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silversatoru · 3 years

Text

hot chocolate

megumi x yuuji

synopsis: megumi’s days get a little less boring when yuuji starts stopping by his coffee shop

tags/warnings: fluff, college au!, coffee shop au!, characters are aged up, making out, swearing

word count: 3780

The whipped cream bottle whizzed and sputtered, the scarce remains of its contents flying all over the counter. Megumi stifled a few cuss words under his breath, silently cursing whoever finished the whipped cream and didn't replace it with a new one. He tossed it in the garbage and drug himself into the back of the shop in search of a fresh bottle. He was only two hours into his shift at his university's coffee shop, but it had easily been the longest two hours of his life. Midterms were this week, meaning every student on campus was stopping by for some extra caffeine to get through their day.

When he finally returned with his new container of whipped cream, the line of students had nearly doubled — what a hassle. He threw a quick, fluffy spiral of cream onto the drink he'd been working on and gave it to the customer, apologizing for the wait. He shoved the money into the old cash register and handed them their change, a small sigh leaving his lips as the next customer approached.

It was an athletic looking boy with pink spiky hair and a round face. He wore a baggy sweatshirt and sweatpants, and his rose-colored hair looked as if he had just rolled out of bed. Megumi didn't recognize him, which was weird because he had a knack for memorizing the faces of every student who walked in and out of the shop.

"Hi, what can I get for you today?" Megumi spoke in his signature monotone voice, too tired to add any customer service flare.

"I'm not sure," The boy stared up at the menu with a terribly confused expression on his face.

"What do you mean you're not sure?" Megumi stared at the boy like he had two heads — he'd been waiting in line for at least ten minutes and he still hadn't decided?

"Well, I don't actually like coffee. So, I'm not sure what to get," he stated bluntly.

"If you don't like coffee, why did you come to a coffee shop. We literally only sell coffee," Megumi deadpanned.

"Well, I want to try and force myself like coffee — acquire the taste, you know? For the caffeine and stuff. Maybe you could recommend me a drink?"

"Uh... yeah sure. I'll just make you what I usually get," Megumi had to forcibly stop himself from rolling his eyes at the customer.

"Okay, great!" The pink-haired student called after him as he walked over to the array of coffee machines.

Megumi grabbed a cup for hot beverages, sliding it under the latte machine and filling the it with the warm brown liquid. He stirred in some oat milk and a drizzle of honey before topping it off with a layer of cream. He made his way back over to the peculiar customer and carefully handed him the drink.

"It's a honey oat milk latte," Megumi stated plainly.

"I'm not even sure what a latte is, but thank you!" His lips twisted into a toothy smile as he handed Megumi his debit card.

The dark-haired boy swiped his card through then machine and finished the transaction before returning it to the boy, "Have a nice day".

"Thanks, you too! My name is Itadori Yuuji by the way, it was nice to meet you...," he squinted his eyes in attempt to read Megumi's name badge, "Fushiguro! That's a cool name".

"Uh, thanks. I have to help the next customer now," Megumi rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly — this whole interaction was so weird.

"Oh, right. Thank you again!" He called out as he turned and left the shop.

Megumi found it impossibly hard to concentrate on his job after that. For some reason his mind was consumed by his interaction with Itadori Yuuji — the peculiar pink-haired student. He found himself still thinking about it later that night, even after working all morning and attending classes all afternoon. No amount of school work was able to distract his mind from this stupid new boy.

When he woke up the next morning and slipped on his apron before heading to work, he wondered if the pink-haired boy would be back again today. He searched all morning for a head of fluffy pink hair amongst the hoards of students, but he never came.

Around ten o'clock the coffee shop always dies down, as all the students and teachers are in class. Megumi leaned back against the counter and pulled out his phone, mindlessly scrolling through twitter while he waited for a customer to show up.

The golden bells hanging from the front door emitted a soft ringing sound, signaling that someone had entered the shop. Megumi looked up to see a baggy sweatshirt and messy pink hair, and for some reason his heart jumped.

"Hey, Fushiguro!" Yuuji's face was plastered with a bright smile.

Megumi scrunched up his nose, it was weird for the boy to call him by his name — they didn't even know each other.

"Hey, how was the honey oat milk latte?" Megumi slid his phone back into his pocket and approached the counter.

"Oh, it was terrible. Fucking awful, actually," Yuuji's faced scrunched up in horror as he reminisced on the atrociously bitter flavor.

Megumi was genuinely offended. Yuuji could have told him he was the ugliest person he'd ever seen, that he had the personality of a brick wall, but to insult his coffee? That was crossing a line. Megumi knew his coffee-making skills were impeccable.

"Excuse me?" Was all he could manage.

"Yeah, it was probably one of the worst things I've ever put in my mouth. Anyway, I was hoping to try something different today," Yuuji said nonchalantly, his hands resting comfortably in the pocket of his hoodie.

"Okay..." Megumi took a deep breath, trying desperately to keep his cool, "What would you like to try?"

"Could you just make something for me again? I really don't know what to order".

"But you hated my last recommendation," Megumi stared at him blankly.

"Yeah... but eventually you'll have to make something I like," Yuuji insisted.

Megumi grumbled a quick "alright" and headed back over to the machinery, searching his mind for a recipe Yuuji might like. Eventually, he decided on a caramel macchiato — everyone likes those. He handed Yuuji the drink and the pink haired boy quickly payed before leaving the shop again.

Megumi watched him as he walked past the coffee shop windows and took a sip of his drink. The pink haired boy's face twisted with disgust, and he looked like he could barely keep the liquid down. He immediately took another sip, his body having the exact same reaction as the first time. Megumi let out a heavy sigh, shaking his head as he watched that absolute idiot until he could no longer see him.

He continued to refer to Yuuji as stupid, weird, or annoying, but that was completely contradictory to the fact that he couldn't get the pink-haired boy out of his mind. He found himself wondering if he would come back again for a third time, and if he did, what drink would Megumi make him? A small part of him was getting invested in this outlandish journey of finding a drink that Yuuji actually liked.

That night Megumi had a revelation — maybe hot coffee just wasn't Yuuji's thing. He decided that tomorrow he'd make him something cold, that was sure to work.

So, when the third day rolled around and Yuuji's messy pink hair came waltzing into the campus coffee shop, Megumi made him an iced cinnamon dolce latte. This time though, Yuuji followed him over to the array of coffee machines, asking him questions about how coffee was made. Megumi found himself explaining the entire process, from how the coffee is brewed to what sweeteners and creams he was adding to this particular beverage. He was honestly appalled by his own actions, he would never put in this kind of effort for any of his other customers — so what made Yuuji so different?

"So, what's your major?" Yuuji questioned while Megumi dusted some cinnamon over the top of his drink.

"Biology with a minor in veterinary technology," Megumi answered without looking up at him, snapping the plastic lid onto the coffee cup.

"Ohhh somebody's smart," Yuuji mused, "Animals, huh?"

"Yeah, they don't talk as much as people do," Megumi said, only half-joking.

"Right? People can be so annoying sometimes," Yuuji shook his head.

Megumi found his lips cracking into the tiniest smile — how ironic and blissfully unaware this boy was. He seemed to truly live life without a care in the world.

"What's yours?" Megumi asked, finally stretching out his arm and handing the pink-haired boy his iced coffee.

"Oh, sports med," Yuuji responded, his nose scrunching up as he took the first sip of his drink.

That answer didn't surprise Megumi at all, given the boy's athletic physique it was obvious he was into that sort of thing. The poor reaction to Megumi's coffee didn't surprise him either — this endeavor to find him a drink he likes is proving to be futile.

"Not good?"

"So bad," Yuuji shook his head, his eyes filled with despair and disgust, "We'll find one eventually though!"

"Maybe," Megumi didn't know it, but his face softened when he talked to Yuuji, his shoulders fell and his jaw unclenched.

There was so something so simple and calming about conversing with that strange boy.

"Well, thanks anyway! See you tomorrow Fushiguro!" His voice rung out through the shop — he really had no volume control when he spoke.

Megumi found himself watching Yuuji through the windows until he could no longer see him again —this was becoming a bad habit.

When the rush of students on their way to morning classes finally died down, one of his coworkers approached him.

"Sweet cream?" The boy questioned him, one of his eyebrows raised in suspicion.

His coworkers name was Inumaki Toge, and he was deaf and mute — selectively mute, anyway. He only communicated in words related to coffee, which was entirely too strange for most people, but Megumi didn't mind.

The two of them had been friends since Megumi first got this job two years ago. They'd even created their own communication system — Toge would talk in coffee terms, which translated to certain things that really only Megumi understood. Then, the dark-haired boy would respond in sign language, a skill he learned just so he could talk to the boy. It broke his stone-cold heart when he first started working here and saw Toge was always alone in the back of the shop. Most students didn't have the time or energy to learn a whole new language for the sake of someone they didn't know, but Megumi decided to put in the effort.

Megumi rolled his eyes, signing that no, he and the pink-haired boy were not friends.

"Americano," Toge furiously crossed his arms over his chest, accusing Megumi of lying to him.

I'm not lying! He's been coming here the past few days for coffee. I don't know why he talks to me so much, Megumi quickly signed back, his eyes narrowed at the white-haired boy.

Toge rolled his eyes at him in the hardest, most exaggerated way possible.

He's just a customer Toge, don't look at me like that, Megumi folded his fingers into the different signs, his frustration towards the mute boy growing.

"Espresso," Toge mumbled under his breath, twisting and returning to his spot at the back of the shop where would grind coffee beans and restock their shelves.

What? You're out of your fucking mind Toge. I do not like him, he's just a regular customer, Megumi angrily signed at him, but it was to no use, as the deaf boy had already turned around and was paying him no mind.

Their conversation lingered in his head for the remainder of the day though, because maybe Toge was onto something. Megumi was terrified to admit it, but Yuuji's daily visits had quickly become the best part of his day, even if he was kind of annoying.

And it continued to be the best part of his day for the next few weeks. Yuuji would come to the shop everyday and they would make pointless small talk while Megumi brewed him new drinks to try. Not a single one ever suited his palate, but he continued to return none the less. His motives were becoming questionable at this point — was he still coming for the coffee, or had this turned into something much bigger?

So, when winter break was right around the corner, and the last day of classes began, Megumi wondered what his days would be like when he didn't have their daily interactions to look forward to.

It was especially snowy today — enough to dust the ground and freeze the air, but not enough for classes to get canceled. Bundled students trudged in and out of the shop, buying coffees and hot chocolates in attempt to keep themselves warm. Their was an excited energy in the air though, it seemed everyone was thrilled for fall semester to be over — everyone except Megumi.

His heart skipped a few beats when Yuuji's familiar soft face appeared in the door.

"Hey, Megumi!" He called out, waving his had furiously through the air.

Somehow they had transitioned to a first name basis about a week ago — the dark-haired boy wasn't even sure how it happened but he certainty didn't mind it.

"Hey, you want something warm or cold today?"

"Definitely warm," Yuuji answered quickly, a shiver coursing its way through his body.

Megumi nodded, getting to work on something that he was sure Yuuji would like.

"Are you visiting family over break?" Yuuji wasted no time addressing their winter-break dilemma.

"No," Megumi shrugged his shoulders, he was one of the very few students who never went home on holidays.

"No family to visit. I live in an off-campus apartment so I just stay here over breaks".

Megumi expected Yuuji to frown, maybe even show him some pity for his unfortunate situation, but he did the complete opposite instead. He lips spread into the widest smile, and he swore he saw him jump in excitement.

"Me too! I used to visit my grandfather, but he died a couple years ago. My holidays have been pretty lonely".

Megumi looked up at him, a bewildered expression on his face. Who could have known that someone as cheerful as Yuuji was carrying such a burden?

"Where do you live? Maybe we could hang out over break," the pink-haired boy cocked his head to the side.

"Second street," Megumi answered, filling Yuuji's cup with steaming brown liquid.

He certainly wasn't opposed to the idea of seeing Yuuji more often, but it scared him just as much as it excited him.

"I live on Third! I can't believe we haven't run into each other before," Yuuji gasped.

Megumi wordlessly finished up the hot drink, subtly scribbling his address and his phone number onto the coffee label while the other boy blabbed on about how close they lived. When he was done he held it out to him, the pink-haired boy reaching out with his mitten-covered hands to take the drink.

He took a small sip and his eyes sparkled like they held the stars inside of them.

"This is so good! What kind is it?" Yuuji asked, eagerly taking another sip and inevitably burning his tongue on the hot beverage.

"Hot chocolate," Megumi spoke plainly, "I've come to the conclusion that it's impossible for you to like coffee".

"You're probably right," Yuuji nodded, "I think I'm more of a hot chocolate guy".

"No, you're a child with immature taste in drinks," Megumi scrunched up his nose.

Yuuji faked offense, and then held up his hand and attempted to flip Megumi off through his mitten — but it didn't really work.

That's when he noticed the dark-haired boy's phone number and address scribbled on the side of his cup. A light blush dusted over his cheeks and he offered Megumi a warm smile.

"I'll see you around!" He called.

A thousand butterflies flew around Megumi's stomach as he watched the boy leave and walk down the snowy sidewalk. What the hell kind of cheesy hallmark movie was his life turning into?

"Americano," Toge's accusatory voice shook Megumi out of his trance.

Okay fine, maybe I'm a liar. Fuck off, Megumi signed at him, to which the deaf boy chuckled to himself.

☃

It was Christmas Eve now, and classes had ended a few days ago. Megumi checked his phone obsessively, but a text from Yuuji never appeared. He started to doubt that the boy actually meant what he said about wanting to hang out — maybe he was just being nice and Megumi had taken it the wrong way. He couldn't help but feel disappointed, no matter how much he wished he didn't care. He'd even taken a container of the coffee shops' hot chocolate powder for Yuuji. He planned on gifting it to him, because he had liked it so much.

So, when six o'clock at night rolled around and there was still no sign of the cheery pink-haired boy, he felt his heart squeeze in his chest. Who knew he was so invested in this idiot?

A light knock on his front door pulled him out of his thoughts, and his heart leaped into his throat. He peered through the small peep hole of his door and euphoria spread through his body — the stupid, spiky-haired boy had finally arrived.

He opened the door and Yuuji immediately blushed, his eyes wide as he looked around Megumi's apartment.

"Hi," He squeaked, "Sorry I didn't text or anything".

"It's okay," He ushered the boy inside and closed the door behind him.

"I stopped at a convenience store and bought some cookie dough. I thought we could make them, since yanno, it's a Christmas Eve thing".

Megumi found his own cheeks get warm at the other boy's forwardness. Baking cookies felt so familial, not like something you'd do with a coffee shop acquaintance. But none the less, he nodded his head and guided Yuuji into the kitchen.

The awkwardness between them quickly melted away as they rolled out the dough and attempted to cut out fun Christmas-themed shapes. Megumi chewed on his bottom lip as he focused on the intricate snowflake cookie was trying to make, his perfectionism getting way too involved. Yuuji on the other hand held up a half-smushed blob with a few spikes coming out of the top and two holes punched through the middle.

"It's you!" he laughed, holding his monstrosity of a cookie up for Megumi to see.

The dark-haired boy scoffed, "That's terrible, it looks nothing like me".

"Sorry, Mr. I'm smart and good at art. Are you sure you're not a sculpting student or something?" Yuuji stuck his nose in the air, carefully placing his Megumi cookie on the greased metal tray.

They each cut out a couple more shapes before the oven let out a loud ding to let them know it was preheated. Megumi picked up the tray and shuffled over to the oven, carefully placing it on the top rack. He closed the door before standing up and turning around — bumping right into Yuuji, who for some reason was standing right behind him. They were the exact same height, so Megumi's nose practically slammed into Yuuji's. He blushed furiously, quickly backing up into the counter.

"Sorry," he mumbled a quick apology, though Yuuji had been the one standing right behind him, so maybe he should apologize.

"Can I ask you a question?" Yuuji cocked his head to the side, completely ignoring Megumi's apology.

"Sure?" Megumi gave him a confused look.

"This is more than just two coffee shop friends hanging out, right? You can kick me out if I'm wrong, but if I'm right, I'd really like to kiss you while those cookies bake".

Megumi's eyes widened, his heart thumping hard against the walls of his chest. Of course he wanted to kiss Yuuji, he'd wanted to for weeks — it was all he thought about while he brewed him his stupid coffees everyday.

"Yeah... yeah, you're right," Megumi nodded, those few words were all that he could manage.

That clarification was all that Yuuji needed, a soft smile blossoming on his face before he stepped forward and cupped his fingers around the back of Megumi's neck. Heat spread through his face as their lips collided, every other one of his senses fading away as his body honed in on Yuuji's touch.

He'd been kissed before, several times by both men and women — but none of them compared to this. None of them were this gentle, soft, and electrifying all at the same time. Yuuji's fingers curled into the base of Megumi's hair, and he found his own hands tracing up the sides of the others' torso. He was completely drowning in the ocean that was Yuuji's lips, his mind growing foggy. He'd imagined what this would be like far too many times, but never once did he think it would be this good.

The ten minute timer Megumi had set on the oven started blaring through the kitchen, and he couldn't believe it had been that long already. A soft sigh escaped his throat as Yuuji pulled away, a smile tugging at the other's lips.

"I didn't expect so much experience from the quiet coffee barista," Yuuji poked at him, his eyes glistening with a fire that hadn't been there before.

"Don't judge a book by its cover, I guess," Megumi shrugged, grabbing his oven mitt and pulling the cookies out of the oven.

The pink-haired boy let out a light chuckle, immediately trying to grab a cookie off the metal sheet. Megumi swatted his hand away, insisting that the cookies would be too hot eat right away.

Megumi found his lips intertwined with Yuuji's again after setting down the tray — after all they'd have to pass the time while the cookies cooled somehow.

And so for the first time in a long time, Megumi didn't spend Christmas alone. Rather, he spent it with an overly-cheerful pink-haired boy who became a ray of sunshine in his life of clouds. Though he wished he liked his coffee, Megumi had no problem with brewing him hot chocolate instead. And he did, every morning for the rest of the spring semester he always had a cup of hot chocolate ready for Yuuji. He'd even stopped charging him for it at this point, throwing on a free drink discount every time he came.

#jjk #jjk oneshot #jujutsukaisen #fushiguro megumi #itadori yuuji #fushiguro x itadori #itadori x fushiguro #megumi x yuuji #yuuji x megumi #fushiguro x itadori fluff #jjk fluff #jujutsu kaisen fluff

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danifics18 · 4 years

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↪ Into the Unknown ↩

being awoken on a beach shore not knowing where you were was a scary thing, it was even scarier realizing you weren’t in the world you were meant to be in. with no recollection of your past life besides the backpack with a few of your items, the only thing you could do was adapt, and so that’s what you did.

Tags : Pirate! Ateez // OC Reader // Dark Themes of Death, Prostitution and Slave Trading // Themes of Deities and Spirituality // Alternate Universe // Eventual OT8xReader???

A/N : This is my first attempt at a multi-fic, and I’ve had this thought in my head for a while. The world that this takes place in is different than our own, although, time-wise is very similar to our 17th Century. My OC does have two names Adrie/Adrian, seeing that she does conceal her identity for a while Adrie is pronounced like A-Dree. I know most people would pronounce it as Audrey, but I’m trying to make the names make sense to use them that similarly. The next chapter will be a bit more fast paced, and will actually have a sign of the boys, so stay tuned!

As always, let me know about any mistakes I may have made, anything I should tag if i haven’t already, or let me know what your thoughts are !!

Word Count : 4416

General Masterlist Ateez Masterlist

Into the Unknown Masterlist

Next Part

One.

Sometimes I didn’t know if this was just some fucked up nightmare that my mind was tricking me to believe, or if I just had the worst fate ever. As much as I appreciate Dorian, and all the years he put into making sure I would actually grow up in a normal environment, I do wonder what would’ve happened if he hadn’t found me.

It was obvious that I wouldn't have made it out alive. A random fourteen year old, covered in pruned skin, and a sun bloated body found being washed up on the beach after a particularly bad storm. That enough would've made people suspicious, but to find out that kid was a woman as well? Witchcraft. I wouldn’t even be able to plead for a different outcome, I would’ve been killed in the courtroom.

Thankfully, no one really questioned when Fisherman Dorian Meadows started to bring a new face to the village, claiming that the boy is his son from a different island he frequented. Well not really everyone, his sister and town merchant Arcelia Meadow, knew better. She knew her brother was still heartbroken over the loss of his wife Gilda and son Augie, although their deaths had happened at least twenty years prior. So she knew that this new boy wasn’t biologically his anyways, deciding that she would offer support if he needs it, but would otherwise separate herself from the small boy in case he was bad news.

It took a while for me to really get my footing on learning how to live here on the island of Reindall. Not only from living in a new place, but also learning how to live as a boy. When Dorian had found me it was very obvious that I was just some really skinny kid who hadn’t hit the age of maturity yet. I hadn’t developed any curves or anything that most people would expect to see if they saw a woman. And I didn’t have any signs of sprouting facial hair, or deepened voice that you’d expect from a man. I just looked like a pretty faced child that could pass off as either sex, with green mid shoulder hair. At first, it even took Dorian by surprise when I had asked him why he kept calling me “boy”. I didn’t know if it was just one of this places customs to call all kids “boy”, regardless if they were or not, or if that was his way of speech. And with a paled face, he quickly stepped away from the pot of stew he was tending, and gave me a choice that changed my life forever. Present as a woman and have a difficult life on this island, or present as a man- and even though it would still be difficult, it wouldn’t be difficult in the same way. I wasn’t happy with choosing to present myself as a male, but even though I didn’t quite catch on to what Dorian had meant, I didn’t like the unsaid implications even more. And with that, I was given some old, patchy, oversized clothes that stank like coal and fish, and was given the name of Adrian- opposed to my actual name, Adrie.

Within the first week of me living on this island, I realized that Dorian was shit at explaining things, and he was also shit at keeping his emotions in check.His over all attitude felt vaguely familiar to me, a grumpy old man who would rather just do the thing himself rather then explain to someone else how to do it. He didn’t want to immediately send me off to work for some random person, knowing that I was probably useless, so instead he instructed me to spend the days chopping wood for fire, and taking care of his pet chickens and goats that were kept in separate pens on the side of the cottage. It took days for me to even be able to swing the ax hard enough to split wood, before I would always have my aim slightly off, or the ax would bounce off the wooden stump- instead of split it. After noticing I had improved with the wood chopping, he slowly increased the amount he wanted me to do- which ended up being not only for the cottage we were at but his sister’s as well. When it came to the animals, this is where Dorian would be frustrated with me. I could handle the goats, all they would do was headbutt my thighs- leaving some nasty bruises- and chew on my clothes on occasion, but I liked them. The chickens on the other hand scared me. It wasn’t until Dorian got pissed off enough that he just locked me in the pen for a few hours while he went down to the local tavern. That’s when I finally realized that the chickens weren't so scary, and their pecks weren’t too bad.

As the first few months of me living in Reindall passed by, I developed muscles from chopping wood, building fences, and carrying heavy items for Arcelia- while Dorian would go out to sea to fish. I’d also finally gained some weight, making me look more filled out, which made it even more difficult to hide the fact that I was not a boy. This was, however, the first time I was really able to connect with Arcelia- one of the days I had been finishing the chicken coop she wanted behind her house, she noticed a red patch on my trousers. At first she thought I had hurt myself, until I confessed to her what was really going on. She had quickly let me have a pair of new trousers, and when her brother came over after being done with fishing for the day, she pulled him to the kitchen and they had a long discussion.

From that day forward, she helped me hide identity even better. I was taught to double layer shorts and pants just in case my bleeding started without me expecting it, and to bind my growing breasts anytime I went out. I was also able to convince her to cut my hair off to my jaw, not that men only had long hair, but for the simple fact that building items and having long hair didn’t work well together.

There isn’t very much that I remember before waking up here, but I was told that I had a bag with me. A black bag with two straps and two zipped pouches with a ‘Jansport’ tagged in some type of fake leather. Inside of that bag I had clothes and a journal of some sort. The clothes, while not similar to what is worn here, were sized up so even as I got older, I could still wear them comfortably- although besides the pair of small black stretchy shorts (my double layering shorts) I never found a chance to wear.

The journal however had at least a little bit of information. My name is Adrie Ramona, I was born on April twelfth 1999, I never talked about any siblings, I did write about how my mother let me dye my hair green before I got enrolled into a big school, and apparently I like to travel to villages called ‘Target’- yet I still wanted to go to places such as ‘New York’ and ‘Italy’. The strange thing was the fact that according to the journal, my hair should’ve went back to it’s dark auburn color, and not stay green. Also, according to Dorian, he’s never heard of the places I mentioned, and the dates aren’t comparable to each other. My last recorded date was on September thirteenth in 2013, while the date I was found was on the fifth of Rain’s Hand. The people that Dorian associates with don’t exactly know the year either, seeing that only people of high status were allowed to know- even people like the main maid of the Knight’s Guild, Ms. Ophelia, and the ex-pirate turned fisherman, Eden, were forbidden to know- because it was, as the King puts it “A god’s gift to know so much knowledge of the world” . It wasn’t so much that the people didn’t know how long a year was, they just didn’t know things like how many years the kingdom had been alive and things like that. The most years that the other villagers have recorded was up to one hundred years- which was because the local tavern owner’s father had recorded his life from his childhood onwards, and instructed his children to do so as well.

With only my limited knowledge of my past life, I had no choice but to take up Dorian’s offer of letting me live with him as long as I worked to repay him. Throughout the years of living with him, and working for Arcelia, I learnt how to sew clothes and sails, how to hold myself up in a brawl, how to use herbs and some bandages for first aid, and how to use herbs with other foods to make more flavorful meals along with baking bread. As I got older, Dorian slowly let me have more of a say in what I did, so by the time I was sixteen, I had started my own garden next to Arcelia’s chicken coop, and I would sell my vegetables at the village market.

Eventually, Dorian had to stop working for himself as a fisherman and had to start working under the King’s local fishery, due to how many boats started to go missing because of pirates. It took weeks for Dorian’s stubborn ass to finally decide to join a specific crew though. He would never admit it, but he hated how so many of the fishermen were kiss asses to the King, because they felt they’d get a pay raise. It was very obvious that he was scared that he wouldn’t come back home to see his sister and I, it would be written on his face every morning he gave me a hug before leaving- although he would always claim the opposite. Dorian was always cold and rude, but after getting to know him, I had to learn that it was his way of showing compassion. Which I didn’t like, but I did deal with. I had faith that some day he’d openly start to warm up to me.

The crew that he joined was named ‘The J.R.’, being named after Captain Eden’s last boat before he got captured. It was a shock that he was never killed, being a pirate and all, but he was given the option of being hung at the Gallows for his crimes, or becoming the main fisherman at the local fishery. With, supposedly, his crew being dead, he decided to become a fisherman, and now he catches the most expensive fish to sell to the King himself. He must’ve been one lucky bastard though. His crew was the only one to not be affected by the pirate raids, every single other crew being raided and killed- sometimes their boats would float back to shore, sometimes only pieces would.

It wasn’t until I’d turned twenty that things started to change. The people on the north side of the island were starting to rapidly die off. It wasn’t hard to tell why. With the amount of crime that had to flourish in order for people in poverty to survive is outrageously high, on top of the Knight’s Guild using those people as someone to pin their personal crimes on. So with the north side citizens along with a lot of fishermen still being picked off, it was no surprise that the island started to run low on supplies. Not enough fisherman to catch fish. Not enough gardeners to aid their vegetables and fruits. Not enough herders to sell their animals. And most important of all, not enough running gold to keep the King happy.

Walking out of the wooden and stone cottage, I see Dorian perched against the wooden fence that surrounds the home.

“Aren’t you guys going out today?” I question as I walk towards him, seeing that he would usually be out by dawn. “No,” he replied before taking a deep breath “Listen, kid, the King has an announcement today in the village court. If it’s what I think it is, I need you to lay low for a while. There’s no telling what will happen, but it doesn’t seem good. Join Arcelia when she goes, I’ll be joining with Captain Eden.” And with that, he nods at you and walks towards the docks, keeping his eyes low.

As I trudged on the stoned path to Arcelia’s home shop, all you could think about what the King could say. It wasn’t very often that he actually went to a town square himself, he usually sends a courier over who reads on the scroll in an obnoxious loud tone. Kicking a rock and looking up ahead past the trees, I can see the door to Arcelia’s shop door wide open, with what looks like not intention of being closed.

“Huh, that’s not weird at all,” I mutter to myself “Why hasn’t Aunt Arcelia said something?” knowing that with all the food my adoptive aunt sells, she makes it a rule to always have the door shut if no one is coming in or out.

Jogging up, the sounds of yelling get louder until it was apparent who was making the ruckus. Mathew Roswell, the head knight’s son, and the nephew of the King. Mathew has a reputation of being a spoilt brat to any townspeople who didn’t work under his family, and my family definitely was not exempt. Growing up, I had fought him and his friends way too many times to count- and apparently getting older isn’t going to change the matter.

Walking in through the door, stepping over the clutter of items that looked to be thrown on the ground, a loud slap echos throughout the room, and Arcelia’s head snaps to the side with a red print. I didn’t take much time to think about what to do. Rushing over to big brute, I threw a punch at his jaw, making him stumble down enough for me to continue throwing punches. It wasn’t until one of Arcelia’s frequent customers pulled me off of him that I realized what I had just done. As Mathew and some other kids who were training to be in the Knight’s Guild were running out, Mathew gave me a dirty look and I just knew his father was going to be told. In all honesty, I could’ve been hung for touching that spoilt boy, but for some reason his father usually finds humor in it.

Snapping out of thought, I walk over to my adoptive Aunt to make sure she’s fine.

“Yes I’m fine. Adrian, you really shouldn’t defend me like that. The last thing me or your father need is for you to get yourself killed for messing with the head Knight’s son.” Noticing throngs of people walk by she huffs and says “You are cleaning this mess when we get back, but for now let’s go so we don’t miss whatever news if being brought upon us.”

As we walk through the crowds, I noticed that the Gallows was reassembled in the off center of the town square, right beside the big tree that sits center of the square. It seemed like that was the stage for whoever was giving the announcement. Just as aunt Arcelia and I stop, whispers erupted in the crowd like a wildfire. The King’s court actually came to the town square. With the King’s Head Knight and brother, Kitt Roswell, walking up the stairs to go to the left side of the “stage”, he looks over the crowd with a blank face. Soon enough King Roswell himself walks to the middle of the stage and the whispers die off immediately.

“Good afternoon citizens. This is a brief get together, but one that will aid our island in many ways, so listen. It is an obvious observation to see that as a community, we are not doing well. We have lack of needed supplies and we need some way to get them. Looking upon other island villages, it is clear of what we need to do. Looking at the actions of our neighboring island village, Sternist, we need to make a big sacrifice. Any women who have made it to their matured woman hood are unmarried and do not have needed jobs, need to say goodbye to their families, if they have any, and turn themselves in for the greater good of our people.” The King pauses as gasps fill the air “I know, it is unfortunate, but a lot of people will sell much gold and supplies for women. Thankfully, I am King, and I do think of the greater good of our people, even in these hard times. Knights will be going door to door to collect those who are eligible. Think of it as serving your King. That is all.” And with that, King Roswell and his followers lead back to the Castle.

In the following weeks, there was a big absence of women that were usually in my daily life. The single woman named Mira, who usually blushed as she bought bread from me, would no longer show up. Quite a few mothers left, leaving behind their husbands and children. Even a girl as young as twelve years old met the requirements- and since her parents tried to hide her, they were met with the Gallows as the girl was shipped away. There was a solemn silence in the village after that day.

It wasn’t any easier on Dorian and the crew of ‘The J.R.’. Many men were imprisoned for not following orders of the King. Even more of them died as “traitors” for being against the trading of women. Or even not wanting to take women on board for the fear of their ship sinking. Somehow, even with their friends and acquaintances disappearing, their crew never had to take women. Some people think it’s because the King secretly respects Eden, but I know it’s because Eden and his crew has been the main source of fish coming in lately.

I thought I would’ve been left out of the crossfire of any of this, until Dorian told me that I no longer worked for Arcelia, but I would be working for Eden on the boat instead.

"Why didn't you fuckin' listen to me kid, that's all I ever ask of you, and you don’t do it the one fuckin' time I specifically ask you to," Dorian exclaims, slamming the door open to bounce against the wall " One thing is all I asked for and now I have to find a way to clean up your act"

I back from the pot of stew that was cooking for tonight's dinner, hooking the ladle on a rack, before turning to fully face the enraged- possibly drunken man.

"What are you talkin' about Dorian? I haven't done anything wrong, and we both know it. I've been doing what I always do, and I've been bringing in more coin, just like you asked," I retort, "Whatever your problem is, it can wait until later. Foods almost done; we can talk then."

He steps close, hands flying up to his grayed hair in disbelief "Talk later? Lass. Adrie, we will be lucky if we have the time for dinner at this point. From what Ms. Ophelia was talking, you caused quite the disturbance with Matthew, again. So much that there are whispers about how his father wants you in the Knight's Guild, Adrie. The fuckin' Knight's Guild! You just had to go and fight the damn boy didn't ya?" Each time he says my name, his pitch gets higher, and every word is more venomous than the next.

Thinking back to the past few weeks, when Dorian first gave me my warning, it dawns on me. The first thing I had done after talking to him was get in a fight with Matthew. I thought it would've been ignored- especially since I wasn't in the wrong. I guess I was proven wrong.

Looking Dorian in the eyes, my face pales as I attempt to explain myself.

"I wasn't tryin' to cause trouble, you could've asked Arcelia too! The bastard slapped her, and I wasn't going to let him get away with it. I was damn near the only one who could. Anyone else was too scared to, and I've done it before without getting in any trouble. It's not my fault I know how to fight, and he doesn't," I cry out. "It's too bad kid. You might be able to act and dress like a lad without people getting suspicious of you, but you need to remember how easy it is to be revealed you aren't one," the older man says, while looking down, before grabbing a sack to fill with water canteens and extra food we have in the small kitchen area," Yes, you can fight, but you wouldn't last a week in that Guild The first few months alone are learning how to be a team with one another. That means spending every single day with multiple men just to sleep, shower, fight, and live. Hell, you'd be found just by a quick bad and body check, and we both know it," he gravely retorts before tossing me two burlap sacks," Now gather all your belongings. Thankfully, I was with Captain Eden at the tavern, and he offered to let you come with us to the trip to Zetharl. We are supposed to be doing some trading there, and there's quite a few safe houses there that you can stay at, until Arcelia and I can escape as well. Captain does not know about you and we are keeping it that way. He may be kind, but he's still an old pirate who still holds a lot of those olden beliefs. He has a strict rule about women being on his ship. So, it'd do you good to be on your best behavior and not raise any suspicions. If you do, I'll throw you off the damn ship myself, you hear me?"," Yes, I understand," I reply, defeated, and turn to make my way to my room to collect my items.

Taking a final look around my room, I let my hand drop down to brush against the scratchy blanket on my cot. It feels strange that I'll be leaving the only place I've ever known. The only people I've only known. I had always had a slight feeling that I would leave this place someday, I just never expected it to come so abruptly.

With a sigh, I hike my two bags up over my shoulder, and walk through the small cottage one last time, and stopped in front of the gate where Dorian was with a big barrel resting inside a wheelbarrow.

"Get in kid,"," The…barrel?" I ask, cocking my head to the side. "Yes the barrel. Hurry. The guards have already been on the lookout for you. I don't know why they haven't checked here yet, but I'm sure they're on their way. Hurry up into the damn thing so we can get you on that ship unnoticed,". Resting my hands on the sides of the opened object, I hike myself into it, thankful that it's big enough for me to fold my knees to my chest. Putting the light bags inside with me, Dorian places the top back on, leaving me encased in complete darkness. With a huff- the older man straightens the wheelbarrow up, and starts walking us on the dirt path.

As we continued on, I found myself hoping that I wouldn't get this same feeling on a ship- the rocking motion making my stomach feel queasy, and almost grateful that I hadn't ate since lunch. Hearing a shout in the distance, I stiffen up, and press my ear against the wooden barrel in an attempt to hear who it was.

"Sir, under orders of the Head Knight Kitt Roswell, we need your boy to come with us now. Your son finally has a chance to bring some honor and glory to your family," a hidden gruff voice demands "My boy? Ah shit, Adrian? He's out in the forest picking herbs to sell this week. You see, I have a job to do tomorrow with captain Eden," My father figure pauses, before letting out a cough," I'm trying to get my stuff over to the ship now since we're leaving tonight, per Captain's request,".

Stifling a chuckle by biting my hand, I quickly thank the gods that these guards are idiots, as the main talking guard tells two of his guards to push the wheelbarrow for Dorian, while he and the others go to find me. Traveling at a faster pace, I hear the guards towing me try to make conversation with Dorian- which gets caught off as my world gets tilted to the side briefly.

"You fishermen really need this much shi- items on your journey?" One of the guards huff, clearly out of breath," Yes, we do. Pick the barrel up and place it over with the other, and take the wheelbarrow back to mainland- we're leaving now, and you two imbeciles need to get off my ship," A new commanding voice demands. Captain Eden. Inside my barrel, I curl up slightly as I feel myself being moved- and unceremoniously dropped with a thud that makes my ears ring.

I stay hidden in my barrel until I hear commotion, men yelling all around my barrel, with footsteps rushing all around me. Moments later, I see the moonlight creep into my barrel- the top lid being pulled off, before seeing a roughed hand pull the bags out, and then eventually catching onto my shoulder to pull me up. Standing up with my eyes squinted from the sudden light, I see it's Dorian who has a hold of me, with Captain Eden standing a few feet away.

"It's good to see you, lad, it's been a while," The captain greets me before continuing, " I hope you don't get seasick, because you'll be on this ship a while- and you're definitely going to learn how to help out around here!"

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jae-canikeepyou · 4 years

Text

| hey m.v.p. | j.jh

pair: jaehyun x fem!reader

genre: fluff

a/n: okay. this is not the first that i’ve written a scenario based on basketball, so i hope this can maybe(?) make your hearts giddy again? also! it’s really not proof read nor well written but please do enjoy reading! hehehe 🥰 ~j.

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the continuous, long, ringing sound of the impact from the bouncing amber colored ball boasted its decibels at the outdoor mini court.

today was another date with your boyfriend; a varsity basketball player of the university. unlike most couples, girls would wait for their darlings to finish a game. for you however, would join him for a one-on-one match. serious or not he’d always let you play; not because he would go easy on you, but because you knew how to take on his challenge.

jaehyun called a timeout, noticing how heavy you exhaled and your lungs struggled to catch breath. he tossed you a bottle and you gladly took it to quench yourself. he watched you standing at the center of the mid-court, the sun’s rays acting like your glowing background, defining beauty and a heaven-sent figure he was blessed to have.

feeling squirmy and shy around you was something he couldn’t resist to feel out in the public. he was affectionate with skinship and you didn’t mind that at all.

“baby!” you jogged towards your boyfriend, helping him wipe the rolling beads of sweat by his temples and forehead. “teach me how to nail a through-the-leg shot.”

“why?” he interlocked his fingers behind you so you wouldn’t escape.

he copied and mimicked your whines because it was the nth time you have asked him, and he always refused to teach you. “but every time i do it i miss a shot-” your words close to inaudible but jaehyun understood what you meant and he pressed his lips. “-or i end up falling.” you shrugged.

“y/n. your form’s okay. it’s just your jump landing and timing.” he pinched your cheeks lightly. “i wanna teach you but i don’t want my baby to get hurt, so no.”

you took the towel that was placed on his head as he took the ball, feeling bummed that this time yet again he wouldn’t teach you. he gestured you to go to him and you obliged no matter how salty you slightly felt towards him.

a short break was enough for you both to continue with the sport. with all the small matches you’ve played against him, there was one thing you’ve always known: jaehyun was very competitive, so whatever ball game or any game you both played, he was always, always going to play it better. you loved how concentrated his eyes were, the tiny smirk when you were open, the deepening of his dimples once the ball went in the hoop, and the victorious stretch of his arms as he celebrated.

he dribbled the ball and you tried to steal it away from him, but given your smaller frame with his, he probably held himself back and went a little lenient to you. “there’s a game that mark taught me. it’s called h.o.r.s.e. we played it for at least thirty minutes. wanna give it a shot?” he stopped moving and spun the ball on his pointer finger.

“okay!” you cheered, making him smile wider at the willingness you showed. “how does it go?”

“i’ll do a move and you follow what i do, but you’ll gain a letter if you failed to shoot. the game ends when either of us reaches ‘e’.” he tossed the ball to you. “i’ll let you start.”

“hold on, i feel hot.” you dropped the ball to hold in between your feet, and removed the thin layer of jacket sticking to your skin. you wore a loose white crop top over the new sports bra you bought and grey sweatpants.

jaehyun averted his gaze although he blushed unnecessarily at your carefree action. he cleared his throat from thinking of unnecessary thoughts entering his brain. he tossed you the ball again and the game started with you doing a simple free throw; followed by his layups and double clutch. the punishment were always the same; buy food for the other. this time you didn’t want to lose and made sure you make the shot while he misses.

he began to smirk, something he’d usually do to signal you. the battle was on. there was no way he would lose this, so he went for a move that he knew you wouldn’t do. you guessed it, the through-the-leg shot. however he groaned right after he realised what he had done, and was too late when you got the ball in your palms.

you attempted the move and just when you thought you had it, the ball missed the ring and fell— so was the view before your eyes, you were falling too. the good thing was you managed to get on your toes, but collapsing on your knees afterwards.

“aww, that’s an ‘e’ for me.” you hissed and laid down on the ground, defeated again.

“it’s okay.” he helped you up and hugged, but you immediately pulled yourself away from him.

“tsk, you’re sticky.” you ran towards the bench, to no avail he picked you up and turned you non-stop. “put me down jae.”

jaehyun loved spoiling you the way he could get his chance upon, that included almost every little thing you did— from the pursed lips when you were feeling embarrassed to your breaking smile that sent his heart flying everywhere. however, he wasn’t the only one you sent his heart flying and bursting in the sky.

it was a given that in the campus, you weren’t part of the ‘visual spectrum’ the students have created, but it was your beautiful soul and kind-hearted personality that attracted them to you. and jaehyun was pulled to you like a magnet once his friends continuously nudged each other that one time at the locker hall. since then he was one of those secret admirers who skilfully and secretly left you letters after class, a carton of juice or milk in your bag, and offered you an umbrella on rainy days.

you didn’t like the attention, in all honesty you weren’t even craving for some. there were worries whether if you had done something wrong that caused them to talk about you all the time despite being a transfer student of the creative media department. so that one day when your friend invited you to watch a basketball match, it was when you saw jaehyun for the first time.

the team noticed your existence at one area of the blenchers. imagine the impact they gave when they all stared at you like meerkats and yet smiled like adorable quokkas. one certain quokka however got your attention, well not because he had dimples, but because he was hit in the face with a basketball.

let us all say you became friends and he invited you to be in his group project. great chemistry and ideals for each other. what made jaehyun fall for you even more was that, you played basketball, just like him.

the memory of that time was interrupted with jaehyun leaving you at the bench, off to somewhere the heavens knew where. as you waited, your eyes led to the ball, tempting you to try out the skill you’ve always failed at. this is the chance, you thought. dribbling the ball several times, your attempts to try it failed miserably again.

you stood right at the arc of the lines beneath your shoes. determination fired your eyes and felt like goku from the dragon ball animation. the repetitive sentence echoed your ears, telling yourself ‘you could do it’. however that was stopped when players you’ve never seen before circled around you, almost hovering your small frame.

“hey, mind if we.. teach you?” they offered, but their intentions were very transparent. and you should’ve worn your jacket.

“no thanks. i pretty much can handle it myself.” you picked the ball up and went back to the bench, only to be stopped halfway when one of them grabbed your wrists. “let go.”

a smug look on their faces had you stepping backwards. “little miss killjoy, we’re offering you help-”

“she’s already gotten help.” jaehyun soon came behind you and your back hit his chest.

“who the heck are you?” they asked as if putting up a front would scare him.

“i’m her boyfriend and i’d appreciate it if you lot stop staring at her like that.” he let you sit on the bench once they scurried off, placing his towel on your head that was large enough to reach your lap. “from now on you’re wearing my my jacket and don’t take it off.”

you gulped when he stared into your eyes, full of worry and as if he sent protective shields to wrap around you. “the weather’s getting hot jae, and do you want me to die out of so much heat?”

“it’s better than getting your skin so exposed like earlier. you know you attract guys in the way i can’t tolerate.”

ah this argument again. more fingers and toes were needed to count because this wasn’t the first time jaehyun has been protective of you; although you couldn’t really blame him as to the whole campus— maybe to the majority of your admirers, he did win your heart. it wasn’t that you hated that side of him, you couldn’t bring it up to tell him that it limits you to be free.

a sigh was heard from your lips, catching his attention and he knelt down to see you properly. “but i’m not hiding anything!” you whined, removing the towel and jacket all at the same time, jaehyun startled at your childish response.

he arched his brows like he had something up in his sleeves. “really? you’re not hiding anything?” his palms reached for the ends of your sweatpants. he pulled and rolled them up until the fabric reached your thighs.

“what are you- look jae i swear i’m not hiding-” you then hissed at the pain soon as the wind hit your wounded, scarred knees.

“well?” he asked, tearing off the plaster packaging with his teeth and cleaned the wounds on both. “you’re not good at hiding something like this though.”

a spread of heat and embarrassment crawled your cheeks. “how did you know?”

jaehyun let out a soft chuckle. “you’re easy to read, honey.” he planted a kiss on your forehead and sat beside you. “you should’ve told me you’re in pain- why are you staring at me like that?”

he saw how your eyes widened and they asked for a quick stare contest. he was definitely lured into you, and that wasn’t new to him. “what?” he questioned again.

“ugh no good. i can’t read you at all.” you defeatedly laid on the bags. “i was confused why you left so suddenly. i thought you felt guilty because i lost the game and that you bought us snacks. i didn’t know you went all the way to tend me.”

“at the beginning of our relationship i told you i’ll treat you like a princess.” he pulled you close to him. “so let me treat you like one.”

“i’m no damsel in distress.” you rolled your eyes, a faint smile curving by the corners of your lips.

“uh clearly you were? i saved your butt from those guys.”

“and you saved me again with this.” you pointed at the carefully-plastered knees of yours and nudged him. “m.v.p.”

jaehyun felt you kiss his cheek, stunned with the title you named him. “i call you all cute nicknames and that’s all i’m gonna get? and you know i’m already the m.v.p.” his bummed voice caused you to giggle.

“not in basketball.” you reasoned.

“you expect me to play ‘guess the word’ now? because y/n, i’m not in the mood for-”

“you’re my valiant prince. m. v. p.”

jaehyun now laid on your lap, covering his ears at sudden nickname; obviously was awestruck and have never blushed so hard in his entire life.

#nct 127 #jaehyun imagines #jaehyun scenarios #jaehyun fanfic #jung jaehyun #jaehyun fluff #jung yoonoh #jaehyun au #jeong jaehyun #jeong yoonoh #nct scenarios #jaehyun oneshot

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johannstutt413 · 3 years

Text

(requested by anonymous)

The Doctor was in her office, but she’d stopped working several hours ago; in fact, when Orchid came by to ask about her squad’s upcoming deployment, she found her at the empty assistant’s desk with what looked like a full-blown toolbox at her side. “Good afternoon, Doctor. I didn’t come at a bad time, did I?”

“Oh, hey, Orchid! Nah, I’m just working on some’n for my anniversary.” She held up the ring she was working on. “It’s our first, so I wanna do some’n extra special, ya know?”

“Anniversary? I didn’t know you were even seeing anyone. Who’s the lucky guy? Or gal, either way.”

That earned the Liberi a smile. “Blue, Glaucus, and I are going on six months now.”

“Huh. Like, all three of you together?” She whistled. “I think one’s about all I can handle.”

“I think that’s partially because of who that one person is, though.” The Doctor’s smile was somewhere between caustic and glacial as she fired off her retort.

Orchid sighed. “Yeah, you’ve got a point there...So, do you have an update for me on when my team’s heading out into the field? Poppy’s trying to schedule chainsaw lessons with Blaze, and it’s probably better for those to happen on deployment rather than in one of the training areas.”

“Oh, yeah, definitely.” She rolled her chair across the floor to reach her computer. “Lemme see where I put you...”

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Blue Poison was sitting at the counter with a pencil and pad of paper, sketching and erasing more than she ever had before. Cakes were supposed to be her thing, so why was this so hard…

“Hey, Blue!” Gummy walked in, a box of ingredients in her arms. “Everything okay? You looked stressed.”

“I’m making a cake for my anniversary today, and I want it to be perfect...but I don’t know how to make it look the way I want it to.”

The chef set her box on a side table. “Maybe I can help? Mousse has been-”

“Hi, Gummy!” Speak of the Feline, and she shall appear. “Oh, Miss Blue? You look worried.”

“Mousse, you showed up just in time! Blue’s baking an anniversary cake, but she’s worried it won’t look good. Can you help us come up with something that’ll really wow her special someone?”

The Anura mumbled, “Someones. I have two girlfriends.”

“Sure, I can help!” A black cat appeared out of nowhere with her sketchpad. “What kind of cake do you want to make?”

“...A wedding cake.”

While Rhodes Island’s best bakers conspired to craft the perfect anniversary cake, Glaucus tinkered in her room, looking through schematics to find the pieces she needed for the ideas in her head. It wasn’t every day she had something to celebrate, so she felt like she really had to make this special, but she was quickly discovering she didn’t have many ideas that made good toys. “Hmm...The Doctor said she’d like something she can set on her desk, and Blue likes watching the clouds on the top deck. Maybe something held in a magnetic field that has a liquid component? That would be interesting, and it shouldn’t be too hard to make. I will need a container of some kind for it, though.”

*knock knock* “Glaucus?” That was Mayer’s voice at the door. “Do you have the prototype for the magnetic field generator model?”

“One second.” The Supporter engaged her exosuit, walked over to the table she set the model on, and opened the door to hand it to the Anaty at the door...

...Who looked behind her and saw what she was working on. “Has it already been six months?”

“Hmm?” Glaucus followed her eyes. “Yeah. I want to make them something like levitating lava lamps. Actually, can I borrow a few Meeboos? I need some help with the containers, and I’m not entirely sure what I want to fill them with for the best effect.”

“I’ll do you one better and help you myself. It’s been kind of a slow day, but helping you out might teach me something I can use on the magnet-powered Meeboo!”

With a little trepidation, she let Mayer inside. “Alright, you can help me out. We’re gonna need two of them.”

“Obviously.” The Anaty chuckled. “What else would you do, ask them both to share?”

“...I am so glad I work with someone this perceptive.”

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

The Doctor’s shift came to an end, and she returned home with a trio of rings in her pocket, eager to start celebrating. She wondered if her girlfriends had gotten as into this idea of anniversaries as she had; for her, it was a brand new type of memory, one that, even as an amnesiac, she knew was a new sort of experience, and one she was looking forward to having many more of...

‘Home’ for the trio was the Doctor’s suite, partially because it’d been the largest of their three rooms, partially because she was the only one who didn’t need a separate workshop for her stuff, and partially because her room had been site zero...entirely by accident. All three of them being there had been intentional, at least - Meteor had held a meet-and-greet sort of thing for the more introverted folks, the sort of event only a team mom could have considered and then kept enjoyable, and afterwards Blue and Glaucus had taken up on the Doctor’s offer for a nightcap.

They quickly discovered none of them could actually drink alcohol, each for a completely different reason, so it’d turned into the three of them talking the night away instead. The Anura made a remark that this was the most of Glaucus’ voice she’d heard since they’d met, and the Supporter admitted with a blush that this was the most comfortable she’d felt around a pair of people since she’d arrived. That got the two of them talking about life before Rhodes Island; Blue reminisced about walking hand-in-hand with friends, which prompted the Doctor and Glaucus to ask why she didn’t at RI. She sighed, saying most people were too scared of the possibility of her poisoning them to consider it - and before she could even finish the sentence, they’d each grabbed the hand closest to them with a level of coordination they couldn’t have even planned.

Man, that was a fun night.

Anyway, the Doctor went to unlock her door, only to have Blue open it for her with a bright smile, already out of her work clothes and in something casual. “Welcome home~ How was work?”

“Slow as hell, honestly.” She went for a kiss, encouraged by the frosting on the Anura’s upper lip. “You made dessert, I take it?”

“You’ll see. Glue got back a few minutes ago and went to the bedroom to change, if you want to join her.”

A shrug. “I think I’ll keep you company until she’s out. Did you burn yourself, dear?”

“Hmm? Oh, this?” She shook her head. “I dropped a beaker and cut myself while cleaning up. Nothing serious.”

“Gotcha. Hey, that was quick!” They both turned to watch Glaucus walk out of the bedroom.

The Supporter waved. “Didn’t need to do much. Are we ready to start?”

“Yeah, let’s do it!” The Doctor rubbed her hands together in anticipation. “I can’t wait to see... this...cake...Holy shit.”

“You’ve really outdone yourself, Blue,” Glaucus agreed, swooping in to take her hand as their third tried to figure out how to tackle the three-tiered titan in front of them.

She giggled. “I’m happy you both think so. I had some help planning it, but it turned out even better than I expected.”

“This reminds me of something,” the Doctor noted as they took the topmost layer for themselves, “but...I don’t know what.”

“It’s a wedding cake,” the Supporter replied.

The Anura nodded. “I’ve always wanted to try making one, and I thought this was as good a time as any. Is it good, Doctor?”

“You know how addicted I am to your cakes, Blue.” She’d already eaten a third of the portion she’d retrieved. “I’m happy there’s enough of this one to last a couple days.”

“Once we’re done eating, I have something as well.” Glue chimed in while it was on her mind. “We should wait, though. The frosting might stain them.”

The Doctor flashed her a thumbs up, and after they’d had their fill (keeping in mind they were planning to go out to eat), Glaucus went back to the bedroom and returned with a pair of blue boxes with green bows on top, each manageable with one hand. “They’re a bit fragile, but I think they’re pretty neat.”

“...This is magnetic, isn’t it?” The Anura opened her box and pulled out a small double-capped cylinder with two distinct layers of liquid along with a flat black base.

“How do we turn them on?” The Doctor wondered aloud. “I don’t see a switch or any- oh, wait, it’s this, isn’t it?”

The Supporter smiled as she found the clicker she’d taped to the top of the box. “Green turns it on, red turns it off; both are gradual to ensure the cylinder doesn’t move too fast and shatter.”

“That’s really co- no, this is awwwwesome. I’m totally taking this to my office.” She’d expected it to float, because Glaucus’ thing was magnets, but to spin as well? That was next-level shit.

“You color-coordinated them as well,” Blue noted with admiration before kissing her on the cheek. “It reminds me of a stormy evening sky.”

Glue blushed. “Then I’m two-for-two.”

“Oh! Speaking of, I made us something, too!” The Doctor fished in her pocket, found the rings, and kept her hand there for a moment.

“...You’ve talked about making jewelry on slower days,” the Anura said, “but it’d be a pain to keep three chains in one pocket.”

Glaucus had to sit down, as even with her exoskeleton on, her knees suddenly felt weak. “Blue, I think I know what she made.”

“Let me know if you guessed right :D.” She held out her hand, and there were three rings - simple silver bands, nearly identical except for differently-colored stones on top - one sapphire, one amethyst, and one citrine.

“I was.” The Supporter fell sideways, laying across Blue’s lap. “We already have the wedding cake.”

The Doctor balked. “Not that I’d say no, but it still feels kinda early for that.”

“All in good time. I’ll consider it a promise for the future.” Blue accepted the amethyst for herself and put the sapphire ring on Glaucus’ finger.

“Same...” Glue, it appeared, was down for the count. “I might need a minute before...dinner...”

That was just fine in their book; the Doctor helped the Anura take their sluggish girlfriend somewhere more comfortable before disengaging the exoskeleton for some late afternoon cuddling. Despite all the blue in their lives (I mean, just look at those color schemes), life had never been brighter...

#arknights #glaucus (arknights)#blue poison (arknights)#i'm still in shock how long this got #and how it refused to be written faster #guess the sea slug energy kinda spreads don't it?#get it cuz Glaucus is a sea slug?#eh?#...anyway happy anniversary to my favorite frog and her two girlfriends #arknights fic

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tae-cup · 4 years

Text

.hamartia. ‘Part 3,

Pairing: Yoongi x Reader (f) x Taehyung (?)

Genre: Mafia!Au, Fluff, Angst (Mostly angst oopsies) I DO NOT CONDONE BEHAVIOR DISPLAYED IN THIS, PLEASE IT’S FICTION AND DON’T DO STUPID THINGS THANK YOU

Plot: Y/N is a skilled, well, torturer, though you don’t like to call yourself that; it makes what you do too real. When mafia boss Yoongi wants information or wants a hostage to suffer, you step in. However, one fateful day you are thrown Taehyung, another person who does your line of work. You need answers, he is determined not to give them to you. That’s when you try...a different approach, and Yoongi is not pleased.

Rating: TV-MA

WARNINGS: YO IF YOU’RE NOT COOL WITH SUBTLE BI AGENDAS THEN I’M SORRY THIS IS NOT THE PLACE FOR YOU, Blood, torture, mafia things (ya know?), drugs alcohol, sadistic tendencies, a fundamentally flawed main character (I’m sorry i’m just writing myself pretty much), assault, harassment, stalking (not bad), romance (somehow), Maybe stockholm syndrome???

Word Count: 1.2k words I’m sorry this one is sorta short :(

A/N: I am...exhausted today. Please please be aware, this chapter has dark themes. If you are sensitive to su*cide and otherwise, this may be a little dark for you. I will mark out the scene where it’s mentioned, however.

Other:

Masterlist

Prologue | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Next

Avoir le mal de quelqu’qun

~(phr.)intensely missing someone so much, it literally makes you sick.

It took two doses of the sleeping meds to put him to sleep. Taehyung was so resistant, despite you continuously proving you had good intentions over the past few days. You glared at his now unconscious body. You knew he probably couldn’t hear you, but you spoke to him all the while as you bustled around the room.

“Ah, taehyung, it’s so good to have you here. I just know you’ll love the new room.” You mused.

The only reason it had taken a few days for anything to physically change in his treatment, was because Yoongi refused to give him a bedroom upstairs. When you had fired back with “My job is to get information, you never said how.”, he relented. Though, he had questioned if you thought this was worth it. You could have sworn there was a hint of jealousy in his voice, but you dismissed it out of hand. Now, your eyes swept around the luxurious room. It was one of many spares, and it was right across the hall from yours.

“I hope you like the room color.” You looked around at the dark navy blue walls. “I picked it out thinking of you.” You said, almost as if you were to be husband and wife. not captor and hostage.

You had also spent the past few days redesigning the layout of the room. Instead of keeping him in a cage like an animal, you decided to give him a doghouse. Comfortable, but still, very much a cage. The windows were now plastic with several layers of it too. If he wanted fresh air, he could open the small side window. It was barely big enough to fit a hand through, much less a person. He had a desk in the far right corner and the bed face the right as well, head board resting on the left wall. There was a nice carpet on the floor, but no rugs or anything. If he was as dangerous as Yoongi led you to believe, you knew he could probably do any multitude of things with limited resources. You made sure to check and double check the room for any potential issues.

There was a tooth brush, blunt, not very stabby, and a hair brush in the bathroom. The desk held no writing utensils, just paper. You decided that if he wanted to write, you would have someone watch him carefully while he did so. There were no light fixtures on the ceiling to prevent suicide and there were no mirrors. There were no locks except on the main door, and he couldn’t control that one. All furniture was bolted to the floor to make it so he couldn’t prevent anyone from entering the room by barricading himself in.

You had trouble reading him, despite getting to know him better recently. He rarely spoke to you or Jimin. Speaking of which, the silver haired male strutted into the room behind you. He also did a check and nodded. With that, you untied Taehyung and with the help of Jimin, you hoisted him onto the bed. You both set to work tucking him in. Then you placed the loose chain around his ankles onto him and pocketed the key. The chain was long enough that he could go anywhere in the room without any issue, and it was loose enough that he hopefully wouldn’t notice it much. Still, it was a safety precaution. You watched his sleeping form for a moment before your eyes flicked away. He looked so peaceful and innocent.

You had come to realize that Mr. Kim Taehyung was anything but innocent. He had yet to tell you his real job, but he alluded to a much more serious job than a low level drug dealer when you spoke to him. You and Jimin quietly left the room. There were security cameras in three corners of the room and a hidden one in the wall sconce if he managed to disable the others. You made sure no blindspots were left.

Jimin turned to you, a small smile on his face.

“If this works, I want you to re-evaluate how we do things.” He said calmly.

“What? Really?” Your eyes narrowed at the idea. You had done things differently before, but you didn’t like how that turned out.

“We don’t have to be inhumane and barbaric. I mean, you know I’ve always hated this. The only reason I’m here is because of you and the others.” He explained sheepishly. He scratched the back of his head. “I could leave at any time, I have the means.”

It was like a slap in the face. You knew he was never happy with his situation, but you had begun to think he had accepted it. After all, he carried out your commands without flinching now. You cared for him as a partner and friend. You didn’t want him to leave. He understood that you would be alone if he left, he knew that. Yoongi was practically just a stranger to you now; a stranger you knew a lot more about than you should. And Jimin...Jimin was a source of comfort for you. He was too good to be in this world of filth.

Hesitantly, you place your hands on his shoulders.

“Okay.” You relented. Anything to get him to stay. “Just don��t up and leave me, please.” You said softly. You couldn’t tell if you were a monster or a human capable of love; a very damaged human. Maybe all monsters were damaged human beings.

Su*cidal Thoughts WARNING (Please, as someone who has struggled with these thoughts, please please please reach out to someone.) Hotlines

“Y/N, you need to stop this nonsense, really.” Yoongi, remained calm, absolutely still. He suspected this was just another mental breakdown of yours. “Love, just, just step back over the railing, let’s talk about this.”

“Yoongi.” Your voice quivered. You turned from your spot on the balcony. You were on the other side of the railing, arms out behind you, gripping on for dear life. Below was a long drop to darkness. When you turned to look at him, your eyes were wet and your nose pink from crying. Inside felt eerily still, as if this was meant to be. Your body longed for the ground below. “Yoongi, I’m a monster. I can’t live with myself knowing what I’ve done to these people.” You whispered, worried the night wind would take your breath away.

Yoongi had always known you were on the edge of sanity. He had asked you to take a break, to which you had refused. Still, every time he saw you on the balcony, in that bathtub, on that chair, his heart dropped. Did he have any right to keep holding onto you anymore? Could he keep doing this? Maybe it was best if he helped you get away from this life. But his selfishness, his greed to keep you to himself was too great.

He had been in that place, over the railing, on the chair, in the tub. Now, he peered into your eyes, breath catching and wondering if this was it. Would this be the time he lost you? It seemed death longed for you as much as he did and between that war, where did you fall? Where was your humanity; your opinion?

“I love you, Y/N.” He uttered those words a million times and each seemed to carry a different tone. He took another hesitant step forward. You turned back around with a grimace, looking at the fall below. You hadn’t been scared of heights, but now you shook. Was this right? Where else would you go if you didn’t end this here. What other purpose did you have besides misery? And at that moment, it felt like you had struck a deal with the devil.

You could cause misery, lots of it. You didn’t climb back over that railing because of Yoongi rushing to you, hugging you, and whispering I Love Yous. No, You climbed over that railing a new woman. It was a sharp turn. You took the innocent girl that was you, and you locked her in the closet while she was blissfully unaware. Even when she screamed to come out, you held the door shut.

END of Su*cidal Thoughts

You watched Kim Taehyung eagerly. It felt like when you planned a surprise part for a friend. You were awaiting a reaction. The surveillance room was dark as it was well past midnight. Jimin was asleep on the couch behind you.

“Psst.” You turned around and nudged him with a shoe. “I think he’s waking up.”

Jimin jolted awake, seemingly dazed for a few seconds as he fought to regain a sense of his surroundings.

“I see.” He yawned loudly and stretched his hands upwards. He then stood and leaned over you as you studied the screen. Taehyung seemed surprised, an eyebrow jerking upwards. You saw him take note of the room, a very observant creature indeed. You then saw him look at each surveillance camera, no doubt wondering how to disable them. Then you saw him stand and move towards the bathroom. You didn’t have surveillance there as you had a little decency. But he didn’t know that. You sat back, watching his explore the room. He half-heartedly shook his ankle, seeing how loose it was. Then he made his way to the desk. Upon seeing there were no utensils for writing, he scowled. He looked up to the blank ceiling, then back down to the bolted down furniture.

“Funny.” He said, loud enough for the audio to pick him up. “You guys are smart. You planned well.” He ran a few fingers through his curly hair. Then he looked up at a camera. “It might take even me a few weeks to figure out how to escape.”

You didn’t know whether to feel flattered or annoyed at his arrogance. YOu found yourself crossing your arms unhappily, even though he couldn’t see you. It still felt like he was staring into your soul through that camera. Jimin shooed you out of the seat and he sat down to work on other surveillance related things. You had gotten permission from Jin to use his surveillance room for the night and you crashed on the couch. It was surprisingly comfortable, no wonder Jimin fell asleep so quickly. You closed your eyes, feeling yourself drift off.

Then you felt yourself falling. It was falling like you had dreamed of, a fall that landed on soft grass and the night sky above you as the world went black. It was all a fantasy, but your stomach churned this time as you felt your body in a free dive. You woke up with a start, breath heavy and labored. Jimin was resting at the surveillance desk, eyes barely open.

You took in your surroundings. You weren’t falling. You were just fine... You carefully dug around the room that was packed with all sorts of things, and you found a blanket. You wrapped Jimin in the blanket and went about getting yourself comfortable. You had a feeling Mr. Kim wouldn’t be all too entertaining for the next few hours as he had managed to fall asleep again. You had no idea how he managed that when you couldn’t seem to go a few hours without waking up shaking. As you watched the two sleep, one on screen and one next to you, you smiled ever so slightly. Perhaps Jimin was right, maybe you really did need to re-evaluate. It was nice going to sleep without dried blood under your fingernails.

part 3, d o n e. I mean, not like you guys asked for it but I felt like it. Let me know your thoughts!

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#bts #bts mafia #taehyung #yoongi #bts x reader #taehyung x reader #yoongi x reader #taehyung mafia #yoongi mafia #fluff #angst #hamartia

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is0gild · 4 years

Text

Ice Cream and Fire Oven Pizza - Chapter 17

Pairing: Elsa x Lea/Axel || Side Pairing: Riku x OC

Summary: Modern AU. She's an introvert ball of nerves who works at Ice Palace, a mall food court ice cream shop. He's the outgoing, sassy goofball who works at the Pizza Planet across the way. Hilarity, snark, and fluffy romcom hijinks ensue.

Word Count: 12,131

FIRST CHAPTER || PREVIOUS CHAPTER || NEXT CHAPTER

Credit for super friggin’ cute and super friggin’ amazing cover art goes to the super friggin’ talented ky-jane here on tumblr!

Day three of Operation Boyfriend But Shh Not Really and so far, so good.

Though the thought of this triple date had my inner recluse curling up into the fetal position, I'd manage to convince myself it actually was a good thing when you really thought about it. One, it gave me more practice for trying to do this whole couply… thing I was trying to do. More practice meant I'd eventually, hopefully be more comfortable with it all, as well as less chance for screw-ups in front of my parents when the dreaded but inevitable weekend with them at last came. Two, we were trying to maintain this image of being boyfriend and girlfriend in front of everyone else at the mall. And boyfriends and girlfriends went on dates. What better way to be seen going on said dates than by going out with other actual couples? And three, we couldn't forget about the person the Duke had hired to tail Anna originally and could quite possibly still be keeping tabs on me now. If they were still out there lurking, it was important that they, even more so than anyone else,see me dating.

It was still kind of weird to think about - that an actual, real life PI or whatever had been surveilling me constantly for who knows how long and I'd had no idea. It felt so surreal. Unreal even. But the Duke was absolutely that crazy and I wouldn't put it past him to still have someone keeping an eye on me, looking for any cracks in the story, any slip-ups or mistakes. I'd have to start paying attention more when I was out and about, see if I could figure out who it was, spot any faces that seemed to always show up everywhere I went.

But then, even if I did identify a likely culprit, I would have absolutely no idea what to do with that information once I had it. Even if I marched right up to them and told them their cover had been blown so they may as well scram, the Duke was just insane enough and rich enough to keep hiring new people to do the job instead.

...jeez, I was really starting to sound paranoid now, wasn't I?

With my luck, it'd turn out the Duke no longer had anyone following me after he'd confronted me in the food court.

Best not to think about it too much, because honestly? It'd get me nowhere.

Sighing, I banished the thoughts from my head as I watched the buildings blur past my window from the backseat of Riku's silver Ford Focus. The three of us were on our way to the restaurant now and Lea, Kairi and Sora were going to meet us there. My hand anxiously smoothed out the creases of my outfit - a dark magenta sheath dress with long sleeves and a hemline at the knees. It had a tastefully low v-neckline and a double layered skirt, the top layer made of a shimmering gossamer material. Nice, but nothing too fancy for our "nothing too fancy" date, to use Kairi's words.

Per Lea's request, I'd also worn his leather jacket. It made sense, after all. Nothing screamed "dating" more than one half of a couple wearing their other half's clothes, so it certainly helped maintain the facade. His boy scent still lingered on it, even though he hadn't worn it in a couple of days now, given it had been in my possession. The smell was somehow both soothing and butterflies-in-the-stomach inducing at the same time. It was an odd mix of emotions, to say the least.

I felt a buzz in the jacket's pocket. Pulling out my phone (gosh, it was so weird having one again after going so many weeks without) I checked my notifications to discover I'd received a text.

Well, speak of the devil.

Still cant believe u didnt lemme come pick u up

Shaking my head with a small snort, I tapped out a reply to Lea.

It just made the most logical sense for me to ride with Riku and Rayne since we were all coming from the same place.

Rayne suddenly cried out happily, drawing my attention to her as she clapped and bounced in the front passenger seat. "Ahh, I'm still just so excited for date night! Good food, great company, hot hubby," she slyly pinched Riku's cheek, which he endured with dignity as he drove. "What more could a girl ask for?"

He chuckled as he shifted the car over into the turn lane. "You make it sound like I never take you out."

"You know that's not what I mean!" she playfully smacked his shoulder. "But with the baby on the way, I don't know how many more of these I'll have! This is one of my last chances to enjoy freedom! Jesus take the fucking wheel, hallelujah!"

I felt my phone vibrate in my hand again and I looked down at it.

I know not this logic u spk of

I felt a tiny smile pulling at my mouth as my thumbs typed.

Don't worry about it. Tis beyond your mortal ken.

"I just hope no one's drinking tonight," Riku snerked as I watched those three dots bounce at the bottom of my screen. "Don't need you dancing on any more tables, thank you very much."

"Your face dances on tables!" Rayne shot back, sticking her tongue out at him.

"That doesn't even make any sense."

"You don't even make any sense!"

Rude. Ill have u know I had half a mind 2 drive ovr n get u NEway, logic b damned

My smile turned a touch wicked.

I'm impressed. That's half a mind more than you usually have.

"Here we are!"

My head shot up as I heard the engine shut down. I hadn't even realized we were in a parking lot. I hadn't even realized the vehicle had stopped moving.

As I looked out my window again, I heard Rayne saying, "Have I mentioned how happy I am we're doing this?"

"You may have said something about that once or twice." I could hear the smile in Riku's low voice.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see her leaning over towards him, her hand coming up to run slender fingers through his long, ashen strands. "Yeah, but maybe I should show you."

"Maybe you should…"

And that's when I, being the absolute clueless, blissfully naive little fool that I was, chose to turn and fully look at them, just in time to get a front row seat to their little game of tonsil hockey. I blushed, threw up a hand to block my line of sight and made a tiny noise of disgust in my throat. "Ugh! You know you're not the only people in the car, right?"

Rayne pulled away to smirk back at me. "Well, other people can shoo," she flicked a dismissive hand in my direction before grabbing Riku by his collar and yanking him over for a deeper, more passionate kiss. Ding, ding, round two!

Squeaking, I fumbled with my seatbelt until I heard the click release, threw my car door open, stumbled out and slammed it shut behind me with a huff.

Oi, that was the main drawback to this group date plan. We were going to be around actual couples, and actual couples actually, ahem… snogged. Rayne and Riku were going to be bad enough, but let's not forget Sora and Kairi were along for the ride too and I'd seen firsthand how gross those two could be as well. Mark my word, this night was going to have more than its fair share of uncomfortable moments with those four around, being all besotted and smitten and other such rot. But I would survive this and make it through to the other side. Somehow.

Sweeping my braid forward over one shoulder, I glanced up at the building before me now. It bore a colorful banner over its entrance that read Fuente Del Oro. A local, family-owned Mexican restaurant, or so Rayne had told me. I could already tell this was going to be a very different experience from the types of restaurants my ex used to take me to for our dates. Those restaurants had all been about the look, the prestige… you didn't go to any of those places for the food, you went there to be seen, to give off an air of importance. Those places were… dull. Lifeless. This place before me now, on the other hand, was… nice. Colorful. Vibrant and full of character. Not elegant or frilly, but warm and inviting. And the aromas that I could smell coming from it, even all the way out here? Delicious.

I was actually kind of looking forward to this.

Phone still in my grasp, I looked back down at it and frowned.

No message back from Lea yet.

A giggle suddenly echoed out across the parking lot and my eyes snapped towards the source. It didn't take long to spot Kairi a few vehicles over, squirming and laughing in Sora's arms as he hugged her from behind, blowing raspberries against her neck. They were standing with a very familiar redhead who was leaning against a very familiar black muscle car. Said redhead had pulled his hair back into a ponytail again and was dressed in a snug, black tee with a second shirt on underneath, red and black horizontal stripes running down its full-length sleeves. His slim, dark jeans made his already long legs seem even longer and he was sporting his bright red Converse. He had his phone in hand in front of him, but it wasn't the phone he was looking at. Our eyes met and a grin tugged at one corner of his lips.

Suddenly, whatever boldness that I had felt behind the safety of text on the tiny, glowing screen in the palm of my hand had abandoned me and I felt a small pang of anxiety pierce my chest.

But I rallied.

Alright, Elsa, pep talk time. You can do this. You've been mentally and emotionally preparing for this since yesterday. Let him throw at you whatever fluffy, sappy moves he decides to today, all in the name of pretending to be your boyfriend. You can take it.

Shields raised and at full power, captain!

Inhaling and exhaling slowly, I pocketed my mobile and started making my way over to those three. Probably hearing my footsteps against the asphalt, Kairi and Sora looked over at me as I approached and greeted me with waves. I gave them a shy smile and returned the wave as Lea held his phone up, turning the screen towards me and showing the last message I'd sent him as he tsked, "Brutal. You wound me, madame."

I stopped a few feet away from him, my smile twitching wider. "You like it."

"True. What can I say, I've always been a bit of a masochist," he hummed a low chuckle, slipping his phone into the back pocket of his pants. His head tipped to one side and he stared at me for another second, then his eyes crinkled as he stretched a hand out towards me with a soft, "C'mere."

I bit my bottom lip, hesitating for a heartbeat before moving another step forward to take his offered hand.

"Lookit you," he whistled, closing his fingers around mine and leading me into a little twirl. "Digging the look." He then gently pulled me against him, drawing my arms up to hug his neck before slipping his hands beneath the jacket to wrap around my waist, enveloping me in his cinnamon scent. "Didn't get a chance to say it the other day, but my jacket suits you."

I rolled my eyes up at him, doing my best to be impervious to our sudden closeness. I wasn't succeeding. "Not really. It's too big."

"Yes really," he insisted, bowing his head slightly towards mine. "It looks way better on you than it ever did on me."

"Where's Riku and Rayne?" Sora interjected and I turned my head to look at him.

"They-" my words tripped over my tongue as Lea pressed a tender kiss to my temple.

Critical hit, captain! Shields down to thirty percent, but holding!

Ignoring the heat rushing to my face, I did my best to regather my scattered thoughts. "They, uh… they're back in the, uh… the…" Drat, what was the word again? "...car! They're back in the… the car."

Sora pulled a face. "Swapping spit, no doubt."

"Oh-ho, we'll see about that! C'mon, Sora!" Kairi cackled with an evil gleam in her eye, slipping free of her boyfriend's hold to instead grab his hand and pull him behind her as she ran off towards Riku's car.

"Seriously," Lea spoke up again, his voice hushed as I slowly returned my gaze to his. "Pretty sure I've lost all claim to that jacket. It belongs to you now."

My eyelids drooped. "That's not how that works."

"Sure it is." He rested his forehead against mine and I could feel his thumb rubbing light circles against the fabric of my dress just above my hip. "You don't choose a leather jacket, it chooses you. And trust me, that one has definitely picked you over me."

I gave a soft snort. "I'm giving it back to you after tonight."

"Don't you dare," he chided, his breath warming my lips. "You'll hurt the jacket's feelings."

"Stop anthropomorphizing the jacket." I was fighting a smile now.

"Make me," he murmured, something in his voice causing my insides to do that whole warm, fuzzy, squishy thing.

And the academy award for best leading actor in the role of Elsa's boyfriend goes to this guy right here.

But had to say, I thought he might be overdoing it a bit. I mean, Sora and Kairi weren't even around anymore to hear any of this. And if we were being monitored by someone under my great uncle's payroll, they certainly couldn't hear it either. I suppose Lea just… really liked getting into character?

Clearing my throat, I unclasped my hands from behind his neck and shifted them down to his chest in an attempt to push myself free of his grasp as I whispered, "We, ah… should probably go speak to the hostess now."

However, his hold on me didn't loosen, his arms remaining firmly secured around my waist. He didn't say anything, just continued to grin down at me. His eyes became hooded as they flicked down to my lips now, making my heart skip a beat.

What was he-?

A sudden loud yelp ruptured the air around us.

Rayne.

Followed by an annoyed yell of, "Goddamnit, Sora! Kairi!"

And that would be Riku.

The two delinquents in question blurred past us and towards the restaurant's front doors, whooping and snickering and razzing their tongues back at their victims climbing out of the Ford Focus. "We'll grab us a table!" Sora called quickly at the same time Kairi shouted, "See ya inside!" Then they both disappeared through the entrance with Rayne and Riku hot on their heels.

I heard Lea sigh. Or maybe he didn't. It was so soft that it was fully possible that I imagined it. Then he released me, slipping one hand into mine and jerking a thumb towards the restaurant with a lopsided smile, "Shall we?"

I stared at him, feeling the night air cool my warmed face. Then I gave a tentative nod and let him lead me inside.

The others hadn't made it far past the doors and we stepped in to find Riku doling out Sora's punishment: death by a thousand noogies. Sora was smacking his cousin's arm and trying to wriggle free, but to no avail. Apparently Kairi had gotten off with only a warning for she was standing off to one side with Rayne, both cracking up as they watched the boys. I looked past them, taking in the restaurant. Strings of fairy lights hung from the ceiling intermixed with strings of multi-colored papers, each bearing cutouts depicting various imagery. The walls were painted with murals of fantastical, mythical creatures of various shapes and sizes with wings and prismatic fur, feathers and scales. This place was absolutely beautiful.

Once the roughhousing had finally settled down, we all approached the hostess, an extremely tiny, extremely old lady wearing a name tag that read Coco who seemed far more interested in napping than greeting new customers. However, she woke up long enough to squint at her list and find our reservation before calling over a man to seat us. He led us through the restaurant and to a large booth in one of the back corners, leaving menus, chips and salsa on the table before flashing us a warm, genuine smile and saying he'd be back to take our orders in a minute.

I started shrugging out of the jacket, feeling Lea assist me before folding it over his arm and gesturing towards the booth with bow and a, "Lady's first." Smiling at him, I took a seat and scooched towards the middle. Lea wasn't too far behind, sitting close enough for our knees to bump against one another. He tossed the jacket on the back shelf of the booth before draping his arm across the top of the cushioned seat behind my head. Rayne took the spot to my left with Riku of course beside her, and on the other side of Lea sat Kairi and Sora. The waiter came back after giving us a little time to peruse the menus and he gathered our food requests before dashing off again.

"So Ray," Kairi piped up, popping a heavily salsa-laden chip into her mouth, "how's the preggers-life treating you?"

"Really well," she nodded contentedly, one hand going to her tummy. "The jellybean's happy and healthy so far and I've just started barely showing in the past couple weeks. No weird food cravings yet, thank god, but those are supposed to be right around the corner."

Sora leaned forward, propping his chin in both hands and beamed, "Do we know yet if I have a lil nephew or niece on the way?"

"We're cousins, Sora. Nephews and nieces would only be if we were brothers," Riku corrected with a wry curve to his lips.

"We don't know yet," Rayne shook her head, "but I'm about four months along now, so hoping to find out at our next appointment."

Lea had shifted his hand to dangle down so he could idly twiddle my braid between his fingers. I could also sense his gaze on me, causing a bit of a flutter in the pit of my stomach. Reminding myself he was just playing a part and it wasn't real, I resisted the urge to squirm and instead pretended not to notice, directing all my focus into reaching for a chip to dip into the salsa.

"Well whatever the wee monkey turns out to be, you can bet Auntie Kairi and Unkie Sora will be here to shower it with all the love and kisses!" Kairi cooed.

Riku twitched and frowned. "I just said that isn't how it-"

"Shush, hon, they're just teasing you now," Rayne poked his cheek with a laugh before looking back over at Kairi. "And you? How's the new gig over at Mickey's going? You've been there, what? About a week now?"

"Mm-hm! It's been a lot of fun working the jewelry counter. Oh sure, there's the occasional asshole customer, but turns out I'm really good at killing them with kindness."

Riku kicked Sora's foot under the table, "What about you, ya freeloader? Any prospects yet?"

He shrugged with that big smile he seemed to always have permanently glued to his face. Just looking at it was starting to make my cheeks hurt. "Couple of interviews coming up, so we'll see!"

Smirking, Riku said, "Can't wait to hear how you screw them up this time, knucklehead."

"Hey!"

Kairi turned to look our direction now. "So what's new and exciting with you two, hm? Lea, you just had that big test, right?" Silence was her answer as I went for another chip. "Lea? Hello, earth to... ah-ha, there!" She rocketed up to her feet, slamming one hand down on the table and pointing the other right in Lea's face. "Lost puppy look!"

"Hm, what now?" he jolted, his hand jerking away from my braid to lay across the booth backrest once more. "Lost pup-? Bah, I told you already, there's no lost puppy look. You need to get your eyes checked, princess."

She scoffed, plopping heavily back down into her seat and smugly take a sip of her soda. "Please. You were bad at hiding it when you guys were dating in secret, and you're even worse at it now that it's all out in the open."

"What's the deal there anyhow?" Sora cocked his head at me. "There's all sorts of wild rumors flying around the mall, like that you're runaway royalty from some far off country just living off the lam now."

"What?!" I blanched, gawking in disbelief. Doing my best to recover with a tiny, awkward laugh, I hastily said, "No, nothing quite so, ah… dramatic. My parents, they're… well off, to be sure, but certainly not royalty. And not from so far away either. Just Arendelle, which is only about an hour north of here."

Chewing on her straw, Kairi eagerly leaned in closer, "I'd love to hear the story of how you two met!"

I stiffened.

Fudge.

Welp, add that to my ever growing list of things I should have thought about in advance but failed miserably to do so. I fiddled a chip between my fingers as I tucked in my bottom lip. Shoot, what was I supposed to tell her? It's not like I'd gotten any better at lying in the past few days since my visit with Father. In fact, I'd been mostly skirting by since then by dodging questions and letting people fill in the blanks for themselves so I didn't have to. Heart thudding in my chest, I opened my mouth, not quite fully sure yet what was going to come out.

"Last summer," Lea was quicker. "In another city."

"Oh, during that big cross-country road trip you took?" Rayne asked him as she leaned into her husband who slung an arm around her shoulders.

Lea tapped his own nose, "That'd be the one, Raindrop."

Kairi gasped, "You two met in a foreign city? How romantic! That's the dream!"

"You have to leave the country in order for it to be a foreign city," Riku shook his head.

"Cram it, you knew what I meant!"

"It was like one of those scenes straight outta a movie," Lea planted an elbow on the table, rubbing a curled finger over his smirk as he watched me out of the corner of his eye. "There I was, just strolling along minding my own business, smack dab in the middle of a jam-packed city street. But then the crowd parted and there she stood. The most gorgeous creature to ever walk the face of this or any other planet in all the cosmos."

Cue my face turning all new shades of red never before witnessed in the history of human eyesight.

Jeez, laying it on a bit thick there, Lea, don't you think?

"So whatdja do?" Kairi pressed, eyes bright and on the edge of her seat. "Sweep her off her feet right then and there?"

He snerked, "Shit no, I walked headfirst into a lamppost."

I smothered a grin behind my hand as the rest of the table erupted into laughter. Sora reached over to punch him lightly in the arm, "Smooth, ya stud. What city was this anyway?"

"Corona," I was the one to answer, surprising myself. Suddenly self-conscious with all eyes turning to me, I quietly added, "I was there for part of my vacation last year."

"By yourself?" Rayne quirked a dubious eyebrow at me. She knew this story was as made-up as my current relationship status was. I could only assume she was trying to poke holes in order to help us solidify this little tale that was being spun so we'd be more prepared for the next time we had to tell the lie.

The thing is, the best lies have a grain of truth to them. I really had been in Corona last summer. "No, I was taking the trip with Anna. We were actually staying over in Traverse Town, but had planned to visit Corona for the day to enjoy a festival there, since it was only a short train ride away. However, Anna disappeared with a guy before we could go. I'd really been looking forward to this festival though and didn't want to miss it, so I took the train over on my own."

"Wait," Kairi slapped both hands down in front of her, eyes widening. "Are you talking about that big lantern festival they do every year?" At my nod, she squealed. "Lucky! Punzie has shown me pictures in magazines, it looks so goddamn pretty! Oh man, I've always wanted to go! Hint, hint," she shouldered Sora, who just chuckled and scratched the back of his head.

"It was actually right as they were launching the lanterns that I saw her," Lea said, folding his arms atop the table now. "She was wearing this cute sundress. White with a lil diamond patterned hem. Split sleeves that were all flowy. Hair down and dancing in the slight breeze." Wow, he was really selling this. He'd even nailed that whole far away look in his eye, like he was seeing something the rest of us couldn't. "And the way those lanterns lit up her smile as she watched them float up, I knew my lowly mortal self was in the presence of a goddess. Knocked the wind right outta me."

"As did that lamppost," Rayne sniggered.

"As did that lamppost," he agreed with a chuckle.

Totally enthralled now, Kairi breathed, "So what happened next?"

"Yeah, what did happen next?" I grinned over at him, the barest note of a challenge to my tone. To the others, it probably just sounded like I was teasing him since obviously I was already supposed to know this story. But now I was almost as invested as Kairi and was genuinely curious where he'd go with it next.

The corners of his eyes crinkled as he looked over at me and he leaned back, propping his elbows up on the back rim of the booth and once more slipping an arm behind my head. "Well after the lantern bit was over, I watched her get onto her train heading back to Traverse Town. So I did what any self-respecting, red-blooded, utterly bewitched male would do: I followed her."

"Stalker," Riku singsonged.

His wife smacked his leg, "Hush, it's sweet!"

He snorted, eyelids drooping, "Yeah, so sweet, the dumbass left his car behind in Corona."

"Psssh, I just took the train back for it later," Lea brushed off. "Anyway, when I found her on board, I sat across from her and worked up the nerve to strike up a conversation."

Rayne looked at me. "You? Talk to a handsome stranger on a train?" She squinted, repeating for emphasis, "You?"

"Heh… what can I say? He can be very charming," I smiled down at my drink, swirling the ice with my straw.

"Even with all of my roguish charm and devilish good looks though, it wasn't easy," Lea laughed. His hand had drifted down to start toying with my braid again. "But she warmed up to me eventually. By the time we arrived at Traverse Town, I was completely smitten. A total goner. She still needed more convincing though, so I managed to persuade her into joining me for a night out on the town. Luckily for me, Traverse Town has a very active night life that goes on for hours long after most other cities have gone to sleep."

"Yeah? Like what?" Sora burbled out around a mouth full of chips, making Kairi giggle as she put a hand over his face to hide it.

He pursed his lips to one side, looking up at the ceiling, "Oh, nothing too exciting. Few odds and ends here and there though… wandering around a record store… a café with a palm reader… a street poet at one sidewalk corner, a belly dancer at another, some stargazing in a park…" Now he smirked over at me, "A carnival with a kiss at the top of the ferris wheel."

A mock gasp from Rayne, "Scandal! And you with a fiancé, young lady!"

I looked away, suddenly feeling guilty and flustered over something that hadn't even really happened. "...ferris wheels can be very enchanting."

And my streak of helping the lie along while not actually lying myself successfully continues!

"And then, and then?" Kairi insisted impatiently, just eating this whole bit of fiction right up.

He chuckled and shrugged, "Just mostly a lot of meandering the streets and talking. We were out all night and watched the sunrise together. Eventually, she had to go meet up with her sister so they could move on to another city for the next leg of their lil vay-kay. But I didn't let her leave without agreeing to meet with me again in a few months."

Kairi was slackjaw now as she whispered, "And did she?"

"Mm-hm!" he hummed happily. "And from there, we kept meeting up, our little get-togethers getting longer and more frequent over time."

"Then what?" She was relentless.

A wolfish curl tugged at one side of his mouth. "What else? I slowly seduced her until she fell helpless into my bed, hungry for the pleasure only I could give her," he waggled his eyebrows.

Of course I'd chosen that exact second to be taking a sip of my drink. And of course I promptly spluttered and choked on it. "Excuse me?" I coughed, laughing incredulously as I elbowed him in the gut.

He gave a pained grunt, but grinned and snagged my hand before I could retract it, pressing a kiss to my knuckles. "I mean that in the most gentlemanly and respectful way possible, of course," he winked at me before looking back over at Kairi. "From there, I convinced her to run away from her family and ditch her two-bit, loser fiancé to be with me. And the rest, as they say, is history!"

"Wow!" she sighed dreamily, slumping back and fanning herself. Then she blinked, "Wait…" A gasp. "Oh my god! You swore off dating about a year ago, which was last summer! Was it cuz that's when you two met and it was love at first sight?!"

"Huh. The two certainly seem to line up perfectly, don't they?" he chirped. He'd rested my hand back down onto the table, his on top of mine, threading our fingers together.

Our waiter popped up again just then. "Your food will be just another moment. In the meantime, please allow us to entertain you with some music." He then turned, clapped his hands twice and called out, "Miguel!"

Out charged a boy in his early teens wearing a red hoodie and lugging a guitar that was white, etched in swirly patterns, and nearly as big as he was. He flashed us a smile huge enough to rival one of Sora's and without further preamble, started strumming away and singing. The kid was actually really good too!

Kairi clapped in delight and Rayne cooed over how adorable he was. Sora gaped in awe at the boy's obvious talent while Riku just grinned, digging into the chips. As I watched him perform, I couldn't help but feel Lea's eyes on me once more instead of on our little musician. I shifted in my seat, slipping my hand free of his and bringing it up to tuck some bangs behind my ear, hiding the growing warmth I felt in my cheeks behind my fingers.

At this rate, I didn't know how I was going to survive fake dating this guy for the rest of the evening, let alone for two more weeks.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Lea's hand closed around mine, stopping me in my tracks. I glanced over my shoulder at him, then back towards where Rayne and Riku were climbing into their car across the parking lot. "With them?"

"Ahhhnt," he made a buzzer noise, grinning. "Wrong! Would the contestant care to venture another guess?"

I gave him some side-eye, feeling one corner of my lips turn up. "...with you?"

"Bingo!" He started walking towards his car, gently tugging me along with him. "I was already so rudely denied my god-given right as the boyfriend to pick you up from your place. No way am I missing out on giving you a lift over to the movie theater. Same goes for driving you back home later tonight, so better make your peace with it now. It's happening."

I felt my smile twitch a fraction wider as I fell into step beside him. "I suppose being my chauffeur is quite the honor and privilege. Wouldn't want to take that away from you."

"Glad that's settled then," he gave a chipper nod, unlocking the front passenger door of his vehicle and holding it open for me as I got in. As he then jogged over to the driver's side while I buckled in, there was a loud meep meep of a car horn and I looked up just as a hot pink Jeep blurred past where we were parked - Kairi and Sora, it seemed, going on to the cinema ahead of us. I waved at them just as Lea had settled in himself and started the engine.

"So," I began once we were on the road, resting my temple against my knuckles with my elbow propped on the window sill, still grinning as I watched him out of the corner of my eye, "you took a road trip last summer?"

He gave a low hum of confirmation, reaching over to turn down the volume on the rock oldies station coming through the radio. "Decided to have one last big adventure before I really buckled down and started taking school seriously. Did a lil soul searching, that whole shtick."

"Ah." My gaze focused on the road ahead once more and I hesitated for a second, gnawing on my lower lip. "...that was a nice story you told. About how we met."

Lea chuckled, leaving one hand on the wheel while moving the other to lay atop the headrest of my seat. "Liked it, didja?"

"Oh definitely." Now I hid my growing smile behind my hand, trying to keep a straight face. "Though I have to admit, I think I was a bigger fan of the original movie adaptation."

I watched him visibly stiffen. "The…?"

Tapping a curled finger to my chin, I muttered, "What was the title again? Before Sunrise, I believe?"

He snerked, then broke out into a full laugh. "Crap, ya caught me. Yeah, I may have borrowed from the plot there a tad."

"Just a bit," I shook my head at him. "You're lucky Sora and Kairi haven't seen the film."

"Kinda surprised you have," he turned the car down a road that would take us towards the mall. "Pretty sure it's older than you are."

"Nothing wrong with old movies," I shrugged before wrinkling my nose at him slightly with a tiny smile. "Kind of sappy though. Wouldn't have thought that'd be your kind of movie."

Looking my way, he smirked, "What can I say? I'm a sappy guy. And hey, at least I didn't steal everything from that flick."

"True. The stuff before the train was all you."

"You helped," Lea pointed out as he pulled up to a stop sign. He then tapped his index against the steering wheel a couple times. "...outta curiosity, why'd you say Corona? Out of all the other places you must of visited on your trip, what made you pick that city?"

As the car accelerated once more, I tilted my head in thought. "Don't know really… I guess I just felt it would be a nice place to meet someone new in. That'd it make for a good story." I paused, watching some tail lights streak past us. "...the lantern festival really was beautiful. Have you ever seen it?"

Lea shook his head as he glanced up at the rearview before shifting lanes, "Nah. Had plans to on the road trip, but something else came up."

"A shame," I sighed wistfully. "You missed out."

"Wouldn't say that," he murmured, a warm flicker in his eyes. "'Sides, there's always next time."

"Suppose that's true," I nodded. "Nice touch, by the way, describing the dress I was wearing. I think I might even own one that's pretty close to it." Don't think I'd been wearing it in Corona though. But I couldn't really remember. It had been over a year ago after all.

He laughed again, fingers combing his scalp before returning the hand to my seat, now on a spot next to my ear. "Well, I did help you pack your clothes from your old condo just a couple days ago. I probably saw it then."

"Good point." That made sense. It would have been too much of a coincidence if that'd actually been what I'd had on that day. But now… should I be worried that I hadn't really been in that dress? What if someone found out the mismatch in the story? No… no, that was just me overthinking things again. Even if the tale ever reached the ears of the Duke's goon, it's not like they could go back in time to fact check. "Just one more thing now." My eyes narrowed at him, at odds with my grin. "Might want to edit the ending a bit."

"Which part?" he asked a touch too innocently, already turning us into the Dusk Town Center parking lot. "Running away to be with me? Hasn't that been the story all along?"

I rolled my eyes at him. "Try a little before that."

Wouldn't have thought it possible to both purse one's lips and smile at the same time, but Lea proved me wrong in that moment. "Hmm… oh! Well, figured wooing you over the course of months sounded more believable, but if you think it works better as weeks or even days, then-"

"No no. Little after that."

"Well then, now you got me stumped cuz I know you just couldn't possibly be talking about the absolute masterpiece that was the slow seducing, helpless bed falling, pleasure hungry part."

A snort. "Why yes, actually, I could be talking about that and in fact am."

"But that's the best part!" he protested, turning to park in a space right next to a familiar Ford Focus. "It's the heart and soul, the very essence of the story! The pièce de résistance, the crowning glory."

With a good natured scoff, I unfastened my seatbelt as the car shuddered into powering down. "Well decrown it because you're dropping that bit."

He lifted his chin slightly and gave a dignified sniff, "I am a storyteller, El. An arteest. You wouldn't ask Leonardo da Vinci to remove the smile from the Mona Lisa."

Well someone had a high opinion of himself. Which honestly came as zero surprise. I fixed him with a dull stare. "Drop it or your jacket gets a giant, sticky stain before the night is out." And with that, I opened my door.

Lea scrambled out of the car and rushed over to join me on my side just as I slammed the door shut behind me. He had the decency to only spend a couple seconds looking mildly miffed at having been denied the opportunity to open and hold the car door for me before his frown melted into a smile once more. "Jeez, blackmail? Never thought you'd stoop so low. But eh," he shrugged, "jacket's black, it'll be fine."

"You're failing to see the big picture here," I crossed my arms as I waited for Rayne and Riku to get out of their own vehicle. My guess was they were probably going for another round of Seven Minutes in Heaven in there. Smirking at Lea, I elaborated, "Because then I'll wash it."

"Egads," he mocked gasp, splaying a hand against his chest, "the horror."

My smirk curled wickedly. "In a washing machine."

As my roomies finally vacated their car (faces flushed, I might add), Lea actually paled. "But it's dry clean only!"

"That's right," I said smugly and turned to walk away. "So nix that line or the jacket gets it."

"You fight dirty," he muttered as he caught up to me, slipping his hand into mine. However, he was grinning.

Huh. That wasn't what I'd been expecting. IE the face of a man who'd just suffered a crippling defeat by my hands.

I narrowed my eyes up at him. "You certainly seem pretty happy about the impending, inevitable demise of your jacket."

Now the grin was joined by a dimple as we walked. "Well, it's just that in order for you to make good on your threat, you have to take my jacket hostage. Meaning you're gonna hafta keep it after all." His head dipped down closer to mine as he swung our hands slightly. "I count that as a win for me."

...well crud.

Score one for Lea there.

Shrieks and giggles suddenly erupted behind us before Sora tore past us towards the mall's entrance with Kairi riding piggyback. Rayne laughed and tugged Riku into a stumble behind her so they could catch up while Lea and I continued to take our time, bringing up the rear.

We made our way through the food court and over to Cinema XIII. The manager with long, silver hair that I'd seen there last time was present again, off to one side where he was setting up a huge cardboard display for the latest Star Wars movie. I watched him scowl and fiddle with the lifesize lightsaber cutouts as our group purchased tickets from a blonde chick with a weird hairdo that kind of resembled antennae. As we'd approached, I could have sworn I'd seen her boredly cleaning her fingernails with a small knife, but there was no sign of the blade by the time we'd reached her register. Perhaps my eyes had just been playing tricks on me.

Tickets for our whodunit comedy flick in hand, we then moved over to concessions which was being worked by that same teen with the emo haircut that I'd also spotted here a couple weeks ago. He hardly glanced up from the book he was reading as Riku and Rayne ordered snacks and drinks from him, Sora waiting in line behind them with Kairi still latched onto his back.

"Alright, whatcha want? My treat," Lea asked as he watched the flat screens hanging behind the counter scroll flashy ads for crisp, buttery popcorn and fizzing, bubbly soda.

I blinked. "What?" Then I frowned at him. "Oh no, not happening. You already paid for dinner despite my multiple protests. I'm not letting you buy me candy too."

We were only fake dating after all, and I wouldn't even want to make a real boyfriend pay for everything!

"But it's my right as-"

I put my finger to his lips, silencing him as my eyelids drooped. "Enough with playing the boyfriend card already. You're having too much fun with that."

He puckered up and planted a tiny peck on my fingertip, sending a small jolt straight to my heart as I quickly jerked my hand back. He chuckled, "Just tell me what your fave candy is."

"Shouldn't you be able to guess?" I arched an eyebrow, stubbornly ignoring the way the tip of my finger still had a slight tingle. "Isn't that like your special gift or whatever?"

"Only with ice cream," he lightly corrected.

"Right," I crinkled my eyes at him. "How's that coming along again?"

His shoulders bobbed up and down. "It's a process."

"My turn!" Sora suddenly proclaimed loudly in front of us, dropping Kairi off his back and spinning around to get behind her.

His girlfriend gasped, "Sora no!"

"Sora yes!" he cackled, jumping onto her back, arms hugging her shoulders tight and legs wrapping around her waist as her hands automatically shifted to grasp beneath his knees. To her credit, she managed to stand for three whole shaky seconds before collapsing beneath her boyfriend's weight into a tangled heap on the floor with him.

Ah, to be young.

Never mind the fact that I was pretty sure I was only like a year older than them.

With a soft snort through my nose, I glanced back at Lea. "Well, while you keep processing, I'm going to go find our seats."

I turned to go, but he pulled me back with the hold he still had on my hand. "C'mon, just lemme buy ya something small," he insisted as he hopped over the Sora/Kairi knot that was still trying to disentangle itself, forcing me to gingerly step over the two of them as well.

Shaking my head with a sigh, I said, "Why won't you just let it go?"

He beamed. "Cuz what schmoopsie-poo wants, schmoopsie-poo gets."

Oh no he didn't.

"Uh-uh, no. Veto. You are not calling me that," I jabbed a finger into his chest.

There was a sly gleam to his eye. "Tell me what candy you want or I won't stop."

"You wouldn't dare."

"Wanna bet?" he flashed a toothy grin as we stepped up to the counter now that my roommates had stepped off to one side, already munching away at their newly purchased sweets. "You'll think you died and went to schmoopsie-poo heaven."

I gave a small huff and looked away. "Small price to pay. Not budging on this."

"Fine. You've forced my hand." He turned his head to the concession worker, slapping his palm down on the countertop and proudly declaring, "I'll have one of everything, my good man!"

"What?! No, no, stop, he's joking," I hastily told the cashier, who froze mid-ringing the order up as he gave us a flat look with the one blue eye not hidden behind bangs. To Lea, I whispered, "What do you think you're doing?"

He shrugged, grin not faltering. "Figure ya gotta like at least one of 'em."

I stared at him. Then my shoulders slumped and I hung my head, grumbling, "...Junior Mints."

"You heard the lady," he chirped to the theatre employee. "And throw in a small popcorn and large Kupo-Kola too please!"

Once the junk food was acquired and paid for, we moved out of the way to join Riku and Rayne as Sora and Kairi bought their own goodies. While we were waiting, I opened up my candy and reached inside, retrieving a minty, chocolate-coated treat and popping it into my mouth.

"Can I have one?" Lea asked beside me.

I gave him a blank look. Then I glanced down at his hands, otherwise occupied with a full soda cup and a bag practically bursting with popcorn. Digging another Junior Mint out and holding it up between us, my gaze met his once more. "Say ahh."

Face brightening, his lips parted wide.

I inserted it into his nostril.

He blinked a couple times, then snorted which had the byproduct of dislodging the Junior Mint. "Okay, guess maybe I deserved that for being a lil pushy about getting you the candy."

"You most certainly did," I said matter-of-factly, eating another one. A pause while I slowly chewed before swallowing and mumbling, "...but thanks for doing it anyway."

"Heh. Don't mention it."

Kairi and Sora rejoined us then, arms piled high with sugary delights. Jeez, all that on top of the gigantic Mexican dinners they'd both devoured less than an hour ago? One had to wonder how the two of them managed to stay so skinny.

It didn't take long for us to locate our theater and when we entered, all the lights were dimmed for the trailers that had already started to play. We quietly found our seats close to the middle of the auditorium and we settled into them, Lea to the right of me and making up one end of our group while Rayne took up my other side, the rest of the gang to her right. It seemed the cinema had recently renovated with new, barely-used cushiony sofa seating, the kind that reclined.

As I pushed the button that popped out the chair's footrest and made myself more comfortable, I caught a glimpse of the others. Half way through a strand of red licorice, Rayne flinched when Riku was suddenly in her face and chomping down on the other end of the candy. Grinning, he took a few more bites, bringing their lips closer together until he could give her a smooch before pulling away, looking quite pleased with himself as she blushed and snerked, giving his shoulder a light shove. Kairi was tossing Milk Duds towards Sora's open, awaiting mouth and rewarding him with little kisses every time he successfully caught one.

Worrying my lower lip between my teeth, I glanced towards Lea out of the corner of my eye as he crunched away on some popcorn. Should we be acting all… couply right now? Like the others were? I mean, it was a dark theater… did we really need to keep the act up in here too? Would anyone really notice? Then again, I'd noticed our friends being all sickeningly cute and I hadn't even been trying to, my eyes had just wandered. So maybe it wasn't such a stretch to consider the two of us were also possibly being observed, even in here.

My gaze flicked down to the armrest I shared with Lea. It was wide enough for both our arms to lay on it side by side, elbows touching. He wasn't holding my hand at the moment, instead just resting his about an inch away from mine. Which, now that I noticed, actually felt a bit weird, oddly enough. I guess I was starting to get used to it. But perhaps I should look at this as an opportunity for some more practice. An exercise in me being the one for once to initiate a display of affection. I seriously couldn't get away with him being the one to start it all the time, right? Surely, I had to act like I liked him too.

Which, to be fair, I kind of did.

Even if it was a secret.

But now I had to wonder how does one go about, ah… what was the term? ...making a move? I'd never had to do it with my ex. I'd never particularly felt the urge, nor had he ever really encouraged me to have more initiative in that area. He'd always been the one to take charge and that seemed to be the way he'd liked it. It seemed to be what was expected of our relationship, by him, by my family, by the world of upper society that I had lived in for so long. But I was no longer in that world. Things were different here. I was different. And I needed to show that to my parents. And one way I could show that was by doing this.

So then… exactly how do I do this?

...well I suppose I could start by moving my hand in the general direction of his. Seemed simple enough… right?

Gulping and holding my breath, I slowly, oh so very slowly started reaching for his hand. As my fingers crept closer, the pounding in my ribcage grew louder and louder. A hairbreadth away from skin contact, I hesitated, what little courage I'd mustered already dwindling. But after a second, my face hardened. I needed to do this. For the sake of Operation Boyfriend But Shh Not Really. For the sake of a continued future free from my parents' control. With a newfound resolve burning in my chest, I pushed on.

My pinky barely brushed against his knuckle.

Nope! No way. Mm-mm, not happening!

I snatched my hand back, blushing furiously.

The blush of a failure. Pathetic.

However the touch, no matter how light and brief, hadn't gone unnoticed. Lea glanced my way, his head tipping slightly. Then he smiled, shifting his popcorn out of his lap over to his right while moving the soda from the cupholder between us to the one on his other side. Then he lifted the armrest separating us, folding it back between our chairs before slinging an arm around my shoulders and pulling me close so my head was pillowed by his chest.

I tensed for several seconds before relaxing against him, clearing my throat and, if possible, blushing even harder.

Well then.

Guess I no longer needed to worry about us not looking couply.

Even if I hadn't been the one to initiate.

...tomorrow. I would do a better job tomorrow.

As the last of the trailers ended and opening credits for the movie began filling the big screen, Lea ducked his head down next to mine. I could feel him grinning against my ear as he whispered, "This boyfriend model comes equipped with all the latest technology, including hilarious movie commentary. Would you like that feature enabled now?"

I leaned my head back a bit as I turned to look him in the eye. He cocked a playful eyebrow at me. Feeling one corner of my lips tug up, I whispered back, "Commentary on."

"You got it."

I was not disappointed.

"Is this really totally necessary?"

"Oh absolutely. Your uncle's spies could be anywhere, ever vigilant and watching at all times."

"Even here? In the parking lot for my own apartment?" I frowned dubiously.

I could feel him nodding against my hair. "Especially here. I'll have you know I've seen at least three cars pass us already, each one more suspicious and shady than the last."

Date night had been a rousing success, if I did say so myself. We'd had a good time with friends, dinner was amazing and delicious, and the movie had been excellent. But as everyone knows, all good dates (even the fake ones) must come to an end. And at the end of every date, some sort of goodnight ritual is often at the very least customary, if not absolutely essential. Traditionally, this usually takes the form of the infamous goodnight kiss. However, since I'd already taken any sort of liplock completely and one hundred percent off the table, Lea had instead opted for a hug.

One… extremely and uncomfortably long hug.

...okay, that was a lie. It wasn't uncomfortable at all. In fact, was actually quite nice. Pleasant, even. Ten out of ten, would recommend.

We stood next to his car at the moment, my apartment building just a few yards away. After he'd parked and we'd both climbed out, he'd pulled my arms up to wrap around his neck, his hands once again finding their way under the leather jacket to encircle my waist, hugging me close as he'd rested his cheek atop my head. And so we had remained for quite some time now.

Kairi and Sora were no longer with us, having parted ways back at the mall, but I could see Rayne and Riku off to one side near their own vehicle, enthusiastically taking part in some cuddle time themselves while they waited for me. Which actually I really appreciated. Without their added presence here, I'd probably be getting a lot more awkward a lot more quickly about The Hug That Would Not End.

That said…

"We've been at this for at least five minutes now. Wouldn't you call that a bit, er.." I shifted my feet, resisting the urge to squirm, "...excessive?"

His hold on me didn't budge. "Gotta be convincing. 'Sides, we're obviously still in the honeymoon period of our relationship. You know, when the couple takes forever and a day telling each other goodbye a thousand times before actually leaving. Otherwise known as the No-You-Hang-Up-First phase."

My brow furrowed. "I thought that was only made-up for TV. Real people don't actually do that, do they?"

"Yup," I felt another nod. "Trust me, I'm an expert. I know these things."

I squinted off into space. "...haven't you only ever done one night stands?"

"Shush, I said trust me on this," he murmured.

And shush I did. I suppose I could look at this as a sort of… endurance training? Get me more used to his hugs so I'd be less awkward about them in public? Make them seem more natural? Yeah, okay. This might be good for me. Let's see how long I could keep this up.

...answer? Not long.

Tentatively trying to pull away, I began, "Alright, maybe we should-"

"One more minute," he insisted, squeezing me tighter and shifting his head down now to instead nuzzle against my neck. His nose was cold and his breath tickled against my skin, making my cheeks warm. Welp, so much for not squirming.

Huh. He really seemed to be taking this whole pretend boyfriend thing very seriously. This was some extreme dedication to the role.

And there my insides went all over again, doing the whole warm, fuzzy, squishy thing. Alright, just breathe. Deep, calming breaths. Remember: Conceal, don't feel.

...maybe just focus on the concealing part. The not feeling part was already a lost cause.

"Ya know," Rayne's voice suddenly piped up nearby, causing me to jump, "maybe you two don't have to say goodnight just yet." Lea straightened up, loosening his grip on me just enough for us both to turn our heads to see she'd joined us. Gracing us with a sly smirk, she said, "I mean, if you want to really drive this date home for any eyes that might be prying, Lea could always, ya know..." her eyebrows bounced as she leaned in closer to whisper conspiratorially, "stay the night."

"What?!" My face erupted into blistering heat, the likes of which would've put the Sahara Desert to utter shame. "N...No! Absolutely not! How could you possibly even-"

She laughed, her finger booping my nose. "Relax, you silly goose. Of course he'd only sleep on the living room sofa! S'not like your grunkle's minion would have x-ray vision into our home."

Oh.

That's what she'd meant.

Well of course that's what she'd meant. It's not like she'd ever really suggest…

Actually, no, this was Rayne we were talking about here. I honestly wouldn't have put it past her.

She elbowed Lea in the arm, "So whaddya say, stud?"

He smiled, removing one hand from my waist to rub at the nape of his neck. "Well, I'd planned on getting some reading done for my classes tonight. But I do have my book bag in the backseat, so I suppose I could just as easily read here on your couch." His gaze shifted back down to mine, "That is of course, as long as you're okay with it!"

My face still recovering from its abrupt and devastating heatwave, I looked down and muttered, "Well, I… I suppose, ah… sure. Okay. I mean, just to keep up appearances… " My eyes flicked back up towards Rayne, "Thanks. I guess that's… actually a pretty good idea."

"Of course it is! I came up with it!" she beamed, planting her fists on her hips and puffing up her chest. Then she turned back to her husband, pressing her lips to his cheek as she linked her arm in his and led him over to the building entrance. Lea at last fully released me, but only long enough to unlock his car and pull out a messenger bag that looked heavy with textbooks. Kicking the door shut, he slung the strap of the bag over his head to hang across his chest before slipping an arm around my shoulders, grinning down at me as we followed the other two inside.

Once in our apartment, he removed the arm while Rayne pulled some spare pillows and bed sheets from the closet, tossing them onto the longest couch for Lea. Then grabbing a water bottle from the fridge, she unscrewed the cap and held her drink up high. "A toast! To Lea's sleepover! May it be the first of many!" she declared before tossing her head back to chug half the bottle.

Riku just snerked, shaking his head while Lea scratched his cheek with a weak chuckle and walked over to drop his bag on the sofa next to the blankets. I squeezed my eyes shut, pressing my fingers between my eyebrows with a soft sigh. Still, she had a point. I suppose it was only natural for my "boyfriend" to stay the night with some amount of frequency. Oh gosh, I hope this wouldn't be too much of an imposition on Lea.

As Rayne recapped the water bottle and put it down on the kitchen table, Riku stepped up to her, taking both her hands in his and pressing their foreheads together. "Hon, why don't we head to bed early tonight?" he asked, tone low and eyes hooded.

"Mmm," she breathed him in, smiling up at him through lowered lashes and nodding, "sounds good." As he pulled her towards their bedroom, Rayne glanced back at us. "Good night, you two! Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" she winked and waved before disappearing through the door, closing it behind her.

Silence followed. It felt strangely sudden and almost deafening.

I slowly turned to look at Lea.

He looked back, giving me a tiny smile.

That's when it struck me.

This was the first time in two full days I'd been alone with Lea. Like, really alone. Not in public, not where we had to put on the boyfriend-girlfriend act. Even when it'd just been the two of us in his car earlier tonight, even then we'd still had kind of been in the relative safety of pretend date mode. Besides, driving around in a car was completely different from being alone with him here, now, in my apartment late at night. Now that there was no more reason for all the hand holding, forehead kisses, and other little touches, things felt… well I wouldn't exactly say wrong per se, but more felt just kind of… off?

Panic was beginning to set in.

My mind was drawing a total blank.

I… didn't know how to be around him now. Not when we didn't have to fake a relationship anymore.

I'd forgotten how to act normal.

I think he could sense it too. The weirdness that had suddenly popped up out of nowhere. His eyebrows knit together, his gaze shifting about for a couple seconds. Then he opened his mouth to say something.

"Good night!" I loudly blurted out first.

Then I was in my bedroom so fast, you would have thought I'd spontaneously developed the power to teleport.

I slammed the door shut behind me, pressing my spine flat to it, eyes wide and taking shallow breaths through my nose. A few seconds passed where I just forced myself to inhale and exhale slowly a few times, trying to calm down. Then I winced, lightly banging the back of my head against the door.

Good job, Elsa. Way to make things mildly awkward. And for no real reason at all, you useless, hermitic dope!

With a small scowl, I shrugged out of the leather jacket and tossed it onto my bed. Then I unzipped my ankle boots, kicking them off and started pacing the length of my room back and forth, my hands twisting at my braid.

I couldn't just leave things like that. I had to talk to him. I had to toughen up and find an excuse to march my butt back out there. But what excuse?

My feet paused mid step as I glanced around my room for a minute before landing on one of my walls. Not just any wall. The one I shared with Riku's and Rayne's bedroom. Then I lightly tapped one fist into my palm. That's it! I quickly moved to my nightstand, opening the top drawer. Amongst its contents was a plastic baggie of earplugs. Digging out a pair and dropping the bag back into the drawer before closing it again, I then stepped over to my door. I took a second to take a deep breath and gather myself, standing up straighter and flicking my braid back behind me. Then with a firm, determined nod, I turned the knob and pulled, walking back out into the living room.

Lea was sitting on the couch that would be doubling for his bed tonight, arms splayed out wide to either side atop its backrest while he read the textbook that laid open in his lap. He'd pulled his hair out of its ponytail so his crimson locks were once again wild and free and he'd taken off his long-sleeved undershirt, now just wearing the tee.

Looking up at me, he all but leapt up to his feet. "El! Hi! I-" he grunted as the book he'd apparently forgotten was in his lap crashed down hard onto his foot.

I sucked in a tiny breath through my teeth with a frown, taking a step forward and reaching a hand out, "You okay?"

"Fine," he groaned. "I didn't need that toe anyway. It was only holding me back. Just dead weight." He laughed it off as he picked the textbook up off the floor, tossing it behind him onto the cushions before crossing his arms, "So, was there, ah… did you forget something?"

"Yes," I took a little step towards him, then frowned, glancing away. "Well, no…" I started to take a step back before catching myself. Wrong way, dork. "That is to say, sort of… er, I just...hm…" I thrust one fist forward, opening it palm facing up to reveal the earplugs, "Here!"

He stared down at them blankly. Then at me.

"Oh!" I gasped. "Right! Some sort of explanation would probably help." I gave a nervous heh. "So… uh… you know, those two," I gestured with my chin towards my roommates' bedroom door, "well, they just… the look they were giving each other before they went to bed, it's… well, it's a look I'm very familiar with from them. You know the look, the kind that should come with its own Marvin Gaye soundtrack. And those two… when they get going, they can really rattle the old headboard, if you know what I mean." A beat. Then I blanched. "Of course you know what I mean! Right, moving on. So uh… they are not quiet about it and they're definitely not quick. And these walls? They're thin. I'm talking like tissue paper thin. And not even the good Kleenex Deluxe kind of tissue, more like the cruddy, two-bit kind you'd get at the dollar store that just disintegrates if you even so much as breathe on it." Great, now I was just plain babbling. "These walls may as well not even be there for all the sound they block. Or rather, don't block. Then again, if they weren't there, then we'd not only hear but also see-" Wrap it up, girl, wrap it up. "A-Anyway! So just… just take these. You'll thank me later, believe me."

His eyes crinkled and he nodded, plucking them from my hand. "Alright, I'll take your word for it. Thanks."

Good. Okay. Yes, this was going well.

...huh. Though… slight hitch in the plan…

What now? I hadn't exactly thought this far ahead.

Maybe this was enough. I could now just make a graceful exit, leaving things in a better place than where I had previously. Yeah, that sounded good.

I gave him a tight-lipped grin, inching backwards as I pointed towards my room. "Okay then, I think I'll just…" But as I turned, my eyes landed on Rayne's and Riku's door again and I froze and grimaced. "Ah, shoot," I hissed under my breath.

"Problem?" I heard Lea ask behind me.

I shook my head, "I meant to ask Rayne to unzip my dress before she went to bed since the zipper is just where I can't reach and-" I blinked, then glanced over my shoulder at him sheepishly before fully turning to face him. "And why am I even telling you this? Forget I said anything. It's nothing, I'll figure it out."

"I can do it," he tossed the ear plugs onto the coffee table between us before stepping around it.

Waving my hands rapidly back and forth in front of me, I said, "No, it's fine. Really, you don't have to-"

"Don't be silly, just let me help you," he came to stop in front of me.

I tucked in my lower lip. Maybe I was just being silly about this. I mean, what was the big deal? Really? "...o-okay," I sighed, turning my back to him once more and sweeping my braid forward over one shoulder, running my hands down its length a few times. At least my old nemesis, The Blush, had the common courtesy to wait until I was no longer looking at Lea before creeping its way up into my cheeks.

I could sense him taking another step closer to me, could hear his gentle breathing as I felt his fingers undo the clasp at the top of the zipper. One of his fingertips incidentally grazed my skin and I couldn't stop a tiny shiver. Then there was a pause. Like… a long pause. I frowned straight ahead, uncertain. Nothing seemed to be happening. I turned my head slightly, stopping just short of actually being able to look back at him. "...everything okay?"

"Uh… yeah, the uh…" he cleared his throat, "...the stupid thing just got stuck for a sec there, but it's all good now." At last, the sound of the dress unzipping reached my ears. "There ya go, you're all set!"

My hand darted to clutch at the back of my dress, holding it together as I whipped around to face him. My blush? Only seemed to be growing in strength. I started backing away, "Th-thanks… for that. That was really… something. Nice! That was nice. Of you. To do that… for me. I-" I crashed into my door frame and stumbled. "Oops. Heh. Who put that there? Um… anyway…"

And on that eloquent and fully formed note, I dashed into my room, banging the door closed. Then I puffed out a breath, slumping down to sit on the floor as I pinched the bridge of my nose.

Great. Just dandy. I hadn't left things mildly awkward this time. Oh no, I'd only left them mega, ultra, super awkward now. Progress! Superb. Just perfect.

That's it. It's decided. I'm not fit for human contact. I was just going to barricade myself in this room and never come out ever again. Ever. Period. The outside world would be better off without me anyhow. Good bye, people. Hello, sweet sweet solitude. I-

I heard a muffled buzz and my head snapped up. It'd come from Lea's jacket on my bed. I squinted at it for a second. Then it clicked. My phone! I half crawled, half scrabbled over to it, digging into the pocket and pulling it out, swiping the screen.

There was a new text from Lea.

2nite was fun

I blinked, looking over at my door. Then back down at my phone, pursing my lips to one side. My thumbs hovered over the keyboard for a second. Then slowly I began to type.

I thought so too.

I waited as those three little dots hopped in a row.

We shud totes do it again sometime

A huff of amusement escaped through my nose, the tension starting to leave my body.

I'd really like that.

Then I tipped my head to one side, grinning slightly as I tapped away further.

I'm paying next time though.

The dots were dancing on my screen again.

Aight, if u insist. But b warned, Im not a cheap date

Now I actually laughed.

I can live with that.

Perhaps I'd been a bit too hasty. Maybe there was no need to barricade myself in here. Not just yet anyway. I'd hold off for a bit.

At least long enough to see what tomorrow would bring.

Author's Note: Anyone else notice Lea's shirts seem to be getting tighter and tighter every new excuse he has to see Elsa out of his work clothes? I think he's subconsciously putting on a courtship display to present himself as a sexually viable mate xD Ahem, moving on… Fun Fact 1: Fuente Del Oro is a real, Coco-themed restaurant over in Disneyland Park in Paris! Google translate says the name means "Gold Fountain", oooOOooo pretty! I really hope Coco makes it into one of the future KH games eventually! Fun Fact 2: Elsa's dress this chapter is inspired by her purple dress from when she sings Into The Unknown in Frozen 2! Just picture it shorter and more cocktail-dressy. And I know in the movie, that purple dress is a nightgown, but shhh, we'll just forget that part. And the dress Lea described in his "how we met" story? Loosely based on Elsa's Show Yourself dress - again just picture it shorter, more practical and more sundressy xD Also if you haven't heard of it, Before Sunrise is a real movie, not to mention a real SAPPY movie. Kind of slow, but cute. I'd actually never heard of it until I started writing this chapter - saw a gif go by on tumblr of the lead couple from the movie doing something adorable that made me go "oh gosh, that's SO Lea and Elsa!" and had to watch it xD I'm kind of happy it came along when it did though, cuz it gave me inspiration for Lea's "how we met" story :)

Next chapter, what new challenges will Elsa face in her adventures in fake dating? Will she ever be able to work up the courage to initiate a display of affection herself? Just how much of a "not a cheap date" is Lea really? What about his shirts? CAN they get any tighter? Stay tuned!

Thanks for reading, I super duper appreciate it! And an extra BIG thank you to those of you who’ve liked, reblogged, and followed so far, seeing those lil notifications always brings the biggest, goofiest smile to my face!

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mirroralchemist · 4 years

Text

*obligatory FFXIV Nameday fic*

Word Count: 6619 (again a long fic, I’m sorry) Notes: Okay look, it’s October. My birthday was in August. I was supposed to finish this by August. LEAVE ME ALONE ABOUT THAT. But for reals this fic ran away from me a long while. I tried to make it a feel good fic from beginning to end but some angst had to get in there a little bit. I chalk it up to Ami being old af and she’s just in a mood(tm), mind you she’s only a year or two younger than Urianger. Also after 5.0 setting so SPOILERS.

Again thanks to @but-two-days-old for being my Urianger interpreter because THIS FEATURES A BIT OF HIM AND TRYING TO WRITE IT MYSELF MAKES ME EFFIN CRINGE MAN AND WAS LIKE 10% OF THE REASON I GOT STUCK ON WRITING. I love his way of talking but trying to write it, whew childe.

A knock on my door brings me out of my morning activities. I particularly had nothing to do, but to maybe catch up on business I haven’t attended to in The Source. The knocking became more insistent as gathered myself together.

“Just a moment.” I called.

I eventually made the trip to said door, ready to give a bit of a remark about it being so godsdamned early. The words died on my lips as I saw who it was, a slight blush forming on my cheeks.

“Mornin’ Ami. I hope you weren’t sleeping.”

My eyes wandered over to Thancred. He seemed unusually chipper for the time of day it was. I winced at his mood.

“I wasn’t. In fact I was just getting ready to start on my morning training.”

“Perfect!” he spoke, “Mind a partner?”

I blinked for a moment. The request taking a moment to process in my mind. I scanned him up and down, noticing that he was appropriately dressed for such an endeavor. It strike me as odd, seeing as I never really told anyone my schedule during my down times. It could be that he just wanted to spend more time with me.

If I were to be honest, it was still hard to believe that we are in a relationship.

In the end I relented. Mayhap having a partner could prove beneficial, especially someone as well trained as Thancred. More than someone I love, I looked up to him as a mentor and valuable friend. I nodded as I stepped out of my room.

“Okay then, you might find a Monk’s training a bit different than what you’re accustomed to.”

* * *

The sun was set high in the sky by the time we walked into the threshold of the Crystarium.

The session had turned out to be quite fulfilling. There was a quite different experience of having an actual being to train with, rather than the usual striking dummies or imaginary opponents in my head. I glanced over to Thancred to see how he fared. Per usual, he seemed not as bothered.

Quite the opposite in fact, if that slight smile on his face was any indication.

It would only make my cheeks color faster. Remembering more so the downtime between each training session. The swollen lips and splotches of red hidden by my hair. He caught me staring. That only seemed to make his smile wider.

“That is becoming quite the color on you my dear.”

He only laughed as my blush became deeper.

I soon felt his arm around my shoulders, casually stroking the bare skin. Soon a pair of hurried steps made our way. We had almost separated, if it wasn’t for the fact that the steps belonged to Ryne. I smiled at the girl, though her expression seemed slight panicked.

“There you two are. I have been looking all around for you.”

“Sorry Ryne, training took more than expected.” I said.

She shook her head, “No, that’s quite alright. The Exarch had wanted to meet with us as soon as possible.”

I separated from Thancred as I crossed my arms, a thoughtful look crossed my face.

“Have he finally made progress in getting the others home?”

Ryne only shook her head.

“I don’t know. He just informed me it was important to get everyone together. The others are already in the Ocular waiting.”

I looked at Thancred, who only looked at me with a sudden seriousness. A brief nod was all it took before I followed after Ryne. It was automatic, going through the Aetheryte plaza to the Dossal gate. Up those familiar grand set of stairs to head inside the Crystal Tower, as I had always done since coming to The First. The guard there and Ryne shared the briefest of nods before opening the door to let us in. I calmed at the quietness as we entered. I always have a sense of nostalgia going here, even though it was not quite the same Crystal Tower I explored in Mor Dhona.

I was once told trying to make sense of time is quite an undertaking.

We reached the set of doors that would take us into the Ocular and stopped. I cocked my head to the side. Normally we would just walk in since the Exarch was expecting us. Instead, Ryne gave a few quick rasps on the double doors.

“They are here as you asked.”

“Thank you, send them in.” came the muffled reply.

Ryne moved out of the way and a slight push from Thancred put me at the front of the doors. They wanted me to open it, it seems. It didn’t quite match up in my mind what was going on. But it would not have been the first time I was suddenly thrust into odd circumstance. I put my hands on the door handles and pulled.

Only to be met with a flood of confetti.

I paused for the longest moment. My mind catching up to the suddenness of the past moments. I looked around the room. Celebratory decorations all around the perimeter of the crystalline blue walls with the floor sprinkled with the selfsame confetti (which hadn’t made a pile where I stood). In the middle stood a table, somewhat small but not too grand.

Placed right in the middle was a cake.

“Oh dear, I think we broke her.” came Thancred’s reply.

I shook my head out of the thoughts. I looked around some more. There I saw each of my companions, my family gathered in the room. Each one of them having the warm smile on their faces as they looked at me. In the center was G’raha probably smiling the warmest of them all. A larger hand soon fell upon my head, delicately removing the shredded paper that stuck to my blue locks.

“Dost knowest thine significance of this day, no?”

“Time is always a fickle subject to accurately discern.” G’raha began to explain, “So the dates may not exactly line up here in The First. But, if we were go to by the date of the Source, then today would be-”

“The Third Sun of the Fourth Umbral Moon.” I finished, “My nameday.”

A few nods confirmed it.

For a moment, I didn’t react. Other than the surprise of the gathering, I was curious about how they knew of my nameday. I turned to look at Thancred, who looked quite pleased with himself.

“You were the distraction.” I surmised.

“Well, not entirely.”

I let a small sigh come out. The hand was was previously in my hair found its way intertwined with my own. The size easily dwarfing my own. I instinctively leaned into Urianger, feeling comforted by his being.

“Thank you all, really. But I never mentioned my nameday.”

“Tis true, thou didst not breathe a word of it to anyone; pray allow me to explain.” Urianger explained, “I recently chanced to hear from Mistress Tataru that thine nameday had not long ago passed-such 'twas a reminder that despite mine intent to do so, I most regretfully failed to impart unto our dear friends the importance of that approaching day, as we all are gathered so rarely and oft have far more pressing matters to discuss at those times. Yet this could not be let to stand, and at once did I hurry to make right mine unfortunate mistake.”

I looked towards him, seeing the twinge of regret in his eyes. I almost wanted to tell him that it was fine, after all I never bought it up. But seeing the how earnest he wanted to rectify (what he thought) a mistake I couldn’t tell him so. I suppose that was one of the reasons why I had grown to be enamored with him. I patted his back in a comforting fashion.

“My story of finding out...” G’raha added, “Isn’t as glamorous and not meant to be explained, given the intended mood of today. It seemed Urianger and I are like-minded when it was soon realized the day was fast approaching. We told the others and they agreed. Everyone here you helped in some fashion or another; without asking for a thing in return. Let us thank you by celebrating the day you came into this life, dear friend.”

“Raha…” I began to say.

I was speechless at his words. Speechless and a little homesick. Of course, I could come and go to Eorzea as I pleased. But becoming as close as I was to the Scions over our journey here it wouldn’t have felt the same. I rubbed at my eyes to stop the tears threatening to fall.

“If Thancred wasn’t so eager to provide the distraction, we would have put the Exarch to the task.” Alisaie quipped, “If we had agreed to his every whim, you would have had a nameday festival a week long. Understandably, he wouldn’t have realized that you would not want such publicity so in the end we decided to ban his involvement beyond making your cake.”

“Wha-hey!”

Despite my best efforts, a rather undignified laugh came out. I could honestly see it playing out exactly how Alisaie described. She looked quite pleased that her observations got a reaction out of me while G’raha gave a weary but appreciated smile.

“If we are done with explanations,” Y’shtola mentioned, “may I suggest we have our friend blow out the candles? I do not think scraping melted wax off the cake was a part of our plan today.”

I smiled at her before separating myself from Urianger. I took my time to examine the cake and its design. It was a simple, two layered cake with white whipped icing and berries placed on it. Two candles adorned each side of the top of the cake, the flames flickering ever so. Now, I had only dabbled in the Culinarian guild when I had first started but I can tell that considerable care went into its creation. The surge of happiness welled stronger in this realization. I took a deep breath. Giving a silent thanks to the gods for allowing me to have such a personal moment with my friends, I blew out the candles.

A chorus of applause and more confetti rained down on my head. This time, I didn’t stop the tears from flowing for they were of happiness. My heart wanting to burst with the tangible love I saw from each person in this room. I vaguely felt Urianger’s hands rubbing my shoulders in small circles to ease my tears.

It was a far cry from a short while ago; in which I was complacent in not welcoming this day.

“Come now Ami this is a joyous occasion, no tears here.” Alphinaud spoke.

I gave a nod.

The tears eventually stopped and the celebration got underway. It was a quiet affair, all things considered. I didn’t mind it overmuch. It reminded me of the namedays I had back home. There was only the three of us back then. Before I became an adventurer and subsequently a Warrior of Light. I could still remember how my guardians, as busy as they were, would always took a moment out to celebrate my nameday. Being raised in two different cultures it was never a dull moment.

I truly had missed them.

Once this is all over, I’ll go see them again.

Alisaie soon stood in front of me, her hands behind her back. She looked a bit embarrassed; although I would never point that out to her. Soon she thrust her hands forward to put an item in my hands.

“There!”

I blinked before looking down at what was exactly in my hands. It was a rapier. The blue crystal blade sparkled against the lights of the room. It was fairly light and I could feel the magicks imbued in such a weapon. I looked up at her, clearly confused.

While I had been working on my arcane skills to put to rest the other cardinal virtues, I never once mentioned it to the others.

Much less the methods to combat them.

“I had heard from the townsfolk in Mord Sorq that there are a couple of hunters trying to get rid of a particular sin eater there. I had to have figured it was your doing, as is your wont to help everyone you come across. They only came to me in realization that you were fighting in a similar style. Although I am quite cross you didn’t come and tell me you were going to fight in this way.”

“Sorry?” I meekly said.

“’Tis fine, ‘tis fine.” she waved off, “I fully expect to see you in battle with it sooner or later yes?”

“Of course,” I answered with a smile.

“Since my sister so subtly announced, I suppose it is time to give our gifts.” Alphinaud mentioned.

He stepped up to me as I put the rapier in my pack. I looked at him, still catching myself in awe that the young man before me was the haughty boy I had met when I had just joined with the Scions. Bearing witness to his growth during our travels in Ishgard and even now, I was proud of him. He placed a tin into my free hands. Simplistic in design and only wrapped with a singular ribbon. But even at this range I could pick up the fragrant scent of dried tea leaves emanating from within.

“I confess, it was quite difficult to decide on a gift for you. I even asked the Chais for their suggestions on the matter. They send their regards and insist you visit when you next happen upon Eulmore. Despite my many explanations they were rather insistent to personally hand their nameday gift to the, in their own words, ‘maiden I am enamored with’.”

I could see the light dusting of blush on his pale skin. I chuckled softly as I pulled him into a hug. I felt him stiffen for the slightest moment before relaxing into it. I was not one who usually show such affections for him, we usually had a silent understanding of our familial relationship.

“Thank you Alphinaud.” I spoke in earnest, “I shall go see the Chais at my earliest convenience.”

As we parted, another stepped up; Y’shtola in fact. The Miqo’te woman stood before me. Despite my greater height, I still at times felt smaller towards her. Someone who was assured of herself and her path, qualities I hoped that in my time here in the First I had somewhat began to grasp for myself. In her gloved hands was a hairpin. My crafting more so favored alchemic creations, but I could see the quality behind the simplistic design.

“You really shouldn’t hav-”

“Don’t be so modest now,” she interjected, “It is your nameday and it is completely allowed for you to be spoiled. For future reference, you ought to be more forthcoming with your hobbies. It was quite the task to discern a gift for someone who is quite secretive about what makes her happy.”

Her bluntness always took me by surprise regardless of hearing it so many times. I had appreciated that about her. It was why I could come to her for advice. I nodded at her words. Then she gave me a subtle wink as she went to affix the pin to the side of my hair.

“Much better. Your bangs were becoming a mess.”

I had fiddled with the looser part of my bang, suddenly self conscious. Y’shtola only chuckled at my reaction. I was not weary of the chuckle, but she always seemed to know more than what she lets on at times. I could never forget how she figured so soon about my more personal activities. The unmistakable clinks of jewelry intermingling with shifting robes could only tell me of one person who was approaching next. I crane my head to meet the gaze of Urianger. A subtle silence fell upon us.

A slight flourish of a bow before placing in my hands a tome. No, not a tome exactly but a journal. It was the same size of the one I normally carried during my more creative excursions. My hands ghosted over the dark blue, nearly black, leather bound cover. A quick thumb through saw the completely blank pages, with a thin ribbon used as a marker. I looked up at him once more noticing how his golden eyes sparkled in satisfaction. It made me feel a touch guilty, it certainly couldn’t have been an affordable item.

“Thank you, but I cannot accept this,” I said, extending the journal back into his space, “You especially did not need to give me anything. We wouldn’t even be celebrating my nameday if it wasn’t partially for you.”

He placed his hands on top of mines. I had hoped he would accept my decision. But in a rare bout of stubbornness, he pressed the journal towards my chest our hands never breaking contact.

“’Tis a small price to pay for the continued pleasure of your existence.”

“But-”

Before I could complete my protest, I was softly kissed. I blinked for a moment, noticing how Urianger’s tanned skin took on a slightly dusty shade as blush. He was not one for displays of affection such as this. It was still new to me as well. His thumb easily stroking the distance of my own hands. His gaze softened into a fond affection; one I could never tell if the nature was in friendship or love.

“Prithee accept this,” he spoke in a calming gentle tone, “'Tis but a small token of mine appreciation, for the compassion thou hast shown me when mine actions hath left me most undeserving of it...and a token I most deeply hope to bequeath unto thee not only this day, but for as many more of thy namedays as I may be privileged to be some small part of."

He had spoken it softly, but with such conviction. I looked away, his words having an effect on me. I nodded minutely, having no reason to refuse the gift now. His hands and left mines, one going to rest on the small of my back. It lingered there for quite some time before the affectionate gaze morphed into one of satisfaction and lips curled into a wry smile.

Oh, it seems that he did pick up a few habits from the pixies; the devious man.

“Um…”

I soon turned my attention to the small voice. I was soon met with Ryne’s shy posture. Her hands were behind her back as she looked at me with a quiet stare. It was honestly looking at myself at her age. Perhaps it was why I took an immediate liking to her. I waited patiently, not pushing her to speak her mind until she was ready.

“I wasn’t exactly sure what to get in these kinds of gatherings. But Captain Lyna said that these were good. So I figured you might like them too.”

She revealed soon after in her hands was a satchel. I took the item from her and unwrapped it, realizing it was foodstuff inside. Biscuits if my eyes were correct.

“They’re coffee biscuits.” she added, “It isn’t much but I hope you enjoy them. You’ve done a lot for me. I appreciate your strength and kindness, especially when I needed it most.”

I managed to free a hand to pat her gently on her head. I smiled softly at her honesty. My heart warming at seeing her slowly become more relaxed at the acceptance of my gift.

“Thank you Ryne, truly. I believe with Alphy’s tea I’ll enjoy these all the more.”

I heard a snort behind me, most likely Alisaie. Along with the hushed murmurs of Alphinaud. Ryne stepped back from me, making her way back to the side of her (basically) guardian. My eyes found itself locking into Thancred’s. He seemed somewhat guarded, something I wasn’t wholly unused to. No, ever since we met again in this land he had always taken up that sort of reaction. Taking his task as a Gunbreaker to heart, I’d speculate.

“Go on.” Ryne spoke to him with a nudge.

He stumbled a little, surprised at the surprising boldness coming from her. He gave the most bewildered look, causing me to chuckle. He seemed to have noticed it too, looking at me with a tired expression. But it was in good spirits. He slowly made his way towards me, stopping just in front. Even now, after everything, being this close still caused me a bit of rush to my chest. He placed a gloved hand on my shoulder, smiling at me.

“Well, I had an entire speech prepared to shower you in unending praise and affection. But Urianger beat me to it. So I suppose something a bit shorter is in order.”

He finished the statement by giving a pointed look at Urianger. He only responded with a knowing smile, the same he gave me.

“At any rate, we would be here for a long time if we were to speak every whisper from our hearts. So I won’t. You already know what is in mines; I’ve spoken them to you so many times in private, I need not repeat them. You have done much, my dear. Most especially for a fool like myself and appreciate every act, now and evermore.”

He placed in my hands a gunblade. I stared at it in confusion. It was my gunblade, in its more compact state. I glanced back at him, ready to question it.

When did he get my gunblade?

“It seems,” he began, seemingly knowing the question, “while you had your talk with Urianger some time ago, you left it behind. I had always intended to give it to you, but seeing as your nameday was approaching, might as well hold off until then no?”

I could only nod numbly to his explanation as I stared right back down at the blade. It looked unassuming and a poor choice of gift. But I could tell, having used it for so long, that it was different. The condition of it was vastly improved, its hairline scratches completely cleared. I stepped back to give it a quick swing, noticing how much faster it shifted from compact to battle states. Smoother as well. I couldn’t test it here but I had an inkling that it would perform better against enemies too.

“You had it augmented?”

The smile on his face only confirmed my inquiry. I let it go back into its compact state before putting it away. I looked around, seeing everyone had their eyes on me. It was as though they wanted me to say a few words. I let my head fall in nerves of what to say. I was never one for public speaking. I took a deep breath before meeting everyone’s gazes once more.

“I honestly don’t know what to say.” I began, “I’m grateful for everything. I may not say it a lot, but thank you for everything. I don’t know where I would be if I didn’t know of your friendships and love.”

Each of them nodded, agreeing with the sentiment.

Eventually we all had settled into a comfortable atmosphere around the Ocular. I assume we all needed a small respite from our separate endeavors. Even if it meant I would be a bit embarrassed about having attention focused on me. I could bear it for the day.

Though, I couldn’t help the feeling I was being watched.

Granted that it was my nameday; it should have been normal to being watched. This felt different. I looked around eventually finding that the source of the stare was Alisaie. She just stared at me. It wasn’t an exactly uncomfortable stare but it was scrutinizing. Once more she made her way to me, as the small pout formed on her face.

She was more temperamental than Alphinaud, so I could never quite prepare for her.

“Ami,” she began carefully, as if she was considering her words, “It’s none of my business who you spend your personal time with and I know you won’t do it on purpose. But don’t you hurt Urianger. He’s family and I’ll see to it if you do.”

I blinked slowly, letting her words sink in.

A full blush settled on my face. She was quite serious in her warning. The way she put her hands to her hips and settled into a warning glare. There was a vague thought of her bluntness rivaling Y’shtola’s.

“Are you sure about that claim Sister?”

Alisaie and I turned our focus towards the source of the question. Alphinaud had heard us and was soon standing beside us. He seemed to be in thought.

“It was not that long ago I had seen her and Thancred around the Crystarium and they seemed particularly close.” he noted.

If I could I would have blushed even deeper. I knew exactly the moment Alphinaud had witnessed. It had began as just a simple walk around the city but it soon escalated into something much more intimate.

...nevermind the fact that we were meeting with Urianger that day.

“I am not particularly knowledgeable on the subject but I am sure friends do not kiss in the way those two do.”

“Surely you can see that Ami’s heart has always been for Thancred?” Alphinaud countered.

“And I am not denying that, dear brother,” Alisaie said, “but I am telling you that there is more than mere friendship...unless…”

“Unless?”

I could see Alisaie in deep thought over her words. I remained silent on the matter, embarrassed about what was transpiring. It seemed painful long minutes before she finally looked up at me. I could see the faint color on her cheeks while her eyes widen in surprise towards me.

“She’s seeing them both at the same time.” she suddenly said.

Now, a lot happened in that moment.

I was not sure if she knew, but she had reached that conclusion rather loudly. An immediate silence fell over the room. Suddenly all eyes were on me. A rather undignified gasp left me like I had been gut punched.

Although, it wouldn’t be too far from the truth.

“Finally!” came Y’shtola’s voice, “We can stop pretending we did not know.”

My head turned so fast to the Miqo’te who only responded in kind with a sly wink. A part of me should have known it wouldn’t have escaped her notice. Oh gods, I wanted to go back to my quarters at that moment.

“Come now,” she continued, “you honestly did not think it would escape our notice your particular affinities in recent times? You can do a lot, Ami, but when it comes to your feelings it is very clear.”

I opened my mouth to attempt to speak, but promptly close it. There was no point to refute it. Especially since it was never my intent to hide my relationships. I just hung my head low and let out a hard sigh. I soon felt both my hands being grabbed, seeing that Urianger and Thancred had each taken a hand. They seemed to share a look before leading me right out of the Ocular.

“Now then,” Thancred said, “since everything is out in the open. Fine time to whisk our damsel away for a more private nameday celebration, no?”

The way he emphasized private left no doubt what he had implied. I heard a chorus of groans from the others as I threw an apologetic glance at them.

"Thancred, mayhap 'twould be best for thou to keep some secrets...?” I heard Urianger remark.

His eyes were suddenly staring at the back of my neck.

…where the hickeys from Thancred’s “distraction” still laid.

* * *

It was late at night, I realized. I stared up at the ceiling of my room within the Pendants. My body feeling a pleasant high while my brain tried to focus from the haze of sleep and blissful release from the last few hours. Celebrations that continued quite long into the night, showing a much more physical appreciation of my nameday. Thinking of it now brought a tingle though my body. As content I was at the present moment, the need to move was greater. Carefully I left my bed.

As careful as I could considering I was sandwiched between an Elezen and a Hyur quite adamant on lavishing me on physical affection.

Once I was up and dressed in more modest sleepwear, I stared at their sleeping forms. It was odd to think that in such a short time I would find myself in this setting. The me back then would have never scarcely believe myself being the focus of affection for two men. I shook my head from the thoughts and walked towards the dining table. My eyes scanned over each of the gifts given to me for my nameday as it reminded me how much I was cared for.

It was these reminders that help me see that I am more than my duty.

I poured myself a mug of water and began to drink from it. It wasn’t long before I heard the soft knocking. Who could have been out here so late, I wondered. The knocking grew a bit insistent, but never rising.

Most likely knowing the occupants in my quarters.

I opened the door, surprised it was G’raha on the other side. Still in his Exarch attire I see. His crimson eyes not quite looking at my blues while his hands wrung nervously. It reminded me of him approaching my room before we were to meet to discuss the last Lightwarden.

Had G’raha always been this shy?

“Forgive me for the late visit.” he spoke, “I did not want to...interrupt your prior engagements if I had came earlier.”

I shook my head at him, blushing that he indeed knew exactly what was going on.

“It’s fine. What can I do for you?”

“Walk with me?” he asked.

I stood at the threshold of my door for a moment, thinking of his request. It did not escape my notice that he was awfully quiet during the get-together. I had wanted to thank him as well since he was the other half of the celebration even happening. But then I was whisked away before I could get a word in.

“If you’re gonna go,” came Thancred’s sleepy murmur, “go.”

My head instantly turned to my bed. Only to meet gazes with Urianger. The sheet had pooled around his waist, giving me quite an eyeful of his bare chest. Even after all this time, it still takes me by surprise how fit he actually is under the robes.

“If there is aught thou yet wouldst say to another, prithee go and do so” he spoke, absently stroking Thancred’s hair.

I don’t think he knew he was doing that consciously; or maybe he did with how his gaze softened so at the touches.

“- that any further distractions may be far from thy mind tonight.”

I nodded. Not that I needed their permission, but I felt comforted all the same of their acceptance of the late night excursion. I slipped on a pair of shoes before closing the door behind me. G’raha seemed surprised at my choice of attire, refraining from any comments on it. The walk was quiet, save for the workings of those who were on the nightly shift of the city. A sense of peace washed over me every time I walked through the Crystarium, it felt like home for me. Many minutes passed in this mutual silence until we walked up the stairs of one of the watchtowers looking over the city.

The very same I was told was G’raha’s favorite spot which transformed into mines as well.

From there we stared at the Crystal Tower. A wave of nostalgia filled me, yes it was reminiscent of the night before we ventured into the void. It seemed he too reached the same thought, if the wistful gaze towards the tower was any indication.

“Thank you for seeing me so late, my friend.”

“No trouble.” I waved off, “It’s the least I can do. You’re the other half why we celebrated my nameday.”

He settled into a smile then. He took some breaths, setting his eyes towards me once more. There was a different air around us. Something set by the wealth of changes both of us had gone through from that night on the Eight Sentinels.

“I cannot help to feel like the young man from then being like this.” he admitted.

He grabbed something from his robes before pressing it into my hands. It was a small box, I realized. I blinked at the container before looking up at him once more. A smattering of a blush across his face as he absently scratched at his crystallized cheek.

“Before you can protest, I wanted to at least give you a gift. The others may have prohibited my involvement with planning but they said nothing of gifts.”

I frowned at him slightly before setting out another sigh. I reluctantly accepted the box and opened it. For a solid moment I was stilled from shock. My eyes settled on the item quickly glancing at him before looking back down at the item once more.

“If I could, I would give all of myself for you. But I hope this is enough.”

I couldn’t help the full on blush creeping onto my skin. Very few moments in life now catch me genuinely off guard, this was one of them. Was he-? I shook my head. He couldn’t have. He knew now of my situation.

“Raha,” I began to say in a firm tone, “It’s a ring.”

“Yes, it is.”

“But it’s a ring.” I say again.

His brows knitted close, thinking of my statement. It must have been a full minute before they rose, his ears rising too. That blush bloomed as he came close to being just as red as part of his hair.

“Oh...no.” he finally said, “Oh! I-I had only meant that I wished to fight by your side more. To help more than I had prior. I did not mean-that isn’t to say that what I feel for you isn’t similar but...Ah! Forget I said that!”

I watched as he fretted about his words. He seemingly confessed more than he intended. Seeing him so brought a chuckle out of me, rising until it was a full laugh. Tears started rolling down my face at him. He noticed my state, frowning a little but eventually joining in the laughs too.

“I’m sorry,” I said between fits of laughter, “I am not laughing at you. Just, I missed this.”

The sounds of our joined laughs kept on for quite a while. When it settled enough we both were sitting on the ground. As I regained my composure, I put the ring on my index finger. It was a perfect fit. I was a bit suspect how exactly my ring size was known so readily. But that would be a question for another time. It was slight, but I felt the hidden power behind the jewelry. It was simple; something that actually fit with what I preferred in my gear. I slung an arm around his shoulders and brought him close to my side. I felt him stiffen at the touch, eventually relaxing into it.

“Thank you Raha. For everything.”

I touched at my heart with my free hand.

I released my arm from his shoulder and hugged my knees to my chest. I let out a small breath as I looked towards the Crystal Tower once more.

“You called me your inspiration. But I feel the opposite is true as well.” I confessed.

He turned to look at me, eyes widening in shock.

“I had decided I was going to work harder so that when you awoke, the realm would be far better than the state it was when you slept. Even as the weight of the path became heavy to bear at times. You had inspired me to keep going even if I felt less than adequate for the task. I have Her Blessing, but when you strip that away what else is the-ah. Forgive me, you called me out here and here I am unloading my burdens.”

“No! No, please. Continue, I want to hear it all. I feel honored that you trust me with your burdens my friend.”

It took a moment but I nodded. Hearing him call me his friend made it easier. Whether it was the atmosphere around us or the realization I was older now made it easier to give words to these thoughts.

“Some times I think if I did not have Hydaelyn’s blessing, what else is there to me? I see the people I fight with and wonder how I found myself into their fold. I’m not as smart as Urianger and Y’shtola. I cannot gather information like Thancred can. I barely know how to broker diplomatic relationships like Alphinaud. And Alisaie, she goes to her convictions with such zeal that I can’t even began to imitate. Even Ryne, as new as she was, has taken to the legacy she inherited and molded it into her own self. I look at all of them and then look at myself.”

G’raha did not say anything for a long time. I feared that I had said too much for him. I did not want anyone else to feel guilt over these words. I heard the shuffle of him standing up and moving. It wasn’t for long before he stood over me, looking intently into my eyes. He seemed to glow with the back light of the night sky and the Crystal Tower’s illumination.

“That might quite possibly be true.” he conceded, “You do not have quite the same extensive qualities the other Scions do. But are you aware of what you do have? Kindness, a readiness to help others on your own accord. Oh how I hear about your praises all around the city. Your knowledge of topics may not be as vast, but you acknowledge it and try to make an effort to expand it. Whenever the others report while you are resting, nary any report goes by without some mention of the gratitude of what your presence brings to the table. You have an inner strength Ami. An inner strength so beautiful and shining that it draws others towards you. It drew me towards you, it was how I knew you would be remembered by all walks of life my dearest friend. That is something that was never blessed upon you, it’s always there and can never be stripped away. Remember that when the weight of your burdens become too much.”

I fell silent at his words as it pulled at my chest. I was almost ready to cry. To hear those words so fervently. Somewhere within I should have known this. But I hadn’t and it took this to realize it. His hands reached out and touched at my cheeks, wiping the stray tears away. His expression softened.

“No tears. Your partners would be quite displeased if I returned you in such a state.”

I laughed lightly as I rose from my seat. I nodded to myself before gathering G’raha into an embrace. The little mewl of surprise did not escape my ears and only spurned me to use my physical strength to lift him up a touch off the ground.

“Thanks Raha.” I said again, “My dearest friend. Thank you.”

#shit writing #writing things #fan fic #fanfic #fanfiction #fan fiction #Final Fantasy XIV #Final Fantasy 14 #FFXIV #FF14 #5.0 spoilers #In which my WoL gets outed for being in a poly relationship #Thancred/WoL/Urianger #LISTEN I WILL DIE ON THIS SHIPPING HILL #Ami loves them both and there's nothing you can say that will change my mind #Ami got banged on her nameday offscreen #RYNE JUST HAS TWO DUMBASS DADS AND A SISTER MOM NOW #There's also some UriThan if you squint #and not so subtle WoL/Exarch

3 notes · View notes

darksunrising · 4 years

Text

Sola Gratia (3/?)

Masterlist

Rating / Warnings : General Audiences, no warning.

Fandom : Bram Stoker’s Dracula, BBC’s Dracula, various Dracula and vampire lore.

Part 3/? (2262 words)

Author’s notes : Eris starts to explore, and starts to understand castle and Count both hold some mysteries she is not sure she wants to resolve.

~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~

My eyes fluttered open, and it took me a second to make sense of my surroundings. Sitting up with some difficulty, the soft mattress seemingly trying to keep me in, I set the covers aside, and threw my legs over the edge of the bed. The room was bathed in a strange light, almost green, and if the rain had stopped, the sky was still low with bulging clouds, threatening to burst open at any moment. The fire in the hearth had died out, only leaving a few red coals to shimmer softly.

I changed back into my new outfit. My usual clothes might have dried out overnight, but I had to admit I really loved the skirt. It had pockets, for hell’s sake. I had no idea what time it was, the dark skies making it impossible to assess the position of the sun. I figured if I were going to do anything, I might as well go check on the damage in my bag, which I decided to forget about last night. I left the room, trying to find my way back to the main hall. After a few hesitations and turnbacks, I finally found the main stairs, and reached my bag, still sitting near the door. As I feared, most of everything was soaked, even the food I’d taken with me. Had to throw that out, at some point. I found my phone, that I had miraculously put in a waterproof case. Still working, though on concerningly low battery, and had no signal. I sighed, and set it to extreme batter saver mode, hoping it would last until I could get back to civilisation.

I grabbed my remaining clothes to have them dry with the rest, and went to the dining room. There, the fire was still going strong, with a couple of fresh logs. At the end of the large banquet table, I was surprised to see a steaming pot of tea, and a plate of something close to scones, I believe. It was accompanied by a sheet of thick, high quality paper, folded in half to stand on its own, marked with my name in a neat, graceful handwriting.

“Dear Eris, I expect you had a pleasant sleep. I have left for the most of the day, and will certainly not return before dark. Please enjoy some breakfast, as you must surely be famished. Feel free to explore should you wish it, as I have left the keys for you along with this letter. I hope you will forgive me for my absence, and trust you will find the means for distraction. Your devoted host, Count Vlad Balaur.”

As I read the letter in a half hushed voice, warmth spread across my chest as I finished on his name. A glance at the table confirmed the presence of said keys. If I had to fumble through all of them every time I wanted to open a door, exploring just might take the whole day after all. I slipped them, along with the letter, in my pocket, and poured me a cup of tea. It was a different blend, black, yet flowery and soft. Perfectly well infused. The scones seemed to be fresh out of the oven, which made me wonder if he baked them himself, or had staff. I didn’t see anyone last night, but then again, it was late. If he was as rich as his house suggested, he just might. I figured I would look out for them. If anything, I had to compliment the chef. I don’t know if it was because I hadn’t eaten since yesterday at lunch, but eating these scones felt somewhat close to a religious experience.

After I became physically unable to eat any more, I decided to follow the Count’s idea, and explore. The castle was old, that much I could tell. I wasn’t an expert on architecture, but I was more or less convinced that the most ancient phase of construction had to be around the 13th, 14th century. The village probably built itself around it, so that would make some sense. Obviously, it had been updated, rebuilt, but the main structure was still visible. A lot of the rooms seemed almost… Stuck in time. A bit messy, crowded, as if the people who last left could come back any moment. Even so, the thick layer of dust dulling the colors made it clear that wasn’t going to happen.

I couldn’t help but feel some nostalgia. 15-year-old me would have been thrilled exploring a place like this. Not that I wasn’t, but at that time, I was so into urban exploration that I almost got dragged to the station a couple of times for tresspassing. My parents never knew, and just thinking of their reaction if they ever had had to go bail me out of jail for being a bastard goblin made me go into hysterics. Couldn’t help but picture my father, stilted up into some sad brown corduroy suit, mouth pinched in a lip-less line, having to pick up a ratty kid who just could not, would not, keep her grubby hands out of dangerous, rat infested abandonned houses. Or shut down psych wards, that one time. Pretty anti-climatic, that was.

I stifled a laughter, and shut the door behind me. Most of the rooms were boudoirs, spare bedrooms and such. There was one large room, covered in hunting trophies and animal skeletons. This one interested me the most. Inside, I noticed it was close to a cabinet of curiosities. Glass and wood shelves hosted a variety of skeletons, egg and sea shells, fossils, even some weirdly misshapen baby animals, floating in yellowed jars. The taxidermied animals seemed almost real, and at any moment, I expected them to start moving around. One shelf, built along the whole length of a wall, was dedicated to various skulls, ranging from standard game, elks, boars and whatnot, to more exotic things. One in particular caught my eye. At first glance, I thought it might be human, but I was very quick to change my mind.

The skull seemed fine, strong jaw still attached to the cranium, even a bit of mummifies tissue still attached in some spaces. However, the teeth… The teeth made no sense. Too many, too sharp, like they had been filed into curved, pointy shapes you only see in great apes, or carnivorous animals. Reviewing every strange cultural rite that could explain such a bizarre thing, I started to feel more and more uneasy. I almost felt like it was staring at me from the shadows, behind the hollow eye sockets. Not necessarily wanting to linger any more, I slipped out of the room, and locked the door after a few tries. Just to be sure, you know.

I had visited most of the rooms, but still one was pinching my curiosity. If I understood right, I could see its windows from those of the corridor leading to the dining room. Tall windows, almost church-like. I passed its door a few times, but was never able to find the key that unlocked it. The mind works like it works, and by the thrid time, I was almost ready to find a way to pick the lock, or break it down. Frustrated as ever, I gave a kick to the frame, that made me repress a cry of pain.

“Well now, what has that poor door done to deserve this ?”

I nearly jumped at the sound of the Count’s voice. He was standing behind me, a manner which seemed to have become a habit on his part.

“It was resisting my best attempts to pierce it’s secrets, which is a grave offense in my book”, I replied.

“Ah, I am afraid it was entirely my fault”, he admitted, and produced a key from his pocket, twisting it between his long, slender fingers.

A mischievous smile playing on his lips, he unlocked the double doors, and pushed them open, dramatically turning back to face me, his coat flaring around him, arms open.

“Welcome to my library.”

The room was filled with the last rays of the sun, setting on the mountain ridge, under the clouds. It caught the dust the Count must have raised as he entered in golden specs, floating up all around him. Everywhere, bookshelves stretched out up to the high ceilings, accessible by ladders and small bridgeways. The floor was covered in richly woven carpets, and at every comfortable corner sat armchairs and reading tables, agremented with chandeliers. There had to be a lifetime’s worth of reading within these four walls, and for a moment, I was unable to even walk in.

As I finally regained control of my limbs, I stubled inside, jogging to the nearest shelf. Leather-bound books, stacks of rolled parchment, gilted, worn, intricate, small, large, I didn’t even know where to look first. There were so many different languages, I couldn’t even recognize half. I let my fingers trail along the backs of the volumes, deciding on which to pick first.

“Do you like it ?”, the Count softly asked, as if not to disturb my frantic search.

I turned towards him, unable to stop smiling. He looked almost surprised, almost moved. The sun caught his eyes, revealing their deep blue color. I noticed his hair was now dark as night, cascading on his shoulders. Not a single gray hair in sight. He looked almost exactly like his portrait in the dining room, now that I thought about it. He must have noticed my internal trouble.

“Is there something wrong ?”, he asked, stepping closer to me.

“Nothing”, I replied, shaking my head. “You seem to be… Well, for lack of better terms, younger than yesterday.”

“Ah, a bruise to my ego !”, he exclaimed as he carried a hand to his heart. “I know I have left my younger days behind, but I have yet to be an old man.”

It had been a dark, stormy night, and I figured that by candlelight, my mind could have played tricks on me. Maybe I had been expecting a lonely old man so much, that he appeared that way, in my slightly frostbitten mind. I decidedly turned my attention to the shelves, and picked a volume. A bit worn, but the dark green of the leather, and the tiny golden patterns still vivid on the spine. As I read the title, it had me laughing to myself. Ὀδύσσεια, Homer’s Odyssey, in the “original” speech.

“Do you read ancient greek ?”, the Count asked, now looking over my shoulder.

“I have had the misfortune of learning it. Since then, I fell out of practice, I think.”

I turned over the pages, the familiar words coming back to mind without having to really read them. It was with this story, and the Illiad, that my parents taught me. I knew them almost by heart at that point. His tall silhouette, behind me, felt almost protective. I was nearly tempted to let myself lean back against his chest. I could feel soft strands of hair brushing past my shoulder, making a shiver run down my spine.

“Are you cold ?”, he asked. “I am afraid these walls tend to not hold the heat very well. I could have a fire lit here, if you want.”

His tone was almost tender, concerned. I had no time to answer, before I heard the rustling of fabric, and felt the weight of his coat placed over my shoulders. His hands lightly slid down my arms, flattening the soft, tightly woven wool over me. The sudden warmth did nothing for my shivering, and I nervously turned another page. My finger slipped on the edge, which cut right through the soft skin.

I cursed under my breath, watching red bead at the cut, and run toward my palm. The hands of the Count, still over my shoulders, suddenly gripped them tight, almost enough to hurt me. I could swear I heard a growl from deep inside his chest. He took my hand in his, examining the wound. A slow stream of red came trickling down his own fingers. He was leaning closer to me, so much that I could feel his breathing on the nape of my neck, heavy, trembling.

“You should be more careful”, he told me, his voice barely more than a whisper, deep, and dark.

I turned back, freeing myself of his grip, and tried to step away. My back hit the shelves, my injured hand held up to my chest, the other still holding the book so tight my knuckles went white. He once again took my hand, this time holding a cloth to the cut, red slowly seeping into the white cotton. He kept his eyes riveted to the makeshift band-aid. They didn’t seem so blue anymore. He took a deep breath, which sounded almost like a snarl as he let it out. He whispered something in romanian I couldn’t make out, let go, and suddenly, he was gone. Leaving me breathless, confused, holding the now mostly red cotton square to my hand. The edges of the shelf dug into my back. I inhaled sharply, as if I’d been holding my breath the entire time, which could easily have been the case.

I closed the book, and slipped it back onto the shelf. The library was silent, if it weren’t for the faint sound of a crackling fire, in the hearth.

~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~

Taglist : @carydorse @angelicdestieldemon @bloodhon3yx @thewondernanazombie @battocar @moony691 @mjlock

#fanfiction #dracula fanfiction #dracula bbc #dracula castlevania #bram stoker's dracula #vampire x human #slow burn #fanfic #heheh things are gonna go down soon!!!#i'd love to hear what you thing of it #don't hesitate sending me asks or stuff like that !

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icyharrington · 5 years

Text

Friends Close, Enemies Closer (Duncan Shepherd X Reader)

i’ve been meaning to write something like this FOREVER, and last night i finally got around to writing it. just some good ol’ fashioned hate sex ;)

plot: you’ve never liked duncan shepherd. tonight, though, he’s finally had enough of your attitude.

warnings: dom!duncan, fem!reader, semi-public sex, fingering, degradation, choking, sexual intercourse, rough sex

word count: 3.2k

You were already two glasses of champagne deep when Duncan Shepherd finally made his appearance at the party. Standing around with a few of the other single young women, you rolled your eyes at the oooohs that chorused throughout the circle when he made his way through the doors.

“Yeah, yeah, he’s cute and all, but I’m sure he’s got a tiny dick,” you said, perhaps a bit too loudly for your own good, swiftly retrieving a third flute of champagne from a passing waiter’s tray. “I mean, men like him always do. He has to be compensating for something with those thousand dollar boots.”

It was well known that your family didn’t get along with the Shepherds. Personally, you couldn’t care less about your parents’ personal beefs, but there was just something about Duncan that had always pissed you off. Maybe it was his cockiness, or the almost apathetic tone with which he always spoke, or maybe it was something else altogether. Either way, you didn’t like him, and from the times you’d interacted with him at obligatory events such as this one, it was pretty damn obvious that he didn’t like you, either.

“You don’t really believe that, do you?” asked the pretty redhead across from you, the rim of her wine glass stained with deep plum-colored lip prints.

“Oh, believe me, (y/n). I know girls who’ve been with him, and he is most certainly well-endowed,” said a brunette girl whom you vaguely recognized, but could not, for the life of you, place the name of. “‘Course, I’m looking to find out for myself.” At this, a series of high-pitched giggles erupted throughout the group, and you rolled your eyes, taking an admittedly un-classy gulp of champagne.

“Well, looks like now’s your chance,” you said with a grimace, accidentally locking eyes with Duncan as he began to make his way over. He looked handsome, that you could admit, in an all-black ensemble with slightly slicked back hair, and, with a sudden jolt of horror, you caught yourself licking your lips.

“Evening, ladies,” he said smoothly, wedging himself between you and the skinny blonde who stood next to you. Your body tensed at his close proximity, your senses immediately being bombarded with the scent of his woodsy cologne; he turned to you with a polite smile, but you could see the distaste glinting behind his pale eyes as he looked you over.

“(Y/n). Hi. When’s the last time we saw each other?”

“Hmmm. Not quite sure,” you said, wondering if the sudden flush in your cheeks was due to the alcohol you’d consumed or something else. “I think it might’ve been the event where your uncle got piss drunk and called my father a conniving rat.”

You hadn’t exactly meant to say that, but it was too late to take it back now. You watched in half-fear, half-amusement, as Duncan’s lips turned downwards, Adam’s apple bobbing rapidly.

“Still have that fantastic sense of humor, I see,” Duncan said through grit teeth, eyes flitting over to the other girls to take note of their reactions. Most of them seemed unfazed, too taken aback by Duncan’s presence to care much about anything being said.

“And you’re still attempting to grow a full beard, I see.” Okay, maybe I should call it quits on the champagne, you thought, before taking another swig.

He narrowed his eyes at this comment, crossing his arms over his chest and cocking his head. “How’s things going with what’s-his-face? You know, the stockbroker you were dating? Oh, right, I forgot. He’s in prison now.” He quirked an eyebrow, daring you to retaliate, and you just laughed.

“Maybe you can tell him I said hi when you finally end up there yourself. I mean, have you seen the things they’ve been saying about your app in the press lately?”

His jaw clenched, and you knew you’d struck a chord with him. You couldn’t help but feel triumphant, having managed to affect the great and powerful Duncan Shepherd in such a way. On the other hand, though, you felt stupid for engaging in this childishness at all.

“Are you sure you should be drinking that tonight?” he said, gesturing with one large hand to your now half-empty glass. “I’ve heard that champagne doesn’t mix too well with pain killers.”

There’d been a point, several months back, where a few sleazy journalists had attempted to frame you as some sort of pill-popping junkie after you’d been unknowingly photographed taking an Advil in the back of a taxi. Personally, you’d always suspected that they’d been paid off by someone with a personal vendetta against your family in order to try and ruin your reputation, but you never could be quite sure. You snorted, finding it rather amusing that Duncan had even attempted to bring that up, of all things.

“Speaking of pain killers, I’m sure your mom could probably use one more than me. I’ll bet it doesn’t feel too great having her son shoved halfway up her ass twenty four-seven.”

Okay, fuck, maybe you’d gone just a little bit too far with that comment. Duncan scowled, and you could tell he was trying his best to keep his composure as he tightened his fists at his sides. He sucked in a breath before turning to the redhead you’d been speaking to earlier, now ignoring you entirely.

“You look lovely tonight,” he said, flashing as big of a fake grin as he could muster. The girl blushed, rocking slightly on her heels as Duncan took one of her dainty hands in his and pressed his lips against the back of it.

Ew.

You downed the rest of your champagne, wincing as the bubbles stung your throat before scanning the room for the nearest waiter. You were definitely going to need another drink.

You cautiously looked at yourself in the restroom’s enormous gold-plated mirror, fearing the worst after several hours of drinking and dancing in a crowded room; you were pleasantly surprised, however, when you realized that all you needed was a quick lipstick retouch and a few dabs of blotting paper to your forehead and chin- otherwise, you looked just the same as you had hours before.

You reached down the front of your dress, adjusting the cups of your strapless bra shamelessly. You’d been itching to do this all night, and now that you were finally, finally, alone, you could. You toyed with your chest in the mirror, propping your breasts up to your liking, making sure the diamond in your necklace fell perfectly in the crevice between them. Maybe it was the alcohol clouding your thoughts, but damn, you looked good tonight, and you couldn’t help but admire your reflection. Once you’d finished fixing your hair, you slipped your purse back over your shoulder and left the bathroom with a confident stride.

You walked through the vacant corridor leading back to the event, the music and idle chatter muffled through the enormous wooden double-doors that separated the party from the rest of the building.

You were about to rejoin the festivities when you heard a door slam, followed by a very familiar voice.

“You insufferable little bitch.”

Before you could turn around, you felt a hand on your wrist tugging you back roughly; seconds later, you were pushed up against the wall, unable to move as the man who’d approached you pressed his chest firmly against yours. The man in question, of course, was Duncan Shepherd, and by the looks of him, he most certainly had a few beers on his belt at this point.

“What the fuck are you doing? Get off me,” you snapped, wiggling under the warmth of his toned body. He did not comply with your demands, instead reaching up to grab your jaw, forcing you to look at him.

“Who the fuck do you think you are, talking about my family’s issues in front of everyone? Talking about my mother?” His grip tightened on your jaw and your mouth fell agape, unsure of what to make of the situation at hand. What the hell was he going to do to you? “I’m sure you thought you were being really cute with all those witty little comebacks. Unfortunately for you, though, I didn’t find them funny.”

“Go fuck yourself, Duncan.”

You made a half-hearted attempt to escape his grasp, your skin growing warmer as he brought his face even closer to yours, dark stubble grazing your skin. At this sensation, you felt a sudden well-known ache between your thighs, and for a second time your lips parted in shock. This was turning you on? There was no fucking way. You hated Duncan Shepherd. And yet…

“Oh, somebody’s getting fucked tonight, but it certainly isn’t me.” He trailed his free hand down along the curve of your right hip, fingers working up the fabric of your short dress before ghosting over your bare thighs. You shuddered at his touch, sinking your teeth into your bottom lip as his plump lips brushed your ear. “See, insolent girls like you can’t simply stop misbehaving. They need to be shown their place. Fucked into submission.”

His tone was gruff, dominant; you almost moaned aloud as his words vibrated against the tender stretch of skin below your ear. His opposite hand slipped from your jaw to your throat, pinning you against the wall as his other hand wedged itself between your warm thighs, your legs instinctively parting for him as he stroked against your damp underwear with his fingertips.

“You’re fucking soaked,” he remarked, sounding almost disgusted as he pushed hard against your clit. “And to think, all this time I thought you hated me.”

You ground your hips down against his fingers and he smirked, intentionally moving them back to frustrate you. “When really all you wanted was for me to put you in your place,” he continued, squeezing your throat lightly as he traced small circles over the thin layer of fabric that covered your sensitive bud. “Isn’t that right, (y/n)?”

He paused, looking up at you underneath a veil of long eyelashes. When you didn’t answer him, he tightened his hold on your slender neck, baby blue eyes widening expectantly. “Answer me.”

“Y-yes, Duncan,” you gasped breathlessly, reaching down to dig your fingernails into his forearm, desperate for his touch. “Please.”

His tongue darted out of his mouth to wet his lips before he returned to touching you, pushing your panties to one side and sliding a finger into your heat without warning.

“Wait,” you whispered, eyes darting over to the double doors, all at once remembering that the two of you were, in fact, in public. “Duncan, we’re in public…”

“Oh?” he said, pumping his long finger inside you before adding a second. “Well, that’s a shame. You didn’t have the decency to watch your mouth in front of other people, so I’m not going to allow you the decency of being fucked in private.”

“Fuck,” you groaned, eyes fluttering shut as he curled his fingers inside you, brushing expertly against your tight walls.

“But from the way your tight little cunt is practically dripping on my fingers,” he drawled, stretching you as he slipped in a third finger, thrusting ruthlessly until tears sprung from the corners of your eyes, “One would think you like the fact that we’re in public.”

“Oh my god,” you moaned, tilting your head back to rest against the wall as he worked you open. He was making sure you’d feel him for days, filling you up as best he could with sharp, near-painful motions; still, you couldn’t get enough, rolling your hips forward with each merciless push of his fingers.

“That’s it, little slut. Unravel for me.”

You wanted to hate him for reducing you to this, wanted to fire back at him with a biting retort and wipe the smug look right off his face, but all you could do was let out moan after pathetic moan, well past the point of coherency.

Bringing his fingers out from your entrance and dragging them along your folds, he used your gathered wetness to massage fast shapes against your bare clit; panting, you wrapped your fingers around his arm, bucking towards him in a needy display.

“D-Duncan, please-“ you whimpered, breath catching in your throat as he intensified the pressure on your bundle of nerves.

“Shut up,” he growled, bringing his fingers from your cunt to your face. They were absolutely slick with your arousal, and he pulled them apart to demonstrate the vulgar way your juices stretched between them, glistening in the dim light of the hallway. Without another word he used his fingers to drag down your lower lip, smearing your wetness across it before jamming them inside your mouth, pressing down on your tongue hard enough to gag you. “Taste how much of a dirty bitch you are.”

You looked up at him with glazed-over eyes, bobbing your head up and down his slim fingers as you swirled your tongue over the calloused skin. He nodded approvingly at this, rolling his full bottom lip between perfect white teeth, and you could feel his growing bulge press authoritatively against your upper thigh as you cleaned him.

While you did this, he took it upon himself to wedge his expensive boots between your own high heels, forcing you to widen your stance for him. You yelped in excitement at the sound of his fly unzipping; he locked eyes with you before pushing his fingers all the way to the back of your throat, reminding you to stay quiet, and you obeyed, wrapping your lips around the digits and sucking hard without another sound.

Reaching down to his crotch impatiently, you assisted him in retrieving his cock from the confines of his pants. You shuddered at the feeling of his warm, stiff skin in your palm, realizing that you’d been wrong about his size- he most certainly was well endowed, his length thick and massive, and gratefully you rubbed your thumb over his slit, spreading the bead of precum across the flushed head.

“You want my cock? Huh?” he rasped, removing his fingers from your mouth and wiping your saliva against the front of your dress before pulling it down, exposing your hardened nipples.

“Yes, fuck,” you groaned as he tweaked your nipple, hard, not bothering to be gentle. He took a fistful of your tits in each veined hand, pushing them together and viciously kneading the soft peaks before dropping them, licking his lips as he watched them bounce obscenely.

“Yes, what?” he asked, allowing you to run the leaking head of his cock against your slit, stopping at your entrance. Then he slapped your hands away, taking hold of his shaft with one hand and using the other to pin your wrists firmly against your chest.

“Y-yes, Duncan, I want your cock,” you breathed, too turned on to feel any real shame at the vulgarity of your words. “Fuck, I need it.”

His lips twitched at each corner, and in one swift motion he pushed himself all the way inside you. You cried out, burying your head in his neck and biting down on his broad shoulder while he decided on a rhythm to fuck you with. He must’ve been the biggest out of all the men you’d ever had; it almost hurt, the way he stretched you out, his hips pounding against yours with such aggression you knew you’d have bruises tomorrow.

He let go of your wrists, taking hold of the padded skin of your upper thighs, low hisses escaping his throat as your narrow walls welcomed him, swallowed him up. You lifted up one leg, wrapping it tightly around his waist to give him better access to you, the friction of his muscular torso against your clit only helping to increase the euphoria coursing throughout your body.

“You don’t deserve to have my cock inside you,” Duncan mumbled lowly into your ear, causing all your hair to stand on end. “So you better be grateful, bitch.”

His degrading language only pushed you closer to the edge, and greedily you thrusted your pelvis forward to meet each hard stroke. Bringing one hand back to the hollow of your throat, he squeezed hard enough that your vision blurred, before proceeding to forcefully turn your jaw in his direction. His eyes were heavy-lidded, the light blue eclipsed by dilated pupils, and his gaze was searing. You swallowed noisily, swiping your tongue over spit-glossed lips and blinking innocently as you waited for his next action.

“Don’t ever disrespect me like that again,” he said, breath hot on your face as he pulled you down fully on his cock, rotating his hips so you could feel every inch of him against your innermost points. “Do you understand me?”

“Y-yes,” you whispered, eyes rolling back as he administered a sharp upward thrust inside you, so deep you felt the head of his cock push against your cervix.

“I said,” he seethed, allowing himself a momentary distraction as he sucked a bruise just below your collarbone. “Do. You. Understand. Me?” A chill made its way up your spine at the sheer anger behind his voice, and frantically you nodded.

“Yes, fuck! Yes, I understand you!”

“Good.” With that, he fucked into you with such force you thought your legs might give out, not giving you any time to situate yourself as he impaled you into the wall. You nearly screamed out, a string of expletives passing your lips as the coil in your stomach began to slowly unwind itself, hands wrapping around his body to claw at his bare ass. If somebody came out into the hallway, you’d be screwed, but somehow that fact only excited you further.

“You gonna cum all over my cock? Huh?” he said, each word punctuated with a harsh grunt as he neared his own orgasm. You felt his cock twitch inside you and your lower body began to shake, now dangerously close to losing your composure.

“God, Duncan, yes,” you said mindlessly, pulling Duncan as close to your body as you could manage, hips moving in melodic time with his.

“Cum,” he ordered. He brought one hand to your clit, swiping his thumb roughly against the swollen bud. That was enough to push you over the edge, and within seconds you were cumming just as you’d been instructed to, making half-moon shaped imprints in the delicate skin of his ass as your cunt clenched around him.

Moments later he, too, was releasing, his hot load warming your insides and strengthening the feelings of ecstasy washing over you. Still with Duncan’s cock buried deep inside you, the two of you stood there for several seconds as you fought to catch your breath. Then he pulled out, causing his thick cum to dribble down your inner thighs, quickly tucking away his wet dick into his pants.

You adjusted your dress, making sure that everything was sufficiently covered, feeling a slight twinge of embarrassment as Duncan observed you with a cocky half-smile stretched across his handsome face.

“I trust that my point has been made clear?” he said finally, chuckling when you reached into your purse and retrieved your compact mirror. You looked like a complete fucking mess.

“Yeah, whatever,” you griped, running your fingers through your knotted hair in an attempt to make yourself look somewhat presentable again.

“Good girl.”

And, with that, he turned on his heel and returned to the party, leaving you alone with your thoughts.

#duncan shepherd #duncan shepherd x reader #duncan shepherd smut #house of cards #hoc #cody fern #mine #duncan shepherd imagine #michael langdon

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komorebirei · 5 years

Text

The Water Was Never Afraid - Chapter 20: Kettle

(AO3)

“I was wondering if you’d come by.” Marinette closed her sketchbook and straightened up, crossing her legs like a pretzel in her lawn chair.

Chat Noir found it incredibly cute how she could still fit comfortably in the chair, sitting in such a childish way.

“We’re becoming good friends now, aren’t we, Chaton?” Marinette grinned.

“The best of friends.” He winked and flashed a winning smile, hoping to make her blush… she didn’t. Ah well, worth a try. “By the way, how’s learning the piano going?”

“Heh… not going, really. I’ve been busy with work lately, so I haven’t had time to practice. And I’m not taking lessons or anything, so… still as lame as ever.”

“Don’t sweat it, Princess.” He perked up as an idea hit him. “Hey, how about I play for you?” That was a friendly, non-flirty thing to do. His guilty conscience could be okay with that.

Marinette quirked an eyebrow. “Didn’t you say you couldn’t?”

“Not while transformed.” Chat tilted his head, chasing a wink with his cutest kitty smile as he let the implication set in.

“Chat Noir…” She leveled him with a warning look that reminded him of the way Ladybug got when he pushed the line with their identities.

Chat laughed off her seriousness. “C’mon, Princess, don’t be like that. You think I’m trying to reveal myself to you? I know better than to play with fire. We’ve got eyelids for a reason. Go ahead, make yourself comfortable on the couch and close your eyes.”

She tapped her lips with a finger and hummed, feigning deep deliberation. “I don’t know, Chat… seems a little risky.”

“What’s risky about it? You’ll be nice and safe on the couch, temptation-free. Unless I’m so good that you can’t resist taking a peek.” He grinned his trademark Chat Noir grin, more wolfish than catlike.

Marinette shot him a look that could curdle milk.

Chat deflated. “Okay, you’re a warrior princess—I respect you. I know you’d never cave and look. That’s why I trust you!”

Marinette’s expression was still dubious, but her lips quirked up at the corners, showing that her resolve was crumbling.

Chat gave another push. “Don’t you want to hear me play? I’m willing to bet you will love these songs I have in store for you.”

“… All right, fine, you win. I really do want to hear you play.” With a smile, she stood up and unlatched the door, holding it open for him. “After you, Minou. No funny business.”

“Thank you, Princess!” He bounded inside excitedly. He knew Marinette would be squealing in minutes. He slid into the piano bench as Marinette followed him in and settled into the couch. “Tell me when you’re ready.”

“Ready—Wait, hold on. Let me heat water for tea.”

“Go ahead.”

While Marinette put on the kettle, Chat Noir ghosted his fingers on the keys, brushing up his memory.

“Okay, you can detransform.”

Chat glanced over and took in a side-view of Marinette curled up on the couch, sunken into the cushions, her lips peacefully upturned.

“Don’t do anything shocking,” she warned. “I might accidentally look.”

“The only thing that would shock you is how stunningly handsome I am,” Chat joked.

“Don’t make this hard for me,” Marinette teased back.

He blushed, abandoning the sinking ship.

He realized he felt very nervous. He was about to detransform in front of Marinette. There would be nothing but two paper-thin layers of skin separating this moment from the utter chaos of Marinette finding out it had been Adrien Agreste, her boss’s son and a taken man, visiting her home all along.

Terror clawed at his chest, and he was about to call it off, when Marinette called out quietly, “Minou?”

He took a deep breath and glanced at her, waiting patiently with her eyes closed, her forehead furrowed with concern due to his lack of response. She had felt reservations about doing this, but she trusted him enough to let him. He decided that he trusted her.

“Claws in.”

As the magic left him, materializing in the form of a tiny floating cat beside him, and the world didn’t implode, a mad grin swept across Adrien’s face.

Plagg shot a questioning look between him and Marinette.

“All in good fun,” Adrien assured him quietly. Yes—this was fun, not terrifying. “Marinette knows about kwamis, so you don’t have to be too subtle.”

Letting a momentary silence clear the air in preparation for the music, Adrien pressed the opening jazz chords of the first number, butter-smooth. Since the style was different from the original arrangement, it took a moment for Marinette to recognize what he was playing, but her reaction betrayed the exact moment when she did.

“Oh my gosh, Minou!!!” Marinette squealed, sitting up in excitement with her eyes still closed.

Adrien smirked. He had expected this reaction. He knew her favorite Ghibli films and which songs she played on repeat while stitching for hours.

“Merry Go Round of Life—a jazz version? I love it!! You’ve watched Howl’s Moving Castle, Chat?”

“Of course, Princess,” Adrien answered without stopping. I’m the one who recommended it to you, after all. “It’s my favorite. Don’t you think I’m as charming as Howl?”

“Much more charming,” Marinette replied slyly, and Adrien’s heart skipped a beat. “If by charming, you mean over-the-top and ridiculously dramatic.”

He chuckled. “Ah, but Princess, you’re far too kind.”

Marinette snorted and settled back into listening. “The jazz style sounds so cool! You’re really good, Chaton.”

He soaked up the praise, feeling on top of the world. Plagg jumped on the keys, dodging Adrien’s fingers, a game he often played to make his chosen’s practice sessions more fun. Adrien laughed when Plagg was too slow and he felt the odd sensation of his finger going through his kwami.

“Ouch, speared me, kid!” Plagg teased and fell dramatically onto the keyboard, letting the keys buffet his little body, tossing him here and there.

Adrien laughed again at Plagg’s antics.

“Is that your kwami?” Marinette asked. “You guys are cute.”

Plagg flew over to say hello.

The kettle started to whistle.

“Chat,” Marinette nudged.

Right, she couldn’t get up and walk around while he was detransformed.

He stopped playing. “Got it.”

“The tea bags are in the top drawer to the left of the stove… take your pick.”

Adrien switched off the kettle and opened the drawer to find a variety of colorful boxes neatly nestled together like a Tetris board. “And for the Princess?”

“Plum for me, please!”

“And cheese for me!” Plagg piped up.

He found the box labeled ‘Plum Tea’ in Chinese.

“It’s the pink box in the front,” Marinette guided him unnecessarily.

“Found it.” He knew where she kept the mugs, so he took two out of the cabinet, selecting for her the red one he’d seen her use before.

“Ah, and there’s cheese in the fridge.”

There was only Gruyère, but Plagg liked it well enough.

“Just to let you know, my favorite’s Camembert,” Adrien heard Plagg tell Marinette in a stage-whisper. Funny how well they seemed to be getting along. Nothing seemed to faze Marinette. What an admirable girl.

“Which tea did you pick, Chaton?” Marinette asked curiously.

“Plum.” He smiled to himself. “So we can share the experience, to make up for the fact that you can’t see me.”

Marinette snorted. “What a sap.”

Once the tea had finished steeping, he brought the mugs over and placed Marinette’s on the coffee table by her knees. “Careful with your fingers—it’s hot.” He set his own on a round mini-table by the piano, beside a photo of Marinette posing in the bakery with her parents. He missed the bakery.

“Any requests?”

“Finish Howl’s first. It’s my favorite!” Marinette gave him a pleading smile, eyes squeezed shut adorably. “Actually, could you start over? Please?”

“Anything for you, Princess.” He started over.

She listened in contented silence, and Plagg came to dance on the keys some more.

After finishing, she gave him enthusiastic applause. He moved on to another Ghibli jazz number, this time from Spirited Away, smiling at the appreciative noises she made.

In the middle of playing, she stopped him. “Okay, pause.”

“Hmm?”

“Your tea’s getting cold! Why don’t you drink some before you continue?”

“As the Princess wishes.”

He stopped and took a sip. It was pleasantly warm, instead of hot—the perfect temperature to drink. She must have known because hers was that temperature right now, too. Adrien smiled, savoring their shared experience more than the tea.

“How did you know I would like this music?” she asked.

“Just a hunch.”

The transient perfection of this moment—drinking tea with Marinette, the memory of Ghibli jazz lingering in the air like a fragrance—made his heart ache. It was like freshly fallen cherry blossom petals on their last breath before decay. He sighed, watching her eyelids tremble with the effort to stay shut.

This moment didn’t belong to him, Adrien Agreste. It belonged to Chat Noir. Chat Noir, who could be anybody. Or nobody.

He could run into Marinette at the office tomorrow. Unlikely, but possible. If he did, she’d give him her usual professional greeting, and the same smile she gave everyone.

That thought felt like a punch to the stomach.

He placed his hands on the keys and started to play again, shifting his mind away from these distressing thoughts. The chill, whimsical notes that filled the air seemed laced with melancholy this time. Maybe only in his own ears, though.

As he played, he watched her longingly. She and Plagg were talking in voices too low for him to overhear over the piano. A sad smile tugged his lips when she doubled over, giggling. The pain settled deeper into his chest, the longer the moment wore on.

“Want to watch one together when you’re done, Chat?” Marinette asked in a small voice.

“‘Watch one’?” He stopped playing and stared at her incredulously. “A Ghibli film?”

“Yeah, whichever one you want—I have the collection. You put me in the mood.”

His chest warmed. Marinette hadn’t watched any Ghibli films before he introduced them to her, and now she loved them enough that she had the whole collection? He counted this as a conquest, as proof that they were two peas in a pod.

There was work waiting for him at home, but nothing he minded losing sleep over if it meant a couple more hours basking in Marinette’s presence. “I’d love to, Princess. How about now?”

“One more song, please?”

“How could I refuse?”

He played one last, an upbeat, jazzy version of the Totoro opening theme song. Marinette wiggled her shoulders in a playful accompanying dance, Plagg doing the same in the airspace around her.

Cute.

Smiling at her fondly, he beckoned Plagg and called his transformation back on.

“Open your eyes, Princess.”

When Marinette opened her eyes, she was bursting with glee and enthusiasm to convince Chat Noir of his talents. “Chat, you’re amazing! I can’t believe you play so well.”

He gave her a lopsided smile. “Only because a beautiful girl was listening.”

This time, she did blush, which did something to soothe the ache in Chat Noir’s chest.

“Want to watch Howl’s Moving Castle?” Marinette asked. “You said it’s your favorite, right? Or—whichever one you want.”

“Sure. But next time, Kiki’s Delivery Service. It’s about you and me.” He winked. “Though, honestly, Jiji acts more like Plagg.”

Marinette laughed. “You got it, Minou.”

Next time—the words echoed in Chat Noir’s mind like a dangerously enticing promise.

How had they fallen into this?

—

In the middle of the film, Marinette suddenly slid an arm behind Chat’s back and draped her other arm across his stomach, nestling her head in the dip between his shoulder and chest.

Melting against her, Chat wrapped his arm around her. “Don’t tell me you’ve fallen for my charms, Princess,” he joked, the line falling from his lips as naturally as an exhalation. He barely even felt guilty for flirting with her anymore. It was inevitable. She was irresistible.

“This is your hug of the day.” Her voice sounded more serious than he would have expected. “I can tell when you’re sad, Minou.”

“Wow, Princess. Are you sure you don’t have super powers?” He tightened his grip and rested the corner of his mouth on her head, inhaling her scent—rose shampoo and something sweetly Marinette—wishing to press a kiss to her hair if that weren’t crossing the line.

Marinette didn’t answer, but she hugged him tighter, taking his response as confirmation that he was feeling down.

They stayed like that for the rest of the movie, then Chat Noir went home, feeling like a moth whose wings had been crippled by the flame.

#Miraculous Ladybug #Miraculous Ladybug Fanfiction #Marichat #Adrienette #Adrigami #The Water Was Never Afraid #Adrien Agreste #Marinette Dupain-Cheng #Chat Noir #Cat Noir

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ababy-girl · 6 years

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Bodysuit

summary: You post a sexy picture of yourself, but Sweet Pea doesn't enjoy the attention his girlfriend is receiving.

characters: Sweet Pea x Reader

warnings: smut

word count: 1,750ish

hey! I'm finally posting the full version of the Bodysuit imagine, I hope you guys like it!

Going to the mall with Toni was always fun. You would try on clothing pieces you wouldn't buy, eat all kinds of stuff, take pictures to post later and all that. This day wasn't different, you two just got on forever 21 where a sale was happening, a big variety of pieces you grabbed just to play around in the fitting room. One being a white bodysuit.

“wow, that looks great on you,” Toni said, gazing at the piece. “ I'll pick one on a different color for myself!”

“Hey, first take some pictures, I wanna show sweet pea this bodysuit” She then embodied a professional photographer and started to snap a bunch of pictures at the same time. While she went out to pick her own, you decided to buy the piece, it was going to be a great addition to your wardrobe.

After the mall expedition, you got a milkshake and called the uber not wanting to call the boys to pick you up. “Good thing we didn't come with the bikes” Toni tried to accommodate herself inside the car while maneuvering the shopping bags in her hands.“Yeah, I don't think we would be able to drive with all this!” On the way home, you looked at the pictures of the day, your eyes flashing to one Toni took at the fitting room. You then edited and decided to post the picture, imagining what would be Sweet Pea’s reaction.

“Damn, Sweets, your girlfriend is hot” Fangs said while checking his Instagram feed at the white wirm.

Lifting his head, Sweet Pea looked at Jug that had the same expression as his, furrowed brows that carried confusion for the sudden comment. “Yeah, I know, why you're saying that?”

“She just posted a picture, look” Fangs stretched out his hand to show his friends the picture Y/n had posted half an hour ago.

Her face was half cropped, only showing her mouth. From a lower angle, the girl exposed her Snake tattoo on her hip, her hand framing her bum. Wearing only a bodysuit and her usual big rings. Behind her was the dressing room mirror, and a piece of Toni's pink hair could be spotted.

“That looks bad-ass” Jughead said with a small grin, proud of his own joke.

“Shut up, Jones” Sweet Pea said with clenched fists “that ass is mine”. Seeing the number of likes and comments on her picture, he stormed out of the bar, leaving the boys confused by his sudden burst.

You were laying on the couch when the enraged boy entered the trailer with red in his eyes. “Delete that picture”

You couldn't believe he was angry because of the picture you posted, “what are you talking about? I ain't deleting anything!” He was always jealous, you knew it was trouble when you posted the sexy picture but thought a little playing wouldn't hurt.

“Yes you are, look at all the guys commenting there, seeing your body! Only I can see you like that!” Sweet Pea said between clenched teeth.

“Well, that's just stupid. I can post whatever I want!” after all, everyone knew you were together, even the jocks at Riverdale High had learned to understand that. “It's just silly comments on a silly picture!”

“That's not silly! That’s full-on bedroom behavior you're showing them” he knew there was no arguing with you, so stubborn no one could change your mind and personality. You are a free spirit and couldn't be bothered with people telling you what to do or how to act. And that drives him crazy, he doesn't want you alone in parties where people could touch you, he doesn't want people to see what he could see in the bedroom, he wanted all for him. “Whatever, Y/n.”

“Hey! Where are you going?!” You asked gazing at his tall frame walking to the door of the trailer. He didn't answer, just shut the door behind him.

With your legs up, listening to some music and going through your feed, you jumped with the sound of the door banging open and SP going to the bathroom. “Jeez” yep, he was still mad, but you wouldn't apologize for something you didn't saw as wrong! But you had a way to show him that the picture was a nice one. When he came out of the bathroom, You were was laying on the bed with a bathrobe, staring at him.“I don't know why you're so mad at the picture, you know, everyone can see my body…” the serpent boy was already starting to open his mouth to speak how everyone now knew how hot you looked with that little amount of clothing, when you started to open the bathrobe, revealing the bodysuit of the picture.

Crawling to the end of the bed, standing on your knees. “... but only you can touch it.” You took his hands and guided through Your body, nipples hardening with the coldness of his rings on your skin. “Anyone can see this... “ his hands traveled your curves, every inch of your body, mouth-watering on the sight “but no one can enjoy the feel” Sweet Pea’s mouth kissed your jaw while his hands held you by the waist, the other one on the back of your tight, “everyone will know what you can have, everyone will envy you, everyone will want to be you. Because you're the only one that can have me in your arms like this”

it was like magic the way the words slip into his head. only you had that power over him, making him speechless. You were actually right, no one could touch you like him. You backed up on the bed and invited the boy to join you, what he did almost immediately after his head came back from space.

Sweet peas body hovered over yours, emanating the heat only you could bring to him, your lips touching came almost as a sip of cold water to refresh yours desires. his tongue fiddling with yours with a considerable force and passion, the fabric of the white bodysuit felt so soft under his hands, the sight and the feel almost angelic to the boy. Your hair splattered around your hair like an aura of pure bliss to his eyes. how could something other than his hands embrace and hug her body so perfect and beautifully? and it was all his.

Sweet Pea got his phone from the back pocket of his jeans and opened the camera, framing his tattooed thumb on her mouth. "well then, let's show them you're only mine" and with a snap of the picture, his phone was already on the floor, the jacket and flannel following behind. His body hovering over your figure sending chills to your spine. He knew the amount of power he held and was no scared to use against you. Of course, you were stubborn as hell and would not budge when you had an idea in mind. But he still held the dominance in him. His dominance that emanated through his kisses down your body.

Getting between your legs and pushing the cotton layer of the bodysuit aside, the view of your body on it was perfect. The piece had a low cut, exposing the inside of your breasts, giving you that underboob look. "Now they know where your tattoo is, baby girl"

"Yes, they won't need to doubt my loyalty anymore" His mouth then kissed your inner thighs, teasing you when not giving attention to the part you needed and wanted him the most. Using your hands you tried to push his head to your core, but he resisted. "I think you deserve a little teasing, don't you agree?"

"I hate when you are right" and he was. With all the picture event you knew your pleasure wouldn't come easy. The tip of his long fingers traced along your core, from the sensitive nub to your entrance. And he kept this pace going for a while, touching you and watching your figure squirm under his hands, keeping you from moving or thrusting into his digits. With time you started to whine, but it didn't last long."If you complain I'll make it a double round of this" he was a professional at the art of torture. After he felt it was enough teasing you felt his lips kissing your inner thighs, moving in and upwards to the root of your problem.

His mouth closed around your clit, his tongue flicking up and down with a spectacular pressure. Sweet Pea took his time savoring your tastes and moans, before he moved to your breasts, his member touching your entrance.

"Come on, Pea. Stop the teasing." With that, the boy entered you with force, you didn't had the time to adjust at all. He moved in and out without a pause.

"You're so tight" his mouth was inches from yours, his breath fanning on your face "tell me you want it deeper"

Fuck. "Give me deeper!" He used more force and you didn't think he could go any deeper, but he did.

Your boobs bouncing up and down. “You're mine," he said and swiftly turned you face down, "I'm gonna make you feel it" his cock pounded into your pussy, one of his hands holding your face onto the pillow and the other keeping your ass up by the waist. His pace was furious and you could already feel the pressure on your belly, the butterflies flying away trying to break free. And you did.

"Oh yes! Yes, Sweets!" You were a moaning mess when he pulled you by the neck. Your back touching his body and his dick reaching a whole new spot inside of you. "Yes! I'm cumming!"

His hand still on your waist helped him to keep thrusting, he was close. "Make me cum with your pussy" The boy's grip on you waist increased, so did the hand on your throat. His grasp sending you into another trance, as your pussy squeezed and contracted around him, making him release hot spurts inside of you. "Fuck."

You both fell onto the bed, tired and panting.

"If I knew that would be my punishment I would have posted more pictures sooner."

"Yeah, don't try me, princess. And you better keep this piece” his hands gripped your bodysuit straps, holding you close to him.

#riverdale #sweet pea #sweet pea smut #riverdale smut #sweet pea x reader #sweet pea imagine #sweet pea fic #riverdale imagine #riverdale fic #riverdale x reader #bodysuit #smut #fic #imagine

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we-are-only-halfway-home93 · 5 years

Text

Come and Lay the Roses 9- Comfort When It’s Cold- [Ivar x OC]

Summary: Ivar and Aaline say “I Do”. Aelle makes a deal with Ragnar.

Characters: Ivar x OC, Bjorn x Torvi, Ubbe x Margrethe, Hvitserk x Thora, Sigurd x OC, Ragnar, Lagertha

Warnings: Arranged marriage, language, violence, sex, torture

Word Count: 3961

Ch. 8

Author’s Note: So the wedding vows that I used in this chapter are traditional Celtic vows. At least, I’m pretty sure they are. I found them on Pinterest and I loved how they sounded. I thought they fit fairly well with where I want this story to go and with Ivar and Aaline. Anyway, enjoy!

“It is an unfortunate fact that we can only secure peace by preparing for war.”

~John F. Kennedy

Lagertha had truly outdone herself.

Red, black and white decorations elegantly transformed the manor into something out of a bridal magazine. Red and black floral arrangements lined the circle drive so people could see them as they drove up. A valet was there to take the cars around to the side of the house, out of sight of the ceremony and the following reception.

At the end of the stairs, in front of both the left and right banister, was a pillar of roses. Red rose petals scattered the entryway across the black carpet that lead guests down towards the backyard where chairs had been set up in curved rows on either side of the aisle. Each chair had white upholstery and red bows around the back. A tall white archway stood in front of the assembled chairs with sheer white fabric draped over the back. Lagertha had elected to have a judge preside over the ceremony.

Aaline peered out the door of her designated changing room. She had a good view of the lounge that had been turned into a reception area. Lagertha had opened up the sliding doors that separated the outdoor patio from the inside, opening up space and allowing for more tables and chairs. Several round tables were placed throughout the room with white table cloths and block chairs draped in red sashes. Red and black rose petals were scattered across the tables and the floor. White roses served as the centerpieces.

Aaline closed the door and turned back to the room. Lagertha was adjusting Sibylle’s straps while Torvi stood at the back window, watching people being seated. Margrethe and Thora sat on the sofa along the back wall. Thora was trying to engage Margrethe in conversation while Margrethe tried, and failed, to hide the flask she had hidden in her garter. Aaline had watched her take multiple sips throughout the day and she was well on her way to tipsy.

Aaline took a deep breath and turned to the full-length mirror on the back of the door.

Her hair had been styled in loose waves that had been teased and gathered at the back of her head in a full bun with wisps of hair hanging in specifically placed strands around her neck and face. A necklace of diamonds and pearls had been pinned around her hair, draping over the style in a graceful circle. A classic set of teardrop diamond earrings decorated her ears and her mother's freshwater pearl hung from her neck.

Her makeup was simple but sophisticated. Sibylle had put on a light layer of foundation with a powder on top. There was just enough blush on the apples of her cheeks to give her pale complexion some color and bronzer was strategically placed to narrow her face and give her a glow. A fine dusting of highlight focused the light on the prominent features of her face.

Aaline had insisted they take pictures before the ceremony. She didn’t want to spend any more time on them then they needed to and she wanted to spend as little time between the ceremony and the reception pretending. She wanted to spend most of her time pretending before the ceremony so that she could enjoy herself at the reception. It was a party after all.

She blinked and gave Sibylle a tight smile when she came up behind her. Sibylle smiled back and began to clip the veil into place underneath her bun.

“Are you nervous?” She asked. Her voice was quiet enough that only Aaline could hear her. Aaline glanced in the mirror and found Sibylle’s eyes locked on her hair. Torvi and Lagertha were trying to coax Margrethe to her feet and Thora was picking at the flowers in her bouquet.

Aaline pressed her lips together, making sure her lipstick was even and there were no smudged. “I’m marrying a complete stranger. Why would I be nervous?” She said. Sibylle glanced up and met her eyes in the mirror. “You and Ivar seem to be getting along well enough.” She quipped. Aaline scoffed quietly and watched with rising anxiety as Margrethe tried and failed to stand up a third time.

“We understand each other. That’s all.” She could tell Sibylle didn’t believe her when all she did was hum.

She turned when Sibylle placed gentle hands on her shoulders and turned her around. “Ivar’s the one who suggested Ragnar walk you down the aisle.”

Aaline tried to ignore the warmth that settled in her stomach when Sibylle said that. She felt her skin crawl but not in a bad way. It made her uncomfortable but the kind that came with feelings of happiness and contentment. She tried to shake them off. She wasn’t ready for happiness. She didn’t want it.

She broke away from Sibylle when Lagertha clapped her hands.

Margrethe, though unsteady, was on her feet with Thora behind her for support. They were processing in the order of the brother’s birth. Sibylle would go first, walking with Sigurd. Thora would follow with Hvitserk and Margrethe and Ubbe would come up behind them. Torvi and Björn would serve as the Best Man and Matron of Honor.

Ivar hadn’t complained when Aaline suggested they just process in age order but Sibylle told her later that Björn was not Ivar’s favorite brother. Aaline had taken it into consideration but stuck with her decision.

Aaline looked over when she felt someone come up beside her.

Ragnar was dressed smartly in an all-black tuxedo with a blood red tie and a gold tie clip. He had a red pocket square and coattails. His hair was pulled back in a long braid down his back and he looked freshly shaved. On the sides of his head at least. He still sported a full beard although it did look trimmed and cleaned. His eyes were bright and his smile almost childlike in its mischievousness.

Aaline pressed her lips together painfully to keep herself from smiling but it didn’t work. She broke out into a wide grin and Ragnar glanced down at her. “You look beautiful, daughter.” He said.

The breath left her lungs and felt tears suddenly rush to her eyes. Ragnar tutted and gestured with grace down the aisle where Ivar waited. “Don’t cry yet. We don’t want to ruin that beautiful make-up that Sibylle spent hours perfecting. Save your tears for my son when he moves you with his vows.”

Aaline produced a watery laugh and sniffed. The music started and Sigurd and Sibylle began to walk. Aaline straightened and kept her eyes focused on the people in front of her. She counted in her head as the brother’s and their wives made their way down the aisle.

Ragnar hummed and she hooked her hand in his elbow. He settled his right hand on top of hers and squeezed her fingers when it was their turn to start walking.

He kept his pace even and his soft humming helped settle Aaline’s nerves. She saw her father sitting in the front row on the left side, the bride’s side, but she didn’t meet his eyes. She could see his shoulders shaking from the aisle and refused to acknowledge him.

Ragnar stopped just a few feet away from Ivar and the judge. Aaline kept her eyes forward, afraid of what she’d see when she looked at him. “Who gives the bride away in marriage to this man?” The judge said. Aaline took a deep breath, her shoulders tense.

“I do,” Ragnar said. She could hear the underlying glee in his voice. She suppressed a smile. This was, after all, the only time he would be able to “give away” anyone at a wedding.

She ignored the hitched sob behind her and turned to face Ragnar. He winked at her and gave her a conspiratory smile before squeezing her hands and retreating to the seat beside Lagertha on Ivar’s side of the seating.

She met Torvi’s eyes next and handed her bouquet to her Matron of Honor. Torvi nodded once and double fisted the flowers.

Aaline could hold it off no longer and turned to face Ivar.

He was beautiful.

His eyes were a clearer blue then she’d ever seen them and his hair had been styled back and away from his face, exposing the clean lines and strong bones of his face. His lips looked as if he’d been biting them recently and he was cleanly shaven.

He had on a black tuxedo with a dark red vest and tie. His pocket square matched the red of his tie and he had a gold tie clip to accent.

His eyes were fixed on her face and he couldn’t seem to look away.

Aaline blinked and forced herself to look at the judge as he spoke.

She tuned him in an out as he went on about love and happy relationships. He spoke a little about successful marriages having a strong foundation and how she and Ivar represented that foundation. She almost rolled her eyes.

She blinked when she felt a hand grasp hers. She looked over at Ivar and he nodded towards the judge. She jerked around and blushed to the roots of her hair when she realized he’d prompted her to speak her vows and she missed it.

He gave her a patient nod and she cleared her throat. She gave him an expectant look and he went on.

“Repeat after me…” She listened.

She turned bright eyes to Ivar and took a deep breath, her hands shaking and her heart pounding. “You cannot possess me for I belong to myself. But while we both wish it, I give you that which is mine to give. You cannot command me, for I am a free person. But I shall serve you in those ways you require and the honeycomb will taste sweeter coming from my hand.”

Ivar’s eyes were alight with some emotion that Aaline couldn’t quite place. It almost looked like affection but she wasn’t sure. A small smile graced his face and his shoulders rose and fell too quickly for him to be breathing normally but too slow for his breathing to be labored.

Aaline blinked away the sudden rush of tears and pressed on. “I pledge to you that yours will be the name I cry aloud in the night. And the eyes into which I smile in the morning. I pledge to you the first bite from my meat and the first drink from my cup. I pledge to you my living and dying, equally in your care, and tell no strangers our grievances. This is my wedding vow to you. This is a marriage of equals.”

She felt the heat slowly drain from her face when Ivar took his turn.

She felt she understood his sudden emotion when she felt a well of pressure deep in her chest. His voice carried over her and she felt a sense of calm that hadn’t been there before. She couldn’t take her eyes off him as he recited the same words she’d just finished.

She felt as if the rest of the world had disappeared and everything was centered on the words dripping from Ivar’s lips.

The Lothbrok didn’t make promises lightly and she felt, deep in her bones, that Ivar would be true to his words, no matter how rehearsed they may have been.

They exchanged rings in what felt like a blur, Torvi handing Ivar’s ring to her in a flurry of motion and Ivar slipping her ring on her hand in rapid fire.

“By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride.”

A breathless gasp left her lips and she looked up at Ivar with apprehension.

The vows seemed like a far off dream compared to this moment. Now, she wasn’t sure what Ivar was feeling.

He didn’t give her time process before he slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her towards him. She had a second's notice before his lips were on hers.

He kept it classy, keeping his tongue in his mouth, but his lips were gentle and relaxed against her own. She took a breath and got a lungful of something that was truly Ivar. She felt dizzy and a soft sign fell against his lips. He groaned and brushed his nose against her cheek before pulling away.

She met his eyes and there was a storm of emotion brewing behind them. She shivered and goosebumps rose on her arms.

“It is with great honor and privilege to present to you Mr. and Mrs. Ivar Lothbrok.”

Ivar collected himself first and stepped out towards the crowd, keeping her hand in his. He smiled towards their guests and began to tug her down the aisle. She had to lengthen her strides to catch up to him but was fast and they walked into the house as a unit.

Ragnar heaved a deep sigh as he settled his frame into the plush chair in his office. He stared, with glittering eyes, at the men seated across from him.

Aelle and Ecbert had been invited for two purposes. One was to show power. He needed them to know that he was not afraid of them and that he felt they posed no threat to him. The second was to broker a deal regarding Aethelwulf and the millions of dollars that Ragnar “lost”. He would rather have waited until well into the reception to begin the discussion but Aelle had pulled him aside twice before the ceremony and once just as the reception was getting started. Ragnar did not have the patience for Aelle’s desperation.

Björn stood behind him on his left and Ubbe and Sigurd stood on either side of the door. Hvitserk was at the reception with Ivar and the women to keep them updated and placated at the same time.

Ragnar cleared his throat. “Let’s get this moving. It’s my son’s wedding and I’d like to see the first dance.” He waved his fingers dismissively and delighted in the color that rose to Aelle’s face.

The large man shifted in his seat and Ragnar eyed his chair with concern. “What do you want for the safe return of my brother?” Ecbert coughed and Ragnar snapped his eyes to the other man. When he didn’t make a move to speak Ragnar addressed Aelle.

“You cost me a great deal of money.” He said. He sucked on his teeth to prevent the smile from crossed his features. Aelle’s face had turned a dangerous shade a purple and Ragnar was almost worried. He saw Ecbert lean over and whisper something that only Aelle could hear. The larger man shifted again and jerked his head to the side. He cleared his throat and Ragnar smirked.

“You have my brother.” The words sounded almost forced from Aelle’s mouth. Ragnar chuckled. “You didn’t leave me much choice, Aelle, attacking my docks like you did.” The big man chewed on his lip and kept his beady black eyes trained on Ragnar. He didn’t appear to want to respond to Ragnar’s statement so Ragnar gave him an answer to his earlier question.

“Twenty-five percent of your annual income. Cash.” Aelle spluttered. “I do not think I heard you, Ragnar Lothbrok.”

Ragnar grinned shark-like and leaned forward. “Twenty-five percent. That is the price.” Aelle blew out his breath like he’d been deflated and moved to stand but Ecbert leaned over again and Aelle was quick to sit.

Ragnar narrowed his eyes at the fairer man. He didn’t like that Ecbert seemed to be controlling the meeting. Twice now Ecbert had intervened when Aelle nearly lost control. Twice now Ecbert had been a voice of reason and Ragnar did not like his amount of control.

Aelle tugged on the sleeves of his jacket and cracked his neck. “I agree to the terms but first, you must return my brother.” Ragnar cocked an eyebrow at Aelle’s forwardness.

“When we receive payment, you shall have your brother.” Aelle seemed to forget that Ragnar was the one who had control. Ragnar didn’t need twenty-five percent of Aelle’s income. Yes, the millions of dollars he’d lost at Kattegat was disappointing but he made double that at half his other docks in a week so it was tragic that the money had been destroyed. Aelle was the one who wanted something from Ragnar so this was going to work in Ragnar’s favor.

Aelle heaved a great sigh and his chair creaked ominously. Ubbe and Sigurd shared a glance. “You must give me time to collect everything.” Aelle held his hands out in a placating manner and Ragnar dipped his head forward.

“And you shall have it. Ten days.”

Aaline had never been more nervous in her life.

The soft melody of the piano washed over her and drowned out the din of the party but it did little in the way of calming her nerves. She could feel Ivar’s breath on her neck and shoulder and the heat from his hands was near to scorching. His chest was pressed against hers in a way that allowed her to feel his heartbeat against her breast. She felt him sigh and he reared back to look at her.

“Don’t look so afraid, Aaline.” She looked up and met his eyes. They were filled with a wicked gleam that she recognized as delight and she scoffed, smiling. “I’m not afraid.” She said.

He snorted and shook his head, swaying her around in a circle. For a man with chronic joint pains, he was light on his feet. Though, that shouldn’t have surprised her with his boxing career.

“Then why do you look as if the cavalry is coming to escort you to your doom?” She looked up at him with wide eyes. A slow smile began to overtake his face and she rolled her eyes. He laughed and she couldn’t help the grin that crossed her own face.

She turned her head to gaze at the face on the outskirts of the dance floor. So many people that she knew and so many that she didn’t.

There were multiple photographers there. One that Lagertha had hired to photograph the wedding, two from local newspapers, and one from a national magazine. The name Lothbrok was synonymous with several nationally recognized chains and organizations so it went without saying that some national outlet was going to request to be at the wedding. Aaline wasn’t sure which magazine had been granted the privilege but she was sure that whoever it was had been heavily vetted by Lagertha and Ragnar.

“I’m not sure what to expect from here.” She was addressing Ivar’s inquiry about her fear. Again, though, she wasn’t afraid. More like...apprehensive. She wasn’t sure what to expect from now on both in the Lothbrok family and in their relationship.

Ivar took a deep breath. She watched his Adam’s apple bob and his jaw clench. His eyes trailed over the room much like hers had just done. He took another deep breath and looked down at her.

“You just take it one day at a time, Aaline.” She wasn’t sure she was satisfied with his answer but before she could press him the DJ announced that it was almost time for speeches.

She stepped back from Ivar and gestured towards the bar. He nodded once and turned to Hvitserk when he slapped his shoulder, grinning like a fool.

Aaline floated between the guests, making a beeline for the bar. She needed a dose, or two, of liquid courage before she continued on with this night.

She rested her forearms on the bar and waited for the bartender to return from God knows where. She needed a whiskey or a bourbon or maybe even tequila. She would probably need it. Where was the fucking bartender?

“Those Lothbrok men are fickle creatures.” Aaline turned to the voice beside her and tensed. Ecbert was leaning casually against the bar with a wine glass clutched in his hand and his elbows braced against the bar. His eyes danced over the crowd and his lips were turned up in a smirk.

Aaline glanced around to see where her new in-laws were and found none of them within waving distance. She turned back to face Ecbert. He turned his head to look at her and smiled fully. Aaline didn’t trust it.

“When I heard that Ivar was getting married I just knew I had to be there. It would have to be a truly remarkable woman who would marry the youngest Lothbrok.” His gaze traveled over her, much like Ivar’s did at their first meeting. Ecbert’s stare was far more unsettling than Ivar’s. Aaline looked around again for anyone to flag down but still, there was no one.

“I came here on good terms, darling.” She jerked around when Ecbert’s fingers closed over her arm just above her elbow. He released her slowly and gestured out towards the dance floor. “Ragnar has proposed a deal with Aelle but I’m sure you already knew that.” Aaline narrowed her eyes. The way the words rolled off his tongue implied that he knew that she didn’t know and was patronizing her.

“They met right after the ceremony, to discuss terms.” He brought his wine glass up to his lips and took a measured sip. He set it down on the bar behind him and turned to face her. “We haven’t been formally introduced.” He held his hand out for her to shake. “I’m Ecbert. King of the Mercia Chapter of The Saxons.”

She took another look out towards the dance floor before placing her palm against Ecbert’s. He surprised her when he turned it over and pressed his lips to her knuckles. “It is lovely to finally meet you Mrs. Aaline Lothbrok.”

Aaline snatched her hand back from Ecbert, her eyes wide. He smiled at her as he straightened, acting as if there was no tension between them.

He picked his wine back up and turned back to the crowd. “I’ve many things about you, Mrs. Lothbrok. Mostly good. A few missteps in your youth but,” He turned glittering eyes to her. “Who doesn’t have a slip up here and there?” He tilted his glass towards her before taking a drink.

Her heart was racing and she could hear her blood pumping in her ears. She had been hoping to avoid Ecbert and had been doing her best to do so but she had stepped away for a moment to get herself a new drink and hadn’t been paying attention. She had missed his presence against the bar and discovered him too late.

“I do admire Ragnar Lothbrok. He has ambition and he doesn’t let anything get in the way of that.” He turned back to face the bar, placing his empty wine glass on the bar top. He smiled at her. “Ragnar and I are a lot alike.” He turned bodily to face her, taking a step closer. She had half a mind to step back but knew that would be a sign of weakness. She stood her ground and Ecbert grinned.

“Nothing gets in the way of what I want.” He stepped around her. She turned and watched him disappear out the back door and into the crowd. She felt a shudder make its way from the crown of her head to the soles of her feet. She tried to push the encounter out of her mind. She didn’t want to tell Ivar but she knew she needed to tell someone. She just didn’t know who.

Tags: @funandmadnessandbadassvikings @jay-bel @bcarolinablr

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