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daisyhollyxox · 1 year

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He Could Be The One - Bradley Bradshaw x Reader - intro chapter

about:

she makes the move to open her own florist across the street from her family friends bar, finally putting herself first and following her heart.

having secured a permanent position at top gun, he’s starting to think about setting down and having someone to call home.

warnings: age gap {reader is 27, Bradley is 35}, slow burn, no use of y/n, 2.7k words.

Bradley’s pov:

Rolling up the windows as I pull up to the side of the street outside Penny's, I grab my phone from the passenger seat along with a 6 pack of beers I'd picked up on the way here. I get out of my car, push the aviators further up the bridge of my nose with my free hand and make my way to the side gate. When Penny and Mav announced to the group that they wanted to host a small get together, I think everyone was grateful for the small break and immediately we all said yes to attending. Repairing my relationship with Mav hasn’t been simple but I don't think I've ever been happier. Feeling like I have a support system in my life again is one of the greatest feelings. The small group has become like family and I feel lucky to have them.

Noticing all the outside string lights had been switched on, I turned the corner of the house and nudged the unlocked gate open, to be greeted with most of the group already here.

“Rooster!” I hear to my left. Looking over to where the voice is coming from, I see Penny smiling at me with a couple of beers in her hand. “Penny, hi” I beam as she hands me a cold beer in return for the 6 pack i’m holding. “Thanks for inviting me over. The place looks great by the way.” Mav had me helping with some redesigning of Penny's backyard and to put some outdoor furniture together. “Well I can't take all the credit.” she joked, nudging my arm slightly. I chuckled and scanned the outdoor space.

Through my sunglasses, my eyes spot most of the guys but come to a halt when they land on someone unfamiliar. She’s in the far corner of the backyard overlooking the water, by a large area surrounded by plants that Penny had planted while Mav and I were piecing together the furniture. Natasha is chatting to her, both smiling and engaging with each other. Sensing a pair of eyes on her she turns to look over her shoulder, hair flipping with the motion of rotating her body and catches my eyes. I couldn’t see the color of her eyes with the distance between us but they were shining bright at me from the golden sun streaming down. A smile surfaced on her face before glancing at Phoenix to once again look back at me with the same smile still there. Slowly bringing my glasses down, tucking them into the front of my white shirt, I feel my lips curving into a smile.

From the corner of my eye I could see Mav coming up to us. “Bradley, glad you could join us.” Mav says instantly bringing me back to where I was, realizing I'd probably been staring at her for maybe a moment too long. “Hey Mav,” I say as he pats me on the shoulder in a greeting. “I see you managed to put the fire pit together finally.” I laughed. He'd been complaining on the phone to me earlier that he couldn’t work out how to assemble it but I'd been caught up in some work that I couldn’t get out of to help. “Ha, yeah. Turns out Penny can read instructions better than I can.” smiling at Penny, who was in turn giving him a teasing look back. “Need me to do anything?” asking the couple. “No, no. Go sit down and enjoy the rest of the day.” Penny says. “You’ve helped out tremendously this week, go relax with the others.”

Thanking her I made my way over to Bob, Reuben and Javy who were stinging amongst the couches but the patio. “Hey man.” Javy says, nodding his head up in greeting as he sees me approaching. “What's up guys?” I smile and we all greet each other. I opt to take a seat looking towards the ocean. Admiring the late afternoon sun taking a sip of the chilled beer Penny graced me with. “Rooster! Have you met Penny's new neighbor yet?” Payback says. Glancing over at him, I gave him a questioning look. Penny's previous neighbor had decided to relocate to Florida in retirement and the house had been for sale for a couple months. It was a two bedroom with a wraparound porch that had an open space with a garden out back. “The new owners are already in?” I questioned. “Yeah she’s a family friend of Penny's. Known her since she was a kid. Said she was looking for a change and decided to make the move when Penny mentioned the house next door was up for sale.” Payback explained to me lounging back on the couch. Bob agrees and says “She came over about an hour ago. Penny introduced us and she seems like a total sweetheart.”

“I think Phoenix has made her her new best friend already.” Coyote states as he looks over where she and the woman stood. I blink at them “That’s Penny's new neighbor?”

“Yeah. Jakes already tried to sweet talk her, I think that’s when Phoenix swooped in to save her.” Payback laughs. Looking back over to the spot where they stand, I notice she looks slightly younger than the rest of us, maybe in her late 20’s. She’s wearing loose airy pants with a long sleeve cream top that cuts low on her chest.

Shaking my thoughts, I hear Penny call my name and when I look over my shoulder to the back porch I see her wave me over. She’s holding out two drinks signaling me to take them from her when she says “Rooster, would you be ever so kind to deliver these to the two lovely ladies over there?” nodding her head over towards where Phoenix is standing. “I said I'd grab them some drinks but Amelia just called me saying she was ready to be picked up from her friends.” Taking the drinks from her hands I reply. “Yeah of course, Pen.”

“Thanks, honey.” giving me a small smirk. I look over briefly toward the two when Penny’s voice makes me snap my head back towards her. “She’s a family friend of mine. She's been looking for a reason to move back here for a while now and when I told her about next door being for sale, she took the chance and got it.'' Penny smiles.“Make her feel welcome for me, I know you guys can be a lot when you're all together.” she laughs. I give her a nod in agreement and start to make my way over to where the girls stand.

When I'm close enough for them to see me coming over they both turn their heads, pausing their conversation. “Bradshaw! didn’t think you were going to make it.” Phoenix jokes. Grinning, I reply “You know me, always want to surprise everyone.” Phoenix shakes her head, chuckling and turns towards her new friend saying, “This is why I'm excited to have another girl to hangout with!.”

Turning towards her to see her eyes already looking back at me, I extended the drinks out to them. “Drinks, courtesy of Penny.” I smile. Taking the drinks out of my hands I'm met with a gracious ‘Thank you’.

“Bradshaw, this is Penny's new neighbor and long time family friend.” Phoenix says. She gestures to shake my hand and I slot mine into hers. “Hi, I'm bradley. It’s nice to meet you.” She greets me with her name and shakes my hand. “Nice to meet you too, Bradley.”

“When did you move in? I've been helping out around her this week and I've not seen any movers.” I say.“Oh no, I had movers bring all my things a couple weeks ago. I officially moved in last night. Penny was a total gem to pick me up from the airport and then she and Mav took me out for dinner.” Smiling at me she explains. “I just have the fun task of unpacking now that I'm here.”

“Well if you need any help with that, I'm happy to offer my services.” She giggles at my offer looking down and back up to meet my eyes again. “That's very kind of you to offer. Penny mentioned that she had help with the backyard from a Bradley. I'm assuming that Bradley is you?” she smirks. Flashing her a grin of my own “You’d be correct.” I say. “She'd mentioned a few times about wanting to make it feel more welcoming so she could have people over and for there to be places for everyone to sit so Mav and I offered to help out.”

“Well it looks like you did a good job, it’s gorgeous out here.” She says, glancing around slightly.

The three of us made small talk for a while when she excused herself to go to the bathroom. Whilst I tried not to watch her walk away my eyes scanned her figure as she took the path back up to the house. As she made it to the sliding door, Jake was just about to walk out but paused upon seeing her about to enter through the door. Putting on his best charming smile, he stepped to the side motioning with his hand for her to come in first to which I could see her nod a ‘thank you’ to him back. Jake says something to her in passing as he walks back outside and she giggles at whatever he’d said. Walking further into the house she disappears behind the kitchen wall and I see Jake proudly smirking to himself before joining the others settled on the couches.

I turned back to Phoenix who was now grinning ear to ear.

“What's that look for?.” I questioned her. “You seemed to have taken a liking to her.” she teases. Rolling my eyes at her, I shake my head and let out a quiet laugh. Phoenix has been one of my closest friends since the start of my career, being in the same class as her when we first started out. We grew a great friendship over the years and I know I can trust her with anything and everything. With that being said she always knows how to wind me up. “Remind me why I'm friends with you again.” I tease. She shoves my arm and laughs again when we’re taken back by a loud gasp.

Turning around I see that she’d returned from the bathroom and is now standing next to the couches looking at Amelia who is about to launch herself at her in a hug. She stumbles back a little when they make contact but chuckles at the smaller girl, embracing her in her arms. “Amelia, let her breathe!” Penny exclaims at her daughter. Everyone is smiling fondly at the pair and Phoenix and I make our way up the path to joining the rest of the group.

“I am so happy you’re here Daisy!” Amelia squeals, still squeezing her in a tight hug. “Me too!” she said, noticing she closed her eyes for a moment. “Amelia, as lovely as I know you’re trying to be, Dais isn’t going anywhere so you don’t have to hug her like she’s going to disappear.” Penny says while Mav agrees next to her, chuckling. She releases her hold on Amelia and says, “Miss Amelia, you need to stop getting so tall!”

They both walk up to where Penny is standing while Phoenix and I do the same. “Dais, did you see the flower arrangement in the kitchen? I convinced mom to let me try this time and I think I did a pretty good job!” Amelia beams. “I didn't! want to show me now?” she says to the younger girl. She doesn’t get a response, only a hand pulling hers through the sliding doors.

“Is Daisy a middle name?” I asked Penny, noticing that both her and Amelia had been calling her Daisy and not the name she’d introduced herself to me as. Penny turns to me and says “Oh, no it’s a nickname. Growing up she was obsessed with flowers! Planting them, drawing them and making little flower arrangements from the ones in her backyard. When her mom let her decorate her room after they moved, she wanted everything to have flowers on it.” she smiles as she’s telling me. “One day we were at the beach with her mom and a few others, she started naming everyone after flowers. She must have been about six or seven. When everyone had a flower assigned to them she asked us to give her one and from that day forward, the nickname kind of just stuck and nearly everyone knows her by Daisy.” The look on Penny's face told me that it was a memory she keeps close to her heart.

Glancing through the doors I could see Daisy and Amelia chatting by the kitchen island, in front of them a vase of beautiful flowers. Watching her smile light up every time she pointed to a new flower and started talking to Amelia, who was listening intently to what she was saying.

Breaking my eyeline on the two of them, Mav walks over in front of me and says to us, “How about starting the fire pit?”

“Sounds good to me.” Phoenix smiles looking at all of us in agreement.

The warm glow of the fire in front of us all sets a comfortable setting as everyone chats amongst themselves. Everyone has taken a seat in the surrounding couches with Bob to my left and Amelia to my right. Daisy’s on the single love seat next to Amelia who’s showing her something on her phone. “Wow, I wish I could play like that,” Daisy says. “I remember taking some lessons when I was in middle school but I'm not sure I'd be any good these days.” she giggled softly.

“We have a piano at the hard deck! Maybe next time we're both there you can see if you remember anything.” Amelia beams. Gaining my attention I look over to the girls next to me. “You know how to play?” I ask.

Meeting my eyes, Daisy smiles at me. “I wouldn't say I'm very good,” she laughs. “But I think I can remember the basics.”Amelia cuts in and looks between us. “Rooster plays the piano there all the time when he's with the group!”

“Really?” Daisy questions.

“Yeah, my dad used to play a lot when I was younger and I started taking lessons in high school.” I smile, thinking of the few memories I had back then with him.

“I’ll have to make sure I'm there next time you decide to play then.” she says, the corners of her mouth rising slightly. “Yeah,” I say with a grin. “Maybe then, you can show me what you know too.”

“I think we can arrange that.” Daisy agrees slowly with a smile gracing her face. Taking a long sip of my beer to hide my smirk, Amelia goes back to conversing with her and I lean black further on the couch and throw my arm on the back of it.

Daisy’s pov

Crossing my leg over the other, I look over to Penny who has just settled into the seat next to me with Mav on her other side. “Hey, Pen?” I say. She looks at me with the warm smile she always smiles and says “What’s up, Sweetheart?”

“I just want to say thank you again for your kindness these past few months.” i say.

“You know I would do anything for you. All I want is for you to be happy.” she says, wrapping her arm around my shoulder in a side hug, squeezing me softly. With everyone in their own conversations, I take the opportunity to look around at everyone. Feeling so welcome, it has felt like a breath of fresh air and the nervousness that I felt walking in today has practically disappeared. Excited to finally start this new chapter in my life, back in the place I grew up in. I bring my hand up to Penny’s, squeeze it lightly and say “It's good to be home.”

#bradley bradshaw x reader #bradley bradshaw #bradley bradshaw imagine #bradley rooster bradshaw #rooster x reader

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the-haunted-office · 6 months

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On the porch of the farmhouse, sits Harvey. He has numerous medical textbooks sitting by his side. A cup of coffee placed on the table beside him. Out in the field nearest to the porch, is Nathan, who is tending to the farms Spring crops.

It's been about an hour since Harvey had begun his descent into his medical journals- but he needed a break. He lets out a quiet sigh as he looks up momentarily from the research paper. He can see Nathan, working away in his field of budding cauliflowers- but wait. Who's that? He stares at the figure who seems to be approaching the farm.

"Hey, honey?" Harvey speaks rather loudly, adjusting his glasses to see the approaching figure better. "There's someone coming to the farm..." He notices that the figure also has an accompanying child. "...and they've got a child?"

Nathan, who's currently watering his crops, turns toward the direction of the road. He can see the lady and child Harvey's referring to. With the watering can in his hand and his gaze pinned on the strangers, Nathan approaches Harvey. It's very rare for anyone to come up to the farm, so this feels strange to both of them.

"Hey!" Nathan calls out from the bottom steps of the patio as the pair arrive at the farm. Harvey watches him but remains in his seat. "You guys doin' alright? Are you hurt or anything? Or just a bit lost?"

[ For Thursday + Mae | Harvey and Nathan | @reubyrp ]

Thursday has been the victim of accidental dimension-hopping more times than she can count. She's been transported to closets in nightclubs in other countries. Dropped into the middle of the ocean. Stranded in foggy woods full of serial killers. Lost in cities with winding alleyways fraught with crime and neon lights. It's certainly not her preferred method of travel and exploring the world around her, but it most certainly is the expectation at this point.

However, for all of that, it has never happened to her while she's had her daughter with her, and that has been one of her absolute, worst fears. Getting transported into a wild, unfamiliar landscape surrounded by enormous carnivorous animals is one thing if it's just her; it's quite another with her daughter in tow.

The mother is therefore mortified to find herself in the middle of what appears to be a field of vegetables of some kind - a farm - with her daughter strapped snugly against her front. Thankfully there doesn't appear to be any immediate danger, but that doesn't mean it isn't out there, lurking out of sight or ready to take them off guard. If she was by herself, she wouldn't be the least bit concerned. With her daughter with her, though? She's utterly shaken up, turning in every direction, looking for something, anything, that looks like it might be a safe place to go so she can call her officemates for help.

Tears are welling in her eyes by the time the stranger calls out to her. Half of her instincts are telling her to run away, she doesn't know this guy, what if he has a gun or something and he tries to hurt her daughter; but her other, more powerful instincts are telling her to go to him, it's a farm, why would he shoot her, if he was gonna do it he would be telling her to get off his property and aiming a shotgun at her already not asking if she needs help. So, with both arms wrapped protectively around Mae (who is sitting there calmly like nothing worrisome is going on), Thursday picks her away through the field and onto the road and towards the strangers, hoping for the best. If either of them tries anything, she will either tear them a new one or tear out of there, and only the heat of the moment will determine which.

"Hi! Hello! Oh my god, I'm so sorry about your plants, but yes, we're lost," she says, out of breath, and very clearly on the verge of panic. "I'm afraid I've just been picked up and dropped here by my office - it has a nasty habit of doing that. Sorry, I'm sorry, it's a long story, and I'm a bit freaked out right now. This has never happened with my daughter with me before, and I don't have any of- anything with me, her diapers or- or milk- oh god- I can't- I don't produce enough milk and I don't have any formula on me and it could take weeks before my friends find me here, what if she gets hungry- Please tell me you guys have like, a shop or something nearby that has baby formula? Or- Or something?"

#reubyrp

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johnsbleu · 1 year

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Hold My Hand: John Wick x Reader Chapter 154

warnings: nsfw

The plan was to go to Paris for Valentine’s day, but you and John decided that since Ronan was having such bad separation anxiety, it was best to put the trip on hold for a few months until things calmed down a little. You were a little bummed at first, but you’re excited to go now that it’s so warm! The flowers will be in bloom, people will be sitting on the sidewalks in front of cafes, and you won’t be cold all the time.

You’ve already been researching what it’ll be like in Paris during the month of May, and so far it’s just up your alley. The temperatures are nice, just a little below 70 on average, but the sun will be warm while you explore the streets and beautiful gardens, and all the typical touristy locations that you’re dying to see for the first time. You’re not a world traveler like Mr. Wick.

Your flight leaves tomorrow afternoon, so you’ll be in Paris pretty late tomorrow night. You don’t know how well you’re going to do when you have to leave Ronan, but you’re just trying to be strong since she’ll know if you’re upset.

This will be the first time you’re leaving her for more than a night or two, and you’re beyond nervous for it. You’re worried that she’ll revert back to when her separation anxiety was at its highest when you don’t come back to get her. You’re worried that you’ll be sick to your stomach by the end of the second day that you’ll be begging to go home and it’ll piss off John--you know deep down that it won’t, but you still worry. You’re really just trying to stay strong right now. Keyword is trying.

Ronan is currently sitting on a blanket with you under the tree while John plants some flowers in the pots on the patio, but she keeps crawling over to see him. She managed to crawl over to him when neither of you were watching, and she got a handful of dirt that went directly into her mouth. You expected her to cry when she got a taste of it, but she only giggled while you and John frantically grabbed water to wash out her mouth. She’s a hearty baby. A true Wick.

You’re scrolling through your iPad and looking at some cute places to check out when you get to Paris, and you look up when you hear John laughing.

“Well, I see you managed to eat some dirt again.” John laughs, wiping his hands on his jeans before he reaches over for Ronan. He kisses her cheek a few times and groans as he stands up, then he walks over to you, “Look at this bug.”

You smile as you prop your head on your hand and look at John when he sits down, “Eating dirt again?”

Ronan giggles loudly when John tickles her sides, and you get up to kiss her cheek. You smile at John and kiss him, and he leans over again for another kiss before he gets some water to clean the dirt of Ronan’s mouth.

“I would hug you, but I’m dirty.”

“I see that,” you laugh, pointing at the dirty handprints on Ronan’s dress as John grimaces, and you smile as you look at Ronan and talk in your mom-voice, “Well, it’s a good thing momma bought the laundry detergent that gets out stains, huh? Yeah!”

John laughs, “That mom-voice.”

“Ro loves it,” you tease, then you stick your tongue out at John.

Taking a deep breath, John lays down and places his head in your lap, then he smiles when you run your fingers through his hair and scratch his scalp. He slowly closes his eyes and smiles, then he looks down at Ronan when she crawls over to lay on his chest.

“Can you believe that tomorrow we’ll be in Paris?”

You laugh, “Yeah, at almost 1 in the morning.”

“But we’ll still be in Paris.” John laughs, and you smile before leaning down to kiss him. “I figured once we’re there, we might as well just head to the house and crash for the night. Wake up in the morning, shower, go grab some breakfast. I know a good place.”

“Of course you do.” you whisper as you lean down to kiss him again.

John places his hand on the back of your head to keep you from moving away from his lips, and he pulls you down a little more to kiss you with more passion. You press small kisses to his lips and smile, then you sit up and look at Ronan fast asleep next to John.

“Look at her,” you whisper, then you grab your sweatshirt and fold it up before you place it under John’s head. You crawl over to lay down next to him and Ronan, and you wrap your arm over the two of them. “She’s so in love with you.”

“I’m pretty in love with her too.” John smiles, then he rolls onto his side and places his hand on your hip.

You smile as you look down at her and rub your thumb against her plump cheek, “She stole my man, but that’s okay.”

John laughs as he looks at you, “Nah, your man is still obsessed with you. Even more so now seeing you as a mom. You’re such a good mom.”

“Don’t do this,” you laugh as you tear up, “You know I’ll cry.”

“Bug is so lucky to have you, peach.” he whispers, and you bite your cheek as you sniffle, “And I am too. Can’t ever get over how lucky I am to call you my wife. You’re such an amazing and kind woman, and I can’t wait to see how that’ll rub off on our daughter.”

You laugh as you wipe away the tear on your cheek, then you sit up to kiss John, “I love you. She’s very lucky to have you as a dad too. We’re both very lucky to have you in our lives.”

“What a lucky man I am,” John says as he pulls you closer, then he looks down at Ronan asleep between the two of you, “She’s gonna be okay this week.”

Nodding your head, you look up at John, “I’m just gonna miss her.”

“I am too,” John nods, then he smiles, “Before you know it, she’ll be back in our arms.”

“Yeah,” you nod, then you sigh a little, “I wish she could experience Paris with us though.”

John laughs, “We’ll bring a croissant and beret home for her.”

“I can’t wait to hear you speaking French all week.” you smile, and John scoffs as he looks up at the sky. “Teach me how to say...”

“Bonjour,” John says, and he laughs when you give him a blank stare. “That means ‘hello’.”

“I know common words, you dork.” you laugh, then you roll over to your stomach. “I think you can do the talking this week though.”

John chuckles, “You just like when I speak French, huh?”

“And Italian. The way it just rolls off your tongue is very sexy.” you laugh, leaning over to kiss him. “I love you.”

“Je t'aime, mon amour.” John whispers, and you smile as you lean over to kiss him.

Sitting on your mom’s couch, you hold Ronan tight in your arms and kiss her cheek over and over, desperately trying to keep a grip on her even though she’s kicking her legs to be put down. You finally let go of her and watch as she crawls over to play with her bucket of toys, and you feel your throat burn as you start to tear up.

“Yeah, I made sure to put all of that stuff in her bag.” John says, and you look up at him, “You have a key to the house if you need to get anything. I bought a new bag of dog food for Bleu, so you should be set for him all week. Uh, is there anything else I’m forgetting?”

You shake your head as you get up, “No, I think that’s everything.”

“Oh, sweetheart, she’ll be okay.” your mom smiles as she hugs you, “You and Jonathan need some time alone, and it’ll go by so fast.”

“I hope.” you joke, and John smiles softly. You sigh as you look over at Ronan sitting on the floor, then you shrug, “I know it’ll be nice for us to just be together, but I won’t lie, I am going to miss my baby girl.”

John reaches down for Ronan and hugs her tight in his arms, then he leans back and puckers his lips. You smile when Ronan gives John a kiss and a huge hug, then you wipe away the tear on your cheek.

“I love you,” John whispers as Ronan babbles and drools, then he kisses her again before handing her over to you.

“I love you so, so, so much, baby girl.”

You hug Ronan tight and close your eyes, and you open them to see John quickly wiping away a tear. He sniffles a little when you look at him, and he walks over to hug both of you. Seeing you cry obviously upsets him.

You can’t hold it in anymore, so you cry a little harder as you hold Ronan. You lean back and smooth her hair away from her face, then you kiss her cheek several times before you pucker your lips to get a kiss from her. You hug her once more and inhale her sweet little baby smell, then you put her on the ground and walk away to keep yourself from completely falling apart.

“I’ll let you know when we get there.” John says to your mom, then he leans down to kiss the top of Ronan’s head. “We love you. We’ll see you soon.”

“Have fun, you two. Bye! Love you!”

John smiles as he waves at your mom, “Love you, bye.”

“Love you, mom.” you smile, then you look at Ronan, “I love you, bug!”

Ronan waves her hand as she looks at you, then she looks back at her toys and continues to play. To Ronan, this is just a little sleepover at her Grandma’s and she’ll see you tomorrow, so you’re just hoping she’ll be okay when you don’t show up to get her.

“Come on, baby.” John says softly as he takes your hand, then he leads you out the door and to the car. He opens the door for you to get in, then he shuts it and quickly gets in the driver’s side. He places his hand on your thigh and squeezes it to get your attention, “You still want to go, right?”

“Of course I want to go, babe.” you say as you nod, then you let out a small laugh, “I’m just gonna miss our daughter. That doesn’t mean I don’t want to spend some time in fucking Paris with my husband.”

John smiles, leaning over to kiss you, “It’ll be fun.”

“We got a flight to catch, Wick.”

“Right!” John laughs, then he starts the car and smiles at you, “You’re gonna look so good in Paris.”

The flight was long and tiring, and the moment you got into your hotel, which is more like an apartment, for the week, you and John instantly crashed. You didn’t even get up in the night to pee. You slept straight through the night, which is a little usual for you. Mostly because you usually have to get up to feed Ronan or change her.

You look over at John and smile as he peeks his eyes open, then you lean over to kiss him, “I’m gonna go pee and explore this place.”

“It’s just a hotel…” John laughs as he rubs his hands over his face. “We’ve been in hotels before.”

“Yeah, but I need to explore it! There’s an entire top floor that needs to be explored!” you get up from the bed and smile when John looks over at you and raises his eyebrow. His sleepy face is just too cute, so you crawl back into bed and flop down as he lays on top of you and kisses you.

John hums against your lips, then he smiles as he moves his hand up your thigh to the waistband of your underwear, “I think maybe we should--”

“Yeah, you’re not even gonna need to convince me.” you laugh, pulling your nightgown off before you cup his face and kiss him, “I’m having sex in Paris!”

You and John laughed through your entire shower since he insisted on showering with you. The problem was that the shower was definitely not intended for two people to be in at once. John didn’t care. He scrunched in behind you and laughed as the two of you fumbled to move around one another. He did kiss you every time you turned around to rinse your hair out, so that was a bonus!

“Ya know, I guess I’m realizing I take advantage of our shower at home.” you say as you pull your towel off and put on some underwear, “I love showering with you, but I think that’ll be the last time we shower together while we’re here.”

John laughs as he looks up at you, “Nah, I’ll scoot in there with you tomorrow too.”

“I bet.” you laugh, walking over to your suitcase to find what to wear today.

“It’s pretty warm today.” John says, then he looks over at the curtains that are still drawn over the window. “I haven’t opened those yet because I want to see your reaction when I do.”

You look up at him and smile, “It’s right there, isn’t it?”

“We’re not right next to it, but yes…” John gets up and walks over to kiss you, “The Eiffel Tower is pretty close.”

Since it’s a little warmer out, you settle on a denim romper and some comfortable shoes for walking, then you grab your makeup bag and put a little on before you fix your hair. After getting ready for the day, you walk into the bedroom and laugh when John whistles at you.

“You look so beautiful,” John smiles as he pulls you between his legs, “All mine.”

You cup John’s face as you lean down to kiss him, then you run your fingers through his hair, “Handsome.”

“You ready to see the view?” he asks, and you nod your head as you smile.

“View isn’t so bad in here,” you say, and he scoffs as he pats your behind a few times.

John gets up and walks over to the balcony doors, then he opens the doors and reaches for your hand. You smile at him as you walk over, then you gasp when you finally see the Eiffel Tower. The view of the Paris skyline is absolutely perfect, and it almost brings a tear to your eye. The sunrise is absolutely beautiful this morning.

Sure, it might be cliche, or even a little lame, but it’s genuinely stunning and beautiful. You really never thought in a million that you’d be seeing it with your very own eyes.

John wraps his arms around you and hugs you, “What do you think?”

“It’s beautiful,” you smile as you look at it, then you look around at the balcony, “Can we order dinner and eat it out here tonight?”

“Of course!” John smiles as he nods, then he walks over and leans against the railing, “It’s so beautiful here.”

You lean against John’s shoulder, wrapping your arm around his waist, “Have you been here before?”

“Remember when I said after Helen died, I was kind of all over the place?” he asks as he looks at you, and you nod your head, “This was just one stop. One…big stop.”

You bite your cheek as you look out at the gorgeous garden in front of your hotel, and you see several people taking pictures with their families near the colorful flowers. You look over at the Eiffel Tower again and feel John moving so he can wrap his arms around you.

Obviously you know how hard things were for John, and he tells you that he’s fine and he’s living a great life, but you can’t help but get a little emotional when you think about how much John has gone through.

“Stop thinking about it,” he laughs, and you sniffle before he leans down to look at you, “Peach!”

“I’m sorry!” you laugh as you wipe away your tears, then you turn around and look at him, “How can I not get emotional when you tell me these things? You’re my favorite person to ever exist, you’re the kindest and most gentle man I’ve ever met, you deserve every good thing that life has to offer, and I don’t like hearing about how bad things were for you because you don’t deserve that!”

John sighs as he nods, “I know, baby.”

“And it’s just such a contrast--your life then and your life now.”

John nods proudly, “I’m aware. I have a great life now with my two girls. I have a great life now because of my two girls, but mostly because of you. I wouldn’t have this life if it weren’t for you, peach. I owe everything to you.”

You wrap your arms around John’s neck and kiss him deeply as he holds you, then you lean back and look at him. He looks over the top of your head at the Eiffel Tower, then he pushes you back and gets his phone from his pocket.

“Oh, no, it’s started.” you laugh as you stand near the railing, “Dad’s got his camera out.”

John laughs as he holds his phone up to take a picture of you, “Get used to it!”

John is finding your excitement for Paris to be very amusing, and he’s been laughing at you every two minutes when you gasp over something. The two of you grabbed some coffee and pastries at a little cafe down the street from your hotel, then you decided to explore.

“You look good in Paris, Mr. Wick.” you say, looking over at him and checking him out, “Wow-wee! If I was single, I’d ask you out! Hubba, hubba!”

John tilts his head back as he laughs, then he looks at you and squeezes your hand, “I gotta keep an eye on you! You might fall under some Frenchman’s charm, and I can’t allow that!”

“Never!” you laugh as you lean up to kiss him, tasting the sweetness of a pastry on his lips. “I fell very hard for your charm, babe. Still am.”

“Ah, that’s so reassuring.” John says, wrapping his arm around your shoulder, and you let out a laugh. “I would die if I lost you.”

You smile softly as you look up at him, “Well, good thing you’re not losing me. Ronan needs her daddy and I need my husband!”

John leans down to kiss you again, then he happily takes the bit of pastry you’re offering him. He reaches for your hand again as the two of you walk down the street, and you smile when you walk past several people. You let out a small laugh when you realize they probably can take one look at you and realize that you’re a tourist.

“Should we go to the Eiffel Tower and FaceTime our bug?” John asks, and you nod your head.

You can see the Eiffel Tower peaking through trees as you and John get closer, and you practically dragging him down the street so you can see it, which is quite the change since usually you struggle to keep up with John’s long legs. John laughs as you pull his hand a little more, then he wraps his arm around your waist to keep you from getting lost in the thick crowds of people hovering around the Eiffel Tower.

“Look at how big it is!” you say, putting your hand up to block the sun as you lean back, “It’s huge!”

John laughs when you look over at him, “It is.”

“So immature, Jonathan.” you joke, playfully rolling your eyes.

“I didn’t say anything!” he laughs, then he gets his phone out, “Let me take your picture, baby.”

You smile as you stand there and wait for John to get a little further away to take your picture, then you laugh when he gives you the thumbs up to pose. You let John get a couple of shots of you before you wave him over so he can take a picture with you.

“Should we call our baby? It’s…” John looks down at his watch and nods, “It’s about five there. She should be getting ready for bed soon, so we might want to call now.”

“Yeah.” you nod, then you sit down on the bench with John and get your phone out so you can FaceTime your mom. You lean over to kiss his cheek, then you perk up when your mom answers hers. “Hi!”

Your mom waves as she smiles, “Hi! How’s it going? Oh, wow…”

“The Eiffel Tower,” John smiles as he holds up the phone so she can get a better look, “We’re not this close to it at our hotel, but it’s a pretty short walk down to it.”

“Nice walk too when you have coffee and pastries!” you say, then you smile, “Is Ro awake?”

Your mom nods as she sets the phone up, then she walks over and picks up Ronan. She kisses her cheek and sits down at the table to place her in her lap, then she points at the camera while you and John wave like an idiots at her.

“Hi, baby!” John smiles, waving at her, and you wave at her and blow a kiss when Ronan wiggles around in your mom’s arms. “Has she been good?”

“Oh, of course.” your mom laughs, looking down at Ronan, “She’s getting her second solid in a little bit before she gets a bath and gets ready for bed. Tess wants to come take her tomorrow, so she’ll probably come get her around noon. You knew that, right?”

You nod when John looks over at you, “I did! She told me the other day that she wanted to watch her one day while we were gone.”

“Okay, just wanted to make sure.”

“Her anxiety hasn’t been bad, has it?”

Your mom shakes her head as a smile spreads on her face, “She’s been so good, sweetheart. Barely cried at all. She cried a little this afternoon but she was just tired. You know how happy your bug is. She’s doing great.”

John is still smiling and waving at Ronan as you and your mom talk about how she’s been doing, and you smile when you see Ronan scrunch her face up and grunt.

“She’s poopin’.” John laughs, and you nod.

“We’ll let you go so you can change her.” you laugh, then you wave and blow kisses at Ronan, “Bye, sweetheart. We love you!”

John smiles as he waves, “Give her kisses and hugs for us, mom.”

“Oh, I will. She fell asleep on dad’s chest last night, and he’s been smothering her in love, so she’s definitely not lacking on any attention.” your mom laughs, and you smile at her. “I’m sure she misses her mom and dad. You’ll see her soon, baby, don’t cry.”

You nod as you wipe away the tear on your cheek, “I just hope she’s okay.”

“She is! We went to the park earlier with my friends and their grandkids, and we had so much fun!” she says, and you nod your head as John rubs your back. “She’s okay, sweetheart.”

“Text me later or send me pictures!” you say, then you wave, “Bye, mom! Bye, bug! Love you both.”

Your mom smiles as she holds up Ronan, “We love you two! Get someone to take your picture in front of the Eiffel Tower! Bye!”

John takes a deep breath as he hangs up with your mom, then he locks your phone and puts it back into your backpack. He wraps his arm around your waist and kisses the top of your head, then he smiles when you look at him.

“She’s okay.” he whispers as you nod, then you inhale deeply and sit up. He gently wipes away the tears on your cheek, then he kisses you. “Let’s get someone to take our picture.”

You nod as you wipe away the tears, then you look at him, “Does my makeup look okay?”

“You look beautiful.” John says, then he gets up and walks over to an older woman to ask if she’ll take a picture of you and him. She nods her head and takes John’s phone, then he walks over to you and wraps his arm around your waist. “Just snap as many as you want!”

The woman looks at the phone and smiles as she gets pictures of you and John in different poses, then she gestures for you to stand in front of John. He wraps his arms around you and holds you close to his chest as you smile, then he lets go to get the phone.

“Thank you so much.”

“Are you two newlyweds?” she asks as she hands the phone off to John.

John chuckles as he looks over at you, “No, we’ve been together almost three years, married for almost two, but we did just have a baby eight months ago.”

“Wow,” the woman looks over at you and smiles, “You two just seem so in love.”

“Well,” John gestures to you, “It’s easy to be in love with her.”

You smile as you look up at John, then you look at the woman, “He says stuff like that all the time, so it’s also pretty easy to be in love with him too.”

“That’s a very special thing you two have. Don’t ever let it fade.” she smiles, then she shakes your hand and John’s, “Take care.”

John smiles at her as she walks away, then he looks at you and shakes his head, “It’s never gonna fade, is it?”

“Never ever!” you smile, then you wrap your arms around his neck and kiss him a few times, “Let’s keep exploring.”

John nods as he leans down to kiss you, then he takes your hand and holds tight to it as the two of you head down the street.

The past three days in Paris have been absolutely amazing! You and John have done so much walking, but it’s been great. You went to the Louvre Museum and got a chance to see the very famous Mona Lisa, which was a little surreal. You did most of the typical touristy stuff, but you loved every minute of it--John too!

One thing you always wanted to do in Paris was get some pastries and just sit in the park to have a picnic, and of course John made that happen. It was a gorgeous warm day, and it was fun to just sit in the park and soak up the sun with John, who actually laid down and fell asleep for about 45 minutes. Some rain clouds moved in a little bit later, so the two of you rushed back to your hotel and spent the night inside. It was a pretty great day though.

Leaning against the railing, you smile as you look out at the Eiffel Tower all lit up as it sparkles and twinkles. You’ve seen it lit up three nights now, but you’re still not used to it. It’s just an incredible breathtaking view that you’ll never get over. You certainly never thought you’d be in Paris, and you’re so grateful that John wants to bring you to visit these places around the world.

You feel John’s arms around your waist as you stand there, then you laugh when he begins to kiss your shoulder. He moves from your shoulder up to your neck, then he sucks on your skin and moves your hair out of the way. You close your eyes and hum as John’s left hand moves down to your thigh and up between your legs, then you laugh when he squeezes your breasts a few times.

Tilting your head back, you kiss John passionately and sloppily as he moans, and you shiver when his hand sneaks between your legs. He moves back to kiss your neck as you close your eyes, hearing him unbuckling his belt. He quickly unzips his pants and pulls himself out, then he lifts up your nightgown and pulls your underwear aside before he slowly slides between your legs.

John lets out a small moan as he slides in, “You’re already so wet for me…”

You tilt your head back and smile, running your tongue over your teeth, “Because you’re just so sexy.”

John smiles as he pushes himself in deeper, causing you to lean over the railing more, then he presses his hand to your mouth when your eyes roll shut. You hold onto tight to the railing as John thrusts his hips, and you moan into his hand when he picks up the speed.

Thankfully the balcony is private and there’s no one around.

Moaning softly against your back, John grips your hips and thrusts harder, causing the breath to get knocked out of you every time. He leans over you and pants against your neck, then he moves his hand into your underwear to rub your clit.

“Oh, fuck,” you laugh, letting out a small moan, “Fuck, you’re gonna make me come already. I’m sorry.”

John laughs, “I’m about to come too.”

Holding tight to your hips, John stands back up and fucks you faster and harder as you moan, then he lightly wraps his hand around your throat and tilts your head back to kiss you. You hold his gaze as he jerks his hips harder, then you moan against his lips.

“Look,” John nods to the Eiffel Towel and whispers in your ear, “You ever think you’d get to look at that while I fucked you?”

“No,” you laugh, then you close your eyes and moan, gripping the railing tighter, “Oh, shit, John!”

John leans over and kisses your neck as you moan, then he grunts and groans as he thrusts his hips fast. He wraps his arms around you tight and holds you in his arms, and you both tense up and let out moans as you come in unison, your bodies shaking from the aftershocks. You lean back over the railing as John kisses your back, then he pulls himself from your legs so you can get cleaned up quickly.

You waddle off to the bathroom to clean yourself up, then you grab a sweater and pull it on as you walk back outside to John, who is sitting on the love seat smiling at you. You laugh as you walk over and sit down with him, then you lay your legs over his lap and lean over to kiss him.

“Thank god for a private balcony.”

John laughs as he pulls you over to him, “How do you like Paris so far?”

“I like it a lot.” you nod, looking over at the Eiffel Tower, “I’m glad we came. It’s nice to just be with you. Just be husband and wife.”

“About that,” John says, and you look over at him as you widen your eyes and your heart sinks to your stomach, “Wait, wait, wait, that was terrible segue.”

Your eyes grow sad as he looks at you, and you gesture for him to keep going so he doesn’t leave you hanging and worrying about what he’s going to say.

“Baby, I love you. Do you really think we flew out here just so I could end things between us? Why would I do that to begin with? You make me so damn happy.” he says, then he looks away and blinks a few times when he gets a little choke up. “Fuck, I won’t lie, that breaks my heart that you think I’d just leave you like that. I’ll admit that was a terrible fucking segue.”

“It was really bad,” you laugh, then you smile when John reaches for your hand. “Plus we just had sex, so yeah, terrible timing as well.”

Taking a deep breath, John looks at you and smiles, “No bad segue this time. I love you so much, peach. I am beyond happy that I met you. Not only because you’ve given me such a beautiful daughter, but because you’ve made my entire life so damn beautiful. I know I tell you all the time how much I love you and how much you mean to me, so I won’t go into that. I just wanted to make sure that you know this trip wasn’t so you and I could get back what we had before Ronan was born--we still have what we had. I am still so crazy about you--so crazy. So if there’s any part of your brain that is saying that I only did this to try and recapture something, that’s absolutely not true. The spark that we have is still very much there.”

“I love you, you know that?” you say, and John smiles as he nods. “I love that you always take the time to remind me of how much you love me. And I feel the same way. I don’t want you to think I only said yes to this trip so we could get back what we had, because I agree--we still have it! I’m officially nuts about you, Jonathan.”

John laughs as he nods his head and leans over to kiss you, “I’m pretty nuts about you myself.”

“It’s so nice here, it really is.” you nod, looking around, “And I’ve had such an amazing time here these past three days. Spending time with you alone, shopping, eating every freaking pastry we’ve come across, it’s all been amazing.”

“But…”

You nod as you look down as you begin to cry, and he tilts your chin up and pulls you into his arms. He wraps his arms around you tight to hold you as you cry for few moments, then he leans down and kisses your forehead.

“Take your time, baby.” he whispers against your head, then he reaches down and rubs your thigh.

After a few moments, you sit up and wipe away the tears on your face before you look at him, “I miss her.”

“I do too, baby.” John nods, reaching over to smooth your hair away, “I know how hard this is for us to be away from her, and I know it’s even harder when we get to FaceTime and see her. It only makes us miss her more.”

“What if she says more words and we’re not there? What if she starts walking while we’re gone? I started walking at 9 months! She’s close!” you say, and John nods sympathetically before you groan, “Okay, I know that’s not going to happen. I just feel bad. She’s so little, and I don’t want her to think we just abandoned her.”

John chuckles softly, “Sweetheart, she doesn’t think that. She’s being smothered in love by your mom and dad right now. She probably doesn’t even notice that we’ve been gone.”

You nod your head as you look at him, “I know, and I know you’re right. I just miss her. I miss holding her in my arms and kissing her. She’s only been ours for 8 months, and I just feel bad for taking a whole week away from her. It’s like on one hand, I’m so fucking happy to be here with you alone, and I don’t regret this time at all. But on the other hand, I just miss her, and you’re her dad, so you get what I mean.”

“I get it,” John nods, “I feel guilty too about leaving her, but you know what? I’m not going to feel guilty about wanting to spend time with my wife without a baby clinging to her. I get it, baby. I miss her so much, and I wish she was here with us. We’re going to see her soon, and the reunion is going to be so sweet. Think about how cute her little smile is going to be when she sees you again.”

“True,” you nod, then you sigh loudly, “I know I’m just a little more sad about this because I’m tired tonight.”

John rubs your thigh and smiles, “Why don’t we head in for the night? Lay in bed and look out at this view until we fall asleep.”

“Yeah,” you nod as you get up and reach for John’s hand, then you smile at him, “Thank you for this amazing trip. Just because I’m a little sad tonight doesn’t mean I’m not enjoying it. I’m very much enjoying it, and I can’t wait for the rest of the week.”

“Yeah, I think you’re really going to love what I have planned.”

You cock up your eyebrow, “More sex on the balcony in full view of the Eiffel Tower? Because I really loved that.”

John laughs as he nods, “Yeah, I think we can squeeze that in one more time before we leave.”

John has kept an insanely tight lip on what’s happening tonight, but all he’s said was that you should wear the fanciest dress that you brought. You brought a red dress that has sheer sleeves and looks rather sexy and sophisticated, so you’ll be wearing that tonight with some heels.

You’ve just finished curling your hair and doing your makeup, and you’re just waiting for John to get out of the shower now. You pull your robe around you and grab your phone to head out to the balcony, then you slouch when you realize it’s way too late to call home to check on Ronan. You called earlier but your mom didn’t answer and only texted back. She’s obviously doing things with Ronan, so you’re not surprised that she didn’t answer.

You frown as you sit down on the bench and look at your phone, but you slowly start to smile when you see all the pictures that you and John have taken so far this week. The two of you look so happy here in Paris, and it’s sweet to see the way John is looking at you in pictures. There’s no doubt that spark is still very much there between you two.

John clears his throat as he stands in the doorway and puts his cuff links on, and you smile wide as you stand up and look at him. It’s not every day that you get to see John in a suit since it’s not an every day outfit choice for him, but when he does gets dressed up, fuck, does he look good!

“So…fucking…handsome!” you say as you lean up to kiss him, “Let me get dressed.”

Walking into your room, you get your dress from out of the closet and immediately put it on, then you walk over to John so he can zip up the back of it. You reach down to get your heels on, then you stand in front of the mirror and check yourself out, smiling when you see how good you look.

“Are you kidding me?” John asks, and you look over at him, “My wife? You’re my wife? How?”

You hum as you slowly walk over to him, shrugging and putting your hands up, “Hmm, I guess you just got lucky.”

“Oh, I absolutely did.” he smiles, then he leans back to get a look at you. He gestures for you to spin, then he nods his head and claps, “Yeah, it’s official. I have the most beautiful wife here.”

“My biggest fan,” you whisper as you lean up to kiss him. “Thank you.”

John inhales as he gets his suit jacket and puts it on, then he shows off the fancy cuff links that you bought him for Christmas. He fixes his jacket a little and runs his hand over his beard, then he nods his head and smiles when you hold his gaze. Jesus, he’s gorgeous.

“God, I just know my legs are gonna hurt tonight.” you say, and John cocks up his brow, “Yeah, I meant that how it sounds.”

John laughs, “Ready?”

“The sooner we leave, the sooner we can come home…”

John grabs your waist and kisses you, “We can be late…”

“No!” you laugh as John smothers your face in kisses, “We need dinner, then we can come home and have dessert.”

“Mm, yeah,” he croons in your ear, “I like that sound of that.”

Holding tight to John’s hand, you walk with him through the crowds of people on the streets. You still have no idea where he’s taking you, but all you know is that you’re getting very hungry. The sun is just now starting to go down, so most of the city is lit up and looks absolutely beautiful.

You look to your left and see how still the water is as people get on boats to take rides around to look at all the landmarks in Paris, and you smile when you see a few young couples taking pictures. You look up at John and smile when he looks at you, then he points at a boat and tugs your hand a little.

“Oh, we’re going on a ride to look at everything too?”

John nods, “Yeah, but I figured it’d be a little fun to do this alone…”

You put your hand over your heart and smile, “So, no people on the boat with us?”

“Only the best for my girl.” he smiles, then he walks over to the boat and nods at the man waiting for the two of you to board.

“Mr. Wick.” the man nods, then he smiles at you, “Mrs. Wick.”

You smile as you look at him, “Hi.”

John holds your hand and makes sure you don’t trip on the steps as you walk onto the boat, then he smiles when you look at him. He gestures to seating area, then he walks over to pour you a glass of champagne while you sit down on the bench to look out the window.

“God, this place is so beautiful.” you say, then you take the glass from John when he sits down next to you with the menu, “Oh, what are you going to get?”

“Thinking about some steak.” he says, and you nod your head. “What about you? Probably wanting some oysters? Maybe a nice salmon?”

You laugh as you look at him, “Oh, yeah! I mean, if you want me to go into anaphylactic shock and die right in front of you, then sign me up!”

John laughs, shaking his head, “We definitely don’t want that. There’s a lot of fish on this menu, I really should have thought this through a little more. Most of these appetizers are seafood. I’m sorry. Fuck, I’m already ruining this.”

“No, you’re not! It’s great!” you smile as you lean over to look at the menu with him, “That looks good.”

“Okay, chicken canapés…” he nods, then he looks at you and smiles, “And some steaks for our main dish.”

You nod, then you shrug, “Though I wouldn’t hate if they brought us some bread too.”

John laughs as he nods, “Okay, I’m going to go tell them to keep any fish away from our meals. I’ll be back.”

He’s really the sweetest guy. Every restaurant you’ve been to this week, he’s gone into the kitchen to let them know you’re allergic to fish. He does the same thing back home when you go to new restaurants, even after he’s looked at the menu online to make sure they had non-fish options. Just another one of those small things he does that you absolutely adore him for.

“Thank you.” you lean over to kiss him, then you take a sip of your champagne when he gets up and leaves.

You walk outside and sit down in a chair to look at the beautiful view of the city, and you smile for a moment before you frown. You so badly miss your family and wish they could be here. You’re having fun with John, of course you are, but this is the first time you’ve been away from Ronan this long, and it sucks. This is such a once in a lifetime trip that you wish you could share with them.

“Hey,” John sits down next to you and smiles, “Beautiful out here.”

“Yeah, it is.” you nod, then you look over at him, “What’s been your favorite thing so far?”

John takes a deep breath and tilts his head back as he thinks, “Probably going to the Lourve. You were so excited about everything, it was really cute.”

You laugh as you shrug, “I never in a million years thought I’d be in freaking Paris. I had a whole Paris themed room when I was like…12.”

“Thought Italy was where you wanted to go the most.”

“Well, yeah, it was! I just liked Paris too!” you laugh, and John nods his head. “Thank you so much for this trip. It’s been an absolute dream. I’m glad I got to do it with you.”

John smiles as he leans over to kiss you, “The city of love with my love.”

“Corny.” you whisper against his lips, then you kiss him again, savoring the warmth of his lips on yours.

“You look so beautiful tonight.” John says, rubbing his hand over your thigh, then he looks over when he sees the waiter setting your appetizers on the table. He stands up and reaches for your hands, pulling you up for the chair, then he leads you to the table inside. He pulls out your chair for you and smiles when you lean up to kiss him, then he sits down. “This looks good.”

You nod as you lean forward to take a bite of the one John is feeding you, then you put your hand over your mouth and chew, humming obnoxiously, “Oh, my god!”

“Good?” he laughs, and you nod your head and eat the rest of it. John eats one and nods his head as he gives you a thumbs up, then he wipes his mouth and puts up his finger, “I need to grab something, I’ll be back.”

“Hurry back or I’ll eat all of this.” you laugh, and John leans down to kiss you.

You take another sip of your champagne and continue to eat while John is gone, and you wipe your mouth off and look out as you pass the Eiffel Tower, still twinkling in the dark. You smile as you look at it all lit up and sparkling, then you look down at your phone to check to see if you have any messages from your mom.

You told your mom to text you with updates while you were gone and she’s been pretty good about it, but she hasn’t texted you at all today. You assume that she’s probably just busy with Ronan, but you wish that you could talk to her and see how she’s doing.

Sighing a little, you put your phone back into your purse, then you drink the last of your champagne before you take another bite of your food. You furrow your brow a little when you realize John has been gone for longer than expected, and you look over your shoulder to see if he’s coming back. You turn back to your food and wipe your fingers clean on your napkin so you don’t get your dress dirty, then you slouch a little.

“Okay, I’m back.” John says, and you smile when he sits down, “Sorry.”

“I thought you said you needed to grab something.” you say, furrowing your brow when you see John is empty-handed, then you roll your eyes, “No surprises!”

John laughs as he shakes his head, “No surprises. I just had to do something.”

“Okay, well, that doesn’t make it any less suspicious.” you say, and John laughs as he shakes his head. “I know you, Jonathan. I know how you like to surprise me with things.”

“Because you always look so cute when I do.” John smiles, pinching your cheek.

You playfully roll your eyes at John, then you reach forward to grab some more food. You spread some butter onto a piece of bread and smile when John looks at you, then you take a bite of your bread.

“You’re being weird.” you say, and John laughs. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing!” he laughs, shaking his head, “I just…I’m so sorry. I’ll be right back.”

You gasp, “John!”

“I’ll be back!” he laughs, and you sit back in your chair and pout.

You hear the door open behind you, but you keep pouting as you look out the window. You tap your foot on the floor and roll your eyes when you feel John stand next to you, but you’re being so stubborn that you refuse to look at him.

“Look at me,” he says, then he laughs when you shake your head, “I promise you’re gonna want to look over here. You know you want to look.”

You really, really do.

“Fine!”

As soon as you look over at John, you freeze and gasp when you see him holding your sweet baby girl in his arms. You reach up for her as she kicks her legs and blows raspberries, and you hold her tight to your chest as you cry.

“Oh my god…” you cry as you lean back to look at her, then you kiss her cheek and hug her, “Hi, baby.”

John kneels down and smiles when you look at him, “It’s a good surprise, huh?”

“Yeah,” you cry as you lean over to hug and kiss him, “The best.”

You move your plate on the table and set Ronan down, and you realize she’s wearing the cute outfit you bought for her yesterday. You look over at John as he smiles, then he nods in the direction of the door. Looking over your shoulder, you smile when you see your family all standing back, and you wave at them as you cry.

“This was always the plan, baby.” John whispers as he pulls up a chair next to you, “The plan was always to bring everyone out here after we had a few days alone. I just wanted you to myself for a few days, I won’t apologize for that.”

“I don’t want you to.” you laugh tearfully, then you smile at Ronan as she chews on her fingers. You look back over at John and hold his gaze, “I love you so much. Thank you.”

John laughs as he tears up, then he shakes his head and wipe away the tear on his cheek, “You’re so cute.”

Ronan looks up at you and smiles before she drools all down her chin, and John quickly wipes it away and leans over to kiss her cheek. Reaching over, you cup John’s face in your hand and press several sweet kisses to his lips, then you look over at everyone and wave them over.

Tess smiles as she leans down to hug you, then she grabs a piece of bread off your plate before she moves so you can hug your mom. She holds you tight in her arms as you cry, then she kisses your cheek and moves. You hug your dad and Jimmy, then you wave at Finn and blow a kiss to him.

“Oh, my god.” you laugh as John wipes the tears off your face, “You’re all here.”

“Duh!” Tess laughs as she sits at the table and hands a piece of bread to Finn, “Who do you think you are going to Paris without me?”

You laugh and move over so John can sit next to you and everyone else can sit down, then you hug Ronan in your arms, pressing kisses to the top of her head.

“Oh,” Tess reaches into her bag and laughs, “She wouldn’t wear the beret, but maybe momma will be more successful.”

Taking the beret from Tess, you put it on Ronan and smile as she squeals and chews on her hands. She reaches up and rips it off just after John gets a picture of the two of you, then she reaches out for her daddy. You lean against his shoulder and smile as he kisses her cheek and hugs her, then you reach forward and pinch her chubby little cheek.

“How is your trip going?”

You smile as you reach over for John’s hand, “It’s been great! Seriously. It’s been so good, and now that you’re all here…”

John laughs when you look at him and widen your eyes, “I took no offense.”

“In all honesty, this trip has been…absolutely amazing. John and I have had so much fun walking around and taking everything in, but last night we started talking about how much we miss Ronan,” you say, and John nods, “I have loved just spending time with John, so I’m definitely not taking any of that time for granted. It’s been really nice.”

“We’ve had fun. Had a lot of good laughs.” John nods as you smile at him, “My plan was always to have some days alone with her, then have everyone fly out to finish out the week. I knew she wouldn’t last a whole week without out Bug, and in all honesty, I was struggling too.”

Ronan squeals loudly as you look down at her, then she stands up on John’s legs and bounces on her knees. You smile when she looks at you and leans over so you’ll take her, then you kiss her cheek and smile at her. She’s clearly very happy to see you and John--she can’t decide who she wants to be held by.

You look over at Tess and smile, “Did you do any sightseeing today?”

“Uh, just a little,” Tess shrugs, then she smiles, “I mean, you can see the Eiffel Tower from every direction in this place, so we didn’t miss that.”

“We got to see the Mona Lisa the other day, it was so cool. We have to go again. Oh, and there’s this really cute cafe down the street from where we’re staying, and it’s so good. We’ll have to go there too. Wait, where are you guys staying?”

John laughs as he pats your thigh, “With us.”

It finally hits you as to why John got such a big apartment for the week, and you gasp, “You’ll love the view from our place--the Eiffel Tower is so beautiful in the distance. Ah! I’m so excited that you’re all here! We’re gonna have so much fun!”

A smile spreads across John’s face as he looks over at you, then he kisses your cheek, “I had to bring the Bug here for tomorrow, for sure.”

“What’s tomorrow?”

John reaches over and pinches Ronan’s cheek, then he looks at you, “Well, we can’t go to Disneyland and not bring her with, now can we?”

Tess smiles as you look at her, “I’m so excited! Finn is gonna get some cute Mickey ears!”

Jimmy laughs as he looks at you, then he widens his eyes and taps Tess’ shoulder, “Holy shit…”

You look out the window as everyone walks out to get a better look at the Eiffel Tower, and you smile when Jimmy wraps his arms around Tess and holds her as they look up at it. Your mom sits down in the chair with your dad next to her, and they share a sweet little kiss.

“Are you happy?” John asks, and you look over at him as you tear up.

“I was happy before,” you whisper, and he nods. “But she’s with us. I’m even happier now. I like when we’re all together.”

John smiles as he leans over to kiss you, “It’s been nice having time for just the two of us, but I will admit, I have been missing this little one.”

You look down at Ronan as she looks around and takes everything in, then you look at John and hold his gaze, “I am the luckiest woman in the world.”

“I’m the luckiest man.”

“Thank you for this.” you smile, leaning over to kiss him, “I’ll never forget those three days we had to ourselves. You’re the perfect man, Jonathan. Won’t lie, a little bummed that we won’t get a repeat of the balcony sex we had last night.”

John laughs as he leans over to whisper in your ear, “No one said we won’t get some special husband and wife time again. Maybe I got something else planned for just us.”

You smirk as you look at him, “Have I mentioned that I’m the luckiest woman in the world yet?”

“You might have mentioned it before.”

“Well, then let me mention it again.” you smile at him, “I am so lucky.”

John presses a kiss to your lips and smiles, holding tight to you and Ronan, “Not as lucky as me.”

taglist:

@star017 @beingnerdyissupercool @angie-20000 @ruby-octo @sakurachan-9

#john wick imagine #john wick x you #john wick x y/n #john wick x reader #fic: holding my hand #ahhh to be in paris with john wick #i have some ig edits that i'll probably post on wednesday???#anyway sorry i was so late with the update work has been kicking my ass lmao #ok well i love yall and hope the warmer weather is treating u well!!!#BYEEEE #also pls be kind and maybe leave me a lil comment or something idk lmao

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mako-and-tails-and-stuff · 2 months

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Mako Mermaids F/Feb Day 20

Day 20 Fake, Rita/Veridia, 399 words, Rating G

Requested by @mako-mermaids2021

For someone who loved flowers Rita couldn’t help but notice she was gaining quite a collection of fake ones. She loved real ones with their own magic not too dissimilar from the way the Sea held magic. Surrounding herself in plants and flowers was how she first developed the basic control over plants. She tuned herself in and learned to feel their emotions.

From there it grew from the greenhouse filled, to pots all over the balcony and patio and the front court. Then it was inside, the bathroom, the kitchen and she was slowly taking over the sitting room too.

For every real one it seemed there were two fake ones. People liked giving her flowers as presents and more often that not she had to swap them for fake versions as the real ones were toxic to the cats. She always felt bad just chucking them so she often sealed them in solid water until they wilted away and replaced them with fake versions so as to not upset whoever gave them to her.

She even had some Lego ones now too. When Weilan was staying they had gone out shopping one night to the nearby Aldi and in the middle aisle there had been Lego flower sets. Weilan had so excited to see them and spent at least five minutes deliberating over which one to get before Rita told to take one of each and grab one of each for her too. It had been a lot to spend on Lego but they had spent the rest of the evening with hot chocolates and built the lego sets while catching up.

Rita had a vase Harry’s mother had gifted her, glass with frosted squares and little flower, bee and bug decals painted on it. The Lego flowers filled it nicely and still sat in the sitting room.

Veridia had gifted her another Lego set for Valentine’s day, one of the succulent sets.

“I know you like real ones more but I also don’t want to risk poisoning any of the cats again.”

Rita had laughed and given Veridia a kiss.

“Fake ones are just as good. I do have a lot of real ones and besides you can help me with this one. I know you don’t really like the real ones.”

Veridia kissed her back, “I’m good with that.”

“See nothing wrong with fake flowers.”

#mako mermaids #mako mermaids femslash february #femslashfeb2024 #rita x veridia

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battleforoclarious · 1 year

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Festival Flags

Lights on wires are stringed in rows high above a patio where people are sitting having drinks. There is a Christmas festival happening on the shore of Wellington. People are frolicking about and the atmosphere is merrily. On the beach near the bar, there are colourful festival flags planted on wooden poles in the sand.

High above where people are celebrating, a woman in a biker’s jacket and a white summer dress stands on the rooftop of the bar. People are looking up at her with wondering astonishment. Clarkson sees her too, he races to the gathering crowd. Everyone is looking up now. Then she jumps onto a flag pole. As she lands she wavers her arms out trying to balance. Then she continues to jump to the next flagpole doing the same thing as before. She leans forward with her torso trying not to fall. The crowd gasps in fear. People are chattering about her though the dialogues are indistinct. She catches balance, and then jumps with momentum across the flagpoles. As she gets to the last flagpole she jumps down from the great height falling. People gasp again ‘til she lands onto an awning covering the concession stand. Just as quickly she slides down and off the awning crashing into Clarkson. He grabs onto her trying to catch her fall, they share a gaze. Then she brushes herself off and runs to the bay. Clarkson looks at her as she runs away, then glances down at the ground and seeing a gold necklace with a starfish pendant laying there, he picks it up. He looks at it then runs to the girl trying to catch up to her. “Hey, you dropped this”, calls Clarkson as he grabs onto her shoulder. She turns around, looking at him, then takes the necklace. “What did you do back there?”, “ I was just… mourning”, she replies. “Oh… are you okay”, as he tries to comprehend. “Yeah, I’m fine”, she says. “Sorry for crashing into you”, says the girl. “No, it’s fine. As long as you’re okay”, says Clarkson. He pauses for a second, then reaches out his hand, “I’m Clarkson”. “I’m Fen”, she grabs onto his hand for a shake. “Fen Ren”, she repeats. “When I’m up there I can see all of the Christmas festival lights”, says Fen. She paces a few steps ahead of him, then turns around, “You’re not from here are you?”. “No, just visiting”, says Clarkson. Clarkson walks up to her then turns to the city, “But I used to live here. As a kid”, continues Clarkson. “So where are you living now?” Fen asks. “Canada”, Clarkson replies. “You ever missed Christmas in the summer?”, she twirls her arms towards the water, “Just look at the warmth of the sea”. “Yeah, it’s beautiful”, as Clarkson gazes into the sea. Clarkson stares into Fen’s smile as she turns around. She smiles back, and with that they sing, “The endless sea”. Clarkson shy away as he approaches Fen, lusting for the beauty in her eyes, at this time, he is swept away in the aberration of the stars. People standing underneath the strings of lights hung on the wire. They approach Clarkson and Fen with festival flags swaying from side to side. Clarkson and Fen is quite a duet, there is wanderlust in their eyes, moving to the music. As they sing and embrace the moment, they dance into the night. The crowds join in, dancing for joy for what a beautiful hot minute this has become. The beach becomes the stage for a romance that is enveloping into a dizzying commotion. Clarkson leans toward Fen and shivers his bones. She shivers hers too. In sync, they start shuffling their feet. As their shoulders quiver, the gaze between them spells out an endless romance like that the world has never seen before. They pace across the beach with the waves coming in, while the crowd follows them still with flags waving in the air like a flock of birds flying in unison to the wind or a school of fish swimming in synchronicity under the sea. Fen runs into the waves, and Clarkson follows. As she stops, Clarkson twirls around her, circling her like a tribal rain dance. They grab each other's arm then line the crowds giving high fives and low tens to everyone. They run back then the crowd follows lined in rows. As they dance, they dance in unison to the music. Then Clarkson and Fen run to the dock down to the sea. The crowd stand there at the beach waving their flags. As the song ends, they turn to one another in an unforgettable stare as they peer into each other’s eyes. Then Clarkson turns to the sea, “Yeah, the sea is warm”. She turns toward the sea, and both of them spend the next moment just admiring the endless ocean.

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narilily · 2 years

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BY THE ROOM...

kitchen:

What is the character’s favourite food?: Nari’s a big fan of dumplings, any kind that she can get her hands on. Around the holidays, especially since her family always makes them for special meals, and she feels like she gets a little bit better at making them each time she gives it a go!

Are they good at cooking? How good/bad?: Decently good! Definitely not good enough to give up her multiple day jobs to become a professional chef or anything, but she’s good at making dinner for herself, and she likes to get adventurous with recipes sometimes, whenever she has the chance. Overall, definitely not bad in the kitchen at all!

Do they leave the dishes out?: ... sometimes. Not a lot! But if she’s having a glass of tea on the patio and gets up to do something, she can’t guarantee that she’ll remember to put it away immediately, and sometimes that ice cream bowl will sit out on the end table until she gets up the next morning to put it back, can’t lie.

What kind of food is in their refrigerator?: A lot of fruits and salads, mostly healthy things, she can’t help but to want to eat good when she has to opportunity, but there’s also normally some sort of chocolate in there, since everyone knows that it tastes best chilled!

Do they cook, eat out or get take-away/delivered food more?: Cook, for the most part. But if it’s been a long day at work or she just doesn’t feel like spending a lot of time in the kitchen, she’ll definitely choose to go out to eat on her way home, or pick something up to save time.

living room:

How does the character spend weekends?: Gardening, going to town-wide events, visiting with friends. For the most part, Nari doesn’t work a lot on weekends, preferring to work overtime through the week to have them off, so a lot of her time is spent catching up on the things that she missed out while she was busy.

What kind of movies does the character watch?: A lot of rom-coms, movies that have a happy ending. Anything where the underdog comes out ahead or someone overcomes big things to become great always gets her attention, too.

What do they do with friends?: Whatever her friends want to do! Sometimes that means hanging out and playing a card game while sipping some wine, and other times it means going out horseback riding or hiking or just hitting up the clubs at night. Nari’s a generally outgoing, upbeat, fun person. Especially when it comes to time with friends.

What’s their favorite pastime?: Gardening and working in her sewing room. The word ‘work’ should be a turn-off there, but she loves creating new fashion and watching some beautiful pieces being created right out of the machine.

What’s their favorite TV show/Film?: Nari’s all time favorite movie is Devil Wears Prada, and she loves watching old cartoons, like Rugrats or Hey Arnold!, but... Totally Spies makes her giggle every time.

bathroom:

How does the character prepare in the morning?: Firstly, with a bit of meditation and yoga, often right after having a nice, hot cup of tea. Then she moves into her morning routine of showering, getting dressed, doing her hair, and taking care of the chickens, plus making sure any flowers or plants that need it are watered and fed before it’s off to start theday.

Do they sing in the shower?: Nari is of the belief that if someone says that they don’t sing in the shower, they’re lying. Everyone sings in the shower! The acoustics in there are amazing.

What kind of hair product/make-up do they use?: In the shower, shampoo and conditioner, plus a treatment every now and then. Body wash and scrub, facial scrub, shaving cream. For other products, she loves a good moisturizer and is always careful to wear SPF. Masks now and then, definitely some cold cream. When it comes to make-up, Nari tends to stick with mascara and lip gloss when it’s for work, but she has a large amount of make up that she wears for special occasions!

How clean is this character?: If you’re going to work in a plant nursery, you have to get used to dirt under your nails. That means you also have to get used to taking a lot of showers and scrubbing up often, and she definitely does that!

Does the character have thousands of shampoo/shower gel bottles by the shower, or do they use only the bare essentials?: God, yeah. Her bathroom is just full of bottles and glass jars, no matter what time of year it is, or how often it gets used... which is not always that often, admittedly.

bedroom:

How do they sleep? (Position, sleeping habits, bedtime routines): Living out in the country, Nari’s gotten used to falling asleep at night to the sounds of gentle rains or the occasional owl... but those coyotes will wake her right up, so she’s not always the best sleeper, admittedly. As for position, there’s no set one that she sleeps in! Her bedtime routines mostly involve her locking up the house, reading a little bit, doing some deep breathing, and then nodding off.

What are their pajamas like?: Light, airy, easy to wear pieces! Underwear and a tank top, or shorts and a t-shirt, sometimes paired with a robe if she’s up and moving through the house or has company over, too.

What do they dream about usually?: Nari’s dreams are very varied and very vivid. She dreams a lot about her childhood in Merrock and her time spend in London, especially with her husband, running through the botanical gardens together. She also dreams of the future a lot, believing in thinking about things that she wants to see in her dreams. Sometimes, it even works.

How neat/tidy are they?: Although she strives to be as neat as possible, of course she has the occasional mess in the house! But she tries her best. Her sewing room often does look like a bit of a mess, but she does everything that she can to clean it up when she has the time.

How affectionate are they?: Nari can be affectionate when it’s warranted! It doesn’t mean that she runs around hugging people or kissing cheeks if they don’t want it, and she definitely loves the little gestures a bit more, like sending someone a bouquet of flowers or telling them how great they look that day.

attic:

What is the character afraid of?: Her parents getting older is the main thing that scares her. Although she would love nothing more than for them to move back to Maine so that she could take care of them, they’re happier where they grew up, and she can’t hold it against them, even as she tries a little harder to convince them with each visit. Still, if it’s not that, it’s thunderstorms. She hates thunderstorms.

How do they deal with bad memories?: By doing things that comforts her. If Nari’s mind is plagued with bad thoughts and things that make her uncomfortable, she tends to try to balance those things to think them through in a better environment. Long walks through the flower fields, a quick jaunt to the beach, sewing something extravagant, anything to keep it from being the only thing on her mind.

What is this character’s role in a horror movie?: Nari would absolutely be the panicked one that just... ran. And then ended up getting killed off early. Everyone would be really, really sad and swear that they would get revenge, though, so at least she’s good motivation!

How do they hide their secrets?: Nari has a locked box that she keeps under her bed, so if there’s ever anything she needs to hide, or something she needs to say, but not out loud, it goes there. Every now and then, she goes through it and chooses to get rid of some things that she feels are no longer needed in her life.

#merrockdevelopment #all about nari

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hiddenknives · 3 years

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STARTER CALL for manda sjögren !! ( mutuals preferred )

she’s a detective in sweden but she travels in her free time. she gives off a vibe that if you drop a candy wrapper on the street, she’ll immediately arrest you for littering. once you get to know her, she’s pretty chill.

#mun speaks #starter call #pre-established relationships are welcome!!#they can sit on her patio while she waters her plants #no house plants but plenty outside!!

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slippinmickeys · 3 years

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Prompt Meeting in Tokyo, Gymnast Scully and Swimmer, or Triathlete Mulder. Loved the Amazon AU sequel.

This was SO fun, thank you so much for sending it. And I actually wrote roughly 6,000 words of it…

Without further ado:

A Gemlike Flame

1. When she first arrived, the cafeteria in the Olympic Village was her favorite place. The people watching was top tier, and she and her roommate had befriended the US volleyball team, which was pretty hilarious when they all sat together, the diminutive gymnasts and the willowy volleyball Amazons sitting side by side like kindergartners mingling amongst middle schoolers.

The last few days, though, she tended to grab something quick and take it up to her room.

She moved over to the beverage station to grab a mineral water and stopped behind a tall guy that was filling up a huge glass with soda. He was standing in such a way that she couldn't get past him. She glanced down at his tray while she waited and her brows rose up. It was absolutely piled with food. How the guy was going to even get the soda on his tray would be a feat of Tetris. She looked at her paltry salad and the grilled chicken she'd gotten to cut up and throw on top, and chuckled.

He turned when he heard her.

"Oh shit, sorry," he said, moving to the side.

His accent was either American or Canadian, she wasn't yet sure which.

"No worries," she said, and moved up closer to him to grab a bottle of Perrier. She again threw a look at his tray.

"Is that... all for you?" she asked.

He smiled and shrugged as he popped a lid onto his soda and then reached for the last bottle of chocolate milk in the cooler. She let out an involuntary groan of frustrated jealousy.

"God that looks good," she said.

He offered the milk to her.

"You want it?" he asked, "it's the last one and I probably can't fit it on my tray."

"I'd love to but..."

"But?"

"My coach would kill me. Restricted diet," she said, looking pitifully at her own tray.

He looked at her a moment as though he wanted to say something, but held his tongue.

"What's your sport?" he finally asked.

"Gymnastics," she said.

"Oh, big draw," he said, and she smiled.

"Yours?"

"Swimming,” he said, tilting his head humbly.

"American?" she asked. He nodded at her. "Me too."

He smiled.

"You, uh... want to sit together?" He nodded his head toward a nearby open table. "I'll covertly share my chocolate milk. We can practice the words to the Star Spangled Banner."

She huffed a laugh at him, then looked over her shoulder. The gymnastic coaches were sitting nearby and Derek, the dietary coordinator for the team, was looking directly at her. "I usually take it up to my room," she said on a sigh.

"Okay, well... Good luck out there, Gymnastics," he said, taking a step backward while still facing her.

"You too, Swimming," she said, and turned toward the exit, a small smile on her face.

2.She and Jessica had their feet up on the balcony railing, watching the sun dip below the horizon. They were several floors up and had gotten lucky with their assigned room. The Australian team across the hall had balconies that looked out at a beige, towering apartment complex, with nothing to look at but potted plants and mismatched patio furniture.

"I'm going out tonight," Jessica said, smirking a bit, "you should come."

"Curfew is at eight, Jess."

"And we're alternates, Dana," Jessica said, "unless Alicia Kopenkoski takes a half-gainer off the interview stage with Al Roker, we're just here to smile at the cameras and cheer on our team. I’m going out."

Dana sighed and bit her fingernails. She had been .05 points from making the actual team and had been devastated when she'd only qualified as an alternate. Her floor routine had been perfect, but she hadn't stuck her landing quite as steadily as she usually did (and hadn't since). She was 24 years old. This was her last chance to be an Olympian. Her last chance to win that medal and stand on the podium — it had been her dream since she was six.

Jessica reached over and squeezed her arm.

"I'll put snoring sounds on my laptop and we'll Ferris Bueller it. Come on, it'll be fun."

"No thanks," Dana said, finally looking over at her friend and smiling. "You know me, I'm too Suzy Rulefollower."

"You're missing out," Jessica said. Dana was still in her leotard and warm-up, but Jessica had showered and blow-dried her hair and was in full make-up; fake lashes, the whole nine yards. "I met a German equestrian," she went on, "I have big plans to be his little Pichelsteiner."

Dana laughed. Jessica was trying to cheer her up, and she loved her for it.

"I'm serious," Jess said, "I told him I could do the Bavarian Pretzel."

"Jess."

"Plan to let him take his weiner to my schnitzel."

"Jess!"

"Gonna gobble that Bratwurst."

Dana was doubled over with laughter. "You're nobody's wurst anything," she finally said, dabbing a tear from under her eye.

"Other than being this team's wurst gymnast, amiright?" Jess stood, and Dana sobered.

"Jess…"

"I’m 20. I’ll have a shot at Paris. It’s fine,” Jessica said, and squeezed Dana's shoulder. “Text me if you change your mind,"

"Have fun," Dana said, "and grab a handful of those Olympic condoms, huh?"

Jessica laughed and slid the door closed behind her, leaving Dana on the balcony with only her thoughts and the setting sun.

All of a sudden, something shot up over the side of the balcony railing and landed with a plastic clack on the floor near her feet. She gave a startled yelp, then looked to see what it was. A small plastic bottle of chocolate milk rolled on its side and came to rest by her left shoe. She picked it up -- it was still cold.

You can find the rest here on AO3.

#fanfic #msr #my fic #the x-files #au #fanfiction #prompts

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luci-in-trenchcoats · 3 years

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By My Side (Part 3)

Summary: The reader and Jensen take a quiet moment to get to know one another. While the reader feels like she and Jensen are finally starting to get along for the better, Jensen pulls back and she’s informed her family is coming by to visit...

Masterlist

Pairing: Bodyguard!Jensen x reader

Word Count: 3,700ish

Warnings: language, near drowning, angst

A/N: Enjoy!

_________

One Week Later

“Good morning,” you said as Jensen yawned, walking into your new and bright kitchen. You sipped on your coffee, Jensen running a hand through his hair.

“Morning. I haven’t slept in on the weekend in forever,” he said. “Speaking of which, what are you doing up? You’re never out of bed this early.”

“Coffee date,” you said, nodding towards the mug at the counter. You smiled as you saw Jensen put it together just as Owen walked in.

“Oh. Sorry. I’ll get out of your hair,” said Jensen.

“S’no problem. You’re the bodyguard, right?” asked Owen.

“Yeah,” he said, looking Owen up and down. “Well, you look like you can handle yourself.”

“I do alright,” he said.

“Eh, strong and good looking. I approve,” said Jensen. He turned to head back upstairs, a big laugh escaping you as Owen raised an eyebrow. “Sorry. The privacy thing. I forgot.”

“He’s kinda weird,” said Owen under his breath, Jensen’s shoulders tensing as he walked away.

“He’s just protective. It’s kinda his job,” you said.

“Well he’s still weird,” he said.

“Well he’s part of my life,” you said. “He’s not going away anytime soon.”

“Maybe we should do this another time,” he said.

“Excellent idea,” you said. You showed him the way out, your eyes mid roll as you went back upstairs. You headed for your room to change into something more comfortable when you heard Jensen grunt from farther down the hall. You turned your head, Jensen looking uncomfortable.

“I’m sorry I messed up your date. I should have kept my mouth shut. I’ll refrain from speaking when you have guests over,” he said.

“I told him about you before he came over. He was rude and I only did the date to appease a friend. Trust me, I like you a Hell of a lot more than that guy.”

“Wow. Must be a dick then considering you hate me,” he said.

“Who said I hated you?” you smiled. “You’re growing on me, Ackles.”

“Don’t go soft on me now, Y/L/N,” he said, running his hand through his messy hair, messing it up even more. “Hey. I do have one question since this is something not really in our contract.”

“What is it?”

“Am I allowed to use the pool out back?” he asked.

“Of course,” you said. “I know you normally prepare your own meals but I wanted to make a bigger dinner tonight and there’s no use in wasting the leftovers if you want to join me.”

“Sure,” he said. “I’ll uh, see you around then.”

“I’lll see you, Ackles.”

After lunch you were sat on your back patio, trying to read a book but your eyes kept wandering over to where Jensen was swimming. He was timing himself obviously, a watch on his wrist as he swam back and forth, over and over again. You tried to not stare but it was hard not to watch the muscles rippling in his back or his shoulders flex each time he moved. After a while he stopped in the shallow end, floating on his back as he shut his eyes and caught his breath. His chest heaved and you swallowed as he straightened up and stepped out of the water.

His swim trunks stuck to his thighs as he walked over and grabbed the towel on the chair beside you. You kept your head in your book but he sat beside you, checking his watch for a minute.

“Nice swim?” you asked, Jensen wiping himself off as he sat.

“More of a workout,” he said. “You have a good sized pool for it.”

“I have a home gym. Or will have one shortly. If you want anything for it, just let me know and I can order it,” you said, turning the page.

“You got a bench press?” he asked.

“No,” you said. “Just email me a link to whatever you want and I’ll get it.”

“You sure?” he asked.

“Yeah. It’s a business expense. I think keeping you strong is part of your job,” you said. You glanced over the page and he nodded.

“You one of those yoga girls?” he asked.

“You got something against yoga?” you asked.

“No. It requires more strength than people realize, especially in the legs,” he said. “Simply asking.”

“I pretty much do what the show tells me to. Bike, HIIT, do some weight training, yoga for flexibility. Nothing major,” you said.

“How do they enforce something like that?” he asked as he ran the towel over his head.

“It’s more of an honor system kind of thing,” you said. “They gave Gen and me personal trainers before the show started but that was it.”

“You ever do boxing, kick boxing, that sort of thing?” he asked.

“Kick boxing. I broke my hand when I did boxing. Was in a brace half of season two because of it.”

He stared at you before he grabbed both your wrists in one hand, your book falling into your lap. You scowled but he threw his hand over your mouth before you could speak. He tugged your hands downward and you took a deep inhale, Jensen nodding.

“Good. You didn’t panic. It’s hard to teach that one,” he said. “You don’t need to learn strength. You have it already. We just need to fine tune how to use it if I’m not around.”

You mumbled and he moved his hand away.

“I thought I was going to be taking a class.”

“You’re better suited to learn one on one. Jared offered to help with some more examples if needed,” he said. He tugged on your hands again, pulling them closer to him and making you scoot over to the edge of your chair. “Without harming me, how do you get out?”

“I’m not gonna care about not harming someone if this was real,” you said.

“True. But I’d like to see how your brain works under duress when it’s challenged. I’m not gonna hurt you but I will make this uncomfortable. If you want me to stop, just give me the finger, okay?”

“What are you gonna do?” you asked, swallowing thickly.

“Not gonna hurt you. Just gonna send your brain into hyperdrive. Trust me?” he asked. You nodded and he smiled. “Good. Like I said, try to get your hands free without hurting me.”

Next thing you knew he yanked you up to your feet and practically dragged you over to the grass. He pushed you down and threw a hand over your mouth and nose, your eyes wide.

“Relax. You’re smart. Think.”

You tried squirming out but it was no use and he had your hands pinned to your chest. You tried looking around but his hand stayed on you and you squeezed your eyes shut. Think. He wanted you to think.

He had decided to do this out of the blue, after you told him what you did for your training for the show. Something in what you’d said obviously gave him an idea that you knew how to get out.

You opened your eyes and stared up at him, Jensen staring down. You planted your feet flat on the ground and thrust up, moving him off of you enough for his hand to fall away from your face. You took a deep breath as you used your leg to block his arm before you rolled on top of him, sitting on his chest with your legs on either side of his neck.

“Let go or I make you,” you said with a pant. He released your hands like that, giving you a nod of approval. “That wasn’t so-”

He rolled and grabbed for you again but you rolled out of the way, doing it once more and feeling your skin scrap on concrete before you fell right into the water.

You were still getting your breath back and had tried sucking in as you fell, immediately coughing as the water shifted and an arm wrapped around your waist. You coughed up a bit of water when you broke the surface, Jensen swimming into the shallow end with you.

“You’re okay,” he said as you coughed some more water up, a hand running up and down your back. You let out a large hack and felt better after that, Jensen picking you up and carrying you back over to the patio. He sat you down on the chair and gently shoved your head between your knees, the back door opening for a moment before he returned.

He put a towel over you and you sat up, his hand running over your head.

“Didn’t mean to nearly drown you,” he said. You nodded, letting out a small cough and putting your hand on your throat. “Take a quick shower and I’ll clean up that arm. I got the trick for that throat too.”

You nodded and stood up, heading inside and rinsing off the chlorine. You changed into fresh clothes and came downstairs, Jensen coming back from his room with a red duffel bag.

“What’s that?” you asked, your hand shooting to your neck again.

“First aid. I could perform surgery on you with what’s in this bag if I had to,” he said. “Try not to talk.”

He set the bag on the kitchen counter, digging around and pulling out a few things. He took your arm and wiped it off with something that burned over the skin, carefully wrapping some gauze over the raw flesh. He set the bag on the ground and went into the cupboard, taking out a glass. He filled it with water and took out the bottle of honey from the pantry, squeezing a good amount inside before he mixed it up and stuck a tea bag in it before nuking it. He stirred it again when it was done and handed it to you. You took a cautious sip but it made your throat feel better and you smiled.

“Nearly drowned on a mission once. The medic said his mom would do that whenever he had a really bad sore throat and it did the trick.”

“You almost drowned? I thought you were superman,” you said. Jensen smiled and rubbed the back of his neck. “You were holding your breath when you were swimming earlier, weren’t you, testing yourself.”

“Don’t want to be in that position again,” he said. “We will keep our distance from the water if we practice outdoors again. You did good. I see why you got away the first time.”

“Well, I feel like a dumbass,” you said, shaking your head.

“I’m the dumbass, not you. It was dangerous to do that so close to the water. It was dangerous to do in the first place without telling you.”

“Yeah but I understood your point. If shit goes wrong, I can’t panic, no matter how much I want to,” you said.

“I’m still sorry. I’m going to clean up and go out for awhile. I might not come home tonight,” he said.

“I thought you living here was so I’m not alone,” you said.

“One night won’t kill you. There’s no real threats against you at the moment anyways. Besides, I think I said I would keep my private life away from the house,” he said, giving you a look.

“Oh. You’re looking for a hookup tonight,” you said. “You don’t seem like a hookup guy.”

“I don’t think that’s your concern. Just...don’t worry if you don’t see me the rest of the day,” he said before he headed to his room.

“Alrighty then,” you said. “You do you, Jensen.”

It was just after midnight when you were in the mood for a snack. You skipped down the stairs, whistling as you hopped into the kitchen.

“What are-”

You screamed and jumped back into the kitchen, a weary looking Jensen sitting up on the couch.

“Wow, you are loud,” he said, blinking slowly. You narrowed your eyes and he groaned.

“Are you drunk?” you asked, walking over as he laid back down.

“Very. I didn’t quite make it to my room,” he said.

“You land anybody?” you asked.

“No. Just wanted a drink really, got carried away,” he said. He threw his arm over his face and sighed. You went back over to the kitchen, finding some leftovers from dinner as Jensen sat up. “Shit, I was supposed to have dinner with you tonight.”

“I offered. It wasn’t a thing. I’m gonna eat the leftovers anyways,” you said as you stuck the container in the microwave. You got out a fork and felt him watching you while you found a pasta bowl to put the food in. “Can you stop staring?”

“Be slow. Is it just me or do you see that small red light outside the back door?” he asked. You risked a small glance out the kitchen window but you didn’t see anything. “It’s on the treeline.”

“No,” you said, popping the food out of the microwave and sticking it in the bowl. You walked over to where he was and looked outside again, still seeing nothing. “There’s nothing there. You’re still drunk.”

“True but I recognize small lights in dark places,” he said, forcing himself to stand. “Take your food into my room.”

“Why?” you asked.

“Cause I’m about to find out who the fuck is in the backyard,” he said, taking his gun out of his back tholster. “Go. Now. Call the police if I’m not back in two minutes.”

“Be careful,” you said. He nodded but he was already pushing on your back and walking you upstairs into his room. He pulled the door shut behind you and you stood there for a moment, taking a bite of your pasta. You sat down on his bed, watching the door.

Almost two minutes later it opened and he took a deep breath.

“You had a paparazzi spying on your property from your neighbor Doug’s yard. I like Doug.”

“What’d he do?”

“Punched the paparazzi guy in the face. He has teenage daughters and you know how dads are when they think grown men are trying to take pictures of their daughters in their bedrooms. Cops are coming but you’re fine,” he said.

“I should go apologize,” you said.

“You didn’t do anything wrong. Doug said we ever need something or if you’re in trouble, head over there. He’s ex air force.”

“How the Hell is he living in this neighborhood then?”

“His wife is some famous singer or something. I didn’t catch the whole thing. Point is, there’s no threat. I did get this pap’s name and credentials though so he and his office will be hearing from me in the morning.”

“You did all that in two minutes?”

“I’m efficient.”

“I see,” you said. “Well...thanks. Have a snack before bed. It’ll help.”

“You’re not scared?” he asked.

“No. Why would I be?” you asked. He stared at you and you left his room, Jensen clearing his throat when you were in the hall. “What?”

“I don’t get you. You should be scared, at least a little scared.”

“Well I’m not. It was a paparazzi. I’m fine, don’t worry about it,” you said. “Goodnight, Jensen.”

“You jump at me but not the fact someone was spying on you. You don’t freak out over me nearly drowning you but you get scared of someone taking you. You’re not afraid of the night or being alone but you gave in easier than I expected when I said I’d stay here all the time.”

“Maybe it’s because I trust you. I don’t know. I’m fine. Goodnight,” you said.

“I didn’t say it was a problem,” he said. You shook your head and returned your bowl down to the kitchen. A minute later you were up in your bedroom and crawling under the covers, taking a deep breath. The bed was cool again and you pulled your covers up around you, a quiet knock at the door making you open your eyes.

“What?” you called.

“Can I come in?” he asked.

“Why?”

“Because I remembered your day job is to pretend and you probably are very good at pretending in most any situation, even scary ones,” he said.

“What’s your point?” you said as you sat up.

“I think you’re a little shook up and I think I agreed to be nicer. I know a thing or two about feeling that way,” he said.

“Jensen. Go to bed. That’s an order,” you said.

“Yes mam.”

It was quiet and you sat back down in bed, the door suddenly opening. He walked in with a blanket and put it over you, ignoring your pout.

“I said-”

“My job is to protect you. Even from your own head sometimes. Goodnight,” he said as he pulled the door shut after himself.

“You’re still ridiculous, Ackles.”

Two Weeks Later

“How’s the manager search going?” asked Jared when he and Gen were over for dinner one night.

“Fine,” you said, catching Jensen walk past the dining room in his suit.

“So what’s it like having a bodyguard?” asked Gen as you caught Jensen’s eyes. He quickly turned his head away and left.

“Fine,” you said.

“Jay says you guys don’t talk much,” said Jared.

“Not so much. We were starting to...he stopped talking to me for the most part a few weeks ago. He said he needs to focus so whatever,” you said. Gen made a face but you shoved another forkful of food in your mouth. Jared asked about the show some and you knew he was doing it on purpose which you were grateful for.

You didn’t quite understand why Jensen’s demeanor had suddenly changed. It was sweet how he had given you a blanket, not just any but one that was his personally. The morning after the paparazzi incident you were planning to tell him just that but he was already awake, in his suit and very grumpy. At first you thought he was hungover but it was just him. You’d caught him in his workout clothes once but besides that, he was all business now and didn’t talk to you unless you were going out.

“He’s cute,” said Gen, your head lifting up to realize Jared had left the room. “Jensen. Not my type but he’s hot and he’s a good guy.”

“I know he’s Jared’s friend but do you know him?” you asked.

“Yeah. I’ve known him a long time. He’s different when he’s working a job. I’ve never really seen him when he’s under a contract. Outside of work, he’s the sweetest thing there ever was, kinda like Jare in that way, you know? I’m a little surprised at his behavior to be honest. He’s a really close friend and he’s just not himself right now.”

“I’ve seen him be sweet but it’s rare. I thought we were getting along better compared to the jumping down each other’s throats we were doing but he doesn’t talk to me anymore. I don’t get it.”

“...Y/N, it’s kind of obvious what’s going on.”

“What is?”

“He likes you,” she said. “The way he looks at you-”

“He gets paid to look at me.”

“You pay him to look at you like that?” she asked. “No. That’s all him. The guy works and works and the reason he is single is cause he’s afraid he can’t do his job if he’s worried about dying and leaving the poor girl at home alone. Well you...he likes you. What do you think his genius move would be to fix that?”

“Push me away,” you said as she sat back and nodded. “He doesn’t like me. He thinks I’m a bitch.”

“Ms. Y/L/N,” said Jensen, suddenly appearing at the doorway and you knew there was no way he hadn’t just heard at least part of that conversation. With a swallow you stood, Gen finishing off her glass of wine. You followed Jensen around the corner, his body stiff.

“Listen, we were just-”

“I don’t really care. I wanted to inform you that your mother just phoned. She and the rest of your family will be coming to visit tomorrow.”

“What do you mean rest of my family?”

“Your father and brothers,” said Jensen, your face already snarling. “They said-”

“Mom was supposed to come. Just mom. Not the step family from hell,” you said. “My step brother has a record. Did you know that?”

“Yes, I was aware. Nothing abhorrent,” he said.

“Nick and Michael, the fucking wonder twins, they left me alone with a group of random weirdos to go get high on pot,” you said. “I was twelve years old!”

“I believe they will be coming as well,” said Jensen. “I will make myself scarce for the-”

“Oh no you will not,” you said. “Tomorrow is Monday and you work on Monday’s last I checked.”

“I did not say I would not work. I said I would be scarce,” he said. “Simply wanted to inform you before surprise guests appear.”

“Lovely,” you mumbled. “Tomorrow’s going to be awesome.”

__________

A/N: Read Part 4 here!

#spn #supernatural #jensen ackles #jensen ackles au #jensen ackles x reader #jensen ackles x you #au #bodyguard!AU #bodyguard!jensen #bodyguard!jensen x reader #spn fanfic #supernatural fanfiction

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nanaminokanojo · 3 years

Text

BLOOM | Sukuna X You | Part 2/3

collection masterlist

one two three | Bloom Masterlist

You got up really early despite staying up late and only getting five hours of sleep max, but once you woke up, you knew you wouldn’t be able to get back to bed so you prepared for the day, waiting for Sukuna’s call. You went to the patio which faced the backyard, carried a small blanket and brought your battered copy of Edgar Allan Poe’s prose collection with you.

A few hour later, you heard stirring in the house and it wasn’t long before Satoru found you. He sat on the lounge chair opposite yours and just stared at you through sleepy eyes. He looked all disheveled, eyes bloodshot and yawning several times. He really couldn’t handle his alcohol and when he wakes up after drinking more than he could take, he always ends up befuddled and unable to make sense of his surroundings, not to mention irritable.

When he just sat there without saying anything and staring at you, you snapped your book close. “What is it?”

He snapped out of a seeming trance. “Oh. You have a guest.”

“Huh?”

“Ieiri said it’s Howard.” He yawned again, stretching his arms.

“Sukuna?”

“Yes, him.”

You scrambled off the lounge chair, nearly knocking it to the side with your weight as you half crawled, half-ran towards the door, suddenly remembering your agreement the previous night. You were mentally slapping yourself as you made your way into the hallway, planning to go up to your room to have a change of clothes. You weren’t sure what he wanted to do because he did not exactly specify that bit.

However, your plans did not come into fruition when you passed by the lattice wood and glass partition between the kitchen and the hallway and saw him.

“Y/N!” Ieiri pretty much yelled your name out, calling your attention and making you jump, startled. “Howard’s here.”

Sukuna glanced at her momentarily, probably catching the name she referred to him with.

The protest died in your throat when you saw Sukuna standing by the counter, looking so out of place in such a domestic setting although he was dressed casually in a black tee with a wide collar that exposed his collarbones for the world to see and faded jeans, similar to the one he wore that time he came to your school.

You grimaced at the realization that you were just standing there like an oaf, checking him out. It was evident in the way his smile morphed into a shy one as he bit his lower lip while Ieiri and Suguru grinned evilly at you. Feigning ignorance to their reactions, you entered the kitchen, brows knit together, shooting Ieiri an inquisitorial look after nodding at Sukuna’s direction. It was a dumb way of greeting people, but that was about what you could manage with the way your brain was being fried at the mere sight of him.

“I didn’t know we received guests in the kitchen now,” you commented, noticing the number of grocery bags on the counter. “You did the shopping?”

“I did,” Sukuna answered you. “I told you I was going to do something for you.”

“'You' being the technical term,” you said with a smirk when you realized what he was planning. “So you’re gonna cook for me?”

“Yes.”

You eyed your two friends who were eyeing Sukuna in anticipation. “Just me?”

“Stingy,” Ieiri commented, pouting.

Woman, you thought, eyeing her sternly in case she had plans to say something embarrassing. You spoke before she could say more, approaching Sukuna who was suddenly just looking at you, your eyes in particular. Out of a sudden, he reached out and touched the spot just under your left eye, making you step back at the sudden contact. He was touchy, you knew that, but you weren’t expecting him to be so candid in front of your friends on such a setting.

“Your eyes are swollen. Is something the matter?”

You smiled at him then, shaking your head. “I didn’t sleep enough last night.” You busied yourself by checking the things he bought. “So…” You looked at his pretty hands then at him. “The Spring God can cook?”

He gave you a funny look at the nickname you gave him. “Watch the Kitchen God work!” He chuckled then turned his attention to Ieiri. “I was just asking Ieiri if I could borrow the kitchen.”

“It’s more Suguru’s kitchen than hers,” you sniped at her who was now sitting on the counter, chin on the heel of her palm as she looked at the pair of you as if she was watching a really cheesy romance drama.

“Then it’s settled. I have to cook for them, too.” He ruffled your hair then. “Mind helping me?”

“I’ll leave you kids then,” she said sounding like a mom, leaving the kitchen and blocking Satoru’s progress when he was about to enter, leading him out into the living room much to the latter’s annoyance.

You shook your head, snickering. You really couldn’t wrap yourself around the fact that Sukuna could cook. “Should I get you an apron, chef?” you asked, meaning to taunt him, but then he took out a rolled-out piece of black cloth from a black case he brought along with the groceries and said, “I brought my own.”

Knowing that you can’t say anything else to annoy him about cooking, you started sorting out the things he brought, taking them out of the bags and fixing them in an organized way on the counter while he proceeded to take the foodstuff to the sink. All the while, you were watching him as he cleaned everything, his dexterous hands moving with precision and unmistakable expertise.

After fixing everything and putting away the bags, you stood beside him on the sink. “You do this a lot?”

“Pretty much.”

It was fascinating to watch him work so you didn’t say anything else until he took the case again and produced a professional-looking set of knives with customized handles. “Okay, now I’m scared.” You arched a brow at him. “Why the hell do you have a knife set?”

“I love to cook,” he answered, laughing slightly without taking his eyes from what he was doing.

“I figured, but I thought, you know just cooking at home, following online recipes and stuff like that.”

At that, he laughed. “Those recipes don’t work half the time.”

“Oh, okay,” you said sarcastically, rolling your eyes at his sentiment but then you saw how he was cutting the ingredients on the chopping board like a pro. “I’ll be damned.”

“What?”

“Now I mind assisting you. I refuse.” You felt a bit miffed about his mad skills in the kitchen, and you knew it would be foolish to even question how his dish, or dishes rather, was going to turn out. It got you thinking about every other thing he can possibly do, and you found yourself falling deeper. “I’m shit in the kitchen. You can have Suguru to help you.”

“But I already asked him for help yesterday to plan all this.”

“Did you now?” Your eyes flicked over to the counter that divided the kitchen and the living room and glared at your friend, remembering your conversation with him. He threw you a rueful smile.

Sukuna pouted. “You can’t take it back. Surely, you can chop onions.”

“I guess.” You took out a knife from the rack and grabbed an onion. “How do you like it?”

“Minced.”

“Okay.” You started chopping the thing rather slowly, trying to be precise, but since you were taking too long, your eyes started watering before you could even get it halfway done. “Ah, shit!” you grumbled, putting the knife down rather harshly.

Sukuna laughed, turning you around so you were facing him. “Are you okay?” he asked in between laughter, wiping your tears away with some paper towels. “You were too slow.”

You screwed your eyes shut, still feeling the sting behind your eyelids. “Well, I don’t cook.” When you opened your eyes, you almost stopped breathing when you saw those dark orbs of his directly in front of you.

“Oh no, sweetheart, you’re crying,” he cooed.

“Onion…” You took the paper towel from him and started wiping your eyes yourself, turning away from him when you saw the teasing beam on his face. “Shut up.”

“You’re cute.”

You rolled your eyes at him. “You’re so annoying.”

“I’m cooking for you, and I’m annoying? Let’s see how that opinion changes once you taste this masterpiece.”

You did not say anything about the matter anymore and instead watched him work, handing him this and that and doing as he tells you. Sukuna was kinda scary to work with since he obviously had a fixed process about how things should be done, but at the same time, you found yourself mesmerized by his fluidity as he moved around as if he had been in the kitchen his whole life.

“What are you making anyway?” you asked as you were putting away the things he didn’t need anymore.

He looked over his shoulder as he stirred whatever he was making. “That’s a secret.”

You shrugged, looking into the pot. “Just tell me already.”

He placed his free arm around your waist, pulling you to his side, seemingly oblivious to the three pairs of eyes which looked towards the direction of the kitchen every so often, spying on the two of you. “Patience, sweetheart. You’re gonna spoil the surprise.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” you whined.

He planted a quick kiss on your forehead. “You’ll see.”

By the time Sukuna was done, your dining room looked more like a five-star restaurant than that of one owned by four university students. Well, the table did. You weren’t really familiar with the dishes he prepared since he won’t tell you what they were. You only recognized the lobster thermidor, but all the others were a mystery.

Your friends were thrilled when they saw the table and you were just stunned. You pretty much just watched Sukuna, but he didn’t let you see what he was doing in the dining room, making you promise to sit down in the pantry while he prepared. He went overboard, but you loved it, too.

“I feel like I’m going to pay with all the contents of my bank account after this meal,” Suguru said as he sat down at the edge of the table, making Sukuna laugh.

You sat to his left while the chef sat beside you, explaining the dishes to you and the three other people with you with such technical terms, half of which you didn’t really understand. Suguru did though. Sukuna plated the first dish and offered it to them.

“I hope you would find them to your liking,” he said.

“Y/N’s grandpa would be super impressed if he was here to see this,” Ieiri asked.

You snorted. “Oh my god, Ieri, what are you being such a pain for?” You turned to Sukuna then who looked at you questioningly, but you pretended not to notice. “And you, chill and eat. They can get their own food.” He grinned at you but instead of serving food for himself, he started putting food on your plate. You watched him pointedly. “I can do that myself. Eat!”

“In a bit.” He finished by placing sauce on the lobster then smiled your way before getting food for himself.

“This is phenomenal cooking, man,” Satoru commented delightedly at the first bite, seemingly forgetting about his headache, and Suguru made a sound of approval, eating with gusto. “Will you cook for us every day?”

“Suguru!” you protested.

Sukuna laughed at that. “Maybe not every day.”

You shot him an annoyed look but ate as well. They were right. His cooking was beyond good. “On second thoughts, I don’t mind you cooking for us every day, too. This is totally great!”

“Told you.”

The meal was rather pleasant with your pals engaging Sukuna, obviously taken by him. The deal was sealed where he was concerned. You knew it had nothing to do with the food. They just liked him. He mostly conversed with them while you just pitched in once in a while, too busy eating. Besides, you wanted them to get to know him, too, and you were more than glad that Sukuna was making the effort to be acquainted to them.

After lunch, Suguru and Satoru volunteered to do the dishes, in a very good mood after the magical meal while Ieiri tidied up, leaving you and Sukuna alone. You decided to tour him around the house although there was nothing much to see, leading him into the upstairs hallways. Your house was quite big for only the four of you, but not stately or anything. It was just a normal house with too few inhabitants and too many rooms.

You walked towards the west hall. “Those are all guest rooms and those at the end of the hallway are Satoru and Suguru’s rooms.”

“Where’s yours?” he asked.

You cocked your head towards the east hallway, beckoning him to follow you as you led the way to said room, pointing out the other rooms you passed by, just three of them until you reached the last door. You pushed the door open and gestured for him to enter.

“Huge space,” he commented as he looked appraisingly around, his feet leading him to the large, framed posters of your favorite book-based films and games. “You are a nerd.”

You just watched him, leaning against one of your bookshelves as he ran a finger over your "Harry Potter" movie poster. “Guilty.”

Sukuna then went look at your book collection. “It’s not bad.”

“I’m a literature major. I think it makes sense.”

“Books and more books. How many of these have you actually read?” he asked, taking your volume of "Twelfth Night."

“All of them.”

He eyed you, evidently impressed. “Shakespeare?”

“Yeah. That’s basic in my field.”

“You’re amazing, Y/N.” He reached over and tucked a lock of hair behind your ear. “Beautiful, cultured and smart. I like it.”

You snorted, shaking your head. “Shut up.”

“It’s true.” He returned the book on its place. “So, apart from literature, what else are you interested in?” He glanced at the glass case at the opposite end of the room where your scale-model figures and rows upon rows of console games were. “Well, apart from action figures and video games.”

“Hmm.” You pretended to be brooding over it. “Well, recently, I’ve just been interested in one thing.”

“And what is that?”

“You.”

He chuckled, pulling you towards him, the warmth of his hands burning through the fabric of your shirt, making you all giddy. “Alright, sweetheart. Your brutal frankness is really scaring me.”

“Door’s wide open. You can run.”

“You won’t chase after me?” he asked.

“You’re gonna wanna see me after anyway, so no.”

“Hey, that’s mean!” But then, he seemed to have thought of something. “Why does Ieiri call me ‘Howard’?”

You retreated from him and slumped down one of the beanbags while he sat on your swivel chair, turning it a hundred and eighty degrees repeatedly. “You caught that, huh?” You couldn’t suppress the laughter that bubbled from your throat at his question. “I didn’t know your name the night we met but Satoru told them about you and I kinda just used the name to refer to you. You know, from the book I was reading at Maki’s.”

“The architect.”

“That one.”

“I see. I don’t mind then since you told me you’re in love with the character.” He winked at you. “But yeah, I was wondering if you enjoyed the meal at all. You haven’t said anything.”

“That speaks volumes of how much I enjoyed it.”

“I’m not really good at this whole impressing anybody thing, but I wanted to make the effort for you and your friends.” Sukuna sighed in relief. “I’ve only ever had one girlfriend after all, and I didn’t really do much in the relationship. And I never really went out with other women after that either save for some casual dates.” He smiled sheepishly at you, but he was confused at your reaction.

You just stared at him quizzically and in disbelief. There was no way you will ever believe that he only dated steadily once and didn’t go out that much to paint the town red. It was inconceivable for the obvious fact that he was so beautiful it was inhuman along with that great personality he has. Women will be lining up for him for sure.

“I don’t believe you.”

“It’s true.”

You shook your head, looking dubiously at him. “You’re pulling my leg.”

“Nope.” He shook his head as if to punctuate his statement.

“Everywhere we go, girls look at you and you expect me to believe that crap?” Hell, you wanted to pounce on him more often than not.

His expressions turned smug. “You care enough to notice, I see.”

It was unbelievable but you had to take his word for it. “You don’t sleep around either?”

“No. It just isn’t my thing.”

You just stared at him, your lower lip jutting out, not in disbelief anymore but in wonder. He’s a sensitive soul, you’ve figured that out, but you didn’t know it ran deeper than what you’ve seen so far.

“Don’t look so sad there.”

“I’m not. I really just don’t see it happening.”

“Should I be flattered?” he asked, but before you could answer, he said, “How about you?”

You swallowed hard, suddenly thinking hard about what you’re going to say to him. You didn’t really have a good track record where dating seriously was concerned. It was just not your cup of tea. “I’ve never had an exclusive relationship...” you began, eyeing him cautiously, “…ever.”

“Never?” He seemed to be having difficulty processing that.

You shook your head, your gaze guarded as you tried to gauge his reaction to your revelation. Somehow, you did not expect him to ask about the matter, and when he did, you didn’t really have a clue as to how you would address it. You realized just how different you were from him on that department. He seemed to value the emotions that come with engaging in physical intimacy while you just didn’t care enough for anyone to notice it.

“Now you’re shitting me.”

“I’m telling you the truth.” You frowned. “I think I mentioned this to you in passing the second time we met. I don’t date, at least not steadily.”

Sukuna obviously couldn’t wrap his head around the thought. “So you haven’t had a steady commitment with anyone?”

Again with the negative response. “Uh-uh.”

“Is it a matter of choice or is it a matter incapability, this I-don’t-date thing?”

“Both?” You shrugged, trying to think of a way to explain it to him. “I don’t for the reason that I don’t want to make a steady commitment. I just don’t see myself being invested with such intensity in anyone in a romantic way.”

“And why can’t you?”

“I get sick of people I’m involved with. In that manner, at least.” You chuckled humorlessly. “So…yeah.”

“But you’ve dated, right?”

You nodded. “Openly, yes, but I don’t stay long enough to really get into the whole relationship thing.” Talking about it was excruciating. It wasn’t something you discussed even with your friends. Suguru thought of it as you playing the field, but really, you had issues with the prospect of staying in an established bond with one person for a long period of time. You didn’t really know what to do with the information although you understood the mechanics.

He frowned then, looking deeply troubled. “So, you don’t date?”

“I did not date.” You made sure to emphasize on the past tense, knowing well what he would be assuming. “'Did not' being the operative term.”

“And now?” he asked, standing up when you did, too.

You stepped towards him. “What do you want it to be? It doesn’t just depend on me.”

“That doesn’t answer my question,” he said patiently, coming to meet you halfway and cupping your face as he tilted his head down to look at you squarely in the eyes. “But I do want you for the long run.”

“For now, it’s just that you’re slowly changing my views about it,” you returned. “But I like you, Sukuna. And I care about you. A hell lot. Does that answer your question?”

He nodded.

You reached up, touching his face, running your finger over his jawline. “Can we work with that?”

He pressed his lips onto your forehead, wrapping his arms around you. “Count on it.”

***

"How do I look?" you asked as you walked into the living room in the black, long-sleeved, backless, lace mini cocktail dress that Ieiri chose for you, your pencil heels of the same color clacking on the tiled flooring. You found your three friends lined up on the couch like expectant parents who were sending off their daughter to her first dance, making you laugh.

"Stunning!" Satoru complimented without hesitation, jumping up the couch to make his way to you. "Our daughter's grown up, Suguru."

"Last time I checked, I'm the only one who was raising her," the other male replied.

"You did a good job."

"I did a good job," Ieiri chimed in.

You shook your head, checking the contents of your clutch. It was hopeless trying to get a proper answer from them, but you needed their output since you were new to the whole dressing-up for dinner thing because you never really allowed anyone to wine-and-dine you; never wasted time and resources on anybody you knew you weren’t exactly interested in for the long run. Still, you were more than happy to say yes to Sukuna when he said he'll be taking you to dinner after your exams.

He's been hanging around you almost every day since he cooked lunch at your place, making good on his words to you where the status of your relationship was involved. He would either come see you in the morning before he went to work or meet you at night for a quick drink at Maki's pub. At times, he'd be dropping by at your school during his breaks. And on the previous weekend, he came over, satisfying himself by sitting quietly on the couch with you leaning against his chest while you studied, even going through lengths of helping you out. At some point, you gave up cause he was distracting you, telling you about his plans while playing with your hair.

"You're gonna cook for me," you assumed.

"No. I'm taking you to that fancy restaurant in town."

You agreed without protests even when he refused after you suggested to split the bill knowing how expensive the place could be. You didn’t want him to think you were mooching off him just because he was older and you’re a broke university student. He seemed excited about the whole thing, so you didn't argue further.

Just then, you heard the sound of a car stopping in front of the house, and you made your way to the door despite Ieiri's tirade about you supposedly making the man walk to your door and ringing the bell, probably make him wait, too. Knowing Sukuna, he'll do just that but you didn't want them to pull their antics while that cliché scene by the doorstep unfolded. But she beat you to it, running a lot faster than you to open the door when you were halfway through the short hallway. Just as you were afraid of, Satoru and Suguru were also standing at the other end of the hallway.

"Guys!" you growled.

"We just wanna see you off," Suguru whined just as Ieiri said, "Hi, Howard."

"Hi," Sukuna returned the greeting, even waving at the boys behind you, looking debonair in a smart-casual charcoal grey ensemble over black, collarless button-downs.

Your annoyance died down at the sight of him and you felt yourself melting when your eyes finally met and he beamed brightly as he took in your appearance, looking like he was seeing color for the first time.

"Ready?" he asked and you nodded, stepping around Ieiri. "We're going" you told your friends, shooting them all warning looks before breaking into a nervous smile anyway as Sukuna led you away.

He opened the door to the passenger side of his... "Where's your Jeep?" you asked him, noticing the matte black sports car for the first time.

"At home," he told you. "I thought I'd switch it up for the occasion."

You shook your head as you climbed in, not really expecting him to go to that extent. You appreciated it but you weren't really high maintenance nor did you want the finer things. "So you just happened to have a Porsche 911 lying around?" you asked him when he finally made it to the driver's seat.

He nodded innocently. "I got it on a whim last year, but I decided it's too flashy so I had it stored at an exclusive garage and only took it out whenever I felt like it. I think this is a good time to take it for a spin."

"You didn't have to."

"I wanted to." He reached out to caress your cheek. "You're a vision, by the way."

You felt heat suffuse your cheeks at his gentle touch, but you held his hand in place as you faced him. "I could say the same for you."

"I always wear suits though," he said.

"Well, you're much too impatient with your blazers and you get rid of them when we meet," you began, "And you don't wear those for me."

He flashed you a cheeky grin. "Oh, so you want your men to dress for you?"

"Man, Sukuna. Singular."

It was his turn to blush. "I'm the only one, huh?"

You tilted your head to the side, smirking. "You wanna add someone else into the mix? I didn’t know you were into that."

He was flustered. "No?"

"If you have an exact replica, I wouldn't mind."

Sukuna burst out laughing. "You're crazy."

"It's your fault for hijacking my brain all the time."

Dinner had been great with the both of you pretty much making fun of the numerous silverware before you and making up stories of the haughty guests who came into the same fancy restaurant, some of whom were looking towards your direction.

"That one's a trophy wife," you told him, furtively glancing at the couple that entered. "She's all iced up but look at how her husband is interacting with the waitress."

"You can tell just by that?" he asked.

"I'm guessing they're regulars here and the waitress is one of those he is having an extramarital affair with just judging by the way she looked at him and how she's being all cozy with him." You chuckled. "Ah, now Mrs. X is unhappy. Pretty and bejeweled but very unhappy."

"What about that man there?" He mimicked the way you looked at the couple earlier, this time referring to that one by the glass walls at the corner.

"Oh that one? He's that demanding type who only wants to sit on his usual spot. He's hypochondriac. He's been wiping all the silverware."

Sukuna was obviously amused. "You observe people like this all the time?"

"I aspire to be a novelist if not a literature professor. I watch people to come up with stories, so it doesn't always mean what I'm saying about them is true. I just make it up as I go." You laughed. "But Suguru is a better writer than I am."

"Is he now?"

You nodded, eyes scanning the area. "That old lady is a rich widow who is keeping tradition alive."

He followed your line of vision. "Because she's wearing traditional garb?"

You shook your head. "Because she is alone with that sorrowful look on her face, and she has an extra serving of a meal across her which had been untouched since she ordered in. She's on a date with her dead husband. The empty seat is for him. It's their anniversary." You cocked your head towards the empty chair. "She placed that blazer on the backrest which is obviously not hers, and she just opened a wrapped-up present and made a show of presenting it to whoever should be seated there. Looked like men’s watch to me."

That same old woman stood by your table later in the evening to say, "You are a lovely couple. Cherish each other." And she also paid for a bottle of expensive wine which Sukuna asked to be wrapped for the two of you to take home.

"Looks like you're right about that one," he said as he drove you back to his place.

You nodded, smiling to yourself. "She was right, too," you murmured.

He blinked then looked at you. "Did you say something?"

"Nope."

If you were impressed with the Porsche, his place was even more amazing. The whole place was in scales of black, white and gray but nothing was monotonous about the space. He toured you around the house and it looked uninhabited if it weren't for the signs of life around. But what caught your eye was the shelf full of music, all in vinyl with his gramophone plugged in to a modern sound system. He liked old stuff, his collection ranging from 1903s music to more modern ones here and there.

His living room was strategically placed by the glass walls, providing a view of the cityscape where you found yourself standing, in awe of the sights before you. Just then, the familiar bars of Ben E. King's "Stand by Me" started playing in the background.

You were about to whirl around, but you felt him behind you, wrapping his arm around you as he made you face him. He extended a hand towards you then. You took it without hesitation although you didn't know what he was up to, surprised when he placed your arms on his shoulder while he held onto your waist.

"Dance with me," he said in a low tone as he pulled you closer.

You giggled at that, letting him slowly sway you to the beat while you just looked up at him, drowning in his eyes, his warmth and everything that was him. "I love this song."

He arched a brow at you. "You know Ben E. King?"

"I grew up listening to old music," you told him, nodding as you smiled fondly. "The perks of being a grandpa's girl. You get exposed to great music."

"The movie is my favorite, too."

Your eyes widened. "Really?"

He threw his head back in mock annoyance. "Let me guess. It's your favorite, too?"

"Yes!" you squealed excitedly.

Sukuna clucked his tongue. "You make it hard for me to resist you when you have great music and movie tastes, too."

You looked away, swearing you were beet red now. You playfully smacked him on the chest. "Don't say things like that with a straight face."

His laughter reverberated on his chest when you leaned your forehead against it, hiding your face from him. "Now, you're getting all shy around me?" he teased.

"Shut up," you mumbled, pouting at him but having a hard time as you fought the smile that played at the corners of your mouth.

"Seriously though, Y/N, you don't run out of surprises for me." He leaned his forehead against yours. "Every time, you put something new on the list of things I like about you."

"You have a list?"

He nodded. "It's getting hard to keep up with how long it has become."

"Where does it begin?" you asked out of curiosity.

He raised a hand, his finger tracing the point between your eyebrows. "Your brows furrow just around here when you're concentrating. Just like that time I met you at Maki's."

"Yeah?"

He nodded. "It's impressive how you're caught in a world of your own even in such a busy, crowded place."

"I’m just good at ignoring people. But stopped reading the moment you sat beside me." You snickered. "You make it hard to focus, it's an insult to the author when her characters are all beyond just interesting."

"How was I even distracting you? You weren’t even looking at me."

"That's what you thought." You shrugged, feigning nonchalance. "It's your hair at first, but then you also smelled too good to be true. That did it for me. And before I knew it, every word on the page I was reading became Cyrillic or something."

You didn't even realize that you've both come to a standstill, chuckling as you met his gaze again, only to feel his hand sliding behind your head, his fingers tangling with your hair as he dipped down and seized your lips, tilting his head slightly. It was a gentle kiss, his skilled lips light on yours, introducing his rhythm and flavor of mint mixed with the faint flavor of the wine you've both been drinking as you moved in sync with him.

It drove you crazy how his scent and taste filled every crevice of your being, desensitizing you while also pushing your senses on overdrive at the same time. The feel of his large hands as they secured you to him while his mouth did all the magic made your blood grow hot, the rush you felt inside consuming you. You visibly wobbled when he let go of you, making him look at you in amusement.

"Stay the night?" he asked, breaking into a grin. "I have a copy of our favorite movie. We can finish the wine that kind old lady gave us, and I'll make you pizza."

"You had me at our favorite movie," you said, still a bit dazed and drunk from the taste of him. "I'll stay."

Sukuna stood at the foot of his bed as he neatly placed everything you might need on it, running out of his unit to get stuff for you at the nearby convenience store. He glanced over at the door of the adjoining shower, smiling when he heard you humming. Well, he couldn't stop smiling all night seeing how beautiful you were in that black dress. He marveled at how you managed to be even more gorgeous when you were already driving him insane even when you wore sweats to school.

He found beauty in every little thing you did, feeling himself being overwhelmed with amazement even when you were just sitting there reading to how you spoke eloquently about things you were passionate about, the way you told the stories you made up despite how they leaned towards sad things. He found it attractive how you lacked complications and always gave him your honest opinions, how you tell him what was going on inside your mind without bars held.

He loved how kind and loving you are to your friends. It wasn't outward affection but he did notice the small things you did. How one word – "breathe" – would calm Satoru down, how one reassuring squeeze of the hand would pacify Ieiri and how a single look would convey your thoughts to Suguru. He would be jealous of it given any other circumstances, but you did so much more for him by just smiling and cheering him up when you sensed how tired he was from work which was often.

You were sensitive like that, appeared stronger and more resilient than you looked, but he and your friends couldn't help it but dote on you. It was kinda funny how they all referred to you as their daughter at first but when he found out they were doing that because they're the only family you had, he understood why. He understood why you tended to look at things the way you did. It only strengthened his urge to take care of you and protect you at all costs.

“Don’t give me that look,” you’ve told him then when he found out your grandfather, your only guardian and family, passed away three years ago, and you’ve only been living on the small fortune he bequeathed to you upon his death. Your parents were long dead, too, and you were basically alone in life.

He found it amazing that you could talk about the matter without being uncomfortable when he couldn’t even imagine how his life would be if he lost his mother at his age. He understood your independent nature, how you would give him funny looks whenever he volunteered to do something for you and why you were always so insistent on splitting the bill when you went out.

Still, when you said you didn't date steadily, it got him worried. Apart from the possibility that you might not stay with him for as long as he imagined – which made him afraid to breathe at times – he thought you might have issues from being alone too much; that maybe, the reason why you didn’t want to commit was because you didn’t want to open up only to be left alone again when things don’t work out. The way you spoke about the old woman at the restaurant and the way sadness crossed your features as you told him the story you’ve just made up sort of solidified his notions.

That’s exactly the reason why he was happy you weren’t pushing him away or refusing to stay with him. When you said you’ll stay the night, although he found joy in all the times you’ve been around him, he still felt unbelievably happy. Perhaps you were giving him a chance, giving whatever it is that’s between you the opportunity to blossom and just going with wherever and whatever it brings you. He liked that thought.

You came out of his room just as he was taking out the pizza he made, dressed in that oversized, white shirt he brought out for you, the collar askew on your shoulders. You walked into the kitchen running a towel on your hair, leaning on the counter. He almost dropped the pizza when he saw that you’ve forgone the sweats he’d given you, your legs bare from halfway down your thighs.

“I gave you pants, you know.”

You laughed at his words. “They’re too big for me. I returned them in your closet.”

He rolled his eyes playfully. “Go wait in the living room. I’ll be finished here in a bit.”

You did as you were told, much to his relief but still went to the extent of getting you a blanket in case you wanted to cover up, not that he minded looking at your legs. Nevertheless, he preferred not to with all the thoughts running amok in his head. He wanted to take things slow with you even if you were proving to be his kryptonite. You thanked him for it, happily munching on the pizza he made as the movie started.

“I can’t believe that woman gave us this expensive wine,” you said as you took a sip from your glass.

“I can’t believe we’re having pizza with it,” he said as he sat at the other end of the couch. The two of you laughed at that, but then he stopped when you did, noticing how you were looking at him with a confused look on your face. “What is it?”

“Why are sitting so far away from me?” you demanded, but instead of him moving towards you, you crawled on the sofa closer to him.

Sukuna reveled in how naturally you took his arm and placed it on your shoulder, leaning against him before adjusting your position and covering the two of you with the blanket. He was glad your guard was down where he was concerned, the fact that you smelled like his shampoo and were wearing his clothes making him all warm and fuzzy inside. He pulled you closer to him, eyes trained on his massive flat screen.

“Sukuna…” you said a few moments later.

“Yes, sweetheart?”

“You’re too stiff.” You looked up at him, snickering. “I won’t steal your virtue if that’s what you’re scared of.”

He just laughed but it was taking everything he had in him not to do anything when you were tempting him in the most sinful ways, but he forgot all about that when your head lolled against his chest and found you sound asleep. You looked so serene that instead of taking you to bed, he sat there, cradling your form until the movie finished, his fingers playing with your hair.

Sukuna looked down at you, feeling like his chest was about to explode as he breathed in, realizing the depth of how much he felt for you, and although you couldn’t hear it, he said, “I’m in love with you, Y/N.”

***

The crisp morning air blew past the open balcony doors, into the bedroom, rustling the white sheets on his bed that momentarily served as the sanctuary of a tangle of limbs and blankets, cradled by the softness of the mattress and feather-filled pillows. Even breaths rose and fell in sync, filling the wide room. Languid fingers twined with the silkiness of long locks of hair and smooth, bare skin. The bed creaks and Sukuna’s eyes open to the brightness of daylight.

He took in his surroundings, and the first thing he noticed was the pressure on his leg, his left arm just by his shoulder and his chest along with the warmth that was coming from his side. His eyes wandered down to his body to the sheets barely reaching his waist, until finally he found the source of it all.

On his left side was none other than you, pressed to his side with no quantifiable distance separating your bodies but the measly fabric of the shirt you wore. Your hair fell on the pillows and his shoulder which was cushioning your head, your leg crooked across his thighs while your hand lay on his chest in a stagnant caress that suddenly made his whole body burn from the inside. Peering down, he noticed how your brows knit together in an unconscious frown while your thick lashes cast shadows below your closed eyes. Your long, lean legs were exposed to him up to your milky thighs as his shirt which you were wearing rode up, and he could only pray that you won’t move that limb any further or else…

Cursing at himself, he diverted his gaze and realized how his left hand had been running up and down your back. The feel of your warmth against the pads of his fingers sent him to the edge while your scent intoxicated him until he felt sweat beading on his forehead. He knew he was being shallow, but he couldn’t help it either. He was still human. Still, a smile made its way across his mouth. He was only able to think of the moment and how he wished to wake up to it every single morning of his existence. He decided to stay still and hold onto it while it lasted.

“Why are you so pretty?” he whispered, then pulled you closer while he closed his eyes, meaning to go back to sleep, but it wasn’t long before he felt you stir against him, your leg moving upwards. In the process, said limb swept higher, touching that particular spot between his legs. The weight of your leg didn’t help with the carnal thoughts that were already running amok in his mind.

You suddenly moved, groaning as you shifted, the drawn-out sound doing things to him.

Sukuna’s eyes remained shut, fearing what might come next after you discover the compromising position you were in, but it didn’t come. Instead, you just very slightly distanced yourself from him, remaining within reach, but he was startled when he suddenly felt cold fingers brush across the skin just below his lower lip.

“If I were an artists, I would have painted you,” you said quietly while your fingers travelled lower. “Just look at that jaw line.”

Sukuna felt himself shiver when your other hand began working its way from his collarbones, going all the way down to where his chiseled stomach was. The titillating sensation filled his brain and before he knew it, his eyes were half open while his hand had already grabbed you by the wrist. His other arm worked to topple you over, back to the comfort of the pillows, while he rolled on top of you, staying still while completely rendering you motionless by pinning your arm down.

The reverberation of your chest against his whilst you chuckled albeit his weight sent him to the edge, almost falling off, but he held still and stopped himself from doing anything.

“Ryomen Sukuna,” you whispered, tapping his back slightly.

He wondered whether you liked being there with him, too, or what. “L/N Y/N…What’s with the formality?” What, indeed? The two of you were in a very intimate position and yet he addressed you that way, sounding agonized even to himself. “Don’t do that.”

You scoffed good-naturedly. “Am I giving you strange feelings?” you questioned, ridiculing him early in the morning. “I knew you were pretending to be asleep. Men just can’t say no to a woman’s touch, huh?”

He supported his weight with his arm and drew himself up, the rest of his weight pushing down lower against you. He smirked then. “So you were also awake.”

“Yeah.”

“And you let me hold you anyway?” he murmured, his face almost closing in on yours.

You ignored the tone in which he spoke and its implications. “I was just too lazy to move. Besides, I thought you were a pillow. You’re so warm.”

“That sounds fishy, Y/N.”

“And what’s fishy about that?”

He broke into that crooked grin, feeling his evil streak resurfacing. “Hmm. The fact that you’re liking this as much as I am.”

You removed your hand from his grip and lightly slid it down his inked rib, going lower as you traced the patterns of his tattoo, your eyes remaining on him, a sultry smile swathed across your lips.

A moan nearly escaped his parted mouth, but he wasn’t able to hold back the sudden closing of his eyes and slight parting of his mouth as your hand reached halfway down. “S-stop…”

Your hand stopped where his pelvis was, but your fingers continued to draw circles on his skin. “Are you sure you want me to stop?”

Sukuna panted and nodded at you feeling his hot blood rushing southward.

“Yeah?” You laughed softly, your eyes widening a bit in amusement while your leg kicked faintly underneath him, feeling something stiffen against your thigh. “Something else tells me you don’t,” you purred into his ear.

Sukuna bit his lower lip, peeking at you through half-lidded eyes. He knew you felt that and he was getting embarrassed with every second he stayed there. He knew your effect on him and you were more than just aware of it. You were even going to the extent of toying with him, making him feel like a goddamn teenager with raging hormones.

“You’re baiting me,” he played along, brushing your hair off of your neck and twirling the strands with his finger.

You smirked. “Am I?” you said slowly, hand sliding on the garter of his sweats. You withdrew your hand and rolled the two of you over despite his weight, turning tables on him. You touched the tip of his nose, taking in the disappointed look on his face all to your amusement before getting off.

“You’re funny, Sukuna.”

Your leg wasn’t even halfway off of him from where you were sitting astride his torso when Sukuna decided he was going to take his chances with making you succumb to him somehow and he finalized that by stopping you. Grabbing your waist, he rolled you over once more and without second thoughts, dipped his mouth against your, just pecking you on the mouth at first to see what you would do.

Too stunned to react, you were only able to stare at him, but Sukuna didn’t just stop there. He pressed his mouth against your sensuous lips in numerous fleeting touches until he felt you respond to it in the same gentle manner. Those small gestures, along with the closing of your eyes, ignited the fire that had been coursing through him until he thought he would explode if he didn’t comfort himself with the feel of you against him.

Unable to hold back anymore, he crashed your lips together in an urgent, scorching and passionate kiss, nibbling on your lower lip. You responded in kind, possessively holding onto his taut shoulders as he lifted you both in a sitting position so you were kneeling astride his lap. Sukuna pushed his fingers into your hair, holding you against him while his mouth moved downwards to your neck, seductively biting on your collarbone, marking his trail of fire up the columns of your throat before returning to your mouth.

Opposite to his aim to escalate the heat and passion, you placed both of your hands on either side of his head, cupping his cheeks with gentle hands and pulled away slightly, still with your foreheads against each other, hands intact on his shoulders and your waist, both panting for air.

You flashed him an apologetic smile, swallowing hard as you pulled back and sat down on the bed, looking down at your hands which you were wringing. Silence fell over the room and when you came to your senses again, you met his gaze.

His eyes rounded at the realization of what he just did. “I’m sorry, I don’t what came over me.”

“It’s fine. Don’t apologize.” You shook your head. “Sukuna, I…I shouldn’t have…”

He smiled at you then and pulled you close, giving you a soft peck on the forehead, eventually taking you into his arms, soothing your back as he embraced you. “That’s not it, sweetheart. I can’t keep my hands to myself even when you’re not doing anything.”

“I’m sorry…”

He looked at you at arm’s length. “Don’t be.” You diverted your gaze, but Sukuna lifted your head with a finger, making you look at him, holding you in his gaze “I’m willing to take it slow if that’s what makes you comfortable.”

“Look, I just want to be sure about how I feel. I don’t want to be doing this half-baked because I don’t want to hurt you –”

He placed a finger against your lips, still raw from his kisses. He didn’t want to hear what you had to say just yet but he smiled slowly at you. “I’m willing to give you time, and for now, I just want us to stay like this. Is that okay?”

You nodded, swallowing hard.

You found yourselves lying in bed until the sun was high in the sky and it was just too warm to stay there. Endless talks led to teasing which eventually led to laughter. He was glad that you were back to your carefree self again, even happier that you were considering his feelings.

“Should we get something to eat?” you suggested to him.

“Are you hungry?” Sukuna asked.

“Yeah. Aren’t you?”

Sukuna chuckled. “Starving.” He stood up first and pulled you with him, leading you out of the room with a happy grin on his face. “Let’s make breakfast together?”

“Sure…” You beamed at him. “I’d like that.”

-end of part 2-

Additional notes are available in the masterlist, particularly on the reasons why I wrote some things the way I did.

Thank you so much for reading. Likes, comments and reblogs are deeply appreciated! Hope you enjoyed it.

PHOTO/IMAGE/GIF/FANART SOURCES FULLY CREDITED TO THE RESPECTIVE OWNERS.

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sunflowerryvol6 · 3 years

Text

Sweet Summer

No warnings, just pure fluff.

WC: 3.6k

Long time no see! I hope you like this! I'll try and link the songs on this page, but no promises. Leave any suggestions for stories you'd like to see! Also, do comment, and tell me what you like about these two! As always, feedback is always welcome.

Check out my masterlist

You could listen to the songs here. I listened to this while writing this.

'I know how the summer goes' softly played in the background; she was sticky with sweat. She was sprawled on the floor of their bedroom. He sat on the bed above her. She was working on an essay on summer love for her column, the deadline was fast approaching. She looked to her left, and their room overlooked the ocean. The window opened to the bedroom patio, where they would often sit and work during the summer. Today he was oiling her hair while she worked hard on her piece. He'd just wrapped up, so he offered to help ease out some stress. She laid her head on the side on his knee and looked out to the sun shining down on the beach.

Ellie could almost touch the memory of when she first realised she was in love with Harry.

4 years earlier...

They'd been dating for a few weeks now. Harry planned the first date, so she arranged the second one. She'd quickly realised that Harry loved his walks. Working as a software developer left him with little to no time to move around. So he takes any opportunity to exercise or move his body. Ellie was a freelance journalist who's spent the better part of the last two years working from home. The idea of walking around or being on her feet was too taxing because of her chronic pain. But she liked harry, didn't she. So that's what she kept telling herself. When her hips hurt a little too much, or when she pulled her back from walking around too long. It'd all be worth it in the end. It had to be.

On this particular evening, they'd decided to meet up for a gig. Harry had found this artist that was playing in a bar downtown, so they'd meet there. She walked up to him and kissed him on the lips. "Hello to you too" He smiled.

"Hey, I'm sorry, I just missed you." She smiled wide. "I missed you too." He linked their arms and walked into the bar. He asked her to go ahead, and he'd join her with drinks. She walked on and waited for the band to start playing. He found his way back to her soon enough, with their favourite beverages.

Once the gig was over, they walked out of the bar and discussed where they should go to get dinner. "So, there's this brilliant taco place just down the road. We can walk there. What'd you say?" He smiled at her.

"Oh sure, let's." Ellie knew this wasn't the best decision. She'd be in a whole lot of pain by the end of the evening. She had work tomorrow, a deadline she couldn't miss. But It had to be worth it, right?

"What'd do you want to listen to today?" She suggested. She dug into her bag to find the earphone connector and offered it to him. They'd do this a lot, listen to music together, a new genre every date, sometimes their favourite albums. The last time they were listening to Harry's 70's indie playlist. You can tell a lot about a person by the music they heard. This was quite the ice breaker during their first few dates, so they decided to make it a thing. Now they would sometimes pick certain words or phrases and listen to what came up.

"Guilty pleasures?" He asked. "I can tell you, but I'm afraid it won't make for a great romantic walk down a dark road" She smiled. "I can take it." He laughed.

So she did. They blasted an old rock playlist, with mostly Cream. "You really love Cream, huh?" He said after a bit. "More than Neutral Milk Hotel," She told straightfaced. He blinked at her for a sec and burst out laughing. "That was a terrible one. Worse than my puns, God!" He laughed.

"These tacos better be mind fucking blowing, Styles," She says. Her hips were starting to ache a little. "Yes, Ma'am. I wouldn't dare disappoint you." He smiled. Their conversation went on about things here and there. Soon they reached the taco truck, right by the side of the road. The place was packed with people. Patrons had resorted to sitting on the pavement because of the wait.

"Okay, their birria tacos are the best, but we can get something else if you'd like?" Harry asked her. "Oh, that actually sounds absolutely perfect. Do you mind if I go get us a spot while you go get the food?" Ellie asked. "Sure, you do that." He said and leaned to kiss her cheek and made his way to the truck.

Ellie walked towards the pavement and slowly sat down. The moment her bum hit the pavement softly, she knew she was in a world of pain. Only more was waiting for her the longer this night went. She quickly dug into her purse to get out her cigarettes and lit one. It set in some ease, but it wasn't enough. She needed to get home, but what'd she tell Harry? Her experience telling people about her chronic pain has always ended up in them pitying her or not entirely believing her. Now, don't be fooled. She's in pain, but she didn't want no one's pity. She just wanted someone to recognise the pain and help her find a goddamn solution to it. In contemplating her exit strategy, she didn't realise she started tearing up. She quickly stubbed her cigarette and switched on some music to distract her. She waited patiently till Harry arrived with the food.

Harry walked over to Ellie with their food in his hand. Only to find her doubled over with her head on her knees. He rushed to her, placed their food on the pavement, and nudged her shoulder. "Ellie, are you okay?" He asked her gently. Ellie looked up, and she looked like she was in a lot of pain. "Hey! What's wrong? Why are you crying?" He seemed very concerned now. "I'm in a lot of pain right now, and it flares up when I'm on my feet for too long. I'd been out all day before we met, and I wasn't expecting us to walk around so much." She all but cried. "Oh, you poor thing. I'll call a cab right now, and I'll take you home, okay?" Harry said, his hand gently rubbed her arm. She sniffled in response.

The cab arrived soon enough. Harry helped her into the car and got in after her. "Would you like to try and sleep till we get there? I can keep an eye on the map." He offered. "Thank you." She said before leaning her head against the window and closed her eyes.

"Ellie, darling. We're here." His voice broke her out of the soft slumber she'd fallen into. She opened her eyes and looked out, and sure enough, they were outside her apartment building. She got out of the cab and started walking towards her door, expecting him to follow her. Still, she turns around to check, and he's about to call out to her. "Are you not going to come upstairs?" She questioned. "I need to make one more stop. I'll be up in 10." He shrugged. "Okay, don't be too long." She says and continues walking.

Harry takes the cab to the nearest store and buys a pack of Epsom salt. His sister would always soak her feet in Epsom salt and hot water after ballet lessons. So he knew this would bring Ellie some relief.

Whenever they'd had a sleepover, they always end up at Harry's place, so he'd never really been here to her home. Her door was a dark pink, kind of Fuschia. He turned the knob, and it was open, so he walked in. The place was filled with little trinkets and plants and other knick-knacks all over the place. The centre of attention had to be her bright yellow couch. All her furniture was pointed at this showcase filled with other ceramic figurines. It was very colourful. If you look at Ellie, you wouldn't expect her to live here. Her style is muted and minimalistic, apart from her hair. That was always a bright colour. This time it was bright pink, very close to the colour of her door. He wondered if she changed the colour of her door as often as she changed her hair. But otherwise, she wore blacks mainly with an occasional cream and some other muted colours. So why the eccentricity in her décor, he wondered. He didn't ask her, though.

"So I think a hot bath would really help you, I got some Epsom salt, and you know, we could try it?" He asked her hesitantly. "A long bath can help ease your pain," he said. "Yeah, I'd like that," she said. "You wait here; I'll set it up." He ventured into her flat. She took off her jacket, walked into her kitchen and took out a joint. Holding the joint in between her fingers, she looked for the lighter and slowly lit it. Walked back to the couch, took off her pants and sweater she was wearing and laid back on the sofa and took a long drag. She knew now she could relax, and the pain would slowly ease up.

Meanwhile, in her bathroom, Harry was running a bath for her. He sat on the edge of the tub with his hand underwater to check the water temperature. Once it was hot enough, Harry walked back to the living room. He walked in on her, smoking the joint, for the first time that evening, he saw her so relaxed and quiet. He didn't want to disturb her. But she opened her eyes, "Hey you" she smiled. He reached for her. "The bath is ready. Come on," He said. She took his hand and got up. She stood on her tippy toes and kissed him, and he kissed her back, slowly supporting his palm on her lower back. He deepened the kiss, she put her arms around his neck. He smiled into the kiss and pulled away.

"I really like you, you know?" He held her in place with his arm around him and looked at her. His gaze bore into her. "I'm here for you, so you have to tell me how I can help you," He said. That's when Ellie looked away. She started walking towards the bathroom and looked over her shoulder. "Come sit with me?" She asked. "Of course." He said. "Can you bring me the ice pack from the freezer, please?" She called out. He turned around and walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge to get the ice pack. He checked the time on his phone and walked back into her bathroom.

Ellie was already in the bathtub, and there was music playing softly while she smoked. He sat on the toilet and passed her the ice pack. "Here you go," He said. In return, she handed him the joint. He gave her a small smile and took it from her. He took a long drag and leaned back on the seat to stretch his legs a bit. She had these tiny pots of creepers wound up on different pipes all over her bathroom. She held the icepack to her face and felt so much relief.

"Elle, are you feeling any better?" He asked her. She nodded. Did the day go just like you wanted? played softly as she hummed along to it. "I know you want me to tell you what's going on, but I'm afraid you'll think I'm crazy," She said, not looking at him. "Darling, try me. I'm here to listen," He offered. He was still nursing the joint, looking like some kind of greek god. Just casually sitting on her toilet and observing her so carefully, she felt safe. Ellie's pain had calmed down a bit. The hot bath was helping quite a bit.

"Okay, so here goes, I took a fall about three years ago, and it kind of fucked my knee up. So I couldn't exercise much, and I wasn't moving around much. After a few months, I tried to do a simple workout, just to get back into the routine, but I was in an excruciating amount of pain." She looked up at him and saw that he'd moved to sit on the floor closer to her. When she looked up, he reached for her hand with a smile and held it. His rings felt cold on her hands as he slowly pressed the points on her fingers. It felt perfect. So she focused on that and continued. "After that, I went to a doctor to figure why it happened, but they couldn't understand because there weren't markers on the tests they did. Over the years, I went to all kinds of practitioners to help me find a solution to this pain, if not an answer to what it is. But they just kept saying it's in my head and not really give me an answer. I went to a psychiatrist, and they tried medication for depression. It only made me very drowsy and inefficient at work. But other than that, I don't really know what it is. I'm just hurting all the time." She sighed.

"Ellie, that is not okay. You shouldn't be in this amount of pain. I'm so glad you told me about it." He said. Harry reached for a stray strand on her face and pushed it back, and ran his thumb along her cheek. "Over time, I have stopped talking to people about this, 'cause it's not going change anything, and they just end up pitying me. So I did the next best thing, I bought this flat and made my home chronic pain friendly. I work from home, so I don't exert myself and have done that for over 2 years now. It's awfully lonely, though."

"I can't imagine how that must feel. For the record, I don't pity you. I just wish you'd told me before, then I wouldn't make our dates so hard on you. But wait. Did I cause you a lot of pain when we had sex?" He worried his lip and looked at her. "Oh no! You didn't at all. I just didn't want you to think I'm somehow weak and can't take care of myself. Today was a lot, and I'd been out for a couple of meetings for some upcoming projects, and it just all ended up weighing me down." She was tearing up now. "Darling, please don't cry. I don't think you can't take care of yourself. I think it was incredibly responsible of you to tell me when you reached your limit. I'm happy to accommodate whatever you need." He said to her. She could tell he was earnest. "Thank you, Harry. It feels good to be able to tell someone and have them believe me." She said to him.

They had been listening to Sea Change by Beck while they smoked together. He sat on the floor of her bathroom, with his legs stretched out and his hand in the water, holding one of her ankles. Just as a reassurance that he wasn't leaving. They talked mindlessly. He asked her about her ceramic figurines, and she told him that her grandma used to collect them, then her mom, and now she does. She brought them with her when she moved to this city. Her favourite one was the teal coloured soapstone hippo. She used to have heart-shaped soapstone, but she gave it to an ex who threw it away after they broke up. Just like that, he told her about the first time he fell in love. How he likes to keep in touch with his exes because they all ended mutually and were lovely people. She told him about her first break-up. They exchanged sibling horror stories. He told her about his niece Willow, whom he lovingly calls Willy. She hadn't realised until then, as they listened to the saddest break-up albums of all time, that Harry was in it for the long haul. "Think you're ready to move to the bed?" He asked as he rubbed his eyes. She slowly got up, and he stood up to help her out of the bath. Pulled up a towel for her and handed it to her. She walked over to her drawer and pulled out a pair of pyjamas for herself. He undressed into his boxers and placed his clothes on the wing chair next to her windowsill. She got into bed and opened the covers up for him. Her room was decorated the same, but fewer breakable items were in there. She had a few pictures of her family upon her wall, and a dog that he assumed was her childhood pet. He climbed in. "Small spoon?" He asked her; she answered by wrapping his around her and laid her head on his chest. He slowly ran his fingers through her hair, and she sighed in contentment. "You know, when I first realised that they weren't gonna be able to find what's wrong with me, I'd listen to 'If you're feeling sinister a lot. It was kind of a constant at the time." she said.

"When Stuart Murdoch wrote the album, he was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome, so he was on bed rest for a long time. He used to look out of his window and see all these people living their lives, and he'd feel so left out? So he poured all that yearning into it. One of the songs even has an overlay of children playing in the background. That album got me through some dark times." Harry was running a finger along her arm, raising goosebumps on her warm skin. Harry places a kiss on her hair, "You know when, Willow, was a little girl. I'd play this game with her during bedtime. It would really tire her out and change her mind from being upset for having to go to bed. Do you want to try it?" He says. "Sure, why not?" She smiles and places a kiss on his tattooed chest.

"Close your eyes. No peeking, okay?" He looks over to check a pokes a finger in her side to make sure, and she bursts out in giggles. "Okay! I promise." She laughs out. He holds her closer and takes a deep breath, her hair smells of berries and residual smoke, and he decides then that's his favourite smell. "We're on a hill. It's cold out. Both of us huddled under a blanket, looking at the sky. It's just us there, so it's very quiet. You can hear the birds around and the slight wind. When it touches you, you dig yourself closer to me, and I hold you a little tighter, just like I am right now." She listens carefully, picturing precisely what it would look like. She wonders if they have any pets with them, "Can we have a dog?" She asks, "Of course, whatever you'd like, pet." He says. "Okay, so we have a dog, a dalmatian puppy. What do you think her name should be?" She asks him. "You want a girl, huh?" He smirked at her. "Uh yeah, they're best, of course." She said as a matter of factly. "Um, what do you think of birdie?" "I love it." she smiles. "Birdie is running circles around our blanket. She's completely enchanted by butterflies and jumping up and down to get to them. She smells like lavender shampoo and puppy smell. She has a small spot on her nose that's shaped like a heart. That's what made you pick her at the pound. She's wearing a baby pink collar with a gold medallion which has her name engraved on it. She just saw us watching her, so now rushing to cuddle. She comes running to us and lands herself right in between, and we take her inside the blanket and settle in for a good ol' nap." Listening to him describe in such detail a life that he envisions for the two of them makes her feel so full of love.

"I feel so full and happy. A little hazy with that feeling, so much so that I can't remember what I was upset about." She smiles into his chest. "I told you, it'll help. It's tried and tested, ma'am." He says, ruffling her hair a bit. "Thank you so much, Harry. Thank you for staying and taking care of me and making sure I was okay. Thank you for listening to me and not judging me and just being here." She tears up a little.

"Hey, no tears." He says, wiping a stray tear that escaped. "And, you don't have to thank me at all. I just want you to be honest with me, so I can be there for you. You don't need to carry this all on your own. If you allow me, I'd like to ease the burden a little bit." He says as he runs his thumb along her cheek.

Now...

The loud barking from the other room jolts her out of her daydream. She looks up to see the reason behind the sound. Birdie comes running towards their bed with her toy, all prepared to jump up, but Harry stops her. "Birdie, no! Don't jump on Mummy!" "It's okay, Harry." Ellie reaches for Birdie. "You spoil her so much, she'd never going to learn." "Oh come on, sweets, it's our vacation. You have to let her get away with some things."

He sits up, and Birdie immediately places herself on his lap and whines for him to scratch her. He happily obliges. "Now, my darling wife, come here and give me a kiss before I take our baby out for a wee." You smile and lean up for a kiss. He kisses your nose once before getting out of bed and walking over to wear a pair of shorts. He turns around to Ellie, and says "Are you feeling up to a picnic?"

She smiles and hits save on the document she was typing. "Yes, I'll get the snacks ready. Give me five minutes." She places the laptop on the bed and walks over to him. She reaches on her tippy toes and grabs him by the neck, and gives him one big kiss.

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queenbeean · 3 years

Text

busy morning / chris evans

author’s note: this one is for @sweater-daddiesdumbdork thank you for helping me and giving me the idea💕

warnings: fluff, smut undertones (whoops), bad writing, not edited, i got carried away with this one and i apologise if i went from she/her to you/your

Y/F/B-S means your favorite band or singer

It was a little before 7am when Chris turned around to bury his face against her chest and all he felt were cold sheets. He huffed and instead buried his face against her pillow just to get something of her. Already he knew that he wasn’t going to be seeing or touching much of her that day. He tried making her scent lull him back to sleep but he knew it was futile. He needed to feel her skin against his, to feel her heartbeat match his, to hear her breathing and occasional snoring.

No matter how good he had slept, he was restless now. She was his addiction and he didn’t know what to do with himself. It wasn’t because he needed her to be attached to his hip all the time. He respected her life and independence and would never take anything like that away from her.

He was just feeling selfish that morning. It was Saturday, her day off, and he was expecting to spend the day with her, starting by waking up next to her.

Chris groaned and decided to stop being a crybaby. He had to remind himself that if it was up to her, she would be in his arms. So he got up from the bed, went to brush his teeth, wash his face and finally onto searching his babygirl.

Chris sighed softly at the sight of her. Y/N was busy clicking and typing on her computer at their home office. He thought she had said that she had finished her big presentation and project so she must have been editing for final approval.

His bare feet padded to the corner where they have a turntable and a wooden box full with vinyls. She must’ve been awake for at least an hour. The needle was on the middle, not touching her favorite record but it was still spinning so he knew how into her work she was that she didn’t even realise her music stopped. He searched through the vinyls and picked another one from Y/F/B-S, one that mostly had love songs. Since he wouldn’t be able to hear much of her, at least she would be able to listen to his feelings through both of her favorite songs.

Chris chuckled when Y/N started mouthing the lyrics.

“What the- Oh, I’m sorry, babe, did I wake you?” Y/N had a remorseful expression on her face and Chris sighed. He still couldn’t believe he had the most selfless woman as his girlfriend. Here she was thinking of him when she barely slept the night before.

“Yes and no, doll.” He walked to where she was and helped her up from her chair.

“Chris, I’m sorry but I need to finish this.” She winced at her words. She was choosing work before Chris when she promised herself she would never get to that point. Good thing she didn’t promise that to Chris or she knew he would give her an earful for even thinking that she didn’t give him his place when she always has.

Chris didn’t say anything. He just sat on the chair and brought her back down to his lap. “Just give me ten minutes with you and I’ll leave. You continue working, I just need to have you in my arms.” He murmured against her naked shoulder as his arms wrapped tightly around her waist, so close to him that she could feel his steady heartbeat.

“I’m sorry for waking you up.” She whispered in his ear.

Y/N could feel the hairs of his beard rubbing against her skin as he spoke. “Don’t be sorry, princess. You are in my arms now.” He closed his eyes and inhaled the scent from her neck.

She couldn’t help but shiver, her skin breaking into goosebumps. “I love you.” He responded by kissing her neck.

Y/N willed herself to get back to work. If she was lucky, she would finish it way before dinner, giving her enough time to make it up to Chris. She worked for around twenty minutes when she felt Chris’ grip on her waist loosen. She didn’t think too much of it for another ten minutes. But then she heard soft snores coming from him and she felt so incredibly bad. He should be in bed, resting. Not on her chair, with the possibility of his neck getting sore.

“Chris, babe?” She called softly as she intertwined their fingers. “Love?”

Her man awoke abruptly. “Shit, sorry. I’m distracting you and not helping you.”

“Chris, you are always distracting.” She giggled at his smirk. “But that’s not it. You are going to get sore muscles by sitting here. You should get back to bed.” She suggested.

“I can’t sleep without you.” He admitted. “I’ll get a start on breakfast. I was thinking cinnamon rolls?” Her stomach roared, making Chris laugh. “Cinnamon rolls it is. I’ll try to make them fast so my baby doesn’t die of hunger.” Chris teased.

“Thank you, baby.”

Chris kissed her for a few seconds before untangling himself from her, something he didn’t want to do at all. With one final kiss on the top of her head, he left her to work and prayed she didn’t overdo it.

First thing he did was set up the coffee machine. He had been so comfortable with Y/N on his lap that his body completely relaxed. Then he took out all ingredients he needed and got them in the oven around half an hour later. He was in the middle of preparing breakfast for Dodger when the pup walked in the kitchen. Dodger let out a big yawn and nuzzled his head on Chris’ leg before asking to be let out to the bathroom.

“Bubba, breakfast.” He called out to his pup and then an idea struck on his head. He was out on the patio as his head ran free with thoughts of what he could do for her and he knew it was the time.

Dodger ran inside and started eating eagerly. Chris took out the rolls and felt pride at the golden state of the sweet treats Y/N loves. He put two on a plate and filled her cup with the still warm coffee and added a bit of sugar and a bit of milk, just the way she likes it. After putting the plate and the cup on a tray, he took a sticky note and a pen and started scribbling.

‘Enjoy your breakfast, beautiful.

I want to remind you that you are amazing and you are going to kick ass on your project and everything you put your mind into.

I love you always

With all the love in the world, your dork and your bubba, Chris and Dodger x´

Before taking it to her, he went outside, hoping one of the flowers both of them have planted might have fallen. He knew she didn’t like to cut flowers. She liked seeing them grow and look beautiful in their natural state. God, how he loves that girl!

Luckily, there were two daisies laying next to the bushes. He took the pair and put them in a glass with a bit of water. He took the tray and walked to the office, followed by his shadow. As he got closer, he heard her voice on a conference.

“We got to be quiet, bubba.” He whispered to the pup. He peeked inside and frowned when he saw that it was a video conference. He had wanted to kiss her again, maybe even make out a little bit if she wanted to let out some steam. He instantly regretted the idea. He would only want more of her and he couldn’t be selfish with her.

Dodger stopped caring about his dad’s words and went to her side, nuzzling his snout on her thigh. Y/N immediately rubbed his fur, the place only she can rub as she continued talking. Chris made sure to be out of shot and put the tray on the far corner of the desk where there were no important papers or electronics. Dodger noticing that there was more food and she always snuck a piece for him, started playfully growling. Y/N didn’t seem to hear or wasn’t worried at least. But Chris still ducked and carefully dragged Dodger away from her.

Y/N felt so bad that she had been busy when Chris had been his usual sweetheart self. She didn’t even get the chance to greet Dodger properly. When she had woken up, the pup had been peacefully snoring away.

It took another ten long, long minutes of conference before it ended and she could start eating. And even then it took her almost an hour to finish the deliciousness Chris had prepared and she couldn’t even savour them properly. When she got a small break, she dashed to the kitchen where she heard noises.

“I know you want to be with momma right now, bubba but she is busy and we don’t want her getting mad at us now, do we?” Chris was sitting on the floor with Dodger sitting in front of him. The sight was adorable.

“You are going to make Dodger fear me if you keep threatening him like this.” Y/N teased and Chris stood up.

“Shit, baby, were we too loud?” Chris was concerned. Last thing he wanted was she getting called out for the noise.

Y/N didn’t answer and instead threw her arms around Chris and kissed him deeply. The man was shocked and stiff for a millisecond before moving his lips against hers, wrapping an arm around her waist while the other hand went to cup the back of her neck.

A rather loud bark made them pull apart from each other and laugh. “Sorry, bubba. You know you are still my number one boy.” Y/N promised him, having a tail wagging as an answer.

“Hey!” Chris lowly growled in her ear. “How come he is number one?”

Y/N glared at the man hugging her. “You want Dodger to sit on your face when you go to sleep for complaining?”

Chris chuckled, the deep sound resonating against her lips. “The only one I want sitting on my-”

“Don’t you dare finish that sentence, Christopher. There’s a child present.” Y/N hissed but the man still noticed how she shivered at her words.

“Well the child has cock-blocked me plenty of times, Y/N.” Chris mocked childishly.

“I think somebody else is the child.” Y/N scoffed.

“Baby, I’m all man and you know it.” He whispered huskily in her ear. “By the way, I love how bossy you get when you are working.” He nipped at her earlobe as one hand wandered past the waistband of her pants.

“Christopher.” Y/N warned as she tried prying his hand away.

“That’s the tone.” A pinch on her butt had her yelping.

Y/N stepped away from Chris and rubbed the stinging spot. “I hate you.”

“I love you too.” Chris closed the gap between them again and rubbed where her hand had. “Can I kiss it better?”

“Absolutely no.” She groaned when her phone pinged with an email. “I need to get back to work though.”

“Save those sounds for when we are alone later.” Chris whispered. “By the way, what time do you think you’ll get off work?"

Y/N sighed. "I expect by three or four. I promise I’ll make it up to you."

"Don’t worry about it but if you do, know that I won’t complain.” He winked.

“Is that all you think about?” Y/N asked as she stepped away from him again, readying herself to get back to work.

“You? Naked? Underneath me?”

“Christopher.”

“On top?”

“Christopher.”

“Against the-”

“Christopher!”

“Yes, baby, that’s all you say in my head.”

#chris evans #chris evans x reader #mine

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baroquebucky · 3 years

Text

house plants

in which bucky has a green thumb and you don’t, but god do you love plants.

masterlist

a/n: hi guys 0.0 sorry for like dying on y’all, college was ROUGH but I’m on break now !! so I’ll try to be more active hehe i hope you guys enjoy! I’m getting they some requests and I’ll post them later i just rlly wanted to get dis one out there hehe also this was way longer than i expected it to be uhm

you smiled at the small succulent in the passenger seat, “okay, i may have gotten you on a whim, but i will not let you die on me, you will be my new daughter” you nodded your head confidently as you grabbed the other groceries, balancing a small succulent in one hand.

“Buck? I’m home!” You stated, hurrying to set everything down and softly plancing the plant on the counter. You smiled brightly at it before turning on your heel to find Bucky.

“I’ll help in a bit i just need to find something” he spoke, you headed toward the room, finding him looking around helplessly, “what are you looking for?” You questioned, sitting on the bed and laughing as he tore apart the room.

“i remembered i had this t shirt i really liked and now i can’t find it anywhere, i looked through all my cabinets and it’s nowhere in sight” he huffed and you smiled.

“did you check my closet?” you quipped and he furrowed his brows, mumbling as he looked through your shirts before pulling out a black long sleeve, he smiled as he held it close to his chest.

“how did you even get this? You didn’t go through my drawers did you?” he worried, something flashing in his eyes, but it was gone before you could notice. He quickly grabbed it and put it on, kissing you on the cheek as he walked out the door, “no i didn’t and plus you barely used it so i stole it” you shrugged.

“okay now that you have your shirt, you are legally not allowed to be mad at me” you began, running infront of him and blocking the plant from his view.

“y/n, doll please tell me you didn’t get a cat” he sighed and you shook your head, “no, however i was thinking about it” you mentioned, a smile on your face as he rolled his eyes at you.

“i present to you, our new child!” you cheered, presenting the succulent and shoving it into his face. Bucky furrowed his brows and processed the information, the small green plant staring him right in the face. “It was on sale at the grocery store and i thought why not give house plants another shot! It’s not like we’re out doing much nowadays” you smiled, patting the plant gently before setting it down once again and going to fix the other groceries.

“y/n last time you gave house plants a shot you killed all six of them” he sighed and you threw a roll of paper towels at him, of course he caught it and threw it back, effectively hitting you on the back of the head.

“things are different now, maybe i have a green thumb this year” you smiled, happily putting everything away and setting the plant by the window.

Bucky saw the joy in your eyes as you watched the small plant grow, you even texted the whole team about the new member of the barnes and y/l/l household. You had spent hours at a time researching the best ways to grow and care for succulents and yet, one week later bucky noticed the small plant (which you had dubbed ‘Brenda’) had began to wilt.

He stared at brenda, debatin on letting her just die and prove a point that gardening was not your strong suit, but then he thought about how crushed you would be, coming home and finding the dead succulent. He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed, watering the plant and going out the buy some things to help it get more nutrients.

Within days Brenda was healthier than ever, growing rapidly and a beautiful dark green color. You quickly noticed and teased Bucky for not believing in you.

“I told you! she is so beautiful look at her! they grow up so fast don’t they” you wiped a fake tear and Bucky laughed rolling his eyes and focusing back on the show the two of you were watching. “I think it’s time for the next step” you smiled, his eyes widened as you finished your sentence, “another plant!”

So weeks passed and within a couple months you had all kinds of house plants, every windowsill covered with green and even some hanging from the ceiling, vines wrapping around lamps and even flowers in the patio, you even got bold and bought an orchid (which was doing amazing you may add).

While you watered them regularly, Bucky had to go above and beyond to care for the absurd amount of plants you now had. He would water them individually (by now he knew how much water each plant needed and what days to water them) and even added fertilizer to their soil, buying all kinds of things to keep them healthy and to stop them from wilting. Your most recent purchase, olive the orchid, had been the toughest to care for yet. Bucky had to watch tons of videos on orchid care to stop it from dying within the fire few days.

It took him a while to go through his routine while you were at work, you never caught wind of his meddling and you continued to believe that you had the greenest thumb in the world, Bucky happily going along with it, he couldn’t bare to see your soul crushed if you realized they would’ve died had they been in your care.

You and Bucky were laying in bed watching a movie when he got a phone call from Sam, telling him they had a mission, Bucky was both suprised and nervous considering there had been almost nothing going on lately and he would have the leave all the plants alone with you.

“I can always tell Sam i can’t go you know that doll” Bucky protested as the night progressed, you sighed and curled more into his side, pulling the blanket into you more, “I’ll be fine James, and plus i have all of our plants to keep me company” you smiled brightly and he felt his heart swell.

He wanted nothing more then to tell Sam to shove it so he can stay home and care for all your plants to keep that adorable smile on your face, but of course he couldn’t.

“I’m gonna be gone two weeks are you sure you can handle it?” Bucky asked once again, one foot out the door before turning around again, “yes bucky i know where everything for the plants is, plus I’ve kept them looking good for this long, two weeks is nothing” you smirked, punching his shoulder as he smiled at you.

He chuckled softly and nodded his head, kissing your forehead and saying goodbye, he also said goodbye to all the plants, knowing they would be gone by the time he came back. He did however have a shred of hope that they would be able to hold on just until he got back, to nurse them back to health.

You closed the door and sighed, the house feeling empty without Bucky, but then you looked to your right and saw Brenda, you smiled and put on your favorite show, cuddling up on the couch and sighing. You could keep your plants alive for two weeks, you had done it for months on your own.

Sam put the quinjet in autopilot after setting the route and sat across from Bucky. “So why didn’t you wanna come, getting used to the domestic life?” He joked and Bucky rolled his eyes. “Cmon I’m joking losen up” he laughed, throwing a peanut at him and Bucky broke into a smile as he caught it in his mouth.

“y/n and i got a bunch of plants right” he began and Sam nodded, “yeah i know she sends up pictures like all the time,” Bucky laughed and continued, “but she sucks at keeping them alive, so I’ve been taking care of them when she isn’t home and keeping them alive” Bucky spoke, a smile on his face as he realized how ridiculous this was.

“she doesn’t know you’ve been taking care of them does she” Sam questioned and Bucky shook his head, he bit his lip to stop his smile as Sam broke into a fit of laughter. “Oh my god they’re all gonna die on her like last year aren’t they” he spoke between laughs and Bucky nodded, his heart hurting as he thought of your face when the plants began to wilt and you couldn’t stop them.

“i just feel bad because he cares about them so much, but she just is actually incapable of caring for them, i mean she killed a cactus! even after doing everything she was supposed to!” Bucky laughed, wanting nothing more than to go home and hold you, and kiss you on the cheek.

“I can’t believe she can do basically everything but care for plants” Sam spoke and Bucky sighed, closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep.

As time passed your plants began to wilt, first was the orchid, a petal had fallen and it was now slumped over. Then was the ones hanging from the ceiling, the leaves all drooping and and even starting to dry up after the first week.

And then your succulents, you had been watering them way too much and essentially drowned them, and you accidentally killed your cacti by not em giving them enough water.

Of course with each plant death on your end, Bucky received the news through your daily calls. He felt so bad for you, comforting you every night and wishing he could kiss you and make you feel better. “Don’t worry doll I’ll be there in a couple days” he would say and you nodded, “maybe they just miss you” you giggled and he smiled, “maybe.”

By the time bucky got home, all the plants were basically dead, and you had thrown out half them before Bucky could even say goodbye.

“Sweets? I’m home!” Bucky smiled, setting everything down and closing the door, turning around to see you throwing out yet another plant before your face lit up and you jumped on him.

“i missed you so much james” you laughed as he picked you up, holding you tightly as he nuzzled his head into the crook of your neck.

“i missed you so much more doll” he whispered a smile on his face as you placed a kiss ontop of his head. He set you down gently on the couch and you immediately pulled him down with you, cuddling into his side and closing your eyes as you listened to his heartbeat.

“okay doll, please don’t get mad at me but i can’t hide this any longer” he spoke suddenly, getting up from the couch and moving infront of you. Your heart dropped and you felt dizzy, “what?” Your mind was racing, thinking of what the hell he could be hiding from you.

“okay it started off because i didn’t want to hurt you okay, i didn’t want to crush your spirit because you looked so happy and god i didn’t want to take that away from you, but then you went and got more and i couldn’t tell you then because i was in too deep and-“ you cut him off before he could continue.

“Barnes just spit it out!” You groaned, brows furrowed and a scowl on your face as he rambled.

“I took care of the plants!” He rushed out, letting out a sigh and putting his head in your lap. “I took care of Brenda when she started to wilt because i saw how happy you were taking care of her” he mumbled, looking up to see your confused expression.

“but my other plants i took care of those” you shook your head, and he scrunched his face up. “I took care of those too, i kept them all alive and cared for them so that you could think you were doing it, i wanted you to be happy as a plant mom, i knew how bad you felt last year” he spoke, looking up at you and searching you face for your reaction.

“that why they all died after you left, because you kept them alive” you whispered, finally putting the pieces together. Everything made so much more sense now, from you catching him moving the plants around and him buying fertilizer, you realized now it’s because while you were gone, he was taking care of the plants.

“You didn’t even tell me after i bought like 10 more” you smiled and he let out a breath after he realized you weren’t upset. “I just wanted to see you happy” he giggled and your heart fluttered, you ran your fingers through his hair and he closed his eyes.

“so you aren’t mad?” you laughed at the question, confusing him, and suddenly he was terrified because if you were mad at him he doesn’t know how he would make it up to you.

“how could i be mad at you baby, you spent hours on end taking care of plants that you didn’t care about just so i could be happy thinking i had a green thumb” you smiled, kissing his forehead and letting out a sigh, “if anything i should propose to you for caring for me that much.” Bucky smiled at you and gave you a quick kiss on the lips.

“i would marry you in a heartbeat doll face” he whispered, sitting back down next to you on the couch, “even if that meant taking care of an absurd amount of plants for me?” You teased and he rolled his eyes.

“as long as they aren’t orchids, that one was a pain in the ass” he laughed and you slapped his chest lightly, “i loved olive!” you argued and he shoved you softly, “you didn’t have to watch hours of videos to keep olive alive!” He shot back and you huffed, accepting defeat and setting your head on his chest as the tv played in the background.

After a couple moments of silence you smiled, realizing the trouble he must’ve gone through just so you could be happy over some plants. “I wasn’t joke when i said i would marry you y’know” you whispered, and Bucky blushed, kissing the top of your head.

“I know doll, and neither was i” he smiled as he saw your face flush, and suddenly all he could think of was the small velvet box he had hidden away in his t shirt drawer.

#bucky fluff #bucky x y/n #bucky fic #bucky barnes #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky barnes fluff #bucky barnes imagine #soft!bucky

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moonflowerlesbians · 3 years

Note

Jamie is trying to ignore the new au pair. She doesn't need to fall for this beautiful and straight girl. But then Flora asks her to clean the pool after months without using it because "it's a perfectly hot and beautiful day and we need to have a pool party. And you're invited too".

Dani. The pool. Bikini. Jamie doesn't know how to react to this, so she decides to keep ignoring her. But she can bet Dani is looking at her... A bit too much.

took me a second but I offer you almost 3000 words as penance. also I sort of extended it because it's apparently impossible for me to write pure fluff.

AO3 link in reblog if that's your preference :)

~~~

“Ah, yeah, it’ll be perfectly splendid,” Jamie grumbles between pants, yanking the tie of the pool cover over one shoulder with a huff. “Sure, perfectly splendid to swim in. Have t’ get it clean first. Can’t just jump in.”

At half eight in the evening, she’d been trying to beat the bizarre heatwave that had befallen the English countryside, but she’s failing rather spectacularly if the moisture gathering at her hairline is any indication. She swipes an arm across her forehead and listens to the faint chatter from the open sitting-room window, where the other grown members of the household bask in the glorious company of electric fans. Meanwhile, Jamie swelters away the evening spraying down pool filters and vacuuming leaves from the tile floor because someone had the bright idea to remind an eight-year-old that she has access to a pool.

“Oh, please, Jamie, please!” Flora had pleaded, practically bouncing out of her seat at the dinner table and coming terrifyingly close to tipping several drinks onto Hannah’s pristine tablecloth. “It’s dreadfully hot and a beautiful day, and we simply must have a pool party.” She had gasped so abruptly that Dani nearly dropped her fork, Jamie noted with a subtle grin. “We’ll all have a pool party! And Owen can make sandwiches, and Mrs. Grose can bring picnic blankets, and you must come, too, Jamie, won’t you please?”

Then Jamie had made the poor decision to lock eyes with Dani from across the table. The desperation plainly written across her face had been enough to convince Jamie to concede with a faux exhale of annoyance.

Thus, the weary gaze of a haggard au pair run ragged by herding two children indoors is the reason Jamie finds herself skimming the pool’s surface for any leaves and algae that managed to weasel beneath the cover when she should be driving home.

“Sorry,” a voice comes from behind her, “I’m the one who planted the idea in her head.”

Jamie turns to find Dani, a glass in either hand, peering at her with the expression of a woman who is half-tempted to change places and take up the skimmer herself simply to have a moment to herself.

“S’alright, needed to be done anyway. Won’t be ready until at least tomorrow,” Jamie sighs, accepting the proffered glass with a grateful nod. “Kids tired of being cooped up?”

Dani puffs out a laugh that says, you don’t know the half of it. “You’d think they don’t have a house the size of my old school to explore.”

“Bet they haven’t even found half the secret passages,” remarks Jamie over the smooth rim of her glass. Dani sips from hers, and Jamie endeavors to ignore the bob of her throat as she swallows.

“The what?” The wrinkles that appear on Dani’s forehead are surprisingly charming. Too charming. Jamie shoos the thought away before it can land.

“C’mon, Poppins. House this size? This old? There at least have to be servants’ tunnels.”

“Have… have you found any?”

Jamie hums noncommittally, noting the way Dani shifts her weight on her heels as if she cannot bear the thought of standing still. “Did you come out here just for this?”

“Partly, yes, but,” she lowers her voice, “I really just needed to get away from the kids for a few minutes. Owen’s got them playing a board game, thank God, and after that, I can put them to bed. I adore them, but sometimes…” she shrugs.

“We all need space,” Jamie finishes, a bit more brusque than she intended, which she chalks up to the evening hour and the heat, and Dani takes a step back. Shit. “Meant to say,” Jamie salvages with a wince, “it’s nice to be alone sometimes.” She grimaces, doing her best to focus on the cool glass in her hand rather than the heat in her face and the flutter low in her belly.

“I know what you meant,” Dani says softly. Then, after a moment’s pause spent glancing from Jamie to the pool and back again, “You need any help out here?”

Jamie raises an eyebrow. “Lookin’ for excuses to avoid work, are we?”

“No, no, I, um… No?”

“Relax, Dani,” Jamie chuckles, setting her empty water cup down in the grass. Dani visibly settles. “If you’d like to drag the garden hose over, we’ll need to rinse the filters.”

“Got it,” Dani says seriously, and she practically marches to the nearest hose rack as Jamie watches with a quirk of the lips. The au pair completes tasks as if the world will fall apart if they remain incomplete a moment longer. It’s a quality Jamie admires in her, the passion and fervor with which she undertakes the seemingly mundane tasks in her life. Jamie also finds herself mildly amused by the way Dani stalks across the property like she might break into a run at any moment, always on high alert. Always tense.

Might be nice to see her take a full breath for the first time in her life.

Might be nice to see her at ease.

Might be nice to see her relax.

Very nice, indeed, it turns out.

Almost too nice, two days later, the way Dani lounges on a patio chair she’d dragged to the poolside, with a book in her hand and one leg propped on the seat.

Too nice, the way her hair looks beneath a sun hat, casting dappled shadows over the tip of a tongue poking out between pursed lips as she turns a page.

Too nice, the way she lowers her sunglasses over her nose to keep an eye on the children splashing and shrieking in the water.

Too nice, in fact, far too nice for Jamie, who tries and repeatedly fails to keep her gaze off pale, freckled skin and eyes as blue and clear as the water. She can’t sit still. Can’t seem to cease the bouncing of a leg or the rote twirling of hair between twitching fingers. Can’t seem to stop flitting from superfluous task to superfluous task long enough to catch her breath, stolen against her will each and every time she catches a flash of exposed skin dancing in the midday sun.

But the worst part, by far, is when she looks at Dani… Dani is looking back. Four times now, Jamie has cast a fleeting glance at the lazing au pair only to find her peering at Jamie with equal intensity.

Odd, Jamie thinks, fiddling with the stem of a bush a few meters away from the pool, to catch Dani staring so often. But coincidences have been stranger, she decides, chalking it up to amicable concern. She can’t allow herself to dwell on the occurrence. Too many possibilities that open doors to too much trouble. Far more trouble than Dani is worth.

But what if… a niggling voice at the back of her head chides.

No, Jamie reminds herself with a mental kick and an outward shake of her head. She had a fiancé.

Hannah sits with her trousers rolled to her knees, ever one for modesty, with her legs dangling in the shallow end of the pool, while Owen and the kids do everything short of pulling the poor housekeeper in the water to utterly drench her. Hannah, to her credit, is taking their antics in stride, no doubt due to the mustachioed mastermind currently huddled with two overeager children.

The promise to Flora had been a pool party, and, never one to give up on her goals once they were set in her mind, the girl had hounded the adults with unrelenting chipperness until, one by one, they had been worn down. Which is surely the only reason Jamie hovers at the edge of the pool deck in an oversized t-shirt tied at the waist and old running shorts--the only sort of swimsuit she could throw together on short notice.

“Thought I might get in. Care to join me?”

Slender legs enter Jamie’s field of vision, then Dani is only paces away, a hand resting on one hip. She’s removed her hat, left to save her empty seat, and her sunglasses rest atop her forehead, pushing her hair out of her face and onto her shoulders. Her cornflower-blue swimsuit hugs her figure, and Jamie forces her eyes up, her throat terribly dry. She swallows thickly.

“May as well.”

Dani leads the way to the water’s edge, dipping one painted toenail into the water and producing a satisfied noise. She turns to Jamie standing a few feet behind and sweeps the sunglasses from her head, shaking her hair out. “Hold these for me?”

Wordlessly, Jamie delicately grasps one temple of the white plastic frame as Dani steps forward, her arms over her head, hands meeting in a V-shape. The hidden muscles in her back ripple, and she executes an elegant plunge into the pool, emerging with a gasp and a whoop of elated laughter. A smattering of applause rises from the opposite end of the pool, the others having apparently stopped their scheming long enough to watch Dani’s flawless--at least in Jamie’s opinion--swan dive.

“Oh, Miss Clayton, that was splendid!” Flora’s shrill voice chirps.

Hannah remarks, clearly impressed, “I had no idea we had a professional in our midst."

“I’d hardly say professional,” Dani says with a modest roll of her eyes. The water swirls where she treads. She pushes water-darkened hair from her eyes. Then, to Jamie, she explains, “I was on the community pool swim and dive team for a few summers before I could get a job.”

“Could’ve fooled me,” Jamie replies. She passes the sunglasses to Dani’s outstretched hand and takes a seat on the sun-warm grey concrete at the edge of the pool. Dani swims up and places crossed arms beside Jamie on the deck, resting her chin on the intersection and looking up at Jamie. Lean legs kick out behind her into crystalline depths, and golden sunlight refracts in the water, bathing beneath the surface in an ethereal glow.

“You’re not getting in?” Dani asks.

“Not the biggest fan of water, if I’m honest,” Jamie confesses nonchalantly, as if by some miracle this admission will end the conversation.

No, Dani’s desire to learn, to understand, is far too intense for that. It’s another quality of hers Jamie admires, even if it feels as though she’s laying herself bare by sharing the tiniest details under her scrutiny.

“I knew plenty of kids afraid of the water back in the day,” Dani says easily, tracing lines in the small puddle that has formed from the droplets on her skin, “it’s nothing to be embarrassed about.”

“‘S not that. I just,” Jamie searches, somewhat defensively, struggling to convey the message without saying the words that reveal a weakness she is loath to expose. Her silence evidently speaks volumes.

“Jamie,” Dani says quietly, a furrow forming between her brows, “can you swim?”

Damn those observant eyes, that sharp mind.

Jamie looks away, shrinks just a little, scoffs with false bravado, “‘Course I can swim.” Then, “Can paddle… float….” Heat rises in her already flushed cheeks, and she picks at the skin surrounding the cuticle on her thumb.

“It’s… You know it’s okay if you can’t, right?” And Dani’s voice is soft, so soft, a murmur really, a whisper that makes Jamie’s heart ache. It keeps the sound from carrying across the pool as it does hold Jamie in her destitution.

She thinks back to a childhood of coal dust and dirty sofa beds and scavenging for food. Thinks of summers spent doing odd jobs to pay the rent, of sleeping on the porch because it was cooler out there than in the house. Thinks of covering herself with as much clothing as she could despite the rising temperatures to fend off roving eyes, to appear a larger threat than a scrawny eleven-year-old girl actually was. Thinks of boiling pots and scalding showers spent scrubbing her skin clean, as though maybe if she rubbed hard enough, the memories would wash away with the grime. Circle the drain once, twice, and disappear forever.

“Never really learned, I s’pose,” Jamie forces a weak laugh. “Didn’t have anyone really keen on teachin’ me.”

Dani is quiet for a moment. “I could.”

“Could what? Teach me? ‘S not your problem to worry about, Poppins.” The thought nearly sends her mind into overdrive. Nescience of an essential life skill is ignominious enough, but to have Dani bear witness to the reality is unthinkable.

“Well, sure it is,” Dani shakes her head, affronted at the mere notion. “What would we do if you fell in and drowned? Someone needs to keep Owen in line.”

Jamie notes the ‘we’ in her statement. We need you. Not I. Distinctly not I, Jamie repeats to herself. She fidgets with the knot in her t-shirt.

“Already told you I can paddle. I’d be fine.”

“Still.” Dani is staring up at her with a pointed look. She has the glint in her eye that Jamie recognizes from the instances Dani deems it necessary to hold her ground with Miles or persuade Flora to clean up her dolls at the end of a long day. She will not give in.

“You’re not going to let this go, are you?” Jamie raises an eyebrow, approaching Dani’s determination as one might a chest of buried treasure, hesitant, disbelieving, a bit curious.

Dani shakes her head again, the ghost of a smirk upturning the corner of her lips.

A beat, during which Jamie’s thoughts wage war amongst themselves. One team screams at her to take the opportunity to spend time with the woman that another batch reminds her is not interested in the least. Another group acknowledges the practical benefits of developing a skill beyond aimless paddling, while another still acknowledges the persistent flutter in her stomach.

At last, “Reckon you’ll be putting that fancy teaching degree to use again,” Jamie acquiesces with a sigh. “Doubt this is what you signed up for, though.”

“I know exactly what I signed up for.” There’s a mischievous lilt to Dani’s words that sends a bolt of feverish perplexion through her. Dani pulls back from the side of the pool and holds out her hands. “We can get started right now.”

Jamie must look as if she’d rather snip off a finger with her garden shears than get in the water because Dani laughs.

“Or not,” she says with a sincere smile, and she ducks back under the water before popping up at Jamie’s feet, wiping the water from her eyes.

“I’d rather not embarrass myself in front of the kids,” Jamie says with a chuckle. “Lord knows I’ve never done that before, and I don’t intend on starting now.” It’s a half-truth. The real issue stems from the moderately disconcerting realization that breathing on land is hard enough with Dani so close, and Jamie really isn’t keen on finding out what will happen if she tries to slip underwater.

A brief flash of her sputtering to the surface, limbs flailing in all directions, crosses her mind, and she shakes it away.

A whooping from the opposite end of the pool catches her attention, and she looks up.

It seems whatever Owen and the children plotted had worked. Hannah is, much to her presumed consternation, sopping wet from head to toe, though she merely wrings out her blouse and kicks a lighthearted splash back at the children, who, having completed their mission, slink out of the pool and wrap themselves in paisley towels.

“Finished already?” Dani calls, and Flora nods from the deck, a yawn splitting her face despite the clock only reading three in the afternoon. “I’ll be right there!” She turns back to Jamie, says softly, “Another time?”

Jamie nods. “Another time.”

Then, Dani is off, gathering her things and herding the children back across the stretch of grass and into the house, leaving Jamie to watch in delirious bewilderment as her heart pounds far faster than it ought to, given the situation. And yet, Jamie cannot fault it, nor can she calm her racing pulse, though she tries.

Dani is the cause, she knows. Dani is always the cause, and no amount of fervent internal reminders seem to dull her effect. No incalculable quantity of mutterings about ex-fiancés will stop Jamie’s breath from catching when Dani settles down for dinner. No collection of whispered slim chanceswill convince a weak heart to cease its clamant pattering at the sight of a column of silky skin. No platitudes can dissuade Jamie’s longing soul from going against her better judgment, from going against her learned experiences that say this will only lead to heartbreak.

Love is sink or swim, she has learned, and Jamie has been treading water, head just barely above the surface, for far, far too long. Dani has offered to hold her hand, quite literally, to guide her through the risk, if only Jamie will make a move to reach out. Perhaps… Perhaps, Dani can guide her to shore to rest among sand beaches and good company. Perhaps, Dani will not let go along the way.

Another time, then.

Another time, yes. But soon. Soon, because Jamie is rapidly growing weary of condemning her wayward heart to fruitless excitement, of shutting a thing down before it can even begin, like cutting down a sapling before it emerges from a seed.

It’s sink or swim, and, at last, Jamie chooses to swim.

#no beta we die like dani #the ending is questionable because fuck it why not #vibes only #i did spend too long looking up appropriate chemical balances for pools in England in the late 80s #and then scrapped it altogether so #also dont imagine jamie swimming to the middle of the lake to find danis body knowing dani taught her in the first place #also I love not being able to come up with titles for shit #fic #ficlet #my writing #the haunting of bly manor #damie #dani clayton #jamie #jamie taylor #jamie x dani #dani x jamie #damie fanfic #thobm

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moonbeambucky · 4 years

Text

Hey Neighbor (Part 20)

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader Word Count: 7235 Warnings: fluff, smut, angst

Summary: You had a plan and then life came along with one of its own. With your future almost derailed you worked hard to get yourself back on track and finally everything seemed to be going right… that is, until your new neighbor moved in.

A/N: I’m patiently waiting for some screaming! Feedback is always appreciated!

HEY NEIGHBOR PART 19 | HEY NEIGHBOR MASTERLIST

Making your way downstairs was a little awkward and you barely made eye contact with Bucky. Winnie was waiting outside by the idling car, laughing at the person who had their back to you. They were fairly tall in a pewter suit and had short brown hair that was closely shaved in the back. Winnie nudged her chin and the person turned around, a smile spreading across their unfamiliar and yet completely recognizable face.

They shared the same deep blue eyes and dimple on their chin as Bucky and you knew this had to be Rebecca. Their hair was longer in the front, falling just beside their eyes, sparkling with gold and plum shadow.

“Bex!” Bucky exclaimed, smiling just as widely to see his sibling, wrapping them in a big hug.

“You cut your hair!” Rebecca looked at it approvingly. “Tryin’ to copy me I see,” they joked.

You smiled watching them together, forgetting any awkward feelings between yourself and Bucky; they were now solely reserved for introductions with Rebecca whose effortlessly cool vibe had you on edge for some reason.

Bucky pulled away from the hug, placing his hand behind you, almost touching the bare skin of your back before he realized that might be too intimate.

“Bex this is Y/N,” he introduced with a proud smile you couldn’t see.

“So nice to meet you,” you said, not expecting the hug they gave you.

Winnie stepped in the moment Rebecca stepped back to give you a hug of her own. She turned to check in with George who stayed in the car listening to a classic rock radio station.

“Okay let’s not be late,” she chirped, pointing at the watch not present on her wrist. “James, you sit in the front. We’ll all squeeze in the back.”

Rebecca got in first, sliding across the black leather seats to take the smaller spot in the middle. It wasn’t crowded with the three of you sitting together but Winnie made a good call not letting Bucky’s bulkier frame encroach on you or Rebecca had he been seated back there.

You saw swirls of ink on Rebecca’s wrist as they shifted to pull out their phone, which prompted them to roll up their sleeves, showing off part of the tattoos that cover their arm.

“It’s not done yet,” they said, revealing a bare spot on their forearm beside a large watercolor macaw tattoo.

Bucky’s head turned back ever so slightly, his eyes trying to see as much as he could without being so obvious as he watched you and Rebecca interact. He knows why he’s so nervous, his family hasn’t met anyone in his life since Olivia.

He scoffed internally when he thought about it. He was a kid, a kid with a broken heart that should have gotten over it a long time ago. But had things been different maybe Bucky would have never met you. He smiled to himself, thankful for his choices– no matter how childish, because they led him here.

Softly colored roses in peach and pale pinks were draped along the wooden archway, the gossamer fabric wrapped around the posts fluttered delicately with the wind. A golden sunset on the water served as the backdrop for an even more beautiful ceremony, celebrating the love of two people that never expected to find it.

Bucky looked over to catch a glimpse of the fading sun sparkling in your eyes. The soft sigh he exhaled was masked by the sound of cheers that rang out amongst the crowd as the newlyweds kissed.

The crowd dispersed onto the adjacent patio where lanterns hung from large sturdy trees, white pillar candles flickering inside. Soft pink fabric was draped over the tables, some small with golden framed chairs surrounding them, others free standing high tops that were scattered around beside the neatly trimmed lawn. Each had a handful of tealight candles gently glowing on top.

You followed Bucky and his family to the table where the hors d'oeuvres were served, taking the plate he handed you and picking up a few things. The display at the end of the table made you burst out with laughter. Among the fresh fruit and crudité were oversized plastic ants, each with a piece of fruit on their backs arranged in a line as if they were walking away with them.

Bucky shrugged. “It’s a thing with Hope’s family… I never really asked,” he chuckled, picking up a few strawberries from the platter behind the fake ants.

George pulled a chair from another table so you could all sit together. Placing his plate down he asked Winnie if she wanted a glass wine and she nodded, confident in knowing George knew what her favorite was.

“Can I get you something to drink?” Bucky asked. He knew what you drank when everyone went out together but he didn’t want to assume, waiting for you to respond before he and Rebecca accompanied their father to the bar.

Winnie didn’t hesitate to talk once they’d left, specifically about how happy she was Bucky was able to bring you. “He caused such a fuss, begging Scott and Hope to give him a last minute plus one.”

At that moment you wished you had a drink to bring to your lips, covering up the way her revelation had left you slack jawed. According to Bucky you were invited because he responded for two, making it seem as if you were doing him a huge favor by coming but the more Winnie spoke you realized your invitation was never to fill a seat; he was begging and pleading to bring a guest, to bring you.

“I can tell you’re special Y/N. I’ve never seen James this way with anyone in a long, long time.”

You couldn’t speak if you tried, smiling back at Winnie as your mind raced to free your heart from the protective cage it was locked away in. For once they were on the same page, heart and mind, desperate to run together right to Bucky.

When he returned to the table you couldn’t keep your eyes off of him, maintaining a soft smile as your heart fluttered like a hummingbird inside your chest, desperate to break free and scream out your feelings from the top of your lungs.

You thanked him for the drink he brought back, letting your fingers linger on his hand for a beat longer than they should have, keeping your gaze locked with his before slowly turning towards Rebecca to answer the question they asked. Bucky’s cheeks were a blooming pink that practically matched the decor, his skin prickling with the memory of your touch.

Time passed quickly over conversation along with extended family members coming over to say hello. You didn’t miss the way Bucky smiled widely as he introduced you, simply as Y/N but wishing his lips had spoken the words written on your heart and called you his.

The grand doors of the ballroom opened when it was time for the reception. Bucky offered his arm which you took as he led you inside. Large chandeliers hung from the intricately detailed ceiling. Tall vases served as the centerpiece on the tables, each filled with a large arrangement of similar colored roses from the archway.

Pulling out the chair for you to be seated, Bucky happened to catch the approving smile on his father’s face, looking away to avoid an embarrassing flush to his cheeks if he held the knowing look any longer. He turned his gaze towards you and the beautiful smile that lit up your whole face as you and Rebecca were continuing your conversation from before.

Bucky sighed, feeling his heart swell even more as he realized he didn’t have to ask what his family thought about you, each of them unable to hold back their own smiles. They like you as much as he does, they want you to be with him as much as he does and if they knew how much of an idiot he’s been, denying his feelings for so long they would definitely cause a scene. But Bucky knows it won’t be long before he finally tells you.

So many scenarios went through his mind; inviting you to dinner next weekend and planning a whole speech, bursting through your door tomorrow night spilling out all the words in his heart in a mess of emotions, kiss you tonight, tomorrow, any day, every day! It doesn’t matter how, he just wants you to know.

His thoughts were interrupted by Scott and Hope making their entrance and sharing their first dance in front of everyone. Bucky reined in his thoughts that imagined the two of you in their place, a concept he never gave much attention to before believing it wasn’t for him, but with you by his side…

“Oh how sweet!” your voice beamed, pulling Bucky back to reality.

Cassie had run out onto the dance floor, swaying side to side with Hope and her father holding their hands. Scott lifted her into his arms, slinging her on his hip as Hope moved close enough for both of them to plant a kiss on both of her cheeks at the same time.

The photographer captured the moment along with so many more memories as the night went on especially when Scott’s best man Luis gave a very entertaining (and somewhat never ending) toast. You and Rebecca ran into him at the bar, unable to get much of a word in as Luis enthusiastically rambled on about how happy he is to be at Scott’s wedding.

“When I first met Scotty he was in a bed place, and I’m not talking about cell block D. His wife had just filed for divorce. And I was like, ‘Damn homie, she dumped you while you were in lock up?’ And he was like ‘Yeah I know. I thought I was gonna be with her forever but now I’m all alone!’ And I was like, ‘Damn homie, you gotta chin up. ‘Cause you’ll find a new partner.’ And he did! And it all started when I was at a wine tasting with my cousin Ernesto…”

You were focused on Luis’ very detailed story unaware of Bucky’s eyes on you from across the room. He was startled by Scott, squeezing his shoulders from behind and Bucky turned around to give his cousin a congratulatory hug.

“You haven’t told her yet, huh?” Scott said, his lips pulling into a crooked smile. Bucky’s brows knit together confused. “I see the way you look at her.”

Bucky sighed, looking at Scott without replying. There was nothing to say; he was caught staring at you from the far side of the room because he was too much of a coward to tell you how he felt.

“Hey I know you might be scared. After divorcing Maggie I was terrified, thought I’d never be able to put myself out there again and then I found Hope.”

Bucky sees the smile crinkling your eyes, hears your laughter that’s sweeter than music. “You’re right Scott, I have been scared… but I’m not anymore.” A content smile spreads across his face.

There’s a calm sense of relief that washes over Bucky as he knows with certainty that there is nothing he’s ever wanted more in his life. The universe is with him, ending the fast paced song that matched the beat of his heart to something slow and romantic.

Bucky strides across the hallway like he’s floating on a cloud until he reaches you. The words flow like smooth honey as he asked, “Would you like to dance?”

His hand is soft against yours, your whole body giddy with delight as he guides you to the dance floor. Time moves in slow motion, the world around you fading away as Bucky takes your hand in his, moving his other to the small of your back.

It was intimate, close and exactly how you wanted it to be. You let out a soft sigh as you relaxed into his embrace, letting your free arm glide up the fabric of his suit, curving it over his shoulder and looking deeply into his eyes. His pupils were blown with desire as Bucky stared back at you, the corners of his mouth twitching with an ever so slight smile.

Words were not spoken as you swayed together with the music but you both felt a change; like breathing foreign air, something felt different. You and Bucky danced in a world of your own, the past a distant memory that held your fears behind, finally allowing your heart to soar freely.

A smile pulled at your lips, one that felt brighter than the sun as you truly let go of everything that was holding you back. You moved closer, letting yourself drown in Bucky’s intoxicating scent, like cinnamon toasting over a warm fire as you nuzzled your nose into his neck.

He squeezed you tighter, his heart doing backflips in his chest, unable to fathom that this was actually happening. His nose grazes along the shell of your ear and you hear the soft inhalation of breath coming from his parted lips. A wave of tingles ran down your spine, shocking yourself into remembering you and Bucky were not alone but very much in the middle of a public setting surrounded by his family.

You pulled back to his surprise but the smile that would never cease to leave your face calmed his nerves.

“Follow me,” you purred, not letting go of Bucky’s hand as you led him outside.

A few people were scattered outside on the patio, some gathered around the high top tables that still remained, enjoying their drinks over conversation. You smiled over your shoulder back at Bucky, pulling him further away until you reached the area where the ceremony took place. The chairs had been cleared but the archway remained, the fabric wrapped around it still blowing in the wind.

You stopped at the edge of the railing, looking out onto the water as moonlight danced on the gentle waves. Goosebumps prickled all over your skin but you couldn’t be sure if it was from the breeze or Bucky standing close beside you.

The beating of your heart grew faster and you wondered if he could hear the drumming through your chest. A lump was caught in your throat as you felt Bucky’s hand cover yours on the railing. You turned your head to face him, slowly lifting your eyes from his perfect lips, the sight of them made you lick your own, meeting his eyes, the darkness reflecting a moonlit sparkle.

The memory of your New Years kiss made you shiver, letting a shaky breath out as you turned your body to face him, letting your hands wrap around his neck, his hands resting on your waist, closing the distance between you.

It wasn’t New Years, it wasn’t even the Fourth of July but you felt fireworks erupting in your stomach as you kissed, his soft lips massaging yours with a passionate fervor that grew by the second. You needed more, parting your lips for his skillful tongue to slip past them, deepening the kiss and loving the way he moaned as your hand scratched through his hair.

Distant laughter reminded you once again that you were still not alone but in the moment you really wanted to be. When the need for air became too great you pulled away.

“I missed that,” you admitted through a smile, catching your breath.

Bucky caressed your cheek gently with his fingers, his whole face lighting up in delight. “Would you believe me if I said the same?”

“Maybe,” you teased, wrapping your arms around his neck again.

“Would you believe me if I told you how I can’t get you off my mind? That ever since you came into my life I’ve been fighting the feelings I’ve had for you?” You nodded softly at his admission believing every word, knowing that what you’ve been feeling wasn’t just in your imagination, that things between you and Bucky had changed and finally the truth was out.

“I’m tired of fighting them,” he said, “I– ” You cut him off by pressing your lips to his, sweetly stealing a soft kiss as you hummed against him.

Your smiles could not be contained, staring deeply into each other’s eyes under the silver glow of the moonlight. You would have stayed that way for longer had you not heard the echo of a voice coming from inside. Bucky peeked over your shoulder to see other people heading back in for the cake cutting.

With your fingers laced together you went back inside, taking your seats and ignoring the smirk Rebecca and Winnie had on their faces after noticing your lipstick was no longer existent, not on your lips at least. Luckily their eyes were focused on the newlyweds and not on Bucky’s hand which casually found its way to your thigh, his thumb gently running back and forth over the smooth material of your dress.

Scott dabbed a bit of frosting on the tip of Hope’s nose as she smushed a larger piece on his face, laughing and happily kissing his messy mouth to a round of cheers. The night continued with more dancing and Bucky’s family leaving just after the garter and bouquet toss.

“Don’t be a stranger,” Winnie said, having added you as a friend on Facebook. “George barbecues a lot over the summer so I hope to see you and James more often.” She wrapped you in a strong embrace, followed by Rebecca who had given you their Instagram, hoping to keep in touch as well.

George said goodbye with a friendly hug, reiterating your invitation. “James may be the musician but I’m the maestro of the barbecue.”

Bucky let out a sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose, his embarrassment making you chuckle even more at his dad’s joke. Opening their arms to each other they hugged, and Bucky said goodbye to everyone.

“Get home safe!” Bucky called out as they walked down the hall.

You and Bucky stayed for a little while longer before saying goodnight to Hope, Scott and a few others, waiting outside of the main entrance for your Uber to arrive. Your lower lip trembled from the cold but less than a moment later you felt the weight of Bucky’s jacket around your shoulders. He wrapped his arms around you from behind, pressing a kiss to your cheek that added to the warmth you felt.

The Uber arrived shortly and once you were settled inside you leaned your head against Bucky’s shoulder. His arm wrapped around you, rubbing your own through his jacket as your hand caressed his for the duration of the ride back to the hotel.

Bucky helped you out of the car, his jacket slipping off your shoulders as you stood up. You didn’t need it anymore, feeling warmth spread through your body from his touch. The walk to the elevator was short and quiet, both of you holding back awkward smiles and smitten feelings.

When the doors opened to your floor you felt your heart pounding louder with every step that brought you closer to the hotel room. Bucky swiped the card into the door, holding it open for you as it unlocked. The beating amplified when you heard the door shut and Bucky turning the locks. There was nowhere to go, nowhere to hide anymore, not with both of your feelings out there.

He laid his jacket over the chair as you set your clutch to the side. His steps were hesitant, full of tension as he got closer to you, finally finding the courage to take your hands in his. Up close you could see the blush that brightened his cheeks, smiling at the way he licked his lips, sucking his bottom one into his mouth and nervously chewing on it.

You brought your hand up to cup his cheek, feeling the beginnings of stubble scratch at your palm. Lifting his gaze to yours you locked eyes with Bucky, seeing the retreat of blue as they grew darker the longer you stared at each other. Exhaling a shaky breath you moved your hand to the nape of his neck bringing him closer as you pressed your lips against his.

With that touch the dam of restraint broke and Bucky was kissing you back, his hands cupping the side of your face, your jaw, anywhere and everywhere as he deepened the kiss. Your hands were roaming his body, grazing across the strong muscles of his back and down his sides again as you held on to his waist.

Gulps of breath were quick as the need to make out was greater than oxygen, but when you did stop to fill your lungs with air you smiled against each other, foreheads and noses touching before he would capture your lips again, sucking softly on your bottom lip. You hummed against him, parting your lips for his tongue to slip inside and caress yours.

You gasped when the back of your knees unexpectedly hit the edge of the mattress, quickly losing your balance and pulling Bucky down with you. He braced himself with one arm above you, smiling at the way your face lit up beautifully with laughter. Bucky waited for you to center your gaze on him again before he brought his lips back to yours. His kiss was soft and slow, passionate and needy, wanting to prolong every second with you and hoping this wasn’t a dream. If it was he never wanted to wake up, preferring to spend the rest of his existence here with you in this perfect world.

His mouth explored your body, running his tongue down your skin until you gasped when he discovered that sensitive spot where your collarbone and neck met. Bucky smirked as you writhed against him, letting a sultry moan fall from your lips as he sucked your skin gently.

The sound alone made him hard and your hips lifting against his didn’t help. Bucky pulled away breathless, knowing he had to stop despite wanting this to never end.

“I can’t, we…” He swallowed dryly, bringing one hand to cup the soft skin of your cheek. “I don’t have protection.”

Not bringing condoms on a weekend that practically guaranteed sex did not sound like the man you first knew who was banging his way through every woman in Manhattan, but Bucky hasn’t been that man in a long time. Somehow over the course of your friendship he’s grown, changed into the person that admitted to what even he thought was impossible, having feelings and wanting more than just sex.

Bucky crawled back off of you, digging his knees into the mattress as he blew out harsh breaths to try and handle his situation accordingly. A smile spread slowly across your face as you pushed yourself up from the bed, quickly moving out of the way as Bucky swung his legs over the side as you remembered what Wanda thankfully snuck into your bag.

Feeling awkward and embarrassed, Bucky didn’t pay much attention to what you were doing, not lifting his head until he saw you standing in front of him with something in your hand.

“I have them,” you said firmly, opening your palm to reveal the package of condoms, the foil reflecting off the light. Your chest heaved with anticipation until Bucky’s eyes met yours.

The shock on his face was clear, never expecting any of this to happen. His back stiffened cautiously as he asked with trepidation, “Are you sure? We don’t have to– ”

“I know. I want to.”

Simple words, simple truths.

The corner of Bucky’s mouth pulled into a smile as you stepped in between his legs, leaning in to tease your lips against his but not give in to what he wanted. Instead you pushed on his chest to make him lay flat on the mattress, lifting the fabric of your dress you got on the bed to straddle him.

Bucky swallowed a dry gulp, his hands skimming first up your thighs and then your waist as you leaned forward to hover over him again. This time he doesn’t let you tease him. He took your lips feverishly, letting your tongues dance in a passionate tango. Your hips begin to move, grinding against his arousal and he whimpers against your mouth.

He gets the urge to tear off your clothes and fuck you hard into the mattress and if you were anyone else he would have, but Bucky doesn’t want this to be about sex. He wants to do something he hasn’t done in a very long time, connect with someone physically and emotionally at once.

Soft hands cup your cheeks, holding your face above him as Bucky stares deeply past your eyes and into your heart. A tender smile pulls at his mouth, one that makes you slow down and smile back at him, letting out soft exhalations that try to match the beat of his.

He sets the tempo, lifting his head to press his lips gently against yours, his hand running up and down your back. Cradled in his arms, Bucky shifted so that you were both lying side by side, his lips never leaving yours, swallowing every moan that fell from your heavenly mouth.

Your hands roamed his body; caressing the back of his head as you deepened the kiss with your tongue, feeling solid muscle beneath his shirt as you rubbed down his chest. His hands brushed against your thigh, over the globes of your ass and giving it a firm squeeze. You can’t help the moan that escapes as a dull ache radiates from your core.

Instinctively, your hips move against him craving more friction as your hands make quick work of his belt. His hand skimmed up your side, cupping your breast, his thumb brushing over your stiff nipple.

The breath stilled in your throat like the measure of time around you, slowing down enough so you could see every touch, feel the brush of his lips; each one the scratch of a pen on a music sheet, creating a song one note at a time.

Open mouth kisses trailed down your skin leaving you breathless as his hands pulled down the fluttering sleeves of your dress. Unclasping the buttons of his shirt, you peeled it off his body as he reached around to tug down your zipper, letting the fabric fall off you. You were drawn to each other’s bodies, warm mouths on warm skin that grew hotter by the moment.

A steady cadence of moans falls from your lips as Bucky worships you with his mouth. It’s better than anything you imagined on those nights when headphones blocked out the primal sounds of pleasure coming from next door. The pitch of your cries reaches new heights as he sends you over the edge, hands grabbing at his hair from between your thighs to brace yourself.

Blue eyes tainted dark with lust peek open to watch your writhe in ecstasy as you come undone. Bucky stays with you through it, his hands laced with yours as your body comes down from blissful heaven. He kisses his way up your body pulling soft moans and gasps from you along the way until he found your lips again; aching, hungry, desperate for his tongue.

You ease him to his back, kissing down Bucky’s neck until you reach the band of his briefs. Your eyes widen at the outline of his arousal, he lifts his hips to help you slide them off and your legs clench together at the sight of his thick cock springing up and slapping his stomach. He quivered with anticipation as you take him in your hands, a low groan rumbling in his throat as he watches himself disappear into your warm mouth.

Euphoric pleasure washes over Bucky as you hum around him, his moans becoming a sweet melody to your ear. Before it’s too much he pulls you off of him, grabbing your face in a plea for your lips against his. He skims his hands along the bed searching for the condom, having to get up to find it as you settle onto your back. The wrapper is torn open, the condom sliding down on his length.

Bucky takes a moment to look at you, to really look at you in a way he’s never taken the time before when he’s been with someone. Your smile lights up his heart and he presses his lips against yours softly. You wonder if he’s waiting for a sign, staring up at his smile stretched out so far he can hardly contain it. With a roll of your hips you rock against him and after losing himself in your eyes Bucky almost forgets what’s supposed to come next– almost.

Wetness gathers on his length and he pushes in gently, his gasps harmonizing with yours as he fills you completely. His lips are on your again because Bucky can’t help it, hooked like a drug on the immediate relief that comes with the investment of his heart.

The rhythm is set by the slow thrust of his hips, you claw at his back as he deepens his sensual pace, the friction bringing you closer and closer. It’s not long before you shudder around him, the first of many times that have you crying out his name; wondering but ultimately not caring if these walls were as thin as the ones in your apartment.

Your cries reach a new octave as he orchestrates your pleasure, thrusting to meet your hips as you ride him. Together you create a symphony that crescendos as you ride the waves of bliss together, the melody forever imprinting on his soul. Breathless, your lips find each other’s, molding together perfectly as you slowly come down; bodies covered in a sheen of sweat that makes you glow.

You whimper as you untangle from each other, immediately missing his warmth. Bucky tied off the condom, getting up to toss it in the small bin beside the desk. The wiggle of his butt made a smile form on your face that grew as he got back into bed, the weight of his arm curling around you and pulling you close against him. Bucky’s fingertips stroked your skin as you rested your head in the crook of his neck. His lips pressing a kiss to your forehead as you rubbed his chest, humming softly as your spent body relaxed into his.

“Tired?” he asked through a rasped whisper. You hummed in response and Bucky adjusted the blankets over you. “Go to sleep, I’ve got you.” The breath of his murmurs fall gently against your head.

Reaching to the side he clicked off the table lamp. In the darkness his lips found yours a final time, stealing a sweet kiss before you adjusted yourself against him again. Your palm rested above his heart and Bucky wondered if you could feel the way it was still beating with elation. He covered your hand with his, hearing you let out a soft hum as you smiled against him.

The bed is warm, made warmer with your bodies tangled together. Bucky listens in silence to the gentle sounds you make as you drift asleep. He syncs his breath with yours, turning his head ever so slightly to place a soft, lingering kiss on your forehead. The rhythm of his heart relaxes to a beat he’s never felt before, one that fills his body and soul with a warm and fuzzy feeling that makes him feel like he would float away if you weren’t resting on him.

A smile secured itself on Bucky’s face as he fell asleep realizing that this feeling might actually be love.

You woke up feeling like last night was a dream, but the weight of Bucky behind you brought you quickly back to reality, one you never imagined would be yours.

His arm was wrapped around your waist keeping your bodies close, a shocking difference of the Bucky you knew that kicked his late night lovers out as quickly as possible. Then again Bucky isn’t that person anymore.

He was still asleep, feeling the breath from his nose against the back of your neck and as much as you needed to get up you stayed in bed for as long as possible, cherishing every moment spent in his arms.

You sensed when he woke up not long after. Bucky inhaled deeply, letting out a soft hum.

“Hey neighbor,” you whispered softly, rubbing his arm that was draped across your waist.

He tightened his hold, squeezing you even closer, smiling at the faint scent of perfume that lingered on your neck. You squirmed as he nuzzled the tip of his cold nose into it, leaving a trail of soft kisses along your skin.

“Mornin’ beautiful,” he rasped.

You tilted your head back, trying to get a glimpse of him but it was easier to turn around completely. Bucky still held you as you twisted to face him, staring up at his beautiful half-sleepy smile and soft gaze that shined like the sun as he looked at you.

“Did you sleep well?” he asked, his fingers lightly tracing your face. You nodded, a smile pulling so strong as your eyes beamed with happiness. “Good.”

He kissed you sweetly, soft pecks for your sake that were mindful of the morning breath he felt. He should get up to brush his teeth but Bucky didn’t want to, instead he rested his head against your shoulder, curling himself around you and smiling when he felt your arms wrap around him.

Bucky never knew how badly he missed a feeling he never had, feeling comforted in someone’s arms. He never knew how amazing it was to wake up with someone, to cuddle with them, hold them and be held. He’s slept with countless people but no amount of sex has ever equaled what he felt in this moment.

He could scold himself for missing out on this for so long but he doesn’t, because now he has the opportunity to share all these firsts with you and he hopes you’ll be his last.

The scratch of your nails running lazily through his hair made Bucky practically purr against you, the simple act awakening all of his senses, igniting his body in a way that could only be quenched by the heat of your skin against his.

He smirks at the memory of your taste, lifting his gaze to find the coy smile curving your lips. It seems he’s not the only one craving more exploration of each other’s bodies. Bucky reaches forward to bring his lips to yours, morning breath be damned. Neither of you cared anyway, quickly giving in to the flames of desire that spread like wildfire through your bodies.

It’s different now, when the morning sun reveals more truth in Bucky eyes, in the way he looks deep into your own as you climb the heights of passion together. Fingers entwined, breathless moans falling from his mouth, foreheads pressed together as he claims your lips, holding your body tightly as you fall apart around him as if this would all disappear if he let go. Every look, every touch; that was the difference. Bucky was giving every part of himself to you, opening up in a way he had never done before with anyone.

His hips stuttered as he climaxed, crying out with a groan that softened as your hands cupped his cheeks, stealing what little breath he had left as you brought your lips to his. He smiled against you, catching his breath in between soft kisses.

Bucky was quick to discard the condom and reclaim his spot beside you, opening his arms for you to cuddle close against him, keeping you warm as the aftershocks of pleasure shudder through your body. His hand rubbed circles on your back and the press of his lips on your forehead made you exhale through a content smile.

You stayed in his arms for as long as you could before desperately needing to use the bathroom, with Bucky laughing as you untangled your legs from his and the covers, sprinting naked off the bed. He laid back, arms folded under his head unable to contain his smile. This weekend has been greater than anything he could have ever dreamed of and the best is yet to come.

You scurry out of the bathroom towards your bag, throwing on a t-shirt for modesty before pulling out the clothes you would be changing into. Bucky watched as the sun streaming in through the window glowed around you, the angel that broke the confines of his heart.

There was less of a rush to the rest of the morning, having missed breakfast but still having time before you needed to check out. You checked your phone in between changing, seeing a flurry of messages come in from the group chat, plus Wanda and Steve sending separate ones to check in.

You heard Bucky get up from the bed but didn’t turn around because it still felt awkward. A good awkward as the butterflies in your stomach were still fluttering wildly, bit still whatever this was between you was undefined and you didn’t want to presume anything.

“Hey…” Bucky began slowly, and turning around you saw he was fully dressed except for his sneakers, hands in the pockets of his jeans with his shoulders shrugged up.

He looked like a little kid who thought he might be in trouble and it made you feel good to know you weren’t the only one who didn’t know how to act around each other. When you flashed him a smile Bucky relaxed, letting the tension go from his shoulders. He reached his hands out to take yours, holding both of them close to his heart.

Letting out a nervous breath he said, “Y/N, I want you to know that I meant what I said last night, every word.” Your smile slowly reached your eyes as he spoke. “And I never expected us to…” Bucky licked his lips, looking down as he felt his cheeks begin to flush at the memory of what happened. “It was incredible, you’re incredible, but maybe we could take things slow?”

Bucky raised his eyebrows, sincerity woven through an unease smile as he waited for an answer. But he didn’t have to wait long. You nodded quickly, never losing eye contact as you smiled, reassuring him you could take things at whatever pace he needed. Bucky kissed your knuckles before letting your hands go, surprised to feel them around him instantly in a hug that dissolved any lingering concerns he had about his request.

Any awkward tension had dissipated by the time you pulled away, leaving nothing but the quiet hum of the air conditioning and the sound of your stomach hangrily rumbling. Bucky chuckled, feeling his own about to rival yours in volume so he sifted through the bag from your initial CVS run to find something to eat.

You satisfied your hunger with a protein bar each, splitting some almonds and topping it off with sparkling water, that you still worried would explode upon opening by the way Bucky quickly pulled it from the small fridge. Eating as you packed, you made sure nothing was left in the room. Bucky packed your dress up with his suit again and when you were ready he arranged an Uber to the train station.

Walking hand in hand to the elevator, Bucky stole an innocent kiss, unable to help himself. He wanted to show you just how much he cared now that the truth he held back for so long was finally out there. His affectionate touches continued all the way home, as Bucky slung his arm over you during the ride back to Manhattan.

“Wanna go out for some lunch?” he asked, as you approached your apartment building.

You nodded approvingly, listing a slew of places you could go for since breakfast wasn’t actually filling. Bucky opened the front door for you, resuming the placement of his fingers laced with yours once you were both inside.

The air in the building felt different, as if the walls themselves were watching you, whispering about what might be happening between two of their residents. The elevator opened, taking you to your floor with a jerking gasp when you and Bucky kissed inside of it.

Your bags were dropped off in your respective apartments, taking the elevator back down just as quickly as you came up to go for lunch, which was actually going to be breakfast. Bucky suggested a spot a few blocks away you had been to once before, an unassuming deli with an all day breakfast menu, though you hadn’t had the pleasure of trying their well known breakfast fare. You were looking forward to stuffing yourself sweet French toast and sugary syrup, hoping to spend the rest of the day lounging in Bucky’s arms.

“Bucky! Hey!” A woman's voice pulled you away from your lazy Sunday daydream.

You both turned around at the woman who just jogged past you, stopping to catch her breath. “I’m so sorry I didn’t get back to you.”

She was taller than average, showing off lean legs of unblemished light brown skin in the athletic shorts she wore. A large sweat stain soaked through the front of her grey tank top, her long dark hair a little messy but not really out of place.

“C-Claire?” Bucky stuttered, not expecting to run into her let alone remember her name. “Hey…”

“Sorry I didn’t get back to you. The hospital put me on night shifts the past week, it’s been hard to adjust. We still on for Saturday night?”

Sound was ringing in your ear like a bomb exploded in front of you and it had, in the form of Bucky being a lying scumbag. His snake like words charmed his way into your heart as a ploy to take off your pants and you complied with ease.

When the world was no longer a muffled haze you realized you and Bucky were alone again, with Claire probably continuing her work out; she has to look good for her date with Bucky at the end of the week. Maybe he was “taking it slow” with her too. You bit your lip before the quiver could show, feeling like an idiot for not knowing better. Bucky didn’t change and he never would.

“I’m so sorry about that. I never– ”

You were done with hearing any more of Bucky’s lies, retorting with one of your own.

“Shit! I just realized I was supposed to help Wanda finish unpacking today. She’s gonna kill me, I gotta run.”

You didn’t give Bucky the chance to speak, ignoring the way he pleaded for you to come back. Taking off towards the nearest subway, you ran down the stairs as fast as you could, at risk of tripping thanks to the tears that flooded your eyes. Wanda’s new place was much closer, and after a few quick stops you were in front of her door, sobbing heavily as you fell into her arms.

PART 21

#bucky x reader #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes au #bucky barnes smut

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