fun fact: Them

gladys/alice + 53

53. Take off your shirt. (apologies in advance to any hal fans reading this lmfao i feel like i did him kinda dirty my bad. but hal haters are not allowed to clown on this post. also this did not turn out sexy just sad lmfao sorry)

read on ao3

She knew tonight would be a shit show. Didn’t matter that she had spent two weeks saving up money to actually buy a respectable enough outfit for dinner with the Coopers when she could have just stolen one. Because she wanted to fit in. Wanted them to like her. Didn’t want to feel like even more of an outcast in clothes she swiped from the local department store. 

Turns out, you can take the girl out of the South Side, but you can’t take the South Side out of the girl. Not according to Prudence Cooper and the giant stick he has lodged up her ass, anyway. 

Alice had been on her best behavior from the second she stepped foot on Elm Street. Had smiled and said all the right things. Had gone so far as to make Hal teach her proper dinner etiquette because she wanted to get everything perfectly right. And none of it mattered. Because all Prudence Cooper had done the whole night was look down her nose at her. Did that shit that all those bored, stuffy, suburban housewives do where they make these cryptic little jabs at you with a smile on their face so you have to think twice about if you’ve just been insulted. Because God forbid they say what they really feel. That’s too tacky, apparently. But playing mind games with a teenager is acceptable. 

By the time dinner was over Alice’s palms were bleeding from her nails digging into them so hard. Because, for as much as she wanted to jump over the table and deck Prudence Cooper in her little Puritan face, she knew better. Because, in spite of his nutjob mother, Alice still loved Hal. Even though she was questioning that allegiance now. 

Not once during that dinner from hell did he pipe his big mouth up to say anything in her defense. He’s her boyfriend. That’s supposed to mean something. All the shit she gets from everyone for dating a North Sider, a Cooper, no less, and she always defends him. And he can’t say one thing to his mother.

So now here she was, at some house party drowning her sorrows, her anger. She’d come here with Hal, she remembers that much. But the minute she stepped inside she made it her mission to stay away from him the rest of the night. She wanted to wipe all memory of Hal and the Coopers from her mind, and she was doing a pretty damn good job of it, if she said so herself. 

There was some blue concoction in a giant bowl in the kitchen that kind of tasted like ass, if she was honest. But, fortunately, it had lost all flavor by her third cup, so she kept going back for more.

She’s lost count by now of how many times she’s sent some freshman to fetch her a refill while she hides out in any other corner of the house that isn’t the kitchen because Hal gave up trying to chase her only for her to dodge him. Thought he was being smart parking it in the kitchen to wait for her to come back for another drink. Like she wouldn’t figure out a way around that one.

But apparently Hal’s wizened up to that plan, too. She can see him moving through the crowd of partygoers, obviously looking for her. She’s got the advantage, though, crouched down on the floor out of view. Time to move, though. Can’t risk Hal finding her and turning this night into an even worse fiasco.

Getting up proves to be a little more difficult than anticipated. The room immediately starts spinning, and she has to reach her hand out to the nearest wall to steady herself. Stands still, takes a couple of deep breaths, then she’s good to go. 

Except she’s not. Barely a step forward and she’s falling sideways into the wall. 

“Fuck,” she says on impact before falling into a fit of giggles. The wall suddenly feels like exactly where she needs to be. It’s nice. Soft. Safe...

“Jesus, Al, how much have you had tonight?”

There’s arms around her suddenly. Strong, but skinny. Not Hal’s. And that voice... definitely not Hal’s. Too feminine, even with the grit it possesses. Something oddly familiar she can’t quite place.

“‘m fine,” she says, trying to push out of whoever’s hold she’s in. The room’s so dark around her. Can’t see shit in front her, but that doesn’t matter. She’s just gotta move forward.

“Like hell you are. C’mon, where’s that boytoy of yours?”

Alice’s eyes flutter open at that. Suddenly the room’s not so dark anymore. Gladys Cohen is the one holding her up, she sees now. Because this night just had to get worse for her.

“Don’t wanna see him.” The words slur coming out of her mouth. 

Gladys huffs beside her. “Fine. Whatever. But I’m cutting you off.”

She reaches for the cup just as Alice is bringing it to her lips. The reaction is slow, but once Alice is keyed in to what Gladys is doing, she jerks her hand away out of reach. “Fuck off.”

“Don’t be a brat.” 

Gladys reaches over again for the cup, this time successfully getting ahold of it. Only serves to make Alice pull back, an anger flaring up inside her. 

“Get off me!”

“I’m not letting you get alcohol poisoning over a fight with your boyfriend, that’s so fucking cliche, Al!”

“It’s none of your business!”

Alice swings her arm back towards her in full force, and she feels it instantly. The warm liquid spilling down her shirt, pressing it to her skin. She looks down and sees nothing but a big purple splotch, the blue drink mixing in with the soft pink of her satin blouse. 

The blouse she spent weeks saving for. The blouse that was supposed to solve all her problems. The blouse that couldn’t save her from making a bad impression on Hal’s mother. 

A dam breaks. Tears free flow down her face and there’s a whine coming from the back of her throat, high and shrill and she doesn’t even care.

“Aw, shit. Al-”

“Everything’s ruined!” She yells with everything she has in her. Pounds both her fists into Gladys’ chest, hard enough that she stumbles back a step, before running off to the nearest bathroom.

She slams the door shut as soon as she gets inside. Grabs the nearest hand towel and places under the water and furiously starts scrubbing away at the stain. Some color rubs off onto the towel but it’s doing nothing to remove it from her shirt. 

Vision blurry with tears, Alice gives up, throwing the towel down with a growl before gripping the countertop in front of her. She squeezes her eyes shut, trying to stop the tears, but it does nothing. She should’ve known better. Playing dress-up for one night doesn’t change anything. She’ll always be South Side trash, and the universe won’t let her forget it. 

There’s a soft tapping at the door. Alice rubs her sleeve under nose before answering. “Go away.” But it’s half-hearted.

The door slowly opens. Gladys peaks her head through, like she’s making sure it won’t get bitten off. When she deems it safe enough she lets herself fully in, closing the door behind her. “You okay?”

Alice sniffles. “Do I look okay?”

“Maybe not your finest hour, but I’ve got no complaints.”

Alice rolls her eyes.

“Take off your shirt,” Gladys commands, jutting her chin out at her.

“I’m not in the mood, G-”

Gladys laughs. “And I’m not trying to fuck the drunk girl. Take off your shirt.” She sets a jug of detergent she must’ve gotten from the laundry room down onto the counter before sliding her jacket off. 

Alice gets the hint, then, and starts unbuttoning her blouse. Gladys is removing her own shirt - some old and hand-me-down Runaways tee - and handing it over. Stands there in nothing but her bra and ripped jeans.

With a tentative hand, Alice takes it, tries her best to avoid looking. Their fingers brushing for the briefest second before Gladys is reaching for the stained blouse. Gets to work on making it look new again.

Alice slips the old shirt on. Can smell the brand of cigarettes Gladys smokes on it. The ones they used to share under the bleachers between periods and behind the Wyrm before Alice decided to quite. There’s an undercurrent of something pleasant there, too. Cinnamon and cloves. A mix that is so distantly Gladys. It makes her head spin, but she’ll blame that on her drunken state.

It makes the tears start falling again.

“Woah, hey.” Gladys abandons the shirt in the sink and turns to pull Alice into her arms. “What’s got you all worked up, blondie?”

Sometimes Alice feels like she made a mistake. That she chose wrong. And she hates to admit because, because she loves Hal. But. She misses her old life, too. And right now... everything feels too familiar. In Gladys’ shirt, in Gladys’ arms. The way Gladys is petting her hair and making her feel okay when everything’s not okay. 

She pulls back enough to look Gladys in the eyes. Gladys traces a fingertip softly at her temple, pushing a lock of hair behind her ear and in that split second Alice makes the decision to lean forward, press their lips together.

It’s wrong. She knows. Hal’s outside looking for her, worried about her. And here she is hiding away, kissing her ex girlfriend. 

Gladys’ mouth opens in a gasp, and Alice takes it as an invitation. Except. 

Gladys presses the palm of her hand to Alice’s chest, pushing her back gently. “I’m not doing this, Al,” she says. There’s no anger in her voice. No hostility, surprisingly. Just... a rational calm that Alice feels so far away from.

“Why not?” Alice pouts.

Gladys smiles, but it seems sad. “Because your boyfriend’s outside.”

“You don’t even like Hal.” She goes in for another kiss, but is stopped short with Gladys’ hand to her chest again.

“But you do. You’re drunk, and upset, and I’m not interested in taking advantage.”

“Gladys-”

Gladys slips her leather back on. Zips it up to just her navel before turning to open the door. She pauses, turns to nod at the shirt in the sink. “Be gentle with that but keep scrubbing. Should come out just fine. Then go make up with your boyfriend.”

She turns to leave for good this time, but the moment doesn’t feel finished. Things never really feel finished when it comes to them.

“Gladys?”

She’s chewing on her bottom lip when she turns to face Alice again. Eyebrows raised in expectancy. 

But there’s no words coming to Alice. Nothing feels significant enough to encapsulate the moment, everything she’s feeling. Hell if she even knows what she’s feeling. Longing? Regret? Apologetic? All of it all at once.

The silence hangs heavy between them, but Gladys must feel it, too. She gives Alice a final nod before leaving, shutting the door behind her. And Alice is left alone, wiping a tear from her eye.

lost in love and time - prologue part one

pairing: bucky barnes x reader

summary: haunted mansion au - when you come to work with your mother at Barnes Manor, you have no idea how you’re life will change when you meet Bucky 

warnings: none 

words: 4333

a/n: here it is, I am so excited to finally be posting the first part! on top of the excitement, I’m so nervous because I already feel connected to this series and I really want you guys to enjoy it! so, without further ado, enjoy this first part and let me know if you would liked to be tagged. have a fabulous day! (also a quick note, just the prologue will be written in third person, once we get to chapter one, I will switch back to second person)

oOoOo

1885

She had been fourteen when she arrived and Bucky fifteen. Shy, but determined she stood behind her mother who had been hired on as the newest cook at Barnes Manor.  Bucky watched from the stairs above and smiled when he heard her name: y/n. He mouthed the name over and over, then decided that he liked the way he felt when he spoke it. However, he didn’t get much more time when he saw his mother begin to turn towards the stairs, causing him to quickly scurry away. If there was one thing that his mother and Pierce had drilled into his mind it was that young gentlemen did not lurk – it was beneath them. If he was to inherit Barnes Manor in a few years, he needed to be brought up like a proper gentleman who could care for the manor.

Hidden in a dark corner, Bucky watched as y/n and her mother passed by him, unknowingly, as Pierce led them on a tour of the manor. As she walked by, Bucky couldn’t help but think that she was the prettiest girl he had laid eyes on. Once the coast was clear, he hurried back to his study to continue his lessons before anyone noticed he had been missing. However, the rest of the day, his thoughts kept going back to the y/h/c girl who had just entered his life.

It was later in the week when Bucky finally got to speak to y/n. She had been carrying a basket full of laundry to take to the washroom, but the basket was so full that the clothes obscured her vision, and she ended up bumping into Bucky.

 “Master Barnes, I’m so sorry.” she squeaked out and rushed to gather the dropped garments.

Bucky knelt down with her to help and smiled kindly at her. “You don’t have to call me that.” he said. “In fact, please do not call me that.” he added with a chuckle.

The look that y/n gave Bucky in response was one of pure shock. “But Master Barnes, I-I couldn’t.” she said, looking around nervously to see if anyone had heard Bucky’s suggestion.

“How about you only call me that when we’re alone?” he countered.

“When we’re alone?” she questioned.

Bucky’s smile widened. “Well we are going to be friends are we not? I mean you seem to be just a little younger than me, and I don’t have many friends besides Steve.” he said, sheepishly.

After giving it a moment’s thought, y/n nodded her head with a smile. “Okay.” she confirmed. “Bucky. And I’m y/n.”

“y/n, more like Pixie there with you running into me.” he teased.

y/n glowered at Bucky’s comment. “You’re not that much taller than me.” she said, arms crossed over her chest.

“I’m just kidding, y/n.” Bucky promised.

From that moment on, y/n and Bucky became close friends. Most of the servants found their friendship endearing, and they were glad that the young master had found someone else to be young with. Bucky’s mother and Pierce, on the other hand, found the friendship absolutely disgraceful and pulled the two apart whenever they could.  They both warned Bucky of the dangers of being friends with a servant girl, especially Pierce.

“But I’m friends with Steve, and he’s a servant.” Bucky argued, frustrated.  

“Don’t pout, Master Barnes. It is not becoming.” Pierce scolded. “And it is different with Steven because he knows his place. Miss. y/l/n, on the other hand, does not know her place. Besides, girls like her are usually only after your money.” Pierce said and pushed the history book back in front of Bucky.

Later that night, Bucky meet with y/n and told her want Pierce had said. Aghast, y/n promised that Pierce had been lying, and that she would never do something like that. Satisfied, Bucky hugged her, and she never gave him a reason to doubt her.

oOoOo

The years passed and both y/n and Bucky grew, and y/n became accustomed to life at Barnes Manor. While the pair might not have been able to spend as much time together as they once had, their friendship hadn’t weakened despite all of Winnifred and Pierce’s attempts. In fact, the two began to see each other in a new light as Bucky turned seventeen and y/n sixteen. Not that they would never admit it to each other.  

The first time Bucky noticed these new feelings was at a ball hosted annually at Barnes Manor. The entire night, Bucky had been bored out of his mind, but forced a charming smile to greet all the guests his mother had invited. Both Steve and y/n had to work during the ball, therefore, Bucky did not have the only people he considered to be his true friends to distract him. Instead, Bucky had been introduced to a dozen girls throughout the night, thanks to his mother. Her hope was that one of them would catch Bucky’s eye, and a marriage could be arranged for when he turned of age in four years.

Yet, none of them had managed to impress Bucky with their fake smiles, forced laughs, and shallow personalities. What did catch Bucky’s eye that night, however, was y/n. He had been dancing with yet another girl, whose name he had already forgotten, when he spotted y/n clearing dishes from a table. She had on a dress that was nicer than her everyday attire, but not as extravagant as the gowns the girls Bucky was dancing with wore. It didn’t matter to him though. Bucky watched as she gracefully balanced plates and cups in her arms, and the way her hair reflected in the glowing candlelight made a dopey grin appear on Bucky’s face. He was so distracted that he stepped on his dance partner’s foot and promptly led her to a seat, offering a half-hearted apology.

As he left the girl at the table, Bucky looked back and saw y/n talking to Steve. The two laughed in a darkened corner of the room, and Steve spun y/n to the music. Bucky felt a surge of jealousy flow through his body, but he had to remind himself that there was nothing but pure friendship between you and Steve. In fact, Steve was happily dating one of the local girls, Peggy Carter.

The rest of the night, Bucky had to suppress his desire to sweep you out of Steve’s arms and into his own, and that was the first time that Bucky saw you as more than a friend.

For y/n, it had been shortly before that same ball, when she had noticed how Bucky had interacted with one of the younger members of the staff. The young boy had been crying nonstop and Bucky, who had been visiting y/n, offered to sit with the child as his mother needed to run and complete a task.

“It’s alright, buddy.” Bucky soothed as he bounced the child up and down.

y/n watched how, in only a few minutes, the child in Bucky’s arms calmed down and even began to giggle as Bucky swung him around gently. Her heart warmed at the sight because Bucky just had that affect on everyone, and he certainly had it on y/n. Despite the rather harsh lessons about being the Master of the manor he received from Pierce and his mother, Bucky was a kind soul. He knew that he needed to be personable and respectful to all, and his charming, kind natured spirit came naturally to him.

It was in that moment that y/n’s eyes and heart opened to what she truly felt for Bucky. She felt herself smile at the thought, but something in the back of her mind nagged at her and told her that she and Bucky could never be. So, she pushed it all away – the negative thoughts and her feelings – and helped back entertain the boy until his mother returned.

The day it became clear to the both of them was the night before Bucky was to leave for the manor for the next few years. He had recently turned eighteen years old, and in only three years, he would officially become Master of the manor. Until then, however, Bucky was going to New York City to live with family, travel, and see the world before he would return to Barnes Manor.

When Bucky told y/n the news, she couldn’t help the tears that fell at the thought of her best friend leaving her alone in the house. Of course, she would have Steve and Peggy (whom y/n had come to love in the short time she and Steve had been together), but that meant she would be left alone to face the wrath of Winnifred and Pierce. They still did not care for her because of her affiliation with Bucky. However, as y/n’s mother reminder her, she kept her head up and did what they asked of her.

“I have to leave, Pixie. I have to see the world before I’m here the rest of my life.” he explained to her in dark servant’s quarter room, lit only by a single candle; her childhood nickname still around after all these years, despite the fact that both of them had grown since their first meeting.

y/n did her best to control her tears as she responded. “I know,” she whispered. “but that does not make it any easier to bear. I’m happy for you Bucky, truly I am. I just can’t imagine Barnes Manor without you here.” she admitted.

As the tears continued to flow, Bucky reached out and brushed them away, gently, with the pad of his thumb. y/n’s breath hitched at the contact, but she did not pull away. She, instead, leaned further into his touch and closed her eyes, contently. It was only when Bucky pulled away that she opened her eyes and realized what had happened.

“Bucky, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to, I mean…” she stammered, but was quickly cut off.

Bucky leaned in and kissed y/n gently and sweetly. There was a moment in which y/n hesitated and thought she was dreaming, but she quickly responded and leaned even further into the kiss, her hand rested on Bucky’s cheek. Although the kiss was new and unsure, it was filled with years’ worth of feelings that had been left unsaid. When the two pulled away, laughter filled the room to fill the silence that followed.

“So, that was- “y/n began.

“Wait for me.” Bucky interrupted y/n, hurriedly and with a nervous look on his face.

“What?” she whispered back, not sure she had heard him right.

Bucky swallowed and took a deep breath before he repeated his request. “Wait for me, please. I’ll only be gone three years, which will be over before either of us realizes.” Bucky explained, his hands holding tightly onto y/n’s. “Then, we can be together, and we won’t ever have to be apart. I promise you, y/n. I love you.” he said, his words full of passion and new love.  

y/n stared back at Bucky and tried to process the proposition he had just thrown at her. Here he was, Bucky Barnes – her employer for all purposes – declaring his feeling for her. It was the three words she had longed to hear for years.  

Bucky took y/n’s silence as a no, and quickly rushed to amend his statement. “That is if you feel the same way, and if you want to.” he added, lamely. “I do understand that three years is a long time, and there are many others, I’m sure, who would want to be with you. But maybe if you feel the same way?”

“I’ll wait for you.” y/n spoke, a smile growing on her face with each passing second.

The two shared another kiss and spent the evening in hushed whispers as they discussed their future into the early hours of the night. Eventually, Bucky left y/n with a goodnight kiss and snuck back to his own room to double check he had everything. While their parting the next morning was sorrowful, there was an underlying sense of joy from their declarations and promises from the night before. Promises that would keep y/n and Bucky going over the next three years.

oOoOo

In the time that Bucky was away, he only returned home twice; the first being when y/n’s mother passed away. Only months after Bucky had left, a terrible influenza swept through the area, and both she and her mother had been hit. However, while y/n recovered quickly, her mother only worsened. Each day y/n watched her mother grow weaker, until she finally slipped away, peacefully, in her sleep.  

y/n was devastated as her co-workers helped to plan a funeral in the days to come. It was hard to get out of bed for y/n most days with the thought that her mother was no longer with her. Ever since her father died, it had been y/n and her mother against the world, but now it would just be y/n. She was thankful that Winnifred had given her a few days off, in a rare moment of compassion to the young girl.

On the day of the funeral, y/n was struck with more grief than she thought possible. The only thing that kept her going was the support Peggy and Steve offered as they stood on either side of her as the pastor blessed her mother’s casket.  Eventually, y/n felt a presence behind her and immediately recognized it when the person spoke.

“I’m so sorry I couldn’t get here sooner, Pixie.” Bucky apologized and knelt next to y/n in the grass. “I didn’t even know she was sick, or that you had been.” Bucky admitted.

“I didn’t want to bother you, Bucky. New York is so far away and-“

“You will never be a bother to me.” he told y/n, firmly. “And you can always write to me. I don’t want you to feel as though you have to hide things from me.”

y/n nodded her head in lieu of a response, but she quickly dissolved into a mess of tears and buried her head into Bucky’s chest. “I miss her so much, James.” she cried. “I don’t know what I’m going to do without her.”

“You are going to get through this, y/n.” he promised. “It may take a while, but I will help you, and you know Steve and Peggy will too.” he said, and he felt y/n nod her head against his chest.

The two stayed like that for a while, until the sky began to darken, and small drops of rain made contact with y/n and Bucky’s skin. Bucky led y/n inside and brought her to a small room and set her on the couch. For the rest of the night, he stayed with y/n and offered her as much comfortable as possible.  

A knock on the door interrupted their quiet. “Master Barnes, your carriage is here.” a servant informed Bucky, then closed the door after he was dismissed.

Neither y/n nor Bucky spoke for a moment until Bucky broke the silence. “I’m so sorry, Pixie. I wish I could get more time away from my classes.” he apologized, then a determined look crossed his features “You know what? I am staying.” he declared. “I’ll let my professors know that-“

“Bucky, it’s okay. I understand.” y/n spoke gently.

The two went back and forth on the matter for the next few minutes until Bucky relented to y/n’s requests. She didn’t want him to miss out on anything because of her, and like he said, she had Peggy and Steve to help her out. Reluctantly, Bucky stood, kissed y/n, and left the manor once more.

The second time Bucky returned home was when his own mother fell sick, two years later.  

At first, Winnifred had refused to send to word to Bucky that she had fallen ill. She claimed that did not want to worry him within something so trivial and interrupt his studies. However, when the sickness got worse, you knew Steve had sent a letter to Bucky, because he had returned to the manor before the week’s end.

When Bucky had returned, y/n stayed out of his way, much to the disappointment of Steve and Peggy who urged her to go and comfort him during this difficult time, but she resisted.  Her argument was that Bucky needed to be with his mother and with Pierce, but she would be there when Bucky was ready. What she didn’t realize was that Bucky wanted you to be by his side too.

It wasn’t long before Winnifred passed, and Barnes Manor was sent into a period of grieving. Even though the women had never been the friendliest to y/n, she hadn’t wished her any harm. And on top of that, she knew the pain of losing a mother, and never wished for anyone – especially Bucky – to have to go through that same pain.

Days later, the funeral commenced and as the ceremony ended, everyone began to walk back to the manor for a small reception. However, y/n stood back and watched as Bucky stood frozen as he stared down at his mother’s grave. The two had yet to have a true conversation since Bucky had come home, and y/n didn’t think that after his mother’s funeral was the best time to do so. However, she knew he needed comfort and so she pushed aside any of her feelings and walked slowly towards him.

When y/n did reach Bucky, she carefully extended her hand and smiled softly as Bucky intertwined his fingers with hers as though she was his lifeline. No words needed to be spoken as both y/n and Bucky kept their thoughts to themselves. A few moments later, Bucky rested his head on y/n’s shoulder, and she could feel the vibrations from his body shaking as he finally let his tears go. Again, no words were spoken, y/n just squeezed his hand tight to let Bucky know that she was there for him and always would be.

Eventually, evening set in, but y/n and Bucky remained outside. They shifted to sitting on the grass, still in front of the grave. Bucky’s tears had subsided and y/n mumbled words of comfort every few minutes. He turns his head to get a good luck at y/n and gives the smallest hint of a smile for all she has done for him. They hadn’t seen each other in nearly two years, and immediately, she took a place next to him to comfort him.

“I love you.” he whispered into the warm, night air.  

“What?” y/n responded shocked. She doubted that she had heard Bucky mutter those words, especially on a day such as that.  

“I love you.” he repeated, plain and simple.  He knew in his heart that it was true, and he wanted to let y/n know. Too much time had already passed with his feelings for her being unclear between them.  

Many thoughts ran through y/n’s head as she tried to process the gravity of Bucky’s words. Of course, they had shown that they thought they were more than friends through years ago the night before Bucky left, but she chalked that up to childhood fantasies. And even though he had kissed her after her mother’s funeral, she, again, thought it was an action committed in the heat of the moment, however y/n now knew that wasn’t the case.  

There were so many reasons for her to say no, but one look at Bucky, and y/n knew that he was it for her. “I love you too.” she finally responded, her voice teary and emotional.

The two of them embraced and just stood there, thankful that they had been reunited once more. However, neither of them noticed Pierce who stood further away, watching the two of them interact with a scowl on his face.

oOoOo

Months passed and while it was hard to adjust to life without Winnifred running the manor, Bucky did the best he could to fill her shoes. After that moment Bucky and y/n shared the day of his mother’s funeral, the two slowly began a courtship – though less formal then what most people were used to. After being close friends for so long, neither of them believed they needed to start from the very beginning of a relationship. Besides, after both of them losing their mothers, they didn’t wish to waste another moment with each other.

y/n continued to work in the manor while Bucky ran the estate. Busy most of the day, the couple usually spent evenings together, and often shared dinner with Steve and Peggy. However, one day, about six months after y/n and Bucky had made their relationship official, he pulled away from her work mid-afternoon and claimed he had a surprise for her.

“Bucky, where are we going?” y/n questioned, slightly amused. “I told Peggy I would help her in the kitchens soon.”

Bucky gave you a quick peck on the cheek as he led you towards the ballroom. “Don’t worry, I already talked to her. Everything is taken care of.” he promised.

y/n wasn’t completely swayed by his answer but played along regardless. The ballroom was empty except for a box on a table off to the side, and y/n gave Bucky a confused look. “What are we doing here?” she asked.

“I have a gift for you.” he told her and gently guided her towards the table where the box sat, unopened.

When they reached the table, Bucky motioned for her to open it, and y/n gave him one more look before she shrugged her shoulders and carefully removed the wrapping around the box. What she saw underneath was a beautifully carved, mahogany box. She didn’t have to look back to Bucky to know that Bucky wanted her to open the box. Upon opening it, y/n gasped as she realized it was a music box, and a gentle waltz filled her ears.  

As the music played, there were two figurines that spun around, embraced in each other’s arms to resemble a dancing couple. Upon closer inspection, y/n gasped again as she realized that the two figures were made to represent her and Bucky. His figure had wavy, dark hair combed back dressed in a dashing suit, while hers had beautiful y/s/c skin, y/h/c that was pulled out of the figurine’s face and dressed in a beautiful ball gown.

“Bucky, I love it!” she gushed, and turned to face her beloved.

“I’m glad.” he smiled and took y/n’s hands in his once more.

Bucky then led the pair of them back out to the dance floor and rested one of his hands on her waist and kept the other firm in her hand. In return, y/n placed her free hand on Bucky’s shoulder. Though y/n had little dance experience, she and Bucky managed to glide across the floor as the waltz from the music continued to flow throughout the room. It was a gentle, soothing music that brought an air of peace with it.

Wrapped up in Bucky’s arms, y/n felt as though the world around them had disappeared. Every so often, Bucky would spin her around or throw in a dip, and y/n giggled at his actions. The sound caused Bucky to grin back at the beautiful women who stood in front of him. There was so much love that he felt in his heart, that he knew what he needed to do.

“Can we pause for a moment?” Bucky asked, stopping their waltz.

“Can’t keep up?” you teased.

Bucky offered a smile and ran his hand through his hair, nervously. “Actually, I have something to ask you.” Bucky said, his voice not as steady as he would have liked.

y/n noticed his discomfort and offered an encouraging smile in place of a verbal response.

Nodding, Bucky took a deep breath before he began to speak. “Six years ago, you came into my life, and I had no idea what impact that would have on me. You have given me so much, even if you don’t realize it. You taught me to love and to laugh and to understand that there is more to life than being the master of this manor.” he said, and y/n smiled at him as he continued. “Being away from you for three years made me realize that I never want to be far from your side. Wherever you are, I will be right there with you, because I’m with you to the end of the line. But what I’m trying to say is that, I love you, y/n y/l/n, and I want you by my side for every adventure we face from this point on. So,” Bucky said and shifted to one knee.

He pulled a small box from his coat pocket and y/n gasped, tearing up as he revealed a beautiful, diamond ring inside. “will you please become my wife and stand by my side for the rest of our lives? Will you marry me, Pixie?” he finally asked, nerves at an all-time high.

“Yes.” y/n whispered as the tears took the volume away from her voice. “Yes, I will marry you, Bucky!” she nearly shouted and launched herself into his arms.

A hearty chuckle left Bucky’s lips as he slipped the ring onto y/n’s finger and admired the way it sat perfectly on her ring finger. He looked back up to find y/n already staring at him, and he leaned in and molded his lips against hers. The two wrapped their arms around the other to deepen the kiss that represented all their future would bring.

oOoOo

A few days later, and neither y/n nor Bucky had lost the glow that came with their engagement; if anything, it only increased. News had spread quickly throughout Barnes Manor, and the staff was ecstatic for the young couple. There had always been speculation that the young master would end up with y/n, and they hadn’t been wrong.

With the news of the engagement came the rush to quickly plan an engagement ball. Both y/n and Bucky expressed their wishes against a long engagement, claiming that they had spent enough time apart. However, that also meant an expediated process of the usual customs, including the dreaded engagement ball. y/n recognized that with their marriage, she would have to get acquainted with Bucky’s friends and social circle, but she did not want to have to spend the evening meant to celebrate her and Bucky’s love for each other networking. While wasn’t something that she was looking forward to, she went along with it for Bucky’s sake.

Side by side in Bucky’s study, the couple looked over last minute details that needed approval for the ball in a few days. They also reviewed the guest list and seating chart to make sure there were no disasters that stemmed from old family feuds. Once finished, y/n stood and was about to make her way to a fitting for her ballgown when there was a knock at the door.

“Come in.” Bucky spoke, still focused on the papers in front of him.

The door creaked open slowly, and in walked Pierce. y/n sat closer to Bucky involuntarily as the butler neared Bucky’s desk. Although he hadn’t said anything to her face, y/n could sense that Pierce was still not her biggest fan, and that he had some issues with her upcoming marriage to Bucky. It was a topic she had brought up to Bucky just a few weeks back when they were first engaged, but he brushed it off as a paternal protectiveness. Pierce was a dear friend, and father-like figure to Bucky, so y/n kept her mouth closed after that. Perhaps it was all in her head after all.

“Sir.” he bowed to Bucky. “Miss. y/l/n.” he said, his voice thick with annoyance at y/n’s presence.  

“What is it, Pierce?” Bucky asked, his eyes now on the butler.

Pierce hesitated as if he were choosing his words carefully. “May I speak to you alone, Master Barnes?” he requested.

Though y/n made a subtle attempt to stand, Bucky held her hand firmly and squeezed it twice, their silent communication that all was fine “Whatever you have you to say, Pierce, you can say it front of me and the future Mistress of Barnes Manor.” Bucky said authoritatively, but not cruelly.

Again, Pierce hesitated and swallowed a sarcastic remark, before he continued. “Very well, sir. I have been reviewing your mother’s will along with the terms of your inheritance, and it seems I have come across a…complication.” he said, rather ominously.

Bucky’s eyes squinted in confusion. “What kind of complication? I thought everything had been taken care of months ago?” Bucky inquired.

“As did I, sir. However, it seems there is a stipulation that concerns your claim to the manor and your marriage.” Pierce continued.

“How could those possibly be related?” y/n asked, though she shrunk down at Pierce’s harsh glare.

He cleared his throat. “It seems as though your mother wished for you to marry a certain caliber of woman. And if you do not, then you forfeit your claim to your inheritance and to Barnes Manor.” he finally finished, no look of regret on his features.

The silence that followed, as y/n and Bucky comprehended this new development, was deafening. By that point, Bucky’s grip had tightened on y/n’s hand even more, though she paid little attention to the sensation. Here was this stipulation, this ‘minor complication’, intended to keep her away from the love of her life. But they couldn’t just ignore it. y/n couldn’t let Bucky lose the only place he had known to be home.

They seemed to forget that Pierce was still there until he spoke up once more. “If you don’t require anything, I will take my leave, sir.” he said, and Bucky nodded, waving him off. Before Pierce left, though, he sent a snide look y/n’s way, that only she caught.

When the door closed, with more force than necessary, y/n turned to Bucky with an absolutely heartbroken look on her face. “What are we going to do?” she whispered.

Bucky turned his body to fully face her. “What do you mean?” he questioned.

“You can’t be serious, Bucky.” y/n responded, trying to hold back a laugh of disbelief. “You cannot possibly be considering going along with this marriage still.”

Bucky’s eyes flashed confusion, and a trace of hurt. “Do you really think that I would cast you aside just to keep my family’s money?”

“It’s not all about the money.” y/n tried to reason with him. “You would be losing your home, Bucky. What would become of Barnes Manor if you lost it. What would become of all the people who depend on you to earn a living?” she continued, her thoughts going to Steve and Peggy and everyone else who worked within the manor.

“I want to be with you, y/n!” Bucky argued. “I will make arrangements for the staff, but as for the manor, it’s just a house, Pixie. You are my home, and I would be lost without you.” he whispered, his hand reaching to rest against her cheek.

A few tears raced down y/n’s face at yet another obstacle that had been thrown in their path to happiness. It seemed that for every one the two had overcome, another came to block their path. y/n just wanted to be happy with Bucky, no fighting necessary.

Bucky could sense her uneasiness and leaned in to offer a gentle kiss against her lips. He poured as much love and hope as he could muster, wishing that it would infuse into his fiancée’s body the will for her to fight for them, just like Bucky was willing to.

“I love you, Buck.” y/n said. “And I am willing to fight for us, but I don’t want you to resent me years from now. I don’t want you to look at me and see what your life could have been if you had stayed here.” she said, all insecurities on the table.  

His heart broke for the way that y/n felt, all because not everyone could accept the fact that the two of them loved each other. “I promise you that will never happen.” he vowed, his eyes full of seriousness.  “But, if it would make you feel better, I will look at my mother’s will myself and see if I can find some sort of loophole. But in the meantime, you have to promise to not give up fighting for us.” he said.

y/n nodded her head and wiped her tears away. “I promise. I won’t stop fighting for us, Bucky. And I hope you know that I will be with you rich or poor, I just want you to be happy.” she admitted, shyly, not wanting to sound as though she was only with Bucky for his inheritance.

“I know.” he told her. “And I will be happy with you no matter what.”

The two shared another kiss, and Bucky wrapped his arms around y/n when they pulled apart. And for that small amount of time, the couple stayed in their own little world, not knowing the tragedies that lurked ahead of them. 

tagging: @mgk-rooklover1997​

Update on Sebastian ...

Soooo, Sebastian had a full ride to Foxbury with all of his scholarships. Majored in Marine Biology but decided that college was not for him (explanation further down), dropped out, took out a loan to buy this house in Del Sol Valley where Dylan promptly moved in and they started their new life together, lol. He’s in the Athletic career now and she’s in the Critic (will be Art Critic) career. He had a want to propose to her like as soon as they moved in so they’re engaged! They both have a want to get married now so they’re saving up for their wedding. (rest under the cut)

It’s funny to see how they interact with each other, in terms of like living habits too cause he has the slob trait and always has piles of clothes and stuff everywhere that he never bothers to pick up (probably cause Rachel always did it for him) so she always does it but I guess she doesn’t mind cause he’s always doing sweet stuff for her (giving her gifts and taking her out). Speaking of Rachel, whenever she comes over, she still does his laundry on her own without being asked, lol.

Their first Harvestfest in the house was shortly after they moved in, so they invited everyone and like the next morning Marcus passed away (he was an elder). They were on good terms when he did tho and their relationship was maxed out again so Sebastian was sad for a good while :(

A few days later, Sebastian met Dylan’s parents for the first time and it was ... interesting. Bob was angry for some reason and kicked over their trashcan several times and ate his dinner in silence. Eliza seemed to really like Sebastian tho, like really liked, cause she would not stay out of his face. She spent more time talking to him than her own child so imma be keeping my eye on her cause I don’t know what she got going on. Also, Dylan has a twin brother, who has the evil trait so I imagine she’s considered “the good twin”.

While we’re on the subject of traits, Dylan aged up with the active trait which is pretty cool cause Sebastian has that trait too (along with loves outdoors) so because of that along with her art lover trait, I think the house will eventually have a home gym and tons of art of all over the place. I want the backyard to have a lot of fun things like that gym and a pool and areas for future kids so we’ll be saving up for all of that. Also, the house is only 1 bedroom so eventually, we’ll expand it with an upstairs area and I’m thinking a few more bedrooms.

Now about university ... I had Sebastian quit because I did not like the gameplay at all. From what I see, if I don’t want him to be in college forever, I would need to have him take at least 3-4 classes a semester. With that many classes, his days would pretty much be spent running back and forth to classes and doing work, presentations, etc ... which in turns mean I would be sitting there, speeding the time up constantly and that kind of gameplay is boring as hell to me so I took him out before I ended up losing interest, lol. We’re in a good place now tho so I’m back having fun again.

Lots in the pics: 

Tiny Coastal Cottage (their house -- I made A LOT of changes to it)

Clayton Bungalows (3 houses on 1 lot - next door to theirs)

Welcome to the Bungalow (across the street - not pictured)

Prompts 2 and 12

2. The things I would do to you right now

12. Does your girlfriend know who you're with right now?

A/N: I’ve never written anything like this and I’m sorry if my smut writing isn’t the best tehe but please let me know what I can do to better my writing!! Thank you & enjoy!

If you were to ask anybody in the outer banks, they would tell you there's no such thing as a 'middle class'. To the Pogues, you were kooks. And to the kooks, you were Pogues. Because of that, it was very hard for you to make friends but being completely honest, you never tried all that hard to make any. And you were okay with the few you had. Nobody ever paid attention to you and you were fine with that.

The Pogues. You had seen them very often at parties but very rarely did you communicate with each other. It was mainly 'hi's and hello's' with them and conversations with JJ while you were both working at the country club. He was always the nicest one to you out of his group. Not that everybody else wasn't nice they just weren't as warm as JJ and you figured it was because he knew you better than the other ones thought they did.

You had been working at the country club for about 7 months. When you first started working there you were assigned small jobs like laundry and waxing golf clubs and then eventually you moved up to waiting tables and washing dishes. Unlike what everybody else thought, you actually enjoyed waiting tables. You were on a first name basis with many of the members and had sometimes been contracted privately for separate parties and you had always enjoyed that.

Today was your first day working on the golf course running drinks to all the members playing. You had known your way around the golf course from when your dad would ask you to play with him but that was years ago so the nerves had started to kick in. It was like your first day all over again.

Once your supervisor had given you the okay, you set off on what would now be your regular route. As you pulled into your first stop, you couldn't help the groan that fell past your lips.

"Hey princess, never thought I would see you here."

"Good afternoon Mr. Cameron, may I help you guys to some refreshment?" You nodded towards Topper and Kelce.

"Come on Y/N, call me Rafe."

"Of course, would you guys like anything to dr-"

"So will we be seeing you at Naomi's party later?"

You grew frustrated after Rafe had cut you off and simply nodded

"Will that be all?" You asked.

///

You were tired by the time you were able to leave. The constant sun had made you a bit sleepy but you knew you couldn't nap or you wouldn't wake up in time for the party you were invited to.

As you were getting ready you thought back to your day. The last time you spoken to Rafe had been to say excuse me as you moved by him to get to the restroom when he was still in school. As much as you would deny it, your mother used to be friends with his mom before she passed. Their friendship brought several playdates between you, Rafe and Sarah as kids. Your mom wasn't interested in replacing that friendship with their stepmom, Rose, who you always thought was a huge bitch so when their friendship ended, so did yours with her kids.

It was around 8:40 when your friend had texted you that she was outside. You told your mom you loved her and said you'd be back tomorrow on your way out.

"I love you darling, stay safe and text me when you're there."

Noami's house never failed to take your breath away. It was so grand and exquisite but it fit her personality and family just right.

You had smelt the scent of marijuana before you could even jump out of the car. You rolled your eyes when you saw Rafe and his group of friends and tried to steer clear from them. You thought were in the clear when you heard a small shout of your name. Your friend looked back at your with her eyebrows raised.

"Well that's new" She laughed

A sigh fell from your lips. "Give me a minute I'll meet you inside."

You walked toward Rafe and his friends and he met you in the middle.

"Hi Rafe, again." You said in a bored tone

"Ouch Y/N you're breaking my heart."

In the same tone, you replied "Did you need something, Rafe?"

"You know, I love it when you say my name like that."

You could feel the heat of his words creep up your back and into your face and couldn't help but release a small chuckle, "I'll see you later Rafe."

You made your way back into the party and immediately looked for the bar, where you found your friend Nadine taking shots. "Hey come on, save me some."

You had stopped drinking and smoking around midnight and you were trying so hard not to break your seal but you couldn't help it. You had spent the past 5 minutes opening every door trying to find a bathroom and you were growing stressed when you had finally opened the door to what you thought was an empty bathroom. You turned to lock the door and went to sit down and had just unzipped your shorts when the shower curtain moved open. You let out a terrified scream and put your hand to your chest.

"Oh my god! Rafe! What the hell are you doing in here? and what the hell are you doing sitting in the bathtub?!" You screamed and went to smack his chest.

"Im sorry Y/N! Stop! stop it.". Rafe was laughing. He was laughing after almost scaring me to death.

"Stop laughing you dumbass." At this point, you were laughing too. You took the liberty of sitting in the bathtub next to him, hoping he wouldn't mind.

You had been sitting there for about 5 minutes when you heard a loud knocking on the bathroom that caused you to jolt into Rafe's shoulder.

You both stared at each other waiting for someone to speak when you looked down and realized what a compromising position you were in. Your shorts were unzipped and your underwear was showing. When nothing was heard from the other side of the door, you both burst out into laugh that you couldn't stop. You were leaned into Rafe's shoulder with your eyes shut and laughing a laugh that came from your belly.

"Oh god what is going on right now I feel like I'm in a different world." You choked out.

"And what world would that be m'lady? one where you're in a room alone with me with your shorts unhooked?"

You weren't sure what it was in his words that caused something in you to flutter and cross your bare legs over one another, but they did and he definitely noticed.

His voice was low and rumbled through you. "Hm maybe it is that world."

And you were kissing.

The kiss wasn't a hot and steamy one. There was some shock in there and the confidence was missing. So, you kissed him again. And again and again. You had moved onto his lap and started kissing down his neck while he was moving his hands up and down your back trying to squeeze any and every part of you that he could. You moved your hips and moaned and the relief you felt.

"Does your girlfriend know who you're with right now?"  You asked.

You were tugging on his shirt trying to take it off so you could kiss him up and down.

"I don't have one." I had him breathless and moaning under me. You back away and looked him in the eyes while your hand trailed his chest until you felt the corse hairs of his happy trail.

"You know, white claws and weed can only make a girl so brave." You had started palming him through his jeans and watched with joy as he screwed his eyes shut and threw his head against the wall in pleasure

"Oh Y/N, the things I would do to you right now if I knew there wasn't over a hundred people downstairs that could hear you screaming my name."

tumble dry - jimin x reader smut

A/N: requested by the lovely @itishebihime-samaforyou who wanted some more jimin thighs in their life x When Jimin overhears you confessing your desire to ride his thighs, he makes you a deal. Warnings for explicitly sexual content: thigh riding, orgasm control. 1.6k words. (Sorry, I couldn’t find a better landscape gif of Jimin’s thighs)

“I just don’t get the big deal, that’s all.”

You sigh and turn around to where Jungkook is crouched on the floor messing with the dials on the laundry machine. “Well, of course you don’t. It’s a vagina thing. I mean, I’m sure you’d get some enjoyment out of it, but-”

“That’s not what I mean,” he cuts in, finally setting the cycle and standing back up. “Why would you bother humping him when you can just fuck him? Seems like eating the ham and cheese pizza when meat lovers is on the table.”

You frown at the strange metaphor, letting Jungkook come over and help you fold up the mountain of clean clothes between you. “It’s not like I’d turn down proper sex to ride his thigh, but as far as foreplay goes, I bet it’d feel fucking amazing.” You exhale dreamily. “Ugh, and he’d clench his muscles while I was going at it. Girls are lucky; we get so many more advantages in bed compared to guys. I feel bad for you, Kook, really, I do.”

“You don’t have a dick, though,” he points out.

“We live in a world where strap-ons exist, Jungkook. Although I don’t know if Jimin- actually, you just gave me a brilliant idea. Thanks, Kook.”

He winces and shifts his hips uncomfortably. “God, thank fuck you’re not my girlfriend. You’re into some weird shit. And that’s coming from me.”

You wave him off, starting on the daunting task of pairing up the hill of nearly-identical black men’s socks. God, you never should’ve offered to help out with the laundry for the dorm. “Don’t knock it ‘til you try it, you know. Besides, the only reason I’m being so filthy today is because I’m a little sexually frustrated. Jimin and I haven’t had sex since Tuesday night, and I don’t think I can make it until his day off this Sunday.”

Jungkook freezes, his hands hovering in the air over a pair of jeans. “You two stayed over Tuesday night.”

“…yeah.”

“And Hoseok sleeps in the same room as Jimin.”

You smile innocently at his wide eyes. “Oh, I don’t think Hobi minded much,” you purr suggestively. The younger boy chokes. “He was asleep, Jungkook, I’m just messing with you.”

Jungkook winces and finishes folding the jeans, dumping them on the appropriate pile. “Well, I sincerely hope Jimin lets you ride his thigh tonight because I hate horny-Y/n. She’s a menace to civil society.”

You open your mouth to retort him, but a familiar voice comes from the open door. “You want to ride my what?”

The pair of you freeze as Jimin leans against the doorframe, arms crossed although he doesn’t look particularly threatening in his baggy green sweater. What does cause you to swallow hard is the topic of current conversation; his thighs. He’s wearing his favorite pair of black leather pants, the ones with cuts across the front. These were the pants that were meant to make an appearance at one of his concerts last year but was rejected for exposing too much skin. You felt yourself clench and cleared your throat to distract from the need beginning to light up inside of you.

“We were having a private conversation, Jiminie.”

“Clearly. If you want something, baby, you should come to me about it instead of my dongsaeng. Don’t you feel like you can trust me?”

Jungkook holds his palms up in surrender. “Okay, fuck this, I’m out of here. Lock the door behind you so nobody has to walk in on you fucking in the laundry, please.” He does his best to avoid touching Jimin’s frame at all as he squeezes out the doorway and scampers down the hallway out of sight.

Without breaking the intense eye-contact he had initiated with you, Jimin reached behind him and shut the door, twisting the lock just like he had been instructed. The satisfying thwack as it fell into place sent shivers up your spine. “Jimin,” you breathe desperately.

“What does my good girl want, hm? Is my cock not good enough for you?”

You shake your head, backing up until your ass pressed against the edge of the table. “It’s not that, Jimin. I just think it would be something different, that’s all.”

He strolls forward, grinning at the way your eyes can’t help but flicker down to the powerful muscles in his legs flexing as he approaches you, loudly dragging the wooden laundry hamper across the floor to the middle of the room, sitting down on it with spread legs. He spreads his arms out in a welcoming gesture. “Come sit, baby girl.”

Your panties immediately dampen, and you reflexively swallow again. “Really?”

He smiles, eyes narrowing into half-moon crescents, and nods pleasantly. “Of course, Y/n. What my girl wants, she gets.”

You can’t help but feel that there’s a catch, but you walk over hesitantly anyway. Just as you approach, he lifts a finger. “Nuh uh, pants and shirt off.”

You hastily tug your tank top off, unbutton your jeans and kick them away, before sitting yourself down on his left thigh, high up enough that your breasts press against his arm and chest. You wait patiently for him to give you another command, and he smiles again at your submissiveness.

“Now,” he begins softly, kneading a breast gently, rolling the nipple so that it hardens underneath the thin lace of your bra. You tip your head back in bliss, wishing he had let you remove the bra too. “I must admit, I don’t quite understand why you would enjoy it, but if you do, then I’m happy to let you ride my thigh. However, you need to prove to me that you do enjoy it. If you don’t cum in the next five minutes, you never get to rub that pretty pussy of yours against my thigh again.” He breaks his gaze and stares at the wall clock behind you with an almost-bored look on his face. “Time’s ticking, baby girl. You better get a move on.”

You gasp, but obediently begin rolling your hips against him, breath stuttering every time your clit catches on the edge of one of those cuts. You brace yourself on his shoulders, and squeeze your eyes shut in concentration as you let the pleasure and arousal at the situation overtake you.

It really feels divine, but it’s no use if you don’t get yourself over the edge quickly. “Four minutes,” Jimin whispers sultrily, licking his lips at the sight of you.

You shudder and arch your back when he slides his hands around your back and unclips your bra, gently letting it fall, straps dangling on your wrists. He takes the invitation and rubs his rough thumbs teasingly over your stiff peaks, enough to set your nerves alight. “Please,” you beg, never letting up on your desperate thrusts against him.

Something inside you feels satisfied on a base level to be rutting against him like this. Normally, as a female with a vagina, the other party does all the work for you, and you just enjoy what comes your way, but now you were soaking through your panties, chasing friction and taking what you wanted.

“Two minutes,” he reminded you in a sing-song voice, breaking off into a chuckle at the way you hang your head to grind against him with more force. The edge was certainly almost there, but time was running out at an alarming pace. “Ple-ease,” you repeat brokenly.

“Please what? 90 seconds.”

“Touch me,” you plead.

He tuts, and you open your eyes blearily, hips slightly slowing as you watch him frown at you. “If you need me to touch you, then clearly just riding my thigh isn’t good enough. It’s a shame; you look so fucking hot, dripping all over me as you defile yourself on my leg like a dog.”

You moan out desperately and pick up the pace, almost sobbing when he announces thirthy seconds. “No, no, just…ah, just tense up for me, Jiminie,” you chant, “just clench your thigh muscles, that’s all, I’m so close.”

When he finally does what you say, the more solid surface of corded muscle pitches you over the edge without warning. You tuck your chin on his shoulder and jerk your hips unevenly, chasing all the pleasure of your orgasm you can get until you’re completely spent.

Jimin reaches up with a ring-clad hand and runs his fingers through your hair as you lie boneless against him.

He makes gentle shushing noises, soothing you as the final shocks of pleasure judder through your body. “That’s it, baby, let it all go, just relax. My good girl, you did so well, baby. So good for me.”

You pant blissfully and try to catch your breath, stunned at how much of a workout it really is. “Thank you, Jiminie.”

“Mm, sit up, doll.” You do as he says, and he gently turns your head so that you’re staring at the wall behind you, the clock still ticking away. “I lied. You still had over a minute left.”

You whip your head around. “Hey!”

“What? That was the hottest thing I’ve ever seen; you’ve never looked so desperate before.”

You bat at him weakly. “So, I won the challenge? I can ride your thigh again?”

“Of course, baby. Even if you didn’t win, do you really think I could deny you anything?”

You smile softly, but it turns mischievous. “Anything? Because Jungkook brought up an interesting idea earlier…”

[Kingdom Hearts] Cycles

Summary: I have no excuses for this. There is no point for this to exist. And yet, here we both are; a super self indulgent slice of life/stuck in quarantine fic written over the course of 8 hours. Featuring, but not limited to, a shameless VentusxOC ship, Vanitas being a simp, bashing fellow classmates, and the awkwardness of having a headstrong on-again-off-again girlfriend. Oneshot. Modern AU.

Rating: K+

Word Count: 2,660

If you enjoyed this story, please reblog!

-

If Ventus had his way, he'd probably sleep for the rest of the day. Everything had been in lockdown since March. Now in June that initial joy of having time to spare had worn thin. He'd be lying if he said he didn't try to sleep for the entirety of May. He'd also be lying if he said that he hadn't been skipping meals here and there as well. Not that anyone could really stop him; Aqua was considered an essential employee and still worked a 40 hour workweek. Terra's job had mandated him to be there every other week. Then there was just Ven himself and his twin Vanitas, who had no job and certainly had no interest to do so at this time.

As Ven contemplated at least doing laundry for the day, his phone started to ring. He recognized the number and immediately answered it.

“Hello?” he said, hoping that he didn't sound as tired as he felt.

“Hey Ven.” the voice of his on-again-off-again girlfriend Sabrina greeted. While it wasn't the most melodious of voices (if anything, she could get shrill quickly), it was still a comfort to hear her voice on the other end.

“Is something wrong?” Ven then asked.

“No.” came the little hum. “I just wanted to hear your voice.”

Even though he figured she wasn't quite telling him the truth, it didn't stop the humble blush from appearing on his face.

Ventus had met Sabrina way back during junior high open house night. They really hadn't talked much during those years, though. Sabrina had enough energy to be the poster child for the next Energizer Bunny. There were days when Ven simply couldn't keep up with her no matter how hard he tried. It was an accidental kiss during prom in tenth grade that launched their relationship into high drive. Or, it would have, had Sabrina not have a slight lingering fear of commitment.

They were currently in their 'on' cycle at the moment. Which, in and of itself, was a miracle due to the craziness of the plague known as COVID-19. Just like how everyone thought the virus would be dealt with in a month's time, Ven was sure that three months into quarantine and Sabrina would have decided it was time for them to split again. But she didn't- possibly because they were both each other's source of sanity from their rather large households. Ven sometimes wondered if it was because they weren't actually 'together' like they would have without a virus going around, or if she genuinely hated being stuck at home.

“What'cha doing today?” Sabrina then asked.

“Oh, I dunno.” Ven carefully admitted. “Try to hide from Vanitas, maybe make dinner with Aqua. I think Terra's working on the pool so he can have some place to exercise since he can't go to the gym.” He paused for a moment before warily adding, “What are you doing?”

“Thinking I'm gonna come over to your house.”

Ven's heart suddenly jolted into his throat. “You can't do that!” he immediately blurted.

“Why not?” came the rather callous reply.

“Because we're in quarantine!”

Ven hated that he could hear her give a little click of her tongue. He hated it even more when she said, “Have you been anywhere in the past week?”

“No.”

“Has anyone else?”

Knowing where this conversation was going, Ven let out a hard sigh. “No...”

“Then I'm coming over.” she decided with certainty. “Give me about 10 minutes. I still need to get in the shower.”

Ven let out another exasperated sigh as he buried his face in his hands. It was useless trying to convince Sabrina otherwise. It was one of the things that he both loved and hated about her.

“Be safe on the ride over. Please?” he then requested. “Terra's said that the folks that are still on the road are crazier than the normal traffic.”

Sabrina snorted. “That's because they're stir crazy. Or suicidal because they're essential employees. About the same, really.”

“Please be careful.” Ven repeated, this time with a bit more pleading in his voice.

“I'll be just as careful as I was when we played seven minutes in heaven at Kairi's birthday party.” Sabrina informed him- he could almost hear the cheeky grin she had on her face while she said it too. “Byyyye~!”

And just like that, the line went dead, and Ven was sure that his blush was even darker than before. He glanced over at his clock. If Sabrina was coming over, he might as well take a quick shower. Goodness knows how long he's worn the pair of lounge pants he had on. It was time for a change anyway.

. . .

Terra unscrewed the cap of his water bottle with a near prejudice. The sips he took where long and even more angered as he downed nearly the entirety of the bottle's contents in a few seconds. Why did they even have an above ground pool if no one else was going to take care of it? The water was green enough to be called a swamp, the filter pump had a busted part somewhere, and he was almost certain at this point that the pool itself had a tear somewhere. He wasn't going to lie, Terra was ready to give up and resign to a fate of playing Wii Fit until the lockdown let up.

“Aqua must be getting quite the eyeful from her bedroom right about now.”

Recognizing the voice, Terra paused and looked toward the drive lane. Still sitting there in her convertible was Sabrina. She had sunglasses over her eyes, but her teasing smirk was as clear as day. Terra's face fell before deciding to go over to his best friend's noncommittal girlfriend.

“Top knots don't work on you.” he informed her in a toneless voice. At this, the smirk was instantly wiped off of her face. She even absently placed a hand on said top knot that was actually doing a pretty decent job of keeping her raven black hair out of her face. A scowl then found its way onto her features. Terra perfectly ignored all of it.

“Ven didn't say you were coming over.” he instead said to her.

“That's because I invited myself.”

“How did I not guess...” Terra muttered under his breath. “You do know we're in lockdown, right?”

“Urg, not you too.” the young woman grumbled. “Look, I have a box full of clothes here somewhere. I could practically live here if I felt like it.”

The look Terra gave her silently passed the message that they both knew she wouldn't.

“So,” Terra started to say just to change the subject, “Are you taking Ven with you, or...”

“Ha! You're not that lucky this time.” the younger of the two laughed. “I'm staying here.”

“For how long?”

At this, Sabrina tilted her sunglasses at him. “Remember that box of clothes I mentioned earlier? Still relevant.”

Terra shook his head. He couldn't argue against it- he had other things to do than bicker with a self appointed princess.

“The door's unlocked.” he instead said. “Just keep your shoes at the door, Aqua's been on a cleaning streak since quarantine started.”

“Thanks muscle head.” Sabrina cheekily agreed as she shut her car's engine off.

Sabrina absolutely loved -and conversely was very jealous of- the house Ven and his friends lived in. Deeded to Aqua and Terra after the latter's adoptive father passed, the spacious farmhouse boasted four full bedrooms and an incredibly beautiful kitchen. It had also become a near second home to her since she and Ven started to hang out. There was even the bonus of not having four year old sextuplet adoptive siblings running around. Who would say no to that?

Heading straight to the game room, Sabrina entered the room without so much announcing she had arrived. Ven didn't notice; he was working over by the TV, making sure that both the Roku and Xbox were plugged in. Sabrina offered him a small smile before heading to the couch. She flopped herself down, landing on her back and making herself comfortable not long after. When Ven finally turned around to look for the remote controls, he nearly jumped out of his skin seeing his girlfriend casually lounging on the couch.

“Draw me like one of your french girls, Jack.” Sabrina even teased. Ven almost immediately looked away again, his face flushed and a hand nervously rubbing the back of his neck.

“You're early.” he noted as he went over to the couch.

“Are you kidding?” she snorted. “I couldn't get here fast enough.”

“Traffic bad?” Ven asked before bending down to give her a small kiss.

Sabrina shook her head as he then sat down next to her. “Too loud at home.” She looked up at the ceiling and let out a hard sigh. “They're sooo bored, and there's nothing we can really do about it than let them do whatever all day. Or hang them from the ceiling. I'm down for that. Ozzie, though? Not so much.”

“You know, it would be a lot quieter if you went to Kairi and Namine's house.” Ven gently told her as he reached for a remote. He turned the TV on, filling the room with the noises of some news channel. Ven quickly changed it.

“Nah.” Sabrina disagreed with a flick of her hand. “If I was gonna do that, I'd go over to Ephemer's. He lives closer to me than anyone else. But he's too busy threewaying with Skuld and that super quiet kid of 3-C.” A small look of thought crossed Sabrina's face as she considered something. She tilted her head up to look at Ven. “What is their gender by the way?”

Ven gave a small half shrug. It didn't really matter to him.

“Maybe they're like Xion and identify as nonbinary?”

“I guess.” came the sighing agreement. Sabrina relaxed her head, then carefully turned it to look at the TV. “You've got a game plan today, or nah?”

Ventus tilted his head to the side a little in thought, but when he opened his mouth to answer, he was cut off by someone else.

“He's going to watch me sweep you off your feet, obviously.”

Both Sabrina and Ventus turned their attention to see Vanitas at the doorway. Seeing him caused a rather unnerved smirk to appear on the young woman's face.

“In your dreams, Vanitas.” she told him- her voice was sickeningly sweet, but still held an edge that the dark haired boy ignored. Despite this, Vanitas also came toward the couch.

“Come on Wabi-Sabi, give me a little chance.” he teased, passing by Ven with full knowledge that his older twin would do nothing to stop him.

“I did.” Sabrina countered as she folded her arms. “And you used it to say you were Ven.”

“It was an honest attempt.”

“I was nearly expelled.” Ven cut in. His voice was a bit darker now as well.

Vanitas only shrugged. “C'est la vie of a twin.”

It was almost unnoticeable, but both Ventus and Sabrina gave him a low growl.

“You really wanna do something for me?” Sabrina asked him in a sweet voice, raising her leg up to his eye range. Vanitas did not hesitate to place a gentle hand near her ankle and give it a kiss.

“Of course, my lady.” Vanitas purred.

“Then make me and Ven a pizza.” she informed him, lightly kicking his chest. “A real one too- not whatever frozen monstrosity that's been at the back of your freezer since the last Joe Corbi's.”

Vanitas grunted, all but swatting her foot away in frustration, before leaving the living room. Sabrina looked rather pleased with herself. She tilted her head up to look at Ven again.

“You're welcome.” she grinned.

“He'll be back in an hour.”

Her grin immediately became a grimace. “See if I care.”

And with that, Ventus turned on the Xbox and started to play whatever game had been left in it last. Sabrina made a few adjustments to her sitting position to better watch him. A peaceful silence came between them as Ven played his game. Occasionally, unconsciously, Sabrina would look up at Ven for a moment before looking back at the TV.

“Who would you date if you didn't have me?”

“Oh, I dunno.” Ventus replied, barely looking away from his game. Which meant that his answers were going to be half-hearted at best. “Strelitzia's kinda cute, I guess. But her brother seems kinda scary if you so much look at her funny. And I know for a fact that Namine definitely wouldn't treat me like you do.”

“That's 'cuz Namine's too shy, whereas I'm...”

“Bossy?”

“A boss.”

To this, Ven smirked. “Not the word I would have used.” he teasingly mused. “But alright.”

Sabrina gave him a fake gasp. She immediately sat up and took the controller straight out of Ven's hand- lightly tossing it to the floor.

“Hey!” Ven declared, turning to face her. But he stopped all thought processes when he realized just how close she had placed her face next to his. Ven could feel his breathing hitch and his heart beat faster the longer he looked into her chocolate brown eyes.

“You're so mean to me.” he whispered in a near husk. Sabrina only offered a teasing grin.

“You love it.” she insisted before leaning closer to him. Ven mirrored her, closing the distance between them. When they could just barely brush their lips against the others, Sabrina suddenly pulled away.

“Wait, do you smell that?”

Confused, his mind wanting other things, Ventus paused and started to sniff the air. The duo tried to figure out what exactly they were smelling. It was almost like the smell of freshly baked bread and tomato sauce.

“Oh my god.” Sabrina marveled when she realized what it was. She turned to Ven with a wide, thoroughly bemused grin. “He's actually doing it. Vanitas is actually making us a pizza.”

“You.” Ven corrected. “He's making you a pizza.”

“You know I'll share.”

“Assuming he makes enough to share.”

“Should've told him to make it 9 inches.” Sabrina then noted, sitting up as the moment of intimacy had passed at the distraction. “If he's the desperate to actually make a pizza by scratch, then he's desperate enough to pull out a ruler to make it exactly 9 inches too.”

“You just enjoy stringing all of us along, don't you?” Ventus wondered before he could stop himself. Hearing it made Sabrina pause for a moment. She looked at him with a rather demeaning raise of her eyebrow.

“Even if I am,” she said, “You're still kind to me. Not sure who's the bigger idiot; you or me.”

“Maybe both.” he suggested in a soft voice.

Sabrina looked away. “Yeah… Maybe.”

A small silence fell on them after this. Unlike before, it wasn't a good one.

“Let's make Vanitas jealous.” Ventus suddenly suggested.

Sabrina jumped in her spot. She looked back at him with wide eyes. He looked back at her with almost the same expression- apparently even more shocked that he would say such a thing.

“Are you serious?” Sabrina questioned, a bemused grin etching its way on her face.

Ven looked at her for a moment. The idea was… rather tempting, actually. It wouldn't have been the first time that they were caught making out. Let alone the first time they wanted someone to find out that they were. He looked back up at her and gave a firm nod. “Dead serious.” he affirmed.

“You're such a bad-” Sabrina started to say, but Ven had cut her off with a heated kiss. The rest of her sentence was murmured into his lips. As the kiss deepened, Ven carefully laid Sabrina down on the couch to further continue their antics in comfort.

Quarantine be damned, making out was fun.

Rain’s Idea Bank (WTW) ☂

Here are all the ideas for fics I want to eventually write ._.)/

☂ Anime Stuff

࿏ enters fast food / sees dabi with cube / work smart not hard / villain enters / she takes the cube and yeets it at him / I was almost done! / you didn't have a single color / I was almost there! / He leaves and mistakenly takes her drink

࿏ Promise to marry. Loves her. Goes to jog, yamamoto asks is he single noya says no lev gets upset and isn't paying attention gets lost can't stop crying she finds him and he confesses.

࿏ Pairing: Konoha x Reader (euph) Trope: Mary Sue (casey) Genre: Angst, Romance (desk-gun) Prompt: Fire (kyokosasagawa) Word Count: 1,111 (janellion)

࿏ Heart Beats #18: Lovers When you return to the cabin, Atobe is awake. You explain what happened and everyone decides to go to bed. Before you can, however, he comments about how the two of you have become lovers. Choutarou flushes and Shishido pipes in thinking that being lovers means having sex, making Choutarou quickly deny the accusation. Atobe chuckles while you facepalm. Atobe then explains that lovers simply means ‘a person in love with another’.

࿏ Flaws, Part 3You accept what you did was wrong - you never should have lied and kept something so dark from the one you claimed to love. It hurts, but you decide that Jirou is better off without you in his life. It hurts, but you let him go. But what if he realizes how empty he feels without you? Can he actually bring himself to overlook who you are and love you despite everything?

࿏ Unnamed, Akaya, Part 1Akaya needs to take a shower after finding himself the victim of a prank, but after hearing the high schoolers talking about how the shower room is haunted, he refuses to go alone. Everyone else is asleep, so he bugs you to go along with him. You plan on standing outside, but he demands that you stand watch inside. Halfway through his shower, a loud and eery moan fills the room. He screams and launches at you, his naked body pressing against yours as close as he could get it. You climb up the wall and pull a knife from your boot to pry the speaker from the wall, showing that he had gotten pranked.

࿏ Unnamed, Akaya, Part 2Akaya was pranked again. You sit in his room while he strips down to his boxers, listening to him complain about why he keeps getting pranked. You simply tell him that it’s because he is cute and that if he stops reacting, they will get bored and move on. He now only has one pair of clean clothes left, so he begs you to wash his dirty clothes for him. Sanada walks in to find the half naked boy sitting on your lap and freezes, demanding to know what’s going on. He claims that you are corrupting the second year. Akaya doesn’t understand what the big deal is, and you simply state that there isn’t one because you’ve seen dicks before. Sanada, trying to hide his blush, yells at you and throws his balled up jacket, hitting Akaya in the face and sending him to the ground. Deciding to aid him, you quickly grab his clothes and head for the laundry room. He rushes to get dressed and follows, sitting ontop of the machine. Again, he questions what the big deal is, since you had already seen him naked and he trusts you. You suggest that he not tell Sanada that. Smut ensues.

࿏ Unnamed, MihashiMihashi is being bullied by some other kids in the park when you stumble across them. Being an ex-gangster, you were easily able to lift the kid off the ground and scare him shitless with just a few words. Mihashi is crying and apologizes for being so weak. You wipe his tears and give him your long sleeved shirt as it’s a bit cold outside. “There’s always someone stronger than you out there. Besides, if you get stronger, I wouldn’t get the chance to save you.” He smiles and your heart skips a beat. You ask if he’s ever had his first kiss and then ask if you can take it from him. He nervously agrees and you pull him close, sharing your first, of many, kisses.

࿏ Unnamed, Marui A high schooler named Murai develops a test syrum that turns Marui into a vampric assassin. After being injected, he passes out and is taken to the nurse’s office. Having had feelings for the boy for a while, you rush to the office as soon as you here and you quickly note the signs that he’s a vampire. After getting the nurse out of the room, you slice your arm and offer him a drink, shocking Niou, who had arrived with you. Since you are the first blood he’s had, he no longer smells the blood of others like a normal vampire does. Like a homing rocket set on a target - it ignores everything but the target.Marui ends up having a nightmare about Murai and his roomates are unable to wake him so they grab you. Hearing your voice brings him back, but he is so upset that you grab him and bring him to your room to calm down. He explains that he had a nightmare about the man who turned him and that he had killed you. This is after over hearing your conversation with Niou about his condition. He’s hungry, but doesn’t want to leave a mark, so she removes her shirt and tells him to pick a spot. He chooses your upper left chest.During a fight, you get a cut on your stomach. Marui smells your blood and comes running, licking the wound. Later, he is with Sanada and the others when he smells your blood again. His fangs appear and he slaps his hand over his mouth before excusing himself to chase after you. Murai sees him coming up behind you and gets excited, expecting him to attack, but instead he hugs you and kisses your back, telling you to be careful. You then take down Murai and learn how to cure Marui. This takes place during U-17.

࿏  keigo arranged marriage, runs away from home

࿏  Super empath can take on the emotions of others just by talking to them and while comforting someone online, she takes on the depression.

☂ Kpop Stuff

࿏  “Pyromaniac” I.M and Jooheon - Reader is childhood friends with Jooheon. She invites him and I.M to hang out in an abandoned building that’s rumored to be haunted. They decide to split up and reader, being a pyromaniac, plays with her lighter as she explores, flicking it open and closed repeatedly. When an ice cold hand grabs her shoulder, she drops the lighter and whips around, only to find nothing there. The hand grips her again and she whips back around to find some cloth on the floor now set ablaze with a transparent woman standing amongst them. She noped out of there, grabbing her friends on the way. The fire department was called and so was Shownu, who questions what happened. “I don’t understand how this could have happened.” to which I.M responds “My guess would be the pyromaniac but that’s just me.” Everyone stares at her and she only shrugs, claiming the fault of the ghost.

☂ Other Fandoms

࿏ obey me - u don't understand how rude it is to step on someone's tail / are you done yet / you don't have a tail ur opinion is invalid / are you serious bro

࿏ It’s been 7 years, and no one has yet made a fanfiction about the College of Winterhold going at the Triwizard Tournament, having the Dragonborn get in the contest as the College’s Champion and so Hilarity ensues.

࿏ finding a home - looking for father for years, it's iron man

࿏  OC never understood ryoma’s love of ponta/lu xia’s love of fanta, until she tried it herself.

࿏  jingwoo goes to ny and gets attacked. his father is friends with the mayor and don, so svu gets the case, but oc has history with this one.

࿏  guard for ri’saad, uses her for warmth

☂ Songs

࿏ world war me theory of a deadman

☂ Other Stuff

࿏ OC adopts a troubled high school freshman.

࿏  Security guard falls for a high school student.

࿏  OC has beautiful hair and always gets complimented but she cuts it and her friends start calling her ugly.

࿏ Mother is a perfectionist. OC is depressed. Mother complains she never does anything. OC tries. Mother complains she did it wrong and redoes it. OC stops trying and feels useless, wondering why she isn’t good enough. OC cries in the park.

࿏  Betsy vs Daburi Skyrim oc face off dark brotherhood

Upcoming, Planned & To Do

This was updated on 7/23/20.

Here’s a list of shit I want to write, plan to write, or have written and just haven’t posted lol Btw, I use OC and she/her in these but that’ll be changed when I write it.

♟ General Stuff

Adding archive from wordpress (in progress)

♟ Upcoming

Sportember Writing Event (September)

Octkyuu!! (October Haikyuu Event)

Frightful October (Halloween Event)

♟ Requests

None

♟ Planned

Imagine stroking  and gently scratching  bakugo's back  while the two of you  cuddddleeeeeeeeeeeeee  and then  he falls ASLEEEPPPPP

https://bnhatrashh.tumblr.com/post/624391477041266688/imagine-stroking-and-gently-scratching

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Heart Beats #18: Lovers ~ When you return to the cabin, Atobe is awake. You explain what happened and everyone decides to go to bed. Before you can, however, he comments about how the two of you have become lovers. Choutarou flushes and Shishido pipes in thinking that being lovers means having sex, making Choutarou quickly deny the accusation. Atobe chuckles while you facepalm. Atobe then explains that lovers simply means ‘a person in love with another’.

━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━

Unnamed, Akaya, Part 1 ~ Akaya needs to take a shower after finding himself the victim of a prank, but after hearing the high schoolers talking about how the shower room is haunted, he refuses to go alone. Everyone else is asleep, so he bugs you to go along with him. You plan on standing outside, but he demands that you stand watch inside. Halfway through his shower, a loud and eery moan fills the room. He screams and launches at you, his naked body pressing against yours as close as he could get it. You climb up the wall and pull a knife from your boot to pry the speaker from the wall, showing that he had gotten pranked.

━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━

Unnamed, Akaya, Part 2 ~ Akaya was pranked again. You sit in his room while he strips down to his boxers, listening to him complain about why he keeps getting pranked. You simply tell him that it’s because he is cute and that if he stops reacting, they will get bored and move on. He now only has one pair of clean clothes left, so he begs you to wash his dirty clothes for him. Sanada walks in to find the half naked boy sitting on your lap and freezes, demanding to know what’s going on. He claims that you are corrupting the second year. Akaya doesn’t understand what the big deal is, and you simply state that there isn’t one because you’ve seen dicks before. Sanada, trying to hide his blush, yells at you and throws his balled up jacket, hitting Akaya in the face and sending him to the ground. Deciding to aid him, you quickly grab his clothes and head for the laundry room. He rushes to get dressed and follows, sitting ontop of the machine. Again, he questions what the big deal is, since you had already seen him naked and he trusts you. You suggest that he not tell Sanada that. Smut ensues.

━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━

Unnamed, Mihashi ~ Mihashi is being bullied by some other kids in the park when you stumble across them. Being an ex-gangster, you were easily able to lift the kid off the ground and scare him shitless with just a few words. Mihashi is crying and apologizes for being so weak. You wipe his tears and give him your long sleeved shirt as it’s a bit cold outside. “There’s always someone stronger than you out there. Besides, if you get stronger, I wouldn’t get the chance to save you.” He smiles and your heart skips a beat. You ask if he’s ever had his first kiss and then ask if you can take it from him. He nervously agrees and you pull him close, sharing your first, of many, kisses.

━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━

Unnamed, Marui ~ A high schooler named Murai develops a test syrum that turns Marui into a vampric assassin. After being injected, he passes out and is taken to the nurse’s office. Having had feelings for the boy for a while, you rush to the office as soon as you here and you quickly note the signs that he’s a vampire. After getting the nurse out of the room, you slice your arm and offer him a drink, shocking Niou, who had arrived with you. Since you are the first blood he’s had, he no longer smells the blood of others like a normal vampire does. Like a homing rocket set on a target - it ignores everything but the target.

Marui ends up having a nightmare about Murai and his roomates are unable to wake him so they grab you. Hearing your voice brings him back, but he is so upset that you grab him and bring him to your room to calm down. He explains that he had a nightmare about the man who turned him and that he had killed you. This is after over hearing your conversation with Niou about his condition. He’s hungry, but doesn’t want to leave a mark, so she removes her shirt and tells him to pick a spot. He chooses your upper left chest.

During a fight, you get a cut on your stomach. Marui smells your blood and comes running, licking the wound. Later, he is with Sanada and the others when he smells your blood again. His fangs appear and he slaps his hand over his mouth before excusing himself to chase after you. Murai sees him coming up behind you and gets excited, expecting him to attack, but instead he hugs you and kisses your back, telling you to be careful. You then take down Murai and learn how to cure Marui. This takes place during U-17.

━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━

“Pyromaniac” I.M and Jooheon ~ Reader is childhood friends with Jooheon. She invites him and I.M to hang out in an abandoned building that’s rumored to be haunted. They decide to split up and reader, being a pyromaniac, plays with her lighter as she explores, flicking it open and closed repeatedly. When an ice cold hand grabs her shoulder, she drops the lighter and whips around, only to find nothing there. The hand grips her again and she whips back around to find some cloth on the floor now set ablaze with a transparent woman standing amongst them. She noped out of there, grabbing her friends on the way. The fire department was called and so was Shownu, who questions what happened. “I don’t understand how this could have happened.” to which I.M responds “My guess would be the pyromaniac but that’s just me.” Everyone stares at her and she only shrugs, claiming the fault of the ghost.

OC adopts a troubled high school freshman.

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Security guard falls for a high school student.

━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━

OC has beautiful hair and always gets complimented but she cuts it and her friends start calling her ugly.

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Hetalia characters appear in the real world. OC opens the door despite being sick and China ends up staying with her.

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Mother is a perfectionist. OC is depressed. Mother complains she never does anything. OC tries. Mother complains she did it wrong and redoes it. OC stops trying and feels useless, wondering why she isn't good enough. OC cries in the park.

━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━

OC suddenly gets sick and panics, Jisoo finds her having a breakdown in the bathroom.

━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━

Super empath can take on the emotions of others just by talking to them and while comforting someone online, she takes on the depression.

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Betsy vs Daburi Skyrim oc face off dark brotherhood

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Just a prank bro

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thanksgiving fic

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Diablo from suicide squad

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guard for ri’saad, uses her for warmth

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simon cowell 139 dreams WIP

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keigo arranged marriage, runs away from home

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jingwoo goes to ny and gets attacked. his father is friends with the mayor and don, so svu gets the case, but oc has history with this one.

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mugger switchblade prompt with hiyoshi

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Always chapter 6

Drifting Away chapter 7

How Do You Love? chapter 5

Moving Metal chapter 7

Reaching Out chapter 5

Rise Above It chapter 48

Storm Coming chapter 5

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Oh Brother pt 4

I’m back! (kind of) I’m still finishing up some things and job hunting but I finally have more time and less stress in my life so I can focus on my writing again. I also think I might start doing drabbles and one-shots soon. If there’s something you want me to write either leave a comment or message me! :) Also I decided to read ahead in the manga so some spoilers might be coming up in later chapters but I will tag it for spoilers

When class ended he walked to the back of the room before turning to Todoroki. “(y/n) doesn’t need a place to stay tonight, thanks for being willing to though.” Being dismissed Todoroki just nodded to Hawks before shooting a look at (y/n) before leaving out the door.

“I thought you had a friend staying over tonight?” She asked while pulling her stuff together. 

“Ehh, I told her to get lost. I have another girl in my life that needs my attention right now.”

He paused looking over the bruises and cuts that weren’t fully healed by Recovery Girl before saying “I’m so sorry (y/n). I don’t know what I was thinking. It went way too far. I--”

She cut him off by wrapping him in a hug. “You have your reasoning I’m sure. I forgive you and more importantly I trust you. I know who you are Hawks.”  she said staring straight into his golden eyes. “Besides it was just a bit of sibling rivalry right?” She joked.

“Right” he laughed, some tension releasing from his shoulders. As they walked together he plucked her bag from her.

“Hey--” 

“I got it.”  Hawks replied before lifting the bag up and down weighing it. “Geez, how much homework are they assigning you anyways? What are you supposed to do? Bore the villains into surrendering?”

“Birdbrain, I can carry my stuff. Recovery Girl healed me. I’m okay.”

“I’m not questioning your strength. I’m trying to be nice” Hawk jokingly glared at (y/n). “Not that you would appreciate it apparently. I gotta work on your manners.” 

“You need to be in town to try and parent me, birdbrain”

“You really know how to hurt me, chicken wing,” Hawks said as he dramatically threw his hand over his heart. 

Letting out a huff (y/n) just shook her head and laughed it off.

“Ugh all I want to do is go home and shower.” wings were dragging behind her picking up more dust, but the muscles in her back wouldn’t let her lift them up.

“Ya you need it chicken wing,” He said while pretending to fan in front of his face and scrunching up his face, but his eyes showed his concern while they lingered on her wings. Once white, they now were caked in blood and dirt, the feathers matted.

Lightly pushing him away, she opened the door to her apartment and immediately went to the bathroom, the sound of running water filled the apartment. A half hour later the door creaked open and steam poured out into the hallway. Hawks laughed thinking to himself “This is why the utilities bill is so expensive.”

“Hey, Birdbrain.” (y/n)’s quiet voice interrupted his thoughts. Doing a quick scan,  he noticed the dirt and blood had been wiped away but bruises and cuts still littered her body.

“That’s my name. What’s up?” he asked concern filling his voice.

“I need some help” she said before walking into the hallway and spreading her wings out a little bit more. While the rest of her had been thoroughly scrubbed clean, blood and dirt still clung to her feathers, making them a muddy brick color.

A look of shame flashed across his face looking at what he did before her laugh jolted him.

“I get that you have a thing with birds at the agency and such,” she said making fun of the fact that all of his sidekicks had some bird feature, “but there are easier ways for me to look like your actual sister. Next time could we try a box of red dye or something first?” she continued before she was engulfed in a hug by Hawks.

“I’m so so sorry (y/n)” he whispered

She flicked him on the forehead. “I already told you I forgive you. Just… just help me clean my feathers alright? And then maybe you can tell me what happened today, and why you’re in town?” she finished sending him a questioning look.

Pulling an extra chair into the bathroom she started to fill the bathtub with warm water and pulled down a washcloth handing it to Hawks. Sitting on the edge of the tub she let him have the chair and spread her wings out towards him. As he slowly worked the washcloth over the feathers he began, “there was an accident recently…  a sidekick from another agency… she was hurt in a fight. She was hurt but she could still fight so I left her to take care of some civilians. I was told a villain came and she didn’t even engage him. He still took her out just to hurt heroes in general. He could’ve escaped, but he took the time to kill her and was captured because of it. She never even fought back--” his voice choked off as a sob wracked through him. “She just gave up and she died. I --I could’ve helped her but--”

“Stop.” (y/n) cut in turning to face him. “She knew what she signed up for. We all do it's how we’re trained. I know you know that so please stop beating yourself up. Her death is no one’s fault except for the one who killed her. Ok?”

Getting a nod from Hawks she turned back around as he continued to work on her wings. He hit a sensitive spot causing her feathers to puff up a bit.

“Chicken wing” he laughed to himself under his breath.

“Hmm?”

“If you want my approval to become a hero, you gotta get stronger” he joked, poking her sides. “I can’t have anything happen to you and you need to promise me...Promise me you’ll never give up?”

“Birdbrain, I’ll never back down from a challenge”

“That’s not what I mean,” he said concern and irritation fighting within his voice.

“Next time I’ll make sure I’m the one carrying Bakugou to the nurse’s office bridal style.” she huffed out. “By the way, you still haven’t told me why you’re back in town. Does Endeavor have some event soon or something?”

“Uhh no not quite that. I didn’t exactly handle the sidekick’s death too well at the agency. I pushed all of my sidekicks almost to their breaking points so they may have sent me on mandatory vacation. Also, the agency is gearing up for something, but they won’t tell me what it is yet.”

“Wait! So you’re not here for work?” She asked excitement clearly in her voice.

“I just told you I went psychotic and you’re happy?” he asked bemused.

“Are you kidding me? I feel like I never see you anymore and when I do you kick my ass in front of my class. Of course I’m happy you’re here. We can go to the beach, and I can probably ask Todoroki to invite us over for a family dinner so you can annoy Endeavor some and-- Wait! You can train me!”

“You want me to train you after today?” Hawks asked gently tugging on (y/n)’s wing.

“Of course. I need to get Bakugou back after today.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask you what’s going on with you two?” He asked while tossing  the washcloth in the laundry

Looking at the tub, (y/n) saw the brown and red water in the tub and quickly unplugged the tub “Birdbrain what are you talking about?”

“Do I need to have a chat with him?”

Y/n stared at him incredulously. “With Bakugou? You think...no! No, we literally just became friends today.” she started, walking out to the balcony.

“Hmm, what about you and Shouto?”

She just laughed. “Would you stop trying to become a part of that family by marrying me off? Shouto and I are just friends. You know Endeavor doesn’t like me so it's not like he’d let me anyway.”

“But you want to?” Hawks asked filled with hope.

She shook the water out of her feathers before returning inside and giving a stern look at Hawks. “No Hawks.”

Walking past him to her room she changed out of the towel and pulled on a tank top and sweats. Stepping back into the living room she noticed a smirk on Hawks’ face.

Before she could even ask him what he was smirking at he asked: “What about that kid from the coffee shop?”

(Y/n)’s brain short-circuited. How did Hawks know about Shindou? Had she ever introduced them? No, no she kept the fact that she was related to Hawks pretty secret.

“I only ask because you both seemed pretty into each other on your way to school. That is until that Eijirou kid showed up.”

As the dots finally connected she glared at him. “You followed me this morning? And you didn’t even bother to say hi until class?! Ugh, Birdbrain, I am going to rip all of your feathers out one of these days I swear.”

Barking out a laugh he looked at (y/n). “You still haven’t answered my question.” His gold eyes sparked with mischief. “But I think your bright red face is answer enough.”

“Hawks, please don’t do anything. We just flirt, there’s no harm to it really. Anyways it's not like I’m bringing home a different person every week.” She added quirking an eyebrow up at him. Feeling satisfied that she had won this argument she grabbed her phone and began to read through her texts. Noticing multiple classmates had texted her about hanging out at her house, (y/n) put everything together when Mina straight up asked her how long Hawks would be in town for. Deciding to add to class 1A’s group chat she sent out a text suggesting a beach day in 2 days.

“Hey Hawks, some friends and I are going to the beach in 2 days. Wanna come?”

“Are these friends perhaps fans of mine?” he asked smugly.

“Please, who isn’t a fan of you? And it's just my classmates from today. So are you in? You are supposed to be on vacation after all.”

Before even getting a response from him she sent out another text telling her class Hawks would be coming too.

Immediately the group chat blew up with people texting here they would be coming.

The Woes and Antics of Living Together-11

I totally meant for this to end fluffy but it had other plans and it went a little angsty. Other than that though this is just a short, fluffy filler chapter since the last one was so involved. But I'll tell you all this, the next chapter's gonna be fun. Heehee~

Anyway, hope you enjoy!

Previous Chapter/Next Chapter; AO3/FF.net

@writerofberk Chapter 11! Which has a little bit of everything!

                                                    ~*~*~*~*~*~

Captain Starfunkles Roller Rink and Arcade was not Branch's ideal place to go, with it's old furniture and stained carpet. It was honestly a wonder how it was still in business with how unsanitary and unsafe everything appeared, but Poppy had insisted he join them. Actually she had dragged him here against his will the moment she saw he was going to decline Bridget's invitation. So now he was stuck sitting in a sticky booth with the Snack Packs various bags as they all skated around the rink.

Gristle and Bridget were skating side by side, holding hands and being sickening sweet with each other like they always were. Satin and Chenille were chatting with Biggie as they skated around the rink, Branch only catching a few words when Biggie tried to deny something about not having a crush loudly as they went by. Cooper and Smidge had been racing but it seemed the two had moved onto arcade challenges. And Poppy, Guy and Suki were performing spins and a tricks while making references to some show that had Guy calling everyone a 'Pork Cutlet Bowl'. Branch honestly didn't want to know. He had seen Creek skating along with everyone before he had rolled off somewhere to take a phone call.

Branch sighed as his eyes once again found his pink haired roommate out on the rink because try as he might he was unable to help himself from watching her. She just drew his attention to her no matter what she did. He loved seeing her amber eyes sparkle with joy and her bright grin as she was surrounded by all her friends. If only he could be a source of that happiness too... But he was darkness while she was a bright sun that filled each and every day with light and was way too out of his reach, no matter how far he tried.

Blinking out of his melancholy thoughts, Branch made a quick note on his phone to write that line down in his poetry later.

Meanwhile Poppy was laughing as she and Suki spun around holding hands before Guy came in and grabbed the DJ. It was so nice of Bridget and Gristle to invite them all out like this, she hadn't realized how much she missed roller skating. Letting Suki skate alone with Guy for a moment, she started a lazy loop around the perimeter of the rink as she took in all her friends having fun. Except of Branch, who was slouched in the booth looking bored. Rolling her eyes at her roommate she made to skate over to him to try and get him to join them when she noticed Creek coming back, sans roller blades.

Rolling over and grabbed the edge, Poppy flashed him a smile, “Hey. Where are your skates? Not tired already I hope.”

Creek smiled apologetically, “Not exactly. A coworker just called and asked if I could take their shift. Seems they caught a bit of a cold.”

“Oh...” Poppy's shoulders dropped, she had been looking forward to spending more time with him.

“Fret not, Sweet.” The guru cupped her chin, “We'll have time together again.”

“I know..” She gave him a sad sort of smile, “It's just you've been working a lot lately.”

Creek smiled at her, “Yes, but it's a good thing. I'll be able to afford a new apartment in no time. And then you,” He booped her nose, “Get to plan my house warming party.”

Poppy giggled, “Okay. Have fun~”

“I always do.” He bowed with his hands folded, “Namaste.”

Poppy watched him go with a smile before turning her sight back to Branch. Time to get back to her plan of try getting him on the rink. Exiting the rink, she rolled over to their table with a grin.

“Hey, Braaanch~!” She sang, “Come skate with us.”

“No.” Was his deadpan response.

She pouted before pulling out a childhood trick, “Please? For me?”

Branch glared at her, “Nice try. That doesn't work anymore.” A lie, actually. It could still work but he be damned if he let it. “So why did Creek leave?” Not that he really cared, he was glad the creep was gone but Poppy had looked sad about his departure and that didn't sit right with him.

“Oh...He had to go to work but hey! It's alright! It happens.” She shrugged before drumming her hands on the table, “Now stop just sitting here and come join us!”

“No.” He crossed his arms, “I'm not skating. Plus someone has to keep an eye on your things. You never know when a pickpocket could come by.”

“Branch. We're the only ones here besides the employees.”

“Yeah and that server looked shifty.”

Poppy threw her head back and groaned, “Branch, it'll be fine. Come ooooon.”

Before Branch could respond a different music track began to play. One that had Poppy turning around and grinning at Suki, who had gotten into the music booth, “Oh my gosh! Yes!”

Guy held out a hand dramatically. “Come my little Pork Cutlet Bowl! Let us dazzle everyone!”

Poppy laughed and forgetting her mission, skated back to the rink as she began to sing, “Can you hear...my heat beat. I'm tired of feeling I'm...never enough. I close my eyes and tell myself that my dreams will come true.”

“There'll be no more darkness when you believe,” Guy took a turn, grabbing her hand and pulling her across the floor, “In yourself, you're unstoppable. Where you're destiny lies, dancing on your blades, you set my heart on fire~!”

“Don't stop us now!” They sang together as Suki joined in, “The moment of truth. We were born to make history! We'll make it happen, we'll turned it around. Yes, we were born to make history!”

Branch watched for a moment as the three continued to perform, the rest of their friends cheering them on, before shaking his head. He buried his face in his arms and wondered just why he put up with these people, no crush on the most gorgeous girl was worth all this.

                                                  ~*~*~*~*~*~

Branch and Poppy arrived back at their apartment in the early evening, Poppy parking in front of their building. The rest of their trip had involved Biggie and Gristle taking turns at the claw machine and everyone, except Branch, chowing down on some the greasiest pizza Branch had ever seen. He was glad to be back because that had been a waste of an entire afternoon he could've been studying or better yet, preparing dinner. It was the thought about dinner that suddenly had Branch groaning.

“What is it?” Poppy asked, “Did you forget something at the rink?”

“No.” Branch huffed, “There's nothing prepared for dinner because someone dragged me out when I could've been marinating the pork chops from the freezer.”

Poppy looked playfully offended, “Well excuse me for trying to help you relax a little. And to not hurt Bridget's feelings.”

“Bridget would've understood.”

Poppy let out a exasperated breath and rolled her eyes, here he went, being stubborn again. Shifting in her seat to better face Branch, she flashed him a smile, “Then how about this! You go to the store and pick something up for dinner and I'll go finish up that laundry I...sort of forgot about...”

Branch sighed and held out his hand for her keys, “Fine...”

                                                   ~*~*~*~*~*~

Branch came home an hour later with a bag of taco supplies and a new reason to be irritated at the little market store close to their apartment. Their selection of tomatoes and onions had been horrible, so he'd had to waste more time running to the larger grocery store. At least the ground beef wouldn't take too long to cook and dinner would done before too long. Opening the door and wincing at the pop music blaring throughout their home, Branch turned into the kitchen to find Poppy dancing at the sink, washing dishes and-Was that one of his shirts?!

“...I-is that my shirt?!” He asked, cheeks turning red and hoping she didn't notice the way his voice cracked because he just suddenly couldn't handle her. She looked too damn adorable in his faded green shirt with the pine tree decal because it was a few sizes too big for her, one of her shoulders on display because the neck hem dipped to one side and it was just long enough to allow her shorts to peek out from under it. Branch couldn't help but wish that was all she was wearing before instantly berating himself for that thought. Poppy wearing his clothes was not a good thing!

“Oh!” Poppy jumped in surprise at his voice before looking a little embarrassed as she dried off her hands, “Um...maybe?” Branch raised an eyebrow at her and gave a look that said she should explain. “Look! I'm sorry, okay?! But I was doing the laundry and needed a spare shirt because reasons,” She had spilt detergent over the shirt she had been wearing and Branch's had been convenient to wear back up to the apartment, “And it's really comfortable so I sort of wanna keep it!”

“You-I-That-No!” Branch stumbled, dumping the groceries on the counter as he flailed his hands around, “You can't just steal someone's shirt!!”

“Yes I can!”

Branch really wasn't sure why but rather than try to argue with Poppy, he instead lunged at her with a growl. Poppy squealed and ran off, leading to him chasing her around the apartment. She ran to the couch hoping to put it between them but he followed her around it. She leapt over a bean bag before having to dodge another lunge. Branch in turn chased her in circles around the armchair before she attempted to keep it between them. They bobbed to and fro before Poppy tore off again down the hall, Branch hot on her heels. He caught her around the waist before she could run into her room.

“Give it back!” He shouted, tickling her like he had always done when this happened as kids.

“Never!” She laughed, squirming out of his hold and running back toward the living room.

Growling, Branch pursued and they made another round between and past their furniture. Poppy tried to go back though the kitchen, making another attempt to get to her bedroom but Branch cut her off. Chasing her back toward the couch, Branch attempted to grab her but she suddenly turned and he had to catch himself on the back of the chair before falling. Poppy giggled at him but was soon attempting to dodge him again as he lunged for her. However when Branch's arms found their way around her waist, the two found themselves falling into the other beanbag.

Branch lifted himself up, intending to scowl at Poppy and berate her for again for stealing things that weren't hers but stopped when he noticed how close he was to her. He'd fallen on top of her, legs tangled together and her face was right there. If he was braver, if he wasn't certain that it ruin everything and she'd hate him, truly actually hate him, he would just lean down and kiss her. He'd kiss her and tell her how much she meant to him and all the poetry he'd written about her but...But he wasn't going to. He was never going to do that.

Poppy giggled as Branch leaned up, he hadn't chased her in years and she had forgotten how fun it was. Looking up with a smile, Poppy made to say something teasing when she noticed Branch just looking at her. Tilting her head to the side, she waited for him to speak as she unconsciously raised her hands to his chest and wondered if his eyes had always been that blue. Wondering if maybe she should say something, Poppy didn't get the chance as Branch suddenly pushed himself off her.

“Right! I was gonna cook!” He cried, voice an octave higher as he hurried over to the kitchenette.

“Okay...” Poppy blinked, wondering what that was about before toying with the hem of his shirt, “I-I won't actually keep the shirt, Branch. I was mostly messing with you.”

He didn't respond for a moment, just went about gathering up a pan, before barely glancing back at her, “It's fine. I don't care.”

“But-”

“Poppy.” He said, voice containing a hint of a bite to it, “It's fine.”

“...Okay.” She got up and headed toward the door before slipping a pair of sandals on, “I'm just...gonna get the rest of my laundry. Be right back.”

“Sure.” Branch grunted.

As the door closed, he hung his head and slumped against the sink. Stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Why'd he say that is was fine when it most certainly wasn't?! Why did he have to be such an ass that he upset her enough to run away?! Why couldn't he just be a normal human being?!

Sighing, because Branch really didn't want to contemplate the answer to that, he stood and started cooking. Maybe the menial task would help distract him enough from his thoughts, at least until he could lock himself in his room. And as he listlessly started to push ground beef around the pan, a small part of him hoped Poppy would be willing to forgive him. He really hadn't meant to upset her. Branch sighed again and hung his head, he really was the worst.

                                                    ~*~*~*~*~*~

Oh Branch, I don't think Poppy would have minded if you had kissed her. Confused for a little while but not minded XP But then we wouldn't get to the rest of my plans for this story if you had XD

Hope you all enjoyed and look forward to the next one! It's a bit I've been excited to get to!

History Maker-Yuri on Ice

Fred Weasley*Family Reunion

Masterlist HERE

Wattpad HERE

"Fred, this is how I die," I told Fred on our date in his local muggle town. Fred scoffed, swallowing his food first for once, "You're going. I go to your weird muggle things you can go to a family reunion. You've met," Fred counted it out on his fingers, "5 of them?" "4, and that's only half of them. Plus, no partners. I swear this is the end of me," Sure I felt bad for dragging Fred round muggle things I liked but he normally enjoyed himself. Like right now where we went to his local muggle town, got cheap food and pranked muggles with Fred and George's inventions. Obviously, once they can't trace. And now we were sitting on a bench in town. Fred knocked my shoulder with his own with a small smile. "Hey chin up. It'll be fine. Just hide behind me and Georgie if it comes to it," I groaned loudly but Fred just shook his head. He stood, holding his hand out to me. Reluctantly I let him pull me up, "C'mon darling. Time to get moving," We linked hands and walked to the bus stop nearby. After reexplaining how busses work and giving Fred some money, we got on the bus. His stop was first so before he got off, he reminded me, "12 o'clock sharp. And if you don't show up in that fireplace, I will come to yours and unleash all our untested products," I rolled my eyes, "Sure you would," he shrugged with a cheeky grin before getting up and pressing the button to stop, "See ya," "And I'll see you tomorrow," He kissed my forehead before sprinting off the bus. I shook my head despite my smile as he ran to keep up with the bus as we started driving, waving to me with both arms. Wizards aren't stupid so I was able to take the bus to a main city, luckily only 15 minutes away, and get a floo network to where ever you need. It's kinda like a wizarding bus.The next morning, I triple checked my appearance in the mirror, nervously looking at the fireplace. Mum was a squib so installed a floo fireplace for her family and because I had magic. I know she's jealous she doesn't have magic, but she's never held it against me. Speaking off, "Honey you look fine," Sighing, I ran my hands through my hair, "I'm going to be in a tiny house with 8 plus people with huge personalities," I reminded her. "Well, you've never been so the house could be huge. And you've not met all of them so they might be the loveliest people ever," "Not the way Fred talks about them," I mumble, "Besides I've seen a picture of the house. And the Weasley's I have been the definition of crazy," "You're not exactly normal yourself," She pointed out. I ran a hand over my head, "C'mon," Mum directed me to the fireplace. "It's already 5 pasts," "I hadn't noticed," I mumble, grabbing some floo powder. I was terrified I'd say it wrong and end up in some Randoms house, or some shady alley, or worse. I took a deep breath. "The burrow," I said as clearly as I could. Whoosh. Traveling by floo made your stomach feel like it was on a roller coaster ride and you were weightless. Not to mention the powder and ash that went up your nose or in your mouth or in your eyes. Ew. Once I felt the solid ground, I blinked a few times, coughing some of the ash out. Once my eyes settled, I saw Fred who'd been sitting on the couch, checking the time, run up to me, "You're five minutes late," he tried to scold me. "You were 20 minutes late to our first date," I crossed my arms with a pointed look, "So I say we're even," Fred rose his eyebrows, "Okay you're forgiven," He pulled me out the fireplace, welcoming me in with a wide wave of his arm, "And I had a good reason," "Being forced to hide in a cupboard because you pranked the Slytherins and didn't get out fast enough does not count as a good reason to make me think you'd stood me up," Fred rolled his eyes, "So dramatic," "Look who's talking," Someone fakely cleared their throat behind us, "Well were my welcome?" I turned to see George standing there, fake offended, "Hiya Georgie," I gave George a dramatic hug. "I'm jealous. My own brother!" Fred held his hand to his heart. To egg him on I wrapped my arm around George's waist, and he draped his over my shoulder. This wasn't highly uncommon since I was close with both for years, only starting dating Fred a few months ago. "Will you two stop this ruckus!" Mrs. Weasley walked in with a wooden spoon and anger. She saw me and obediently put on her best 'mum' face. "Welcome dear," she smiled, "Fred you didn't tell me (Y/N) was here," She looked at George. George looked at me with a grin and I knew, "Sorry mum," he pulled me closer, "This is my darling (Y/N)!" He presented me as a prize. Fred's jaw had literally slackened, and his mouth was hanging open. Luckily Harry and Ron walked in, "Why's (Y/N) hugging George"? George sniggered and pushed me to Fred who protectively wrapped his arms around me, not caring he was basically holding my head. Molly flushed, "Sorry Fred. You'd taken your jumper off," Fred's eyes narrowed but he said nothing. I spoke up, "I'm sure it's okay, right Freddie?" He nodded. "Hello, Mrs. Weasley," "Call me Molly dear," She smiled "I need to go finish making the lunch," she rushed out the room. Deciding I didn't want to deal with the twin's pettiness I looked to the two younger boys, "Ron, Harry. Who'd of thought you were a couple." I smirked. Both turned red, starting to deny it, "Mum said I could have a guest," he stammered out. The twins were laughing. "The invite said, partner. Right, Fred?" "Yup," "George?"" "Definitely," "I'm proud of you boys," I walked over and put an arm over each of them, "Glad you're out the closet," I winked at Harry who got redder. "Coming boys?" I ask the twins who were glad to leave Ron and Harry as bumbling messes. Despite it not being my house, I took the lead and led them up the stairs. "Good thing Ginny didn't hear. She proper fancies Harry," George said, laughter still in his voice. "Really? They'd be cute," "Ew!" They said in sync, "She's our sister," "She'll be legal one day," Fred and George both went to chase me, and I lucked out when I saw a door with a big 'F' and 'G' carved out with a 'keep out, wizards at work' sign. I ran in and pressed myself against the door. I heard them bang on the door and laughed, knowing Fred wouldn't push it that hard, fearing he'd hurt me. "Let us in!" They said through their bangs, "Nah," I called back, "Are you supposed to have a lock on your door?" I asked when I spotted the metal bolt. "Don't you dare- "thunk. I dragged the heavier than expected lock over and stepped away from the door. "That's it," one of them called, "We're gonna get someone with a wand," I ignored them, exploring the room. It was a typical wizard teenage boys' room; quidditch posters, dirty cauldrons, laundry everywhere. The mess didn't really bother me having seen the dorm they share with 3 other boys. I'm able to tell whose bed is who's by their nightstands. George's has an assortment of snacks and notebooks piled up while Fred's has one notebook and a photo frame. Fred never really had his own food, just stealing other peoples. I picked up the picture and smiled. It was us and taken on a wizarding camera at Hogwarts. It was a three-second shot of when Fred had run up and kissed me before putting a snowball down the back of my coat, then me chasing him of course. The shot replayed and I couldn't help but grin. "Stand back from the door," Someone called through the door. The door, that I half expected to blast of the hinges, just slid the bolt off and opened slowly, "Well that was anticlimactic," I said, crossing my arms. A taller Weasley was standing on the other side with a grin on his face, "Didn't want to hurt Fred's first," Fred's face went bright red. "I'm Bill," He walked in and shook my hand, "And if theirs any trouble just send us an owl," I nodded, "They're always trouble," I told him. "Don't I know it. Mum said lunch is ready so let's get moving," The twins groaned, having just got in. they stomped behind us like bored toddlers as Bill and I chatted about annoying things the twins did. We reached the table and took our seats. "Wait till I tell you about the time we went on holiday in Ireland- " "No!" The twins cut him off. "We never" "Ever" "Speak of that," "Okay?" They said the last part in sync. Bill nodded, holding his hands up in mock defense. They both let out a sigh of relief and took their seats, Fred on my left and Bill and George across from us. There were 10 mismatched chairs set out along a long table and we were the first there. Ron and Harry joined not long after, sitting beside George. They avoided my eyes. "C'mon boys, cheer up. We all know Ron fancies- " "I told you that in confidence!" Ron cut me off. I smirked and sent a wink. Suddenly everyone cared. "Who'd you fancy?" Harry tried to whisper to Ron whose face was redder than his hair. The twins and Bill turned to me, "Yeah, who'd he fancies?" Fred asked. I tapped my nose, saying nothing, "C'mon, you love me," I rolled my eyes, "So?" The rest of the table grimaced. Percy, however, walked in and sat as far away from the twins as he could. Luckily the conversation moved on, "Tell you later," I whispered to Fred who perked up. So far, I'd met Ginny, Ron, and Percy at school. Percy, I'd met at a study group he was forced to run as a prefect. Ron, I'd met when I forced the twins to apologies for a particularly mean prank. And Ginny had tracked me down to find out who was dating Fred. Percy and I never spoke but he respected me since I tried to study at the very least, Ron and I were surprisingly close after I found him holding back tears in an empty class (it was third year and he was sick of being in everyone's shadow so I gave him a pep talk and we got surprisingly close), and Ginny liked to ask my advice on guys since I didn't treat her like a child. Bill seemed like a laugh so far, Molly seemed like she was a stereotypical Hufflepuff but with some extra Gryffindor fight, and I hadn't met the other two. Arthur who was apparently really into muggle things and was kinda weird, and Charlie who was in Romania and liked quidditch. Seemingly on cue, an older man I assumed was Arthur walked in with Molly not far behind. He took a seat at the end of the table with Molly on his right. "Hello everyone," he said as he sat down. Molly scanned the table and noticed the two empty seats, one between Percy and Fred and one at the end beside me. She smiled at me and Harry before walking over to the stairs. "GINNY!" Both Harry and I jumped. The twins laughed as Molly came back in with an awkward smile. She took her seat and said, "Sorry about that," You heard Ginny before you saw her and suddenly a flash of red was Ginny darted to the first seat she could, "Sorry Mummy," she was sat between Fred and Percy. "Well Charlie owled and said he may be late so, let's start," Arthur clapped his hands, "Molly dear," Molly raised her wand and the food floated in and floated in the middle of the table. The Weasley's knew what to do and began grabbing things off the trays. Being slightly freaked I froze so Fred filled my plate for me. I jumped again as food flew past me and landed on the plate next to me, a bit of foil coming over to be wrapped over the plate, "For when Charlie gets here," Molly explained. I nodded, a little freaked, "Sorry. It's just food doesn't float in my house," The Weasley's laughed as the trays flew back in the kitchen, "You get used to it," Harry said. He seemed a bit healthier, maybe he'd and a few visits. Everyone dug in, no hesitation. "So (Y/N), you're a muggle born?" Arthur asked. "Um I'm not sure," The elder Weasleys' sent me a queer look, "My mums a squib. My dads a muggle, so I don't really know. I didn't study too much on blood types," "Too right dear," Molly smiled at me before glaring at her husband. "But you live with muggles?" Arthur asked. I nodded, "Good. Tell me, what exactly is the function of a rubber duck? I can't get a straight answer," The younger Weasleys facepalmed and Harry seemingly got flashbacks, "Um. It's a bath toy. Like little kids play with them in the bath?" it came out like a question, "Didn't realize they were a muggle thing," "Wizards normally just use magic to keep kids amused," George told me through a mouthful of food. This has been happening for first year, so I just held my finger up and pointed to my mouth. He swallowed, "Sorry," Molly's mouth fell open, "How? What? How did you do that?" I laughed, "I trained them well," "We aren't owls," Fred protested. "Teach me," Molly said, fully serious. "Mum!" Lunch was going smoothly so Fred whispered to me, "and you said you didn't want to come," "Okay," I whispered back, "Some of your ideas aren't horrible," Fred grinned victoriously. He was about to gloat when the front door quite literally burst open. "Ello Gingers!" A well-built man said from the doorway. His clothes were a mess and his hair was falling in his face, but he didn't care. He spotted Harry and me, "And others. Sorry, I'm late," "Charlie!" Molly scolded. "Sorry mum but...it was him," he pointed to the ground. A small burst of fire shot out from behind his leg and I screamed as a dragon walked out. This provoked a grin, "This is Khaleesi," he pointed to the small green scaly creature. "You brought a dragon?!" Molly screeched. "Only a baby one!" I couldn't keep my eyes off the dragon. It seemed to sense that and stared back, taking a few steps closer. "(Y/N)?" Fred put his hand on my arm, concern in his voice, "You okay?" I reached my hands out for the dragon who made a weak attempt to fly into them. I picked him up and held him at eye level. I turned to Fred and said in a flat voice, "I want one," "You cannot have a dragon," he said. "Oh well see," I said, turning back the Khaleesi, "Hiya," he let out a short blast of fire, not even hitting me. Charlie hummed, "I like this one," Charlie plopped into the seat beside me and uncovered his plate, "Thanks mum," she shot him a disapproving look. This made him grin. Lunch was somehow better with Charlie. Khaleesi sat on the table between our plates and picked off bits of chicken and whatever they wanted really. I ended up staying there till about 4 before I knew I had to get going. After saying my goodbyes to the clan, I stood in the fireplace. Fred held the floo powder but didn't hold it out for me, "I'm glad you came," he said in one of his few moments of being genuine. "So am I," "Wish I could've had you all to my self though." He grinned. "We go back to school soon. We always have the room of requirements," he laughed at my statement. "See ya I guess," "Yup," He stepped partially into the fireplace to kiss me bye. I grabbed a handful of floo powder as he stepped out, "Just one thing," he stopped me, "Don't leave me for my brother," "Which one?" Fred rolled his eyes, "That dragon was pretty cool," I grinned, thinking about Khaleesi. Fred pouted, "But I tamed my beast. I don't need another,"

i don't want you to feel forced into posting something that you might not like just because of me tho :( i actually loved that part tho, truly.

Oh I don’t feel forced at all! Honestly, I love sharing what I’ve worked on, even if it’s stuff like this. I just don’t have a lot that’s shareable and I wasn’t sure if anyone would actually want to read a sloppy outline. Just pretend it’s like an entire fic minus all non-essential words and details. 💜

So after the end of this, Louis goes about life, helping out with Harry whenever he can, just hanging out, chilling for two weeks. Harry mentions Lara coming on Saturday to go over all the legal stuff with him like guardianship and such and Louis asks if Harry wants him to take Dory for the day. Harry says no, she’s kind of all he’s got right now. Louis stupidly says, “you’ve got me, too, H.”

Louis gets a phone call one night while he’s picking out an outfit to wear for a date. Harry wants him to come over, Louis can’t, says he’s going out. “With the lads? God, I haven’t been out in over a month. If I had known, I would have called a sitter or my mum or–” “It’s not with the lads, Harry. It’s with a guy I met the other day.” “Like… like a date?” “Yes, Like a date.” “Oh,” is all Harry says, and then it’s quiet on the phone for a long time.

Louis goes on the date. It isn’t half bad and the guy is pretty sweet, even manages to get a goodnight kiss out of Louis, but Louis doesn’t invite him inside. As he’s getting ready for bed, Harry texts him saying the baby woke him up and now he can’t fall back asleep, and is Louis still up because he’s bored. Louis goes to answer before he realizes what Harry is doing. He’s fishing for information, trying to find out if Louis ended up going home with the guy or if they ended up sleeping together. Louis doesn’t answer, shuts his phone off, goes to sleep.

Louis goes to Liam’s one night for their monthly lad’s dinner. Overhears Niall and Liam talking about needing to get Harry some sort of rebound. “Why?” Harry asks. “Weren’t you just whining to me the other day about how you haven’t had sex in what? Like six months?” “Well, yeah,” Harry says, “but I didn’t mean it like that. I’m not looking to hook up with someone.” No one mentions the fact that Harry and Lara only split about a month ago.

Niall ends up inviting everyone over for a BBQ. Louis goes to grab a beer and gets roped into a conversation with someone who clearly starts flirting with him. They accidentally end up chatting for a quite a while until the guy’s friend comes up to tell him they’re leaving. The guy gives Louis his number even though Louis knows he’ll never call him. He heads back to where he last saw Zayn and Harry and sees them sitting at the edge of Niall’s patio, in the middle of what looks like a conversation he doesn’t want to interrupt. He ends up at the snack table instead but Harry picks his head up, catches his eye, and he looks pale and tired. Louis offers him a small smile but Harry doesn’t really smile back, and after he finishes grabbing some food, he goes back to find out Harry is gone.

Louis leaves the party and shows up at Harry’s flat where Harry is folding laundry and baby clothes. Harry blames leaving the BBQ on separation anxiety, but Louis knows it’s more than that. They end up watching some Netflix on Harry’s laptop in Harry’s bed, and when Harry falls asleep and Louis goes to shut his computer off, he sees the background of Harry’s desktop is a photo of Harry with a giant grin on his face, holding Dory in the park, Louis beside them.

A few weeks later, Harry takes Dory to the park with Niall. “Uncle Niall,” Harry calls him. Everyone is an uncle. It’s Uncle Niall, Uncle Zayn, Uncle Liam, but never Uncle Louis and Louis doesn’t know if it’s because of the fight, of the six months of radio silence, or because he wasn’t at the hospital, or just because he doesn’t mean as much to Harry anymore, if they ruined that, but he doesn’t get it and it kind of hurts. “How come you never call me Uncle Louis?” he asks one night, after Niall goes home. “I don’t know. You’re just… Uncle seems like something you’d call your best mates.” “And I’m not one of your best mates?” “Well, you are, yeah, but you’re like. You’re more than that? I’m always going to think of you as more than that.”

Louis asks how the park was. “We cried ‘cause we were too hot,“ Harry says, “then we cried because we wanted Uncle Niall’s ice lolly and then we cried some more because the ice lolly was too cold for us, isn’t that right Dory?” They’re sitting in Harry’s living room, Dory crawling between them. They tire her out and Harry goes to give her a cool bath before putting her to bed. He comes back and Louis’ sitting on the counter, eating his own ice lolly. “I could go for one of those,” Harry says. “Sorry, H. I got the last one.” Harry pouts and moves to stand between Louis’ legs. Louis lets him have a few licks while they talk, trading licks, whatever, until both their mouths are stained red and Louis drops the stick in the sink. They just stay there talking, Harry’s hands eventually finding Louis’ knees, fingers dancing up his thighs to the bottom of his shorts, and then they kiss and it’s sticky and sweet and they taste like raspberries and Harry’s fingers are trembling a little on Louis’ thighs, and then Dory starts crying and Louis can’t do this again. He promised himself he wouldn’t do this again, let Harry into his heart again, give him the chance to hurt him again.

So he runs out and drives home, doesn’t bother going up to his flat, just panic walks around the city until he ends up at Zayn’s. Zayn isn’t home, he’s actually at Harry’s watching Dory because Harry ran off to Louis’ thinking Louis would be there. Zayn talks him through it. “You know what the first thing he said to me was?” Zayn asks “When he called me after he told you Lara was pregnant, it wasn’t ‘Holy shit, Zayn, I’m going to be a father.’ It was ‘I lost him, Zayn. I just lost the most important thing in my life and I don’t know if I’ll ever get him back.’ Louis you mean the world to him. Just talk to him.”

[FLASHBACK TO THE MIDDLE OF THE PREGNANCY WHEN HARRY AND LOUIS HAVEN’T BEEN SPEAKING FOR A FEW MONTHS]

He’s in the car one day with Zayn, and Zayn’s phone goes off and Louis grabs it, sees it’s Harry, and Zayn says it’s fine, he’ll call back later. But then the phone rings again immediately after and Louis doesn’t care, really he doesn’t, so he hits answer and holds it to Zayn’s ear and Zayn can’t really hear him so he tells Harry to hang on one minute because he’s in the car and looks to Louis to see if it’s okay, then puts him on speaker. Harry’s having a panic attack. Hyperventilating, freaking out, fumbling his words over not being a good dad, not being ready for this, not knowing what the fuck he’s doing, and Louis knows that if they were still talking, Harry would have called him first, like the time his dad left and he called Louis during a panic attack and Louis had to sneak out in the middle of the night to get him to fucking breathe again, like the time Harry sat him down and sobbed into his neck that he thinks he likes boys too. So Louis knows Zayn’s not going to know how to deal with this unless Zayn’s taken over for him these past few months and has been on the receiving end of these types of calls lately.

But Harry isn’t calming down, he’s just getting worse. And as much as it’s going to kill Louis to do this, it’s killing him even more having to listen in. “Harry?” he interrupts. The other line goes silent. For a terrible second, Louis thinks Harry’s hung up on him, and then there’s a sob on the other end, a heartbreaking, choked, shuddery, wet sob that’s worse than anything Louis’ ever heard and while Harry was just hyperventilating before, he’s full on crying now and it’s Louis’ fault. “Harry you need to breathe, yeah? You need to listen to me. Just listen to my voice and take a deep breath.“ But Harry isn’t getting any closer to calming down. “Harry, you’re going to make yourself pass out,” Louis tries again. “Haz, babe, you gotta breathe.” He doesn’t mean to slip back to those names, but they seem to hit something in Harry because Louis hears him suck in a long, giant breath, once, twice, and then there’s a broken, trembling “Louis,” on the other end and it’s like Louis’ his best friend again, trying to get him to calm down in darkness of his tiny bedroom back in Holmes Chapel.

Louis ends up blabbering on with him about having nothing to worry about, he’s going to be a great dad, the best dad, he’s always been so good with kids, with Louis’ sisters, with the little twins when they were born, he has nothing to worry about. “You’re going to be great, Harry, your baby’s going to love you and you’re going to take such good care of them.” “Her,” Harry chokes out and Louis’ about to ask what he means when Harry cuts back in with “I’ll take good care of her. She’s a girl, Lou. Found out last week. I’m having a little girl.” And the way his voice changes, softens, relaxes, Louis knows he really is going to be the best father out there. Eventually he calms down and Louis takes him off speaker and Zayn goes inside and Louis ends up sitting in Zayn’s car for the next two hours, catching up with his best friend and erasing the past five months of silence from their lives.

[PRESENT DAY]

Louis walks home and Harry is sitting outside his door, leaning against the wall covered in a blanket and asleep. Louis sits next to him and nudges him awake and they talk and Louis tells Harry he understands why Harry decided to leave him when he found out Lara was pregnant. “I didn’t have to do it like that, though,” Harry says. “I know H, and we discussed that already and that’s okay. I just can’t. I can’t have you breaking my heart again. You’re like… you’re it for me, H, and if I lose you again, if this doesn’t work-“ “It’ll work, I promise. I promise, Lou, you’re it for me too, you’ve always been it and I’m so sorry I ever thought otherwise.” They talk it out and Louis is holding Harry’s hand through all of this. He tilts Harry’s face to kiss him and Harry is shaking through it. “It’s okay, Harry, it’s okay.” “I know, I know, I’m just. I’m nervous.” “You’re nervous? Do I make you nervous, H?” “A bit, yeah.” They kiss and Harry is still trembling and Louis feels a tear roll down Harry’s cheek. “Crying now, too?” “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I’m just so… happy. You make me so happy, Lou. God, I love you.” They kiss for a long time and fall asleep in Louis’ bed. When they wake up it’s noon and it’s raining outside, the heat wave finally breaking.

[FLASH FORWAD] Louis wakes Harry up on Christmas Eve and it’s snowing outside and Dory is almost three and Louis is a few months away from marrying the love of his life.

And thaaat’s it! Really, if anyone wants to steal any of this, go ahead! Just let me know so I can read it in the end 🙈

make it work, make it sweet - a fitzsimmons fic

Written for the anon that requested fs + I did the dishes. 

Summary: When Jemma hopes to surprise Fitz for his birthday with something special, things don’t quite go according to plan. (Sci-Ops Era/established relationship)

Read below or on AO3!

~

With her grocery sacks cutting into her arm as she trekked up to the fourth floor of her apartment complex, Jemma cursed herself for forgetting the reusable bags she’d left hanging on the pantry door. Luckily, that was the only mishap she’d encountered since embarking on her day’s plans. With Fitz out for the day, it was the perfect opportunity to take advantage of their small but still fully functional kitchen in their shared flat to make him something special. They usually didn’t go crazy on birthdays, but he’d taken her to the local arboretum the afternoon of her birthday last year, and with him being 23 days older than her, it gave her almost an entire year to prepare something spectacular for his day of celebration. But even with plenty of time to prepare, it didn’t make the task of surprising him any easier.  

Unfortunately, she wasn’t necessarily the best at thinking up surprises for her boyfriend ever since they’d established that Fitz was much more talented in the realm of romantic gestures. Preparing something special for someone who would be pleased with just about anything was a difficult task to narrow down, so it took a great deal of brainstorming before she settled on the perfect gift. She knew buying him something extravagant wasn’t an option since they were trying to keep their possessions as minimal as possible in their cramped flat. And she knew a surprise party would likely spook him more than anything else, him often preferring to spend time alone with her rather than with a large crowd of people.

It was only when they were invited to a colleague’s birthday party in the summer did she suddenly come up with a plan as they came across the subject of birthday cakes.

“It’s good,” Jemma uttered through a mouthful of vanilla cake as they hid in a corner of the loud and overly crowded patio. “Could be better.”

At her side, Fitz shook his head. “Jemma, are you really judging the cake? It’s sweet, it’s got loads of icing, and it’s free.” Poking his fork into her slice, he stole a bite before she brought her plate closer to her chest protectively.

“Yes, but it’s so boring,” she explained, not impressed by the simple vanilla sheet cake that easily fed a crowd but wasn’t up to her standards for desserts. “You only get one birthday a year, so you might as well make a cake that’s just as special.”

Fitz shrugged. “Well, it’s just a cake. I can’t even remember the last time I had a birthday cake like this.”

Putting down her fork, Jemma tilted her head. “Wait, what do you mean?”

“Oh. Well, it’s not like I’ve never had a birthday cake,” he told her. “I had ones when I was really little, but once it was just the two of us, my mum would always take me to this bakery down the street to get a slice there.”

“Ah,” Jemma replied plainly.

“I didn’t mind,” he said, shrugging. “I think she always hated having so much leftover, and I didn’t want her to go to the trouble of making one, anyway.”

“Yeah, that makes sense,” she said with a hint of sadness in her voice.

Upon learning this fact, Jemma instantly felt horrible for not thinking to make him a cake in the past. With their last few years spent at the Academy and now at Sci-Ops together, their schedules were so incredibly busy that they usually settled for store-bought cupcakes on birthdays, the single candles giving them just enough light to make wishes for the next year they were to spend at each other’s side. Now, all Jemma could think about was making up for lost time and what would hopefully be a delighted look on Fitz's face when she ultimately presented him with his freshly baked cake.

Once she learned that Fitz’s mum would be in town for his birthday, Jemma suggested that he should spend the day with her, and then the three of them could all meet up for dinner afterwards, giving Jemma time to prepare his gift in secret. Based on her skill level, she calculated precisely how much time she needed to bake and decorate the cake in time for it to be ready for dessert that night. A small white lie about having lunch with Daisy allowed her to leave their flat in the morning without question (but not before giving Fitz his first birthday present of the day, which—based on her observation—he seemed to enjoy tremendously).

Of course, instead of meeting Daisy, Jemma hopped over to the supermarket to collect fresh ingredients, wanting nothing short of the best for Fitz’s soon to be glorious birthday cake. With all the proper pieces purchased and arriving home just in time, she felt her plans were going off without a hitch. That was until she swung open the flat door and stumbled inside, letting out a loud gasp at the sight in front of her.

The countertops were nearly spotless, the dishes were laying in their rack to dry, but the most alarming sight before her with her boyfriend with a bottle of all-purpose cleaner in hand and a thin layer of sweat coating the back of his neck.

“Oh!” Jemma exclaimed, forgetting to ease the door shut, so the loud slam sent Fitz turning around at the noise.

“Hey, Jemma. You’re back early,” he said happily.  

“Fitz. You’re… you’re here,” she said, unable to move from her shock.

“Yeah, did you go shopping?” he asked. He gestured toward the fridge. “We’re low on milk, I think.”

Slowly, Jemma tried to lower the grocery sacks without losing her grip to hide them behind her back. “Yeah. Wha-what are you doing here?”

Fitz chuckled lightly, resuming his work of scrubbing down a corner of their kitchen island. “I’d like to ask you the same question,” he said, raising his eyebrows, “since you said you were meeting Daisy for lunch.”  

“I had…errands to run first,” she answered before clearing her throat. “You’re not supposed to be here.”

“Aren’t you happy that I’m cleaning?”

“Not today, I’m not. Aren’t you supposed to be spending the day with your mum?”

“Change of plans,” Fitz explained as he continued to scrub at the countertop. “Got a call saying her flight’s running late, so she’s coming in tomorrow instead. Which is actually better, because now I have more time to make sure the flat is in order, so she doesn’t think we live like slobs.” He looked up, raising his hands. “Not that we do, of course, but you know. Don’t want her to worry. Anyway, I did the dishes, laundry’s almost done.”

“Oh,” Jemma replied softly. “Right, okay.”

“I didn’t text you because I didn’t want you to cancel on Daisy for my sake.”

Nodding, Jemma inched one of the grocery sacks higher on her arm, still struggling with its weight.

“Here,” Fitz said, putting down the cleaner and rushing forward. “I got it.”

“Oh, no, it’s okay,” she insisted, quickly pulling the bags away as he reached forward to keep the ingredients a secret. But her swift movement resulted in yet another mishap of the day as the thin plastic of one of the grocery sacks tore open from the bottom.

Before Jemma had time to react, the contents went tumbling to the floor, the sacks of flour and sugar landing with a heavy thump but luckily staying mostly intact. Tragically, the jug of milk and the jar of rainbow sprinkles were not as lucky.

“Oh, no, no, no!” Jemma cried as she trailed after the rolling jar, the sugary morsels now decorating a good portion of their kitchen floor. As she struggled, muttering a few expletives to herself, Fitz got to his knees to collect the other fallen ingredients while he took paper towels to the growing puddle under the milk jug.

“Well, so much for the milk. And wow, that… is a lot of sprinkles,” he said through a laugh.

“Ugh, this is a disaster,” Jemma whispered as she tried to collect the sprinkles into a pile, hanging her head so Fitz couldn’t see her expression.

It was happening again, she thought to herself painfully. No matter how meticulous she was in her preparations, her attempts at being romantic were somehow always falling apart, and without warning, a lump started to form in her throat as her eyes filled with tears.

“It’s okay, I’ll clean it up,” Fitz told her before getting to his feet and searching for their broom and dustpan.

“Thank you,” Jemma replied, giving up her attempts to collect the sprinkles to lean against the bottom cupboards of the kitchen in defeat. “I just… I had plans all set and stone, and they only work if you’re out of the flat all day.”

“What sort of plans?” Fitz asked from the other side of the kitchen.

Through a deep sigh, Jemma shook her head. “Nothing, it’s…” She paused, sniffling and wiping under her eyelid. “It’s nothing. I’ll make it work. Somehow.”

“Well, do you want me to leave?” Fitz asked while he started to sweep the floor. But once he got around the island and found Jemma leaning against the cupboard, he froze. “Hey, what’s the matter?”

Looking up, she gave him a weak smile. “How is it so easy for you?”

“What?”

“To be romantic,” she said quietly.

At her words, Fitz tilted his head, giving her a sympathetic look.

“You always… take me by surprise and everything is always so unbelievably perfect,” Jemma explained. “I, on the other hand, am always running into trouble. First it was the holiday that didn’t work out because of Weaver’s last minute project, then there was that astrophysics lecture that I was going to surprise you with, but then you had already bought us tickets. And now I can’t even get your bloody birthday present right.” Shaking her head, she pressed a hand to her forehead.

As she expected, Fitz balanced the broom against the counter before he made his way to her side on the floor. Placing his hand on her shoulder, he urged her to turn towards him. “Come here,” he whispered.

WIthout a word, Jemma sunk her head to his shoulder and curled into him, swinging her legs over his to settle in his lap. “I’m sorry,” she said after a few moments, wiping the few tears away and letting herself laugh for the first time as she took in the mess that was their kitchen and her current state. “I’m just being silly.”

“No, you’re not,” Fitz assured her, moving a stray hair that had fallen in front of her face. “I’m sorry I ruined your plans.”

“It’s not your fault. It was an accident.” Letting out a small sigh, she shrugged. “But still. I don’t understand how it always goes so well for you every time. I try to plan something nice for you and it always seems to burst into flames.”

It was his turn to laugh, which Jemma found annoyingly adorable considering her state of mind. After, when he looked at her with a more serious expression, she waited for him to explain.

“Did you know…” he finally said, “that for every seemingly perfect date or gift, there are probably about three failures in-between?”

Jemma scrunched up her face. “What do you mean?”

“Do you really think that the time we stayed in during that crazy thunderstorm with Chinese take away and that Austen movie marathon—that was plan A?” He let out another chuckle before he continued. “That was supposed to be a picnic in the afternoon and then stargazing at night. Turns out I vastly misjudged the weather patterns that day, along with my skill in making sandwiches that even come close to yours.”

“Aw, but that was a good night,” Jemma assured him, leaning her head on his shoulder.

“It really was,” he agreed. “And then those flowers I got you after you passed your final Academy exams? Those were purchased because the dwarf prototype I was originally working on may or may not have exploded in the lab.”

With widened eyes, Jemma looked back up at him. “Oh, God. You never told me that,” she said, astonished.  

“Well, the miscalculation helped us finish the project in the end, so I didn’t feel the need to inform you about that bit,” Fitz admitted through a half shrug.

Jemma let out a faint laugh.

“But see?” he said, poking her playfully in the side. “What you think is perfect and effortless is actually a great deal of throwing things together on my end, and that’s okay. ”

She nodded, already feeling immensely better about her soiled surprise.

“Whatever you end up doing,” Fitz went on, “even if it’s not exactly what you originally planned, I’ll always love it because it’s from you.”

“I know,” Jemma said, her voice low. “I just wanted things to go right this time.”

“Alright, spill,” Fitz said in a lighter tone. “What were you planning?”

Pulling back to look at him fully in the eye, Jemma sighed. “I was going to bake you a cake,” she finally confessed, her voice as small as the smile growing on her face.

It took a moment for Fitz to respond, but then his eyes turned bright. “Really?”

“Yes, I know it doesn’t sound that exciting, but wasn’t just any cake,” she gushed. “It was going to be this beautiful, magnificent, delicious cake. And it was going to have six layers—”

“Six?!”

“Yes, and sprinkles, and a chocolate drizzle, and I was going to surprise you and your mum when we all got back from dinner.”

“Jemma, that…” Fitz shook his head in disbelief. “That sounds amazing.”

“I just wanted to do something special for a change.” Taking hold of his hand, she looked down at her lap.

“You still can,” he told her reassuringly, rubbing her back. “But now you can have my help.”

“But it was supposed to be a surprise,” Jemma replied, pouting.

“Okay, then, how about I help you with the baking part, and then I’ll leave the decorating up to you?” he offered.

Jemma thought for a moment before she pursed her lips, nodding. “That does sound like a good idea. An assistant would make things a lot easier.”

“Assistant?”

Rolling her eyes dramatically, Jemma shook her head. “Alright, fine. Partner. But be honest, Fitz, how much baking have you done in your life?”

“I’ve done enough,” he answered, looking a bit insulted by her question, but smiling nonetheless. “And it’s just science, isn’t it?”

“Yes, and good judgement.”

“And fun, I’m hoping. Plus, with an expert at my side, I’m sure I’ll learn just fine.”

“Yes, you will,” she told him happily. After giving him a small peck on his cheek, not a trace of disappointment left within her, Jemma got to her feet and pulled Fitz up. “Right, then. Let’s get to work.”

~

It took nearly five hours, but eventually, the two of them sunk heavily onto the sofa before cutting into what Jemma thought was one of her most brilliant creations to date. After Fitz went out to replace the spilled milk and rainbow sprinkles, they set about a routine of weighing, mixing, pouring, and then finally watching the cakes rise in the oven as they transformed before their eyes. As they’d agreed, Fitz stayed in the living room while Jemma got about icing and decorating the cake. And when, at last, it was finished and she presented it to him proudly—all six layers of soft and springy sponge towered up high with rich buttercream—Fitz seemed lost for words.

At the moment, they’d already polished off two slices and were now sharing a third, Jemma’s legs draped over Fitz’s lap as they balanced the plate between them.

“It really is spectacular,” Fitz told her, patting her knee.  

“Thank you,” Jemma replied lovingly.  

“And you technically made me three cakes,” he pointed out.  

“Well, I didn’t know which one you would like best, so I thought… Neapolitan. Felt like the safest route.”

“It’s bloody delicious is what it is,” he mumbled through a mouthful of the strawberry layer.

Once the third slice was demolished and they were left with only crumbs, Fitz took Jemma’s hand and pulled her closer to his side.

“You did well. Very romantic, indeed,” he told her, his lips pressed to her forehead.  

“Good,” she said into his neck. “And maybe... this can be the first of many special cakes in the future?” She looked up with a raised brow in a hopeful expression.

She saw something shift behind his eyes then, as if a new thought was entering his brain at that precise moment. She liked to think it was the same one running through her mind as well, a future filled with many more special occasions made brighter with the addition of delicious desserts, and maybe even one where the cake was the centerpiece of a grand celebration, an occasion much more memorable than any birthday.

Eventually, he nodded, his smile growing wider as he leaned in. “Yeah, that sounds nice,” he whispered before capturing her in a soft kiss, the taste of his lips just as sweet as his words, the sugary treat they’d just devoured, and what turned out to be quite the romantic night after all.

~

🎂

See the cake Jemma baked here (from Cupcake Jemma! 💫)

The Butterfly Effect - Part 5 - The Ex

Bucky Barnes x Reader 

Words: 1450

A/N: This took me forever to write... Almost 4 hours for just about 1500 words. I’m getting so frustrated, that my hands don’t work proberly. The pain ain’t getting worse, so i take that as a good sign, but now it needs to leave, and take the numbness with it too.  Anyway... Enjoy this next chapter - We are working our way through the clichés... But who are we trying to be kidding? They are clichés for a reason right ;)  

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4

Bucky is the perfect man. He's sweet and caring, always asking how I'm doing and is actually listening to what I tell him. He's funny and makes me laugh over and over again, the more he can make me laugh the happier he seems to be. He's the perfect gentleman, observant, present and making me feel important, even if I'm talking about boring stuff like laundry.

He's sooo handsome, like taken out of a photo shoot for some high end fashion magazine. Sometimes, I even feel a tad to normal, even boring, compared to him. But he always acts like I'm the most beautiful girl in the world.

Not to mention, he is the best kisser I have ever laid my lips on. He takes my breath away, and makes me longing for more whenever he leaves, giving me butterflies in my stomach just by thinking of him.

Everything I've dreamed of. Except, I'm not really sure where I got him.

"So, have you... you know... done it yet?" Natasha cocks an eyebrow, a teasing smirk on her lips as she sips her coffee.

We are sitting at the coffee shop again, the one where Bucky gave me his number, hidden under a cookie.

I raise my eyebrows in surprise and look around to see if anyone heard her very direct and very private question. Luckily for me, it doesn't seem like anyone is paying us attention.

"No! What, no...? No!" The words come out as a stutter, and I cringe when I hear just how flustered I sound. Way to go y/n, that will definitely make her believe you.

 Natasha laughs as she squints and point a finger at me "You just said no, tree times. Don't hold back on me... how was it?" She leans in, ready to hear all the juicy details. So typically Nat!

 I sigh, deeply as I play with the handle of the coffee mug.

"I'm serious Nat... We haven't. I'm not even sure that we are official. I mean, we've been out more than enough to think we are, but... It's like it never goes any further than dates, holding hands and mind-blowing goodbye kisses" I look at her, sadder than I intent to.

 "Oh Sweetie! I'm sorry... I thought you..." She trails off and I nod, understanding what she means.

"Well, if he can't get his ass in gear and officially make you his, I see no other choice than for us to go out and have some fun tonight. There's this new bar a few blocks from my work and I've been dying to go. It's been ages since the last time we went out, and also this is going to be one of the last times having a girls night out before I officially becomes Mrs. Barton"

 "Nat, I don't know..." I start, but she cuts me off very quickly.

"Y/n, I'm not saying you have to find another guy... it's just a girls night out. Clint is working late, and I really want to go... Please?" She looks at me with her puppy dog eyes as she tries to hide her smile. She knows I can't refuse, and yelp out a celebrating "Yes!" when I agree to go.

 "Y/n, stop fussing, you look great!" Natasha swats my hand away from the hem of the dress she has lent me.

"But it's so short!" I whine and tug on the fabric again, trying to make it cover a bit more of my thighs but to no avail.

It does look great, and it hugs my curves all the right places. My ass looks great and with the high heels matching the dress, I look like a million dollars.

But this outfit will get me attention and something inside of me keeps reminding me, that I don't want anyone else's attention but Bucky's.

 Once seated at the corner of the bar, after having ordered a drink each, I relax a bit. There's a cozy atmosphere. I'm typing out a message, only listening halfheartedly to something Nat is saying, barely hitting send before the phone is snatched from my hands. "No phones!" she says sternly and put it in her purse.

"But, I was just texting Bucky, letting him know..." I start, but she cuts me off quickly by adding "And no, Bucky! This is girl's night out, remember?"  

 I smile sheepishly and nod. Clinking our glasses together, we are already deep in conversation again.

 "Y/n?!" I hear a familiar voice and immediately my eyes widen, cringing when I see the recognition in Natasha's eyes.

I turn around, and surely there he is, the one ex I don't want to meet ever again.

 "Brock, hi" the words are short and not inviting to further talk, but Brock being Brock he ignores the clear dismissal in my voice.

 "Y/n, it is you! I thought my eyes deceived me... You look fine" His words are slippery and hold more than just a compliment. That guy never did want anything else but my body.

"Still just the two of you like always, hmm?" He's eyes roam both Natasha's and my own body like they were food and he was a starving man "I thought I heard you had gotten married Tash. Settling down in the boring life as a housewife? And yet, here you both are just like the old days. Nothing's changed huh?"

 Natasha's eyes are hard and cold, she never did like Brock, and looking back I don't blame her.

She holds up her hand, flashing the beautiful ring that Clint gave her "Everything has changed, Brock. Now go away... we're having a girl's night here"

 He laughs, ignoring her completely as he moves closer to me, putting his hand on the small of my back, his eyes roaming my cleavage "Let me buy you a drink Y/n"

He signals to the bartender to make new drinks, even though I say no.

 Brock never was one to listen to others. And my discomfort is clearly showing to everybody in the room, except from him.

 When Brock puts his other hand on my thigh, Natasha is just about to jump up and yank him away from me, but someone else steps in close and lean in to kiss my cheek. Doing so, he comes in between Brock an myself, making Brock have to let go of me.

 "Hi Doll! I'm sorry I'm late. I got here as fast as I could, but traffic was a pain" Bucky's velvet voice rings sweetly in my ear, and I can't stop myself from grinning widely when I look up at him. Even Natasha looks happy to see him interrupting.

 He leans in and plants a quick kiss on my lips, making me sigh out loud before he turns to Brock and extend his hand.

"Hi, I'm Bucky, y/n's boyfriend... And you are?" The words are cold as ice, and leave no room for Brock to question what is happening.

 "I'm leaving..." He mumbles and turns around to walk away.

 I beam up at Bucky, who looks like he is watching a cockroach following Brock with his eyes. Natasha smirks looking from me, to Bucky and back to me, before she says

"I'll be right back, I have to give Clint a call" She winks at me as she stands up and makes her way towards the ladies room.

 "Thank you for saving me there..." Looking at Bucky, seeing how handsome he looks in dark jeans, tight navy-blue pullover and his hair pulled up into a bun. His blue eyes meet mine and his lips curl up in the smile I've come to love and adore.

 "Couldn't let that beast put his hands on you, Snow White" He answers and I have to giggle at his words.. "Wrong Disney Princess, Park Guy"

 His eyes wander over me. For a second I swear his eyes takes a darker shade of blue and he clench his jaw as if he is holding something back before he whispers "God, you are beautiful!"

 The waiter comes over and places the two drinks that Brock ordered before, in front of us as he says "One beer for the gentleman and one 'Blue Butterfly' for the lady" before he smiles shortly and quickly turns away to takes the next order.

 We both chuckle when we hear the name of the drink. I let my finger run over the cool glass before I turn to look at him, a shy smile on my lips

"So... My boyfriend, huh??"

 Bucky's eyes looks deeply into mine, his smile never leaving his lips as he puts his hand on my cheek

"Only if you'll have me?"

Part 6

Tags:

@bexboo616 @happylittlethingsss @mizzzpink @fangirling-all-the-way-tbh​ @owhatshername1 @sinceimetyou @alextittle @todorath @tbetz0341 @fortheloveoflamp @whimsicalatbest @buckysjuicyplums @mynameisreallycoolbutitstoolong @kalisaysfuck @shitmymomsay @mjgonzalez-01 @projectxhappiness @kuollut-talven @lol-haha-joke @caplansteverogers @loki7ms @who-cares-rn @cc8302 @buckysarm4 @altyex

(For @jemchew, from @regretful-otome)

1. Usagi.

“My name is Yahiko.” The boy beside Lord Kenshin was tiny. Smaller than everyone in the castle, almost the same height as Kanetsugu, but somehow smaller.

In other words, Yahiko was positively tiny compared to himself. He didn’t want to fight the small boy, he would crush him, so Kageie didn’t go out of his way to make friends with the tiny boy.

He… fit in somehow. A bit awkward in the way all growing boys who weren’t quite adults yet were, but alright.

Also, he was very jumpy.

It was like they had gotten a rabbit.

2. Oishī.

A small rabbit that could cook he amended a few days after his introduction. He was much better than the other castle cooks so hopefully, they got to keep him, if only for his food.

He could make kusa-mochi edible. He made Tsugutsugu’s bitter kusa-mochi sweet like they were supposed to be. A relief for his taste buds because Tsugutsugu was fast when it came to making others eat them.

“Yakko, food.” He plopped his head on top of his, his hair was soft, and tossed his arms over those tiny shoulders.

He barely stumbled with his weight this time.

3. Houchou.

Yakko would be very good with a tantou he decided, watching the swift cuts he made to the fish. No hesitation. A good thing on the battlefield.

“Hey, Yakko, want me to teach you how to fight?”

“No.”

That was a shame. He was small. And fast from the few times he had seen Yakko run.

“Are you sure? I’ll go easy on you.” He offered. Tsugutsugu was starting to get boring. And Yocchi never wanted to spar.

He blinked and stared down at the blade that was pointed at his throat.

“No.”

Kitchen knives suited Yakko’s hands more.

4. Kasa.

“You’re so small.” It was part complaint and part… he didn’t mind how small he was, compliment, observation?

But this was starting to hurt his back a little. If he straightened his back, the umbrella would be too high to cover Yakko and the rain was pretty heavy.

Not to mention, both of their feet were already covered in mud and their hakama were getting wet.

“Sorry about this.”

He seemed light enough.

“Yakko, hold this.” He handed the umbrella to him and then picked the smaller man up.

“Kageie-san!”

“Kakki.” He corrected. “We’re friends, so call me Kakki.”

5. Yomu.

Yakko was staring blankly at the scroll. Like he didn’t know what to do with it.

But, he was a commoner. Not a samurai or a noble.

“Yakko, do you know how to read?”

“… no.” Just as he thought.

“I’ll teach you how!” Yocchi popped his head onto Yakko’s and started pointing at the scroll. “This kanji is-”

“Yocchi, he needs to learn kana first before kanji.” His teacher hadn’t been merciful when teaching him the Chinese characters, but he could at least make sure Yakko didn’t suffer too much learning. “I’ll get some books for him.”

6. Okaeri.

“Kakki, you’re super lucky, you know.” He eyed Yocchi as he led him and his group somewhere after their wounds were treated. Rear guard was fun. The injuries not so much.

“What are you talking about? You want to join us?” Laughing, Yocchi shook his head and slide a door open.

A feast. There was no better word for it. It looked good for what wasn’t covered.

And there was a familiar form in the corner, fast asleep.

“When Yakko heard you were coming, he asked Lord Kenshin for permission to make a feast to welcome you back with.”

7. Moku.

“What is this for?” His stare was almost accusing. No doubt he still remembered their conversation in the kitchen.

Yakko didn’t want to fight. But that didn’t mean he should be defenseless.

“You’re too weak.” But still sturdy. “Some defense never hurts.”

A practice sword would hurt, but not in a permanent manner.

Just enough for him to get away.

“I still don’t want to fight.”

“But I won’t always get there in time, Yakko.” Good, Yocchi could do this. “We want you to be able to defend yourself a little, so please?”

He crumpled like paper in no time.

8. Ue.

He woke to a blanket being placed on him and a shadow cast over him.

Wordlessly, he lifted his arm up. An invitation. One he didn’t offer often.

“I have to help with lunch.”

He frowned. Yakko’s food was good and people would get upset if he deprived them of his cooking. So he just sighed and settled back under his blanket which was a haori. But too big to be Yakko’s. Who could have given Yakko one then?

Too much effort to think about he decided, closing his eyes again.

It smelled like sandalwood and felt like sunset.

9. Amai.

The first time Tsugutsugu offered his weapon-grade kusa-mochi, he was unaware. Afterwards, he ran, but that rarely stopped Tsugutsugu. Honestly, they should just equip Tsugutsugu with his food and let him throw them at the enemy. Or feed them. He was such an aggressive feeder.

The first time after Yakko’s arrival, the kusa-mochi was sweet for once.

Just like all the other sweets leaving Yakko’s kitchen.

He wondered what it said about him when he took to napping near the kitchen in order to wake up to a plate of sweets nearby with a pot of tea and a cup.

10. Neru.

He was pleasantly surprised when he woke up in a small human curled up under his haori. Or rather, one under and the other leaning on the wall right by him. It was rare for Yakko to not have a shadow called Ai behind him.

They were both so small that his haori easily covered both of them. It was warm enough he didn’t need it to nap.

Kanetsugu couldn’t scold them. He wouldn’t. He was oddly fond of Yakko though that might have had something with the way Ai followed him around.

A nap would be good for them.

11. Tōrō.

“Kakki-san,” Opening his eyes, he was met with soft lantern light being cast on the floor and Yakko looking down on him. “You missed dinner.”

Giving the smaller man a look, he deliberately dragged his eyes from his to the tray in his hand.

The action got him a giggle and the tray moved in front of him.

“Itadakimasu.”

It wasn’t bad. Eating on the veranda with a lantern’s light and Yakko’s quiet presence.

Perhaps he should keep doing this.

“Kanetsugu-san seemed annoyed with you not coming to dinner.”

Or maybe he shouldn’t. An irritated Kanetsugu was feared by all.

12. Kage.

Officially, Yakko was a page. Kenshin’s page. Or Kanetsugu’s depending on who snagged him first. And a cook.

Unofficially, as in Ai had decided it and no one ever denied her anything that wasn’t dangerous, he was Ai’s main caretaker.

Though, watching the two of them hang laundry up to dry from his spot on the roof, Ai looked like she could have been Yakko’s little sister. Or daughter if he was a little older.

“Nii-san, can we make mochi for Father today?”

“Of course.”

He was good with kids. Did he have a little sister in the capital?

13. Himitsu.

Yakko had secrets. And he wasn’t very good at hiding their existence. He supposedly had an older sister and a mother back in the capital. If anything, Yakko seemed more like Kanetsugu than Yocchi so did he have another sibling?

Not like it was in his position to pry when Yakko was mostly harmless. Unless it involved his kitchen.

Yakko was very good at not revealing his secrets.

“B-b-breasts!” Tsugutsugu covered Yocchi’s mouth before he could get louder.

Except, he couldn’t hide this one after falling into the pond. Then, loud stomps came before them.

“What is going on here?”

14. Shiragiku.

Well, in hindsight, he supposed it made sense. Yakko was built more like a willow and so light compared to even Kanetsugu, he had worried he wasn’t eating enough.

The wet clothes clinging to her frame made it quite obvious a woman had been underneath them.

“You’re soaked!” Grabbing a towel, Kanetsugu started to pat her dry. Not even blinking at her gender. He probably knew from the start.

So why did he let her stay? Did Kenshin know?

“Don’t just stand there! Get me another towel!”

Too troublesome to think about it now he decided, getting another towel.

15. Bijin.

“Yep, Yahiko’s a woman.”

So Kenshin knew too.

“Women are forbidden in the castle.”

“She’s here for Ai. Kanetsugu figured she could use some feminine influence in her life.” Then why weren’t they told in the first place?

The shifting and frowning meant he wasn’t the only one to think that.

“Yakko’s still Yakko.” Yoshichi decided with a firm nod. “So where is she?”

“Lord Kenshin?”

“Come in.”

The door to the main hall slide open.

Her still somewhat damp hair clung closely to her neck and he could see why they felt the need to hide her.

Pretty.

16. Aho.

Yakko, as she didn’t mind being called that, was an idiot, he decided, for continuing to stay when she could have gone home. It was a castle full of men and one girl, and, now, one woman. “No. Spar with me.”

Oh, wait, it was their own fault for making her feel safe enough that staying was an option. There went Tsugutsugu dragging off his latest victim for a ‘spar.’

More like beating him black and blue. In the name of training so they couldn’t get in trouble.

And Kanetsugu seemed to approve of their methods.

Kenshin didn’t mind either.

17. Ku.

“Kakki-san, I made onigiri. Would you like some?” It was nice to hear her normal voice. Pleasant, not at all hoarse like she pretended it was to hide its high pitch.

“Yeah.” He sat up. Taking one of the balls of rice off the plate, he bit into it when something caught his eye.

Where had she gotten rouge? They always went shopping in town together so he would know if she bought something.

Did Lord Kenshin give it to her?

It was a nice shade.

He should warn Yocchi and Tsugutsugu. They were going to have more work now.

18. Namae.

The only people who knew Yakko’s actual name were Kanetsugu and Lord Kenshin. And no one asked her what her name was.

As if, if they did know, Yakko wouldn’t be one of them anymore.

It would be much more real that she was a she and not simply a beautiful man like Lord Kenshin. And happened to dress like a woman.

“Hey,”

“Yes, Kakki-san?”

“Your real name, what is it?”

Looking around and then gesturing him to lean down, it felt like she was telling him a secret.

Something private she was going to share just with him.

19. Nyuu.

It was dumb. It was no secret that Lord Kenshin was fond of Yakko. He doted on her constantly as evident by her growing collection of hair accessories and fine kimono. In addition to his habit to escaping the castle with her.

Lady Uesugi, they whispered in the halls. The rumors were flying around.

Before he didn’t pay attention to them, but these ones irked him.

Now he was downright irritated.

He wasn’t surprised by the fact that Lord Kenshin liked to do her hair.

It was the fact that he minded that surprised him.

It was just a hairstick.

20. Atsui.

Too hot to nap. Way too hot, even in the shade. Especially near the kitchen.

“Yakko,” He whined. From outside the kitchen, right where he could start to feel the heat. It was almost dinner time so it was hot from the flames.

“Yes?” Soft, but quick footsteps signaled her arrival.

… perhaps he shouldn’t have called her outside.

The sheen of sweat on her skin caught the setting sun’s light and there goes a drop down her neck and into… her… cleavage.

She looked good regardless of the weather.

“I want sweets.”

“After dinner if you’re still awake.”

21. Suki.

He wasn’t an idiot. He was very familiar with emotions contrary to what his comrades might think. He was a rather simple man. None of that complicated denial stuff.

The worst that could happen was Lord Kenshin taking offence in the scenario that she was his lover.

He might die.

But that was highly unlikely since she wasn’t the type to get retribution for anything.

Except messing with her kitchen.

“Kakki-san?”

He gestured to the spot beside him on the veranda and waited until she was seated.

“I love you.”

Oh, her surprised squeak was adorable. Along with that blush.

22. Aka.

“You can’t just say that!”

“I just did.”

He could wait until her stammered retorts ended. Except it didn’t look like she would be done anytime soon.

Softly, he called her name, putting a stop to her voice.

“I love you.” He repeated calmly. As calmly as he could with his heart thumping louder than usual. “I liked Yakko, now I love you.”

Well, her blush and attempt to hide behind her hands seemed like a good response.

It wasn’t a rejection yet.

“Well?”

“I… love you… too.”

“I can’t kiss you with your hands in the way.”