#the weather has been nice... cool and rainy... i am not used to cool and rainy | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

starlightxsvt · 3 years

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Home | k.mg

pairing ➳ businessman!mingyu x female!reader

genre ➳ strangers to lovers, romance, slice of life, angst, fluff, gets spicy at the end

word count ➳ 5.6k (apx)

warnings ➳ cursing, reader is really indecisive, heavy makeout, implications of sexual activity.

synopsis ➳ an attractive stranger visits your cabin for a week with whom you quickly bond, developing some strong feelings in the process; leaving you to wonder if he's worth leaving everything behind.

A/N: henlooo~ I finally posted! This has been sitting in my drafts for a while but I didn't really feel like writing for a while, hence the delay. I hope y'all enjoy this piece and please don't forget to leave some feedback! It really motivates me :)

A cool gust of wind blew by as you finished typing your last column, leaving a soothing feeling behind as you exhaled loudly. It was hard to finish this piece of writing for some reason, maybe because you lacked inspiration or maybe because your life had been monotonous for a while or simply, a mix of both. Closing your laptop you stretch your hands and legs, feeling somewhat productive. Humming a tune, you looked out the window to see a Lamborghini come to a halt at the entrance.

It piqued your interest because it's not often that people riding Lamborghini come in this cabin so genuinely you're interested in the visitor. You shifted in your chair, waiting for the man to come upstairs to the reception and sure enough a tall- really tall man dressed in a neatly pressed suit appears into your view, briskly walking towards the reception where Chan stood to greet him. You could not get a good look at his face as he moved around quickly, grabbing his small carry on and heading towards his cabin after the formalities.

You watched his tall frame walking away as you got up from your seat and moved towards Chan.

"Who is he?"

"Kim Mingyu," Chan explained, resting his arms on the reception table." A millionaire, owns a lot of companies. No wonder he looked familiar."

"Oh, really? How long is he staying?"

"He has booked for five days. Said he might extend his stay."

"I see."

"Why are you so curious though?" Chan raised a brow at you, tilting his head to a side.

"Nothing." You shrugged. "He just has different vibes than the other people that come here you know?"

Chan hummed in agreement.

There was never much visitors during the rainy season which was both a blessing and a curse. Blessing because that meant the cabin was less hectic and curse because sometimes you are bound to get a bit too bored. You were helping yourself with a cup of tea to somewhat feel re-energised when your newest and the only guest for the week appeared from his cabin, padding through the corridor and stepping into the common kitchen area. You were taken aback for a moment before you composed yourself and smiled at your guest, "Good morning, Mr. Kim. May I help you with anything?"

"Mingyu, please," the tall male replied while scanning the kitchen area. "You're the owner right? What's the food arrangement here?"

"Well, our guests generally cook for themselves or order takeout. When there are many guests I sometimes do the cooking."

Nodding, he hummed before putting in a capsule in the cappuccino machine. You took a seat by the window, tea in your hand as you watched the male move around like he knew this place. Dressed in his pajamas and judging by the fluffy mess that his hair was you assumed he had a good night's sleep.

"I hope you had a pleasant night, Mr- Mingyu." You said to your guest who had whipped out a pan from the cupboard and was making omelette. "Yes, surprisingly so. Normally I have trouble falling asleep but I slept like a baby last night," he casually conversed as he prepared his breakfast.

You smiled, "Well, I'm glad to know that. If you need anything let my staffs or me know."

"Sure. Oh- I didn't get your name though." Mingyu turned to meet your eyes.

"___," you smiled.

"___, okay."

"This is gonna be a rainy week," Hoshi said from behind you as he stood holding a tub of fresh soil for the plants in the backyard of the cabin. You sat on your knees, eyeing the plants which needed their soil changed.

"Yeah? Well, good thing there isn't much guests now."

"I think there should be, I mean it's so pretty here during the rain too. People need to look at it themselves." Hoshi complained.

"Well, most people don't like going out in the rain. Pass me the soil, Hoshi. Let's get this finished before the shower starts."

Hoshi handed you the tub of soil as the sky above started growling, full of thick black clouds. It was gonna start raining soon.

Hoshi spoke, "Oh, Mr.Kim, Mingyu you know, asked me about the beach by the marketplace. Apparently he wants to visit so he asked me if I was free to show him around."

"And let me guess, you aren't?" You rolled your eyes.

Soonyoung pouted, "No! Well I would have given him a tour today if the weather wasn't so bad. And my friends are coming tomorrow, so I'll be busy then."

"Wait- you're friends are coming?" You turned, glaring at the boy who smiles sheepishly, "Oh! Um- I didn't tell you? Well they're only staying for a couple of days and it's not like they're staying for free."

"Well, make sure they clean after themselves okay? If I see them trashing all over the place like last time, I'm kicking you out with them." You gave him a pointed look.

"Okay okay," Hoshi rolled his eyes, puffing his cheeks. "Just- take the CEO out on a tour tomorrow for me okay? I haven't seen my friends in a long time."

"Alright, I will...if the weather is good which probably won't be." You sighed, gently removing the old soil.

Hoshi mused about Mingyu, "Bummer for him, he came in a wrong time. It's weird, no? We don't have such guests like him."

"Yeah," you hummed, focused on handling your roses.

Hoshi's friend, Seokmin and Seungkwan appeared early in the morning next day as you watched Hoshi vibrate from happiness when he hugged them. You smiled to yourself, laughing at at the antics of your staff as you saw him guide his friends into their cabin. The day was once again filled with dark clouds and raining which occurred every other hour. You and Chan cleaned up and completed some chores as the noon fell.

"Should I cook something up for them?" You wondered as Chan finished cleaning the common space of the first cabin.

"Nah, Seokmin hyung is cooking for them. He's a pretty good cook actually."

"Really? That's nice." You said pulling up a chair to sit down. "Are you gonna join them? Hoshi has been with his friends since they came."

"Yeah, probably. You should join us too."

"No, I think I'm gonna take a nap. I feel so tired."

"Alright."

You watched as Chan climbed down the stairs and stepped towards the second cabin where everyone else was. You were about to head to your room when the CEO, Mingyu appeared in the kitchen.

"Oh, hello."

"Hi."

"I haven't seen you since morning," you said watching as Mingyu poured himself a glass of water.

"Yeah, I woke up early today, went for a jog."

"Ah, I see."

"Couldn't go far though, the weather sucks you know." He said leaning against the kitchen top.

"Yeah. But I heard that it should get better from tomorrow. I could show you around if you want to. Hoshi, my staff, is going to busy for a while so I can guide you around."

"Really? That would be cool." Mingyu smiled. There was a small stretch of silence as you both listened to the rainfall before he spoke, "Have you had lunch?"

"Uh-no."

"Would you like to join me?" He asked "This is the longest time I've been alone and it feels a bit weird," he murmured more to himself than you.

"I mean- I don't mind," you shrugged. "Though I should be the one doing it."

"It's okay. People say I am a good cook," Mingyu smiled, his eyes crinkling.

"Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to see."

It was weird how comfortable you felt watching Mingyu being clumsy and bump into things as he prepared your meal. It felt like you've been doing this forever- like you've known him forever and you thought to yourself what was suddenly wrong with you. He made small talk as he cooked and it felt easy talking with him- almost impossible to believe that he was stranger. He was friendly and easy to get along with, definitely not a cold and grumpy businessman like you imagined him to be.

Mingyu grinned as he set down the food in front of you- chicken soup, rice and cheese omelette. His eyes twinkled excitedly as he watched you take a bite, waiting for you to say something.

"What are you? A part time chef or something?" You tried not to moan as you chewed because it was that good. Mingyu laughed- a sweet, shy laugh that had his canines showing and his eyes forming crescents. "Thank you. I learned from my mom. I like cooking for myself when I get the time which is not often," he smiled- almost sadly.

"Well, you can cook for me all you want as long as you're here because this is amazing!" You grinned at him, cheeks puffed with food.

Mingyu chuckled softly as he dug in and you both started eating. It felt nice, to talk to someone new and spend time with them, someone other than Chan or Hoshi. It was a nice change- a change you probably needed for a while.

"So...What brings you here?" You asked as you finished your food, setting down the spoon and leaning back into the chair. Mingyu who was still eating, looked at you with a perplexed expression so you spoke, "I mean...we don't generally have guests like you. And it's not even a good time to visit...so I was wondering what brought you here?"

"Guests like me? What does that mean?"

"I mean...rich, okay?" You fumbled, feeling awkward. Maybe you shouldn't have asked. "Like...there are fancier places to visit, you know..."

Mingyu smiled at your words for a moment before he deadpanned, "I'm running away."

"Running away?" You gasped, almost jumping from your seat, "From who? The cops?"

"It would have been better but no, my family," he said, his voice as serious as ever.

"Oh...I see," you fell quiet. It definitely wasn't the answer you expected. You both remained silent for a while as he started out the window, lost in thoughts. "It must have been really bad if you're hiding out here." You spoke softly.

"It has always been," he mumbled. "I just couldn't take it anymore, you know? I desperately needed a break," he spoke more to himself than you. Instead of prodding further, you sat quietly, watching him and listening to his words. Seeing him now, he definitely looks troubled and you didn't exactly have the words to console him.

So you whispered, "Well, I hope it gets better."

Later that night, you find Hoshi and his friends and Chan preparing for a bonfire in the front yard of the cabin.

"Wow, you all are really having fun, no?" You said as you fisted your hands in your pockets from the chilly weather. The air was colder than other nights and everyone including you had put on some warm clothes.

"You wanna join us?" Seokmin asked as he stacked logs on top of each other.

"Nah, it's fine. You four carry on," you patted his back as you started walking back towards the cabin and saw Chan and Hoshi coming out with some boxes in their hands.

"Hey! There are marshmallows in the kitchen cabinet if you want.... nevermind," you finished as you saw beer cans and soju bottles in their hands.

"We're gonna get drunk baby!" Soonyoung yelled, grinning like a fool.

"Hyung, you look drunk already," Chan gave him a side look as they trudged towards the bonfire.

Laughing at their antics you climbed the stairs to the kitchen, preparing some hot chocolate for yourself. Holding the mug on one hand you knocked on the door to Mingyu's room, checking up on him since you haven't seen him since lunch.

The door opened revealing Mingyu in a baggy shirt and pajamas, his hair fluffy and messy.

"Hey," you chriped. "Wanted to check up on you. You wanna join the others in the bonfire?"

"Nah, I'm good. I've been watching them from the balcony." He smiled, his pointy canines showing.

"Oh, I see."

"You wanna come in? I've been getting lonely." He offered, moving away from the door to make space for you.

"Uh- I don't mind," you murmured, surprised that he asked you to come in. You tentatively stepped in and it was fair to say that you were surprised to see the room neat and pristine as most guests kept their room messy.

He ushered you into the balcony, which had a great view of your yard and the forest behind. You saw others laughing loudly as Soonyoung acted something out. Mingyu's voice pulled you out of your thoughts.

"You didn't join them?"

"Nah, they can get too loud sometimes," you chuckled, taking a seat on the bench. You eyed an empty mug lying by, guessing that Mingyu already had his fill of hot chocolate.

Mingyu took a seat beside you, stretching his legs and sighing as he mused, "The view is great."

You hummed your agreement. It was indeed. Not only did you have the full view of your yard and the forest, but you could see a vast horizon of the night sky, some stars twinkling through the clouds.

"It's even more beautiful during summer. You can see so many stars that it feels unreal." You told him.

"Then I will try to visit again during summer," he smiled and you were not sure if he was serious or joking. However you replied with a smile, "You're always welcome."

A silence falls among you two after that but it's not uncomfortable, as you both watched the night grow and Soonyoung and his friends got louder.

"Things got really hard for me, you know," Mingyu started speaking, his voice soft as he stared at the mesh of trees ahead. You were somewhat surprised at his words, but you didn't interrupt, opting for him to continue.

"Running a million dollar company was never easy but...it suddenly was unbearable. My parents always interfered in my work and how I run the company but I managed through all of that, really...until..." Mingyu heaved a long sigh, abruptly stopping.

"Until?" You tentatively asked, peeking at him.

"They want me to get married. With the daughter of their business partner. A marriage of convenience, really."

Oh.

You fell silent, watching him as the moonlight dimly lit the side of his face. There wasn't enough light to see his face completely, but enough to see the curve of his face, his sharp jawline and the sad, lost look in his eyes. Your heart suddenly ached for him. Silently you patted his shoulder, conjuring up some words to console him.

"That's ...awful, really. I'm sorry."

"I've never been so mad in my whole life. Can't they just leave me alone? They treat me like a puppet, like my only job is to live for them. I'm so done. " He said, his hands forming fists.

There's a beat of silence as you quietly patted his back and watched your friends get wasted by the bonfire before he chuckled softly, "I'm sorry for dumping all these on you. I just couldn't hold them in you know-"

"It's really fine, Mingyu. I don't mind. It would be nice if I could actually help you," you sighed, retracting your hand.

"Trust me, you are," he said and you caught a smile on his face.

"I suppose you don't have a significant other? Someone you could talk to freely?"

He shook his head. "That is why I came here. Needed to get my thoughts together, away from them. Not to mention I don't remember the last time I went on a vacation."

"And have you got your thoughts together?"

"I think so, yeah." He shrugged.

"What are you gonna do?" You asked tilting your head.

"Stand strong in my ground, I guess. There's no way I'm marrying their business partner, I'd rather die. And if all else fails, I'm staying here. I'm sure you have some type of job for me, right?"

You laughed at his words, "Maybe. But I'm not sure about your skills, Mr. Kim."

"Oh I'm a fast learner, Miss ___."

You both grinned at each other.

That night when you went back to your room, your thoughts were plagued by Mingyu and you could swear you saw him in your dreams too.

The next morning is brighter and shinier; the sky relatively clear other than some light clouds. After getting dressed and checking up on Hoshi and Chan who were still sleeping, you trudged through the cabin and towards Mingyu's room, before knocking on it. A fully dressed Mingyu appeared, clad in a white polo and jeans, his hair styled messily. He looked effortlessly attractive, making your heart skipp a few beats.

Damn it, what was wrong with you?

"Hi," you almost missed a breath, your face flushed with warmth.

"Oh, hey. I was about to come to you. I believe you were to show me around." Mingyu grinned, his pointy canines showing.

"And that is what I'm here for, Mr. Kim."

"Great! Let's get going. We'll take my car."

After showing Mingyu around for a couple of hours, you both ended up at the beach by the marketplace, sitting on the sand next to each other. The weather was nice; not too hot, not too cold as a light breeze flew by occasionally. Though you could see some black clouds gathering above, it wasn't to rain until evening if the forecast was correct.

"This place is so pretty," Mingyu mused, making you smile.

"I know right. The weather is great too."

You both watched the waves crash to the shore, occasionally wetting your feet as you both relaxed on the sand. There was a silence, a comfortable one as you finished eating the corndog you bought from the market earlier with some groceries. As you finished the last bite, Mingyu turned to face you and asked, "Tell me about yourself."

"What?" A squeak of surprise escaped from you.

"I shared a lot about myself last night. It's only fair I get to know about you too."

"Well..." You pondered. "There isn't much to tell. I've a pretty dull life, unlike you."

Mingyu chuckled, shaking his head, "Does the cabin belong to your parents? Is it like a family business type of thing?"

"No, not really," you smiled softly. "My parents are dead. The cabin belonged to my grandfather."

"Oh- I'm sorry."

"No it's okay. They passed away in an accident when I was a kid so I don't remember them much." You spoke, watching the sea, "My grandparents raised me. Growing up I've spent a lot of time in the cabin and when my grandfather retired he handed the job to me."

"Are they alive? Your grandparents?" He asked tentatively.

You shook your head, "Grandpa passed away a couple years ago and it's been a few months since grandma did too."

"I'm sorry, you must've been lonely," Mingyu offered, his voice soft.

You shrugged, "Yeah, like I said, nothing interesting going on in my life."

Mingyu hummed noncommittally and there was a few moments of silence before he spoke again, "Was managing the cabin something you have always wanted to do?"

You were quiet for a while as you thought over the question, "No...not really. I've just kept doing the job I was handed to. I haven't really thought about what I want to do."

"Well...I think you should hire a manager in your place and maybe...I don't come to the city and make friends, see what calls for you."

"Yeah, I've thought about it. But I don't know really." You murmured.

"Well, give it some thought. I could help you find a manager. In fact, I could help promote and upgrade your cabin if you'd let me. It'll be a good investment."

You laughed softly, not taking his words too seriously. He was just a guest. He was probably just being nice.

A gust of strong wind flew by, ruining your hair as it poked into your eyes and you laughed when your eyes landed on Mingyu.

"What?"

His hair was sticking in different directions because of the wind and you shook your head with a smile as you reached to pat the hairs back into place. It happened naturally, before you could stop yourself. For a moment your eyes meet as you quickly retract your hand, face heated.

Something was definitely wrong with you.

Mingyu's gaze stayed at you for a while; you could feel his intense eyes on you and you thought maybe he didn't like you touching him. Before your thoughts ran more rampant, he spoke.

"___?"

"Y-yes?"

"Do you...Do you have a home?"

"Home?" You were confused.

"Yes, home. Not like a real house but like a... person. Someone who makes you feel at ease, someone with whom you can be yourself without judgements, someone who keeps you cozy and safe and loved...like a home."

Somewhat taken aback by his words, you fell silent but their depth hit you and you found yourself thinking about it. Do you have a home?

No. No, you don't.

You shook your head, murmuring, "No."

Mingyu nodded taking his eyes off you.

"What about you?" You asked.

"Me neither."

You smiled, "Figures. Because if you had someone you wouldn't have run here but went to them."

Mingyu smiled, a sad smile gracing his lips. It was a somewhat bitter truth, he hadn't found his home no matter how much he looked for it. Maybe that's what he was doing wrong, looking desperately.

"Let's get going. It has started to rain," Your voice dragged him out of his thoughts as he felt small drops of water fall on his face. You reached your hand out to him and he took it, standing up. As you both jogged towards Mingyu's car, your hands remained connected, no one bothering to let go.

That night you had dinner with Mingyu again but this time it was you who did the cooking. After enjoying dinner over small talk, Mingyu like the gentleman he is did the dishes as you poured some wine for the two of you.

Sitting on the small table in common space by the window, you both watched the clear sky that had appeared after the shower. You sipped your wine, watching the vast expanse of stars that blinked in the dark sky.

"I think I've to go back tomorrow," Mingyu suddenly whispered, his tone so low you almost thought you misheard him. A bolt out the blue, you looked at him.

"Tomorrow?"

"Mmhmm," he fiddled with the hem of his cardigan as he stared at the table. "I've got so many calls and messages from work. My company won't run on its on, I can be gone for only so long." He sighed.

You didn't offer any words, too shocked to know that he'd be gone tomorrow. What is this attachment you've developed towards him? Why did the thought of someone, almost a stranger going back to where he came from, where he belonged hurt you so much? You didn't know what to label your feelings but realizing that you'd probably never see him again was tugging at your heartstrings.

Should you ask him for his number and stay connected with him? Is there even a point in that? You both live miles away from each other. Or should just take his advice and follow him to the city? Would that even be a good idea? Are you just reading all this wrong?

You were so invested in your thoughts that you didn't realize Mingyu was calling you until he shook your shoulder.

"You okay, ___?"

"Huh? Yeah...it's just, the news is really sudden. I didn't... expect you'd return so soon." You mumbled.

Mingyu sighed, his shoulder dropping a little bit. "Trust me, if I could I'd stay here forever. But...I can't keep running. I need to face my parents, the sooner the better."

At a loss of what to say, you just nodded. Reaching for your drink you took a big gulp, trying to calm your nerves. It's okay, you can do this. He's just another one of your guests.

You stood up, taking the empty glass in your hand, "Well, I better leave you alone now. I'm sure you've got packing to do."

You almost turned away; until a strong hand gripped your wrist and pulled you back, making you stumble towards Mingyu's body.

"Don't. Stay for a while. I don't want you to leave." His voice was soft yet deep and it immediately broke your resolve as you set the glass down and looked into his eyes.

He didn't let go of your wrist; instead only wrapped his other hand around your waist, pulling you closer, leaving just a few inches between your faces. You didn't tell him to move neither did you make any effort to get away from him- you didn't want to. It felt good, comforting as he held you and looked at you almost like you were his whole world. His eyes had so much emotion swirling in them and you were sure yours looked the same too.

"___?" His voice was breathy and it set your heart aflame.

"Y-yes?"

"Can I...kiss you?"

You inhaled sharply as his hold on you got tighter. You couldn't process a reply, overwhelmed with emotion. So you just nodded and Mingyu leaned in, pressing his lips to yours.

It was soft at first, his lips just resting against yours, as if he was testing the waters. When you didn't resist but only pulled him closer, he started devouring you, his tongue prodding in your wet cavern. Moans espaced from you as you kept pulling at his hair almost grinding on him, desperate for more. He was the same, kissing you with so much passion and vigour like you were the last female standing.

You somehow managed to tug off his cardigan between the kiss and when you pulled apart for air, Mingyu panted, "Can we take this to the bedroom?"

His deep raspy voice spread liquid heat throughout your body and you had to stop yourself from pouncing on him.

"Yes please," you breathed. Mingyu stood up straight, his tall and built body intimidating you in the best ways possible, "Oh baby, you don't have to beg. I'll give you anything you want."

Once again your breath was trapped as he picked you up, his hand under your ass to support you. When he dropped you on his bed and took off his tee you realized you were in for a long night. In the back of your mind, you also realized that this would make it even harder to let him go.

Next morning you were the first one to wake up as the sun barely seeped through the blinds. If you had to guess it wasn't any more than six am. Mingyu's hand rested on your waist as he remained snuggled against your back. It was so comforting that you almost forgot your reality and went back to sleep, until you remembered what had happened last night. Before you could start overthinking and possibly had a breakdown right there, you ever so carefully removed his hand from your body and scrawled out of the bed, grabbing your shirt and quickly throwing it on. Then you tiptoped out of his room despite the ache between your legs and rushed straight towards yours.

Slamming the door shut, your sat down, head in your hands. You've to now prepare for saying goodbye. Right, you just need to act casual and not let him know that you might have developed feelings for him in the past week.

His words came back to you.

"Do you have a home?"

You didn't have one until now but the realization that you may have found it brought tears to your eyes.

You spent the next hours wallowing in your self pity, curled up in your bed too afraid to get out and face Mingyu. Soonyoung dropped by once, knocking at your door and asking if you want breakfast, which you declined. Time slowly ticked away and you watched as the clock struck eleven. You couldn't stay inside forever. You needed to bid Mingyu a goodbye- that is if he hadn't left already. But you were sure he didn't; he wouldn't just leave without any words.

Sighing, you gathered every last bit of your courage and stepped out of your room. Immediately you saw Mingyu coming out from the opposite end of the corridor, the carry-on he brought with him in his hand.

"Hey, where have you been?" He asked, his steps getting quicker to come and stand in front of you.

"Oh- um, I took and shower and then dozed off, sorry," you lied easily, not meeting his eyes.

There was a beat of silence as you both stood in front of each other and when your eyes finally met his, a blush spread across his face like wildfire. The air was heavy with unsaid words and you coughed, trying to get rid of the terrible awkwardness.

"So, you're leaving now?"

What a nice question.

Mingyu seemed to be lost in thoughts as he snapped back to reality and scratched the back of his head, "Oh yeah, right. It'll be a couple hours drive so the earlier I leave the better."

Nodding you motioned your hand towards the exit, "I'll see you out."

Mingyu seemed to have something to say but he pressed his lips in a thin line and started to climb down the stairs, you behind him. Soonyoung, who was standing at the entrance gave you a conspirational wiggle of his brows but said nothing as he watched you follow Mingyu out.

You observed as Mingyu loaded his bag in the trunk, peeking glances at you every other second. When he finished, you spoke, "Well...good luck. I hope you can overcome your problems."

"Thanks. It won't be easy and my dad will probably take away my shares of the company but...I'm done living like this."

You nodded, smiling softly as you crossed your arms against your chest. It suddenly felt cold.

You both gazed at each other, saying nothing even though you've so much to say, as if the silence would carry your unsaid words to him. You were torn- wanting to talk about last night but chickening out knowing it was probably just a fling, a one night stand for him.

"___..." Mingyu spoke but the words died on his tongue. Not trusting yourself to speak, you swallwed the ball of emotions and looked at him with a curious tilt of head.

"...I hope you find what you really want to do. And I hope you find your home too," he said, his words so soft and gentle. For some reason you had a feeling that those were not the words he wanted to say yet you forced a smile and nodded, "You too, Mingyu."

His eyes swirled with so my emotions but you didn't know what he was thinking. He looked pained, just like you but you were too afraid to speak your feelings, scared that you misread him.

When you spoke no more, Mingyu sighed and backstopped slowly, "Well... goodbye, then."

You managed to choke out the words, "Goodbye."

Your emotions overwhelmed you, tears stinging your eyes as you watched him enter his car. Why did it hurt so much? Why did it feel like your heart was being ripped right out of your chest?

His engine roared to life and your stomach sunk. Was this really the right thing to do? Should you just let him go like this?

You made a split second decision that moment, just as his car moved forward a little.

"Mingyu!" You called after him, immediately making him stop the car. He came out, almost in a hurry, an expectant look on his face as you ran towards him. Then you made another split second decision as you wrapped your arms around his tall frame and held tight.

"I like you, Mingyu. I really like you." You mumbled in his chest.

He didn't say anything back but you felt his arms wrapping around you tightly and you stood there in each others embrace for a while. It felt like time has stopped, the warmth and safety of his arms comforting you and making you realize how you would have regretted if you had let him go.

Mingyu pulled back to take a look at your face, his hand cupping your cheeks, his warm but intense eyes on you, shining with love and adoration.

"Say something," you whispered, still unsure.

He chuckled, a light-hearted, carefree sound that made your heart swoon. "I like you too, if it wasn't obvious after last night."

Elated, you pulled his face down and kissed his lips as you felt him grin and wrap his arms around you once again.

"I want to go with you...to the city," you murmured into his chest as he rested his chin on the top of your head.

You couldn't see it but you felt him smirk, "Good. Because I think I found my home."

Your heart couldn't become fuller as you grinned like a happy child.

"Me too."

A/N 2: If you enjoyed reading don't forget to like and reblog and let me know your thoughts!

#seventeen #seventeen fic #seventeen imagines #seventeen scenarios #seventeen fanfic #seventeen smut #seventeen au #seventeen fluff #seventeen angst #svt imagines #svt fluff #svt scenarios #svt fic #svt smut #kim mingyu #seventeen mingyu #svt mingyu #svt fake texts

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fangirlshrieks · 3 years

Text

Spring Break part 2

a/n: Thank you to everyone who liked my story. I'm very excited for you to read part 2. Also there will now be 3 parts. I am new here and didn't know that there was a word limit to my posts so expect a third part. I also forgot to mention this is basically a self insert of me, but aren't all Y/N stories self inserts. Anyway I hope you enjoy.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

Word count: 6,326

Pairings: Neville Longbottom x female reader

Warnings: smut!, fluff!, mentions of plant boy's insecurities, mentions of nudity.

The lake house had actually been in the countryside of London and a little farther from your home than you had expected. Because of this you were not so surprised when Neville's grandmother had sent an owl saying to pack an overnight bag. She obviously trusted you and her grandson to act responsibly during this trip but you were secretly thankful for her naivety.

The weather had been forecasted to be cloudy and rainy that week so there was much hope to spend most of your time indoors secluded from everyone but that would only add suspicion. You would have to come up with a better plan.

You had arrived at the adorable two story house at about 11 in the morning. You wore your old rain boots perfect for the weather and your jeans were tucked into your boots. Your coat wrapped tightly around you keeping you warm along with the knitted sweater you wore underneath.

You walked up to the porch that seemed to wrap around the entire house. You knocked on the front door. No answer. You checked to see if it was the right address. It was. Then you rang the doorbell and heard footsteps rushing to the door.

Neville swung the door open and smiled once he saw it was you.

"Y/N you're here!"

"Hi Neville." You said, giving him a firm hug. He gave you a peck on the lips before letting go.

"Oh wait, before you go in make sure to wipe your shoes. Gran made it very clear to me that I would be dead by morning if the carpet got dirty."

He saw something behind you and looked over your shoulder. "Oh you brought a bag?" He raised his eyebrow in confusion.

"Yeah, didn't your gran tell you that she asked me to spend the night? You know this place is not as close to my home as I thought." You said as you wiped your boots on the welcoming floor mat.

"She hasn't actually. I guess this is a surprise?" He didn't know what intentions his grandmother had with allowing you to spend the night but it made him a bit nervous.

Neville grabbed your lugged and let you in, closing the door behind you.

"Gran Y/N's here." He called out for his grandmother as he carried your luggage to the living room.

"Oh she's here!" Augusta Longbottom said from the kitchen. She ran out the kitchen along with the women who owned the lake house.

"Hello Mrs. Longbottom" you greeted Augusta with a smile and hug.

"Hello my darling." She returned your smile and hug.

"Oh she is very pretty." The lady next to her stated.

A blush crept on your cheeks at the complement. "Thank you."

"I told you." Augusta replied to her friend. "Y/N this is my dear friend Nancy Evans. We used to go to Hogwarts together."

You extended your hand towards Nancy. "Nice to meet you Ms. Evans."

"Why hello Y/N. I have heard so much about you in the past week, especially from Neville. And can I just say you are just a beautiful young girl." She turned towards Neville. "Neville you are truly a lucky boy."

Neville smiled bashfully at her remark. "Yes."

"Neville, why don't you take Y/N's luggage to the extra guest bedroom down here." Augusta ordered Neville. He did as he was told and went to the bedroom.

"Y/N why don't you go unpack your things and meet us in the kitchen when you are done." Augusta stated.

"Sure" and with that you followed Neville into your room.

"Wow this place is awesome!" you exclaimed as you entered the room taking off your coat and placing it on the bed.

Neville jumped a little having not heard you follow him in the room. "Oh yeah it's great but all I've been able to do is walk around the lake by myself." He laughed a little. "There's not much to do. But grand has been having the time of her life getting back together with Ms. Evans."

"Yeah?" you asked, opening your suitcase on the bed and unpacking. "What do they even talk about?"

"It's not what they talk about, it's who they talk about. They mostly catch up on gossip. I even caught Gran talking about me once when I was walking into the kitchen. I couldn't believe it. They even changed the subject when I entered the room. Unbelievable." He rolled his eyes at his grandmother's gossiping habit.

"What did they say about you?"

"I don't really know. But I can tell it was something embarrassing by the way they both tried to stop laughing once I left."

"It must have been something from when you were little then." You teased.

He just glared at you sarcastically.

"What? I love when your gran tells me about your childhood. Even more when she has pictures to go along with the story." You place your clothes into the empty drawers.

He blushed furiously at your comment. You smiled up at him and wrapped your arms around his waist. You loved the effect you had on him.

"Come on let's go to the kitchen before they start getting suspicious." You raised your eyebrow teasingly. You didn't expect your words to affect him as much as they did.

He was even more red and he began to sweat a little. Although you were not sure if that was due to his knit sweater more than your words.

The real reason was because he had been thinking about you all week before you had arrived. He was a little more relaxed knowing that you would only be staying for the day but as soon as he found out you would be spending the night he became increasingly nervous.

"I'm only kidding" You gave him a worried look. "Is everything alright?"

"I'm fINne…." His voice cracked and he coughed clearing his throat. "I'm fine." He stated a little quietly.

"Ok." You gave him a questioning look. You felt as if there was something he wasn't telling you but right now we not a good time to bring it up. "Should we go?" You pointed towards the direction of the kitchen.

He nodded a yes refusing to speak fearing that he would just embarrass himself more. You intertwined your fingers with his and led him to the kitchen. Upon entering the kitchen the two of you stood awkwardly by the middle island. That's when Augusta heard you walk in and turned towards you.

"Oh dear, I'm terribly sorry but me and Nancy had made plans to go see a play in the city." Augusta stated unapologetically.

"Yes, we will be meeting an old friend who lives in the city nearby. He invited us to go see a new musical of some kind." Nancy added.

"Yes and I'm afraid we will have to push our picnic to tomorrow. Is that alright?" Augusta asked.

"Oh that's perfectly fine with me. I hope you enjoy yourself." You gave her a smile.

"Such a sweet girl." Augusta returned your smile.

"I can show you all the cool plants I found by the lake if you'd like?" Neville asked beside you.

You smiled brightly at him and nodded a yes.

"Great now that that's settled we will be leaving in about 20 minutes. He sent his flying carriage to come pick us up." Augusta and Nancy got up and headed towards the living room to grab their bags.

"Isn't that so nice of Henry" Nancy stated.

The two ladies began to chat about their city friend Henry. You were amused by their constant chattering.

"I wished they had told me about this. Sounds like they had been planning to leave me by myself." Neville whispered to you.

"At least we'll have the house to ourselves." You gave him a discrete wink, which made him flustered. You laughed at your boyfriend's embarrassment. It was becoming more and more easy for you to rattle him recently. You definitely needed to talk to him once the older ladies left.

"Neville" Augusta called from the living room.

"Yes Gran." Neville rushed to meet his grandmother in the living room. You followed not far behind.

"Neville if you and Y/N go out, do not track in mud in the house. Do you understand? It would be embarrassing for me to have to explain to Nancy why her white carpet was completely ruined by my grandson. You know this carpet was imported from a wizard in Russia. It takes a special kind of magic to clean it." She ran on a tangent.

"Yes ma'am." Neville answered her.

"Mrs. Longbottom I promise we won't get a single drop of mud on this carpet." You piped in.

"Good." Augusta was more relaxed with your input. She trusted you to keep the place clean but was wary about Neville. "We'll be back by 8pm. Knowing Henry he will have a whole day's worth of events planned."

She waved goodbye to the two of you as she entered the carriage and flew off to the city. The two of you sat on the porch steps watching the carriage fly out of sight and into the gloomy clouds.

"Do you want to go out to the lake?" Neville asked.

You sighed to yourself pretending to think. "Yeah" you said, smiling at him.

The two of you got up and walked hand in hand around the house and towards the lake. There was a bit of awkward silence as you walked through the forest. You wanted to ask what was wrong and why he was so fidgety all of a sudden. You felt like your constant teasing was making him uncomfortable. You were about to ask but he spoke first.

"Look, a bird's nest" He pointed up at the tree. There was a blue bird in the nest resting cozily.

"Awe. It's so cute." You smiled up at Neville who was still looking at the bird. You found his child-like admiration for the bird adorable.

As you got closer to the lake it got colder and started sprinkling. Neville stopped to point out some of the plants he had never seen before. It honestly felt like an educational field trip but you didn't mind because you were absolutely in love with the teacher. This went on until you reached the lake.

You had walked under a particular low tree right by the edge of the lake. When Neville followed you. His tall stature had caused a few leaves to get caught in his hair. You noticed them when you turned around to ask him about a plant you had found in the water.

"You got something in your hair." You smiled up at him and reached to get the leaves out of his hair. He stepped closer to you so that your faces were mere inches away from one another.

"There" you whispered once you got the last leaf out of his hair.

The way his doe eyes looked at you like you were the most beautiful person in the world made you weak in the knees. You couldn't help but lean in for a kiss. His lips were soft to the touch and warm compared to the rest of his body, which was cold from the rainy breeze. You abruptly stepped back and devilishly smiled at him. You ran away quickly, daring him to come chase you.

"Wait that's not fair." He called out to you as he began running after you.

He eventually caught up to you and wrapped his arms around your middle and lifted you up, spinning in a circle as he did. You both laughed at your childish ways. When he put you down you turned around and he pulled you in for a passionate kiss. His hands were on your hips while you cupped the side of his face. Neither of you pulled away until you needed to breathe.

"You know I love you, right" you looked into his eyes with a warm smile.

He looked at you with a love sick expression and smiled happily. "I'm yours forever." He truly meant it. He leaned in again for another kiss.

When the two of you finally parted you walked hand in hand along the edge of the lake. That's when you decided to ask what he was bothering him.

"Neville, you know you can tell me anything, right?" You cautiously stated.

He looked at you surprised by your sudden words. Then he realized that you had noticed his nervous state. "I… I know."

"Cause I feel like you're hiding something from me." You bit your lip nervously. "Every time I tease you, you seem a little on edge. I can stop if that makes you uncomfortable."

"Oh no it's not that it's… it's just that… I… well I don't know" he was stumbling over his words and didn't know how to explain his thoughts. His face grew redder by the second. The two of you had stopped walking and ended up in the middle of a huge mud pile under a tree.

You stood in front of him holding his hand, squeezing it to show your support. You looked up at him but he avoided your gaze instead choosing to look at his thumb which was rubbing the top of your hand.

The rain started to come down a little harder creating more ripples in the water. The tree hardly protected the both of you.

"Neville?"

"I… " he became even more flustered and shifted his weight from one foot to the other. He quickly regretted his decision to tell you what he was truly thinking and let go of your hand and slowly back away from you. As he did he slipped in the mud falling flat on his back.

"Ahhh!" Mud had splattered in the air, some landing on you.

"Oh my gosh, Neville are you alright?" You tried concealing a laugh.

"I'm ok" He laid flat on his back with an embarrassed look on his face.

You kneeled beside him to help him up. He was almost stuck to the ground as you tried pulling him out of the mud.

"What did you fall in, superglue?" You chuckled.

He laughed along with you. Just as he was getting up you slipped and fell on your butt.

"Achh!" You fell with a splat.

"Ahh! I'm so sorry" He said as he helped you up.

Your bottom and the back of your legs were covered in mud. However it was not as bad as Neville's back side. His entire back side was covered in mud from head to toe. It looked as if someone had painted one side of his body.

"Neville, What's gotten into you?" Concern filled your voice. "Honesty, you're worrying me." You cupped his cheek into your hand.

"I'm sorry Y/N. It's just…" he sighed in defeat. "I've been thinking about what we talked about a couple weeks ago, you know about taking our relationship to a more intimate level. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. Well actually I haven't been able to stop thinking about how terrible I would be. I really don't want to disappoint you."

"Oh Neville. Is that what all of this was about?" You gave him a soft smile. "Neville you could never disappoint me. I guess I haven't been so discreet about my intentions for coming, have I?" You giggled.

He gave you an apologetic look. You always knew how to defuse the tension. "No not exactly."

"You know that the first time is always awkward right? I mean, I will try to make you as comfortable as possible but just remember to relax."

You wrapped your arms around him to comfort him. You felt the sleeve of your sweater get completely covered in mud as you did.

"Oh forgot" you said as you removed your arms.

"Sorry" Neville apologized. He furrowed his eyebrows. He seemed to do that whenever he was flustered, worried, embarrassed, or any other case when he was stressed.

You reached up to gently message the tension out of his eyebrows. "Relax."

He smiled down at you. Your sleeve touched the side of his face getting mud on his cheek. That gave you a funny idea. You pulled your sleeves up and rubbed the excess mud on his cheeks.

"Hey!" He chuckled. "You know two can play at that game." He bent down and grabbed a handful of mud and flung it up at you.

"Ahh" It had splattered all over your sweater. You retaliated by throwing mud at his face.

The two of you continued your game and were soon covered in mud. Your hair was a mess and your clothes were absolutely dirty. The same could be said about Neville but probably worse. It started to rain harder than before creating more mud.

Neville was finally at ease about the whole situation. You always knew how to calm him down and make him feel confident in himself. It was one of the things he loved most about you. You were happy to see your boyfriend more calm and sure of himself than before.

Once you heard thunder in the distance that's when you stopped. You turned to look at him. "I think we should head back don't you?" You said a little breathless from play fighting.

"Yeah ok, we better head back before it gets worse out here." Neville said looking up at the sky.

"I'll race you there?" You challenged him. But before he could say anything you were off running back to the house.

"That's cheating!" Neville chased after you screaming.

Your laughs could be heard all throughout the forest as the two of you ran back towards the house. Once the house was in sight, you sprinted faster towards the porch. You stopped running when you touched the back door. You rested leaning over the railing glad that the roof of the porch had stopped some rain from falling on you. Neville was not far behind and sat on the porch steps catching his breath.

"I win…" you said breathlessly.

"Yes you did…" he laughed.

Neville turned to look at the back door, then his eyes went wide with terror. He remembered what his grandmother had told him about not getting the carpet dirty. Then he looked at himself and then at you. Your boots were covered in mud. Some mud had even gotten into your boot. His boots were much worse. There was a tear in one of them, showing his pinky toe covered in a now muddy sock.

"Oh my god!" He placed his hands on his head. "Gran's gonna kill me if we get mud on the carpet!" His breathing quickened. "What are we gonna do?"

That's when you realized you forgotten about your promise to Mrs. Longbottom. You were not about to break your promise. You had to come up with a solution and fast. The lake was too far to go back and wash up and the rain seemed less harsh now. You looked at Neville then to the door and then back at Neville and back at the door again.

"Do you have a bathroom in your room because there isn't one in mine?" You asked Neville.

"Yeah there's a bathroom in my room. Why?" He raised an eyebrow at you.

"Well we could leave our clothes out here and rush up stairs to your room. Do you have any towels in your room?" You smiled sheepishly at him.

Neville was caught off guard by your proposal. He couldn't seem to close his mouth; it was trapped open. He had barely registered that you had even asked him a question.

"I… I… do actually." He finally responded in almost a whisper.

"Great. Then it's a plan." You stated confidentiality, but the confidence was more of an illusion.

"It's a plan." Neville repeated your words in shock. He couldn't believe what was happening although he was not entirely sure what this meant or if it would lead to anything. He was also very relieved that there were no houses nearby to see the strip show. Luckily the closest neighbors were about 5 acres away and the trees surrounding the house provided some privacy.

You began untying your shoe laces and talking off your boots. He followed your actions and took off his socks as well. Your feet were clean and so were Neville's. That was the good part. He began to unbuckle his belt and hesitantly dragged them down them down to his ankles. You took your knitted sweater off revealing your tan bra. Neville turned red at the sight of you and quickly turned around to give you some privacy but tripped over his own pants that were still around his ankles. He grabbed onto the railing before he could fall and stepped out of his pants. He felt completely exposed and cold.

As Neville turned around you got a great view of his ass. He had on dark blue boxer briefs that hugged him perfectly showing off how round his butt was. You bit your lip and felt your face heat up at the thought. You then unbuttoned your jeans and slide them right off, placing them with your sweater and socks.

Neville had discarded his sweater and under shirt that hand somehow managed to get muddy as well. He was now just in his underwear and freezing. When he turned towards you he was met with the sight of you taking off your jeans. Your cheeky pink underwear almost gave him a heart attack. Your body was so perfect in every way and you were just so beautiful. He felt himself grow a little hot in some areas of his body and mentally chastised himself to not embarrass himself. Then he felt a wave of self consciousness as you turned to look at himself. He tried to cover his stomach and crotch area at the same time and not look awkward while doing it but failed.

When you turned your heart fluttered in your chest. He was the most gorgeous person you had ever laid eyes on and your love for him grew by the second. You noticed his actions and stepped closer to him and grabbed both of his hands. They were freezing and he visibly shivered. You rubbed your hands with his to try and build up some heat.

"We better get inside quickly." You said leading him towards the door still holding his hand.

The two of you were fairly clean besides your heads which were basically covered in dry mud. There were a few patches of dried mud around your bodies but they wouldn't touch the carpet so that was not a problem.

You opened the back door and stepped inside testing to see if you left a mark of some kind. when you didn't the two of you entered the house. All the lights in the house were off making it dark and gloomy. You let go of Neville's hand to turn around and close the door behind you. So far the carpet was not marked up or dirty.

"Alright I think we're good." You said grabbing Neville's hand again and leading him upstairs. As you walked in front of him, he couldn't help but stare at your ass that was barely covered by anything. He blushed furiously as your movements made your butt giggle a little.

At the top of the stairs he led the two of you to his room. Upon entering the room you closed the door behind you and locked it, but Neville didn't seem to notice you licking the door. The room was very cozy. Only a lamp that Neville had forgotten to turn off gave the room light. The windows were shut and the sound of rain hitting the glass could be heard from outside. Neville had walked near the bed holding himself to keep warm and stood there not knowing what to do. Then you finally spoke.

"Where are the towels?" You asked.

"In… in the closet." His teeth were chattering and his lips were blue.

You ran up to him and grabbed his hands again. "Oh my gosh your freezing. You should go and take a shower first."

"No you should… You're my guest… You go first..." His sentences were slow due to how cold he was.

"Neville, you're obviously cold you should go first."

"Aren't you cold?" He worried.

"Yes, but my face isn't turning purple."

"Y/N I'm fine. Seriously. You go ahead." He was stubborn and so were you.

When he wouldn't go in first, you had an idea.

"Fine I'll go first." You walked towards the bathroom and turned on the lights. Then you turned back to look at him standing underneath the doorway.

"You can join me if you'd like?" You felt your cheeks warm up.

His eyes widened and his mouth slowly gaped open to respond but nothing came out.

"It's just, I don't want you to be waiting for me out here for me to get out. You're all wet and freezing. I don't want you to get sick." You had hoped your excuse would persuade him to take a shower with you. You were really trying to set the mood for your later plans. When he didn't answer, you quickly try to push those thoughts to the back of your mind.

'Shit did I misunderstand him at the lake. Maybe he needs more time. Did he mean that he wanted to do this another time. Oh fuck, he did.' you thought to yourself.

"I mean you don't have to. We don't have to do anything if you don't want to." You said blushing furiously.

"No!" He replied more quickly and a little louder than he anticipated. "I mean yes. Yes, I would like t-to join you." He gulped a little at his last statement.

You smiled up at him happy that you didn't misunderstand him. "Ok. Great. Uh… Let me go turn on the shower." As you left into the bathroom. Neville let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

'Ok. Just keep calm. You got this' Neville internally monologued. 'This is actually happening. Now. Just relax. Relax.' He heard the sound of running water coming out of the bathroom and his heart started racing. 'Why can't you relax.'

You came out of the bathroom and walked towards his closet. "I almost forgot the towels. You go ahead and get in. I'll meet you in a little bit." You instructed. Really you were buying yourself time to work up the courage to be naked in front of him.

"Ok." His voice was a little shaky and too quiet for you to hear. He walked into the bathroom and quickly looked at himself in the mirror. There were patches of dried mud covering most of him, but that didn't seem to help his nerves.

He tried to remind himself that his body was ok. 'Y/N likes me, there is nothing to be scared about.' He removed his underwear and checked himself out in the mirror one last time. The stretch marks around his stomach became more visible. He usually never noticed them but now they were all he could think about. He thought it looked weird that the only areas without mud were in the places he wished were most covered.

Intrusive thoughts filled his head, but the worst one popped into his head. 'Oh no, what if she thinks my penis looks weird?'

"Ahem." You made a small noise telling him that you were right at the entrance of the bathroom. He quickly covered his front and turned his head to face you only to see that you were completely nude holding only two towels in your hand. You had also removed your undergarments before you got the towels from his closet. You smiled shyly and blushed at the sight of him.

His blush had instantly grown all the way to his ears and neck. He smiled shyly at you. He couldn't believe how beautiful you were, even with dried mud in your hair and on small parts of your body. It was a complete fantasy right in front of him. He really couldn't believe that he was even with you, despite all the efforts you made to show him that you loved him. He honestly thought you were way out of his league. He desperately wished that he wouldn't get a boner, already embarrassed by his own body. But to be honest his dick was already half hard.

As he trailed his eyes up your body he eventually landed on your eyes which were looking right back at him. They were warm and full of love. You looked as if cupid had struck you with an arrow. He relaxed a bit then.

"You look beautiful." You said with utter adoration for the boy.

He laughed a little nervously. "Really." His mind was going a hundred miles an hour. 'She thinks I'm pretty.' He thought to himself. He felt like he could melt into a puddle and be fine for the rest of his life with just your words.

You nodded a yes.

"You look more beautiful." He replied with the same adoration for you. The butterflies in your stomach seemed to move even faster than before as you became more excited. You were internally screaming at his comment.

Neither of you could pull your eyes away from the other's body. That is until you noticed the steam. "We should probably get in before all the warm water gets used."

"Oh right." He slid the shower door open and entered first. You followed him in once you set the towels down and closed the door behind you. Once in the shower you let the water run over your body. You noticed that he tried to keep a good distance away from you. You didn't mind but you had hoped he would touch you or at least try and look at you again. He was staring at the wall with his hands folded in front of him. You switched places so that he could wash the mud out of his hair. You poured shampoo in your hair and washed it. He had his back towards you and you watched the water droplets make little streaks on his skin. You couldn't help but notice how cute his butt was. It was actually very plump. You would never let Neville know but you actually really loved his ass.

Neville was focusing really hard to not get a boner, afraid it would ruin the moment and he would just embarrass himself. He thought if he avoided looking at your body then that would help, but the image of your nude body from a few minutes ago were still stuck on his mind. He was all but very awkward and was sure you could hear his heart race, with how loud it seemed to him. He turned his head slightly and noticed you were staring at him.

"Do you need to use the water?" He asked thinking that was why you were staring. His question pulled you out of your thoughts, embarrassing you at having been caught staring.

"Uh… yes."

He moved out of the way and let you under the water. He then proceeded to wash his own hair with shampoo. His body was turned a little so that you could finally get a good look at his dick. You bit your lip a little, looking at the way it seemed to sway slightly as he washed his hair.

As the suds from the shampoo ran down your chest and stomach. He couldn't help but try and catch a glimpse or two. He desperately wanted nothing more than to wash your body and explore every curve, but with that way his hands were shaking he figured he could barely hold anything.

Neither of you seemed to know what to say. Just sharing a few glances at the other. You moved closer to him, in an attempt to grab the washcloth and soap that were behind him. Your sudden close proximity startled him and he backed himself into the shower door, nearly falling in the process. You quickly grabbed his forearms to stabilize him, while he grabbed onto yours in return.

"Are you ok?" You said trying to hide a small laugh.

"Yeah. I'm alright." You thought he could get any redder but he somehow managed to.

Your hands stayed on his forearms and you couldn't help but notice how cute he looked with soap suds around his head. You didn't realize that your hands trailed up his arms so that they rested on his shoulder. His hands were now under your elbows.

Both of you stared into each other's eyes and couldn't help but smile. Neville was the first to break out in laughter. You couldn't help but giggle with him. The awkward silence was replaced with sounds of joy.

"I'm so sorry." Neville looked as if he had tears from laughing so hard. Although you couldn't tell if they were tears or if it was just water.

"For what." Your confusion made you laugh even harder.

"I don't know."

The two of you relaxed a little more at each other's touch. Each of you taking the time to look at the other's body fully. Neville was no longer concerned about not taking in your gorgeous body. The way you carried yourself confidently, not afraid to be around him nude had encouraged him to feel a bit more confident in his own body as well. He decided that there was no need to be nervous anymore. You loved him and respected him, so he knew that there was no need to be ashamed of his body.

He stared down at your breast. 'I'm the luckiest guy in the wor…' his train of thought was cut off when he felt a sharp pain in his eye.

"Ahh" he tried wiping away the shampoo that had made its way to his eye, but made it worse.

"Oh my gosh. Here, come to the water." You lead him under the shower. He washed the soap out of his eye and hair.

As he did so, you retrieved the washcloth and poured body wash onto it and started to wash your body. Once Neville was done washing his hair he grabbed his washcloth and did the same, scrubbing his entire body to get rid of all the mud.

"Is your eye alright?" You said trying to make some small conversation.

"Yeah. It was just soap." The two of you continue washing the mud off yourselves.

However, you wanted to move things a little more quickly but didn't really know how until an idea popped into your head. You had already scrubbed all the mud off your body and returned to your breast, messing them more than necessary. Neville was completely star struck at the sight in front of him and he could feel himself becoming more aroused by the second. He wanted to be the one to touch your body.

"Neville, do you mind helping me wash my back?" He smiled at you and nodded a yes.

You handed him your washcloth to use and you turned so your back was facing him. He was a little hesitant on how to wash your back but, he eventually gently massaged the washcloth on your skin. He started at the top of your shoulders and made his way down to your waist. He followed the cure of your sides slowly making sure to memorize the way the arch of your back felt. He dangerously massaged close to your bum, making the two of you more aroused. Although it was more apparent to see Neville's arousal than yours.

You looked over your shoulder when he was done. He looked at you with doed eyes as you turned slowly and walked closer to him. You couldn't help it anymore. The feeling of wanting more overtook you and you pulled him in for a kiss. Neville dropped the washcloth and wrapped his arms around you pulling you close to him. You pushed your chest up against his, desperate for his touch or any contact with him. Your chests were so close you thought you could hear Neville's heart beat racing. Although you were not sure if it was his or yours you were hearing. Your hands wrapped in his hair pulling lightly, causing him to moan softly into the kiss. His hands rubbed up and down the small of your back, giving you goosebumps and causing you to sigh. You wanted him to touch you properly so you led his hands to cup your breast. His bottom lip quivered slightly as he finally felt the weight of your breast in his hands. He messaged them gently loving the feeling. You moaned into the kiss causing him to whimper.

This is what you too have been waiting for since the day you began dating and it was absolutely perfect.

You felt his tongue slid across your bottom lip. You opened allowing him entrance. The feeling of his hot wet tongue against yours was intoxicating. You moved the two of you under the water to let it wash away the soap on your bodies. You could feel Neville's growing erection against your thigh and his moans became louder every time he came in contact with your thigh. You moved your hand down to his hips and pulled them closer to yours encouraging him to rub himself against you. He groaned at your forceful movements. He eventually broke the kiss when he couldn't breathe anymore. Both of you were panting like crazy.

"Do you want to continue this on the bed?" You finally spoke.

"Godric yes!" He breathed.

337 notes · View notes

jenojaemssss · 3 years

Text

happier

synopsis: in which mark was happier with you.

pairing: mark x reader (i attempted to write the mc as gender neutral, so lmk if there are any tips on how to be more considerate! i wanna be able to write as inclusively as possible heh)

genre/category: angst, exes!au

word count: 2.4k

a/n: i have an assignment due in like 20 minutes (so i did not get a chance to proofread!!) but i got distracted thinking about mark while listening to my 2017 simp playlist :D so here's a mini-fic (that was supposed to be a drabble) based on this song!

I saw you walk inside a bar.

When Mark looked up from the almost-empty bottle sitting in front of him, he didn’t expect to be greeted by the sight of you. But what caught him even more off guard was that you were entering the bar hand in hand with someone new.

You, not yet noticing your past lover's hunched figure, walk towards a set of empty bar stools, another man's arms wrapped around your waist like possessive belt. Mark began to stare then. He stared at what used to be his reason. What used to be the one who'd wake him up in the morning, who used to be his reason for coming home when the days were too long, yet somehow eventually bled into nights. He continued to stare at what had been his true source of happiness.

In his eyes, you still were. You were his only radiating source of light that made him feel warm. You were his comfort, like a warm blanket during a rainy day, or an iced tea when the weather was too hot to do anything else but lounge around the house with all fans on full blast.

He said something to make you laugh.

Mark noticed how the one that accompanied you looked at you with a small spark in his eyes as you cover your mouth in attempts to shield your erupting laughter. That was a cute habit of yours when you laughed, and he used to stare at you the same way; he was staring at you almost identically as he's sat across the bar at that moment. The only difference now was that Mark stopped being the reason for your bright smiles and warm laughter.

I noticed how both your smiles were twice as wide as ours.

The first encounter between the two of you would forever be engraved in the mind of Mark Lee.

He was walking around a lake during a camping trip with a few of his friends, mindlessly swinging his arms around to cool off. Mid swing, though, he made contact with something he later found out was your face. He apologized so many times that you had almost busted a lung laughing at the poor boy's terrified features.

Soon, Mark joined you, laughing in harmony because apparently being smacked in the face by someone was the funniest thing to the both of you. Mark proceeded to awkwardly ask for your contact information, hoping to make up for the mishap, and you complied because the man was so darn cute.

One meet-up (he never specified it as a date) turned into two, which turned into three, and soon, you were seeing each other everyday in a small cafe hidden within the corners of your shared campus.

The two of you attended the same university, but due to being in different departments, there was never really a chance to come across one another while running to your next classes, but this cafe was the one spot you two had in common.

The cafe meetings soon turned into cafe dates (he clarified this time that they were in fact, dates), and soon enough, you were both head over heels in love, moving in together as you approached your final years of college.

Mark and your's relationship wasn't perfect, but it was always so much fun. Mark was always able to make you laugh because of how awkward he was, and one time you to left him behind on a trip to the grocery store because he was so embarrassing, making stupid puns at the poor worker just trying to stock the shelves of the cereal aisle. That day, you bought a watermelon the size of both your heads combined to make up for leaving him behind.

Mark bitterly smiled at his recollection. That was one of the last times he and you were able to smile together.

You looked happier.

The last time Mark saw you, it was on a sunny, Saturday afternoon. You were on your way back from a trip to your local convenience store, bags of chips, a tub of ice cream, and boxes of candy spilling out of the watermelon themed reusable bag he had left behind after moving out. You were still wearing his hoodie, then. He left that behind for you too.

It made him smile, knowing that you kept it.

Ain't nobody hurt you like I hurt you.

You felt as though you couldn't breathe. When you entered Mark and your shared apartment, you sensed that something was wrong; that something was missing from your normally warm environment. Mark and you have been arguing more frequently recently, and the night before, it was the worst it had been in years.

Mark had been going out later into the night, sleeping on couches of friend's houses more than in his own bed. Your shared bed. You more often than not woke up to nothing, the radiating warmth missing from your side.

You'd had enough of it, and confronted the man when he walked into the apartment at 2 am. Words spewed from either side, along the lines of "I'm sick of this" and "What is there to be sick of?" Mark ended up sleeping on the couch that night while you cried yourself to sleep, clutching Mark's pillow and attempting to hold onto what used to be the warm, delightful love of your life.

The next day when you woke up, he was gone. He texted you saying he had to leave early for work and that you should go ahead and start your day without him, and you did. You began planning ways to talk things out, to fix things with Mark over a nice dinner.

You set your plan to action and made your way to the local market. When you returned home and stepped foot into the kitchen, though, your eyes landed on a small note placed right in the center of the dining table. Written on that note in Mark's sloppy handwriting were the words, "I'm sorry, but I need to clear my head."

You dropped the note and ran into your bedroom, only to see that Mark had taken almost half of his belongings from the cramped space, along with one of the suitcases the two of you placed behind the closet when you first moved in. He was gone.

But ain't nobody love you like I do.

He'd been gone for about 10 days when you receive a call from Donghyuck. The brown-haired boy informed you that Mark has been sleeping on his couch for over a week and would be stopping by within the next few days to take up all of his friend's belongings he'd left behind.

You hummed, almost numbly, and before hanging up, you mustered up the courage to ask Donghyuck if Mark was currently there with him. He hummed in response, and you mumbled a good before dropping the line completely, falling to your knees and sobbing until you no longer had tears to let fall.

You were broken, and it was all because of Mark, yet a piece of you continuously hoped and prayed that he was safe. That he was living in a proper home with a place to sleep, and that he wasn't too cold because he often got cold very easily.

Mark, on the other end of the line, was silently holding in his cries as his best friend hung up the phone, disconnecting him from his one true love. Mark never intended to hurt you the way that he did, but in his mind, because he loved you so much, too much, he had to let you go.

He was noticing how much he was holding you back, from job opportunities to your social life, he believed he was the reason. He was the reason you declined the job offer in the neighboring city because that meant you'd have to either move out or drag Mark with you, and you chose on neither and stayed. He was the reason you never left the house on weekends because only then was he ever home. He was the reason you had bags under your eyes, he soon realized.

You'd been staying up night after night, waiting for him to come home. You'd been crying because he would come home with bags darker than yours. You'd been losing sleep because you spent too much of your time worrying about him.

He was holding you back by loving you.

So he decided to let you go.

Promise that I will not take it personal, baby.

A few months have passed and Mark's finally settled down in a new place in the town you had rejected the job offer from all those months ago. A part of him wished that moving away would offer you closure, knowing that Donghyuck explained his side of the story to you. Mark wanted so badly to be the one who spoke to you that day, but he was afraid of the confrontation. He was scared he'd break and hold you into his arms and promise to never let you go, bringing himself and you back into the endless loop.

So he left. He moved away and had Donghyuck clean up the mess he'd made. Mark owes him one.

The other part of him, though, hoped that you contacted the agency that offered you the job all those months ago. The selfish part of him prayed that the agency granted your request and offered you the job you passed up on in this new city. He hoped that you and him could start over in a different setting, and maybe a few years from now, run into each other again. You'd be in better places in your lives and the two of you could start over.

He knew he was hoping for too much, but oh a man can dream.

If you're moving on with someone new.

Mark was brought back to the present when he hears a loud shattering of glass. He averted his eyes towards the source of the ruckus and landed his eyes on you. He noticed how your eyes grew into large saucers when he displayed similar shocked features.

Shit.

He quickly and clumsily packed up his belongings as he waved down one of the waiters, asking for the tab. Noticing Mark's shaken composure accompanied by the glares being sent in his direction from the other side of the bar, the waiter sympathetically printed out the bill as fast as he could and didn't let out a peep when Mark underpaid about 10 bucks.

Mark rushed out of the bar, only to be caught by the sound of your voice calling out to him.

"Don't you dare run away." The voice was cold.

"Not again, Mark." It was almost shaking.

You caught up to the man. He turned around, slowly, wishing that this was all just a messed up dream, and the alcohol was only playing tricks with his mind.

Indeed, though, this was his reality. Mark remained silent, only staring at his feet as you approached him.

"Look at me," your voice was softer now, but he noticed the stern edge laced within your words. You were never one to raise your voice, not even when Mark would spew incredulous things at you during an argument. You were always calm.

Mark shifted his gaze from the ground towards your face and noticed you looked wiser. He noticed how your soft features were now more sharp. He noticed how you wore your hair differently. He noticed how you'd ditched your casual jeans and a shirt for something more business-casual. He noticed how your aura had changed into something more serious. He noticed every little change about you.

He also noticed how, beneath all the physical changes, you were still you. You still had the same stars in your eyes. You still had his favorite scent. You still had the same quip in your lip when you spoke. You still had the same smile.

You were smiling at him.

Mark finally managed to meet your eyes, and as you opened your mouth to speak, he cut you off before you could get a sound out.

"You look happier."

Your smile dropped a bit at his observation. He was right, you were happier than you were after the breakup. But you were happier when you were with him. Using other men to distract yourself from Mark worked for a while, but it was never the same.

It's been over a year, and you still missed him. You missed everything about Mark; his smile, his laugh, his posture when he was furiously typing away at his keyboard because he had an essay due in 10 minutes. You missed the way he'd sing to you at night when you woke up from a nightmare, and the way he'd pet down your hair when the two of you wake up in each other's arms after a nap.

And although you missed him, a part of you was still angry at him. Angry that he left without an explanation, and had Donghyuck be the bearer of bad news that he wanted you to be happier. That he wanted you to have a life not revolving around him and his actions.

A part of you hated how he was so selfish, and how he never looked to you for his decision. Yet the other, wiser, part of you was thankful. Thankful that he cared about you enough to let you go, cared about you enough to put your priorities above his own feelings for once. Most importantly, you were thankful that he was your first heartbreak.

Before he was the boy who broke your heart, he was a friend.

You tilt your head a bit sideways, plastered another smile and nodded in response.

"It's a process."

He smiled back, toothy grin warming your heart. "I'm glad you're doing okay."

Maybe it was the universe finally hearing Mark's wishes of starting over, or maybe it was just a mere coincidence that you ran into each other that day. But nonetheless, the encounter made him realize one thing.

"I was happier with you."

#mark lee #nct mark #nct 127 #nct dream #mark lee angst #mark angst #mark fic #mark scenarios #mark lee scenarios #nct dream fic #nct dream angst #nct 127 angst #mark lee fic #literally i'm just simping rn

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bittercoldbrew · 3 years

Text

Not Beyond Repair

Summary: He was her first love, her greatest heartbreak. Twenty years and an alien invasion later, the universe seems determined to bring Marcus Moreno back into her life.

Rating/Warnings: Rated M for coarse and suggestive language (no smut, but mentions of a past sexual relationship), allusions to (but no descriptions of) child abuse/neglect. And just like so much angst. 18+ ONLY

A/N: Wow so this has been sitting in my wips since uhhh March I guess??? I wasn’t really planning on ever finishing it, just something I’d tinker with from time to time, but over the past week or so while procrastinating writing something wholly unrelated I was suddenly struck with inspiration and couldn’t seem to pull myself away. No idea if I’ll ever write a follow-up, but I’ve gotten pretty attached to these characters now, so I guess we’ll see! Anyway, here’s 7k+ of Marcus Moreno x OFC angsty tender goodness. Enjoy!

It’s been a quiet day, rainy and cool, the gloomy weather keeping all but her staunchest regulars at bay. Not great for her bottom line, but getting back into the swing of things after being lightly kidnapped by decidedly un-sexy tentacle aliens has been...more of a challenge than anticipated. This has been a good chance to get caught up on packages to be shipped out, and sprucing up a few displays, and generally working her way through the rolling list of ancillary tasks. After an admirably productive morning and a quick trip to the sandwich shop next door for lunch, Vera had just settled in behind the counter and cracked open her current read when the bell above the door chimed for the first time in hours.

The thing about owning a tiny bookshop in a quiet part of an otherwise-bustling city is that people expect her to just be reading behind the counter all day—not remotely the case, there are a hundred other things she should be doing right now, but at least she doesn’t have to feel too guilty at being caught slacking off as she looks up to greet the new customer with an easy smile.

Her expression freezes halfway there.

The long legs and broad shoulders of Marcus Moreno fill her doorway—and all the rest of him, too, clad in tight dark jeans and a light gray sweater and a black leather jacket. There’s a strained, nervous expression on his face as he lifts a hand to sweep rain-slick hair out of his face, then gives her a half-hearted wave. “...Hey,” he says softly.

"...Marcus," she sighs, hoping she doesn’t sound quite as confused and uncomfortable as she feels, gripping the book in her hands so tightly the binding creaks.

He attempts a smile, though it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “Sorry to just show up at your work like this, but I, uh...don’t have your number anymore.”

“But you have the shop’s address?” she asks, narrowing her eyes in suspicion.

He shrugs. “It’s a local bookstore with your name on it. Even I’m not that bad with google.”

She sighs. Smack dab in the middle of the block, the name West & Elm Books had seemed a cute idea, prompting visitors to ask, “This is Elm Street, but what’s West?” The first twenty or so times, she’d been chipper as anything to respond, “I am! Vera West, nice to meet you.”

The routine had gotten old very fast.

“Pretty sure google also knows the shop’s number,” she drawls, with a pointed nod toward the landline literally two feet away from her on the counter. Even with three separate online storefronts, quite a few of her customers aren’t terribly comfortable navigating the internet, and these days the shop phone probably gets more use than her cell.

He has the sense to look abashed, at least. “I... Yeah, I know, I just wanted... I can—leave. If you want me to.”

She finally sets down her book, not caring to mark the page. A week ago, she would’ve run him off the moment she saw him. But now..? “Just—try not to...drip on anything,” she huffs, gesturing vaguely at his wet clothes. What, were superheroes too cool to carry umbrellas or something?

“Oh. Right. Sorry.” He looks down at himself as if he hadn’t even realized, tries to wipe his shoes off on the mat, takes a few steps inside. Instead of swinging closed behind him, the door gets caught by a gust of wind that blows it open further, then yanks it shut with a harsh clang of the bell, and they both flinch. “Sorry,” he mutters again.

“What do you want, Moreno?” she asks—not angry to see him, really, but suddenly and completely exhausted.

He nods his head, as though her snappishness is exactly the welcome he’d expected, and it makes her bristle with old hurts thought long buried. But then his next words surprise her right out of what should’ve been a one-way trip to anger: “I wanted to thank you.”

She blinks, confused; asks dumbly, “For what?”

For the first time since entering, he meets her eyes—and god, she had forgotten how warm they can be, how kind, how tender. “You thought the world was ending, and you ran to find my mom.”

She shrugs her shoulders like it was no biggie, like making sure Tía Moreno was safe hadn’t been her first and only thought after watching him get attacked and captured by aliens on the fucking morning news. “Didn’t have anyone else to check up on,” she says—and it’s true, if not entirely honest.

“She said you showed up to the house with a baseball bat,” he says, resting his hands on his hips and shifting his weight to one foot, the way he always used to when he knew he was about to get on her nerves. “A Slugger, even. Like the one I gave you.”

The gift had been half joke, half deadly serious; something to keep her safe on the nights she couldn’t stay over at his parents’ house and instead had to navigate the unpredictable environment of her mother’s apartment and the men she sometimes brought back with her from the various bars she worked at—and a wooden bat so, he’d told her with a dimpled grin, she could turn it on him if she ever needed to. They’d been best friends at the time, just a couple of stupid barely-teenagers, one with the supernatural ability to command metal, the other with no particular power or significance beyond a certain knack for always knowing how to make the gloomiest boy in school smile. The moment he put that bat in her hands had been the moment she realized she was hopelessly in love with him, even if it’d taken her a few more months to put words to the feeling and say them to his face.

It’s the same bat tucked with her behind the counter now, the one she’s kept at her bedside every night for more than twenty years, the one with “VW + MM” lovingly carved into the handle. She’d made herself a real pain in some squid alien’s ass to get it back from whoever had confiscated it, once they’d finally been released from the spaceship.

She sure as hell isn’t going to tell Marcus that, though. With a huff, she gets up from her stool and turns from his prying gaze, stepping over to the espresso machine. “¿Quieres un café?” she asks, but her voice sounds so flat and tired that it comes out as more of a command than a question.

“...Gracias,” he mutters awkwardly, as though he’s not entirely sure whether she’d been asking or telling, either. It doesn’t matter; she’d never known him to turn down good coffee, and although it’s been a long, long time since she last called him a friend, she can't imagine that’s something that will ever change.

She can feel his eyes on her while she pulls a couple shots and steams some milk, but he at least keeps his dumb mouth shut, for once. The espresso machine is a real treasure—an Italian import, small but mighty, a worthy investment simply because she loves to have a little something special to offer her favorite regulars and kind customers (though it’s always mysteriously in need of repair whenever anyone’s rude to her, weird how that happens, huh?)—and she wouldn’t want him saying something to sour her mood while she uses it. The Marzocco deserves better than that.

When she turns back around with a cortado for him and a latte for herself, she sees that he’d grabbed one of the stools from the little table by the window, has seated himself across the counter from her own spot. Any hope she may have harbored that he’d been planning on drinking his espresso and walking back out of her life flees at the sight. Biting back another sigh, she sets the drinks down and sits, holding her cup in both hands as if it might protect her from whatever else he has in mind to say.

“Thank you,” he says softly, picking up the tiny spoon and twirling it in his fingers absent-mindedly. “Vera—”

The bell dings again, and they both turn to watch a huge umbrella force its way through the door, followed closely by a young-ish couple huddled together, laughing brightly at their successful escape from the elements. Their obvious mirth somehow manages to make Vera feel even grouchier, and she straightens up and calls over to them, “Hey, sorry folks, we’re closed!”

The two stop shaking out their umbrella all over her nice wood floor, and turn to look at her in surprise. The woman’s eyes widen in something like camaraderie and understanding, taking in Vee’s and Marcus’s closeness and tense posture; but the guy’s expression sours, and he gestures sharply at the door he just barged through, unable or unwilling to read the damn room. “The sign says you’re open.”

“Yeah, thanks,” she agrees, trying and probably failing to keep the bite out of her tone. “You can flip it for me on your way out.”

He looks ready to argue with her some more, but his date grabs his arm with a “C’mon, babe...” So instead he flips her the bird—but at least the woman turns the sign as they manipulate the umbrella and themselves back out to the street. Hopefully they’ll find their way to the sandwich shop next door to weather the storm, go be Bill and Stu’s problem rather than hers.

“Sorry,” Marcus murmurs, a needlessly contrite look in his eyes. “Want me to, uh...hit the lock?”

She’d been halfway off her stool to do just that; sighing, she sits back down. “Sure, knock yourself out.”

He twists at the waist, lifts a steady hand; a moment later, she hears the metal latch click into place.

Apparently it’s still enough to make her heartbeat kick up a notch, the way he so casually defies the laws of nature. People with powers aren’t quite so rare as they once were, but they tend to keep to their own communities, out of necessity if not some blatant prejudice. Vera knows a small handful of other folks with inexplicable talents, but no one holds a candle to Marcus Moreno.

...To his superpower, that is.

Shaking her head of useless thoughts, she takes a slow sip of her latte to keep from having to meet his eyes. “So, uh... Your mom. She doing okay?”

He nods his head, taking a sip of his own drink—she tries not to let herself be charmed by the way his glasses slip down the bridge of his nose when he dips his head, just barely managing to resist the muscle-memory instinct to pluck them from his face and put them on herself. “Yeah. Yeah, she’s good. Disappointed in me and the other adults, of course. But the Heroics asked her to lend a hand with training all the kids, and she couldn’t be happier.”

“Yeah, I’ll bet.” Vera can’t help but smile at the thought; she may not be an active hero any longer, but age hasn’t slowed Anita Moreno down much at all from the woman she remembers, the closest thing to a mother figure she’d had after dad died and mom subsequently lost her grip on reality. It’ll be good for Tía to get back into it, she thinks. “And Missy? How’s she holding up?”

“She’s great,” he says, and there’s a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eyes as he speaks of his daughter. “She has— I mean, she likes the hero stuff well enough, and don’t get me wrong, that’s a huge relief, but... But she has friends again, y’know? It’s been so long, I thought... Well, she’s... She’s doing great.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” she tells him, and—despite everything—she really means it. Despite everything, she still remembers how it’d felt after dad died, and mom had moved the two of them halfway across the country to get away from the memories, and Vera herself had sworn she’d never care about anyone else ever again, until the gloomiest boy in school suddenly got it into his head to change all that. “She’s a good kid. Clever, kind. The rest of the day sucked, y’know, the whole fake alien invasion thing, but...I liked getting to meet her.”

“She’s better than I deserve,” he says, tone solemn as he nods his head. He sets his cup down and folds his arms on the countertop, leaning in a little, brow creasing into something stern. “She told me you talked to her.”

“Oh, yeah?” she asks, holding her cup in front of her chest and leaning back a fraction, hoping the movement comes across as subconscious rather than calculated. “What’d she say?”

“Not much,” he admits. “Which means it must’ve really mattered to her. She said you swore one another to secrecy.”

If she lets herself think about it, Vera can almost feel the memory of the girl’s small hand in hers. But she doesn’t let herself dwell on it, just shrugs instead. “It’s good for a girl to have a couple secrets from her dad.”

“It is,” he agrees with a nod. His lips purse, his eyes lowering to stare into his espresso thoughtfully. “But mom... She said Missy seemed about ready to give up on the other kids, on coming after us, on all of it. Said she looked ready to shut down, until you went over and spoke to her.”

It sounds like Tía’d been exaggerating; really, it hadn't exactly been some kind of profound heart to heart or inspirational monologue or anything, it was just...a nice chat. The girl had asked who she was, what she was doing at her abuela’s house; Vera’d explained that she and Marcus had once been good friends, that she and Anita Moreno still kept in touch, that she’d been worried about the woman who practically raised her after seeing all the scary stuff on the news. Missy had been surprised to find out that her dad had a friend she’d never heard about, so Vera had shown her the carving on her bat and told her a truncated version of how he’d been kind to her in the darkest period of her life and they’d become inseparable for years, until time and circumstance made them go their separate ways.

And then Missy had asked...if she'd loved him.

And—hell, she'd been talking to his daughter, and an hour earlier she'd watched helplessly as he got swallowed up by a tidal wave of flying alien robot monsters, and she'd thought the world was ending, and she'd...answered honestly.

"I did. And I think I still do. And I'm scared I'll never get the chance to tell him."

There'd been other things they talked about, too; Vera had tried to be a little motivational for a minute there, had told the girl how she didn't have any powers, either, but that she'd never let it keep her from doing what needed to be done to protect the people she cared about. But none of that had seemed to land quite as close to home as the things she'd admitted—to herself as much as to her new young friend—about Marcus.

Not that she had the least intention of mentioning any of that to him, of course. The world hadn't ended; and once she'd gotten over the initial flood of relief at seeing him alive and unharmed, once he'd explained that this whole ordeal had been a test—for their own children, for fuck's sake—she'd been too angry at him and his stupid face and the Heroics most of all to be able to admit any such thing.

And if Missy hadn't told him what they'd discussed, she certainly would not betray the girl's trust. It had been a solemn (if improvised) oath they'd sworn, after all. Vera had never been one to break a promise, and she was not going to start now.

"It wasn't anything like that," she sighs, propping her elbow on the counter, her chin in her hand, taking a moment to study the face of this man who had once been the boy she’d known. Gone a little softer around the edges, but also far more put-together than she can ever remember seeing him. He has grown and changed in ways that are unfathomable to her, and it's her own fault that she wasn't around for any of it, and the realization makes the ache in her chest expand into a gnawing chasm, makes her words come out breathy and stilted and weird. "We just...talked about you, I guess. What you were like at her age, that sort of thing. If she...found inspiration in that, I think it's got more to do with you than me."

"Hmm," he breathes, his tone low and thoughtful. He takes another sip of his espresso, eyeing her over the rim of the cup, and those dark, watchful, gentle eyes are just the same as they have always been. For all the ways he's changed, he is still just as handsome and familiar as she always knew him to be, and this realization is staggering, too. "She asked me about you too, you know?"

"Really?" Vera lifts her mug to her lips, considering this. The girl had struck her as clever and curious from the moment she saw her, even before she'd recognized her father's expressions in her face and realized who she must be. It shouldn't be a surprise that Missy had pressed him for more info, but she can't help but feel pleased and, also, a little humbled by the attention. "What'd she want to know?"

"Why we stopped being friends," he answers, so bluntly that she has to cast her eyes away, staring out at the rows of bookshelves because she just can't look at his face anymore.

"What'd you tell her?"

"The truth. The...appropriate parts, anyway. I told her about your dad," he admits, his voice going gentle at the mention of her father, even now afraid to rub salt on such old wounds. "How he was a real hero, a firefighter without any powers to protect him, and I told her...how hard it was for your mom, after he died. I wanted her to know you weren’t...wrong to be afraid of what might happen to us, if I became—well, what I’ve become, I guess.”

What he’s become...

Sure, yeah, she’d been able to see a lot of it coming. Until his wife, no one had known Marcus half so well as Vera had, and even twenty years ago she’d been able to visualize the potential brimming just beneath his skin—could see it so clearly, it was as if she could reach out and touch it.

And now here he is, stumbling back into her life after all this time, looking like a snack and a half, just overflowing with big dilf energy in his dorky glasses and leather jacket and tousled hair.

But he's a widower, too; a serious man with an important, impossible job and a bright, wonderful daughter, and what does she have? A used bookstore perpetually in danger of not quite making ends meet, and the painful, delectable memory of how, once upon a time, this venerated hero had simply been the boy she loved, eating her out in the bed of his dad's old pickup truck like his life depended on it.

They were good memories, ones she'd never been able to make herself forget, no matter how much they hurt, no matter how much time passed. And it wasn't just the sex, either. He'd been her first, sure, and she'd been his—but he'd also been her first of everything else, too. Marcus Moreno had been her first kiss, her first boyfriend, her first best friend. He'd been the first person to ever hold her hand when she was scared, to ever give her a shoulder to cry on, to offer her refuge with the mere fact of his presence and the softness of his smile. He had been the first person to ever see her.

She has dated other people after him—eventually, occasionally—but no one very lasting. Loving Marcus had made her feel like her heart was too big to fit in her chest, like her veins were full of sunlight, like none of the sorrows in her life would be able to dig their roots into any inch of her skin that he had ever touched. No one else even came close.

Her own fault entirely; too busy pining after the one that got away to notice the possibilities available to her, too wounded by her first and greatest heartbreak to acknowledge that the love she'd lost had likely been nothing more than a dangerous blend of hormones and youthful fantasy. But she couldn't deny that he'd just about ruined her for all others. Nobody since had ever fucked her so good or made her laugh so hard—certainly never both at the same time.

Meanwhile, he had well and truly and decidedly moved on. Married a beautiful woman who looked absolutely nothing like her, had a brilliant daughter and the life of his dreams with her, at least until tragedy struck. And Vera—she had genuinely mourned when his wife died, had felt gutted when he lost her. All she had ever, ever, wanted was for Marcus Moreno to be happy—wanted it enough to know she could never give him what it would take, enough to sacrifice her own happiness by removing herself from his equation.

“It was stupid,” she admits aloud, hauling her mind away from the melancholy with both hands, forcing herself to meet this head-on. “I was stupid. I should never have made you choose—”

“No, you didn’t, that’s the thing,” he blurts, cutting in with a vehemence that shuts her up quickly. “I didn’t realize until I was telling Missy, but then it was so obvious. I was the stupid one. You said you couldn’t be with me if I joined the Heroics, but that never meant I had to cut you out of my life the way I did.”

“No. No, Marcus, that was your dream! And just look at what you've done with it. I still... I can’t believe I ever thought to ask you to give it up.”

“You didn’t. You set a boundary for yourself. I can see that now, I can respect that now, but at the time? God, Vee, I threw away the best friend I ever had because I couldn’t see past my own ego. Stupidest thing I’ve ever done.”

"Maybe we were both stupid, then. I thought—" her voice cracks, brittle and far too full of feeling, and she has to blink hard and take a sip of her quickly-cooling latte, pulling herself together. But if she ever has any hope of getting over this—over him—she has to get this out in the open. "I thought I wouldn't be able to live with the worry. You saw how my mom fell to pieces after dad, but even before that she was already...splintered. Every time he was on duty, it was like another piece of her crumbled away—she had that fucking police scannner, would just hover in front of it all day and night, just in case, and I... I couldn't let that be my life, too."

"Vera—" he starts, but she shakes her head tightly and cuts him off, because now that the floodgate's been opened, there is no turning back.

"It didn't matter, Marcus." She pushes up from the stool, paces behind the counter with her hands on her hips, too riled to sit still. "I found the one thing I knew you couldn't give me and I used it to drive you off and I let you go, and it didn't even matter because I still spent every day of my life scouring the news, or laying awake at night terrified of losing you, and I didn't even have you anymore!"

When she manages to risk a glance his way, the expression on his face is one she's seen only once before, the day after his college graduation, right before he told her they were done. Stricken is the only word for it, and when he speaks, his voice is a low, dark rasp. "I never wanted that for you, Vera."

Hidden away, deep inside her chest, something softens—something she thought had calcified, after all these years.

"I know, Marcus." She runs a hand down her face, shakes her head and turns away from him. "I know. And I've gotten...better at managing it. Or, hell, maybe I just grew up. Lost enough people in my life that I finally learned that sometimes there isn't anything you can do. Maybe I would've been okay, eventually, if I hadn't... If we'd stayed..."

She can't finish the thought, it's still too painful to speak aloud.

I loved you, she thinks, but can't say this, either. And I think I still do. And I don't know if I'll ever be brave enough to tell you.

"...I know you've kept in touch with my mom," he says, gentle-voiced, and the change of subject is so jarring that she turns back to look at him. He's got his head bowed, staring down at the little espresso spoon, twirling it in his fingers. "She always told me she was meeting with her ‘book club’, that I couldn't come over because I'd be too distracting. Can't believe it took all this for me to figure out she meant you. You were always the smart one."

She pulls a face that he doesn't see, hopes he can hear the contrition in her voice. "I'm sorry about that. I just asked her not to tell you, thought it'd be...weird." It was weird, wasn't it? What kind of person still got together with their ex's mom on a regular basis, decades after such a spectacular breakup? But Tía has a gravitational pull all her own, one Vera's never been able (nor particularly willing) to evade. Plus she makes the best honey cookies. "I didn't think she'd straight-up lie to you, which is...probably even weirder. I, uh... Sorry."

"It's alright, Vee." He lifts his head a little, lets her see the smirk on his face, an expression so familiar that it makes her whole body ache. "I know how she is. I'm glad things stayed good for you two."

She nods slowly, running a hand through her hair. "Me too. You're mom's the best, Moreno."

"Yo sé." There’s habit to the words, a rhythm neither of them have forgotten, despite all the time that’s passed since last they said them. But the old sparkle that used to come into his eye is missing, replaced with a heavy caution. “When you guys met for book club, did she...talk about me?”

“Not always,” she answers dutifully, because technically it isn’t a lie. Sometimes they talked about the weather, or Anita’s gardening, or even—ostensibly—books. Honestly, Vera usually tried to steer well clear of any talk of Marcus and his perfect life without her, and for the most part Tía was respectful about that. But as the years passed, it grew less and less painful to hear, and she’d been grateful to have some sense of what was going on with him even when it still hurt a little.

"Did she tell you..? After my wife died," he says, and something in Vera's chest constricts, and she forces herself to keep her eyes on his face and not his hands—not his fingers toying with the ring he wears, the tiny piece of metal that she cannot bear to look at directly. "After she died, I stopped going out in the field. Did mom ever tell you why?"

Her throat has gone tight and the words won't come, not certain where he's going with this but certain from his body language and the look on his face that it's not going to be somewhere pleasant. She shakes her head.

"Missy asked me to," he says with a shrug. "Simple as that. She was scared, and grieving, and she didn't want to lose me, too, and she asked me to stop fighting. So I did."

"Marcus—" she tries, but her voice breaks on his name and tears start to well in her eyes, and she turns her back to him because she will do a lot of things, but she will not let him see her cry.

"I did it without hesitation," he continues. "Without question. It took me actually experiencing grief to understand where you'd been coming from, and even at the time I still never made the connection. But Missy asked and I agreed, because I love her. I still...broke that promise, now, because I thought I didn't have a choice. But I was willing to try, and I wish... I wish I had loved you like that, back then. I should have loved you enough to try."

Okay, well, maybe she is gonna let him see her cry.

“Jesus, Marcus,” she croaks, whirling on him. “You can’t just say shit like that to me.”

“I know, I’m sorry,” he says, lifting a hand as if to reach out and comfort her—but she’s about three feet and twenty years too far away, so he lets it fall back to the countertop instead. “I just— I want you to know that I know I fucked up, and now I finally understand why. I know I’m too late, but...when the Ogima brought you back, and I saw you again, I thought...”

She’d been separated from Anita when the aliens took them aboard their ship. Even handcuffed and relieved of her baseball bat, she’d done her best to fight back, determined to find Tía, superpowers or no. The aliens hadn’t actually been willing to hurt her, a random civilian caught up in the midst of their twisted game, and eventually they’d given up on trying to restrain her and simply tossed her in with the Heroics.

His face when he saw her, and the way he’d fallen to his knees beside her to tear off the metal cuffs like they were made of paper, and how he’d cradled her sore wrists in his big warm hands, and what he’d felt like against her chest when she threw her arms around his shoulders and pressed her face into his neck—Marcus, alive and whole—all of it had seared into her memory on contact, his voice and his scent and his body plaguing her dreams again for the first time in years.

“I was telling Missy about you,” he says, clearing his throat and changing the subject, and she can’t help but wonder if he’d been remembering those same things, whether thoughts of her had been plaguing him as well. “And thinking of how good things used to be, when you were a part of my life. And noticing how much I’ve missed you. And I realized... I think I broke your heart, Vera.”

She takes a deep breath and lets it out slow, unwilling to lie to him about this. “Yeah, you did, Marcus.”

He nods his head, gaze dropping with the movement, accepting her words but unable to look at her.

She takes a step forward, and then another, sinking back onto her stool, her shoulders relaxing for perhaps the first time since he'd entered her shop. His right hand still rests on the countertop where he’d dropped it, balled into a fist, and she stares at it for a long, quiet moment, hesitates...then rests her own hand beside it, close enough that her knuckles brush against his. “But not—” she swallows thickly, watching as his fingers unspool, reaching for hers but not grabbing, waiting to see what she’ll do. She isn’t sure, herself, surprised by the warmth of his skin and by the sight of her hand in his, not entirely certain how it got there. “Not beyond repair.”

His thumb rubs the back of her hand, fingers curling around hers, holding her steady, grounded to him. He lifts his eyes to hers, and they’re just as dark and warm and beautiful as she remembers. “I know I can’t take any of it back. I know we can’t just start over. But would you consider—I mean, would you even... Do you think we could try again?”

She blinks back a few traitorous tears, glancing away to stare out the display window at the rain-swept street beyond. A week ago, her answer would’ve been a resounding no—hell, she probably would’ve chased him off with her bat the moment she looked up and saw him in her doorway. But now, after everything, after realizing she might never see him again, after finding him here in her shop with his heart on his sleeve, looking to make amends...?

“Do you mean as friends?” she asks, forcing the words out past her reluctant tongue, forcing herself to look back at him so she can gauge his reaction. “Or as...you know...something more?”

His brows draw together and he tilts his head to the side, eyeing her curiously. “I don’t know. Would that be...something you want?”

“I don’t know,” she echoes. She eyes the flecks of gray in the scruff along his jaw, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, thinking of all the ways he’s changed since she last let herself love him, and all the ways she’s tried to change, too. “Maybe...someday? But I’ve been...getting over you.”

She doesn’t tell him that she hasn’t been very successful at it. She doesn’t tell him that it’s a battle she’s been fighting with herself ever since he walked away from her; doesn’t tell him that most days it still feels like she’s losing.

She’s sure he can tell that she’s holding all that back, but he doesn’t push her, just nods his head and lowers his gaze to their hands, still clasped together.

“Yeah, that’s... I haven’t, uh...dated since...” He doesn’t finish the sentence, and she’s grateful—the memory of his wife is already a tangible enough barrier between them, without him speaking her name aloud. Anyway, he was never any good at casual, her Marcus, and she isn’t surprised to learn that he’s stayed single after losing her.

“Maybe we could start with friends for a while,” she offers, shrugging when he lifts his eyes back to hers. “Just...see how it goes?”

He flashes an amused smirk. “What, a friendship trial run?”

“Sure. It couldn’t hurt, right?”

“Yeah... Okay, what’re you thinking? Like...a few months or something?”

“Six,” she says definitively—it seems to be the average length of all her relationships after him, just long enough for her to figure out if she’s losing interest, not so long that she’d feel compelled to stay together for the sake of sunk cost. If, after six months, they haven’t driven each other away again, and she still feels this overwhelming urge to peel that leather jacket off of him and have him right here beside the cash register, then, well... Maybe by then she’ll feel confident enough to follow through.

“Six months.” He nods his head thoughtfully, considering her offer, apparently unruffled by the specificity of her time limit, content to roll with it. “Okay. Yeah, I can do that. And then we’ll...touch base, see how we’re both feeling, see if we want to stop or...try something else?”

“Right,” she agrees, nodding too. Laid out like that, it almost sounds like a totally rational sort of plan.

“Right,” he echoes, a small smile beginning to tug at his lips, the crinkles at the corners of his eyes deepening. She glances away before she can catch a glimpse of that dimple in his cheek, the one that always made her knees feel weak. “Okay, well, in that case, I have something for you here...”

She turns back when he pulls his hand free from hers, reaching in the inner breast of his jacket for some secret hidden pocket. There could be any number of things emerging from there—after having been abducted by real-live aliens, she’s learning to expect the unexpected. But he simply pulls out a sheet of paper, folded in half twice, and holds it out to her.

“It’s from Missy,” he explains as she hesitantly takes the page from him. “She said I should give it to you even if you said no, but I, uh...thought that’d be weird.”

Vera frowns at his words, unfolding the paper delicately. It’s a sturdy cardstock, decorated with a colorful border of vibrantly-patterned washi tape. In the center, written in fluorescent bubble letters, the message reads: “You are cordially invited to the MORENO FAMILY BI-MONTHLY MOVIE NIGHT, this Saturday night. Doors open at 7pm, dinner and snacks provided. Movie TBD.”

Below, in purple gel pen and careful cursive, there’s a postscript: “P.S. Please come! My dad’s really sorry. <3 Missy”

“Please don’t feel obligated,” Marcus is saying, rubbing the back of his neck. “I told her we shouldn’t pressure you, but she really wants to see you again. But also if it’s too much, I can tell her you already had plans or something, or... I mean, I won’t make you out to be the bad guy or anything.”

She traces a finger along the looping letters, feeling a few sappy tears start to prick at the corners of her eyes. Blinking them away, she asks, “‘Bi-monthly’, huh? Does that mean twice a month, or every other?”

“Twice a month,” he confirms with a sigh. “It used to be every weekend but, y’know, she has friends now. I’ll have to learn to share my Saturday nights.”

Vera laughs, surprising even herself, and looks up to find him smiling fondly at her, dimple on full display. “Do I need to bring anything?”

“You’ll come?”

“I was cordially invited,” she points out, gesturing to the paper, watching as his smile spreads into a broad, brilliant grin. “I wouldn’t miss it.”

“That’s...” he starts, trailing off breathlessly. “That’s wonderful. And, uh, no, you don’t need to bring anything. Just...yourself. We usually—I try not to let us eat too much takeout, but Saturdays are special so we’ll probably order pizza. You still like mushrooms on yours, right?”

She laughs again, surprised that he would remember such a thing. “Yeah, Marcus, I do.”

“Good.”

He looks at her, those deep brown eyes twinkling, his gorgeous face lit up with a happiness she hasn’t seen there in far too long, and she starts to wonder how she’s ever going to make it six months without his mouth on hers.

“I’m, uh... It’s really great to see you, Vee.”

“Yeah,” she sighs. “I mean—me too. I mean... I’m glad you came by, Marcus.”

“Me too.” His smile is infectious—it always has been. She watches, amused, as he clears his throat and fidgets awkwardly, patting his pockets, then running a hand through his hair, then downing the rest of his cortado in one gulp. “Thank you for the coffee and, uh...for giving me another chance. I, um. I should get going, let you enjoy the rest of your day.”

“Sure,” she says, wondering what his leagues of fans would think, to discover that Marcus Moreno gets like this when he’s nervous, fumbling with his words and forgetting what to do with his hands. She hopes they never find out, that this can be one of the many secrets kept safe from his adoring public, a side to him that she is privileged—even now, even after everything—to see. “Oh! Hang on, wait. Here.”

He carries the extra stool back over to its place at the window, then returns to the counter and watches attentively as she grabs a scrap piece of paper from the stack beside the phone, scrawls out seven digits, and hands it over to him.

“My number,” she tells him, shrugging. “So you don’t have to google me to stay in touch.”

He laughs and accepts the paper, fingers brushing against hers for a brief but luminous second, and she’s pleased to see that it gets tucked away into his jacket’s special secret inner pocket, too. “Actually, I, uh... I might’ve got your address from mom, instead.”

Vera shakes her head with a smirk, sliding from the stool and moving around the counter to walk him to the door. “I should’ve known she had a hand in this, somewhere. She’s been trying to get me to talk to you for years, now.”

He sighs heavily, slumping his broad shoulders. “Yeah, same here. I’m sorry it took me this long and an alien attack to actually listen.”

“Yeah, y— Hey, wait...” she trails off, frowning as an utterly ridiculous thought occurs to her. But...could it be..? “You don’t think your mom... I mean, I know that whole thing was set up for the sake of the kids, but she wouldn’t have— Would she—?”

“What, would she have staged an alien invasion just to get us talking again?” he jokes, but the smile drops quickly from his face, his brow creasing with suspicion. “I... No, she... Surely not. I mean, how could she have known you were going to come find her?”

“Right,” she agrees, a little too quickly, a little too eager. She doesn’t mention the fact that, after checking on the other Elm Street shopkeepers and texting her few friends that live downtown, she’d had nowhere else to go and nothing else to do than to check on Tía. Vera shakes her head. “And she wouldn’t have put Missy at risk like that just to meddle with us.”

“Right,” he echoes, nodding vigorously, his eyebrows shooting up. “Still, I... I’ll call her.”

“Okay,” she says, feeling relieved that he had thought her wild idea was at least worth looking into, that she isn’t just totally paranoid. Or, at least, that he’s equally as paranoid as she is.

It’s...a nice feeling, to know that she and Marcus Moreno are still on some same wavelength, even after all the years they’ve spent apart.

“And I’ll call you,” he says, brown eyes meeting hers as the concern on his face melts into a gentle fondness, making her chest feel warm, her body light.

She grins. “Yeah. And I’ll see you Saturday at 7.”

“Yeah. Missy will be so excited to see you again.” There’s a definite flush to his cheeks as he adds, “And—I will be, too.”

She laughs, unlocking the door and pulling it open for him. Outside, the rain is still coming down, but she can just make out the first rays of sunlight beginning to pour through the clouds.

He turns to look at her one more time, flipping the collar of his jacket up with a gleam in his eyes and a smirk on his lips. “I’ll see you later, Vera.”

“I’ll see you soon, Marcus,” she says, and her heart thumps hard against her rib cage and the words are so sweet on her tongue, because they’re true.

From the calm safety of her doorway, she watches him dash through the rain, head bowed, out to his car—watches him stop to wave at her before getting in, and she returns the wave with a laugh as he fumbles with his keys—watches as he finally makes it inside and starts the car, and as he backs carefully out into the street, and as he begins to drive away—watches until his tail lights fade away into the distance and the rain.

Only then does she straighten up and let the door swing shut. With a smile playing across her face, Vera West flips the sign to Open.

#marcus moreno x oc #marcus moreno x reader #marcus moreno x ofc #my writing #oc vera west #oof okay looks like tumblr finally decided to add this to the tag thank goodness!#so im pinning this post! bc im very proud of it!#and bc i crave that sweet sweet validation #to everyone who reads this: i love you

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bluebellefox · 3 years

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It is a Far, Far Better Thing

When he first begins to regain consciousness, he is aware only of the sense of darkness blanketing around him, allowing his body to float along the gentle waves of a softly rolling black sea. It is not oppressive darkness that surrounds him, but rather a soothing one, one that brings none of the weight that being alone in the dark has brought him these past few years. One that reminds him of summer nights under a tree shared by unassuming children ready to take on the world or rainy mornings spent with tea cooling in its chipped mug and dog-eared and creased worn pages. Or the gentle pressure of a wizened hand laying on his shoulder and the echo of a lilting laugh that shone brightly in emerald eyes and always seemed to staunch the deep ache in his very soul that has haunted him since he could remember. It is peaceful and for the first time in a long time, Severus feels calm.

He wakes slowly, for the first time in months, years, decades… There is no rushed sense of duty that usually accompanies him and spurs him to action the second he is aware of the waking world. There is only the feeling of a warm spring breeze lofting over his face, pulling playfully at his hair as it dances across, well wherever he is. Normally finding himself in an unknown place after being so deeply wrapped in the arms of Morpheus would alarm him, even send him into a whirlwind of abject panic but strangely enough, the familiar anxiety isn’t present. Instead, he allows himself to relish the sounds of leaves rhythmically swaying in the wind, the prickles of untrimmed ryegrass through the fabric of his robes, the pleasant warmth radiating from the traditionally more traitorous English sun. He hasn’t been allowed to just exist in this simple capacity since he was a small child before his life was so convoluted and controlled by the decisions of more powerful men before the weight of the fate of all wizard-kind across Britain fell upon his shoulders, bowing his back and making him more Atlas than man.

There was something pulling at the back of his conscience, he can feel it pulsing through the severe fog that's invaded his senses. Not unlike when he uses his occlumency to bury his emotions when they overwhelmed him, or when it was imperative the Dark Lord not see the thoughts that ravaged his mind during Death Eater meetings. However, unlike those occasions where occlumency was the only option to halt an oncoming nervous breakdown, he couldn't wave away the haze. The longer he laid there, poking around at this inexplicable barrier around the parts of his mind that had ruled supreme these past few years, the spymaster, the renegade, the ruthless Death Eater, the protector, they all fell away. Hidden behind walls, not of his own construction and remained unreachable through the thick shroud of hazy quiet. Until suddenly even that muted feeling of alarm was swept away in the breeze and floated gently in the wind along with the dandelion seeds. Far, far away from him, and he finds he doesn’t bemoan the loss.

Severus supposes he should care, waking up in a strange place and so far removed from his own mind and thoughts. He should care, but he doesn’t remember ever being this tired. His eyelids feel so heavy that even thinking about prying them open takes an insurmountable amount of energy that he does not possess. The grass and weeds feel good against his back, far more comforting and soft than even his bed at Hogwarts and certainly his moth-eaten and unbalanced one at Spinner’s End, somehow feeling like the glimmers of contentment and peace of his childhood. The breeze a nice change from the howling winds of the Scottish Highlands, he thinks as it settles across him like a warm blanket. He supposes it’s not a bad spot for a bit of a nap, and he is so very tired. There are much worse places to drift away in.

That thought breaks through the veil in his head, just for one moment but it’s enough to bring the muted pressure of rotting wood up against his spine, a sharp, coppery scent replacing the smell of wildflowers in his nose, a cold voice breaking the peace he’s found. Severus tenses, his fight against the haze in his mind redoubles and twice as savage as before, panic and desperation by his side once more. Until he catches sight of green eyes in the unpleasant memories flowing by him, solemn but bright enough to burn away the flashes of images of a familiar-seeming, dilapidated house. That green fills his mind, gently carrying him away from whatever horrors trying to claw and scratch their way back into his awareness, pulling him gently away from an office with numerous paintings lining the walls and a high-backed chair, from the darkness clinging to a sprawling manor even it’s elegance could not override, from a smoky and underground lecture room, from a cramped, angry house by a polluted river.

Severus is distantly aware that these places hold some great significance to him, he feels the subdued emotional ties to them but is unable to articulate what they are or explain where they came from. He can’t bring himself to care and gladly follows that green back to the peaceful weightlessness of before, because somewhere he knows with a bone-deep surety that those eyes are home.

“Hey, Sev.”

Despite his previous weariness and weight of his eyelids, Severus finds it extremely easy to open his eyes. He is greeted by the pale blue sky of a warm spring evening, streaks of white clouds held in place above him, and the swaying branches of an old oak tree. It feels familiar, like greeting an old friend after a time apart. He slowly pulls his arms from his stomach, and props himself up on his elbows, and looks in the direction of the voice. And sitting amidst the knots and gnarled roots of the oak, chin casually resting in the cradle of her hand, sits Lily.

Red hair floats down around her shoulders, a few strands following the breeze as it makes its way through the field again. Her freckles scattered along the bridge of her nose, curling around her cheekbones just as he remembers. An easy smile splits her lips, one that speaks of fond and long-held affection, the very same as the one that haunts him in his dreams. But here she sits before him, solid and real in a way her presence hasn't been to him in many years. And those green eyes that he sees every time he closes his eyes, are looking at him with a gentle sort of mirth and a warmth he hasn’t felt in a long time.

There are a thousand words he wants to say, hundreds of apologies laying at the tip of his tongue, but they stick in the back of his throat. There is something in the way she reaches her hand out to him and sweeps the hair out of his face that makes them unnecessary, a sense of causal affection that tells him that she requires no explanations. They would break this wonderful moment of reprieve, so he’s content to spend the remainder of forever in this comfortable silence.

A million memories spill forth from the dam in his mind, some fuzzy with a deep fondness and peace, others sharp with a deep-set pain and desperate loneliness. They swirl around him in branching streams and he runs his fingers through them. The sudden sound of a cracking branch, biting retorts flown in reckless abandon, a betrayal by a glass-green lake. They flit about the edges of his mind, too quick to hold fast to and they slip from his grasp and dissipate into the lovely spring air. A small hand clasped in his, a peal of musical laughter, and those green, green eyes are the only things left. Home, Severus thinks, this is home.

“Hey, Lily.”

She closes her eyes for a moment, and Severus thinks she is every bit as bright and lovely and magical as she has ever been. She cups her hand around his cheek, and he can’t help but lean into her touch, feeling every bit like the grumpy cat she always compared him to. She gives him an affectionate glance and turns her eyes back to the field in front of them. The sloping hill, the grasses and the weeds, the wildflowers, all much more numerous and beautiful than their spot in Cokeworth but it feels right, familiar all the same.

Lily slowly rises to her feet and takes a moment to brush off the dirt collected on her trousers. She holds her hand out to him with a look of patient expectancy. He looked at her hand and then back up at her face.

“You ready to go?”

Severus closes his eyes for a moment, taking in the quiet and the lovely weather a final time, and stands. When he reaches for her hand, she opens it readily and grips him with a comfortable tightness. Here they stand again, hand in hand, after everything that's happened and against all odds. Joy fills him in a way that he hasn’t felt since he was that nine-year-old boy, bathing in her warmth and secreting away what happiness he could afford.

“I think I am.”

When they take their first steps together, he can feel Lily swinging their joined hands between them. And for the first time in a long time, Severus smiles.

#hello again hellsite how I've missed you #wow it really has been a hot second since I posted #have this stream of consciousness mini-fic as an apology #the first few paragraphs sat on my computer for months and then the rest was written in like the past hour so apologies if it's a bit rough #listened to elizabeth by sammy copley on repeat while writing this it fits the vibe perfectly methinks #I just have a lot of feelings about how alone Snape must have felt at his death and how little comfort the man had in life #so I will endeavor to give him what canon never did #I honestly have very strong and complicated feelings about his relationship with Lily but at the end of the day #she was extremely important to him and I could think of no one better suited to bring him over so to speak #let me know what you guys think #I haven't shared anything I've written since my terrible terrible SPN fanfic days in middle school #mine #long post #pro snape #snapedom

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juni-ravenhall · 3 years

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20 things i want really badly for sso to update / add

1. regularly scheduled main story updates. this is THE most important thing for a game that is quite story-based, but something sso has problems with. it makes us feel disconnected from the story and main characters and makes players lose interest, not knowing when we will get more story, or if the story will ever go anywhere.

2. work hard on fixing bugs and improving functionality - QA testing a lot more on their own. i know the game has a crappy engine and that theyre trying to improve stuff, but yeah, theres just a lot of stuff that needs to be worked on. (i think they should just move to a good engine. a huge investment, yes, but worth it in the long run with the potential benefits from selling a higher quality game and being able to work on it more smoothly?)

3. ability to use photomode and control the camera properly when our character sits down, at cafes, etc, basically just being able to go into photo mode at all times.

4. weather system. rain, snow, fog, etc. preferrably random aside from during quests that need specific weather ofc. possibly with an ability to turn off weather. optional: updated skies for more variety in colours and clouds and all that to go along with the weather.

5. new areas to be released of the ones that have already been hinted at for ages! north link goes where???????? ashland, etc. and also, ofc, for the new areas to be unique and interesting in design, and to bring related main story updates - or “big side stories” like the nightdust storyline etc. i am just longing to interact with npcs for long storylines again and see some drama :(

6. new tack and equipment, specifically more halters (simple not fancy ones, but cute and colour variety!), would be nice with lead rope too, and ofc blankets, stuff like this. but also more new good designs for tack in general and more colour options for saddlepads and legwraps, it drives me crazy that most pads are ugly and old and hard to match to anything. i want realistic pads with dark, vivid, pastel and natural colour options.

7. new mane and tail styles that are available for all horses (aside from too old models). it makes horses feel more individual and unique as well as giving us options to dress up our horses for photoshoots, eventing, etc.

8. updated player model with new animations and everything, diversity and good representation in the design options. facial expressions, blinking. i would also love if there were more animations for the player character to pet and groom the horses.

9. our own place to live (something theyve been working on but we dont know exactly where it stands) that we can also customise and decorate. i would prefer if we can choose where we live in the way we choose homestables, for example theres this little house between the rescue ranch and the lighthouse on south hoof that would be lovely to live in. id like to be able to choose wallpaper and flooring, curtains, stuff like that, and furniture. we should be able to invite ppl in as well. optional: the pet that’s in your saddlebag shows up in your home and you can pet it. also ability to choose music from lisa, miscreants, etc to play in our home. it would also be great if when it was raining outside you could hear it from inside your home and see it outside the window. oof actually when i say that now im imagining seeing city lights in the distance on a rainy evening looking out the window while acoustic sso music plays in the bg. can you tell how much i fantasise about living on jorvik by how long this paragraph got

10. customisation in our home stable, to be able to choose designs and colours of the interior, etc. i would love to be able to choose decorations like the ones we see during holidays (light strings etc). i would like the tack room and feed room to be more cluttered and stuff too for better realistic rp purposes.

11. more groundwork type of gameplay, like the working equitation races that have been added lately, but not just “races”. maybe possibility of training for xp in different ways than just finishing a race quickly enough. just realistic groundwork stuff.

12. dressage gameplay, and more arenas for it ofc.

13. for jumping courses to keep being better as theyve been lately! theyre more difficult and interesting now and the designs are better! i want for this to continue and im really enjoying the obstacle designs.

14. pasture - i’d love to see my horses run around and eat randomly out in the field without me controlling them, being able to go up and pet them or give them snacks. it would be cool if a paddock near the homestable was just used for this purpose (where you see your horses, but other players see their horses, etc, and we have the ability to hide other players). maybe it would show 3 of your horses at a time, out of the ones that are kept in the field in our stable manager.

15. new (and regularly added!) quests at south hoof rescue ranch, as well as other places where it makes sense like jorvik ranger quests, etc. stuff that doesn’t necessarily relate to the main storyline (but it might!) and is just fun dramatic quests, but it can also have character developments for hugh and others on south hoof, for jorvik ranger characters, etc. it could also be a way to introduce new pets and horses that are adoptable after rescue quests have been completed, as well as unlocking new equipment related to rescuing, rehabilitation and ranger work.

16. more shops, cafes and other things to do at jorvik city mall alongside the mall being updated in general, and to jorvik city which i really love and just hope aideen’s plaza and governor’s fall will also be updated with more shops etc. (add a dance club to the mall like the fort pinta disco! cafes with different aesthetics and menus, a fastfood restaurant, a fancy restaurant, a photo studio for professional horse photos and for our character, a cinema, a theatre stage like thalia’s idk, that whole fashion week catwalk thing, theres a lot of different things i think you can add aside from more shops which could also be added)

17. updates and additions to the cafe food menus and foods we can feed our horses, goes along with adding new shops and stuff too. seasonal event food being sold in cafes like gingerbread at christmas, chocolates on valentine’s.

18. make archaeology more fun - i still haven’t got all the things after years because i just can’t be bothered to do it, it’s too hard to find all the things and it’s not fun.

19. if fishing is going to stay at all, it needs to be improved and be fun.

20. overhaul of all the prices in the game so it makes sense. there are clothing and tack items that just make NO sense when you compare them to each other both in sc and js costs, or when you look at how meh quality they are. and, i dont think it’s reasonable to make individual equipment items (clothes or tack) cost more than like 50sc at the most (look at the real life cost when you buy sc!!! should we be paying that much for a low quality pixel sweater, really?). a good time to do this price overhaul, would be leading up to the player model update being released, since ppl will be buying lots of new clothes after that.

bonus: give us a ferry from south hoof to mistfall PLEASE. PLEASE

bonus 2: updates to every existing area and npc model, this is obvious and will most likely happen given enough time

bonus 3: 500000 pages of backstory and character development quests and bonding with mc scenes for all my favourite npcs. i would also like to take rowan on a date. thanks

#long post #text post #sso #star stable online

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pbandjesse · 2 years

Text

I am not feeling my best today. I am hoping it's just the weather. But I reached out to the nursery just to let them know and will update them in the morning if I'm sick. I hope I'm not sick. But it wasn't a bad day. Just rainy and I felt tired.

After all my stress yesterday I had bizarre dreams. Do you remember when I read the "Unwind" series year ago? I literally had a dream about being unwound. It was very stressful.

But I had things to do today. I got up a little after James left for their bike ride to DC. My first thing I had to do was to go get Tucker to take him to the doctor. Because I'm the best and am so helpful.

I was running a little behind. But I got to Tucker when I was supposed to. Had my bagel. And was doing alright.

I enjoy Tucker's company and it was nice chatting while we drove out to the fair grounds where his doctor is. He is getting the same cortisol shots that my dad got before. We were there with plenty of time for him to fill out his paperwork. And enjoyed conversations with some of the parents with sports sons having leg surgeries and shoulder surgery. And Tucker didn't take to long in the back.

We left and I dropped him back home by 1030. He said he was going to nap and I was jealous.

But I had more driving to do. I had to drive down to DC to meet James. It was supposed to storm and I did not want James to get wet. And we were going to have lunch with their cousin Eve and her partner Cliff.

I was all stressed about being late. I thought we were meeting at 11. But it turned out it was 1. So I didn't need to be so stressed. I would get to James around noon. And we had time to go to a cafe and find parking. And honestly the drive was not bad at all. It didn't even start raining until after I got there. I did get a little stressed about parking. But once I found James they took over the driving and it was fine.

We walked to a Peruvian/Mexican restaurant and ate chips until Eve and Cliff got to us. And the food was very good. I also just really enjoyed the conversations. They made me, and James, feel very validated talking about the wedding. It made me feel more secure, and like we are making the right calls.

We had a good meal and finished up right before all our parking was expiring. So we hugged and said goodbye and we were off.

I didn't feel great at this point. I had been very tired but I thought eating would make that better but it didn't. I was happy to be back in the car.

James drove us home. I mostly played on my phone. And while we did run into some traffic, we were home around 4.

I felt chilled and exhausted. I got inside and got changed but very quickly decided to shower and that helped me warm up a bit. My skin hurt a lot today but at least I was home to deal with it.

I got in bed and watched some videos and eventually fell asleep. James had gone to the grocery store and I felt bad because they texted me a question and I was asleep. But they figured it out. And when I woke up they were home making us Mac and cheese.

Dinner was very good. And Sweetp has been in bed with me on and off for hours. And that's been nice. I also reached out to our old friend Brandon from ships who does wet plate photography now and I want to do a wedding portrait with James and I think that would be so cool. So now we have half a plan for that. Which made me happy.

But I just don't feel my best. We'll see how I feel in the morning. But it is still storming so I'm not shocked. I hope sleep helps. I may also go make a fancy drink. I had James buy me the ingredients to make pink drinks at home so I don't have to buy Starbucks.

I hope you all have a great sleep. Take care of each other. Goodnight

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resident-fungi-fren · 3 years

Text

Rainy Gays

Summary: Virgil hosts a radio station with Janus, and since it’s the only station that runs in their small town, just about everyone listens to it.

He still didn't expect one of those people to be his soulmate.

Ships: Intruxiety (Virgil and Remus) and hints at Roceit (Roman and Janus)

Read on Ao3

Chapter 1 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Good morning gaybies and gentlethems, you’re listening to Rainy Gays Radio, and we’re your hosts, I’m Janus,”

“And I’m Virgil, clearly the superior host, and that’s why it’s my turn to talk about the weather. Let’s see, looking outside, there’s some clouds, oh shit is that a bird? Nope, false alarm, it’s just another cloud. Rude little shits, pretending to be birds. That’s false advertising. Anygay, it’s supposed to rain later this week, so we really will be rainy gays then.”

“Wow, what an original joke Virgil, you totally don’t use that one every time it rains.”

“Nope, never in my life, shove off Janus.”

“Why Virgil, I’m wounded. I thought we were friends, and now you betray me? I never thought you’d be the one to stab me in the back, my dearest friend, how can I go on without you?”

“Perish.”

“Well, just for that, I’m not paying for coffee later. You can buy your own latte.”

“Rude, how dare you revoke my caffeine privileges, and on today of all days!”

“Wow, what a subtle transition into today’s caller topic, you’re a master of subtlety.”

“Shut-“

“No. Today’s topic is what everyone’s talking about. The new drink over at [INSERT COFFEE SHOP NAME HERE], the only coffee shop in town, and therefore the lifeblood of said town.”

“What would we do without it?”

“Perish.”

“Bite me, you’re not allowed to use my tactics against me.”

“I just did darling~. Now listeners, here’s your chance to burn no more than ten minutes and call in, tell us all about your thoughts on the new drink, Virgil dear, remind me of the name?”

“Black Hole Latte, I think it’s supposed to be blackberry or somethin? I haven’t had my coffee yet today, is it showing?”

“Yes dear, you look like shit.”

“Wow, thanks.”

“Anytime darling. You know the drill by now, we’re taking callers starting, now.”

“Here’s our first caller, that’s quick, people must be extra bored today. You’re on air now, spill the tea. Or the latte.”

“Hey, it’s Thomas, have either of you tried the latte?”

“Not yet”

“Negative Thom-a-roony.”

“Well, it’s not bad, it’s definite blackberry, but honestly I’ll be sticking with my usual, I’m not a huge fan of branching out.”

“You gotta mix it up sometimes, keeps things exciting.”

“Indeed, variety is the spice of life.”

“Yeah, I’ll keep that in mind, but for now me and my regular coffee are going to chill in the nice safe bubble.”

“You know man, that’s such a mood.”

“Thank you for calling Thomas, lovely to hear from you again.”

“Anything to burn a little more time away from work. Speaking of which, I’ve gotta go there now. Later!”

“See ya. Say, we’ve known Thomas for a few years now, does anyone know what he does for work?”

“Of course we do, he’s uh, hmm, actually, I don’t think we do. A real enigma, that man.”

“Yeah, he’s a real tough walnut to crack.”

“Here’s our next caller, you’re on air now.”

“Hey kiddos!”

“Hey Pat”

“Hello Patton, aren’t you at work right now?”

“Yeah I am, but I just wanted to let you both know how proud I am, you’re doing great! And I tried the new latte on my way to work, it’s super yummy! I think you’d like it, Virge, it’s got some nice fruity notes! Just make sure you don’t drink it too late or you’ll never sleep!”

“Will do Popstar.”

“That’s all, love you both!”

“Love you too Pat”

“I do as well.”

“See you both later tonight!”

“And that was our resident puffball, Patton.”

“At least she didn’t drop another pun, I’m not sure how many more Logan can take.”

“Yes, we might have been in need of a new soundboard tech had Patton not resisted the temptation to pun.”

“Oh shit there’s been another caller waiting.”

“Oh dear, sorry for the wait, you’re on air now.”

“Really babe, keeping the sole provider of coffee waiting?”

“Oh it’s just Remy.”

“Just Remy? Careful Virgil, or you’ll be getting decaf for the next week.”

“Please forgive my sins, oh merciful coffee god.”

“Relax, I didn’t call just to blackmail you. I just wanted everyone listening, which we all know is pretty much anyone, that if I hear any shit about my new latte I have no qualms about putting you all on decaf for the next two weeks, so think carefully before you call.”

“Remy, I do think that’s considered censorship, which is in fact, illegal.”

“So is fishing off a giraffe in Idaho, that didn’t stop me then, and this won’t now.”

“Wait, you went fishing off a giraffe? In Idaho? When exactly did that happen?”

“A story for another time, I’ve got a coffee shop to run, later babes.”

“Alright, later-“

“Oh, one more thing, some weirdo came in and ordered it and poured in half a bottle of green Gatorade, and it was the most interesting thing that’s happened all day.”

“Did you say Gatorade?”

“I did, and now I’m saying bye, see ya, sianara, farewell, later bitch.”

“Wait who- and they’re already gone. Well, now I know there’s someone new in town, no one here would ever add anything to one of Remy’s coffee.”

“Excellent deduction Virgil, you should start a true crime radio.”

“You’re right, I should.”

“That was sarcasm, you’re not allowed to quit on me now.”

“Yeah yeah I know, but a guy can dream.”

“Dreaming is for the weak and the innocent, and you are neither.”

“I’d get mad but you’re right.”

“Did you just admit that I was right?”

“Oh look a new caller, how convenient-“

“Virgil answer me damnit- hello you’re on air now.”

“You know, I thought the coffee was good and all, but it was much better once I added my usual shot of Gatorade.”

“Did you just say- oh dear I think Virgil might need a trashcan.”

“Wow Virgil, do always make that wonderful gagging noise? I’d like to see what other noises you can make, with that lovely voice~”

“Dear random stranger, I think you broke my co-host, and possibly my back as well, seeing as I just fell out of it”

“Is that what that thump was? I was almost concerned for a moment.”

“Who the hell puts Gatorade in their coffee?!?!”

“Oh Virgil, glad to see you’ve recovered.”

“Don’t you play innocent, I will end you on air.”

“Wow, the sexual tension between the two of you is reeling right now.”

“Uhh, no thanks. Janus and I go way back, there’s no romance there, plus, we’re not soulmates.”

“Yes, Virgil is a dear friend, and while I love him, it’s purely platonic, and we’re happy with that.”

“Cool cool, does that mean Virgil’s single?”

“That’s what you got from that?”

“Yeah, you sound like you’re pretty hot.”

“I think you broke Virgil again, Gatorade stranger.”

“Oh, my name’s Remus! Though Virgil can call me whatever he wants, lover, dear, daddy, all acceptable.”

“Dude, you’re on the radio.”

“Oh, I’m very aware of that fact emo.”

“How do you know I’m emo?”

“You sound like it Gerard Gay.”

“Fair point.”

“As riveting as this conversation is, I think my brother is gonna stab me if I keep talking, so bye for now!”

“Why is your brother- and he’s gone, okay.”

“Final caller, you’re on air now, please don’t flirt with Virgil again”

“Is that what he did? I’m so sorry about my brother, Remus has zero filter.”

“Dude it’s fine, surprisingly we’ve gotten weirder calls.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, one time we got a telemarketer for a lingerie company.”

“That is weird, but trust me, doesn’t even touch on what Remus is capable of.”

“Good to know.”

“If he turns out to be a frequent caller, will you keep calling to apologize? You do have a lovely voice, so I wouldn’t be disappointed with the arrangement~”

“Oh I, um,”

“Stop flirting with the callers.”

“Callers? Do you do this often?”

“Only when they sound like a sunrise personified.”

“I’m hardly a sunrise, but yes, I wouldn’t be opposed to calling in again, Remus’s contributions aside.”

“Oh my god, I know the show is called Rainy Gays, but please stop flirting before I vomit again.”

“Apologies Virgil, we’re almost out of time anyway. Any chance I can get a name before we have to go, my dear?”

“Oh, Roman, my name is Roman.”

“A name fit for royalty~”

“Janus I swear to god-“

“And that’s all the time we have, for now, tune in later for your daily traffic report and water cooler conversation.”

“We’re not done talking about this-“

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

Virgil glared at Janus as he packed up, the smug bastard smirking every time their eyes met. They had no right, looking so self-satisfied, how dare they flirt so smooth when Virgil was cursed to be an eternal gay disaster?

He huffed, and Janus snorted, and he threw them a glare.

“You could at least pretend to be sorry.”

“But Virgil, that would be a lie, and I would never lie, it’s a blatant mark on my character!”

“We both know that’s a load of bullshit.”

Logan walked out of the sound room, rolling his eyes. “With the way you two carry on, it’s no wonder the listeners think you’re romantically involved.”

They both gasped and spluttered, grievously offended. “How dare-”

“Just try not to flirt with the callers so much? You’re both incorrigible.” He straightened his tie, and slung his bag over his shoulder, heading out. “Don’t forget to lock up, we don’t want another raccoon breaking in.”

“Logan, don’t say such things about Virgil, his eyebags and crummy food choices don’t warrant name-calling!”

Janus just smirked when Virgil hissed at them.

“Plus, his hissing is distinctly cat-like.”

“You little-” was all he got out before he threw his balled-up scarf at them, which they caught with ease. Smug bastard.

He ruffled through his bag, then his coat pockets, then his bag again. He sighed, and scrubbed his hands through his hair. “Have you seen my keys? I can’t find them, and Joan will skin my alive if I lose another set.”

Janus sighed and pinched the bridge of their nose. “Virgil, have you ever considered getting a keyring? Or something to keep track of them?”

“Hey, I do! I got the stormcloud one, remember!” He protested sheepishly, “but then I lost that too. It’s with my keys, wherever those are.”

“Virgil, you are a disater, how are you still allowed to live on our own?”

“I have you and Pat as neighbors.”

“Fair enough, your keys are hanging on the key rack, right where you hung them up when you got here.”

“Oh.” He sheepishly proccured his keys, and then held the door open for Janus once they were ready, and the two headed home together.

“You taking the bus?”

“Not today, it’s quite nice out and I have the energy for it, a walk will be good for me, and for you too, a little vitamin D won’t kill you ya know.”

Virgil gasped dramatically, feigning offense. “Exxxxxcccuuussseee you! That bright motherf***er,” he pointed to the sun, “is absolutley trying to kill me. Skin cancer, sunburns, heatstroke, cataracts? All from the sun!”

“Virgil the sun doesn’t have an vendetta against you, it has one against all of humanity.”

“Bold of you to assume he’s human!”

The voice came from behind them, making them both jump, and Virgil couldn’t help what blurted out of his mouth, truly it wasn’t his fault.

“MOTHMANS LITTLE HOE! WHo the F*** STILL SNEAKS UP ON ME!?!?!”

He spun around, and dropped his jaw as he layed eyes on the most drop-dead gorgeous man he’d ever seen. Was showing that much skin even legal?

The man gasped and looked down at his wrist, and his eyes widened before he looked back up at Virgil, grinning. “Well well well, looks like you’re my soulmate, Gerard Gay!”

Virgil sighed, “f*** me and my big mouth.”

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isolemnlyswearpevensie · 4 years

Text

God Damn Smile | Edmund Pevensie x Reader

Warnings: Fluff :)

Time/Era: Modern AU

Word count: 3.7k

Summary: Edmund reconnects with his childhood best friend, and it makes old, forgotten feelings resurface.

Request: Hey! Can you write an Edmund x reader based on “A Typical Teenage Love Song” by Tate McRae? It’s fine if you can’t. Tsym in advance!

A/N: This song is so cute :D Ahhh, I love this imagine!!! I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think! Thanks for the request :)

masterlist | read on ao3

“No! Don’t step on him!” Five year old Y/N L/N yelled at her friend, Edmund Pevensie. He had his foot raised above a small garden snail, right in the middle of a game of Godzilla. The pair were currently in Y/N’s back garden, playing amongst all the plants. Both children were dressed in brightly colored rain boots and their play clothes to enjoy the rainy weather.

“It’s just a snail,” Edmund responded, lowering his leg to the ground. Instead of squishing the garden creature, he kneeled down to the ground for a better look. It wasn’t anything special, just a normal garden snail, but it seemed to be rather important to his playmate.

“He is not just a snail! He is my friend.”

“If he’s your friend, what’s his name then?” Edmund let the small snail crawl up onto his finger before standing upright.

“Snaily,” Y/N responded, putting her hand out and throwing the teddy bear in her arms to the ground. Edmund placed Snaily on her palm and smiled a toothy smile. This made Y/N grin, putting her hand at eye level. “Thank you for not squashing him.”

“He’s my friend now, too. You don’t squash friends.”

Y/N nodded in agreement, “You don’t squash friends.”

“Do you remember being a baby?” Edmund asked Y/N. They were now eight and sitting on the Pevensie family swing set, avoiding the youngest Pevensie child, Lucy. Y/N adored Lucy, she thought the girl was adorable, but Edmund insisted the two have “big kid things” to attend to.

The swing set was old and rickety, as it had been in their family since Edmund’s older brother, Peter was a toddler. The colors were faded, the slide had a large crack in it and Edmund had written his and Y/N’s initials on one of the support beams. “No, am I supposed to?” Y/N answered. She had been last to reach the swings, so she was stuck with the squeaky one. Her face cringed each time the chains made a noise, despite her attempts to stay as still as possible. Y/N brought her hands to the teddy bear on her lap, covering its ears. Having been in the sun all afternoon, the swing was hot on her legs and it stuck uncomfortably to the skin on her thighs.

“I don’t think so. My parents were looking at our baby books this morning so I was wondering,”

“My mom has a picture of us when we were three hanging in our living room,” Y/N’s nose wrinkled and she kicked up a small patch of dirt. “We’ve been friends since we were babies. I don’t remember meeting you, though. You were just, there.”

Edmund laughed, standing so he could lean his stomach against the seat of the swing. He swung on his stomach once before situating back onto his feet. “Our fathers are friends which means we’re friends. That’s just the way the world works.”

“Friends forever, even if one of us moves far far far far away?”

“Friends forever, Y/N.”

“Do you have to go?” Ten-year-old Edmund stood outside of Y/N’s house, holding a box of barbies. Mr. L/N took the box from Ed’s hand and put it in the trunk of his car.

“It should only be for a few years at most, Ed. I’m getting relocated for work,” Mr. L/N responded, messing the young boy’s hair up with one hand. “We’ll be back. I gave your Dad our new address and you can write to Y/N to your heart’s content.”

When Y/N joined them at the car, backpack slung across her shoulder and her favorite teddybear hugged between her arms, tears were rolling down her face.

“I don’t want to go, please don’t make me!” She cried, holding to her teddy to her chest. Her face was scarlet and her mouth was etched into a frown.

“You can stay with us!” Edmund offered, his own tears starting to roll down his face. Y/N was more than just his playmate, she was his best friend. They had spent the last seven years of their life seeing eachother almost daily, and now all of that was going to come to a sudden halt.

“That’s sweet of you, buddy, but I think her mother and I would miss her too much,” Mr. L/N smiled down at the two before walking to the front of the car where his wife was talking to Helen Pevensie.

“I wish you didn’t have to go,” Edmund sniffled. “I’m going to miss you. I have no one to play on the swings with!”

“You can play with Lucy.” Edmund made a face at this suggestion, making Y/N sadly giggle. “Or Peter.”

“No, Lucy cries too much and Peter always kicks sand in my eyes.”

A thoughtful look came over Y/N’s face and she looked down at the plush in her arms. After a small moment of what looked like intense thought, she held her teddy out towards Edmund.

“Here, Ed, now you can have a friend!” Edmund hesitantly took the bear from Y/N’s hands and looked down at it. It was obvious Y/N really loved that thing because it was a bit raggedy and one of the brown button eyes was replaced with a bright green one. “Teddy likes it better here, anyway. You can take care of him.”

Y/N awkwardly gripped her upper arm with her hand, swaying on her heels. Edmund hugged it to him and nodded stiffly. “He’s in good hands. I will protect him with my life.”

Both kids laughed and embraced before Y/N was whisked into the car.

Dear Y/N,

Happy 12th birthday! I’m sad I couldn’t be there for it, but I hope your cake was yummy. The picture my mum showed me looked absolutely delicious. She also said you took up archery at your new school! My school doesn’t offer that, so I thought that was cool. Did you shoot anything? I know you are too nice to shoot any animals but I never know with you. ;) I hung out with this girl in my English class the other day, she reminded me of you. She had long brown hair and blue eyes and a laugh that sounds like yours. She wasn’t as fun as you, though. I think she wants me to be her boyfriend. I’m not sure if I want to be her boyfriend. She kept trying to hold my hand. Her hand was sweaty. And she kept saying I have a cute smile. I don’t know how a smile can be cute? Teeth are weird. Peter said that was her way of trying to flirt with me. Do you flirt with boys at your school? What do you say?

Maybe we can play Minecraft together again soon. Last time we played I had a great time. Have your mom text mine and we can try to schedule something. I want a phone, it would be easier to talk to you.

I attached a picture of me and Teddy at the park. He misses you almost as much as I do.

I’ll be waiting for your response,

Ed,

Thank you for the birthday wishes. :D The cake was delicious, I wish you could have tried it!!! And to answer your question, yes, but I’ve only ever shot targets. It’s against school rules to shoot anything other than them. Sort of a bummer, though.

Your not-girlfriend sounds nice. I agree with her, your smile is very nice. You always look so happy when you smile, especially when your eyes light up.

I don’t really flirt with boys, boys are kinda gross. Not you of course, but the guys at my school. There is this one guy named Ethan who is kinda cute. He wouldn’t want to be my boyfriend though. My friend always talks about kissing him. I want to kiss someone...have you ever kissed a girl?

My mum said I can get a phone when I turn 14. Then, we can text and call whenever we want! I miss you. How’s teddy? He looks so happy in that picture. I hung it on my bulletin board.

Respond quicker this time, will ya?

Y/N

EDMUND!!!

I’M HAVING A CRISIS AT THE RIPE OLD AGE OF 13! Remember that boy, Ethan? Well, apparently he has a big crush on me. That’s fine, he’s cute and everything, but my friend has a big crush on him. I guess it’s like friendship code to not date him? I feel bad rejecting him. I kinda have a crush on someone already. I know he doesn’t like me though.

Are you still dating that one girl? In your last letter, you said you were gonna break up with her. How’d that go? Did she cry? Did you cry? I hope you didn’t. I don’t like it when you cry. It makes me sad.

Can you believe we’re teenagers now? It seems like just yesterday I was handing you Teddy and crying in the car for an hour. I hope we come back soon. But hey! I’m almost 14, which means I’ll be getting a cell phone. Maybe if I have a phone my mum can convince yours to get you one.

I miss you, Ed. I hope to be back soon.

Y/N.

Y/N!!!!

I’m not sure if that really counts as a crisis, but okay. If you don’t like him, don’t date him. That’s why I broke up with mine. I discovered I kind of like someone else, so I broke up with her. And no, I didn’t cry. If felt like a relief more than anything. Let me know how the “crisis” turns out.

I can’t wait until I get a phone. My entire grade has one, and so do Susan and Peter. I feel kind of left out, having to write letters when I want to talk to someone. It’s always fun when I get them, though.

If I have to hear Stitches by Shawn Mendes one more time, my head is going to explode!!!! Susan keeps playing it on repeat. I tried to turn it off earlier and she almost broke my arm. Why are siblings so mean? Or are mine just weird? You’re lucky you’re an only child. I miss you too, Y/N. If you were here life would be so much easier.

Edmund

“Edmund, you got a letter,” Lucy says, dropping the envelope on his desk. He was working on college applications, typing away on his laptop, and looking grumpy. Music blasted through his speakers as he worked.

“I didn’t order anything?” He grunted in response, not taking his eyes off of the screen.

“It’s from the girl you’re basically in love with, I think. It has her name on it.” Edmund looked at the envelope with scrunched eyebrows. Sure enough, it had her name and address written on the front in her familiar handwriting. His heart rate sped up while he gently (and shakily) broke the paper seal. Why didn’t she just text him?

Hey, Edmund,

I know we haven’t talked since we were like 15 and I could have just texted you, but this seemed more nostalgic and romantic in a way. You know how I tend to romanticize everything.

Anyway, I wanted to let you know we’re moving back for Senior year, crazily enough. A few years my ass, huh? We’ll be back on the 14th, so get ready for chaos.

Seriously, I’m looking forward to seeing you outside of Instagram again. You don’t have to come see me if you don’t want to, I know it might be a bit awkward, but I’d really like it if you did. My address is 1014 Swanwhite Lane. Come stop by if you feel like it.

I do miss you. Judging by your social media, you’re doing well. I’m happy to hear that.

Hopefully, I’ll see you soon.

Y/N

“Oh my god, she’s coming back,” Edmund says, gripping the thin paper in between his thumb and middle finger. “What’s the date?”

Lucy pulled her phone out of her pocket and unlocked it, “The 28th. Why?”

“She got back the 14th! She’s been back for ages and I had no idea, oh my god!”

“Well, are you going to go see her? You lost your chance to sweep her off her feet by waiting for her to arrive.”

“Sweep her off her feet?” Lucy rolled her eyes and hit him with the rest of the family’s mail.

“Don’t play stupid. I’ve heard you and Peter talking.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” His eyes skimmed the letter again. Lucy snatched it from his fingers and hit him with it.

“Don’t know what I’m talking about? Really, Ed? The whole ‘I’ve been in love with her since I was 8 years old’ thing you told Pete? You don’t recall? Or the fact you have her post notifications on?” Lucy read the letter herself. “She wants to see you! Come on, this is your chance. You haven’t even looked at a girl since you were like 13.”

“I’ve been focusing on school. What’s wrong with that?”

“It’s a Friday night in the middle of August and you’re getting a head start on college applications. Ed, go see the girl.”

“Mum will never let me,” Lucy held up one finger and left the room. After about 5 minutes, she returned and held his coat out to him.

“She said to go have fun. Here, it might be chilly.” Edmund sighed and took his jacket. The corduroy felt soft under his fingers as he slid it on.

“You don’t have to be so pushy, Lu.”

Lucy smiled, “It’s only because I love you. Besides, if I didn’t push you, you wouldn’t go.”

Edmund sat on the curb across the street and looked up at Y/N’s house. It was well past 11 at this point and only one light in the house was on. Hopefully, it was Y/N’s.

He awkwardly thumbed through his contacts before pulling up Y/N’s. The last text was on his birthday, a simple two message conversation consisting of “Happy Birthday!” and “Thanks!”

Look outside

He watched nervously as his message went from delivered to read, but no typing bubble popped up. Edmund sighed and stood, shoving his phone into his jacket pocket and walking towards the house. Sure enough, the front door opened and a grown-up Y/N stepped out. She was still dressed, but her shoes were off and her hair was tied back. Edmund smiled at her mismatched socks, old habits die hard apparently.

“I thought you were never going to come and see me,” Her voice was like honey.

“I just got the letter today, so blame the postal service. Not me.” The two walked to the curb and sat down.

“Well, I’m glad you still came. I was expecting you to wimp out.”

“Wimp out?! Why would I do that?”

Y/N let out a forced chuckle and looked at the pavement. “Because you stopped answering my texts and calls.” She crossed her arms across her body and shivered. She was only wearing a short-sleeve shirt and a pair of pajama shorts. “But I get it, life gets in the way sometimes.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to. Are you cold?” Without waiting for an answer, he shrugs off his jacket and drapes it across Y/N’s shoulders. It smelled like spearmint gum and pine.

Y/N let out a real chuckle this time. “Smooth, Ed. Very cheesy.”

“I will happily take it back.”

“Please don’t, this is the closest I’ve been to you in years.” Her fingers gripped the material and closed it around her torso. She scooted closer to him and laid her head on his shoulder. Edmund didn’t quite know what to do. “I missed you, Edmund. It’s so nice to see you again.”

“I missed you too. Your return is a few years late.” His chest vibrated with a snicker.

“I know, but I’m back now.” A moment of silence filled the air as the two tried to grow more comfortable in the familiar company.

“I used to dream about sitting with you like this, you know,” Edmund said before he could stop himself.

“You did?”

“Yeah, I used to picture us in all sorts of situations, but most of them were small things like this.”

“But not anymore?”

Edmund sighed, laying his head on top of hers. His hair tickled Y/N’s forehead. “I figured you moved on from me.��

“Moved on? What do you mean?”

“I mean, you have so many friends and a new life… and we stopped texting as often. I don’t know, I thought you, maybe, outgrew me.”

Y/N played with the zipper on Edmund’s jacket, making a small clicking noise fill the air. “I never outgrew you, Ed. In fact, a day didn’t go by that I didn’t wish I was here with you.”

“I don’t see why. You had so many friends and such an exciting life. I’m rather dull in comparison.”

“You’re definitely not dull. And it doesn’t matter how many friends it seems like I have, you’re the only one I consider a best friend. I should have reached out more, maybe I could have had a better year.”

Edmund shifted so he could wrap an arm around her waist. “Did you have a bad year?”

“Yeah, that’s sort of why we came back. But, I mean, I’m here with you, so everything has a bright side.”

Edmund grinned and tightened his grip. “That’s one of the things I love most about you. You can always see the positives in everything.” Y/N pulled back and looked at his face.

“I love it when you smile,” Y/N commented. “I could spend hours staring at that god damn smile.” Edmund’s cheeks reddened and his smile grew bigger.

“Why don’t you, then? Stay with me for hours, I mean.”

“I will if you let me, Pevensie.”

Edmund sniffed once.

“Did you ever end up dating that guy from your Chemistry class?” Edmund asks, studying the side of her face. His eyes scanned over her skin, admiring how soft it looked.

“No, I’ve been in love with someone else for quite some time.”

“What a lucky guy, then.” Edmund’s voice was only a bit louder than a mumble as he turned his head away from her.

“Yeah, I guess he is. I’ve known him since I was really young.”

“How’d you meet him?” Every word felt like a dagger into his stomach.

“I don’t remember, he was always just there. Our dads were friends so we were friends. That’s just how the world works.” Edmund took his hand off of Y/N and placed it in his lap.

“Oh, I see.”

“Yeah, he’s super cute. He’s really smart, too, but kinda oblivious.”

“Wow, he sounds great, Y/N. I’m so happy for you.” Each word sounded like he was choking them out. He stopped listening a few responses ago, but he still wanted to support her. No matter how hurt he felt, he was still her friend.

“He’s the best person I’ve ever met, if I’m being quite honest. He can be a bit of an ass though.”

“What’s his name?”

“You might know him,” Y/N tucked her hands into her sleeves before continuing. “His name is Edmund Pevensie.”

“Wow, what a cool- wait what?” Y/N giggled at the look on his face. His eyebrows were lifted and his mouth was open slightly.

“Yeah, I don’t know, maybe you’ve met him.”

“You’ve been in love with me?”

“Been and am, darling. God, when I got your text tonight my heart almost stopped.” Edmund was speechless, he couldn’t believe the girl he had been in love with for so long felt the same way. “Of course it’s okay if you don’t feel the same-”

“-No! I’m just shocked. I can’t believe this. I have loved you since we were little, I feel like I’m dreaming.” He couldn’t help but let the smile engulf his face, making his freckles stand out against his red cheeks. This was not what he was expecting when he had walked to her house.

“There’s that handsome smile I love to see.”

“So, you were waiting for me?”

“Just like you were waiting for me. Lucy texted me about six months ago about how you never show any interest when she tries to set you up with girls. Now is just our time, unless you aren’t going to show interest in me.”

“When did you get so sassy?” Edmund turned so he was facing her straight on.

“When did you get so flust-” She was cut off mid-word by his warm lips being pressed against hers. He tasted like licorice and mint, and Y/N instantly got intoxicated off of his lips. Both parties had dreamed about this moment for years, so now that it was happening, it left them both feeling light-headed. Edmund pulled back and smirked.

“Who’s the flustered one now?” He asks, hand cupping her cheek.

“Does this mean you’re finally mine?”

“Y/N, I’ve always been yours. Hell, I’ll always be yours.”

Edmund made a face as if he remembered something and reached into his backpack, “By the way, I’m not the only one who missed you.” He placed a very old teddy bear in his lover’s lap.

He had raggedy fur and one green eye.

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