contest for weeks.”

“Yes, but I got more information this time around,” Dex says tightly. “And it turns out the Vacker siblings are also competing.”

“Oh.” Keefe sets the letter down and picks up one of the cookie sheets, sliding it into the oven. “Well, I think you can beat them.”

“Of course I can beat them,” Dex snaps. “That’s not the problem. The problem is-” he sweeps up the dough scraps and prepares to roll them out again. “The problem is they’re fake and I don’t like them.”

He’s aware he sounds like a child. It’s hard to describe, though, what makes him so frustrated about the Vacker siblings. The two of them just make it look so… easy, though. Born into fame and given a head start in front of everyone else. Dex had to take out three different loans to start this bakery, and even that was with Keefe’s huge trust fund. 

“They’re just… fake,” he says lamely. “No one’s that perfect.” 

“Mmm.” Keefe hums, then murmurs, “okay, but you know who is that perfect?”

Dex sighs. “Okay, tell me about Nathan.”

Keefe is halfway through the story of how they met- at the library, apparently, because that’s widely known to be the most romantic spot in town- when Amy shoves through the doors and steals an unbaked cookie. 

“Morning,” she grins around a mouthful of crumbs. Dex raises an eyebrow and slides the cookie sheet towards Keefe before she can eat more. 

“Morning,” he says. “How’s Marty?”

“Still hates everyone but Sophie,” Amy shrugs. “Who isn’t here, obviously, because she and Mom are in Chicago setting up the Bake-Off.” She squints at Dex. “I can’t believe you got onto the show. There have to be rules against that.”

“Technically, that only applies if it’s direct relation. So, like, kids and parents.” Keefe grabs a piece of cookie dough. “Plus, even if Edaline did give Dex super high ratings on everything, he can’t win unless the other judges agree.”

“You’re going to get salmonella,” Dex tells the two of them. “But yeah, Keefe’s right. I’ll have to actually try if I want to win.”

“Do you?” Amy asks. Dex bites his lip, dusting some flour off his shirt.

“The money would be nice, I guess. But- I don’t know. We’ll get publicity either way, and that’s what’s important.”

“Attaboy,” Keefe gives him a thumbs-up. “You’re gonna win all the brownie points. Well, assuming they have you make brownies.”

“I-” Dex stares at him, shaking his head. “Why don’t you tell Amy about Nathan.” 

-/-

December 17, 2020.

Some Fancy Hotel

Chicago, Illinois. 

Biana glances around the room, light reflecting off the chandelier above and casting glittering patterns on the carpet and various couches scattered around the hall-like space. Four days have passed she broke the news to Fitz, and she’s wondering if this was a bad idea after all.

She’s not the first one here, thank goodness; there’s a tiny blond woman seated on a chair further down chatting to a man with silver-dyed bangs and a frizzy-haired woman tapping impatiently on her phone a few feet away. A door at the other end of the hall presumably leads further into the hotel. 

A buzz in her pocket prompts her to retrieve her phone, and Biana opens it to find three texts from her brother.

ritzroy

Ok I made it to our room

[image.jpg]

There’s a paper crane on the kitchen counter is this some sort of message

me

yes.

they're trying to tell u that u r a paper crane

ritzroy

*you *are 

I know you only do that to annoy me.

me

<3

now get down here i feel awkward standing all by myself

ritzroy 

Have you tried talking to people?

me

fuck you

Sighing a bit, she plops down on a couch half-obscured by a large plant. Someone coughs from where they’re sitting next to her and Biana turns around to apologize. 

“Hi,” says Sophie Foster. 

Biana stares. The woman is about half an inch shorter than her, blond hair tucked back into a ponytail and white blouse slightly wrinkled. Biana’s seen this face on television upwards of a hundred times- the award-winning chef daughter of Grady and Edaline Ruewen attracts attention, after all- but never quite like this, with eyebrows furrowed and mouth tilted a little to the side. 

“Hey,” Biana says about a minute too late. “Hey, sorry, I didn’t know there was someone sitting here.” 

“No problem,” Sophie assures her. “You’re Biana Vacker, right?”

“Uh, yeah,” Biana nods, slightly stunned that Sophie Elizabeth Foster knows her name. “You’re- Sophie Foster.”  

“That’s me,” Sophie says, smiling a little. “You ready for the competition?”

“Definitely,” Biana responds. “I mean, I don’t celebrate Christmas, but I watched the Holiday Bake-Off last year, and it seems like it’s super fun? And it’ll be cool to see what other people make too.” 

“Yeah.” Silence falls over the two of them, and Biana cringes inwardly. This is the worst possible thing. Where on earth is her brother? 

Searching for something to say, Biana opens her mouth. “Um-”

“Huh?” Sophie turns a little more towards her, eyes fixed on Biana’s face. Biana swallows a little.

“Uh, I was actually really nervous when I noticed I was sitting next to you. I’m kind of a huge fan.” 

Sophie blinks. “You’re kidding.”

“No?”

“When I found out you were going to be competing, I literally asked my mom if she could get me on the show because I wanted to meet you so bad.”

Biana’s staring again. “Oh.” 

Sophie’s phone buzzes and she pulls it out, tapping the screen. Biana tilts her head a little in confusion.

“Gotta go,” Sophie says with an apologetic smile. She stands up and starts towards the door, turning back to say one last thing before she leaves. 

“You’re even prettier in person.” 

When Fitz shows up two minutes later, Biana’s still staring wide-eyed at the place where Sophie was just standing. Her brother flops down onto the couch next to her and raises an eyebrow. 

“What happened?”

“Nothing,” Biana shakes her head. “Nothing. I’m fine.”

“Well, I dropped the bags off. The room’s nice,” Fitz offers. “Oh, and Mom says we should video chat tonight. She wants the tea.”

Biana blinks. “The… tea.”

“Her words, not mine.”

“Yeah, I think I could tell. What-”

“Hello, everyone!” The door at the end of the hall swings open and a smiling red-haired woman steps out, followed by two others. “Sorry to keep you waiting. I’m Edaline Ruewen, from Vermont. I’ll be one of the judges next week. We’re all gonna go around and introduce ourselves, I’ll outline a schedule, and then y’all will be free to go. Cadence?”

“Good afternoon,” a tall dark-skinned woman greets. “I’m Cadence Talle, food journalist for the LA Times. I’ll be another one of your judges, along with-”

“Bronte.” The third man interrupts. He raises an eyebrow at the faces waiting for him to go on. “Well?”

“Looks like someone’s judging us already,” Fitz whispers. Biana muffles a laugh in her coat sleeve as the blond woman from before speaks up. 

“Hi, I’m Marella Redek. I’m a pastry chef over in Portland.” 

“Tam Song. I do the baking for a restaurant here in the city.”

People introduce themselves quickly, names flashing by in quick succession- Maruca Chebota, Jensi Babblos, Stina Heks. 

“I’m Biana Vacker,” Biana says when it’s her turn. “My brother and I co-manage a couple bakeries across the country.” 

Fitz raises his hand. “I’m her brother.” 

“Dex Dizznee,” says the last competitor, a strawberry-blond man seated on the arm of a couch. “I have a bakery up in Middlebury.” 

“Wait, The Good Place?” Fitz leans forward. “I made your chocolate cream pie recipe once. It’s fantastic.”

Dex blinks, face finally settling in an expression that reminds Biana of some of the people at the huge dinner parties her dad used to throw- carefully, delicately concealed disdain. She wonders what Fitz has done to warrant that look. 

“Oh, that’s cool,” Dex says calmly. “Chocolate cream is one of my co-owner’s favorites, actually.” 

Fitz nods. “Neat.” 

Edaline smiles at them, clapping her hands for attention. “All right! Let’s go over the schedule, then. The first round is on Saturday, and the last one is next Wednesday. You’ll be expected to arrive at the kitchens by eleven am…”

“What’s up with him?” Biana whispers. Fitz raises one shoulder in a tiny shrug. 

“I don’t know, but he doesn’t seem to like me very much.”

There’s no way Dex can hear them- he’s nearly fifteen feet away and Edaline’s voice carries throughout the entire hall. Still, he’s staring at Fitz when Biana glances at him, and there’s molten caramel in his gaze. 

-/-

December 17, 2020.

Some Fancy Room In Some Fancy Hotel

Chicago, Illinois.

“And then he just went, ‘Neat.’ Neat? Like, what the fuck?”

“Dude, you know I love you, but don’t you think you’re making a bit of a big deal out of this? He just complimented the bakery.”

Dex heaves a sigh, flopping onto his hotel bed and staring up at the light fixture. It’s probably trendy, with all those boxes or whatever, but Dex can’t really tell. This is why he’s a baker. 

“I know, I know. He just- gets under my skin. I’ve been pissed all day.”

“Funny,” Keefe says, and Dex can just hear him smiling. “I thought you had more of a problem with the Vackers as a whole than you did with Fitz. Or is he just too attractive to be anything but your singular arch-nemesis?” 

“Enemies to lovers speedrun,” Amy calls in the background and Keefe laughs. He’s probably having dinner with Grady and Amy tonight like they typically do once a month. Normally, Dex, Sophie and Edaline are there too. 

Dex’s family is weirdly spread across the country- Grady and Edaline live an hour away, Rex and Bex are somehow both coexisting at Seattle University while Lex stays closer to home back in Michigan, and Sophie and Amy split their time between Middlebury and their apartment in San Francisco. They do their best to stay in touch, though, even with the bakery’s odd hours and the Ruewen’s constant media appearances. 

“So how’s the hotel?” Keefe asks. Dex shrugs. 

“It’s a hotel. My room has a little kitchen, which is nice, and there’s, like, a bigger community pantry-slash-kitchen down the hall. It feels like college.” 

“College is worse, actually,” Amy says. Dex snorts.

“You say that like I haven’t been to college.” 

“Dude, we met in college,” Keefe points out, “and you did not get the full college experience. You just, like, baked 23/7 and then miraculously passed all your classes with the last hour.”

“Yes,” Dex says over the sound of Amy’s cackling. “Yes, that is exactly what I did. You’re completely right.” 

“I know,” Keefe says. “I’m always right. I have, never, ever done anything wrong.”

“You called me this morning to freak out over your date outfit for a date that’s three days away, but go off I guess.” Amy deadpans. 

“Fuck you-” The sounds of a small scuffle come through the speakers and Dex rolls his eyes. 

“I’m going to sleep,” he calls. “See you guys in a week.”

“Good luck!” Amy calls, and Dex hangs up. 

-/-

December 19, 2020.

Netflix’s Test Kitchen

Chicago, Illinois.

Biana tucks one last strand of hair back into her braid and glances over at the imposing black camera standing next to her station. There are ones just like it scattered around the entire room, fluorescent overhead lights reflected off their shiny exteriors. It’ll be weird trying to bake with someone recording her the whole time, but she can take it.

“Good morning, everyone!” Edaline calls, sweeping out to the judges bench with Cadence and Bronte close on her heels. There’s some sort of sheet-covered circle on the wall behind them. “I hope y’all are ready to bake!”

Everyone cheers and Edaline throws her head back, laughing a laugh with just enough snort in it to sound real. Biana’s reminded suddenly of her own mother; Edaline has the same sort of tough core and caring nature covered by a thin layer of plastic for the cameras. She wonders if Sophie is the same.

“And without further ado,” Edaline says. Biana snaps her attention back, hoping she hasn’t missed anything important. “Today’s challenge is…”

Bronte tugs on the fabric and it falls away to reveal a casino-style roulette wheel. If Biana squints, she can see words written on each colored section; CHOCOLATE and RASPBERRY and ALMOND. 

“Cookies,” he announces. 

Cadence sweeps her gaze over all of them. “Spin the wheel twice to find out what ingredients you need to include, and then you’ll have forty-five minutes to bake. Understood?”

Biana nods, glancing at the camera out of the corner of her eye and rearranging her face into something a bit more excited. She should probably start thinking about what to say in the post-baking interview.

Fitz is the first to spin the wheel, and he gets COCONUT and STRAWBERRY. He looks a little confused but smiles, media persona still firmly in place. 

Biana gets GINGER and CHOCOLATE, returning to her station with a wide smile. This recipe is one she created with Livvy- they were home alone while Della and Fitz went out to a show and decided to try the most difficult food combinations they could think of.

Honey-covered crickets were surprisingly delicious. Hot sauce mixed with Gatorade was not.

(I knew what I was going to do immediately, she tells the cameras afterward. It’s a family favorite; chocolate-ginger crinkle cookies.)

She retrieves a packet of candied ginger and grabs two bags of chocolate chips, dumping one bag in a saucepan and starting to melt them. A few feet away, Dex Dizznee stares at his ingredients- ALMOND and ANISE, a fairly simple combination- before turning away towards the ingredients. If Biana had to hazard a guess, she’d say he’s making biscotti. 

(Biscotti’s probably too obvious for almonds, Dex shrugs later, but my friend Keefe and I perfected an almond-anise biscotti a while back and I figured, why waste what little time I had on something new?)

Once she gets started, it’s easy to just focus on the recipe. She’s not like Fitz; baking’s not the be-all end-all stress reliever it is for him, but there’s definitely something comforting about the familiar motions. Before she knows it, she’s pulling the sheets out of the oven and arranging the prettiest ones on a plate for the judges to try.

Marella Redek goes up first, showing off her caramel-pecan shortbread with a polite smile. 

(I’m just glad I didn’t get one of those crazy combinations, she says with a sigh of relief.)

Then Fitz, who’s managed to make tiny sandwich cookies filled with strawberry jam and dusted with coconut in forty-five minutes. He fidgets with his hands as the judges taste them.

(I was really worried when I got my ingredients. I’m so relieved they turned out okay.) 

Biana’s cookies go over well, Cadence nodding and reaching for another one. Finally Dex Dizznee steps up. 

“Almond-anise biscotti,” he says with a small smile. The judges all bite into the cookies at the same time and smile.

“Delicious,” Bronte says. Dex grins and steps back to his station.

Fifteen minutes later, the contestants stand in front of the judges bench in a straight line, worried eyes and tapping feet all the way down.

“All your cookies were exquisite,” Edaline says. “But one of you made a fantastic first impression.” 

Cadence offers the group a tiny, sideways smile. “Dexter Dizznee,” she says. “You are today’s winner.”

There’s a round of applause and Dex’s cheeks go a little bit red. 

“Thank you,” he says.

(I won! It’s only the first round, of course, but I’m still proud to have started off on the right foot.)

“Hey,” Biana nudges her brother’s shoulder as they trail out of the room for individual interviews.“That wasn’t too bad, huh?” 

“No,” Fitz tilts his head and glances back at the still-smiling Dex. “I guess it wasn’t.”

(I don’t think I’m too sad about losing this round. Dex’s cookies looked absolutely delicious, anyway.)

Biana’s phone buzzes on the way back to her room. She pulls it out to see two messages from an unknown number. 

415-623-7868 

hi!! sorry if this is mega creepy but it was super cool to meet you the other day and i’d love to talk more sometime

this is sophie foster btw

“Holy shit,” Biana whispers. Her brother turns around with a questioning glance but she waves him off. “Nothing, I’m fine.” She’s pretty sure she’s grinning at her phone screen with all the force of a thousand suns. “I’m totally fine.”

(Tomorrow, we try again.) 

-/-

December 20, 2020.

Netflix’s Test Kitchen

Chicago, Illinois. 

Buoyed by the previous day’s success and an especially good breakfast buffet (he is not immune to chocolate-chip pancakes, no matter what he might claim), Dex practically floats into the kitchen the next day. His mood isn’t even brought down by Bronte’s lackluster announcement that the second challenge is simply Snowflakes. The bakery’s meringues are a town favorite for a reason, after all, and that reason is that they’re fucking good. 

He does get annoyed, though, by the man leaning against a counter a few feet away as he pipes the meringue. Fitz Vacker is tapping his fingers against the marble, watching the ice cream machine with a calm sort of fixation. Dex huffs and accidentally pipes too much meringue on the baking sheet. 

“Do you mind?” He grumbles under his breath. Fitz’s head snaps up. 

“Sorry,” he says, slight accent curling around his words. It’s not a British accent or really any sort Dex can discern, and that just makes him more frustrated. “Am I in your way?”

“No,” Dex says as politely as he can. He’s well aware of the cameras standing a few feet away. “No, you're fine.”

Fitz nods and tilts his head towards the meringues, apparently taking Dex’s grudging silence as an invitation. “Those look pretty good.”

“Thank you,” Dex says shortly, letting out an annoyed sigh internally when Fitz doesn’t budge. “You’re making ice cream?”

“Heh, yeah. I couldn’t really think of anything else, so.” Fitz shrugs. “Ice cream bars.” He scratches the back of his neck, looking a little embarrassed. “At least it’s cold, right? Like snow.” 

This startles a laugh out of Dex. “Yeah, like snow.” He leans back a little to give the now-completed snowflakes a once-over. “What do you think?”

“They look great!” Fitz enthuses, jumping a bit when the ice cream machine lets out a long beep. “Oh, looks like that’s me. I should go. Nice to meet you!”

And then he’s off to his own station, bowl of ice cream clutched tightly in one hand. Dex allows himself thirty seconds of staring into the camera like he’s on The Office before he sighs and slides the meringues into the oven. 

What on earth was that. 

He bumps into Sophie on his way out of the room after interviews. Biana Vacker’s chocolate-pecan-bark snowflakes won today; unsurprising, since they looked almost real- and he kind of just wants to go back to his room and sleep for a month. His cousin, however, seems to have other ideas.

“Quick,” she says, grabbing his arm. Her phone is in her other hand, screen lighting up with a message. “How much would my mom kill me if I went on a date with one of the Bake-Off contestants?”

“Um,” Dex blinks. “I’m going to need some more information?” 

“Okay, so I met Biana Vacker the other day, and I might have gotten her number from the contestant files we have? And then texted her? For like five hours last night? And I might have asked her out and she might have said yes?” Sophie tugs at her eyelashes. “Please help me, I have no idea what the fuck I’m going to do.”

“You’re going on a date with Biana Vacker,” Dex confirms. “Why?” 

“Because she’s smart, and pretty, and incredibly funny, and because I don’t have some weird hate-obsession with her.” 

“I don’t-”

“Yes, you do. Seriously, how much is Mom going to murder me for this?”

“How much is Mom going to murder you for what?”

Edaline’s standing a few feet away, arms folded across her chest and eyebrows raised. Sophie’s eyes go wide, but she sighs as if already giving up.

Dex gets it. Edaline is scary when she wants to be.

“Is it illegal and-slash-or nepotism if I go on a date with Biana Vacker tomorrow night?”

Edaline blinks. “Probably not? As long as you can confirm that she’s not using you to get further in the contest.” She shrugs. “I could talk to Cadence and Bronte about it, but they were all right with Dex being on the show, so.”

“Wait, really?” Sophie grins and throws her arms around her mother. “This is the best. Thanks, Mom! I’m gonna go text her.” 

She takes off down the hall, typing frantically. Edaline watches her go with a fond smile. 

“It’s incredibly weird to see her this old,” She says to Dex. “I still think of her as twelve, honestly.”

Dex snorts. “Yeah.”

“So,” Edaline cocks her head, looking at him with the same I’m going to ask you a question and we both know what the right answer is look that Dex’s own mother has. “I saw you talking to Fitz Vacker earlier. Making friends?”

“No.” Dex says immediately. Then he rolls his eyes. “He’s not as bad as I was expecting, though.”

“What were you expecting?”

“I don’t know, like, posh and rich and British or whatever they are. But he’s actually a decent person or whatever.”

“Or whatever.” Edaline laughs. “Well, I���m glad you’re having fun either way. I’ve got to get to a meeting, but I’ll see you later, all right? Say hi to Keefe for me.”

Dex nods and heads back to his room.

He really needs to sleep. 

-/-

December 21, 2020.

The Art Institute of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois.

“Here we are,” Sophie says as they push through museum security and enter the clearly-marked Thorne Rooms. Biana glances at the art curiously; the exhibit is made up of tiny glass windows set into low walls all around. She peers into one and lets out a tiny gasp. 

“Oh.”

It’s a tiny room in there; chairs and sofas all with perfectly embroidered cushions as small as Biana’s thumb. Through minuscule doors in the back, Biana glimpses a painted background and a balcony. It’s the most beautiful thing she’s ever seen. 

Sophie snorts behind her, and Biana realizes she said that last bit out loud. “Right? It’s all real, too. Took Narcissa Thorne and her craftsmen eight years.”

“Wow.” 

“I used to come here all the time,” Sophie says, stepping forward and tracing one finger over the glass. “Whenever we were in town. I wished I could live in some of these rooms.” She glances back at Biana and gives a little self-deprecating smile. “Pretty stupid, probably.”

“No, it’s not,” Biana shakes her head. “I get it. It would be nice to escape for a little bit, especially to a place that looks like that.” She tilts her head at the room. Sophie laughs. 

“I’ll bet it gets really dusty, though. And that chair seems highly uncomfortable.”

They move throughout the whole exhibit, making low comments to each other every time they see a particularly amazing piece of furniture or a fancy candlestick. Biana finds herself relaxing more and more- Sophie is smart, and funny, and keeps shooting her little smiles that make Biana’s knees weak. 

That day’s competition had been the hardest yet. Each contestant had had to make a dessert based around a Christmas carol; a specific, judge-assigned Christmas carol. It was, for lack of a better term, absolute shit.

Biana had gotten Santa Claus Is Coming To Town- not the worst, considering the circumstances, and at least she knew it- and had had to figure out how to map the route of an overweight stalker on baked goods. 

She hadn’t won; that honor had gone to Maruca Chebota’s fondant replica of a sleigh for Over The River And Through The Woods. (Biana is pretty sure that song is actually a Thanksgiving song, but she wasn’t going to contradict.) Still, Biana’s happy, content as they leave the museum and move down to an Italian restaurant a few blocks away. Smiling as Sophie’s hand brushes against hers. 

They get settled in a little corner near a window, knees bumping under the table. The room is dim, lit by one chandelier in the middle and candles on every table. It’s warm, something delicious wafting through the air. 

Sophie leans forward to grab a menu, hair lit golden in the candlelight, and Biana revises her earlier statement. The Thorne Rooms aren’t the most beautiful things she’s ever seen. This woman is. 

“Everything okay?” Sophie asks. Biana realizes she’s been staring and gives her a quick nod. 

“Yeah, no. Everything’s perfect.” She glances down at the tablecloth, sees Sophie fidgeting with the edge of her napkin. “Are you all right?”

“I, uh,” Sophie tugs at one of her eyelashes. “I just wanted to say that I don’t really tend to talk to my mom about the competition? So, like, if you’re just trying to get an edge or something-”

“No!” Biana shakes her head, reaching forward to grab the other woman’s hand. “No, no no. Absolutely not. This is like, the opposite of that.” 

“Pretty sure the opposite of that would be divorcing me to lose the Bake-Off,” Sophie says, but she’s smiling. Biana smiles back. 

“Well, I don’t want to do that either.”

“What do you want to do?”

Biana shrugs. “I don’t know. This is pretty nice. I like spending time with you.”

Sophie blushes and tightens her grip on Biana’s hand. “I-”

“Pardon me.” There’s a waiter standing next to their table, notepad in hand. He offers them an awkward smile. “Are you ready to order?”

“Right!” Biana says at the same time as Sophie’s “Yes! For sure! Just give me a second!”. They grin at each other and look back down at the menus. 

“Thank you,” Sophie murmurs after they’ve ordered. Biana doesn’t have to ask what for. 

“Of course.”

(Biana leans down to kiss her barely an hour later. Sophie smiles against her lips and tugs her in closer.)

(Biana doesn’t get back to her hotel that night.)

-/-

December 22, 2020.

Some Fancy Hotel 

Chicago, Illinois. 

Dex can’t sleep. 

There’s no particular reason why, no loud party down the street or flashing lights outside his window. He just can’t sleep, which is especially frustrating when he glances at the clock and finds it’s one AM. Tomorrow- or, today, really- is event four, and if he wants to make a good impression, he’d better do it on more than three hours of sleep.

Heaving a sigh, he flops himself out of bed and flips on the light switch. As long as he’s awake, he might as well read or something. 

A loud crash sounds from down the hall. Dex blinks and grabs his sneakers, opening his door and peeking out. No one’s in sight, but rustling noises are coming from the communal kitchen a few doors away. Dex decides that sleep is for the weak and pads down to investigate.

Fitz Vacker is standing in the middle of the kitchen, aggressively stirring a bowl of what looks like cookie dough and frowning. There’s a flour-dusted cookbook on the counter.

“Um.” Dex coughs a little. Fitz looks up from the cookie dough and turns toward him. He's wearing a sweatshirt thrown over a pair of what looks like Walgreens-brand pajamas. Dex is a little surprised that a Vacker would wear something that shitty. 

“Sorry,” he says in his annoyingly perfect accent. “Did I wake you up?”

“Nah, you’re fine. Why are you still awake?”

Fitz shrugs. “Couldn’t fall asleep. You?”

“Same.” Dex moves over and peers into the bowl. “Sugar cookies?”

“They’re a classic Christmas cookie, right?” Fitz looks at him. Dex blinks. “No, really, I’m asking. I don’t celebrate Christmas.”

This startles a laugh out of Dex. “Yeah, they’re a classic. My aunt used to make them all the time in December. I’d come home from school and she’d be, like, chilling on our couch with three different kinds of cookies.” He shakes his head. “I didn’t even realize she was famous until I was eight. She was just Aunt Eda.”

“My mom used to have to do all these photo shoots? With baked goods and shit? And she’d bring me and Bi along because our daycare didn’t go that late so we’d just be hanging out around this camera equipment and doing our best not to break anything.” Fitz looks down and stirs the cookie dough a bit more. “Bi always says we grew up with a camera in our faces, so much that we never learned to be normal. She’s more right than I’d like to think.”

Dex doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t have anything to say; he’s always assumed, like so many other people, that the spotlight on the Vackers was effortless and encouraged. Life seemed so easy for them. 

Of course it does, Dex reminds himself. Life always looks easy when you’re the one looking at it. 

“Sorry,” Fitz grabs the bowl and turns away, reaching up into a cabinet for some powdered sugar. “I get… honest when I’m tired.” 

“Yeah, well, I get grumpy, so you’re still better off.” Dex grabs a baking sheet out of where they’re being stored in the oven, since the cookies look about ready to be rolled out. “You’re fine, though. No cameras here.” 

You’re not being judged here, he means. I’d like to get to know you. 

This must translate at least a little, because Fitz gives him a small smile and dumps the dough out onto the counter. 

“Help me? I think the cookie cutters are in the bottom left drawer.”

“Got it.” Dex grabs a tiny metal snowman and cuts out a piece of dough, laying it flat on the metal sheet. He’s reminded suddenly of going through the same motions back home, with Keefe and Amy arguing good-naturedly over his head. 

There’s a different air in the kitchen right now. It’s quieter, slower, dark-dark-chocolatey; something bitter and sweet and smooth all at the same time. 

“Are you worried about the competition?” He asks. Fitz blinks, lifting another three cookies onto the sheet before answering. 

“I don’t think so. I was, before, but once I got here…” he gives an expansive shrug. “It’s just baking. Baking calms me down.” 

“Hence the cookies at one AM,” Dex notes. Fitz laughs. 

“Hence the stress-baking cookies at one AM,” he agrees. “I don’t even think I was stressed about the contest, just-” he waves a hand in the air. “Just stressed in general.” 

“I get that.” Dex presses a few buttons on the oven and tilts his head toward the table a few feet away. They’ll need to wait for the oven to heat up before they put the cookies in. “I was pretty scared of fucking up at first, but, I mean, it’s a baking competition. Everyone’s gonna forget the butter at some point.” 

Fitz squints at him. “I can’t tell if ‘forget the butter’ is an expression I’m unaware of, or if you actually did that and I just didn’t hear about it.” 

“Maruca from Cali did that, actually. I have more style, at least- I forgot the eggs.”

“My friend’s cat got into my kitchen once,” Fitz says seriously. “Not during this contest, but when I was making her daughter’s birthday cake. There was hair everywhere. It was… a cat-astrophe.”

Both of them are silent for almost a full minute, just staring at each other, before Dex breaks down.

“That was terrible,” he wheezes, trying to stop laughing. Fitz grins. 

“I know, I’m embarrassed of myself.”

“You should be.”

The oven beeps and they both startle, turning toward it. Fitz retrieves an oven mitt and slides the cookies into the oven. Dex closes the door and stands back up, suddenly realizing how close they’re standing. 

“You should try to sleep,” Fitz says quietly. “It’s late.”

Dex nods slightly but doesn’t move. There’s a tiny bit of flour on Fitz’s cheekbone. He doesn’t know why he notices it. 

They seem to stand there forever, just looking at each other. Then, suddenly, Fitz turns away and looks over the cookbook again. 

“I should sleep,” Dex says. Fitz nods, face shadowed in the dim lights. Dex turns away and heads back to his room. 

What the fuck was that. 

-/-

December 23, 2020.

Netflix’s Test Kitchen

Chicago, Illinois. 

“Dex Dizznee. Biana Vacker. Maruca Chebota. And Tam Song.” Bronte reads out the names, then looks down at the contestants. “The four of you have won the past events, so you’ll get an extra prize today.”

“As you all know, today is the last event!” Edaline says cheerfully. “All eight of you have made some truly fantastic desserts in the past week, but only one person can win and today’s your final chance to really wow the judges. So, Event Five is…”

Cadence gestures toward the table up front, which holds two candy-covered houses. “Gingerbread houses,” she says. “You have four hours to bake, assemble, and decorate a gingerbread house with your partner.”

“Yep, you’ll be working in pairs for this one,” Edaline says when the murmurs start up. “And our four previous winners get to choose who they’re working with.” She smiles at Biana. “Although, Miss Vacker, I’m afraid you can’t work with your brother.” 

Biana laughs, turning and holding out a hand to Marella Redek instead. “All right. How about it, partner?”

Marella shrugs and takes her hand. Edaline gestures to Dex. 

He glances over the seven remaining contestants. Jensi Babblos seems nice- he probably wouldn’t be too bad to work with. Or maybe he can pair up with another winner and ask Maruca?

Then Fitz catches his eye and Dex remembers the previous day, cutting out cookies in the early-early morning light. It’s not really a choice after that. 

“Fitz,” he decides, and the man strides over to stand next to him. 

The other two pairs find each other, Edaline lays out the final rules, and then she shouts go! and they’re off. 

“Hand me the cinnamon?” Dex asks. Fitz drops it into his hand and Dex dumps a tablespoon in the bowl, starting up the mixer. “Okay, and we should get the icing started so it has time to cool-”

“Already done,” Fitz says. He points to a bowl of fluffy white icing on the counter a foot away. “We should probably-”

“Figure out the decorations, yeah. You wanna-”

“Sketch something?”

They grin at each other and Dex pours the gingerbread batter into a pan. “Perfect,” he says. The oven lets out a tiny beep when he closes it. 

The hours pass quickly, in a blur of candy and icing. They cover the sides of the house in dark red modeling chocolate and drag a toothpick through them for the individual bricks, carefully shape a vanilla wafer chimney, build a candy-cane fence. The actual construction of the house is tricky- Dex has to hold the walls up while Fitz pipes the icing and then keeps holding them until it sets. They get through it with only one roof collapse, though, and the final house looks pretty good. Fitz glues down three peppermints to make a path in front of the door, Dex attaches tiny sugar cookie trees to the ground, and they’re done with two minutes to spare.

“Wait, no. Hang on.” Fitz rummages through the mess they’ve made at their station, skirting a camera and grabbing the half-empty container of powdered sugar. He dumps it into a sieve. 

“Snow,” he and Dex say in unison. Fitz laughs and shakes the sieve over their presentation board, covering the whole thing in a fine layer of powder. 

“Perfect,” Dex says just as the timer goes off. “Let’s win this thing.”

-/-

December 23, 2020.

Netflix’s Test Kitchen

Chicago, Illinois. 

Cameras flash as they zero in on Dex and Fitz’s gingerbread house, presumably taking the shots that will go along with Edaline’s and the winner of Event Five is Fitz Vacker and Dex Dizznee! announcement in the actual show. Biana’s staring at the opposite wall, though; if she looks towards the recording equipment, she doubts she’ll be able to hide how nervous she is. 

The competition doesn’t matter in the long run, but it would be really, really cool to win. 

“Now,” Edaline says after the cameras have returned to their original places. “You’ve all shown amazing talent in the past few days. Frankly, all three of us were just blown away at some of the things you created. But one of you managed to wow us at every turn, showcasing your art as well as your baking skills. And that person is…”

Next to Biana, her brother stares at the ground. A few feet away, Dex is twisting his hands together, expression schooled into something just left of panic. Biana takes a deep breath.

“Maruca Chebota!”

The room is silent, and then everyone breaks into applause. Maruca is smiling wide, tears glittering at the corners of her eyes. 

“Thank you so much,” she manages before getting crushed into a giant group hug. 

Later, Biana stands in the front hall of the hotel with her suitcase by her side. She and Fitz are flying home tonight, and she can’t wait to get back to her own apartment. 

“It’ll be nice,” Sophie agrees. “I’m heading straight out to Michigan to see my aunt and uncle for Christmas.” 

Fitz appears in the doorway, talking animatedly with someone out of sight. Biana takes the opportunity to give Sophie one last kiss. 

“I’ll text you?” She asks. Sophie nods. 

Fitz strolls up, Dex by his side. They’ve finished their conversation, apparently, and are now just looking at each other. Biana coughs.

“We should get to the airport.” She reminds him. Fitz jumps.

“Right! Yes, of course. Um-” he glances back at Dex and then sweeps the shorter man into a hug. Dex’s eyes widen but he hugs back. 

“It was so nice to meet you,” Biana tells Dex when the two break apart. “Have a nice Christmas.” 

“You too,” Dex says, and then he and Sophie are gone. Biana elbows her brother. 

“Dexter Dizznee, huh?” She asks. Fitz glares at her. 

“Shut up.”

-/-

December 28, 2020.

Dizznee Family Household 

Detroit, Michigan.

Christmas is low-key. Or, it’s as low-key as Christmas with the Dizznees can be, anyway. Bex manages to get lights on the roof, Rex brings his partners to dinner and the three of them break into an impromptu performance of Deck The Halls, and Lex sets up an elaborate present-wrapping station in the living room that seems to involve heinous amounts of tape. 

Edaline disappears upstairs a few times to work out all the details of the show, but she has enough time to help Kesler baste a turkey and kick all of their collective asses at foosball alongside Juline. Grady makes chocolate-covered cherries and Amy eats too many of them and Sophie laughs herself to tears when her sister trips over an armchair in her post-chocolate haze. They smile and exchange terrible presents and sing carols and it’s all normal, as normal as anything gets these days.

So maybe they’re not low-key. Maybe it’s just Dex who’s low, Dex who still feels like something’s missing. 

He lost the competition. He’s not mad about it; losing by a few stray points isn’t nearly as bad as it could have been. And the publicity he’ll gain from just being on television is definitely worth it. 

None of that explains his mood, though, and Dex is starting to wonder what on earth he isn’t seeing. 

“Hey,” Sophie says, wandering into the den and flopping down on the couch alongside him. Dex has been absentmindedly fiddling with a Rubik's cube for the past ten minutes, and he only now realizes it’s solved. “What’s up?” 

“Hmm?”

“You’ve been mopey all day,” she says. “All week, actually. Which is weird, because you’re not normally mopey.” 

“You- noticed?”

Sophie gives him an affronted look. “I do pay attention.” 

“I’m not mopey,” Dex protests. 

“So staring into the distance and frowning is just a hobby?” Sophie sighs, plucking the Rubik’s cube out of his hands and scooting closer. “Look, I’m not trying to shame you. I just want to know what’s going on.”

Dex stares at her, then glances down at his hands. “I… who do you keep texting?”

The question catches Sophie off guard. “What?”

“You’ve been glancing down at your phone and smiling all through vacation,” he says. “Who are you texting?”

Sophie’s cheeks flush pink. “Um. Biana?”

“Oh.” Right. Biana Vacker. Dex had almost forgotten about her, in all the chaos of the last day of competition and then heading back home. Sophie didn’t, apparently. “That’s great. I’m happy for you.”

“You sound like a greeting card.”

“Fuck you, I’m trying.” 

Sophie rolls her eyes, but she’s smiling. “Thanks, though. I really like her.” She tilts her head. “Now, back to your moping.”

“No.”

“Hmm.” Sophie says. She fixes him with a look that says I can see into your soul and there is some weird stuff in there. “Dex. What happened when you teamed up with Fitz Vacker in the last round of the contest?”

“Um.” Dex blinks. “We… made a gingerbread house?”

“And after that?” Sophie raises an eyebrow. “Dex, I know you. You’ve hated the Vackers possibly since you were born. How on Earth did you go from that to hugging Fitz when you said goodbye to him?”

“I-” 

There have been a lot of things recently, Dex reflects, that he’s been unable to explain, even to himself. Why he disliked the Vackers in the first place. Why he’s been empty the past few days. 

Why he and Fitz are sort of on decent terms now.

But things start to dig themselves out of his memory; an out-of-the-blue compliment about his pies, a night spent in a terrible hotel kitchen unable to sleep, a grin and a tiny peppermint swirl and fake sugar snow on a rooftop.

“Oh.” Dex’s eyes go wide. “Oh, shit.” 

“What?” Sophie asks. As if on cue, three strawberry-blond heads poke into the doorway. Dex groans. 

“Do you hear that?” Rex asks, shit-eating grin on his face. Lex nods seriously. 

“I believe it’s the sound of a local man realizing he’s been in love with Fitzroy Vacker this whole time.” 

Bex gestures towards Dex as if she’s holding a microphone. “Tell me, sir, how does it feel to come to such a conclusion? Do you think your behavior towards Mr. Vacker will change after this?”

“Please leave,” Dex says flatly. Sophie squints at him. 

“Wait, are you really-”

“I don’t know. Please make them leave.” 

Sophie looks from him to the triplets, who give her matching smiles. She shakes her head and stands up. 

“I don’t think I’m capable of doing that, honestly. I’m going to go text Bi.”

“Traitor!” Dex calls after her. The triplets flop down on the couch, garishly patterned Christmas sweaters clashing terribly with the blue cushions. Bex gives him an exaggerated I’m thinking look. 

“Hmm,” she says. “You know, maybe Amy was onto something with all her ‘enemies to lovers speedrun’ stuff.” 

“I’m leaving this family,” Dex mutters, shoving a pillow over his face. “I will go to Canada and buy a large house and never have to see any of you ever again.” 

Rex raises his eyebrows. “Wow, you’d leave your boyfriend behind like that?” 

“Nope! No, nope, not doing this.” Dex stands up and moves towards the door. Behind him, he hears at least one of his siblings fall off the couch. 

“Seriously, though. What are you going to do?”

Dex turns back around. Rex and Bex are sprawled on the floor in a tangle of feet, but Lex is looking at Dex with a strangely sympathetic expression. He sighs.

“I don’t know.”

There’s a buzz in his pocket and Dex pulls his phone out as his siblings start to untangle themselves.

Fos-Boss

hey. wanna go to nyc?

-/-

December 31, 2020.

Biana Vacker’s Self-Proclaimed Trash Can Fire

New York City, New York.

“You’re doing it again.”

Fitz leans his head over the back of the couch and frowns at her. “Doing what?”

“Your whole woe is me, time to stare aimlessly at the wall thing.” Biana waves a hand towards her brother. “Stop that and help me cut the baklava.”

“This is… a lot of baklava for just the two of us,” Fitz says. “Are you sure you didn’t decide to throw another giant stupid New Years party again?”

“I promise there will be no giant New Years party,” Biana says. “I’ve invited two people over. That’s it.”

“But you refuse to tell me who those people are, which automatically makes me suspicious.” 

As if on cue, the doorbell rings. Biana smiles at her brother and takes the knife from him. 

“Why don’t you go find out?”

Fitz sighs and moves out into the hallway. Biana hears him swing the door open, and then- nothing. 

She pushes the now-cut baklava onto a plate and leans her head out the doorway. Her brother is standing there, staring at a man with strawberry-blond hair. Sophie stands behind him, smiling awkwardly.

“Hello!” She says, directing the statement at Biana since her cousin is still locked in a staring contest with Fitz. “Happy New Year!”

“It’s not New Years yet,” Biana laughs, coming out of the doorway to grab Sophie’s coat and drop a quick kiss to her lips. “How was your drive?”

“Long,” Sophie says. “But I’ve had worse. And we had some decent pancakes, right?” 

“Right,” Dex murmurs, still staring at Fitz. He shakes his head. “Yeah, they were pretty good. Happy New Year, by the way.” 

“You too,” Fitz manages. Biana hides a laugh behind her sweater sleeve and grabs Dex’s arm. 

“Hey, you wanna come help me open the champagne?” 

“Sure, but-”

“We’ll be fine,” Fitz manages a bright grin. “I’m gonna show Sophie some of Bi’s elementary school pictures.”

“Fitzroy Avery Vacker, don’t you dare-”

Fitz laughs and Biana and Dex retreat back to the kitchen. Biana reaches for one of the bottles of champagne and turns towards the shorter man. 

“I’m not going to give you a shovel talk,” she shrugs, “mainly because I think you already know I could murder you if you hurt him.”

“Yep,” Dex nods. He looks down. “But you don’t have to worry about giving me a shovel talk. It’s not like we’re dating.” 

“No, you two have just been in love with each other for a ridiculously long amount of time.” The cork pops out of the champagne bottle and Sophie cheers from the other room. Biana grins at the stunned expression Dex is giving her. “Come on. Only an hour till midnight.”

They put the Times Square Ball Drop on at 11:30, watching as some band Biana vaguely recognizes but couldn’t name rocks out in front of the crowd. Sophie says that looks cold, and Biana says it’s always cold. That’s why I stay home, and Sophie snuggles a little closer to her. At the ten-minute mark, Dex and Fitz make some sort of telepathic agreement to go out and stand on the balcony. 

“Hey,” Biana mutters as the lights onscreen get brighter. The countdown should start soon. “I’m so glad I met you.”

Sophie turns her face, so close their noses almost brush. “Me too,” she smiles. “But I’m even happier I get to do this.”

A hurricane could probably pass through the apartment right now without Biana noticing. Sophie's lips are soft, and Biana knows this woman will stick with her no matter what. 

Numbers start to flash on the screen. Biana couldn’t care less about what they say. 

-/-

December 31, 2020.

Fitz Vacker’s Plant-Covered Balcony

New York City, New York.

“The apartment’s Biana’s, technically,” Fitz says as they step out into the cold night air. “But she never uses the balcony and I needed a place to put my plants, so it’s mine now.”

“And you’re certainly using the space,” Dex notes. He can spot at least five different kinds of flowers out here, and that’s just with his non-existent plant knowledge. 

Fitz laughs, loud and bright against the painted backdrop of the sky. There are only a few stars Dex can see, but the whole sky is a shade of midnight blue that makes up for the darkness. 

“I am, yeah.” He leans on the railing for a moment, staring down at the world below, before turning back a bit. “How was your Christmas?”

“Good,” Dex says. “How was your… Hanukkah?”

“It ended before the contest started, but yeah, it was good” Fitz glances down at the street again and Dex goes to stand next to him. Minutes tick by, the two of them just watching cars pass by.

“I’m glad you’re here,” Fitz says finally. The words are soft, barely more than whispers, and Dex thinks for a moment that he imagined them. Then Fitz looks up and meets his eyes. 

A cheer goes up from around the city, people everywhere shouting Ten! 

“I’m glad too,” Dex says. Carefully, oh-so-slowly, he reaches up and cups the other man’s cheek. Fitz’s eyes flutter closed for just a moment. 

Seven!

“The ball will drop soon,” he murmurs. “If you want to watch it.”

“I’m fine,” Dex smiles. “Unless- you want to?”

Five!

“Nah,” Fitz says, reaching up to touch Dex’s hand where it’s still on his face. “I think I can do without the spectacle for tonight.”

Three!

Dex nods, rocking forward just a little. 

Two!

Fitz’s eyes are bright, and his breath is warm where it ghosts across Dex’s skin. 

One!

They barely have to move in before their lips meet. 

-/-

January 1, 2021.

Somewhere Over New York City. 

Fireworks bloom into bursts of color against the dark sky. 

#lynn rambles #my writing #kotlc #detz #sophiana #fitz vacker #biana vacker #sophie foster #dex dizznee #edaline ruewen

[angeltrapz]

SAW ASK!!!!!! 💞 n ee wayz as far as Eric/Adam goes i wld love to hear yr thoughts on how their relationship looks @ th very beginning when Eric still v v fresh in his recovery (obvs we’ve talked a lil abt this both but expandin on stuff), n also u mentioned Eric knowing how to bake (at least some things) n id LOVE to hear more abt that!! also for a general SAW polycule question, just bc it’s a dynamic i don’t think either of us have rlly touched on, thoughts on William + Mallick?

SAW ASK!!! (tysm!! <3)

okay so Eric/Adam:

I rly like th idea u had where they meet at one of Bobby’s groups (also throwing in tht I think abt Group Therapy All The Time) bc like. neither of them want to be there, neither of them rly have much in common w any other survivors, n neither of them can stand Bobby Dagen. so tht’s still like, th foundation fr how these 2 meet to me lol. the idea of them listening 2 him talk while rolling their eyes at each other n fake gagging is So Good.

I feel like Adam is just... rly open? w Eric? bc god does he understand how fucking hard it is 2 be around ppl after smth like that - maybe not to the same extent (though they DO have tht solidarity), but like. there’s only so many times u can hear “I’m so sorry tht happened/I can only imagine what u went thru” b4 yr ready 2 just tell ppl to shut the fuck up. so like, on Eric’s side of things, not getting tht frm Adam? not hearing the whole “I’m rly sorry u almost lost yr son and were locked up fr six months”? tht’s foreign territory ENTIRELY 2 him. sorry is all anyone has to say, even other survivors. Adam not saying sorry n instead being like “well I’m glad yr still around” is kind of what makes tht decision in Eric’s head like, yes, I think I want 2 get to know this dude. He Gets It.

n Adam is just patient too. letting Eric come 2 him, making sure he knows he’s there, tht sorta thing, bc regardless of how much he likes Adam, being around ppl again is not smth he can just jump into. it’s a wound tht is still raw n open n aching n he needs to treat it w care instead of rubbing salt in. n Eric half expects tht to turn Adam away, esp when he sometimes goes a day w no communication, but it doesn’t n he’s just sorta like ??? bc Eric never rly... saw some1 making tht kind of accommodation fr him, never expected some1 to understand it. tht’s another region I feel they’re very similar in - contact, sometimes, can b very very hard, even over text. if they don’t speak all day, tht’s okay - they send each other “i’m okay” texts n th other person responds w “good” n tht’s fine. Adam provides compromises when Eric never even knew tht was a possibility. it’s good.

things progress kinda slowly but not in a bad way. they’re just kind of getting used 2 each other - both of them have been alone fr so long, having some1 in their lives tht they give a shit abt n who gives a shit abt them is smth they’re both navigating. fr Eric, it’s being around some1 consistently after his trap. fr Adam, it’s actually having a friend who doesn’t make him feel like shit + having some1 he can definitively say is there. sometimes its easier 2 sit in comfortable silence than it is to force a convo neither of thm rly have the energy fr. sometimes just being in a room together is enough. tht’s smth they both notice - tht it’s like. they find it easy 2 be around each other. which is SO foreign to both of thm so they’re just kinda feelin it out?

n again like u’ve written b4, I also feel one of th turning points is when Eric calls Adam abt his hair + Adam shaves it fr him in his bathroom. tht’s th point where they’re both like “oh, I rly care abt this person.” bc it’s three in th fucking morning, Adam didn’t even have 2 pick up his phone or even answer when he saw it was Eric. but he did, bc he cares, bc he wants to help, n Adam’s just kinda freaking out internally too bc it’s been a looong time since he’s felt tht way abt some1 - he just wants Eric 2 be okay. n it’s then tht he’s kinda like, coming 2 terms w th fact that he truly cares abt someone who he can say without a doubt cares abt him too and it’s just like. oof. ESP when Eric sleeps over bc again, it’s early as fuck, and isn’t it so much easier 2 just have him stay? isn’t it easier fr Adam to make space fr Eric in his bed n home n heart? n Eric actually doesn’t tell Adam abt this later, but tht night he sleeps over after Adam shaves his hair? it’s th best he’s slept in fucking weeks.

I feel like after tht they’re a LOT more comfortable w each other - not tht they weren’t b4; I mean in th sense tht when they’re not doing too great, they’ll reach out 2 each other rather than bottling it up n dealing w it alone. Adam comes over w CDs he likes bc he can’t talk abt it but he doesn’t want 2 be by himself n they sit in Eric’s living room together in comfortable silence. sometimes Eric sings 2 him. they both find tht it helps. Eric becomes more accustomed 2 accepting help when he knows he needs it + Adam offers - dimming th lights n staying close by to keep him frm getting another migraine, having th TV on but w the sound down low enough tht it doesn’t feel like some1′s hitting him over th head w too-loud dialogue, getting things fr him on th days tht his nerve pain flares up n he’s mostly confined 2 his bed. they’re there fr each other. this is what friendship looks like fr them, two Jigsaw survivors who understand each other better than any1 else ever could.

another huge step fr them is like, th first time Adam offers 2 help w Eric’s rashes. I feel like, even as they grow closer, tht’s still not smth he’s vocal abt/comfortable showing often, something he’s ashamed of bc he feels like it’s gross n he doesn’t want 2 like. make Adam deal w that. but like during one of their sleepovers where Adam cuts his hair fr him n Eric’s got his shirt off he just. grabs the ointment he knows Eric keeps in th cabinet above the sink n while Eric’s still sitting w his back to him, he wordlessly begins tending 2 the rash spread along Eric’s shoulders n his neck n back, n Eric just. freezes. Adam doesn’t say anything, just does it fr him, n Eric kinda. Breaks Down a lil bit. like he just starts silently sobbing bc Adam doesn’t have 2 do this. he doesn’t have to help him w one of th things Eric hates most abt his own body. he could think it’s Gross. but he doesn’t think it’s gross n he doesn’t mind touching it and he’s so gentle when applying the ointment n then when he’s done he just kind of leans against Eric’s back bc He Knows. he reaches around front n grabs one of Eric’s hands n just sits there w him while he cries it out, holding his hand 2 say I’m right here, I’m not going anywhere, n that is MAJOR fr Eric. and honestly? tht’s kind of th first time he Rly becomes aware of “oh fuck I love him.” (Adam too, ngl)

basically, the way it starts is a shared experience, smth no one else can rly say they have, an understanding based on tht shared experience. giving each other space until they begin inviting each other in. care, patience, “I’m here.” re-learning th feeling of mutual concern. somewhere along th way, it turns into love, and somehow falling into tht is just as easy.

-

Eric + baking:

YES I love this hc!! this is smth he picked up during his time btwn jobs during th earlier stages of recovery (but After meeting Adam/connecting w Art) bc he needed smth to do n was just sorta like, “well I guess this works huh?” n like. it was def a learning curve bc Eric can cook, relatively well/at least okay, but baking is a entirely different matter. at frst he was kinda discouraged when things didn’t turn out th way he hoped they would, but w gentle guidance on Art’s side n enthusiastic encouragement frm Adam, he stuck w it n has gotten pretty good as a result!! his fave things 2 make r peanut butter cookies (he does a little design on th top w a fork n both Adam + Art r like Oh My God That’s Adorable) + th aforementioned carrot cake cupcakes!! frosting is usually homemade n it’s usually cream cheese! he makes his own frosting fr cakes n stuff too (Constantly has 2 tell Adam to “keep yr hands off of th frosting/batter/dough! we’re not gonna have any left!!!” even tho tht Doesn’t stop him).

he makes rly good banana bread too! tht one was a lil harder 2 learn but he’s honestly pretty proud of it now. it’s so funny bc Adam typically doesn’t like stuff like tht but if Eric made it? oh it’s Amazing. (he’s like tht w Art’s cooking too kjdfhjs partially bc he is a Disaster in th kitchen, but also bc That’s His BF/Best Friend!!!)

if some1 is feeling particularly shitty he takes requests (Adam usually wants brownies + Art is partial 2 peanut butter cookies but w chocolate chips too) n it’s just a nice lil thing he can do 2 help, which is smth he Always wants to do. he also stress bakes tho so sometimes his bfs have 2 just kinda like check in n make sure he’s doing okay. but! yeah baking is smth he enjoys + is relatively good at!!

-

William/Mallick dynamic:

yr right I haven’t thought abt this dynamic much but I Am Now!!!

I feel like at his core, William is def a caretaker. Mallick, 2 me, is someone who is just wholly unfamiliar w being cared for. so like, at the Very Least, they’re both dating Adam + Lawrence, right? they spend a lot of time around each other. plenty enough time fr William 2 pick up on this. it just kinda. makes his heart hurt, bc he sees the unease in Mallick’s eyes every time one of thm performs even th smallest acts of kindness fr him - not bc he doesn’t appreciate it/doesn’t want it, but because it’s more that he feels like he doesn’t deserve it. n William Sees That and is just like. I Need U To Know You’re Loved.

they’re comfortable w each other, of course they are! they’re friends, good friends, who happen 2 be dating th same people! who go to bed together at night n wake up w each other in th morning. it’s love, they know tht, but Mallick still always looks so surprised when William makes waffles fr him fr breakfast. William cares.

n Mallick can kinda feel it, and he’s not resistant 2 it, but he’s definitely on edge abt it a little. but William also just has this air abt him that Mallick finds it hard to stay keyed up in, so it doesn’t rly take long fr Mallick to at least be at peace w William’s attention. but the moment he starts to really fathom it is during one of those days he can’t get himself 2 relax n is just shaking out on the couch, knees drawn up to his chest n his arm wrapped around thm, just kinda staring down at th carpet n just Not having the energy to get himself out of his own head. Lawrence + Adam r at work n Eric is taking a quick nap so it’s just Mallick n William.

so Mallick is sitting there spiraling n his breaths r coming out a little fast n William just sits down beside him, a mug of warm tea tht he sets down on th coffee table fr a moment, n he just rests a hand on Mallick’s shoulder. doesn’t say anything, just sort of like. offers tht bridge, opens tht avenue. n Mallick is like This Close to just breaking entirely, but what rly does it is when William just swipes his thumb over his shoulder n squeezes. n Mallick rly DOES break down, almost ugly-sobbing and wheezing, n somehow he ends up w his face in William’s neck, pretty much curled into his side, n tht’s when it truly hits him how much William cares abt him too. tht there are Several People who hold tht kind of room fr him in their hearts n lives. William didn’t even have 2 say anything fr Mallick to understand that, to know it as truth. n tht’s like, one of th events tht actually leads Mallick to building up tht self-esteem, knowing that.

n after tht happens, Mallick is a little less reluctant abt accepting William’s (+ everyone else’s!) help, at least some of the time. like Mallick will catch himself digging his fingers a lil too harshly into th stump of his arm (I’m w u on 10 Pints resulting in at least a partial amputation - like what was tht little scar in 3D???) n then he’ll feel William’s hand cover his n gently curl around his palm 2 be like “I’m not gonna say anything, but I see you, it’s okay,” n his grip relaxes. Eric will notice he’s working himself up too much n he’ll reach out n take one of his hands while he’s pacing + laces their fingers together so tht Mallick has to pause a moment n then he’s able to breathe. Lawrence stumbles across him in th midst of a panic attack n Mallick finds himself breathing easier when Lawrence takes one of his hands, places it over his chest + his heart, n breathes w him. Adam holds him when he jolts awake frm a nightmare. lil things like tht.

one of their fave things to help them both de-stress is they’ll lay in bed n William will read out loud to Mallick, who has his head on his chest n is listening but doesn’t have to put too much energy into keeping up, bc it’s mostly abt being close + having smth to fill the silence tht neither of them feel particularly comfortable in anymore. sometimes Mallick falls asleep n it honestly makes William rly happy bc not only is Mallick relaxed enough to actually close his eyes, he also trusts William enough to fall asleep around him, trusts him during a time he’s at his most vulnerable. it’s not uncommon fr Lawrence to get home frm work to find th two of them curled up against th pillows, sometimes both asleep or just Mallick while William continues reading silently and brushes his fingers thru Mallick’s hair. Adam def has a pic of them like tht somewhere, hung up on th cork board Art had bought specifically fr those kinds of photos. it’s smth easy tht doesn’t really require much energy + has the added bonus of just being close to n held by someone u love n who loves u.

and they help each other. sometimes William has a rly hard time looking at himself, the days where his guilt sits heavy in his chest n doesn’t seem 2 want to anywhere, n Mallick will just sit w him outside on th porch swing and just Be There bc it’s like. “I’m here, I want to b here, Jigsaw was wrong, you are not a terrible person, u did what u could w what u had and I love you,” in a single action. I think William also struggles, like u’ve mentioned tht Eric does, w th guilt of what happened + feeling like it was his fault. so Mallick sitting w him, their shoulders brushing, fr William it’s like, if he was truly as awful a person as John seemed 2 think he was, wld Mallick be this close? wld Mallick willingly lay down beside him some nights n kiss him good morning? wld he kiss him again on th cheek after he makes a fresh pot of coffee + pancakes? n William knows tht Mallick wouldn’t keep himself so close if John was right, so it’s like. proof of tht. n tht means a lot to William. sometimes tht’s all he needs.

they don’t have 2 deal w their struggles alone. they’re both surrounded by ppl who love them n want to see them do well - it’s only natural they feel tht way abt each other, too.

#saw #eric #adam #william #mallick #long post #loved LOVED this ask!!! got me thinkin!! #also I think I might. write smth fr polycule + William/Mallick bc now I'm thinking abt them #ty again adam s4w beloved mutual!! <3 #asks #also update I think I'm gonna. actually start tht masterpost tomorrow lol I!!! crashed hard th other night oops #+ wanted 2 mention I did reference yr answer 2 my Mallick/Eric/Adam ask also!! what w Mallick pacing n Eric taking his hand n all!!

[domesticated-feral]

5 times Isaac tried asking Scott out on a date and the 1 time he didn’t have to || Scisaac Week 2020

A 5+1 trope fanfic, written by yours truly, Tyler. Rating: General WC: 2412

You can also read it on my AO3

Summary:

Today is the day, Isaac will ask Scott out, nothing can absolutely go wrong, right?

Sunday

“So today is the day?” Erica said, jumping up to sit on the kitchen island.

“Yeah, I’m going to ask him today,” Isaac said, “I also found out his coffee order, so I can give him it while I ask.”

“He’ll say yes,” Erica said, taking an apple from the bowl of fruits.

“I hope he does-” he glances at the clock- “oh, it’s almost time, see you later, Erica.”

“You better spill the beans later, Lahey!” Erica shouted as Isaac closed the door.

Isaac runs to the coffee shop, hoping Scott would be coming on time and not a second early or late.

He enters the shop and scans the room for the half Latino boy. So far, his plan was going to plan. Isaac strolls up to the counter and orders Scott’s order that he had byhearted and his usual order. He pays and goes ahead to wait at the pick-up line.

As he takes the two coffees and turns around, he is met with Stiles.

“Stiles, uh, good morning?” Isaac said.

“You don’t usually come here,” Stiles said, cutting to the chase, “what are you doing here?”

“Oh, just you know, getting coffee for Scott, I was going to ask him something,” Isaac said, walking with Stiles to a table.

Isaac didn’t notice the small step and he stumbled to the floor, accidentally throwing the coffee in front of him. He hears someone groan in pain from the hot coffee and he looks up from the floor to find that he accidentally threw the two coffees in Scott’s direction.

“Oh no, Scott, I’m so sorry,” Isaac said quickly getting up from the ground.

Everyone in the store was staring, Isaac stood staring at the mess and Scott had coffee all over his jeans and shirt, Stiles just stood, speechless.

“It’s- It’s alright, you fell, you didn’t mean to douse me in coffee,” Scott said, “I should go get cleaned, these stains don’t get out easily if they dry.”

“I’m sorry, I completely ruined your shirt,” Isaac apologized again.

“Isaac, it’s fine, also,” Scott said, walking closer to Issac, “what was that you wanted to ask me?”

“Uh, nothing, I didn’t have anything to ask you,” Isaac said, his brain short-circuiting to ‘get-the-hell-out-of-there-mode’, “I have to go, I’m sorry, again, really. I am.”

Isaac quickly walked out of the shop and didn’t stop walking until he was in the loft. Erica was on the couch, lying down as she scrolled on her phone.

“So, whatever that went down did not go down to plan,” Erica said, looking up at Isaac sensing the huge amount of embarrassment and discontent from Isaac.

“I spilled coffee and I walked out of the shop like a bloody idiot!” Isaac said, pacing around the loft, fidgeting with his hands.

“Spilled coffee? I don’t see a stain on you?” Erica questioned.

“Not me, I spilled coffee on Scott, two hot coffee spilled all over him when I tripped!” Isaac ranted.

“Sucks to be you, I guess,” Erica said, going back to scrolling on her phone.

Isaac huffed and went to his room.

Monday

Isaac pondered up a way to ask Scott again. A little coffee mishap shouldn’t get in the way of the pursuit of his crush. Waking up to a disgruntled Boyd making pancakes for Erica at 4 am gave him the best idea.

As the sun rose up and got warmer, he went to Scott’s house as he still was living with his mom until the paperwork for the apartment would be complete.

He gets in with the spare key to the back door and started cooking up pancakes. This time, there was nothing to spill and surely nothing could go wrong.

He made 9 pancakes and used chocolate chips to spell ‘D A T E  W / M E ?’ on the pancakes, a letter on each of the pancakes. He sets them on the table and turns around to make two milkshakes for him and Scott.

Melissa walks into the room, ready for work.

“Hey, Sco-” Melissa stopped, realizing it was Isaac, “Isaac, you’re here early, how did you get in?”

“Back door,” Isaac said, concentrating on making the milkshakes.

“Ooo, pancakes! Fine if I take one?” Melissa asked.

Isaac subconsciously nodded and Melissa takes three and heads off to work. He finishes up the milkshakes and turns around to see that the previous ‘Date W/Me?’ pancakes now spell, ‘A T E W E ?’

He couldn’t do anything but stare at the pancakes as he heard Scott come down the stairs.

“Morning, Isaac, whatcha got there?” Scott said.

“Uhhh,” Isaac stammered.

“Ooo, pancakes and milkshakes, thanks!” Scott said taking one pancake and biting into it.

Scott looks up at Isaac who looked like he was going through a software update, “you alright?”

“Just peachy, I’m going to go now,” Isaac said as he quickly left the house, with another failed attempt under his belt.

*

Back at the loft, Isaac told Erica and Boyd what happened and all they did was laugh.

“Atewe? ATEWE?” Erica howled through her laughs.

“Yep, that’s what it said, I’m just going to hide in my room now,” Isaac said.

Even if Isaac closed the door to his room, he still heard Erica’s howls of laughs echoing through the hallways from the living room.

Tuesday

Today was going to be different, Isaac knew it. He was going to walk over to Scott’s house and just say it straight to his face. Nothing could ever go wrong with words and Tuesdays were his lucky days. It was a new day and Isaac psyched himself up.

“So, Scott’s petsitting Fluffy today,” Erica said at the breakfast table.

“Fluffy?” Isaac asked.

“Yeah, Stiles’ pet, fluffy,” Boyd said.

‘Huh, must be a dog like Prada or something,’ Isaac thought, ‘a dog can’t get in the way of my plan, they can’t. They’re a dog!’

“Oh,” Isaac mumbled.

After breakfast, he marched up to Scott’s house and Stiles was on the driveway, starting his jeep up.

“Hey Isaac, bye Isaac!” he said, poking his head out his jeep as he drove off the driveway.

Isaac nodded and continued his way up and into Scott’s house.

“Ok, Scott, I have been wanting to ask you this ever since Sunday, well actually ever since ever and-” Isaac stopped as he looked up to Scott.

“Yes?” Scott said, putting what Isaac assumed was fluffy down in its cage.

“Is that fluffy?” Isaac gasped.

“Yeah, you don’t have anything against boas, right?” Scott said.

“He named his boa constrictor, fluffy?” Isaac said, feeling uneasy being this close to his phobia.

“Yes, so, what is that you wanted to tell me?” Scott asked.

“N-nothing, I have to go do something with Boyd,” Isaac said, walking out the door.

*

“You didn’t tell me fluffy was a boa!” Isaac screamed as soon as he entered the loft.

Erica and Boyd snickered.

“You’re scared of snakes, why would I tell you?” Erica said.

“Boyd! Why are you siding with her shenanigans?!” Isaac asked.

“It’s hilarious!” Boyd said through fits of giggles.

“You guys are the worst!” Isaac sighed.

“Love you too, babe!” Erica said, sending kisses in the air for fun.

Isaac rolled his eyes and went to shake his mind off with a good nature document.

Wednesday

It’s a cloudy day, but if it’s expressed in nature, it’s not hard to miss right? He walks up to the McCall household once again and Melissa was inside.

“Oh, hey Isaac, Scott’s gone to get groceries, he’ll be back in a while,” Melissa said.

“Good, I’m going to borrow your front lawn and the garden pebbles, if that’s okay with you?” Isaac said.

“That’s fine with me, not that I use either of them often,” Melissa replied.

“Thanks,” Isaac said, heading back outside.

Using the garden pebbles, he wrote out once again, ‘Date w/me?’ on the front lawn. It wasn’t nature-nature, but grass and stones are pretty nature-y.

As Scott rolls up in the car with the groceries, Isaac straightened himself up and got ready.

“Oh, Isaac, um, hi again?” Scott said, getting out of the car and opening the trunk.

“Once you put the groceries in, could you step out here?” Isaac asked.

“Yeah, sure,” Scott said, holding all the bags and heading inside.

As he waited outside, the cloudy day quickly became thunderous in a second. The hard rain and wind blew away the rocks, deforming his hard work and all he could do was run inside the house.

Isaac internally groaned as it was yet another failed attempt. He didn’t say anything to Scott while he was there, he was too agitated to speak.

When the rain thinned out, he threaded back to his loft, and his face explained everything to Erica and Boyd.

Thursday

The alarm blared shaking Isaac awake from his dream, he slams it to shut it off, “Scott was about to kiss me and you wake me the fuck up?” he gruffed.

He got up and ate breakfast, three days in a row, his plans have been foiled. Maybe it was time to ask the internet for a foolproof way.

“Roses, balloons, and park at sunset, is that a foolproof way to ask someone on a date?” Isaac asked for the opinion of his packmate.

“That’s basically a date isn’t it?” Boyd said.

“Scott isn’t that oblivious, so yeah, you have my blessing, child,” Erica said, slapping the back of Isaac’s head as she walked in the kitchen.

“Ow, Erica!” Isaac said, touching the back of his head.

“Oh, I just love it when my name is said in vain!” Erica said, sliding up onto the kitchen island.

“You’re such an idiot,” Isaac muttered.

“Hey, at least I’m Boyd’s, he loves his idiot right?” Erica batted her eyes at Boyd who grinned and nodded in return.

*

It was nearing sunset, Boyd was at the park holding his balloon and flower while Isaac made Scott ride with him to the park.

They get off and Boyd hands Isaac the flower and balloon and Scott had a mix of certainty and confusion on his face.

“Scott, please let this not get foiled like the past few days. All I’ve been wanting to say is that-”

Isaac stopped seeing Scott’s eye grow wide and his jaw drop.

“Scott? You okay?” Isaac asked.

“My bike!” Scott said, after squinting his eyes to whatever was behind Isaac.

He takes off as Isaac turns around and sees Scott’s motorcycle that they came on being towed.

Boyd walks closer to Isaac and they watch Scott retrieve the bike.

“He’s oblivious to a T,” Boyd said.

Isaac sighs and walks away, his head hanging low, as he held the rose and balloon.

Friday

“I swear, I am going to rip my hair out from this!” Stiles said to Scott.

“From what?” Scott asked.

“You and Isaac, literally, are you brain dead? Are you?!” Stiles said.

“Stiles, what do you mean? What are you talking about?” Scott asked.

“You really have no idea, don’t you,” Stiles said, not really asking for an answer.

“What?” Scott asked.

“You love Isaac and Issac loves you too, he’s been trying to ask you out all week! Ever since Sunday!” Stiles said, “but you, my best friend, Scott, Scottie, the True Alpha, have been completely oblivious to his attempts!”

“He likes me?” Scott gasped.

“YES!” Stiles shouted, “and Boyd called me today, he said that Isaac hadn’t come out of his room today.”

“Oh, it’s my fault isn’t it?” Scott said, feeling guilty.

“Absolutely, now go, bring him to the lookout point in the preserve,” Stiles said, quickly running out the room.

Scott goes out on to his bike and rides to the loft. He is met with a grumpy Derek who opened the door.

“Derek, grumpy as usual,” Scott said, giving a small smile.

“You caused this,” Derek muttered but let Scott in.

Scott walks in and goes to Isaac’s room. It was dark but with the light coming in from the hallway, he saw the boy wrapped in blankets watching national geographic documents.

“Go away, Scott,” Issac uttered.

“No, I came here to ask you something,” Scott said, going closer to Isaac.

“What?” Isaac asked.

“Would you, Isaac Lahey want to go on a date with me?” Scott asked.

“That’s what I’ve been trying to do for the past 5 days,” Isaac said.

“I know, and I’ve been an idiot by being so blunt to your attempts,” Scott said, “I’m sorry.”

“I would actually love to go on that date with you, isn’t it too late though? It’s 6 in the evening,” Isaac asked.

“It’s never too late if I get to spend time with you,” Scott said, inching closer to Isaac who sat upon his bed, “I really want to kiss you right now.”

“Then kiss me,” Isaac murmured, their lips brushing against each other.

Scott cups Isaac’s face as their lips moved in sync. Scott softly sucked on Isaac’s bottom lip, and Isaac shuddered from the goosebumps going up against his spine. He had been intensely craving Scott’s touch and know that he was finally getting it, his heart fluttered and he felt whole.

Scott and Isaac move away as they huffed breathlessly. Scott had a smile curling on his face and Isaac couldn’t help but imitate it but 10 times bigger.

“C’mon, we gotta go to that date,” Scott said, getting up the bed and holding a hand out for Isaac.

Isaac gladly holds Scott’s hand and he stands up from his bed. Scott gave Isaac some time to change and he comes out to go on the late evening date with Scott.

Erica, Boyd, and Derek watched the two lovers head out, they were finally satisfied that it was worked out.

Scott and Isaac ride to the lookout point where Stiles had set up the mood with a picnic. Candles, sandwiches, and the whole nine yards with romance.

“Wow, this is nice,” Isaac said.

“Yeah, it is,” Scott said, as he held Isaac’s hand and walked with him to the picnic.

They sit down, share sandwiches, and stare at the sunset whilst cuddling in each other’s arms.

“Scott?” Isaac said, looking up at him.

“Hm?” Scott hummed, making eye contact as he stroked the boy’s blonde locks.

“I love you, more than it can be measured,” Isaac said.

“I love you too, Isaac, I love you a lot,” Scott replied, pressing a small kiss on Isaac’s forehead.

#scisaacweek2020 #scott mccall #isaac lahey #scisaac #myfic

[starkerforlife6969]

What if peter was like a pack omega, not necessarily in a relationship with the whole pack, but he calms everyone down and cooks and cuddles all the avengers who just adore and dote on him.

TW: a/o dynamics, housewife Peter

Tony doesn’t quite know how it happened. Natasha and Clint went off on some super secret spy gig that Fury won’t tell him anything about. Wanda and Vision are off travelling the world, and then all of a sudden the tower has become a bit of a boy’s club.

It’s just him, Steve, Bucky and Thor.

It was kinda fun, at first. Like being in a fraternity back in college. Of course, he’d been quite young when he was a freshman, so the drinking and partying had been…not absent, but definitely the shadier side of legal.

Now, the four of them eat pizza and train and go and save the world when they have to. Tony tinkers in his lab, Steve and Bucky play the never-ending game of catch up, and Thor imbues himself in earth-culture.

But still, they’re four alphas. And sometimes they’re training gets a little rough, and sometimes they snarl at each other and get wound up.

After a particularly bad day, Steve wades through the trash all over the living room. He kicks aside grease-stained thai-take out boxes and empty wrappers- nearly trips on Thor’s hammer- before reaching Tony.

Tony arches an eyebrow at him, and takes a long sip of his black coffee.

“This place is becoming a real state.” Steve says meaningfully and Tony laughs.

“I hope you’re not suggesting I clean it. I opened up my home to you rascals-“

“Don’t you have a cleaner?” Steve grumbles, rubbing at a smudge on the countertop with his thumb.

“I did. Lovely woman. But you’re not gonna find a beta willing to live with four Alphas, Steve. And we do need a live in. I’m pretty sure Thor ate raw chicken the other day.”

“Why not an Omega, then?” Steve asks, and Tony hums thoughtfully.

It’s not a bad idea. Omegas are a pricy investment, because they’re so rare, but they handle Alphas beautifully. They cook and clean and soothe. Tony thinks they could all do with a little soothing. There’s a hell of a lot of Alpha pheromones everywhere, and it’s making him antsy. It’s tough to concentrate in the lab, and only he goes in there.

“I’ll look into it.” He promises, and Steve nods: satisfied, before wading back through the trash.

*

When Bucky gets back from his run in the late afternoon- he freezes.

The penthouse is sparkling. The balcony doors are open and the cool summer breeze is rolling in. There are- new cushions everywhere- and a vase almost bursting with fresh flowers on the coffee table. Everything’s polished and clean, and smells of freshly baked cookies. There’s another smell. Something sweeter than the cookies, more fragrant than the flowers. Something he can’t quite put his finger on.

“What the hell…” he whispers. Did someone finally clean up? He can’t imagine who. And who would go and pick flowers?

“You must be Bucky!” Comes a delighted voice, and Bucky turns to see- probably the most gorgeous Omega he’s ever seen in his life. He’s a tiny little slip of a thing, with huge eyes and fluffy hair and a blue sweater. He’s barefoot too, and there’s flour on his cheek.

“Uh…” he says unintelligibly, following the Omega towards the kitchen.

“I like your metal arm! I’m making cookies, would you like yours warm straight from the oven?”

Bucky takes a seat at the kitchen counter and blinks in surprise when he can see his own face reflected in the marble. “Sure,” he stammers, and then before he knows it, a plate heaped full of warm cookies and a glass of cold milk are being presented on a flowery tray.

“I’m Peter,” the omega says, and his eyes are like sunlight mixed with amber. He’s got skin like fresh cream and lips so pink Bucky wants to reach out and touch-

Instead, he crams a few cookies into his mouth and groans. Goddamn, they’re delicious.

Peter beams at him with glee. “You like them? I’m so glad! Tony said that he didn’t know if you preferred chocolate chip or blueberry, but I went with chocolate, because everyone loves chocolate! I’m gonna make steak with quinoa tonight, do you like that? I also bought some pastry for apple pie for dessert- that’s Steve’s favourite right? That’s what he said- but I’d already bought it, so maybe he was just being polite and-“

“Ah, Bucky,” Tony waltzes in, chuckling, ad Bucky blinks at the sight of him. He looks remarkably better than yesterday. The dark circles under his eyes are gone, his beard’s groomed and hair brushed, and he’s in new clothes that smell of laundry detergent. “I see you’ve met Peter, quite the little angel, isn’t he?”

Peter blushes, and it’s possibly the most beautiful thing Bucky’s ever seen. “Did you have a good nap?” Peter asks, plating up some cookies and milk for Tony.

“None for me thanks, gorgeo-“ he cuts off, and Bucky watches as Peter pouts; his eyes huge and disappointed, hands still holding out the plate and glass as offering.

Bucky thinks he’d lay down his life for those eyes.

“Fine,” Tony grumbles, taking a cookie. He snorts at Peter’s happy smile. “You’re gonna make me put on a couple of pounds, aren’t you?”

“I’m gonna make sure you get all the nutrients you need.” Peter corrects, and Bucky drains his milk to ask:

“Are you Tony’a new Omega?”

Tony answers for him. “Gorgeous, isn’t he? Super expensive, but definitely worth it. He’s for all of us, and have you seen the place? He’s folded the towels into little swans-“

“You bought him for all of us?” Bucky gapes, and Tony’s eyes soften a little.

“Well, yeah. We all live here, we could all use a little love. And look at him,” Tony squeezes the nape of Peter’s neck and the Omega lets out the most melodic little moan. “Help yourself, ask him for anything- Peter’s happy. He has his own bedroom- near mine, obviously, but I doubt he’ll spend the nights there, right, gorgeous?”

Peter blushes again, and subtly nudges another cookie towards Tony.

Bucky thinks it would probably be impolite to ask Peter to bend over the counter right now, so he saves it for later.

* After two weeks with Peter, everything is perfect.

The penthouse has never looked better, Tony’s never felt so well-rested, so well-fed. The fresh vegetables and new recipes- each more exotic than the last- have left him feeling stronger. Healthier.

Peter’s gotten Steve into Yoga, and more often than not, Tony will wake up to see the two of them out on the balcony under the New York sun, stretched out on yoga mats.

He likes to appreciate the view for a moment.

Before Peter makes them all a big breakfast. Smoothies for all of them and Tony gets pancakes, Thor gets a full english, Steve gets a fruit salad and Bucky gets waffles, all of them on rotation.

Peter spends a lot of time out and about with Thor. The god can hoist Peter onto his shoulders and is clearly completely smitten with the tiny omega. He keeps regaling him with Asgardian fairytales and giving him little gold trinkets.

Bucky gets deep tissue massages- he likes the way Peter’s fingers work into all of his muscle. Often Tony will see Bucky lying on the couch chest-down, with Peter straddling his thighs and working onto all that scarred tissue.

Everything’s just better.

And then of course, when Peter was cleaning up and he’d moved Thor’s hammer- picking it up for a moment, dusting underneath it- then setting back down, humming sweetly all the while, and the four alphas had just stared in absolute amazement. 

Tony likes buying Peter silks and satins. Or sparkly diamonds that Peter wears around the house. Steve gives Peter his sketches- leaves them lying around the house for Peter to find as he’s cleaning, and the little omega lets out a pleased sound of delight every time. 

It’s just better. Effortless. 

Tony stirs (his sleeping pattern is so much better now) when he feels his mattress dip, and he smiles lazily with pleasant surprise, as he tugs Peter into his chest.

“Mm, haven’t seen you for a few days, gorgeous.”

“Thor had a lot of pent up stress,” Peter mewls, one soft hand already sliding into Tony’s pants. Peter is a selfless lover, as all omega are, he peppers Tony’s face with kisses, whispers praise, and teases him just the right amount.

“I want you to knot me, please, alpha,” Peter whispers sweetly into his ear, already moving- he does all the work, Tony doesn’t have to lift a finger- and he’s already slick, and he manoeuvres Tony’s throbbing cock to his hole easily. “Do you want that?”

“Fuck, yeah, baby,” Tony grunts, eyes still lidded. “Make me feel good.”

Peter moans like it’s his pleasure, and gets to work.

#starker #winterspider #spidershield #thor x peter #peter x tony #peter x steve #peter x bucky #omega peter #alpha tony #alpha bucky #alpha steve #precious peter parker #abo dynamics #tony stark has a heart #fluff

[imagine-being-straight]

I wrote a parrlyn fic for the amazing @politics-notmything as part of their parrlyn fluff contest. I hope you guys find this fic enjoyable!

Word Count: 1315

When Cathy woke up from her much-needed slumber she almost forgot what today was. It was any other Tuesday for anyone else, but for Cathy, it was her one year anniversary dating Anne. Just the mere thought of her brought a dopey smile to Cathy’s face. Cathy knows for a fact if Anna saw her like this so early in the morning she would give her so much shit over this, but Cathy couldn’t bring herself to care. It’s their one year anniversary for goodness sake.

She shook her head to clear her thoughts and went to get dressed so she could be ready for her day. She could already feel the excitement for the day fill her body as she got dressed. Her normal nervousness was even playing nice today as it hadn’t even formed yet.

She chose to dress a tad nicer than she normally did which wasn’t that hard considering her normal apparel was hoodies and sweatpants. A white button-up with blue suspenders and navy pants would do. Is she overdressed for today? Probably, but you gotta dress to impress after all. She puts on her glasses and mentally calms herself so she doesn’t melt like the useless gay she is the second she sees Anne.

As she walked down the stairs she immediately noticed how quiet the house was. Considering the fact that six women lived in one house and all of them would be awake by now made this is a very uncommon sight. She couldn’t even hear Lina and Anne's daily bickering which is highly unusual as their morning bickering became almost routine to her.

Once she got to the bottom floor she noticed two things. One, everyone but Anne had left the house evident by their shoes missing from the front door. Two, Anne was cooking chocolate chip pancakes, Cathy’s favorite, in the kitchen and was facing away from Cathy. Cathy, the sap she is, immediately took advantage of this and carefully snuck behind Anne before hugging her from behind. She felt Anne jump a bit before sinking right into Cathy’s embrace. 

Cathy let out a chuckle before saying, “Good morning my love. Nice to see brunch is almost all done all thanks to you.”

“Good morning mon ange. How’d you sleep?” Anne responds while flipping over the last pancake.

“I slept wonderfully dear, but I wish it could’ve been with you,” Cathy says while nuzzling Anne’s neck.

“You know for a fact Lina won’t let us sleep together alone in a bedroom. She thinks we’re gonna fuck the moment we’re alone.” Anne responds with a playful grin.

“Actually that reminds me, where are the others? They’re usually mingling around the house at this time of day.” Cathy asks while looking around the room.

“Oh yeah, I got them to leave for the afternoon. Apparently they didn’t want to see us be all sappy with each other.” Anne responds while giving a fond roll of her eyes.

“Ah okay. By the way, before I forget, happy one year my love.” Cathy says, her face now nestled right into the side of Anne’s neck.

“Happy one year to you as well mon ange.” Anne chuckles before continuing, “As much as I’d like to stay in this position we do gotta eat before the pancakes get cold.”

Cathy lets out a huge whine much to Anne’s amusement and reluctantly lets go of Anne to eat brunch. They set up the table for brunch and once Anne properly sees Cathy’s outfit she lets out a long “Damn” and eyes her up and down dramatically. Cathy playfully bumps her shoulder before turning back to her food.

Brunch passes by with little notable to offer other than the two holding hands and flirting with each other the entire time. They clean their dishes before moving up to Anne’s room to cuddle and watch Netflix together. As they cuddle they decide that it's best they exchange their anniversary gifts now rather than later as the other queens would arrive back in a few hours. 

Cathy had left Anne’s room temporarily so they could both grab their gifts and as she stood outside Anne’s door she nervously shuffled in place. She’s holding the poem she made for Anne and logically knows Anne will love it no matter what, but that doesn’t stop her from worrying about Anne not liking it. She sighs before mentally preparing herself for failure no matter how unlikely it is. 

Cathy opens the door to the sight of Anne lying on the bed looking through a flipbook before quickly hiding it once she sees Cathy. Cathy notices Anne changed out of her pajamas into a light blue crop top that she stole from Cathy a few weeks ago, covered by an unbuttoned dark green flannel matched with dark green jeans. Cathy flashes a nervous smile at Anne before sitting down on Kat’s bed right across from Anne. Anne sits up also flashing a nervous smile matching Cathy’s one. 

They both sit in awkward silence for a bit before Cathy clears her throat and begins to speak. “I uhh. I made a poem for you and I hope you like it.” 

Cathy gives Anne the poem and starts to fiddle with her suspenders not making eye contact with Anne. Anne lets out a small chuckle at this and opens the folded piece of paper to read Cathy’s poem.

Irises brighter than the shiniest emerald 

Laughs more heavenly than an angel’s song

Optimism through all troubles no matter how big

Vivacious spirit unrivaled by anyone in the land

Enchanting to all in both spirit and personality

Yearning for you pulls at my heart every moment

Oh how could I not be a fool in love for you

Ultimately you bring me more joy that exists in this galaxy

Anne lets out a small “Aw” once finishing the poem and wraps Cathy in a big old hug. 

“Mon ange this poem is so cute and I love it so much. I’m gonna treasure it until my dying day.” Anne says before peppering kisses all over Cathy’s embarrassed face.

“It’s not that amazing my love.” Cathy bashfully states while very much embarrassed by Anne’s praise and kisses.

“It’s amazing mon ange. Now open your hands so I can give you the flipbook I made for you.” Anne states before dramatically pulling out the flipbook she hid from Cathy when she opened the door.

Cathy giggles at her girlfriend’s antics and allows Anne to give her the flipbook. The cover has a devil and an angel facing apart with darkness all around them. Cathy flips through the book and watches as the devil walks around aimlessly in the dark before spotting light. The devil moves toward the light and sees an angel that has the same hairstyle as Cathy. They embrace and when they do the darkness starts to fade away. They walk together while holding hands and as they walk more darkness disappears. The back of the flipbook has the devil and the angel holding hands and facing each other with the darkness almost impossible to see.

Cathy looks up to Anne with tears in her eyes and Anne says “You always make the darkness go away mon ange.”

Cathy tackles Anne into a hug knocking her onto the ground while Cathy just tells her how much of a sap she is and how much she loves her all while crying. Anne starts crying too at Cathy’s kind words and holds Cathy as they both cry together, both of them telling each other how much they love them. Anne tries to wipe away the tears on Cathy’s face before she moves Cathy’s head so their foreheads are touching.

Once they make eye contact Anne fondly staring into Cathy’s eyes says, “I love you.”

Cathy staring back into her eyes lovingly responds, “I love you too.”

#six the musical #six the musical fanfic #parrlyn #parrleyn #cathrine parr #anne boleyn #fluff #writing #parrlyn fluff contest

[tsnderes]

crushes.

a/n: this is my first full-length one shot, ever! i can’t believe i really did it. thank you to everyone who read and gave me their opinions beforehand, it means a lot! now, let us all love on sparky bebe denki. 🥺

word count: 1,850 words! | extra fluffy!

                                      ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　crushes | denki kaminari　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ It didn’t take much for Denki to introduce himself but upon realizing how beautiful you really were; He turned into a blushy, stuttering mess. It was almost funny, Denki had flirted with plenty of pretty women and held conversations with them relatively well, but the self-proclaimed flirt could barely form a sentence in your presence and it was scaring him to death. What if he was forming… a crush?

Hell no. Denki told himself a long time ago; His crushes could only end in heartbreak, even after hours figuring out the right words when you finally gather the courage to express how you feel, only to be rejected and discarded in the wind. Rinse, wash, repeat. Denki knew better than to put himself in that situation again.

Much to his dismay, the feelings he had didn’t go away and eventually everyone else caught on too. Everyone but you. Kirishima and Sero interrogated Denki until he confessed, but no amount of nagging compiled him to confess to you. You were so out of his league; he didn’t see the point in trying. 

“C’mon, bro!” Eijirou patted his shoulder. “Have more confidence in yourself!”

“Yeah! You never know, she might feel the same.” Sero chimed in.

Denki sighed and rubbed his neck sheepishly, wishing he could melt into the floor. “I don’t know guys… What if she already has a boyfriend?”

The thought made his heart drop but Kirishima shook his head and winked. “She’s as single as can be.”

“Still - That doesn’t mean I need to tell her how I feel.”

Sero groaned, annoyed with his stubborn friend. “Geez, Kami-bro! If you won’t confess, at least ask her on a date.”

Denki pondered on the thought and concluded that maybe it wasn’t a bad idea. “I guess. But when she rejects me in cold blood, you’ll have to deal with my dead body.”

Sero only grinned and pointed, Denki’s eyes following until they landed on your figure. Pretty as always, you flashed him a smile before you sit in your seat. Great.

Kirishima pushed him to his feet and he slowly made his way over to you.

“Good m-morning, (Name)-chan.” He cursed his shaky tone but he was so nervous.

You glanced up at him, brows furrowed in concern. “Good morning, Kaminari-kun. Are you ok?”

“Yes, I’m fine.” He murmured, “I just want to ask if-”

The way your eyes were twinkling made him short circuit, yellow sparks bouncing off of his body. The words were at the tip of his tongue but they weren’t coming out and fuck; you were staring at him. Think fast, Denki. Fast!

“I-If you wanted to tutor me for the test tomorrow! I know that you’re super smart and s-stuff.”

Thank God. Denki felt relieved as you hummed in agreement but watched how your eyes moved down his body curiously.

“Kaminari-kun, you’re sparking-”

“Ah, just nervous about that test! A-Anyways, I’ll see you in the commons later. Thanks again!”

Denki sulked back to his seat, still sparking as Kaminari and Sero shifted their focus back to him, eager to hear the dates he had in mind.

“So,” Kirshima said, finger on his chin in thought. “Expensive romantic dinner?”

“I asked her to tutor me.”

“Huh?!” Both of the boys exclaimed.

Kaminari sighed, running a hand down his face. “I was weak, her charms were too strong-”

Aizawa cleared his throat, eyes narrowed at the three boys. “Sorry to interrupt your girl crisis, but class has started. Be quiet.” 

The class laughed in response and Denki sunk further into his seat, face burning as he realized you were laughing too.

At least he got to hear how cute your laugh is.

LATER THAT DAY

Though it wasn’t part of the original plan, Denki was thankful he asked you to tutor him. He did need help studying for the test and he knew Bakugou would refuse to help. Just like your classmates had said, you were intelligent and breezed through the homework with ease. The two of you were the only ones in the commons, so he could stare at you with no interruptions or unwanted teasing. Work and studying long forgotten as he focused on your soft features when he thought-

“Can I take you on a date?”

Denki swore the words were in his head, no way they came out of his mouth. This wasn’t how this was supposed to happen, not this way. What was he thinking?

Maybe he wasn’t thinking at all; He had been focused on how pretty you looked as you concentrated on your homework, desperately wanting to brush the stray hairs behind your ear and kiss the frown off your plush lips. So enamored with you, he must have muttered the words by accident and now he was sputtering, arms failing and face red as he tried to explain himself.

“Sure!” You turned to face him and gave him a bright smile, “I would love to go on a date with you, Kaminari!”

Denki halted his actions and stared at you, small sparks of electricity radiating from his body. “Huh?”

“I’ll go on a date with you. I’ll be free tomorrow so… pick me up at 7, if that’s okay?”

“O-oh, yes. That’s fine.” He paused. “(Name)?”

“Hmm?”

“Thanks… for giving me a chance.”

THE NEXT DAY, 7 PM

Kaminari was at your doorstep on the dot. He wanted to make a good first impression and being on time was a good start, right?

He knocked on the door and it took a minute before you opened it, the sweet perfume you had on flooding his nostrils as you gave him a hug. He tried his hardest to control his sparks as he returned the hug.

“Ready?” He asked and you gave him a nod.

Denki had spent the night arguing with Sero and Kirishima about the date location for hours but he eventually settled on the fair that was currently in town. It was somewhere fun and lively, much better than an extra serious romantic dinner. Denki didn’t think he could control his nerves (or sparks) long enough to sit in a tuxedo and pretend to be normal. 

It didn’t take long for the two of you to reach your destination, the bright lights and upbeat music were unmistakable; The sounds of children playing and laughing, the aromas of delicious food filling his senses — Denki was already starting to loosen up. The only downside was that it was kind of crowded and unbeknownst to him, crowds made you a bit nervous.

“Kaminari-kun?” You whispered, Denki’s head immediately turning at your worried tone.

“Is something wrong?”

“I’m… kinda scared of crowds.” 

Denki suddenly wished he had went the dinner route. He felt terrible that you were uncomfortable and marked this as the first and last time he would take you on a date, all chances were ruined.

“Can you hold my hand?”

His eyes widened, red cheeks mirroring yours as he sheepishly avoided your eyes.

“M-my hands are sweaty, though.” Way to be fucking manly, Denki.

“Mine are too, it’s ok.” You persuaded, reaching for his hand and intertwining your fingers, the small shocks flowing through your body almost making you release it. 

“Sorry, I’m not used to this type of thing…” He sighed, embarrassed by his own shyness but you shake your head, tugging him along the path.

“Don’t worry, you’ll have plenty of time to get used to it.”

Plenty of time? Does that mean you wanted more time with him? Denki decided to focus on how you were walking with him, hands intertwined like a couple. Like your were his girlfriend.

●・○・●・○・●・○

You stopped in front of a game stand, smiling as you pointed at the giant teddy bear in the prize section.

“Kaminari, could you win this for me?”

He let go of your hand and puffed his chest out. This was his time to show you how manly he could really be!

“Five dollars for one round! Knock all the beer bottles down for the grand price!” The man waved at the bear in question and Kaminari didn’t hesitate to reach for his wallet.

It took twenty dollars, lots of sweat and even more tears before the man handed you the giant teddy bear. Denki watched as you cuddled the bear close, rubbing your cheek into the fluffy fur and he knew the effort was worth it.

●・○・●・○・●・○

“Feeling hungry?” He asked as he held your hand again, getting more accustomed to the feeling. “This fair has the best chocolate chip cookies and they’re huge!”

You gasped. “Of course! Chocolate chip is my favorite!”

Denki found himself falling for you a little more, you even shared his love for chocolate-chip cookies? It couldn’t get better than this.

The both of you left the food stand, a batch of cookies in hand as you looked for another attraction and your eyes widened as you saw the Purikura not too far away.

“Kaminari, let’s take some pictures!”

He didn’t have time to respond as you pulled him along, smiling at how excited you were, the nervousness you once felt long forgotten. Denki hoped that pretty smile would never go away; He wanted to be the one keeping it on your face.

Settling into the booth, he slid a quarter into the hole and positioned himself as the robotic voice counted down. Maybe now was the time… ?

“Three…”

“Hey, (Name)?”

“Yes, Kaminari-kun?”

“I-I have something to tell you.” He stammered. Don’t chicken out, don’t chicken out!

“Two…”

You turned to face him and tilted your head. “What is it?

“I… I’ve really liked you for a while and I hope you feel the same.”

“One!”

The camera was long forgotten as it caught your rosy cheeks and Denki’s sparking body on the film. The next photo was you leaning over, kissing him right on the cheek as he watched you with wide eyes. The last photo was you smiling and Denki, surprised and red all over, holding his cheek, staring at you with wide eyes.

Stepping out of the booth so the next couple could step in, you pulled the roll of pictures out of the machine, glancing up at Denki sheepishly. 

“Ah, this is embarrassing to look at… ‘The time I couldn’t talk so I kissed my crush instead.’ That’ll be a story to tell the girls.”

Denki deadpanned. “Crush?”

You nodded and intertwined your hands for the nth time tonight, fitting together perfectly. “I return your feelings, Kaminari.”

The tenderness that spread through Denki’s chest radiated throughout his body, so strong it made his knees weak and his arms immediately wrapped around you, hiding his face in the crook of your neck. This was real, you were real and the feelings you had for him was real. It felt like a dream and if it was, lord knows he didn’t want to wake up.

“I have a story the squad won’t believe.” He laughed, eyes crinkling as he held you tighter. “The time I had a crush and she liked me back.”

#kaminari x reader #kaminari denki #kaminari fluff #kaminari oneshot #bnha #mha #my hero academia

[captainjimothycarter]

Accidental Polycule image! Where Steve and Natasha are exes who share maximoff twins adoptees, and now Nat's with Clint who's with Bucky, Steve's with Sam and Peggy, and the twins are like 4 and trying to parent trap them from two semi-closed triads into just a "weird monogamous pentagram"

 Okay so we have: Steve & Natasha are exs and have adopted the Maximoff Twins Nat is with Clint whose with Bucky Steve is with Sam and Peggy And the twins love the two Christmas sort of deal but they want a huge family together. Also, I don’t remember parent trap so here’s what I got and I am so sorry it sucks

--

Waking up to a four-year-old pouncing on your chest was just something Sam had to deal with it when it came to dating and staying over at Steve and Peggy’s. Waking up to two four-year-olds on your chest and bouncing up and down was just not how he wanted to wake up in his lover’s bed.

The man groaned, eyes snapping open to take in the sight of the brunette and blonde-haired kids. If he hadn’t known that Peggy and Steve had adopted them – okay technically Natasha and Steve, then he could’ve sworn these were their kids.

Or Clint and Natasha’s.

God, parenting was weird.

“Did I oversleep again?” he asked, sitting up and pulling them into his lap.

“Uh-huh! Mummy is making pancakes!” Wanda declared, wiggling out of Sam’s hold.

“Pancakes with blueberries and choccy!” Pietro added. “C’mon! Breakfast! It’s important, daddy said so!”

Sam was dragged out of the bed before he could even protest about needing to uses the bathroom or shower by the kids. He was a sucker for them, he couldn’t say no. He was dragged to the kitchen where Peggy was adding pancakes onto a huge stack and Steve was just getting lunches ready. He could see five bags with their names written on the outside.

“You didn’t need to make me lunch, Stevie. I could’ve stopped by the diner,” he greeted Steve, pressing a lingering kiss to his cheek. “But thank you.”

“That food is unhealthy for you and you know it,” Peggy replied, brandishing her spatula into Sam’s face.

“And pancakes with chocolate chips aren’t?” Sam countered, greeting her with a kiss to her temple.

“Shush you.”

Sam laughed as he helped the kids set the table and get their cups out, filled with milk for Pietro and apple juice for Wanda. Breakfast was served and he watched as the kids bickered over the syrup and how Steve loved butter over syrup over his pancakes.

It’s a weird family but it works.

--

“Kids!” Peggy called, checking her watch. “We gotta go! Did you get your bags packed? Mommy will pick you up after school!”

The kids came tumbling down the stairs, backpacks were thrown on, and holding onto duffle bags for their weekly stay at Natasha’s residence.

Sometimes, Peggy disliked this weekly back and forth. Sometimes she liked it. She worried over the kid’s development but they’ve been used to this since they were a year old. They were even more used to the various partners and faces and the various terms for them.

Peggy insisted on being called mummy, Steve was daddy, Natasha was mama, Sam was uncle Sam, and Bucky was Uncle Buck, and Clint was dada.

It was their life and really, she wouldn’t change it for the world.

“Okay, guys, c’mon.” He scooped them up and had them both kiss their mummy goodbye before taking them out, after a long kiss to Peggy’s lips that the kids squealed over.

Peggy sighed when they were out, finding Sam dressed in a button-up shirt and jeans smiling at him.

“You miss them already?” He teased, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her frame into his. “Gotta ask – is this situation…difficult? The many people, the partners, explaining this to others?”

“It’s difficult to see them leave for a week despite they’re a block away.” They’d moved closer together on purpose, for the kids, so they were closer together. They didn’t want to separate the twins, not that they would be separated. It was a situation that worked between them ever since Steve and Natasha divorced. “I do miss them. Have you talked to Steve about moving in?”

“Talk to Steve? He’s the one that keeps bringing it up. If…you two will have me, I will. I just didn’t wanna stress the twins out, are all with us moving in. You sure your bed can handle me too?”

Peggy gently swatted at his chest. “We can handle you moving in, Sam. There’s the extra bedroom if you ever need space too. Sometimes Steve doesn’t even sleep in the same bed as me, but that’s normally when he’s sick. We’d love to have you. Steve will be so excited.”

--

“There’s my munchkins!” Clint cried, sliding painfully on his knees to scoop the twins up and crush them against his broad chest. He felt Bucky’s arms around him to pull him up before hugging him, squishing the squealing twins between them.

“Ten o’clock,” Bucky breathed in his ear, taking the twins to let Clint turn his head.

The blonde rolled his eyes at the kid’s teacher marching up towards them. “What is it now?” he grumbled. “You can’t kick me off property, lady. Legally I’m allowed to be here. On paper, I’m their guardian too, so is Bucky.”

“You’re disgusting,” she snapped, causing Clint to open and close his mouth. “Exposing kids to this sex parade you-you have going on! One person drops them off and then a whole another set of parents picks them up?! It’s disgusting! You are exposing these precious angels to vile, disgusting-”

“Lady shut the fuck up.” Clint tried not to curse around the kids, but sometimes his buttons were pushed. “Just shut up! Yes, Steve drops the kids off or Peggy or Sam and then one of us picks them up if someones working late. Yes, I live with their mother and her boyfriend and happen to be dating them. The same situation goes for Peggy and Steve and Sam. This isn’t some…sex parade that you’re talking about. We’re a goddamn family who just happens to love more than one person and are together. I don’t get what the fuck your problem is here. The kids are healthy and loved.”

Before she could open his mouth, he flipped her off and stalked away, taking Wanda from Bucky’s arms, the kids immune to the disgusting behavior their teacher was having. Throwing a damn fit and for what? Because the kids are loved?

So what if he loved Bucky and Natasha and lived with them? And if Steve loved Peggy and Sam? It just went around in a full circle and the twins were happy. Wasn’t that the main thing here?

He sent a furious text to the group chat about his conversation with the teacher, Natasha immediate reply she’ll call the school and Peggy saying she’ll call the board of education.

Regardless of what people thought, if Peggy and Natasha hated each other because Natasha was Steve’s ex was truly wrong. They were amazing friends and if there were differences, it was put aside for the kids.

Just some people.

“Who wants ice cream?” Bucky mused, drawing Clint from his thoughts. “C’mon, I promised your Uncle Clint that we’ll go get ice cream for dessert tonight, but you gotta help me choose the flavor.”

Clint smiled as he listened to the twins' bickering over which ice cream flavor was better.

--

It started off as any twins argument would, just little bickering over a toy or the tablet or something, Natasha noted. Now it dissolved into a full-fledged tantrum with Pietro screaming how he liked it more at Peggy and Steve’s because he was in time out for throwing his Lego’s and now Wanda was crying because her brother was yelling and terrified they’d be split up.

We’ve got to talk. – NR

It was the only thing she sent to the group chat, seeing the names all pop up asking about what.

The twins. – NR I think this split relationship of one week each isn’t as healthy and solid idea as we planned. And I don’t know about you but going to two weeks isn’t what I’d like to do either. I’d miss them too much. – NR

Agreed. We tried the two weeks when we first split, remember? It felt so empty and wrong. – SR And I am defiantly not splitting them up. Wanda already has separation issues from her brother for understandable reasons. – SR

Two weeks is far too long without my munchkins. – CB

So what are we proposing here? – JB

I think I have some ideas. – PC We’ll come over tonight, bring some beers, and talk once the kids are asleep. I don’t want to purpose anything and not follow through. Their hopes have been crushed before. – PC

You’re not bringing the beer, Carter. Yours is water-downed piss. – JB

It is not. You just don’t have taste. – CB

Being attacked in my own home. And it does. You don’t have taste either, Barton. – JB

Says the man who drinks coffee black. – SW I think I have some ideas too if we’re on the same page. We can’t just…shock the kids here. They won’t react well and given today’s earlier outbursts with their teacher, we need to explain everything to them. – SW

They already know everything for the most part. – PC They know that they’re loved by all of us and that’s that. That woman is a cruel beast and the Director has already come down on her or so I’m told. – PC

You’re just worried too much, Wilson. – CB The kids are happy and healthy and get two Christmases a year. – CB

I think they’d be happier with just one. – SR

So, it’s agreed? We’ll come over tonight? If my beer is so bad, then you can get some. – PC

Gladly. – JB

Wilson, you coming over too? – JB Or are you stuck playing pirate? – JB

Haha. – SW I make a fine pirate, thank you very much. – SW I might be a lil late. Steve and I are just finishing up the set now. – SW

Don’t blame your slow painting skills on me. – SR We’ll be there on time. Nat, just pick up some whiskey for Pegs and Sam, please. No more beer bickering, I swear… - SR

It’s cute how you think I don’t always have it in my cabinet. – NR I am running low and given how Carter and I can bring ya’ll boys under the table, that’s not a bad idea. – NR

Pizza? – CB I’ll pick some up. – CB

Good idea. – PC No anchovies. – PC

Or pineapples. – JB

Anchovies I agree with, pineapples is a personal attack. – CB I’m getting pineapples. – CB

If you get pineapples, I will open up a can and dump them on your whole pie, Clint. – JB

That just sounds delicious. – CB

You’re disgusting. – JB

And yet you love me anyway. – CB

--

“The kids are asleep,” Steve confirmed, plopping onto the only empty seat left in the house, between Peggy and Natasha. “Pietro has his stuffed bunny and Wanda is sleeping with her lil butt in the air.”

Natasha laughed softly at that, leaning back to look into the hall. Steve had kept the door ajar like she liked to do so for the kids. “She always used to do that, remember?”

“First night we brought her home,” Steve laughed. “She refused to sleep in her own bed, crawled right into her brother’s, and slept with her lil tush in the air, face-planted in her pillow.”

“You panicked when you saw her like that, thought she was going to suffocate.” The redhead's shoulder nudged her ex-husband, giving him a fond smile. “Thought they’d never warm up to us.”

“Well, now look at them. Still sleeping in the same bed sometimes and a whole family.” His arm threw over Natasha and squeezed her to him.

They didn’t work as a couple, they realized. They were much better off as friends, close friends who loved one another but not in a romantic sense. They were lucky enough to make this work, they’ve both seen relationships go down the drain and kids suffering because of their parent's pettiness. Thankfully the twins seemed to be too young to understand the divorce between them.

“So, what’s this stack of papers you brought, Pegs?” Bucky nudged her with his foot, holding the beer bottle by the neck. He was sitting in Clint’s lap, the blonde’s arm around his waist.

“Probably half of Brooklyn Library,” Clint snorted into Bucky’s shoulder, the brunette in his lap getting a face-first of a pillow Peggy threw at them.

“Boys,” Sam sighed, rolling his eyes. “Play nice. I gotta go home with this one and if she’s angry, I’m taking it out on you.” At Peggy’s sharp look, he shrugged. “Wrong words?”

“Very, and no, Barton, it’s not. It’s a dedicated list I’ve been making of a few houses in the area, organized by the area, the school system, and crime rate. And down to how large it is.” Peggy picked up the stack and passed out the few flyers around. “I tried to find ones that had large back yards, plenty of land. Some are…outside of the city, which I know we’re all fond of, but the kids…they deserve…”

“A real backyard and not this asphalt?” Sam mused. “No, I get it. The kids do. The bigger houses will be further out too. Fewer people around.”

He looked down at the flyer and clicked his tongue. Six bedrooms, four bathrooms? A basement, an attic, and two acres of yard? Jesus, the price made him want to faint.

“Just exactly how are we affording this? No offense, but unless one of us is suddenly rich, please speak up now,” Clint grumbled, setting one down to look around. He saw how the look Peggy and Steve gave one another. “No.”

“What?” Steve breathed, dropping his arm.

“No. No way. There’s no way you’re this rich.”

“And why not?”

“Because you’re-you’re you! If you were rich, we’d know!” Clint countered, throwing his hands up.

“Well, clearly you don’t. And you’re right, I’m not rich. She is.” Steve’s chin jerked down towards Peggy, whose ears were turning a pretty shade of pink.

Everyone turned to look at her and she shrugged. “I made a few investments is all.”

“Go on,” Natasha breathed, raising an eyebrow. “There’s more to that, with a mind sharp as yours.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere,” Peggy mused, “But thank you.”

“I wasn’t trying to flatter, I was pointing out the obvious. Now how…did you come by this?”

“My family. I don’t like to talk about it a lot but my family is…well, we were well off. Really, well off. To the point, my mother tried to control me by using funds so she could rule my life. Once my brother left for the military and I followed, I got out of her hold, cut off contact, and paved my own life, hence here.” She waved her hand around them as if to state the obvious. “Well, as you know, she passed away a few years ago and Michael told me he’d handle the estates and all so I didn’t have to keep flying back and forth. Things finally settled once and for all a month ago. And… I might’ve made a few more investments….”

“You didn’t sell that cute lil cottage did you?” Steve pouted. “The one in the countryside with the berries?”

“Of course not. Michael and I agreed to keep a few houses between us, keep a few staff on hand while he’s living over there. Turn a few into vacation homes for others to rent, and such. He’s working on programs to help the homeless with the homes, veterans, and making public gardens, so it’s a necessity and if anything, a good cover story.” The pride for her brother was clear in her voice and Steve squeezed Peggy tightly to her.

“Have I ever told you how scary-smart you are?” Sam laughed.

“You could do with mentioning it a few times. So, we agree?”

“Yeah,” Natasha breathed, sharing a look with Steve. “You sure you can handle living with me again?”

“Oh, like you weren’t bad the last time,” he teased, rolling his eyes. “Of course I can. I need someone to yell at me too about leaving my boots out.”

“You think you’d learn by now to listen to Peggy,” she laughed. “Good. I kinda missed you. These two idiots hog the bed.”

--

“Where are we goinnnnnng?” Pietro complained for the sixth time that day from the backseat of his mama’s truck. “Mooooom.”

“Pietro,” Natasha said softly, turning in the seat to look at her darling, little boy. Steve had decided to pick them up, leaving Peggy, Sam, Bucky, and Clint to do the final touches. He was useless with decoration beyond painting anyhow and that was done weeks ago. “I told you, it’s a surprise. Now, we’re almost there, okay? Steve, there’s the marker.”

Steve almost had to slam on breaks to avoid missing it. They’d left a bright silver flag on an unmarked road to let the movers know where they’re turning. The road was getting a name soon, Space Way Road, and a mailbox for their house eventually too. Things were coming together.

He smiled in the rearview window as he stopped in front of a large house, pulling into the automatic garage. The kids were all excited as they got out of the truck and Steve grabbed the last few boxes from the back.

“Wooooow.” Wanda breathed, running straight through the large kitchen with a breakfast nook and dining table, straight to the living room where a large TV already hung.

“Kids?” Bucky called, poking his head out from around the corner, up the large stairs. “Come up here. Be careful! Pietro, no pushing your sister.”

Steve smiled as Natasha hugged him around his waist, pulling her close. “Think they’ll love it?”

“I think they will. You worry too much,” she sighed, kissing his cheek. “Are the beds installed?”

“California Kings for our rooms,” he mused. “Bunk beds for the kids. A single bed for the guest rooms.”

They’d done it. They’d gotten a house with ten rooms and six bathrooms. Two were the adult bedrooms with a walk-in closet, the balcony that opened up to a beautiful front yard, or a spacious backyard where a pool was being built in-ground. One room had turned into an office for Peggy and Natasha to use. Another was a paint room for Steve and Sam, one was a game room for the kids and a play area, and another had been turned into a small gym for them all to share. The rest had been turned into guest rooms, figuring eventually they would all want their own space, and eventually the twins would want their own room.

It wasn’t going to be easy, them all living under one roof but there was plenty of space between them all if they’d needed to step away. A kitchen large enough to hold them all and to hold many memories to come. A living room full of spacious furniture that just swallowed you in. A large backyard that Peggy and Clint had worked hard on sectioning off at least an acre to start to build a garden for. Bucky was already begging for goats and Clint was whining about chickens.

This is what was for the best, wasn’t it? All of them living together, for each other, for the kids. The twins deserved this peace more than anyone. No worrying, no back and forth, no separation. And the adults, at least Steve had to admit this was peace at mind now, being together.

#Steggy Prompt #Nonny Prompt #This is poly relationships #Poly relationships #So not what you wanted OP and I'm sorry #NatashaSteve #Exs #But work better as friends #SteveSam #StevePeggy #SteveSamPeggy #PeggySam #ClintBucky #ClintNatasha #ClintBuckyNatasha #BuckyNatasha #Maximoff Twins

[breakingsomething]

the fall part twenty - all hallow's eve

basic summary: it's jamie's birthday, and his brothers are determined to make his day good for him. also, rhea, jackie and aaron do bad shit again. surprise, surprise.

trigger warnings: flashback, extreme distress, hypnosis

tagslist: @synonymsforzombie @spicydanhowell @skyewardlight @dreaming-of-stories-and-stars @cest-mellow @graveyardlettuce @lower-your-expectationss

"jamie, jamie, jamie! get the hell up, man!"

jamie groaned and rolled over, unfolding his arms and blinking in the sudden light. above him, he could see a blonde head, blue eyes and a big grin, along with a hand that shook his shoulder. "wakey wakey, eggs and bakey. well, pancakes and bakey. or just pancakes. we made pancakes. jamie, wake u-up!"

jamie pulled a hand from underneath the covers and flipped chase the bird before yanking his blankets over his head.

"oh, don't be like that," he heard chase scoff. suddenly the blankets were being torn off, and jamie hissed playfully, unable to hide a grin. chase laughed. "get up, lazy ass! and happy birthday! happy halloween birthday to the pumpkins!"

he left the room, leaving the door wide open. jamie rolled his eyes with a dramatic sigh despite no one being there to see it. he sat up and finally got out of bed, glancing at his phone (not that he needed to in order to know what time it was, he was always aware of the time anyway) to see it was eleven o'clock. he'd slept a full ten hours. better than usual, he thought as he pulled some clothes out of the assorted pile his brothers had put together for him from their own wardrobes. usually he only got about seven.

he brushed his hair and went downstairs, where everyone was sitting in the kitchen, eating breakfast with innocent smiles. they had been talking in hushed tones but immediately went quiet when jamie came in, trying and failing to act completely natural. "ok, what's going on?" jamie sighed dramatically, swinging his hands out as he signed. "is it a special day or something?"

"happy happy birthday!" marvin cheered, pushing a huge box from underneath the kitchen table. henrik and chase followed suit with slightly smaller boxes, grinning. "you're thirty and also three now! like two birthdays in one!"

jameson couldn't help but laugh. "i don't need presents - you guys are sweet, though. please, don't do too much just for me."

"but it's your first birthday with us!" chase cried, lifting his box onto the table. "this is fudging special! also, we have to do gift unwrapping and cake cutting soon, cause i gotta go get the kids in like, half an hour. stacy's actually coming with us to take them trick or treating, how cool is that?" marvin and henrik cheered, and jamie clapped with a big grin at the delighted look on chase's face. "i know, right? oh my god, before we do birthday stuff, guess what louise is going as for halloween."

"sonic," marvin said immediately.

chase giggled, pushing his cap up further as jamie sat himself down on the seat next to him. "you'd think, huh? but no. try again."

"someone from teenage mutant ninja turtles?" henrik asked before taking a sip of his coffee. chase shook his head.

marvin blew his hair out his face. "anyone from sonic at all?"

chase grinned and nodded. "she's going as tails the fox. do you wanna know why?" the other three nodded. chase leaned back in his chair. "because she's making connor go as sonic. she wants to be tails this year because he can fly."

there was a pause before everyone laughed, henrik choking on his coffee. "dear god," he managed once he'd finished his coughing fit. "that's the first time in maybe four years she hasn't gone as sonic, correct?"

"yes!" chase wheezed, wiping tears from his eyes. "she came up to me and stacy and was like "mama, papa, i don't want to go as sonic this year" and we were internally like "finally, she's leaving her sonic obsession behind" and stacy goes "oh, so who do you want to be?" all sweetly and connor - connor fudging runs in dressed all in blue like "i'm sonic now!" swear to god i lost my mind. i'm still losing my mind, christ."

jamie listened to them chatter for a few minutes, content just to hear them talk. he'd missed a lot in his life, it seemed. maybe now was the time to catch up. just the thought made him smile.

"so jamie!" marvin said, snapping him from his thoughts. "present time! open mine last, i think you'll really like it."

"my present is probably the most pathetic," henrik said sheepishly, sliding the crinkly, rectangular package over to him. "i didn't really know what to get you and i've been - ok, i won't give excuses. i hope you like it anyway."

jamie smiled wide. "thank you, henrik. i wasn't expecting a lot anyway. honestly, i don't like receiving gifts. makes me feel strange. but you guys are too nice, you really are."

he gently undid the paper and grinned at the contents. a large stack of candles, all different scents and such. "henrik, this is great!"

henrik shrugged, trying to hold back a small smile. "i'm glad you like it. i was worried you would think it was silly."

the next present was chase's. he seemed very excited to hand over his present, practically vibrating as he passed him the large box. it rattled as jamie took it, something sliding around the top. "it's two presents in one," chase beamed, shaking hair out his face. "come on, open it!"

"give the man a second to breathe, chaser," marvin laughed as jamie rolled his eyes teasingly, deliberately making fun of chase's impatience by opening the box extremely slowly. by the time he'd opened it fully, chase was almost standing in his chair. jamie stuck his tongue out and pulled out a box of chocolate poptarts, to which he raised an eyebrow with a grin.

chase groaned. "those are just extra, look at the real present beneath! i wanna see what you think!"

it was a strange sort of ball. "it's called a moon light," chase explained. "they're so pretty! i thought you could use one for your room, even if you can't see the colours."

jamie turned it over in his hands, smiling. "it's beautiful," he signed once he'd set it down. "i love it so much, thank you."

marvin pushed his box over, grunting with the effort. "ok, so you said not to get you much, but your room was so empty and i wanted to get you something good," he said. "i think you might like this. but be careful, it's fragile."

jamie groaned. "oh, good gods," he signed before picking the box up - it was very heavy - and setting it on the table. "marvin, i don't need anything big."

"hey, it's just one thing," marvin protested. "we've barely given you anything."

"you gave me a home," jamie said without thinking. "you didn't have to do that but you did, even though you had no reason to trust me. you could have sent me away and you didn't and i honestly believe that's the best thing you could ever done for me."

he stared at the package without blinking and didn't look up at his brothers.

"oh - oh, jamie," marvin said softly. "fuck, of course we'd give you a home. you're our brother and we love you."

"yeah!" chase chipped in. "we know you're not anti, and we know you don't think like him. jackie was the fool there."

"you've never given us reason not to trust you," henrik murmured. he placed a hand on jamie's, so gently. "you're a wonderful man and we all know it. we wouldn't do all this for you if we didn't trust you, and we do. we do, ok? we love you so much."

jamie suddenly felt lucky he talked using his hands, otherwise he'd be bursting into tears. he nodded vigorously and quickly unwrapped his present, gasping softly when he saw the beautiful vinyl player inside the box. shiny and dark, with a frank sinatra vinyl at the top of the box. jamie blinked, taking it in. "marvin, it's - beautiful, thank you. this is too much, how much even was this?"

marvin grinned. "a magician never reveals his secrets."

"let's set it up in your room," henrik said excitedly, eyes shining. "oh, i love vinyls, i don't even have a player for them but i own so many and i'm sure you can borrow them -"

"ah, 'scuze me," chase interrupted, holding up both hands. "i have to leave very soon. it's saturday. let's do cake and then i'm bolting."

marvin leapt up, singing to himself as he danced round the table, and jamie snorted. "we're actually doing cake? seriously?"

"of course we are!" marvin almost shouted, digging through the fridge. "who do you think we are, james? a family that doesn't do cake? unheard of." he turned round, an enormous grin on his face as he lifts the pink cake up. "it's cake time, gentlemen!"

they cut slices of the cake, laughing and talking and complimenting marvin on the cake, which he'd apparently baked himself. jamie got the biggest slice and almost couldn't manage the full thing despite how good it was. about twenty minutes later, chase got up to leave, ruffling jamie's curls as way of saying goodbye. "see you fuckers later," he said, doing finger guns before wincing. "shit, i should stop swearing. fuck. i mean - not fuck. just - ahhh, i'll see you dorks later. adios."

"dorks? really?" henrik called after him. chase stuck his hand through the front door again to flip him off.

the rest of the day passed pretty smoothly. chase texted them a few times with updates, at one point sending pictures of the kid's fantastic costumes mixed in with heart eyed reaction images. the three other brothers went out to mcdonald's for lunch and got enough chips to fill nearly a whole tray, which was apparently enough to make chase jealous. he later sent pictures of him, connor and louise at the park with huge ice creams in hand. "gods, it's no wonder people call us childish," jamie laughed teasingly, dipping about ten chips into his own tub of ice cream at once.

"who's calling us childish?" marvin jokingly exclaimed, crossing his eyes and making an exaggerated face of anger. "give me names, i'll challenge them to a duel."

"point proven," henrik sing-songed, sticking his tongue out. "don't cross your eyes or your face will get stuck like that. james, i cannot believe you eat your chips with ice cream and genuinely believe it tastes nice. you are a disgrace to humanity."

"let's all dip our chips in ice cream to piss off henrik," marvin grinned, and he and jamie smacked their soggy chips together with a cry of "cheers!" henrik spluttered, shaking his head in disgust.

"people like you are the reason the mcdonald's ice cream machines are always broken," he scoffed, flicking some ketchup from his burger at marvin. "the employees see you coming and go "ah, scheisse, it is the magic cat bastard again, about to dip his chips in ice cream like some kind of animal. sorry, sir, machines are broke." you disgust me."

"a-w, what about me?" jamie pouted teasingly, sticking out his bottom lip.

"not you, jamie, you are a treasure and we're happy to have you here," henrik said warmly. then he made a face at marvin. "you, however -"

they were interrupted when chase sent a photo of him, stacy and the kids, chase proudly holding up a cheese and onion bake from gregg's. they then all collectively agreed he was a teasing bastard and moved on.

they bickered all the way home about what movie to watch. "it's halloween," henrik argued, smoothing his hair out his face. "we should obviously watch a nightmare before christmas."

"i think we should watch dawn of the dead just to piss chase off," marvin grinned.

"what, dawn of the dead, 2004, you mean?" henrik laughed. marvin shook his head, grimacing and widening his eyes in mock horror.

"i think chase would kill us," he giggled. "which might be funny, but it's jamie's birthday, so he should pick." they both turned to him. "what do you think?"

jamie shrugged. "i don't know. i haven't seen all that many films, even when i was with you. i did watch a few with anti, though."

"ooh, like what?" marvin asked curiously. he nearly walked into a streetlamp but managed to smoothly dodge it. "what movies did the fantastic antisepticeye have to show?"

jamie wiggled his mustache, thinking. "hot fuzz. and i watched a documentary about penguins when he was passed out once. then there was the night we were both up with nightmares and pulled an all nighter to watch a movie about chickens."

"another documentary?" henrik wondered. "anti doesn't seem like the documentary type."

jamie shook his head. "no, an animated one. it had a chicken and a - a fish and a goose and a pig? i think?"

"...charlotte's web?" henrik guessed slowly.

marvin elbowed him. "charlotte's web was about a spider, you numpty. d'you mean, uh… chicken run?"

"free birds?" henrik asked. "me and chase watched that last year with connor and louise."

"wasn't that about turkeys?" marvin giggled.

henrik rolled his eyes. "and when was there a fish in charlotte's web?"

"there was definitely a fish in charlotte's web!"

"they lived on a farm -"

dapper whistled sharply, interrupting them. "no, no. there were aliens. robot aliens. made the sky fall like jackie did."

the two went silent. then henrik spoke. "are you saying you and anti watched chicken little?"

jamie snapped his fingers. "that's the bitch!"

marvin let out a disbelieving laugh. "chicken little? the little bitch with the glasses and the goose girlfriend or something? and anti watched it with you?"

"to be fair, we were both tired and miserable and didn't really care all that much," dapper signed casually. "i think we fell asleep anyway. i just remember during the incident with jackie, i was thinking about that chicken."

there was a long pause as they crossed the street and walked past the corner shop in the direction of their flat. "i don't believe it," henrik eventually mumbled. "fucking - anti. fucking anti willingly watching chicken little with you. i can't picture it. i can't. that's literally incomprehensible to me."

by the time they got home, it was four o'clock, and they decided on ordering pizza for dinner. "i haven't eaten a single healthy food today," marvin announced, almost proudly. "i want a meat feast with barbeque sauce and stuffed crust."

"how much money do you think we have, bastard?" henrik despaired, but when he called the pizza place to ask for hawaiian for himself and plain cheese for jamie, he heard him add stuffed crust to marvin's order.

they sat down in the living room and started up the tv, the three of them snuggling up on the one couch. "you mock us for chips and ice cream, yet you eat pineapple on pizza," marvin accused, throwing his legs across jamie's.

"hawaiian pizza is perfectly respectable," henrik said lightly. "anyway, let's watch a movie. then we can set up the player in jamie's room while we wait for chase to come back."

"will we get trick or treaters?" jamie wondered. neither man saw his hands, so he whistled and repeated the question. henrik shook his head.

"we don't get them because we live in a flat," henrik said. "i suppose since we're on the bottom and therefore get two floors, we could technically try it. maybe next year."

"definitely next year," jamie agreed. "it sounds fun."

they did end up watching a nightmare before christmas while they ate their pizza. the music and animation was lovely, and henrik didn't shut up the whole time. "i absolutely love this song," he said as the oogie-boogie man appeared on screen with his dice. "i used to listen to the soundtrack of this film all the time, it always manages to fit with each character and such -"

"henrik," marvin said gently. "shush."

it was near the end of the film when someone chapped at the door. "i thought you said we didn't get trick or treaters?" jamie asked, to which marvin got up and went to go answer. jamie took henrik's hand. he hated the small part of him that was still so ridiculously afraid, especially on today of all days.

they heard the door open. "trick or treat!" came two small voices, and one familiar one. jamie and henrik laughed in relief upon hearing chase and the kids coming inside, laughing and chattering loudly. marvin peeked into the room and grinned.

"guess who's back!" he cheered. behind him, connor and louise leapt in, still wearing their costumes. everyone cheered as they posed to show them off, huge grins on their little faces. "it's sonic and tails themselves, in the flesh!"

"uncle jam, hen, marv!" the children cried, cheeks dark with cold and excitement. "look at us, we can fly and go super speed!"

"very nice!" henrik affirmed warmly, and he lifted connor onto his lap as he spun by. "come here, you ridiculous fox boy. how many sweeties did you get?"

"lots!" connor cried, and he tossed his bag from his gloved fingers onto the couch besides jamie. "dump it out, uncle jam, i wanna show off my sweets! louise - no, tails, come over here! come show your sweets. papa! where are you?"

"right here," said chase. he was laughing, and jamie realized why as he came into view; he was wearing a mask with a frankly terrifying face on it. "evening, gamers. how are we all doing?"

"what - what are you?" henrik asked in horror over the sound of marvin and jamie's laughter.

chase pulled up the mask and made a mock hurt face. "hey, i'm shadow the hedgehog! i'm being a good father by cosplaying with my kids." he lowered his voice as he shrugged his jacket off. "they made stacy go as amy."

"although technically sonic and shadow aren't friends for a long time, because shadow's really sad about maria's death and he does a lot of bad stuff that sonic doesn't like to make up for it," louise suddenly said, dropping to her knees on the floor and spilling her sweets out. "although shadow does help sonic save the world in sonic adventure 2 to try and fulfill maria's last wishes. it's not all shadow's fault, though. he was made to save maria and he failed and that really hurt him. he also got put in suspen-ded ani-ma-tion for a while, then he got used as a weapon by eggman. he's not really a bad guy. he's just had a lot of bad stuff happen to him and i love him. oh, con, i got a wispa!"

"lemme see!" connor shrieked, leaping off henrik's lap to join his sister on the floor. jamie turned to henrik and marvin with raised eyebrows, slightly taken aback and completely astonished.

"she knows a lot about sonic," chase whispered, sitting down beside them. "it's her favourite thing. one of my favourite things to do is ask her any question about it and listen to her ramble. it's so sweet. hey, lou!" louise turned round to look at him, a chocolate bar hanging out her mouth. chase grinned. "tell us some more about shadow and maria."

louise's eyes lit up. "oh! ok! well, maria was the granddaughter of this guy called gerald robotnik, who's eggman's grandfather, and gerald, kinda, he created shadow as an experiment to help maria, who was really sick…"

it was maybe ten minutes before henrik went to go make some hot chocolate for everyone, and then shouted out in surprise. "hey, what the f- what are these pumpkins doing here?"

"oh!" chase yelped, leaping to his feet. "i completely forgot! guys, guys, i said i was gonna get pumpkins for us to carve and i did! jamie, come see, we're carving pumpkins!"

and he had indeed bought pumpkins. connor and louise had each already picked one out, and jamie, henrik and marvin made a big show of arguing over the others, which really made the kids laugh. as they set up plastic bags all over the living room floor, jamie began to get really excited. he knew that he has carved a pumpkin in his introduction video that jack made, the video that had been deleted minutes after being uploaded with only anti able to recover it, but jamie didn't remember it. the weight of the pumpkin didn't feel familiar in his hands. smooth, slightly wet. the sensation was kind of awful. but jamie wasn't about to tell anyone else that. the kids were enjoying themselves, and he wasn't about to ruin that.

"now we draw faces and whatnot on them," chase said, pulling some sharpies from his pocket and tossing them in the air. "let's go, gamers. con, lou, i'll help if you need any. are you doing scary face or silly face? i can do both."

it was nearly seven o'clock now. jamie wasn't sure why, but he found something felt so off with every line he drew on the pumpkin's surface. a strange feeling of deja vu. which was ridiculous, of course. jameson hadn't ever carved a pumpkin.

"ok, now the cutting!" chase announced cheerfully. too cheerfully for the words he was saying. even in context, jamie felt sick. "louise and connor, you are absolutely not doing this part yourselves. henrik, can you - thank you, thanks. looking fantastic, jamie! how are you enjoying your carving experience?"

jamie managed to smile as he looked up, head bobbing like a doll. "good," he signed, dropping his pen. he noticed connor had gone with a scary face with gnashing teeth, and louise had gone with a cheery face with squinty eyes. "they look great, kids."

"thank you, jam-jam!" connor squealed in a silly voice, with louise repeating right after. jamie laughed silently, feeling his head spin.

"you know how to carve it, right, james?" marvin asked. jamie jumped at his voice. marvin had pulled his hair back into a bun, a sharpie behind his ear. his grin faded slightly. "are you ok? you look a little pale."

"fine," jamie signed. he picked up the knife.

he picked up the knife

he picked up the k

"come on, dapper. you just - cut right here." anti's voice, free from static. warm and irish. "you can do it, dap. i believe in you."

blood blood blood blood blood bl

"dapper - dapper, look up. come on, you useless fuck - don't - oh, don't pass out. i'm right fucking here."

blood blood blood

"hey, dap. you're doing good. keep a hold on that knife now, eh? don't let anyone sneak up on you. always be on the lookout, that's my motto."

blood

"hey, dapper ----. look up, lift your chin."

anti's face swam into view. he looked younger. stubble on his face, shorter, less curly hair, thick gauges in his ears. a black scarf wrapped tightly around his neck. he flashed a forced smile, showing sharp fangs. "there we go. stay still and let me get these bandages on you. i'm sure you're tired, having used so much magic to keep yourself alive." he laughed hoarsely, shaking his head. "a time traveler. i can't believe ---- sent me a time traveler. ha, happy one year death anniversary to us, ----, thank you for this lovely present -"

he was more talking to himself now. dapper ---- was happy to let him. this man was kind, helping to fix up his wounds. anti - his name was anti, right? - gently wrapped the bandages round his cleaned throat. his fingers were cold. so were his eyes. dapper ---- couldn't tell what colour they were, but they looked like ice. when their eyes met, he felt a shiver go down his spine.

"look at you," anti murmured, and he smoothed dapper ----'s hair from his face. it felt nice, and he leaned into the touch. anti hummed softly. "look at you. my time traveler. so much untapped power. i think we're gonna have fun, dapper ----." he smirked. "ha, maybe i should come up with a better name. dapper's a shit name. and as funny as it would be to call you ----, i think i'd have to kill you. look up, dap-dap. ok, nevermind, that's an awful nickname. dapper it is."

he took his hands away and leaned back, studying him. they looked so alike. twins, almost. dapper ---- lifted his hands to his neck to grace the bandages, wincing. anti watched him.

"thank you," dapper ---- signed.

anti frowned. "what's that sign?" he repeated it after him, placing his hand to his chin and extending it outwards. "i don't know any bsl."

dapper tried to mouth the words, but he wasn't used to moving his mouth to form words, and he knew he looked clumsy. "thank you," he signed again, trying to make his tongue go to the right places. anti's eyes widened in understanding, and he signed it too, both of them moving in unison.

"ok, cool!" anti beamed. he made the sign again. "i should learn bsl. might come in handy, and i suppose if i have to put up with you, i might as bloody well. oh, don't look so put out, dap." anti tilted his head and his smile faded to a more genuine state, less forced. "i suppose a weapon like you is worth learning a language for."

"jamie, jamie, jamie - look up, hey. it's just me, be - be careful, drop that knife. drop that knife, james. look up. look up at me."

his hands were covered in - no, they weren't covered in blood, they weren't, they weren't. they were shaking. just shaking. pale, white hands. silver knife. dapper knew what silver looked like.

"jamie." warm and irish. not anti. of course not anti. dapper would never hear anti's voice again. "jamie. hey - chase, get the kids upstairs. pumpkin's are basically done anyway. jameson, hey, it's me. it's marvin. henrik's here too. can you look up, hon? come on, it's ok, you're ok. just us."

just them. kitten, doctor, jinx, dapper, and the gunman's children. six peas in a pod. he was going to be sick.

"fine," he signed numbly. "i'm fine. i'm fine."

once upon a time there was a scared time traveler without a voice and without a soul of his own, born into a world that wanted him dead from the beginning, a world that he came into bleeding, a world that knew the pain that was in store and tried to end it for him early, a world that was cold but contained a brother who spoke in lies and said he loved him, said he was safe, anti, i was never safe and you are a fucking fool, why did you let me save myself, why do i have to still love you?

"i want this to stop," dapper signed, jameson signed, damien signed, mustache signed, anti signed, what was his fucking name again? "i'm just tired. i'm sorry."

"that's ok," kitten - marvin - murmured softly. he touched dapper's - jameson's, jamie's - hand just slightly, grounding him. "we're here. it's ok. it's ok."

it wasn't ok. it was never ok.

-

that night, jamie awoke with a nightmare.

he wasn't sure what it was, just that when he sat up in bed, his heart was racing loudly in his ears and he was sweating, breathing hard like he'd been running. maybe he had, in his dream. a few minutes passed before he slipped out of bed and padded down to the kitchen to get a drink of water. he definitely needed one.

he couldn't believe he'd lost it like that. in front of the kids, as well - jamie had never been so ashamed of himself. just from holding a knife! he shook his head in disgust, balling his fists up and digging his uneven nails into his palms. it was pathetic how easily upset he was. how easy it was to become silly, naive little dapper again. some days he wondered if he was even jameson jackson at all.

he got a drink. a cup of water, then another, to soothe his pounding headache. his whole body felt slightly numb, and in the silence of the house, he could hear his slightly wheezing breaths. he drank more water. his chest felt that little bit looser.

then something crashed outside and jamie was up like a shot.

he could hear someone just outside the front door. someone scrabbling to pick something up, someone groaning and making small, pained noises. jamie's heart raced as he marched to the door, hand on the lock. he realized he wasn't armed. didn't have a knife on him like he usually did. always be on the lookout, was his motto.

well, if there was anything jamie had learned from being dapper, it was that anything could work as a weapon if you were caught off guard. he grabbed the broom that was leaning on the sideboard and threw the door open, jabbing the handle out the door to hit whatever intruder might be there. instead, he heard someone gasp loudly, and just managed to see a glitching flash of light before the person scrambled to the side of the door, just barely out of jamie's line of sight. they'd left a bag on the ground. a black and white flying tiger bag - one of jamie's favourite stores back when he was dapper. he picked it up, not looking to his left to see the intruder. he could hear them breathing. jamie peeked inside the bag, blocking everything else out as he looked.

a black sketchbook. a black sketchbook and a plastic container of greyscale markers. not only that, but there was a millie's cookies bag, containing what jamie knew to be a deluxe rainbow cookie. anti had always joked about the irony of them being his favourite. he laughed silently and opened the sketchbook to the first page. inside, scribbled in the top left corner, was the word "payback" with a small >:) face next to it.

jamie could see anti out the corner of his eye, still pressed against the wall. he didn't look at him. instead, he pulled his phone from his pocket - thank the gods he'd fallen asleep in his clothes - and quickly opened his text to speech app. there was an awkward pause while he did so, and for a moment jamie was afraid anti would bolt regardless of whether he was still there. but then it loaded and he wrote what he had to say, fingers flying across the keyboard, and held the phone up for the other man to hear.

thank you for the present. and thank you for having the sense to not try and deliver it until you thought i was asleep, even if you are a dumbass and alerted me anyway. night, anti.

anti didn't reply, of course. jamie didn't look at him. he simply closed the door and went back inside.

-

"evening, auggie! you're back early, i thought you were having a halloween celebration or something."

anti rolled his eyes at the sound of his roommate's voice. it was coming from the kitchen, so anti shrugged his jacket off and went straight to his room instead. carlos followed him. "hey, where you going? it's an all hallow's eve full moon, mate! come on, have a drink or something."

anti flipped him off. carlos pouted, sticking his already very pointy chin out further. he looked a lot like shaggy from scooby doo, anti thought, and tried not to laugh at the thought.

carlos held up a hand before turning and darting into the living room, coming out a moment later with a notebook and pen. "gotta keep one of these handy at all times, huh?" he laughed, snorting. anti resisted the urge to roll his eyes again, and carlos collected himself. "so. were you at a halloween party or something?"

anti frowned and began to write. no, why the fuck would i be? do i look like i go to holiday themed parties?

carlos raised his hands. "ok, ok. you left with a bag, and also you asked if we owned "wrapping paper or some fucking shit along those line, maybe even a bloody bow at the very least" earlier, so i assumed you were going to a party."

who the fuck gives presents for halloween???

carlos shrugged. "i dunno, you?"

anti sighed deeply. it's my brother's birthday, fuck's sake. can you move out my way so i can go to my room please?

"what - oh hey, no, stay and have a drink!" carlos protested, moving to block anti's way again. "come on, august, you're no fun. anyway, if it's your brother's birthday, why didn't you stay and celebrate with him? it looks like you just dropped his present and bolted."

anti snorted. basically. we're not on the best of terms. he wouldn't have wanted to see me. also, i can't drink. i'm fairly certain i've told you this.

carlos shook his hair out his face, scratching the back of his neck. "why'd you give him a present then? also, i know you can drink because you bought like, three bottles of jack daniel's a week or so ago, you're talking pish. now stop being antisocial and have fun for once."

anti's pen scribbled across the page. i have epilepsy, you bastard. also, i don't have to explain myself to you. so go away.

carlos crossed his arms. "this is my flat. you're the one who's paying to stay here. also, also, you probably shouldn't be drinking if that's a trigger for your epilepsy or whatever? that's not a good idea? why would you do that to yourself, anyway?"

because i hate myself. also, you pay to stay here too. you just paid first.

he tried to push by carlos, but the man spread his arms out to block his way, a cheeky grin on his face. anti wanted to hit him. "now now, auggie, i am not letting you spend the rest of your night being depressed in your room. you do that every night. even if you don't drink, come and sit in the living room at least! i was planning to invite some friends round if that's ok by you. it'll be fun!"

anti clenched his fists, face twitching before he calmed himself enough to write again. i'd rather sleep for twelve hours than watch you make out with your partners all night. if you aren't going to move i will fucking stab you and i am not joking.

to anti's absolute rage, carlos just laughed upon reading what he'd written. "you're funny, aug. and they have names, you know. johanna and robert. they're cool people! you might like them." he raised an eyebrow, showing his palms to the ceiling. "johanna's a firefighter, and robert collects knives. you like knives, right? i think you could be friends."

anti tried to keep ahold of his anger, but really, he was still partially in a good mood from jameson accepting his present, and he was also too tired to do much. he sank into himself, blowing the air out his cheeks. i don't want to, ok? not tonight.

carlos sighed. "i - sure. sure. but mate, you really have to stop isolating yourself. i'll admit i don't know a lot about you, but i'd like to, you know? you seem like a cool guy." he stepped aside, leaving room for anti to go into his room. then he widened his eyes, and held up a hand. "wait! let me show you what i learned." he pinched his thumb and pointer finger together in an open and closed motion in front of his face. the sign for "talk." then carlos frowned. "i, uh, forgot the sign for "later." i swear i learned it. i'm trying to learn, like, basic phrases. here, i can -" he held up his hands and signed each letter of the word "later," grinning proudly once he'd finished.

anti blinked in surprise. he wasn't even sure what to say - the fact that this man he barely knew was doing anything for him was amazing. slowly, hesitantly, he put out his pointer finger and dragged it through the air, pausing a couple of times. "later." carlos repeated after him. he smiled wide.

"cool!" he breathed, signing the full phrase. "i should definitely learn more bsl. might as well if i'm gonna be putting up with you, eh, august?" he laughed and stepped back, nearly walking into the living room doorway. "thanks. you're cool, mate."

anti just nodded. then he turned and went into the darkness of his room.

he didn't want to turn the light on. it was far too quiet, so he threw himself down on his bed and put his headphones on, staring out the window. carlos had been right - there was a full moon. a full moon on halloween. strange. that almost never happened.

anti's heart was racing and he wasn't sure why. he placed his fingers on his wrist to check his pulse, then on the area behind his ears. why was he suddenly so worked up? he almost laughed. it was always the littlest things these days. always the littlest things.

he closed his eyes and listened to the music in his ears.

-

kazuki kamata was an unusual woman.

anyone who knew her would tell you that. while she was kind, she was also sometimes merciless, and would do almost anything for those she cared about. she was a protector. she was fire and she was ice. no one knew where she went at nights when she left hecate. no one knew who her friends or family were. no one knew if kazuki was even her real name. some speculated she was on the run for murder. one man swore he heard a rumor that she was a world famous arsonist.

kazuki never indulged any of these rumors. she'd never needed to. people parted for her in the streets, magicians or not. people could sense her power. who would dare argue with that? no one with sense. no one ever challenged her.

until him. that skinny, green haired bastard that one of kazuki's magicians had brought in one day, the hyper irishman who apparently had no magic specialty and just did whatever the fuck he wanted. marvin mcloughlin. kazuki disliked him from the start. he was a dickhead and he didn't follow rules, he was arrogant and selfish and loud and he was an embarrassment to their organization. she couldn't count the amount of times naomi gudmundson, the poor agrokinesis girl, had come to her office to apologize for his behaviour without his knowledge. he was, to be frank, a fucking idiot. and kazuki was sick of him.

she planned to give him a notice of leave, informing him that he would no longer be welcome in their organization. it was a few days or so before she was going to do it when she found the man in the stairwell of one of their halls, curled in on himself and sobbing. kazuki had just waited to see if he'd notice her there, because what else was she supposed to do? eventually he'd glanced up, gasping at the sight of her. "i - i - miss kazuki, uh, miss kamata!" he'd spluttered, scrubbing fat tears from his splotchy red face. "i'm - i should - i'm sorry, i'll go, didn't mean to disturb -"

"it's ok," she'd said softly. to his disbelief, and her own, she'd sat down on the step next to him, wincing at the cold, hard floor under her. she shifted, trying to get comfortable. "are you alright, mr mcloughlin?"

he'd shook his head, sniffling and desperately trying to cover up his face while he wiped it off. "i'm fine," he muttered, turning away. "it's nothing, i'm ok. you should probably go. i'm sure you have important hecate work to do or some shit."

kazuki narrowed her eyes. "i'd kindly thank you not to curse like that in my presence, mcloughlin. i don't take well to such disrespect."

marvin had flushed, shoulders shooting to his ears. "sorry," he mumbled. "very sorry. i don't - i don't mean to be rude."

his face crumpled further, and he buried his face in his knees, shaking slightly. kazuki found herself softening. she knew she shouldn't. she knew she should get to her feet and leave before something happened that she would regret. but she didn't. "tell me what's wrong, mr mcloughlin," she murmured. the air around them seemed to thicken, and marvin sat up slightly, shaking his head and blinking rapidly as though it would stem the rapid flow of tears.

"had a fight with my brother and his friends," he mumbled. "it's - it's so stupid. i'm sorry, i'm - i'm really sorry!"

he gave a gasping sob and doubled over, shoulders shaking. kazuki screwed up her face. fuck, but she had no clue what to do. the kid was having a full blown panic attack from the looks of it. should she… without thinking, she stretched out a hand and touched his shoulder, warm magic flowing through her hand. "you're ok," she reassured, watching his turquoise eyes calm. "you're alright. what were you fighting about?"

he shook his head. "dumb shit. my brother's friend h-henrik, he got hurt recently and he hates me, and yet jackie - my brother - he gets mad at me when i get on at him, but he's such a p-prick and his brother used to like me b-before i met henrik but now he's - he's mad at me too, they all are. assholes." he let a hiccuping sob that sounded almost like a laugh. "i sound like such a ch-child, i'm sorry. i'm just really tired. i'm sorry. i'm always such a dick and i don't mean to, i'm just really angry all the time and i don't know why and i'm sorry, i really don't mean to be -"

he gasped, and kazuki gripped his arm tightly. "breathe," she said quietly. "you're going to pass out if you don't calm down."

"please don't kick me out!" he blurted, more tears pooling in his eyes. slit eye pupils, like a cat's. diamond shaped. kazuki had never noticed that. "please, i know you're going to kick me out of hecate and i really don't want to - to go, i - please, i promise i'll stop being an asshole and i won't pick fights with raymond and i'll -" he coughed wildly, covering his mouth. "i'm so sorry. i've b-been acting like a child. i promise you i'll be better."

and it was then that kazuki came to a quiet realization.

"you can stay," she said firmly, and marvin's face lit up. she held up a hand to stop him. "but you do have to promise that you'll be more careful of your words and actions in the future. we've had several complaints about you from other members, and if you don't change your ways i'm afraid i will have to do something about it. do you understand?"

he nodded frantically, a smile cracking his face. "yes, of course - thank you, thank you so much." he wiped his face with his sleeve again, sniffling. "i - i don't want to leave this place. it's basically been my escape from home when i'm not with naomi, and i wouldn't want to lose it. really, i… i don't mean to be a dick. i promise."

kazuki learned something that day. and what she learned was that no matter how hard she tried, she was always going to come back to love. she was always going to feel empathy, she was always going to want to comfort people who were hurting, and there was a part of her that was always going to feel so painfully human. she saw herself in this young, green haired magician. and she unfortunately grew to care about him as time passed. even once she'd discovered he'd been practicing darker magics and made him promise to stop. even once he'd left hecate. she was so human sometimes. it was nice to be reminded of that.

tonight, back in the present, she was thinking about him.

she did that sometimes. it made her wonder how things might have been if she had been different towards marvin. if she had been less cold. kazuki didn't like to be close to people. kazuki didn't want to let herself care about anyone. she thought maybe, if she stayed indifferent, she'd stop. but… she hadn't, had she? she loved marvin. he was like a dumbass child who cursed a lot and interrupted meetings and made a nuisance of himself. and she loved him. he reminded her... he reminded her of her brother who she'd lost so long ago.

she suddenly remembered his book of magic. the one he'd given to her in exchange for her help all those months ago. she still had it in her drawers in her office, right at the back of the one on the bottom. really, she shouldn't have taken it from him in the first place. "you're an idiot, kazuki," she sang to herself under her breath as she pulled the key off the chain on her neck. "you never know what you want."

the drawer was empty.

kazuki stared into it. the drawer was empty. the drawer couldn't be empty.

she stood and marched briskly out her office, heart racing but face void of emotion. she was good at that. "alana!" she snapped, and the purple haired magician who had been walking by stopped dead with wide eyes. kazuki frowned down at her. "have you seen anyone come into my office at all today?"

alana shook her head. "no, miss kamata. only you."

kazuki's heart skipped. "alana. what do you mean, only me?"

the girl looked confused. "you were here earlier, miss kamata. you told me and tony to look alive, i believe? why?"

kazuki just shook her head. she couldn't breathe all of a sudden.

"because i haven't been here all day," she murmured, far too quietly.

it seemed the past was catching up to her.

-

"this is perfect!" rhea cackled. she was spinning in a circle with the book clutched to her chest. "so much magic, so many spells! can you believe that air magic bitch kept it in a drawer in her office? fucking sentimental sap. shouldn't make things so easy to get to."

"ok, and was risking our fucking lives worth that stupid book?" aaron suddenly spat from the couch he was curled up on. jackie flinched. rhea did not. she stopped spinning and glared at him, eyes narrowing with venom.

"it was, actually," she said, her light tone contrasting with her ice cold expression. "jackie's brother is extremely powerful and he has basically every spell he knows in this book. is that correct, jackie?" she turned to him, and jackie took an instinctive step back. "tell your boyfriend that i'm right."

jackie… honestly wasn't sure what rhea wanted with marvin's magic. however, it had been her idea to sneak into hecate and steal it while jackie and aaron kept watch, and the plan has worked, so he supposed no losses had been made. but it seemed aaron has taken this as a personal attack. "you fucking asshole," the blonde hissed, suddenly getting to his feet. "do you have any goddamn care for anyone but yourself?"

jackie laughed nervously, raising his hands. "guys, let's not do this."

they both ignored him. "you're a selfish fucking cunt and all you want is to use us for your gain," aaron seethed, his face red with sudden anger. "we could have gotten in big trouble - breaking into a place like hecate is no fucking joke, rhea, and we're not up for playing your games anymore. tell her that, jackson!"

rhea smiled at aaron cruelly, not an ounce of warmth in her face. "i'm apparently doing a better job of protecting you two than you are," she beamed, voice strained with a thin veil of rage. "you're completely incompetent without someone to guide you. i'm trying to help you and have been from the goddamn start. you would have fucking died without me and i'm honestly starting to wish i had let you."

jackie jumped in before punches could be thrown. "guys!" he shouted, pushing them both away from each other. "you're being fucking ridiculous. rhea, explain why you needed us to get marvin's magic when we already have access to basically all his black magic spells. aaron, you…" he hesitated. "you just… calm down."

aaron spluttered while rhea sat on her couch nearest the window. "ok," she smirked, folding her legs under her. "your brother is an extremely powerful mage, jackie. and while his black magic is strong, the rest of his magic is stronger."

"nothing is stronger than black magic," aaron said through gritted teeth. jackie took his hand and ran his thumb along the back of it soothingly.

rhea cocked her head. "and that's where you're wrong. white magic can be just as powerful, if not more. see, aaron, you're like - you know how in movies there's the dumb guy who always tries to solve his problems by using brute force, and it works for a little while, but then the smart character comes in and uses their brains to solve everything?" she pointed at him with an innocent smile. "you're the dumb guy."

jackie pushed aaron back down before he could do anything he probably wouldn't regret. "let's not poke sticks right now, huh?" he said, shooting the last word at rhea. "explain what you mean, please."

she sighed. "there is no concrete line between black and white magic," she said. "and there is no actual hierarchy of magical strength. it all depends on who's controlling it, who's magic it began as, and how the spell is conducted, among many other things. it's not just "what the spell is." if it were that simple, any magician could shift as well as me, or i could bend air as well as that japanese magician." she paused to take a breath. "point is, this magic stems from a very powerful man, which would make the spells powerful. we could use these."

"and it was worth our lives?" aaron interjected smoothly.

rhea snorted. "yours, maybe."

"rhea," jackie snapped. "aaron is my boyfriend, and if you want my help, you'll have to deal with him too."

"i can fight my own bloody fights," aaron spat, pushing jackie's hand away. he glared at rhea with murder in his eyes before turning back to jackie. "and what, am i just an accessory to you? something to be dealt with? i'm a human person, jackson, and i demand respect."

rhea scoffed. "i don't know that you deserve it."

"guys," jackie protested. "aaron, just shut up -"

"you're supposed to be defending me!" aaron shouted, whirling round on him. "i'm your boyfriend, i've known you for a year now, you just met her like three weeks ago! you - don't - you're gonna trust her opinion over mine?"

jackie shook his head. "it's not like that," he said weakly. "but we need rhea on our side -"

"i don't trust her and i've made that plainly clear!" aaron despaired, grabbing jackie's shoulders without warning. "please, listen to me -"

"aaron - aaron, let go -"

"you don't believe me! i'm not just being paranoid!"

"aaron -"

"you never listen to me, you fucking asshole, i'm trying to warn you -"

"aaron, shu̸t ̸uṕ͜!"

the sudden wave of panicked magic nearly knocked him out. he staggered back, clutching his head, before he noticed what he'd done. aaron was swaying on the spot, eyes wide, mouth hanging open. jackie's heart dropped. no, no, not again, not again -

"aaron - shit, i didn't - didn't mean it," he choked out, wrapping his arms around himself. "shit -"

"oh, well done," came rhea's voice. he turned to her, vision blurred with tears, to see she'd stood up again and was now beside him, a small smile on her face. "you know, jackson, i didn't think you were the type to hypno your own boyfriend. that takes guts."

"accident," jackie sobbed. "it was an accident -"

"but you wanted to do it," she said quietly. she took his hand, and her face softened. "you wanted to hypnotize him to make him shut up. i don't blame you. you know i'm right and you feel bad because your boyfriend doesn't believe that i'm to be trusted. it must hurt. but i understand."

she pulled him into a gentle hug, facing him away from aaron so he couldn't see his face. jackie stared numbly out the living room window as rhea pat his back, speaking softly. "this is a very hard situation for you. i get it. but… you're gonna have to admit it. aaron isn't good for you. he's just holding you back."

"he's my boyfriend," jackie mumbled into her shoulder. "and he's my best friend. i love him. he's never once held me back from anything and i love him."

rhea pulled away. she studied jackie's face for a moment, expression blank. then she shrugged. "ok. well, i made you a profile on my netflix. i set your picture as the blue wally guy from black mirror because i thought it was funny. watch whatever you want, i don't judge. i'm going to my room. see you tomorrow, jackson."

she skipped out the room, jackie staring after her.

#jacksepticeye #boop writes #jameson jackson #marvin the magnificent #chase brody #jackieboy man #henrik von schneeplestein #antisepticeye #aaron mckenzie #rhea maclaren #the fall

[bookworlders]

don’t overthink

a/n: this was supposed to be a one-shot, but i can’t freaking let these characters go, so here it is — self-indulgent fluff

part 1, part 2 (nsfw-ish)

So she hadn’t slept in her own room in over a week.

That was fine, right? Annabeth pondered as she stirred her coffee. She had taken over their kitchen counter as her makeshift drafting table, blueprints and pencils and rulers spread out and covering every surface. She had a huge project due tomorrow at her first class on Monday so today was going to be dedicated solely to schoolwork.

Annabeth had meant to spread her work out over the weekend, but she and Percy had ended up spending all of Saturday at the park with their friends. Then his mom had invited her and Percy over for dinner that night, and Annabeth would never ever say no to Sally Jackson. When they returned to their apartment near campus, she and Percy had gotten wine drunk and had sex and fallen asleep in his bed.

Just friends, right? Annabeth buried her face in her hands. Percy was in the shower, and this was the first time she was able to have a moment to herself to think. She was supposed to be thinking about her big design project, but her thoughts strayed to her best friend who she heard singing in the shower.

Ugh, life was so so good right now. For the first time ever. She loved their group of friends. She loved spending time with Percy. She loved living with Percy. Their arrangement had seemed perfect, as long as feelings didn’t get involved. Because feelings equal mess, and with Annabeth’s rigorous classes and internship and Percy’s swim team schedule, they both had no time for mess.

Yet, she hadn’t slept in her own room for a week. Last weekend, Annabeth had ambushed Percy after swim practice and she spent the night in his bed and they cuddled in the morning. She had been terrified of things being awkward when they got up and returned to real life. But no, Percy made her blue chocolate chip pancakes like he always did, and they ate breakfast and watched cartoons in their living room.

That night, after Annabeth had brushed her teeth and put her pajamas on, Percy had pulled her into his room. He didn’t say anything, neither did she as she climbed under his covers and curled into his side. The next night Percy wordlessly climbed into her bed and spooned her after getting home late from swim practice. The night after that, Annabeth made spaghetti for dinner and they wordlessly went to sleep together.

They often communicated without words, roommate telepathy she decided — like when Percy knew exactly when she wanted to leave a party just from the glance she’d send him and how Annabeth knew exactly when to to distract him with a funny story from her day when he was feeling stressed just from his body language. They both knew that they slept better with each other at their sides, all warm and tangled up together under the covers.

Annabeth had awoken extra early that morning, extracting herself carefully out of Percy’s warm embrace and set up camp at the kitchen counter. She needed to get this done, but she could not for the life of her stop thinking about Percy.

Annabeth heard the shower shut off. She chugged the rest of her coffee. A few moments later, Percy padded into the kitchen, dark curls glistening and a towel around his neck.

“Morning, ‘Beth.”

“Good morning,” Annabeth said, trying to sound calm and breezy. She didn’t. Percy shot her a look.

She ignored it, and pushed a mug of coffee towards him. She made it just how he liked it — two sugars and enough milk so it didn’t even taste like coffee anymore.

“Thanks,” Percy said, taking a sip and hopping up on the barstool next to her at their kitchen counter. “You were up early.”

“I need to finish these blueprints before tomorrow, and they’re just taking forever,” Annabeth unrolled one and used her empty mug as a paper weight. The other corner began rolling back up, but Percy held it down.

“Where’s your drafting table?”

“It’s in my room, but there’s just no space to set it up.” Annabeth began sketching.

“You need an office.”

Annabeth scoffed, “Yeah, let me just turn our coat closet into an office. Honestly, we’re really luck we found an apartment in Manhattan that has a closet.” She erased one of the lines she drew. Percy nursed his coffee, alternating the mugs between his hands so he could keep a hand on the edges of her blueprints that kept furling back up. Annabeth was grateful for the help, and it was few moments of them quietly working together before Percy broke the silence. 

“What about your room? That can be your office.”

“There’s no room with my bed in the way.”

“Then let’s get rid of your bed, isn’t your mattress just borrowed from Thalia anyway?”

Annabeth’s hand paused over her pencil. She looked at Percy, who was stirring his coffee.

“But then where would I sleep.” She asked slowly.

Percy took a swig from his mug, “My room.”

“Percy—”

“Annabeth,” Percy said, still staring at his coffee, “Last night, at my mom’s, I saw how you were playing with my baby sister and how happy you made my mom when you guys were chatting, and I was looking at you three last night and I just remember thinking, ‘Wow, those are my girls.”

“Percy,” Annabeth didn’t know what she wanted to say.

“I know we said we’d just be roommates, but we became friends anyway and that worked out fine, right? And then we started sleeping together, and that’s been awesome. But yesterday, at the park, when you made that stupid, dirty joke about Jason’s professor, I just wanted to lean over and kiss you. But I couldn’t. Why can I only kiss you when we’re alone in our apartment?”

“Because the rules—”

“Fuck the rules, Annabeth. I want to kiss you in front of our friends at the park. I want to kiss you when you rant about books when we’re studying in the library. I want to kiss you when I see you cheering in the stands at my swim meets in front of the whole crowd to see. I want to kiss you right now.”

Percy tangled his fingers in her hair, leaning in, his lips not touching hers yet, “Don’t you?”

Annabeth wrapped her arms around his neck, murmuring, “All the time.” She pressed her lips against his like her life depended on it. Percy deepened the kiss before pulling away. Annabeth kept her arms around his neck, leaning her forehead against his. This was the first time they kissed outside of the context of their friends-with-benefits hookups, and it felt so right.

When Annabeth opened her eyes, she muttered, “So what does this mean.”

“I don’t want you to overthink,” Percy murmured.

“But what are we now?”

“That’s exactly why I don’t want you to overthink things. We don’t have to be anything.”

“So we’re just roommates who—”

“Who happen to be best friends and who happen to sleep in the same bed—”

“And who happen to have sex—”

“Yeah,” Percy said, with a shrug, “And who happen to be in love with each other.”

Annabeth smiled against his lips, “Did you just say you love me?”

Percy grinned, “Yeah, kind of a lot. I’m in love with you, Chase.”

Annabeth laughed, her hand sliding down and resting on his chest, “I love you, too. So what now? I have to get rid of my bed?”

“I mean, only if you want to.”

Annabeth grinned, “I don’t know, I did see this gorgeous desk at IKEA and it would look great next to my night stand.”

Percy stole a kiss, “Actually, I take it back, this is not worth a trip to Brooklyn.”

“And since we’ll be at IKEA anyway, we need to get a new duvet.”

“What’s wrong with my duvet?”

“Drool stains.”

#mywriting #percabeth #fanfiction #friends with benefits au #roommates au #percy jackson #annabeth chase

[lvllns]

confectioners sugar (1/?)

welcome to the neighborhood | fenris x penelope hawke. modern au. 2.4k words.

additional notes: both hawke and fenris are demi, just throwing that out there right now. background relationships will be added to the tags as they become relevant. this is kind of a messy first chapter but it’s gotta start somewhere, yeah?

[read on ao3]

Meeting Fenris for the first time goes like this: Penelope isn’t paying attention to her surroundings and she opens a door right into his face.

It isn’t her fault, not entirely. Her phone is going off in her back pocket, a near constant stream of dings, and she is going to murder everyone when she sees them tomorrow night. The constant notifications paired with the fact that she’s juggling a ridiculous number of bags that are mostly filled with canned pumpkin means Penelope is only half paying attention when she kicks the door to her apartment complex open.

There’s a muffled oof and she squeaks. Looks up and finds herself face-to-face with an elf who is gingerly touching his nose.

“Oh fuck,” she says. “Sorry, are you alright?”

He blinks at her and his eyes are very green. Muted green. Green like pines in the winter, when everything is a little bit foggy and desaturated and soft.

“I, yes, I am alright,” he wiggles his nose, eyes crossing as he looks down before he clears his throat and meets her gaze. “Are you alright?”

She was not expecting that voice from him. It’s deep, a little rough around the edges, and it seems to rumble from his chest when he speaks.

Penelope’s phone dings again. “Fine, fine, I’m just planning on how to best murder my friends,” she grins wide and his eyes drop to her mouth. More likely her teeth. The canines a little too sharp to be human, not sharp enough to be elven. Her smile dims a little and she shakes her head.

“I hate to be the one to tell you this,” he takes a step back, holds the door so she can move by him and actually get into the building. “But the elevator is broken.”

“Of course it is,” she sets the bags down on the ground. Pinches the bridge of her nose and groans. “It was working when I left, damn it.”

He moves and she looks over. Watches as he kicks a leg up on the wall, folds his arms over his chest and cocks his head. He’s not much taller than she is, an inch or two maybe. Strands of chalk-white hair poke out from underneath a beanie, which sits above his ears. His skin is dark, freckles dust his cheeks like stars, and there are silvery lines on his chin that drip down his neck.

He rolls his shoulders. “What floor do you live on?”

“Six,” she groans, head tipping forward.

Hawke’s phone dings again.

He chuckles, a soft thing that hardly breaks the silence.

“Hand me a bag or two,” he reaches out a hand, palm down. There are bright lines along the back of it, twisting around tendons.

“I — What?”

He huffs a breath through his nose. “I will carry some of those ridiculous bags full of canned pumpkin, if you’d like the help.”

“Oh, I, are you sure?” He nods, one corner of his mouth lifts. “It’s just, I kind of kicked a door open into your face…”

He shrugs broad shoulders. “No harm done,” he pauses. Seems to consider something and his gaze cuts away from her to the wall at her back. “Ah, unless...I do not wish to make you uncomfortable.”

Penelope folds her fingers up. Clenches her hands into fists until her nails prick at her palms. “You don’t, it’s fine, I just,” now it’s her turn to shrug. “Don’t want to impose, I guess.”

One dark brow quirks. “I did offer.”

“That you did,” she laughs. “Alright,” picks up a couple bags and offers them to him. His fingers touch hers, just for a moment, barely long enough to register that he is exceptionally cold, and then the sensation is gone. A gust of breath on the wind. She smiles. “I’m Hawke, by the way.”

He hums and places himself half a step behind her as they head up the stairs. “An interesting name,” he smiles, a small thing, and Penelope finds herself matching it. “I am Fenris.”

“Well Fenris, it’s lovely to meet you even if it’s because I almost broke your nose.”

He snorts. “You do kick hard Hawke.”

Penelope laughs and winks at him. “When did you move in?”

“Three days ago.”

They pass two more flights bouncing between casual conversation and companionable silence. It’s easier, carrying only two bags full of ingredients, and neither of them falter. Her phone dings four times in rapid succession and she snorts. Fenris glances at her, eyes curious. Penelope remembers she has a free hand now and reaches back to slip her phone from the pocket of her jeans.

“Group chat, although the last dozen texts seem to all be from Isabela,” she mutters and clicks her phone onto silent before tucking it away again.

“I assume that has something to do with all the pumpkin you bought?”

“Peripherally, kind of,” Hawke shrugs. “It’s...my brother is a firefighter and he finally has time off, him and his,” she cuts herself off. Looks at Fenris and then turns her eyes forward. “Him and his partner,” she watches out of the corner of her eye but Fenris just nods. A little bit of tension slithers from between her shoulder blades. “Anyway, they both love my pumpkin pie bars and so I’m going to make them a few huge trays to bring them tomorrow,” he hums. “It all connects because my brother, Carver, said he was looking forward to tomorrow night and now I guess Isabela has taken it upon herself to blow up the group chat.”

“Does she do that frequently?”

“Yes,” Hawke groans and shakes her head.

“And you do not have it set to do not disturb because…?”

Penelope gasps in mock offense. Stops walking so she can place a hand over her heart. “Fenris, are you sassing me?”

The corner of his mouth twitches. “I would never.”

They stand there, looking at each other for another minute before Hawke breaks into giggles. Fenris chuckles, the sound warm and welcome in the otherwise frigid stairwell.

“Come on, we still have three flights of stairs left,” she says, her voice thick with mirth.

He sighs and looks up. “I would hate to have you kick a door open into my nose after you climb all these stairs.”

Penelope laughs again, louder this time, and decides that she rather likes Fenris.

—

They reach the sixth floor and Fenris holds the door open for her. The hallway is only slightly warmer than the stairwell and he is glad for the beanie on his head. This Maker forsaken Marcher state is a far cry from the warmth of Tevinter and he doubts he will ever grow accustomed to it. Hawke, however, is in jeans, boots, and a light sweater like she was born for this weather.

She is...something. Fenris thinks that striking is the best word. Her face is all high cheekbones and a sharp jaw and a nose that has a bump in the middle of the bridge like it can’t quite decide if it wants to be elven or not. Her eyes are large and grey, almost silver, but there’s something under them, hidden behind layers, and he knows enough about loss and guilt to recognize it. Freckles cover the entirety of exposed skin, neck included. The rest of her is hidden by clothes but he thinks there is a solid, easy strength cloaked under the layers if the impact of the door to his face is anything to go by.

They get a few steps down the hall when Hawke freezes.

Fenris narrowly avoids crashing into her back by catching himself with a hand on her shoulder. He removes it as soon as he stops stumbling forward. “Hawke?”

“How are you with dogs?” She asks, head tilting.

He scratches at his jaw and shrugs. “I do not mind them, though I am more of a cat person.”

She hums thoughtfully. “Me too,” a nod and then she is walking again. He follows. “I only ask because Theodore may still be here, I don’t know if Carver has picked him up yet.”

“Theodore is your brother’s dog?”

She flashes him a grin over her shoulder, those shining eyes of hers glittering. “Theodore is my brother’s purebred mabari,” Fenris cocks his head. “I watch him when Carver’s at the station and then he picks him up when he’s got days off. Sometimes Bethany will watch him if she’s out of school.”

They stop walking right outside her door and she sets her bags down to rummage around for her keys. The door clicks, unlocks, and there’s no noise. Everything remains silent until he chuckles.

“I assume the lack of noise and drool means Theodore is gone?”

“Yeah, we’d both be knocked down already otherwise.”

Fenris follows her into the small apartment and he is immediately overwhelmed with the smell of lavender and sugar.

There are bookshelves tucked away up against the walls and they’re overflowing with books and trinkets. Mostly crystals, from what Fenris can see, but a few glass birds catch his eye. Plants sit tidily along windowsills and on the coffee table and on an end table. Fenris realizes, rather suddenly, that it feels like a home. His own apartment is bare, both from not having unpacked entirely yet and just not having a lot to his name, but Hawke’s...it’s warm and inviting. His nerves settle a little, a soft sigh chases tension from his shoulders as he follows behind her.

Her kitchen is small, like his own, and when they lay out all the bags on the counter, there’s almost no space left. She pulls her hoodie off and throws it over the back of a chair. His eyes catch on her arms and the freckles that cover them almost completely. They’re strong arms, muscle under skin and fat, and they confirm the easy strength. Fenris wonders if she lifts or if it’s something else entirely. Archery or just genetics maybe.

“There are cookies in those jars,” she points and he jerks his eyes from her biceps to the counter. “Biggest one is chocolate chip because all my friends are godless heathens,” Fenris laughs. Hawke smiles wide enough to show her teeth. “Medium jar is, uh, double chocolate chunk. However, it may be empty since Carver was already here. Smallest jar is shortbread.”

Fenris heads straight for the littlest jar.

“Finally, someone with good fucking taste!” Hawke says as she begins removing cans of pumpkin from bags.

“You don’t care for chocolate?” He pops a cookie in his mouth, holds it between his teeth, and steps in to help.

“Dark chocolate is okay in moderation but that’s it,” she says. “Shortbread is the best, not as sweet.”

He nods and sets cans of pumpkin on the counter until all the bags are empty. He finds they settle into an easy enough rhythm, they bump on occasion but the contact does not dig thorns into his hands or spine. Something about Hawke settles whatever anxiety he had about offering to help her. There is a wariness in his bones that will most likely always stick with him, but it fades to a manageable level as he watches her move around her kitchen.

“Well,” she places her hands on her hips. Looks from the bowls to Fenris. “You’re welcome to stay but if I’m keeping you from anything…”

He shakes his head. “You are not, I had just arrived back when you kicked the door at me.”

Hawke groans and tips her head back to stare at the ceiling. “I’m never going to live that down.”

“You are not.”

“Maker’s balls,” she chuckles. “Right, if you’re gonna stay, hand me that measuring cup?”

Fenris obliges.

And promptly loses track of time.

Hawke puts on some classical music, something he can’t put a name to, and they talk. About simple things. He learns that she also has a sister, Bethany, who is Carver’s twin. That they’re from Ferelden and they’ve only been in Kirkwall for five years. She mentions a mother and an uncle and grandparents but no father. Fenris changes the subject when he hears her voice go a little bit distant.

He tells her that he is here for work. Which isn’t entirely a lie. It’s just that he can work from anywhere, Kirkwall just happens to be where he’s stopped for the time being. Somehow they end up on the subject of languages and when Hawke finds out he’s fluent in six, she goes bug eyed and makes him promise to teach her how to swear in at least four of them.

They start talking about books and authors and Genitivi’s works until there are three trays of pumpkin pie bars on the counter and Hawke is making yet another. Fenris can feel his energy flagging. This has been more socializing than he’s done in quite some time and, while the company is more than good, it’s beginning to chip away at him.

“This has been enjoyable, but I believe I will take my leave Hawke,” he says and he offers her a smile when she looks up at him from the dough she’s mixing.

“It was wonderful meeting you, even if it did take me kicking a door into your face,” she grins and he chuckles. “I — Fenris, if you aren’t busy tomorrow, drop by The Hanged Man. We’ll all be there around eight.”

He frowns, brows pulling together. “I would not want to impose on —“

She flicks flour at him, a spray of powder off her fingertips that makes him dance away. “You wouldn’t be. We’re all gathering to eat and play cards and probably listen to Varric whine about the next bit of the campaign, but look,” she turns to face him, gaze going serious. “It’s all friends and I’m inviting you because, well, I’d say we’re friends now.”

She makes it sound so simple and maybe it is but Fenris has only had two years to shake off a past that clings to him like spiderwebs between branches.

“You hardly know me,” is what he says instead of the acceptance of her offer that scrapes at the back of his tongue.

“That’s rather the point of inviting you to game night. To get to know you more,” her face falls a little. “I really don’t want you to feel like I’m pressuring you to do anything but, the invitation stands.”

If he had any doubts that she was not genuine in her desire to simply befriend him for the sake of friendship, they vanish as she speaks. So simple, so easy. No chilled creek of water under inches of frozen ice. No, nothing sinister or double edged at all.

“I will consider it,” he smiles, a little wider this time, and says his goodbyes and leaves Hawke’s apartment feeling lighter than he has in months.

#dragon age #fenhawke #fenris x hawke #fenris x f!hawke #what the FUCK are the tags #caiti.txt #writing tag #work: confectioners sugar #au: thedas but make it modern #welcome to the modern au where i write fenris as soft as fucking possible enjoy your stay

[descendantofthesparrow]

Remember your past life - Prince! Harry Hook x Chosen Knight! Reader - part 6

=

it had been two weeks since the first incident with Harry and (y/n), and they had begun to talk more and more, well, more like talk and sign, Harry even learning ASL to speak to (y/n) easier.

the two had become close in a short amount of time, (y/n) easily becoming close with Gil and Uma as well, feeling as if she was reuniting with old friends, getting along with them easily, which was weird since their friendship was fairly new.

now (y/n) was learning new things about Harry each day. one thing she found out pretty quickly, he loved root beer floats, and cinnamon rolls, another thing was

….

Harry was a huge fucking nerd.

he would babble on and on about anything, Evie had chattered on about chemistry and science for an hour with him.

and right now, (y/n) sat as Harry was chatting about something called a hot-footed frog, which apparently could be used for potions that were able to boost the users speed.

‘oh god’ (y/n) thought, watching Harry babble about the frog to Uma, CJ just behind him, braiding a couple of white and blue flowers together ‘please don't make me eat another frog’

(y/n)s breath hitched as the world brightened around her, the flowers CJ was holding becoming insanely familiar.

you watched as Harry took pictures of the flowers surrounding you, giddily exclaiming as he found more.

“oh there's one!” he laughed, snapping a photo of some bright yellow flowers “oh! and another!” you smiled slightly as Harry took another photo, this time of a blue nightshade patch.

“The flowers we have in Saorsa* aren't jus’ beautiful, they’re also extremely useful for a variety of food and elixirs.” Harry gasped as he spotted a particular flower, a gorgeous white and blue flower that hung over itself slightly, blooming gracefully.

“this one ’ere is called the silent prince” Harry murmured, leaning forward to brush the petals with his fingertips, you leaned forward on your knees, gazing at the flower.

“it's a rare endangered species, but despite our efforts, we can't get it to grow domestically yet, the prince can only grow out here in the wild” Harry sat back on his thighs, sighing wistfully as he stared at the flower. “all that we can hope...is that it will be strong enough ta prosper on its own”

you frowned as Harry's shoulders slumped, no doubt thinking of his own struggles as his own silent prince. suddenly Harry gasped, leaping forward on his knees, scrambling to catch something, you raised your brow smiling as Harry started to babble.

“is that what I think it is...IT IS” Harry muttered giddily, turning and smiling at you “I don't believe it but I actually caught one!”

you stared at Harry's hands as he cupped something in it, slight croaking coming from within, you had a bad feeling, but you ignored it, letting Harry cheer himself up.

“this delicacy is known ta have very, very potent effects under the right circumstances” Harry grinned as he opened his hands, revealing a green and peach frog, you tilted your head, nodding for Harry to go on.

“ta-dah! research from the castle shows that ingesting one of these little guys can actually augment certain abilities!!” Harry bit his lip, watching your reaction, you nodded hesitantly, having a feeling you knew where this was going.

“we wouldn't be in a controlled environment out here, but with yer level of physical fitness you’d be a perfect candidate for the study!” Harry scooted forward on his knees, grinning giddily like a little kid, it was kinda cute, to be honest.

wait...what?!

“go on!” Harry shoved the frog in your face, you tilted backward, avoiding the frog “taste it!”

oh hell no, you stood quickly, wanting to get away from the prince and his frog. “come on (y/n) please! I'll buy you some gourmet meat!!” you stopped, breathing deep before turning back around, seeing Harry's hopeful grinning face.

sighing, you walked back over to him, signing out ‘cook it first, I'm not eating it raw’

Harry grinned, cheering “yeah!!! come on! there's a stable nearby we can cook it!” you slumped as Harry stuffed the frog in his bag, leaping onto his horse. you were going to regret this.

glancing at the silent prince once more, you thought. ‘i hope it prospers too’

“there ya go Harry! now you’re the princess of flowers!” CJ announced, plopping the crown of silent prince’s on Harry's head, Harry paused in his ramble, eyeing the petal in the corner of his eyes.

you shook your head as you came out of the daydream, it seemed so familiar, as if you had experienced it before. But you brushed it off, watching the two pirate siblings.

“CJ” Harry started, turning to look at his little sister “wha’ the fuck?”

CJ cackled “come on! you look so pretty!!” Harry sighed reaching up to take the crown off before the sound of a phone camera going off startled him.

whipping around he saw Harriet grinning at him, Evie's phone in hand. ”lookin good, princess~”

Harry's face turned red as he proceeded to rip off the flower crown, though being careful not to hurt the flowers.

Harry stood, pushing past Harriet as she laughed “come on!!! you look pretty!!” Harry stalked away, holding up his middle finger.

“fuck off Hettie!!”

Harriet cackled as she handed the phone back to Evie, who cooed at the picture, CJ stood running after Harry, yelling out.

“princess Harry of the flowers come back!!” you heard Harry let out a loud groan of exasperation

shaking your head you giggled, covering your mouth slightly. Harriet turned to you, tilting her head and raising her brow.

“now who are yeh?” you waved, signing your name. Harriet nodded “(y/n)? alright, how’d yeh become friends with this bunch?” she gestured to the pirate crew, who were still laughing at CJ's nickname for Harry.

you shrugged, making Harriet laugh “heh, sounds about right, you just somehow ended up being friends right? that’ll happen”

you nodded, the odd feeling of having seen her before digging at the back of your mind, but that would be impossible, this was your first time ever even hearing about her, let alone meeting her.

“well,” Harriet grunted rolling back her shoulders,  "gotta go, crews waitin’ for me, nice meeting yeh (y/n)” you waved her goodbye, watching as she turned and walked out of the room, her scarlet and blue coat billowing behind her.

a flash and you saw Harriet walking away, a similar coat flowing behind her, walking between the king and queen, Harry at your side, fists clenched. groaning you patted your forehead, willing the odd images to go away.

“(y/n)!!” Lonnie called, all dressed in her ROAR gear, you stood, nodding as she walked closer “come on you promised me a sparring match” you paused, before nodding slowly, oh yeah.

loser buys ice cream right? you signed, making Lonnie grin slightly and nod “yep, just so you know, I love mint chocolate chip~”

you rolled your eyes, grinning smugly and I like (favorite ice cream flavor) Lonnie shrugged “not like I’m gonna need that information, cuz you're goin down!”

no, you snickered, I believe it is you that it's going down Lonnie cackled and rolled her eyes at your cockiness “yeah yeah, now go get dressed, and grab your sword, meet you in the training grounds outside!”

you nodded, picking up your bag and quickly making your way to your room to get dressed.

=

Harry sighed as he walked around campus, having lost CJ a little while ago, when he heard the familiar sounds of clashing swords, perking up he started to jog over to the source of the noise.

his jaw dropped as he rounded the corner, seeing Lonnie and (y/n) dancing around each other, clashing swords every other second.

Harry watched as Lonnie side swiped at (y/n), who backflipped just in time. Harry gasped as the surroundings around him shifted.

(y/n) landed, the metal clinging to her body sounding as she hit the ground, she dashed forward, and it was as if time slowed, hitting the sheikah warrior with a flurry of attacks.

the black-haired warrior grunted, managing to slide away, holding up her blade. (y/n) stood slowly, staring down the warrior.

“Impressive isn't she” his father said from beside him, staring down at the training knight, “she's the one to be rumored to wield the sword that seals the darkness” Harry nodded, watching as the warrior dashed forward once more, stabbing at (y/n) who simply sidestepped and parried the attack with her shield.

“aye” harry finally replied, glaring slightly at the girl “apparently so” his father glanced down at him, raising his brow.

“you should take notes from her, only 13, and she was able to draw the sword” Harry clenched his fists, biting his lip as he nodded.

“yes father”

Killian nodded, beginning to walk away, “remember your studies, Harrison, we need you to unlock your magic as soon as possible” Harry's shoulders sagged, nodding numbly as he watched (y/n) fight.

“yes father” he muttered, his shoulders jumping as the warrior spun around (y/n), swiping low at her feet, but the girl seemed to see through the warrior, leaping backward over them and landing on her knees, pointing the tip of her blade at the warrior.

“wa-how” the warrior panted, stumbling slightly as she stood. (y/n) said nothing, rushing forward and hitting the warrior with a quick barrage of attacks, ending the fight.

sighing (y/n) stood, cracking her neck, holding her hand out to the warrior, who laughed lightly and took the hand, letting (y/n) help her up.

(y/n) nodded as the warrior complimented (y/n) on her skill, she looked up, blinking surprised as (e/c) met ocean blue.

Harry gasped harshly as the world came back into focus, his shoulders jumping in surprise when he realized he was looking into the exact same (e/c) eyes he saw in his daydream a moment ago.

(y/n)...

looking down her body, his brows raised at the surprising amount of scars littering her body,

Harry couldn't help but feel like he had seen some of them before, but that was impossible.

“why are yeh so familiar?” Harry whispered, once more meeting (y/n)s eyes.

---end of part 6---

*Saorsa means Freedom, Liberty in Scottish Gaelic

@dpaccione​ 

thx @marichat4lyf​ for beta reading

#Descendents #descendants #disney descendants #harry hook #harry hook descendants #harry hook x reader #harry hook imagine #remember your past life #botw crossover

[sjbuchananbarnes]

The one with the note

Steve rogers x reader 

W.c: 3.0+ k

A.n; Cursing as usual. 

The one where Steve finds out

-

“And then we kissed.” Steve explained to his friends as they lounged around on his couch, a couch that was like sleeping on clouds, as Sam would describe it.

“Kissed?” Both Sam and Bucky yelled in excitement, and ran around the room screaming in excitement, throwing anything they could find in the air .

“Who kissed who first?” They finally settled down.

“I don’t know we both leaned in.” Steve picked at his fingers as neck and face turned a blotchy red color.

“Was she a good kisser?” Bucky leaned on his palm, as his elbow was rested on his thigh.

“Fucken amazing!” Steve threw his hands up in the air.

“And then what happened?” Sam legs sprawled all over the couch.  

“Then we kissed for like ten minutes and then I walked her to her room.”

“That’s it!” Bucky yelled from the kitchen, only to appear seconds later with a bag of popcorn in his hand, “I’ve had countless nights of you talking my ear off about that dame for you just to walk her to her room?”

“Well, I’m still with Sharon.” He shrugged his shoulder as he kept his eyes closed, “Sharon!” He bolted from the couch and his eyes widen to the size of a vinyl record, “Damn it, I gotta stop forgetting about her.”  

“So what are you going to do with that?” Bucky threw Sam’s legs of the couch to make room for himself.

“ I got to apologize to her, then end it.”  Steve paced around the living room, “Now how do I do that?”

-

“Then we kissed.”

“Tongue?” Wanda sipped on her coffee.

“Yeah.”

“Cool.” Nat nodded.

-

“Hey.” Steve made his way onto the rooftop of the tower, were they were currently making dinner, he earned a round of ‘hi and hello’s’  

“Hey, how was your make out last night?” Tony teased, as he flipped the steaks.

“That’s funny, painfully funny.” He plopped onto the seat that was next to Nat.

“What, I thought everything went great?” Pepper was confused, along with everyone on the team.

“Yeah it was, until I went to my room and I saw Sharon’s toothbrush in my bathroom and I thought “Oh, my god, what the hell am I doing? Hear I have a great woman,amazing,who cares for me, about me and I’m what I’m just going to throw it away?”  Steve sighed, not realizing this was more complicated than what he wanted.

“You got all that from a toothbrush?” Bucky questioned, which earned him a snort from the group and a glare from Steve.

“But were talking about you and Y/n. Steve and Y/n, the woman you’ve been moping over for the last decade Steve, decade!” Nat raised her voice at her very dumb friend.  

“Yeah but I’m with Sharon now. Me and Sharon, Sharon and I, Me and Y/n, Y/n and me. Me and Y/-.” You interrupted his sentences as you walked into the rooftop with a plate of cooked veggies on your hands. “Y/n.” He stood up from his chair, “Hey,you.”

“How are you?” You made your way over to him.

“Good, how are you?” He shifted from one foot to the other.

“Good. Good.” You smiled up at him, wishing he would bring up last night, but that was soon interrupted.

“Hey honey.” Sharon walked through the door.

“Hey sharon.” He turned his head to look at her and did a double take “Sharon hi!” He wasn't expecting her to come over. “So everyone is here.” Steve threw his arm around her shoulders.

You suddenly felt cold, naked almost, there was a sudden shift of mood the minute she walked in.

“So dinner, Stark is it finish?”

“Uh no, not ye-.”

“Dinner, now.”

“Alright, the steak is still mooing but sure dinner, because no one can question Captain Rogers.” Tony threw him his best fake smile.

“Hey Sharon I never knew you left your toothbrush over at Steve’s so soon already.” Nat smiled at her.

“What?”

“Shh.”

“Alright so were low on steak since we weren't expecting guests.” Pepper threw Steve a daggred look. “So boys no extras for tonight.” Causing Bucky and Sam to groan, “Zip it.” She whipped her head their direction, man she’s really good at this mom stuff.

Just as everyone started to sit down the next song that came on the speakers, not to loud or too sofly, was You Belong with Me. Sam and Bucky tried to hide their laughs the best they could but had to leave the table ever so discreetly, which they accomplished and reatet five minutes later after there laugh fest.

-

“Hey.” You walked into Nat’s room.

“Hey.”

“Sup.”

“Have you guys seen Steve?” You took off your shoes and rummaged through her fridge until you settled with blueberries.

“Nope,sorry sweetheart.” You could hear Nat’s pity in her voice.

“ Ugh, he’s going to stay with Sharon, isn’t he?” You threw yourself onto the couch and placed your feet on huge the coffee table “ He’s going to stay with her, and she’s going to be all like “ Hi I’m Sharon, Steve stayed with me and going to get married, have lots of kids  and rule the world together.” You shoved some barriers into your mouth.

“No offence but that sounds nothing like her.” Wanda mumbled and screeched as you threw a half empty water bottle in her direction.

-

“What am I going to do? Ugh , why is this so difficult.” He yelled as he walked all over the Bucky’s kitchen and living room. “This is a complete nightmare!”

“Oh yeah so hard.” Sam rolled his eyes, “”Hi, I’m Steve and I have two women that love me, what ever shall I do. They're both gorgeous and sexy, my wallet is too small for the hundreds and I can’t find a condom big enough to fit me and my diamond suite is too tight!” You go for the one you love, dipshit.” Sam mocked.

“Listen Steve I got two words for you, threesome.” Bucky was chilling on the couch with a face mask placed on, scrolling through his phone, man he loved technology.

Steve threw him a look that if looks could kill, Bucky wouldn’t be dead because he loves him too much.

“Okay look, let’s go with logic for this one, we make a list.” Willson explained as he went over the bucky's desk to pull out a pen and notebook. “Sharon and Y/n pros and cons.”

“Let’s start with the cons, there more fun.” Bucky sat up from the couch and took off his sheet mask and rubbed in the product.”Y/n first, go!”

“Uh I don’t know, I mean, I guess sometimes she’s a little ditzy. She can be very indecisive, and sometimes she’s too into her looks.” Steve took a sip of his water. ”Like me and Sharon have a lot in common, cus were we’ve spent a lot of time together, I loved her aunt.” As soon as he said those words he cringed to himself, also earning a look of disgust from his best friends. “And I guess Y/n is just agent.”

“So you guys want to go for some beer?” Sam set the notebook down, but when he looked at Steve he didn’t look too pleased,” I guess not. Anything else” he mumbled and picked up the pen.

“Uh, I guess not.”

“Oh, her ankles are too chubby.” Bucky pointed that out. “Now what about Sharon?” Bucky seemed to be having too much fun with this.

“She not her.”

-

“Okay now this is the double chocolate chip cookies.” Nat placed her array of pastries on the table. “Now take something and tell em what you think.” She had recently taken up backing and it wasn’t going to well.

Both you and wanda happily obayed you went for the brownie and Wanda went for the cookie.

“What the fuck, Nat.” You mumbled, still no expression on your face, unlike Wanda who was about ready to throw up.

“That good?” Her green eyes beamed.

“No, what the fuck, why would you let me put that in my mouth.” You took a napkin and spit the cookie out and took a gulp of water.

“To the trash they go.” Nat sighed, she really thought she was getting better at this.

-

“So how did things go with blondie?” Bucky asked as they barged into the diner, sticking out like sore thumbs.  Quickly a waitress came and took them to a booth were the three were seated.

“Horrible, she cried and cried some more, she threw things, heavy things, that hurt.” Steve sighed and rubbed his eyes. “Anyway, I did the right thing.”

-

“Hey, Bucky do you happen to hav-” You walked into his room expecting just to find Bucky but you were also met with a pair of blue eyes and a brown eyed man.”Hi.” You smiled at Steve. “Were you going?”

“Hi.” He stood up, you had already taken his breath away, his hands started to clam up. “I just got back actually, from Sharon’s, actually.”

“Oh.” There was disappointed in such a small sound put you still kept up the smile.

“No, no, it’s not what you think. Actually the other thing” Bucky stood behind Steve, grinning and nodding his head like an idiot, and Sam stood next to him also grinning give you the thumbs up. Both started to nod their head towards Steve, like an invitation, a go ahead sign.

“Oh.” You still couldn’t let your hopes up. “What’s the other thing?”

“I, uh, uh, well we.” Bucky nodded at his friend but got frustrated and blurted it out instead.

“They broke up!” He yelled, “Well go hug her, punk.” Bucky shoved his best friend.

“Really?” You face lit up.

“Really, it’s always been you, doll.” Steve lifted you off the ground and held you tight.

“Oh, god..” You smiled into his neck. “This is good, really good.” You pulled away and looked into his blue eyes, getting lost in them by the second.  

“How about we go for a walk? Just the two of us?” You quickly nodded and he excused himself to go to the bathroom.

“Aww.” Bucky and Sam held each other by the waist, Sam accidentally knocking over the notebook.  But that was the sound that pulled you out of tace, not even realizing Steve was no longer in the room and you looked down at the notebook that landed by your feet.

“What’s this?” You bent down to pick it up.

“What? It’s nothing!” Sam yelled and yanked it out of your hands, your suspicion getting bigger by the minute, Bucky looking at Sam terrified.

“What is it? It had my name in it, I want to know what it is.”  You pointed to the book, reaching over to grab it, but Sam pulled it back on the last second.

“No, no, see? See.” He waved in front of you.

“Sam give me the paper!” You demanded. “This is the las-”

“What’s going on?” Steve’s eyebrows bunched up in confusion.

“Sam and Bucky wrote something about and won’t let me see it.” Sam waved the notebook behind your back as you were facing Steve he saw in the corner of his eye and he panicked.

“Oh no, he won't? He won't!” He yelled and Sam and looked at Bucky for help.

“Because isn’t that the short story we were writing?” Bucky asked

“Yes, yes it is!” Sam was on full panic mode. “The one we wrote.” He shifted from side to side.

“And I’m in it? Let me read it.” You extend your arm out.

“No!” All three men yelled at you.

“C’mon.”

“Hey why don’t you read it to her.”

“Yeah, great idea Buck.” Sam glared at him “I’ll just read it.”, He cleared his throat and looked at the paper, “There once was a princess, her name was Y/n and she fell in love with a common peasant, who’s name was Harry and they end up getting married, having harrie babies,the end.”

“And the three of you came up with this?” You looked up at them.

“Yeah we suck , at least we know we're not going to be accomplished writers.” Steve let out a nervous laugh and a sigh of relief.

“Well I gue-” But you took that opportunity to take the note book of Sam’s sweaty hands. “Ha, I got it.” The four of you ran around the room until you darted towards the bathroom were you successfully locked the door.  The banging out sode of the door fading as you looked down at the paper.

You opened the bathroom door, Sam and Bucky scrambled out and into Bucky's Bedroom, were they were so obviously eavesdropping.

“What is this?” You eyes showed all types of emotion, your shoulders slumped. Your voice just above a whisper.

“That’s is.. That’s.. that’s , and that’s just remember how crazy I am about you.” Steve made his way into the living room, so you wouldn't be standing in Bucky’s bathroom.

“Kinda ditzy? Too much into her looks?” You stared down at the words that were taunting you. “Just an agent?”        

“Now, that’s, that’s uh…” Steve couldn’t form a word. “Now that’s just opposed to..”

You turned to leave and then you saw another one and let out a gasp. “I do not have chubby ankles!”  Making the way towards the door Steve turned you around by the shoulder.

“Turn it around, turn it around!” He pleaded.

“She’s not … fur?” You squinted at the word, “What the fuck does that even mean, is that some kind of kink? You know what, I don't want to know!” You open the door but before leaving you turned to him “ You niece fucker!” You slammed the door shut and booked it to your room.

“Wait, Y/n!” He ran after you, but you way too ahead of him.

-

“My diary! If I had told her it was my diary she would've never made us read it!”

“Yeah your a bit too late on that bud.” Nat patted his leg.

“Yeah, plus he’s a dick why would he even make such a horrible list?”

“Hey cut him some slack. It was Sam’s idea.” Bucky gestured towards Sam, who was leaning on the kitchen island.

“What!” Both of them yelled, shocked that their friend would do that.

“I’m just going to go.” Sam stuttered and head out the door.

“Good luck in your next life, as toilet brush.” Nat yelled at him.

-

“No..” You mumbled in disappointment, tilting the bottle of wine but nothing came out, you set down in your coffee table and continued watching TV, the rain bringing in some type of comfort to the room.

“Y/n.” Steve yelled from your porch, the one he just landed in thanks to sam, “Open up I want to talk.”

“I didn’t let you in for a reason,Steve, if someone doesn't let you in it doesn’t mean please get your bird friend to drop you off.”  God, you asking Tony for a porch was going to bite you in the ass.

“It’s your pro list.” Steve was getting drenched by the minute, the paper he was now holding started to rip.

“Not interested.” Getting up from the couch and going to the door, for a second Stve got excited, maybe you would let him in.

“Number one, the way you cry at dog shelter commercials.” He yelled as you shut the curtains.

“Number two, how much you love your friends.” Steve continued to yell, but you had already retreated to your room.

“Number three, the way you bite on your lip when you get nervous.”

“Number four, how brave you are.”

By then your friends had all walked into the room.

“Number five, the way you talk to any kid and make them feel welcome.”

“Number six, the wa-” Bucky cut him off as he opens up the curtain.

“Hey Steve, what are you doing?” He stared at his dumb blonde friend.

“Bucky, mind opening the door?”  Steve nodded to the door.

“Oh yeah.” He opened it up, and Sam was ready with a clean towel for his friend.

“What were you doing up there you, dumbass.” Nat warped snugg into the towel.

“You know catching some rays of sunlight.” He pointed towards the sky.”What does it look like I was doing ,Nat.” Steve dried himself up and knocked at your door.

“Being a complete dumbass.” Wanda mumbled, to which Steve head but chose to ignore it.    

“C’mon Y/n, open up. I just want to talk.”

“No.” You yelled from behind the door.

“No?”

“No, that’s what I said.” You opened up the door to see Steve, big sad puppy eyes, his lips turned into a frown, dripping all over your marble floors.

“Look maybe we should go.” Sam pointed towards the door, all of them already itching to get out.

“No, really guys you don’t have to go, we’re done talking here.” You explained.

“Y/n, c’mon, I know how you must feel -”

“No you don’t ,Steve, no you don’t.” Your voice cracked.”Imagine everything your insecure about, now imagine the one person in the world you trust the most, is now actually using it not to date you.” Your eyes become glossy by the minute, Steve stayed silent, “Huh, would you feel?” You dug your finger into his chest.    

“But I want to be with you, regardless of those things.” Steve voice was soft, gental.

“Oh, you should of said that ,Steve, then I’m not mad at you. That’s so big of you.” Sarcasm drenched your voice, from the corner of your eye you saw your friends making a dart towards the door. “Don’t you dare!” You pointed a finger at them, making them halt in action.

“You know what? If it was the other way around, there would be absolutely nothing you could put on that list that would ever stop me from begin with you.”

“Well that’s just it Steve, the difference between us.” A tear ran down your cheek.  “I would never have a list.”

Sofly you shut the door to your room, Steve sat on  the edge of the couch, in disbelief, he couldn’t believe this was happening to him, he got the girl and lost her all in twenty four hours.

“You guys wouldn’t believe what capsicle just did.” Tony walked int your room, already wheezing at his dumb friend, but stopped when he was greeted with scilence, “Never mind.” He backed out of the room the minute Steve turned to look at him. 

-

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