#this'll be in the work summary so i'm okay with sharing it now

[fanatic-domain-fanfiction]

Kiss of Life - Chapter 1

Rating: Mature Archive Warning: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Category: M/M Fandom: Trigun Stampede (Anime 2023) Relationship: Vash the Stampede/Nicholas D. Wolfwood Characters: Meryl Stryfe, Vash the Stampede, Nicholas D. Wolfwood Additional Tags: vash gets shot, Meryl and Nicholas have to deal with these, Getting Together, Nicholas has some unusual ways of dealing with this, Hurt/Comfort, Blood and Injury, bad language, Nicholas is responsible for all the bad language Language: English

Summary: The price for Vash's pacifism can be high. Trying to avoid hurting those who would do you harm can lead to more problems. When Meryl finds Vash face down in the sand, she doesn't know what to do, leaving Wolfwood to try his best to save the Humaniod Typhoon. Unorthodox methods and unspoken feelings become entangled.

Chapter 1: As Red As A Crimson Geranium

“Vash!?” Meryl shouted, running over to the crumbled body of her friend. His red coat turning darker, the ground beneath him being stained a deep crimson. She stared at him, breath catching in her throat. “Come on! Please! Please be okay!” “Where's blondie?” A dark figure loomed over her, the shadow of a cross falling over the pair. “What happened?” “I don't know!” She didn't know how to deal with this. She was a reporter, not a doctor! The cross landed behind her with a thud, Nicholas kneeling at her side. He hauled their friend over with ease, moving the red coat aside and pulling up the black shirt.

Red. It was all red. The colour their friend seemed to love so much.

Meryl's breath hitched again. She swore Vash was getting paler by the second, “Idiot,” muttered Nicholas, ripping off the lower half of his shirt. “This wouldn't happen if he shot back.” He balled up the rag in his hand, pressing it down onto Vash's abdomen. Hard. Their friend twitched under his hands. “You're hurting him!” “I better be! I'm trying to keep his blood in his body. It better hurt. Now, be useful and get the car.” As Meryl rushed off, Nicholas pressed down harder “Don't go dying on me, dipshit. You hear me, needle?” Vash lay there, head lolled to one side, the picture of a dead man. “Maybe this'll teach you to shoot back for once.”

Meryl came back and jumped out, kneeling over their friend again. “How is he?” “How do you think?” Nicholas grumbled looking over Vash. “Shit!” “What?” “No exit wounds. DAMMIT!” He glanced around before sighing and rolling his eyes. “Great. This couldn’t get any better?” Meryl looked even more concerned. “What can we do? Take him to a hospital?” “You got the money for that? Cos I sure as hell ain’t.” Taking a deep breath, Nicholas lifted the cloth a little, moving his other hand beneath it. “How many?” “Pardon?” “Bullets!” “3… I think.” “I’ll take it.” Looking up at the sky, like a praying atheist, he slipped his fingers into the wound. “What are you doing?” Meryl cried, face as pale as a ghost and filled dread. “What does it look like?” He couldn’t think too hard about this. He didn’t want to think too hard about this. “But… b-but… this… it… it isn’t sanitary!” “Look around you! This place is covered in sand and he’s already full of it. No such thing as sanitary out here. You fight or you die. Simple as.”

Nicholas was often lucky. Most bullets shot his way simply tore right through everything… but he’d pulled his fair share of bullets from his own broken body. The blood and torn muscle were wet and moving beneath his fingers. Twitches of pain and shock. Sensations he had grown numb to on himself but never felt coming from another... because he doesn't save.

He doesn't remove bullets. The Punisher puts them there. As many as needed and more if he desired. Corpses riddled with enough bullets to fell an army.

But not this time.

His fingers brushed against the first bullet imbedded in Vash’s side. As quickly as he could, he pulled the soaked and sticky hunk of metal out, casting it aside before sliding his blood-soaked hand back in, searching for the other two. Meryl simply couldn’t watch. She felt sick to her stomach. All the oozing blood and dripping gore had her gagging on air. Wanting to assist but simply feeling too nauseous to even offer.

His crimson-stained hand slid out for a final time and pressed on the rag again, the bloody bullets lay strewn beside them, sand red beneath them. For once, Nicholas had bloodied his hands for a different reason. This blood, as red as a crimson geranium, might haunt him far longer than that from any being he had killed.

“Let’s get him moved.” “What do you need me to do?” “Just hold the rag,” he grumbled, letting her take over as he threw his cross on the roof before yanking the door open. “You keep holding that. Don't let up are bit.” Meryl nodded, her hands already wet and slick with the warm blood, seeping its way through the cloth. Nicholas slipped his arms under Vash, hoisting him up as Meryl stayed close by, pressing as hard as she could. It was challenging getting Vash inside; holding his steady, trying to keep the pressure on, fighting to get into the car.

At last, Meryl shut the door. Nicholas was nearly lay across the backseats, one leg bent up and the other resting on the floor. Leant back against him, head on his shoulder, still out cold was Vash. In any other circumstance, this might have been a sweet scene, enough for Meryl to grab her camera with a smile.

But not this time.

Nicholas kept Vash's shirt out of the way with one hand as he held on to the rag tightly with the other. Meryl climbed into the driver's seat looking back at the pair. “What now?” “Drive like you mean it! Don't stop for nothing. No worms. No undertakers you crash into. Just get us out of here!” “Okay, just hold on.” Meryl set off at a far more rapid pace than usual, like she was trying to chase down another sand steamer. Nicholas sat with gritted teeth in the back, trying to hold Vash as still as he could. The journalist might not have been a great driver... but no one is out here. There was no smooth way to travel across the rolling dunes.

Vash made no noise, his breathing slow and shallow. His limp body was a dead weight against Nicholas. Beads of sweat appeared across his brow. “Shit!” “What's wrong?” “Blondie's burning up!” Nichols grumbled, trying to remove Vash's coat with one hand. “How does he wear this stupid thing out here!?” “Should I stop?” Meryl looked over her shoulder. “NO! Just keep moving! I'll deal with him.” Nicholas pulled Vash's metal arm from his coat, starting to work on the other. “And keep your eyes forward! Don't go staring.” He fought with the coat until he finally pulled it out, throwing it to the floor. Nothing much changed. Vash still bled and sweat; still propped up against Nicholas. The undertaker could almost feel the life slipping through his fingers. “Can't you go any faster!?” “I'm trying! Can't you do anything else?” “What do you think I'm trying to do!?” “Well, think harder! We can't lose Vash!” “I know! I know!” He didn't have any idea. What did people need? The Punisher only needed those vials.

...the vials... It worked for him so maybe...

Nicholas pulled a vial from his jacket, observing the blue glow. A curse and a cure. The luminescence of a plant... Maybe it could save him.

Nicholas held the vial and broke it open with his teeth. Vash would either die from this or from blood loss if he didn't try. “Hope you’re ready to fight, blondie,” he muttered. “Because this will be a fight.” He pressed the rag with painful pressure against Vash’s side, vial in one hand and using his shoulder to try and tilt the typhoon’s head the right way. Car bouncing. Not enough hands. He’d spill the vial before he got the chance to give Vash any.

God damn it all. This was ridiculous… but a lot of things were when running with Vash the Stampede. This was just something else to add to the list.

“Keep your eyes forward, lady, and move that mirror too.” “W-what?” “Just do it! Don’t even think about looking back until I say so!” Meryl rolled her eyes, pushing the mirror up. “Fine! Have it your way.” “No looking!” “And no looking.” She had to wonder what on earth he was trying… but then realised that she didn’t want to know.

Nicholas held the vial to his lips, letting the liquid fall into his mouth, holding it there rather than swallowing. He brought his free hand to Vash’s face, moving his head over and opening his mouth just enough.

You better be damn grateful for this, blondie, thought Nicholas. And you better survive.

He leant over, holding Vash steady and pressed his lips against his friend’s. Slowly, he let the liquid from the vial drip into Vash’s mouth, just hoping that he could swallow it. Nicholas held their lips together, fighting the jostling of the car until he’d transferred every last drop.

Pulling back, he stared at Vash, hand covering the typhoon’s mouth. “Come on…” he hissed through gritted teeth. “Swallow, dammit. You want to live right? Then swallow.” Vash’s neck pulsed slightly, bright blue markings appearing over his skin as the liquid slipped down his throat. The marks looked angry, gripping his cheeks and neck. They tracked down his neck, slipping beneath his shirt and all the way down to under the bloody rag. As a faint glow shone beneath the rag, Nicholas felt like he could breathe again, watching the marking vanish as the glow dissipated.

“Good job, needle-noggin. You might just live yet.” He dropped the rag and held Vash tightly, safe and secure in his arms. “Alright. You can look.” “Finally.” Meryl titled the mirror and looked at Nicholas through it. “What did you do?” “Gave him something. Seems to have worked but he’s still not awake.” “Give him some time. I’ll find somewhere we can stay… or at least recharge the battery.” “You haven’t charged it!?” “It was charged! Until you sent me racing across the wasteland.”

Nicholas sat back as the car trundled along. Vash seemed to be a little better, he wasn’t sweating but had seemed to grow a little colder. He leant down and grabbed the red coat, laying it over Vash, hoping it might help. Plants sure were weird. Maybe they just ran cooler than humans. Vash twitched and rolled into Nicholas’ shoulder, curling up. “Tch. Don’t get too comfortable, blondie.” Not that he actually minded. He was going soft… “How’s he doing?” Meryl asked as the car bleeped at her again. “He moved. Still away with the fairies.” “That’s a good sign at least. Oh!” She started to slow down. “Charging site… and with any luck, maybe somewhere to stay. I can check it out if you stay with him.” “Whatever. Anything to get out of here.”

Meryl pulled up and turned to look at them. “Don’t go anywhere. Leave everything to me and I’ll leave him to you. Got that, Undertaker?” “I got it.” Nicholas rolled his eyes. “And you better have not buried him by the time I get back!” “Fine! He’s going to be fine,” he shouted as Meryl slammed the door shut. Nicholas looked down at Vash, curled up so sweetly against him.

A small, genuine smile tugged at his lips. Damn. He really had gone soft.

#trigun stampede #trigun stampede fic #vashwood fic #vash the stampede #nicholas d wolfwood #tristamp #tristamp fic

[jadedaceofspades]

Long post ahead, but yeah... A SUMMARY

This'll be the last thing I write about what went down yesterday, but like...

Imagine being a 20 year old, so, you know, an ADULT, and you make a reply to someone and accuse them of being an immoral human being because of their taste in fiction and you honestly think because of what they like in fiction, they'll do in real life. Okay?

So, people take note of this and screencap your response, because it's in the replies {because of course it is} and they have their OWN takes on what you said. Well... you are not happy because how DARE someone screencap your response {which can be seen anyway, btw} and your entire bitch fit to that person is because you think that you're right [when you're not and people are telling you as such] and that your URL is shown.

So you go and have an argument with one of these people and then tell them, and I quote, "I hope you die from the incurable shitbrain syndrome fandom has caused you." Like, that's not fucking creepy at all? /s. Telling someone you hoped they died because of FICTION. Yeah, that's totally fucking normal.

And then, and THEN... a post on another blog pops up the DAY you had these arguments with everyone... the ages of the anon and your age match up. Your description says "any/all" and in the anon, it says "20f", so... And in the anon... it's basically almost word for word what you had been saying to people in replies on other posts. So when someone in the thread is like "I don't know who this is but they need help..", well, I put on my thinking cap and say "Hey, I think it might be this person because they were basically the focus of all of this shit going on the past two days." And I post my findings to back up my assumption because to me... the shoe fit.

Well, now, I have you coming to my inbox not once, not twice but 5 times {i deleted two asks because I was done dealing with you}, claiming your innocence about "it wasn't me in the anon and you should censor people's URLs." Meanwhile, my whole problem with you was not your stance on the topic; it was the fact you told someone you hoped they died BECAUSE of your stance and that their stance differed from yours. I don't care if you don't like something or not; I'm not the one telling people to die or kill themselves over stupid shit like fandom. Like you did.

Also, you write up an entire run-on sentence saying how you apologized for what you said, but I went on the person whom you said this to and saw nothing of the sort. So... yeah. That's suspicious. That's weird. And because you're 20 years old and you think that being that age is still somehow comparable to being a child, you attempt to mock me by telling me how old I am. As if I didn't know already. Oh, and I make the comment of you having autism because in several replies to other people in other posts, YOU bring it up. SO, before you could try to pull that shit on me, I brought it up first. But, according to your "friends", that's me being a "moron." **rolls eyes**

And again... to remind everyone that I had received multiple asks from this person; gave one actual answer to them {which they said I was victimizing myself, but all I basically said is that what they said to that person was stupid} and then was done; but because apparently I wasn't giving them the reaction they thought they would get, they and people they share a brain cell with send me anons... like, you're not helping your cause.

Was I correct with posting their description and what they said on another post? Probably not. Do I regret it, though? Nope. And I'd do it again because I had hurt people in the past myself and worked on myself to be a better person and SHOW that I changed and regretted actually harming someone. And how i did that was with people doing to me what I did to that person. It's called "taking accountability."

[shortkingvi]

i bring u some words on this fine evening:

Vi shook her head, pushing off from the railing and taking a couple steps backward. “Not your fault, it’s the fucking broken Piltie system screwing us over again. It’s fine. I’ll figure it out. And who knows? Maybe a solution will fall into my lap.”

“Unless that solution is a woman, I don’t think it’ll find its way onto your lap.”

#AND THEN THE SOLUTION DOES EXACTLY THAT #have a little sneak peek 👀 #just as a treat #this'll be in the work summary so i'm okay with sharing it now #girlbosssalem writes sometimes #arcane #piltover’s finest

[xtodorcki]

This is my 2nd time I'm sending a request I'm sorry this'll be my last ansjsj

Can you do a Hanji x reader where the reader and Hanji are best friends in the scouts and the reader has feelings for Hanji so they tend to act a little flirty? But the reader is actually Levi's sister and Levi finds it so obvious how much the reader loves Hanji so he just teases for her it? Hanji then overhears the reader talking about her feelings and boom! Confession! ^^

“Confessions,” Hange x Reader

Girrrrl send as many requests as you like, I don’t mind at allllllllll. Hanji Hanji, I love her and I know I spell it how it is in the dub its a habit. my apologiesssssss.

Summary: Levi’s younger sister has a crush on Hange and he finds it real obvious, teasing you until you end up confessing.

Warnings: none

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Growing up wasnt easy. You and Levi were left to starve and then trained to be full on machines, learning how to fight and defend before you were even ten years old.

Levi had tried his best to protect you, he still does to this day as the both of you worked in the scout regiment and were each made Captains.

The more time went on and days were spent all together in the room, drinking and eating. You found yourself having a big crush on Hange, you liked her confidence and the way she’s driven to the Titans and wanting to learn about them. It was crazy but you liked it.

You would even admit that you were in love with her. You would spend your days off with her, learning about her discoveries, her theories and even spent time with her when she had caught two Titans and did research on them up close.

The way she was in love with her work, the way she dedicated herself to the two Titans and was absolutely fascinated with them, even if it almost killed her on numerous occasions- it just all made you fall in love with her more.

You were in deep.

It wasn’t long till Levi had caught on, he knew you better than anyone and the way you stared at her from across the room or the way you listened to every word she said as she rambled on about pointless stuff that you knew nothing about.

He knew you had a big crush on her and he teased you about it for months on end. He made sure to be the annoying big brother that bullies his sister with jokes about how you’re soft for her, how you practically drool over her when she speaks to you.

“Just shut up, Levi.” You groaned, sitting inside his office as he laughed, shooting more playful jokes your way.

It had made you grow frustrated with your brother, he was a pain in the ass to deal with and now that he knew that you liked your fellow comrade, he couldn’t help but bug you about it.

It was entertaining to him, this was the only time he got a good laugh during the awful times of working and risking your lives to protect others.

“C’mon, it’s funny.” He rolled his eyes at your attitude but laughed about it shortly afterwards.

“It’s only funny to you, dumb ass. Why don’t you stop being a lonely old man and go find someone.” You said sarcastically, making his eyebrows furrow and shoot you a dirty look.

“I don’t need anyone. All I need is myself and you, remember that.” He simply said but you knew why he was never interested in finding someone for himself.

Levi holds up this giant wall that is three times bigger than him. He acts cold, he acts like he isn’t phased by anything but deep down, everything hits him like bricks. He convinced himself that being alone was a better option as a Scout instead of setting himself up for heartbreak and risk loving someone just to lose them to Titans.

He convinced himself that nothing was more important than family. Than you, as his little sister. He didn’t need anything else but you, losing you would be losing himself entirely.

“I’m grown, I can watch myself.” You scoffed, crossing your arms over your chest and he shrugged his shoulders.

“Eh, you still remind me of the five year who cried all the time.. You still cry all the time.” He joked, making you roll your eyes.

“So, are you going to tell Hange or should I?” Levi spoke up again, bringing the topic right back on the table and you groaned dramatically.

You didn’t want to talk about it any longer, the fact that a simple crush was being held over your head was annoying enough especially it being done by Levi. You wanted to punch him in the face and you were tempted to do it at this very moment.

You knew you couldn’t bring yourself to tell Hange your feelings, in the back of your head you were convinced she didn’t go in that direction, that she didn’t like women but some times it was questionable but the paranoia had lingered over you which prevented you from even thinking about telling her.

While you argued with your brother, Hange had walked down the hallway to actually look for you to help her with some theories she had in mind. She wanted to run them by you because you were the only person that showed interest and actually gave her good advice.

As she walked by Levi’s office, she overheard your voice and stopped in her tracks when her name was brought up in the conversation.

“Are you going to tell Hange or should I?”

She raised her eyebrow, tell her what? She was confused as she stood by the door, her ear up to the crack to listen to more. She hated to be nosey but she couldn’t help it when she was brought up.

“How am I supposed to tell her? It’s not as easy as you make it sound, Levi. This could either ruin our friendship or not.” You hated this, you hated the topic and you wanted to move on.

But Levi being the annoying asshole he was, he edged on and on just to watch the pure irritation on your face just for his amusement.

“C’mon, it’s not that hard. Just open your mouth up and speak.” He smirked, resting his arms on the desk as he leaned forward.

“You’re just a scary chicken.” He teased, making Hange almost giggle under her breath at the childish nickname he gave you.

But the more she stood there, the more she was intrigued with the conversation and wanting to listen to more. She had glanced down each side of the hallway to make sure no one was near or walking down to blow her cover as she continued the sneaky act.

“God, you’re so irritating. It’s not that easy for me to walk up to her and say I’m in love with you. Keep teasing me about it and I’ll kick your short ass.” You threatened him, making his laugh only grow louder.

Her eyes widen at the confession you let out. You were in love with her? She couldn’t process it or think clearly but it had definitely made her heart pound inside her chest and adrenaline run through her veins.

As you got up from the other side of the desk, telling your brother that you were leaving as he continued to giggle like a school girl. Once she heard your footsteps come closer to the door, she had practically ran down the hallway and go around the corner.

She didn’t really know what to do, should she bring this up to you? Should she just get this over with and confront you? She didn’t know and all that thinking she did, she didn’t realize you walking down the hallway in her direction until you startled her by turning the corner.

“Oh shit!” You jumped, making her jump and drop the files she was holding in her hands.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t see you.” You admitted shyly, your cheeks growing hot as you kneeled down to scatter up the files and hand them back to her.

“It’s okay, actually- I was looking for you.” Hange abruptly said then quickly shut her mouth, that’s not what she wanted to say- now the topic was at the front of her mind.

“Oh? What about?”

“Uh, I had some theories but first I kind of wanted to get something off my chest.” She said, fixing her glasses and met your gaze with a almost worried look that made you become paranoid.

“I didn’t mean to um, listen in but I heard you and Levi talking.” She finished, making your eyes go wide and suddenly your cheeks were as red as a tomato.

“Ahh, um.” You didn’t know what to say, you started to stutter and started to look around the empty hallway to avoid her stare.

This is not what you had in mind about confessing to Hange. You couldn’t help but think if Levi was behind this sick plan, it wouldn’t be surprising if he did- he’s a selfish asshole after all.

As you stood there quietly, Hange had began to worry and clung tighter onto the files in her hands. She didn’t really know what to say and that’s coming from someone who is always talking and rambling about something.

But as she stood in front of you, watching you get all flustered up, it gave her a bit of a confidence boost to lean down and press her lips on yours, catching you by surprise completely.

You weren’t expecting this, your anxiety made you think of the worst in every situation but here she was, kissing your lips and it made your heart skip a beat at the small kiss.

When she pulled back, both of your faces flustered up and red- she had given you a cute smile and gestured you to follow her.

“C’mon, I have some theories to tell you.”

You were confused, thrown back but you followed her back to her office and she noticed how you were still quiet, probably even overthinking the small kiss you two shared.

“I hope you know that me kissing you meant that I like you too.”

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Soft soft soft🥺

• Main Masterlist •

• AOT Masterlist •

#hange imagines #hanji imagines #hange x reader #hanji x reader #hange headcanons #hanji headcanons #hange fanfic #hanji fanfic #aot imagines #aot headcanons

[enchanted-encanto]

La Canción de mi Corazón / The Song of My Heart—Chapter 6: The Queen & The Court Jester

← Previous Chapter | Next Chapter →

Read this story on AO3 here!

Fandom: Encanto (2021)

Overall Fic Rating: Explicit (for future smut)

Relationships: Bruno Madrigal/Natalia Moreno (Original Female Character)

Characters: Bruno Madrigal Natalia Moreno, Original Characters, Félix Madrigal, Agustín Madrigal, Luisa Madrigal, Mirabel Madrigal, Camilo Madrigal, Antonio Madrigal, Dolores Madrigal, Isabela Madrigal, Pepa Madrigal, Julieta Madrigal, "Abuela" Alma Madrigal

Chapter Summary: Bruno and Natalia share a very special day together at the bakery.

______________________________

"Are you sure you're doing okay tía? You know I can be over there in a second if you need anything." Natalia said, concern in her voice.

"Sí, mi amor. Just the usual aches and pains. No need to worry about me. I'll call Julieta and I'll be fixed up right away. I'll see you tomorrow for dinner like we planned, okay?"

"Okay. Yes, see you then. I love you."

"I love you too. Bye-bye."

Natalia's aunt hung up the phone before she did.

Natalia sighed, trying to catch herself back up mentally on where she stood with the catering order when the bell above the bakery door jingled.

Bruno Madrigal stepped through the door holding a bouquet of stunning yellow sunflowers, his face already deeply blushed.

Natalia blinked in surprise at his entry, having absolutely zero concept of the time.

"Bruno, hi! Is it 3 already?" Natalia glanced up at the clock in the corner. It was indeed 3 pm, he was right on time. She unlocked the door to the back counter and stepped through to where Bruno was standing.

"H-hi there." Bruno squeaked out, motioning the bouquet over to her. "For you. I'll take the credit for the idea but Isabela gets the credit for you know, making the actual flowers."

Natalia's heart felt like it was in her throat as she took the bouquet out of Bruno's hands.

"Bruno, these are stunning! Thank you!"

They smiled at each other without speaking for a moment, still entirely unsure what to do with their bodies.

"Um–come on back, please!" Natalia said, quickly going to the front door to flip the "open" sign to "closed".

She stepped back and her breath hitched in her lungs. The bakery was closed. She was now completely, totally alone with Bruno Madrigal.

I may puke. Who knows.

She shook her hands out at her sides.

We're here to work Natalia, we're here to work, we're here to work.

"How are you?" She asked.

"I'm great." Bruno replied, a soft happy smile on his face.

God he's so handsome this was a horrible idea I'm going to scream I–

"Great!" She said, clapping her hands together louder than she meant to, desperately trying to get her mind on work.

"So, as you can see everything is a nightmare but como un...semi organized nightmare?" She laughed. "I tried to organize everything in sort of stations, so each of us can be working on a station and we'll be like a well oiled machine. At least that's the hope."

Bruno chuckled and bowed slightly. "I am at your command, reina de la panadería."

"Ooo, so does that make you the king for the day, or like the court jester?" Natalia replied.

Bruno sputtered out a big laugh, and she couldn't help but smile watching him laugh. She could listen to him laugh all day, she loved the way his normally reserved features lit up when she struck a chord in him with something funny.

"Whatever the queen wants." He said, twirling his wrist around pretending to look sophisticated.

"I'll give that some thought, depending on how this goes. There will be a quiz at the end." Natalia joked.

Bruno pretended to look concerned. "I was never very good at quizzes."

"Then looks like this'll be a one off gig for you, court jester."

Bruno's chest tightened with how lovesick he felt. All he wanted in that moment was to hold her, to run his fingers along her skin, to–

"Bruno?" Natalia said, waving her hand gently in front of his eyes that were glazed over with a dreamy look.

He snapped out of his daze, embarrassed.

"S-sorry!" He exclaimed.

She smiled at him, easing the anxiety in his chest. "No problem."

Natalia's eyes widened at a sudden thought. "Oh, you need an apron!"

She glanced back at her collection of aprons in the corner, all covered in floral patterns.

"Mind being a little extra pretty today?" She said, walking into the back of the kitchen and coming out with a blue and purple floral apron in her hand.

"Fits the court jester thing, I think." Bruno joked.

"That's the spirit!" Natalia cheered.

______________________________

They had gotten a few hours into cupcake and cookie decorating, each step of the process a delightful and agonizing experience for them both. Bruno nearly collapsed when Natalia wrapped her hands around his to show him how to best use a piping bag, and she had a huge problem not glancing over at the handsome man working beside her every few seconds which was greatly slowing down her production speed.

Natalia washed her hands in the sink, looking over all the work they had completed.

"I almost can't believe it, but I think we're just about there.” She said. “This batch we're finishing now should be the last of it."

Bruno was concentrating intensely on adding some flour to a bowl of cake batter and he accidentally poured too much of the flour out too quickly in the bowl, a puff of flour covering his face.

He coughed and Natalia burst out laughing.

"Welcome to the club!" She cried out between laughs.

In retaliation, Bruno took a tiny handful of flour out of a large jar and flicked it at her face with his fingertips, landing mostly on her cheek. Natalia looked at him, thoroughly surprised and amused.

"Oh this is not a war you want to start, Señor Madrigal."

"You're becoming a tyrannical monarch." Bruno said, completely deadpan.

Natalia gasped loudly, pretending to be shocked. She dipped her finger into a small bowl of cupcake frosting that was behind her and smeared it on the tip of his nose with a sly smile.

"You look better this way." She teased.

Bruno felt a familiar heat pooling in his body as he became more and more undone by the minute from her teasing. In a surprise bit of bravery to both him and Natalia, he flipped Natalia around and held her solidly in place with his arm resting across her collarbone. She (barely) tried to pull his arm away, but was, much to her glee, unsuccessful. She was laughing so hard that he could barely hold on to her through all the wiggling, but he held firm.

Bruno took a decorated cupcake that was on the counter next to him and held it threateningly a few inches from her face.

"You're in a losing position here, mi reina."

She wasn't sure if it was the tone in his voice, him calling her his queen, or the feeling of his strong arm flush across her chest but in that very moment she had never been more attracted to him.

Bruno felt a delicious power in that moment, feeling the thump-thump-thump of his heartbeat as he listened to her laugh in his arms.

"You've got me! The kingdom is yours." Natalia said, lifting her hands up.

Bruno freed her and she turned to face him, immediately placing an iced cookie into his open mouth right as he was going to speak.

Bruno coughed and laughed as he tasted the cookie on his tongue, pulling it out quickly and chewing on the bite.

"I remain victorious!" Natalia cried. "Never let your guard down on my territory, sir jester. I'm the queen for a reason, remember that."

Bruno pulled a white towel from beside him and waved it in defeat, enjoying the rest of the cookie he'd been (forcefully) given.

"All territory wars aside, this cookie is exceptional." Bruno said, finishing his last bite.

"I had a really great helper." She replied with a big, bright smile.

They both looked down at the floor as the room grew quieter.

"Let me um, let me help you get cleaned up." She said softly, running a washcloth under some water in the sink.

She walked up and gently wiped Bruno’s cheek with the warm cloth, cleaning off a clump of flour. The moment felt exceedingly tender and intimate for them both. She handed the cloth to him for his to finish wiping his face, and she wiped her own face down with a cloth as well.

She had left a radio on on a table near the staircase to fill up the quiet in the room throughout the day, and it began to play a song that perked up Natalia's ears, an instrumental version of the song "Bésame Mucho".

"Oh, I love this song!" Natalia said excitedly.

Bruno knew the song well, having listened to it many times growing up as he taught himself to dance. He wasn't going to miss a chance like this.

Bruno bowed down a bit and held out his hand.

"Care for a dance, my queen?"

Natalia's heart thrummed in her chest faster than ever before, the memory of their first dance together permanently on repeat in her mind. She'd never felt anything like she had that night before, and that feeling was returning to her even stronger at this exact moment. She realized it had nothing to do with the music or the dancing at all. She looked over at the sweet, gentle man reaching out to her across her kitchen and realized at that moment that this is what falling in love felt like.

"I wouldn't miss it for anything." She said, melting into a puddle as he took her hand.

They moved together into a close, slow-to-mid-tempo dance routine. Their feet tapped across the wooden floor, swaying back and forth to the underlying beat of the music. They matched each other perfectly in sync just like their last dance together, but instead of just feeling like no one else was in the room, this time they really were alone. It was just them, an old radio, and the magic of a blossoming love filling up Natalia's little home.

He rested her hand on the small of her back as she leaned in and laid her head on his shoulder, letting out a blissful sigh. One of her hands was curled up in his, the other resting gently on his chest. They both shut their eyes as they savored this moment together.

When the song was reaching its end, Bruno turned her around in a beautiful, almost ethereal spin and then bent her gently towards the floor. They pulled back up together, their expressions a mix of absolute wonder and anticipation as the song nearly ended.

Bruno's now vibrantly glowing eyes looked over Natalia's face. Her beauty overwhelmed him again and again every single day, he felt that someone this beautiful looking at him the way she was now was more than he ever could have dreamed. Their green eyes met and the emotions they were experiencing were unlike anything they’d ever felt before. She was never able to get used to the way the neon glow of his gaze seemed to pierce her heart directly, the fire that burned in her soul when she looked at him.

As the song finished, Bruno looked down at Natalia's awestruck expression and, without a second thought, reached over and kissed her deeply.

They both saw shooting stars as they closed their eyes. This kiss was everything they had both so desperately wanted, needed, dreamed of.

It felt as though their lips had always known one another, as if this moment was a beautiful canvas painted by the universe just for them.

Natalia wrapped her arms around Bruno's neck and pulled herself deeper into his lips as he pulled her in closer by her waist.

They pulled apart slightly after a long moment, both of them barely able to breathe.

“Did you know this was going to happen? In one of your prophecies?” She asked in a whisper, their lips still barely connected.

“No. I never checked.” Bruno said softly, his tone drenched in emotion.

“Why not? Wasn’t it scary not to know?” She asked, moving her face back a small amount so she could look at him.

Bruno took her face in his hands and looked deeply into her eyes. She was trembling a bit, hanging on his every word.

“I would have been heartbroken if I saw that anything but this happened. I–I didn’t want to find out anything about you, about us that way. I wanted to see this, experience this, live this right in the here and now. With you, Natalia. I want you, the real you, not a version of you on a piece of green glass. You make me want to live in the present instead of always looking to the future for the answers, by asking for a magic answer instead of making the moments happen myself. Whatever was going to happen, I wanted–I want, to find out with you.”

Natalia’s eyes filled up with happy tears, moved deeply by his words.

“I want that too, Bruno. I want that so much. Your words are–they're so beautiful.”

Bruno felt tears sting at the corners of his eyes too as he watched in disbelief as Natalia returned his feelings like this.

"You are so beautiful." He said softly.

She beamed up at him, wrapping her arms back around his neck. She pulled him in for an even deeper kiss than the one before, pouring her soul into the feeling of their lips together.

Their lips didn't leave one another for a long time, and when they came up for air Natalia just happened to glance over at the clock.

"Dios mío, is it really midnight already?!"

"I didn't mind the distraction." Bruno hummed in her ear, still holding her tightly. His tone of voice was making it nearly impossible for her to keep herself off of him, but she had spent about 1000% more time tonight kissing Bruno Madrigal than she was planning on and she needed to get everything completely finished for tomorrow's event.

Bruno sensed the very real concern coming from her sudden shift in body language and, much to his agony, released her from the embrace he'd had her in for the last long while.

"We'll get this all finished up so you can get some rest." Bruno said sweetly, a sad but understanding look in both of their eyes as he spoke.

They got all the final prep work for the catering order done and Natalia walked Bruno to the door of the bakery to head home for the night.

"Bruno, I–thank you. So much." She put her hand on his cheek, him leaning into her touch. "For your help, for your words, for–for everything."

Unable to help himself, he left her with a final kiss so soft and sweet that she swore her heart stopped working for a beat or two.

They smiled as they finished their kiss, blushing furiously as they pulled apart.

"Good night, my queen.”

"Good night, court jester."

The door clicked shut behind Bruno as he walked out, and he had to remind himself how to put one foot in front of the other.

Natalia ran at lightning speed up to her bedroom and let out a happy scream into one of her pillows. She felt like a teenager again, giddy and electric. She set her alarm clock and laid down in bed, too excited to notice how much her body ached. After a stretch of excited tosses and turns and joyful squeals she eventually fell asleep, seeing Bruno's face in her mind every moment until she drifted off.

______________________________

As Bruno walked home he was certain he'd wake up any minute now, that all of this was just a beautiful, magical dream.

When he stepped through the doors of the casita, he was certain he wouldn't see anyone at this hour but to his surprise, both of his sisters and their husbands were chatting at the dining room table.

"Hola, Brunito." Julieta said with a knowing grin.

"Good night tonight?" Agustín chimed in.

Bruno's face went through the entirety of the red color spectrum, but he couldn't do anything but grin as his family teased him.

"Were you guys...waiting up for me?" He eventually said.

"Noooo, absolutely not." Felix replied, obviously lying. "So, how it'd go?!”

"It was...perfect." Bruno replied, his smile widening as he looked down at the floor.

"We're so happy for you, Bruno. Truly." Julieta said sincerely.

Bruno rubbed his hands together nervously. A subject he hadn't brought up before had been nagging at him a bit–and he had already been a lot more brave than he usually was tonight– so he figured there was no time like the present.

"It doesn't bother you guys that she's..."

"Younger?" Julieta finished his sentence for him, approaching Bruno and taking his hands in hers.

"Bruno, you sacrificed ten years of your life, the entirety of your forties, to protect my Mirabel and the magic of this family. You gave up everything for everyone else for so long." Julieta began. "If you're worried we're going to be upset with you because you have feelings for a younger lady who is obviously crazy about you, you're troubling yourself over nothing."

"Natalia is a beautiful and sweet girl, her and her tía have been wonderful friends to our familia over the years." Pepa added. "All of our family adores her, Camilo's had a crush on her since he was 5 years old. Oh poor Camilo, he'll be devastated when he finds out about this." She laughed. "We just want you to be happy. Clear skies para ti. You deserve it." She hugged her husband's arm tightly, smiling at her brother.

"We'll of course tease you relentlessly about it forever, but we're happy for you bro." Félix teased, Pepa swatting him on the arm.

"If anyone deserves to fall in love, to find true happiness after everything you've sacrificed, it's you." Julieta said, kissing her brother gently on the cheek.

"Wow, I–" Bruno began, quickly losing his words. "Thank you guys, so much." He was warmed and deeply relieved by his family's kind words.

"So, any spicy gossip? Did you kiss her yet? You kissed her right?" Félix said, nudging Bruno's arm again and again with each word.

Bruno said nothing, his mortified face giving his answer for him.

"Ahhh you did!! That's my guy right there!!" Felix cried out.

"And that is as much as I want to hear about this thank you!" Julieta said with a laugh, heading towards the staircase.

"Félix, cállate!" Pepa said, flicking her husband on the side of his head.

"Alright, alright!" Félix exclaimed, rubbing his head and pretending to be wounded.

Everyone said their goodnights to one another and headed to their respective rooms.

Bruno closed the door to his bedroom behind him and slid his back down his doorway, eventually positioning himself laying flat on his back on the hard wooden floor.

He stared up at the ceiling, replaying the day a thousand times in his mind, trying to bring back the feeling of her lips on his as strongly as he could in his memory. He realized with incredible excitement that he could probably even kiss her again another time, and maybe even again after that! And she wanted to kiss him back!

He was restless and buzzing with joy, savoring every moment of the wildly beautiful feeling spreading throughout his entire body.

That night, he fell asleep smiling.

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End Notes:

This is the song I was listening to when I wrote the dancing scene for this chapter: "Bésame Mucho" by The Jeff Steinberg Jazz Ensemble & Jack Jezzro

Spanish Translations for Chapter 6: -Tía: aunt -Sí: yes -Mi amor: my love -Como un: like a -Reina de la panadería: queen of the bakery -Señor: mister/sir -Mi reina: my queen -Bésame mucho: kiss me a lot -Dios mío: my god/oh my god -Hola: hello -Familia: family -Para ti: for you -Cállate: be quiet/quiet down

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