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#'that was another bone pun. please clap'
nagito-kissmaeda · 3 years
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Horny on Main Disease - Komaeda x Reader
Summary: Reader catches a strain of the despair disease that means she says everything she is thinking. Kind of awkward considering all she can think about is how much she wants to jump Komaeda's bones. This is intended to be sort of funny, but i still wrote it pretty seriously, just want to make it clear that i did not half ass the smut. i whole assed it.
Word count: 4444  Contains: fem reader, they/them pronouns, despair disease, explict sexual content, unsafe sex, voyeurism Read on AO3 ミ☆ Please send me a DM or an ask if you’d like me to write something for you!
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It’s not even a particularly hot day, and yet you’re sweating bullets as you walk over to the dining hall like you do every morning. Your legs are wobbly and your head is aching something terrible, you assume that you’ve caught a cold or something , whatever the problem is, it’s going to be a question for Tsumiki when you meet up with her at breakfast.
Kuzuryu is standing out by the pool, pensively staring into the still water. He probably misses Pekoyama, but you’re smart enough to know not to-
“Hey, Kuzuryu! I bet you miss your dead girlfriend, huh?”
He just stares at you, and it takes a good few seconds for you to even realise what you just said out loud. You clap a hand over your mouth, horrified.
“I don’t know why I said that!” You squeak
Kuzuryu doesn’t look...angry? He shakes his head at you and sighs, “you’re acting weird today too, aren’t you?”
“What? Weird? Who’s weird?”
“Owari was here a few minutes ago, bawling her eyes out on the ground.” He crosses his arms and looks away from you, “I think the bear is planning something again.”
You nod sternly, “anyone with tits as big as Owari has nothing to cry about! Something is definitely suspicious.”
Oh god why did you say that??
“Oh god, why did I say that??”
You just keep saying everything you’re thinking!
“I just keep saying everything I’m-“
Kuzuryu grabs you by the wrist and starts tugging you towards the dining hall, “something is definitely fucked up.” He looks down at where his hand is gripping yours, “Jesus Christ, your skin is on fire!”
“Yeah, cause I’m hot !” That was already an embarrassing thing to say, you are horrified when your mouth drops open again to follow it up with, “bow-chicka-wow-wow!”
There is definitely something wrong with you. In general you are the sort of person who takes the time to carefully curate every word that leaves your mouth, the fact that you are just speaking without even thinking about it is bizarre and alarming. The ache in your head is also steadily growing stronger and you’re starting to feel dizzy, maybe you’re just delirious with flu? It doesn't make sense for you to catch the flu on an abandoned island, but weirder things have happened already.
It is at this moment that you realise you have been (only semi-coherently) mumbling your full internal tirade outloud to Kuzuryu, who is now helping you up the stairs to the dining hall. He has very diplomatically, been either ignoring, or at least pretending to ignore everything you have been saying.
“You’re nice. Probably the politest yakuza i’ve ever met.” you pause, “I’ve never met another yakuza, i'm not sure why i said it like that.”
Kuzuryu scoffs and tugs you up at the last step. Deigning to give your comment any sort of response.
As you step up onto the dining hall landing, you freeze. This is dangerous. Your nails are biting into the skin of your palms, and your already warm face feels even hotter. Don't look at him, don't think about him, don't look at him, don't think about him. Kuzuryu is giving you a look, you must be verbalising your own mental gymnastics, but that is less embarrassing than the alternative.
“Don't look at him, don't think about him, don't look at him, don't think-”
You look up, like an idiot . Komaeda is sitting by the window with his chin in his palm, just sort of staring off into the middle distance, not really looking at anything. The morning sun cascades through the window and catches in his hair. It shimmers. Your heart twists and turns in your chest, you have been trying to keep this little fascination of yours under wraps, but he slowly closes his eyes and takes a deep breath in through his nose and-
“He looks like an angel .” You say, and you say it loudly.
All eyes in the room turn to you. Hinata especially is looking at you with his particular brand of exhaustion, that says this is not the first weird thing he has heard today. You scramble, trying desperately to think about anything other than Komaeda, to stop yourself from saying anything stupid. In your desperation, what you say is: “Yes hello! I was talking about anyone in this room apart from Komaeda. Please do not be confused, it was not Komaeda. I want to make it crystal clear that i am NOT attracted to Nagito Komaeda. This is a very convincing lie and you all believe me!”
Mioda straightens her spine and salutes you, “Roger! You are not attracted to Komaeda, I believe you!”
Your sweating even more now, it’s getting hard to breathe, “Forget I said anything!”
Mioda salutes again, “Consider it forgotten!”
“What is happening?! ” Hinata exclaims, gesturing wildly to you, Mioda, and Owari who you suddenly notice is leaning against the far wall and sobbing, “This is not normal!”
Your eyes slip to Komaeda again. He is looking at you and he is blushing-
“He looks so...cute…” You whisper, and Hinata yelps.
“Why are you all being so weird???? ”
Monokuma takes that as his cue to finally show up. Waltzing on into the dining hall like he owns the place, clearly buzzing with excitement, “A good question!” He says, clamoring up onto a vacant chair and holding a paw in front of his face to hide his laughter, “ Oooh , this is my best motive yet! Looks like three members of the class have come down with a bad case of the despair disease!”
“D-Despair Disease?” Tsumiki contributes, nervously playing with her hands, “I’ve never heard of such a thing!”
“Yeah, well. It’s pretty self explanatory!” Monokuma says, “The main symptom is high fever, along with some other fun despair related effects! It’s a bit of a mixed bag though and no two cases are the same! For example, Moida is suffering from the Gullible Disease...Owari has the Cowards Disease.” Then, Monokuma points his stubby little paw in your direction, “And you have the No Filter Disease. You just say whatever you’re thinking! It’s been lots of fun so far, upupupupu~”
“Oh, does that mean all those things they were just saying about Komaeda were the truth?” Sonia says. Her brows draw together, and she taps her lips with a finger, “How interesting.”
“It’s not my fault he’s gorgeous!” the words escape you before you have a chance to stop them. You squeal and clap a hand over your mouth before you start talking again. Komaeda is now bright red to the tips of his ears.
“That was true? GROSS!” Saionji exclaims.
You glare at Monokuma, “If you wouldn't kill me for doing it, I'd rip out all your stuffing right now.”
Monokuma withers a little, “Aw~ Is that what you really feel? Here I was thinking we were great friends.”  
“I’ll gut you like a fish.” you pause, “a bear-fish.” another pause, “a fish-bear.” You groan, “UGH, I can’t stop saying stupid things! I’m all sweaty! This sucks !”
Tsumiki steps over to you, her hand is shaking as she brings it up to your forehead.
“Oh…” you breathe, “your hand is cold.”
“S-Sorry! I’m just checking your temperature.”
“You smell like lavender.”
She recoils a little, “It’s j-just my shampoo!!'' Then she shakes her head and turns to the rest of the group, “Monokuma is telling the truth. They’ve got a fever.”
Hinata hurriedly presses his hand against the foreheads of both Owari and Moida, confirming that they’re also burning up, “What do we do, Tsumiki?”
Before she can answer, Monokuma pipes up again, “did I forget to mention? It’s contagious~~”
Saionji squeals and backpedals all the way to the stairs, “Contagious!?”
“Yeah and I'm a conta- genius . Get it?”
Souda gives you an uncomfortable look and scratches the back of his neck, “How much space in your brain is taken up by bad puns?”
You’re feeling really dizzy now, “A lot of it! But usually I don't say any of them!” your knees wobble and you almost fall over, luckily Tsumiki is still close enough to grab you before you topple to the ground, “I am going to kill that goddamn bear .”
“Could-could someone help me?” Tsumiki squeaks, “If i keep holding them up like this we-we’re just both going to fall over.”
You giggle a little, slipping into a semi-delirium as you cling to Tsumiki for dear life. Hinata and the others start working on a plan to keep everyone safe until the illness runs its course, “Hey Tsumiki…” you whisper, “Komaeda’s got real nice hands, huh?” she is too busy trying to keep you upright to answer, “I want him to carry me. Unless I'm too heavy, Tsumiki, am I too heavy?”  
You’re all but draped over Tsumiki now, who is trying in vain to shuffle you over to a nearby wall, when you suddenly hear her sigh in relief, “Oh...Th-Thank you. I’m not very s-strong…”
You manage to flop your head around to face the other direction, lacking the strength to turn your neck properly. Komaeda is looking down at you, it might just be the fever, but you feel like you’re going to burst into flames.
“Aha, I’m sure i'm not much stronger than you, Tsumiki.” He says, gently wrapping his arm around your shoulders and tugging you over to him. You might have moaned, you can't be sure, “But I do have the height advantage.”
The utter tsunami that leaves your mouth is unavoidable. Literally medically unavoidable, but that doesn't stop it from being the most embarrassing moment of your life.
“He’s touching me. He’s touching me…” your head has come to rest on his chest and you are practically hyperventilating, “He smells like chamomile soap and clean laundry...His hands are cold, his shirt is soft...Oh god i'm so sweaty, he probably thinks i'm disgusting! Komaeda, i'm so sorry , this was meant to be a secret!!! I wasn't going to tell you, everyones gonna think I'm weird!” your thoughts are leaving your mouth faster than you can think of them, if Komaeda is reacting to anything you have to say, you don't notice because despite your mouth running a mile a minute you still have an ounce enough of shame and bury your face in his chest to hide from your own words.
The world is spinning, your head feels heavy, everything is so hot , “Your hair is nice, did you know your hair is nice? God, I've wanted to run my fingers through it since day one. This is so fucked up, you almost killed someone! I want to stop talking , i feel like i'm gonna pass out, i'm gonna pass out, i'm gonna pass out. Im gonna…”
***
“I think I passed out.” Is the first thing you say when you wake up. You’re still hot and the back of your neck is sweaty, but you can see that you are now in the hospital, and that you’re wearing a hospital gown.
“Who undressed me?!” You exclaim, disappointed to find that you still can’t help saying everything you think.
At the sound of your voice, the door to your room opens, and Komaeda steps in.
“No! Not you!”
He freezes, withering under your gaze, “Ah, I see. Being greeted by garbage like me in your current state, it must be insulting .”
You feel like an asshole .
“That’s not what I meant! Please don’t go, I never want you to go.”
Komaeda laughs a little, still lurking nervously in the doorway, “You’re confusing me.”
“I don’t want you to hear what I’m thinking. I want you to stay, but all I can think about is how much I want to suck on your collarbone.” You freeze the second you stop talking, a high pitched whine leaving your mouth as you hide your face in your hands, “I’m so sorry! I can’t stop it!”
Stepping further into the room, Komaeda quietly closes the door behind him. Your heart is pounding.
“I’m nervous.” You say.
He tilts his head, walking over to the side of your bed, “I can still leave if I’m making you uncomfortable.”
“No, I’m not uncomfortable.” You shrink under his gaze, “it just, the way you closed the door it makes me feel like you’re planning something, like maybe we’re going to have-“ you manage to cover your mouth before the rest of the sentence escapes. Keeping your hands tight over your lips as all you can think about is his long fingers, his soft hair, his half lidded eyes.
“Are you...still talking behind your hands?”
You nod.
A smile crawls up the side of his face, “are you saying something embarrassing?”
“I wanna stick my tongue in your mouth.” You say, loud enough that even the tight grip of your hands doesn’t muffle it.
Komaeda remains remarkably calm, “You keep saying those things. This disease...means you say whatever you’re thinking, doesn’t it?”
“Yes. It’s driving me crazy, I’m just being such an idiot and I’m probably freaking you out. I’m sorry.”
“No, that’s not it.” He sighs, moving slowly as he sits down on the side of your bed, “Honestly, why would you let such thoughts about scum like me take up so much real estate in your mind?”
“I can’t help it!” You exclaim, “I’ve been trying not to think about it, but I just can’t! I want you so badly. I…..I-“ you hold your breath, you can’t let that last part out, no matter what, you can’t say that last part. You’ll die of suffocation before you let him hear it.
“You...what?” He asks
Oh god. You can’t stop thinking about it. Your lungs are aching, screaming for you to just open your mouth.
“What are you hiding, hm?”
It’s too much. The nerves, your sick and weakened body, him right there . You can’t do it, you can’t stop it, the next time you see Monokuma, you are drop kicking him into the sun.
“I’ve touched myself while thinking about you!”
The words echo off the walls of the room like a gunshot.
For a moment Komaeda just stares at you, but then, his shaky hands reach out and wrap around both of your wrists. His throat bobs.
“Hng. I want to suck on the side of your neck, I want to see you covered in marks from my teeth-“ you try to cover your mouth with your hands again. Komaeda grips your wrists tighter.
“No.” He whispers, trembling, “keep going.”
“ God, your hands are so big. I want to know how deep your fingers would reach inside of me. I bet you’re good at it, I bet you’re really good at it.” He just keeps staring at you, ghostly green eyes blown wide, chest heaving , “Are you turned on? Is this turning you on? Just pin me down and fuck me, do it, do it, do it!”
“How...how often are you thinking about me like this?”
“Oh, all the time.” You freeze, mentally (and therefore also verbally) berating yourself, “Not all the time! Just like, a normal amount. However much that is.” He is still just looking at you, the pad of his thumb slowly brushes across the pulsepoint in your wrist and you shiver, “Yes, yes! I’ve wanted this intimacy with you for so long . I couldn't tell anyone, I couldn't tell you. During the first trial, when you went on your weirdo rant about hope and despair. I was scared, i was so scared, but oh god- ” you can't stop yourself. Every thought in your head is pouring out of your lips. Filling up the room, the mortification is drowning you . All you can do is squeeze your eyes shut to avoid looking at him, “I was wet , Komaeda. I went back to my cabin and came three times to the thought of you, I am reprehensible . What do you think the others would do if they found out, huh? That all i can think about is you fucking me over my trial podium. They’ll tie me up next-”
The bed squeaks, and Komaeda brings his knee up and over your hips.
“-Oh my god. You’re doing it aren't you?”
His other leg comes up on the bed, and he settles, hovering up above you. He shrugs, “I honestly don't understand why this is something you want,” he leans down over you, resting his palms on either side of your head, “but who am I to deny the wishes of an ultimate.”
If not for the warmth of his lips pressed against yours, you are sure that you wouldn't be able to shut up, based only on the number of thoughts tumbling through your head like they’re on a spin cycle. You are still sweaty with fever and probably look disgusting, but Komaeda shuffles down in between your legs and hikes your hospital gown up to your waist. So you are suitably distracted.
He laughs as he hooks his fingers around your panties and tugs them down your thighs, “I cant believe that you want scum like me to touch you like this. Usually I would assume that you are lying, or taking pity on me.” He grins, running a finger up the length of your sex, “But everything you say to me is your exact thoughts, isnt it?”
“Yes! Touch me, please! ” You’re quivering beneath him, barely able to breathe in between your frantic pleas, “You feel so good, you feel perfect . I want your fingers inside me so bad .”
He hisses as he slips his middle and ring finger inside of you, eyes glued to where your entrance is swallowing him up, “Ahaaa...you’re drenched . You really do want me don't you?” he pistons his fingers in and out slowly, slowly and deliberately, “Someone like you, desiring me so terribly. It’s such a waste , but i can't help it. I must be selfish and take this chance while i can.”
“Not a….waste....” You force out, helplessly grinding on his fingers, “Want you....want only you…”
“Oh- Ohhhh .” He moans, “I can feel you, squeezing around my fingers. You’re so wet...so warm…”
You hear a zipper coming undone, and your thoughts go into overdrive, “oh my god, oh my god. Komaeda’s going to jerk off in front of me, wanna watch, wanna watch! ”
His fingers still inside you for a moment as he tugs his boxers down far enough to slip out his cock. Your eyes follow the movement of his long fingers as he slowly curls them around the base, and tugs them up again, rolling the pad of his thumb over the head. His hips buck, and you moan.
“You...you’re tightening around my fingers…” he breathes, choking on a moan as he pumps his cock again, “you like watching me touch myself?” Your hips stutter, grinding your clit against the meat of his palm as he continues stroking himself. His eyes are wide as he watches you writhing beneath him.
“The face you make when you do that...it’s so cute.” You say, whining as his fingers start moving inside you again, “it’s even cuter than I imagined. Your cheeks are all red.” You swallow, “and your cock is so pretty...I want you to cum inside me, so bad .”
His breath hitches, “you want me to cum, inside you?” his cock is leaking with pre-cum now, painfully hard in his hand. His chest is heaving.
“Yes yes yes! ” You plead, “I want you, please! ”
“I don’t understand.” He breathes, and you whimper as his fingers slip out of you, “How could someone be so desperate for my pathetic seed?”
“Fill me up , Komaeda!” You exclaim, at this point you are long past embarrassed. The words leaving your mouth are the absolute truth and there is no way you can deny them.
He groans at that, an octave deeper than you are used to hearing and it seems he is having trouble denying you. His own desperation mingling with yours and overtaking his painful self-doubt, he wraps a hand around the base of his cock, and slowly edges the swollen head against your entrance, “f-fuck…” he mutters as he slips inside you, “you’re so warm .”
You can barely even register what you are saying anymore, it’s little more than a string of compliments about how good he feels inside you. About how handsome he is. Your tongue feels weird and loose in your mouth from overuse, but you still can’t stop talking.
He looms above you, halo of white hair bouncing as he thrusts in and out of you, the unmistakable jangle of the chain hanging from his jeans. All things that confirm it is Komaeda inside of you. Your heart races with the fact.
“Th-thank you, for permitting me to do this with you.” He stammers, sweat slowly dripping down his brow, “it’s...so good...it feels like I belong inside you. ”
A moan rips through you, and you hook your weak ankles around his waist, “you do belong inside me. You fit so perfectly , I was made for your cock. GOD I sound so filthy…..I- I can’t help it.”
“ No.” He hisses, eyes meeting yours, “Keep talking.”
“You say that like I can stop.” You dip your head lower, and wrap your lips around his left collarbone, moaning as you suck hard enough to leave a bruise. He keens above you, hips snapping against yours even faster, “Your hip bones are digging into my thighs…”
He squeezes his eyes shut, “I-I’m sorry, do you want me to-“
“Don’t you dare stop, Komaeda. You’re mine , I want to feel every inch of you.”
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
You bring a shaky hand up to his cheek, he nuzzles into your palm, “You aren’t hurting me. It feels wonderful.”
He kisses you then, messy and wet, his lips taste like desperation. Even with his tongue tangled with yours, you are still trying to speak. Sweet nothings, forceful demands, anything and everything that comes to mind is trying to force its way out of your mouth. Something is in the pit of your stomach is twisting tight and you moan greedily into the cavern of his mouth as his hips meet yours again. You can feel that he’s losing his rhythm.
“S-sorry. I’m...im close…” A moan rips from his throat and he buries his face in your neck.
Your hips have started canting up to meet his, you want so badly to be close to him, to feel all of him, “M’close to. I love having you inside me, i want to do this again and again and-”
Komaeda freezes, eyes turning to the door on the other side of the room. Footstops.
“Who is it? Did they hear? Are there going to come in? What do you think they’re going to do if they see you inside of-”
Komaeda covers your mouth with his palm. You’re still talking, but at least it’s muffled now. Kuzuryu and Hinata are chatting in the hallway, the footsteps seem only to be growing closer. You can't stop thinking terrible, horrible things, and while Komaeda’s hand keeps you quiet enough that they can't seem to hear you from outside, Komaeda can definitely hear you.
“I wanna keep going.”
His eyes are blown wide, but you feel the tell-tale throb of his cock inside of you, “ What?! ” he hisses, “there’s no way you can keep quiet like this...they’ll definitely hear us.”
“I don’t care if they hear us, I want them to hear us. I want them to know what you’re doing to me.”
His hips twitch, and he bites his lip hard to keep in a moan, “You're not ashamed to be seen intimately with someone as despicable as me?”
You coo at him, running your index finger down the front of his throat and over the mark you left on his collarbone, he tentatively removes his hand from your mouth and pushes some sweaty hair away from your forehead, you smile, “I’m not ashamed of you. I’m in love with you.”
Komaeda sucks a breath in through his teeth, and it is only then that you realise what you have said.
“Oh GOD. I didn't - I'm so sorry.” your eyes are wide, you’re ready for him to jump up and bolt out of the room, “I just thought it and then i said it, and jesus christ im so sorry-”
You’re cut off by his lips. The kiss is gentler, less desperate, but filled with the depth of passion. He starts thrusting in and out of you again, and you gasp in surprise at the feeling. He pulls away from the kiss, and rests his forehead against yours, his breathing heavy as one of his hands slips down under your knee. He pushes your leg up higher and you choke on a moan at how much deeper this new angle feels.
A high-pitched whine leaves his throat as he continues moving inside of you, he swallows, “I...I love you too.”
“Aaah... ahhh .” You’re so close at this point, the coiling in your stomach is about ready to snap, “I love you so much, I want your cum, please! ”
“I’ll give it to you, I...hah...I’ll fill you up...is that what you want?”
His hand slips down to your clit and you shriek , clenching hard around his cock, “Yes, yes, yes! I’m close...i'm so close…”
“I’m gonna...I...I…”
A moan rips through you as your climax finally hits, for the first time this day your mind is void of thoughts. All you can do is feel . Your fingers dig into the bedsheet under you, and your legs tighten around Komaeda’s waist. He writhes and moans above you,  he just keeps going, harder and harder and harder, and then, with a heavy groan you feel him release inside of you.
“Thank...you…” you mutter, “thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you…”
Before Komaeda has a chance to say anything in return, someone clears their throat on the other side of the door. The two of you freeze.
“Are you two done?” Hinata asks, he sounds exasperated.
Komaeda clears his throat, “Um...yeah...pretty much.”
“His dick is literally still inside of me! Maybe give us a few minutes!” You wince at the blunt sentence that just left your mouth, Komaeda is clearly trying not to laugh, you huff “Sorry Hinata! I can't help it!”
This disease was going to be the death of you.
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queenrileyrose · 3 years
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Up in the Air Chapter 24: I Saw Your Face and I Knew It Was a Sign; I Still Think About That Moment All of the Time
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No part of my original content may be copied, in whole or in part, and claimed as your own.
Riley, Leo, Daniel, and Liam belong to Pixelberry. Wes and John belong to me, as does this story.
Series premise: A chance meeting on a flight to New York between the heir to the throne and a flight attendant sets a series of events in motion.
Chapter Summary: John meets Riley and Leo at the police station. Leo and Wes forge a partnership, while Riley talks to John and gets a call from Liam.
A/N: This Leo and Riley are different from HC Leo and Riley. Same lovable personalities, but a bit more serious/darker.
Catch up here!
TW: Language, suggestive behavior, reference to injury, puns.
Word Count: 2416
Thank you so much for the comments, likes, and reblogs. It means so much to me. ❤️
Music Inspo: Love You For A Long Time-Maggie Rogers
Riley and Leo left the police station, Leo’s arm around her protectively.
“How’s your hand?” Leo looked at her knuckles as they waited at the curb for the rideshare.
“The punching one or the one that feels heavier because of the gorgeous ring on it?” Riley beamed.
“The punching one.”
“I might have bruised the bone; that’s what the EMT said.” Riley flexed it experimentally. “It really fucking hurts.”
“You should probably have an X-ray.” Leo looked at her swollen knuckles critically.
“I will if it’s not better in the morning,” Riley promised as a familiar town car pulled to the curb. Her eyebrows went up.
John opened the door and took Riley in. He was pale, his eyes a little red.
“I was in a meeting; I came as soon as I could.” John put his arms around her.
“Uh, how did you even know I was here?” Riley flicked her eyes at Leo, who shook his head. He hadn’t called John.
“Your bracelet sends me a notification when you use it.” John released her. “Did I not tell you that?”
“Definitely not.” Riley was a little taken aback, but also comforted. “But what about this specific police station?”
“I called around.” John shrugged. “Are you okay? What happened?”
Riley filled him in, and John let out a huge breath. “Thank goodness you’re safe, and he’s off the streets for a long time.”
“I need new mace,” Riley replied. “I used the whole canister.”
Leo couldn’t help but chuckle. Riley didn’t mess around.
John nodded, and his eye caught the large emerald on Riley’s finger. “That’s a lovely ring.”
Riley looked down at it. “Leo proposed, like half an hour ago.”
John smiled broadly. “Congratulations.” He clapped Leo on the back. “Let’s get off the street.”
———
They rode in John’s town car back to his apartment. Leo updated Wes on the way; Riley shot Daniel a quick text about Alex.
Riley set her phone down and eyed her father warily. “You don’t seem that surprised about the ring.”
John and Leo shared a glance. “Leo told me he was going to, a few weeks ago.”
Riley gaped at Leo. “If you asked permission, I will headbutt you.”
A shout of laughter escaped Leo. “Why would I do that? I just wanted to let John know where my head was. I talked to Dan too.”
Riley smiled sheepishly. “Sorry. That just makes me stabby.”
“I don’t need anyone’s permission to marry you but yours.” Leo kissed the crown of her head. “I vividly remember the Disney brainwashes women conversation.”
“Good.” Riley smiled.
John’s brow creased. “I have not heard that.”
Riley swiveled her head to face him. “I will start with Beauty and the Beast, or as I like to call it, “if Stockholm syndrome was a cartoon romance.”
Leo settled back in his seat, listening to Riley talk about how Belle should have killed the beast and taken over his castle.
———
Later that night, after a four-course meal at John’s that included butternut squash ravioli, salmon, salad, and crème brûlée, a full Riley and Leo arrived back at the townhouse.
“Your dad does dessert now,” Leo said as he walked to the kitchen to get Riley an ice pack.
“I had to force feed him a cupcake a few weeks ago. He forgot sugar was good.” Riley slid her shoes off and sat heavily on the couch. “I ate too much.”
“You skipped lunch.” Leo put the ice pack on her hand and sat next to her. Riley curled into him, putting her head on his shoulder. She stretched her hand out. The swelling had gone down a little. It still hurt.
“What kind of wedding do you want?” Riley put the ice pack back on her hand.
“Already? We’ve been engaged a few hours.” Leo joked.
“I don’t want a long engagement,” Riley said matter of factly. “Do you?”
“No,” Leo admitted. “I thought we could get married a few weeks after we get back from Cordonia.”
“That’s not bad, only a few months.” Riley smiled. “I like it. But you didn’t answer my question.”
“Small is good,” Leo replied. “I’ve never been into the whole giant wedding. But whatever you want, I’m on board.”
“Do I seem like a huge wedding person?” Riley giggled. “In a giant cupcake dress and veil. Ew.”
“I don’t like veils,” Leo admitted. “They seem like a safety hazard.”
“I know a few reasons why it’s a thing, but I’ve talked enough about smashing the patriarchy today.” Riley yawned. “It takes a lot out of me.”
“Save some of that for Cordonia and make sure my dad hears.” Leo kissed her forehead. “You’re awesome.”
Riley’s lips lifted, her eyes drooping. “So are you.”
“We need to have the Cordonia talk.” Leo reminded her.
“Let’s wait until it’s closer, okay?” Riley said sleepily. “I’ll psych myself out of going otherwise.”
“Deal. Let’s go to bed, lady.” Leo stood and helped her up. “Long ass day. We can start the wedding list in the morning.”
“I’m having lunch with my dad tomorrow to talk.” Riley stretched. “I need to call Dan, too.”
Leo captured her lips in a searing kiss. “Definitely need to go to bed then.”
Riley smiled into the kiss.
———
Riley walked the few blocks to Grace’s restaurant. She hadn’t wanted to talk there, but her dad kept reminding her about the lamb chops.
Riley used the walk to call Daniel, still in Cordonia for work.
“He asked you at a police station,” Daniel said in disbelief. “He’s lucky he’s sexy.”
“It was so sweet.” Riley grinned. “That story is gold.”
“You’re not wrong.” Daniel agreed. “The ring is to die for.”
“It is.” Riley slowed down a little to navigate around a group of kids. “We’re getting married after the Cordonia trip.”
“A date already!” Daniel exclaimed. “You better not have a dress. I haven’t given my approval of any.”
“I’m not wearing white.” Riley smiled. “I’m going to check out this light blue one I saw earlier. It’s gorgeous.”
“What’s wrong with white?” Daniel huffed. “You could get a big puffy thing.”
“You’re kidding, right?”
“Partly.”
“White washes me out; I’m not a traditionalist. The blue one feels right.”
“You know best,” Daniel said. “I’m happy for you, Ri.”
“Thanks.” Riley grinned. “Now I gotta go eat some lamb and tell my dad I feel left out.”
“Godspeed,” Daniel said encouragingly. “I know it will be okay.”
“Me too.” Riley hurried down the sidewalk, realizing she was about to be late. “Talk soon.”
“Love you. Us for life.” Daniel gasped. “Does this mean Leo and I are for life too?”
“Us for life, Dan.” Riley laughed. “Yes, on the Leo.”
“Truly the best day.” Daniel chortled.
They hung up, and Riley dashed into the restaurant. Her dad was at his usual table; Grace sat next to him. Riley felt her stomach sink.
———
Leo rolled out from under a bike, wiping his brow. He was working on rebuilding a whole motorcycle, engine, and all. While Leo worked, his mind cleared. He’d never felt more accomplished. Who knew a guy who was born to be king was actually better at repairing motorcycles?
Wes wheeled in. “Time for a fucking break.”
Leo nodded and stood, following Wes to the small break room. He grabbed a bottle of water and took a long gulp before sitting.
“You only have a few fucking weeks left,” Wes said approvingly. “Taking a fucking page out of Riley’s book and finishing early.”
“She’s an awesome motivator.” Leo grinned. “She watched videos about carburetors so she could understand what I was building.”
“One of a fucking kind.” Wes shot him a lopsided grin. “I wanted to fucking run something by you.”
Leo nodded and took another drink of water. “Shoot.”
“I need a fucking business partner.” Wes began. “There’s only 4 of us, 5 when you fucking  pass the licensing and cert tests. I want to focus more on the fucking work and less on the fucking books.”
“But why me?” Leo asked, stunned.
“You fucking help with that stuff already. You’d fucking have to buy into it, and it’d fucking be a sixty forty split.”
Wes rubbed his neck awkwardly. “You’re a fucking awesome mech. Like you were fucking born with a wrench instead of the fucking silver spoon.”
“I’m in.” Leo grinned.
Wes grinned back. “Fuck yeah! Let’s go over details.”
———
Riley stabbed her lamb chop with the fork. Grace left soon after Riley arrived to run the kitchen.
“You wanted to talk about something?“ John asked, watching Riley attack her food.
Riley put her fork down. Time to be a grown-up. “Yes.”
John set his fork down too. “Please, go on.”
“I feel like I’m being left out since you started dating Grace.” Riley began. “We do lunch more than dinner; she’s always around.”
“Oh.” John blinked a few times. “I don’t mean to make you feel that way. I thought you would want more evening time with Leo; that’s why I changed to lunch.”
“I feel dumb.” Riley toyed with her fork. “I want you to be happy; I just didn’t think I’d be this way about it.”
“You should never feel dumb about speaking up. I should have considered your feelings a bit more.” John reached for her hand. “We can go back to dinners if you like. I love either, so it’s up to you.”
“I would really love dinners again.” Riley relaxed her shoulders. “I don’t mind, Grace. It’s just an adjustment. I got spoiled, you all to myself.”
“We can make an effort for more one-on-one time, too,” John said. “I know, we can go to the zoo Saturday.”
“I am not 7,” Riley said. “But the zoo has good milkshakes.”
“It’s a date.” John squeezed her hand and let go. “We have a lot of lost time, Riley. I think your feelings are ones most would have. But you are irreplaceable.”
“You are too, Dad.” Riley picked her fork back up.
———
Riley was walking back home after work when her phone rang. She pulled it from her purse and saw a Cordonia country code. Not Madeleine; she saved that as blonde mess.
Riley answered the phone. “Hello?”
A deep voice, somehow full of mirth but tinged with nervousness, came over the line. “Is this Riley?”
“Yup.” Riley popped the p. “This is?”
“Liam, Leo’s brother. Has he told you about me?” Liam sounded more nervous now.
“Only your whole life story. How’d you get my number?” Riley stopped and sat on a bench. Why was he calling her?
“Bastien,” Liam admitted. “I wanted to check in, make sure Leo was still doing well.”
“Bas should just write my number in the bathroom at this point.”
“Who else did he give your number to?” Liam scribbled a note to tell Bastien to knock it off.
“Madeleine.”
Liam underlined it three times. “Fuck.”
“Back to Leo. He just called you.” Riley’s brow furrowed. “A few days ago.”
“Yes, but I wanted to hear it from someone else,” Liam explained. “Leo will pretend for my benefit. He seems better.”
“He’s fucking great.” Riley smiled softly. “He’s got a few weeks left on his school; then he’s done.” She didn’t mention the engagement. Leo wanted to tell Liam in person.
Liam exhaled. “Brie-lliant. Liv said I was paranoid.”
“Here, I thought he was exaggerating the cheese pun love. Mr. we could have grown mold together.”
“We’ve almost crossed paths a few times now,” Liam argued. “And I just got the best idea of my life so far. How do you feel about pranking Leo when you visit?”
“Pretty good about it.” Riley grinned. “What do you have in mind?”
———
Leo looked up from the table as Riley burst in.
“Sorry, I’m late!” Riley called as she removed her shoes and tossed her bag on the table. “I got the weirdest phone call.” She set the garment bag on the wingback chair in the entryway.
Leo stood and embraced her, planting a soft kiss on her lips. “Hi.”
“Hi.” Riley smiled into the next kiss.
“What’s in the bag?”
“My wedding dress.” Riley winked.
“That was fast.”
“I saw it, and that was it. It’s light blue and tea length. I love it.”
“Sounds hot.” Leo cocked an eyebrow. “Blue? What’s tea-length?”
“White isn’t my thing.” Riley pressed another kiss to his lips. “It means past the knee but above the ankle.”
Leo nodded. “Who called?”
“Liam.”
“No, he didn’t.” Leo led her to the kitchen. He turned her hand over. It looked better. He grabbed an ice pack.
Riley showed him her phone with Liam’s number. She saved him under cheese man.
“He wanted to make sure you were really okay,” Riley explained. “I said yep; then we talked a bit.”
“How many puns?”
“6, that I counted.” Riley giggled. “He commits.”
“I’m not sure when they started. He was around 8, I think. Just started saying them.”
Riley shook her head. “Such a beautiful little weirdo.”
“He’s the best.” Leo agreed. “Lunch was good?”
“Yes. More dinners. He’s taking me to the zoo.” Riley shook her hand a little. “I feel way better.”
“Awesome.” Leo grinned. “How’s the hand?”
“Sore, but way better.” Riley sat, sighing in relief. “How was your day?”
“Big day, actually.” Leo sat across from her. “Wes offered a partnership at the shop, and I took it.”
Riley’s eyes rounded. “Fuck! That’s huge and amazing.”
“Yeah.” Leo got up to grab water, setting a bottle in front of Riley. “Sixty forty, and my buy-in isn’t too bad. Twenty thousand.”
“That’s so great.” Riley grabbed his hand. “Wes must love you. He had a few people approach him, and he turned them down.”
“Wes is definitely a loner type.” Leo agreed. “He’s getting a dog.”
“Oh, my dear sweet Jesus.” Riley clapped. “What kind?”
“Whatever they give him,” Leo said. “He found a program that gives helper dogs to people with challenges, as he calls it. He should know soon.”
“I love dogs.” Riley gushed. “Oh, let’s get one after we get married! I love them all.”
Leo laughed at her excitement. “Okay. We can figure it out. I will make sure to tell Wes to text you about his.”
“I have so many punny names for animals,” Riley said. “So many.”
Leo leaned forward and kissed her forehead. “Wes is naming whatever he gets, Killer. He was very insistent.”
“He’s hilarious.” Riley snorted. “We’ll get a Chewbarka or Drool Barrymore.”
Leo groaned. “Those are terrible.”
“They’re dog names, not cheese puns,” Riley said. “They are perfect as is; they don't need to mature like Liam’s puns.” She bounced a little. “Hey, oh!”
Leo just shook his head. Liam better not teach her any more jokes.
———
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badsext · 3 years
Note
I wish you would write a Leon fic.. that's it. That's the message 😅
Scene Partners: Leon X Reader
Thank you for the request @misskittysmagicportal.  I love Leon.  I hope I’m doing him justice.
Summary: After Leon’s ill fated role as Neil Armstrong in the fake moon landing, he decided that fancy acting classes would be just the thing to launch (pun intended) his career as a serious actor.
Warning: Very irresponsible and spontaneous smut (Please use protection IRL) 18+ and suggested assault of a character within a play.  I hid the smut under the ‘read more’. These warnings make it sound heavier than it is...it’s actually super light and fun.
________________________________________________________
Johnny looked at Leon incredulously. “Where are you going at 10:00 AM on a Thursday morning?”
Leon looked his best mate in the eye and lied. “The pub, of course.”
In fact, this was the first day in months he wasn’t drunk or high...Alright, maybe just a toke or two to take the edge off. He even washed his hair and put on a turtleneck because that is what serious actors wore. Leon had lied and stumbled his way into a local university Theatre School, financing his tuition with a fraudulent cheque.
It was only an introductory scene workshop for beginners, but after watching the real Neil Armstrong walk on the Moon, Leon aspired to do great things. He arrived at the theatre more or less on time and with an inflated sense of purpose. It smelled like dust and leather and old wood. Framed photographs of former students lined the hallowed halls. Nervousness began to set in. He felt like an imposter, just like he did when Johnny had asked him to impersonate Stanley Kubrick some months ago. Accept this time, the only thing he had to impersonate was a man with confidence. After a brief internal struggle, Leon decided that he would go to the pub after all. There was always next Thursday.
As he reached for the door, a young woman had just entered, shaking the rain off her umbrella. Seeing how cute she was, Leon immediately changed course.
“Are you here for the workshop?,” she asked politely.
“Yes, I am,” he replied with a bashful smile. “I’m Leon.”
When she took off her coat, he saw how she wore a very similar black turtleneck.
“Y/N. Pleasure to meet you, Leon.” She paused, looking up from her cat eye glasses. “I think we might be late!,” she added urgently.  He followed her onto the workshop, sitting beside her in the back row of chairs. His interest in y/n distracted him from the enormity of the theatre and his growing stage fright.
The professor explained the warm up exercises, but Leon learned nothing. He was watching y/n chew on her fountain pen. They started with a series of vocalizations and deep breathing. Leon watched y/n’s chest and diaphragm expand and contract with each concentrated breath. Once she caught him staring, he would look up to the rafters or down at his shoes, thoughtfully scratching his beard. She smiled at his lack of subtlety.
The professor distributed scenes to the students at random. Leon looked down at his script. His stage fright resurfaced as he read the words at the top of the page. ‘Macbeth: Act 4, Scene 1.’ The ‘Second Witch’ part had been highlighted.
The students were given fifteen minutes to rehearse their scenes wherein Leon mumbled and stumbled through his lines. The actresses playing the other witches were good-natured about it, but everyone knew the scene would be shit.
He broke into a sweat as the actors were called to the stage.  His mind was nothing but static at that point.  He watched the actresses move their lips, hunched in crone-like fashion and wiggling their fingers over an imaginary cauldron.  They chanted in unison:
“Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.”
When they stopped, everyone looked at Leon.  This was his line.  The last ‘bubble’ just hung in the air while the silence took over.  He gave it his best effort, though his voice was weak and his hands were shaking.
“Fillet of a fanny snake,
In the cauldron boil and bake;
Eye of newt and toe of frog,
Wool of twat and tongue of hog.”
His hands shook with such force that he dropped the script.
“Oh, bollocks - It’s gone in the soup!”  He improvised rolling up his sleeve and fishing it out of the hot cauldron.
“Leon...Leon!”  It took the professor several tries to rouse him from his panic.  “That’s enough, Leon. We mustn't paraphrase Shakespeare.”  The students giggled.   The professor pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.  “Let’s try something else, shall we?”  
He turned and pulled two scripts from his briefcase, handing one to Leon.  “We need something to build your confidence.  You will play Stanley Kawalski.  He’s a proud, domineering brute.” He beat his chest for emphasis.  “And you...y/n, you will play Blanche, the jealous, simmering sexpot,” he said, casually handing her the other script.
“A Streetcar Named Desire?  Wasn’t that a film with Marlon Brando?,” Leon muttered nervously.
The professor put a hand on each of their backs.  “I’ll read the stage directions.  Don’t think, just use your instincts.”
Leon read the lines with as much bravado as he could muster. “I've been on to you from the start! Not once did you pull any wool over this boy's eyes! You come in here and sprinkle the place with powder and spray perfume and cover the light bulb with a paper lantern, and lo and behold the place has turned into Egypt and you are the Queen of the Nile! Sitting on your throne and swilling down my liquor! I say--Ha!--Ha! Do you hear me? Ha--Ha--ha!”
“Okay, now he walks into the bedroom.”
Y/N cried out a warning as Blanche, “Don't come in here!” 
“That was quite good,” Leon whispered, eliciting a small smile.
“Stanley goes into the bathroom and Blanche picks up the phone.”
Blanche: “Operator, operator! Give me long-distance, please.... I want to get in touch with Mr. Shep Huntleigh of Dallas. He's so well-known he doesn't require any address. Just ask anybody who--Wait! I--No, I couldn't find it right now.... Please understand, I--No! No, wait! ... One moment! Someone is--Nothing! Hold on, please!”  
Leon grinned out of character, so impressed by y/n’s acting.
“Blanch is going mad now, pacing back and forth.”
Blanche: “Operator! Operator! Never mind long-distance. Get Western Union. There isn't time to be--Western--Western Union!  Western Union? Yes! I--want to--Take down this message! "In desperate, desperate circumstances! Help me! Caught in a trap. Caught in--" Oh!
Stanley: “You left th' phone off th' hook.”
“Now he blocks her from the door.”
Blanche: “Let me--let me get by you!”
Stanley: “Get by me! Sure. Go ahead”
“But he only gives her an inch.”
Blanche: “You--you stand over there!”
Stanley: “You got plenty of room to walk by me now.”
Blanche: “Not with you there! But I've got to get out somehow!”
Stanley: “You think I'll interfere with you? Ha-ha!”
Blanche: “I warn you, don't, I'm in danger!”
“He takes another step and she smashes the bottle breaking it.”
Stanley: “What did you do that for?”
Blanche: “So I could twist the broken end in your face!”
Stanley: “I bet you would do that!”
Blanch: “I would! I will if you--”
Leon’s reading becomes increasingly stilted and awkward.  “Oh! So you want some rough-house! All right, let's have some rough-house!”
“He springs out at her.  She swipes the bottle at him, but he captures her wrist and overpowers her.”
The professor read the stage directions, but Leon wouldn’t move, delivering the next bit of dialogue with a sigh of regret.  “Tiger--tiger! Drop the bottle top! Drop it! We've had this date with each other from the beginning!”
“Overpower her, Leon.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t like to do that, Professor.”
“It’s acting, Leon...It’s pretend.”
“I don’t even want to pretend.  Stanley is horrid and I hate him.”
The professor rolled his eyes, disregarding Leon’s protest. Then he clapped his hands together addressing the other students.  “Okay, everybody, that’s it for today.  I want you off book by next week.”
The students started getting up from their chairs and shuffling their things.  Y/N approached Leon who was staring down at the stage with his arms folded.  He looked up anxiously as she leaned in to whisper in his ear.  Meet me in the ladies room in five minutes.
Leon was at first confused, then his eyes widened with surprise when he realized what she meant.  She laughed and swaggered away.
Y/N spotted Leon lurking by the door.  “Leon, that was three minutes, at most.  Luckily everybody left after class.  At least I think so,” she added with a cheeky grin.  “Come here.”  She grabbed his hand and pulled him inside the cubicle.  Do you want to shag?
Leon nodded his head. “Y-yes.”
“I liked what you did today,” she said, removing her knickers.  “It was very chivalrous of you.”
Y/N tilted her head and kissed him.  He inhaled at the contact of her lips.
She pulled back and looked him in his glistening green eyes.  “Go on then.”
“What ‘d ya mean?
“Fuck me, Leon.”
“Shouldn’t I, you know...foreplay?”
“Leon, I’m already soaked.  Get your cock out and fuck me.”
Leon quickly unbuckled his belt and let his trousers fall down around his ankles.  She turned with her back against the partition wall and one foot on the toilet seat.  He lifted her tartan skirt and drove up inside her, groaning at the tight wet sensation. She inhaled through her teeth, clutching  at his shoulders, then wrapping her arms around his neck.  Leon closed the gap between them, his pelvic bone at the base of his cock creating a throbbing pressure on her clit as he thrust.  The hard bouncing rhythm made her glasses fall askew.  She whimpered and moaned as the orgasm pulsed through her, overwhelming her senses.  
“Was that?...Did you?”
Her eyelids drooped peacefully.  “Um hm.”
He smiled, encouraged and continued thrusting.  His eyes shined like Christmas trees. She pet his curls, watching the pleasure wash over his face.
“I’m gonna…”
“Don’t stop, sweetie.”
He plowed into her, releasing his warm seed with a hearty grunt.
“Bravo, Leon,” she smirked.
@bubblyani @elliethesuperfruitlover @super-unpredictable98 @salvador-daley @helena-way07 @chipster-21 @punknatch @slutforrobbiebro
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offbrandmercyplates · 3 years
Text
An OBMP Holiday Fanfic Special
Me: I should do a thing, get back in the writing spirit and all that.
Time of Year: *Is a holiday*
Me: I think I know what I’m going to do today.
So, yep! It’s a OBMP fanfic holiday special! WHOOOP! This thing actually went through a few different versions before I finally settled on one. There were some weird versions, which reminds me: what would happen if you tried to bake cookies without proper ingredients? One of the versions involved trying to make chocolate chip cookies with powdered milk, egg protein, and no baking soda. I have no idea what would happen if you actually tried that. I can only assume the worst. Also, there was a salt rock. And an elaborate traipsing through the halls and down the stairs. Not the best setup.
Anyway, this one should be much better! Please enjoy!
Messy Gyftmas!
Emmibee’s cozy cocoon of warmth and hazy sleep was viciously torn open by a muffled buzzing sound. She quickly scrambled to shut off the old alarm clock she had buried in clothes and towels on her side table. She flopped back onto the bed. Just a few more seconds… a few more seconds…
…Kind of weird that Dr. Gaster hadn’t come into her bedroom to see what the alarm was about.
…Dr. Gaster?
Emmi snapped upright. That’s right; Dr. Gaster was taking his once-a-week night off and actually sleeping! (It was very, very slow progress in getting him to sleep more properly, but progress all the same.) She quickly threw off the covers and slipped on the fuzzy pink socks she had managed to find at the Snowdin Shop recently. She tiptoed out of her bed room and past Gaster’s room.
She was halfway down the stairs when she heard a gravelly snore that made her freeze. She turned towards the couch and spotted the skeleton doctor sprawled across the couch, glasses askew and a bunch of papers over his torso and lap. It seemed that he had fallen asleep while working instead of sleeping in his room like they agreed.
She shook her head. That stubborn old man…
Well, he was actually asleep, so that was good enough for today.
Emmi stepped into the kitchen and reached into the fridge. She had been meaning to ask why exactly Dr. Gaster kept so many bags of Popato Chisps in the fridge, of all places, but they hid Emmi’s personal purchases more than adequately, so it didn’t matter right now.
She retrieved the frozen waffles, bagels, and the two different kinds of spreads, and set them on the countertop. Two waffles were popped into the toaster, a few bagels were cut in half put in the oven to warm, and the two spreads— plain and strawberry flavored cream cheese— were opened and set out to soften a bit.
Emmi grinned and clapped her hands together quietly. A nice, warm, sort of-nutritious breakfast would hopefully give the doctor a reason to have more regular sleep schedule.
She pulled a large plate out of the cupboard and began to tastefully arrange the food (ha, puns). It was a shame she couldn’t find any maple syrup to put on the waffles, but maybe Gaster would appreciate being able to hold them in his hands and bite them like cookies. Once the plate was arranged to her taste (somebody stop her; she’s having a pun-derful morning!), she picked it up and began to carry it over to the coffee table by the couch.
At least, that’s what she intended to do, before a crunchy *thump* sounded from outside the house, followed by a strange, almost annoyed-sounding lowing. Emmi set the plate down and peeked out the window.
The snow wasn’t glittering with the warm, orange lights of the buildings in town, which meant that by all standards, it was still nighttime. Still, Emmi’s eyes quickly adjusted to see a strange, four-legged creature stumbling around in front of the house. Perhaps a fellow monster needed help?
She stuffed her snow boots on over her socks and grabbed her heavy coat. She opened the door to the house and stepped into the cold.
It was snowing, as it did every night in Snowdin. Emmi realized that the monster wasn’t stumbling; rather, it seemed to be bucking like a horse, a donkey, or a deer. The crunchy *thump* from earlier was likely caused by them tripping and smacking into a snowbank outside the house. They lowed again, more loudly, and shook their antlers. The movements were accompanied by tinkling bells, rustling paper, and other sounds.
A Gyftrot, Emmi realized with a quiet gasp. She had not yet met this particular monster, but the distressed noises it made were probably because of the decorations adorning it.“Hello?” Emmi called. Gyftrot snapped their attention to her, and she flinched.
Even when playing Undertale in her old life, Gyftrot was a funny looking creature. In person, though, they were almost terrifying. Their big, gaping eyes seemed both sunken and laser focused, and their sideways mouth steamed in angry sounding puffs and clicking teeth. They towered over her, their antlers almost doubling their height. They growled and backed away, dragging their hooves in the snow.
“W-wait!” She called. “I promise I’m not a child! I’m a perfectly grown-up adult!”
Gyftrot paused, then tilted their head in a way that seemed to say, “Oh, are you, now?”
“I am!” Emmi insisted. “Look, I’m not wearing a striped shirt.” She opened her coat enough to show off her pastel-colored nightgown, then closed it quickly. She was not built for cold weather.
Gyftrot rolled their eyes and huffed out another cloud of steam. “Okay, fine,” they seemed to be saying. “Now what?”
“You look like you could use some help. Would it be okay if I undecorated you? I’ll be careful, I promise.”
Gyftrot squinted at her for a good few seconds before folding their legs and resting in the snow, their antlers more at Emmi’s level.
“Thank you,” Emmi bowed politely and approached them. The tinkling bell sounds came from some thin plastic balls smacking together, looped over the prongs of Gyftrot’s antlers. The rustling paper was, in actuality, several strands of threadbare garland strands, wrapped around their neck and, again, their antlers. Following these were some of the strangest items Emmi could imagine: multiple stockings, tiny walking canes, boxes of raisins, a few car fresheners, and for some reason, a small, very confused dog. Emmi could have sworn the dog gave her a knowing wink before bounding into the forrest.
She looked over her handiwork and nodded. “Everything looks good.”
Gyftrot rose back to their hooves, and Emmi gave them some space. “Thank you, Miss,” they said in a deep voice. “I was asleep on the edge of the forest for the night, and when I awoke, I was covered in all manner of trinkets and nonsense. No doubt the work of some young punks. Oh, and pardon me for thinking you one of those children. You have a youthful demeanor about you, and you are very short.”
“Hey!” Emmi laughed with mock indignation. Gyftrot snorted a few times, a mischievous gleam in their eyes. Then their gaze dropped, and they went quiet. “Something wrong?” Emmi asked.
“It’s a bit silly, but… after all of that, I’m a bit hungry.”
Emmi thought for a second. “Well, I was making some breakfast for a friend when I heard you out here… Would you like me to bring you some?”
Gyftrot’s ears flattened a bit. “Well, I’d hate to take the meal you made for your friend…”
“No worries! I can make more. Wait right here; I’ll bring you a plate.” Before they could protest, Emmi sped-walked into the house, grabbed the plate of food, and brought it outside. “Here we are! Waffles and bagels. Do you like cream cheese—?”
As soon as Gyftrot spotted the plate, their eyes grew as big as saucers and they stuck their snout into the food. They were an enthusiastic and sloppy eater, but Emmi was too distracted by watching the way their jaws worked to notice the bits of cream cheese and crumbs spilling onto the front of her coat.
They grinned at her when they finished; a grin that, without context, would have seemed almost sinister. Emmi knew it was a smile of satisfaction. “Thank you again, Miss. Perhaps we’ll meet again, at a better time of the day. Good night.” Gyftrot trotted out of sight.
Emmi watched them go. Her socks were starting to become soaked through her boots, but the warmth in her SOUL distracted her from the cold.
The snow began to glitter orange in certain spots around her. “Emmibee?” She looked up to see a tired Gaster standing in the still open doorway of the house. Oops. “Why is the door open at this hour? You hate being cold.”
He stepped into the snow, not bothered by the weather, and stood over Emmi, looking her up and down with an analytical curiosity. She turned to face him, grinning just a little deliriously. Maybe she should have gone to bed earlier instead of reading all night…
“…What are you wearing?” Dr. Gaster asked.
She looked down at herself, seeing the crumbs and cream cheese smears from Gyftrot’s early breakfast, as well as a few of the decorations she had removed from Gyftrot’s person. Somehow, the garland had wrapped around her shoulders, a tiny walking cane hung around each of her ears like strange headphones, and a few stockings hung from the buttons on her coat. She blinked for a moment. Then, she smiled up at her housemate. “I’m the messiest Gyftmas tree. Hohoho, heeheehee.”
Gaster squinted at her, his bone brow furrowed as he tried to comprehend what she just said. “…You’re a very strange woman,” he finally stated.
“Actually, if you recall, I said I’m—”
“Yes, I heard you the first time. You are the messiest Gyftmas tree.”
“You have to say ‘hohoho, heeheehee’ after that part.”
“No.”
“Phooey.”
“Will you explain why you’re outside at this hour now?”
“After we go inside. I’ll make more breakfast.”
In the time it took Emmibee to remake Gaster’s breakfast plate and tell her story, she was barely standing on her feet. Before she could fall over, Gaster guided her to his spot on the couch, removed her coat, boots, and decorations, and tossed his lab coat over her sleeping form, since it was the closest thing to a blanket within arm’s reach.
He found himself glancing at her repeatedly and he ate the breakfast she made. Her curly brown hair was frizzy and tangled from the snowy winds, and her round little face was pink from the warmth of the house. It filled him with… nondescript contentment. It definitely didn’t make him feel nice. Most certainly not. Definitely not.
…So what other word could he use to explain these feelings?
A strange and messy Gyftmas, but satisfying all the same, I hope.
Gyftrot showing was one of the first things that came to mind for this story. Who could be more perfect for a holiday special? And, one of my favorite parts: it shows off Emmi’s integrity. Even a scary looking fellow like Gyftrot deserves a good breakfast and not being covered in weird decorations. (Seriously, though; look at Gyftrot’s battle sprite and tell me that wouldn’t be a little spooky in real life.)
There were some little tidbits in some of the earlier drafts that didn’t make it into the final story, like Emmibee spending her evenings in bed reading by candlelight, the exact spots that don’t squeak on the stairs, and little things like that. Now that I think about it, I don’t know if flashlights would be prevalent in the Underground, or if they’re a more limited resource. It can’t be that easy to find fresh batteries in the dump heap, but maybe the Underground is able to make batteries with the materials it has. For some reason, my mind was in a kind of archaic rut, so I think I imagined the Underground having more limited resources than it probably does; hence the earlier draft with the powdered milk cookies.
Gaster: What is this feeling? It couldn’t be… the warm fuzzies!? No! I’m too sophisticated and cool to have the warm fuzzies!
It has been said before, by many different sources, and it shall be said again: Emmibee is a smol.
Also, the “messiest Gyftmas tree” is a reference to the song “The Happiest Christmas Tree.” It’s… interesting.
Okay, I think that covers all the extra bits. With Ms. Emmibee’s permission, I’ll be posting this to my fanfiction and AO3 accounts at a later date. I hope everyone had a happy holiday! Let’s hope next year’s just a little bit better. Until then!
~~~
THE WARM FUZZIES!!
Apologies for posting this so late, but I truly truly appreciate and adore this fic. Gyftrot is one of the most interesting monsters, I think, and Emmi’s interaction with it is SO pure????? This is wonderful and I love it and THANK YOU!!!!
Please post it to FF and AO3 at your leisure!! 
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anayame · 3 years
Text
This is a birthday present for the spectacular @101systemglitch101 ~
I know I didn’t need to make something else but I wanted to 💜
Today was an exciting day for you, it was your birthday! You didn’t want it to become a huge event but you had people you wanted to spend this day with. Blue has already been blowing up your phone, saying how excited he was for you to come over later. Apparently Blue had set up a whole night for you, Stretch, and himself. A night with the two of them sounded amazing, especially with the tall cuddle bug known as Stretch. It was already the afternoon so you’d head over once it started to get dark.
What you weren’t expecting was a knock on your door already. With a confused glance at your entrance, you stood and went to open your door. You knew Blue could get impatient but-
Who stood at your door wasn’t Blue, but instead Stretch. A lazy smile spanned his skull and he gave you a wave. In his hand he held a bouquet of your favourite flowers, and he caught you looking at them. A chuckle left him and he held them out to you.
“I knew you liked them so I thought I’d get some for ya.” He told you, and you felt your cheekbones heating up a little.
“That’s so sweet, thank you Stretch!” You said and gave him a big smile.
“So what are you doing here?” You asked as you indicated him to follow you inside.
“Thought maybe you and I could spend some time together before you come over.” He told you, and you turned back to look at him with a blush. You were a bit in shock.
“I.. I would love that!” You stammered and gave him a big grin before heading to get a vase for the flowers.
Stretch chuckled as he followed you, hands going into his pockets as he leaned against the frame of the kitchen. He watched as you filled a vase halfway with water, then unwrapped the flowers and gently set them inside. You placed them on the counter and started to fiddle with them to make sure they were perfect. Once they were to your liking, you turned to your visitor and clapped your hands, then clasping them together as you smiled.
“So.. what do you have planned?” You asked.
“You’ll see~” Stretch chimed and grinned as he stood straight.
He walked to your front door and locked it then turned to you, whom had followed him curiously. He offered you his large hand, and you stepped forward with no hesitation. You trusted this bonehead with every bone in your body.
“Ready to head out?” He asked, getting a nod in return.
With a smile he took a shortcut, teleporting you two to your first destination.
The place that he took the two of you was a small cafe downtown. Flowers sat neatly outside and the label on the front window was hand painted in gold script. It was a pretty exterior, looking old fashioned but in a good way. The soft smell of pastries and coffee hit your nose and you let out a happy noise. This made Stretch chuckle as he led you to an outdoor table that was reserved for the two of you.
On the table set an adorable stuffed bear holding a heart bearing your name on it. You let out a coo and picked it up, hugging it to your chest as the both of you sat down.
“Awe thank you Stretch!” You said happily.
“Anything for you darlin’.” He hummed and smiled, resting his chin on his hand as he watched you.
Soon food was brought out to you without you even needing to order. Your favourite drink as well as your favourite pastries were set in front of you. Stretch could literally see your eyelights sparkle as you set the teddy on your lap and started to eat. You both made idle conversation, you eating your sweet treats while he sipped a honey latte and snacked on a simple donut. He just found you too adorable as you talked and ate, and he actually paid attention to what you were saying.
“This is great, I’m glad we got to come here before we went to your place~” You hummed as you sipped at your drink.
“Oh we aren’t done yet.” Stretch replied with a hum.
“Oh oka- what?? Where else are we going?” You asked curiously.
“You’ll see.” He told you simply as he finished off his donut.
When the two of you were done eating, Stretch stood and offered you his hand again, and you happily stood and took it. He gave it a gentle squeeze before taking another shortcut.
Where you were next was a huge butterfly sanctuary, encased in glass that glimmered in the sun. You could see plants that almost touched the top of the transparent dome, and little flickers of colors flittering to and fro. Stretch led you through the entrance and to the front desk, where a woman smiled sweetly at the two of you.
“Stretch I assume?” She asked, hands clasped in front of her.
“Yup that’s me.” He told her and she nodded, sweeping her hand to her right, your left.
There was a glass door that presumably led to the rest of the sanctuary.
“Go right through there, the whole place is yours to explore for the next two hours. Please thoroughly enjoy your stay.” She said and gave you both a smile, to which you both returned before heading through.
The moment you both went through you could smell the fresh flowers and could feel the humidity in the air. It was so peacefully silent, and you did a spin, in awe. But you realized.. There was no one else in here, and it clicked. You then turned to Stretch, whom had his hands in his pockets and was smiling adoringly at you.
“Did you rent out this whole place for the two of us?!” You squeaked, feeling your skull heat up.
“Yup.” He said nonchalantly.
You started to go on about how that was too much money for him to spend on you, how you would’ve been happy even if there were people in here. You kept rambling until he gently placed his index phalange on your teeth, making you hush.
“Shh, for you I’ll spend all the money I have, to the very last penny, just to make you happy. Now come, let’s enjoy this, shall we?” He told you with a smile that made you melt. You’re pretty sure your skull was on fire.
You squeaked out an okay and he chuckled, offering you his hand. You took it and felt him intertwined his phalanges with yours as the two of you started to walk through. The paths were slightly narrow to make as much space for foliage as they could. Butterflies fluttered about, all different sizes and colors. It was truly an amazing sight and you couldn’t help but walk slow to be able to take it all in. It made you so happy that Stretch would do something like this for you.
You stopped to look at a pair of monarch butterflies that were sitting prettily on some flowers, hand reaching out slowly to see if one would crawl onto it. What you didn’t expect was it to fly onto your forehead! You let out a small squeal, standing still to make sure it didn’t fly off. Your eyelights crossed trying to look at it, and you could see a bit of its wings.
“Hey Stretch lo-” You had turned to show him and stopped, sentence cut short as your jaw dropped.
Stretch was standing there, basically the butterfly skeleton. Butterflies of all shapes and sizes were on him, including on his skull.
“Guess I’m kind of a butterfly magnet.” He said with a small chuckle.
“It’s what you get for smelling like honey all the time.” You replied with a giggle, and he gave you a dorky smile.
After gently removing the copious amounts of butterflies from him (some still decided to tag along), you two continued to walk around. You both talked and laughed with each other, Stretch cracking his dorky puns as you walked, and you laughing along because you loved him so much. You noticed him looking at you once and a while, and he noticed you looking at him too.
When the two hours had passed, the two of you both headed back towards the entrance. You could see through the glass that the sun was starting to set, and realized how long the two of you had already been on this.. Date? That word made you blush a little. With one last check over for hitchhiking butterflies, you two finally left, waving goodbye to the woman at the desk before heading outside.
“One last stop darlin’.” Stretch told you, and you looked at him in shock, holding your teddy bear close to your chest with your free hand.
Once again Stretch took a shortcut, and you blinked as you looked around. There was nothing but trees, and you were confused.
“Uh.. where are we?” You asked.
“C’mon, this way.” He said and gently tugged you through the trees.
When the trees finally broke apart, you saw what he came to show you and let out a soft gasp. You were atop a sloping cliff, the whole city spanned out below you in the valley. The lights in the city started to come on one by one as night started to creep closer. But what astonished you so much was the amazing view of the sunset. The sky was painted in a multicolor masterpiece of reds, pinks, oranges, and purples, meddling together like a work of art. All the clouds in the sky mimicked the beauty, soft and wispy imitators. The sun was a glimmering golden orb on the horizon, wavering as if waving goodbye to the two of you until tomorrow.
You felt tears coming to your eyesockets as you turned to look at Stretch. He had the most loving smile on his face, directed at no one but you. A few happy tears spilled at you lunged forward and hugged him, face burying into his chest as you murmured thank yous over and over again. You felt his arms wrap around you and his teeth press against your skull, his chest rumbling as he chuckled. His scent wrapped around you comfortingly, a mixture of honey and smoke. It was so perfect, so him.
When you pulled back and his eyelights met yours, you both leaned in on instinct. You felt your skull heating up as the two of you got closer, and your sockets closed. He closed his as well, hands cupping your jaw as he leaned in. A gentle and sweet kiss was pressed to your teeth, short, but perfect. Stretch pulled back slightly after, your foreheads still touching as he smiled at you. He could feel his SOUL thrumming with happiness, as well as yours.
“Happy Birthday Abyss.”
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keelywolfe · 4 years
Text
Drabble: Unintentional Summonings (baon)
Summary: This is out of the timeline, but TheSinBubble asked me if Stretch always liked the weird concoctions that he orders at the Beanery and what would happen if he didn't. I love that, had to write it. ^_^
Tags:  Spicyhoney, Established Relationship, Domestic Fluff, Coffee Shop
Part of the ‘by any other name’ series.
~~*~~
Read it on AO3
or
Read it here!
~~*~~
Eleven am was a perfect time to visit the Beanery. Caught in between the morning and afternoon rush, it was one of the few times the shop wasn’t brimming with customers. Stretch came often at this time, Edge knew, and on rare occasions Edge found time to join him.
Jennie brought Edge his usual and he nodded his thanks, taking a gratified sip as he stood back and watched Debbie and Stretch go through their normal ritual. He had no idea what exactly a venti, banana chocolate strawberry matcha, double whip, double shot, with a sprinkle and a straw was, but watching Debbie produce it was almost a magic of its own.
“a minute fifty-nine!” Stretch informed her gleefully as Debbie patted her sweating brow with a napkin. “not a record breaker, but a damn fine effort!”
“They can’t all be record breakers,” she agreed laughingly, writing the time on the ‘Beat the Monster Challenge’ chalkboard. She posed next to it with a thumbs up and a grin when Stretch took her picture and gave them a last wave as she went to help the next customer.
Edge carried both of their drinks over to their regular table while Stretch uploaded the picture to twitter, his thumbs clattering lightly against the glass screen. He slid into his side of the booth without even looking up and Edge wondered with idle amusement if Stretch might run into things less if he simply closed his eyes and didn’t let his wonky depth perception lead him astray. More than once Stretch swore he was going to have a permanent bruise from their coffee table’s constant assaults on his shins.
“there,” Stretch finally sighed, tucking his phone away, “free advertising is a go!”
“How many likes do those posts get?” Edge asked curiously. He had a twitter, but it followed exactly four people and one of them was Gordon Ramsey, and that was only because Stretch was the one to set it up for him.
Stretch shrugged. “usually a few k. people love ‘em and deb says they always get a mini-rush after i do ‘em. i try not to do them too often, don’t want people to get sick of it and ruin the good thing we got going.”
No, that certainly wouldn’t do. The same way Stretch’s lunchtime reviews of local restaurants or new entertainment often resulted in a huge influx of business, along with another Monster friendly location for the residents of New New Home to enjoy. For someone who didn’t want to work for the Embassy, Stretch somehow managed to sidestep his way into helping their people in unspoken and often underappreciated ways.
But Edge knew and silently loved him all the more for it.
“besides, you gotta--” Edge never learned what it was ‘you gotta’ do, because Stretch was speaking around his straw in that exasperating way he had and the words trailed off on the first sip into an incoherent gurgle. His face flushed alarmingly, eye lights going wide and diffused, and he clapped a hand over his mouth, cheek bones puffing out overtop it as he gagged.
Before Edge could even ask if he was all right, Stretch swallowed hard with a loud gulping sound, once, twice, until he finally took it a shuddery breath. Sweat was beading on his forehead and Stretch wiped it away with his sleeve, still faintly gasping.
“I take it that it’s not to your taste,” Edge said dryly.
“um, no, holy shit, that’s vile!” Stretch coughed. “i think those combined ingredients caused a chemical reaction ‘cause that ain’t coffee anymore, that’s poison, they shouldn’t be sharing a cup. that’s the kind of thing you brew if you’re doing a ritual of some sort and you need to summon a caffeine demon.”
“Right, well, I’m sure Debbie would prefer we keep all summonings to a minimum,” Edge began to stand, reaching for the cup. “I’ll get you something else.”
“no, i’ll drink it.” To his surprise, Stretch pulled the cup out of his reach, scowling at him. Or perhaps at the drink, possibly even the world in general because his eye lights were darting around, settling on nothing.
“Yes, and then you’ll be vomiting out the car window on the way home,” Edge retorted, “You just said it’s poison in a cup, don’t be ridiculous.” He reached out again.
“please, don’t.” That stopped him. The words were a little too soft, a little too small, and Stretch blinked hard as he mumbled, “deb made it for me, i don’t want to hurt her feelings.”
That uncertainty was one he knew well.
“Love--” Edge began, gently, wracking his mind for words to reassure him that Debbie was not about to withdraw her friendship over a disliked cup of coffee.
He never got the chance. Before either of them said another word, Debbie bustled over from behind the counter, a plastic cup in hand brimming with something garishly pink and frozen, a rainbow of sprinkles on top. She whisked the cup out of Stretch’s hands and replaced it with the other, tutting sadly.
“Honestly, you don’t need to drink anything you don’t like, dear,” Debbie said, patting his shoulder. She waved a hand as Stretch mumbled an apology, hunching over his new drink, “It’s all right! Some things that sound good simply don’t work out the way you hope. Remind me to tell you sometime about the fiasco we had when we first started roasting our own beans.”
She gave Stretch’s shoulder another gentle pat as she headed back behind the counter, her blonde ponytail bouncing along with every step.
Edge waited as Stretch took a sheepish sip of his drink, sighing gratefully, before he asked, “And what is that?”
“a pink princess frappuccino,” Stretch offered out the cup with a sly grin, “wanna try?”
“No, thank you,” Edge shuddered, “you choose your poisons, and I’ll choose mine.”
Stretch only shook his head sadly. “aw, not interested in my tainted love? kinda a venomous rejection, babe, don’t need to be a pain in the arsenic.”
“Your puns are noxious,” Edge told him, hiding his smile behind his coffee cup as Stretch laughed delightedly.
That alone was worth the price of a cup of coffee.
-finis-
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doing-all-write · 4 years
Text
star light, star bright
Joe and Ben take a trip on a boat for a ice relaxing Guys Weekend. What Ben doesn’t expect is to fall in love with the owner of the boat. Or to drunkenly sing karaoke with her.
Pairings: Ben x O.C. 
Rating: E (18+, PLEASE do not interact if younger than 18)
Warnings: S M U T. Dom!Ben, but mainly Soft!Ben, bad karaoke and lots of boat and ocean puns (I’m a monster) 
Word Count: 14K
Inspired by this iconic photo: 
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A/N: HELLO. IT’S ME. BACK FROM THE DEAD (Or I had three events in a row at work and wanted to D I E) but to make up for it, have a nice thiccc 14K, smutty fic!! This is my first time writing smut so PLEASE don’t judge me too harshly on it!
But as always, feedback, reblogs and comments are always appreciated! I hope you love it! 
ALSO!!! In my most favorite turn of events EVER, I have someone who wants me to tag them! So: @itsabenthing​, you’re a real one. (If anyone wants to be tagged in future fics let me know!!)
The sun beat down, scattering nets of diamonds across the water. The slow roll of Jimmy Buffet's guitar mingled with the waves slapping against the hull of the boat. The gulls screeching as they whirled through the air, diving down when they spotted dinner swimming underneath the surface. The wind fluttered the pages of the book held in her hand as she adjusted the sunglasses on her face. 
The pole she was leaning against warmed her back. She laid the book down and turned her face toward the sun. It warmed her bones and she took a deep breath in, letting the sea, salt and wind fill her lungs.
She checked her phone, made note of the time and stretched her legs and arms out, almost purring as she uncurled from her reading position. She tipped her head back, closing her eyes to soak up this moment as she patted the deck of her boat.  
She had grown up around boats. Her parents owned the Nereid marina and her earliest memories were of sitting on her mom's lap putting her small hands on top of her moms soft ones, feeling the wheel turn smoothly as she memorized the movements.  Pretty soon, she had been the one steering the boat and "learning the ropes" as she loved to tell people and thrived off of their pained groans.
She worked at the Nereid every day, learning from the people who came into the port. Incessantly asking questions. Asking about their boats, their lives, where they had come from, where they were going. Her parents had teased her for being so inquisitive but she was in awe of the people who came to the Nereid.
In her mind, they were great adventurers, living a free wheeling life on the sea that she wanted for herself. She would watch people leave and the pull in her stomach to follow them was so strong she could feel her legs tensing, as if getting ready to jump into the ocean to swim to their boat, desperate to join them in whatever adventure they had planned next. 
Her parents had expanded the Nereid so several of them littered the coast of California but the original one had passed into her care after she had graduated college. Her parents still helped out and offered guidance when she asked but overall, the original marina was hers to make the calls. It had a charming appeal to it, and between word of mouth and the incredibly Instagrammable mural she had added to one wall, people flocked to it.  
As she sat there, soaking up the warmth, she was grateful she had gotten out of bed before the sun had risen. She had woken up early, the last of the stars in the sky fading as the horizon turned from inky black to lilac as the sun began its ascent from the horizon.
Her dad had always told her that each sunrise was different. And that each one had details that would tell her how her day would go. It wasn't until she was much older and in the habit of waking up early that her father would confess he had made it up to coax her out of bed that early. 
Some people had their horoscopes, she had sunrises. Whenever she could, she would haul herself out of bed, and clutching a thermos of coffee, watch the sun rise and predict how her day would go. This morning she had a feeling in her gut that today, the sun rise would be incredible. So she slipped out of her apartment above the marina, jammed her feet into flip-flops, crammed a hat on her head and set out.
The sun rise this particular morning had been various shades of pink. The colors closest to the sun a deep red. She had thought to herself that those colors must be what it's like to be in love. She felt a tug in her heart as she contemplated how long it had been since she had been with, well, anyone since she had broken up with her last boyfriend. She quickly shook herself from her melancholy thought and cracked open her book as the sun's rays grew stronger. 
Now, the sun was beating down, making sure to fry away every last bit of the chill there had been that morning.  She decided she should head back to the Nereid and check in, see how things were going and if she needed to put out any fires. She chuckled as she murmured to herself and one gull that had landed next to her boat, bobbing with the waves, "Well if there WERE any fires to put out, thank god we're by a ocean."
The gull squaked and flew away. 
She shook her head ruefully as she stood up and raised her arms above her head, the crochet tank top she had put on over her bikini rising up above her denim shorts. 
The sea unfolded before her, reminding her constantly how wide the world was. How many people there were to meet, so many stories to hear and places to see. Her body shivered involuntarily as she contemplated the vastness of it all. 
~~~
Somewhere close by to where her boat had just been anchored, another boat was getting ready to pull into the Nereid marina. 
"BEN! HOIST THE BOOM AND GET 'ER READY TO COME STARBOARD." 
"Do you know anything about boats, mate?" Ben scratched his head as he contemplated Joe's Captain Morgan pose. 
"No, not a damn thing. But it sounded convincing right?" 
"Yeah, it's the confidence, ya know?"
"It's all about confidence Benny boy." Joe said, slapping Ben's shoulder as he joined Ben at the rail.  
Ben offered him a beer which Joe accepted with a quick thanks, the sharp crack of the tab opening piercing though the air.  
Ben held his can aloft in a silent cheers and Joe brought his over to gently tap the rim of Ben's. They nodded to each other and raised the drink to their lips as they took a sip.
The sun beat down on them, warming the tops of their heads as the ocean stretched out in front of them.
Joe took another sip as Ben asked, "So, are we getting to port soon? What's the plan?"
Joe considered it, "Well, we plunder first,"
"Obviously."
"Then we do some light pillaging,"
"Of course,"
"Then have a nice meal together because you're my friend"
"That's lovely buddy thank you." Ben leaned into Joe as he wrapped an arm around his shoulder, giving him an awkward side hug.
"Anything for you, Ben."
"Hate to interrupt this touching display of male friendship but we're almost to port" Rich, the  actual captain, called down to them as he deftly steered the craft towards land. 
Joe peered up at Rich from under the brim of his baseball cap, "Shouldn't I be the one making those announcements? I am the captain after all."
Ben snorted, "Correctly identifying the starboard and port side does not a captain make."
"You're just jealous my nautical knowledge is so much better than yours."
Rich barked out a laugh as he shook his head, "The amount of nautical knowledge you have wouldn't even fill a Post-It note."
Joe pointed a thumb back at Rich, "I'm not sure we should trust this guy with our safety out in the open sea."
"I feel much safer in his hands than yours." Ben chuckled.
Joe gasped and brought a hand up to his chest, "I'm being attacked! My character is being demolished by my best friend and Rich!" 
"What? We aren't best friends?" Rich deadpanned.
"Not with those insults you keep hurling my way, buddy." Joe wheeled around and pointed an accusing finger at Rich.  
Ben laughed and stared back out at the horizon. He obviously knew the world was round but he could almost understand why people thought the world was flat for so long. He felt like if he stared at the horizon long enough, he could fall right over the edge and into the swirls of a galaxy.
Joe sidled up to his friend, eyeing him as he watched Ben's shoulders loosen up.
"You enjoying being in the cold grasp of that fickle mistress, the ocean, Benny?" Joe broke the silence as he clapped a hand down onto Ben's shoulder. 
Ben snorted, "Absolutely. A pirate's life is a wonderful live and all that." 
"It sure is." There was a. pause as Joe contemplated how he wanted to best introduce the next topic.
Finally settling on, "Speaking of she's and fickle mistresses and all that, how have you been doing since the breakup?"
Ben shrugged his shoulders, "It comes and goes in waves, ha." Joe let out a snort at his friends unintentional ocean pun. 
"No, but, some days I think I'm okay and then something happens to remind me of her or our time together and I feel a twinge but," here Ben paused and cocked his head to the side, "I think that's just normal."
Joe nodded sagely, "Yeah. give yourself time, man. That was a long relationship. You're not going to get over it right away."
Ben nodded as he brought the beer can back up to his mouth to take a sip and surveyed the horizon. He could see the brightly painted mural getting larger by the second. 
Rich sighed as he deftly steered the boat toward the Nereid. He had worked with Az and her family since he was young. He and Az were basically siblings, which is why, when he saw her standing on the deck of her boat tying it up, he laid on the horn.
Az jumped a foot in the air, dropping the rope she had been holding and managing to hit her head on the boom all at once. 
"Fucking hell..." her voice drifted off as she turned around to see what asshole was responsible for taking ten years off of her life. 
When she saw Rich pulling into the port with their most expensive boat she extended both middle fingers in a salute, complete with huge grin. 
Rich laughed as he saw Az's two-fingered salute but the horn blaring had caused both Ben and Joe to jump and spill some of their beer.
"What the hell, man?" Ben shouted as he stared up at Rich.
"Yo, Rich, what was that about? Did someone cut us off?" Joe asked
Rich shook his head, "Sorry guys, I saw Az and wanted to fuck with her."
Ben and Joe looked at each. Joe cocked an eyebrow and Ben shrugged. They wandered over to the front of the boat to see what was going on. 
Ben's first glimpse was of the sun reflecting off of her hair, causing it to look like gold. Then the two middle fingers raised high. 
Joe noticed the shit-eating grin before he realized that she was directing her two prominent fingers at the man standing near the top of their boat. 
Az noticed the other two figures on the boat about a second too late and lowered her hands, feeling bad that they may have thought she was flipping them off. She raised one hand in a sheepish wave as they pulled closer. 
She laughed ruefully to herself as she turned back to securing her boat, Figures, she thought, the one time Rich actually has two cute guys in the boat I'm flipping them off.  She took one final sweep of the deck as she shoved her book into her backpack and swung it over her shoulder. 
She leapt from the deck of her boat onto the dock, landing with her arms raised triumphantly, waiting for Rich to cast judgement on her landing. 
"And Az sticks the landing! The crowd goes wild! The judges give her all 10's!!" Rich imitated the screams of an energetic crowd as she waved and gave an exaggerated bow to her audience of...three now.
She came out of her bow and saw the two guys she had accidentally flipped off standing behind Rich, clapping along with him.
"Thank you, thank you. Please, no, c'mon, it was nothing." She said with mock modesty as she laid a hand across her heart and pretended to wipe a tear from her eye.
"How's your head doing?" Rich asked as he engulfed her in a hug.
"Well, I DID hit it on a large piece of wood so...not great."
"Ahh, c'mon. We were just having a good time."
"Were we?" She shot back as she stepped back and looked over his shoulder, "Hi, I'm Az, I definitely wasn't flipping you two off. I felt bad when I realized he had you guys on board."
"Oh no, I'm used to pretty girls flipping me off, it's fine." Joe said as he stepped forward with a hand extended. 
Az let out a bark of laughter as she slipped her hand into his as they exchanged pleasantries. 
Az turned to the blonde standing next to Joe and was barely able to keep the "Jesus FUCK you're gorgeous" from falling out of her mouth. 
But he WAS. From a distance she could tell he was going to be cute but up close? Az was eternally grateful that someone as beautiful as this man could exist and be right in front of her.
He was checking all her boxes too; blond hair, dazzling smile, beautiful body (God she should ask who his trainer was and send them a fruit basket and a thank you note) the only thing that would really make him perfect was-
"You alrigh'?"
A fucking British accent. 
Her eyes widened and Rich smirked. They both knew that she was well and truly fucked. 
~~~
"Hey, Sal, how's it going?"
"Great, Az, the fish are biting and the sun is shining. Can't ask for more, eh?"
"Got that right. You stay out of trouble, alright?"
"Back at ya, sweetheart."
She waved at him as she continued down the marina. The sound of her flip-flops thwacking against the wood alerting her arrival to both regulars and newcomers at the Nereid alike.  
Joe, Ben and Rich were sitting on the edge of the dock, feet dangling over the clear blue, watching her make her way down the boardwalk. After introductions had been made, Az had parted apologetically, saying she needed to do a lap but she would love to properly show them around once she came back.
"Does she talk to everyone?" Joe asked as he saw her stop at the dock next to Sal's and start talking animatedly to the woman there.
"Pretty much. I mean, she does own this marina so it would be kind of shitty if she didn't." Rich shrugged and readjusted his sunglasses. 
Ben shoved his hands into the pocket of his jacket, "She OWNS this marina?" 
"Yeah, her parents opened it and she took it over when they started branching out to other locations. This one's the most popular though, mainly because of her," Rich inclined his head to her retreating back. "And it's because she talks to everyone. Everyone loves Az." 
"I've been meaning to ask, is her real name Az? Like, A Z?" Joe asked.
Rich snorted, "No, her real name is Azure which is a sick name but she thinks it's pretentious so she shortened it."
Joe nodded while Ben kept his gaze glued on Az as a little boy ran up and tugged on her shorts. She laid a hand over her heart as the child handed her a seashell with a huge grin on his face. Ben felt a smile growing on his face as she bent down to accept the gift, handling the shell with extreme delicacy, listening to the little boy as he told her everything he went through to get it.  
Ben was entranced by her. When they had pulled into the Nereid he could tell she was cute. But when he had seen her up close, felt the full effect of her smile, how her eyes sparkled in the sun, the freckles dusted across her cheeks, he felt his breath hitch.
He could vaguely tell that Joe and Rich were talking about other things but he kept his eyes trained on Az. On her hair falling down her back, the way her hips swayed as she walked, the way it caused her ass to move- 
"BEN. Come back to us buddy." 
Ben jolted as he almost lost his grip on the edge of the dock, catching himself before he landed in the water, "What?" 
"Rich said Az knows some good places for us to grab dinner and they'd love to take us out, does that sound good to you?" Joe asked as he furrowed his brow, reaching a hand out to steady Ben.  
Ben cleared his throat, "Uh, yeah, that sounds great, thanks man." He inclined his head at Rich who just stared back at him, eyes inscrutable behind black Ray-Bans. Ben's gut suddenly dropped to the bottom of the ocean as he had the horrifying thought that maybe Rich and Az were dating. 
Ben quickly dropped his gaze to the blue depths underneath his feet, wondering if it would be worth it to just jump in, start swimming and never look back. 
Suddenly, Rich sprang up from the dock, "I'm gonna go check on Az, see what her ETA is to be done. I'll be right back." And with that announcement, strode off. 
Joe's brow furrowed as he stared at Rich's back. "I don't know what just happened but I would say that we pissed off our captain." 
Ben grunted as he kept his gaze laser focused on the fish cutting swiftly through the waves. 
Joe tapped his foot against Ben's, "Hey, man, you know, you can communicate with me through more than monosyllabic sounds." 
Ben huffed as he ran a hand through his hair, "I know. Sorry. I got myself all turned 'round but I'm okay now."
Joe's eyes cut over to Ben and as casually as he could, asked, "Was it about Az?"
"Uh-I mean-Not, like, explicitly but-"
"Well the way you were checking out her ass was pretty explicit I gotta say, Benny boy."
Ben's cheeks immediately turned red as he raked his brain for something witty to say. He finally sighed and dropped his head into his hands, "It was pretty obvious wasn't it?"
"You looked like one of those cartoon characters when they see a pretty lady and their eyes bug out of their head."
Ben groaned into his hands, "Dammit! She's just so hot and I don't know, maybe it's the ocean air doing something to me but I couldn't stop staring at her and then I saw Rich staring at me staring at her and now I'm worried that she and Rich are dating and I fucked up."
Joe slowly nodded his head as he contemplated Ben's predicament, "Well, it's good that we're by the ocean. If that's true you can always just drown yourself."
~~~
"He was drooling over you."
Az made an indelicate "OOF" noise as Rich grabbed her arm, doing a do-si-do move so she was facing him.  
"Who? The Springer's dog? Because they just told me they tried some new medication to help with that-"
"No. What?" Rich furrowed his brow, "Is that really a thing you can do for dogs?"
Az shrugged, "I guess so. I'm not a vet, nor do I own a dog so my knowledge of cutting edge veterinary practices is sketchy to say the least."
Rich glanced over his shoulder to stare at the basset hound that was, indeed, sporting no less than three uninterrupted strands of drool which was three less than what he normally had.
He shook his head as he turned back to Az, "Okay, that's BESIDES the point. Though I do want to talk to them about that, I'm intrigued...ANYWAY. No. BEN was."
Az stared at Rich for three full seconds before bursting out laughing. Rich sighed and crossed his arms, waiting for the hysterics to die down. 
Az dabbed her finger under her eye, "God Rich, that's hysterical. But seriously, why did you come over here." 
"His eyes were so laser focused on your ass that I'm surprised there's not a hole in the back of your shorts."
Az's hands instinctively went to the back of her shorts, "Thank god I wore my cute bikini bottoms then."
"You fool. You absolute buffoon. One of the most attractive men I've ever seen in my LIFE was so absorbed by your ass that he almost fell off the dock when Joe yelled at him. I may be ace but that doesn't mean that I can't tell when someone is so thirsty for you that he would willingly drown for it." 
Az stood there, staring over Rich's shoulder taking all this information in. The horizon spread out before her, various shades of blue. 
"The title of my memoir should be called '50 Shades of Blue'" She finally muttered under her breath.
"AZ."
"Sorry, sorry! I heard you. I just-"
"It's always 'just' with you. You just can't because of the marina. You just can't because you're focusing on yourself. You just can't because of a million other reasons. You know what it JUST is with you?" 
Az winced with each accusation hurled at her, "Jesus, just tell me so this can be done."
Rich took a deep breath and gripped her shoulders as he leveled his gaze at her, "You just don't believe you deserve this. You just are scared that someone will leave and you'll be left hurting like you were when your ex left you. But you know something? Even if this perfect replica of Michelangelo's David doesn't work out, you'll a) have a great story and TWO-"
Az's lips quirked into a half smile at Rich's lame attempt at humor.
"Is that you'll at least have given it a try. And I'll always be here for you to sing-scream 'thank u, next' with if he turns out to be a dick."
A laugh bubbled its way out of Az's throat, "Okay but like, we've already done that so often they threatened to call the Coast Guard on us."  
A steely look settled over Rich's face, "And Barb from port five can still eat my entire ass. MY POINT though," at this, Rich ducked his head down to look right into Az's eyes, "just go for it, Az. Please."
Az's eyes flickered down at the water lapping underneath the boardwalk. The sun filtered through the cracks of the woodwork causing small sparks to light up as it hit the water flowing underneath. 
She heaved a sigh, "Alright, FINE. Besides, if he's truly as into me as you say he is, this should be easy."
Rich clapped his hands, "Oh sweetheart, it's going to be easier than getting the Springer's dog to stop drooling."
~~~
To lighten the mood, Joe had started throwing rocks and bits of wood into the water yelling, "she loves Ben, she loves him not" with each plop while Ben kept threatening to push Joe into the water. 
"You almost hit a fish with that one." Ben said, in a desperate attempt to distract Joe.
"He looked at me funny."
"They're fish. They look at everything funny."
"Fair point."
"Oh fuck, there's one swimming right at me."
"GET HIM, BEN. SHOW HIM WHO'S BOSS." Joe yelled. 
Ben squinted one eye and gently tossed the piece of wood into the water near the fish. 
"I'm going to call the cops." Came Az's voice in a sing song from behind them.
Ben turned around to find Rich and Az strolling back towards them. Az's arm hooked through Rich's which caused Ben's stomach to plummet.  
She slipped her arm out from Rich's and dug her phone out of her pocket, "Hello? 9-1-1? Yes, this man here is abusing fish." 
"Fuck, dude, we gotta get out of here. I can't go back to the slammer again." Joe laughed as he hauled himself up. 
Ben smiled as he swung his legs up onto the dock. His feet fell next to Az's, encased in flip-flops, toenails painted bright pink as he traced the line of her legs up to meet her eyes. 
Az's hand trembled a little as she offered it to Ben, "Need a hand?" A soft smile grew across her face as his blue eyes met her own. 
The blue of the ocean was nothing compared to how blue Ben's eyes were, Az decided. 
The green of Az's eyes were the most beautiful color he had ever seen, Ben decided. 
The silence stretching between Ben and Az had gone on long enough, Joe decided. 
"SO. Rich. What restaurant are we going to?" Joe loudly asked as he clapped his hands together, breaking the spell. 
Az blinked and giggled nervously as she helped haul Ben to his feet. He smiled down at her and thanked her. 
"No worries, you're lighter than expected." 
"These are fake muscles. A pain in the ass to inflate every morning but so worth it."
The burst of laughter that erupted from Az made Ben smile wider. 
She reached a hand out and wrapped it around his bicep, "So, if I squeeze too hard it'll pop?"
"Like a balloon."
She kept her eyes trained on Ben's face as she squeezed his arm and holy god she was not prepared for how solid it would feel. It took all of her will power not to get on her knees and beg him to choke her right there in front of God and everyone. 
She cleared her throat, "Haven't heard anything pop yet."
"Well, clearly, your hand strength needs to be built up." 
"I think there are some guys who would argue my hand strength is just fine." Az said without thinking. Her eyes widened as she realized the words that had fallen out of her mouth. Ben's breath caught in his throat as the image of Az's hand wrapped around his cock infiltrated his senses. 
Rich's mouth dropped open as Joe made a noise that sounded vaguely like a hamster getting strangled. 
Az ripped her hand from Ben's bicep "Well, I don't know what we're doing standing around here for, I promised you guys a tour so let's get started." She sped away down the pier, mentally chastising herself for coming on way too strong.  
Rich stared at Ben, standing stock still, then at Joe who looked like he'd been hit on the back of the head with a two by four, and muttered, "Well, this is going to be easier than I thought."
~~~
"And this is the mural I commissioned from a local street artist. I actually caught her tagging a wall and I loved her work so much I hired her on the spot."
Ben and Joe stepped closer to take a closer look at the mural that depicted the ocean in a psychedelic fashion. Brightly colored fish, seaweed, shells, sea nymphs ("mermaids are overrated, it's all about sea nymphs now." Az had declared when Joe made a Little Mermaid joke) dolphins, sharks, even an octopus, in neon colors adorned the side of the building. 
"It's really popular with Influencers and such. Tourists come to take pictures of it, it's been nothing but an incredible draw." Az said as she trailed her fingers over it as she walked down the wall. Her finger tips landed on the shark and she turned to look over her shoulder, "This guy is my favorite." 
Ben meandered closer to get a better look at it, "Why is that?"
Az shrugged as she moved to stand beside Ben, "I've always liked sharks. I think they're fascinating and get a bad rep. We're the ones infiltrating their home. If someone tried to come into my home and polluted it at the same time, I'd probably consider eating them too."
Ben nodded slowly as his gaze drifted over the mural. "I like the octopus."
"Yeah? Why's that."
"He has a chill vibe about him."
"I can respect that."
Watching Ben and Az joke about the killer weed the octopus had, Joe hesitantly asked the million dollar question,"So, Rich, how long have you and Az been together?"
Rich snorted, "Too long." Hearing the squeak that came from Joe, hastily realized what he meant, "Oh, like, romantically? You think Az and I are, like, together together?" 
"Um, yeah dude. You seem pretty comfortable around each other and I just assumed..." Joe's voice trailed off as a bemused grin melted over Rich's face. 
"Are Az and I close? Yes. Do I love her? Absolutely. Is she a giant pain in my ass? Since day one when she told me I give off too much of a 'Jimmy Buffet' vibe. Am I also ace so therefore have no desire to date her or anyone? Oh you bet your sweet ass." 
"So...Ben's clear to shoot his shot?"
"Ben's so clear to shoot his shot the whole fucking playing field is barren." 
"You don't know the first thing about sports do you?" 
"Not a thing my man." Rich confirmed cheerfully. 
~~~
The sun had begun to make it's descent and the first whispers of orange and pink began to crawl their way up into the sky. 
Seeing how small the gap between the sun and the horizon had gotten, Az clapped her hands together as she turned to the group, "So, if you guys are interested, there's a great bar nearby that I can get us either free or deeply discounted drinks. You in?"
Joe stared at Az for a beat then threw an arm around her shoulder, "I've never loved anyone more." 
Az laughed as she rested her head onto Joe's shoulder, "And I'm sure it was me flipping you off that won you over and not the promise of free drinks." 
"I've never been so into anything in my life." Ben muttered as he stared at Az. The words came out more intense than he intended. Az felt a warmth spreading through her stomach as she lifted her head from Joe's shoulder. 
Ben blinked at his own intensity but didn't break his gaze from Az's as he stepped closer to her. The movement of her throat as she swallowed was the only thing that broke his gaze. 
Rich's eyes were ping-ponging back and forth, relishing in the sexual tension. 
Joe slowly slid his arm off of Az's shoulders and hesitantly stepped back. 
Az could feel the heat building in her belly, a flush spread across her cheeks as she blinked up at Ben. The voice in her head finally snapped to attention and reminded her to say something, anything. 
Her tongue poked out to swipe across her bottom lip. Ben shifted as his eyes darted down to track its journey, using  his willpower not to capture her lips with his. 
"Good, because the night's just getting started." Az said thickly as she slide her hands into the pockets of her shorts.
Only Rich caught her trying to wipe off her palms in her shorts and rolled his eyes. 
He knew from personal experience that Az's palms always got extra sweaty whenever she flirted, clearly even a target as easy as Ben couldn't escape her clammy palms. 
He just prayed that he wouldn't try to hold her hand in the next 20 minutes. 
~~~
Az jiggled the worn handle on the innocuous wood door. She turned her head to glance back at Ben, "Don't worry, this is usually what happens." 
"Good, because sketchy unmarked door? In an alleyway? I figured you had just lured us back here to murder us and wear our skins." 
"Fucked up that you thought that. I would never wear your skins. I'd preserve them, stuff them and then use them as tasteful decor."
"JESUS Az." Rich declared as he stared at her, slack-jawed. Joe's face was caught in between amusement and horror.
Az winced as she finally got the doorknob to turn, "Too much?"
Ben waltzed through the open door, "Don't think there's ever 'too much' of you, love." 
Az's cheeks flushed and she squirmed as he aimed a wink in her direction before stopping in the doorway to let his eyes adjust to the dim lighting. 
There were Christmas lights strung all around the perimeter of the bar. Tables haphazardly littered the floor with chairs floating in between tables like so much debris. The back of the room was taken up by the actual bar. To the right, a small, hastily constructed stage with a karaoke machine looked to be the only thing that hadn't been there since the 70's. 
Vintage concert posters promoting The Rolling Stones, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Carol King, Fleetwood Mac, Queen and more were wallpapered in a collage. The jukebox standing guard to the side of the front door was playing Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers. There was a low rumble as patrons and bartenders talked to each other.
When the door opened and Ben stepped in, most of them turned to peer curiously at who had just entered but didn't paid him, or Joe, any mind. A few hands went up and some greetings were called out in response to Rich's greeting as he waltzed into the establishment.
Then Az walked in.
"AZ!"
The bar exploded in a flurry of sound and movement as chairs were abandoned and tables shoved as a crowd foamed up around Az. Ben, Joe and Rich were forced to shuffle to the side as hands and bodies crowded around her. Most of them offering to buy her a drink or updating her on events that had transcribed since they had last seen her. Az took it all in stride. She smiled and laughed and nodded and let herself be carried by the crowd to the bar. 
When she reached the bar she turned her head and Ben saw her eyes flitting from corner to corner, trying to locate them after the crowd had bum rushed her. 
Ben raised a hand and her eyes locked onto the gesture at once. She smiled and he saw her shoulders relax. She turned back to the grizzled fisherman that was either greatly exaggerating the size of a personal body part or talking about a fish he had caught earlier in the day. 
He desperately hoped it was the latter. 
A sharp jab to his kidney brought him back to the present, "What are the odds she's getting drinks for all of us?" Joe asked as he surveyed the crowd that was three deep by the bar. Ben shrugged as Rich weaved his way to a table that was right in front of the karaoke stage. 
Ben and Joe followed Rich and sat down as if this was another normal Saturday night for him. Joe kept staring at the bar when he finally broke, "So, is that a normal occurrence? Or did you tell everyone to pull that stunt so we'd think she's cool?"
Rich snorted, "God, I wish we were that coordinated. No. This is Az's favorite bar. And again, she grew up here so a lot of those people have known Az since she was just a wee tot." 
He shrugged, "Everyone loves Az, I don't know what to tell you."
Ben felt his head nodding in agreement, then without thinking, asked, "Do you love Az?"
Rich's head snapped up so quickly he felt something pop in his neck and Joe's eyes widened a comical amount at Ben's boldness. 
Rich coughed as he tried to find the right words, "Yeah, but like a sister. I'm ace, so, romantic feelings? Not my thing." 
Ben felt like he was going to pass out. Joe could see the gears turning in his friends head and decided to help drive the point home and asked Rich point blank, "So, you and Az are not dating?"
"Nope." Rich popped the 'p' with extra verve, keeping his eyes trained on Ben.
Ben coughed into his hand, "So, uh, is she-uh-dating anyone, then?" He slouched down in his chair, hoping to offset how nervous he sounded with some laid back posturing. 
Rich watched the full grown man in front of him sink so low into his chair he almost fell off of it and thought, Jesus, they're both such idiots. I hope they bone all night.
"No. And there hasn't been anyone in a while." Then realizing how that sounded tried to make it better, "Not that there's anything wrong with her! She's amazing, she just puts all of her energy and focus into the marina. Not saying that she wouldn't do the same in a relationship, it's just-AZ! Thank GOD you're back!" Rich flung his arms into the air as Az approached their table with a tray full of drinks. 
Did you say something that didn't sound great then to make up for it you talked more which made it sound worse?"
"We've known each other too long haven't we?"
"I wouldn't have it any other way. I'll be right back." She turned and went back to the bar to return the tray Penelope had given her to transport the drinks. 
Penelope managed the bar and was always willing to let Az pick up some shifts bartending when she needed some extra cash. When summer time got to be particularly heady, Penelope would entice Az to work with promises of free shots and unlimited baskets of deep-fried mac and cheese. 
"So, Az. Your new friends are, how do I want to say this? Absolutely stunning."
Az kept her eyes down as she slipped the tray on top of the stack behind the bar, "Yeah, I guess. I don't know if I would describe Rich as stunning but-"
A sharp sting landed on her hip causing her to yelp, "What was that for?" 
Penelope stood with the towel already rewound and ready to strike again, "You know damn well I'm not talking about Rich and if you don't tell me why blondie can't keep his eyes off your ass I'm gonna smack you again."
She pulled her arm back to show she was serious and Az scampered to the other side of the bar with hands held up, "OKAY! Okay! I'll tell you, just-be cool man. Put the towel down."
Penelope stared at her. 
Az rolled her eyes, "If I sleep with 'blondie' tonight do you really want me to be covered with tiny red marks and he's so disgusted by my disfigurement he jumps into the ocean to get away from me?"
Penelope's eyes narrowed as she considered, "Alright, fine." The towel lowered as she tucked it into her back pocket, "But I still want answers. No one that beautiful has come into this bar since last time you came in."
"Lop, you flatter me."
"I know. It's a tactic to get more information from you."
"I should be mad but I'm just so honored you think I'm beautiful I'll tell you anything."
"Alright, what's your social security number?"
"Not that flattered."
"SPILL. NOW." Penelope ordered, slamming her hands on the bar.   
Az rolled her eyes, "ALRIGHT, GOD. I went out on my boat this morning and as I pulled back in so was Rich with-"
"I so wish you had said pulling out."
"Will you let me FINISH?"
"Bet you won't be saying that later tonight. Blondie looks like he knows how to eat pussy."
Az threw up her hands, "You know what? No. You don't get to know ANYTHING now because you can't behave yourself. Are you HAPPY?"
Penelope shrugged, "Not as happy as I would have been if you'd said you'd pulled out."
"You're impossible."
"So I'll see you in the morning for coffee and a recap of your sexual escapades?"
"Of course. Love you."
"Love you too," Penelope said to Az's retreating back. 
~~~
As she slid into her chair, Az lifted her glass in a toast, "Cheers, I'm glad Rich picked your guys' sorry asses up."
Her eyes met Ben's in the gloom and he saw the Christmas lights reflected in her eyes like so many stars. 
"I'm glad that he picked us up too." Ben smiled at Az and let his gaze linger with hers as he took a long pull from the glass. 
Az couldn't stop herself from staring at his lips. How full they were. How good they looked wrapped around that glass. How good they would look wrapped around certain parts of her anatomy. 
Rich and Joe exchanged glances as Ben and Az fell into a loaded silence. Rich took a gulp from his glass and slammed it onto the table, "WELL. I, for one, am not going to let this night go to waste. It's karaoke time."
Az's eyes lit up as she whipped her head, "You're so right. It absolutely is."
Joe was bouncing up and down in his seat, "Thank GOD someone else brought it up because I was about to ask if I could get dibs on first round."
Ben groaned, "Do we really have to do this? I'm not much of a karaoke guy."
Az turned to him, "You will be after you have about five more of those," indicating the half finished beer in front of him, "so drink up. Because I have a feeling Turn Around Bright Eyes is going to be our big duet." 
Ben's mouth fell open in shock as Joe cheered and Rich rolled his eyes, "God, Az. I fucking hate that song. Even when they covered it on Glee it was still a trash heap."
"Everyone hates that song but by god is it the perfect karaoke number."
Rich opened his mouth to argue, mulled over Az's statement and shrugged his shoulders in defeat, "I can't argue with that logic."
"Oh real help you are." Ben shot to Rich.
"Sorry Benny Boy. We all gotta pay the piper for free drinks somehow. In this case, it's total humiliation in front of an audience." . 
Ben rolled his eyes and downed the rest of his drink as Az, Joe and Rich cheered. "Let's get this fucking over with."
~~~
"CAUSE I'M MISTER BRIGHTSIIIIIDEEEEE! GUITAR SOLO!" Ben launched into an epic air guitar solo, complete with white man overbite, as Rich gawked. 
"Holy shit, he's such a dork, I can't believe you want to sleep with him, Az. Az?" Rich looked over to see Az flailing as she air drummed along, threatening to hit anyone within a five foot radius.  
Joe was blissfully jamming to the air bass guitar, eyes closed, not a care in the world. 
Rich shook his head in amazement as he finished the last of his drink. 
The table was littered with pint glasses, most empty, a couple filled with a sliver of amber liquid. They had worked their way through most of the karaoke classics. Joe's rendition of Livin' On a Prayer brought the bar down and Az's version of I Wanna Dance With Somebody definitely had Ben feeling some type of way. 
They were well into hour three of karaoke, with most of the patrons clearing out after hour one. Penelope had gotten several incriminating videos of Az that she could barely wait to show her in the morning. 
Lop was currently wiping down the counter, eyeing the plug of the karaoke machine as the final notes of Mr. Brightside died out as Ben looked up, surprised to find himself on his knees after his impassioned performance. 
Az, Rich and Joe were on their feet, whopping and clapping wildly as Penelope gave Ben a nod, the most encouragement she had given him all night. 
Ben stood up and gave a bow then stumbled as a whirlwind of laughter and cheering enveloped him in her arms, carrying the scent of coconut and salt with it. Az was laughing in his ear as she hugged him and pulled back to reveal her smile, making the whole room seem to glow. He stared at it, committing it to memory.
"C'mon Benny boy, it's last call." Az was saying as she wrapped an arm around his waist, "and Lop does not like it when we push our welcome." 
"Some of us have things to do Az!" Lop called from the bar where she was stacking glasses. 
Az rolled her eyes as Ben slung a heavy arm around her shoulders. Joe and Rich were by the door holding it open for the two of them as they sauntered through, the alcohol leaving them warm and loose but coherent. 
"So, have you seen the boat we arrived on?"
Az snorted, "You mean the one that belongs to my marina? Yeah, I may have seen it once or twice." She pinched his waist as he protested, "Alrigh'! It was a conversation starter. You know? One of those things were I say something, then you say something else?"
"I know how conversation works, Ben."
"Are ya sure? Because you've been pretty quite."
Az's mouth dropped open in shock as she stuttered a response and Ben chuckled warmly as he pulled her in closer to his side, "'M jokin' love. Don't worry." 
Az's head lolled into his chest, trying to hide her grin at being called love, as she groaned, "Have I told you you're a giant pain in my ass, Hardy?"
"A few times, maybe." Ben smirked as his hand slid down her back to rest on the curve of her back that sloped down to her ass. 
Az inhaled sharply as she felt his hand move lower. Ben tried to act like he hadn't heard her but his widening smirk gave him away. 
They rounded the corner and saw the marina rise up before them. The sound of the ocean softly lapping against the hull of the boats bobbing up and down momentarily bringing a sense of serenity to Az. 
Ben was transfixed by the change that came over her when she stared out at the ocean. The wind picked up her hair, like the wind was trying to pick her up and take her where she needed to go. Her eyes were fixed on a spot out on the horizon and Ben wanted to follow those eyes wherever they went. He inhaled the scent of the sea and knew that he would always think of Az whenever he smelled the ocean from now on. 
"Sing us a SONG on the PIANO man! Sing us a SONG TONIGHT!" Ben turned to see Rich and Joe stumbling up the dock, arms wrapped around each other and he couldn't figure out who was helping who continue to be upright more. 
"Are they both managing to hold themselves upright? On each other?" Az had turned in Ben's arms when she heard the singing. She had drapped her arms around his neck, peering over his shoulder and could feel his chest vibrate as he laughed. 
"We shouldn't judge too much, we're kind of doing the same thing." He murmured into her ear. 
"Yeah but, we're not THAT intoxicated. I can stand up perfectly fine on my own, see?" Az extricated herself from Ben's hold and he immediately shivered at the loss of contact. Az stood before him and over-exaggeratedly stamped her feet into the ground and put her fists on her hips as she beamed at Ben. 
Ben couldn't help the smile that broke over his face and Az's own smile grew wider as she contemplated the beautiful boy before her. His eyes reminded her so strongly of the ocean, always changing color but still feeling like home. He was charming, kind and funny. She was smitten. And she was fairly sure he was as well. 
But she didn't want to assume. It would rip her from the inside out if she made a move and he gently let her down with that accent and those eyes looking at her with pity. She couldn't handle that. 
Ben watched as a conflict raged behind Az's eyes, causing her posture to deflate. He tilted his head, trying to decipher what had happened but was jolted forward as Joe rammed the full force of his body mass into Ben's back.
Ben had a height and muscle advantage on Joe but when Joe had alcohol and the love he had for his friends coursing through his veins, no one stood a chance. 
"BENNY BOOOY THE PIPES THE PIPES" Joe belted into Ben's ear, causing him to flinch, 
"Hey buddy, you doing okay?"
"Ben, I am better than you have ever been or ever will be." Joe's eyes were going in two different directions as he tried to rest a hand on Ben's shoulder but missed by a mile. 
Az laughed at Joe as Rich tucked his head into the crook of her neck and started whining about how he just wanted some french fries. 
"I uh, seem to have done more damage than I anticipated doing." She sheepishly. 
Ben shook his head, "Nah, karaoke brings out the worst in others. It was inevitable."
"Or the best." She said softly and looked at Ben with wide eyes and bit her lip. Ben shifted as he tried to come up with a response but it was challenging with Az staring at him like that and Joe trying to climb Ben's body so he could get a piggy back ride back to their boat. 
"AAAAAZZZZZ. Please, I just want some fries!" 
Az rolled her eyes and the moment ended as she turned to face Rich and grabbed the sides of his face, "Then by GOD man we are going to get you some fries." 
Joe's face lit up, "FRIES? I also want those!" 
Az giggled as Rich planted a sloppy kiss to the side of her face, "You're worse than the Springer's dog but c'mon gang let's get some starch." 
Joe and Rich cheered as they stumbled down the pier towards fries and Az tried to herd them away from the sides so they wouldn't fall into the water. Ben watched them leave and shoved his hands into his pockets. He needed time to think. To be alone. So he made his way on board the boat they had come in on. 
He climbed the ladder all the way to the top deck and laid out on his back. His arms crossed behind his head to offer some cushion as he gazed up at the stars. 
He wondered what had made Az lose confidence in herself. He assumed he had made it clear he wanted her. Maybe she didn't want him? Maybe that glimmer in her eye was her way of realizing that she just wasn't as into him as he was into her? 
He didn't think he could stand watching those eyes fill with pity as they tried to let him down gently. 
He sighed, picked out the brightest star and sent up a desperate wish. 
star light, star bright, first star I see tonight...
~~~
"I love fries. Almost as much as I love you Az." 
"Thanks Richy that's very sweet. And after watching you eat a whole basket of cheese fries in under two minutes that really means something." 
Rich mumbled something about how potatoes were his one true love as he drifted off to sleep, curled up on the recliner in Az's living room while Joe had taken up more space on the couch than a man that size should have. Checking to make sure both were asleep and not in danger of choking on their own vomit, she exhaled and scanned her apartment for her phone. The soft glow of it alerted her to its presence on her kitchen counter. 
She crept over to pick it up only to be greeted by a text from Lop,
Can't wait to see all the hickies you have tomorrow at breakfast.
She rolled her eyes and wiggled her thumbs over the keyboard as she tried to formulate a proper response. Should she tell Lop the truth? That she was so terrified of being rejected by Ben that she wouldn't even take a chance? Or should she just ignore her text and go to bed? 
She groaned, letting the weight of her head fall forward until it. thunked against her phone as she contemplated what to do. 
She lifted her head, locked her phone and slide open the balcony door. The ocean air filled her with calm as she surveyed the boats bobbing in the waves. 
She looked up and found the brightest star she could. She closed her eyes and with her whole heart started to wish. 
star light, star bright, first star I see tonight...
~~~
30 minutes had crept by and her eyes refused to close. She did everything she could think of to relax and fall asleep. She had counted sheep. She had focused on her breathing. She had pulled up an ASMR YouTube channel.
(She quickly exited out once she realized she was only clicking on videos that had ocean sounds in them and realized how idiotic that was.)
In a moment of pure frustration she threw a temper tantrum, flinging her limbs, beating the mattress with her fists. She cursed her body and brain for failing her when she needed peace the most. 
She took three deep breaths and wondered where Ben was for the 500th time that night. After leading the Drunk Brigade to get cheesy fries and when she asked him if he wanted anything and didn't receive a response, that's when she realized he wasn't with them. 
When she tried to get Joe to give her Ben's number so she could check on him, he had pulled up Spotify and started blaring "Boss Ass Bitch" which meant Az had to wrestle it from him and put a stop to it before the other drunk individuals standing in line started a mosh pit. 
After making peace with the fact that she definitely wasn't going to sleep any time soon, or even at all, she got up and hoped a walk would clear her head. Walking along the dock always put her at ease.
As the wind whipped around her, she pulled the sweatshirt she had thrown on over her shorts closer to her to combat the chill. She had planned to walk to her boat but something pulled her towards the boat that Rich, Ben and Joe had sailed in on. She liked going to the very top of it, it gave her the best view of the stars. When she was younger she liked to spend nights up there, reaching her hand up and pretending she could pluck the stars out of the sky. 
She got to the top and froze as she saw a figure laying on the ground. Immediately her heart sped up and she thought through all the possibilities. 
It could be some homeless person. They wandered the boardwalk sometimes. Maybe I could just leave and deal with it in the morning? 
Oh god, what if it's a dead body? Was her next immediate thought, Then I'll somehow be blamed for the murder and go to jail and my whole life will be ruined.
When the body stirred, the relief she felt was short lived as she realized she would have to deal with a very LIVE body. 
Direct action is the best action. Catch them off guard, knock them out, then call the cops. She slowly slid her phone out of her pocket and dialed 9 1. She nodded to herself, took a deep breath in and raced onto the deck waving her phone over her head,
"YOU BETTER TELL ME WHAT YOU'RE DOING HERE RIGHT NOW BEFORE THE COPS GET HERE ASSHOLE"
Ben jolted awake, not even realizing he had fallen asleep, and tried to sit up only for his head to collide with something solid, causing him to fall down on his back groaning. 
Az rubbed the spot where her head had made contact with the mystery perp and wondered briefly if she was out of her depth if this person was willing to stoop so low as to headbutt her. 
Ben carefully opened his eyes as the voice said, "Okay, headbutting someone is low ESPECIALLY when you're the one who broke onto MY boat and besides, NO ONE wins in a headbutt."
He recognized that voice. 
He knew that voice. 
"Az! Az. Az, look at me. Look! It's me! It's Ben! And I didn't mean to headbutt you, but, christ, you have a dense skull."
Ben? Az lowered her arm as the words cut through her adrenaline fueled rampage. She looked down at the figure below her and fully understood what had happened when her eyes met the blue ones staring up at her. 
"Jesus, woman. You know how to give a wake up call."
Az breathed a sigh of relief, "Well you know how to scare someone! Why didn't you tell me you were up here?"
Ben looked down as he shuffled his feet and muttered, "Needed some time by myself." Az cocked an eyebrow in disbelief as she chewed over what he had just admitted to her. 
Why did he need time to think? Was he worrying about her? That unspoken moment on the pier that was ruined by Az's overthinking and Rich's need for potato products after a night of drinking? 
"Wait, why are you up here? Shouldn't you be holding Rich's hair back as he vomits into a toilet or something?" Ben shot back at her accusingly. 
It was Az's turn to become sheepish and she rubbed the back of her neck, "I, um, I couldn't sleep."
Ben looked at her for a loaded moment before scooting over and patting the spot next to him, "Well, you're welcome to join me. I don't think I'll be going back to sleep anytime soon. Too much adrenaline coursing through my body." 
Az whacked him on the shoulder as she settled next to him and the smirk on Ben's face grew as he turned his face up to the night sky.
"You come out here a lot when you can't sleep?" 
Az hummed, "It's peaceful. Helps me put things into perspective."
Ben nodded, "Wish I lived near water. But I've forests near me which helps. Something calming abou' trees ya know?
"Yeah. Forests. Oceans. Mountains. Anything in nature that's bigger than you that reminds you of how small you are and how big the universe is. And how lucky we are to even be here at all."
"Oh, we're jumping right into the Deep Thoughts, huh?"
Az smirked, "I'm quite quick Hardy, ya gotta keep up."
Ben knocked his elbow against hers, "Well if we're jumping into deep thought territory, every time I look at the night sky I find the brightest star and wish on it. Helps me realize what I want to focus on in my life."
Az's eyes grew wide, "Wait, for real?"
"Yeah. Been doin' it since I was a kid. Why?"
"I do the same thing."
"You're joking."
"I swear on my LIFE."
Ben chuckled, "Well, I don't think we have to go that extreme, I believe you but, wow. Huh. Guess the universe is trying to tell us something." 
"Guess so." Az smiled back at Ben and when he didn't drop his gaze, dropped hers first. 
She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear as she drew her knees into her chest, still feeling the intensity of Ben's gaze on her. 
"What?"
"What do you mean, 'what'? Not allowed to look at you?"
"You are but it just, I don't know, makes me nervous?" She flinched at the uptick that ended her remark and mentally chided herself for not sounding more confident. 
"I make you nervous?" Ben could hear the smugness in his voice and knew he should tone it down but couldn't find it in himself to do so. 
"Oh my god, I'm going to regret telling you this, but, yeah. I mean, obviously."
Ben leaned back on his hands as he studied Az's profile, "Why do I make you nervous? Not like I'm intimidating."
"You kind of are though?" When Ben made a shocked noise Az straightened up to face him, "No! No, no. Not in like, a bad way? Just in like, a, ah, you're very attractive?" She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks and pulled her hands into the sleeves of her sweatshirt and balled them up, "And, uh, for someone like me, that's very intimidating."
"You're intimidated by me because I'm...attractive?"
"Yes, Ben! I think you're hot! Smoking! A total smoke show! You happy? And I know that you think I'm just some dorky girl who likes cheesy 80's ballads but," she flung her hands towards the heavens as if to illustrate how fruitless it would be for him to like her, "here we are." 
Ben could barely contain the smile that threatened to break his face in two. "Alrigh' well, first of all, thank you for sharing your real feelings." Az clambered up, muttering about how she had embarrassed herself enough when Ben hoisted himself up and grabbed her wrist, "but don't assume you know what I'm thinking." 
Az's body stilled and Ben knew she was listening despite her not meeting his gaze, "You just thought I felt one way abou' you? That's a little short sighted. You ever assume you know everything about the universe? I've got whole universes inside me too!"
Az peeked at Ben through her eyelashes, "You get that line from the last John Green novel you read?"
Ben gently grasped her chin with his thumb, angling her head up so she would fully look at him, "Maybe I did. There's a reason he's so popular. But don't interrupt me." Az pouted and Ben traced the outline of her lip with his thumb.
She shuddered at the contact and Ben stared into her eyes, "I've wanted to kiss you since the moment I saw your hair shining in the sun and your two middle fingers greeting us as we pulled into port. I couldn't believe someone as beautiful as you wanted to hang out with someone like me. I mean, fuck, Az," he wheezed out a laugh, "I've been losing my mind trying to find ways to be closer to you. Make you laugh. Make you smile. I sang fuckin' Turn Around Bright Eyes just because you asked." 
"And you were the best duet partner I've ever had for that song."
"While I take great pride in that, I'm on a role here."
"Sorry. Please continue."
Ben took a deep breath in, "Az, I've wanted you ever since I saw you. But then I got to know you and, fuck, that feeling has just increased. So please," his voice dropped to a whisper as he ducked his head and his lips brushed over Az's as he asked, "Can I kiss you?"
Az's breath came out in shaky bursts and she didn't trust herself to move. She nodded and Ben's lips melted against hers as he cradled the back of her head and wrapped an arm around her waist.  
It felt like everything in Az was aflame. The fire that had been building in her ever since she laid eyes on Ben had reached a fever pitch.
His lips moved against hers and he groaned. Her lips were just as soft as he expected them to be. 
She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer to her. He grasped her waist with both of his hands, fingers digging into her sides to ground her to him. As if he needed to make sure that she was real and she wasn't going anywhere.
Az had no plans of leaving anytime soon. She stroked the short hairs that grew at the nape of his neck, causing Ben to grip her waist tighter and she let out a moan. 
Ben almost came as she moaned into his mouth. He could feel his cock growing harder and when Az pressed herself closer to him she could feel it as well. 
She pulled back from his mouth with reluctance and let out a shaky breath, "Someone's excited." Ben threw all delicacies to the wind, "My cock has been hard since we started hanging out." Az's eyes grew wide and Ben could clearly see how blown out her pupils were. 
The wind blew a few strands of hair across her flushed cheeks and with a glance down, Ben could see her chest rising and falling rapidly. With that thought, he traced his hands slowly up her sides as Az's breath hitched in her throat. 
"Is this okay?" Ben whispered as his hands crept up her sides, agonizingly slow, leaving a trail of fire in their wake as Az nodded. She could barely keep herself upright, there was no way she could form words. 
Ben smirked down at her as his thumbs grazed the sides of her breasts and Az jumped. "Easy, it's okay" he whispered as he leaned down to capture her lips with his once again. 
"I know but, fuck, Ben. I've wanted you all day." Az whined and Ben was certain in that moment there was nothing more attractive than the sound Az breathlessly telling him how badly she wanted him. 
"Well, you don't have to wait anymore." He whispered against her lips and Az pressed her lips to his as she gripped his shoulders.
Ben's hands continued their agonizingly slow pace to the front of Az's chest where he realized she wasn't wearing a bra and he let out a groan, "Fuck, Az, I need you." 
"Who's the impatient one now?" Az smirked as she nipped at his bottom lip and Ben whined. 
"Is there anywhere we can go? Preferably with a bed?"
"Inside, there's a room at the end of the hall."
Ben planted a deep kiss on Az and pulled her down the hall. Az's head was still reeling with how he had just kissed her and was only slightly aware of Ben leading her through the door and down the hall of the boat to one of the bedroom's that was located on board. 
Ben turned the knob and let the door swing open as he pressed another kiss to Az's lips. Her hands were clawing at his back and he registered distantly that he might have scratches on there that he would have to explain to Joe. 
Not that he cared. 
Az fumbled behind her as she kicked the door, briefly hoping it was closed enough. Ben had moved down to kissing her neck and she couldn't think about anything else. 
She bent her head back to allow him more access as he nipped at the column of her throat, causing her to release little moans every time that were sending Ben's head spinning.
Az yelped as Ben picked her up, causing her to wrap her legs around his waist instinctively, and he deposited her on the bed where he stared down at her as she pushed herself up to her elbows and stared back. She cocked an eyebrow at him, "What?" 
"Nothing, you're just...fuck. You're beautiful."
Az's smile was bashful and she suddenly found it extremely hard to look Ben right in the eye at that moment. 
Ben, sensing her shyness leaned down so he was hovering over her body and whispered, "Now's the time when you tell me I'm beautiful." 
Az laughed, and remembered this was Ben. Sweet, caring Ben who she had spent all day pining over. She wasn't going to waste another moment getting caught up in her own head. 
Ben went back to sucking and licking at Az's neck as one hand reached up underneath her sweatshirt and traced the outline of her breast, causing Az to arch her back. 
She whined, "Ben...please." 
Ben smirked against her neck, "Please, what?" 
"Touch me. Please. I've wanted this all day." 
"Hmm, I don't know..."
"Please, sir. I'll do anything." Az breathed out before she could stop herself.
Ben pulled back and stared with wide eyes. Her own eyes were half-lidded as she stared up at him, pupils blown out, cheeks flushed, chest heaving, hips bucking. 
Ben cleared his throat, "What-uh-what did you just say?"
A look of worry washed over Az, "Uhm, sir?"
"That's what I thought." he growled. 
He leaned down so his lips were right against her ear, "And since my good girl asked so nicely...I guess I'll give her what she wants."
He traced a circle that got smaller and smaller until he was tracing around her nipple as he swung his other leg around so he was straddling her and started to grind his clothed cock into her cunt. Az was only briefly embarrassed thinking about how she could cum from grinding against Ben fully clothed like some pre-pubescent 13-year old. 
She babbled. "Please, sir. Yes. Oh my god. Fuck. Ben. Please, I need more."
Ben chuckled, "I've barely touched you. If this is how you're reacting now I can't wait till I tease your little cunt with my fingers, tongue and cock."
"Oh my GOD Ben, please. I need more. Please, I'm begging you." 
Ben smirked as he started tweaking her nipple with deft fingers. He brought his other hand up to stroke her throat, testing the waters, "How do you feel about me touching your throat? Do you like that baby girl?"
Az whimpered and nodded as she desperately tried to grind her pussy against Ben's aching cock even more. He hadn't even registered how hard he was. He was so focused on Az and how needy she was, his own needs almost escaped him. 
He gently laid a hand over her throat and squeezed the smallest amount which caused Az to throw her head back and let out a moan so loud that Ben was sure every boat in the marina would hear it. 
It made his cock twitch. 
"That's my good girl." he cooed as he continued to tease her nipple. Az whimpered and reached her hands up in a grabbing motion, 
"What is it sweetheart? Use your words."
"Kiss me. Please."
Ben smiled and moved his hand from around her throat to cradle her cheek, "Of course sweetheart." The kiss he gave her was sweet, gentle and deep which caused Az's head to spin even more at the difference between this kiss and his filthy actions. Az wrapped her legs around his waist to bring him as close to her as possible. 
Ben chuckled, "You're already so needy."
Az rolled her eyes, "Shut up." and went back in for another kiss. 
Their lips moved together as Ben reached his hands down to the edge of Az's sweatshirt and gave it a little tug.
Az pulled away and ripped the sweatshirt off in record time. Ben sat up and stared down at Az's body, finally exposed to him. 
"Holy shit."
Az fidgeted under his gaze, "What? Not what you thought?" bracing herself for him to tell her he had changed his mind. 
"Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined you having a body as amazing as the one you have." 
He leaned down to wrap his lips around her nipple as his other hand came to play with the one his mouth wasn't currently occupying. Az groaned but couldn't keep the smile off of her face as she reached a hand up to tug at his hair. 
Ben switched from one nipple to the other as he glanced up at Az, "Couldn't let the other one feel left out."
"God forbid" Az breathed out as she arched her back after he gave a particularly hard nip. 
He chuckled as he came up to plant another kiss on her lips, "Are you ready?"
"Ready for what?"
Her eyes snapped open as she felt his hands travel down her body, past her breast, where he gave her nipple one more tweak, down her waist, down to the top of her thigh as he danced his fingers up her inner thigh. Teasing her as he brought his fingers close to where she most wanted him. 
"Ben..."
His fingers stilled, "What did you call me?"
She whimpered, "Sir..."
"Better." His fingers danced closer to her cunt.
"Sir...please. I need you." Her hips were bucking desperately and Ben looked down at the beautiful woman underneath him and couldn't believe he had gotten so lucky. 
He fiddled with the edge of her shorts, as she whined. He smirked and moved to trace the outline of her pussy through her underwear, he took in a sharp intake of air, "Fuck, baby girl. You're soaking wet for me."
Az whined, "That's what you do to me. That's all for you, sir. Please." 
Ben groaned as he bent his head down to capture her lips with his as he dipped a finger into her panties and teased the lips of her pussy open. 
Her thighs fell open easily as she bucked her hips to get more of his finger inside her. Ben slowly dipped one finger inside of her, when he felt how wet she was, he added a second, and then a third. 
Then removed them entirely. 
"Baby girl, flip over onto your stomach for me."
Az looked at him curiously but did as she was told, "Like this?" she asked as she looked back at him and bit her lip. Ben groaned and palmed himself through his pants as she looked up at him with her big eyes.
She glanced down at his bulge, "Can I suck your cock?"
Ben almost choked. "Holy fuck sweetheart. You're gonna make me cum if you keep talking like that."
Az giggled and then moaned as Ben thrust his fingers back into her, "I would love for you to suck my cock but first, I really want you to cum for me." He said as he kept thrusting his fingers in and out of her dripping core.
The angle had his fingers hitting her sweet spot right away. He kept palming himself through his jeans. He pumped his fingers slowly into Az's cunt, feeling her walls clench around his fingers, her ass moving up and down as she fucked his fingers, trying to fill herself up more. She whined when Ben ripped his fingers out of her.
"Ben..." She looked behind her and saw that his shirt was off and was making equally quick work of his jeans and boxer briefs. "Take off your pants. Now." he growled as he stepped out of his own, letting his cock spring free. Az was transfixed by it. It was huge. She licked her lips as she saw the pink tip, leaking pre-cum. She groaned as she imagined wrapping her lips around it, making Ben cum down her throat. Swallowing every single drop of his cum as he moaned. 
"Baby girl?" Ben's voice broke Az out of her reprieve and she quickly reached her hands down and shimmied out of her panties and shorts and threw them into the room. 
She pushed herself up to her hands and knees and stared at Ben over her shoulder, "Well?"
Ben licked his palm and stroked his cock a few times as he admired the view of Az's ass in front of him, her pussy glistening with her wetness. 
He licked the fingers that had been in Az's cunt and tasted how sweet she was as he walked forward. He inserted his fingers back into her cunt making her hang her head and groan.
He pumped them in and out a few times and smacked Az's ass, "Lie down on your back."
She yelped but did as she was told. Ben looked into her eyes as she laid down, "I'm so sorry, I should have asked before I spanked you, I'm so sorry-"
Az cut him off with a kiss, "No! No. It was so hot. Sir." She added as she smirked up at him. Ben chuckled as he kissed her lips and moved to kiss down her body. 
Az's breath got shallower the closer he got to her pussy. He nipped at the inside of her thighs as he just barely brushed her clit with the tip of his tongue.
Az almost levitated off the bed, "FUCK. BEN. Please!"
Ben chuckled and inserted two fingers into her cunt and started making obscene sucking noises as he sucked on her clit. Az always used to say she didn't understand why people made so much noise during sex but now? With Ben working his magic on her with his fingers and tongue? She didn't know how she could be quiet. 
All too soon, she felt the familiar burning sensation in her stomach as she reached her edge, "Ben..Sir.."
He hummed against her clit which made her throw her head back and let loose a new wave of moans, "FUCK. If you do that again, I'm going to cum."
"Cum on my face then. Please." Ben said as he hummed against her clit and made a come hither motion with his fingers causing Az to completely unravel. The heat that had been building inside of her all day consumed her body as her vision went white.  
Ben kept lapping until she whimpered and tried to move away, even then he kept slowly pumping his fingers in and out of her. 
"Ben, please..." her voice came out as a whisper as she tugged on his hair to indict she wanted him to move up. Ben placed a final sweet kiss on her clit before slowly kissing his way back up her body. 
Az let out a deep sigh as she closed her eyes and let the few remaining pulses of pleasure wash over her, relishing in the attention he was bestowing upon her. 
Ben paused as he took in Az's body, stretched out below him and whined in the back of his throat. 
The green of Az's eyes were revealed as she smirked at the needy sounds that escaped Ben. 
She quickly pushed Ben off of her and before he could protest too much she straddled him and bent her head down to nip at the line of his throat which caused him to cry out.
Az giggled, "Does that feel good sir?"
Ben's eyes were rolling into the back of his head as Az's core ground against his exposed cock, he could feel the wetness as he bucked his hips up into her, "God, yes, sweetheart, please that feels amazing, don't stop..."
Ben's voice trailed off as Az started kissing his collarbone, then his chest, then his stomach, when he finally registered what her intentions were, he moaned as his eyes fluttered closed. 
Az peered up at him through her lashes and couldn't stop herself from admiring how beautiful he looked. Eyelashes resting on his cheeks, chest heaving, cheeks the color of an English rose and his eyes...were staring right at her as she placed a soft kiss onto his cock. 
He whined and Az's hips bucked involuntarily at the noise. She smiled up at him and he reached a hand down to caress her cheek. 
She hummed and pressed a kiss into his palm. She turned her head back to the more important, and pressing, task at hand. 
She kissed Ben's thighs as he threw his head back and sighed in ecstasy. 
In between kisses, Az teased "I've barely touched you and you're already this needy." 
Only a sliver of blue could be seen as she looked up at Ben, "If I wasn't so desperate for you to suck my cock, I would have a much better comeback" he breathed out in between moans. 
Az smirked and curled her fingers around his cock as she licked her lips in anticipation. 
Ben was huge. She shouldn't have been surprised, Lop had even said he carried himself with an energy that seemed to imply he was hung, but god.
She wrapped one hand loosely around his cock and licked a wide stripe from his balls to the tip where she placed a gentle kiss on it.
The groan Ben let out had her swinging a leg around so she could grind her core into Ben's thigh as she continued licking his cock.
She finally, agonizingly slowly, wrapped her lips around the head of Ben's cock and started to bob her head up and down. 
Ben reached his hands down to grasp her hair and move it out of her face.
Az spit on his cock and started working her hands up and down as she peered up at Ben, "Thanks for the hair tie." 
Ben bucked his hips up into her hands as he gasped, "Not so much for you, mainly wanted to see your lips wrapped around my cock. Been thinking about that all day."
Az laughed and kept one hand pumping the length that she couldn't fit into her mouth. She looked up at Ben through her eyelashes and heard him mutter, "Fuck. Having your lips around me is even hotter than I imagined."
Az hummed and Ben screamed, "FUCK" and pulled her off of his cock, mashing his lips against hers in a frenzy, "If I don't fuck you now I'm going to hate myself forever."
Az laughed gently against his lips, "Well, we can't have that now, can we?"
Ben nipped at her bottom lip as he brought a hand up to lightly smack her ass, "Someone seems to have forgotten their place, baby girl."
Az whimpered as she felt the sting, "I'm sorry sir, it won't happen again."
"Damn right," Ben said and stilled as his eyes met Az's with concern, "I don't have any condoms on me. Are there any on this boat?"
Az pressed a kiss to his cheek, "I have an IUD. It's fine. Just, please fuck me right now. Please? I'm begging you."
Ben exhaled and grabbed Az's hips with such strength that Az knew for certain there'd be bruises the next day. 
Az clambered on top of him and lined up her entrance to the tip of Ben's cock, she slowly lowered down and the feel of her walls being stretched by his girth had her letting loose a string of curses that were almost drowned out by Ben's. 
"Fuck, Ben, you're so big, god." Az squeezed her eyes shut as she bottomed out.
Ben squeezed her hips as he took every ounce of willpower not to buck up into her and fuck her until all she could say was his name, "Jesus, sweetheart, you feel incredible. This is so much more amazing than I ever could have imagined."
Az let out a shaky laugh as she started to roll her hips forward and back. Getting used to Ben's length, working it over. Ben couldn't take his eyes off her as Az's hips started rocking harder and harder against his cock. 
He reached his hands up and grasped her breasts, rolling her nipples in between his fingers as Az threw her head back and let out a moan. Ben didn't think there was a better view in the entire world than this one. 
Az reached a hand down to rub her clit as she rocked her hips back and forth and Ben's hips snapped up into her as his hands worked on her nipples. She felt her core tightening and that familiar warmth start building inside her for the second time.  
She gasped, "Ben...sir...Ben..I'm so close, fuck, please don't stop, please"
Ben growled, "I don't plan on stopping any time soon, sweetheart."
Az moaned as she rubbed her clit harder and finally with a tweak of her nipples, Az felt herself coming undone around Ben's cock.
As she came out of her haze she could hear Ben babbling about how good she was, how tight she was, how he wanted to cum so badly. Az slowly leaned down and pressed a kiss to Ben's lips, causing him to pause in his actions. 
She pulled back and smiled at him and he smiled at her. He gently stroked her sides, then grabbed on to her waist and flipped them over so Az's back hit the bed with a "OOF" and Ben ended up on top, hands on either side of her head. 
He grinned down at her as she rubbed her hands up and down his arms, "Think you're so special huh?" 
Ben's grin grew wider as he snapped his hips into her and Az broke down into moans and strained to get more of his cock inside of her. He leaned down to whisper in her ear, "Yeah, I like to think so."
"Please. Just fuck me."
Ben breathed out a laugh, "You don't have to ask twice." And started thrusting into Az as she grasped onto his shoulders, arching her back.
Ben could feel his thrusts getting sloppy and knew he was close. He reached a hand down and rubbed Az's clit, "Baby girl, think you got one more in you? I want you to cum with me."
Az nodded as her eyes rolled into the back of her head, "Uh-huh, yes sir, please, I want to cum again so badly, please please please please..." the last please fell on deaf ears as Az reached her climax for the third time. Her walls clenched around Ben's cock, pulling the best orgasm he'd ever had in his life out of him shooting thick, hot ropes of cum into her pussy as they both moaned and held onto each other as if they were life rafts keeping each other afloat.
Ben opened his eyes as he and Az caught their breath. They looked at each other and burst into laughter as they came down from their highs. 
"Wow, uh, that was-"
"Amazing?" Ben asked, shyly.
Az's eyes grew warm as she brought a hand up to caress his cheek, "Yeah. Definitely worth the wait."
"Well, sorry. I didn't want to assume you wanted this as badly as I did." Ben whispered as he gazed down at Az with a soft look in his eyes
"Hmm, yes. Because a man who looks like a Greek god and can also make me cum THREE TIMES is clearly someone I don't want anything to do with." Az joked as she pulled Ben's face down to give him a gentle kiss. 
Ben rolled his eyes as Az giggled. Which turned into a whimper as he pulled his cock out of her and he chuckled when he saw her pout, "Alright love. None of that. I'll be right back."
Az sighed and stretched out on the bed. She heard water running in the bathroom and Ben emerged with a warm washcloth. 
He sat on the bed next to her and gently pulled her knees apart as he cleaned her up. Az smiled her thanks as Ben returned to the bathroom to clean himself up.
He walked out and saw Az had gotten underneath the covers, as he pulled back the covers he smiled, "Is this spot taken?"
A slow grin split her her face as she shook her head and patted the spot next to her. 
Ben clambered into bed beside her and when he opened his arms wide, Az snuggled right into them. She sighed contentedly as Ben placed a gentle kiss to the top of her head. 
As they both drifted off to sleep, they both thanked the star they had wished on for making their dream come true. 
High above, the star they had both wished on, seemed to shine a little brighter as it hung right above the sleeping couple. 
~~~
Rich woke up the next morning with a headache, the feeling that he had fuzz all over his tongue and the need to never consumer alcohol ever again. He groaned as he sat up and saw Joe, who was snoring louder than a man that size should, was still sleeping. 
Rich stretched and slowly made his way to the bathroom. As he finished up and walked back out to the living room, he peered into Az's bedroom and saw her bed was empty. He shrugged, Az usually got up early so he figured she was already out on her boat. 
After making coffee and taking it out onto Az's porch, he saw her boat still in the port with no sign of activity. He cocked his head, mentally going through a list of places she could be at. 
His feet were heavy as he meandered down he dock. When he got closer to the large boat, he had arrived on the other day, he saw that the door on the uppermost floor wasn't closed all the way. Grumbling about how Joe would make a terrible captain, he lumbered aboard to take care of it.
After closing the first door, Rich did a quick sweep of the other areas to make sure everything was good to go to take Joe and Ben back out on the boat today. If Joe could stomach being on a boat after drinking so much. As he reached the floor by the uppermost deck he saw the bedroom door open at the end of the floor with light coming through it. 
He crept closer and peered through the crack. He saw Az and Ben, both sound asleep, Az curled up into Ben's chest, Ben's arms wrapped tightly around her waist. 
Rich slapped a hand over his mouth and sprinted back to Az's apartment, pumping his fist the whole way.
He quickly dug his phone out of the recliner cushions and texted Lop a million exclamation points, peach emojis and eggplant emojis.  
Almost immediately Lop texted back, "I fucking knew it." 
Rich laughed as he crept back downstairs, leaving the lovers to wake up in each others arms and to thank their lucky star.  
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Birthday Boy - Peter Parker x Reader
Notes: It’s technically two hours late for me but don’t @ me because today was too busy lol. Anyway, here’s Peter’s birthday one-shot because I love him with all of my heart even though it’s a little late. Please reblog/comment/like, thank you! xoxo
Summary: Peter thinks everyone has forgotten his birthday.
Birthday Boy
Peter Parker x Reader
Requested?: Nope
Word Count: 2,494
Warnings: None? A tiny bit of angst but not bad. a lot of fluff though. cute stuff.
A buzzing on his bedside table wakes Peter up in the dead of night. He groggily reaches over and turns his phone to face him, seeing your name pop up on his screen. A small smile makes its way onto his face as he reads the time.
12:13
“Hey, (Y/n). What’s up?” Peter yawns into the phone.
“Hey, Pete. Have you gotten any school supplies yet? I just remembered my mom wanted me to ask you because you’re, like, the most prepared guy that I know. Especially when it comes to school.” Your voice rings into his ears. His smile drops.
“That’s what you called for at midnight?” He sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose as he lays on his back, phone lazily held to his ear.
“Yeah, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize it was so late. I’ll call you back later, though? Oh, wait, I forgot.” You chuckle.
“Forgot?” Peter perks up, hoping you had remembered that it’s his birthday.
“We’re getting lunch today anyway, right? I’ll just let my mom know that I’ll get an answer from you then. Okay, night, Pete! I’ll see you tomorrow-- err, later today!” You hang up the phone.
Peter frowns and sets the phone back on his bedside table, laying back down on his back. He stares at the ceiling for a while.
Maybe she’s just tired and forgot. She’ll remember in the morning, Peter tells himself, closing his eyes.
Yeah. She’ll remember in the morning.
~+~
The next morning, Peter wakes up with his alarm blaring in his ear. How long had it been going off?
He scrambles for the phone, seeing missed calls from both you and Ned. He calls you first.
“Where are you?” You answer, your tone impatient. He checks the time.
Noon.
“Oh, crap! I overslept!” He jumps out of bed and gets into the nearest science pun t-shirt and jeans.
“No, duh. Get over here soon, I’ll order your favorite.” You hang up, clearly a little agitated at him. He doesn’t blame you.
“Gotta go, May! Bye!” Peter calls out to his aunt as he gives her a quick peck on the cheek before running out the door.
He runs to the Delmar’s Deli-Grocery down the street, seeing you already outside with two sandwiches in your hands. He sheepishly slows down in front of you and takes one as the two of you find a table to sit at.
“You’re late.” You point out, one brow arched.
“I overslept.” He states again. You frown.
“You already said that. Are you okay? Like, mentally?” You chuckle, taking a bite of your sandwich.
“Yeah, of course, I am. But, I mean, I get to be a little crazy today, right?” He grins at you. You furrow your brows.
“What’s today?” You ask, setting down your sandwich in confusion.
“You-- you seriously don’t know what today is?” He asks, a look of hurt running over his face.
How could you forget his birthday?
“Uh, no? Am I supposed to?” You ask, eyes scanning his face for any clue of what he’s talking about.
“N-No, no, today is-- it’s nothing. Forget I mentioned it.” He mumbles, looking down at his hands. You shrug.
“Okay, weirdo. Wanna go for a walk?” You ask, giving him a cheesy grin as you finish up your sandwich.
“I think I’m good. I’m kinda feeling a little sick, so I’m just gonna...take a nap.” He stutters for an excuse, looking anywhere but at you.
“Okay...oh, and have you gotten school supplies? And if so, what all do you have already? My mom won’t stop nagging me about it.” You chuckle. 
“I haven’t bought any yet. I was going to some time this week.” Peter shrugs, getting up abruptly.
“Oh...okay. Um, I’ll see you later tonight for movie night, right?” You ask, placing a hand on his shoulder and giving him a light pat.
“Uh, maybe. We’ll see how I’m feeling.” He shrugs your hand off and turns away, walking off. You frown.
~+~
Once Peter gets home, he calls Ned.
“Dude, (Y/n) was calling me saying that you were late for lunch. You good?” Ned asks. Peter sighs.
“Yeah, I’m fine, I just overslept. And I’m really upset. I mean, can you believe that (Y/n) didn’t know what today is?” Peter scoffs, flopping onto his bed as the phone is pressed against his ear.
“What?” Ned asks.
“Yeah, I know, right? It was crazy! I kept trying to drop hints that today was special but--”
“Peter, why’s today special? It’s just Saturday. Oh, no. Did you hit your head this morning?” Ned asks. Peter goes silent.
“What’s today’s date?” He asks quietly.
“August tenth, why?” Ned responds immediately.
“You...are you kidding me? You, too?” Peter murmurs, disbelief and hurt evident in every bone in his body. How could both of his best friends forget his birthday?
“Me, too, what? Peter, you’re scaring me. Did (Y/n) hit you? Do you have a concussion?” Ned asks, obviously concerned.
“No, I’m just feeling sick,” Peter lies, “I think I’m gonna take a nap.”
“Okay, yeah, you do that. See you at movie night.” Ned hangs up.
Peter stares at the ceiling, shocked and confused by everything happening today. He was born on August tenth, right? Of course, he was. So why is nobody else acting like it’s his birthday?
He dials MJ’s number. The phone rings.
And rings.
And rings.
No answer, it goes straight to voicemail.
“Hey, this is MJ. If you’re my friend, and you guys know who you are, leave a message after the tone. If you aren’t, why are you calling me?” --BEEP--
“Hey, MJ! I just wanted to ask you if you know what today is? Thanks, see you later.” He leaves the voicemail, setting his phone down afterward. He stares at the ceiling, contemplating life for a couple more minutes before he decides that he knows who will know his birthday.
May and Tony.
“Aunt May!” Peter calls out, walking into the kitchen. She’s gone. Instead, there’s a small sticky note left on the counter. He checks it.
Out with Happy, be back later tonight. Have fun! (P.S. Not too much fun) I larb you!
Peter’s face falls. If she had known it was his birthday, she wouldn’t leave him alone all day.
Why is everyone acting so weird?
Tony. Peter gets in his suit and swings to the compound, right into Tony’s lab.
“Mr. Stark!” Peter launches himself in through the window, landing on his feet. Tony turns to look at his intern.
“Oh, hey, kid. What’s up?” He asks, finishing a few touches on his own suit. Peter grins.
“What’s today?” Peter asks confidently, putting his hands on his hips.
“Uh, me and Pepper’s anniversary?” Tony asks, raising an eyebrow.
“Holy crap-- really?” Peter’s eyes go wide. Tony deadpans.
“No, not really. Today’s August tenth, kid. What’s with August tenth?” Tony furrows his brows. 
“Well-- it’s nothing…” Peter trails off, sighing. If no one remembers his birthday, then what��s the point?
“Then let’s get to work. No more wasting time, we’ve got suit upgrades to build.” Tony claps Peter on the back, handing him some tools.
“Right...got it.” He begrudgingly gets to work, although anyone could see that he’s sad.
He’s seventeen and no one knows except himself.
~+~
After a few hours of working with Tony, his phone buzzes. Peter answers it and sets the phone between his shoulder and ear as he continues to work.
“Pete?” Your voice rings through his ears, immediately bringing a smile to his face. You tend to have that effect on him.
However, after remembering today’s events, the smile drops.
“Hey, what’s up?” He asks, voice dull.
“Are you coming over for movie night? Ned’s already here and we have the living room set up.” You tell him, and he can already tell that you’re biting your lip. It’s a nervous habit of yours.
“I mean...I dunno, maybe? We’ll see--”
“Please, Peter? We’re playing your favorite. Star Wars! You can’t miss Star Wars.” You complain, backing Peter into a corner. One, he hates disappointing you. Two, he does love Star Wars.
“Okay, fine. I’ll be over in a few.” He groans, setting down his tools and picking up his phone from off his shoulder.
“Girlfriend?” Tony mouths, wiggling his eyebrows at Peter. Peter waves a dismissive hand at him, although his bright red cheeks tell Tony otherwise.
“Great! I’ll see you in a few minutes, hero.” You chuckle and hang up, sending another smile to Peter’s face. He loves it when you call him hero. His favorite is when you call him your hero.
“Movie Night with your girlfriend again?” Tony hums, looking up at Peter. Peter nods, not willing to fight the subject right now.
“Yeah. I gotta go. I’ll be back tomorrow, though, okay?” He points a finger at Tony. Tony nods.
“I’ll be here. I always am.” He jokes, sending Peter off on his way. Peter swings toward your apartment, landing in the alleyway next to it about fifteen minutes later. He exchanges the suit for comfortable clothes as he strolls into your apartment building.
He knocks on your door and you answer, cracking it open slightly.
“Oh, hey, Pete! Glad you could make it!” You open the door wider, a large smile on your face.
“Surprise!” A group of people screams at him as the door swings open to reveal all of Peter’s friends and family.
“W-What? What’s this?” Peter’s eyes go wide.
“It’s a surprise party, duh!” You grin at him.
“A surprise-- for me?” He asks, pointing at himself.
“No, it’s actually for (Y/n)’s birthday.” MJ rolls her eyes, crossing her arms.
“Yeah, sorry, Peter. It’s for my birthday on August tenth.” You chuckle, pulling him inside and shutting the door behind him. May, Tony, Happy, Ned, MJ, and you are all standing there, wide smiles on your faces as you look at Peter.
“Thank you, guys. I...I thought you all forgot about my birthday.” He admits, a sheepish smile creeping onto his face. 
“You seriously thought that every single one of us forgot your birthday?” You give him a skeptical look. He nods shyly.
“Maybe you are crazy. Anyway, go make your rounds,” You drop your voice to where only Peter can hear you, “and afterward meet me on the fire escape. I’ve got a special present for you.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Peter grins at you, going to say hi to Tony, Ned, MJ, May, and Happy. You slip out onto the fire escape and wait, a little velvet box sitting in your hands.
After a few minutes, Peter steps out onto the fire escape and sits down across from you.
“So, I have a present for you. Tony and I worked really hard together to make this.” You shove your hands, with the box, toward him. He takes is gingerly and opens it.
“Oh, this is so cool! It’s like a little spider!” Peter pulls out the necklace with his spider emblem as the charm.
“Yeah! It’s a necklace that can help you with--”
“I’m going to wear it all the time, (Y/n)! It’s the cutest thing. Although, I don’t know why Tony had to help you with thi--”
“Hey, guys! I was wondering if--” Ned pokes his head out the window, and both you and Peter turn to look at him.
“Not now, Ned.” You and Peter say in unison. Ned looks at the necklace and the box, knowing that you’re giving Peter his gift.
“Oh-- got it. Sorry, I’ll come back out in a few.” He winks at you and Peter before going back inside. You giggle.
“Anyway, what were you saying?” Peter turns back to you.
“I was saying that it’s not just a normal necklace. It’ll help you with your spider duties.” You tell him, leaning forward to look at the necklace.
“How so?” His brows furrow. You reach for the necklace, fingers hovering over where it lays on his upper sternum. You look up and realize how close your faces are, lips hovering a mere couple inches apart. You gulp deeply.
“Like...this.” You press the necklace twice and the suit starts to form around him. Soon enough, he’s in his suit. You don’t move from your spot, still only a couple inches away from his face.
You reach up and take the bottom of the mask, rolling it up to his nose. You take a deep breath as you see the eyes on the suit narrow. You stare at his lips. They’re right in front of you.
“Is this okay?” You whisper, looking up to the eyes on his suit. He nods. Without even thinking, you press your lips to his, hands slipping under the mask to cup his cheeks as the kiss intensifies.
Peter pulls the rest of his mask off with the hand that isn’t in your hair. He tosses it to the side and sets a hand on your hip, moving closer to you. He’s waited for this for so long.
So have you.
“Hey, guys, the rest of-- oh my--”
“Ned!” You and Peter stop what you’re doing and turn to face Ned who has once again peeked out of the window.
“I’m so sorry, I just--”
“Get out, dude! We’ll be in the living room in a minute!” Peter gives Ned the ‘seriously!?’ look. You giggle, but your cheeks are heated from embarrassment.
“Okay, okay! I’m going! I’ll tell May and Tony that--”
“No!” You and Peter jump up, running back into your room from the fire escape. Ned grins.
“See you guys in the living room in a second. I won’t tell if you don’t take longer than two minutes.” He smirks, giving you a knowing look. You groan.
“Fine, we’ll be there soon, just give us a second.” You blush furiously. Ned laughs.
“I was mostly kidding. We do need to get on with our movie marathon, but it’s whatever.” Ned shrugs, turning around and walking out.
“Now...where were we?” Peter asks, turning you back to face him. You bite your lip.
“I believe we were just going to the living room….”
“(Y/n),” Peter whines, hands gripping your waist.
“It’s your birthday, Peter,” you peck his lips, “there will be plenty more where that came from, we just need to do it when it’s not your birthday that you’re supposed to be spending with everyone.”
“Fine.” He pouts, giving you another short kiss. You giggle, holding his hand as the two of you walk out into the living room. Ned starts the movie, smirking at you guys. You blush.
“Shut it, Leeds.” You scrunch your nose at him.
“We guessed it as soon as you guys went out there.” MJ snorts, giving you an incredulous look. You give her the stink eye.
“It’s true.” Happy, Tony, and May nod. You and Peter blush and sink into the couch.
It was a good birthday after all.
--------------------------------------------------
Tag List: @witchyandkin
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breg21 · 5 years
Text
Ladynoir Month: Waiting On You
@ladynoirjuly2019
Ao3 FFN
Husband's Background Music Recommendation: "Wild Roses: Of Monsters and Men"
I can't believe this is it. It was so hard to write, to say goodbye.
But nothing golden can stay, now can it?
I really hope you guys enjoy.
"Madame Agreste! Madame Agreste!? Has anyone seen Madame Agreste anywhere!? I can't find her!?"
Adrien chuckled as he watched the assistant run around like a chicken with its head cut off, almost yelling into her earpiece, looking for his wife. Even at twenty four, and being the owner of Gabriel's fashion empire, not to mention being Ladybug, Marinette still had trouble being punctual.
Like now for instance, right when her show was set to start in ten minutes and no one could find her. With every minute was ticking down till the start of the show. Everyone was running around trying to make heads ort tails of where the young designer could be.
Models were in distress, needing last minute touch ups that needed to be done by Marinette, the setup crew was growing more frantic with each passing minute, and words were being drowned out by the sea of people yelling at the top of their lungs.
Yep, gotta love fashion week. Adrien was thankful he only modeled for Matrinette's line, well only from time to time. He never wanted to be a full time model ever again, but for her, there would always be an exception.
And just when everyone thought all hope was lost that they just couldn't reach her, she miraculously— he loved to fit in a good pun whenever he could— appeared.
"I'm here! I'm here!"
They all turned to see Marinette running up in six inch heels, hair piled up in a messy bun, grey skirt, red blouse, and a blazer that matched the skirt hanging perfectly around her shoulders. She was gasping for air, as if she had just ran a marathon, and knowing Marinette, she probably had just to get there in time if her beaten red face said anything. "I-I'm here."
The whole room seemed to have sighed in relief at her appearance.
Adrien laughed some more. That was definitely his princess. And he wouldn't trade her for anything in the world. He pulled her into his arms before hair and makeup could whisk her away, and pressed a small kiss to the middle of her forehead. "Look who finally decided to show up." He teased.
She huffed, lower lip turning out into a pout. "My… alarm may've or may not have gone off this morning."
He knew his eyes were dancing with mirth. "And that's why I was trying to drag you out of bed." He had. He had even pulled the sheets that she tried to hide under, to no avail. She just wouldn't budge. "We're just waiting on you."
She rolled her eyes, but nevertheless, followed the director and makeup artist to her dressing room before the show began.
Adrien smiled. She had, after all, been late to their own wedding. She was always fashionably late. Even with how chaotic everything was, he never minded waiting on his wife.
He always would.
"Emma, do you know where your mother is?"
The ten year old glanced up from her drawing tablet to look at the director of the show, giving a shrug of her shoulders. "You know how she is, Mr. Rue. My auntie's and Dad are out in the crowd if you wanna see if they know. You'll be able to spot dad a mile away when you look for two screaming toddlers. Louis and Hugo can get quite loud."
The man sighed, pressing a button on his earpiece to mumble some instructions to the person on the other end. Mr. Rue looked exhausted, to say the least, and Emma couldn't blame him. Her mother didn't always have the best timing, never did. "Between your mother and your father, I'll never understand how you're on time for things."
Emma threw her head back and laughed. Because, he was right. She wondered that sometimes herself. "You're not the only one, Mr. Rue. You're not the only one."
He smiled and ruffled her head, before disappearing off into another section of the backstage. Chuckling to herself, Emma went back to the task on hand.
That was, before black high heals appeared in his vision. "Hey, kitten. How's it going?"
Emma looked up to see her mom standing there, all bright smiles and soft eyes.
Emma was indeed a daddy's girl— she was almost a carbon copy of him, what with her blonde hair, green sparkling eyes, and tanned skin, though she had her momma's freckles— but no one could deny that she was her momma's world. "Hey, Momma. Almost late to your show. Again." She snickered as her mom sent her a playful glare. "They're all waiting on you."
The older woman rolled her eyes, but took the tablet from her daughter's hands and moved it aside in favor of pulling her up off her seat and into her arms for a bone crushing hug. "You're too much like your dad sometimes, kitten."
Emma returned the hug without thought. "I know, you've told me so many times."
A soft kiss was placed on the crown of her head and her heart almost purred like the animal she was nicknamed after. Her momma's hugs were always one of the best. "You know, I gave birth to you for nine hours straight, and you came out looking and acting like your father."
Emma pulled back, and reached up to boop her mother on her nose. "Au contraire. Papa says I'm so like you that the reason I look so much like him is so that I could have all your personality. Auntie Chloe, Alya, and Kagami agree." She stuck her tongue out as if to solidify her point.
Her mom shook her head, but a pleasant smile gave away the fake annoyance that she had been going for. "You are too much sometimes, kitten."
Clasping her hands together, she popped her leg just a bit behind her and gave the cheesiest grin she could muster. "I know." She glanced at her watch and saw that it was only five minutes until show time and started to push the older woman onto the stage. "Now, go. Don't wanna be late for your own show. Papa's probably waiting anxiously."
Marinette was nearly onto the stage when she poked her head back in through the curtain. "When did you become so grown up?"
"Easy." The pre-teen answered, not missing a beat. "When you have amazing, caring parents as I do, you pick up on a few things."
If any of the pictures later on from that show displayed her mom with tears in her eyes, Marinette contributed it to allergies.
But Emma knew better.
As Marinette strolled down the catwalk, looking to every possible camera that she could, she smiled with unabundant joy as she made her way to the podium. It was the final sho for the Ladybug and Chat Noir line, and it was a full house. Something she was undoubtedly grateful for.
Clearing her throat, she spoke easily into the mic. "Thank you all, for coming today, to the last showing of my Ladybug and Chat Noir fashion line."
The cheering and clapping boomed throughout the building, growing louder and louder by the second, and it made her smile all the more. "It's an honor to see what this line has brought to you all. It also was an honor and I'm ecstatic to pay tribute to Ladybug and Chat Noir."
It all felt so real. So much time had passed, so much of what she and Adrien did together, the life they had built, and it all lead to this, and she couldn't even imagine what more the future might bring.
She looked out onto the crowd to see her family there, all cheering her on. Her two boys waving frantically at her from their papa's lap.
And when she saw the sweet smile her husband sent her, it somehow made her heart all the more calm and rapid at the same time. It was all the encouragement she needed to continue.
Gosh, did she love that man. "A lot of things have been said, a lot has been done fo the city. Things have changed. Grown. They've paved their own ways as superheroes and without them, we wouldn't be where we are today. They have so much that has helped them through and made them who they are. But one thing is for sure."
"Your parents are something else, Emma."
Backstage, said girl gave a long roll of her eyes, arms crossed over her chest, before looking to her best friend, sarcastic attitude in full swing. "Trust me, Anna. You, auntie Kagami and uncle Luka may see what they're like in public, but it's nothing to what they're like at home. Twenty years of marriage and they still act like love sick teens— and that's something coming from a teen."
"They wouldn't be who they are— they wouldn't be Chat Noir and Ladybug, or come as far as they have through the years— without each other."
Even so, Emma smiled at her momma's words. They definitely wouldn't be. While she liked to complain about the public display of affections, she knew it was amazing to see. It was amazing to see two people still so incredible in love with each other after so many years. Not many people had that.
Anna laughed as Marinette finished her speech. "Say what we want, but if I'm being honest, they're the kind of love I look up to. A love to model after, you know? I know every love is different, but because of them, I know what to look for when love comes my way, if it's real, it'll be worth it in the end. It's okay to be patient, that's what love is— to make sure you're ready and not to let others tell you when it is. Only you know when it's real."
"That's it for tonight's fashion line, I hope you guys enjoyed. Please, give another round of applause for the models. I'll see you all at the next debut."
"Yeah." Emma agreed softly, clapping along with the audience as her mom made her exist. The young teen laughed hard. "I owe then a lot. More than I give them credit for. Because of them, I've learned about something from an earlier age, that most people can't grasp no matter how old they get, something that I will always believe in."
The dark haired teen looked to the blonde, eyes twinkling with curiosity. "And what's that, Em?"
Emma's lips curled into a soft smile at the thought of her parents. "I believe true love exists for those that fight for it. They fight so hard everyday. For the city, for everything they've accomplished, and especially for each other."
A love she wouldn't mind having one day.
Anna nudged her shoulder in play. "Your parents are the embodiment of what working hard and working together really means, together until the end, huh? No matter what they do, they do together."
Emma nodded, a fondness shining on her face. "And for that, they will always be partners."
Husband's note: Not sure when we will be writing this constantly again. So that being said I want to say thank you to the people that have given our stories the time to read. Seeing so many people comment, especially about my random bits of gibberish, is really surprising and as hard as things get I never get used to the surprises.
Wife.: Seriously you guys, thank you. From the bottom of our hearts. I have several one shots running around in my head, so be on the lookout for those as well. Until nets time, always lots of love!
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glamrockmonarch · 5 years
Text
Goddess Series: Vesta (PresentDay!Roger Taylor Fluff)
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Warnings: we all want some smut, I know...but because this is Vesta-based I kinda couldn’t bring myself to do it! Although, fear not for I will also be doing an alternate version with Roger for Discordia.
A/N: Someone requested for Bri proposing and I thought it would be unfair not to have one for Roger. Also, y'all are thirsty for bang bang boy. BTW this is unrelated to other pieces.
The afternoon sun hit your window as it did every day at six. The warmth of the orange sun falling and hiding behind a hill before setting for the night to fall upon the city made you aware of the time passed since you first sat down at your small desk in the room contiguous to yours and Roger’s room.
The house, which now was a lot more than a simple place to live in and felt warm in your bones and on those of anyone who stepped inside, was a beauty bought by the two of you in a shared effort at keeping the expenses divided and in order for you to claim as much independence from your wealthy boyfriend as it was possible to do.
Without a doubt, it had been your feminine touch and modern style what made of the one-story home that extended far across the property, your room leading to a garden you religiously tended to in the mornings before leaving for work, enjoying the smell and sight of the flowers growing outside your french doors.
Stretching in your seat, you saved your work and turned the computer off before standing from your chair and checking your wristwatch.
The clock red exactly 6:05 so you left the small office and walked out into the hallways to seek for your boyfriend. Finding him, you giggled at the sight of the man you loved so much standing in front of the oven with a kitchen apron.
“What’cha cookin’?” You asked him with a humorous tint on your voice.
Roger looked back at you for a second and his brow furrowed as he found you staring. He pointed at the table behind you and you gasped when you realised he had set it all up for a small dinner.
“Would you look at that!” You clapped your hands and wrapped your arms around your waist. “Rog, what’s going on? I know it is not our anniversary and you don’t cook at all…”
Of course, you were suspicious of your boyfriend. The reason why you met in the first place was because you were a young talented chef working on a famous restaurant in London, you had been lucky enough to work on a place where the pay was not too bad and the clients always included celebrities who had a taste for more than food but also for knowing who the hell was behind their delicious meals. One night you unknowingly served a delicious Paris-Brest to a tv producer and he liked it so much he had you come over to his table and invited you to cook on a morning tv show. Taking the chance meant you met celebrities from time to time, and with it being so well known that Roger Taylor was an awful cook, when his turn to come on the show came, the hosts made the most of it and invited him over to your little cooking segment where you had a great laugh trying to teach the man how to make something easy and delicious: Banana-Walnut Coffee Cake Muffin Tops. The chemistry had been undeniable between the two of you and soon you found yourself getting down to more than dining together…
“You cannot blame a man for trying…” Roger pointed out.
With a smile on your face, you saw the cooking book laying on top of the counter and pursed your lips.
Roger was following one of your recipes from the very first book you published. Brian had insisted you had to do it and seeing as you did have many dishes in mind outside of only pastries you thought it was a great idea. Roger had been sitting beside you during half of the writing sessions for the book, he remained quiet and wrapped his arm around you while you half sat and half laid on his lap with your laptop on your own lap. Roger would read something while you let your creative juices flow; always after a cooking session to test the recipe. And always including some backstory and afterthought to each recipe. Perfect for a light brunch date,  comfort food, great for a new cook! Although challenging - rewarding and tasty.  There never failed to be a small note at the bottom of the page.
However, Roger owned a copy of each one of your cooking books, your boyfriend never touched your recipes unless it was as a sous chef.
“Please,” Roger took you out of your daydream and you smiled at him once he dropped the apron on the kitchen island and grabbed your hand. “come on, dinner is ready!”
“But what’s on the oven?” You looked over your shoulder with the concern of a burned meal.
Roger shrugged and led you to a seat. “Don’t worry.”
After a second you realised he had taken the time to prepare some sort of dessert for tonight’s dinner, this peaked your curiosity but you remained quiet about it watching how your boyfriend brought the Avocado Sushi “Biscotti” to the table for the appetizer.
Chuckling, you closed your eyes and gave a pouty smile.
“Oh God, Roger…” You shook your head in disbelief, it smelled quite well and looked as good as it had looked on the book.
He even had a bottle of pinot grigio to pair it with.
“Is everything okay?” You looked up at him in concern.
Roger smiled at you with a joy so pure he resembled a child for a moment. It was nothing bad what he wanted to do that evening. He was aware of the stress you were under preparing for the opening of your own pastry shop, creating new recipes and talking to the designers about the look of the shop, you had to be on it and although you seemed to have it all under control, Roger could tell you needed a break and perhaps some space to breathe - it showed by the way you had been going out for dinner more regularly lately when you loved to put your music on and dance around the kitchen to present Roger with a meal delicious and homemade.
Then of course, was the heavy velvet box burning Roger’s pocket for weeks now. He could not think of a way to pop the question and he felt quite stupid going down on his knee, so he thought of a better way to do it. A way you that would surprise you and make you feel especial. Your boyfriend planned something that he knew you would love more than a fancy restaurant.
“Yes, of course!” He opened the bottle and you ate the appetizers together.
This was a wonderful little taste - no pun intended, of what the meal ahead would be like with Roger cooking.
The fish was delicious, the side of veggies was beautifully cut and how could you ask for anything else when Roger was in a fine mood, popping jokes and reminiscing of old pranks from his time on the road with his bandmates. You laughed and told him stories from your university years, which to him were as crazy and weird sounding as his stories were to you. It just happened that you two lived very different lives in very different times.
At some point, Roger stood from the table and went to get his dessert out of the oven. The smell overwhelmed you as you recognized that bitter smell of coffee. Your head turned to watch, the glass of wine still on your hand as you were about to take another sip, when the memory struck you.
“Are those…” You sniffed around the air, stretching out your neck to catch a whiff of banana and cinnamon. “you did not!” You accused him with your eyes wide open.
Roger laughed as he set the tray down, the muffin tops had been ready for a while but Roger hid them in the oven and kept the temperature as low as possible so they would stay warm but not burn.
“Well, seems like I did!” He bragged and served a couple of the Banana-Walnut Coffee Cake Muffin Tops on a plate.
You watched him come over to the table with it. Once he set them down you covered your face with your hands and giggled.
With your mascara a little smudged from the time spent in front of the computer you felt a couple of tears prickle your eyes as you smelled the delicious pastries laid in front of you. Roger watched with his hand rubbing his chin, a smirk playing with his features.
“You do have to try them, I don’t know if they are good.” He motioned towards the plate and you sighed.
Why would he do this? This was the very same dish that brought you together - as to say.
“And while you’re at it, love…” Roger rummaged through the pocket of his jacket and revealed to you a small box of soft black velvet. “I cannot promise to cook every night...but I will eat whatever you make. If you marry me, of course.”
You laughed and took in a deep breath, taking in the sight in front of you. Roger looking at you with a confident look on his face; knowing well that he had somehow pulled off a great dinner and surprised you, he was sure you would never give him a negative answer, so overcoming the temptation of playing with his emotions, you nodded your head and reached out to put your hand on top of his tattooed one.
“I will marry you but you try the muffin tops first.” You replied, aware of the fact that Roger sometimes misjudged the amount of sugar needed for desserts.
In a heartbeat, Roger grabbed one of the muffin tops and gave it a bite. He started eating it and shrugged in content as he tasted nothing bad on his own cooking.
“It’s a perfect recipe, what can I say?” He complimented you.
Wiping his hands carefully, he opened the box and held out his hand for yours and pulled the ring out of its little cushioned bed. He slid the golden ring on your finger and stared at it in amazement for a moment.
“I might cry Rog.” You warned him in a whisper, already feeling too overcome with joy.
Roger huffed and turned away, he really hated to see you cry even if it was just because you were laughing too hard for too long. Roger hated it!
“Oh, stop that!” He said.
Your boyfriend stood from his chair and went to your side to offer his hand so you grabbed it. He pulled you to your feet and as you were level with him you wrapped your arms around his neck, an honest and childish smile spreading through your eyes, cheeks and lips mimicked his.
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themalicealyce · 5 years
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Sarcasm and Puns: Chapter Six
Summary:  You're an introverted person, have been all of your life but it wasn't as if you were shy, you were just content to have your only friends be your brother and your roommate. Though when your brother's young daughter makes friends with the human ambassador of monsters you open up to the idea of having a larger group of friends.
Rating: M
Frisk helped Toriel set the large dining room table, filling it up with the amount of food you’d only ever seen served on a single table at Thanksgiving dinners on tv. Dinner consisted of the most delicious looking roast and a wide array of mouth-watering sides that had to be made by Toriel. There was also a towering mound of slightly over-cooked spaghetti that was clearly contributed by Papyrus and Undyne. You carefully loaded your plate with a little bit of everything, trying to ride the line between politely trying everything and not looking ravenous. Though, it all smelled so good it was hard not to shovel the food down like you were starved.
The table quickly became crowded as everyone sat around it. You of course sat next to your big brother, it was always easier for you to socialize with him beside you as a buffer. He wasn’t really being the greatest help at the moment though, as he was fighting an uphill battle to keep Morrigan from making a mess as she and Frisk couldn’t stop playing and talking even as they ate. Alphys sat on your other side with Undyne next to her. It soon became obvious to you that the two were an item as Undyne sat close to the shy yellow lizard with a protective arm slung around her shoulders. This seemed to both calm and fluster Alphys simultaneously, in an adorable way. Another thing that quickly became clear to you was that beyond just exuding motherly and regal traits, Toriel was kind of a dork. You meant that in the best kind of way, you really did. She was quick with a joke, even if they were usually silly puns. Toriel also gushed easily about her students, their quirks and achievements, but no kid more so than her own daughter, Frisk. Papyrus jovially joined in the conversation, but ignored the majority of the feast in front of him, instead piling his plate high with his own pasta creation.
It was really easy to sit silently and just get lost listening to the group talk. They seemed to have such a history and comradery that it thrummed pleasantly in the room. Ironically, you let it wash over you to the point that you weren’t really listening to the words, just the tone. That is probably why when you looked up from playing with your food, you were taken aback to see Papyrus was watching you. He wasn’t staring at you so you don’t think you missed a question directed at you, rather he was failing to sneak glances at you. Your eyebrows furrowed as you tried to figure out why. Glancing down, you found you had absent-mindedly twirled a bite of spaghetti onto your fork. You raised it questioningly, watching for his reaction.
Papyrus’s eyes, or eye sockets widened eagerly. You were greatly amused, and intensely curious about how he did that with a skull. His bone appeared rigid upon first sight, or at least a solid and inflexible material like bone; however, he moved with fluidity in his limbs and his skull was malleable, easily contorting into expressions. You had to pull yourself away from the thoughts. You were too prone to day dreaming about things you found curious and you feared you would zone out again if you allowed yourself.
You turned your attention back down at your fork and gave it a dubious look. From the fire that had occurred in the kitchen to the others’ mistrust in his and Undyne’s cooking, to the point where almost no one else had put any of it on their own plates, you were concerned about your safety. Glancing back up at Papyrus, however, was enough to make you shrug and commit to your fate. His eyes were wide and hopeful, but something about the tension around his jaw seemed forced. You couldn’t put your finger on it, but it was like he knew it had turned out poorly in the past.
Either way, you ate the spaghetti. Your nose scrunched up for a moment because it was somewhere between over-cooked mush and that crunch that store-bought noodles get when they are under-cooked. It was a bit of an understatement to say it wasn’t the best you’ve ever eaten, but honestly it wasn’t the worst you’ve ever eaten either. Years of college, hotplates, and kids not knowing how to cook without their parents have kind of desensitized you to poorly cooked pasta and rice. It was edible, and the sauce was flavored so overwhelmingly it distracted you from the actual texture of the noodles. You shrugged and nodded, giving Papyrus a thumbs up, going back for another bite.
He squealed in delight and happily watched you finish off the spaghetti on your plate with no signs of disgust. You smiled back, glad to see his features lose their tense edge and instead beam with pride.
“So,” Undyne interrupted your thoughts, turning you back to the main conversation to find her brandishing her knife, pointing it at Gabriel. “you take care of that rugrat by yourself?” she pried.
Immediately your whole body stiffened. You felt like you were shutting down, everything becoming too much to handle. You looked down at your hands to find them griping your utensils so tightly your knuckles were turning white. You turned then to your brother, watching the pain flash darkly across his face as well. His usual playful expression dropped for just moment before it came back as a forced facsimile. You hated this conversation as well as the horrible pit in your stomach and the pain in your chest that accompanied it. It felt like your heart was being torn apart, but it was more central in your chest, pumping the feeling through your entire body.
You suddenly became very aware that all noise had been sucked out of the room. It was deathly silent and the tension in the room felt like a thick physical presence closing in around you. You could feel all of their eyes on you and Gabriel, their gazes making your skin crawl and itch. You knew the looks weren’t judgmental, they were in various states of concern and curiousity, but it didn’t change the weight they held. Morrigan had gone just as silent, her head tilted to the side and eyes heavily on her father. She hardly knew more than any given stranger at the table.
“Yeah, it’s just me and my little Morri.” Gabriel broke the spell that held everyone speechless, ruffling Morrigan’s hair while smiling, but you knew it was strained. “Of course, my baby sister is always around to help.” He added, turning to smile at you, though his eyes were pleading, begging you for your cooperation. He did not want to talk about it especially not here or now.
“How would you even function without me?” You agreed, forcing as much cheer into the statement as you could, even as you were still fuming with bitter anger and sorrow. That place in your chest now radiating with a stabbing agony that you forced down with practiced control, willing yourself not to break. You were fine; you didn’t care; you could take care of yourself. You chanted that in your head until you forced yourself to believe it again and the pain was nothing more than a familiar dull ache.
The tension still stuck in the air, but everyone seemed to sense it was a touchy subject and avoided poking at the elephant in the room. Papyrus seemed the happiest to play along like everything was fine, immediately jumping back into conversation like there was never an awkward pause. “INDEED! It is always a pleasure to find a sibling almost as great as THE GREAT PAPYRUS! My lazybones brother will too be woefully lost without me.” He agreed with you sitting up straighter in his chair posturing proudly the best he could from his seated position. “Oh, you have a brother?” You asked, eager to quickly shift the conversation away from yourself. Though, honestly, you were also genuinely curious, or maybe just nosy.
You wondered why he wasn’t here. You weren’t oblivious enough to think that everyone they have ever known would be crammed around the table for dinner, but still with how close this group seemed, it felt odd that someone as close as a sibling would be left out. You wondered if he was shy, or maybe distrustful of humans. You couldn’t bring yourself to blame him for either. You weren’t a social butterfly yourself, and even though you knew the city was pretty accepting you still feel ill every time you think of some of the things you’ve heard. You couldn’t even watch the news. Even with the bits you grabbed from channel surfing there always seemed to be a piece about stomach-churning hate or violence. It was senseless.
You were pretty sure you were getting too lost in your own circle of thoughts because you jumped when you heard Papyrus’s emphatic voice. “Oh yes! He is actually working right now!” Papyrus answered jovially before leaning in a bit as if to share some conspiratorial information. “Though he is probably slacking off.” Papyrus scolded his absent sibling in playful, brotherly way.
The tension in the air had nearly evaporated at the new conversation, and you were thankful. Papyrus also seemed pleased at the change in mood, using the opportunity to regale everyone with stories of his heroics. Toriel used the opportunity to disappear into the kitchen as Frisk and Morrigan hung happily to his every word.
“-AND OF COURSE, THE DAY WAS MIRACULOUSLY SAVED BY MY EXPERT HUMAN HUNTING SKILLS! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WAS AN INVAULABLE ASSET TO THE ROYAL GUARD, WHO WOULD HAVE BEEN WOEFULLY LOST WITHOUT MY HEORIC SACRIFICE!” Papyrus was out of his chair now, gesturing and playing to his audience. You were sure you saw Frisk roll her eyes even as she smiled and clapped for him, and Morrigan was totally sold, cheering excitedly.
Undyne scoffed loudly unable to hold back her corrections to his hyperbolic story. “You were never in the Royal Guard!” Undyne argued, slamming a hand onto the table causing it to shift under her force.
“THAT WAS THE SACRAFICE! I WAS IN TRAINING AND DUE TO MY EFFORTS, THERE WAS NO LONGER EVEN A ROYAL GUARD! I AGREE IT WAS A TRAGIC TURN OF EVENTS!” Papyrus agreed shifting her criticism to a non-issue easily.
Undyne huffed, slumping back into her seat, resigned to not argue the issue further.
“What happened to the Royal Guard?” Morrigan asked with a confused pout.
“Didn’t really need it much in an official sense after the barrier broke.” Undyne shrugged.
“Yeah that was, uh, the thing that let the monsters on to the surface, right? There was some kid or something that broke the… magic seal thing?” You half stated, half asked, racking your brain for all the information you could recall on the specifics of the event. You were a senior in college when it happened and your normal, almost nonexistent level of paying attention dropped to basically nothing when you had finals and graduation on the mind. You kind of just accepted the news on monsters with a sleep deprived coffee addled nod and moved on.
At your rambling Undyne leaned forward in her seat, once more filled with energy. Her mouth curling into a smirk showing off her long, sharp teeth as if you were prey in her sights. “Some kid, huh?” She asked in a tone that oozed predatory confidence.
“I mean, I think that’s right.” You said, shrinking back from her gaze.
Undyne cracked at your answer, “Yeah it was, she’s now the Ambassador for monsters, and you’re having dinner in her house!” She got out between wheezing laughter.
In that moment you could immediately tell that your entire face flushed what must have been an embarrassing shade of red. You let your head fall forward defeatedly onto the table to cover your shame.
“UNYDNE I DON’T BELIEVE HUMANS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE THAT COLOR! WHAT DID YOU DO? YOU BROKE THE HUMAN!” Papyrus cried out hysterically. You refused to look up even as he made a series of confused and concerned noises as no one would answer him. Your brother had joined in with Undyne’s laughter, Toriel was still out of the room, and from what you could make out, Alphys was trying to quietly scold Undyne, but sounded just as flustered as you at the moment.
You were in the process of trying to let the moment die before you could will yourself to face them again, but you weren’t given the chance. You were scooped up into incredibly strong, sturdy arms and smushed against a chest. Given the fact that you face was now buried in a soft sweater thinly protecting you from rigid bone, you knew it was Papyrus. He had grown too worried to wait for an answer any longer and was now making whimpering noises above you and bouncing as he cradled you like someone would a baby. “MISS DREEMURR UNDYNE BROKE THE HUMAN!” He called out into the house between sobs.
You tried to mumble against Papyrus, but you couldn’t really form unmuffled words. He wasn’t suffocating you and despite holding you tightly he was surprisingly gentle. You were still burning up, now not only from your heated blush, but now also from being trapped in a sweater. You could hear their laughter grow louder at his actions and realization dawned on you. Gabriel. He’s enjoying this because he knew! He knew, and he didn’t tell you, he set you up for failure. You swore to take sweet revenge if you were ever freed from this hug. You subconsciously nuzzled further into Papyrus’s protective embrace as you contemplated your vengeance. Somewhat suddenly you were ripped from your cocoon and held out at arm’s length from Papyrus as he inspected your face with a careful, worried expression. Your feet dangled uselessly as he effortlessly held you up closer to his eye line. He seemed tearful, even though it shouldn’t have been possible for him to cry. Though really all that you knew about science told you it shouldn’t be possible for him to exist in the first place, so you stopped questioning it.
“Please tell me you’re not broken, Human.” Papyrus requested in the gentlest voice you heard him use so far.
“I’m fine, don’t worry about me, really.” You agreed, finding yourself giving him a small, if shaky reassuring smile.
“Promise?” He asked, unsure.
“I promise.” You nodded.
Toriel came back into the dining room with a tray in either hand, seemingly unaffected by the chaos around her. She gracefully placed them down on the table and walked around to where you and Papyrus were. “What’s the matter dear?” She asked Papyrus.
“THE HUMAN WENT RED AND LIMP!” He responded louder than he was with you turning you around in his arms and pushing you out to Toriel for inspection. Toriel gave you a simple once over and smiled at you with gentle eyes. “You can set her down, she will feel better after some butterscotch cinnamon pie.” Toriel concluded, easing Papyrus’s worry.
He did so, resettling you in your chair, causing Undyne to snicker again. Immediately at the sound, Toriel whipped her head to the blue monster levelling her with a stern glare. “I think you should apologize Undyne.” Toriel’s voice never hardened but in combination with the death stare, it was chilling. Apparently, it was also effective, causing Undyne to gulp as Toriel hefted a large slice of sweet smelling pie onto a plate seating it in front of you.
“Yeah, fine, whatever.” Undyne grumbled defensively as you happily took a few bites of the delicious dessert. It tasted very sweet and rich, as though it should be very heavy and creamy. Strangely though it was light and almost dissolved in your mouth, coating it with the taste.
As you ate, stress you had stored in your shoulders and neck was slipping away. Slowly, even the dull ache in your chest, and your worry from embarrassment softly faded.
“I’m sorry, ok?” Undyne spat out with her arms crossed. “I was just having fun.”
You waved off her apology. “I was being dumb and sensitive, don’t worry about it.” You really did want everyone to stop worrying about. That kept the attention on you and made you look like you couldn't take care of yourself.
“LOOK PUNK I’M TRYING TO APOLOGIZE!” Undyne growled, earning a raised eyebrow from Toriel.
“I accept your apology, but really I’m fine.” You smiled. “Trust me I’m used to it,” You glared at Gabriel to emphasize your point. He smirked in response. “and honestly I was being stupid I would probably laugh at me too.” You shrugged.
This seemed to soothe Undyne who nodded in agreement before ignoring you in favor of dessert.
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sampaii-ca · 5 years
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Light my Fire (Klance fic)
Heh, I know that title is totally cheesy but I had to make at least ONE pun for this fic ;)  Sorry this is a day late but here’s the second fic for Klancetober/Keithtober, the prompt is fire.
Keith was NOT looking forward to today.  It already started off bad when he discovered that the coffee in the communal kitchen was all gone but now he had to get the firehouse ready for a visit from thirty fourth graders coming in later that day.
"Kolivan, why do I have to lead this tour?  You know I don't....can't, handle kids well.  They make me nervous and I feel like they can stare into my soul.  Not to mention most of them are walking, talking, giant germs."
Kolivan looks up from his paperwork and gives Keith his "why are you bothering me with this pathetic issue" look.
"Keith, you can run into a burning building that is about to collapse but you can't handle thirty fourth graders?"
".....yesss..???" Keith puts on his biggest puppy dog eyes and asks, "Why can't Shiro lead the tour, you know he's great with kids.  And every kid loves Shiro, they are all going to hate me."  Keith crosses his arms while wearing a slight pout.
Kolivan looks ten ways  to done with this conversation and pinches the bridge of his nose.  "Shiro has lead the last three tours while you were "mysteriously" absent.  So it is your turn to lead.  Stop complaining, Shiro will be right beside you to help anyways."
"But..."
"OUT."
"Yes sir."
Keith shuffles out of Kolivan's office and walks right into Shiro.  
"Whoa, hey Keith.  Why so glum?"  
"You know why Shiro."  Keith glares at the direction of the entrance where he can hear the school bus pulling up.
"It'll be alright kiddo," Shiro chuckles while ruffling Keith's hair and starts walking towards the entrance.  Keith shuffles behind and takes a few deep breaths.  It's only a few hours, it's only a few hours, I can do this.
Keith can't do this.  It's only been five mins and once the bus doors opened a stream of fourth graders poured out and ran right up to Keith.  They've been throwing questions at him left and right.  "Where is the fire truck?"  "Why is your hair so long?"  "Have you ever got burnt?"  "What's the hottest biggest fire you've ever seen?"  Keith was just about to turn and high tail it out of there when the chaperone came out of the bus followed by a kid who looked like he was green in the face.
"Kids!  Please line up in your groups and stop harassing the nice firefighter man!"
The chaperone tells the sick kid to join his group and then he's walking over to Keith.  Keith feels frozen, the chaperone is GORGEOUS.  Tall, about the same height as Keith, dark golden brown skin with brown hair to match and as he gets closer Keith can see his eyes are an electric blue color.
"Hi!  I'm Lance!  The chaperone from the YMCA for these little rascals here."  Lance holds out his hand to Keith.  Keith is staring and he thinks his brain is trying to restart.  Shiro clears his throat besides him and Keith is pulled out of his stupor.
"Sorry, I-I'm Keith," he takes Lance's hand and shakes it.  His grip is firm but Keith can tell his hands are soft, unlike his beat to hell callous ones.  "This is Shiro," Keith points and Shiro shakes Lance's hand as well.
"Nice to meet you both."  Lance glances at Keith for moment and blood rushes to Keith's cheeks.  He can see Shiro wearing a shit eating grin behind Lance.
"I've split the kids into four groups to go with each firefighter.  Is that ok?"  Lance asks as the other two firefighters, Thace and Ulaz emerge from the back of the firehouse.
"Ya, ya that’s fine."  Keith answers while he's still trying to find his voice again.  
Shiro steps in, bless him, and says, "Keith will be with your group and I'll take group two while three and four can go with Thace and Ulaz."
Keith's head whips up to stare at Shiro and he winks at Keith.  Keith doesn't know if he wants to jump with joy or pummel Shiro out of sheer embarrassment.
"Sounds good to me!"  Lance is practically bouncing on the balls of his feet and he starts to separate the kid groups with their respective firefighter.  
"Shirrrooo, what am I suppose to do now?"  Keith hisses through his teeth so Lance won't hear him.
Shiro has to hide his snicker behind his hand but he claps Keith on his back and says, "Well, be nice for one.  And second, get your flirt on son!  We all know you want to!"
"Shiro I'm terrible at flirting and you know that."
"Hey, come on kiddo.  You never know until you try, right?"
Keith rolls his eyes and has a retort on the tip of his tongue but Lance comes jogging back to him with eight kids following behind.  
"Alright!  We all set to go?"
"Yep!"  Shiro answers and walks towards his group giving a subtle thumbs up towards Keith.
Keith sticks his tongue out but can't help the subtle smile he has on.
He looks to Lance who was telling the kids to listen to Keith while on the tour and to not touch anything unless told to.  "Alright, let's go then."  Keith leads the group towards the front of the fire station where the garage is.
They have their newest truck out to show today, Keith and Shiro washed it that morning and once the kids saw it they practically screamed and ran to touch it.  Lance was laughing and ran to make sure no one got in until they were told to.  Keith took a moment to watch Lance as he interacted with the kids.  He made it look so easy, like it was totally natural.  Keith's heart skipped a beat when Lance looked up and caught his eye.
"Keith!  Can we get in?"
"O-o ya, here let me get the door."
Keith opened the doors and let the kids pile in along with him and Lance.  He sat in the drivers seat and Lance ended up smushed against him with the kids on his other side.  Keith tried not to think about his whole side touching Lance and willed the blush away from his cheeks.
All at once the kids were yelling questions at him.  Lance clapped once to get their attention, CLAP!  The kids followed with two, CLAP CLAP!  "Now, why don't we take turns and ask Keith your questions."  Lance turned to Keith grinning as the first kid shot his hand in the air.
Keith was trying not to stare at Lance's beautiful eyes but Lance was staring right back.  He broke eye contact and pointed to the first kid with a question, "You, what's your question."
"Can we hear the horn?!"
Keith couldn't help but smile, "Sure."  He pushed on the horn and all the kids screamed in delight.
"Now do the siren!"
Keith obliged and the siren was loud but the kids loved it.  They kept rattling off random questions and Keith was kind of, maybe, sort of having fun until one of the girls raised her hand and asked, shyly, "Mr. Keith, do you have a girlfriend?"
Keith sputtered at that when Lance said, "Melanie, sweetie, that's a very personal question.  Why don't you ask a question about the firetruck instead?"
She looked a little sad but immediately perked up with her next question, "Do you guys have a Dalmatian?"
Keith could answer to this one, "We do, his name is Kosmo.  In fact, lets go see him right now."
They all left the cab of the truck and Keith couldn't be more grateful to be out of the confining space.  They made their way through the firehouse and Keith showed them the kitchen and living quarters.  They ended up in the backyard where Kosmo was chewing on a giant bone.  The kids made a break for the dog and Kosmo jumped up and started to play with them.
"So do you?"  Lance asked as he stood next to Keith watching the kids play.
"Do I what?"
"Have a girlfriend?"  Lance turned to Keith with a glint in his eye.
"O, uh, ha no.  They aren't my type."  Keith said as he bit his lip a little from nerves.
"Not your type huh?  What IS your type?"  And Keith could see something in Lance's eyes, hope maybe.  He wasn't sure.
"I'm gay."  Keith blurted out.  Ugh, graceful Keith, graceful.
Lance's eyes went wide for a moment and a blush rose to his cheeks, he coughed into his hand, "Cool, cool.  I'm bi."
Oh, OH, Keith's heart fluttered in his chest.  Maybe he did have a chance here, Shiro's voice echoed in the back of his head "Get your flirt on!".  But just as he was about to continue talking to Lance, Shiro came through the back door and asked them to follow him up to the second floor.  His voice died out with the roar of the children pulling him and Lance along.
This was the final part of the tour, and usually the most favorite for the kids.  The fireman's pole.  They split up, Keith and Thace on the bottom to catch the kids as they landed and Shiro, Ulaz and Lance at the top to send them down.  One by one each of the kids slid down, grinning as they landed and jumping up and down saying how cool it was.  
"So did you ask him out?"  Thace asked as another kid landed and Keith couldn't help but roll his eyes at him.
"Ugh, Shiro."  He gritted through his teeth, "Had to go and blabber about me huh?"
THUD, another kid landed.
"Keith, I didn't need Shiro to tell me you think that boy is cute.  You were staring enough to burn a hole right through him."
Keith let out a little whine, "I'm that obvious huh?"
Thace chuckled and helped the next kid land.
"You should ask him out."
"Ugh, I want to...I'm just, terrible at this."  
"Coming down!"  Someone yelled from above and Keith looked to see Lance getting ready to slide down.  Thace shot Keith a grin and backed away from the pole leaving him alone.  Lance gripped the pole and started his decent but he was coming down to fast and to top it off he let go of the pole too early.  Lance fell off and right into Keith's arms.  
Both stood motionless, Lance in Keith's arms, bridal style.  Both wide eyed and red in the face.  Keith's brain had definitely shut down and from the look on Lance's face he wasn't doing much better.  
Someone cleared their throat, breaking their staring contest.  Shiro was standing by the pole, having just come down.  His mouth set in a smirk, "Lance you ok? You didn't hurt yourself right?"
Lance let out a tiny yelp as he hopped out of Keith's arms.  "I'm good!  Good good good.  Keith here saved me!"  He hit Keith in the chest to emphasize his point and Shiro just nodded trying not to laugh.  
"Awesome.  We should get the kids loaded back on the bus.  Hope you guys had fun today."
"Yes we did!  Right kids?"  Lance faced them and they all yelled out their thank yous. They all started to head towards the bus and Keith felt a little nudge on his back.  "Go ask him out before he leaves."  Shiro whispered behind him.
Ya.  Ya, he could do this.  Keith jogged up to Lance as the last kid was loaded on the bus.
"So, um, I had a good time showing you guys around today.  Hope you had fun!"
"Totally!  The kids always love coming here.  And I had a good time too."  Lance looked at Keith like he was waiting for something.
"That's good!  I also, was...wonderingifyou'dliketogogetcoffeewithmesometime.  When we're both not working of course."  That came out so fast he hoped Lance understood it.
Lance's eyes crinkled at the corners with how big he was smiling.  "I'd love to, I'm free tomorrow.  I know a cute coffee shop on Main we could go to."
"Yes!  It's a date!"  His voice cracked a little as he answered.  Calm down Keith, calm down. He cleared his throat, "That works out perfect because I don't work tomorrow."
Lance pulled out his phone and they exchanged numbers and chose a time to meet up.
"Bye Keith, see you tomorrow!"  Lance shouted as he boarded the bus.
"Bye Lance!"  Keith waved as they pulled out of the parking lot.
Just as he was turning around, Shiro pulled him under his arm and ruffled his hair.
"Told you, you could do it!  I'm so proud!  My baby bro all grown up and going on dates!"  He wiped at his eyes to get rid of the fake tears.
"Shiiirrrooooo, stooop!"  Shiro released Keith and they walked towards the fire house.
His day turned out way better than expected and tomorrow looked like it would be even better, because he had a date with a beautiful boy named Lance.
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redvelvetreel · 6 years
Text
Red Velvet Reel 1: Wake-Up Call
                                             [Fic Directory]
Pairing: [Married] Spicyhoney (Underfell Papyrus x Underswap Papyrus)
Summary: Edge wakes Stretch up very early Saturday with incredibly exciting news! When Stretch doesn’t seem as excited as he should be, Edge starts to feel a little insecure about where their future is heading. Stretch reassures him (and himself) by talking it out. They’re pretty confident it’s gonna work out in the end.
Contains: Mpreg/Skelepreg! Domestic Fluff! Insecurities and comfort! Kissing!
Rating: Teen and up! (I guess?)
Note: The stupid Readmore is turning the quotation marks into weird symbols. :/ Sorry! It should look fine if you click the readmore or view this on mobile. 
“HRGH!”
Stretch woke up with a gurgle as he felt something jump on him, jolting awake disoriented and alarmed. He groaned, tension immediately draining as he remembered where he was… and who he was with. He had never felt so tired in his life. Edge wasn’t usually so cruel.
“Wake up, wake- Finally!”
He felt hands on his face, excited and not particularly gentle as they patted his cheeks. Stretch groaned again, throwing an arm over his face.
“Baby, no-“ he mumbled, trying to roll over and fall back asleep. Edge was quick to stop him, straddling his spine and giving him another firm shake. It was uncomfortable, but he had plenty of experience sleeping through worse.
“Baby yes!”
Stretch snorted, eyes still closed as he felt Edge grab his hands, moving them off of the bed and… onto his stomach? Stretch frowned, gently prodding at the magic ectobody. He felt Edge shift uncomfortably, like he was ticklish, but there a palpable excitement even through the dull haze of sleep.
His tired mind could not begin to process what was going on. Edge wasn’t particularly ticklish, had never indicated that was something he was even into. He thought he knew they guy pretty well- they had been married a while, dating even longer.
“Open your eyes, Papa.”
The fuck? Was he having a stroke? Was Edge trying to explore some weird new kink? Was this a stupidly realistic dream?
Stretch finally squinted up at his husband with a tired sigh. “M’not opposed, but’s too damn early for kinky bullshit. What-“
Edge frowned, clapping a hand over Stretch’s mouth, “Language! We’ve both got to set the best of examples now!”
“What kind of unsexy wet dream-” Stretch grumbled around Edge’s fingers, pushing them away from his mouth. He gave his husband the stink eye, yawning as he stared at the conjured ectomagic blankly.
“Yes!” Edge practically vibrated, looking happier than Stretch had ever seen before, “Yes!!”
Stretch rubbed his sockets, hard, staring at his husband in stupefied confusion. Edge shifted uncomfortably after about two minutes, smile turning more sardonic as he gestured at himself impatiently, “I know I am devilishly handsome and it is your very good luck to be able to see my beautiful face each and every morning. And while you should rightfully cherish and adore me at all times-“
This was less of the Twilight Zone. Stretch gave an incredulous chortle, leaning back against the headboard, “Always a bone-afide delight.”
Edge gave him a sharp look. Pulling his shoulders back and straightening his spine regally, he continued primly, “I didn’t waste twenty minutes of my morning waking your… eh-“
The effect was seriously undercut by the leopard-print pajama pants, but he was able to keep it limited to an amused grin as he patiently waited for Edge to finish.
“Your… sleepyhead,“ Stretch burst out laughing at that one, and he saw Edge’s hands twitch towards his neck, settling on pinching his collarbone, hard.
“Just to suffer through your juvenile, uninspired, and frankly embarrassing humor.”
“There’s the grouch I know and love,” he clasped his husband’s hands, easing them off of his sore collarbone as he planted a chaste little kiss to both sets of knuckles. “Now, what’s so special at unholy o’clock this morning, Sunshine? ‘Cause I’ve never been more confused.”
Edge gave an exasperated noise that sounded like both a sigh and a groan, giving Stretch’s hands a squeeze before bringing them back to the semi-opaque magic of his abdomen. He rearranged Stretch’s fingers so he was essentially flipping himself off, aimed at a faint little white blob. Had that always been there?
“I’m pregnant, you dense motherfucker.”
“Eeey,” Stretch blurted our as he he tried to process this information. Edge looked positively murderous for a moment, before he seemed to realize his accidental pun with an ashamed facepalm.
“Goddamnit!”
Stretch didn’t feel like this was really happening.
“Mother, hmm… While Mama does have a nice ring to it, I do like the sound of Dad too.”
Stretch frowned at the protective magic, craning his neck as he strained his eyes to get a better look. He relaxed his fingers, hesitantly outlining the small souling with a thumb. Well, he guessed it was kind of glowy… and it sorta did look like a teeny tiny heart.
“That’s a baby?” he heard himself ask distantly.
There was a beat of silence before Edge answered, much more subdued, “…Yes.” Followed with uncharacteristic trepidation, “Is that… all right?”
“Huh??” Stretch didn’t think anything else could have been more surprising this morning. Leave it up to Edge to raise the bar. “What do you mean ‘is it all right’?”
Edge started cracking his joints, a nervous tic he would never admit to having. He stared at the headboard intensely, looking like he might say something- before abruptly shaking his head.
“Nevermind,” He made a move to get up, “It’s not important-“
For all of Edge’s training and fast reflexes, Stretch never failed to catch him by surprise with his speed. He flipped their positions, carefully, and pinned Edge down. Predictably, his husband was less than pleased, trying to turn away as he grabbed those sharp cheekbones.
“What-“
“Babe, we’ve gone over this like a hundred times,” Stretch couldn’t help the slight whine as he rested his chin on Edge’s collar bone, gently prodding his cheeks, “You’ve got to tell me when something’s wrong, it’s my job to figure out a way to help. Your feelings matter to me.”
Edge stiffened, turning to stare up at the ceiling and looking incredibly uncomfortable.
“Tell meee~” He leaned down and started peppering kisses along Edge’s neck, making his way down to his clavicle. Edge started to squirm a little, but didn’t break. Fine, he would play his ace, then.
“I promised Red I’d always make you happy. It’d really suck if my brother-in-law murdered me before I got the chance to tell him he’s gonna be an uncle-“
“Is this… good?!” Edge finally blurted out, reaching up to pull Stretch into an overly tight hug. He couldn’t see Edge’s face from this angle, but he sounded anxious and uncertain, “We didn’t really talk about this. We haven’t planned for this. Maybe… this isn’t such a good thing. Maybe it’s- It might be best if…”
Stretch shifted to a more comfortable position, running gentle, soothing hands down his husband’s back. He thought about his wording very carefully, “You don’t want this?”
Edge hesitated a long moment, unable to look him in the eye, before finally shaking his head. A case nerves? Stretch redoubled his efforts to be soothing. “Hey, it’s ok if you’re nervous. This is literally a life-changing event. And yeah, nothing is going to be the same as before, but that’s not a bad thing.”
Edge seemed to be wrestling with himself, searching Stretch’s face as he asked, earnestly, “Do you think it’s a good thing?”
Where was this even coming from? “Sweetie-“
“Just-” Edge let out a tense breath, “Yes or no?”
“Of course-“ Edge stopped him by pressing his hand against his mouth.
“Wait, wait- that isn’t…” He was starting to look frustrated, “This is ridiculous!”
“It’s cool,” Stretch mumbled around the fingers, planting a small kiss on the palm, “Take your time.”
Edge took a deep breath as though steeling himself for battle, quickly checking the room to confirm they were alone. Old habits.
“I want this. Very much,” Stretch nodded to show he was following along, “I’m just not sure… if… you do too.”
Stretch tried to keep his expression neutral, but Edge picked on the hurt immediately, “It’s not- I just- your feelings… matter…“ Edge flushed in the embarrassment, but continued earnestly, “And you… always put others before you. You’ve deferred to me on a lot of things just because I’ve been more motivated about them. Even some things you really didn’t want to do. This can’t be one of them. I need to know that this is something you want. That you are ready for this step.”
Edge cupped his face, looking up with an unplaceable emotion that seemed equal parts loving, melancholic, and desperate, “If you’re ready, if you’re not ready now, if you’re never ready- I will abide and stand by your decision. But it must be your decision.”
Stretch had no idea how to respond to any of that. Edge was still looking at him expectantly. He hated this kind of pressure.
“Excuse me,” he gave Edge a quick peck on the forehead, releasing him to pull away and scoot further down the bed. He pillowed his head on his arm, head level with the souling. “I gotta confer with Junior, think aloud some.”
Edge looked bewildered, but said nothing as Stretch poked his ectomagic gently.
“You know, you were absolutely not part of my plans this Saturday. I was gonna sleep in super duper late, eat a really great brunch, and… I don’t know. Go to the store, maybe? I can’t remember what anymore. But now I gotta figure out how I feel about you and convince my husband- your Dad- that I’m ready for… this.”
Edge shifted uncomfortably, “I never said convince! And it doesn’t have to be immediately. Actually, maybe you should process this longer-“
“Hang on, I’m still consulting Junior.”
Edge crossed his arms and huffed. Listening to every word intently, Stretch noted wryly.
“I gotta be honest with you, kid- I never had much of sense for the future. Getting through each day was good enough. Never had these grand dreams of … anything. Career, marriage, parenthood- I, uh, never expected I’d make it this far.”
He smiled that self-deprecating smile that Edge hated, reaching out with his free hand. Edge took it without a word and gave a firm squeeze, holding it tightly.
“But I did. I never liked change- anytime it happened, it was always for the worst. Don’t tell your Dad this, because I tease him about being a control freak, but I’m even worse. If I could, things would stay the same forever. Weird, huh?”
Stretch sighed deeply, pressing closer until his cheek was flush against the protective magic. He claimed his arm back from Edge, shifting his position so he was loosely hugging them both.
“I’m… kinda scared. I’m the younger brother, and Edge can take care of himself. I’ve never had anyone depend on me, you know? What am I supposed to do with a teeny tiny monster who’s going to need me for… everything? I never had parents- just Blue.I don’t know what parents are supposed to do.“
He felt Edge’s hand rest on his skull, petting him softly. He leaned into the touch with a sigh.
“I’m terrified I’m going to screw up something awful, and you’re going to pay the price. That’s too much responsibility for such a lazy, undependable guy like me. What if you end up hating me? I kinda don’t want to even try, you know?”
Edge paused only a moment, but Stretch noticed.
“I didn’t even wanna give dating a shot, though. The first time Edge snickered at one of my puns, trying to disguise it as a cough, I knew I wanted to ask him out. It wasn’t until a full year later that I finally got the nerve up. Blue bet me 10g I wouldn’t do it, and it wasn’t until I owed him 100g I finally did.”
Edge laughed softly, and Stretch watched the ectomagic shift so that the little souling seemed to bounce. That was really cute.
“By our fifth date, when he accidentally sucker punched my best friend- Undyne’s great, by the way, I can’t wait for you to meet her. Anyway, he never apologized, and then he sat on my lap the rest of the evening because he was jealous. Edge was about as cuddly as a cactus back in the day, but he’s pretty hot when he gets possessive. He’s a lot more cuddly now–“
Edge dug his fingers into the back of Stretch’s head, hard enough to make him wince, before soothing the area with more gentle petting. He grumbled, “No. You are very much the exception.”
Stretch laughed, “That was when I knew I wanted to marry this guy. And it wasn’t until a full four years later that I finally got the courage to ask. I was really scared he’d say no, so I got him a stupid dinosaur ring. It was a green stegosaurus with yellow dots, one of those cheap gum ball machine types.
“It’s a really long story, so I won’t bore you with details, Junior. I’ll just say he wore that stupid dinosaur as his engagement ring the entire time, even after I got him a better one and proposed formally. Showing it off like it was super precious and amazing. The sap.”
He could feel Edge smile.
“What is the point of this really long story, Papa, I’m sure you’re asking yourself, because you have other very important matters to attend to,” Edge laughed again and Stretch nuzzled the souling affectionately, “The point is: I would rather sit the game out than risk losing it. But if I didn’t take the chances I did, I wouldn’t have gotten here. And I couldn’t be happier.”
Stretch looked up at Edge with a smile, “I don’t know if I’m ready, if I’ll ever be ready- but I absolutely want this. I already love the squirt and it’s only been half an hour. I just hope they don’t end up as bratty as you, ‘cause I already know I’m gonna be no good at discipline.”
Edge looked to the side, a little misty-eyed, squeezing Stretch’s shoulder. Stretch smiled, whispering to the souling, “I promise to be supportive and be the best Papa I can. You don’t know how serious I am about promises yet, so let’s seal the deal with a kiss!”
He gave the ectomagic right above the souling a loud raspberry.
“GYAH-!?”
Stretch received a solid kick to the face that left him reeling, rubbing his face as Edge jumped up and went to the other side of the room. He glowered, hands protectively wrapped around his stomach.
“Don’t you ever do that again,” he warned darkly, as he watched Stretch very carefully, “What was that and why?!”
“A… raspberry?” Stretch rubbed his jaw, tilting his head, “A belly raspberry? And because it’s fun/funny? Wow. You’re really shrill, damn-“
“That is banned. Forever.” Edge kept a wary eye on him as he opened the closet door blindly, groping around before grabbing something off the first hook he found. Stretch’s smiled widened exponentially.
“Oh my god? Are you ticklish?”
“Absolutely not!” Edge looked absolutely indignant as he pulled the hoodie over his head. He pushed the sleeves up to his elbows, rolling the cuff fastidiously to keep them in place.
“The baby might be ticklish, but I am not!”
Stretch stood up, arms stretched leisurely above his head, slowly making his way towards Edge. His husband backed himself into the corner, arms still held defensively over his stomach.
“I am so serious- if you try it again I WILL break your fingers.”
Stretch thought about making a joke, but held his hands up in surrender, stopping a few feet away. “Sorry, sorry. How can I make it up to you?”
Edge’s entire demeanor shifted, crossing his arms coyly as he gave a nonchalant shrug. Stretch closed the distance between them, pulling his husband flush against his body. Edge curled his arms around his neck, “I can think of a few things… Honey Bear.” That sultry lilt and pet name sent a shiver down his spine.
Stretch willed all of his affection into the simple press of teeth. He felt Edge smile, pressing closer and deepening the kiss with a skillful swipe of his tongue. Stretch reciprocated enthusiastically, a pleasant heat building in his bones as Edge sighed.
“Mmm…”
Edge grabbed a handful Stretch’s shirt and arched into his touch, content to let him lead. Stretch only pulled away when Edge’s legs suddenly buckled with a surprised moan, barely keeping the both upright.
“Wowie…” Edge murmured, eyelights hazy and heart-shaped, “You’re really on your mettle today.”
Stretch flushed at the praise, nuzzling Edge’s hand as it stroked his cheek. “I love you,” he whispered a little breathlessly, touching their foreheads together. “So much.”
Edge brought one hand down to rest over Stretch’s soul, “You better.”
After a beat of silence, “I… apologize.”
Stretch shook his head, closing his eyes and holding Edge close. “No,” he continued, resting his hands on Stretch’s arms, “I’ve never had a reason to doubt your commitment and sincerity. It’s inexcusable to accuse you- to project my own insecurities-“
“Nah,” Stretch silenced him with a finger on his mouth, “You never have to apologize to me- not about this. I made you promise you’d always be honest with me, yeah?”
Edge looked at him a long moment, an unplaceable emotion on his face, “Honestly? You’re a dependable friend, honorable man, and wonderful husband-“
“Stop,” he buried his face in Edge’s shoulder, feeling the pinprick of tears in the corners of his sockets, “You’re gonna make me cry.”
“You’re going to be an exemplary father too.”
Stretch sniffled as he felt Edge rub his back, “I- Thanks- I, uh, need a… minute.”
“What would you like for breakfast?” Edge’s fingers traced his spine vertebra by vertebra, “I could make omelettes. There’s also that horrible sugary breakfast cereal you love so much. I will give you a free pass, only today.”
“Pancakes.”
“Hm. We’re low on milk, but that should be doable.”
“No, no,” Stretch pulled back with a wide smile, discreetly wiping his sockets, “I’m making breakfast for you!”
Edge arched a browbone, looking amused, “Oh?”
Stretch grinned, feeling a lot more energized as he grabbed Edge’s hand and started pulling him towards the door. “Heck yeah, pancakes with whatever I can find downstairs! And sprinkles! That’s like, the dadliest thing ever, right? Weird Weekend pancakes? Gotta start practicing now!”
Edge laughed as he allowed himself to be led, that deep rumble that never failed to make his heart skip a beat. “If you insist… Papa Bear,” Edge said in a rare display of unguarded affection, giving his hand a squeeze.
Oh. That made him feel all kinds of funny. He shrugged, feeling ridiculous for the sudden sense of bashfulness, scratching at his cheek with his free hand.
“I- uh- ok. Anything for you.”
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dandelions-sea-blog · 6 years
Text
These are the Nights that Never Die Chapter Three
Read on Ao3(so much better there)
Rainy Days are the worst....
Previous || First || Next
“Wow… the storm’s gotten really bad, hasn’t it?” Blue says, looking up at the sky. Despite the fact that it was mostly clear, with only a few fluffy clouds covering up the blue ocean above, the RV has been plagued with moaning winds and harsh rain all morning.
“yeah, it’s really raining dimes and nickels out there…” Red says, head in his hand.
“What does that even mean?” Blue asks, giving his friend an odd look.
“that there’s been a change in the weather.”
“Stop.” Blue slaps his palm into Red’s face. It only seems to encourage him.
“Is Red making unnecessarily complicated puns again?” Papyrus sighs, eyes never leaving the table as he scrubs it clean, removing all remnants of their breakfast. He’s tenser than normal; under his eyes are a woven pattern of black swelling.
“Yes, he is,” Blue pouts. Red places a hand over his soul.
“excuse? my puns are only as complex as they necessarily have to be,” He claims in mock outrage.
Blue rolls his eyes, going back to staring at the clouds. They are honestly very pretty… days like these just don’t seem real; when the sky looks just so perfect like this. Ah, if the weather wasn’t so bad they could all go out and have a picnic with the new food that Sans and Edge bought last night! It would be nice to get out of the RV… it has started to accumulate a bit of smell that Blue can’t quite find where it’s coming from.
A particularly bad gust of wind hits the side of the camper, causing Blue to jump and Red to jerk awake from his half nap. Sans watches them from behind.
“why don’t ya come away from the window?” He says from the couch,  “ain’t good t’ be that close to glass during a storm…” Sans’ books and spreadsheets laid out in front of him. He does all the planning for the trip; deciding where they’ll stop next, how much water they can use, how much food they have. Blue sometimes wonders what he does to be able to afford a vacation like this… it’s rude to ask though.
“Oh okay,” Blue says, pulling Red’s arm over to the couch. Blue takes a seat next to Sans while Red sprawls out on the floor, snoozing quietly. “...Lazy.” Blue mutters, shaking his head. At least the others have an excuse, being out all night getting groceries.
Sans hardly seems to notice when Blue sits down next to him, frantically scribbling on sheets of paper as he sweats in silence. Everyone seems to be stressed out today; Blue imagines it has to do with the storm. Papyrus is oddly quiet, hardly taking up any conversations or banters with his counterpart, and Edge has been particularly snippy as well. It all makes Blue very uncomfortable, but he refuses to bring it up in fear of making everything worse.
Blue plays with his hands for a while, trying to seem uninterested in the incredibly interesting things that Sans is up to. He may not want Blue looking over his shoulder, after all. He seems pretty deep in focus right now… He looks up at the ceiling, attempting to count every tile on the roof… then all of the corners of all the tiles… then all of the dead flies in spiderwebs that they really should clean off sometime …
“So whatcha doin’?” Blue finally breaks, looking over at the papers laid out all over the coffee table. In the center of them all is a blue notebook with a faded skull sticker on it. Sans smiles, glancing at Blue out of the corner of his eye.
“what, you wanna take a look at my cheat sheets?” He says, scooting over just enough that Blue can get a better view of all the papers.
“What are these?” He asks, looking over the complex documents.
Sans points to the first one. “this is water supply; we can carry about 150 gallons of water at a time, and we gotta periodically flush out the waste water.”
“That sounds hard,” Blue says.
“yeah, it’s a real drain. ”
“Mweeeh… no puns while we're learning!!!”
Sans chuckles, shuffling the papers around. “right now i am focused on making sure that we have enough food to make it to our next stop - this storm has really put us behind schedule… we might have to leave today.” Sans says with a frown, tone shifting minutely towards the ‘worried leader’ side.
“Aw, but we just got here,” Blue complains. Sans snorts.
“tell me about it… it’s a pretty big pain in my coccyx,” He says, nose ridge wrinkling up. “we got some stuff last night, but we’re gonna need a lot more before we head out for our next stop again.”
Blue hums in understanding. “So… if you don’t mind me asking… what is our next stop?”
“heh... i’ll tell ya when i figure it out.” Sans’ voice sounds deeper than usual, raw exhaustion interwoven between every syllable.
Blue raises a brow bone, confused. Don’t they have this trip planned out at all? He opens his mouth to ask exactly that when there is a loud noise from the kitchen, taking both of their attention.
“nGAH!! EDGE! PLEASE REMOVE YOUR BLASTED CAT FROM MY KITCHEN BEFORE SHE BREAKS SOMETHING ELSE!!!”
“I DO NOT CONTROL HER MOVEMENTS, PERHAPS YOU SHOULD NOT STACK THOSE PLATES SO PRECARIOUSLY!!”
“welp... i better go step in before someone busts a skull…” Sans says, sliding off the couch. Blue scoots over entirely onto the couch, looking over the notebook that Sans left behind. He hesitates… is it rude to look in here when Sans had already sort of gave him permission? Yes, but Blue isrealllllly curious; he decides one little peak is a forgivable offense.
Blue giggles to himself as he opens the book, feeling like a child going through their parent’s drawers. Inside he finds page after page of calculations; records of how much fuel they’ve used, how much they’ll need, where they’ve been, places they plan to go… some sections are crossed out with little scrawlings giving reasons as to why this plan won’t work, or why going to that state is out of the question… just a bunch of random, ramblings thoughts and plans that Sans has collected.
Blue finds himself quickly bored with his searches, scanning through the pages until he gets closer to today’s date. He stops when the pages run out, going back to the last writings that Sans made.
Water:
   Runs out in 3 days
Black Water:
  Overflowing
Food:
  Runs out in 6 days
Ammo:
  Low but not dangerous. Yet.
Electricity:
  Literally the only fucking resource we have.
Closest Safe-Havens:
   Pleasant town (Too far)
  Gaston (Probably not safe)
  Hagersville (Not enough gas)
  Berton (Too Residential)
Conclusion: We’re fucked.
Blue hums, looking over the notes. Well these seem… rather bleak. No wonder Sans seems so stressed out all the time! He is doing so much planning and worrying that he doesn’t have time to enjoy this trip at all!
Blue closes the notebook, setting it back down where he found it. He claps his hands together. Well! This certainly won’t do! He won’t allow their brilliant leader to be bogged down with so much worry. Blue is going to make sure that he has fun tonight.
Sliding off the couch, Blue taps Red with his foot. The other stirs, looking up sleepily.
“wha…?” He says, rubbing an eye.
“Get up, lazy bones - we have planning to do!” Blue says, skipping back to their room. Red just shrugs, following along.
“whatever ya say, kid,” He mutters.
“now, have th’ two ‘o ya finally got that out of yer systems?” Sans says, exhausted from mediating the two very large yet immature skeletons in front of him.
Edge frowns, holding his precious cat to his chest. “I would be more satisfied if he would apologize to Doomfanger.” He says with a genteel tone.
“I WILL NOT APOLOGIZE TO THAT ANNOYING CAT!” Papyrus folds his arms, “YOU ARE LUCKY THAT SANS MADE ME APOLOGIZE FOR YELLING AT YOU.”
Edge snarls as the two fall right back into bickering. Sans sighs hard, pinching the bridge of his nose. This… is exasperating. Everyone is exhausted from their stressful night, and waking up to a hoard of zombies banging at the side of the bus this morning wasn’t exactly the most relaxing turn of events.
He doesn’t even try to get between the Papyruses this time, just sitting down on the dining booth as he waits them out. The van rocks as a particularly enthusiastic zombie slams its body into the side of the vehicle. Really, this is his fault. He should have known this place would be crawling with crawlers… except it also had so many useful resources - it was worth the risk as long as they didn’t do anything to catch the attention of any predators .
Anything, such as running out into the middle of the woods at night shouting like a crazy person …
Sans laughs at his own unintentional joke, even if it is in bad taste. He glances over to where he left the kiddo, feeling a deep pang of worry when he realizes Blue isn’t on the couch anymore. He looks around and sees that the back-room door is shut - Blue must be in there. He relaxes once more as he listens to his brother and friend snap at each other over just about every petty squabble one could have. Jeez… they haven’t fought like this since Blue came around…
That guy sure does wonders for the psyche, ironically. Sans really thought that things were gonna get better now that he was around; but nope. It was just a lull in their luck, a pleasant kink of fate. And now that they are settling back in things are going right back to shit.
Sans sighs.
“AND ANOTHER THING - DO YOU EVEN KNOW HOW LOUD YOU ARE??”
He’s lost track of which one is speaking at this point… Sans puts his head against the table, digging his palms into his temples. The headache this entire conversation is giving him has spread to his patients. He’s done .
“ e n o u g h!”
Sans’ hand comes down on the table.
“alright, you two - listen up!” Sans snaps, head jerking up. If he still could, his eye would be ablaze with magic right now. He stands up off of the bench, ready to lay into the two skeletons until they put this petty squabble to bed for the rest of the day.
Except he is interrupted by a familiar, cheerful voice.
“Guyyyys~” Blue says in a sing song voice, walking into the room with one of the biggest grins they’ve ever seen on his face. In his hands he clutches a baby-blue bag - the only item they had found on his person when they discovered him locked away in the basement of his apartment complex. “I have a surprise for you~~”
Papyrus’ arms unfold and his face softens some. Of the three of them he has been the most receptive to Blue’s particular brand of positivity. It seems that no matter how bad his mood gets Blue is able to come in and cheer him right up. Edge is much less so, but even he relaxes a bit, attention turning from the skeleton beside him to the one across the room.
Sans smiles, well, this at least makes his job easier.
“heh, whatcha got there, kiddo?” Sans asks, hands shoved into his pockets. Blue’s smile grows impossibly wider. If he had skin it would probably tear with just how much force he is putting into showing his happiness.
“Close your eyes~” Blue commands.
“Now may not be the best ti-” Edge starts, abruptly cut off by Sans elbowing him in the shin. Papyrus already has his eyes shut, and Sans waits only long enough to ensure Edge’s cooperation.
“No peeking~” Blue says, voice laced with excitement. Sans can’t help the small grin that plasters itself over his face. The kiddo is just so contagious. There is a soft shuffling of fabric from in front of them, and something is unzipped as Blue places the contents of the bag down on the table in front of them.
“Ta-da!!” Blue shouts. Sans winces at the sheer volume of the noise. “You can open your eyes now!!”
Sans opens a socket to take a look at what Blue has decided to get so worked up over. Part of him is honestly expecting nothing - that he’s created some new delusion in his mind to instantly remedy the situation. But once again, the kiddo manages to surprise him.
“heh... where’d ya get that ?” Sans asks, hands in his pocket as he steps forward to observe the grey, book-shaped box that has been set up on the dining table. Even at first glance there is no mistaking what this is; a portable DVD player. Sans hasn’t owned one of those since they were in the Underground, and even then it was way back when he was a babybones. He opens the lid with a finger, looking at the screen inside. It isn’t much bigger than his hand-and-wrist, but it looks to be in perfectly good condition. He wonders if it still works…
“It’s mine,” Blue says proudly. “I carry it with me on the way to work. The buses run so slow, so I like to watch a movie on the way.” Sans snorts; that’s genius. Papyrus has bent over to look at the device, examining it with mild intrigue.
“Well that is very nice,” Edge says shortly. “But what I would like to know is why you chose now to bring on this impromptu show-and-tell.” He snarks. Sans rolls his eyes - jeez, what a wet blanket.
“Well, Red and I decided that it is time for us to have a movie night!” Blue says. The three skeletons stand up straight, looking between each other. Movie night?? Now? Blue smiles, crossing his arms. “I know that everyone is a bit stressed out because of the storm, so since there isn’t any way we can change the weather, we might as well take this time to relax and have some fun!”
Sans blinks, tapping his chin. That… isn’t a half bad idea actually. It’s not like sitting around and worrying about if-or-when the zombies will crawl back into their hiding spots is doing anyone any good. They have the extra electricity from charging in the sun all day; and if the three of them continue to stay this high strung it isn’t the hoard outside the party will have to worry about killing them all…
Edge looks less convinced, scowling at the device. “That has got to be the single dumbest idea I’ve ever-”
“heh i’m in.” Sans says with a shrug.
Both Papyrus and Edge look to him curiously
“Sans, are you feeling alright?” Papyrus asks, sounding worried. His hand comes down on Sans’ forehead. “You aren’t developing a fever, are you??”
“nah bro,” He chuckles, shaking his brother’s hand off of him. “i think it’s a good idea; our batteries are full and they’re just gonna keep chargin’ t’day since we won’t be doin’ much. i say we should just relax and take the day off.”
Papyrus doesn’t seem entirely convinced Sans is entirely sane, though apparently the idea of a movie night speaks to him as well, and he lets up. “Well, it does sound fun…” He says, a smile slowly writing it’s way onto his face.”
Edge is less convinced, looking between the two as if they had just suggested they jump out and try to make friends with the hoard surround them.
“HAVE YOU TWO LOST YOUR MIND!?” He snaps. “WE CAN’T JUST- WE CAN’T- WE HAVE TOO MANY THINGS TO DO!? SITTING AROUND JUST… DOING NOTHING????”
“it’s not doing nothing,” Sans corrects. “it’s a mental health day, for our health.” He closes the dvd player, flipping it over to check just how many watts it uses for his notebook. “if we stay cooped up in here worrying any longer we’re gonna end up killing each other or ourselves; the kiddo’s got the right idea.”
Blue squeals in pure delight. Hands curling little balls at his chest. “THIS IS SO AWESOME!! MWEHEHE… WE’RE GONNA HAVE SO MUCH FUN!!” He reaches into his bag, practically dumping out about half a dozen DVDs.  “I don’t have too many with me - if I had known we’d be gone this long I would have packed a few more…” He says, already going through and picking out favorites.
Sans chuckles, strolling across the room to one of the shelves.
“oh, i wouldn’t be too worried about running out of choices,” He says with a wink, opening up the doors of the storage space to reveal his and Papyrus’ collection. Practically every movie they’ve ever seen is in here, and several that they haven’t, all organized by genre and director. He turns around, delighted to see Blue’s awestruck face as he pursues the titles.
“now, what kinda movies you guys like t’ watch?”
In the end, they settled on five movies; A comedy for sans, an action thriller for Edge, a superhero film for Papyrus, a mystery for Blue, and a cartoon for Red. They drew straws to decide who goes first, all agreeing that Sans should get first pick of times since he’s done so much for them all. Blue and Red end up in the kitchen making popcorn while the other three set up the living room, finishing their chores down with twice the gusto.
An air of excitement seems to have come over the entire camper. It seems that for the first time since Blue arrived everyone is in anticipation for something; even Edge, despite his constant grumbles about how stupid this all is, seems to be just a little lighter in his steps as he goes through his routine.
By the time midday rolls around everyone is sitting in the living room, waiting. The spare duvet from the master bedroom has been pulled and laid out in the middle of the room, Papyrus and Edge sprawled out as Sans selects his dvd. Blue has finally finished popping the popcorn he found under the sink, pouring out the warm treat into bowls. He keeps the kettle ready for another batch, certain that there will be more need to be made by the time the day is through.
Blue hops up onto the couch with Sans and Red, offering up the bowls to everyone who wants one; which is everyone. Even Edge takes some popcorn, eating it slowly and savoring every bite. Papyrus is much less conservative with his, taking entire fistfuls at a time and dropping bits onto the mat which are promptly scooped up and fed to Doomfanger. Blue doesn’t actually see Sans eat any of his popcorn, but every so often when Blue looks over a little more has disappeared.
The movie is more to Sans and Red’s taste than anyone else's, but it gets a chuckle out of Blue. Sans, on the other hand, just about busts a rib with every line. Red lets out a constant stream of chuckles, drowning out the dialogue half the time. Blue acts as the runner, going between the living room and the kitchen to retrieve drinks and refresh popcorn. By the time the credits roll on the first movie everyone seems relaxed. Blue comes back from getting another round of snacks to find Papyrus leaned back into the couch with Sans draped over the armrest so the two are almost completely side by side. Red has his feet propped up by Sans’ head, looking halfway to sleep - a sign of relaxation for him. Even Edge looks less… well, on edge. He sits with his spine straight, Doomfanger in his lap. His facebones are no longer scrunched up, his shoulders hung relaxed at his side. Blue smiles at him, feeling his soul warm.
Edge glances over at Blue, face suddenly dusting with a light blush as he looks away, hands clenched.  “I still say this is a waste of time and electricity.” He snips, arms coming up to cross over his chest. Blue rolls his eyes.
“Would you like the orange juice, or apple?” Blue asks, holding out the cups in his hands. Edge refuses to look at him as he snatches the apple juice from him. Doomfanger rubs her head into his shirt and he lets a hand down to pet her coat.
“i think boss ha’ next selection, right?” Red says from the couch. Blue nods.
“Yeah, he does!” He says, turning back to the gruff skeleton. “Which one was yours again?”
“Midnight Blaze Racer Four,” He mutters, squirming in his seat.
“Aw, but we haven’t seen the first three??” Papyrus says, sounding just a tad disappointed. “How will we be able to follow the plot?”
“heh... yeah… ‘plot’...” Sans says from his spot on the couch, physically drawing the air quotes with his fingers. Edge turns, throwing a bit of popcorn back at Sans, bouncing off his head with a satisfying thunk . Sans chuckles.
“You will be able to pick up on main story,” Edge assures Papyrus. “Besides, this is the fourth installment, but it actually takes place before the first movie but just a bit after the third-and-a-half, which was a prequel telling the story how Blaze’s mother ended up going from a rich girl from southern california to wanted intergalactic crime fighter.” He is already loading up the DVD and skipping through the commercials for ‘soon-to-be-released’ movies that came out almost a decade ago. “But you don’t need to know any of that because when this movie came out the plot for the next hadn’t even been written yet. This is just the best movie in the franchize, so we are skipping all the garbage that came out with the extension and sticking to the original cannon.”
“...Well now I’m even more confused than when we started!!”
“shhh, just watch the movie bro.”
Blue ends up spending this move squished between Sans and Red, the two of them falling in and out of naps as the spectacle on the tiny screen plays out before them. Honestly, Blue has no idea what is going on, and he has a sneaking feeling that even if he’d seen all the previous movies he would still be lost. This time the movies takes about twice as long as it’s runtime due to Edge pausing it at random intervals to explain some plotpoint from another movie in the franchise, then again seconds later to answer follow up questions posed by a very befuddled Papyrus.
By the time that movie ends the group is very much ready for Papyrus’ much simpler, logical movie about an orphan bit by a genetically engineered snake, gaining the power of super speed and strength and chooses to fight the forces of evil. It doesn’t have to make sense in the real world - it just has to flow logically on its own. Which it does, somewhat. At times…
Papyrus is on the edge of his seat the entire time, and even Blue gets excited, cheering along Snake Lad as he takes on Sir Mongoose and saves Lady Lana, warrior super spy princess, from his evil clutches. Sans seems to get his enjoyment from the flick by pointing out every time the movie tries to do science and exactly why it is wrong, while Red just makes lousy puns on just about everyone and everything there. Edge pretends to ignore it, claiming the effects are too cheesy for him to get involved - but every once in awhile Blue thinks he sees genuine enjoyment on Edge’s face.
Finally it is Blue’s turn! Sans only had a single mystery movie that Blue hasn’t gotten to see yet; it’s an old one in black-and-white. It has a very unique pacing and tone to it, something that Blue can appreciate. Sans and Blue keep a long discussion going on about film techniques and cinematography. Papyrus and Edge seem bored, while Red straight up falls asleep during the first act, though the action scenes at least get some response out of the others.
During the final confrontation where the murderer is revealed Blue notices something. He steps forward, pressing pause on the player and he listens.
“Do you guys hear that?” He asks, quickly getting the attention of the other occupants of the room. They all sit up, listening closely for any sign of disturbance, sharing a look of mild fear.
“Hear what, Blue-Sans?” Papyrus asks with a frown. “I don’t hear anything…”
Sans’ eyes widen as he practically throws himself off the couch, bare bones clacking against the floor as he prances over to the window. He stands on his toes to look out. “...they’re gone……” he mutters, almost too quiet for anyone to hear. Edge and Papyrus share a look of disbelief as Blue smiles.
“See? The storm is over now, and you guys didn’t even notice!” Blue chirps. The others look between each other, seeming blown away by the fact that they could have forgotten about their current situation. Blue rolls his eyes, ejecting the DVD before going to the cabinet to select a new one.
“what’s up kiddo - movie borin’ ya?” Sans asks, going back to lay out on the couch.
“It’s getting late, and I wanna see Red’s movie before we go to bed!” Blue announces, pulling out the DVD Red had anted in. The skeleton chuckles from the couch.
“aw, yer sweet, kid,” Red says, setting his head on his hands.
Edge stands as the movie loads up, taking the empty bowls of popcorn back into the kitchen. Blue frowns, watching his friend leave the room with a deep heaviness in his soul. “...Are you not going to watch the movie with us?” Blue asks, downtrodden.
“No,” Edge replies, scrubbing the bowls harshly with a dry sponge. He growls softly as Blue watches, scrubbing with extra gusto. Blue would like to think that it is just because he is trying to get off the extra butter… but... Blue glances back at Red, looking apologetic. The bags under Red’s eyes seem deeper than normal as he waves a hand.
“don’ sweat it, kid,” He says, a hint of something deeply troubling in his voice. “boss is… complicated…” He leans back into the couch, arms folded over his chest. “let’s just watch the flick…“
Blue isn’t entirely satisfied with that resolution; nevertheless he slots the dvd into the player and presses play, sinking back into relaxation as the cheerful sound of violin music fills the room. Almost as soon as the actual movie starts Edge seems to be satisfied with the dishes, immediately climbing the ladder to his bunk and flinging shut the curtain with a loud grumble. Sans and Papyrus relax some, politely asking that they unfold their bed so that they too can lay down. By now it’s pretty late, after all; they spent the entire day watching movies.
Blue starts to feel sleepy as well, rubbing his eye as the movie splashes bright colors against the dark walls. He moves closer to the DVD player on the table, setting him and Red up at the foot of the brother’s bed. He curls up in the comforter with Red, rubbing his eyes.
“heh, kiddo… ya should probably get t’ sleep yerself,” Sans says from utop the bed, propped up on a pillow. “ya look bone tired.” He chuckles. Papyrus grumbles in his sleep, mumbling something that sounds suspiciously like ‘overused joke’.
“I wanna stay up with Red, though,” Blue says, flighting back a yawn. His head bobs without him meaning too, floating town to rest on his hands. “Everyone else got to watch their movie with friends…”
“heh, i think red’s already asleep kiddo…” Sans says from utop the bed. Blue blinks, looking back to his friend lying next to him. Sure enough, soft snores come from the snoozing skeleton. Blue chuckles, curling up in the blankets.
“What a lazy bones...” He mutters sleepily, petting Red’s skull. A soft purr builds in the other’s throat as he nuzzles into the touch. Blue is tempted to just sleep here on the ground; but that would just be too lazy for his tastes. Slowly he rises to his feet, nudging Red awake as he bundles up their covers. He turns off the DVD player and ejects the disk, making sure that all of the DVDs make it back to the correct case and spot in the cabinet before heading off towards his bedroom.
“Goodnight Sans!” Blue says, following the sleepy Red into the bedroom. “Goodnight, Papyrus…”
“Goodnight!”
“g’night, kiddo…” Just before Blue can shut the door Sans continues. “hey, uh… blue?”
Blue pauses, looking back out into the room. It is dark, the only light coming from the everpresent glow of the outside lamps. Sans’ silhouette would look ominous in any other context, but to Blue it is relieving. Sans’ posture is relaxed, slouched against the back of the couch-bed. Blue can practically hear the other’s calm soul-beat from here.
“i wanned t’ thank ya,” Sans says, contentedness filling the air. “fer t’night…“
Blue feels his cheeks warm, his soul aching in a way he can’t quite place. The smile on his face can’t be seen in the dim light of the RV, but Blue has a sneaking suspicion that Sans knows it’s there.
“Mweh… no problem, Friend! I’m glad everyone had fun...” Blue says quietly, slipping into the room. “Goodnight.”
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softmahito · 6 years
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a/n: fake dating au // set in the future summary: michael’s homophobic parents are coming to visit so he asks calum to pretend to date him as an extra ‘fuck you’ words: 1,8k+                                                                      🌈 MLM APRIL CHALLENGE 🌈                                                                                ⭐ MASTERLIST ⭐
“Calum! My favourite person!” Michael plopped next to Calum on the couch. “Have I told you that you look super handsome today?” He smiled brightly.
“What do you want?” Calum asked without taking his gaze off his phone.
“Ahhh you know me too well” Michael chuckled. “You know that my super homophobic parents are visiting me tomorrow?” He asked to which Calum nodded. “I’ll come out to them and I need your help with that.” He said like it was nothing.
“I don’t like where this is going.” Calum looked at Michael.
“Oh c’mon! It’s not that big of a deal. I just need you to pretend to be my boyfriend! Please say yes!” He blinked rapidly, smiling pleadingly. 
“Michaeeel” Calum groaned. “Why?”
“Because I need something as an extra ‘fuck you’,” Michael explained.
“Do I even have a choice? Can I actually say ‘no’ to this?” Calum sighed.
Michael made a face that clearly said ‘no, you don’t have a choice’ and Calum sighed again. He truly didn’t want to be in the centre of tomorrow’s drama but at the same time he needed- wanted to be there for Michael. 
When he came out he was lucky enough his parents didn’t really care about his sexuality and nothing’s changed. But he knew that wouldn’t happen with Michael’s parents. For as long as he could remember they were always against even the possibility of the same-sex relationships. And while he was out-and-proud in high school Michael couldn’t even talk about his sexuality with the two people in the entire world who were supposed to love and support him no matter what because he was afraid of what could happen.
But luckily, as soon as they moved out and rent an apartment together, Michael was becoming more and more comfortable with himself and now as a twenty-two-year-old man, he was totally himself. And Calum couldn’t be more proud of him for that.
“Ugh... Okay. I’ll do it. But you owe me big time.” Calum said finally.
“Awesome! Let’s go!.” Michael clapped his hands and took Calum by the arm.
“What do you think you’re doing exactly?” 
“We’re coming back home. We need to make sure it’s believable and in order to do that we need to practise being even closer than we’re now.” Michael started explaining while dragging Calum to their apartment.
“I’m telling you now, this won’t end well.”
“Less talking more walking!. Here.” Michael stopped for a second and offered Calum his hand.” Take my hand.”
Calum was about to argue why he should do it but eventually decided against it and just took Michael’s hand which was pleasantly warm. Michael intertwined their finger to what Calum just rolled his eyes but didn’t say anything. And about fifteen minutes later they were entering their place. 
While Calum went to the kitchen to make them both hot chocolate, Michael sat on the couch in their tiny living room and started thinking about how they can prepare best for tomorrow.
“So... boyfriend how are gonna practice?” He was so lost in thoughts that Calum’s voice made him jump.
“I was thinking we can just have a normal movie night but with a lot more of cute pet names, cuddling and all of that.” Michael shrugged suddenly feeling a little anxious.
“Cool.” Calum simply said.
He took a blanket from the armchair and sat next to Michael, covering them both. He snuggled closer to his best friend / fake boyfriend and leaned his head on Michael’s shoulder.
“What you wanna watch, babe?” Michael asked adding a pet name.
“Oh, I don’t know, hot stuff.” Calum teased which made them both chuckled. “We could finally finish season four of brooklyn nine-nine?” He proposed. 
“Sounds perfect.” Michael agreed and a few seconds later episode sixteenth of season four was playing.
The longer they were watching the more comfortable and natural they were feeling in their fake relationship. Both of them were unbelievably cuddly and full of super cheesy pet names for each other.
Three episodes in their marathon Calum decided he needed to change his position because his butt started hurting from all this sitting - cue to Michael’s terrible pun about Calum’s ass. Calum lay down on his side with his head on Michael’s lap. A moment later Michael’s hand almost automatically wandered to Calum’s hair and he started brushing it - he had no idea how soft and fluffy his hair was. His other hand was on Calum’s side and soon after Calum brought it closer and begun playing with his fingers.
“I’m gonna make more popcorn and maybe grab a beer,” Calum announced after another hour. “Want anything else?”
“Popcorn, beer and you, that’s everything I need,” Michael answered, smiling cheesily.
Calum chuckled, shaking his head and when he was getting up Michael slapped his butt.
“Control yourself, Harrison!” Calum yelled on his way to the kitchen.
This time Michael was the one to shake his head. He let out a breathy laugh and with a huge grin on his face leaned his head against the backrest of the couch. Then he decided to join Calum in the kitchen. He got up and headed where Calum was currently waiting for the popcorn to be done.
“Miss me already?” Calum asked teasingly as Michel wrapped his arms around his waist from behind.
“Nah, just can’t wait for the beer.”
“Sure you can’t.”
For a moment they were standing in silence the only sound coming from the microwave. Then suddenly Calum turned around and they both were taken aback by how close their faces were. But Calum quickly started fooling around again, running his hands all over Michael’s face in a very not sexy way and not much longer they were laughing again.
And Michael had no idea what possessed him but a second later his lips were on Calum’s and just like that they were kissing. It wasn’t full-on make-out session. It was slow, every kiss was gentle and soft like they were getting to know each other on a totally different level that none of them ever thought about.
Then all of a sudden Michael practically jumped away from Calum as if his best friend’s lips shocked him. But that wasn’t the case. Michael was flooded with an avalanche of feelings he had never felt before towards Calum. It felt so right, kissing Calum - like he was meant to do just that. And he liked it - he liked it so much he wanted to do that again and again and again...
“I- I’m sorry... I didn’t mean to- I-” Michael tried to say something but couldn’t think of what to say. “I forgot I have a work to do. I’m sorry.” He mumbled quickly and practically run towards his room.
“Michael-”
“I’ll see you tomorrow!” He didn’t let Calum finish and loudly closed his door.
For another few seconds, Calum stood in the same place dumbfounded, not sure what he should do right now. His eyes wide and mouth open, completely shocked. And when the microwave beeped he almost had a heart attack. Finally, he figured out there’s no use in standing in the kitchen all night. He put the beers in the fridge and went to his own room.
Nor Michael or Calum slept that night. Calum was still super confused and at this point not exactly sure what happened. Michael, on the other hand, was painfully aware of what he’s done. And he couldn’t stop himself from thinking he just ruined one truly good thing in his life which was his friendship with Calum.
When they woke up - or more precisely just got out if beds the sun had barely risen. While Calum decided tp took a shower Michael practically run off of the house. He left a note for Calum, saying he decided for a quick run to clear his mind before his parents come. And his ‘quick run’ lasted almost three hours which was suspicious since normally Michael had a hard time to pass an hour. But when he finally came back Calum didn’t say anything about it.
And there was this unbearable tension and the awkward silence between then that happened only one time before when Calum showed up unannounced at Michael’s house and went to his room and saw completely naked Michael who just came out of the shower.
But there was nothing Calum could do because until Michael’s parents showed up he was evidently avoiding Calum. And to be honest Calum wasn’t even sure if Michael still wants him to be his ‘extra fuck you’ but just in case he dressed up nicer than usual.
Ever since Calum came out and the word that he likes boys too was spread he immediately lost the ‘my best friend’s parents favourite friend’ privilege. He now was ‘the bad influence’. 
When Michael’s parents were taking off their coats Calum discretely leaned and asked Michael if he still wants to be fake boyfriends just to be sure. And after Michael nodded Calum went for it and took Michael’s hand. He could see how Michael tensed when their hands touched. He clenched his jaw and closed his eyes for a quick second.
“Michael. What are you doing? Please stop holding hands with him. You know how this looks.” Michael’s mother said contemptuously.
“I won’t,” Michael answered and stood even closer to Calum.
“You won’t?”
“I will not because Calum and I are dating.” He said with his head high. “He’s my boyfriend.” He added and looked at Calum with something so different in his eyes that it took away Calum’s breath for a moment.
“If you think this is funny Michael-” Michael’s father started but was quickly interrupted by his son.
“I’m not. Mom, dad I’m bisexual.” He stated. “And since I’m a grown man I can date whoever I want and there’s nothing you can do about it. Now, who wants some tea?” He smiled way too nicely.
“Don’t bother. We won’t be staying.” Mr Harrison said and handed her wife her coat. 
When a few minutes later the door slammed after them, Calum gave Michael’s hand a reassuring squeeze which made him look at Calum. He knew this was very hard for his best friend so without another word he pulled Michael into a bone-crushing hug. They were standing there, not saying anything for quite a moment.
“I think I’m in love with you, Calum,” Michael whispered burying his head in the hollow of Calum’s neck.
“Is that why you’ve been avoiding me almost all day,” Calum asked.
“I just didn’t know what to do or say. I still don’t.” He confessed and looked Calum in the eyes.
“You can start by kissing me again.” Calum proposed, smiling fondly at his definitely-more-than-best-friend.
First, there was a shock on Michael’s face which was quickly replaced with a huge smile and the next thing Calum new Michael was lifting him up and their lips met in a long slow and sweet kiss.
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canadian-buckbeaver · 6 years
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Edgeberry’s Second Chance - Chapter 23 - Battle Front
MTT has shown that he is more than willing to fight his ex-lover and sweet Berry.  The question is not if Edge will spare him, but will he survive the encounter?
- I also went through and updated Chapter 22 -
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Undeterred at the weapons, his fans cheered.  Finally MTT was showing them new tricks.  He wasn’t just up there on the stage, dancing and singing horribly, nor was he trying to tell his off-colour jokes.  Here was the real entertainment.  He was a Human Killer after all, what could two skeletons do to him?
 “STAY BEHIND ME,” Edge ordered Berry.  One of his swords came up to guard the little skeleton.  “I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT HE IS NOW CAPABLE OF. STAY BEHIND ME AND, AT THE FIRST CHANCE, RUN AND HIDE.  I WILL FIND YOU LATER.”
 “But Edge… I…”
 Edge looked over at him.  “I WON’T LOSE YOU AGAIN, BERRY…. NOT TO HIM.”  There was a sincere light to his eyes.  Gone was the madman and the wild Fell warrior, the one who would dust or kill anyone at the chance of raising his LV.  Here was the monster that Berry had seen deep inside, the calm warrior, the one who only wanted to do what is right.
 There was a sound of chainsaws and Edge had just enough time to raise and cross his swords in time to catch MTT’s blow.  In his hands were two chainsaws, both smoothly purring, silver glinting in the spotlight.  The chainsaws sang and whirled desperately against the red bones as Edge’s shaking arms tried to push him back.
 * * * * *
“What’s wrong Papy~” MTT asked, “seems like you were a little distracted there.  Perhaps a little dust in the old eye socket?” he taunted, pushing forward with the machines.  Edge lost a little ground with the chainsaws, boots gauging the floor, gritting his teeth as he struggled to push the robot back.  The crowd was cheering, like a horde of hounds desperate for blood.  This was the best performance that MTT had put on in a long time.
 “BERRY…” Edge whispered, his eye lights leaving the robot’s and risking a quick glance around. The little skeleton was nowhere to be seen.  Perhaps he had taken Edge’s advice and had been able to hide.  He hated asking the little skeleton to do that, yet Berry was obviously untrained in this kind of fighting.  Berry would be more likely to survive if he hid himself away.  Edge was trained in this act of war, he knew how to act and what to do.
 He hoped so… worst comes to worst, he didn’t want Berry to see him die.
 Things were bad. He could see that MTT’s LV and stats were higher than when they had last seen each other.  They had always been high though not as high as his.  But now… now those numbers even higher than Edge’s. He was a huge, deadly threat.  And now the robot had his arms trapped by his chainsaws.  If he even moved one of the swords he risked having the metal teeth cut into him and his armour.  He briefly debated allowing it to happen, if only to give Berry time to escape, but he threw the idea away.
 No.  He was Edge, Captain of the Royal Guards, and beloved mate to Berry.  His mate tattoo still glowed with fresh magic, his bones still warm from Berry’s heat.
 He wouldn’t give up so easily.
 He was Determined.
 His hands and arms may be trapped, but when had that ever stopped him?  He had been named captain for a reason.  Taking a step forward, he angled his toes behind the robot’s. Fixing the angle of his bone attacks, he pressed himself forward.  First MTT took a small, almost tiny, step back, and then another, stumbling over Edge’s feet and causing him to let off some of the pressure of his weapons.  The crowd began to get excited.  This wasn’t going to be such a one-sided match after all. Papyrus was fighting back.
 With a great shove, Edge pushed MTT back, causing him to wobble backwards and release him. Now, with adequate distance between them, now he could show MTT exactly what he was holding back.
 Taking a charging step forward Edge cut down on MTT on an angle, nicking one of his prized chainsaws. The blow, although looked useless and merely cosmetic in nature, gave the motor a small hiccup.  Luckily the other monsters, as well as MTT, seemed to be unaware of this.  They jeered and cheered, hands clapping and feet stamping.  Exactly what go MTT riled up.  As he and MTT began to dance with his chainsaws and blows, red sparks began to fly and sizzle around them.  Metal teeth met bone, time and time again.  Their feet moved effortlessly over the floor, crossing and coming close, retreating and teasing.
 There was a slight change to their routine.  Their blows echoed louder in the hall, and they became closer to their targets, only for MTT to move out of the way in the nick of time.  He began to see it in MTT’s eyes.  The robot was now showboating, gladly showing off what moves that they could pull off together and building the crowd’s excitement…
 Or was it for a more sinister reason…?
 Faster and faster they danced.  Arms and legs were a blur of sweat and sparks.  They were equal titans in this field.  Neither one of them seemed willing to give up so easily, each of them had something that they were fighting for.  Something that, to them, meant something.
 MTT’s chainsaw, the one that Edge had damaged, was beginning to blow white smoke.  There was a stutter in its engine, its speed uneven. MTT was looking at it puzzled, the previous blow still not computing with him.  Edge flipped his sword in his hands, preparing to slice through the glass stomach that housed his borrowed soul.
 “Edge!”  A voice cried out from the crowd, drawing Edge’s attention away from the fight.  Blue! His eyes fell to the audience, looking for him…
 Realizing his mistake a second too late.
 MTT kicked him in the chance, sending him off of his feet and onto his spine.  As he grunted in pain his bones disappeared,
 And a red and yellow stiletto boot came down on his armoured chest.
 “Typical voice recording, darling.  Hopefully you don’t mind me using it.  Figured that you would at least like to hear his voice one last time before the end.” MTT smirked evilly at him, single chainsaw in his many hands now.  The crowd was frantic in its cheering, screaming for the robot to kill him.
 As MTT raised the chainsaw in triumph, Edge closed his eyes.  He thought of Berry’s open arms and large smile, complete with the hearts in his eyes…
 “BERRY…” he whispered as the chainsaw began to scream towards his soul.
 There was a thunking sound, but no pain.
 Edge’s eyes flew open and he saw the long, blue bone impaling the chainsaw into the stage, jamming the mechanisms.  MTT had looked away from Edge and four more bones shot towards him.  These bones cut through his elbows and knees, lacing through the metal like water, and skewering him to the wall behind them. It reminded Edge of those insects that were put on display for humans to look over…
 But who…
 “That was a dirty trick Mettaton.  And Edge was going to beat you fair and square.” Berry’s voice came from beside Edge, his left eye still shimmering with magic.  For a moment he resembled Cherry… “Luckily, he has me to even up the odds.”
 The robot tried to pull himself from the wall but the bones stuck him fast, even damaging his HP when he tried to move.  Instead, he settled to scowl at Berry.  “So what is it that you intend to have me do?  Write lines?  Send me into the corner or in my bedroom for a time out?  Spank me?  Because I’ve been a very naughty boy, Berry.  I could use some punishment.”
 The double meanings were not lost on Berry.  A small flush had come to his cheeks but he did not respond to them.  “And have risk you entering the land of Swap again?  I don’t think so.  How did you enter to drop off that letter?” he demanded.
 MTT only chuckled as a long, metallic tongue wiped at some loose oil.  “It was simple really.  I had long since figured out how and where Papyrus goes to visit you… it was only a matter of turning it on.”
 Edge wanted to growl. Of course… he couldn’t blame Cherry for his mistake.  He had felt eyes occasionally when he had booted up the teleporter before but had dismissed it as his own feelings of paranoia.  But rule number one…
 You can never be too careful in UnderFell.
 Berry helped Edge stand, refusing to look at the robot.  “Let’s go home.”  he said, suddenly looking tired.  “I… my brother…”
 Would probably be worried sick about him now, especially if he realized that Edge himself was with him, Edge thought.  Picking up Berry, he grabbed the blanket that he had used to wrap him in to come to UnderFell and began to carry him out.
 “And what about me, I ask again?”  MTT’s voice broke the little bubble between the two skeletons.
 Edge turned to him, scrutinising him with his clear eye lights.  It was a tempting thought to dismantle the ego-mantic but, at the same time.
 “You’re not worth it. The EXP, the LV, none of it.” Berry said, looking to him.  “There are other, more pressing and important things to worry about.”
 The crowd was becoming restless again.  Loud whispers to one another, and sinister chuckles could be heard.  “BESIDES METTA, YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENS WHEN AN ACT BECOMES OBSOLETE… THEY GET THE HOOK.” Edge said before walking out the door again. Walking quickly, he and Berry had exited the hotel and were well on their way to the teleporter.  Edge didn’t dare look back or look at the faces of the audience.  
 “The hook?” Berry asked, looking up at him. “Is… is that a pun?”
 Edge shook his head just as there was a loud, glitching scream from behind them. Walking faster he pressed Berry’s skull closer to his chest, not allowing him to look back, not even once. “It’s a torturous procedure that was once only used in traitors of war…” he said simply.  “HE MAY HAVE BEEN SOLD OFF TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER, OR THEY MAY HAVE ALL RUSHED HIM.  BUT I DON’T WANT TO FIND OUT.”
 Berry looked slightly pale, his mouth posed for another question before Edge made it to the little house in UnderFell.  So many memories… memories of him and Sans as baby bones, some foggy ones of their father, Gaster.  Countless memories of watching TV or goofing off or cooking.  Good and bad, young and old, the house had been with them every step of the way.  And yet, when he looked to the little, sweet, blue skeleton in his arms, he knew that he had all that he needed.
 Without looking back at his hometown, Edge strode through the machine, holding tight to Berry. As they walked through the glowing portal, Edge magically turned it off behind them, removing a single screw and tossing it into the universe behind him.  That would be enough to prevent any further access.
 Now no one could access the sweet world of UnderSwap… and he could no longer return to where he was now a traitor, to where his life was in ruins… he had murdered a famous celebrity, probably defied the orders of the king…
 It seemed like a fair trade.
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